Over the past few weeks, God has really shown me the power of grace. I wake up every day under the great freedom of His marvelous grace. And it's because of that grace, I have such hope. It offers me eternity with Him and a renewed joy as He allows new opportunities for me to serve and grow.
But God also requires that I show His love in the form of grace to others. He requires that I put it into action daily. Paul implores us in 2 Corinthians 6:1 “As God’s fellow workers we urge you not to receive God’s grace in vain.” So every gift from God is intended to be given to others as well.
Sometimes things happen in life that cause my flesh to rise up and be offended. In the scheme of things they really are no big deal. So I have to step back and say, “Satan, get behind me.” I must do what Jesus would do. And, wow, the more I offer God’s grace to others the more He blesses me and those around me.
A year ago, I offered grace to a business associate and he just recently called to thank me for that and is now moving in obedience to God; a friend recently said something that didn’t sit well and I let it go with a smile. Later I found a sweet gift in the mail that reflected the sincerity of her heart; and I insisted just last week that our family offer grace in a tough situation and I’m already seeing God’s incredible blessings as a result.
God’s love abounds! He is so good to show me tangible results as I try hard to live out what He teaches me. I cling to His Word that tells me in John 1:16 “From the fullness of his grace we have all received one blessing after another.” Yep, that's true. I see it every day.
I know His grace has blessed me in ways I can’t even describe, but as I show His grace to others, I see those same heavenly blessings flowing to those around me.
Friday, January 30, 2009
Thursday, January 22, 2009
The Son is Shining
I was just humming along this week watching God show up and work in His usual marvelous ways in my life, and then bam! A moment of truth and crisis hit our home as I tried to walk my oldest son through a very difficult situation. For me, it became a defining moment for him. I wanted him to step back from the pain of the current situation and say, “What can I learn? God, what do you want from me?” Well, communicating that to a 17-year old is not always easy. I prayed so fervently that he would “get it." I wanted him to understand that these very bad moments in life can also be very defining ones.
So we walked through it together…I shared with him how prayer, God’s Word and godly advice are my tools for approaching decisions and encouraged him to follow my example. But he was having trouble seeing past the overwhelming issue before him. He has lingering anger from the death of his daddy and it works its way into these moments. It's a lot for him to overcome.
But I kept at it. I showed him scriptures to help him and prayed with him. But the issue lingered in my mind and kept me up all night…not the issue at hand, but the issue of him making this a life lesson. I wanted him to see that it was Jesus' example he had to be after and everything else was background noise. I wasn’t hearing that…he was still caught up in the moment. I do understand, though. I remember being 17 with a less than mature approach to life. But I want better for him.
One situation rolled into another until I had reached capacity. I stood in the lobby of the school this afternoon with my precious firstborn with tears streaming down my face and snot pouring from my nose (sorry…that’s just what happens when there are no Kleenex nearby.) For just a moment, I allowed the enemy to come too close and make me feel like I was failing as a mom. It was a burden I simply couldn’t carry at that moment.
So I left and made a beeline home to only place I wanted to be…on my knees. I poured myself out and then opened God’s Word to John 14:1. God spoke right to me—“Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me.” It’s a familiar verse, but I owned it at that moment and held it to my heart. God clearly told me, as He has so often, that I must trust in Him even when the hour is dark. So I read on and came to verse 8 where Philip said, "Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us." I looked up and said, “Father, you ARE enough for me.”
Then I went outside and stood in my driveway and the let God’s glorious sun shine on my face. My pain and turmoil quickly disappeared. I am so thankful for God’s faithfulness in showing me the path straight to Him.
And as I come out of this with my oldest, I have a renewed relationship with him that made the darkness all worthwhile. We’ve had deep and intense discussions and I feel good about his direction. He told me he clearly wants to be the man God wants him to be. He said he just has trouble getting there sometimes…but don’t we all?
Thank you, Jesus, for carrying me when I need you most!
So we walked through it together…I shared with him how prayer, God’s Word and godly advice are my tools for approaching decisions and encouraged him to follow my example. But he was having trouble seeing past the overwhelming issue before him. He has lingering anger from the death of his daddy and it works its way into these moments. It's a lot for him to overcome.
But I kept at it. I showed him scriptures to help him and prayed with him. But the issue lingered in my mind and kept me up all night…not the issue at hand, but the issue of him making this a life lesson. I wanted him to see that it was Jesus' example he had to be after and everything else was background noise. I wasn’t hearing that…he was still caught up in the moment. I do understand, though. I remember being 17 with a less than mature approach to life. But I want better for him.
One situation rolled into another until I had reached capacity. I stood in the lobby of the school this afternoon with my precious firstborn with tears streaming down my face and snot pouring from my nose (sorry…that’s just what happens when there are no Kleenex nearby.) For just a moment, I allowed the enemy to come too close and make me feel like I was failing as a mom. It was a burden I simply couldn’t carry at that moment.
So I left and made a beeline home to only place I wanted to be…on my knees. I poured myself out and then opened God’s Word to John 14:1. God spoke right to me—“Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me.” It’s a familiar verse, but I owned it at that moment and held it to my heart. God clearly told me, as He has so often, that I must trust in Him even when the hour is dark. So I read on and came to verse 8 where Philip said, "Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us." I looked up and said, “Father, you ARE enough for me.”
Then I went outside and stood in my driveway and the let God’s glorious sun shine on my face. My pain and turmoil quickly disappeared. I am so thankful for God’s faithfulness in showing me the path straight to Him.
And as I come out of this with my oldest, I have a renewed relationship with him that made the darkness all worthwhile. We’ve had deep and intense discussions and I feel good about his direction. He told me he clearly wants to be the man God wants him to be. He said he just has trouble getting there sometimes…but don’t we all?
Thank you, Jesus, for carrying me when I need you most!
Friday, January 16, 2009
I'm His...Right Now and Always
My boys left town today. They went to Michigan on a youth retreat. And my youngest was also gone last night for a school field trip. This past week has been a bit busy, but a good busy. So I’m looking forward to a quiet weekend. I’ll miss the boys terribly, but they’ll be home on Monday before I know it.
Over the last week, as I thought about them leaving, I had intended to leave town myself. I thought I’d take off to visit friends and get away. My thoughts turned to life without the boys. One will graduate in May and the second in 3 1/2 short years. I also drifted to thoughts about retirement and God’s plan for me at all these new stages in my life. Then it hit me!
I have trouble even visualizing those normal worldly stages that are typical for us to carve into our lives. I realized that my strategy for life will be no different in the future then it is now. I live for God’s plan, not mine. I don't plan to do something different when the boys are out of the house or when I retire. As long as I’m still on this earth, I’m just working for Jesus. He can guide me where He wants. I'm not going to break my life into compartments and then ask Him to work His will into my chunks of time...just the opposite. I'll let Him set my life’s plan and then try to be obedient where ever that leads.
Boy, what a wonderful peace there is in realizing that my world no longer operates the way I always thought it should. I don’t have to keep working toward worldly goals that I have been conditioned to believe is the proper way to plan. I get to just show up each day and let my Savior guide me according to what He has in store.
That doesn’t mean I’m not prudent with my time, money and priorities. I still try to stay out debt, spend wisely, give generously and love unconditionally. But I don’t sweat over today where I think I’ll be tomorrow or 20 years from now. What peace; what joy; what satisfaction in knowing that God’s Spirit is embedded deep within me and helps me truly live for eternity!
The Lord reminds us in Psalm 127:1 that our work outside of His plan is all labor in vain anyway. “Unless the LORD builds the house, its builders labor in vain. Unless the LORD watches over the city, the watchmen stand guard in vain.”
Over the last week, as I thought about them leaving, I had intended to leave town myself. I thought I’d take off to visit friends and get away. My thoughts turned to life without the boys. One will graduate in May and the second in 3 1/2 short years. I also drifted to thoughts about retirement and God’s plan for me at all these new stages in my life. Then it hit me!
I have trouble even visualizing those normal worldly stages that are typical for us to carve into our lives. I realized that my strategy for life will be no different in the future then it is now. I live for God’s plan, not mine. I don't plan to do something different when the boys are out of the house or when I retire. As long as I’m still on this earth, I’m just working for Jesus. He can guide me where He wants. I'm not going to break my life into compartments and then ask Him to work His will into my chunks of time...just the opposite. I'll let Him set my life’s plan and then try to be obedient where ever that leads.
Boy, what a wonderful peace there is in realizing that my world no longer operates the way I always thought it should. I don’t have to keep working toward worldly goals that I have been conditioned to believe is the proper way to plan. I get to just show up each day and let my Savior guide me according to what He has in store.
That doesn’t mean I’m not prudent with my time, money and priorities. I still try to stay out debt, spend wisely, give generously and love unconditionally. But I don’t sweat over today where I think I’ll be tomorrow or 20 years from now. What peace; what joy; what satisfaction in knowing that God’s Spirit is embedded deep within me and helps me truly live for eternity!
The Lord reminds us in Psalm 127:1 that our work outside of His plan is all labor in vain anyway. “Unless the LORD builds the house, its builders labor in vain. Unless the LORD watches over the city, the watchmen stand guard in vain.”
Thursday, January 8, 2009
Jesus at the Center
I mentioned in my last blog about the “everyday Jesus.” This past week I have felt a great peace and joy that continues to deepen in my life. I can’t imagine ever living without either one. The more I experience Jesus in my every day life, the more my appetite craves to be fed by Him above all else.
I was praying last night about the things in my life that are very, very good. I reflected on whether there is any person or thing that would ever interfere with keeping Jesus at the center. If God called me to do something that would force me to give up a relationship, my house, my job or anything else that I deemed good, because He had something better in mind, would I do it? Would I trust Him enough to walk out on faith? I came to the conclusion that I would…and I slept so peacefully with that thought. But I have to work at it ‘cause the things of this world look mighty good sometimes.
…So then I moved on to talking to God about whether He was at the center in my role as a mother. I pray over that part of my life more than any other single thing. I want to get it right and I want my boys to know Jesus more intimately than they know anything else.
Well, this week, I have had some phenomenal conversations with both boys, but particularly Derek. We had the occasion to discuss a wide range of issues from relationships to general behavior to his future. I walked away from each conversation very proud of my firstborn. He gets it. He has a firm grasp on what’s right. He is a teenager and gets his priorities wrong and is just plain goofy sometimes, but his perspective on things was grounded. It was affirming to me that he has been watching and learning. A mama needs that on occasion.
Zach just simply lights up my life. He sends me texts during the day that make me burst into melodious peals of laughter. And he and I have had some great conversations as well this week. He is a sensitive soul and cried recently over knowing he hurt a friend. He and I continue to have great chats on the way to school and he longs to grow. If I bring something to his attention, he really takes it to heart. It hurts him in a bad way when he thinks I am not happy with his behavior. I feel like he gets it too…just like his brother.
There’s not much more I can ask for. I keep Jesus as the center and He guides me and reassures me as I walk in obedience with Him. I love the affirmation that He gives me and love the way He ordains so many details that come together for my greater good.
We serve a mighty God! And there is only One.
I was praying last night about the things in my life that are very, very good. I reflected on whether there is any person or thing that would ever interfere with keeping Jesus at the center. If God called me to do something that would force me to give up a relationship, my house, my job or anything else that I deemed good, because He had something better in mind, would I do it? Would I trust Him enough to walk out on faith? I came to the conclusion that I would…and I slept so peacefully with that thought. But I have to work at it ‘cause the things of this world look mighty good sometimes.
…So then I moved on to talking to God about whether He was at the center in my role as a mother. I pray over that part of my life more than any other single thing. I want to get it right and I want my boys to know Jesus more intimately than they know anything else.
Well, this week, I have had some phenomenal conversations with both boys, but particularly Derek. We had the occasion to discuss a wide range of issues from relationships to general behavior to his future. I walked away from each conversation very proud of my firstborn. He gets it. He has a firm grasp on what’s right. He is a teenager and gets his priorities wrong and is just plain goofy sometimes, but his perspective on things was grounded. It was affirming to me that he has been watching and learning. A mama needs that on occasion.
Zach just simply lights up my life. He sends me texts during the day that make me burst into melodious peals of laughter. And he and I have had some great conversations as well this week. He is a sensitive soul and cried recently over knowing he hurt a friend. He and I continue to have great chats on the way to school and he longs to grow. If I bring something to his attention, he really takes it to heart. It hurts him in a bad way when he thinks I am not happy with his behavior. I feel like he gets it too…just like his brother.
There’s not much more I can ask for. I keep Jesus as the center and He guides me and reassures me as I walk in obedience with Him. I love the affirmation that He gives me and love the way He ordains so many details that come together for my greater good.
We serve a mighty God! And there is only One.
Thursday, January 1, 2009
Happy New Year
I feel the earth moving beneath my feet as the new year begins. The presence of God is full and His mighty hand is a powerful force in my life. I anxiously await what He has in store for me and my family in 2009.
I was looking over my spiritual journal last night and there are a few insights that God had given me last year that I need to be reminded of as I move into the glorious new year that God has set before me.
Here are a few of the highlights of how God spoke to me over the year...I plan to hold fast to His Word and listen attentively to how He whispers to me in the coming weeks and months.
1. Everyday Celebrations--There is something worth getting excited about every single day--find it, focus on it and be full in it.
2. God's Authority--God made clear He has set the vision for my life and asked that now I just wait patiently...even if that means waiting through some darkness.
3. The Everyday Jesus--If my eyes are truly open it will be in the daily events of my life that I see the magnificence of Jesus. Obedience in the smallest areas brings the greatest rewards.
4. A big God--God told me to allow Him to be unleashed in my life...don't settle for my way of thinking...Isaiah 55:8 tells me "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways."
5. Serving Him--He gave me a deep and abiding desire to serve Him by serving others...that may be "the least of these" or it may be showering my love on those closest to me.
I feel blessed and exuberant about this new day that the Lord has given me. May you feel the same passion.
I was looking over my spiritual journal last night and there are a few insights that God had given me last year that I need to be reminded of as I move into the glorious new year that God has set before me.
Here are a few of the highlights of how God spoke to me over the year...I plan to hold fast to His Word and listen attentively to how He whispers to me in the coming weeks and months.
1. Everyday Celebrations--There is something worth getting excited about every single day--find it, focus on it and be full in it.
2. God's Authority--God made clear He has set the vision for my life and asked that now I just wait patiently...even if that means waiting through some darkness.
3. The Everyday Jesus--If my eyes are truly open it will be in the daily events of my life that I see the magnificence of Jesus. Obedience in the smallest areas brings the greatest rewards.
4. A big God--God told me to allow Him to be unleashed in my life...don't settle for my way of thinking...Isaiah 55:8 tells me "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways."
5. Serving Him--He gave me a deep and abiding desire to serve Him by serving others...that may be "the least of these" or it may be showering my love on those closest to me.
I feel blessed and exuberant about this new day that the Lord has given me. May you feel the same passion.
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