📖“This I recall to mind; therefore, I have hope. It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is His faithfulness.” Lamentations 3:21-23 🌅Begin Again God is so profoundly faithful that each day arrives with a gift of new mercies through the redemptive love of Jesus. Yet still, even as we go throughout our days aware of God’s mercies, moments of regret may find us distracted by discouragement, disappointment, or discontentment. If we don’t address these emotions with honest intention within ourselves, with God, or with wise, faith affirming counsel, they can lead us to dwell in the depth of guilt and shame. Over time, the emotional burden at the core of regret can drain us, affecting brain chemistry and even impairing our ability to function well in daily life. While guilt can be a useful emotion, signaling that something we did was wrong and needs to be corrected or done differently; shame goes a step beyond, leading us to believe that we are what is inherently wrong. When we do not recognize the difference between guilt and shame, shame begins to shape our identity in ways that opposes who we are in Christ, ultimately stealing the love, hope, truth, and resilience that are rightfully ours through Him. Shame is cunning, and while we all experience shame at different times in our lives, it will attempt to hide itself behind behaviors like perfectionism, avoidance, deflection, cynicism, addiction, pride and arrogance. But God is profoundly faithful. Through the redemptive love of Christ Jesus, He does not leave us bound by regret when we choose to turn to Him. Albeit, releasing heavy emotional baggage is a process, which could easily lead to distractions and emotions that leave us opposed to Him. But like Jeremiah, the prophet God used to bring us Lamentations, when we shift our focus back to God’s promises, our minds are renewed, and our emotions begin to align with God’s truth. In Lamentations, Jeremiah reminds us that we are not consumed because God’s compassions never fail. His mercies are new every morning (Lamentations 3:21–23). Every day offers a fresh start, not because we’ve earned it, but because Jesus made it possible through His love and sacrifice. Jesus became like us so that we might become like Him. He fully understands the depth of regret, guilt and shame, because He was tempted in every way, just as we are, yet without sin (Hebrews 4:15). He does not condemn us for feeling these emotions, but rather through His truth teaches us to close the door on the emotional upheaval they bring. His faithfulness gives us the strength to confront guilt, reject shame, and walk forward in faith, hope, truth, and love. While also encouraging others to do the same. God’s mercy is a gift freely given through the sacrificial love of Christ Jesus. When we choose to live bound by guilt and shame, we deny the validity and power of the gift. His mercies are new, not because of who we are but because of who Christ is, and most importantly who we are becoming with Him. We must not despise the process but rather learn to entrust it to Him. As we embrace God’s gift of mercy, not as a way to hide our regrets but as an invitation to face them honestly before Him, we unlock the transformative power that enables us to release regret, receive new mercy, and begin again, and again, and again, and again… Amen & Amen. 🙏🏽Prayer Heavenly Father, thank you for your profound gift of new mercies daily. Thank you for keeping me from being consumed. Thank you for the sacrificial love of Christ Jesus. Thank you for your faithfulness in providing what I need to overcome emotions that hinder my nearness to you. Thank you for keeping me from what I deserve and giving me what I could never obtain or earn on my own. Help me Lord to be quick to embrace truth, confront guilt, and reject shame-based behaviors, so I can live as a bold witness of the power and presence of Jesus in my life. Keep me willing to surrender my mind, will and emotions to you. Guide me to share the redemptive love of Jesus and the truth of your Word to who are willing to receive. In Jesus Name, Amen. 📖Scripture Reference: Lamentations 3:19-26, Hebrews 4:14-16, 1 John 1:19 🧠Mindful Moments with Jesus for Everyday Living: Moment #1 (Monday) – Read Lamentations 3:19-23 Have you ever felt like Jeremiah? What helped you shift your focus, or could help you shift your focus today? Moment #2 (Tuesday) – Read Hebrews 4:14-16 What does it mean to “come boldly before the throne of Grace”. Ask Jesus to help you identify and release regrets or past mistakes before the throne of Grace. Moment #3 (Wednesday) – Read 1 John 1:19 What does it reveal about God’s faithfulness? Moment #4 (Thursday) – Personal Reflection How could acknowledging and embracing God’s love, compassion, grace, and mercy keep you from being defined by guilt and shame? Moment #5 (Friday) – Faith & Well-being: Ask Jesus to reveal areas where you may need the transforming power of God to help you begin again. Moment #6 (Saturday) – Focus Forward Write down one thing you could recall to mind to restore hope in God’s faithfulness and renew your mind in times of discouragement? Put it somewhere you can see it. Moment #7 (Sunday) – Celebrate & Share Celebrate every time you shifted the focus back to Jesus, even if only for a moment, don’t despise small beginnings. Share either personally, or with others, about all the moments you encountered God’s love, grace, compassion, and mercy. ☝🏽May Mindful Moments with Jesus encourage you to recall to mind the Hope you have in God’s faithfulness and the new mercies He has daily just for you. God bless you! 💜Ericca Jones, Salted Grace Ministries (fb)

📖“[Jesus said], truly I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all; for all these out of their abundance have put in offerings for God, but she out of her poverty put in all the livelihood that she had.” [Luke 21:3-4] Performance Pressure The seemingly small, often overlooked acts, when done with purity of heart, are the most significant in the eyes of God, and the most needed in our world. In a culture that constantly measures worth by status, possessions, and platforms, it’s easy to forget that God does not assess our value by how much we give, but by how we give in proportion to what we have to give. The story of the poor widow reminds us that what catches the attention of heaven is not the grandeur of self-glorifying acts, but the humble sincerity of someone who gives when they may have little left to give – physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Jesus commended the poor widow with two mites totally a half of cent, not because her offering was impressive to others, but because it moved the heart of God. It was not performance based, but a self-sacrificial act of love. She gave all she had quietly, humbly, and wholeheartedly. Not based on the performance of others, or what they believed she should be doing, in fact her offering was most probably overlooked. Yet, in doing so, she revealed a truth we often forget – true service, regardless of form, is not measured by visibility of performance, but rather the purity of heart [mind, will, and emotions]. In both our cultural environments and the church, we are often told how we should give, serve, or praise in relation to how others are performing. Sometimes the loudest voices in the room shape our behavior more than the still, small voice of God. We rise to speak, sing, or serve, not because we feel led, but because we feel pressured. We give, not as a response to Holy Spirit conviction, but in fear of others’ perceptions. This should give us pause to consider our own ways. When we serve only to gain the approval of others, we reduce sacred offerings to performance. The danger is subtle but real. In striving to meet others’ expectations, we lose the joy of serving from a heart in agreement with the Holy Spirit. This is a form of performance pressure which often masks itself as devotion, but behind it lies insecurity, anxiety, comparison, competition, pride, or even shame. This pressure can be especially harmful when we impose it on others. Telling someone how they should worship or comparing their service to someone else’s can unintentionally foster insecurity rather than inspire growth. God does not call us to uniformity of expression, but unity of heart with the Holy Spirit. His concern is not whether we shout or whisper, whether we give much or little, but rather whether what we offer comes from genuine love and surrender. Ultimately, as we grow in our journey with Jesus, and receive grace-filled, love-inspired guidance from others, we desire to unite in bringing glory and honor to God – not out of obligation but rather heart filled obedience to Him. This does not mean that we give less or abandon the pursuit excellence, but rather instead of striving to meet the expectations of others, we give with a heart aligned with God. It’s a continual process of releasing pride that needs approval, the insecurity that fears not being enough, and perfectionism that demands flawlessness. These traits keep us bond to fear-based actions and a performance mindset which measures worth by acknowledgement, rather than obedience. Instead, let’s make it our aim to cultivate humility in our hearts and confidence in our identity through Christ. We were never called to perform, but like the poor widow with two mites, we are called to be faithful. In faithfulness we bring Glory to God, and seek to develop character traits that set our souls free to be – healed, healthy, whole and unapologetically who we are called to be as resilient followers of Jesus. Amen & Amen. 🙏🏽Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank you for meeting me where I am and developing within me the character qualities needed to be a resilient disciple of Jesus. I invite you to examine my heart and to reveal anything that is not in agreement with your Holy Spirit. Help me to quickly distinguish between the need for recognition as opposed to a desire for reverence in all that I do. Help me to turn intentionally from character traits which hold me bond to performance pressure. Guide me so I do not share out of obligation, but heart felt obedience that keeps my service excellent before you, even when it appears unimpressive to others. In all that I do, may my actions be a light that ultimately lead others to you. In Jesus Name, Amen. 📖Scripture Reflections: Matthew 6:1-4, Mark 12:41-44, Luke 21:1-4, Colossians 3:23-24; Psalm 147:11 🧠Mindful Moments with Jesus for Everyday Living: Moment #1 (Monday) – Read Luke 21:1-4 & Mark 12:41-44: Do you trust that everything, no matter how big or small, when offered in love, humility and obedience, is enough for Jesus, even when unnoticed by others? Moment #2 (Tuesday) – Read Colossians 3:23-24: Invite Jesus to examine your heart and reveal the motivation of your giving, serving and worship – the approval of others, the Glory of God, or even both? How could serving for God’s Glory help improve your overall well-being? Moment #3 (Wednesday) – Read Psalm 147:11: What would change in your life if you released the fear of other’s perception and believed that God was truly pleased with your sincere, authentic, surrendered heart? Moment #4 (Thursday) – Read Matthew 6:1-4: How can you use the unseen moments of your life to serve quietly and sacrificially, trusting that Jesus sees and is pleased. Moment #5 (Friday) – Faith & Mental Well-being: Write down one way you’ve been performing for approval rather than trusting in God’s presence. Ask God to help you identify the deeper emotional root that fuels this behavior and what event or belief it may be rooted in. Then, Repent (ask forgiveness for any behaviors that are not in agreement with God as a result of the root cause). Renounce (declare your abandonment of the behavior). Renew (declare God’s truth in this area of your life and invite Him to heal your heart and walk in victory). Moment #6 (Saturday) – Personal Reflection: What is one thing you would like to take away from this week’s journey that has encouraged you to overcome performance pressure. Moment #7 (Sunday) – Celebrate & Share: Celebrate your awareness of God’s presence and your willingness to stop the cycle of performance pressured behaviors. Share either personally, or with others, how this week’s journey encouraged, empowered or equipped you to seek God’s presence over performance. 🙏🏽May Mindful Moments with Jesus encourage, empower, and equip you to release anything that hinders your service from being authentically for Him. God bless you! 💜Ericca Kerry Jones, Salted Grace Ministries (fb)