Five Minute Friday: Grasp

Grasp.
Grip.

These two words are quite similar in meaning, and yet grasp seems to have a hint of desperation behind it.

Grasping at straws.
Grasping for answers.

Jacob wrestled with God.  He grasped and grappled, and wouldn’t let go until he had received a blessing.  I think of the many times that I wrestle with God, grasping for answers or direction, earnestly desiring a blessing.  My mind and prayers flail, and I feel like things are reeling out of control.  It is when I finally come to the end of myself and stop, that I finally realize (again) that I have been in His hands the whole time. 

His grip is strong …sure  …secure.

If only I can grasp this truth, and hold on to it!

“My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand.”  (John 10:29, NASB)


       

Reconciliation

I hate to be late.

Just this past Monday, I took my son to the doctor, and I arrived….late.  This wasn’t my first visit to that clinic, and I knew exactly how long it should take to get there from my house.  I even planned five minutes of “padding” to allow for traffic, in case that was a factor.  What should have taken me 25 minutes, somehow took me 35 minutes.  I checked my cell phone, and the time matched the clock at the doctor’s office.  The time discrepancy was unsettling, and I felt a strong urge to figure out what had happened.  The only thing that made sense to me was that my clock at home (my starting point) must have been off.

“For it was the Father’s good pleasure for all the fulness to dwell in Him, and through Him to reconcile all things to himself, having made peace through the blood of His cross; through Him, I say, whether things on earth or things in heaven.”  (Colossians 1:19-20, NASB)

As I read this passage in my devotions this morning, it was the word “reconcile” that popped out at me.  The dictionary defines reconcile as a verb which means “to settle or resolve” or “to make compatible or consistent.”  We usually hear the word within the context of a discrepancy in data or a broken relationship.  Sometimes I think it is perhaps too easy to forget about the gravity of sin and how it impacts the relationship between God and man.  God is holy and sin cannot be in His presence.  Sin means “missing the mark” with God.  The book of Romans tells us that the wages of sin is death.  The only way that a sinner can be reconciled to God is through personal acceptance of the redemptive work of Jesus Christ on the cross. 

“Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ, and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation.  Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were entreating through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.”  (2 Corinthians 5:18-20, NASB)

The doctor’s office was ready for me when I arrived.  The appointment had been set a week in advance, and the file had been pulled and was waiting for processing.  The agreement was that they would see me at the appointed time, based on their clock, not mine.  It was my job to be there, according to their standard.

God, through Christ’s death on the cross, has reconciled all things to Himself.  He has completed the work and is ready and waiting to meet us, right where we are, and transform our lives.  Jesus says in John 14:6 says, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but through Me.”  It is our job to accept this gift of reconciliation that He has given according to His grace and mercy.  If we do not, we will not have peace and will have missed the mark.

One Thousand Gifts

571.  My birthday - 2012

572.  My daughter bringing me breakfast in bed

573.  His sweet birthday email

574.  Birthday greetings from friends on voicemail

575.  The beautiful bouquet of flowers he had delivered

576.  Blow drying her hair

577.  His safe return from Omaha

578.  Clean carpets

579.  The way the sunlight makes flowers glow from the inside out

580.  Transitioning trees

581.  The curled petals of a pink rose

582.  The smell of brownies in the oven

583.  The way steam wisps and curls from a warm mug

584.  Quilts, time-worn with love

585.  Cold, crisp, crunchy grapes

Five Minute Friday: Wide

There’s something about standing at the wide expanse of the ocean with the waves roaring and pounding toward the shore, that serves as a reminder to me of how mighty God is.  “Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, And marked off the heavens by the span, And calculated the dust of the earth by the measure, And weighed the mountains in a balance And the hills in a pair of scales?”  (Isaiah 40:12, NASB) The same God that can hold the oceans in the hollow of His hand, formed me and loves me. 

I marvel at His power.

Sin places a wide chasm between God and man.  

“In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.” (1 John 4:10, NASB). 

“For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor power, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”  (Romans 8:38-39, NASB)

I marvel at His all-consuming love.

I love this picture.  The simplicity of wide open space is freeing to the mind.  There is room and space to breathe and reflect.  My Savior died on a tree so that I might live to righteousness.  “And He himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed.” (1 Peter 2:24, NASB).

I marvel at His matchless grace and mercy.


     

Encouragement

I love this time of year.  Every morning, several flocks of geese fly over my home.  I love looking up into the blue September sky and watching them form v’s.  I enjoy listening to the crescendo of honks, evidence that they are coming long before I can see them.  As they soar overhead, the cacophony is music to my ears.

Geese honk for a number of reasons, according to http://www.knowswhy.com/why-do-geese-honk/.  Honks can serve as greetings, warnings, or a sign of contentment.  In the article it says that they honk to help locate each other in a large flock, reassure if a family member is in the area, to point to a good feeding or landing area, and to alert flock members of the presence of predators and enemies.

I see a marvelous parallel between how geese behave and how believers in the body of Christ should behave.  When observing a flock of geese soaring overhead, there appears to be a sense of fellowship and togetherness among its members.  In my devotions this morning, I read Colossians 1:9-10 (NASB) which says, “For this reason also, since the day we heard of it, we have not ceased to pray for you and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that you may walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God.” 

As believers, we need to be praying for spiritual wisdom and understanding not only for ourselves, but for fellow believers.  As we travel together on this side of eternity, we need to be lifting and encouraging others and praying for their spiritual growth.  According to this passage, we need to be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding.  This will equip and enable us to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, which will bear much fruit, which will further increase our knowledge of Him!

 

As more flocks fly overhead in the coming days, I will be reminded to reach out to others and try to offer reassurance and encouragement, or perhaps say a prayer for someone who is going through a trial, that He would increase their spiritual understanding and wisdom.

“Therefore encourage one another, and build up one another, just as you also are doing.” (1 Thessalonians 5:11, NASB)

“If therefore there is any encouragement in Christ, if there is any consolation of love, if there is any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and compassion, make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose.  Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind let each of you regard one another as more important than himself; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.”  (Philippians 2:1-4, NASB) 

One Thousand Gifts

556.  Taking pictures on the front porch

557.  Warm September mornings

558.  His safe return from Seattle

559.  Jet boat rides on a sunny day

560.  Cliff swallow nests

561.  My son's decision to be baptized

562.  Nathan's baptism

563.  Celebratory dinners

564.  The beautiful new dress that her Grandma sewed for her

565.  The awesome wooden lock box his Grandpa made for him

566.  His safe arrival in Omaha

567.  Helping her with homework

568.  Watching him compete and perform well

569.  My son's awesome coach

570.  An excellent sermon

Five Minute Friday: Focus

Imagine taking a walk in the woods.  Your feet shuffle through crispy leaves that have fallen from the trees, and the air is cool and crisp.  As you round a corner in the trail you hear a waterfall.  As you near the waterfall, you notice wildflowers growing near the base.  You kneel down and take a picture of this beautiful serene setting.  Everything in the photo - water, flowers, trees - is well defined.  The camera was set to auto focus.

Imagine the same scene again.  As you snap a second picture, you zoom in on a small patch of wildflowers.  The petals flash vibrant shades of yellow and magenta.  The pistil and stamen of each flower is well defined.  The waterfall and trees in the background are still visible and recognizable, but a bit blurry.  This time, the camera was set to “manual focus.”

Sometimes (more often than I’d like to admit), I think my spiritual eyes are stuck on auto focus.  I see all of my cares and concerns at once, and they all seem so well defined.  I know that the Lord is with me in the midst of it all, but sometimes I have a hard time seeing Him and just don’t know where to begin.

I know from experience though, that when I switch to “manual” and focus on Him, the problems seem to blur into the background, and He provides clarity and direction, one step at a time.

     

One Thousand Gifts

541. His safe arrival in Seattle

542. Pep talks

543. The earnest look in her eyes

544. Clean, clear water from the faucet

545. Her imaginative mind

 546. Seeing (and hearing) a huge flock of geese fly past my bedroom window

547. That they waited so patiently in the long line at the post office

548. Surprise lunch dates

549. Blue herons

550. Watching a white heron glide low over sparkling water

551. When he got his sister a cup of water because she was thirsty

552. When my son walked past me and gave me a couple of pats on the back, just because

553. When they hear a favorite praise song in the car and ask me to "crank it up!"

554. That Parent Orientation night began with prayer and scripture reading

 555. Their first day of school

Five Minute Friday: Graceful

Today’s word made me think of this picture from my daughter’s dance recital this year.

  Strong.  Confident.  Poised.  Beautiful.  Graceful.

                                             …and then there is what I did about 10 days ago.

I have been taking a self-defense class for the past two years.  Normally I am fairly well-spoken and choose my words carefully.  That day in class, I was so focused on the new skill I was trying to learn that I blurted out a question to my instructor, but the words came out sounding more like a demand than a question.  He gave me a quizzical look, and then answered my question.

As soon as the words were out there, I wanted to scoop them back into my mouth and have a “do over.”  It bothered me the rest of the class.  I kept thinking, “Maybe it didn’t sound as demanding as I thought it did.  Maybe he didn’t notice.”  But by the time I left the building and got to my car, it was still bothering me and I felt the need to apologize for being disrespectful.  On my way back into the building, I tripped over the curb.  It wasn’t just a stumble and lurch, it was a full blown face plant in the grass.  It happened so quickly, that I never even had a chance to catch myself.  I rolled with the fall and my purse flipped upside down and the contents went flying.  I was covered in grass, had grass stains on my knees, had a 2x2 inch scrape on my ankle that was bleeding profusely, and blood stains on my uniform.  As I was putting the last of the loose change, mints, and pens back in my purse, my instructor came out and asked if I was okay.  I assured him that I was.  I apologized to him for my words in class, and he graciously said that no apology was needed.  It wasn’t one of my most graceful moments.

This incident reminded me that my Father in heaven is “grace-full.”

When the words come out wrong…
He is full of grace

When we fall flat on our face…
He is full of grace

When we admit we are wrong and seek forgiveness…
He is full of grace

Thankful.

[Note:  I did exceed the time limit on this a little bit, but I wanted to finish my train of thought!]

     

A New Chapter

I've been a mom for 12 years, but today marked a new chapter in my life. 

Today was the first day that I dropped both children off at school.  They are attending a small, private Christian school in the country.  My son attended the school last year and had a wonderful year.  Over the course of the year, we saw his faith strengthen and grow.  They are in a solid, safe, and loving place where they will receive an excellent education, not only in the standard subjects, but in their faith as well.

The morning went smoothly.  They got dressed in the outfits they had selected the night before, ate a nutritious breakfast and even humored me with some "first day of school" pictures on the front porch.  We even left the house at our targeted time (yeah for small victories!).  Once we arrived at the school, my son gave me a quick wave and a "Bye, Mom!" and I helped my daughter get settled in her classroom.

After I left the school, I stopped at the Starbucks in Safeway to get my favorite drink.  I sat there and enjoyed it...for about 20 minutes...which I never do.  I realized that I wasn't ready to go home to an empty house quite yet.  I texted my friend and told her I was feeling a bit strange and unsettled.  She responded immediately and encouraged me to read Psalm 104, which I did. 

After my coffee was mostly gone, I bought some nectarines and a kitchen scrubby (more delay tactics!) and then headed home. 

As I see one chapter closing, and a new one opening today, I'm feeling a little wistful.  I will take my friend's advice and meditate on Psalm 104:33-34.

I will sing to the Lord as long as I live;
I will sing praise to my God while I have my being.
Let my meditation be pleasing to Him;
As for me, I shall be glad in the Lord.

One Thousand Gifts

526.  A new roof

527.  Our new piano teacher

528.  When the kids sat quietly through the meeting

529.  Finding a cute apron on sale

530.  Helping my friend pick out fabric for a project

531.  Getting recipes sorted and organized

532.  Airing out the house

533.  Fresh summer breezes

534.  Finding a Starburst on my laptop (gift from my daughter)

535.  Klondike bars

536.  Skipping down the street with my daughter

537.  Blue moons!

538.  Enjoying dessert with friends

539.  That he values my opinion as a musician

540.  New coats for the children