Laced With Grace

“But the Lord said to Samuel, ‘Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.’”
~ 1 Samuel 16:7 (ESV)

Do you get intimidated by the talents and gifts of others? I have to admit – I do. I marvel at women who can do it all…Home-made crafts, home-backed cookies, home-made clothing. I think it is so cool that women can do that. It seems that God gave me two left hands when it comes to home-made things; well maybe for cooking – I am half decent in that department.

I remember years back I wanted to make a banner for our church to hang in the sanctuary. It seemed easy enough. I checked with a couple of ladies from church, got my supplies and went at it.

Let me tell you: it looks much easier than it is. Of course, I didn’t start with a small banner; no it had to be huge. My husband asked me what I was trying to do when when I got home with all my supplies under the arm. With a huge smile on my face I explained about my vision of a wonderful banner in purple. All he did was smile…

For the next three weeks I was at it. Cutting, sewing by hand (yeah – I don’t even have a sewing machine), tears running down my face. I had promised a purple banner, so I was going to make a purple banner.

Sometimes I get so intimidated by others, that I forget that God might not has given me a certain talent. I might not be able to be crafty with my hands, but I have different talents and gifts. I am unique to Him. He equips me with the talents and gifts He sees fit for me. Sometimes it takes me a little longer to understand how I fit in to further His kingdom.

Did I finish the banner? Yes, by His grace I did. I was ready in time for the banner to be hung. Will I ever again volunteer to make a banner?…No Way!!! I will leave that to the women who are much more talented than I am and who have sewing machines.

My sweet sisters, God gives all of us talents and gifts to further His kingdom. He knows our hearts that we are willing to serve, so He will supply the gifts and talents that are needed. Follow His lead and don’t get intimidated by the gifts and talents of others as I did…

Lord of Heaven and Earth. You know our hearts and willingness to serve You. Sometimes we get intimidated by the gifts and talents of others. Help us to see the ministries that are right for us. And thank You Lord for Your extra measure of grace when we need it. In the precious name of Jesus – Amen.

Photo & Content Copyright © Iris Nelson

This week I received a gift.

It is the season of gift giving and this present is so unusual that I have to tell you about it.

What is it?

Ahem…… It’s a bag of rocks. …

Yes, a large bag of rocks. See the photo?

Okie dokie, yep, a large bag of polished stones.

But this sack of rocks is anything but ordinary.

Okay, no, these particular rocks aren’t magical. They won’t produce a goose who lays golden eggs when placed in the ground. Whoops, wrong analogy. *grin* Forgive me.

However, they hold enormous meaning. In fact, they are invaluable to me.

Why?

Because they are a gift from a close girlfriend. That may not seem like a big deal to you but to me it is a tremendous triumph.

Let me explain.

For 23 years I worked in Corporate America. I set myself on the fast track to climb the rungs of success. And, indeed, I did rise and enjoyed enormous business success in the banking arena. My personal life? Not so much. ~ Such were my prodigal years.

During the management years of my career, I lived in a “man’s world.” My bosses were men, my clients were men, I managed men as well as women, and I was one of the first women to join Rotary when it was still primarily a male dominated service organization. With all this time spent in a “man’s world” I basically approached relationships like a guy. I thought like a man.

My relationships with women were a struggle. I often offended my female friends. I struggled with sensitivity and failed to invest significant time nurturing trust and developing camaraderie. I had only one close girlfriend during this time. She was an attorney, a career woman as well. Needless to say, I didn’t have a lot of experience with just hanging out with the girls.

When I returned to the faith of my childhood, God turned my world upside down. I needed a total overhaul. I believed so many lies of the enemy. I was broken, deceived, prideful, and stubborn. It’s a good thing the Lord’s love is fathomless and His yearning to work a change in me is relentless.

He slowly reworked my marriage. He restored a broken relationship with my Dad and just recently healed my relationship with my sweet sister. He has allowed me to serve His kingdom through writing and speaking. He has worked so many changes in me that I am a new creation.

One significant area in my life which needed major rewiring was understanding women. God knew I was missing out on the privilege of deep and meaningful friendships with women outside of any business driven interests.

Well over the years walking with the Lord, His persistence never wavered. He gently showed me, through His word, the reflection of a Godly woman. He also revealed what real friendship is all about. And even more amazing, He richly blessed me with women friends. And even more astounding, God, in His great humor, placed me in women’s ministries.

Go figure? Who woulda thunk it?

Certainly, not me.

So how do the rocks fit in? They are a gift from my friend, Jolene. She loves me for who I am. She loves me just because. She prays for me. She prays for my husband. She loves Jesus and that makes our relationship “forever.”

Attached to the bag was this note from Jolene.

I awoke today with thoughts of you, Lynn, and of your husband. I was giving thanks to our God for his faithfulness to you both by providing a job (my husband has been unemployed for almost a year). God is perfect in His plans. He always remembers us Gen 8:1. I started thinking about my last Bible study, Beth Moore drilling into my head… remember your “God Stops,” those times in your life when God is faithful.

So, Lynn, I am led to give you stones. I know how much you love your garden and I thought maybe these stones could be placed there as a memorial to God because He provided a job for your husband. Remember, God commanded His people of old to do just this, remember their “God Stops,” and build a memorial along their way in the desert.

Thank you for allowing me to pray for your situation and to see God’s hand at work in your life through it. You are prayed for and loved, Jolene.

—-

In years past I never knew this kind of friendship. It is a rich and vibrant relationship that soars above the world because our hearts are tightly bound through our Lord Jesus Christ.

So this cold December day, I will place these precious stones outside in my garden. Every time I see them, I will remember. I will remember the “God Stops” of this year. My husband’s unemployment, his journey closer to the cross, God’s provision when we had little money. I will remember the “God Stops” of my friendship with women like Jolene.

I will look upon those stones as I till the soil year after year and give thanks for all of you who also prayed and shared friendship. I will thank the Lord Jesus for you. For the days you held me in your prayers but more importantly when you held my lost husband.

Because of God’s great mercy and His desire to fill my life with REAL living, I know what real friendship is all about.

So today as I look at this seemingly worthless sack of rocks, I know they are likely the most precious gift I will receive all season.

God is good. God loves us so much. God is the giver of eternal friendships and I treasure each and every one of you. Be blessed, Lynn

Luke 2:49-50 “Why were you searching for me? he asked. “Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?” But they [Mary and Joseph] did not understand what He was saying to them.

Ministry is really hard. Even when things are not “ministry” I have a tough time balancing things in order of importance. Fun always seems to be on the top of my list no matter who it is with or what it involves. I am a girl that loves to have a good time - that could be just sitting on the porch giggling with a friend, the kids, or Clay. I love to laugh. But I can honestly say there is nothing I love more than serving His people to bring them closer to the Lord or my greatest joy - bringing them to their first realization of needing a Savior!! That too is fun to me!

So why is ministry so hard then? I have a hard time doing ministry and not letting other things fall way behind. When we made the decision to move to Illinois I seriously thought I would most likely never speak again. That thought alone gave me sheer panic attacks - not really, but sort of. Ministry and specifically speaking is like breathing to me. I knew He had confirmed He was not done with me, but I just could see how it would happen. God was taking away all the “props” - huge mega churches, well known ministry name, many well established speakers to glean knowledge from, opportunity on every corner, extremely supportive Christian radio stations, Bible Belt, etc… So as the calls came in for Jan. - May ’08 the previous year I accepted every engagement. (On top of everything else I had no idea in ’07 I would be moving into another house the following year.) I just knew it was coming to an end and I wanted to do all I could until it was over. Well, what happened - it got very, very tough on my family. I found myself gone 4 or 5 weekends in a row. I found myself speaking 3 or 4 times a week. I found my kids angry with me because mom was always at the computer preparing for the next thing - instead of supper, baseball, basketball, whatever it may be! Clay and I were at each other because of this huge scheduling debacle. I got myself in a serious pickle all in the name of ministry.

I see in the verse above that Jesus has a very similar problem with his parents. They had left Jerusalem after celebrating Passover. Traveling for one day they suddenly realized Jesus, 12 years old at the time, was not with them. It took 3 days to find Him, but where else? - in the temple. I love the momma’s response, “Why have you treated us like this?” And as any 12 year old might respond, “Momma, what’s up? You knew I had to be in here.” But Mary and Joseph did not understand. I am sure it was more than just natural for Jesus to be in the Father’s house. It was His house, it was His Dad’s place, it was were He belonged - just not yet, full time!

For me that is the hard thing about ministry. I know we are dealing with the eternal. I am helping many to understand that if He is absent in their lives, eternity will not be good. It seems like a no-brainer to be involved in and for all to understand the importance of it. But I am not Jesus. I have not figured out how to balance it all for their best. I want to be about my Father’s business, but that does not mean always away from the home. There are 4 little toe heads needing ministering to right at my hips. I certainly never meant to hurt any of my family in this busy ministering time, but ironically I was the one to not understand what HE was saying to me. Hopefully I pray there will be a day to be busy as a bee speaking across the nation or more, but for now I must be about the Father’s business and that is mostly at home.

Leigh Gray is married to Clayton and has four children: Tucker, Emmajoy, Sarahjane, and Elleigh. She is the author of Mommy Moments Devotional booklet and Journaling the Joy of Jesus; an intimate look into her personal walk with the LORD. Leigh is the Co-Founder of Speaking Thru Me Ministries, a fee-free event resource for churches. You can find more information about Leigh Gray at: Speaking Thru Me Ministries or her personal blog Speaking Thru Me