Embracing God's Grace
“For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.
And this will be the sign to you; You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.
And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying:
Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!”
Luke 2:12-14
I hate the highway.
Still, I won’t allow my fear of reckless drivers and potential dangers to keep me off the road and away from family. We can sit on the sidelines of life or choose to keep moving in spite of our fears. Then there are other times God doesn’t give us a choice, when we are forced to move forward, clueless as to what the future holds.
My family and I took a pre-Thanksgiving road trip. I sat in the very back of the SUV where I could not see a thing. This is a VERY big deal for me. I could only trust God to get us there safely, pray about it and then I went to sleep. There is only one other time in twenty-three years that I slept while my husband drove. I’m sure he appreciated the absence of “watch out, slow down, and be careful!”
Our relationship with God requires complete trust. It is the only way we can survive all that comes against us and stay sane. We cannot accomplish all the things we are born for through our own abilities. We will never have all the skill, talent or know how to get everything done. What we can have is complete trust that God has “got it,” whatever our particular “it” is at the time.
In the ten hour ride from Maryland, I had to cast off fears, shrug off discomfort and resign myself that I was not in control. I was forced to be still, be patient and trust. Funny how this particular lesson pops up for me time and time again. We must trust God through our trials if we are ever to reap the rewards of our journey. 
I cannot trust God with my everything, and yet attempt to micro-manage every facet of my life.
God will not allow that.
Just like physical endurance, spiritual growth isn’t born from comfort and contentment. It usually arises out of consistent exercise and a bit of unease.
Our trip to visit family had a definitive beginning and end. Other journeys in life aren’t always as clear. We may not see what lies beyond the horizon, but it is faith that keeps us moving. I believe if God revealed everything that lay ahead, we would never have courage enough to take those first steps!
Godspeed in your holiday travels. May they be merry and bright. And if you can’t quite see where you are headed, choose to trust God and enjoy the journey!
Merry Christmas!
Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.
Proverbs 3:5-6 NKJV
We all have times in our lives when we can look back and reflect on events or places where our lives took a turn in a singular direction. For some people this turning point is a positive. Perhaps a birth, a marriage or a graduation. For others, pivotal moments are directly related to a person who was influential in good choices made such as coach, a teacher or even a spouse.
Then there are other turning points that seemingly crush us under their weight.
Death. Failed relationships. Financial difficulties.
Our experiences, whatever they are, help mold us into the people we become. Hopefully, we learn to appreciate the good, endure the bad and gain wisdom from the lessons life has to offer.
Thankfully, we aren’t relegated to circumstances dictating our destination. Our experiences do indeed impact the people we become, but they don’t have to define us.
God allows us to decide if the experiences we are forced to endure will build us up or tear us down.
Our lives have many paths that lead to the same destination. Sometimes we take the scenic route. At others, there are painful detours. A few people actually do reach their goals with a straight sprint from point A to Z.
Yet, most of us are more likely to walk and even crawl along our way. The fact that we keep moving is all that really counts.
I am reminded, as we transition from one season to another, to allow my turning points to turn me in the right direction.
Sometimes we need to turn away from people, places and even our own negative thoughts. At others, we may need to turn toward God when we find ourselves lost, disoriented and lacking the direction we need to fulfill our purpose.
Take some time to look back on the good and give thanks. Reflect on the negatives and know that they too can serve a purpose.
Make the choice to reassess who you are and what you choose to do.
The change you seek begins with you.
If you’ve made mistakes along the way that’s fine too. Simply acknowledge them and learn from them. It is often the worst of times that eventually allow us to receive God’s very best.
It is faith that enables us to turn away from what was and look toward what can be. Turn toward the Light.
For He who would love life And see good days, Let him refrain his tongue from evil, And his lips from speaking deceit. Let him turn away from evil and do good; Let him seek peace and pursue it. 1 Peter 3:10-11 NKJV
“This is my comfort in my affliction, For Your word has given me life,” Psalm 119:50 NKJV
God’s Word resurrects us. It combats fear and despair. His Word provides hope for tomorrow. It fuels our faith. The Word of God is our defense against the cruelties of this world. It allows us to endure. We can exist without God’s Word but we will be void of His comfort, peace and joy, not at all as God intended.
Spring blooms are beautiful but short-lived. The blossoms are often celebrated. Yet, it is actually the leaves that are vital for the growth of the tree. The leaves provide nourishment and rejuvenate the tree long after the blooms are gone. God’s Word sustains us and allows us to flourish even as the “beauty” fades away!
Achievements and promotions herald our personal seasons of “spring.” We can make gains toward reaching a goal or realizing a dream. Our accomplishments are like “blossoms” in our lives adding beauty and joy.
However, promotion and blessings can bring with them new tests and even temptations. The Word of God offers wisdom, stability and direction. His Word promotes humility, love and charity. God’s Word combats pride, arrogance and greed.
I’m looking forward to spring in my life. I don’t doubt it may bring a few challenges as well. Yet, when I immerse myself in God’s Word, I am confident I can pass those tests that will eventually leave me blessed!
What about you?
But He said, “More than that, blessed [are] those who hear the word of God and keep it!” Luke 11:28 NKJV
But Jesus answered him, saying, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.’ ” Luke 4:4 NKJV
It is now officially Spring! Flowers have gradually begun to bloom, birds are singing with a renewed fervor and all manner of critters in my corner of the world are rejoicing.
The activity of the three Bs (birds, bees and butterflies) finally caught up with the calendar. This week I was fortunate to enjoy their presence and their signal of a new season.
Yet, unlike the seasons on the calendar, our personal seasons are unpredictable. They can arrive at any time.
A harsh winter often catches us unaware. It may arrive in the midst of the seasonal sun. Or, we may reap a bountiful harvest when there are few signs of life and the frozen sky still stands gray.
I’ve decided to mentally “spring forward” even though my plans (ha ha!) have yet to catch up with me. I’ve been waiting for a few changes all the while I suppose God is waiting for me to mature enough to handle them. Our seasons of bounty and new fruit eventually follow the long seasons of preparation and patience.
While we may think we’re ready for (fill in your personal blank) God may be waiting for us to get a little stronger, possibly a bit wiser or even gain experience so we can conquer the challenges that inevitably accompany our blessings.
And there will be challenges.
We often pray for a new this or that, yet rarely do we expect or prepare for the burden that comes with the blessing.
When God answers our prayers we often receive more than we asked for. It isn’t always a “good thing” but it may be necessary.
With that promotion may come huge responsibilities.
New house!? New mortgage.
Sometimes our answered prayers may even come with unanswered questions!
Often that little bit of “extra” keeps us grounded and humble.
It may very well be that our something “extra” allows us to keep our spiritual eyes on our Savior instead of recklessly worshiping the very “thing” God blessed us with!
So, as I wait (patiently) for a few positive changes, I am thankful for what I do have and look forward with faith that my spring will come. It may not follow the dictates of a calendar but I’ve learned God’s timing is always perfect.
I trust that when my personal spring does arrive, I am mature and wise enough to manage my harvest as God would have me to.
In the meantime, I will enjoy the blessings associated with this time of year. I will think forward and spring forward embracing even more of the sun’s Son’s warmth while I wait.
Will you?
“To everything there is a season, A time for every purpose under heaven” Ecclesiastes 3:1 NKJV
The Lord by wisdom founded the earth; By understanding He established the heavens; By His knowledge the depths were broken up, And clouds drop down the dew. Winter is very much underway. Still, I am ever hopeful and looking forward to spring.
The transition to my “personal spring” will require me to cut off a few “dead things,” and work a bit harder. The promise of renewal encourages me to look forward to good things in my future.
Do I know what my good things are?
I haven’t a clue.
I do anticipate the best from a God Who is faithful.
Many of us merely survive. Periods of icy dormancy leave us barely making when it appears nothing productive is happening. To simply exist during those times when our winters wear us down is quite a blessing!
Yet, one thing I’ve noticed is that even after their season changes, some people fail to change with their season.
We can become so accustomed to struggling we fail to let go of our harsh past which is necessary to open ourselves up to a sun filled (Son filled?) future.
If we become stuck in a winter mentality, we can’t move forward into opportunities to thrive. New experiences that challenge us to bloom, grow or expand are dismissed because we fail to step out of our doldrums. Some people habitually live in a mindset of winter dormancy long after that season has come and gone.
I’ve been there.
I readily admit it took effort and repetition on my part to finally move out of the dark and into the Light!
Today I was reminded of a goal I tossed aside years ago. The harsh reality of one particular “winter” buried not only my aspiration but my inspiration as well.
I felt like I was running on empty. Looking back on it I was carried more than I ran. Regardless, today God led me to give that opportunity a second look. The season for this particular goal may have come once more.
Very few of us will bloom all the time. That just isn’t the way life happens. We must stay mindful and Spirit led to act when it is time to get moving. Doubt, fear and insecurities will keep us “stuck” if we allow it.
Our “winters” are as unique as we are but winter eventually yields to spring.
It may be the frustration of finding a job. Strained relationships. Family responsibilities. The death of a loved one. Financial burdens. Yet, when the “odds” are stacked against us, whatever the situation, we must dare to make a move. God’s blessings aren’t based on odds or luck!
Our first step of faith can move us into a new season! The decision to thrive instead of survive mandates we enjoy the journey instead of fighting to reach a destination.
We may not like those first vital steps. There may will be some discomfort. We may be forced to interact with people unlike ourselves. It can be frightening.
It may very well be exactly what we need.
What about you?
“To everything there is a season, A time for every purpose under heaven:” Ecclesiastes 3:1 NKJV
Seek good and not evil, That you may live; So the Lord God of hosts will be with you, As you have spoken. Hate evil, love good; Establish justice in the gate. It may be that the Lord God of hosts Will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph. Amos 5:14 NKJV
“Seek good, not evil.” We are implored to seek good. Seek God?
I had a trying experience yesterday. I could have allowed one customer to destroy my entire day.
See, I’m still honing the ability to hit my OFF button. I somehow allow evil thoughts to find my mental space. Anger festered inside of me. I continued to think about this customer long after she was gone. Long after I’d gone home. She even haunted my dreams!
All this did was make me tense, angrier and opened the door for more negativity to venture in.
However, I was also approached by two of my “good” customers yesterday. Both of them had very kind words for me. They appreciate what we do for them.
Their words were not loud like the hurricane customer who stormed out only to return and shout some more before finally leaving. Their words of appreciation were soft-spoken, understated yet sincere.
Sometimes we must seek good.
I could have allowed the “evil” to blind me to the good. And I would have not that long ago.
“That you may live.”
We must actively seek and magnify the God/good to stay sane and stable amidst all the “crazy” running amuck.
Preoccupation with “evil” make us stressed, tense, and angry. I recognize how dwelling on “evil” things affects my health.
Anxious mind. Queasy stomach. Fear.
These ailments are often manifestations of allowing the negative or evil in life to supersede the good and Godly right in front of us.
Not exactly living as God intended.
Seeking the good in all situations, allows us to truly live and not just exist.
I believe God sent me encouragement because “crazy” was on the way! Thankfully, I recognized the “God/good” in my workday!
Whatever we strive to “seek” we will find.
When we look for the best in even the worst of situations, I believe God meets our level of faith and expectation. If we constantly complain about our trials, even with due cause, what display of faith is that?
I don’t pretend seeking good is always easy. It takes diligence. It can be difficult. But in the end, definitely worth the effort.
“So the Lord God of hosts will be with you,”
The spiritual maturity necessary to seek the good enables us to direct our thoughts instead of our thoughts dictating our behavior.
If we can do just this one thing, the other areas in our lives will be that much better.
“It may be that the Lord God of hosts Will be gracious…”
“So, I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and it will be opened to you.” Luke 11:9 NKJV
Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things [are] noble, whatever things [are] lovely, whatever things [are] of good report, if [there is] any virtue and if [there is] anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things. Philippians 4:8 NKJV
I read a local church sign not too long ago that stated something to the effect that if we will make ourselves available, God will make us able.
Sometimes we get it into our heads that we must make a difference in some grand way. We may think we can only do something significant for God’s Kingdom or make a huge difference only when we reach the point of attaining that promotion, getting that degree, publishing that novel, or whatever abstract method of measure you may have floating around in your head.
Some may require the approval of other people before starting a ministry or stepping out into a project that God has planted in their hearts. They often have the desire to do, but not enough courage to take the first step because they cannot yet see the second.
Such, I have found is the nature of man. We are often looking way ahead to what we think we should “accomplish” first instead of making ourselves available now. Sometimes the old adage is indeed true. We can’t see the forest, for the trees. Or rather, we are so focused on the forest miles ahead of us, that we miss the trees just inches away from our face!
The good news is that we don’t have to live this way. If we simply give ourselves over to God and how He would use us, we would often accomplish far more than we ever imagined.
David killed Goliath before he became king. He didn’t wait until he fulfilled his destiny to take action for God’s Kingdom.
Paul continued to preach the Gospel while he was imprisoned. Paul didn’t wait for God to free him and then continue his ministry. Paul did what he could where he was. Sadly, many of us don’t do the same.
I missed a simple opportunity to make a difference last week because I over thought what I was being prodded to do. I was in some pain so I thought I was hallucinating. The second thought was that the woman I should aid might think I was crazy. Third, I didn’t want to draw any attention to myself in the process as there were a few people around us. In hindsight, I truly regret not doing what I now realize God placed on my heart to do right then.
I missed an opportunity to bless someone. I also missed an opportunity to witness to the people around me. Now that I think about it, why did I even care if these people thought I was crazy? I don’t even know them!
I plan to be more aware and available the next time I get that “nudge” to do something. It certainly wasn’t a life or death situation; however, the smaller things we can be obedient in now will certainly make us better suited to tackle larger matters later.
There is an old hymn with a verse that goes “I want to be ready when Jesus comes.” I’ve decided I should focus my attention on “being ready” when opportunities arise to do something for others. It may turn out to be something small or perceived as insignificant by most, but is any kind deed really small or insignificant?
I want to be ready. I don’t want to miss the occasional tree in front of me because my eyes are so focused on the forest miles ahead.
Maybe, just maybe, the next time I’ll be available so God can make me able!
“Having confidence in your obedience, I write to you, knowing that you will do even more than I say,” Philemon 1:21 NKJV
“To do righteousness and justice [is] more acceptable to the LORD than sacrifice,” Proverbs 21:3 NKJV
Well, I finally got that snow day I’d been waiting for.
I realize a couple of inches of snow is no big deal to the rest of the country, but in the Metro Atlanta area we just don’t do snow. We may see it three to five times in a decade. We can readily stand the heat. Snow? Not so much! I think next time the governor will just tell people to stay home.
In light of the horrid conditions many were forced to endure, it was actually quite uplifting to watch and read about all the good things that took place during such a trying time. I love it when the worst of conditions brings out the best in people.
There were several stories about people who opened their homes and businesses to strangers offering shelter in the storm. I watched on television as one guy walked from his house and stood for hours in the cold to offer sandwiches and hot coffee to those who were stranded and starving in their cars. One local group of people who owned Jeeps made the rounds towing and pushing cars out of ditches.
Likewise, in neighboring Alabama, a group of Chick-fil-A employees closed up shop to go out in the cold and offer hot food and drinks to people stranded on the highway. They also made their restaurant available to those in need of shelter. The employees worked non-stop. The cash register did not. They made a very deliberate choice not to take a dime for their efforts.
Random acts of kindness.
With all the negativity continually displayed in the media, it was nice to see acts of selflessness and love receive the attention so rightly deserved. I heard one man say in a news interview that the snow was a great “equalizer.” It doesn’t care if you are rich, poor, educated or not, nature will ultimately bring us all down to the most basic of common denominators.
The first of which is people who are dependent on the assistance of others. Or alternatively, a second group being the people who can help other others in need. The funny thing though is you never know which one of these two categories you will ultimately fall in. You can be a “helper” one minute and on the “receiving end” the next. That’s just the way life goes.
The first book of Corinthians teaches us the importance of love. As a child I thought its instruction was to make us more loving for the benefit of others. Yet as an adult I believe this instruction is vital to us that we may “reap what we sow,” allowing us to receive love as we have displayed it to others.
It isn’t so much about taking the “high road” in life situations as it is creating fertile ground now that will yield a good harvest later. The people who can live this premise of loving others don’t give of themselves for what they will receive later. They already know they will be taken care of when needed. These people don’t keep count of their good deeds. They don’t have too. They have a faith that overrides cynicism. Their trust is in God, not people.
We are already into February, a month associated with hearts and love. In this month, let us all make an effort to be offended a little less and love a little more. A little care and compassion can go a long way toward opening the door for the blessing you’ve been waiting for.
“Let all that you [do] be done with love,” 1 Corinthians 16:14 NKJV
“And now abide faith, hope, love these three; but the greatest of these is love,”
1 Corinthians 13:13 NKJV
“And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind and with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment. “And the second, like it, is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” Mark 12: 30-31
B Is for Blessed! 