As I attended the LWML Convention in Omaha, NE, my mind drifted back to the garden that
was waiting for my return. I wondered, was it growing and preparing to produce any fruit? I
was looking forward to harvesting the wonderful fruit that it was going to bear.

My thoughts then drifted to my own life. Was I growing in God’s grace? I turned from looking
at my personal feelings to the Word of God. It is there in God’s Word that my faith is fed and
nourished. As you reflect on the convention, don’t turn inward. Instead, dive into God’s Word
and be blessed as it feeds and nourishes your faith. There in God’s Word, you will be
strengthened in your faith, and you will be Growing in God’s Grace.

Penny Schuessler
LWML Iowa West District President

Did you ever wonder why the sky is blue, but the clouds aren’t? It has to do with
light waves. The sun emits all colors of light, each with a different wavelength. As
the light passes through the atmosphere, its waves are scattered. Blue light has a
short wavelength and is scattered more effectively. Our eyes are sensitive to blue,
so we see blue when we look at the sky.

Clouds appear white because their water droplets scatter the light waves equally
making all wavelengths visible. More water droplets will make the clouds seem
darker when they block light waves. That’s why rain clouds look dark.
Our lives would seem dark with our sins blocking God’s light. Christ provides the
filter through which God sees us. In Baptism, God’s Word combined with the
water, works forgiveness of sins — making His full light visible. Look at the sky.

Thank God for filtering His light allowing us to shine with His light. Show His light
in all you do.

Martha Hartwig
LWML Iowa East District President

This Easter season is one of my favorites. Everything is new, the plants are starting to bud,
and it’s getting warmer. Why do we take this season of renewal for granted? The prophet
Jeremiah reminds us in Lamentations, The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his
mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness
(Lamentations 3:22–23). So then we should be celebrating all the time! Our God is the God of
rebirth and second chances. This is what He does!

A wonderful devotion on this theme can be found on the LWML website, lwml.org, called
“New Growth — Again.”

Be thankful for our continuous renewal in Christ!

Shelley Stewart
LWML Rocky Mountain District President

Just think of all that Jesus did for you and me! He suffered and was anxious. He was obedient to the Father’s wish.

We may suffer, but it isn’t like that. Are we obedient? I wish I could say that I was obedient all the time.

Are we leaning on Jesus or allowing anxiety to cripple us from doing the one thing that he wants. Go to God! Not second or third, but FIRST! That is what Jesus always did. He spent time alone with the Father away from everyone. Do you have a quiet time with Jesus? There is always forgiveness from Jesus when we think we have failed. Just go to Him.

Ask God, “How can my life serve Your will?” Just as Jesus was sent, we are sent.

For he whom God has sent utters the words of God, for he gives the Spirit without measure (John 3:34).

Sandie Harjala
Lutheran Women in Mission
Mid-South District President

When I was a child, I dreaded the Lenten Season. My mom would ask me each year “What are you giving up for Lent?” I would try to produce some clever ideas. I would stop eating chocolate. I would stop whining. I would stop fighting with my sister. The lists were about the same every year and by the second week in Lent I had failed at all the promises I made to my mom.

I no longer “give up” items for Lent. Instead, I try to find ways to enjoy the season. I turn the focus away from myself. I practice gratitude and compassion to others.

As women in the Lutheran Women’s Missionary League, we have chosen to serve the Lord with gladness — this includes during the Lenten Season.

Lent does not need to be a time for sadness and giving up things. It is a time to share the Gospel with those around you. It is a time to share what Jesus gave up for us as we go through Lent.

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice (Philippians 4:4).

Debbie Weaver
Lutheran Women in Mission
Oregon District President

We are all exhausted. Demands never stop and failures pile up. Life gets hard. No wonder we are weary and need relief. We are tired because we think our identity and worth rests on our achievements, as if our works make us who we are or give us our worth. Broken people cannot fix brokenness. We need to be made whole, or justified, but we can’t muster it ourselves. 

How amazing, then, that our holy God, who set the standard for justice higher than we could ever reach, reaches down to us and proclaims over messy sinners who can’t ever get their own act together, “Justified! Forgiven!” In Christ’s death and resurrection is eternal justice and rest. Works don’t give us our identity or worth — they are what we do. Who we are is a baptized, redeemed, child of God. Sunday is a day of rest, not only from our daily work but also because we do not have to earn the Lord’s forgiveness. It is a gift, freely given.

Rev. Dr. Brian Mosemann
Lutheran Women in Mission
South Dakota District Senior Pastoral Counselor

The other day, between trips to our LCMS SELC District Convention and Presidents Assembly, I needed to do our laundry and repack our luggage. When I went to the laundry room, I realized that I didn’t have enough laundry detergent for the four loads of wash. Just then, I remembered that I had a packet of laundry pods stored in the garage. I read the directions and started the washing machine. As I was zipping the packet closed, I saw these words “3-in-1.” Every laundry product that I needed was right there in that little pod.

I immediately thought of the Holy Trinity. Everything that I need is in the Holy Trinity. It is through the lens of the Trinity that we as Christians comprehend the depth of God’s love, the extent of His grace, and the transformative power of His presence in our lives.

Just like the laundry detergent, we are cleansed, and the stains of our sin are taken away.

Peace be with you,

Carol A. Miksad
Lutheran Women in Mission
LWML SELC District President