Laced With Grace

“I am NOT a princess…

But I AM a child of the King.”

We see it a lot. “Princess” written on pink, in silver glitter. We see it on t-shirts, baby bibs, written across the seat of sweatpants. Many of us fall prey to the thought and many of our daughters see themselves as somehow “princess-like”.

Mine did. Then she went to a young women’s retreat and came home with a shirt that said, “I am not princess…but I am a daughter of the King.”

When God called Jeremiah, He told him:

“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,
and before you were born I consecrated you;
I appointed you a prophet to the nations.”

Jeremiah’s answer? “Ah, Lord GOD! Behold, I do not know how to speak, for I am only a youth.”

I don’t know about everybody else, but I always seem to have an excuse. The thing is…all the excuses center on ME. I’m not educated enough, well-spoken enough, organized enough…Why would God want to use me?

The Bible teaches us amazing things about the people that God uses!

The Bible is full of promises and statements telling us WHO we are in Christ.

Read the Jeremiah verse again. God told Jeremiah

1. I made you
2. I chose you
3. I prepared you

Before we are even born, God has prepared the things that He wants us to do!

Our hostess, Iris, uses the passages Ephesians 2:8-10. Many of us have grown up being able to rattle off verses 8 and 9. And then there’s verse 10.

For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

We, believers, are the workmanship of God! He made us!

This is not of ourselves, I am NOT a princess!

But I AM a child of the King!

Prepared for good works, chosen in Him before the foundation of the earth was laid.

I am a CHILD of the King!

We are adopted as his sons(children) through Jesus Christ!

I am a child of the KING!

God, the blessed and only Ruler, the King of kings and Lord of lords…

has created me, adopted me, prepared me for good works. This is amazing to me; that He can take me…and use me. That I am not a princess…

It’s not about who I am, it’s about what Christ has done…

It’s not about what I’ve done, it’s about who Christ is.

“My purpose is to give life in all its fullness” John 10:10b

One of my favorite books of all time is Sarah Ban Breathnach’s book Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy. Written over ten years ago, it challenged women to take an inner journey of “delight and discovery”. Between the covers you would find essays for every day of the year. Quintessential essays that encouraged the reader to seek out a life of authenticity and carve out a life of simple abundance.

I never tire of reading these essays. Although I can never accomplish all that this book subscribes to, I am never overwhelmed by it. I am inspired by it, I am comforted by it and I find great joy in reading it. Let me share with you one of my favorite and well underlined parts of her book.

“There are six principles that will act as guides as we make our inner journey over the next year. These are the six threads of abundant living which, when woven together, produce a tapestry of contentment that wraps us in inner peace, well-being, happiness, and a sense of security. First there is gratitude. When we do a mental and spiritual inventory of all that we have, we realize that we are very rich indeed. Gratitude gives way to simplicity – the desire to clear out, pare down, and realize the essentials of what we need to live truly well. Simplicity brings with it order, both internally and externally. A sense of order in our life brings us harmony. Harmony provides us with the inner peace we need to appreciate the beauty that surrounds us each day, and beauty opens us to joy.”

One of the reasons that I enjoy this book so much is how it parallels my most treasured book – the Bible. Any time I open my Bible I begin a spiritual journey of “delight and discovery”. My Bible is my guidebook on seeking a life of authenticity and a textbook on teaching me how to live a life of abundance. A life filled with peace, purpose, hope and meaning. A life wrapped up in the “tapestry of contentment”.

Choosing to live the abundant life is choosing to live according to God’s Word. Every other Saturday I would like you to join me as we weave together a tapestry of contentment by looking at our how-to book, the Bible. The first thread we will start with is, as Sarah Ban Breathnach suggested, the thread of gratitude. For the next two weeks I encourage you to keep a Gratitude Journal. Searching for things in your life for which to be grateful is not always easy. It is the little things we encounter every day that are the most difficult to see. Here are some ideas for things to write about in your Gratitude Journal:

Today I am grateful for…….

Today I feel good about…….

Today I was touched by……

Oh most gracious Father, today, as we end our six days of work and head into our seventh day of rest, we offer up our gratitude and thanks. For you are the God that takes care of us and supplies us with all our needs. Help us to open our eyes to the little things that make up our everyday. In this we give you praise for how rich we truly are. Amen.

Psalm 116:5 (New International Version)
The LORD is gracious and righteous;
our God is full of compassion.

Last night I did a rare and crazy thing. I stayed up half the night reading. It takes a remarkable story to keep me turning pages into the wee hours of the morning. Same Kind of Different As Me is a true story of a modern-day slave, an international art dealer, and the unlikely woman who bound them together.

Born out of love for her savior, Deborah begins to serve at a homeless mission where she meets Denver, a stern and distant homeless man. Ron, Deborah’s husband, is reluctant to help with his wife’s new ministry but he agrees. He sees himself as a benefactor to the dirty and reeking in Fort Worth, Texas. However, he soon discovers he is the one in need.

As I read through the night, I marveled over one man’s character. He gives of himself to a mean and angry world that is unworthy and undeserving. His selfless service to those in need screams of a power greater than mere human determination.

Unrequited compassion of one man pushed me to turn the pages. I wanted to know how he could give unfathomable grace to contemptible people. As the story advanced, I grew more in love with the people at the mission and came to realize, a fresh, that God is bigger than any persons past, present, or future. Through amazing, funny, and immense circumstances, God displays His unfailing compassion through this trio of characters.

Chapter after chapter, I became uncomfortably aware of my missed opportunities to share selfless grace with those around me. I thought of my ministry work. Do I serve to honor God or is there self-centeredness in it? Is it my desire to serve only The King and, by the way, mention my name? I realized I want to seek an additional ministry area where I remain nameless.

This morning, I am still deeply affected by the message of this book and the words of Denver speaking to Ron as the story draws to a close: “I was captive in the devil’s prison…. But I got to tell you: Many folks had seen me behind the bars in that prison for more than thirty years, and they just walked on by. Kept their keys in their pocket and left me locked up. Now I ain’t trying to run them other folks down, cause I was not a nice fella…..Miss Debbie was different – she seen me behind them bars and reached way down in her pocket and pulled out the keys God gave her and used one to unlock the prison door and set me free.” (Isaiah 61:1)

Selfless compassion is a powerful megaphone shouting hope to a world reeling with tremendous need. We each hold a set of keys for someone’s prison. Our compassion through the supernatural power of Jesus Christ can unlock the door and set the captives free.

Almighty God, You set us on a path of freedom through the love of Jesus Christ. Thank you. Empower us today with Your love to use the keys we hold to help set other captives free. In Jesus name, Amen.

Be blessed!

What challenges are you facing this week that need supernatural grace from the hand of God? Who are the captives you are praying for? How can we pray for your need this week? Laced With Grace will faithfully walk with you to the throne of our King seeking His love and unfathomable compassion for your life. Please let us know how we can pray for you.