Laced With Grace

“Fret not yourself because of evildoers;
be not envious of wrongdoers!
For they will soon fade like the grass
and wither like the green herb.

Trust in the Lord, and do good;
dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness.
Delight yourself in the Lord,
and he will give you the desires of your heart.”
~ Psalm 37:1-4 (ESV)

Some mornings I grumble to the Lord these words:
“Lord, I am tired. I really don’t want to get ready this morning. Every day is the same. People grumble. They are always angry at someone…”

The list is actually longer than that, but I rather stop here. I tell you, some days are worse than others. The other day I was so frustrated that I, with my Bible under my arm, left my cubicle huffing and puffing about all the injustice around me. I sat down at a table and was leafing through my well worn Bible (thankfully I keep a spare copy in my desk) to find comfort in His Word.

My finger stopped at Psalm 37. I started to smile; this particular Psalm must be a comfort to my soul every time I get a little frazzled. Words like “Thank You” – “Praise Your Name” are written on the side – not only once. The entire Psalm is highlighted – I guess I wanted to make sure that I never forget to return to this particular Psalm…

After I read His comforting Word, I was ready to return to my desk to finish out my day. His Word has this affect on me. It calms my spirit – refreshes me to carry on.

Do you think that is why Jesus often withdrew from His friends, the crowds? I believe that Jesus just needed to have some time with the Father to get refreshed – so He could carry on.

My dear sisters, no matter if you are a work-at-home Mom, a office employee or even an executive. When the day gets to you, grab your Bible and take a “time-out”. Get refreshed at the spot – don’t wait until night time when you think that you might have some ‘spare’ time.

Lord of Heaven and Earth. Thank you for Word. Thank you for the prompting of Your spirit to get refresh at the spot. You know the desires of my heart – the desire to be close to You any time of day. Lord continue to help me to stay close to You Word and get refreshed when I am in need. In the precious name of Jesus I pray ~ Amen”

Blessings on your day…

Ever feel like a lion, ready to roam free, explore, hunt for food, lay in the tall grasses soaking in the sun’s warmth, only to discover you are caged at the zoo?

That was me. No one told me to crawl into my religious cage, but I chose to go there thinking it was the right thing to do. Once inside, I felt the stares of visitors holding binoculars, eying my every move. I lost my strength. Hoping bystanders would move on to the next exhibit, I remained perfectly still. In my desperate attempt to be godly, I lost my zeal. Part of this happened as a result of having responsibilities. Bills. Managing my home, my kids and my marriage. I thought I needed to grow up and act mature. A part of me has died in the process.

My personality.

I’m ready to claw out of my cage. Didn’t Christ come for my freedom? Scripture says so. Why have I allowed my desire to please others to stunt my growth, curb my creativity, steal my laughter, and rob my passion?

I’m tired of living halfheartedly. I’m ready to be like that free lion and explore God’s love in deeper ways. Hunt for opportunities to love and serve others. Roam the earth with newfound strength. Soak in the warmth of God’s Word. Open my mouth with a roar of passion. Anything to break out of my self-made prison and live out my god-given purpose. Real living requires that I let go of my fears of what others think to be captivated by God again.

No more zoo cages.

I want to be me! The one God created, not the one I’ve tamed and caged. God is calling me out. He is calling me to explore the deep places. His beauty. His love. The cage door is open. Will I leave the comfort of my surroundings for a greater adventure? Yes.

Will you?

I wonder what’s waiting on the other side.

Freedom anyone?

“I run in the path of your commands, for you have set my heart free.” Psalm 119:32

(image from flickr)

Matthew 5:16 “Let your light shine before men so they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven”.

I’m the only Christian in the office where I work and sometimes it’s hard being different than anyone else but God’s faithful – He keeps me going, He keeps me believing in my faith and He’s always there to show me how not to be like everyone else.

While on this earth Jesus was God’s servant and one thing I’ve learned in the two years I’ve been here is that when I do things for others, I’m doing things for God – I’m serving Him by serving others. If one of my colleagues has a meeting with a client I offer to make them a hot or cold drink, if the rubbish bins are full I make time to empty them, if the floor is grubby I try to get the vacuum out to clean it.

People have noticed that there’s something different about me too, for instance I don’t get stressed out easily if I have a heavy workload or when everyone wants something done at the same time and it’s all thanks to God. He’s put such a peace in my heart that I’m happy to be his representative – it’s not me I’m boasting about though, it’s God.  And the thing is God knows I’m not perfect, when I do something wrong He picks me up, dusts me off and sets me along His path again and you know what? The people around us and those we meet through life see God is us, in our speech, in our actions and in our lives.

By trying to be a servant like Jesus was we can let our lights shine too!