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Tag Archives: Verse of the Month

He Is Worthy [Revelation 4:11]

He Is Worthy [Revelation 4:11]

Posted on January 11, 2021 by Kendra Jernejcic • 0 Comments

(This year, I am returning to an old practice of choosing a passage of Scripture to memorize and meditate on throughout each month. And I’m inviting you along for the journey, beginning today with my January Verse of the Month.)

It was two days after Christmas and time to take down the decorations. I placed the last of our seasonal figurines into their storage bin, then braced myself as I lowered the lid, certain that it wouldn’t fit. I was wrong: the rubbermaid container easily held all of its designated decor items, with room to spare. . . .

Since un-decorating had kept us busy all morning, I was late in getting the twins down for their second nap and almost scrapped naptime altogether, sure the babies wouldn’t go down; but they did, and slept soundly for over two hours. . . .

That evening, I was reading over a soon-to-be-published blog post, preemptively cringing at the inevitable grammar errors and misspellings I knew would need fixing. They weren’t there: the post was as cleaned up as it needed to be, no nitpicking required. . . .

As I crawled into bed that night, I pondered the events of the day and marveled at all that had gone well. I was amazed at how I’d managed to sidestep so many potential mishaps. And then, as I reflected further, I became surprised by my own incredulity over the day’s smoothness. Why should a good day come as such a shock? When had I become so convinced that life needs to be hard, that everything that can go wrong will?

I’ve been sitting with those questions since Christmas, and I have been troubled by what they say about my gut-level response to life. More and more, I have been noticing how my default expectations are set to NEGATIVE. Pessimism pervades my every moment, and I have acclimated to life with a glass-half-empty mentality, cautiously wading through life’s treacherous waters, holding my breath in preparation for the deadly swells I’m sure are threatening to overpower me.

This is not a healthy mindset. There is power in expectation, and when I squander my time anticipating failure and hardship, I’m certain to find them—regardless of whether or not they are there. Even when my negativity is warranted, this pessimistic posturing speaks to a lack of faith and a failure to trust in God’s goodness and His provision.

It’s hard to experience God’s good gifts when I’m preoccupied by a fear that His gifts won’t always be there, or that God Himself won’t always be good. But the opposite is also true: when I shift my gaze to God and His goodness, I can’t help but feel optimism and hope.

Last year’s Bible reading plan had me in Revelation in the final week of December, and I loved spending the waning days of 2020 focusing on the promise of Heaven and an eternity in the presence of God. This verse from Revelation 4 particularly spoke to me. In this chapter, John has painted a celestial scene where a collection of heavenly beings sings endless praises to the Lord Our God. Their words remind me of God’s infinite goodness, and their act of worship is an example of how I want to live my life.

Of course, life isn’t always easy. It doesn’t always feel good, things don’t always go smoothly, and hardships are an unavoidable part of life within our broken world. But even when I’m feeling the weight of life’s burdens, this verse points me back to author of all that is good. He is worthy of all glory, honor, and power. He deserves my worship, my trust, and eyes that are open to the GOOD He has in store for me.

Filed Under: Reflections
September Verse of the Month // Psalm 25:4-5

September Verse of the Month // Psalm 25:4-5

Posted on September 13, 2019 by Kendra Jernejcic • 0 Comments

Many Christians talk about how they regularly hear from God, sometimes even audibly. But even though I’ve had a personal relationship with Christ for most of my life, this direct hearing from God isn’t an area where I have a lot of experience. Through the years, I have had moments when I was confident God… Continue Reading

Filed Under: Reflections
August Verse of the Month // John 14:27

August Verse of the Month // John 14:27

Posted on August 12, 2019 by Kendra Jernejcic • 0 Comments

While I’m doing my best to embrace all of the wonderful aspects of being pregnant, I won’t deny that pregnancy is an anxious time for me. In the beginning, right after seeing those two pink lines, there was the ever-present fear that this wouldn’t be a viable pregnancy. Now that I’m well into my third… Continue Reading

Filed Under: Reflections
July Verse of the Month: James 3:17

July Verse of the Month: James 3:17

Posted on July 10, 2019 by Kendra Jernejcic • 0 Comments

Last month in one of her daily Bible recaps, Tara-Leigh Cobble explored the definitions of three frequently-confused concepts: Knowledge, Wisdom, and Understanding. Tara-Leigh defined knowledge as “having the facts.” In a world where we carry an endless supply of books, encyclopedias, and news sources around in our pockets (or even on our wrists), the facts… Continue Reading

Filed Under: Reflections
June Verse of the Month: Ephesians 1:3-5

June Verse of the Month: Ephesians 1:3-5

Posted on June 6, 2019 by Kendra Jernejcic • 0 Comments

We’ve all heard the quote (attributed to various individuals) about the two most important days in your life being the day you were born and the day you find out why. In a recent sermon, our pastor suggested that the third most important day in an individual’s life is the day you begin to wonder… Continue Reading

Filed Under: Reflections
May Verse of the Month: Colossians 3:1-3

May Verse of the Month: Colossians 3:1-3

Posted on May 8, 2019 by Kendra Jernejcic • 0 Comments

A few Sundays ago, during a sermon about Christ’s death and resurrection, our pastor taught us the Hebrew word zakar, which can be roughly translated as “remember, recall, or call to mind.” I have a fairly decent memory and enjoy recalling or reflecting on past moments and events. But zakar is different from this type… Continue Reading

Filed Under: Reflections
April Verse of the Month: Deuteronomy 6:4-7

April Verse of the Month: Deuteronomy 6:4-7

Posted on April 8, 2019 by Kendra Jernejcic • 0 Comments

Last month, as part of my plan to read through the Bible in 2019, I worked my way through the book of Deuteronomy. To be completely candid, I wasn’t looking forward to this particular book. After surviving the laws of Leviticus and the genealogies of Numbers, I was longing to dive into a part of… Continue Reading

Filed Under: Reflections
March Verse of the Month: Psalm 107:1-2

March Verse of the Month: Psalm 107:1-2

Posted on March 11, 2019 by Kendra Jernejcic • 0 Comments

Redemption is one of my favorite themes to encounter in fiction . . . and in real life! An essay in the Oxford Handbook of English Literature defines redemption this way: “Redemption is a powerful and uplifting theme that acknowledges the human potential to succeed after having failed. Theological understandings of it focus on how… Continue Reading

Filed Under: Reflections
February Verse of the Month: Psalm 147:11

February Verse of the Month: Psalm 147:11

Posted on February 6, 2019 by Kendra Jernejcic • 0 Comments

Though I don’t write about it often, our efforts to grow our family have been a prominent part of my life for the better part of a year. I wish that I could relegate secondary infertility to just a small corner of my life, but the unfortunate truth is that this “thorn in the flesh” manages to weasel… Continue Reading

Filed Under: Reflections
January Verse of the Month: Hosea 2:19-20

January Verse of the Month: Hosea 2:19-20

Posted on January 14, 2019 by Kendra Jernejcic • 0 Comments

As I’ve been thinking about abide over the last few weeks, my mind keeps coming back to the word abode, as in dwelling or home. For most of us, our homes are where we feel most comfortable, most like ourselves, most at ease. It’s where we know we belong. I’ve lived in six different homes… Continue Reading

Filed Under: Reflections
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  • Hi, I’m Kendra! I am a follower of Jesus, an avid reader and podcast-listener, an Enneagram enthusiast, and a big fan of lists. Born and raised in Southern California, I am now living life in Austin, Texas, with my husband Luke, our son Charleston (2015), twins Sullivan and Kalinda (2019), and Arlo the Labradoodle. Thanks for visiting my blog!
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