Laced With Grace

“I will extol Thee, my God, O King; And I will bless Thy name forever and ever. Everyday I will bless Thee, and I will praise Thy name forever and ever. Great is the LORD, and highly to be praised; and His greatness is unsearchable. One generation shall praise Thy works to another, and shall declare Thy mighty acts. On the glorious splendor of Thy majesty, and on Thy wonderful works, I will meditate.”  Psalm 145:1-5

When do you take down your Christmas tree and decorations?  For many, it all comes down this week. We pack them all up and put Christmas back in the box until next year. The warm fuzzies fade, and the reality of the present glares at us come January 2nd when everything goes back to the “normal” routine — back to work and school, appointments and paying the bills.

I don’t like packing Christmas away for another year. But I also don’t like keeping Jesus as a baby or in a box.

Yes, there is something simple about the birth of Jesus. We think of the story of a sweet baby laying peacefully in a manger and it somehow feels safe and warm. Visualizing Him as helpless and small makes Him seem easy to control.  I don’t need to deal with how big He really is, His greatness, majesty and power.

Jesus doesn’t want to remain a baby in our lives, nor does He want to can He be put into a box. In the beginning of Luke 2, we see Him as the baby in a manger, but by the end of the chapter we see He grew in wisdom, stature and in favor with God and men (Luke 2:52).  He was born full of grace and truth (John 1:14) and we can trust and follow Him in every circumstance of life. He came to be our Savior and He desires for all of us to see His majesty and awesome power, to fall to our knees and worship Him as our Savior and Lord. To put Jesus into a box would negate His grace that’s given to us freely, grace upon grace (John 1:16).  To relegate Jesus to a box of our own choosing, (i.e. legalism or humanism) is like thinking we have life under our own control.

The past few years I’ve started keeping one Christmas decoration or ornament out of the box, and place it somewhere where I least expect it. It serves as a visual reminder to not put Jesus in a box, but to see Him for Who He truly is, our Savior and Lord. This year, I’m keeping out one of my Moravian star ornaments to remind me of His splendor and majesty and His mighty works. It will also remind me to “shine like stars in the universe” before this sin sick world. (Philippians 2:15)

As you’re undecorating this week, pause and reflect upon His majesty, power and mighty works. Reflect upon His grace upon grace in your life. Don’t put Jesus in a box.

Prayer:

Lord, I love the presents and the lights. I’m not looking forward to taking it all down, but I’m most grateful for You sending Your Son as the Light of the World.  The simple, uncluttered way I decorated this year gently reminds me I don’t have to be all decked out in beautiful array to come before You; You are more concerned with what’s inside.

I don’t ever want to put You in a box. I pause right now and recognize you as my grown-up Savior and Lord, out of the feed box and on the throne of my heart.  Please help me to always keep You there.  May I continually mediate upon Your glorious splendor and wonderful works.  In Jesus Name, Amen.

As I wandered through the woods this morning, I got caught up in a woodland chorus.

An amphitheater made of oak, maple, birch, poplar, ash and evergreen pine and painted in glowing hues of gold, red, orange, brown, russet and green by the Master Craftsman. The participants perched upon their bough.

Each bird species has it’s own unique part that no other in the woodland chorus can sing. Simply it chirps its repetitive song. It does not try to sing another bird’s song, it only sings the songs God created it to sing.

It lives a life of contentment.  Content to be an ordinary bird singing it’s God-given song.

A variety of birds, each singing its part in the woodland chorus from their tree top perches.  Worship in surround sound.

What’s your song?  What has He created You to sing to the world?

Have you ever found yourself discontent with your voice in the symphony of life?  Do you find yourself wishing you could “sing” better or perhaps a different song?

Listen to the Lord’s response to your discontent.

 I love to hear you sing your praises and your sounds of joy. I am your song, and when you sing, all of creation hums in harmony. Your voice is the instrument I use to stir human souls, but it is your heart that reaches My ear. 

 There is music in great sounds of joy and jubilation! There is music in the crashing waters, in the sound of wind in the trees. But there is no music as delightful to My ear as the sound of My children; because it is your heart that I most want to hear. It makes My heart glad to hear you because your sounds are pure and true.

 My Holy Spirit springs from your spirit in the form of music, and the sounds you make are holy. They refresh and renew your soul; they bless My heart. 

 Sing to me a new song. Even in diversity, sing to Me. Even in Trials and what you think is your darkest hour, sing to Me. Sing to Me, for I am your Beloved; sing to Me a tender, loving song. I am your song.

“Sing for joy in the LORD, O you righteous ones; Praise is becoming to the upright. Give thanks to the LORD with the lyre; Sing praise to Him with a harp of ten strings. Sing to Him a new song; play skillfully with a shout of joy. Psalm 33:1-3

Lord, forgive me! Oft times I attempt to sing songs that are not meant for me to sing.  Thank You for giving me a song to sing in eternity’s symphony.

Have you ever seen an “everyday miracle?”

I believe we will find “everyday miracles” around us if we just open our eyes to see them. God is so amazing and when I slow down long enough to notice, I find little surprises all around me!  For example, there is a miracle sprouting up in my driveway.

Can you believe this beautiful petunia?  Yes, it is growing in the middle of the asphalt!  Never planted…never watered or cared for…but still growing and blooming and vibrant!  This flower growing in my driveway looks better than some of my potted ones planted in fertilized, beautiful, nutrient rich soil!

This petunia teaches me a lesson in perseverance.  When I first saw it, I immediately thought about Romans 5:4 :

“…we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4 perseverance, character; and character, hope.” NIV

…and James 1:4 :

” Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”

This little seed, wherever it had come from, had persevered through the rock, the lack of rain, and even the lack of nurturing.

Even through trials, hope perseveres!

I believe God has been teaching me lessons on perseverance this summer.  This pretty petunia was the second lesson.  Earlier, I had an experience with a very persistent wasp!  He kept building a nest in the corner of our garage, near the garage door.  Every day I would shoo him away and knock down the nest.  Some days this occurred several times throughout the day.  I even sprayed bug repellent in the corner, thinking that would keep him away.  Desperate, I saturated the corner with “Awesome”, a stain remover/cleaner that always removed all my pesky, persistent STAINS in clothing and carpets!  He would fly away and I was sure my problem had disappeared until I came outside, and there would be the wasp, building a new nest as if nothing had happened!

I have often pondered these verses from Romans and James this summer, thinking about the wasp and the petunia.

A few weeks ago, I had a much needed spiritual renewal at Family Camp.  You can read about that here.  I had been so dry and weary upon going.  The theme was “Restored” and God did exactly that!  I came back exhilarated and ready to recommit my life, my time, my SELF to the Lord again!

….and then life happens.

I again allowed my schedule to get busy.  How convenient it became to push God to the “back burner” and do all the things that just HAD to be done!  Instead of getting up and filling up on Him first thing, I again allowed all of life’s distractions to pull me away.  Each morning, I was off and running, checking emails, making calls, and doing “stuff.”

As I thought about how “RESTORED” I had been just a few weeks ago, God brought Matthew 7:7 to mind. “Keep on asking and it will be given you; keep on seeking and you will find; keep on knocking (reverently) and the door will be opened.”  AMP

I need to keep seeking God, keep pursuing this relationship with Him….I need to have perseverance in making Him the most important thing in my life.  Just because I “reconnected” with God at Family Camp, I can’t slide back into my old habits.  I desire to passionately seek Him…..intimately pursue Him…and keep seeking and keep pursuing….and keep seeking…and pursuing….

And, isn’t God so amazing to put “everyday miracles” in our lives to remind us of these simple truths?

Persevering with you,

Tracy