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

Indulge me today.

Let me introduce the cast:

One- small furry, cute (deceptive) cat
One- small dog named Peanut
One – teenaged girl 16 going on 27.
One – believing mom and keeper of the home.

It started several months back. The rainy season. It’s cold, wet, and dark. One early evening during a light downpour as we sat in the family room watching TV. From the hallway we hear a tiny, “Meow.”

The neighborhood cat, Cleo, found her way through our dog door and peered around the corner of the kitchen at us. She was wet, pathetic looking and only wanted to jump up in my teenagers lap for a quick dry nap. She slowly made her way to the couch. Crept up on her lap and laid down.

“Isn’t she cute mom? She just wants to be warm and dry.”

Little did we know….. This was only the beginning.

Over the next several weeks, the cat began to “sneak” in regularly. We would find her curled on my daughter’s bed. She would come in at times and meow and entertain us with her sweet nature. Slowly and unnoticed by us, Cleo’s visits became more and more frequent. And slowly and imperceptibly, she began staking her ownership of our home.

A few months ago, she slipped into our house early in the morning. I was reading my Bible. She jumped up gently and the next thing I knew she was smack in the middle of my lap purring loudly as I read and prayed.

Within weeks, Cleo slipped into the house in great regularity and no longer was she quiet. She arrived with loud meows that would wake the dead. She threatened the dog into servitude with one quick swipe across the nose. She picked at the trash and pawed at the fish tank. Jumped on counters and tried to drink my coffee.

Her charm had morphed into dread.

Cleo in the sink

Meow.. Meow..MEEEEEOOOOOOW.

One morning not long ago, I was too tired to do battle, I sat reading my Bible she came in and jumped up on the couch then wormed her way onto my lap. As I started to rise to put her out, she turned and bit me. With sharp teeth might I add.

Finally one evening I went into the family room to sit on the couch and watch the news. Sniff sniff. My nose curled at the most revolting odor.

“WHAT IS THAT SMELL?” I screeched.

There was a putrid stench of epic proportions rising from the couch. The animal had been sleeping there most of the day. The rot rising from the cushions put my barf reflex into action.

Ahem, need I say more???

I wonder if you can see the analogy in this retelling of our cat story?

How cute the little varmint first appeared. How sweet and needy. How loving and pretty. How slowly, every slowly, seemingly without notice the invader takes ground. Tiny changes occur and tempers flare, teeth are bared. Right in the middle of my Bible reading.

The next thing you know the marauder is a constant companion, a pebble in the shoe, and then before you know it, it’s rolled in the most horrendous and vile of grossness and it’s smell is all over the house.

Oh how like the enemy to work this way. Oh, how like our nature to see that little irksome thing as cute and harmless.

So, learn from me. Don’t give one entrance to the devil or his schemes. Don’t even allow a tiny dog door to crack open and allow entrance into your house or heart. Throw him out if he comes in and BAR the door.

……

Now for the end of the story and as for the cat……. She sleeps at the neighbors.

Woo Hoo! Let’s all hug a dog. Love you, Lynn

Deuteronomy 23:14 For the LORD your God moves about in your camp (home) to protect you and to deliver your enemies to you. Your camp must be holy, so that he will not see among you anything indecent and turn away from you.

Find me daily at:

Don’t forget to Choose Joy during the difficult times in life. 

It’s so easy to forget that we have a place to go and gather peace, strength, and everlasting joy during the trials of this life.  It’s so easy to sit and sulk over all that has gone wrong and walk around with your head down. 

Nehemiah 8:10 says, “…Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”  Choose joy.

When everything seems to come crashing down all at once and you don’t think it could get worse.  Everything seems to be going all wrong and all your plans fall through.  At every turn something new and chaotic has occurred once again…nothing new these days.  When the car breaks down, washer & dryer is broken, everyone is sick, a job is lost once again, the bills seems to only grow…it’s just one thing after another and you just want to stop drowning in these overwhelming circumstances and come up for some air!!  A few minutes of air is all you’re asking for…just a few minutes of relief.

Don’t forget, to choose joy, is to choose to run into your Heavenly Father’s arms of Love.  Dwelling in His presence is where you will find peace, joy, strength and rest.

In His presence you will find peace that will melt away all your frustrations, worries and fears… everlasting joy that will leave no room for despair… strength that will allow you to keep going and make it through to the end… and receive the rest you need from your weary circumstances.

It’s a joy that is exceeding…filling…and everlasting!

Psalm 16:11, “You will make known to me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy…”’

Blessings,

Krista

Visit my personal devotional blog at From The Pages of Love