Laced With Grace

One Sunday morning at church we needed to leave a bit early.  My husband was heading out of town with his boss and we wanted to be able to grab lunch before they met. I wondered to myself about the best time to tell our five year old that we would be leaving early.   When I know in advance a change is coming to his routine, I like to give him warning because he really likes his schedule and routine.  He likes to know what is ahead.  On this Sunday though, I knew if I said anything too soon that he would want to ask a bunch of questions.   I did not really want to try to whisper all the answers to all the questions…. why does Daddy have to leave and where are we eating and why do we need to leave early. I thought it would be best to just wait until closer to the time we were leaving to tell him.   He didn’t really need to know that we were leaving early.  He was content not to know because he didn’t even know that he didn’t know!  When we stood for a song I whispered to him to walk out with me so we could eat lunch and he did as I asked.       

This made me think about my own life.  So many times I want to know.  I do not like not knowing what is ahead.  I don’t like to deal with changes in my routine and schedule.  I want to know what is coming so I can plan for it.  There are some things in our life right now that I’ve had to realize we just don’t know the answer yet, and we don’t even know when we will have a definite answer.  If I think about it too much it can drive me crazy trying to analyze and think about the possibilities! 

But do I really need to know everything in advance?  Would it really benefit me to see the whole path laid out before me?  Just as I knew it wasn’t a big deal and didn’t want to cause undo worry in my son’s heart about leaving the church service early, God doesn’t to give us more than we need to know either.  This is part of growing in our trust of Him.  We have to believe and have faith that He has the plan laid out and He’ll be with us every step of the way.

We read of many in the Bible who were led by God and trusted Him.  I think of the Israelites in their journey to the Promised Land.  God provided the manna for them (Exodus 16:4).  He didn’t throw out a week or month’s supply for them though, did He?  He gave what they needed for each day and extra they picked up would go bad.

God wants us to trust Him.

Psalm 28:7– 

The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and I am helped

 We don’t need to know everything that is coming because we know that He will be with us every step of the way.  He will help us and lead us as we trust in Him.

Have a day of blessings!

Raindrops & Rainbows

It’s February; the love month.  I wish that every month we would live our lives in love.  But that’s not usually the case. 

Lately, it seems that every time I turn on the television there’s a commercial about buying Valentine’s Day gifts.  After a while, women begin to think that if they don’t receive jewelry from Jared’s …they’re obviously not loved.  Frankly, I really dislike that.  It sets up such high expectations.  Many women become sad and depressed, especially if they don’t have a special someone in their life.

I remember as a teen, I was such a romantic.  My mom used to tell me I was in love with love.  I loved the feeling of loving another and being excited when I went on a date.

Too often people fall in love and get married.  After a number of years, I’ve heard friends tell me they’re just not “in love” with their spouse anymore and use that as an excuse to get divorced.  I think our culture has created such high expectations of always feeling that initial high of falling in love. 

I believe love is a choice.  I can tell you from experience that after 25 years of marriage to my husband, I love him more today than the day I got married to him.  However, I don’t always feel that “in love” feeling.  We have our times of highs and lows.  We have to work at making time for each other.  But the reality is that those lustful feelings aren’t always there.  I’m happy for the moments they are but  with jobs, responsibilities and stress; well  you get the picture.  I’m sure many of you understand if you have children.

I want to remind you of where you can find the most awesome love.  As humans we can let each other down.  But God is love.  It is part of His nature.  And you will never be disappointed. 

John 14:21 says “Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me.  He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him.”

God loves you so much that He gave His only Son to die for your sins and mine. 

When I really understood that He did that for me (Debbie), I was overwhelmed with love in response.  I don’t need to worry about keeping the rules.  My response of obedience comes from the love in my  heart.  And it is Christ in me that creates that love. 

Over the years, I have placed layers of protection over my heart because of hurts from people.  But I’ve found that Jesus can penetrate all of those layers when I surrender and open myself up fully to Him.  I’ve not fully arrived yet but I can say that the more I surrender to Him, the more love I actually feel for Him and for others. 

So, be filled with His love.  If you received something for Valentine’s Day …be thankful.

But if not, remember that you are loved by the one true living God who created you and formed you in your mother’s womb.  He knows you better than anyone else and only He can fill those empty spaces in your heart. 

Blessings and love,

“When the spotlight shines brightly on some pastor, author, or Christian speaker, you can be sure that a whispering campaign against him or her is already in the works.” - Robert Jeffress in Clutter-Free Christianity

Anyone who has ever been in the public eye has experienced words against them. There could be whispering words such as:

“Have you heard about their kids?”
“Her teaching is not biblically based.”
“I don’t like that color on her today.”

Some times criticism is justified, but in most cases it is not. These comments are rooted in an ugly word called envy.

I have been on both sides.

Desiring others spiritual gifts is one of the many ways Satan slips under our radar. When we are criticizing another, most often we are craving what that other person possesses. When we criticize someone what is the real reason we desire to put that person down? Unfortunately my sinful nature has fallen in this trap in the past. I have seen gifts others had that I desired or knowledge they possess that I wish I had.

I have also experienced the other side of envy. Let me tell you Satan is down right sneaky in this area. Majority of Christian leaders, pastors, or Christian speakers know that spiritual warfare is very real. We put on the amour and let God fight our battles, while staying true to God’s will for our lives. But somehow Satan finds cracks in our amour and exposes a weakness. I have had others attack me and it comes from unexpected places. Honestly it ticks-me-off when I am blindsided by Satan, but on the other hand God is reminding me how much I need to rely on him daily.

Satisfaction and contentment in our own life is what allows us to be at peace with others. Being satisfied or content does not come naturally; it is something you need to work towards. Even Paul had to make the conscious decision to be content.

“…for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. Phil. 4:11

I am sure I will struggle with envy again in my lifetime; it is in my sinful nature. But I have learned the secret of contentment—being thankful for what God has already provided and knowing he will provide for my future. Now that is what Paul would say is the perfect prescription for keeping envy at bay.