Laced With Grace

One of my passions is writing fiction. In a writer’s world we are the masters of the pen (actually a computer keyboard but that didn’t sound as cool). We create these characters through various techniques and tell them what to do.

But then they take on a life of their own and begin to tell us what the story is about. This can be quite fascinating, like sitting at movie, watching the story unfold. Other times it’s frustrating because these life-like characters make bad choices or behave poorly (there’s always at least one), resisting our intended purpose for them.

When I think of writing like this, I wonder about what God must see. We are like the characters of His story, created with His purpose in mind. Yet we have free will and the ability to choose poorly or wisely.

God gives us that room, though I know we must frustrate him terribly at times. The Israelites certainly did. But part of the joy I experience in writing a powerful scene with my characters is seeing them grow and embrace God’s love and truth. There’s a sense of victory there even though these characters exist only in my head.

I remember as a kid imagining these scenes where the heroine (usually me) persevered and made this huge impact or discovery. I walked into the sunset as a new inspiration to my fellow underdogs (the theme of many teen movies).

The funny part of all this is, the longer I write and study the books and movies that are popular, the more I find a universal theme there—of a nobody discovering they have some kind of special gift that helps them save the day. A gift that comes from somewhere outside them and suddenly this feels-like-a-nobody character is someone unique.

Now the amazing part. This is a story theme that has existed for thousands of years. The one I like best? The one in the Bible.

Jesus was just an ordinary carpenter. He didn’t look like much to those who resented and envied Him. He didn’t appear a whole lot different from the men He walked with. He started out as a nobody in the eyes of those around Him. But to know Him was to know He walked in greatness and humility.

He walked this earth like a man, yet within He held a power to “save the day.” And every person who knows Him.

His is the story of the ultimate Messiah, the one true Savior of the world. He was and is the true Hero of the story—of the world and of our lives.

And the absolutely mind-blowing final part? Jesus lives in us, changing us from nondescript nobodies to uniquely gifted individuals created to fit into a true story.

His story.

What’s your favorite book or movie? Can you find a universal theme?

Praying and believing,
Dineen

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There’s a lot going on in the world today. I know it’s becoming a growing topic discussion at my own church. As Christians, we are taking notice of the seeming increase in wars and disasters in this world.

Earthquakes and tsunamis in Japan, growing unrest and war in the Mideast, tornadoes in places normally not plagued by such occurrences or an increase in such…the list goes on and on.

I know for me it’s downright overwhelming. I don’t want to watch the news because I find myself over-sympathizing with those suffering or angry with the ones causing innocent people so much pain and suffering.

We can easily look at the world and wonder why and how we can make a difference. I know I used to and at times I would be terribly discouraged and confused as to what I could possibly do to have any impact.

Then I realized that’s exactly what the enemy loves to do—discourage us to the point that we’re ineffective. That’s his last resort for those of us who can no longer be touched by the threat of hell—to make us ineffective and unable to touch the lives of others. It’s the only way he has left to “win.”

In that reality and understanding, God helped me to understand something else. He’s not calling us to save the entire world. He’s not even calling us to save another human being. He’s already done that. He’s the one in charge of the big picture and it’s completely His burden to carry.

Our first and greatest calling is to love Jesus. Our second is to love others in the same way as we desire to be loved—love like Christ loves us through Him. God doesn’t say the whole world at once, He says others, one at a time.

When we are overwhelmed by the troubles and evil in this world, feeling like we can make no difference, step back and refocus your eyes from seeing the proverbial forest as a whole and pinpoint that one tree God is calling you to care for in that moment.

That is how we can truly make a difference in this world by making a difference in the lives of others. Even if we are only given a handful of people in our lifetime to share the love of Jesus, to minister to their broken hearts, or to help them rediscover their hope in God, then we have done all we’ve been called to do.

Our greatest impact in this world is when we walk in obedience to God and join Him in his plan. Then we can leave the big picture to Him, trusting that He is using us to be part of His greater plan to save the world.

Praying and believing,
Dineen

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Raising teens today is a huge challenge. I can already tell there are bobbing heads out there, agreeing with that statement. With regards to my own struggling teen, I’ve come in contact with so many other moms out there, dealing with some pretty heavy-duty issues with their teenagers.

In just the last week, I spoke with a friend who’s daughter is battling anxiety issues, just like my own sweet girl. How do we ride these choppy waters and navigate our teens into a place of functioning and thriving adulthood?

I will honestly confess I don’t have any fix all cure or THE ANSWER to solve any situation. Through the ongoing issues of cancer recovery, stress, depression, ongoing health issues, and anxiety that my own daughter has gone and is going through, I’ve found some comfort is four simple areas:

1. You’re not responsible. This was a hard one for me to finally come to grips with. I didn’t cause my daughter’s cancer. There’s nothing I could have done to prevent it or ongoing health issues and anxiety that she’s now going through. I can’t fix it, nor should I hold myself responsible for the outcome. I do what I can for my daughter, then have to leave the rest in God’s hands and TRUST Him for the outcome.

2. Live in the moment. When we first got my daughter’s cancer diagnosis, this lesson hit hard and fast. Life became consumed with doctor appointments, surgery and treatments. I will tell you, I’m so grateful for that because that was just the beginning of what my daughter face. That lesson is what keeps my sane some days because I don’t let the bad moments define all the others. There are precious moments of love and closeness in every day. Grab and appreciate them. They are the inspiration and fuel to keep going some days.

3. Learn to listen. Again, a big lesson for me, especially since I’ve always considered myself a good listener. I am, but when I’m in mommy mode, I want to fix things. I finally learned that a lot of the time, our teens just want us to listen and really HEAR them. This takes practice but it’s vital. Our teens don’t want us to “fix” them. A lot of the time they will come to the right place, but they need us to hear them out. As adults, many of us know we sometimes need to say what we’re struggling with out loud to make sense of it all. Our teenagers need that too. There will be times that we will need to say something, get directly involved, or take action, but most of the time, they just want to know you care and listening is a huge way to show it.

4. Pray like crazy and don’t stop. I confess it’s a challenge, especially when my heart is breaking to see her sadness and frustration that she can’t be “normal.” I have prayed the heavens around this kid over and over again, and I won’t stop until she walks into the healing and future God has told me is hers. And yes, it’s hard when you see them take a couple steps forward and then fall back three steps. Will it ever change? Will this person I’ve worked so hard to raise into adulthood walk into that role with confidence and strength?

Pray, pray, pray. God is faithful. I cling to this truth, because He’s proven it to me time after time. My challenge is not to let my impatience get in the way. Again, trusting God is vital here. He knows our kids. He knows our mother’s heart for them. He’s their Father, Brother, Friend, and hopefully Savior. God can take care of whatever is going on. It may not turn out the way we imagined, but I can guarantee you that it will be the best possible outcome and result for our teenager.

Like I said, I have no clear-cut answers to raising a teenager with issues—to raising any teenager. I only know that we have a mighty weapon in prayer and that God is faithful. Walking the road of parent is the most difficult yet rewarding journey I’ve ever walked. And I have the gray hairs to show for it!

I know one day my daughter will walk into her future with the strength of God to guide her. The struggles of her past will be part of the foundation God has built to equip her for whatever place of service He is designing for her right now. And I’ll be right there, praying for her still, and praising God for the outcome.

Praying and believing,
Dineen

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