About the Author

A writer of faith by day and mystery by night, Patricia Raybon is an award-winning Colorado author, essayist, and novelist who writes top-rated books and stories at the daring intersection of faith and race. More at patriciaraybon.com

(in)side DaySpring: things we love
& you will too!
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(in)side DaySpring:
things we love
& you will too!
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  1. Good Monday-morning words, Patricia, as we process all the life on life of the weekend.
    I remember Elisabeth Elliot lamenting her own tendency to “make an idol of being right”– and, truly, in the moment, it’s more satisfying to be right than to be kind. Thanks be to God for his Spirit of Truth who brings us around to love.

    • Amen, Michele. Yes, I’m grateful too for His beautiful Spirit of Truth. (And being “right,” in the end, isn’t always all it’s cracked up to be.) Thanks for sharing today! With His love, Patricia

  2. Patricia,
    I can so relate to wanting to be “right.” I get frustrated when others, especially those closest to me can’t “see the light” of my right way of thinking. But, as my wise father used to say, “You can win the battle and lose the war.” What is the endgame in all of this? To be right or to win others for Christ by demonstrating His kind of ever-patient love? Losing the need to be right all the time means taking a big spoonful of humility. Humility can taste bitter. Since a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down, I need to meditate on scripture verses, like the ones you quoted, in order to smooth the way, for God’s Word, to enter my heart. I will remember to switch gears to being “redemptive” over being “right.” There’s a lot at stake. Great reminder this am.
    Blessings,
    Bev xx

    • Bev, your wonderful father sounds wise, indeed. As you shared, I’ve too have been trying to recall the Bible’s many scripture verses on letting a soft answer turn away wrath — and then to act like it. I’m grateful for this godly instruction. Such a great help to our relationships! May God help us all to walk in His redemptive love — moment by moment, day by day. With love and thanks, Patricia

  3. Your words are like a salve to my soul this morning. I’ll take this, “My impatience with others, therefore, has no place in a life with Christ. Sure, it’s one thing to believe I’m right about various things. It’s far better, however, to love and be redemptive than be right.” with me this week as I step forward in the love of Christ. Thank you for this healing reminder.

    • Sara, warmest thanks for connecting today. I didn’t know this reflection would be published on a Monday. However, I agree with you that, for the start of a week, a reflection on loving over being “right” puts us all on the right path. Let it be , O Lord! And may your week be beautifully blessed. With His love, Patricia

  4. I am finding it easier to love unconditionally as God love us especially with my family. In spite of thing said and done they are still family and we don’t have a choice.
    I truly enjoy reading these to let me know I am not along in my thinking.

    • Gail, you are so right. When it comes to family, the Lord invites us to just love. Yes, certain situations can challenge us. But loving like Christ can mend many wounds and move us from conflict to peace. Every family needs that! Thanks for sharing, and grace and blessings on your family all week! Peace and love, Patricia

  5. Great words to start a new week, Patricia. I can certainly relate to ” wanting to be tight”. It’s often hard especially with things that we are worried about and think needs to be discussed.

    Hurricane Dorian was horrific and dismantled people’s lives. But just as storm Imelda just flooded areas around here in Houston. It’s terrible, yes, climate change is real and we need to find out what we all can work to help. But, as you mention, I saw people of every race and ethnicity helping others. I saw people hugging, telling others, ” it will be ok”, offering food and shelter. In these moments, although tough, watching the love that is shown and compassion makes me smile as I know we still have hope. Together, we can do this and God will lead the way.

    BTW I love that you read your morning devotional to your husband. ❤️

    • Jen, I watched the flooding in Houston on the news and, yes, once again, I saw people reaching out to help one another. Just the sight of neighbors helping neighbors, and strangers helping strangers, is encouraging and warms the heart. May the Lord help us to show such love to each other all the time, not just during these disasters — even when things need to be discussed. Oh, it’s a challenge, but a soft answer does turn away wrath. May this beautiful principle bless you and yours all week!

  6. How blessed you are that your husband wants you to read devotions to him! For years my husband & I read the Bible together & prayed together; however, 3 1/2 years ago he accepted a false cult as the truth & you would not believe all the garbage they teach..His mind is messed up. God needs to heal his mind. Sometimes, we need to walk in somebody else’s shoes to appreciate what we do have. Many things happen we will never understand “why”; however, we do know that God is in control & He knows everything, even the weather destruction. God be with you!

    • Frances, thank you for sharing today. I lift up you and your husband to the Lord today. May God strengthen your faith and keep you believing in His delivering power for your husband. Yes, God is able! Blessings as you keep praying in hope and believing by faith. You are so right — God is in control, knows everything and He’s still in the healing business, body and mind and soul. In the meantime, may He give you His peace! With His love today, Patricia

  7. Beautiful words, thank you for this! Such a humble, perspective-changing way of seeing disagreements.

    • Barbara, thank you so much. God’s Word truly helps us to put down our arms and just love. Praying His love in your life all week. To Him be the glory! In peace and friendship! Love, Patricia

  8. Thank you, Patricia! This was perfect timing for me. I have to rush through my quiet time this morning so I can go out crabbing with my husband. I hate crabbing but my husband loves it. And he needs a partner. So I’m “it”. You helped me see that I need to put Mike’s need for this ahead of my own. I won’t rush through my quiet time. I will just choose to do a bit less in that and a bit more helping him. That’s doable. And I need to breathe through it and do it all with joy. Oksy.

    • Amen, Irene! With a good choice! Your plan to spend time with your husband sounds beautiful. May the Lord bless your crabbing time with His bounty, provision, and love. Then, have a wonderful week, too! With peace and joy, Patricia

  9. Patricia,

    This world needs less bickering, hatred & disunity. We need more kindness, love & redemption. It is amazing that we have such disunity in our country, yet when trials come-like hurricanes-people tend to put differences aside & help each other. I remember hearing of a 6-yr. old who saved up to go to Disney World. When Dorian hit he emptied his piggy bank & brought hot dogs, & other foods. He opened a stand for evacuees going through his town. He gave them FREE hot dogs, chips, water & prayer. He loved his fellow neighbor. He didn’t care about right or wrong just showed God’s redemptive love to everyone. We can argue over topics & make a point or like the boy we can put differences aside & love each other.

    Blessings 🙂

    • Amen, Beth! And what a wonderful story. I hadn’t heard about the 6 year old using his saved money to help evacuees. What a beautiful gift. Indeed, you are so right, we need more of this from each other every day — not just during a disaster. The Lord’s Word shows us the path to this redemptive living. May His Spirit guide us to heed and follow. Thanks for sharing and have a beautiful and loving week!

  10. Yes, sweet truth. More and more God is showing me to look at the needs of the other person and to seek to understand. God meets our needs as we seek to put others first.

  11. Patricia,
    Please remind our sisters that, though the storm is long gone, there are hundreds of Christ led volunteers working in sweltering heat to give assistance to victims of Dorian, Florence and a couple of other storms I’m Puerto Rico, the Bahamas, and the coast of NC. Please pray for their physical, emotional, and spiritual health; traveling mercies; and safety. Pray for more people to answer the call to go and help. In better times I have “been there; done that” and know what those prayers mean.

    Thanks for your lovely reminder of how to love others better.
    Charlene

    • Thank you, Charlene. Your reminder is timely and urgent. Let us pray the Lord’s strength, courage and provision for every volunteer serving in affected areas — and may your comment here, Charlene, inspire more to help, support and serve. Send your comfort and help, O Lord! With thanks and gratitude, Charlene, for all you have done and are doing in His Name!

  12. Maybe you and I can help each other get along with people on the other side of the climate issue. I do not believe in Climate change. I believe that the whole world has been tainted by sin and that we are to be good stewards of what God has given to us in terms of the earth. I believe we should care for animals and have gardens and more green spaces; but I do not believe that we have to take radical steps like getting rid of cows or eliminating the use of fossil fuels in the radical ways the left speaks of it. I also do not believe in the government of the earthly kingdoms governing our lives. Each of us may contribute to the healing of the earth in our own ways. Every form of energy comes with a price, not just changing the climate (which has scientific evidence both pro and con). The summer fuel they use in the northeast to “help the planet” makes me sick to my stomach” if I have to smell it sitting in traffic. Windmills kill many types of birds if not properly laid out. Solar Power sounds great, but can be very costly. I have many friends who are green like you and it is just as hard for those of us on the other side to be loving and kind and not be tempted to “correct the views of others.” Pray and let God do that. On many issues where God does not spell out what we should do, beyond being good stewards of the earth… I think that prayer is the best way to handle it. I find that sometimes it is best not to speak unless asked my opinion and to keep it as such… an opinion. Finding areas of agreement, like trying to use real plates and not endless paper plates or driving less and walking or biking more can be common ground for some. As far as your husband and reading to him is concerned, both of you should be willing to give one another grace to have some days where you may not want to read out loud … but may prefer to spend time with the Lord on your own. Space and grace… prayer and finding common ground… seem to be ways to love those around you in a Godly way without insulting others.

    • Thanks, Bonnie Jean, for sharing your thoughts. You certainly are wise to recommending that “prayer and finding common ground” is a beautiful way to connect to others in our lives — those close to us, such as a husband or family member, or others in the Body of Christ with whom we may disagree on one matter or another. Thus, when it comes to climate change, rather than fight for our own points of view, may God help us to pray about it and then ask Him to show us common ground to begin talking it through. If I don’t do that, I get drawn into arguments about who believes what — or, “how can you not believe the obvious and scientifically documented problem of climate change”! Those fights aren’t getting any of us anywhere. True, I disagree with your viewpoint, and I could cite you, chapter and verse, a zillion scientific articles on the urgency of addressing global warming now. Looking to the Lord, however, He exhorts me to first love. Love you for being a fellow believer. Love you for taking time to connect here today. Love you for caring enough to share your thoughts and views. If all us in the Body of Christ begin to do more of that — love one another — the Lord can move us all closer to Him, the source of every answer, the Healer of every problem, both in the earth and of the earth. When the world sees us loving each other that way, they’ll be drawn more to Christ. I pray He keeps showing us all how to do that! With peace and His love, Patricia