OPENING DAY & CLEAN SLATES

I LOVE opening day. I always say, "New Year's day, my birthday, and the start of a new baseball season  are my favorite three days of the year." And that is because they each mark a fresh start. All these days, a new beginning is celebrated, and a sense of renewal and potential for greatness is just THICK in the air. You can feel it somehow!

Baseball fans across the world today are greeting the start of the season with the same sense of optimism and excitement, celebrating the possibility of the unknown. "This is our year!" Ugh, feels so good to say it and to actually believe it!

I don't have to think about the horrible record my team had last year... cause that was SO last year! That is the old way we played ball... this year is going to be different for SURE. We can look forward, with a clean slate, and just WIN ballgames. Such a powerful mindset.

When I think about the source of this awesome feeling, I have to go back to Christ. I really believe in the power of Jesus Christ, who is ever-present and can help us achieve greatness. Just like Opening Day, Christ’s grace brings us the opportunity for renewal and potential for greatness. He offers us a blank slate and the potential for a new beginning no matter where we’ve been. We just need to lean into it. And the cool thing about His grace is that we can use it EVERY day... we don't have to wait through a whole 162-game season before we try to reset the record. 

As we celebrate the new baseball season, let us remember to seek Christ and the potential for greatness that He offers. 

PS - I am pretty sure Jesus is a Cubs fan, so that even further increases our chances this year! #gocubsgo

A Widget and a Withered Hand

 

First of all, this is wild - there is a human out there with the name Barrie Devo. WHAT? 🤯

Second, I just saw that the last post was over a year ago... so let's hope this isn't the "annual devo post". haha

I think I’ve shared with a few of yall personally. But the “scripture of the day” widget has changed my scripture study habits the last few months since I added it. It’s all synced up with Come Follow Me and the weekly lessons, and I’ve honestly been able to get into the scriptures pretty much every day since I’ve added it. Which was not the case for a long time. My scripture study has a loootttt of room for improvement still, but at least I am engaging with ancient text regularly now. 

ANYWAY, I wanted to share today’s set of scripture - 

Matthew 12

10 And, behold, there was a man which had his hand withered. And they asked him, saying, Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath days? that they might accuse him.

11 And he said unto them, What man shall there be among you, that shall have one sheep, and if it fall into a pit on the sabbath day, will he not lay hold on it, and lift it out?

12 How much then is a man better than a sheep? Wherefore it is lawful to do well on the sabbath days.

13 Then saith he to the man, Stretch forth thine hand. And he stretched it forth; and it was restored whole, like as the other.

Not sure if everyone on here knows, but 1.) Madison and I just had our 3rd son - River Jonas Hofman and 2.) he was born with a "cleft hand" - he has a fused thumb and pointer finger, missing the middle and ring finger, and a LONNNNG pinky haha (actually it is probably normal length, but looks long when you don't have the middle fingers haha

Here is a picture of his fist - that is the pinky closed over his other digits:

Here is a look at the other fingers:

Of course, I know this bible story, but it for sure hit different this time around now that I have a child with a “withered hand” and have a much clearer understanding of what this miracle would mean for this man, his family, and all of those who knew him. What a life boost. 

And it just reconfirmed to me how much I love Jesus. This guy spent his time hanging out with people that felt different, that hurt, and that were bullied. And that is, I think, my favorite Christlike attribute. He hung out with those that needed His extra boost. 

And this time around I felt the rebuke he gave to the Sadducees less of a “sabbath day letter of the law” thing, and more of a “the worth of souls is great” lesson. We are worth way more than sheep!! Haha 

We ALL have infinite worth, and we need to look past the weird things people do, the “sinful” behavior of others, the “uncleanliness” or stinky clothes, and just see HUMANS. Everyone is out here struggling and we need to do what we can to help them… and trust they’ll do what they can to help us. 

It was just a beautiful set of scripture. And I’m glad I had the widget to get me there. I highly recommend installing it. 

The End.

Postscript:

If you are interested in HOW to get the widget - here is a screen recording (it may not work haha, text me if you're curious. lol):