Grace

 ~ My Grace is sufficient for you ~

2 Cor. 12:9

And nothing but the great trials and dangers we have experienced would ever have led some of us to know Him as we do, to trust Him as we have, and to draw from Him the great measure of His grace so indispensable during our times of great need. 

Difficulties and obstacles are God's challenges to our faith. When we are confronted with hindrances that block our path of service, we are to recognize them as vessels for faith and then to fill them with the fullness and complete sufficiency of Jesus.

~ Nov 15th devotional from Streams in the Desert, by L.B. Cowman

Does that sound awesome? I'm trying to answer that question myself. I mean, it explains a lot to me right now, it really does. Somewhere down deep though, I just want to spit!

But God…

Your grace God, not my understanding of the situation. 

Your grace God, to help me let go.

Do you remember jumping off the diving board for the first time? Daddy was treading water under the board, ready to save me. But I had to be the one to take the step.

In one of Indiana Jones movies, he's come to the un-passable abyss. He stuck his foot out into nothingness and as he did, the stone to step on appeared.

We keep going, it's just what we do. Your grace God! Your grace!

Clean Heart

This is one of the scriptures that is speaking to me this morning. I'm a underlinen, highlightering, jot it downer! My Bibles (yes, as a Preacher wife, I have more than one Bible) are underlined and some have dates and situations written beside them. This is a record of my life. 

I use to think that I had a spiritual life and a regular life. I kept them pretty much separated. Somewhere along the line, they started going together and meshing. Only God can do those things! 

Here's an example: To speak the words of Psalm 51, at first, it's a very noble thing to say. Why, yes Lord, give me a clean heart, a do over kinda heart. So, it get's underlined. Then, sometime later, the words something thats not right in our hearts get's written above it.

The words of the this Psalm, start changing in our minds. If, you say these words, out loud, is this not a request of God? 

For me, I come to these points in my life where God and I take off the gloves and we get real with each other. Truth be known, I'm the one getting real, cuz God always is! I have this conversation with myself about really wanting a clean heart? Wouldn't it be better if you just changed all them Lord and straighten them out?! 

So here I am...hanging out with The Word, and God shows up and I start to see my need for God to make a clean heart in me... This is something that ONLY God can do! Our part in it all? Be open and available, pay attention, be aware, and finally... let God have His way.  

Lesson's from Ava!

I was watching my friend Ava the other day, and I asked myself the question; When did I stop believing in myself? What happened and when did it happen? All I know is I started believing what others thought was right and what I knew was wrong? Ava has a song going on in her head at all times. She talks to flowers, dogs, chickens and people in a way that makes them all feel special. Then, she turns and does a little leap with a few circles, and off she goes.

I can do that, but at times, it's hard, because I've believed the lie that I'm wrong and they are right. It's like my self worth is wrapped up in what people think. The killer is they are the unimportant people in my life! So why and when does this happen?

I guess I heard it somewhere, Oh what do you know your; too young, a girl, unset, immature, too old, uneducated, too educated, new, too emotional. The long and short of it is, yes, at one time or another, all of these things have been or are true. Then I remembered something, I am the beloved! The most precious child of the King! The only thing that matters is I listen to His voice and what he has to say about me.

It's hard at times, cuz everyone else's voice is louder and their remarks are not nice and it just hurts. So, I'm having a small pity party for myself, but it started last week. I'm thinking it's time to be done with it and get on with the real matters at hand. Picking cuke's making pickles, changing the sign, having a lunch meeting, and meeting a friend after work. I need to decompress and talk to my dog, my plants, feed my chicken friends, do a little leap and a few circles and off I go!  

Forgive!

Do you have unforgiveness in your heart? Is it justified? How long have you been holding on to it? 

I'm going to bet that if we are truly honest with ourselves, we have to answer yes! I feel like I'm always in a state of forgiving, or at least trying. When you think about it, facing responsibility and forgiving people are really two sides of the same coin. 

The reason some people have never been able to forgive is that if they forgive, the last rug would be pulled out from under them and they would have no one to blame. Think about that for a minute. If we forgive, who do we blame for our short comings? Our attitudes? Being over weight?

Facing responsibility and forgiving are almost the same action; in some instances you need to do them simultaneously. Jesus made it very plain that no healing occurs until there is deep forgiveness.

Does it happen overnight? Is it easy? If it were easy, everybody would be doing it! In fact, I don't know that we do it, we allow Jesus to come into our lives and do it through us. We allow or ask Jesus to do it. I have said on many occasions: Jesus, I can't forgive them, but I want to! Help me! Show me how, or just do it in me! It starts to happen. When we allow the true healer to do his work in us, we are truly healed.     

Working out & Letting go!

Once upon a time, a longer time ago than I really thought, I was in shape! I remember going to the Deep In at seminary, the sun hadn't even thought about getting up, and working out for at least an hour. Today, after about a 30 minute walk with Preacher man and Gracie, I got the "30 Day Shred" out of the box, popped it in the machine and within 20 minutes flat was, so close to death that I thought I was going to have to lay on the floor all day! Dang Jullian Michaels! 

Have you ever thought about how tired we get just from carrying our stuff around? I got to thinking about it this morning before I had my near death experience. I'm pretty amazed that we have downed sized and gotten to the point where we carry more than ever before. 

When I was growing up we had tapes, aka, cassette tapes. We had these huge boxes that we kept them in and the boxes took up at least one persons seat in the car. Our music was and is important to us, hence we carry it with us. Now, it all fits in a smart phone, which also fits in the back pocket of a pair of jeans!

I ran across this story and want to share it with you:
  
Two traveling monks reached a river where they met an attractive young woman waiting to cross. Wary of the current, she asked if they would be willing to carry her. One of the monks hesitated, but the other promptly picked her up into his arms, transported her across the river, and put her down, safely on the other bank. She thanked him and went on her way.

As the monks walked toward the monastery, one brooded, stewing in the toxic elixir of self-righteousness and envy. After an hour, unable to hold his silence, he spoke. "Brother, our spiritual training teaches us to avoid any contact with women, but you picked her up in your arms, held her very close and carried her!"

"Brother," the second monk replied, "That is all true. But on the other side of the river I set her down. It sounds to me as if you are still carrying her."

Here's my question: Are you being owned or possessed by the things you carry? Or are you able to lay them down and walk away? Do others help you remember that you need to pick things up that you have laid down? 

In a way, it's like carrying all those tapes around when we have a smart phone that holds more than the box ever could! When we lay things down, we are freed up to grab a hold of a new freedom. So I guess the question is, do you want to carry your burden or grab for freedom?

A prayer for you is that you determine in your heart and mind to go into 2013 free and determined to take steps towards walking in the footsteps that only you were designed to walk in.
Free up your hands so that you may waive them in victory over something that has been binding you up in the past.
Free up your heart so that you may love and receive love the way you desire.
Free up your mind so that you are clear about the direction your life is taking.
Free up your time so that when opportunity comes, you are ready to walk in it.
Free up the limitations you have imposed on yourself and walk boldly towards your heart's desires. ~ Terry Hershey