Laced With Grace

Proverbs 11:13
A gossip betrays a confidence, but a trustworthy man keeps a secret.

God’s been reminding me lately how powerful words really are. We live in a very small rural town – you walk down the main street in town and you’re back where you started within 10 minutes. It’s very close-knit community and more often than not we tend to hear more about what we aren’t doing rather than what we are. Gossip has ruined alot of peoples lives and I think that we don’t quite realise sometimes just how our tongues can rule our heads and hearts.

Last week I was chatting with a good friend who is in the local fire brigade with my husband and he was asking me about something he’d heard about me. Thankfully I was able to refute the information but it never ceases to amaze me how much people talk about others. I’m one of those people who use to put my foot in my mouth quite regularly but God has helped me to master keeping my mouth shut and thinking before I speak.

You know how it goes…someone shares something with you in confidence. You talk to a close friend and make them promise not to say anything and before you know it that person confidentially tells someone else and so on. I’ve learned that no matter what I say it’s always going to get back to whoever it’s about so it’s better to say nothing at all.

Think about it…do you gossip or are you trustworthy?

“Dear God, please help me to become that person you want me to become, in my speech and in my behaviour – let others see your light shining from within me. Help me to keep my mouth closed whenever someone talks about someone else. Amen”

Amy

Job 37:5
God’s voice thunders in marvelous ways; he does great things beyond our understanding.

I’m excited right now! I wasn’t raised in a Christian home but my own children are blessed enough to be as my dh and I do our best to teach them about the Lord. I’ve seen and heard great things come from my three treasures, things like gently witnessing to other people, talk to their little friends about God’s goodness and a while ago my 8 year old son lead his best friend to Christ which I thought was beautiful. They really have hearts for God!

I’m going to share something that happened when my daughter was 6 years old. She had a teacher at school who was a lady nearing the end of her teaching career but for some reason she was rather nasty to everyone including the children and would shout for no reason. As I was parent helping on a regular basis, it gave me a good chance to see what was going on and it made me feel so sad.

One night my daughter was sharing with me how she didn’t want to go to school the next day so we devised a plan whereby her and I would pray for her teacher for one week and see what happened. What DID happen was astounding and totally the hand of God because the next Monday when we both walked into the classroom it was like a happy bulb had filled up the room. Her teacher was cheery, happy and patient and when we talked at lunchtime she’d shared with me why her attitude had been for the worse – apparently she’d been suffering with chronic back pain for years and it had gotten her down so much that she’d almost walked out on her career until a few days ago when she woke up and all her pain had disappeared. I knew then that God had heard our voices and healed her – she’d changed from a crabby sad person to one that was smiling and relaxed. Oh my daughter and I rejoined that night and thanked God!

We’ve had many situations that my daughter and I have prayed about and through each one God has never let us down. Is there something or someone in your life that’s getting you down?

Please allow me to pray with you too, feel free to email me and together we’ll share your burden with our awesome amazing God.

It was Autumn 1999. I was a SAHM of two small pre schoolers. My dh and I were struggling to live on one wage and things were tight. We had our perfect family – one boy and one girl – we thought that was it until one morning after a doctor’s appointment I found out I was pregnant again. Let me tell you it was a BIG shock and I began to wonder how on earth we would manage financially until one quiet morning when I was sitting in bed reading my bible and praying about my predicament. God began to speak to me about Mary, the mother of Jesus and how she was in the same situation when she found out she was going to be a mother – imagine how she must’ve felt too.

Luke 1:38
“I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May it be to me as you have said.” Then the angel left her.

God really spoke to me with that one simple verse and I realised that as long as I had Him in my life I would never be alone – He would be there right along beside me every step of the way. At that moment I felt a tremendous peace in my heart and knew my thoughts were in line with His.

When my youngest son was born it was the easiest labour and delivery I’d ever had and he was the easiest baby ever. I love my 3 children equally but he’s placid, easy going and he wasn’t strong willed like my other two were. I put that down to being my reward from God – thinking about it now there’s no way my dh and I would ever do without any of our treasures.

The learning experience for me in this was that amazing things happen when we step out in faith – especially once we look at things from God’s point of view. Wouldn’t you agree?

Amy