Laced With Grace

We have vacationed at the beach many times in the past ten years. I just love the sound of the waves rushing in. Something about it just soothes me. Any frustrations, problems or stress that I may have just seems to wash out with each wave.

The thing about the ocean is that the same calming water can quickly turn into a raging storm. If your not careful and if you don’t watch for the signs, you can easily get caught right in the middle of it. Have you ever considered what your plan of action would be if you were in the middle of the ocean on your boat and suddenly it capsized…what would you do?

Most of us would probably panic. While others who are calm and organized would look for the life jackets or an emergency flare. But what if when the boat capsized, all of the emergency equipment got dumped into the deep waters and were out of your reach, what then?

I am not an award winning Olympic swimmer, so what I would do is probably stay with the capsized boat. Hold on for dear life and ride out the waves until help came. I know it wouldn’t be easy, with each wave slapping me hard, I would probably get tired of hanging on and eventually I might want to just give up, taking the risk of drowning.

If such a situation came up for real in our lives, I have to ask, why could we hang on for dear life and fight to the end but yet when the same scenario plays out in our spiritual life, we are not as eager to stay afloat or fight the raging winds?

MARK 4:39,40 39 “And He arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. 40 And He said unto them, ‘Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith?’ “

WHY are we so fearful? Jesus Himself asked the question. When financial difficulties, or physical ailments or relationship issues strike us, why do we become scared and unsure? The bank or a doctor may be able to help you for a time, but when you feel like you are all alone like Job was, when you are about to sink, where does your strength and resource come from?

Prior to going sailing, it is important to know where the anchor is….but more importantly, when you are sailing thru life it is even more important to know WHO your Anchor is! I know it is early in 2012 and most of us have had clear sailing so far, but as the days, weeks and months roll by, some of us are bound to come up against some mighty winds and roaring waves that just may knock us off of our sailing vessel. It is important to be prepared for such a time. Make sure that your faith, and endurance is anchored in the One Who can calm any storm.

Do you know the Master of the wind?

PRAYER: Dear Lord, in days ahead I know that trials and tribulations are bound to hit. I pray today that You will give me the strength, the power and the wisdom to hold on during these times. May I have Job-like faith and give you praise no matter what my circumstances may be. When life throws me a mighty big wave that seems to want to pull me under, may I hold on tight to Your anchor as you calm my storm. AMEN

My husband is currently reading a book by Dr. Henry Cloud entitled, “Necessary Endings”. He pointed out a chapter in the book to me about pruning. Even though the book is referring to the necessity of pruning in business at times, the same concept is just as imperative in our spiritual being. The book defines pruning as…

“removing whatever it is in our business or life whose reach is unwanted or superfluous.”

When I think about pruning, I think about a bonsai tree. As the tree grows, the pruner must be careful and intricate about cutting the branches to develop the correct size and shape. What is interesting about the bonsai tree is that even if the branches are healthy, if they are going in the wrong direction, one other than what was planned, the branch would have to be cut. Pruning such a tree takes much patience. Sometimes it may take decades for the plant to become exactly what the pruner wants. Even when it becomes exactly how it should be, it still will need some maintenance pruning from time to time, as long as the plant is still alive.

Spiritually speaking, we can all be compared to a Bonsai tree. Except, God is the perfect pruner, ever so patiently clipping, cutting and forming as He desires. He started the pruning process with each of us as small seeds. He has steadily watched us grow and along the way He has had to cut off unhealthy branches from time to time. Sometimes, He has even had to cut away what seems to me to be healthy branches. Such branches that were healthy but just not growing in the direction that He had planned.

With each pruning stage, whether it is with a Bonsai tree or with our spirit man, it all has a purpose. The purpose of pruning a Bonsai tree is to show off the patience and care of the pruner, the same could be said about the pruning that God does for us. His purpose in pruning us is not to bring hardship or heartache, in fact, without His pruning we could not become the masterpiece that He has planned for us to be.

He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful” (John 15:2).

Have you felt some pruning in your life in 2011? I have and it hasn’t always been easy, but as I reflect back over the past year I can see areas that needed to be clipped, tweaked and cut away. When I allow God to be the master pruner of my life, it is then that I can see purpose in it. I pray that in the new year 2012, that each of us will allow purposeful pruning to take place in our lives and in our hearts.

Happy Pruning! I mean…Happy New Year!

It is a classic. How the Grinch stole Christmas.

We have all read Dr. Seuss’s book to our children and watched the movie on television. The story about the funny looking green guy who gets so annoyed at the people from Who-ville, so annoyed at their joy, laughter and Christmas spirit that he decides that he is going to take all of the fun right out of their Who-ville spirit and steal away their Christmas. He had the notion that if he stole their presents, their trees, their decorations and food that all of the Who’s in Who-ville would have nothing left to celebrate. They would have no joy. No fun. No Christmas spirit.

But the Grinch didn’t understand what Christmas spirit was, now did he?

It isn’t about getting presents, or dressing up in our finest red dresses. It isn’t about the tinsel, the lights or even the star on the tree. It isn’t about singing carols, going on sleigh rides or drinking hot chocolate on a cold night. Christmas spirit is not what we DO, or what we SAY or even what we BRING. Christmas spirit is what we KNOW!

“And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at His birth!” LUKE 1:14

Even though the Grinch stole all of their “things”, the one thing he could not steal was what was in their hearts.

We may think that there aren’t any real Grinches in this world, but we are wrong. We all have to contend with a Grinch that not only attempts to steal our Christmas spirit but every day, 365 days a year, 12 months a year, 7 days a week, 24 hours a day, there is a Grinch who tries to steal our spirit of Christ! One who seeks to steal, kill and destroy! (John 10:10)

Just like Dr. Suess’s Grinch stole presents, the Grinch I am thinking of, the enemy, also tries to steal our presents. God has given each of us special talents and gifts. The enemy hates that. It disgusts him. It really, really annoys him to see us use our gifts for Gods glory. So what does he do? He packs up his sled and gives it his best shot to take away what God has given us. He will not relent until he has stripped us of every thing that God has bestowed upon us.

He knows that taking our cars, our homes and our clothes will not be as devastating as losing our kids, our spouses, our hope, our faith and yes even our spirit. He tries to use every trickery in his bag to get us to lose our joy, lose our smile, lose our faith, lose our trust in people and in God.

But when we put our hope and trust in God, there is nothing that can shake us. We may lose our material things, but no-one, and I mean NO-ONE, not even the enemy, can rob us of what lives in our heart and our soul. Nobody can steal Christmas when Christmas lives within our hearts.

May you experience the joy of our Savior this Christmas and in all the days to come. He IS joy and that is something that no Grinch can steal!