Month: March 2025

pitfalls and potholes

Posted on by Grace Day

Currently my life is full of both – pitfalls and potholes. Both are plentiful and both are unavoidable. Both make navigating the road ahead of me difficult if not downright dangerous on a daily basis. Of course, this is the season for potholes in my city. The winter’s deep freeze is past, the spring thaw has arrived, the snow has vanished leaving behind the “big reveal” of roads now decorated with multitudes of potholes. It is definitely “driver beware” every time I get behind the wheel of my car these days.

Although I’m sure there are potholes all over the city, one of the worst stretches that I am aware of is on the road right outside my neighborhood. In order to get anywhere, this is the road I must travel, (usually multiple times a day) whether going right or left, in order to drive to work, church, grocery – basically anywhere I need to go, I must first pass through the pothole ridden road that leads to all things.

Navigating my pothole ridden road multiple times a day has become (and continues to be) a significant challenge which I am forced to incorporate into my daily routine. Practice does not seem to be making perfect, however. No matter how many times I travel this road daily, I still have yet to avoid all the potholes successfully. Some of them “get” me every time.

There are several reasons for this besides my lack of driving expertise. First of all, the potholes are multiplying on a daily basis. I must constantly adjust my game plan to avoid the known potholes and to incorporate the surprise new potholes into my updated driving strategy. It’s exhausting! Every day the obstacle course, that is the road, changes, always adding obstacles (potholes), never deleting – always becoming more challenging, never easier.

Potholes are a lot like life’s many pitfalls. Some are deeper than others, making them more dangerous and potentially more damaging to my car. Some potholes seem to grow deeper and wider by the day. Some potholes take me completely by surprise, perhaps because I took my eyes off the road to look at surrounding traffic for a moment or because I was going too fast to adjust to the unexpected pothole at the last minute. Some potholes are simply unavoidable, as are many of life’s pitfalls. The potholes are in my path and unless I move over into the lane for oncoming traffic, (also dangerous) I am forced to drive over the potholes or on the side of the road, which is also full of potholes.

By now, I have noticed that other drivers do go into the other lane if there is no oncoming traffic at the moment, which gives me the courage to follow suite and do the same. Otherwise, if this is not an option, traffic pretty much comes to a standstill in a few spots as cars attempt to navigate the numerous clustered potholes without blowing a tire or damaging their vehicle. It is an impossible obstacle course to navigate. I cannot keep all four of my tires pothole free simultaneously and still move forward. Like traversing a mine field, I hold my breath and proceed with caution.

Potholes on the roads I travel seem an apt metaphor for the pitfalls I encounter on my life’s journey. They are often deep, dangerous, unexpected and unavoidable. And they are more difficult to deal with in the dark. I can attempt to avoid the potholes on my street in the daylight because I can see them coming and make a plan. But in the dark, I am defenseless because I don’t see the potholes until it is too late to avoid them.

Light is essential in dealing with both potholes and life’s pitfalls. Therefore, one of my survival strategies is traveling in the light. But this is not always possible, because at some point each day, the sun will set and it will be dark. However, in my life’s journey I never have to travel in the dark, nor alone for that matter. Jesus said –

“I am the light of the world. Whoever follows Me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” (John 8:12)

God’s light will certainly help me to avoid many pitfalls and potholes in this life. Light enables me to see them clearly and to go around them rather than falling into them. The psalmist said this about navigating the pitfalls and the potholes that I encounter every day.

“Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.” (Psalm119:105)

I have God’s Living Word to show me the way safely around and through all life’s pitfalls and potholes, of which there is definitely no shortage! I wish my journey was easier, my road smoother. I find myself wondering why my street hasn’t been repaired yet. Why haven’t all these potholes been filled, making the street safer for us all? Miraculously, my Heavenly Father does do that for me and for you, too, dear readers. He’s been in the building better roads business for centuries. Consider what He says in Isaiah –

“This is what the Lord says to His anointed, . . . I will go before you and will level the mountains; I will break down gates of bronze and cut through bars of iron.” (Isaiah 45:1-2)

Pretty dramatic – I’d be happy just to have the potholes filled. But there’s more –

“I will lead the blind by ways they have not known, along unfamiliar paths I will guide them; I will turn the darkness into light before them and make the rough places smooth. These are the things I will do; I will not forsake them.” (Isaiah 42:16)

How comforting! How reassuring! Just what I long for – His presence with me, His light guiding me and the rough places now smooth! My Heavenly Father is with me, rescuing me daily from the pitfalls and the potholes that are a part of my daily life, an inescapable part of this life. BUT – He is also busy preparing something better – I just need to hang on!

“Comfort, comfort My people, says your God. . . . Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low; the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain. And the glory of the Lord will be revealed, and all mankind together will see it. For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.” (Isaiah 40:1 & 4-5)

no more pitfalls, no more potholes

sincerely, Grace Day

spring break

Posted on by Grace Day

Do those words (spring break) make you think of sunny beaches, warm sand and ocean vistas? Maybe fun, frivolity and time with friends come to mind when spring break is mentioned. After all, spring break is something to look forward to, right? This week I have been on my spring break from school. Jealous? Want to know what words most accurately describe my spring break? Ok, here they are – taxes, mammograms and a summons to jury duty. Now some call a jury duty notice an invitation, but an invitation can be declined. You decline a jury summons – they call that “contempt of court.”

As my fun filled spring break is coming to an end, knowing what you now know, you might not be surprised if I said I was looking forward to returning to school. Today, while reflecting on my fun filled spring break week, these words came to mind –

“give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” (1 Thessalonians 5:18)

Ok, I can do that. I want to do that. And I will do just that. I am thankful to have a job which allows me to make money, even if I then have to pay taxes from that money. I am thankful to live in a free country, so I will gladly obey Jesus’s instructions on this matter, which are –

“Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” (Mark 12:17)

I’ve been doing a lot of grumbling about “rendering unto Caesar” this week but reading anything from “Voice of the Martyrs” puts everything into proper perspective. I don’t want to ever forget how fortunate I am to live here. I will give thanks.

And I am thankful for the access to good healthcare that I have. I am thankful for all the hard working, highly trained medical professionals who work in all the different fields of medicine providing care to me and to you, dear readers, and to countless others. Instead of complaining about a mammogram, I will be grateful for preventative healthcare, including mammograms. I will “give thanks in all circumstances.”

I will give thanks for the privilege of living in a free country, a country with laws and courts and due process protections for everyone when accused of a crime. A jury made up of private citizens is a part of that lawful process of prosecution for wrongdoing and of protection of the wrongfully accused. I will be grateful for the opportunity to serve on a jury rather than see it as an inconvenience or as a punishment. Jury duty is a small price to pay for the luxury of living in a free society. I will give thanks for jury duty. I will “give thanks in all circumstances.”

So my spring break hasn’t exactly been a day at the beach. BUT – it did include a walk in the wild with a friend and other such friend meet ups. And giving thanks in all circumstances certainly does change my perspective about my supposed hardships this week. The simple act of telling God “thank You” increases my gratitude to Him exponentially. And it makes me realize once again –

“Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.” (James 1:17)

Being able to work and earn money is a gift, (even with taxes), having healthcare is a gift, being chosen (summoned) to participate in our system of justice is a gift. (even having a system of justice is a gift) So, today I will give thanks to God, I will be grateful, I will be glad and I will rejoice. And if anyone asks about my spring break, I will tell them it was really something, something to be thankful for! That is sure to leave them wondering where in the world I went or what in the world I did this week! (no need to mention that it consisted of taxes, mammograms and a jury duty summons)

thank You, Heavenly Father, for a wonderful spring break!

“Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His love endures forever. . . . Let them give thanks to the Lord for His unfailing love and His wonderful deeds for men. Let them sacrifice thank offerings and tell of His works with songs of joy.” (Psalm 107:1 & 21-22)

sincerely, Grace Day

just for today

Posted on by Grace Day

“This is the day the Lord has made; let us (me) rejoice and be glad in it.” (Psalm 118:24)

Yes, let me rejoice and be glad today! NOW! Not yesterday, not tomorrow – today!

Yes, I know it’s Monday, Lord – BUT – You made Mondays, just like You make all the days – in fact, You have already made “all the days ordained for me, written in Your book, before even one of them came to be.” (Psalm 139:16)

so just for today, I will give You thanks – no requests, no demands, no complaints, no whining, no criticizing, no doubting, no questioning, no striving, no plotting, no planning – today, just gratitude to You, Lord, because –

“Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.” (James 1:17)

You give only good gifts – so today I will –

“Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His love endures forever.” (Psalm 106:1)

today I will –

“Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise; give thanks to Him and praise His name. For the Lord is good and His love endures forever; His faithfulness continues through all generations.” (Psalm 100:4-5)

just for today – I will put aside worry – after all, Jesus told His disciples –

“Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? . . . Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” (Matthew 6:27 & 34)

just for today – I will rest in Your green pastures, Heavenly Father and I will thank You for the peace and provision of the still waters that You lead me beside – I will not ask You, Heavenly Father, for more or for something different or for anything at all –

instead, I will thank You for Your mercies (new every morning) and for Your love and Your constant watchcare over me and Your faithfulness to me even when I am unfaithful. I will thank You for forgiving me of my sin and for dying in my place. I will thank You that You have loved me with an everlasting love that rescues me from sin and death. I will thank You for the beauty of Your creation that surrounds me. I will thank You for the promise of Your Presence never leaving nor forsaking me – Your Presence protecting, providing and guiding me today and every day.

today I will rejoice, I will pray and I will tell God thank You – just because – because God instructs me to do this in His Word –

“Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18)

so not just for today – I am to give thanks to my Heavenly Father in all circumstances – not only the green pastures and still waters days. Being a Monday (or any day really) this could very well be for me a desert crossing day, a mountain moving or a mountain climbing day, a valley of the shadow of death day, a fiery furnace day, a high waters day, a deep chasm day, a dark pit day, a surrounded by my enemies day, a lost my way again day – BUT –

no matter what my circumstance is today – just for today, I will choose to give all my gratitude and all my praise to my Redeemer – believing soon “just for today” becomes every day – because every day is –

“. . . the day the Lord has made;” every day is – a day for me to “rejoice and be glad in it.” today, I will –

“Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good. For His lovingkindness is everlasting. Give thanks to the God of gods. For His lovingkindness is everlasting. Give thanks to the Lord of lords: For His lovingkindness is everlasting.” (Psalm 136:1-3)

today, I will join with all of creation in rejoicing, in being glad and in giving God praise –

“Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad; let them say among the nations, ‘The Lord reigns!’ Let the sea resound, and all that is in it; let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them! Then the trees of the forest will sing, they will sing for joy before the Lord, for He comes to judge the earth. Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His love endures forever.” (1 Chronicles 16:31-34)

just for today – I will give God thanks, I will rejoice in Him, I will rest in His Presence.

sincerely, Grace Day

open arms

Posted on by Grace Day

You can’t go home again – statement of fact or the title of a 1940 novel by Thomas Wolfe? Both, perhaps? While those words are the title of a novel by Wolfe, they aren’t necessarily always true in all situations. Sometimes you can go home again. Consider the situation of the prodigal son. He collected his inheritance and left home for good. Or so he thought. He never intended to return home, BUT – when his situation changed, he changed his mind and decided to return home. What happened? How was he received? The following words tell us everything we need to know.

“But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.” (Luke 15:20)

Sound familiar? This story of the prodigal son’s return is universal. It gives hope to those of us who feel there is no going back, no way to return because we have burned the bridges that once connected us to those we love. BUT – this parable from God’s word tells us something different. Just as the father welcomed the return of his son with open arms, so, too, will my Heavenly Father welcome me back with open arms.

And there’s more. The father of the prodigal didn’t wait for his son to fully arrive, but when he saw his son “still a long way off”, the father ran out to meet him with open arms. He did not wait for his son to travel the remaining distance between them alone. Instead, the son was able to travel the remaining distance of his long journey in the company of his father – the father he had run away from so long ago.

This son, who had turned his back on his father and on his family, was not only allowed to return home, he was welcomed back home with open arms. This returning son was embraced and he was celebrated. In fact, his father threw a huge welcome home party to commemorate his son’s return. Here’s what happened –

“The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate.” (Luke 15:21-24)

I guess you can go home again! That’s really good news for those of us who fear we have wandered too far from God, so far that we believe we cannot go home again. But God’s word says otherwise to us. Jesus taught this parable of the prodigal son’s return and the subsequent restoration of his relationship with his father to illustrate what is possible for me and for you, dear readers.

The story of the prodigal son gives each one of us hope. We can know that our Heavenly Father eagerly awaits our return each time we choose to leave like the dissatisfied son did or each time we find we have wandered farther than we ever meant to go. I may have lost my way BUT – I can find my way home again! I can go home again! And when I do, I will find my Heavenly Father running towards me with His arms wide open. I know this because I can count on the truth of these words –

“Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you; He rises to show you compassion.” (Isaiah 30:18)

I can know that my heavenly Father will meet me with open arms, welcoming me back into fellowship with Him, forgiving me and giving me right standing with Him once again. To that end, I find these words especially reassuring –

” ‘Come now, let us reason together,’ says the Lord. ‘Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool. If you are willing and obedient, you will eat the best from the land; but if you resist and rebel, you will be devoured by the sword.’ For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.” (Isaiah 1:18-20)

I will receive a warm welcome when I return home to my Heavenly Father. So will you, dear readers. All of us prodigals will be welcomed with open arms and a party will be thrown for each one of us – just like the party the father in the parable gave to welcome his son back home. God will throw a party for me. He will throw a party for you, too. It will be a no holes barred, all out celebration of joy and rejoicing. God’s word says so.

“I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent. . . . In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” (Luke 15:7 & 10)

Has your life, like mine when apart from my Heavenly Father, become like the prodigal son’s life – a life full of disillusionment, disaster and despair?

“After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything. When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired men have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired men.’ So he got up and went to his father.” (Luke 15:14-20)

We know what happened next – his father welcomed him back with open arms. Perhaps it’s time to believe the truth and return home to God’s open arms and warm welcome. Why would I continue living apart from my Heavenly Father when He is watching and waiting for my return and has a party already planned to welcome me home. God’s arms are open. I can go home again!

“There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.” (Romans 8:1-2)

sincerely, Grace Day

the least of these – made in His image

Posted on by Grace Day

The unexpected quiet took me by surprise. Her outbursts were loud and continuous, complete with flailing arms and violently jerking body movements. Good thing she was securely strapped into the seat of this three wheeled device that she was pedaling while I pushed and steered from behind. I don’t know the name of this contraption, but it is used with a few of the special needs students in the high school where I work. Today I was pushing one such student around the empty gym on this “bike” in hopes that she would find the repetitive motion of pedaling soothing and that the act of moving forward at a slow and steady pace would calm her mind and her spirit.

I had pretty much abandoned the idea that this was going to happen, but I continued our laps around the perimeter of the gym anyway. I was singing quietly, more to sooth myself than my student and then I found myself praying over her, praying for her. Eventually it was quiet. I realized that she was finally peaceful, silently enjoying the monotony of the motion as we continued at our own pace around the gym. At this point, I dared not stop.

I decided to keep going as long as I could, as long as it was bringing her much needed relief from whatever was torturing her soul. (her guttural screams sounded like a prisoner being tortured – a prisoner longing to be set free) Which I have to say, I understand completely. I, too, am a prisoner desiring freedom. Aren’t you? Aren’t we all? These words found in Romans explain my situation clearly –

“The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God. We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved.” (Romans 8:19-24)

You and I are a part of God’s creation. So it’s no wonder that we too are groaning, wanting to be released from our bondage to decay and death, longing to be set free when God redeems and transforms our bodies. We have this promise in Philippians –

“But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables Him to bring everything under His control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like His glorious body.” (Philippians 3:20-21)

Something to look forward to – complete healing of body, mind and spirit. As I pushed this precious girl around the gym, the peaceful silence a much more welcome companion than her angry screams had been, I thought about the transformation in store for her and in store for each one of us. It will be dramatic. Just how dramatic is described with these words in 1 John –

“Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when He appears, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.” (1 John 3:2)

What a transformation awaits us! As she and I continued walking/pedaling in a silence now filled with peace and prayer, I continued praying for her and the other special needs students I have the privilege to serve at this school. Some are non-verbal or very limited in their ability to use language to communicate their needs and their feelings. Others have physical limitations, one is in a wheelchair, two use walkers. They each have limitations on their mental abilities, some more severe than others. These limits or deficits impact how much the students are able to understand and what information and skills they are able to learn.

Society today does not place a high priority nor a high value on our students or on people who, like our students, are physically and mentally handicapped. They are too often overlooked, undervalued and even discarded or dismissed by those around them. BUT – each person is of infinite value to our Creator, irrespective of their IQ or their physical abilities or lack of physical abilities, because they are created in His image. As I continued to push my now calm, pedaling student, these words of Jesus echoed in my mind –

“I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of Mine, you did for Me.” (Matthew 25:40)

Our special needs students may be considered “the least of these” at school and in the culture at large. However, each one of them is “fearfully and wonderfully made” in God’s image, even though in this imperfect world, God’s perfect design is often marred. But when Christ returns, He will set all things right and that includes us! It will happen in the “twinkling of an eye.”

“Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed – in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.” (1 Corinthians 15:51-52)

Changed! All these bodies healed! All these minds fully restored! All these spirits finally set free! At last, these students will be fully all that they were created to be all along in Christ! What joy that will be! These prisoners, held captive by the limitations of their bodies and their minds, will be set free. What they will be “has not yet been made known . . . but they shall be like Him when He appears, for they shall see Him as He is.” (1 John 3:2)

Jesus came for the least of these, those made in His image. (that includes you and me, dear readers) We know our Creator cares for each and every one of us, including the least of these.

“The Lord is good to all; He has compassion on all He has made.” (Psalm 145:9)

That “twinkling of an eye” moment is going to be spectacular – all of us set free and transformed “to be like His glorious body.” I am able to see the unique personalities of each of our students now. Their special identities shine through even the most profound of their disabilities. Still, I can’t help but wonder what they will be like when they are fully healed, redeemed and restored. Until then, I will continue to serve the least of these in Christ’s name. It is a special privilege.

sincerely, Grace Day