Laced With Grace

How do you feel this Christmas?

Joyful?

Peaceful?

Happy?

or…

Sad….

Frustrated…

Worried…

When we listen, we hear the stories of  many heartbroken people.

Mary……whose extended family lost eight homes during a flood. As I held her, she cried on my shoulder, telling me how difficult  Christmas is because her mother has Alzheimer’s and doesn’t recognize her anymore.

Jamie…. a sweet Sister in Christ, a young mom bravely  fighting cancer.

Linda…… called telling me that her father just passed away. He, too, lost a battle with cancer.

I am sure you have your own Mary, Jamie and Linda in your life.

As I prayed over these sweet souls, I became so aware of the hurting hearts all around me. I have heard the statistics of Christmas suicides. I have pondered why this time of year, which should be so full of hope and joy, can be so depressing for many.

When a hurting heart watches holiday TV programs and commercials, the families are smiling around a dinner table…everyone happy. She can think she is the only one who feels alone….the only one who feels sad…who feels…let down about Christmas…..who wonders, “Is this all there is?” She shops (but cannot afford to), trying to buy all of the items that are promised to bring happiness.

Have we forgotten what Christmas is about?

Christmas is HOPE because Christmas is the birth of Jesus Christ. Jesus came to bring hope. Immanuel, God is With Us. He knows our hearts. He knows our worries. He knows our loneliness. He wants to comfort, heal, and bring peace.

Jesus is the Light of the World. Jesus brings Light to this dark world. And, He wants us, as Christ followers, to share this Light with the world. He wants us to share this Hope to the hurting….to the confused….to the lonely.

Jesus never promised that we would live a pain free life here on earth. In fact, He tells us the opposite. “In this life, you will have trouble…” But, Jesus also gives hope because He continues by saying, “But take heart, I have overcome the world.”

This world is not our home. We have an incredible, glorious inheritance that can never perish, a living hope, joy unspeakable, everlasting life when we return Home to live forever with our Savior. “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him”. We can’t even imagine what God has stored up for us.

And, while we live our lives here on earth, we are promised LIFE and life to the full. We are promised that He is walking with us, bringing us comfort, peace, and joy….true joy that is not dependent on circumstances, but comes from the hope we have in Him.

This Christmas, be a Light. This Christmas, extend your hand of hope to a hurting heart. This Christmas, like Mary, sit at the feet of Jesus, basking in His love, peace, and hope.

On this special day, Veteran’s Day, we are especially mindful of the concept of “freedom.”  We are thankful for all of the courageous men and women who have bravely fought and given their lives protecting our freedoms.

I am reminded of the Galatians 5:1 verse that says Christ has set us FREE to be FREE!

“In this freedom Christ has made us free (and completely liberated us); stand fast then, and do not be hampered and held ensnared and submit again to a yoke of slavery (which you have once put off).” Galatians 5:1 AMP

Christ paid such a high price for our freedom- His life.  He did everything that was necessary to make us absolutely FREE.  There is nothing else we need or could ever do to “help” that process.  It is done.  It is finished.

We just need to RECEIVE it and WALK IN IT.

Don’t let sin put you back into bondage.

Don’t let legalism put you back into bondage.

Don’t let striving and trying and DOING put you back into bondage.

It is for FREEDOM that Christ has set you free.

Father God, thank You for Your gift of freedom.  Thank You for the gift of grace and forgiveness.  May I walk in freedom, not burdened by any yoke of bondage.  Praise You, Lord!  I also pray for all of the veterans and their families.  May they experience a flood of blessing and honor today.  In Jesus’ Name we pray.  Amen.

Come visit me sometime!

Thirsty for Him,

Tracy

I wrote this post last October and was thinking again recently about how we wear masks, so I decided to repost it.  I also enjoyed reading your comments again…

Some Christian families choose to participate in Halloween while others do not. This post is not meant to strike any controversy about Halloween, but to help us think about the masks we sometimes wear.

As Halloween is fast approaching, costumes are everywhere…..from the newspaper fliers to the posters on the ceiling at Target.  I love to watch kids dress up. They’re so excited to pretend to be someone else. Some choose dragons. Others princesses. Some want to be dressed as something courageous and others prefer silly disguises.

Do you ever feel like you are wearing a mask? Do you ever find yourself pretending to be someone you’re not? Pretending to “have it all together,” but in reality, your “all togethers” are falling apart? You would never want people to see the “real you”, the person behind the mask. You would be embarrassed if you were ever “found out.”

So….we put on our masks, go about our business, and when friends ask how we are, we smile and declare, “Great! How are you?”

Because so many of us are wearing these perfection masks, we look around and think that we are the only Christian mom or wife or daughter who is “messing up.” We feel like failures. We would never admit to needing help, let alone actually asking for it! Instead of building one another up and encouraging each other in our faith, we pretend that we are just fine and hide behind our masks.

But, God sees through the mask right down to the “real you”. He sees all the flaws and mistakes and failures and yet loves us completely and unconditionally. Isn’t it comforting to know how much He loves us? Psalm 139 tells us that God searches us and knows us. He knows us completely, from the inside out. He knows a word before it even reaches our tongue. He is familiar with our ways. He isn’t surprised by us. He knows every thought, every worry, every joy, every hurt. There is no where we can run from His Spirit, no where to escape His love, no mask to hide our person from Him. With God, we can stop pretending, take off our mask, and allow Him to love us.

And, I believe that we can also take off our masks with our sisters in Christ, allow them to love us, and share authentic relationships with them. We might find that we all make mistakes, not one of us is perfect, and we are not the only one in the carpool with a dirty minivan!

Father God, thank You for loving me unconditionally. Thank You, Lord that I don’t have to hide anything from You, that I CAN’T hide anything from You because You know me completely. Thank You that I can take off my mask. Help me Lord to be honest, authentic and real with those around me. Help me to encourage others so that they, too feel comfortable taking off their masks. In Jesus’ Name we pray. Amen.

Thirsty for Him,

Tracy

Please come visit me at my personal blog, Thirsty for Him!