Laced With Grace

Her eyes brimmed with tears as she listened. She sat in the passenger seat of the car. It was dark outside and we sat together in the car in front of her home. Our conversation on the long ride home finally brought us to our destination. Her home, yes, of course but it was that deep and raw place in her heart that was in need of healing and we were touching upon that secret place not many open up.

I turned toward her in my seat, her face was shadowed from the streetlight behind her. I spoke softly and with a powerful love in my voice, “My friend, you are so beautiful. You are absolutely beautiful in your physical appearance. But…. Do you know how beautiful you are on the inside?”

So didn’t speak.

I pushed forward, “Let me now affirm you in love. I see who you really are. Your heart is filled with love to give to others. You have a depth of caring for people that most don’t know lives there. You have a love for Jesus that literally shines from your eyes and tips the corners of your beautiful smile.”

“I affirm you. You are so beautiful on the outside but you are absolutely stunning on the inside.”

She murmured back to me, “Thank you. I needed to hear those words. I have a deep longing to hear my husband say them to me.”

“You deserve to hear those words from your husband. You are worthy of them and they are words of truth. Sometimes, often times, our men don’t know how to say words of this sort. They don’t even know sometimes what it is that they see in their wife, that is beautiy on the inside, so they are at a complete loss. They are convinced that saying “I love you” adequately and fully relates their feelings to us. Many of our men were raised where emotion or words of depth were never spoken or if they were, they were met with shaming or ridicule.”

“I’m not excusing our men. We as wives, we deserve every word of love and adoration in the dictionary. But there are sometimes when they just don’t ever arrive for us.”

So today, let me affirm you my sister. God sees you. He sees your beauty of a sacrifice to love on your imperfect husband. He sees the hours you pour into your children to grow them into young men and women of integrity and faith. He sees how you love Jesus, His Son, and how you are trying to live your life for Him.

Now hear His voice, “You are stunning and I am forever struck by your beauty. I am smitten by the woman no one else sees but Me. I love you with a jealous love and will guard your heart all of my life. You are beautiful inside and out.”

If you need words of affirmation, please take these as your own. Our Lord sees us very differently than we see each other or ourselves. Be affirmed today, Hugs, Lynn

Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
and do not lean on your own understanding.
In all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make straight your paths.”
~ Proverbs 3:5-6 (ESV)

The other night I watched my all-time favorite, German TV show called Tatort (loosely translated “crime-scene”). The detective in this particular episode investigated a homicide that kept leading her back to her boyfriend she deeply loved. It was mind-boggling to her that the love of her life had anything to so with this particular crime. She interviewed people, and trusted her instincts. Unfortunately, she was misled by the real perpetrator, which in turn killed her boyfriend at the end of the episode. Commissar Lindholm was devastated that someone would misuse her trust to cover up the crime.

Have you ever trusted someone that you thought was trustworthy, but at the end it hurt you or someone you love? I have; it was painful; it almost wrecked my marriage. You see, 7 years ago someone accused my husband of an affair. All things pointed to it; I was ready to leave. After long talks with my husband and his assurance that this was all fabricated, I stayed in the marriage to work things out.

It has been a hard and long journey. I have been scared for life, but it also helped me to grow. As all came crashing down on me 7 years ago, I turned my heart and life to God. He was the only One I could trust during that time; all my friends distanced themselves from me (or was it me who took a step back?). I am glad that I did not trust my own first thoughts or instincts of leaving, but turned to Him who my path straight.

My dear friends, life can be hard or even devastating. Don’t trust your own instincts, or even the words of others without proving them. Turn your heart and life to God. He is always there for you and He will lead you to make the right decisions.

Lord of Heaven and Earth. Thank You for Your love, mercy, and grace. Thank You for leading me and making my paths straight. Lord, I am asking You to comfort those who are hurting today. Lead them as you have lead me. In the precious name of Jesus ~ Amen.

Photo: 1st TV Station Germany – Content Copyright: Iris Nelson

I have an ornery side to my character.

It’s my Dad’s fault. No. Actually it’s my Dad’s, Dad who is at fault. I hail from a long and silly heritage of practical jokes and teasing of family members.

Good Grief!

Right now let me publically state my apologies to my family. They have lived with my hare-brained antics now for years and have accepted my need to giggle at their expense as part of daily life with Lynn.

My poor husband after 18 years of marriage still stumbles into my outrageous humor set-ups with full trust. However, he has come to love this oddball side of my charm. *grin* He laughs right along with me. My son and daughter, poor kids, well, they have already inherited this family disease. I already feel sorry for my future grandkids.

I’m telling you about this quirk in my personality to bring you into our family dynamic in hopes you might appreciate the humor and the wonder of the story I’m about to share.

Two weeks ago after dropping my daughter at school, I came home and went into her bedroom to get her dirty clothes to start the wash.

What is it with teenaged girls? It must have been another fashion crisis meltdown that particular morning. Clothing lay crumpled on the floor, flung around the end of her bed and in the giant pile of shoes in her closet. Sheesh!

Feeling charitable, I decided to hang the clothes up. As I was working a shirt onto a hanger, I heard the padded footsteps of my husband. We live in a single story home with several hallways. He was perusing the hallways looking for me. After 18 years of marriage, I know this man well. He doesn’t yell… (like me, HEY, HONEY, WHERE ARE YOU). He doesn’t even call my name. He walks. He paces. He searches and when you’re married to an ornery blonde like me, his search efforts are futile.

Ahem.

So, I hear the pacing of the man. I grin to myself and move farther into my daughter’s room to see just how long it will take for him to find me. Nothing like an impromptu game of hide-n-seek in the morning to tickly my funny bone. Yessiree. I stand in my daughter’s room and continue to hang clothes in the closet. My concealment is perfect and my husband continues to walk the halls.

I hear my husband open the door to the garage. Nope.

I hear him walk the hall by my office again. Nope

Next he walks into our bedroom…. For the second time. Nope, not here.

At this point, I’m struggling to conceal my glee at his wanderings.

Finally, I decide the poor guy needs to get to work so I make some noise in the closet.

He picks up on the clue and moves directly down the hall toward me.

He rounds the corner of my daughter’s bedroom and I start giggling straight off.

I love this man. He’s not mad. He’s actually just glad to find me. He starts to laugh and then holds out his hand to show me something.

He shyly says, “ I found your glasses in our bedroom after searching the entire house for you twice.”

I grin.

He says in a half serious half kidding tone, “I thought you were raptured.”

I rush to him and throw my arms around him, “Oh honey, did you think I was raptured without you?”

He didn’t really reply. But we embraced and I rushed a prayer up to Jesus with a heart full of love and hope for this man.

So, I ask you today; Is my husband a believer or is he not?

Oh how I pray with fervor and passion that on the day of the rapture all of you will find that Mr. and Mrs. Donovan left planet earth together.

Hearing my husband’s words, “I thought you were raptured,” compels me to continue to pray for his salvation.

Don’t give up hope for your unsaved loved ones. Your influence and prayers are monumentally important.

Be blessed this day and come Lord, Jesus, come. Lynn

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