Laced With Grace

God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord 1 Corinthians 1:9 ESV

Anyone who knows me can attest to my love for Disney. I love collecting all kinds of Disney treasures and snow globes are among my favorites. That is why I was so heartbroken when my beloved Pooh Bear snow globe was knocked over and broke. Water, glitter and glass shattered into un-repairable pieces. As I was cleaning up the mess, I began to ponder what I had learned in my quiet time earlier that week.

The great prophet, Jeremiah, was commanded by God to break a jar in front of the elders to illustrate God’s anger with the nation of Israel’s idolatry. Jeremiah 19:11 says, “Just so will I break this people and this city, even as one breaks a potter’s vessel, which cannot again be repaired.” Israel was caught up in the worship of idols. Today, idol worship is still very much a part of the world even as it manifests in many different forms. The gods of money, greed and false teachings run rampant in our society. No wonder so many lives are broken into tiny pieces by the hardships and trials that make it difficult to stand firm in the faith.

The God of the Bible is the only one able to put broken pieces back together. I can testify to this truth. When trials come and hope is placed in the Lord, the outcome will somehow be victorious. When hope is wrongly placed in the gods of this world or the false teachings of man that are inconsistent with scripture, the pieces stay on the ground. Un-repairable. Broken – just like my snow globe and just like the prophet’s jar. Romans 8:28 (ESV) says,

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose

This wonderful Scripture says “all things.” It doesn’t say just some things. It doesn’t say the big things or the small things but all things. No matter what our trials or how broken our lives may seem, all things will work for the good of those who love Him. I clung to this verse as our family just went through a very hard 11 month trial. God’s word brought us hope and peace to wait on Him. It wasn’t always easy but it is what kept us going; believing and trusting in God’s plans.

So what about you? Where are you placing your hopes? Are you finding comfort in God’s word or the words of man? If you see your life dropped before you shattering into pieces that seem unmendable, what god do you turn to?

I will forever miss my Winnie the Pooh snow globe. Even though I am unable to repair my precious keepsake, I am so thankful for God’s love which consistently and perfectly mends the broken pieces of this life.

I would love to have you visit my personal blog Seeking Precepts.

For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven. Ecclesiastes 3:1

“Enjoy a moment of relaxation immersed in luxurious bubbles that are generously infused with our original, award winning Sweet Pea, a fruity floral scent that evokes the intoxicating, floral infused breezes of the Mediterranean.”

These are the tempting words on my Sweet Pea Bubble Bath from Bath & Body Works. On this particular one-of-those stressful days, I gave in to the temptation. You know the kind of stress—one of those I’m going to walk, no run, no drive, never mind, I’m going to take a rocket to the nearest school to leave my homeschooled children. A hot bubble bath was just what I needed. So, I set the kids up to play a video game and got the bath water going.

It was a beautiful sunny day with a gentle warm breeze. I cracked the window that overlooks my bathtub. My Glade Soothing Relaxing candle was perched strategically next to the bathtub with a gentle flame. I filled the tub with about half the Sweet Pea bubble bath. My final warning, “kids, I am going to de-stress, please play games nicely and just give me 10 minutes.” I settled in the tub and hit the Jacuzzi jet button. Finally, peace and tranquiliat….
“Mom, she hit me!” “Well, you hit me first!” “Mom, Taya hit Caleb!” “I didn’t hit him, I punched him!” Crack, crash, yell, scream…. “Mom, you better come quick, they just pulled the Playstation down.” By the time I jumped out of the tub, grabbed a towel to wipe off the soap and walked the few short steps to my family room, the dog was in the middle of the fuss – barking and trying to interrupt a full blown fist fight doggie style.

So much for just 10 minutes of peace and that other word that I have no idea what it means.

Although it had been a stressful homeschooling day, it really wasn’t the kids or schooling at the root that caused the stressors that day. My children were just being active kids at the only time of the day I decided to check out for a moment. It was a culmination of things – it was this entire trial that our family is going through. The fleeting thought of school was just one way I rationalized to deal with it all. Then, I began to realize that this particular season of trial we are going through is preciously in the center of God’s plan and purpose. While this continues to go on, I am learning to cling more and more to God and his promise and His word for comfort. I really couldn’t survive day to day without it.

My oldest daughter loves Barlow Girl and I had downloaded their Love and War CD to my iPod. While walking the other day, I heard the song “Stay With Me” for the first time. I wanted to share a few of the words:

Stay with me – So I won’t leave – and make me see – that this is not forever – Cause all I need is Your love pulling me through…..with You here I know – I don’t go alone – I am yours and so through the fire I’ll go – my steps never felt so hard – the end never looked so far but – if you won’t take me out then please take me through this.

More stressful days are coming. I am gearing up and getting ready through prayer and a steadiness in God’s word. One day, the tranquil bubble bath will happen and I’ll be able to think back on all this with a smile knowing I trusted God through it all.

In Christ Alone,
Dana

Please visit me at my personal blog Seeking Precepts.

I have been following Justin Taylor’s blog this week as he writes about the harmony/chronology of Holy Week. He has credited the ESV Study Bible to break down what happens each day. Since I have the ESV Study Bible, I wanted to share today what happened on Wednesday according to the Holy Week chart. This chart is located in the ESV Study Bible. (You can also read the entire series at Justin Taylor’s blog here.)

On Wednesday of Holy week, Jesus continues teaching daily in the temples:

And every day he was teaching in the temple, but at night he went out and lodged on the mount called Olivet. And early in the morning all the people came to him in the temple to hear him. Luke 21:37-38 ESV

On Wednesday, The Sanhedrin plots to kill Jesus:

Then the chief priests and the elders of the people gathered in the palace of the high priest, whose name was Caiaphas, and plotted together in order to arrest Jesus by stealth and kill him. But they said, “Not during the feast, lest there be an uproar among the people.” Matthew 26:3-5

On Wednesday, preparations for the Passover begin:

Now on the first day of Unleavened Bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Where will you have us prepare for you to eat the Passover?” 18 He said, “Go into the city to a certain man and say to him, ‘The Teacher says, My time is at hand. I will keep the Passover at your house with my disciples.’” And the disciples did as Jesus had directed them, and they prepared the Passover. Matthew 26:17-19

I have enjoyed following the events of Holy Week and thinking each day about what Jesus went through. I am humbled to study it knowing now that Jesus knew then he would be crucified at the end of the week. He knew he would bear the burden of all our sins. I am amazed that the Lord of all the Earth would send Jesus to take my place on the cross. How can I do anything else but serve Him?

As part of God’s redemptive plan, the crucifixion was not the end. As the Scriptures say, Jesus rose on the 3rd day defeating sin, death, Satan and evil. Jesus did all the work on the cross and because of his sacrifice we can live and enjoy salvation. I love this time of year – remembering the sacrifice of Christ and celebrating the resurrection with the utmost thanksgiving and gratefulness. I pray you all enjoy the remainder of this week and celebrate with great joy what our Lord and Savior did for us!

For those of you with children, I found this wonderful craft from Desiring God to do with the kids. It is creating a tomb with homemade play dough and creates such a beautiful illustration of what Jesus did for us. You can find the craft here.

In Christ Alone,
Dana