Everybody has a story – unique, compelling, surprising, sometimes heart wrenching, often inspiring – our stories run the gamete from tragedy to triumph. Our stories are full of mystery, drama, romance, conflict, struggle, learning, loss, growth and gain. There are approximately eight billion stories currently being written. Some stories are further along than others. Although some stories are nearing their conclusion, there is still time for that last minute plot twist, yielding the surprise ending. After all, it’s not where you start but where you end up that matters most. Other stories are just beginning. Not even the first chapter has been finished yet.

I was reminded again this past weekend just how profound and diverse and surprising each of our stories truly are. Ever hear the expression “You can’t judge a book by its cover?” Well, that is most certainly true with people as well as actual books. I listened as many people shared parts of their stories at our conference and every time, I heard a story I never would have expected nor predicted from the particular person sharing her story. The only One who is never surprised is our Creator because He doesn’t judge us by our “covers” to begin with. He never has. He reminded Samuel of this fact in 1 Samuel 16:7 –

“But the Lord said to Samuel, ‘Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.’ ”

If only I could learn to do that – look beyond a person’s appearance or “cover” and listen to their story which will involve learning to “read between the lines” as well as just taking the time to get to know their story even though it is still being written as is my own story. (if you are reading this, then your story is still being written too, it is not over yet) Each of us is a work (or manuscript) in progress, our stories are still being written. You may not think of your life as a best seller in the making, but comparing ourselves to books is not new. Consider when we say of someone – “he/she’s a walking encyclopedia?” or “his/her life is an open book?”

Do you, dear reader, like me, ever wonder how and when your story will end? The future is full of blank pages, waiting for us to write on them, the words and deeds, the thoughts and feelings that will fill those pages with what will become our unique story. How many pages are left for each of us to fill? Some “books” are much shorter than others. Some “books” end unexpectedly, prematurely it would seem – leaving the reader stunned and the story seemingly unfinished. I don’t even know how long my own “book” will end up being. But there is an Author who does know. I read in Psalm 139:16 this –

“All the days ordained for me were written in Your book before one of them came to be.”

God’s story is the larger narrative into which each and every one of our individual stories fit. His Book of Life contains them all. My story derives its meaning and its purpose from being a part of God’s larger, eternal story. It’s a story He’s been writing ever since He put Adam and Eve in the garden and gave them dominion over it. A lot of stories have been written since that time. We read many of them in the Bible, in biographies, autobiographies and in history books. But for every story that we are still reading today, there are countless other stories that are also a part of God’s grand narrative, that we haven’t had the opportunity to read yet. Someday we will meet and be able to read all the books that have ever been written, those we never had a chance to meet here on earth, either due to geography or to the time in history during which their story was written. All of our stories fall somewhere between Genisis and Revelation. (all of us currently writing our stories like to think we are closer to Revelation than to Genesis but only God, the Author of all our stories, knows how far the end is from the beginning)

Nevertheless, the stories being written now are eerily similar to the stories we already know of those who have gone before us. Our stories contain elements common to us all – our struggle for survival, our quest to find meaning, our search for identity, our battles with evil and adversity, our pursuit of truth, our longing for true love and our desire for redemption and eternal life. Solomon was right when he said, “There is nothing new under the sun.”

Still each of our stories is unique to us. That’s why I don’t want to make assumptions and “judge a book by its cover” without taking the time to open it up and find out what’s on the inside. I am always surprised and often delighted at what I find when I take the time to look beyond the cover of anyone I meet and learn their story. Even though, like mine, their story is still being written, there is much we can share and learn from each other as we are works in progress.

So what is my story? What do I want it to be? drama? romance? mystery? comedy? an action thriller? sci-fi? a Greek tragedy? a tale of triumphing over adversity? a story that has many plot twists and turns? a story of heartache and loss? a story that ends in victory or in defeat? Truth is, of the almost eight billion stories currently being written, not that many will become famous biographies, not that many will be turned into movies. But that does not mean that my story and your stories, dear readers, are not important. In God’s eternal kingdom, each and every one of our stories are not just important, they are essential because our “books” are the chapters that make the story God has been writing since Genesis complete. It is truly an epic tale that God is telling.

But God is up to the task. The One who knows every hair on every head, saves all our tears and calls each and every star by name, can certainly keep track of not just the eight billion books currently being written, but all those books already written and those that will be written in the future. Nothing is too hard for Him. He is the omnipresent, all knowing, infallible Author. He never sleeps nor slumbers, so nothing gets by Him. God is the Author of it all. In Acts 3:15 I read what Peter preached to a crowd of people saying –

“You killed the Author of life, but God raised Him from the dead. We are witnesses of this.” Then in Hebrews 12:2 I read,

“Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the Author and perfecter of our faith,”

God wrote the Ten Commandments on stone tablets which He gave to Moses. He also said in Hebrews 8:10 –

“I will put My laws in their minds and write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be My people.”

God is the Author of life, of our faith, of both the old and the new covenants, of the Ten Commandments and of His laws which He writes on our hearts. (hearts which are often just as stony as the original tablets) He is the Author of the Bible and He is the Author of each and every individual story. I want Him to write my story too. Only problem is, sometimes I become dissatisfied with the way my story is going. I start believing I can do a better job writing my own story, so I grab the pen from God’s hand, in an attempt to gain control over my own script. I guess I get to thinking that I will write a better story for myself than my Heavenly Father will, even though He’s the One who has all wisdom and knowledge.

Every day I have to decide, who is going to write my story today, myself or my Heavenly Father? Who will have control of the pen? Will I follow His script or attempt to write my own?

“There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death.” (Proverbs 14:12)

Abraham followed God without question and so did Peter. Peter walked away from his largest catch of fish ever and followed Jesus. It was an unexpected plot twist in that fisherman’s life, but Peter trusted Jesus and followed Him from that day forward, allowing God to author his story from that point on. God changed the script of Peter’s life that day, just as He changed Abraham’s story when He asked Abraham to leave his home and follow where God would lead. And then there’s Saul, turned into Paul. Saul was the author of his own story until he met Jesus on the road to Damascus. From that point on, Paul let Jesus write his story and make it a part of the larger story God is writing for all mankind.

That’s what I want. I may be just one of eight billion books currently being written, but I want my Heavenly Father writing my story because I trust Him to write a better story for me than I could write for myself. To this end I will –

“Trust in the Lord with all my heart and lean not on my own understanding; in all my ways I will acknowledge Him, (including giving Him the pen) and He will direct my paths.” (Proverbs 3:5-6)

I want God to write my story so that it will fit perfectly with all the other stories He is authoring. He alone can weave all our “books” into His one grander, larger narrative that He has been writing since time began. He can fit all our stories together, making them each a part of His eternal story. My story has meaning and purpose because it is written by God as a part of His eternal story. My story finds its place of belonging as a part of God’s larger narrative.

I don’t know till I turn the page what God has in store for me next. (that’s walking by faith) But with God, every day is an adventure, making my story a real “page turner.” I will trust God to fill in the blank pages of my future and rest in His promise –

” ‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’ ” (Jeremiah 29:11)

trusting Him to write a better book of my life,

sincerely, Grace Day

Her story is compelling. I sat captivated as she recounted the events that have brought her to where she is today, which is speaking to a women’s prayer group as a candidate for public office. It has been a long journey for her and her family. She has come a long way, literally leaving her homeland behind, eventually making this country her own. So now I find myself spending my day to day going door to door. The last time I went door to door, I was in grade school selling Girl Scout cookies. Being a well-known commodity, those cookies practically sold themselves. People were always glad to see me.

Today my door to door is drastically different from my childhood door to door experience. How much of that is the passage of time and how much is the difference in product or purpose, is hard to say. Much has changed, most notably doorbells. I am discovering that almost everyone now has one of those newfangled, high-tech doorbells that light up and play a tune. But they do much more than that. There are video doorbells that record the person on the porch and connect to the homeowners’ phones. Recently, when I rang a neighbor’s doorbell, they spoke to me even though they were not at home, instructing me where to leave the item I was delivering to them. I wonder if I appeared foolish to passersby, having an out loud conversation with a closed door and no one in sight? Didn’t they realize I was conversing with the doorbell? (like that’s less foolish looking)

Anyway, things have changed in the door to door world. There are more “beware of dog” signs, more “no trespassing” signs and more home security signs, alerting visitors that this house is monitored by a home security system. One house I walk by on my regular walking route announces out loud as I approach, “You are now being recorded” even though I have not left the sidewalk and will not do so as I walk past. (I wonder what it would say if I left the sidewalk and stepped on their grass? – I have never done such a thing, so I don’t know the answer to this very basic question) But I digress –

There is a reason I have reentered the door to door world after all this time. I am campaigning for the candidate whose story I heard recently. This would appear to be a futile, impossible effort for her, as her opponent has held this seat for the past fourteen years. However, this immigrant, now citizen, believes in the American dream because she has lived the Communist nightmare before coming here. If she can persevere, I figure I can too. And so I have begun knocking on doors on her behalf, the most uncomfortable of all things to do, especially when one is not bearing cookies. I do feel like I’m bearing good news though – that voters have a choice, a chance for change, someone new who loves the country who gave freedom and opportunity to her and her family – namely this country.

And so I go day to day, door to door, on her behalf. I never know what awaits me on the other side of each door, but I knock anyway (or ring the high-tech doorbell) and wait while wondering what each encounter will bring. Will I be met with friendliness, skepticism, interest, curiosity, apathy, indifference, hostility, openness, receptivity, concern, questions, or coldness – responses run the gamut where politics are involved. Sometimes I am shut out, other times, I’m actually invited in. Life is full of unexpected surprises. (ok – that was redundant – a surprise by definition is unexpected – if it was expected then it wouldn’t be a surprise, now would it?)

Today is one of those perfect fall afternoons, having some of the warmth of summer with all of the colors of fall. Many people are out, so I don’t have to ring as many doorbells. Still, I think some Thin Mints would go a long way toward helping the conversation along. It’s awkward because what am I selling? a product? a person? Since in this case, the product is a person, the issue is especially confusing. What am I saying? offering? promising? – vote for this person and your life will get better? Really? Is that even possible? Politicians make us promises all the time. I think that is the definition of campaigning – making promises in order to get people to vote for you. Unfortunately, politicians are notorious for broken promises. Doesn’t matter the party affiliation – more promises are broken than are kept.

So what am I peddling door to door day to day? Hope? Possibility? The chance that a newcomer might do something different and change things for the better? I think so. Even after all the disappointments, we want to believe that the things that are wrong can be righted, that things can change for the better in the lives of average citizens with fair laws and just leadership. We do not give up hope. Every election is another chance, a fresh start. (or more of the same, if we keep electing the same people) But even as I campaign for this new to politics, immigrant candidate, I know that this is not where my ultimate, true hope lies. We can never put the unbearable burden of our hopes and dreams on another human being. None of us can bear up under that weight of the expectations of others. At some point we will disappoint others and we will be disappointed by others ourselves. It is inevitable as we are only human.

Nevertheless, I need to be able to hope in something or someone or life becomes meaningless. Proverbs 13:12 says,

“Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.” Lamentations 3:21-23 reminds me of this,

“Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness.”

That’s where my true hope lies – not in another person, be it politician or pastor, but in my Heavenly Father. I can put my hope in Him because He is faithful, that is His character. Paul wrote to Timothy these words,

“if we are faithless, He (God) will remain faithful, for He cannot disown Himself.” (2 Timothy 2:13) I have this assurance from His word –

“Know therefore that the Lord your God is God; He is the faithful God, keeping His covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love Him and keep His commands.” (Deuteronomy 7:9)

That’s why I can confidently put my hope in my Heavenly Father, because He is faithful and will not disappoint. Hebrews 10:23 says I can –

“hold unswervingly to the hope I profess, for He who promised is faithful.”

So even as I go door to door peddling a portion of hope for our country by participating in the democratic process, I am keenly aware that my true, and your true, dear readers, ultimate hope for today and for all our tomorrows, lies with our Heavenly Father alone. I can trust Him. You can trust Him, too. He is faithful.

“I wait in hope for the Lord; He is my help and my shield. In Him my heart rejoices, for I trust in His holy name. May Your unfailing love rest upon me, O Lord, even as I put my hope in You.” (Psalm 33:20-22)

sincerely, Grace Day

This is something I never thought I’d hear myself say, but now “berm” has become part of my current vocabulary as I unexpectedly experienced “life on the berm” this past weekend. I shared this new experience with my two sisters, which made being banished quite tolerable, enjoyable actually, if I am honest about my brief experience of “living on the berm.” It wasn’t that bad, although it was totally unforeseen. We had no idea that we were going to be “bermed.” Therefore, we were not properly prepared mentally or physically for the experience. Had we known we might have brought a blanket and binoculars, and I would say maybe dressed differently, except in this case, we were all properly attired for the berm, even without being forewarned of the experience that awaited us.

Now there are all kinds of “berms” in life, so perhaps at this point some clarification of the situation would suffice to explain the particular “berm experience” I shared with my sisters only two days ago. With time, memories do tend to dim, to fade, to be forgotten altogether or to need fact checking, or they tend to take the opposite trajectory, becoming embellished tales over time, while in the immediate aftermath of the experience, the retelling is the truest.

So let me tell you about being banished to the berm, while it is still fresh in my mind and memory. Now, I do not recall “the berm” being a part of our long laid plans for this special sisters’ weekend and there is a good reason for that – it was never included in our plans. Berm isn’t even a word I’ve had occasion to use in recent memory as I navigate my everyday life – until berm became the word of the weekend due to circumstances beyond our control – circumstances that originated from a mistake, a human mistake, simple human error. And then the dominos fell.

We arrived at the football stadium early so as not to miss seeing the cheerleaders’ entrance prior to the Big 12 Conference football game. Why was this so important? Because we were there to see our niece/daughter cheer for the Baylor Bears. And as family members of a cheerleader, we believed our tickets to be in a special section of the football stadium, one in which other family members had been seated for previous games.

So imagine our surprise when we picked up our tickets outside the gate and discovered they were tickets for the “berm.” Now a “berm” can take different forms as in the berm on the side of the road or the berm along the beach, usually a flat strip of land although another definition of berm says “a mound or wall of earth or sand a landscaped berm” – our berm was the latter. We were definitely on a mound in that there was a slope but we were not at the beach – no sand. Our berm was the proverbial grassy knoll, but very family friendly because in order to bring anything into the stadium or into the berm, it had to be carried in a clear plastic bag.

So our grassy knoll, our berm, was safe. (it was not of the JFK genre) It was safe, but we were sidelined (pun intended) for this college football game. Ironically, the stands along the sides of the field provide the better view of the game, so in this case being literally sidelined would be a good thing. But we berm dwellers were metaphorically sidelined, which in football means the end zone – an interesting, if not sought after place from which to view the game, let me tell you.

We had been bermed, and we made the best of it. The weather was perfect. It was a lovely fall day, warm and sunny, so we didn’t have to worry about rain making our grassy knoll wet and muddy. We had shade and we were close to concessions and restrooms. Full disclosure though, I did just mention that our bermdom was a safe place and this is true enough. The exceptions to this occurred when extra points or field goals were being kicked in our direction. The nets went up in preparation each time, of course, but every time the football found its way over the safety net and into the hands of one of the many delighted bermmite Bear fans, eagerly vying for position so that they might be the one to catch the football that the safety net had failed to intercept.

This was as entertaining as the game itself. Our fellow bermmitians were as considerate as they were enthusiastic in their cheering on of the Bears, so Bermdom turned out to be a pretty good place in which to spend a Saturday afternoon. It was like being on a picnic, except not being forewarned, we hadn’t brought a blanket. But the grass cushioned the ground sufficiently enough that it didn’t really matter. Binoculars, however, would have come in handy. It is a big stadium and the cheerleaders are stationed in front of the fans in the stands – not those of us cheering from the berm – a.k.a. – the grassy knoll beyond the End Zone.

We wanted to keep tabs on the cheerleaders and watch them do their precision stunts and routines. As they rotated around the arena, my niece’s group was in front of the stands closest to the berm end of the field for some of the game and we could see her being lifted high in the air, along with others, as the crowd cheered. Keeping track of her from the berm was a challenge, as was watching the actual football game from the perspective provided by the berm.

And I have to say, the game does look different from the berm. Perspective or viewpoint makes a huge difference in our understanding of what is taking place right before our eyes. That turns out to be true of watching football from the berm as well. You don’t see the plays opening up like you do with a full field view the higher sideline stands provide. You don’t see the whole picture as the play unfolds when you are watching from the berm. We would see the end result when the down and yards were announced and we could turn around and watch replays on the big screen behind us. (a perfect example of hind sight being twenty-twenty)

Our experience was defined by the limited perspective afforded us from our position as citizens of the bermdom. We also discovered very quickly that there were no open borders between the berm and the rest of the stadium. Our tickets provided us access to the berm only. We had no access to any part of the stadium. We could see the people in the stands, hear them cheering, watch them wildly waving their towels – we could watch the marching band and hear its music, we could hear all the announcements, we could witness it all – the fireworks, the flyover, the football players running onto the field – we just could not enter into any aspect of the game through the stadium – for this game we were banished to the berm exclusively.

Do you ever feel like this in life, dear readers? Feel like you have been relegated to the sidelines, while you watch everyone else play, participate and pass by? Perhaps that is more of a berm of the highway experience, but also true of the berm of life. It is easy to feel you have been overlooked or banished to the berm, the sidelines of everyday life. You came to participate, but your ticket is to the berm instead of the main venue. You can watch but you are denied access, just like my sisters and I were denied access to the “big” venue – we had to watch from the “little” vantage point of the berm – located at the end of the End Zone. (the next “zone” after that is the parking lot)

How glad I am that in my Heavenly Father’s kingdom I am not banished to the berm of life. In fact Jesus said,

“I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” (John 10:10) And that full life includes an all access pass to my Creator, who is available twenty-four/seven to receive me.

“So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive His mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.” (Hebrews 4:16 NLT)

“Let us come before Him with thanksgiving and extol Him with music and song.” (Psalm 95:2)

God has not banished me to the berm, a berm with no access nor admittance into His presence. Instead, God has made a way for me to enter into His presence and live my life there. I read in John 14:6,

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

and the really good news is this – Jesus said,

“whoever comes to Me I will never cast out.” (John 6:37)

Jesus will never banish me nor you, dear readers, to the berm. We don’t have to live life on the outside looking in. Jesus invites us in. When we accept that invitation we can say along with King David,

“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)

thank You, Lord, that You offer access and redemption to all – the overlooked, the outcast, even the bermed –

sincerely, Grace Day

Ever feel like someone’s looking over your shoulder or maybe watching your every move? We hear a lot these days about spying and cyber stalking and all kinds of espionage involving surveillance. There’s big tech keeping track of us, there are drones and those new doorbells that record everything and even our own cell phones track our movements and hold all our private communications with others via text or email on them. Security cameras are everywhere we go now – businesses, schools, parking lots, etc. All this surveillance is meant to keep us safe. It is for our own good.

However, there is a difference between being “watched” and being “watched over.” The former implies an element of spying or stalking, of something sinister and unwelcome. But the latter carries with it a sense of being cared for and protected. Being “watched” implies danger, being “watched over” implies safety. I find comfort in these words from Psalm 121 –

“The Lord watches over you – the Lord is your shade at your right hand; the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night. The Lord will keep you from all harm – He will watch over your life; the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.” (Psalm 121:5-8)

I guess it depends on who is doing the “watching” whether it is a positive or a negative experience. I don’t mind my Creator watching over me, but I’m not so sure I want my government or anyone in positions of power and authority watching me. Why? Well, I know my Heavenly Father’s motives. I can read them in Jeremiah 29:11 –

” ‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’ ”

That’s reassuring. So is knowing this –

“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 translation says, “with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.” The point is – God is all light with no shadow, no darkness in Him. He does not have a dark side like human beings do ever since sin entered into the garden. I can trust my Heavenly Father. Not so much my government or big tech or media. They don’t really seem to have my best interests at heart. I’m not convinced they care about me personally. How could they? To them I am just a data point, a number on a graph, a potential source of income, a faceless entity to be marketed to and manipulated in order to achieve their desired outcomes often at my expense – not a unique and very real person. They don’t actually know me or care about me.

But they do collect a lot of information about me and other individuals. (in order to better serve me, they say) Facebook, Twitter, and TikTok for example keep quite a bit of personal information about the people who use their services as do companies we do business with and the IRS. Maybe that’s the difference, though. They know about me, but they don’t actually know me personally. To them I am merely an entity to be categorized, controlled and managed. I am the number of boxes they can check in describing me – age, sex, education, income level, skin color, religion, ethnicity, political affiliation, occupation, where I live, where I shop, what I buy, – they can know all these things about me, without actually, really knowing me.

Not so with my Heavenly Father. His Sovereign surveillance is superior to man’s attempts at surveillance in every way. Consider this –

“Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.” (Hebrews 4:13)

And unlike human surveillance, God’s motives are pure. God keeps watch over us to help us, not to harm us. His surveillance of us is deeply personal because we are His creation, the work of His hands.

“Know that the Lord is God. It is He who made us and not we ourselves. We are His people, the sheep of His pasture.” (Psalm 100:3)

And as our Shepherd, God watches over us with perfect surveillance. He never misses a beat. Nothing escapes Him. Even with all the billions of people, I never have to worry that I am invisible or unknown to my Heavenly Father. I mean, if He can keep track of zillions and trillions of stars, I think He can keep tabs on me. Isaiah had this to say about God and the stars –

“He who brings out the starry host one by one, and calls them each by name. Because of His great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing.” (Isaiah 40:26)

No stars are unknown, unnamed nor missing! Neither are any of the human beings (including you and I, dear readers) whom He created in His own image. If you have any doubt, just look what it says in Matthew –

“Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father.” (Matthew 10:29)

God’s perfect surveillance, His perfect watchcare, extends to knowing each star by name and knowing when each and every sparrow falls. His knowledge of you and me is just as detailed, actually even more so. Consider this –

“And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.” (Matthew 10:30-31) and this concerning God’s surveilling care –

“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 calls each star by name certainly knows my name too. And Psalm 139 tells me He also knows all my ways and all my words. (spoken and unspoken) My Heavenly Father does not lose track of me. In this chaotic, ever changing world, He always knows where I am and what I need. Even when I feel alone and forgotten like Job did, I can know with certainty the same thing Job knew when He felt God had abandoned him, which led Job to speak these words –

“But He (God) knows the way that I take; when He has tested me, I will come forth as gold.” (Job 23:10)

Job knew God had not forgotten nor lost track of him, and furthermore Job had faith that God was going to take care of him, even in his troubles and then bring him “forth as gold.” That sounds like “plans to prosper him and not to harm him, plans to give him hope and a future,” doesn’t it?

Something else that makes God’s Sovereign surveillance superior to man’s is discovered in Psalm 121 –

“He will not let your foot slip – He who watches over you will not slumber; indeed, He who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.” (Psalm 121:3-4)

Because God is an Omniscient God, (meaning all knowing) I can rest in God’s loving surveillance, trusting that He does know “the way that I take” and “He won’t let my foot slip.” He also never sleeps – meaning He never takes a break, therefore nothing gets by Him. He knows it all. My Heavenly Father knows my deepest, darkest secrets and yet He loves and forgives me anyway. This is unlike the human surveillance of big tech, media or government who, as we witness daily, use anything they can find against whomever they wish to discredit, defame or destroy. How glad I am to read in Psalm 103:10-14 that God –

“He does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His love for those who fear Him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us. 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.”

God is Sovereign over all. His surveillance is perfect and good, just like His character. I can trust Him. In fact Jude 24 says that –

“He is able to keep me from falling and to present me before His glorious presence without fault and with great joy -”

Thank You, Lord, that Your Sovereign surveillance so lovingly provides for me and protects me at all times. Though I fear man’s surveillance used for evil purposes, I rejoice in Your watchcare over me at all times.

“The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. He makes me lie down in green pastures, He leads me beside quiet waters, He restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for His name’s sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. 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)

The surveillance of the Good Shepherd always protects me, always provides for me, ensuring that I arrive safely at my destination – to dwell with Him forever.

grateful for His sovereign surveillance every day,

sincerely, Grace Day

Diversity, equity and inclusion – three words we see bandied about everywhere these days. These words have become a mantra of sorts for corporations, organizations, even schools. It seems every school system now has an officer of “diversity, equity and inclusion.” What is so special, so essential, about these three words that every group, every company, every organization – from the smallest business to the largest corporation – wants to be sure everyone sees them proudly proclaiming their practice of diversity, equity and inclusion.

To this end, new positions have been created and new individuals hired in each and every school, university, business, organization, company etc. to ensure that these three words make the leap from paper to practice, from ideology to reality. The way everyone has scrambled to appear to embrace these three words, one would think these were totally new, never before known words or concepts. But just like Solomon said in Ecclesiastes –

“What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.” (Ecclesiastes 1:9)

Yes, nothing new under the sun and nothing new about these three words either. In fact, the Creator of the universe, the Author of all life, is also the author of these three words – well with one slight but very important modification which is this – the “E” stands for equality, not equity. Why? Because equity is equal outcomes. Equality is equal opportunity. Opportunity versus outcome is an important real life difference.

Nevertheless, my Heavenly Father is most definitely the God of D.E.I. – as He is the author of each of these concepts. One has only to look around at creation to see the infinite diversity displayed in every aspect of it – in plant life, in animal life, in human life, we see diversity at every turn, we are surrounded by it. No two snowflakes are identical, no sunrises are the same, there are myriad varieties of tulips and tulips are just one flower among so many kinds of flowers that we can still be surprised by discovering new varieties that we hadn’t come across before.

From mountains’ heights to oceans’ depths, our earth is full of the diversity of God’s creation. From deserts to rain forests and the wide array of plants and animals that live in each one respectively, we see that there is no end to the diversity of all God has made. And that diversity extends to human beings. We are each unique and yet God knows us each personally.

“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)

He is also the God of equality. We are each equally loved and valued as His creation, because we are each one created in His image.

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

And His invitation to spend eternity with Him is extended to everyone equally. I read in 2 Peter 3:9 –

“The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” Our Creator gives each and every one of us an equal opportunity. In Romans 1:20 I read –

“For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities – His eternal power and divine nature – have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.”

God issues another of His equal opportunity, all inclusive invitations in Matthew 11:28-30, saying –

“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. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

We all receive the same invitation, giving us the same equal opportunity to accept or to reject it. But because our responses are different, our outcomes will be different. With God, there is equality, not equity. Outcomes are not equal. In fact, in Galatians 6:7-8 I read –

“Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.”

However, my Heavenly Father is definitely the God of inclusion. In Acts 10:34 I read this –

“Then Peter began to speak: ‘I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism but accepts men from every nation who fear Him and do what is right.’ ”

Another of His all inclusive invitations reads like this –

“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.”

That “whoever” has no exclusions, no fine print. Everyone is invited to believe. God invented inclusion – He did so to ensure that no one would be excluded from access to Him, allowing His glorious diversity to be seen in Heaven as it is here on earth, precisely because He is an all inclusive God.

“And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” (Acts 2:21)

Heaven will reflect the God of D.E.I. perfectly. We are all equal in our Creator’s eyes – (sound familiar? “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal and endowed by their Creator . . .) – heaven will reflect true equality along with true diversity and true inclusion. Here is a sneak peek at what we can expect –

“After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. And they cried out in a loud voice: ‘Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.’ ” (Revelation 7:9-10)

Now that is a picture of diversity, equality and inclusion!

Truly there is “nothing new under the sun.” Our God is the God of diversity, equality and inclusion. He invented each of these concepts and He puts them into real life practice. Today we seem to be struggling to implement these concepts in our daily lives. Maybe that’s because we aren’t taking a page from God’s playbook, the Bible, about how to live out these values.

Heaven is a place of diversity, a place of inclusion, a place where each one of us will be equally loved and valued. We may not be correctly nor successfully implementing D.E.I. strategies here on earth, but we have the sure hope of heaven, where the God of true diversity, equality and inclusion reigns supreme. He will make all things right and you and I are equally included in the diversity which will be manifest in heaven. Because we serve the God of D.E.I., we can say along with King David,

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

sincerely, Grace Day

I have always been in awe of the tightrope walkers of old in the circus. I have never, however, aspired to be one. Although glamorous, it appears to me to be a very difficult, very dangerous, very demanding, not to mention impossible line of work. Tightrope walkers are up so high and the tightrope is so thin, so thin as to be barely visible from below, that I always find myself holding my breath until they make it safely to the other side. I’ve never understood how they do what they do with such confidence and skill. How does that thin rope even support their weight? I’ve always wondered.

Turns out though, just to navigate my way through life, I need the skill of a tightrope walker. It’s all about balance – keeping my balance while everything around me is constantly shifting and changing. It’s hard to keep my footing in such an environment. There’s not much wiggle room on a tightrope. Must be why Proverbs 4:25-27 gives me this advice –

“Let your eyes look straight ahead, fix your gaze directly before you. Make level paths for your feet and take only ways that are firm. Do not swerve to the right or the left; keep your foot from evil.”

Interesting, the lifewalker is told to “look straight ahead”, which is good advice for the tightrope walker as well. As a lifewalker, I am told to –

“fix my eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of my faith.” (Hebrews12:2) I am also told,

“Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, ‘This is the way; walk in it.’ ” (Isaiah 30:21) Words echoed in Deuteronomy 28:14 –

“Do not turn aside from any of the commands I give you today, to the right or to the left, following other gods and serving them.”

So even though I never aspired to be a tightrope walker, being a lifewalker is much the same, requiring much the same skill set of focus and balance in order to cross the chasm and arrive safely on the other side. My life kind of depends on being able to walk the tightrope without veering off to the right or the left. I am reminded of this in Matthew 7:13-14, where I am given these instructions –

“Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.”

It is imperative that I stay on the tightrope and not fall off to the left or off to the right. I must find a way to maintain my balance even while being buffeted about by the winds and storms of life. Fortunately, I do not lifewalk my tightrope alone. I have a Helper.

“It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect. He makes my feet like the feet of a deer; He enables me to stand on the heights.” (2 Samuel 22:33-34)

“The Sovereign Lord is my strength; He makes my feet like the feet of a deer, He enables me to go on the heights.” (Habakkuk 3:19)

My Heavenly Father gives me the strength and the stamina and the ability to walk the tightrope I am called to walk in this life. The height of the tightrope is terrifying to me, but He makes it possible for me to walk there. In fact, I read in Psalm 37:23 –

“If the Lord delights in a man’s way, He makes his steps firm; though he stumble, he will not fall, for the Lord upholds him with His hand.”

I take courage from the knowledge that my Heavenly Father makes my steps firm on this tightrope, even while at the same time, He is my safety net. I will stumble from time to time, but He has promised not to let me fall. He will help me regain my balance, allowing me to continue onward. Knowing my Heavenly Father will be faithful to His promise to me, I can lifewalk my tightrope with courage rather than fear. He will help me to find that delicate balance I need to walk in this world circumspectly.

I am to walk in both God’s grace and God’s truth, keeping a perfect balance between them, lest I lose my footing and fall. The tension between grace and truth keeps the tightrope taut as I walk on it across all the chasms I must cross each day in order to continue my journey. Truth and grace – my Heavenly Father is a God of both. Jesus said,

“I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” (John 14:6)

Jesus is truth, and He is full of grace, which He demonstrated in His interactions with others while He was here on earth and by His sacrificial death on the cross for each and every one of us. In fact, Jesus is described in this way in John 1:14 –

“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.”

I never wanted to be a tightrope walker – but here I am – struggling every day to find and to keep that balance between God’s truth and God’s grace – lest I lean too far to one side or the other, lose my footing and fall off my tightrope into the abyss. How glad I am that God is faithful to order my steps and keep me from falling even when I lean too far one way or the other and start to lose my balance.

“He will not let your foot slip – He who watches over you will not slumber; indeed, He who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.” (Psalm 121:3)

“To Him who is able to keep me from falling and to present me before His glorious presence without fault and with great joy – to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.” (Jude 1:24-25)

“I can do all things through Him who gives me strength.” (Philippians 4:13)

I can even walk the narrow path, the tightrope, taut with the tension between loving sinners and hating sin, between faith and works, between the temporal and the eternal, between grace and truth, between belief and doubt, between the now and the not yet, – the tightrope that stretches from the seen to the unseen – the tightrope whose end is eternity with Jesus, who came here to live among us and walked our tightrope perfectly, walked it first, so you and I could follow in His footsteps.

thank You, Lord, for showing us the way to walk in this world without losing our balance –

sincerely, Grace Day

Did I mention I sub in an inner city, public high school? That’s relevant because it goes a long way in explaining the TikTok reference in this post’s title. The students in my classrooms often randomly pop up without notice and began performing short dance routines while someone records them on a phone. I have learned that they are recording and posting to TikTok. Now I have never been on TikTok, but every day I have a front row seat to what goes on there.

These videos in the making, which I watch live in the classroom, consist of erratic gyrations that appear to be more random than purposeful while at the same time being so suggestive that I find myself wondering if TikTok has any standards of decency that would determine what is shown and what isn’t. Based on the “dancing” I see in my classrooms, I would guess TikTok has no such standard. TicTok is wildly popular because there are so many people desperate to be noticed, to make a name for themselves, to find fame and fortune, to create an identity and a place for themselves because they feel they have none. Still, I was reminded recently of the timeless nature of dance in all its various forms and of the important role dance plays in culture in every era of human history.

This became very real to me a few days ago when I attended a Yom Kippur service at a local Messianic Jewish church. It was a beautiful service full of music and dancing – meaning and tradition. The dancers, all wearing white, moved silently, gracefully, together as one, as we sang in worship. It felt celestial, sacred, solemn and joyful all at the same time. Among the dancers was an elementary aged young girl, teenage girls, young women, middle aged women and also gray haired older women who obviously knew and loved these dances well, as they had probably been doing them since childhood. Indeed, the movements seemed second nature to the oldest of the dancers, who moved with the grace and fluidity born of familiarity and years of practice. There will come a day when their spaces in the circle will be empty. But new generations of dancers will carry on the tradition, having danced with these older women for so long and learned their ways.

It occurred to me that the scriptures we were reading and the prayers we were reciting have been read and recited down through the years by God’s chosen people. Times have changed, but not God’s word nor His covenant promises and His faithfulness to mankind, whom He created in His image. Traditions like this observance connect the past to the present, bring meaning into the present and help us find our place in an unknown future. Connections to our past are part of our identities in the present. Without a connection to our past, we don’t know who we are or how or where we fit into our present in this world.

These vital connections come in many forms. They remind us of our roots, keeping us grounded so that we can continue to grow. When connections to our roots are severed, we are cut loose, caught in the currents of present culture which carry us away from who we are, who we have been, even as we search frantically for any new identity that will give our lives meaning and purpose. Absent connections or touchstones, we have nothing to remind us where we came from or who we are.

Touchstones, however, are all around us if we don’t discard, discount or ignore them. They can be quite ordinary or extraordinary – they may have great monetary value or none at all. On my kitchen counter sit such touchstone treasures, where I see them every day. The cream and sugar dishes that once set on my Grandma’s kitchen table, now sit on my kitchen counter next to cream and sugar dishes from my Mom’s kitchen and the cream and sugar dishes from my other grandmother’s dining room. These dishes had no special interest or value to me, while my grandmothers and mom were alive. But now that they are gone, these ordinary cream and sugar dishes have taken on a special significance to me as a connection to my past and to those I love.

So it is with the sewing basket. This is the most ordinary, unassuming of items, a small, round, brown wicker container with a lid, that always sat in a special place in my parent’s bedroom. It wasn’t until I went away to college and found it among my things when I unpacked, that I learned its history, its story. My mom had given it to me as the oldest daughter when I left home for college because her mother had given it to her as the oldest daughter when my mom left home for college. Before that, her mom, my grandma, had received this wicker sewing basket from her mom, Orie Olive, (how’s that for a name?) when she left the farm for the big city to attend nursing school. Four generations of daughters leaving home to pursue an education, to pursue a life.

I continued the tradition when my oldest daughter left home to go to college. Although I did change something. The basket had been filled with spools of thread and a pincushion with pins and needles. I filled it with nail polish, lip gloss and such. And so a fifth generation inherits the legacy Orie Olive left to us, encouraging my grandma Julia to become an independent woman in an era when women didn’t typically pursue higher education. And a wicker basket, probably from a dime store (that’s like today’s dollar store) is the symbol of this legacy connecting five generations of women.

History matters. Our personal histories matter. That’s probably why genealogies have become so popular in recent years. People are searching for connections to their pasts. They want to know where they came from, in hopes that this knowledge will aide them in their search for an identity. Individuals experiencing an identity crisis appears to be very commonplace these days. We seem to have forgotten who we are, so we can’t function in the present, nor find our way forward into the future. Without a strong sense of self, where we came from and where we are headed, we are easily manipulated into believing things about ourselves that are not true. Disconnected from our roots, we no longer know who we are.

That’s why history matters. It matters for an individual, it matters for a nation. It’s why we go to museums. We learn so much about our past, the good, the bad and the ugly. There is a Holocaust museum in my state. That definitely contains the bad and the ugly. But it is also a testament to the resilience, strength and faith of the human spirit to endure and persevere through hardship in hopes that good will eventually win out over evil. Hope is essential to the survival of the human spirit. The last words in Anne Frank’s diary are these –

“I still believe, in spite of everything, that people are still truly good at heart.” – (August 1, 1944)

Surprising words coming from a teenage girl forced into hiding along with her family because of the cruel persecution of the Gestapo against her and all Jews throughout Europe. To experience such hatred and still believe that good will win out over evil, is a remarkable testament to human hope in the face of unspeakable tragedy. Only three days after writing those words, Anne and her family were discovered and sent to the concentration camps where Anne died. But her words live on. Her father, who survived, published her diary, which became a best-selling book – a work both authentic and inspirational born out of the human tragedy of World War II.

History matters – personal, national and global. My home is full of the artifacts of my personal history. Whether it be pictures, dishes, furniture, a piece of jewelry passed down – my home is a museum of my history, full of touchstones that connect me to my past, to my roots. Connection to my roots sustains my life. Disconnection equals at worst, death – at best, a life spent lost, frantically searching for a new identity.

I watch and wonder if this isn’t what’s happening to my country right now? We are carelessly discarding our touchstones, destroying our monuments, discounting our documents, denying all the good that is part of our past to the exclusion of mistakes, so many of which we have corrected over time. We are desecrating the museum of our nation’s history, which has surrounded us for years in our public spaces, reminding us of who we are, what we have overcome – giving us confidence to face the future, knowing we have overcome evil and wrong in the past. The World War II memorial in Washington DC is especially meaningful to me, because my grandfather fought in World War II.

If we erase our history as a nation, we erase our identity. We will then fall prey to the highest bidder -anyone who promises to “reimagine”, “remake”, “reinvent”, “rewrite” both our past and our future. They will tell us who we are, what we will do and where we are going. We used to call that tyranny, dictatorship or Marxism/communism. Now it masquerades under fancier sounding names, like equity. But the outcomes are the same as they have always been. Only we don’t know this because we have not only done away with our own history, we have rewritten the history of the world as well. Must be why Reagan said, “Freedom is always only one generation away from extinction.” I surely would not want to be that generation through which tyranny enters in and takes over.

But our touchstones are disappearing. We are losing our bearings. Context is so important. Without historical context we cannot make sense of our present, nor plan for our future. How shocked I was when I learned that a statue of Lincoln had been taken down in Portland, Oregon. I remember thinking, do they not know that he was the President who signed the Emancipation Proclamation? Perhaps, they don’t? Ignorance is not bliss. It is chaos and despair. And that is exactly what we will be left with, when our nation’s museum is emptied out of all our monuments and touchstones, our history is erased and rewritten, and we are left rootless, awaiting death because we are no longer connected to all that gave us life and sustained us in the past. We are the nation who was –

“conceived in liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.” (Gettysburg Address)

Have we forgotten this fact, this truth? Have we forgotten who we are – have we forgotten or forsaken this legacy left to us to guard at all costs? Without our history to remind us, we will forget who we are and who we used to be. We should never allow the museum of our country’s keepsakes to be desecrated and destroyed in the name of what? of justice? If we knew history, we would know that is not justice. But we don’t, we don’t know our history anymore.

Sitting in the Jewish Yom Kippur service this week, I felt completely connected to centuries of history that hasn’t changed over the years. It hasn’t been reimagined or rewritten. Truth doesn’t change. God’s word is truth and Isaiah tells us this,

“The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever.” (Isaiah 40:8)

With my identity as a child of God and my history found in His unchanging word, I can stay connected to my roots which sustain me, allowing me to grow and to flourish.

“So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in Him, rooted and built up in Him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.” (Colossians 2:6-7)

I want the same thing for my beloved country. May her self-inflicted identity crisis come to an end as she returns to her roots. May her rich history and heritage of courage and faith be restored to her. May she remember her birth words –

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness . . .” (Declaration of Independence)

“Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people He chose for His inheritance.” (Psalm 33:12)

“Let him/us turn to the Lord, and He will have mercy on him/us, and to our God, for He will freely pardon.” (Isaiah 55:7)

identity in a TikTok world? – found in Jesus Christ – He holds our history in His hands – He knows who we are even when we seem to have forgotten and lost our way . . .

sincerely, Grace Day

I feel it more than I hear it. It is always just out of reach, just out of earshot. But I know it is there. Everyday sounds fill my ears – but somehow music that I can’t quite hear fills my heart and enters my mind. I listen for words and notes, but I can’t quite make them out. Still, my spirit soars to this unheard chorus, my feet dance joyfully to its rhythm, I hum along to unknown notes, my soul sings words that feel familiar even though I can’t quite make them out, and I know they are expressing all my deepest longings and greatest joys. I march to the beat of this music. It is instinctive. I am drawn to it. I march to the beat of the drums, to the beat of an unseen drummer. I march to the beat of the different drummer.

I always have without understanding why. The unseen drummer of the unseen chorus – the unheard drummer of the unheard band – drowned out by the noise of the world – making nonstop music nonetheless – never ceasing melodies of joy – exquisite tunes of pain turned into praise – songs of sorrow soothed surround me continually as I go about my day. This unheard melody is my constant companion – an everchanging playlist filling my heart and mind – a truer tune – beautiful harmonies in my head – barely audible here, still the soft, sweet notes of my unheard melody are strong enough to override the strident notes of discord that surround me. Where does this unheard melody that keeps me such constant company come from? Psalm 19 gives me a clue –

“The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge. There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard. Their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world.” (Psalm 19:1-4)

Could it be this melody which fills my being even though I cannot hear it, has always been? Is it an eternal tune echoing throughout the universe, traveling across time? Job 38:4 & 7 give me a clue as they recount a conversation between God and Job – God asks this of Job –

“Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation? . . . while the morning stars sang together and all the angels shouted for joy?”

So, the music was already present when God was creating the earth – stars and angels singing and shouting. Reminds me of a very special night on earth more than two-thousand years ago. On that night, some mere mortals did hear the unheard melody of the universe, if only for a little while. It was the night the angel appeared to the shepherds in the Bethlehem hills, to announce to them the birth of Jesus, the Christ child, the long awaited Messiah.

“Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, ‘Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom His favor rests.” (Luke 2:13-14) (post – “silent night”)

The music is eternal, it is always playing, just like a favorite childhood hymn of mine says –

“This is my Father’s world, and to my listening ears, all nature sings and round me rings, the music of the spheres.”

All of God’s creation is singing, spheres, angels, birds, stars, even God Himself, according to the prophet Zephaniah who says,

“The Lord your God is with you, He is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing.” (Zephaniah 3:17)

Job must have listened to the unheard melody of God’s singing, because he wrote these words –

“But no one says, ‘Where is God my Maker, who gives songs in the night,’ ” (Job 35:10)

It appears the psalmist also heard the unheard melody via songs in the night, since in Psalm 42:8 I read –

“By day the Lord directs His love, at night His song is with me – a prayer to the God of my life.”

Yes, there’s music everywhere, if only I have ears to hear it. Heaven is full of music, so full, I feel it must be spilling over onto earth, mixing with the music of earth’s creation, joining with the singing of the stars, with every sunrise and every sunset adding their voices, all continually singing praise to God the Creator.

In heaven I will hear the music clearly, every note, every word. It will no longer be an unheard melody carried in my heart. Just as, “now I see through a glass darkly, then I shall see face to face.” Now, I long to hear and to sing this eternal, celestial tune. Then, I will witness this –

“Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand. They encircled the throne and the living creatures and the elders. In a loud voice they sang: ‘Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!’ Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, singing: ‘To Him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever!’ ” (Revelation 5:11-13)

That’s a really big choir and I’ll get to join in with them. Actually, I can do that now, adding my earthly voice of praise to the chorus, joining the stars, the angels, the saints in songs of praise – preparing for the time when my unheard melody will be unheard no more and I will realize this –

“When in scenes of glory, I sing the new, new song – it will be the old, old story that I have loved so long.”

maybe that’s why this unheard melody of the universe feels oh so familiar!?

sincerely, Grace Day

The final bell finally rang (pun intended) ending the school day none too soon. The noisy room turned quiet as I straightened desks and breathed a sigh of relief. It was then I noticed her, one of the students from the last class, still in the room. She said something kind to me, probably because she had witnessed the purposefully rude and disrespectful behavior of some of the students towards me during the class which had just ended. I thanked her and we struck up a casual conversation which quickly became more personal as she shared a little about herself with me. She was dealing with some chronic, long term health problems, that I would never have imagined to be the case, just by looking at her, nor by her behavior. She hadn’t asked for any special treatment or made excuses to exempt her from anything. I was immediately reminded of a favorite quote of mine –

“Be kind – everyone is fighting hard battles you know nothing about.”

Good advice, I think, even though in the moment I often forget to keep this truth in mind when dealing with other people. I am acutely aware of my own battles. But am I mindful of the battles others are facing and fighting every day? Probably not. Most are fighting these battles privately, rather than sharing them with the world. As I interact with other people, I realize I have no idea of the pain they are experiencing, the obstacles they are endeavoring to overcome, the burdens they carry around on a daily basis, the losses they have suffered or of the hardships life has handed them.

Today’s encounter with this sweet high school student, facing her obstacles with such grace and courage, brought me face to face once again with the reality that I need to be kind in all my interactions, because everyone is engaged in a hard battle. This particular student certainly is fighting a hard battle that I knew nothing about. However, our brief interaction was an opportunity for me to show her kindness and pray over her, even as I learned she was also dealing with loss and many other things. What a privilege to pray for her. She had given me the gift of her kindness, first. I was simply returning the favor. Imagine – with all the battles she is busy fighting every day, she noticed the small, temporary battle I was fighting in the classroom that day, which is nothing compared to her larger, life long battles. And yet she took a moment to be kind.

She reminded me that I can be so busy fighting my own battles that I become oblivious to the plight of others as they fight their battles. Too often, I just don’t know what people are going through because our battles are hidden from others, even though they are common to many – such as loss, addiction, loneliness, illness, depression, self-worth – the list is as endless as the battles that we all find ourselves fighting every day.

And yet I am always surprised when I hear someone’s story. This same day, I learned of the battles two coworkers are fighting, though one would never guess they are dealing with such hard, painful circumstances because of the dedicated way in which they work with their students each day. Another reminder to be kind always because there is so much I do not know. In Bible study, last evening, a new woman shared a part of her story. She has suffered great loss and yet she is fighting her battle against, grief, bitterness, depression, and hopelessness so valiantly that she is able to offer hope and encouragement to others. And she does just that. She is still standing.

As I fight my battles daily, I want to have compassion on those I encounter each day, because I can be certain they too are engaged in hard battles. Compassion leads to kindness. And we all need to receive kindness from those we know and even from strangers to get us through the day. As I write this, I am thinking of all the people I know well and the battles I know they are fighting, that others, including the casual observer, will never suspect. We don’t wear warning signs alerting others to our battle weary, fragile state of being, so they have no idea, they never suspect the toll our battle is taking on us.

But there is One who does know what we are up against and what we suffer. Our Heavenly Father is not blind to the battles we must fight each day, even though other people often are. Psalm 103:13-14 tells us,

“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.”

God knows how weak we are, how easily we tire and become discouraged. But He offers His help to each one of us.

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

“The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.” (Exodus 14:14)

“The Lord Himself goes before you and will be with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.” (Deuteronomy 31:8)

“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.” (Isaiah 41:10)

It is so comforting to me to read these words and know that my Heavenly Father is right here with me, bearing my burdens, fighting for me, strengthening me, helping me, upholding me, going before me and never leaving me, even when the battle gets difficult and dangerous. I am told I don’t need to be afraid or discouraged. I will always be fighting hard battles in this life. So will you, dear readers. But I am not without hope. And neither are you! We have His promise – Jesus said,

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

Even in the midst of fighting our hard battles, we will experience this –

“He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. . . . those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” (Isaiah 40:29-31)

My Heavenly Father is with me as I fight life’s hard battles. It is He who gives me strength, so that I can persevere. He is the Vine – “apart from Him I can do nothing.” But He has promised “never to leave me nor forsake me.” So I know that one day, along with Paul, I will be able to say –

“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” and I will hear, “Well done, good and faithful servant! . . . Come and share your master’s happiness!” (2 Timothy 4:7 & Matthew 25:21)

and you and I will rest forever from fighting all the hard battles we have had to fight, battles that others knew nothing about and battles that they did – we will have won them all in Christ’s Holy Spirit power!

sincerely, Grace Day

Today is an ordinary day, which is no surprise as these are ordinary times. Or I want to think they are, anyway. Oh sure, there has been a recent rumor or two lately, a rumbling of something ominous to come – always just out of sight, hovering in the background – unseen but still felt, although vaguely – more tenuous than tangible. I think this feeling used to be called “waiting for the other shoe to drop.”

Now this implies that one shoe has already dropped, and this is true. I remember clearly that day in mid-March 2020 when the first shoe fell. It fell with a thud and stopped us in our tracks. It too, was an ordinary day until the shoe fell and schools closed along with restaurants, gyms, businesses, churches, sporting events, concerts etc. The world shut down except for really big stores like Walmart and liquor stores. (I guess the virus could only spread in smaller grocery stores and didn’t even enter liquor stores at all)

Today, two and a half years later, as I look around the classroom, there is no reminder here of what we have so recently come through, save the occasional student wearing a mask, usually slipped down around their chin – a last visual vestige of the trauma that was thrust upon us all so suddenly and so completely that we could not catch our breath. (or was that because we were wearing masks?) Yes, they masked us, ensuring we could not breathe nor speak freely. The masks became silence’s symbol and fear’s announcement simultaneously, proclaiming – “be quiet and be afraid.” “Do not question the dictates, the science is settled!” we were told repeatedly.

No eating out – but those that issued the edicts did. No haircuts – but those that made this rule did. Don’t gather in large groups or even groups over ten – so no weddings, funerals, birthday parties – but our cities’ streets were full of groups over ten for months on end. We watched from our windows as we were told not to leave home. We were left to wait and to wonder – wonder “what comes next?” When can I go back to work? When can I go to the gym or church or eat out? When can I visit my family members and friends? When can I celebrate a birthday or a holiday with those I love? What started out as two weeks to stop the spread stretched into two years of various restrictions and predictions.

Though most restrictions have lifted or eased, predictions continue to abound. There are wars and rumors of wars. There are shortages and rumors of shortages to come. Climate change (formerly called “weather”) was supposed to have ended life on earth decades ago. We are still waiting for that shoe to drop, as it were, living under a constant heavy cloud (of CO2?) of daily dire predictions and ominous warnings. We are told to be vigilant for the next virus and to plan for the next pandemic. I’m not sure living always waiting for the other shoe to drop, always expecting something bad to happen, is the best way to live. I know that’s not how I want to live this life I’ve been gifted.

The good news is, I don’t have to live life waiting for the other shoe to drop. I don’t have to shut the door, pull down the shades, huddle under the covers, and let the TV news be my link to the outside world and my connection to others, albeit a virtual connection, not a real one. You and I were created to live a life of freedom and that includes freedom from fear. Consider what 2 Timothy 1:7 tells us –

“For God did not give us a spirit of fear, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.”

We may be living in dark times, but we don’t have to walk in darkness. We have Someone to light our way.

“When Jesus spoke again to the people, He 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)

Those words encourage me when darkness seems to be ever increasing. I can know that Jesus’s presence is the light that extinguishes any and all darkness. My journey has felt pretty perilous these past couple of years. Globally and nationally, we were being told we were in a pandemic of death. On every TV news channel, a live “death count” ran at the bottom of the screen, continuously inching upward, always running, lest we forget to be afraid and leave our homes. We all must have felt collectively that we were in the proverbial “valley of the shadow of death” – a place to be greatly feared, right? Well, not according to King David who wrote this in Psalm 23 –

“Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. 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 23:4-6)

There is a better way to live, a better way to walk in this world – fearless and free – free of fear, free to live the life my Heavenly Father is calling me to live for Him. Even though I have to walk through dark valleys, I don’t have to be afraid because God is present with me and has promised –

” ‘Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.’ So we say with confidence, ‘The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?’ ” (Hebrews 13:5-6)

Because of my Heavenly Father’s presence walking beside me, I don’t have to fear the evil that surrounds me as I walk through the valley of the shadow of death. His presence comforts me, allowing me to continue. I also receive His provision during my time in this dark, uncertain valley of death. In fact, my cup overflows! That’s what the Psalm says. That’s His promise. He prepares a feast for me right in the middle of the valley and anoints my head, marking me as His own. I have His assurance that He will never leave me and that I will live in His house, with Him forever.

Knowing all this means I do not need to spend my days living in fear, waiting for the other shoe to drop. I can live with joy, confidence and hope because my Heavenly Father is Sovereign over the affairs of men. Jesus reminded His disciples of this when He told them,

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

No matter when the other shoe drops, no matter how many more shoes drop – I can say with confidence

“I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him for that day.” (2 Timothy 1:12)

You and I, dear readers, can walk through this present day valley of the shadow of death without fear, experiencing God’s comfort, protection and provision as we walk through these days with hope and courage, knowing we do not walk through the valley alone.

sincerely, Grace Day