It seems I’ve been writing a lot about matters of the heart lately, but that’s understandable when you realize that it is February – the month of Valentine’s Day, the month dedicated to all things heart. So it is not surprising that I should be reflecting on these words from Ezekiel today, where God says to His people, the Israelites,

“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)

This is supposed to be a good thing – a heart of flesh. We often use the expression “soft-hearted” in describing a person and it is meant as a compliment. Conversely, we say someone is “hard-hearted” when they seem uncaring or unsympathetic to the people around them or when they are actually hurtful to others.

This would explain why God wants us to have hearts of flesh – He wants us to have the capacity to care about others. A stony heart can’t do that. A stony heart doesn’t have feelings.

My Heavenly Father wants to give me the gift of a new heart, a new and improved softer heart of flesh. However, I have to confess to you now, dear readers, that I find myself hanging on to my all too often stony heart. Why am I so reluctant to accept this free gift of a new heart, a heart more pleasing to God? Could it be that I am more comfortable with my stony heart? It does afford me a certain measure of protection. Not too much gets through a hard, stony barrier.

Pain doesn’t pierce a stony heart like it does a heart of flesh. So, my stony heart protects me in a sense, from some of life’s heartache. Maybe I don’t want to leave my heart open and vulnerable? Who will defend my heart if it is no longer stone? Do I trust that the Giver of my new heart will also be its defender, protector, holder, healer and redeemer? Or would I rather rely on the accumulated stones in my heart for protection?

Heavenly Father, sometimes it’s too painful to care, too heavy of a burden to carry. Hearts of flesh are wounded so much easier and much more deeply than hearts of stone – I guess that’s why I hang onto my stony heart so hard. It is just too hard, too painful to have a heart like Yours and to care like You care – You must be sad all the time as You watch what we do to each other – and yet You love us still.

It is a courageous calling that comes with Your gift of a new heart – am I too much a coward to accept Your new heart gift and too much a doubter to trust that You will always be there to bind up the broken-hearted wounds inevitable for all hearts of flesh? – which You know all too well, Your own heart being broken for all mankind on Calvary and breaking still till each and every wayward child of Yours finds their way home to You.

Why would You offer me a heart of flesh, knowing how deep the wounds that come with caring will be? Is it because You know a secret both true and sure? – that there are spaces created in the breaking of a heart that Your Presence occupies, filling the heart with joy and gladness, hope and healing, peace and purpose, love that lasts.

A heart of stone, intact and impenetrable, has no wounds, no holes, no broken spaces. Therefore, it has no room for Your Presence, nor room for joy to enter in and settle down. Lord, You know the heart of flesh You want to give me will suffer many wounds and often be broken. But You know this is the only kind of heart that has room for You to come in and make Yourself at home. So yes, Lord, give me the heart of flesh You promised Your people in Ezekiel. Pain must come in order to make room for joy.

“The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” (Psalm 34:18)

sincerely, Grace Day

Well, it’s Valentine’s Day – a day to celebrate love in all its glorious forms. While romantic love gets top billing, phileo, or friendship love and agape, or self-sacrificing love, are also a part of this day dedicated to love and matters of the heart. Valentine’s Day is a day of cards, candy, flowers, flowery love poems and hearts – always hearts.

It is believed the first Valentine ever sent was from Charles, Duke of Orleans, to his wife. He wrote to her, penning a romantic poem, while imprisoned in the Tower of London in 1415. It must have been well received, because we are still sending Valentines to this day. Valentine’s Day can be cause for celebration, or it can be cause for heartache for those whose special love is no longer here or for those whom love has hit and run, leaving wounds that have not healed. (some hurts even chocolate can’t heal)

For the broken hearted, Valentine’s Day may be the most dreaded day of all the days on the calendar. It is a day reminding those of us with hurting hearts of the love we lack, painfully pointing it out for all to see. And yet, there is hope for the hurting heart, not just on Valentine’s Day but on every day of the year. Psalm 34:18 reassures me,

“The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” Then I am reminded what God says in Jeremiah 31:3,

“I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with loving-kindness.”

That’s what we all search for, long for, wait for our entire lives isn’t it? – a love so strong as to be everlasting – a love that doesn’t wear out or get bored or give up on us. That’s how God loves you and me, dear readers. He loves us with an inexhaustible love, a love that says to us,

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

If you’ve been looking your whole life for that one great love, consider these words from John 15:13,

“Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.” That’s exactly what Jesus did for you and for me. He laid down His life so that we might live.

“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)

Valentine’s Day is all about love and about the heart. God is the maker of our hearts and the author and initiator of true love in every life. God has revealed His love for us in His love letter to the world, the Bible. (maybe the Bible is actually the first Valentine – it certainly contains some love poetry) In the Bible, God proclaims His love for us and reveals His plan to redeem us, His intention to return for us and what it will be like when He takes us to be with Him forever.

“Now the dwelling of God is with men, and He will live with them. They will be His people, and God Himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” (Revelation 21:3-4)

We have a romantic, dramatic rescue in our future, which is described in Revelation 20:11-14 like this,

“I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice He judges and makes war. His eyes are like blazing fire, and on His head are many crowns. He has a name written on Him that no one knows but He Himself. He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and His name is the Word of God. The armies of heaven were following Him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean.”

Loved with an everlasting love, rescued by Someone both Faithful and True riding in on a white horse to save me – the Bible really is the ultimate love letter for all time, and it was written to you and to me! This Valentine’s Day we might be in the midst of trials and troubles – but we can take heart – our Deliverer is coming and He will make good on every single promise. Jesus says to us,

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

Jesus, the only One strong enough to protect my heart, strong enough to hold my heart securely – the only Person gentle enough not to completely crush my heart in the process. Jesus said,

“Let not your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in Me. In My Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with Me that you also may be where I am.” (John 14:1-3)

take heart! – the Rider of the white horse is returning for me and for you – He has overcome the world and He has not forgotten us – we have His love letter – I am His valentine, you are His valentine!

sincerely, Grace Day

very powerful stuff – TNT – isn’t it? A compound kind of like dynamite, used to blow stuff up, that’s TNT. Recently, I had an encounter of my own with TNT – a very powerful encounter as would be expected. But it’s not what you’re thinking, dear readers. Full disclosure – my TNT experience was “tea and talk” with good friends who invited me to TNT for my birthday. And let me just say, there’s nothing like hot tea and warm words on a cold day to revive the soul and warm the heart. (and really good cake helps, too – making life sweet) Our time of TNT did just that for me and so much more.

Now tea and talk doesn’t have to be just for special occasions, it can take place on the most ordinary of days turning them into memorable dates. I have found there is power in the tea and talk TNT, just as there is power in the chemical TNT to change things, to change the world. When women get together and talk over tea, things can happen. Ideas are exchanged, problems presented, solutions proposed, plans made, all over tea and talk. I have to wonder if perhaps women during the suffragette era, didn’t do their plotting and their planning over tea parties?

Tea parties would have been considered an acceptable pastime for women in those days. Men didn’t understand that the talk portion of the TNT could be explosive, as women discussed the important issues of the day. (today we call them “hot topics”) Then talk would naturally turn to possible actions needed to resolve problems or to change needed in current ways of doing things or to changing existing laws or to making new ones, if necessary. (which is what was needed to give women the right to vote – a constitutional amendment) Women have been changing the world one tea party at a time for centuries, if truth be told.

Of course, sometimes the issues talked about are more personal in nature, but still explosive and life changing, nevertheless. During tea and talk, women find the support of other women as they face life’s inevitable challenges. We find encouragement, wisdom, advice, comfort and courage in our time spent together over tea as we discuss our life’s struggles, our life goals and purposes. In this powerful time of TNT, we find renewed strength to go back out there and change the world for the better one day at a time. TNT can be explosive, but it is at the same time a safe space. I think these words from Proverbs describe tea and talk well,

“Perfume and incense bring joy to the heart, and the pleasantness of one’s friend springs from his (her) earnest counsel.” (Proverbs 27:9) The NLT translation says it this way,

“The heartfelt counsel of a friend is as sweet as perfume and incense.”

I couldn’t agree more! And that’s what happens during tea and talk – we each give and receive heartfelt counsel. And heartfelt, Godly, true counsel encourages women to become women who change the world one tea party at a time. Yes, there’s explosive power in TNT.

thank You, Lord, for all the wisdom and Godly counsel I receive from my sisters over tea and talk!

sincerely, Grace Day

Do you ever feel like your heart is Swiss cheese? – full of holes and empty spaces. What I desire is a holy heart but what I have instead is a holey heart, a heart full of holes acquired over time. How did this happen? It happens when people walk in and out of my life. I let them in, they take up space in my heart and I am the better for their company. The human heart has infinite capacity to expand, to grow, to allow more people into the place where one’s true self resides. But when death or circumstance or choice (the most painful of the possibilities) take these precious ones away, my heart is left with empty spaces – holes that no one can fill, save the one who first created the space and filled it as only they could do.

Each person’s departure leaves another unfillable hole – an emptiness that persists despite new spaces being created (if I dare let anymore in, lest they depart as well, adding yet more holes to a heart already full of empty spaces) Ironic, hearts can be so full of so many things – is being full of empty holes being full at all? Can one be full of emptiness?

I would rather my heart be full of love, joy, hope, peace, kindness, compassion – all things good and noble. Trouble is, I can’t fill my own heart. It was God who filled King David’s heart with good things. I read in Psalm 4:7 David’s words to God,

“You have filled my heart with greater joy than when their grain and new wine abound.”

Jesus can and will fill my heart if I let Him, empty holes and all. Ephesians 1:22-23 tells me this 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.”

Jesus fills everything in every way – that would include my heart. When I am feeling empty, feeling holey rather than holy, I remember these words from Colossians 2:9-10,

“For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, and you (I) have been given fullness in Christ, who is the head over every power and authority.”

This is good news to somebody like me with a Swiss cheese heart full of holes. And there’s more good news. Jesus told His disciples this,

“If anyone loves Me, he will obey My teaching. My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him.” (John 14:23)

Make their home with me? A home is permanence. Jesus isn’t going to go, leaving behind a vacant hole, an unfillable void, like others have done in the past. In fact, He promises –

“Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” (Hebrews 13:5) And Jesus told His disciples this,

“And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Counselor to be with you forever – the Spirit of truth.” (John 14:16) forever! When Jesus enters into my life and my heart, He comes to stay. He will not add another hole to my heart. He will fill and heal all the holes I have been living with for so long. I do not have to be afraid to let Him in.

Jesus tears down the walls I have built up over time to keep others out, lest they in time depart, leaving yet another hole where once their presence dwelled. Jesus removes the stones that accumulate with each loss, hardening my heart against any would be hole-makers.

“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)

A makeover, just what my holey heart needs! And a good cleaning, nothing good collects in those empty holes that so easily fill with hurt, sadness, longing, despair, or worse, envy, anger, bitterness, loneliness – when Christ comes to stay, He banishes all these even as He fills my every hole with His all-consuming Presence. He cleans out and He fills up my holey heart –

“Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.” (Psalm 51:10)

“You will fill me with joy in Your presence, with eternal pleasures at Your right hand.” (Psalm 16:11)

There is hope for my holey heart today. My Heavenly Father has offered to make His home there and promises never to leave, but to heal and to fill with His infinite Presence – and something more – to guard my heart.

“And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:7)

the answer to transforming my holey heart to a holy heart is in the song I sang so many years ago as a child –

“Into my heart, into my heart, come into my heart, Lord Jesus; come in today, come in to stay, come into my heart, Lord Jesus.”

sincerely, Grace Day

Today I find myself still stuck on the stars, after writing about them in my last post. Stars are mysterious, magical, fantastical points of light in our night sky. Van Gogh painted them, the Wise Men followed one, and Jiminy Cricket tells us in song that we can “wish upon a star, makes no difference who we are.” Now other songs are playing in my mind, “Catch a falling star and put it in your pocket, save it for a rainy day” and probably the first star song I ever learned – “twinkle, twinkle little star, how I wonder what you are. Up above the world so high, like a diamond in the sky.”

People have been wondering about, writing about, wishing upon, watching and following the stars since time began. Astronomers study them and Astrologers use them to make predictions. Today, it occurs to me that in our current culture, people don’t just want to write about and sing about the stars, they want to be a star. We live in a starstruck culture. People are obsessed with movie stars, rock stars, sports stars, superstars of any kind. Everyone wants to be a star nowadays. Maybe that’s because we want to be known and we want to know we matter. We believe being a star is the only way we can be known and know that we have value.

Unfortunately, in our culture, being a star doesn’t seem to satisfy those that achieve this status. They too often remain unhappy and continually searching for the validation that we all desire as human beings. Guess they are looking in the wrong place for what they so desperately desire – recognition and validation. Oh, to be a star! We know that God calls every star by name. (Psalm 147:4) But God also knows our names. We are each one a star in our own right to God, our Heavenly Father and Creator!

Isn’t that great news? We are already stars in God’s universe, which means we are known and have infinite value. Psalm 8 explains,

“When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have set in place, what is man that You are mindful of him, the son of man that You care for him? You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor. You made him ruler over the works of Your hands; You put everything under his feet: all flocks and herds, and the beasts of the field, the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea, all that swim the paths of the seas.” (Psalm 8:3-8)

God “crowned us with glory and honor” as those He created in His image. For all of us aspiring to be stars in our culture these next words might prove particularly illuminating. (pun intended)

“Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe as you hold out the word of life – in order that I may boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor for nothing.” (Philippians 2:14-16)

So, I can shine like a star in the universe by holding out the word of life and – there’s something else I must do – “do everything without complaining or arguing,” Ok, so no one said being a star was easy. Being a star is hard work, but God created you and me to be stars of light in this dark world. That’s our job. He said, “You are the light of the world. . . . let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.” (Matthew 5:14-16)

Just as God’s stars in heaven light up the darkness of the night sky, we as God’s stars here on earth, are to light up our dark world wherever He has put us. In this starstruck, starsearch world, we are points of light, called to shine brightly, so that – just as the star-studded constellations in the night sky help travelers find their way home – your starlight and my starlight will help others find their way to God.

That’s the true purpose of a star – not to be admired by others – but to shine our God given light into the darkness, sharing the light of Christ with everyone. Just as God created stars to be light in the night – we, as God’s stars, are created to be His light in His world!

“He also made the stars. God set them in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth, to govern the day and the night, and to separate light from darkness. And God saw that it was good.” (Genesis 1:16-18)

sincerely, Grace Day

How do I feel when I look up at the stars? Small? Insignificant? Invisible? Overwhelmed? Awestruck? Curious? Full of wonder? Full of questions? All of the above and more are the true answer to this question. As I write this, I am thinking it has been far too long since I have taken the time to truly gaze into the night sky and let it work its wonder in my soul. Too often clouds cover the stars or the lights of human civilization dim the vibrance of the ageless lights in the sky.

When I do behold the brilliant beauty of stars filling the night sky full of glittering light, I feel strangely connected, even as the vastness of the stars makes me feel alone, just as each star seems alone in the sky, even while surrounded by billions of other stars. I think how these are the same stars those who lived on this earth long before I got here, looked up and saw every night. Civilizations on earth have come and gone, while these stars have remained constant in their constellations. So constant are they in fact, that sailors navigate by them as they sail the oceans.

I feel connected to loved ones far away, thinking they could look up and see the same stars. I feel connected to ancestors I’ve never met – they would have lived their lives under the same canopy of nighttime stars. I feel especially connected to my Creator as I experience the magnitude and multitude of these heavenly lights. Only an infinite God could create something so expansively unfathomable as a sky full of stars, a galaxy full of stars and a universe full of galaxies full of stars.

It is estimated there are over one hundred billion stars in our Milky Way galaxy. And there are two trillion known galaxies! Average stars in a galaxy? – at least one hundred million. (you do the math, I can’t) I write these numbers but I do not comprehend them. It is more than I can ever imagine. A universe more vast than I can ever know, created by a Creator infinite in being, who has made Himself known. It is too wonderful for words. In Psalm 147:4-5, I read this about Him,

“He determines the number of the stars and calls them each by name. Great is our Lord and mighty in power; His understanding has no limit.”

That’s what I think about as I look at the sky – that my Heavenly Father calls each star by name and He knows my name, too! That’s the connection I feel. I live in a limitless universe created by an infinite God, a God who has no limits to His understanding, nor to any other aspect of Himself or His being and He knows who I am. Isaiah 40:26 encourages me to experience this connection to my Creator saying,

“Lift up your eyes and look to the heavens: Who created all these? 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.”

God sustains all He has made. He does not lose track of even one star! He does not lose track of me, either. “But He knows the way that I take; when He has tested me, I will come forth as gold.” (Job 23:10)

The words of Psalm 8:3-9, express how I feel when I look up at the stars in the night sky.

“When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have set in place, what is man that You are mindful of him, the son of man that You care for him? You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor. . . . O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is Your name in all the earth!”

sincerely, Grace Day

Some questions stop you in your tracks, forcing you to face them, (if not outright answer them) before continuing on in whatever direction you were headed. The question put to me today is such a question – “What are you doing to change the world?” An obvious answer doesn’t present itself at present, forcing me to pause and ponder my purpose here. “What am I doing to change the world?”, I ask myself. Of course, this presupposes that the world needs changing, but that is probably a given at this point.

This world has seen its share of worldchangers over time, that’s for sure. Inventors are world changers. Bell changed the world with the telephone, the Wright brothers with the airplane, Edison with the light bulb, Magellan with his exploratory sailing around the world, Galileo discovering the earth revolves around the sun, (that was a game changer) and whoever invented the wheel was onto something good, which changed the world forever. Scientists, artists, musicians, writers – many have been world changers. Monet’s paintings changed the world, as did Beethoven’s symphonies, Shakespeare’s sonnets and the music of the Beatles. Fleming’s discovery of penicillin changed the world for the better for everyone. From Lincoln to Mother Theresa to Nelson Mandela, to Hitler, (unfortunately not all worldchangers bring about change that is good) our world has had no shortage of those who would change it, whether for better or for worse.

Today we call our worldchangers “influencers” and they are usually rich and famous because of sports or entertainment such as music, movies, TV etc. With the advent of social media, everyone is a star. But are they worldchangers? Which brings me back to the original question which I have been avoiding thus far, “how am I changing the world?” I am not an inventor, nor a scientist, nor an explorer, or composer and so on. My excuse for not having an answer could be that I am neither rich, nor famous, nor in a position of power or influence such as a person in elected or appointed office. I am not a media personality, nor do I have a pod cast or a radio show.

But these sound more like excuses don’t they? If we are taking up space on this planet then each of us is changing the world one day at a time, for better or for worse, by the decisions we make each day and the way we live our lives. We may feel invisible, but our impact is real on the people around us and through the ripple effect, on many more. (I actually wrote about this recently in a previous post – “the power of one”) So, how am I changing the world?

I pray. That’s right. I pray for this world and the people who live in it. Why? I am told to pray and that prayer changes things. I read in 1 Timothy 2:1-4 these words,

“I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone – for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.”

Then I read in Matthew 5:44, “But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,”

This world would certainly be a more peaceful place if we prayed for our enemies instead of fighting with them. There is so much hurt in the world, so much healing is needed. 2 Chronicles 7:14 tells me,

“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.”

Prayer brings forgiveness, hope and healing – changing the world for the better. Prayer changes me, first and foremost. Then, being changed by prayer (time spent with my Heavenly Father) I am equipped to be the worldchanger God calls me to be. In fact, God calls each one of us to be a worldchanger. I am called to be salt and light. Both salt and light dramatically change the world for the better.

“You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men. You are the light of the world. . . . people light a lamp . . . they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.”

Prayer changes me and prayer changes the world. As a worldchanger I will continue to pray for this world and for the people who live in it. I am told to “pray without ceasing.” (1 Thessalonians 5:17) That is what I must do to change the world. And I am not alone! I have found others who also want to change the world through prayer. We are Intercessors for Indy – and we are just one of many such groups that we know of faithfully praying God’s forgiveness, healing, peace, presence, hope and joy will be made manifest in this world. I am a wannabe worldchanger – to that end, I will be faithful in prayer –

“The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.” (James 5:16)

sincerely, Grace Day

There was a stillness in the room as we considered the question posed to us, “What about prayer excites you?” Had I ever used excited and prayer in the same sentence before? But I realized something as I pondered the question further. Prayer, for me, is like meeting up with a trusted friend. When I know I will be spending time with a close friend, I get excited as I anticipate uninterrupted time with my friend – having her undivided attention, her listening ear, her caring heart, her understanding, her acceptance, her wisdom, her good advice – these are the things I look forward to as I anticipate the time we will spend together.

This is what excites me about prayer – the possibility made reality of spending uninterrupted time with my Heavenly Father – having His undivided attention, having His listening ear, His caring Father’s heart, His complete acceptance of me, (even though He knows me completely), having His understanding, His wisdom, His good advice, His guidance – being in the presence of His transforming, healing power – prayer means entering into that safe space, that sacred space with God. Prayer is hallowed time, time set apart to spend with Him.

Why wouldn’t I want to spend time with Someone who loves me unconditionally? – with Someone who will listen well, without interruption and with understanding and compassion – with Someone who will heal me, teach me, train me, equip me (I need lots of equipping – I lack much) – with Someone who has plans to prosper me and not to harm me, Someone who knows every hair on my head and every word I speak before it’s even on my tongue – Someone who has loved me with an everlasting love and loves me still –

Someone who remembers that I am dust – yet does not blow me off, or blow me away –

this is my Heavenly Father, in whom I live and move and have my being – this is prayer

“I love the Lord, for He heard my voice; He heard my cry for mercy. Because He turned His ear to me, I will call on Him as long as I live.” (Psalm 116:1-2)

“I call on You, O God, for You will answer me; give ear to me and hear my prayer. Show the wonder of Your great love, You who save by Your right hand those who take refuge in You from their foes. Keep me as the apple of Your eye; hide me in the shadow of Your wings” (Psalm 17:6-8)

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

prayer -spending time with the One who loves me – who loved me enough to die for me

sincerely, Grace Day

I’ve written before about how we are created for community. We are not meant to live in isolation. However, we do often find ourselves craving solitude – at least we did in the days before COVID forced us all into prolonged isolation/hibernation against our wills. So what is it about solitude that we desire? You don’t see animals leaving their herd or flock or school or gaggle or whatever to go off by themselves, thinking they are like Henry David Thoreau going off alone to write Walden. Of course, for animals it is a matter of life and death. Lions stay with their pride, elephants, zebras, gazelles, and so on travel and live with their group for their own safety and survival.

Not so with us humans. Created for community, we still seek solace in solitude from time to time. Sometimes, however, solitude is hard to find. Where to go to be alone? The mountains or the beach comes to mind, but if I don’t live close to either, that isn’t going to work for me. Being outdoors anywhere with nature is a good place to seek solitude. Unfortunately, lots of people feel this way, so public parks, like Central Park in New York, are often full of people.

Where do I go to seek solitude? My prayer closet. Now this is metaphorical, rather than literal. Although for some people it is both, they really do have prayer closets. (like in the movie War Room) Jesus instructed His disciples saying,

“But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen.” (Matthew 6:6)

Jesus sought solitude when He wanted to pray. Mark 1:35 tells us,

“Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where He prayed.”

Why would I desire solitude? For rest? For renewal? So that I can “hear myself think” as we so often say? All of the above and more are true. My Heavenly Father often calls me away, so that I can hear His voice though, not my own. In fact, in Psalm 46:10 He says to me,

“Be still, and know that I am God;”

Solitude allows me to be still. In solitude, there are no competing voices, (save my own) therefore I can more easily hear from God. My Heavenly Father leads me to places of solitude.

“The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures, He leads me beside quiet waters, He restores my soul.” (Psalm 23:1-3)

That’s something solitude does, restores. David, who wrote those words of the twenty-third Psalm, knew that time alone with God was like resting in green pastures, beside quiet waters. There, he could be still and spend time with His Creator.

Maybe solitude isn’t so much a place as it is a person? When I seek solitude, I find it in the presence of my Heavenly Father.

“For You have been my refuge, a strong tower against the foe. I long to dwell in Your tent forever and take refuge in the shelter of Your wings.” (Psalm 61:3-4)

In the shelter of Your wings, God, I find solitude and I find solace.

sincerely, Grace Day

We have been told that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but what about strength? Is it a matter of perception also or of reality? And furthermore, what kind of strength are we talking about? Physical strength or mental strength (mental toughness) or emotional strength? (resilience) Then there’s interpersonal strength, how we relate to others, how we communicate and form connections. Are we a strong communicator? Do we form strong bonds? Strength of character is what I most wish to cultivate in myself and what I most admire and desire to discover in others.

Now strength of character is not obvious at first glance as is physical strength when I first meet someone, especially if they are a football player, weightlifter or any kind of athlete. The physical strength of these individuals is obvious. Strength of character, on the other hand, is much more subtle and takes time to discern. It often doesn’t surface until things get tough, choices have to be made, or there is some crisis. Actually, adversity can strengthen our character, just as lifting heavy weights or training hard in any sport strengthens the athlete’s body.

Hardship and difficulties are strength training for my character. (nobody ever said working out was fun or easy) But Paul did say this in Romans,

” . . . we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.” (Romans 5:4) Then James says,

“Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” (James 1:2-4)

Perseverance is one of those character traits that is the mark of a strong person – someone who doesn’t give up on others, themselves or situations – someone who hangs in there and by so doing makes things better. The gift of perseverance is that it inspires others to do the same. Perseverance says, don’t lose hope, don’t give up, don’t quit – perseverance keeps on showing up even after others have given up.

I want to develop a strong character (not be a character). And fortunately for me, Life, filled with challenges, pain, loss, hardships as it is, is the perfect gym for me to work out in to develop my character and make it strong. When do I feel strong?

When I do the right thing. When I say a kind word instead of a hurtful word in a tense situation. When I choose truth over lies, honesty over dishonesty. When I choose the harder more excellent way over the easier, lesser way; when I do not join others in something wrong, but risk the ridicule, perhaps the canceling, for doing what is right. Showing restraint requires more strength than acting on angry impulses. A show of force is not necessarily a show of strength. This is ironic but true. Paul made such an ironic observation when he said about himself,

“For when I am weak, then I am strong.” (2 Corinthians 12:10)

Now Paul often identified himself as “a servant of Christ Jesus” (Romans 1:1) which helps explain what he meant about being strong when weak. He was learning the strength of submitting his will to God’s will. Instead of doing things his way, in his own strength; Paul was discovering that when he relied on God’s power rather than his own, things happened that he could not accomplish on his own. Submitting to someone else, requires absolute trust, and it requires an inner strength of character. To the casual observer, submission may appear as weakness, but a closer look reveals just the opposite.

One might perceive Jesus as weak because He was nailed to a cross and died, without putting up much of a fight at all. But consider what Jesus says in John 10:17–18,

“The reason My Father loves Me is that I lay down My life – only to take it up again. No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of My own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from My Father.”

Appearances can be deceiving, can’t they? What appeared to be weakness, was actually the ultimate act of strength motivated by love. John 15:13 explains,

“Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.”

When do I feel strong? When I put someone else’s needs or happiness before my own. When I am lending someone a helping hand. When I am that stepping stone someone uses to pass safely to the other side of the gap in their journey. I feel strong when I am bearing someone else’s burden. “Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ” (Galatians 6:2) Like Paul, I feel strong when I am weak and therefore know how much I need my Heavenly Father’s all sufficient strength. Jesus explained this true strength concept to His disciples in this way, saying –

“Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:43-45)

true strength lies in the ability to lift other people up, not in the act of tearing them down –

sincerely, Grace Day