Laced With Grace

“No, dear friends, I am still not all I should be, but I am focusing all my energies on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to strain to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.” Philippians 3:13-14 (NLT)

My husband and I sometimes watch the new TV drama, Unforgettable.  The main character in this series is one of few people in the world who has the daunting ability to never forget a single detail in her life.  Sometimes I think this ability would be great to have since these days I forget why I walked into a room in the first place.  Then again it would be exhausting at times to know that you have so much “stuff” locked up inside your head and as much as you may try you cannot get rid of all that “stuff” that just really does not matter at all.  Of course my husband commented that he would feel sorry for her spouse!

Seriously though, it made me think about the useless and unnecessary “stuff” I keep in my brain.  I can forget what I just ate for dinner, but when my husband and I have a disagreement I am quick to bring up something he said 20 years ago!

Satan, the deceiver, is quick to bring to our minds our past mistakes and failures.  He knows exactly what our weaknesses are and if we allow him, he will keep us focused on those weaknesses so we cannot move forward in our lives.  We begin to doubt if we will ever get out of a certain situation or circumstance so we will eventually give up.

In the above scripture, Paul reminds us that since our hope is in Christ, we are to let go – forget those things that are past (even if it was just yesterday)  and look ahead to what God will do in our lives.  We are not to dwell on our past mistakes and failures, but instead we are to grow in our knowledge of God by focusing on our relationship with Christ now – this moment.  We need to realize that we are forgiven then move forward to a life of faith and obedience to His Word.  Each day when we awake, we need to ask the Holy Spirit to help us keep our focus on Christ.  In so doing we can look forward to a fuller and more meaningful life because our hope is in Christ and not ourselves or others.

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

Mark and Remi

A couple of years ago my son Mark adopted a rescue puppy. Mark worked hard to train Remi and teach him to obey. He’s a smart dog and learned most things quickly. The discipline Remi has had the most trouble with is coming when called.

If we are inside he does pretty well. But if he gets the chance to escape through the front door or out the back gate we have to chase him down. Even now, two years later, Remi is prone to wander.

I know the feeling. Like Remi, I am prone to wander. Prone to leave the straight path God has marked out for me. Prone to drift away from my Master. From self-righteous attitudes and selfish desires to lack of discipline and wrong motivations, in my flesh I am weak. I need Him constantly and completely.

The words of a particular hymn keep popping into my head. “Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing” was penned by Robert Robinson in 1758. Here’s the fourth verse of this loved well-known hymn:

O to grace how great a debtor
Daily I’m constrained to be!
Let Thy goodness, like a fetter,
Bind my wandering heart to Thee.
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,
Prone to leave the God I love;
Here’s my heart, O take and seal it,
Seal it for Thy courts above.

I too pray that God will bind my wandering heart to Him with His good fetter. I pray He will take my heart, seal it, and protect it for eternity. I know I will not be perfect this side of heaven, but I do desire to be more like Jesus tomorrow than I am today. Then on that great day, when Jesus returns, I will be “freed from sinning.” I will then “see His lovely face” (verse four of “Come Thou Fount”).

Do you ever feel “prone to wander?” How do you actively stay close to “the God you love?”