Laced With Grace

 Isaiah 35:10 “and the ransomed of the LORD will return.
                                                  They will enter Zion with singing;
                                              everlasting joy will crown their heads.
                                             Gladness and joy will overtake them,
                                          and sorrow and sighing will flee away.” 

Most of you, who know me, know that the past several months have been filled with anguish beyond anything I have ever experienced. I have walked along side my daddy in his last days of life as he prepares for his homecoming / going with our Savior.  Now we are on the doorsteps……. for we are within hours of this event.  

My world has consisted of days of uncertainty, pain and grief. And in many of these days, it has been hard not to see the world through pain-stricken grief embossed lenses as I walk this journey. Actually, I am beginning to feel like I am in the “Valley of Baca.”  

Grief—it happens to us when our world spins out of control and we lose something dear and precious to us. Oh, it is easy to say we can pick up the pieces and move on. But that is not the real issue, is it? For the real issue moves into our future; as if putting  together a jigsaw puzzle. There will always be one piece missing, making the hole in our life obvious. This of course requires us to make a change and find a “new normal”to our life.  

Just today, I found myself driving home from the hospital crying and wondering why the world was still going on with its life. Does it not realize my pain? If you have ever gone through a significant loss, you know what I mean. You want the world to stop with you, cry with you and grieve with you. But that is not fair. Someone needs to carry on while I have stopped to sit in my Abba’s lap.  

But our days of grief are numbered for we are promised a new life, and how do I know this? For God has given me / us His very best, His Son. He did not even spare His Son when He could have. So Papa is no stranger to grief.  My Papa, my Abba knows it first hand. And because we know how the story ends, we will once again be together. I can rest in knowing that soon the sweet chimes of the heavenly sounds will exude in the air as my daddy enters into the New Jerusalem. 

Jesus will give me a new pair of goggles to see through IF I choose. “… holding promise for both the present life and the life to come…” 1 Timothy 4:8 

Which goggles do you wish to wear? The unfashionable pair of grief-stricken style glasses or the fashionable, “never out of style” lenses that promise “a-life-to-come” worn by our precious Savior? 

It’s a choice. And it’s ours.

God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging. Selah

There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells. God is within her, she will not fall; God will help her at break of day.   Psalm 46:1-5

Many nights I go to bed listening to songs of praise and worship, or the Bible on tape or CD playing. I want to fill my heart/soul/mind with the Word. With Him.  The verse above….is a balm to my hurting soul in troubled times.  He has been, and always will be, my refuge.  My strength.  We have much trouble in the land today….we need much strength for the journey.

It is very evident —- with everything that has transpired in our family in the past 3 weeks that more of the Word, more of the Spirit and more time in prayer to the Father is necessary for survival. I want no room for disobedience, nor straying thoughts or heart.

In my 46 years of life, I have witnessed many things. Some good. Some bad. I have learned from the mistakes of others. I have made many of my own. One thing I have learned, and is also a statement my home church pastor has made many times from the pulpit: “Sin will take you further than you wanted to go; Cost you more than you wanted to pay; And make you stay longer than you intended to stay.”

The following is lengthy, but from my heart….so get comfortable….

In thinking of the price of sin, Samson came to mind. Samson found, after much dallying in sin with Delilah, that sin would bind and blind you. And no matter how much you “shake” yourself, you cannot shake free from sin on your own. Only Jesus can set you free and restore your vision.

Samson was brought up in a believing home. Yet Samson became disrespectful to his heritage. He chose to disregard not only his parents wishes and desires for him, but he blatantly went against God’s commandments and law for His people. He was more concerned with his desires. The lusts of the flesh. And rather than use the gift of strength God had given him to bring glory to God, he chose to fulfill his own sinful desires.

Samson paid a high price for his sin. Samson was so full of himself that he had no room for God. He was so enthralled with what he could do – - he forgot the Origin of his strength. When he fell in love (or what he thought was love), with the evil Delilah—the very “employee of the enemy”—the trap was set. She probably wore a T-Shirt that, in sparkly letters stated: “I Always Get My Man”.   Get him she did. 

After four attempts, using every imaginable feminine wile to get him to reveal the secret of his strength to her — she “got her man”. When he awoke to the realization that he was no longer the “man” he once was, I believe he began to feel something he never felt before.   Fear.   I believe he began to sweat.

With racing heart, he tried to shake free from the fear that held him as tight as the chains that would soon bind him.   To no avail.   The Spirit of Almighty God had left him.   No longer would he feel the presence of the Lord.   No longer would he feel the might of God as in times past.   Those days were over.   The Bible says that Samson didn’t even know what happened.   He didn’t realize that the Spirit of the Lord had left him.   Chapters 13-17 of Judges tell us the complete story of Samson.   There were some good days. Some obedient days.   But it was the times of disobedience and sin that caused Samson’s demise.   Had he not followed after the lust of the flesh….I believe things would have ended differently for Samson.

In the end, God did use Samson again. But he had to give his very life to be used. I imagine (my opinion only), that Samson was very angry when he was captured. Angry at his “girlfriend” for tricking him. (Watch where you lay your head) Angry at his parents, for surely they “knew” people, and could get him out. Angry at God for giving him strength and then taking it away.  (Does any of this sound a little like us?)

It was not until he came face to face with the realization that “he”, Samson, was the one that had played right into the hand (lap) of the enemy did his heart began to change.

In Samson’s final prayer (Judges 16:28), he demonstrated more repentance and faith than he had in years. Maybe in his whole life. God heard. God answered. Samson made it to the “Hall of Faith” (Hebrews 11:32).

I am thankful that the price for my sin was paid on Calvary. Although I have suffered the consequences for sinful actions in my life, the payment of my sin has been paid in full.  You may have suffered from your own sinful actions as well.   Or, you may be suffering due to the sinful actions of another.   If that is the “suffering” case, God is your help in time of need. He is your  STRENGTH.   YOUR STRONGHOLD.   He will hold you in His tender hand.   He too suffered due to the sinful actions of others.   Ours.

I suppose what made me the most upset with my girls as they were growing up, was the fact that I could not for the life of me, get it through their thick heads, that there would be a price to pay for misdeeds. No matter how much I blathered on about it, they never seemed to hear! Somewhere — somehow—we all learn the lesson of disobedience to God and parents. Tiffany can absolutely testify to that now. April would tell you as well.

I am following hard after the steps of my Father. I want with all my heart for His Word to speak into my heart His desires for me. For my life. It is a very hard journey at times. But it is the only road for me. That other road….the one I used to travel?…. the bridge to that road was long ago washed out….there is no other way for me, but His way.

There is an old song…some of you may remember it….”I have decided to follow Jesus, I have decided to follow Jesus, I have decided to follow Jesus, no turning back…..no turning back.  Though none go with me, still I will follow, though none go with me…still I will follow, though none go with me….still I will follow…no turning back….no turning back.” (Did you sing it with me?)   I am following Him.

Father in heaven, I ask that You would keep us on the right road.  Let us not be swayed by the temptations that life has to offer.  Let us stay focused on the mark.  Let us keep to the path You have laid out before us.  With all my heart following You, may I lead someone to do the same.  In Your most holy name I pray, ~Amen.

 Trusting Him,

Angie

“Miss M, I’m done!”  When I hear these words from certain students I always give a big sigh because I know what’s coming.

Did you check your work for mistakes?  Did you do it neatly?  Are you sure everything’s completed?  After I’ve finished giving my third degree some students will immediately go back and recheck their work.  However there are some who will insist they are finished and bring their books up to my desk  By the time I’ve read the first few lines in their book I can usually find some mistakes and there begins my, “Stop rushing your work!  What’s the point in finishing first and getting an F, lecture.”

For some reason everyone wants to finish first but for some of the students in my class finishing first brings about a “do over,” because if I spot enough mistakes that page is torn out and they get to start over which sometimes means no recess.  Yes, there are penalties for hurrying in my class.

Many times we are just like those impatient little children.  In our fast paced world it’s sometimes difficult to slow down.  For some reason everyone seem to be in a big rush.  In our age of microwave dinners and quick fixes we want what we want, when we want it and how we want it.  However, there are times when God simply wants us to slow down.  He wants to speak to us, spend time with us but often we are so busy doing his work that we don’t take the time to listen.

So for today, take a moment, relax, reevaluate, God isn’t keeping a record of who finishes first, but he does want us to do our best. 

being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. Philippians 1:6

Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.  Isaiah 40:30-31