Laced With Grace

It was a good thirty minutes past bedtime when I walked by my son’s closed door and heard a sweet sound.   “Waves of mercy, waves of grace…” he sang quietly to himself, not knowing he had an enraptured audience on the other side of the door.  At the age of four, he is too old to have someone sing him lullabies as he snuggles into bed, so instead he has learned to sing himself to sleep. 

He doesn’t realize it, but he has memorized quite a few verses this way.  When he feels afraid in the dark and he worries about bad dreams, he can sing “Be strong and courageous.  Do not be terrified.  Do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you, wherever you go.”  Joshua 1:9 

Or if you want to know the most famous verse of all, four year old style, you can hear him sing, “John 3:16 says that God so loved the world, He gave his only begotten son that whosoever believes in him shall never perish but have eternal life!”  (He sang this to the astonishment of his older sisters who both had to memorize it without a lovely song to help them.) 

He’s still four though and his face is often covered in ketchup or dirt or dandelion dust and his pants are backwards (or his shirt) and he’s likely to have his shoes on the wrong feet.  Just the other day, I heard his daddy explaining to him how to recognize shoes that are on backwards.  After being told this daily, the little guy still doesn’t seem to get it, so daddy starts to make up a song.  “When the shoes are pointing out, that’s wrong, that’s wrong…” 

I smiled as I listened to my husband teaching my son by using the element that seems to touch his soul:  music.  Songs have embedded themselves in my little boy’s heart, but I know he is not unique in this.  Music touches our souls in a special way and it wedges itself in our minds quickly and easily.  Old songs recall special memories and little ditties get stuck in our heads.  Oh, the power of music.

I think of David playing his melodious calming songs for Saul, inviting peace into his tent.  And the day Joshua and his army broke through a city with the sounds of horns alone.  Or, the music that we will someday hear at the foot of the throne of God. 

My son sings at all times and in any place, but I’m a bit more reserved about making a joyful noise.  I know God may be pleased, but I’m not so sure if those around me will be.  The little boy’s exuberance and lack of self-consciousness give him the freedom to sing to Jesus wherever he is and whatever he’s doing.  On the swings, in the store, on his bed, in the car… not just in church. 

If it warms my heart to hear my son singing songs of praise, imagine how pleased God must be when we sing unreservedly to Him, worshipping Him wherever we are!

So, sing a new song today.

Visions of Memorial Days past are running through my mind.  Marching in or standing on the curb watching patriotic parades in honor of our fallen soldiers, flags waving, Veterans saluting as Old Glory passes by.  Homes decorated in patriotic buntings of red, white and blue and the smell of charcoal grills filling the air with the aroma of well done burgers and hot dogs.

It’s a day off, giving the benefit of a long three day weekend.  Some travel to the beach or the mountains as a way of kicking off the premature celebration of Summer.  Local swimming pools fill with children that don’t seem to mind the chilly water temperature as their parents soak up the sun’s warming rays.  It’s a time of gathering with family and friends and enjoying being able to get back outside together for a leisurely picnic.

But all of this came at great expense.  Men and women sacrificed their lives on battlefields and in the trenches of war, fighting for the privilege of freedom that we so nonchalantly enjoy.   Their bodies lay lifeless and cold in cemeteries across America and around the world, the price they paid so we could continue to enjoy life freely.

May we all pause and remember to remember the valiant deeds of soldiers past and present , and pay homage and honor by acknowledging their sacrifice.  Let’s remember to remember to pray for the families that are still reeling from the loss of a husband, a son, a brother, a wife, a daughter, a sister.  Their long weekend is yet another series of long days marking the passing of their loved one, their hearts screaming out, “Don’t forget my loved one not only died, but he had a life.  I want you to know my loved one.  Ask me about his life, talk about him.  Remember to remember him.  Please don’t forget him!”

How easy it is to forget sacrifices made for the sake of freedom.  Perhaps that is why we were given the instructions as a body of believers to observe communion regularly.  We are to be stirred up to remember to remember the sacrifice Christ made, the shedding of His blood so we could be free from the penalty of sin and enjoy a life lived in honor of Him.  We’re to remember to remember to proclaim His death until He comes again.

“And when He had given thanks, He broke it, and said, ‘This is My body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of Me.’ In the same way He took the cup also, after supper saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in My blood; do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.  For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes.”  1 Corinthians 11:24-26

This Memorial Day, examine your life.  Are you remembering to remember our fallen soldiers?  Are you remembering to remember the sacrifice of our Savior?  What are you doing to honor those who have paid the price for your freedom?

Father, it’s easier to forget than it is to remember the sacrifice You and others have made for me. Help me to remember to remember, and to live a humble life that exemplifies a heart of gratitude towards all that have paid freedom’s price. I love You.

Your Humbly Grateful Daughter,

Marsha’s Musings

“The poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried, and in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side. And he called out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in anguish in this flame.’” ~ Luke 16:22-24 (ESV ~ emphasis mine)

Since I drive about 30 miles everyday to and from work I see a lot of bumper stickers. Some are very offensive; others – I just shake me head. I really wonder what people were thinking when they put silly bumper stickers on their car. This week I saw one that said: ‘Cute as Hell’…I wonder if this person really thinks that Hell is cute?!?

Okay, I am not a Bible scholar or theologian, but to me Hell is not a place I like to be in after death. I know that many pastors today shy away from the ‘Hell and Brimstone’ sermons. They like to only preach about the positive: love, mercy, grace, forgiveness; sermons that don’t make the congregation squirm in the pews. Oh, don’t get me wrong, I love hearing about the good things, but once in a while I need to be reminded that there is a flip-side – God’s punishment.

I know that many believe that Hell is really not a place, ‘just’ the separation from God (which is bad enough). I personally believe that Hell is a real place, just as I believe that Heaven is real – there can not be one without the other.

“In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. And you know the way to where I am going.” ~ John 14:2-4 (ESV)

Let me share something I read – from the ‘Reformation Study Bible’:

“These are the issues of eternity that must be realistically faced… Those in hell will realize that they have sentenced themselves to be there because they loved darkness rather than light, refusing to have their creator as their Lord. They preferred the self-indulgence of sin to self-denying righteousness, rejecting the God that made them.” (page 1432 ~ emphasis mine)

Why am I sharing my thoughts on Hell with you today? Because I think that nothing can be cute about Hell…And hopefully next time when I see a ‘Cute as Hell’ bumper sticker, I have the opportunity to share with the driver my views on Hell…

Lord of Heaven and Earth. Thank You for taking the punishment in my place so that I will not have to spend eternity in Hell. Lord, may You give me the opportunity to share with someone in real life my thoughts on Hell; help me to point to the only hope – to Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. In His precious name I pray ~ Amen.

Thank you for stopping by today — be blessed today and always…