"Shaken, not stirred."

What's the first thing that comes to mind when you think of James Bond, the fictional 007 British Secret Service agent? Maybe, like me, you think of him ordering his beverage "shaken, not stirred." I'm sure many of us have copied that phrase just for fun and said it ourselves. But why does Mr. Bond have this preference?

I think there might be several reasons. One of them jumped right out at me: shaking makes ice melt faster!

And that's exactly what we need at the moment, friend: for this past year's worries to melt away! Even when you stir for a long time, ice doesn't melt all that quickly. Often it's only when our lives are "shaken up" that something really happens…"the ice melts."

Perhaps you're thinking, "But, but…!" It's true—few of us enjoy our lives being shaken. We struggle, we grieve, we grapple with the "whys." In the face of our questions, what do you think Jesus is thinking? What do you think His response to us might be? I believe it may be found in John 13:7: "Jesus replied, 'You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.'" (John 13:7, NIV)  

This year has indeed felt "shaken, not stirred" for many of us, but Jesus wants to encourage us to look to the future with confidence! In the end, confidence established after being "shaken" tastes better than confidence that was simply "stirred."

And do you know what, friend? "I have never seen the righteous forsaken."

That's not even my quote! I copied that, just like some people copy the quote from James Bond. 😉 (see Psalm 37:25, NIV)  And it's from the Bible, which promises you a wonderful future, even if you get "shaken up" along the way.

You may not understand the "whys" now, "but later, friend, you will understand."

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart…"! (Proverbs 3:5, NIV)  

 Have a wonderful start to the new year! 🎉 I'm praying for you!

You are a miracle!