DEVOTION

Here is a daily devotion I found online: Normally, I like to create my own to pass along, but this one could have been my own. It also provides a great link to some sound daily devotions and reflections. Check it out.

Identity Crisis
By Laura J. Bagby
CBN.com - I have to admit, I love finding out more about the personality types, but I honestly think I need to quit cold turkey.

When finding yourself in some self-analyzing test becomes an obsession, well it's time to re-prioritize. In my voracious search for self I bought every personality book I could find and I have taken every possible test. I have found out what kind of leader I am, what animal I most resemble, what color best fits my personality, and on the spiritual end, even what Bible character I am most like.

But what's next? What shape I am? What vegetable? It could conceivably continue infinitely.
What's ironic is that the search for better self-understanding only led me into confusion and depression. The results didn't match up. One survey said I was an introvert; another confirmed I was an extrovert. One swore that I was a bold leader; the other seemed to think I would rather hang back in the crowd. And on and on. I would put the book down and still wonder who I really was.

You know what I think? I think human nature is just too complex to get down on paper, and the more we try to find ourselves in some arbitrary categories, the more miserable we shall become. I can attest because eventually we always want to become what we are not.

The answer to the continual search for an identity is always Jesus Christ. What does God say about you and I? Well, He might not tell you whether you are a sanguine or an intuitive thinker or an influential leader, but what He will tell you means more than all the secular books on self-understanding.

Don't get me wrong. There is a place for such analysis. Just don't place your whole value there. God tells us that we are His children. We are co-heirs with Christ. We are in fact new creations. This is our true identity.

I like God's personality test best. All I have to do is give myself to the Lord, and He makes me more like Jesus Christ everyday. My personality quirks and foibles are now His business. He takes care of the rest.

"For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God." (Col. 3:3, NIV).

FAMILY DEVOTION:
Based on “BRINING GOD HOME” by James Evans
Thank You Notes:
My mom always had to remind us to write thank you notes after birthdays and Christmas gifts had long been unwrapped and put away. Bring out some Thank You cards (or make some) to the family. Ask everyone to share a Thank You note that they remember receiving. Ask them to share what they wrote in a recent Thank You note.

Read Isaiah 35:1-10
Isaiah understands that the nation of Israel will face some difficult times when things seem bleak and lifeless like a desert. He also knows that God will create a time of joy and singing and hope. The people will have a reason to be thankful.

Invite folks to write a thank you note to God (either each person or one for the family – be creative with paint, markers, crayons…etc)

Feel free to bring the Thank You Note to Church or display it in a special place in your home.