The Lord’s Advice Is Best

Lent starts February 14, and so does the RESCUED Blessed is She Lent devotional. This year, you’ll be receiving an excerpt from the Lent devotional every day in your inbox (in lieu of our regular daily devo). We want to pray with one heart and one mind as the BIS sisterhood. If you prefer to have the book, purchase the 2024 Blessed is She Lent devotional RESCUED right here. Right upon purchase, you’ll receive a link to come into the free Blessed is She app to walk through the Lenten season with us in daily live prayer, small groups, and more. Together let’s look to the Lamb of God who came to rescue each one of us.

 

“Hear me, all of you, and understand.” // Mark 7:14

Months after our wedding day, my husband and I found ourselves joyfully anticipating our first child! It was the most surreal experience I’ve probably ever had (and I have had the blessing of experiencing it three more times). This idea that a child was growing inside of me while I was her safe haven was equally beautiful and terrifying. As a first-time mom, I was fixated on reading all the pregnant-mom blogs and following social media accounts of what I had to do, eat, listen to, etc. Cue the unsolicited advice from pretty much everyone around me and I had enough intel to keep me up at night thinking about the hot sauce I added to my dinner and what that would do to my baby . . .  

We’ve all stressed over advice about things that can harm us or ways we should actually do something. The Gospel today demonstrates this when the Pharisees and scribes question Jesus about the way His disciples ate with unclean hands (see Mark 7:14-23). Jesus shifts the focus to matters of the heart. What do we allow to flow from our hearts? How do these ideas/standards shape who we are? The Lord invites us to live from a well-formed conscience and with the heart that He gave us, rather than merely living our lives following rules and restrictions without regard for His love for us. 

If you notice yourself looking at others for the way you should be living more than you are looking to the Lord, I invite you to pause and seek His voice. (His voice does not pressure you like that perfectly curated social media account, lifestyle blog, or TV persona . . . ) When we focus on allowing Him to guide our discernment, we will be able to live as our authentic selves. Saint Irenaeus reminds us that, “For the glory of God is a living man; and the life of man consists in beholding God” (source). Today, I invite you to ask the Lord to show you how to be fully alive, without distractions and pressures from the world. Your life brings Him glory when you live the way He created you to live.