His Grace in the Journey ~ Trust

Trust.... according to Webster it means ~

• reliance on the integrity, strength, ability, surety, etc., of a person or thing; confidence. 
• confident expectation of something; hope.
• a person on whom or thing on which one relies.

We might think it would be easy...but in reality it can be so hard.

As humans, we falter and fail daily.  We over-promise and under-deliver, we 'want' to please others but find we fall short, we sin and the ripple effect may hurt others.

But - the good news is that we serve this amazing God....

He doesn't over promise and under-deliver,

He won't fall short,
He doesn't sin.

He is perfect...and so is His plan.  For years, I have told this to my daughters over and over - "God's plan is perfect, we have to TRUST Him and His plan!"

Easier said than done sometimes!  Especially for me.  I am so weak in this area.  I come from a now-broken marriage where the trust was shattered due to an addiction.  29 years. Trust repeatedly broken.  I have fallen into the trenches in the trust department. 

So, now it is my turn to listen to what I have been telling my daughters for so many years ~ God's plan IS perfect, we have to TRUST Him and His plan!

I KNOW that trusting in God can transform our lives.  I have come to realize that trusting God is simply believing that ~

He loves you!

He has the power to help you!

He wants to help you!

And He will help you!

It  is my hope that sharing my times when I fall short we can, together, build each other up and realize what a hope we have in Jesus Christ.

That on the days when we are strong and confident and trust God 100%, that those days can become the majority of our life. 

We can carry such a peace with us that no matter what happens in our life, we can trust the Lord's plan, we can count on Him loving us, we can know He has the power to help, we can be assured that He wants to help us and we can know, in our hearts, 100% of the time, that He WILL help us!

Although, I certainly know the days we walk in the trenches and trusting can be SO hard, so challenging, and so unclear. 

But know, dear friend, that the Lord is always there, always loving, always merciful and always our one true source that we can 100% trust - each and every day. :)

Praying your Sunday is filled with...

Experiencing His Grade in the Journey.

Blessings to you and your family today,
 

His Grace in the Journey - His Loving Arms

I was fortunate enough to grow up with a very loving father.  He was a quiet man, a good provider and a passive leader for our family.  He was loving and his arms were always open to me. 

Being the youngest of three children and a girl ~ well, you know how that goes.  I was the princess!  Especially is my daddy's eyes - I was daddy's girl! 
We had a very close relationship and I came to depend on him always. 
He provided a sense of security for me, so much love, a safe place to fall, a lap to climb on, a shoulder to cry on, and loving arms always around me.

All that changed in September, 1990.  He passed away from a brief encounter with cancer.  I am thankful to this day that he didn't suffer, even though I had only 3 months to prepare for losing him.

On the day of his funeral service, I had a sense of peace.  Everyone knew how close we were and thought I would not be able to manage being at his service.  But, while it was difficult - only because I would miss him here on this earth - again, I had a huge sense of peace.  Because now he was with our Heavenly Father, in His loving arms.

And while I miss my dad's loving arms still today, I feel God's amazing, loving arms around me always.  Arms outstretched - always waiting for us.  The Lord is our Heavenly Father and His arms are always open - always waiting for us - always inviting us in to His presence.

When you experience the Lord's open arms you welcome in His grace and His love.  Both of which we desperately need in our lives.

Even when you think you are simply not worthy of His abundant love, He is there waiting.

Even when you have sinned and faltered - He is there waiting. Ready to forgive and invite you in.

Even when you are trying to control everything in your life - He is there waiting.  Ready to take control!

Even when you are angry and look away from Him - He is there waiting.  Ready to reassure you of His presence in your life.

Even when you may question His existence - He is there waiting.  Ready to reveal Himself to you.

He is always there waiting - with His loving arms open and ready to take you in and surround you with His love.

Open your heart each and every day to God's loving arms, His abundant grace, His immense love for us.  Experience His strength and power in your life. 

May your week ahead be blessed, may you feel His glorious arms around you and His abundant love in your life.

Experiencing His Grace in the Journey ~

His Grace in the Journey ~ Iron Sharpens Iron

As iron sharpens iron,

                so one person sharpens another.

                            Proverbs 27:17

For most of my life, I have heard this verse from the Bible.  However, I have to admit that I never really practiced it day to day.

I always thought it was best to just mind my own business, go about my day, not confront others ~ I just thought it wasn’t my place to correct someone else.
Although I have practiced it with my daughters; being their mom, it was my place to correct, to guide, to comfort, to set what we call “course corrections” in their lives.

But applying this to my friends and other family members – well, I just stayed in my safe place and went along day to day.
It wasn’t until recently, that I personally experienced this Bible verse.  Someone cared enough about me to point out that some of my ways were not exactly what I would call God-honoring.

I struggled with pride, not being a good listener, being controlling, being judgmental, and a few other traits I am not too proud of.

Oh, I convinced myself that these traits were completely acceptable.  See, I have been through some tough years and felt that….

I wasn’t controlling – I had be responsible and care of my daughters and my life.

I wasn’t prideful – I was portraying self-confidence.

I wasn’t judgmental – I was seeing things for the way they were

I was a good listener – but I also wanted desperately to be heard.

Whew….wrong, wrong, wrong, oh and wrong.

Oh, how we can excuse our actions so easily.  And while it was very (yes, very) difficult to have these not-so-great traits brought to my attention ~ I am SO very, very grateful this person did care enough about me to tell me.

Why?  Quite simply because I could not see it.  I had every excuse imaginable to cover my actions – but they were wrong.  And because this person cared enough about me – they challenged me to make some very necessary course corrections in my own life.

Yes, iron sharpens iron.

You see, there is mutual benefit when two iron blades are rubbed together; the edges become sharper, making the edges more efficient in their task to cut and slice.

Likewise, the Word of God is a “double-edged sword” – Hebrews 4:12 - and it is with this that we are to sharpen one another – always.

Yes, iron sharpens iron.

If a knife is blunt, it still continues to be a knife, although it is less effective, less useful in service. Let us therefore be encouraged to spend more time together ~ encouraging, praying, sharing God’s Word.

Yes, iron sharpens iron.

Let us lift each other up, let us encourage one another, let us help each other to honor Christ in our day-to-day lives.  Let us sharpen each other and hold each other accountable to the One who we call our Savior.  Let us continue to shine and not become dull and continue to love each other enough to keep our focus and action on the Almighty.

Yes, iron sharpens iron - and I am personally thankful that there are those around me that will keep me sharp, shining, and living to please the Lord. 
May we all have the courage to go forward and keep each other sharp in the eyes of the Lord. Have a blessed week ahead.

Experiencing His Grace in the Journey ~ 

His Grace in the Journey ~ Letting the Waters Clear

Many years ago I heard a gentleman give his testimony of how he came to accept Christ in his life.

 

He shared his life story and the difficulties he had faced.  Once he accepted Christ as his Savior, he was determined to walk daily with Christ.  However, he also shared about his difficulty in ‘hearing’ God.   

Wanting desperately to understand the Lord’s direction for his life, he often struggled with unanswered prayer, an inability to focus directly on Christ, a feeling that he should hear or feel God’s direction for his life.

Towards the end of his testimony, he gave this illustration and it has always stayed with me.

“Imagine you are walking barefoot through a shallow creek.  The sun is shining, the air is warm, and the creek is moving slowly.  As you step into the creek you notice how clear the waters are.  You can see small fish, plant life, the reflection of the sun and clouds,  and the pebbles that line the creek bed. 

However, as you walk and enjoy the cool waters of the creek, you notice that you stir the waters. As you move faster and splash about, you see that the water is no longer clear.  

The waters are murky and stirred up.   

You can no longer see the fish, the plant life, the sky's reflection, the bottom of the creek bed.

What was once a clear stream has become dull, muddy, murky and disheveled, and disorganized.

Then you stop, you are quiet, you stand still.  Then slowly, after some time, the waters once again begin to clear. It doesn’t happen quickly, you have to be patient, you have to be still.  You focus intently on watching the murkiness of the water slowly settle back down to the bottom of the creek bed and the waters become calm and once again…..they become clear.”

I have applied this story over and over again to my life with Christ. 

Often, I am SO busy, that I can’t hear His direction for my life.  I become distracted with the tasks before me, try to make decisions on my own, try to control my circumstances and plan out my future. 

When I am this busy I also will find myself becoming frustrated that I don’t hear my prayers answered, that I can’t seem to hear Him, that I lack the discernment to make God-honoring decisions, that my life is not glorifying His name in my day-to-day activities.

Then I realize that the waters have once again become so murky.  My busyness in life has caused me to stir the waters so much that it is going to take concentrated effort to once again let the waters become clear.   To take dedicated time out of my day to be still in His word.

Then…..when I become still, when I take time out of my day to be quiet and pray, take time to be in His word, when I lay my burdens at the foot of the cross, when I am still – He reveals Himself to me so abundantly.

I do hear His direction for my life, I see Him answer prayers that I thought He didn’t hear, I feel His presence as I walk through my day.  My daughters and I are constantly in awe of how present He is in our lives and how He does reveal Himself to us. 

While sin has separated us from God, the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross has reconciled that separation.  Our sins are forgiven through Christ and we are once again connected to the Lord because of what Jesus did for us.  By simply confessing our sins and asking for forgiveness – Christ casts those sins out and they are forgotten.  We are given a new opportunity to live abundantly for Him and do our very best to glorify Him in our daily lives.

When the busyness of life seems to overwhelm and overtake your day – be still, seek Him out, pray, ask for His forgiveness, and be in His word – have quiet time with the Lord. 

Let the waters clear and hear what His plans are for you.  Feel His abundant love and grace in your life.

Experiencing His Grace in the Journey~

So then faith comes by hearing,

and hearing by the word of God.

Romans 10:17