I went to the front lines yesterday – the front lines of the battlefield, that is. I don’t recall being drafted. Then I remember that I enlisted and furthermore that I volunteered to go into battle on the front lines. And so it was that I found myself valiantly engaging the enemy along with other brothers and sisters who had shown up to do battle with the enemy just as I had. I was glad not to have to face the enemy alone. I was strengthened and encouraged simply by their presence. The presence of so many fighting beside me gave me hope that the battle could and would in time be won.

But at present the enemy seems to be gaining ground – so we gathered together to defend what we hold dear and to defeat the enemy who has taken so much from us. We wore no uniforms, we bore no combat gear, we brandished no weapons. We were to all appearances a peaceful gathering, come to fight for peace by praise, prayer and petition. Given that the phrase “fighting for peace” is a glaring oxymoron, we have determined to do battle in a daringly different way, with divine weapons and unconventional tactics.

Our instructions for battle are definitely not what one would expect, if our goal is to defeat our enemy. Here’s a sample of our marching orders –

“Do not repay evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: ‘It is mine to avenge; I will repay,’ says the Lord. On the contrary: ‘If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.’ ” (Romans 12:17-20)

The instruction to “live at peace with everyone” seems particularly relevant today as crime and violence continue to increase in our cities and our suburbs, resulting in many lives being lost while the battle continues all around us. But our Commander in Chief gives us this command –

“Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” (Romans 12:21)

So that’s the battle plan? Do good? Do only what is right? Definitely countercultural. Maybe our behavior will confuse and confound the enemy, giving us the upper hand. Maybe it will convert our enemy, turning our foes into our friends. Now that’s a revolutionary battle plan!

There’s something else that’s essential in battle and that is – correctly identifying the enemy. We don’t want to be aiming at the wrong target. But when we are under attack, in the heat of battle, fighting in the furnace for our very lives – sometimes our vision and our minds become clouded and we forget who our enemy actually is. This is a deadly mistake. Fortunately, our Commander in Chief tells us the truth about our situation – who we are fighting and how we are to engage in the fight. We are told concerning our enemy –

“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”

Knowing this changes how we do battle. What should be our plan? How do we suit up for battle? We have been given clear instructions –

“Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.”

Well, the “day of evil” is definitely at our doorstep, so the time is now! It is time to –

“Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.” (Ephesians 6:12-18)

So our battle plan is to put on God’s full armor, take up the sword of the Spirit and to pray? Yes, that’s it! And that’s exactly what I was doing yesterday with so many others whom I had never met before – we gathered to pray for peace. Interesting that our instructions above include the charge that we are to be bearers of “the gospel of peace.” And our battle plan, our action plan is to pray. Not to talk about prayer, not to strategize about praying – but to actually pray! And pray we did. We cried out to God. We worshiped Him, we praised Him, we petitioned Him with thanksgiving. We repented, we humbled ourselves, we invited His presence into our lives, into the life of our communities and into the life of our country.

Our only weapons were our swords – the sword of the Spirit, which is God’s Word.

“For the Word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” (Hebrews 4:12)

We came together in peace to pray for peace, to fight for peace by doing battle with the enemy of our souls. We came from all over, from different churches all over the city, we came together to petition God together for the peace of our city and for the lives of our children. We came together in unity believing God hears our cries.

“The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them; He delivers them from all their troubles.” (Psalm 34:17)

“The Lord hears the needy and does not despise His captive people.” (Psalm 69:33)

The battle continues, necessitating that I and others stay engaged on the front lines – which means continuing in prayer and holding fast to the living Word of God. We have our orders –

“Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God – this is your spiritual act of worship.” (Romans 12:1)

prayer is the frontline of the eternal battlefield – to this we are called

“if My people, who are called by My name, will humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” (2 Chronicles 7:14)

sincerely, Grace Day

that’s what it said on the side of the huge truck parked in the road next to some construction going on in the neighborhood – “Ground Breakers” in big, bold letters. Kind of hard to miss, so of course it got my attention and captured my thoughts. So many things today are not aptly named, but I have to say, “Ground Breakers” is perfectly named because that is exactly what they do – they break up the ground. They break up the ground with their big machinery so that the workmen (workpeople?) can come in and do whatever it is they need to do once they have access to what is beneath the broken ground.

But it is the breaking that always comes first. Ironically, the reason the workers are breaking up the ground, whether it be the concrete of the road or sidewalk, or the dirt of the yards, is so that they can fix something that lies buried underneath. This could be sewer lines, power lines, gas lines, water lines, cable/phone lines etc. But unless the ground is broken, those things that are in need of repair cannot be fixed. Reminds me of certain situations in which doctors have to break a bone in order to reset it correctly. The bone has to be broken before it can be healed and restored to its originally intended state.

Why did this “Ground Breakers” logo resonate so deeply with me this morning as I walked past it? Could it be because of the conversation I had with friends just last night as we studied the parable of the four soils? I think so. Turns out, the only way the seed can get down into the soil so that it can take root and grow is if the soil has been plowed or broken up ahead of time. (any farmer knows this of course) Plowing, aka ground breaking, may be a painful and a painstaking process, but it is a necessary prerequisite to bringing forth life from previously dead ground.

How about bringing to life a dead heart? or a hard heart? In the parable, Jesus compares our human hearts to soil, and God’s Word is the seed sown in the soil of our hearts. However, if our hearts are hard or stony, the seed of God’s living word won’t be able to take root and to grow. Must be why in Ezekiel God says,

“I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.” (Ezekiel 36:26)

God wants to fix our hearts to enable us to receive His Word, Himself, all the good gifts He wants to give us, including the gift of His Holy Spirit abiding in our hearts – BUT – in order for God to “fix” us, to heal us, to bring life to our formerly dead hearts – God first has to break our hearts so He has access, just like the ground breakers first have to break the ground open so the workers can get to where the problem lies. Heartbreaking, like ground breaking, is hard work, but it is necessary work to prepare the way for the life giving, life changing seeds which are “every word that comes from the mouth of God”, to take root and grow.

Today, seeing the “Ground Breakers” logo, I realized my need to be broken hearted before I can be wholehearted personally. I have God’s promise that His words will do their work in me if I have allowed Him to remove the stones from my hard heart, leaving my heart broken and wide open to receive God’s word, which will enter in through all the broken places in my heart, filling me with God’s healing mercy, bringing back to life my formerly frozen, hard heart.

“so is My word that goes out from My mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.” (Isaiah 55:11)

So encouraging! God’s word does all the work. All I have to do is to receive His word and let it take up residence so to speak, in my heart, where it will then have a chance to take root, to grow, and to eventually produce fruit. However, in order for all this to happen, my hard heart must be broken first, before it can be healed. Seems backwards, I know. But that’s the way it works. To this end, I ask of my Heavenly Father today, what King David asked of Him so long ago –

“Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” (Psalm 139:23-24)

“Search, know, test, and essentially find any bad things hidden in me” – that’s what David is asking God to do. Search, know, test, look around my heart – seems like an open invitation from David to God for God to come in and break the ground/soil of David’s heart wide open so God can do some repair and restorative work once David’s heart is broken, exposing what needs to be fixed or healed. And then King David invites God to do something more. After his heart has been prepared by the plowing of his heart’s soil, David asks of God this –

“Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. . . . Restore to me the joy of Your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.” (Psalm 51:10 & 12)

these are my prayers today too – I really don’t want the pain of the ground breaking of my heart – but that pain is necessary because it opens the door and makes possible the healing and restoration of a heart that lies broken and exposed – waiting for the Redeemer to come in and rehab this heart to make it into a place suitable for His abiding presence – because that is what my broken heart has now become – His dwelling place – because He makes His home with me. (and with you too, dear readers and with any who are broken enough to let Him enter)

“For this is what the high and lofty One says – He who lives forever, whose name is holy: ‘I live in a high and holy place, but also with him who is contrite and lowly in spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly and to revive the heart of the contrite.’ ” (Isaiah 57:15)

sincerely, Grace Day

Lucy left quite a legacy when she departed this earth for heaven. She left a legacy that will last for years to come. Lucy left a legacy of love – the truest, most enduring kind of love – a love that is lived out in actions of great courage and sacrifice – a love lived out in thought, word and deed. Each of us would like to think we are leaving some kind of a legacy behind when we die. None of us will be witness to whatever our legacy might be. But I am here to bear witness to Lucy’s legacy, if only secondhand. But even secondhand, Lucy’s story is a powerful legacy of hope, courage, inspiration, sacrifice and abiding love.

I am deeply moved by Lucy’s story, even though I never had the privilege of meeting her in person. This isn’t surprising though, when I tell you that Lucy’s life on this earth was barely more than fourteen fleeting hours long. Not even one full day.

“All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.” (Psalm 139:16)

Lucy went straight from the arms of her earthly parents into the waiting arms of her Heavenly Father. Who’s to say that’s not a life well lived?

Lucy was chosen. Lucy was cherished. Lucy is a child of God. Would that each one of us could know that we are as chosen, cherished and loved as Lucy was and is. Lucy was definitely chosen. You see, Lucy was a snowflake, a frozen embryo, adopted, chosen by her mom and dad. From the time she was implanted into her mother’s womb, Lucy was deeply desired and deeply loved. Nothing would change that, nothing. Not even a diagnosis of Trisomy 18 approximately twelve weeks into the pregnancy.

With this diagnosis, comes the possibility of miscarriage, stillbirth or a very short life expectancy for the child if born alive. A scan revealed Lucy also had an undeveloped brain, a heart defect and a hole in her skull, among other things. Knowing all this did not change Lucy’s parents’ love for her any more than God’s knowing all our imperfections and shortcomings changes our Heavenly Father’s, our Creator’s, love for each and every one of us. Lucy’s parents didn’t stop loving her when they found out she wasn’t perfect. In the same way, God knows we are not perfect, but He doesn’t abandon us – He loves us completely and perfectly just as we are.

“I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with loving-kindness.” (Jeremiah 31:3)

“Since you are precious and honored in My sight, and because I love you, I will give men in exchange for you, and people in exchange for your life.” (Isaiah 43:4)

With the aide of modern technology, Lucy’s parents were able to see her in the womb as she lived and grew inside of her mom. Because of Lucy’s diagnosis, they had these scans frequently to monitor how she was doing and to keep track of her progress. As a loving parent, our Heavenly Father does the same for each one of us.

“For You created my inmost being; You knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise You because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from You when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, Your eyes saw my unformed body.” (Psalm 139:13-16)

God sees us as we are and loves us. Lucy’s parents saw her frame in “the secret place” and they loved her with an unconditional, lasting love. This love for Lucy and their belief in her eternal value to God, as her Creator, led Lucy’s parents to protect her and care for her by carrying her to term, knowing Lucy’s life outside the womb would not be long, if indeed God granted it at all. But Lucy’s parents walked by faith, in obedience, requiring great courage and sacrifice on their part, in order to give Lucy life, and to give her life the value and dignity each one of us desires and deserves as a child of God.

They succeeded. Lucy was well loved. She was born into a family of a mom and dad, a big brother, grandparents, uncles, aunts, great uncles and aunts and a medical community of individuals who had also prayed over Lucy, protected her and helped her live long enough to leave the womb and meet the family who loved her so deeply that they did everything in their power to protect her and to give her life, such as it was to be. They did their part, the rest was in God’s hands.

God granted them time with Lucy, before He took her home to restore her fully, with that new and glorious body promised to each one of us one day. Their grief is now great in Lucy’s absence. It is a grief as deep as their love for Lucy. It can be no other way. To love deeply, is to grieve deeply. The world may not understand this, because the world tends to measure worth by length of life, by wealth accumulated or by accomplishments and awards. But our infinite value is given to us by the One who created us and knew us in our mothers’ wombs. Lucy is of infinite worth and value to her parents, just as she is to God, who knows her by name and numbered her days. Her parents were privileged to be a part of God’s good plans for Lucy’s life. They made sure that every moment of Lucy’s short life, she was treasured and loved. Lucy was never alone. She never knew life’s heartaches and disappointments, only God’s love shown to her through the love of her earthly family.

If only every child in the womb were given such courageous, sacrificial love and protection! I never met Lucy, but I am a friend of her grandmother. And I read the blog of her parents, where they shared their life with Lucy while she was in the womb, cherishing those days with her, not knowing what the future would hold for their family. Truly courageous to intentionally endure heartache in order to protect the life of your child and to give your child’s life value, dignity, meaning and eternity.

Lucy’s life was short by earthly standards, but her legacy will be long. The ripple effect of Lucy’s legacy has already begun. I am privileged to be one of those ripples in sharing her story.

“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)

Lucy already has her new and glorious body! She has been set free from the pain and suffering of Trisomy 18. Lucy was a gift to her family for her “number of days” and now she leaves them the gifts her presence brought – the lessons of her legacy – a legacy of hope, courage, sacrifice, inspiration and abiding love.

sincerely, Grace Day

the gift has been given, the table is set

invitations are issued, let none have regret.

my price has been paid, my admission secured –

I won’t be denied, I have the Host’s word.

though I’ve wandered long, falling far from grace

His Word is true – I still have a place

set for me at His table – a sacred space

waiting for me when I finish this race.

still, my response is delayed, I have nothing to wear

seems such a silly reason to give up my chair

at the table of the wedding supper of the Lamb,

poor, blind, rebellious, orphaned beggar that I am.

a great banquet, like the father of the prodigal prepared to celebrate

the return of his long lost son, there is hope, it is not too late

for me to RSVP, the invitation’s in my hand

sealed with His blood – this offer will stand.

why do I not reply? what reason for delay?

my deepest fears fight within, will they have the final say?

surely a sinner such as I, have no place at the Lord’s table,

but the gift has been given, mine to accept while I am able.

” ‘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.’ ” (Isaiah 1:18)

“I delight greatly in the Lord; my soul rejoices in my God. For He has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.” (Isaiah 61:10)

“You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.” (Psalm 23:5)

the gift has been given, the banquet table is prepared

there’s a place with my name on it, no expense has been spared.

the thief on the cross at my left, the woman at the well on my right,

I feel right at home, I know they understand my plight.

the woman caught in adultery and Rahab are sitting close by me,

each one of us clutching blood stained invitations, glad we chose to RSVP!

my righteousness was filthy rags, but You clothed me with Your’s instead,

You prepared a place for me at Your everlasting table, with the oil of life You anointed my head!

“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)

“Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” (Psalm 23:6)

I have a place waiting for me at the table. You do too, dear readers! Invitations have been issued – time to RSVP!

sincerely, Grace Day

Actually, there are multiple empty spaces I am noticing today, all of which point to the largest and most poignant empty space. That once filled, now unfilled empty space is the reason for all the other empty spaces I now encounter in almost every room of my home. You see, I just laid to rest my furry friend of sixteen years, my cat, Chai.

I walked into my kitchen this morning and couldn’t help but notice the empty space usually occupied by her water bowl and two food bowls. (she was picky, one bowl for the canned food, one for the dry food) The window seat in the front room is now minus the special, rather large pillow that was her’s alone for sunbathing and birdwatching from her favorite window. It was a very old pillow, past its prime, like Chai, but it was her favorite, so I kept it because she had it all broken in just the way she liked it. She doesn’t need it now, so it is gone, leaving an empty space where she once spent many a sunny afternoon.

Her cat bed at the top of the stairs I have removed also, leaving another empty space. Not that she didn’t sleep with me, but cats sleep a lot, (hence the term “cat nap”) so it’s good to have multiple locations in which to take those frequent cat naps. Then there’s an empty space in the laundry room where her litter box used to be. I have to say, changing the litter box was my least favorite chore, so it’s surprising that this particular empty space would tug at my heart, causing me to miss her, but it does. Funny what you miss when they are gone. I didn’t see that one coming.

Loss is an inevitable part of life, and I have to agree with Tennyson on this one – “Tis better to have loved and lost, than never to have loved at all.” Animals in general and pets in particular, are one of God’s many good gifts to us. Pets are companions, comforters, playmates. Pets accept us as we are, giving us that unconditional love we so desire.

“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)

So now there’s an empty space in my heart and a bunch of empty spaces in my home, each one a reminder of my furry friend’s former presence. The empty space – that’s the measure of my loss. Maybe empty spaces are the measures of your losses, too, dear readers? Loss leaves us feeling empty.

Our losses accumulate over time, leaving us with even more empty spaces. But there is One who came to fill those empty spaces and He came to fill them permanently. Jesus said-

“Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” (Hebrews 13:5)

I read this in Ephesians about Jesus –

“And God placed all things under His feet and appointed Him to be head over everything for the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills everything in every way.” (Ephesians 1:22)

That’s a wonderful truth – that Jesus “fills everything in every way.” And He surely does. In the Old Testament, the people witnessed God’s filling Presence when this happened –

“Then the temple of the Lord was filled with a cloud, and the priests could not perform their service because of the cloud, for the glory of the Lord filled the temple of God.” (2 Chronicles 5:13-14)

Isaiah said it this way – “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of His glory.” (Isaiah 6:3)

My Heavenly Father wants to fill all my empty spaces with His abiding presence if I will grant Him access. It’s up to me. He wants to do the same for you too, dear readers. One thing is certain, if we’ve lived very long, we each have plenty of empty spaces that need filling. But nothing and no one on this earth has the power to fill up all of our holes and heartaches that continually long to be filled and healed – except our loving Creator.

Today, Paul’s prayer for the Ephesians is my prayer for myself and for you, too, dear readers –

“I pray that out of His glorious riches He may strengthen you with power through His Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge – that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.” (Ephesians 3:16-19)

Praise God – He came to fill our empty spaces! Jesus said –

“I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” (John 10:10)

sincerely, Grace Day

“You just don’t understand! You don’t get it! You’ll never get it! Nobody understands me, no one knows what I’m going through!” How often did I say those exact words to my parents as a teenager? How often do I still feel those words to be true today, even with my parents long gone? Truthfully, maybe none of us completely outgrow feeling misunderstood and misjudged by others. We long for someone to walk a mile in our shoes, to experience what we have experienced – the good, the bad and the ugly, so that they will truly understand us and treat us with compassion borne of empathy.

We all want to feel that we are accepted and understood by someone, anyone – friends, spouses, coworkers, family members – there has to be somebody that “gets us”, right? This age old human desire to know and to be known, now seems harder to realize than at any time previously in human history, which is ironic because we are more connected today than ever before via technology. Still people report feeling isolated and alone in higher numbers than ever before, according to current research. Maybe hanging out with friends on Facebook isn’t as fulfilling as hanging out with friends face to face in the flesh?

I know I long for something more than an internet connection. A hug emoji is no match for a real life human hug. We are like icebergs floating in the ocean – ten percent visible above the water’s surface, the other ninety percent submerged, hidden beneath the waves and the water. No wonder it’s so hard to get to know each other, let alone understand each other. We often don’t have the time nor the opportunity nor the inclination to walk a mile in another person’s shoes. After all, we find walking a mile in our own shoes challenging enough each day.

In the movie “Freaky Friday”, a mother and daughter change places for a few days, each living the other’s life. They truly do “walk a mile in each other’s shoes”, giving them new understanding, empathy and compassion for each other. Too bad that’s not real life. But the good news is – I do have an advocate – Someone who “gets me”, understands me and sympathizes with me. And you do too, dear readers. Our advocate is none other than Jesus Christ! He truly does “walk every mile in my shoes” every day, because He never leaves me nor forsakes me. Hebrews tells me this –

“Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are – yet was without sin.” (Hebrews 4:14-15)

Did you catch that? Jesus sympathizes with us precisely because He has been tempted just like we are. He gets it! He gets us! What an extraordinary sacrifice Jesus made on our behalf to come here and walk a mile in our earthly, human shoes literally.

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. . . . The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” (John 1:1-2 & 14)

The Word, Jesus, became flesh. For our sakes, Jesus took on an earthly body, just like ours. He experienced hunger, thirst, fatigue, illness, temptation in the desert, the grief of loss (like Lazarus), the betrayal of friends and family, (Peter, Judas, His hometown), the opposition of those in power, the tiredness of travel, being misunderstood by multitudes and by those closest to Him, being maliciously maligned and misjudged by those He came to save – Jesus experienced all these things and more as He walked dusty miles in our human shoes.

“He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. . . . Surely He took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered Him stricken by God, smitten by Him, and afflicted. But He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him, and by His wounds we are healed.” (Isaiah 53:3-5)

Jesus went to such great lengths to empathize with you and with me, by walking miles in our human shoes. He didn’t just phone it in. Philippians reminds me just how far Jesus was willing to go, saying –

“Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made Himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to death – even death on a cross!” (Philippians 2:5-8)

Jesus understands the human roller coaster of everchanging feelings and circumstances that you and I experience every day. He gets it. After all, in a very short time Jesus experienced the crowds shouting, “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!” as He rode on the colt into Jerusalem, while just a few days later, the crowd shouted, “Crucify Him! Crucify Him!” Talk about your quick turn around. (sounds like today, doesn’t it? with our social media and cancel culture) When I experience blindsiding betrayal, when I feel misunderstood and misjudged by others – I can know that there is One who understands me completely – the One who came here to walk a mile in my shoes, the One who knows me better than I know myself – Jesus.

Jesus embodies God’s ultimate empathy for me and for you, dear readers. Because God made us, He understands us, He empathizes with us, He has compassion for us.

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

“As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear Him; for He knows how we are formed, He remembers that we are dust.” (Psalm 103:13-14)

the ultimate empathy – Jesus “took up my infirmities and carried my sorrows” and He is carrying them still today.

“Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you.” (1 Peter 5:7)

the ultimate empathy – Jesus “remembers that I am dust” – He knows, He made me that way – He has compassion on me – He hears my cries and understands when no one else does.

“Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior, who daily bears our burdens.” (Psalm 68:19)

“The Lord upholds all those who fall and lifts up all who are bowed down.” (Psalm 145:14)

ultimate empathy – can only come from the One who created me in the first place

“O Lord, You have searched me and You know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; You perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; You are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue You know it completely, O Lord.” (Psalm 139:1-4)

the One who knows me best, loves me most – that’s ultimate empathy

sincerely, Grace Day

As we watched, students poured out of the school building and into the parking lot filled with waiting school buses, signaling the end of another school day, no different than any other weekday of the school year. However, today was different. The students seemed more boisterous, celebratory even. And with good reason. Today is the last day of this school year. With the end of the school day, summer break has officially began. Something else was different too. On their way out, students were given a gift. Packets of books were handed to each student as they exited the building – a kind of “parting gift” for the summer, if you will.

Teachers also received this unexpected free gift, so I, too, received this package of six paperback books, a summer reading journal, activity sheets for each book and a set of colored pencils. I felt suddenly rich, excited and grateful to be the recipient of such a generous present. Of course, I love to read, so books are valuable to me and greatly treasured. Turns out, this provision of a gift for each and every student is made possible by Scholastic and is part of their “My Books Summer” program. They partner with inner city public schools like ours, where budgets are tight, because they want to provide students with resources that will help them but that they might not otherwise receive.

I have looked through my package of books and can’t wait to start my summer reading with these new titles. They are from a variety of authors and cover a variety of topics. I noticed that at least three of the books are true stories about real people and their real life struggles and experiences. Words on the cover of one book say, “True stories of survival and hope in Syria.” I briefly wonder how many of our students even know that Syria is a country, how many could find Syria on a map, how many know where it is located in this world? But that says more about our public education system today than it does about the unrealized abilities of our students.

Syria may be far from where these inner city students live but they, and all of us really, can identify with the themes of struggling to survive and holding onto hope, no matter where we live. These are universal themes because they are universal human realities. With our current culture’s increased crime, murder and daily danger in our city’s streets and the accompanying sense of loss and despair, we can certainly relate to themes of survival and hope found in these books. Reading and learning the stories of others, connects us in ways that may be intangible, but these connections are nonetheless real and life changing. (one of the books is the true story of two pen pals who come from different cultures, countries and continents)

These books are full of treasure waiting to be discovered with the turning of each page and the unfolding of each story, whether fact or fiction. (one looks to be a mystery thriller and another an adventure fantasy) Now you know why I felt so rich after receiving this unexpected free gift of books – a gift I didn’t have to buy nor earn. It was simply offered to me. All I had to do was to accept it, take it home and open it up. (which as you know, I have done) Books allow me to learn things I couldn’t learn any other way, to travel to places I couldn’t otherwise go and to time travel as well, into both the past and the future. I don’t need a time machine. Just an autobiography, written by someone who lived long ago in some far away place will transport me to that other time and that other place without the necessity of a machine not yet in existence. Books are a free passport to anywhere, anytime. Books allow me to see the world through someone else’s eyes and experiences. Books breed empathy and understanding.

So perhaps, dear readers, you can appreciate my absolute horror at what I witnessed as I watched the students leaving the school building and heading toward the buses on this final day of school. It was so surprising, so unexpected, so unthinkable – that for a moment I didn’t believe what I was seeing. But it continued and it was undeniable. It started with one student who threw their pack of brand new books on the ground. Another student followed suite, and then one, shouting loudly, did an overhand dunk and threw his book pack into the nearby open school dumpster. Other students quickly copied this behavior, throwing their books into the open dumpster as well. (teenagers are notorious copycats)

By this time, some of the packs were breaking open, leaving books scattered on the ground as more students continued to exit the building, heading for the buses. So now a “food fight” except with books being thrown instead of food, broke out as the crowd of students continued in the direction of the buses. I felt helpless. I wanted to rescue each and every book and save them for someone who actually wanted them. (kind of like not wasting food when people are starving?) I heard that students were throwing the books out the bus windows as well. This made me inexplicably sad. Even though I had accepted my free gift, I wanted each student to experience the joy of their free gift as well. I knew what they were missing out on, but they had no idea the value of the treasure they had been given but had so casually, in some instances cruelly, discarded, thrown into the dumpster without even a backward glance or a second thought about the free gift they had just rejected.

As I headed home, I continued to grieve for the students’ loss. They had held treasure in their hands for those few moments in time, yet they chose to throw it in the trash rather than to open it up and discover its contents. I wonder if that’s how our Heavenly Father feels about us? He has given each one of us a free gift – but not all of us have accepted His extraordinary, extravagant gift. The gift has been given. It is up to me and to you and to each one of us whether we will accept God’s gift, take it home and open it up. God’s gift? His Son, Jesus!

“For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16)

“And this is the testimony; God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.” (1 John 5:11-12)

Jesus Himself said, “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” (John 10:10)

God wants to give us this wonderful gift of His Son, which includes forgiveness of our sins, eternal life with Him, peace, hope, joy – so many things the world can’t give me or you or anyone. But are we ready to receive and to open God’s free gift? Colossians 2:2-3 reveals more about this free gift of God –

“My purpose is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.”

There’s a lot to unwrap in this gift – the “riches of understanding”, the “treasures of wisdom and knowledge” – all included with the gift of His Son. In fact, Romans 8:32 tells us –

“He who did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all – how will He not also, along with Him, graciously give us all things?”

There is so much included in the gift of Jesus, but I will never know this if I don’t accept the gift and open it up, just like I did my package of free books to find out all that was in there that I didn’t even know was included until I opened the package. Jesus said,

“Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with Me.” (Revelation 5:20)

God’s gift has been given. Will I throw it in the dumpster? Or will I open the door and invite Him in? Just like the books for the students, God’s gift of His Son is a free gift and it is a gift offered to all people equally, to “whoever believes.” Ephesians 2:7-9 makes this clear, saying –

“in order that in the coming ages He (God) might show the incomparable riches of His grace, expressed in His kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast.”

The free gift of God is His Son, Jesus. When I accept God’s gift of Jesus, I receive forgiveness, salvation, abundant life, eternal life, mercy, reconciliation, healing, hope, wisdom, identity, meaning, purpose – everything I need for life and godliness. I would be foolish to throw all that away without ever opening the gift to discover for myself the treasures hidden within. Only a fool leaves free treasure unopened.

I have this treasure with me today in the form of the Holy Spirit and God’s Living Word. I dare not leave the treasure of God’s Word, the Bible, unopened when it is God’s free gift to me every day – His Living Word. I open up this treasure every day and find His mercies new every morning. Lord, may I never leave Your priceless gift, Your treasure, unopened, but instead receive it gladly, new every day.

“Yet to all who received Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God -” (John 1:12)

such a gift, such treasure, is simply too valuable to throw in the dumpster or out the window –

sincerely, Grace Day

There are a lot of people searching for Truth these days, which begs the question why? Isn’t Truth obvious and therefore easy to find? Apparently not. One of the reasons for this could be that we live in a “post-truth” world. “Post-truth” was the 2016 word of the year. I guess that’s our current culture’s way of telling us that we have moved beyond Truth, whatever that means? We hear expressions such as “live your truth” or there’s “my truth” and “your truth” but nothing universally objective that we can all agree on that is truth.

I’m thinking there used to be a popular TV game show called, “To tell the truth.” Wonder how that would work today if no one can agree on what is true or if there is no truth? In court, witnesses used to be required to place their right hand on the Bible and promise to “tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, so help me God”, before taking the stand. So it hasn’t been all that long ago that we agreed as a society that there are things that are “true” and things that are not true, or in other words, things that are false.

Knowing there are things that are true is the only way you and I can make sense of our surroundings and learn how to live in this world. Water boils at 212 degrees and freezes at 32 degrees (Fahrenheit) – I can count on that happening. Long ago, people learned to navigate by the stars because the stars are constant in their movements across the sky. It isn’t arbitrary – there is truth to be discovered. I’m grateful gravity is true – it’s what keeps me grounded, literally. (pun intended) Airplanes get us where we want to go because certain laws of physics and aerodynamics are true. If these laws were constantly changing, we would not have air travel. That seems to be a hallmark of Truth – it does not change.

Knowing truth seems important to survival. In fact I read in Proverbs 14:12 this –

“There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death.”

If I don’t know the Truth, I will believe the lie. I will believe any and every lie of culture, of man, of philosophy, of religion set before me if I don’t have an unchanging standard of Truth against which to measure each idea or bit of information put before me. Many things will seem reasonable, plausible, even beneficial to me, but if not the Truth, they will lead me away from life and toward my destruction. That’s the thing – lies enslave me. Truth sets me free.

“Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (John 8:32)

So the question becomes – “can I know the Truth?” Turns out I can know the Truth. Jesus said in John 14:6 this –

“Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.’ ”

Could it be that Jesus is that unchanging, eternal Truth that I so desire to know in this world of constantly changing “truths”, ideas and information that change daily if not hourly, leaving me confused, skeptical and unsure how to proceed because I don’t know whom to trust or in which direction I should go? In Hebrews I read this about Jesus,

“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” (Hebrews 13:8)

That’s good news. Jesus is the Truth and He does not change! Eternal Truth, living Truth – a firm foundation to build my life upon instead of the swarm of constantly changing lies that surround you and I twenty-four/seven today thanks to being globally connected via internet. Here’s more good news –

“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)

Another assurance that Truth is unchanging because God Himself is unchanging, unlike our everchanging, unpredictable world. In John 17:17, I learn this about Truth. As Jesus prayed for His disciples He said,

“Sanctify them by the truth; Your word is truth.”

Makes sense, Jesus is the Truth, God’s word is Truth and Jesus is the Living Word!

“The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” (John 1:14)

Jesus, “full of grace and truth” came to set us free from the lies that have held us captive for so long. These lies began in the garden when the serpent whispered to Eve, “Did God really say . . .?” The serpent got Eve to doubt God, then to believe the lie and we have been in bondage to lies disguised as truth ever since. (“There is a way which seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death.”) Jesus identified the source of all lies when He said this to the crowds pursuing Him –

“You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desire. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.” (John 8:44)

It is lies, falsehoods, and deception that the enemy of our souls uses to separate us from our Heavenly Father by getting us to doubt Him – getting us to doubt His character, His goodness, His faithfulness and His great mercy and compassion towards us. We forget the Truth which tells us –

“The Lord is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love. The Lord is good to all; He has compassion on all He has made. . . . The Lord is faithful to all His promises and loving toward all He has made. The Lord upholds all those who fall and lifts up all who are bowed down.” (Psalm 145:8-9 & 13-14)

That’s the Truth about who God is. When we no longer know the Truth, when we have long forsaken and forgotten it – it is then that we begin to believe any and all lies put to us as truth. The apostle Paul, warned the Colossians about this very thing saying –

“See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ.” (Colossians 2:8)

Lies enslave – Truth sets free. Jesus, God’s Son, is the Truth and I am told in His Word, which is Truth –

“So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” (John 8:36)

It is the Truth, Jesus, the Living Word, which protects me from the lies and deceptions that would otherwise separate me from my Creator and take me captive, if I did not have God’s Truth guarding my heart and mind. God has said He will write His laws on our hearts so that we will know Him. For my part, I will be diligent to do this, so that I will know the Truth and therefore will recognize and not believe the lie, any lie which goes against the Truth of God’s Word –

“I have hidden Your word in my heart, that I might not sin against You.” (Psalm 119:11)

“The law of his God is in his heart; his feet do not slip.” (Psalm 37:31)

sincerely, Grace Day

“God sets the lonely in families” (Psalm 68:6)

These are the words I’m thinking about today. This is the promise of God that brings me comfort and hope on Mother’s Day and on other days too, come to think of it. Today can be a difficult day for those of us separated from our moms by death, distance or division. The first circumstance is insurmountable for the present, but the latter two circumstances can be overcome until the first takes over.

I definitely envy my friends who get to spend Mother’s Day with their moms, since I am no longer able to do that. Being at present an earthly orphan, I have always taken comfort from God’s promise to “set the lonely in families.” And He does this by adopting you and me into His forever family. Consider what we learn in Romans 8:29 about this –

“For those God foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of His Son, that He (Jesus) might be the firstborn among many brothers.”

No more only child syndrome in God’s family. God’s family is large and constantly expanding. In 1 John 3:1 I am reminded of our status as children of God –

“How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!”

Martin Luther King Jr. said in his “I have a dream” speech that we are all God’s children. When we realize this, we realize that we are all related, that we all have a family where we belong and have a place, and that family is the family of God. We can create family right where we are by reaching out to those around us, inviting them into our lives and getting to know them.

A friend did exactly this for myself and a few others today when she invited us into her home for a special meal after church. We are those separated from family by death, distance or division but today we were “family” to each other. We had a very special time of breaking bread together, sharing and laughing, making our burdens lighter and our joys more joyful. God really does bring special people into our lives to be “family” to us at just those times when we most need family.

Even as I write this, I am remembering a story shared with me just recently, of a young woman who lost her entire family, but God placed her in a whole new family! God creates all sorts of families in all sorts of ways. Adoption is one of those ways and it is such a beautiful picture of God’s love for us because He adopts us into His family. God chooses us, and makes us His own! The price? His own Son.

“because You were slain, and with Your blood You purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation.” (Revelation 5:9)

Jesus paid my price. I have a place in my Heavenly Father’s family – a secure place where I will always belong. And I don’t have to wait until heaven to experience hanging out with members of my forever family. There are plenty of opportunities right now for God to set me and you, dear readers and any and all “lonely” in families. God will gladly do this for us. He created us for relationship with Him and for relationship with each other. He knows that’s how we function best. In fact we are told –

“Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.” (Galatians 6:2)

“Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.” (Romans 12:15)

That’s what families do for each other. As members of God’s family, that’s what we can do for each other. I’m grateful for the special time I had today with my sisters. We certainly did these things for each other of encouraging and burden bearing. God has invited each of us into a large, loving and diverse family. We just have to take Him up on His offer. He will “set the lonely in families.” Thank You, Heavenly Father, for inviting us into Your family, for making us Your children.

sincerely, Grace Day

hope is every sunrise displacing, dispelling the darkness, revealing that the darkness was only temporary all along,

hope is the rainbow after the storm, the spark that lights the fire, the eagle in flight, the oasis in the desert, the lone candle burning in the dark

hope is eggs in a bird’s nest, seeds in the ground, every star in the sky, every caterpillar’s cocoon, every spring flower and every budding tree

hope leaves baby teeth under a pillow, leaves cookies for Santa and carrots for his reindeer, hope hangs stockings and hunts for easter eggs

hope blows out candles on a birthday cake or the white fluff on a dandelion while making a wish, hope looks for four leaf clovers, falling stars and buried treasure

hope gets down on one knee and proposes possibilities and promises

hope plants seeds in the earth, hope waters them, watches over them – hope expects a harvest and waits patiently for it

hope extends an invitation believing someone will accept it, hope reaches out a hand believing there is someone out there who will reach back and hold it

in the flood hope believes the rain will stop, in the drought hope believes the rain will start

hope endures the fog, knowing it will lift, revealing the path ahead once again

hope continually casts a net, believing it will fill with fish

hope waits in eager expectation for the dough to rise, the bread to bake, for the mountain to move, for the mustard seed to grow

hope believes broken hearts can be healed, ruined lives can be restored and wrecked relationships reconciled

hope conquers fears, hope dares to dream dreams, hope believes for the best even while surrounded by the worst

hope remembers the Red Sea parted, water sprang from a rock, manna fell from the sky, barren women bore children, impenetrable, insurmountable walls fell down, the blind were given sight, the paralytic walked, the lepers were cleansed, five thousand were fed, the lost were found, sinners were forgiven and the dead brought back to life again

hope knows this –

“Jesus looked at them and said, ‘With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.’ ” (Matthew 19:26)

hope believes this –

“weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning.” (Psalm 30:5)

hope prays, knowing God is listening, sure that prayer matters, makes a difference

hope prays without ceasing, knowing prayer moves mountains  

hope holds on when the end is not in sight, hope sees beyond what is visible to what is possible

hope walks by faith and not by sight

hope whispers in the wind, portending of better things to come – hope is the unheard melody of the heart – hope is the Good News of the Gospel

hope is a glimmer, a flicker, a flash illuminating the darkness – hope is the voice of one crying in the wilderness – “your Deliverer is coming!”

hope leaves its home, like Abraham, believing there is something better waiting

hope is the lighthouse on the distant shore, the light at the end of the tunnel, the guiding light of the Star of Bethlehem

hope is songs in the night, calm in the storm, freedom in the furnace and courage in the lion’s den

hope is a teenage Jewish girl, forced into hiding by human evil, who nevertheless wrote these words in her diary –

“In spite of everything I still believe that people are really good at heart. I simply can’t build up my hopes on a foundation consisting of confusion, misery and death. I see the world gradually being turned into a wilderness, I hear the ever approaching thunder, which will destroy us too, I can feel the sufferings of millions and yet, if I look up into the heavens, I think that it will all come right, that this cruelty too will end, and that peace and tranquility will return again.”

hope is a man who lost everything saying –

“I know that my Redeemer lives, and that in the end He will stand upon the earth. And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God; I myself will see Him with my own eyes – I, and not another. How my heart yearns within me!” (Job 19:25-27)

hope is a baby in a manger, hope is a blood stained cross, an empty tomb, a risen Savior, an eternal advocate, the promise of paradise, a home in heaven

hope says with the psalmist –

“I am still confident of this; I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.” (Psalm 27:13-14)

hope waits, hope believes, hope endures, hope sustains during tough times, hope lives

hope lives because Jesus lives and reigns and is faithful to all His promises – Jesus said,

“In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)

with every heartbeat hope proclaims – “He is risen! Hope reigns!”

sincerely, Grace Day