Laced With Grace

It was early morning.  I was making the coffee and decided to turn on the radio to get the weather report.  I was just in time to hear the news of another celebrity self-destructing.

It seems this person said some very damaging things during a heated argument, and as always seems to be the case in this technological age, someone got it on tape.  Apparently is wasn’t the first time this person had hurled a verbal barrage that made the media rounds.  The reporter didn’t hold out much hope for a bright future in the entertainment business.

I thought about how foolish it all was.  There doesn’t seem to be a thing that happens any more that someone doesn’t record and then publish for all the world to see or hear.  If that celebrity had just taken a moment to take a deep breath and think about the consequences of his words, the outcome might have been very different.  Words are very powerful things and once spoken we can never get them back.

Later, while taking my walk, a little song from my childhood Sunday School classes just popped into my head.  One of the verses says:

“Be careful little mouth what you say.

Be careful little mouth what you say.

There’s a Father up above and He’s looking down in love,

So be careful little mouth what you say.”

A Father up above – One who not only hears every word I speak but knows what they will be before I utter a syllable.  Every word of anger, gossip, criticism, complaint, falsehood, sarcasm – He hears them all.  Jesus spoke about words during His time on earth:

“And I tell you this, you must give an account on judgment day for every idle word you speak.”

Matthew 12:36

As humiliating as it would be to have foolish words we have spoken broadcast over the internet, how would it be to stand before the Lord to give an account of those same words?  It makes me want to guard my tongue very carefully.

We cannot be perfect in all that we say, but we can ask for help to speak in a way that is pleasing to the Lord.  He is gracious and merciful and understands our weakness.  He readily forgives us when we fail.  When  our hearts are right before Him, we will speak words that edify and glorify.  Jesus also said:

“For whatever is in your heart determines what you say.”

Matt. 12:34

“May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing to you, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.”

Psalm 19:14

Blessings,

Linda

In many respects these are difficult days.  Whether you keep up with the news on a daily basis or just hear an occasional report, it is almost impossible to avoid the fact that our country is in the midst of upheaval.  It seems that everywhere we turn there is disaster, controversy and discontent.  It is easy to simply be overwhelmed by it all.

Many are facing financial troubles.  There have been devastating weather events – such heartbreaking loss of life.  Without getting into politics, there is grave concern about the direction our country is heading.  It is enough to make us lose heart, to feel a bit fearful about the future and to wonder if things will ever be made right.

Rather than using my own words, I wanted to share something I read this week that gave me such hope and encouragement.  Listen to what our Father has to say:

“God sits above the circle of the earth.  The people below seem like grasshoppers to Him!  He spreads out the heavens like a curtain and makes His tent from them. He judges the great people of the world and brings them all to nothing.  They hardly get started, barely taking root, when He blows on them and they wither.  The wind carries them off like chaff.

‘To whom will you compare Me?  Who is my equal?’ asks the Holy One.

Look up into the heavens.  Who created all the stars?  He brings them out like an army, one after another, calling each by its name.  Because of His great power and incomparable strength not a single one is missing.  O Jacob, how can you say the Lord does not see your troubles?  O Israel, how can you say God ignores your rights?  Have you never heard?  Have you never understood?   The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of all the earth.  He never grows weak or weary.  No one can measure the depths of His understanding.  He gives power to the weak and strength to the powerless.  Even youths will become weak and tired, and young men will fall in exhaustion.  But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength.  They will soar high on wings like eagles.  They will run and not grow weary.  They will walk and not faint.”

Isaiah 40: 22-31

We have a Father who is more powerful, more wise, more holy, more loving than we can possibly comprehend.  What peace to know that we can safely rest in the shelter of His wings – whatever the circumstances.

Blessings,

Linda

At the risk of sounding like Forrest Gump, I have been thinking that life is like a crossword puzzle. A couple of weeks ago my husband and I went to our favorite Half Price Books store because they were having a twenty percent off sale (who could possibly resist that?). We found a bunch of puzzle books marked down to one dollar each and then with twenty percent off…..needless to say we bought several.

As I’ve worked through my first book of crossword puzzles I’ve seen some interesting parallels to my life. There are some puzzles that come together so easily. One word after another is filled in with relative ease until the whole puzzle is completed – every little square filled in with its proper letter. It’s fun but not much of a challenge.

Then there are the puzzles where I hum along nicely and then suddenly run into one particular word I just can’t figure out. I can usually manage to fill in some of the words around it. Once I have enough letters filled in, it suddenly all becomes very clear. This may happen several times, some words more difficult than others, but eventually this puzzle is all filled in too.

However, more often than I care to admit, there are puzzles that contain words I absolutely cannot figure out. I come at them from every angle – filling in some of the letters but never enough to help me find the right word. I try everything, sitting there puzzling and puzzling over those words that just don’t make any sense. It is amazing how difficult it becomes to see a word when the key letters are missing. I confess that there have been many times I’ve finally turned to the answer pages in the back of the book. Usually when I see the answer it is very obvious. There are times though when there is no way I would have ever known that particular word.

As I lay in bed this morning I had a mental conversation with God about crossword puzzles and my life. It went something like this:

“Lord, there are times when my life has been just like those easy crossword puzzles. Everything seems to fit nicely. Prayers are answered; life goes along pretty much the way I’d planned, and I understand it all. I am so thankful for those times.”

“Yes. Life is like that sometimes.”

“And Father, there have been times when life becomes difficult, and I get stuck in a hard situation and can’t figure out what the right “word” is. Remember all those years of trying to deal with that difficult person. You know how hard I prayed that you would change them; that You would somehow cause them to see the places in their life that needed to change; that they would see that their behavior was hurtful to those around them. You know I tried every way I could to figure out how to make that person different.”

“Yes, I remember.”

“Then that day at Bible Study, Lord, the “word” I was looking for suddenly stood out so clearly. It was me You were wanting to change! It took time, but we worked on it and things got so much better. The puzzle made sense. I am so thankful for that.

“Yes child.”

“But Abba, there are situations where I just haven’t been able to find the right “word”. When Barbara died, I just couldn’t work the puzzle. I have never been able to find the right letters to fill in all the little squares. Two little boys left without a mother who loved them so dearly; a grief-stricken husband who adored her. Then he remarried, and it was never right. Years later there was that divorce and the boys suffered. They are grown men now and there is still one who is so far from You. I don’t understand how the pieces to this one fit.

And Lisa’s friend, Father, the one who died so tragically. We cannot seem to make any sense of it. We prayed for her, and the pain never got any better. It all seemed so senseless, and she was their only child.

Perhaps if we could just fill in some of the “words” around these questions we could find an answer that makes sense to us. But nothing seems to work. The blanks remain. Is there some way I can see the answers Father? Could I take a peek at the back of the book?”

“I understand child. Yes, there are some things to which you have no answers. You have seen me work in those other situations where things were made clear. You know that I love you and that I only do those things which are for your ultimate good. You may rest assured that there are answers. You cannot see them now, but there will come a time when all the blanks will be filled in, and you will see how it all fits together perfectly. For now I ask you to trust me. Some day we will look at the back of the book together.”

“Yes Abba.  It is this trusting, this letting go that I find so difficult at times.  When I remember who You are and understand that You will faithfully do all that You have promised, it is easier to surrender this need for answers.”

“For now we see in a mirror dimly,  but then face to face; now I know in part, but then I shall know fully just as I have been fully known.”

I Cor. 13:12

Blessings,