This week, a verse came back to me from years ago.
It was actually our school song.
I went to a traditional British girls' school; the kind with a beautiful Victorian building, echoing corridors and a great hall with an ornate ceiling.
I can still picture it...rows of us girls in our navy blue school uniforms, filing in and settling into our seats to wait for the Headmistress to arrive.
She would step onto the stage, wearing her long, black academic gown and we would all stand as she took her place.
She was aptly named Miss Sargeant – a formidable but kind lady.
The school orchestra would strike the opening chords and we would begin to sing:
Verse of the Week
"Except the Lord build the house,
They labour in vain that build it;
Except the Lord keep the city,
The watchman waketh but in vain."
— Psalm 127:1
At the time, I didn't really understand what it meant.
But now...I see it clearly.
It's so easy, especially when you're driven and full of vision, to come up with a plan...and then ask God to bless it.
Can I get an Amen?
God doesn't promise to bless our plans.
He promises to build His.
And when we go ahead with our own plans, whatever we build, we have to maintain ourselves...
...and we don't have the grace for it.
Time to Shine is all about coming back to Him for His plan.
Then following that plan as He shows you – without adding your own ideas or stretching it beyond what He actually said.
The reason things sometimes feel harder than they should isn't because you're not capable but because you're building a house He never asked you to build.
So today, just pause for a moment and ask:
Lord, what plans do You have for me right now?
When you follow what He shows you, you'll find the grace that comes with it.
Have a blessed day and keep shining! ✨
Cheryl
