In honor of Summer and our family’s annual beach trip to HHI, I decided to pull this series of devotionals out and share them with you over the next few weeks. I hope you enjoy them. These were written in 2009 when my children were so young. It was wonderful thinking about these sweet memories again.

Sand in My Face

Several years ago during one of our family vacations at the beach, I watched as my son J.D. built a sand castle. It was a masterpiece! He didn’t realize I was right behind him, when suddenly he shoveled sand right in my face – yuck! My initial reaction was to lash out in frustration as sand was all in my eyes and my mouth! Thankfully, I had the restraint to take a deep breath and think before I spoke. After all, he was so excited about his masterpiece!

What about those times in your everyday life when sand gets thrown in your face? You know what I mean, when someone or something just nails you from out of the blue. What’s your reaction? Do you fly off the handle?  Do you pout or storm off in frustration? So many times our initial response could be avoided if we just had the presence of mind and self-control to stop for a moment … count to 10 … and breathe.

James 1:19-20 tells us we should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry because the anger of man does not produce the righteousness God desires.

So the next time you get sand in your face, pause and take a moment to think before you react. And just like J.D.’s sand castle, allow Jesus to make His masterpiece in you!

For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.  Ephesians 2:10

And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God. Colossians 1:9-10