Laced With Grace

Oh Puhleese!

Yes, you guessed it. This is a paragraph from a romance novel. In my twenties I wanted to write romance novels. Remembering this time in my life and my silly ideas about romance and novels cracks me up. I didn’t even like to read until I was a young adult let alone write a book. More amusing, somewhere in my attic, stashed in a box is a chapter and a half of Janelle’s story. I chuckle at this oddity in my character, a desire to write.

What I find all together hilarious is the fact that I am not a writer by nature. I was never one of those girls who journal thoughts at age ten. I didn’t excel in English class with the exception of 10th grade. I was in love with Mr. Baggett and did all I could to impress. *grin*

In my twenties and thirties my dream of writing a novel disappeared in the busyness of life. However, when I retired from banking a few years ago, this odd compulsion to write began to reemerge. However, I no longer feel compelled to finish Janelle’s story. (Side note: I should finish it because I would really like to know if she and the hunk in the story get together.)

Today, I can see stories in everything. The ordinariness of life I find extraordinary especially when viwed through the eyes of God. Today, I LOVE to write. I am privileged to write down the accounts of God at work in the lives of people.

So, where in the world did this relentless desire to write come from?

The giver of this seemingly impossible fantasy is God. It is a God-given dream and I am telling you I could not have dreamt it up on my own.

It has lurked in the recesses of my heart for years. I would think upon it from time-to-time but never allow it to grow. My fears would surface; the enemy would trample my feeble attempts to breath into it new life. People would laugh at my dream when I was careless and mention it.

“What a waist of time,” They would tell me.

But today as I type these words I tell you this. The Giver of Dreams will not let me shake this desire. He says to me, “I will make the implausible, plausible. I will march ahead of you. I will give you my words. Be bold and courageous because you serve the living God.”

God has so much faith in me. I will have faith in Him. He will accomplish it. In fact, because this dream is so outlandish it will be God who is honored when it is achieved. Not me.

What is the dream God gave you? Do you remember the tiny yearning that lurks in your heart? Can you still feel an extraordinary desire you cannot shake? Is it to write? To sing? To be a leader? To be a teacher, an astronaut, a nurse, a doctor, a missionary? God placed that dream there and he has faith in you. It mattes not how impossible the dream appears. It doesn’t matter what your circumstances are today, what happened in your past. If you are dreaming along with God, He will accomplish it.

God has faith in you!

And you shall take the atonement money of the children of Israel, and shall appoint it for the service of the tabernacle of meeting, that it may be a memorial for the children of Israel before the LORD, to make atonement for yourselves. – Exodus 30:16 NKJV

Have you ever thought of what price in dollars God would have you pay to get into heaven?  Another way to look at this would be that this payment would be ransom money to get us out of the hell we deserve because of our inherent sin nature.   Since the beginning of God’s relationship with man, that relationship has cost someone something.  Please stay with me here. 

It struck me in Exodus 30:12 that God spoke to Moses telling him that “every man shall give a ransom for himself to the LORD … that there may be no plague among them when you number them.”   The “ransom” here was a mere half shekel, equating to 33 cents.  Sounds like a small price to pay for security with God, huh?  But what would that 33 cents equate to today?  We all know about inflation, don’t we?  I do have somewhat of a financial background so I thought I’d look into this a little further.  However, I couldn’t find a calculator that would give me the future value of 33 cents invested 3500 years ago! 

But I was able to calculate what 33 cents would equate to in 1000 years at a 3% inflation rate (this is a good historical average rate for the U.S.).  Drumroll please…. the answer is a mere $2,268,499,276,285.98.  Over two trillion dollars.  The point here is to see that there is no way we could possibly give atonement to God with our own efforts.  We can’t afford our own ransom money.

However, Jesus bought us with the price of His sinless life.  He paid our ransom when he gave his life for us through the death of a Roman crucifixion.  Don’t forget that He not only suffered that agonizing death, but he came from a throne in heaven to live on earth with us.   And I don’t even like staying in a cheap motel!  I can’t even fathom what he did for me.   Because of Him, because I’ve believed on Him, my ransom has been paid.  I owe Him my life.  What about you?

For further thought:

1) Whose atonement money am I relying on to achieve a right standing with God, to gain entrance into heaven?  My good works or Jesus’ sacrifice?

2) How can I repay God for what He has done for me?  How should knowing what I “cost” Him, change the way and quantity of my service to Him?

Note: This is a reprint of my April 10, 2008 post on my personal blog, Bread Crumbs.

If someone offered to lead me on a hike around the edges of the Grand Canyon but asked me to wear a blindfold, I would be dubious. If he assured me that he was an expert on the trails, I might feel a little bit better. But when he declared his undying love for me and swore his protection and care, I might begin to warm up to the idea.

Walking by faith, I sometimes feel like I’m tripping along the precarious edges of the Grand Canyon with a blindfold obscuring my vision. Fear of the unknown can cause me to slow my pace and make each step laborious. Should I go to the left or the right? Should I take this job? Should I move? Should I do this ministry or that one?

Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and
certain of what we do not see.”

I’ll admit that walking the paths surrounding the biggest hole I’ve ever seen can cause anxiety when my eyes are open. Now, add a blindfold into the mix and I can imagine my knees knocking and my hands trembling. I am accustomed to being able to see where I am going. Faith, however, is confident about things that are unseen. How can I be confident about my future when I cannot see it? How can I have vision that sees beyond my stumbling steps of today and into the hope of a perfect future?

First, I must know that my guide is trustworthy, faithful, loving, and will never leave my side. If I doubt God’s care for me or His ability to lead me, my faith will waver. As a blindfolded follower, I trust implicitly in my leader. I might think that I ought to step out to the right, but He knows that one misstep could lead to disaster.

Trusting in God as my guide, I can now move forward with vision. This is not a vision based on the tangible things I see with my eyes, but rather a vision based upon what is unseen.

My vision includes a picture of a woman who glorifies God. I am confident that God is at work in my life and that He is molding me into His image (even if I can’t always see that right now). I have a vision for myself: to honor God as a wife and mother; to share His love with those I know; to imitate Christ’s life of sacrifice; to know Him. Each step I take in this life is sifted through this vision. Decisions and choices lay before me every day and I look at each one as an opportunity to test my vision.

I may feel blindfolded at times, but I am confident of this:

Philippians 1:6 “He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”

Walking by Faith,

Heather C