It’s amazing what an hour and a half on a bike will allow a mind to ruminate on. Along with seeing at least five blazing-red cardinals “light” out of the thick summer foliage as I whirred past yesterday — thrilling me to no end! — my mind processed a whole number of things.

I’ve been challenging myself to take note of what muddles around up there.

I’m seeking to capture my thoughts. Have you ever done that?
It’s wild!

The reason I’m doing this is because I’m a writer, and I have been to writer’s conferences. I’m realizing that the difficulty I’ve had in coming up with words has been largely due to the fact that I don’t pay attention enough to what I’m thinking.

Things go in my brain in the morning, and by noon I cannot recall the profound thoughts. At. All. It’s not likely (yet) that my memory is failing, but that I flit from one thing to another. Much like the cardinal bursting out of the bushes, and then disappearing. The thoughts come in, seem profound enough, and then . . . fly away “somewhere” as I attend to the tasks of the day.

As the paved path curved one way and then the other, so did my thoughts. A hymn came. I sang the chorus twice. I determined to remember which one it was. (Please don’t ask me which one. I can’t remember!)

When I was running the flat iron through my hair after my ride, I opened the voice memo recording tool on my iPhone, and I recorded my thoughts — the ones I’d committed to remember. (Using crutches is fair, right?)

As a writer, starting . . . later in life . . . I suddenly realized (while riding said bike) that all too often I unknowingly operate under a mindset of . . . scarcity.

That was a profound thought!

I’ve recently had this cloud hanging over my head and it’s been darkening my heart with discouragement. Not every day, but often enough to tie my hands and keep my nose in social media too long.

When I sit down to write, words fail to come.
“There’s nothing there,” I tell myself. “It’s already been said, and in much more compelling ways than I ever will”

Before my bike ride yesterday, My eyes landed on the Sermon on the Mount. Its familiar words caused me pause.

I just stared at that one word. Blessed.

Jesus says, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.” He continues with seven more blessings. (Matthew 5:1-11)

And I remembered the message series I’d heard years ago, particularly the one about the beginning of this sermon. Jesus is actually describing the new Way. He is seeking to turn the minds of the religious away from their own human performance. He is trying to open their eyes to their inability to obey the law, and pointing to the Way of the Spirit that He came to give us.

Being “poor in spirit” — acknowledging our spiritual poverty — is the point of entrance into the Family of God.
It’s the gateway to salvation.
It’s the igniting spark of eternal life.

I look at the word again: Blessed. It means fulfilled and happy.
In the Old Testament, it refers to “a bestowal of good.”

Here’s the thing I saw as I rode my bike; with the background music of scripture playing in my head from years of study:

God is good. (Luke 18:19)
God is the giver of all good gifts. (James 1:17)

When we, by faith, reach out our feeble hand toward Heaven, that is when the blessings come down from the Blesser and the life from above comes in, empowering the feeble to do the things we cannot do.

Here’s the thing: As easily as I forget the thoughts from the morning, I forget what I know to be true of my life of faith.

I have access to the very throne room of God! (Hebrews 4:16)

Since that day when I stepped through the portal — or rather, when He reached down to my incapable, weak hand and adopted me, ALL OF HEAVEN BECAME MINE — even WHILE I LIVE HERE ON EARTH!!!

Ephesians 2:10 tells us we have been been created to do good works prepared in advance for us. This means we are not the workers of the good works! He is.

We are the BELIEVERS in His promises, and as we walk with Him, His life comes through us.

I’d been self-sabotaging and I didn’t know it.

My doubts. The doubts I allow into my thinking — well, they are really just doubts in MY ability — or worse, in God’s love and goodness!

Those are both such wicked thoughts for a child of God, wouldn’t you say?

Friends . . . our doubts? They allow darkness to imprison us, and thwart our mission.

It is only FAITH that brings the BLESSINGS down — so the blessings can come through us to others. (Hebrews 11:6)

Had I been remembering that I am literally DEAD, (Galatians 2:20) and that Jesus has taken up residence in this body of mine, (1 Corinthians 6:19) the LIGHT would blaze forth more freely, I’d advance daily in His mission by having a mindset of abundance and a fervor to advance in the calling God has placed in my heart!

Oh, the lessons we must learn while we tread this windy trail . . . But. Praise God who is always working — even our doubts — for our good!

This seems like it should be obvious, like I should know this by now, but it truly is a breakthrough! When I allow doubt to cloud my day, I prevent the life of God from coming through me.

What do you need for what God has called you to do?

Resources? Skill? Finances? Strength? Endurance? Hope? Faith?

Have you been struggling with doubt? Maybe you need the reminder too.

Everything you need is yours if you are in Christ Jesus!