STRESS, everyone seems so stressed. Is this new? I don’t really think so. Life is stressful. It’s not going to change. Nothing I say here will change how the world and human society operates.

I could say that I’m too busy to write this; too busy to listen, too busy to notice, too busy to care, too busy to help, too busy to love.

I could say that I’m too poor to share; of my money, my time, my love.

Is it that I don’t have enough, or am I stressing the wrong things?

Have you ever noticed that stress also means what we emphasize- what we focus on?

In fact, when I put the “em-PHA-sis on the wrong syl-LA-ble,” I misunderstand and am misunderstood.

We don’t get to choose what happens in life. We don’t get to choose how other people behave. But it has been pointed out that there is one thing, and one thing only, in life that we have control over, and that is how we react to what happens around us. There is an option to be thoughtful about what we focus on.

There is a battle for our attention and focus. What do we choose to focus on?

Being stressed is a choice.

Being thankful is a choice.

Being sad is a choice.

Being happy is a choice.

Living in fear is a choice.

Living in faith is a choice.

Of course, this is not true about the emotion you feel in a split second. This is about pausing, reflecting, and deciding who we want to be in this world. It takes strength and patience to find the peace of Christ in our hearts. Whose image do you follow, and is it something that you do with or without thought?

The choices we make become the habits of our behavior. They form the pattern of who we are. As we weave the tapestry that becomes a lifetime, what picture will emerge from our choices? Will it be random, angry, and fearful, or will it be intentional, loving, and thankful?

The next time you find that you have lost the peace of Christ in your heart because of the stress of life, what choice will you make?

May the peace of Christ rule in our hearts in the quiet times and the stressful times. Give us the strength to follow Your path and emphasize what matters. Give us the strength and the foresight to pause, reflect, and choose. Thank You for Your grace and forgiveness when we fall short of this, and help us to make choices that show our love for You and our neighbors. Amen.

This devotion was written by Jill Pope and read by Judy Wilson.

Grace for All is a daily devotional podcast produced by the members of the congregation of First United Methodist Church in Maryville, Tennessee. With these devotionals, we want to remind listeners on a daily basis of the love and grace that God extends to all human beings, no matter their location, status, or condition in life.

If you would like to respond to these devotionals in any way, we would enjoy hearing from you. Our email address is: podcasts@1stchurch.org.

First United Methodist Church is a lively, spirit-filled congregation whose goal is to spread the message of love and grace into our community and throughout the world. We are located on the web at https://1stchurch.org/.

One of the greatest aspects of my faith is my understanding of God’s unfailing love. I don’t know about you, but I have so many days when, taking stock at the end of the day, I think about so many more things I have done wrong than that I’ve done right. Those seem to be easier to catalog for some reason. Among them, though, are things I’ve said or done that make me feel less-than-lovable.

I consider that “I probably shouldn’t have said that” or “how was that thing I said perceived?” or “I missed that opportunity to do a nice thing for someone” or worse, “I was really a jerk to so-and-so.” Gosh, sometimes I go through that list and wonder how I have any friends left at all!

Don’t get me wrong. Those who know me well know that I’m someone who is trying to be and do better. I fail, but I’m trying.

But in those times when I’m getting more wrong than right, one of the greatest ways I find hope and respite is in the love of God that will never leave me.

When I think about the remarkable strength of the bond I have with my spouse or with my parents, or even with my closest friends, I know that there are things I can say that are heard differently; conversely, they can say the hardest truths to me, as well, and I hear them more earnestly than I would from a stranger or even a person with whom I do not have that bond. I can really be my honest, relaxed self around those closest to me without fear of abandonment or rejection.

That level of loving trust is so very special. But what is remarkable is that the trust in God’s love is even more sure. It is even purer. When we feel our least lovable, it is helpful to know that God’s love is there without judgment — inexplicably from the very One most positioned to judge us — and it never, ever fails us.

Of course, just as I try to do the best and be the best for those I love most in the world, not because I am trying to get them to love me more, but because I want to express my affection for them, this love with God is similarly a two-way street in which I want to be better and be more loving and lovable because I feel so loved. In short, I want not only my heart to rejoice in God’s salvation, but God’s heart to rejoice in my adoration.

God, we are so thankful for your unwavering, unending, unfailing love. Let us not only never take it for granted, but let it inspire us to love you and your people and your world more fully. Amen.

This devotion was written and read by Dwight Dockery.

Grace for All is a daily devotional podcast produced by the members of the congregation of First United Methodist Church in Maryville, Tennessee. With these devotionals, we want to remind listeners on a daily basis of the love and grace that God extends to all human beings, no matter their location, status, or condition in life.

If you would like to respond to these devotionals in any way, we would enjoy hearing from you. Our email address is: podcasts@1stchurch.org.

First United Methodist Church is a lively, spirit-filled congregation whose goal is to spread the message of love and grace into our community and throughout the world. We are located on the web at https://1stchurch.org/.

When Jesus told this parable, he was speaking to people who understood sheep and shepherding. For centuries, the Jewish people had been known throughout the ancient world as expert shepherds. They knew how to care for flocks, how to protect them from predators, and how to find good pasture. So when Jesus began talking about a man with a hundred sheep, his listeners would have nodded along. This was familiar territory.

But then Jesus says something that must have made them pause. The shepherd loses one sheep and leaves the ninety-nine to go searching for it. Wait a minute. Would a good shepherd really do that? Would he really abandon ninety-nine healthy, obedient sheep just to track down one that had wandered off? From a practical standpoint, it doesn't make much sense. You could lose the whole flock while you're out chasing after one stubborn animal.

We understand this kind of thinking in our modern world. Business people today build losses into their calculations. They expect a certain percentage of customers to leave, a certain number of products to fail, a certain amount of shrinkage in their inventory. It's just the cost of doing business. You accept the loss and move on.

But that is not the way God does business. God is not interested in acceptable losses. He does not write off the wanderers and focus on the ones who stayed put. Every single one of us matters to him, not as a percentage or a statistic, but as a beloved child.

The image of the shepherd putting that lost sheep on his shoulders is a tender one. He doesn't drag it back by the ear or scold it for wandering. He carries it home with joy. And then he throws a party. That's what our return means to God. Not relief that the numbers are back in order, but a genuine celebration.

Our Father, thank you for seeking us out when we wander. Thank you for not treating us as acceptable losses. Help us to understand how precious we are in your sight, and to extend that same relentless love to others. Amen.

This devotional was written and recorded by Jim Stovall.

Grace for All is a daily devotional podcast produced by the members of the congregation of First United Methodist Church in Maryville, Tennessee. With these devotionals, we want to remind listeners on a daily basis of the love and grace that God extends to all human beings, no matter their location, status, or condition in life.

If you would like to respond to these devotionals in any way, we would enjoy hearing from you. Our email address is: podcasts@1stchurch.org.

First United Methodist Church is a lively, spirit-filled congregation whose goal is to spread the message of love and grace into our community and throughout the world. We are located on the web at https://1stchurch.org/.