Devotionals

Remembering Jennifer Woodley Through Her Articles That Appealed To Readers Of All Ages

by RikCharbonneaux. To Your Health  
04/16/26
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Remembering Jennifer Woodley Through Her Articles That Appealed To Readers Of All Ages.

She never failed to invite all to trust in Jesus.

Jennifer Woodley

07/10/15

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Safe In His Arms

I remember a cubby house my sister and I built way up in a sprawling pine tree out the back of our grandparent’s farm in Orange, central western New South Wales. The broad, evenly spread branches were the arms that kept us safe and provided endless rooms to explore. A room for sleeping, for eating, for teaching in the classroom, and lounging in the living room. Each branch had nodules or buttons for pressing. One to press for the washing machine, the heater, the oven, the beater, the water on, water off. It was a versatile, self sufficient cubby, providing endless adventures for small children.

I remember the pleasure of being up amongst the trees, being part of their grandness, part of their welcoming, outstretched, supportive arms. The view was expansive, overlooking the sheds and beyond to the paddocks. I remember the wonder of seeing so far – the joy of seeing beyond the usual limits down below. The pine tree lured us – inviting us to become more than we could be below. For up there my sister and I were queens in our domain, ruling over our kingdom.

Can we begin to sit contentedly in the strong, supportive arms of Jesus, just as my sister and I did high up in the pine tree’s branches? We were peaceful and secure in that place. Can we too be strengthened by His loving presence, peacefully knowing there is no safer place to be? For the eternal God is our refuge and underneath us are His everlasting arms (Deut. 33:27).

God invites us to climb up into His lap, and embrace a new world with Him: to look up and explore life from a new perspective – His. In John 10:10 Jesus said, ‘I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.’ Jesus gives life. Abundant life. A richer, fuller life. It is eternal, yet it can begin when we choose to say ‘yes’ to Him. Life with Christ is lived from a higher place, with a wider, more magnificent outlook. We live in this world, but we do not need to see like this world. Instead, we are invited to see a grander scheme, a higher life, a God-shaped life with an eternal outlook. In the arms of Jesus we become all that we were made to be.

What holds us back from saying ‘yes’ each day to living life with God and seeing life from His perspective? Name any hesitations and offer them to God in prayer. Can I rest safely in the arms of Jesus, trusting in His eternal love which always overshadows me?