Confession

I absolutely DESPISE being wrong. I like it even less when the very words I have taught for years become something of which I need to be reminded…by my husband, who loves me enough to speak truth in the most loving way possible and steps out to lead me back to where he knows I actually want to stay. (It’s sweet and precious and I still don’t like it. 😉😂 May God bless him for doing it anyway!)

For the past several weeks now, I have been extremely frustrated by a situation outside of my control. I wasn’t involved until it happened, but it has affected my daily private life in a deep and personal way. I’ve been consumed and yet I have no choice but to push forward and take the lead in “making things right” while those whose fault and responsibility it is remain untouched and uninvolved. It isn’t fair…and that is something that has always pushed my buttons…HARD. I’ve lost hours of sleep over that one thing alone.

All of that is the short story. Here’s the micro-verson: I’ve been really angry and grumpy and whiny in my spirit. Sonetimes that leaked out.

Let me be the first to say, “It hasn’t been pretty.”

Late last week, during a business trip with my husband, God finally made a dent in all of my anger. That wasn’t pretty either. He got my complete attention when He made it clear that I had been spending more of my time laser-focused on all the stuff I was frustrated by in this situation…than I had spent with and on Him.

Oh, Father. It took my breath and it hurt my heart and there was absolutely no wiggle room for denial in any way. Suddenly, although all the things I said above (and all the things I didn’t!) are still true, they no longer held the same weight.

When you understand that God loves you enough to confront you, there is only one possible choice: agree with Him and get over yourself.

Today I am confessing again (!!!) what I have taught for years:

1. I can’t worship and whine at the same time. (You can’t either.)

2. God’s plan may be for our good, but that doesn’t mean we will always feel good about it. The sooner we get on board with that and start asking what He wants us to learn from it, the sooner we can represent Him well.

3. Anything that takes our focus from God is a misplaced priority…and causes us to sin.

4. There’s only one reasonable action in that kind of situation: confession.

5. Confession does no good unless you also make a conscious choice to repent (make a 180° turn) and make the necessary ongoing changes to return to whatever is in clear alignment with God’s will according to His Word. (For me, that has included deliberately singing praise songs when my mind wants to wander back and settle into to the anger and “unfairness” of it all.)

6. Give thanks for God’s confrontation. He loves us enough to desire a level of fellowship that simply isn’t possible when we’re choosing to give other things priority over Him. And,

7. Remember to give thanks for those who love us enough to always point us back to Jesus and say the things we have (hopefully) been saying to help and encourage them, as well.

I’m not sure who else needed to see this today, but…

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9 (NIV)

Grace and Peace, dear friend. Grace and Peace.

On Easter Monday

I’m so grateful that Good Friday and Resurrection Sunday BOTH lead to Easter Monday. It reminds me that beyond the pain and betrayal,

the separation and the darkness,

the questions and the grief…

and, yes, even beyond the wonder and the celebration…

there is Monday.

Monday is the day for picking back up again that which was laid aside, for starting over, for beginning again, THIS time in the knowledge that we can now say, “Thank You!” for our forgiveness instead of, “I hope so. Maybe? What else do I need to do? It’s all on me.” Our world is changed and all things can be made whole again.

Begin anew and celebrate the immeasurable gift of grace.

“Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!“

2 Corinthians 9:15 (CSB)

Grace and Peace!

Blessings while you wait

I’m waiting for my friend Kelley to arrive. Since she isn’t due for a little bit, I decided to run a few errands: seamstress, pharmacy, and utilities. Check, check, and check!

Checking things off my to-do list makes me smile! Those all went so smoothly, I decided to reward myself with a little stoll through the plant section at the local big box store. I didn’t think I had time to do more than that, but…the temptation overcame my planning and I picked out some beautiful and quite lovely-scented petunias. Seeing my slow pace, one of the plant stocker ladies asked if I needed assistance, and when I declined, she mentioned that she had just marked down some pansies at the front.

Well. Who am I to refuse such a gift? I know the pansies are cool weather annuals and I know they won’t stand up long to the heat that’s coming, but they’re pretty “for now” and only $3 each! That means a pretty welcome for my guest, a cheerier view from my kitchen window, plenty of inspiration for a future art project, and all of that for a bargain price.

Earlier today I had to apologize for a bad attitude about several issues I am waiting for God–and people!–to resolve. I hate to wait! What I sometimes forget to do while I wait is look for the beauty, for the blessings, and for the lessons. Perhaps that is why my heavenly Father is making me practice waiting today. Fortunately, He is gracious and so is my husband. They both understood my frustration and helped me look beyond it to the many, many blessings of this day while I am waiting for those answers, His provisions, and my sweet friend.

What blessings can you see while you wait?

Grace and Peace!

Sorry much?

i have at least 1 half-written post in my draft section for this blog about forgiveness. I’ve been considering this topic for quite some time now. As I have been focusing on practicing the character and the ways of Jesus this year, it is a topic that continues to come up in conversations, readings, and prayer.

We ALL know what God has to say about forgiveness. I could list each verse from Scripture below for us to read again…but until we CHOOSE to be obedient, more reading of what we already know won’t be helpful.

I know all of this for a fact because I am working and walking it out in my own life right now…about a situation that happened more years ago than I’d like to say.

You should know that I just erased almost 3 paragraphs from this post. Apparently, God isn’t ready for me to share more about that right now. Fine. I can take a hint…and this is the one he sent me earlier today as I checked my IG account.

Maybe the hint isn’t just for me.

Grace and Peace!–and, oh, yes…forgiveness.

A Lenten Valentine

I looked through my camera roll and was amazed at all of the hearts God has placed around us over the years. Each one special, specific, and intentional to be a reminder of the most important things we forget WAY too often: We were created by God Most High, made for His pleasure, made to bear His image, made to love and be loved.

This year is special. We have the Lenten season, with all of the sacrifice and self-control we try to make the purpose, beginning on the holiday celebrating love. Oh, how we so often miss the mark! That’s actually what the word “sin” means, to miss the mark!–and that’s why Jesus came to become our sacrifice as a love offering so that we can spend this precious life and the eternity to follow with Him.

It may not be as festive as some would like to celebrate both sacrificial love and what passes for it here on earth, but oh, MY! Could there be any better illustration of who we’re called to be and how we’re called to live and love?

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16-17

Grace and Peace–from God and from me.

It’s the small things

You can tell that this one is tiny–less than 3″ tall and wide–and, yes, that is the one lone pecan I “harvested” on the sidewalk after the removal of the giant pecan tree…and the 2 little heart-shaped gingko leaves I found on a sidewalk back in the fall. I obviously hold on to some things longer than I should. I think we all do.

Selah. (That means “pause and think about that for a bit.”😉)

It’s always the small things that end up making the difference. If only we held on to the joys of laughter, relationships, and child-like wonder as tightly as we do the bad attitudes, grudges, and hurt feelings. What a Christmas it could be! Ah, well. Some things we just let lie in place until we no longer realize they aren’t actually serving any good purpose. Some housekeeping seems required all around, I’d say, but I digress! Back to the Nativity scene, which should help bring things back into focus for each of us.

I bought this piece because you can tell it’s older and I liked the look of it even though it is actually plastic. However! I didn’t really look at it closely until recently. What I saw then made me laugh…and then think again.

Here’s the laughter part: at first glance this piece has all the hallmarks of a regular Nativity set. We see the baby Jesus along with Mary, and Joseph. The new parents appear to be in a posture of awe and worship, but if you look at the placement of the Baby Jesus…

Did you see it, too? It looks like Jesus has managed to slide out of the manger and and on to the floor, yet their eyes are still focused on where they think He should be…and not where He actually is.

Annnndddd…that’s what made me think again. We sometimes do the same thing. We look for Jesus where WE think He ought to be and we miss where He actually is. We may look like we’re focused and worshiping, but our hearts and minds are elsewhere. We may say that we’ve forgiven and forgotten, but we still hold part of ourselves in reserve waiting for “them” to mess up again. We may be able to pass the public viewing tests, but the private viewing God still sees may be another matter entirely.

Is there any heart housekeeping that needs to happen today so that we can fully and truly celebrate the Savior this Christmas? Are we focused in the right direction? Have we let Jesus “slide” from His rightful place in our lives? Are there ‘things’ we’re holding onto that do not serve us well and might actually be interfering with our worship this season?

Yes, indeed. Housekeeping might be beneficial all around.

Selah. (Again…and again.) I’ve got work to do. How about you?

Grace and Peace!

Looking for Jesus

I’m way behind in posting today because I’ve been out looking for Jesus…and Mary and Joseph…and a shepherd or two, maybe some wise men (Those are especially hard to find these days!), and perhaps a little bit of livestock. So far, I’ve been pretty successful. SO successful, in fact, that I’m not really sure how many I actually purchased, much less how many I saw! What surprised me was how long it took once I started looking for Him!

I know. I know! Seriously, this is the best time to go looking for Jesus, since He doesn’t hang out in public much the rest of the year, right? Even now, He can be pretty hard to find in some places. You have to look past all of the red trucks and plaid bows, the holly and mistletoe, Santa, a few elves, bright lights, and an abundance of reindeer…and angels. There’s PLENTY of angels out there right now–and there is nothing wrong with ANY of those things,–but make it your mission to find Jesus and you might be surprised at how many places you have to look.

It took me over half a day and about 8 stores to find Him. My husband texted a couple hours ago to ask if I was “having fun.” He knew the mission. What he didn’t know is that I had just taken 2 Tylenol and was exceedingly joyful about heading back to find an icepack.

I thought this would be a much easier task. It IS December and I AM in the South–it’s the Bible belt, people! What happened?!

Every word I have written here is true and although I know it reads as humor, there’s a serious side to this post, too. Is it hard for others to find Jesus where you live, too? Do those around you know they can ask you how to find Him? Could you tell them if they asked? The very idea that the God of the Universe could be hard to find at ANY time just because we don’t keep Him “out front” year-round breaks my heart.

I suspect it breaks His, too.

Christmas is coming. So is Easter, at some point, but the biggest thing–by far–is that Jesus is coming, too, and not just as a baby for Christmas. When He arrives, it may be hard to explain why we’ve made Him harder to find and why some people won’t ever know they can ask us how to do so.

I’m going to think about that as I get all these new-to-me Nativity sets in place this month…and, maybe they’ll need to stay up longer than they usually do this year…as a reminder to help other people find Him all year long.

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. “

Matthew 11:28-29

Grace and Peace–and lots and lots of Jesus!

NCN2022–Day 29

Mercy, but God has had me stirring up in some deep places lately! Yesterday’s post on attitudes and forgiveness stepped into some hearts where pain and anger and long-term frustration have taken up so much of the space God has marked out for joy, peace, and love. I’m pretty sure He knew it was best for us to practice the NO COMPLAIN LIFESTYLE for a bit before He brought all that up for us.

Yes, us.

You see, I don’t know anyone who hasn’t been hurt before and I don’t know anyone–other than Jesus–who’s been able to look beyond the hurt every. single. time. and still desire and pursue a deeply personal relationship with the one(s) who hurt them in the first place. It’s what makes Him divine and what illustrates how far we are from being so.

Forgiveness isn’t easy. It doesn’t wipe away all the damage. It doesn’t mitigate or expunge the wrong. It doesn’t excuse the behavior and it doesn’t gloss over how our resulting emotions have been affected. It also doesn’t negate the need for healthy boundaries…in fact, it emphasizes the need for them.

Forgiveness involves deliberate choice upon deliberate choice walked out over time. Choosing the path of forgiveness involves far more than apologies or actions to “make up” for whatever happened. Sometimes neither of those things are possible, so forgiveness becomes what it is simply through a determined and repeated act of will.

At times, forgiveness may be better reached with the help of qualified mental health or Biblically-based spiritual health counselors, but I’ll go out on a long limb to say that it never really takes root unless you’ve experienced the need for and received the gift of forgiveness personally. That’s because the concept isn’t really a human one. Forgiveness is God-given and God-ordained: beyond our scope without His involvement…and often made more difficult because of our humanity.

God knew that. It’s why He sent us Jesus.

As we draw near the end of No Complain November, I hope we’ve also been drawing closer to the One whose earthly birth makes forgiveness a possibility. If you don’t already know Him, I would love to introduce you. He’s not hard to find and He already loves you.

As with forgiveness, the NO COMPLAIN LIFESTYLE is a conscious choice and it goes WAY beyind watching what we say for a whole month. It doesn’t mean we fail to recognize when things go off the rails or acknowledge the need for change. It means we go beyond the problem statements and seek solutions. We refuse to allow what is wrong to keep us captive and step forward into making things work productively wherever we find ourselves. Bringing others along with us and incorporating their gifts and perspectives can be challenging, but it is also far more rewarding than battling upstream alone.

In short, it’s a brave new world. Let’s go make a difference! Become a person of influence–for forgiveness and for necessary improvements–right where you live.

Grace and Peace–and NO Complaints!

NCN2022–Day 28

Well. I wrote it and then forgot topost it! Better late than never!

Happy Monday! It’s Day 28 and we’re in the home stretch of the NO COMPLAIN NOVEMBER challenge! We’ve covered quite a bit of ground this time, learning about how we see what we’re focused on, finding ways to recalibrate, learning to pay attention to how our words affect our mental health, setting boundaries, and so much more. THANK YOU for becoming people of influence for good where you live! Our individual efforts are truly necessary to make a difference in the world at large.

Today, I want to focus on our attitudes as we move forward. This is not the time to stop or even slow down; this is actually an ongoing challenge to improve our whole lives.

I make a point to watch and read content that expresses viewpoints that vary from my own. Doing so has helped me see “the other side” of many opinions and helped either stretch my understanding or strengthen my arguments in several areas. Many people find it easier to go along to get along and, as a result, they may never challenge or see past what they’ve been deliberately taught or have inadvertently caught through their interactions of a lifetime. Even if you end up in agreement with where you started, wouldn’t you rather know you can claim the viewpoint for your own?

One of the most difficult areas to do this is in areas that might require us to extend forgiveness to people who have hurt us or made life more difficult than it should have been. Sometimes those people may no longer be a part of our lives and, sometimes, they’re around far more often than we can appreciate. Scripture urges us to make peace whenever possible. Romans 12:18 (CSB) says it this way, “If possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.“

While we can’t make decisions for the other parties, we are still in control of our attitudes. I always like to include the following because I still believe Rev. Chuck Swindoll said it best:

“ATTITUDE”

by

Charles Swindoll

“The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life.  Attitude, to me, is more important than facts.  It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think, say or do.  It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill.  It will make or break a company… a church… a home.  The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we embrace for that day.  We cannot change our past… we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way.  We cannot change the inevitable.  The only thing we can do is play the one string we have, and that is our attitude… I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it.

And so it is with you… we are in charge of our Attitudes.”

Never allow someone else’s poor choices toward you keep you in bondage and repeating their mistakes as your own. Forgiven people forgive. We have no other recourse if we are to follow Christ…and, incidentally, choosing to forgive means we have fewer “reasons” to complain. See how that works!! (grin)

Grace and Peace–and NO Complaints!

NCN2022–Days 4-6

Welcome to Friday and our first weekend of NCN2022, fellow travelers! Earlier this week, my dear friend Kelley posted a cheerful reminder from littlesunnydoodles. I immediately grabbed a quick screenshot knowing it was PERFECT for this weekend!

I’ve already heard several of you–including some who have done this challenge multiple times–say that you have already “failed” at this one. I promise you that isn’t possible…unless you just flat-out quit. Anytime and EVERY time you think you might have failed, just take a deep breath and start over! (That’s great advice for more than NCN, btw!!)

Think of NCN as a fun way to

*build perseverance and coping skills!

* CHOOSE a better attitude!

*build a better team!

*create a kinder and more creative work environment!

*teach your family the value of self-control, grace, and forgiveness!

*become a person of influence!

*honor God!

There are SO many benefits to participating in this challenge! Take the weekend to keep practicing, do something fun, and recruit a few more accountability partners! I’ll see you back here on Monday!

Grace and Peace–and NO Complaints!