For the rest of this devotional click here to read on Marsha's Musings. It's an updated version of last year's post. I'm also over at the team devotional blog, Laced With Grace with the same devotional.
Mother's Day is extremely difficult for many of us. The pain in our hearts seems to be magnified on days that the world tells us we're to be happy and celebratory.
For the rest of this devotional click here to read on Marsha's Musings. It's an updated version of last year's post. I'm also over at the team devotional blog, Laced With Grace with the same devotional.
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Today, Colin Powell, Former Secretary of State, summarized my feelings well when he spoke on NPR. Speaking about the GOP presidential candidates Powell said, "To stand there and do junior high school tricks on one another is belittling the country and belittling the office to which they are striving." Powell also said, "Even Jerry Springer thinks it's gone too far, and when Jerry Springer thinks you've gone too far, my friends, you have gone too far." Apparently, our society has lost the ability to be civil and speak with decency and respect. We are deluged daily with news that is causing anxiety and anger levels to rise within us. Is anyone else tired of it? Think about the verse in this graphic and ask yourself: "Do I have a calm, undisturbed mind and heart? If not, is there any envy, jealousy, or wrath in my attitudes and actions? Do I lack that peace in my life because I'm blaming someone else for what's wrong in my life and/or the world?" This includes hateful speech towards a specific group of people or individual - i.e. Muslims and the President, and presidential candidates. Instead of cursing them, ask God to bless them with whatever their need may be. Do they need to know our Savior? Bless them by praying for their salvation rather than speaking a curse upon them. Romans 12:14 tells us, "Bless those who persecute you, bless and curse not." Whichever we choose to do, that is what will come back upon us. Praying a blessing brings peace, life, and health upon ourselves. Speaking ill of those who stand diametrically opposed to our beliefs and political views, wishing wrath to fall upon them, will bring rottenness to our very being, physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually. It is a known medical fact that stress, anxiety and anger can cause illness. It's time to calm our hearts. It's time to pray more and propagate fear and anxiety less. Let's take the fear aspect out of how we communicate and replace it with calm, clarity and confidence. It's time to cease striving and know that He is God (Psalm 46:10 NASB). It's time for Christ-followers to know how to give a defense with meekness and respect (1 Peter 3:15 NASB). Our position in Christ gives us the security we need to live and walk in this hostile world. Remember, we are ambassadors of our homeland. We are eternal citizens of another land. We are in this world, but we are no longer of it. (John 17:13-21) It's time for us to transform our minds. (Romans 12:2) Won't you join me in speaking truth in love? Let us all sanctify Christ as Lord in our hearts and allow Him free access to our tongue and lives. “For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His lovingkindness toward those who fear Him.”
One of my fondest memories with my daughter, Laura, occurred in the mountains of NC in the late 1990’s. She and I had just built a fire ring by the side of the creek at our cabin. It was a cool, crisp April evening, our first fire was going in the fire ring, and the sky was radiant with stars. We decided we just couldn’t go inside to sleep, this was too special a moment. I went inside, grabbed two sleeping bags and pillows and we stayed up most of the night just praising God in song, reading Scripture and praying. All this as we watched the stars slowly revolve over our heads.
God’s lovingkindness towards us is as high as the heavens are above the earth. When I gaze at the vast canopy above me that is filled with more stars than we could possibly ever count, I can’t help being overwhelmed by the vast, everlasting Love of God.
The God of the universe, the One who made all the stars and galaxies, made the tree that this cross was made from…and “although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond servant, and being made in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even death on the cross.” (Philippians. 2:6-8)
This is how much He loves you and me! His matchless grace and lovingkindness is everywhere. I can't explain it, I can't fathom it. There's no other love that compares to our Father God's vast love for us. Long before you or I even gave Him a thought, He knew exactly how He would demonstrate His love to us. And that was to NOT give you what your sins deserved. But He gave His Son what our sins deserved. And to give us the gift of Himself. And an invitation to live forever with Him. He unconditionally loves us! “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him, would not perish, but have everlasting life.” John 3:16
It could just be a coincidence. But isn’t it amazing! 31 million light years away, this has been beaming all across the heavens since creation.
What are you facing? Depression, divorce, abandonment, shame, guilt, loneliness, wrongly accused, cancer, bankruptcy, or the darkness of death itself. There is NOTHING that can shake you out of the hand of God. He is not only holding the whole universe in the palm of His hand, He is holding you. His lovingkindness and grace is enough to hold onto you and to bring you through it all.
Father, Your love leaves me dumbfounded. The vastness of Your love towards me I can’t even grasp. But I come before You today rejoicing in Your goodness. Even when times are dark, You are good. Thank You, Father that You love me too much to let me go. I trust You completely. I Love You.
Babies aren’t supposed to die. They’re supposed to be born, grow up, and die when they’re old and gray adults. But we live in a fallen world and sometimes the fallout lands on us.
Lucie would be 5 years old today had she lived. It's hard to believe that much time has passed, and yet in some ways, it feels like yesterday. Her then 16-year-old Mom was one of my clients. We knew early on Lucie would die shortly after being born, so we had time to prepare. . . if you can ever prepare for holding life and death in your hands within minutes of each other. Together we clung to God’s rope of hope and experienced the presence of God in the midst of great sorrow and suffering. It was a presence that empowered the young Mom, “T”, to survive the scars and planted seeds of hope that eventually blossomed. Today she is a thriving young woman in her junior year of college with dreams of going into the medical field. "T" called me this morning, as she has every February 9th. We spent a few minutes catching up with each other, but mostly, we shared tears yet again. Five years ago our tears intermingled on the most heartbreaking day of her life; the day baby Lucie breathed her first and last breaths. The following day she walked away from the hospital with empty arms and a broken heart. Today, her aching arms are still empty, but her broken heart is mending, knowing God is using this in her life; and knowing one day she will see Lucie again in heaven--strong, healed, and whole. Tears are a strange sort of gift God uses as a conduit to fill the broken hearted with His other gifts.
The rest of this post is from my journal dated February 9, 2011. May it bring someone with empty arms a gentle hug filled with comfort and hope.
“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.” Matthew 5:4
"In some ways life has flown by this week, and yet in other ways, life stood still. It’s been a week of savoring both the sacredness and the sorrows of life. I’ve seen grace abound, yet I’ve also pleaded for more in the dark hours of grief, fumbling to make sense of how life and death come from the same Hand at nearly the same moment.
I’ve witnessed first hand an umbilical cord cut, ushering in new life; only to watch that life silently pass. Like a butterfly’s dance in the wind, so has life been this week; a thing of beauty and grace, fluttering about and then suddenly it is no more. The grace of God has trained us for this moment. Forced to feel the burn of pain in order to benefit from the fruit of His grace both now and later. We knew life and death would come partnered together. But it’s hard. It’s hard to listen to a mother’s sweet voice singing tender lullabies to her child and minutes later hear the guttural tones of a mother’s heart being ripped from her chest. I sat helpless by her side holding them both in my arms. Were the bitter tears I tasted my own or hers? I could not tell for they were mingled together. “God, shower your grace upon us! Help us see You through this pelting storm!” My heart cried silently – I think. Maybe I whispered it aloud. Maybe that’s why I tasted the salty, bitter tears. I may have been the teacher, the mentor, the life coach through all of this, but He has taught me life lessons as well. Lessons I need to write down as reminders of these gifts He’s given me this week, gifts cloaked in sadness and pain as well as some with great joy." Processing Life's Gifts
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