Well, hello there. Me again. It’s been a while, I know.
Life has kind of gotten away from me lately. I’ve not made much time for writing over the past few months, despite many great intentions.
So, guess what’s on my heart today?
Failure.
Not much of a Thanksgiving theme. But hang with me and I’ll get to the thanksgiving part.
We all wear a variety of different “hats.” Mine are labeled wife, mommy, friend, sister, daughter, church member, writer, homeschool instructor, cook, housekeeper, menu planner…It’s pretty crazy, trying to keep all those hats on at one time. So, I guess it’s normal to feel like a failure from time to time.
Failure
But sometimes those feelings get overwhelming, at least they do for me. I can throw a really good pity party. I’m sure the devil loves when I do that. He pitches in his own accusations, along with my feelings of condemnation. It’s a miserable place to be.
I hit one of those places last week.
But thank God, He didn’t leave me there. With overwhelming grace, He reminded me of the following verses:
“He who began a good work in you [and in my loved ones] will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus” (Philippians 1:6).
“…My Word… will not return to Me empty without accomplishing what I desire and without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it” (Isaiah 55:11).
“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up” (Galatians 6:9).
“For it is God who is working in you [and in my family], enabling you both to desire and to work out His good purpose” (Philippians 2:13).
“If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you” (James 1:5).
Failure
“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand” (Isaiah 41:10).
How beautiful is His Word – just what I needed in those moments. Like a balm to my weary soul. Like a new set of glasses giving me the bigger picture.
Along with those verses, God reminded me that:
This Christian life, our ministry within our families, our interactions with those around us…it’s all His work. We are tools in His hand – loving, serving, teaching, praying, pouring out our lives for one another. But the results are up to Him. He is the heart-changer and the miracle-worker.
He enables us to live out our callings, yet He doesn’t condemn when we fall short. He understands our weakness, and is ever so patient. In fact, He’s not planning on us being perfect until we get to heaven. Growing, changing, becoming more like Jesus – yes. But perfect – not yet. Oh, how that knowledge comforts my heart!
He gives us each other. Sometimes I think we underestimate the importance, the sheer necessity, of the Body of Christ. During recent “down” days, God brought along sisters to encourage me. They listened as I poured out my heart. They spoke truth to my soul. One of them even brought me chocolate (always a bonus). They lifted this weary traveler back to her feet and put my eyes back on Jesus.
How much, how very much, we have to be thankful for! Sometimes we just need to remind our souls of the truth.
What kind of season are in, fellow Jesus lover?
Are things going well, your heart overflowing with the goodness of the Lord? I join you in praising Him for His kindness.
Are you discouraged, maybe even feeling like a failure? May He meet you with the blessings of His Word, His presence and His Body.
We have much for which to give thanks, in each and every season.
During this Thanksgiving week, for what are you most grateful? Please join the conversation – I’d love to praise Him with you!
“What did you swallow?” the triage attendant asks incredulously.
I brace myself and repeat for the hundredth time. “I swallowed the tab from a soda can.”
“What did you swallow?”
“How’d you do that?”
I know. I already feel stupid. Who does this sort of thing?
I’m not your everyday ER patient. I’m not a child who put something weird in her mouth. I wasn’t drunk or otherwise impaired. I’m just a mom who was watching her kids at swim team practice.
Earlier that morning, when I grabbed a can of La Croix and dashed out the door, I had no idea how the day was about to change. When the darling, adorable child pulled off the tab and dropped it inside, I didn’t know I should throw the can in the garbage right that very moment. It never crossed my mind that one could actually swallow something as big as an aluminum tab – before even realizing what had happened.
Nope, I didn’t know any of that – until today.
Now I’m rather an expert on such things.
Two sets of x-rays, 5+ hours in the ER and an endoscopy… still no tab. It left its mark – I can feel the scratch down my throat. But the tab itself has officially gone into hiding.
Quite a frustrating, unpleasant day. Not one I’d like to repeat. Ever.
But it wasn’t all bad. In fact, as I ponder it in retrospect, I’m struck by one thing – the Body of Christ is truly an amazing gift.
My sweet friend at swim team practice dropped everything and drove me home, then cared for my kids all day. My precious hubby cleared his schedule and sat with me in the emergency room. My family and church family prayed. Lots of people sent offers of help via text message. And the GI doctor, who called me after I left the hospital, asked if he could pray for me over the phone. His prayer brought me to tears. He called on God our Healer and Provider and lifted me before the Lord in Jesus’ name.
We Christians have been born again into a truly incredible community!
We are family!
Church friends, long-time friends, new friends, even total strangers…if we’re Christians, we all have one thing in common. We love Jesus. And because of that, we are family.
Right now, story after story is washing over me as I remember God’s love poured out through His people.
Like when our whole church rejoiced at my oldest child’s baptism.
And when concerned friends brought meals during my sick days of pregnancy.
And when a dear man from church sent my little boy a note to say that he’s praying for him.
And when loved ones cried with us as we grieved a miscarriage.
In joys and sorrows, achievements and losses – we’ve been through it all together. This is how it’s supposed to work. This is the Body functioning as God planned. What a beautiful gift!
I know, it’s not happiness and harmony all the time. We the collective Church are human. We’ve been forgiven and made new, but we don’t always act like it. Sometimes we hurt each other – sometimes even on purpose. Oh, how the devil loves to tear us apart!
But we need each other. We need committed friendships and regular fellowship that we aren’t quick to walk away from. It’s worth working at, working through, and working beyond the issues that separate. It’s worth swallowing our pride and admitting when we’re wrong. It’s worth overlooking offenses, extending forgiveness, accepting differences and learning from each other.
Who do you do life with?
“Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor. If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up. Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken” (Eccl 4:9-10, 12).
This gift of community is priceless.
So today, I’m asking myself – how well am I contributing to the Body of Christ? Am I as willing to serve others as they have been to me? Am I pursuing growth and unity out of love for Jesus?
How about you? How are you doing? What community of believers do you do lifewith and how have you ministered to one another? I’d love to hear!
I never understood, until I looked into their eyes.
Waiting to be loved
There are always children waiting to be adopted. But we don’t need to adopt, because we have our own kids.
Seriously, that’s how I used to think. I’m ashamed to admit that, but it’s true.
My mindset changed, however, when I went to Bangkok and looked into the eyes of needy children, abused children, vulnerable children. And I realized, adoption isn’t about the wants or needs of a parent. It’s about welcoming a child into your heart and home and lavishing love on them. Through adoption a child gets a new life, a new identity, a new family. They gain an advocate – someone to look after and provide for them. They receive a relationship with the parent who has chosen to love and accept them.
I find great joy in knowing that God has done this for me.
“God decided in advance to adopt us into His own family by bringing us to Himself through Jesus Christ. This is what He wanted to do, and it gave Him great pleasure” Eph 1:5.
He didn’t need me, as if the Self-sufficient One could be in need. But He wanted me. He longed to pour out His love on this needy soul, to take me “under His wing” and provide for me, to bestow on me a new name and a heavenly inheritance.
He chose me and I became His treasured daughter.
On the day of my adoption, everything changed. All my sins, which I wore like filthy rags, were taken away. He gave me a new heart. I was washed clean and clothed with the righteousness of Jesus. He made me fit to be His child and granted me direct access to His heart. He made me part of His worldwide family and He Himself came to dwell in me through His Holy Spirit.
I am safe now. Safe in the care of the Father who loves me. And so are you, fellow Jesus-follower!
I’m adopted!
What facet of your adoption into His family is most precious to you and why? Please join the conversation– I’d love to hear from you!
I stared in disbelief at the letter I had just received from a life insurance company. I looked at the envelope again. Yup, it was addressed to me. Sixty-five? That’s decades away! I laughed and tossed the letter in the trash.
A few weeks later, I got an invitation to an informational dinner hosted by an assisted living community. Then came another letter regarding my supposed upcoming 65th birthday. Each piece of correspondence was from a different source. What seemed at first like a crazy fluke began to hoist proverbial “red flags” in my mind.
Has someone stolen my identity?
Then I looked more closely at the intended recipient – it was addressed to me, but with my maiden name. Memories crashed into my mind like a flash flood. About fifteen years ago, when I was single, my identity was stolen. It took months to unravel the mess and clear my name. I wonder, could this senior citizen mistake be somehow related?
Protecting one’s identity is of great importance, and mine was in question.
In the spiritual realm, a similar crisis exists for every single believer. Our enemy, called “the accuser” in Revelation 12:10, is constantly telling us lies about our identity. He wants us to believe that we aren’t really that different from our old selves apart from Christ.
New Creation
He loves to remind us of past sins – or even of present sin struggles. His web of deception can easily entangle us if we believe his lies.
Just as I am neither 65 nor single, I am also not the same person I was without Jesus – and neither are you, fellow Jesus-lover. When the Holy Spirit takes up residence in a believer:
He breathes life into a formerly dead spirit.
He breaks the chains of addictive sin.
He adopts us into His family and calls us beloved.
He forgives every sin and cancels the record of charges against us.
He makes us more than conquerors
He begins a transforming work that He will be faithful to complete.
God defines our identity – not the accuser, not other people, not our feelings, not our circumstances.
Much is at stake here. For just as identity theft damages its victims, so we will miss the riches of God’s work in us if we believe Satan’s lies about our identity.
Victorious Christian living and intimacy with Christ hinge upon knowing and believing the truth. And when we know this truth, astounding freedom will be our reality (John 8:32).
Now it’s your turn! What lies have you believed about your identity? What aspects of your new identity in Christ are most exciting to you? Please join the conversation!
Good Friday…Seems a strange title for history’s darkest day.
The Righteous Judge condemned in a mock trial. Truth himself falsely accused. Love hated. The Savior rejected. The King stripped and despised.
Healer of the deaf heard “Crucify Him!” Creation’s Creator felt thorns on his brow. Hands that fed thousands took nails for those fed. Whips tore his flesh who created all flesh.
The Maker murdered by the work of his hands.
The Sinless One became sin, and the Father turned His back. All the shame and the pain, all the ugliness of hell taken by the Lamb who was slain.
Creation groaned as darkness seemed to extinguish the Light.
Sometimes good looks undeniably not good. But…
But – such a powerful word. It tells us there’s more to the story.
But darkness can never conquer Light.
But death cannot hold the Resurrection and the Life.
But grace is greater than all my sin.
Mercy triumphs over judgment. Forgiveness was purchased on Friday’s cruel cross.
Grace wins.
Good Friday is good because Sunday is coming. God has the final word. And all he does is good.
The cross was not an accident. Not a rescue plan gone awry. No kidnapped King. No victim of tragedy. No, the cross was the plan. From the creation of the world, this was God’s idea. He knew his beloved ones would rebel, and he knew the price he would pay for our redemption. He also knew death would not be the end.
So he willingly went to the cross. He poured out his love as He poured his blood. He paid the price for our sins–all of them, for every person who believes.
Then on Sunday morning he robbed death of its sting and the grave of its victory. With all the power that created life, he recreated life in his dead body. And he lives today, never to die again.
Because of the cross and the empty grave, this is our inheritance as followers of Jesus:
Our sins are forgiven, and all the righteousness of Jesus is credited to us.
We have peace with God. Closeness with our Creator is now possible.
We are dead to our old life– completely new creations.
Sin is no longer our master, and neither is the law.
We never have to fear God’s wrath because Jesus took it all for us.
We need not fear death.
We have an enduring hope.
A heavenly inheritance awaits.
This weekend, may the beauty of the cross and the love of our Savior captivate our hearts and minds. We are loved! We are treasured! We are redeemed!
What are your thoughts on “Good Friday”? How has the cross brought good to your life?
Life has kind of gotten away from me lately. I’ve not made much time for writing over the past few months, despite many great intentions.
A few weeks later, I got an invitation to an informational dinner hosted by an assisted living community. Then came another letter regarding my supposed upcoming 65th birthday. Each piece of correspondence was from a different source. What seemed at first like a crazy fluke began to hoist proverbial “red flags” in my mind.
