Laced With Grace

Today our guest writer is Emily Wierenga.

He lay, curled tight, rolls of red, eyelids like pencil-lines. His chest battered hiccups and I cried. My three-day-old hurt and I couldn’t help.

Then, teeth cut upwards, jagged white fence posts, face wrinkled tight and again, I held close, for baby breathed pain. “Why does teething need to hurt?” I asked husband, as sixth broke through, and he smiled in his man-way and spoke tender; “God’s preparing our little one for bigger hurts.”

These days, sitting tired, baby falls, head on wood; gasps for air and looks around; weeps for world-come-crashing-down and I scoop up fast and kiss his world back together. Hushing quiet with lullaby.

And as twilight drips moon, husband tells me wait—let baby shove bum beneath blanket, flail fists and cry, but sometimes I can’t for sobs-too-hard; it’s like the parable-widow knocking on door… knock, knock, on mama-heart… and even if it’s just to hug and whisper my presence, son soothes and lies closed-eyes until sleep unfolds like homespun blanket.

And God lives in me in these mama-moments. Father-of-Prodigal shines, and I am one with the One who taught Ephraim to walk and who fed Israel and who wept as both turned their backs; who begged, “return!”, then promised day of no-tears, of all-abundance, when they did.

And it may seem foolish, this weeping when baby hiccups, this picking up and soothing when bed-head-begs, this no-tear-promise, but I must: this wastefulness of grace. This extravagance of a Savior. This love of a mother.

I didn’t know I could love, like this. I didn’t know it would hurt, like this. But I would do it over, in a second.

God knew He could love, like that. He knew it would hurt, as it did. And He would do it all over again—that dying on a cross, that resurrecting for sin-world—in a second.

It’s the wastefulness of grace. The extravagance of a Savior. The love of a Father.

“He will lead them to springs of living water… and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.” (Revelation 7:17)

Emily is a freelance journalist, author and artist from Blyth, Ontario. Her first book, “Save My Children” was published in September of 2008.You can visit Emily over at her personal blog: http://www.emilywierenga.com/ 

When a storm sweeps across the ocean surface, the fish below know exactly where the water is still — deep down under. While up on the surface, the winds and the waves are raging, but below lies water completely at peace. Perhaps we could learn a lesson from fish!

Consider this. In a shallow relationship with God we  find ourselves being tossed to and fro by stormy waves of circumstance. In the Bible, James describes such a person as “double-minded” and unstable. In trials, a double minded person cannot exercise faith because he has not gone deep with the Lord.

It isn’t until we go deep in our relationship with Him that we can have a clearer understanding of what is happening at the surface. Seeking the Prince of Peace will bring a peace that passes all understanding, even in the midst of great storms.

Philippians 4:6-7 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

Are you distressed or worried about something? It’s time to press in… go deeper in your relationship with Him.  He doesn’t want you to remain in the raging storm – He will lead you to the still water. Remember, the treasure is always found at the bottom of the ocean not the top … so dive in deep to unbury the treasure of God!

You can visit me for daily devo’s over at http://womentakingastand.blogspot.com/

A warm welcome to today’s guest writer,  TWINKLE MOM. You can visit her over at her blog, SUNFLOWER FAITH, where she always shares the light of Christ with others.

“…but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” John 4:14 (ESV)

There are some days when the sky is so blue and beautiful, not a cloud in the sky, the sun shining so bright, yet I watch my yard and garden struggle under the heat of the sun.

I marvel at the beauty that we were blessed with, but as I water the plants, they seem to just drink in, every drop of water that gives them nourishment that they hunger for.
 
It was a feeling, like, I sometimes have that even a buffet,  no matter how much I ate, just couldn’t seem to really get that satisfying feeling I needed , until I came home, and oh, how I hunger for fruit. It didn’t matter what fruit it was, just that fresh, sweet fruit and after a few bites, it seemed like I had more comfort then, then what I tried to filled myself with before and the same can be said about  our Father’s Word.
 
We could read this book or that, or take a million studies but nothing seems to just sweeten and fill that hunger any more, than going directly to the source and reading not thoughts about His Word, but His Word directly and when we did…talk about really finding that true peace and ease that we long for.
 
There are going to be days that the door just doesn’t seem to open the right way, or everything is piling up and the phone is ringing off the hook, but it’s those days, like those plants, that, yes they are getting the much needed sun, what they need to sustain themselves,is that life giving water that’s poured on them.
 
We need air. We need to eat, but our soul needs something more fulfilling and it’s those days that we have to remember, there really is no other substitute then what our Heavenly Father offers.
 
Summer is here.
 
Temperatures will get hot and we will reach for the cold drinks, look for shade to hide in, but we also need to remember, no matter what, to also make sure that we have our daily intake of our Heavenly Father’s word and spend time with him before we feel like we are running dry.
 
He won’t give up on us and He’ll see us through, but oh that sweet, comfort feeling when we are filled on His life giving word ahead of time.

                          http://sunflowerfaith.com