finally, I have friends in high places – well at least a friend in a high place.  This is a recent appointment for my friend, a new title bestowed upon her in this season of her life –  certainly something noteworthy to put on her resume, something impressive to add to her list of accomplishments.

This reminded me that I, too was once a captain.  I was a patrol captain at my elementary school when I was in sixth grade.  I’d forgotten until now about this title, which I held for a year.  I guess it meant I was in charge of the other “safety patrols” as we carried out our duties each day before and after school at the street corners where the students crossed as they came to and left from school each day. We didn’t have uniforms or hats or anything much to set us apart, just a sash of sorts with a badge pinned to it, proclaiming our status as part of the school patrol. Today these are called crossing guards and actual grownups do this job.

But it must have been a position of power and influence, as the title “captain” implies.  After all, there are captains of ships, captains of football teams, captains of industry, pirate captains and so on.  The captain is the one in charge, in control – the captain makes the decisions for himself and for the others over whom he is captain.

So, I’m thinking to be a Snow Captain is pretty cool, who wouldn’t want to be the boss of the snow?  Can my friend decide when and where and how much it snows? Does she get to decide what kind of snow and how long it will stick around? Imagine how great to have big, fluffy flakes floating around in the air, falling to the ground – but only landing on the grass and bushes and trees, making them beautiful, while leaving the streets, sidewalks, driveways and parking lots clear.

My friend, in her capacity as Snow Captain, could command snow to be on sledding hills and ski slopes.  She could arrange for the optimum amount of snow in yards, enough to build snowmen without leaving bare patches.  But how far do her captain powers extend?  If only as far as her own neighborhood, that’s still a lot of power.  At least in her neighborhood there would be no shoveling of driveways and sidewalks, no need to clear the streets.  All the other neighborhoods would be jealous of her “snow captain powers”.  It would be quite picturesque all the time in her neighborhood, if only the snow now obeyed my friend all because of her newly bestowed title of “Snow Captain”.

But therein lies the problem.  The title of “snow captain” implies some measure of power and influence, but do those things actually come with the title? – this man made, man appointed title?  Who really is “Captain of the Snow”?

I love these words which God spoke to Job after Job had questioned God.  God asks of Job, “Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation?  . . . Have you entered the storehouses of the snow or seen the storehouses of the hail, which I reserve for times of trouble,  . . .  What is the way to the place where the lightning is dispersed, or the place where the east winds are scattered over the earth?  Who cuts a channel for the torrents of rain, and a path for the thunderstorm, to water a land where no man lives,  . . .  Does the rain have a father?  Who fathers the drops of dew?  From whose womb comes the ice?  Who gives birth to the frost from the heavens when the waters become hard as stone, when the surface of the deep is frozen?”   (Job 38:4, 22-30)

Job 37:6-7 tells us, “He (God) says to the snow, ‘Fall on the earth,’ and to the rain shower, ‘Be a mighty downpour.’  So that all men He has made may know His work,  . . . ”  Looks like our Creator God is the real snow captain, after all.  He not only has the title, He has the power over the elements that He created.  They obey Him.

In Matthew 8:26-27 we read where the disciples experienced this same revelation of God’s captainess over His own creation.  “Then He (Jesus) got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm.  The men were amazed and asked, ‘What kind of man is this?  Even the winds and the waves obey Him!’ ”

The poet, William Ernest Henley, wrote in his famous poem, Invictus, these memorable lines; “I am the master of my fate: I am the captain of my soul.” Written in 1875, these words have been quoted by many over the years, including Winston Churchill and Nelson Mandela.  These words are quoted so often because they are thought to be words of encouragement and of inspiration.  They sound as though they are just that.

In fact, these words sound so good to our ears that we fail to notice something very important about them.  These words are false!  These words are not truth!

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

I am not the captain of my soul.  My soul needs a Savior.  I am not the master of my fate.  God is Sovereign over all the universe, over all that He has created.

“I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me.  I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come.  I say: My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please.   . . .   what I have planned, that will I do.”

I like to think I am in control, but I am not.  “Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.”   (Proverbs 19:21)

“But the plans of the Lord stand firm forever, the purposes of His heart through all generations.”   (Psalm 33:11)

I would rather be in the hands of an all wise, loving, merciful, good God than in the hands of any captain, including myself.  I do not want to be the captain of my own soul.  I did not create my soul, and I can’t save it, sustain it, care for it, or prepare it for eternity.  Only my Heavenly Father can do that.

To me the lines of the poem, Invictus, are lines of despair, not of hope.  Consider a few lines earlier when the poet states, “Beyond this place of wrath and tears Looms but the Horror of the shade, and yet the menace of the years Finds, and shall find me, unafraid.”

Not very encouraging at all.  No inspiration there.  If all the author is expecting in his future is “the Horror of the shade,”  and still he is not wise enough to be afraid, are we confusing his lack of discernment with courage?

Proverbs 9:10 says, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.”

“He who fears the Lord has a secure fortress, and for his children it will be a refuge.”   (Proverbs 14:26)

The author of the poem, Invictus, didn’t realize that a properly placed fear of God means we don’t have to fear anything or anyone else.  I can live my life with courage, but only when the “captain of my soul” is my Creator, God.  I am not fit for the job.

I love what the criminal hanging on the cross next to Jesus said, when he asked the criminal hanging on the cross on the other side of Jesus this question – “Don’t you even fear God when you are dying?    . . .   Then he said, ‘Jesus, remember me when You come into Your Kingdom.’  And Jesus replied, ‘Today you will be with Me in Paradise.  This is a solemn promise.’ ”    (Luke 23:40-43)

There is a line in the Invictus poem that reads, “Under the bludgeonings of chance My head is bloody, but unbowed.”

This man, the criminal on the cross next to Jesus, had a bloody head for sure.  But unlike the man in the poem, this man’s head did not remain unbowed.  He bowed his head. This man had the good sense and the courage to humble himself, to bow his head before the Creator of the universe, who was hanging on the cross beside him and to ask for what Jesus had the power to give to him – forgiveness of his sins and eternal life with Him in heaven.

The words of the poem Invictus are deception masquerading as inspiration.  Its words sound sweet to our ears because we want to believe that we are in control. Perhaps, asking the questions God asked of Job would put things in perspective for us.  Questions such as, “Who shut up the sea behind doors when it burst forth from the womb?  Have you ever given orders to the morning, or shown the dawn its place? Have you journeyed to the springs of the sea or walked in the recesses of the deep? Have the gates of death been shown to you?  What is the way to the abode of light?  And where does darkness reside?

I don’t know the answer to any of these questions.  If  I am the master of my fate and the captain of my soul, then I am in big trouble and without hope. But fortunately, that is not the case.  My heart, if not my head, is often bloodied, and I am often afraid, unlike the man in the poem, but

even though I may face trouble and hardship and persecution and famine and nakedness and danger or the sword (or a gun) – I am more than a conqueror through Him who loved me and gave Himself up for me.  I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.    (Romans 8:35-39)

When I am bloodied, I will bow and in allowing the One who is the Creator of my soul to also be the “captain of my soul” I will be more than a conqueror.  therein lies the hope, therein lies the victory   . . .  therein lies all inspiration, therein lies the very reason for me to have courage and to live my life with courage  . . .

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

Jesus, the captain of the snow –  Jesus, the captain of my soul!

sincerely,     Grace Day

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

seems like everything comes with a warning label nowadays, especially most foods and beverages.  I don’t pay that much attention though and there is a reason for that.  Most product labels which include the warnings if there are any, are very small and the print they contain is necessarily minuscule in order for the words to be able to fit onto the label.

so the words of warning don’t really stand out, they don’t really get anyone’s attention at all.  We might even need a magnifying glass to read them.  This kind of defeats the purpose of a warning, which is to get someone’s attention in order to warn them of some dire consequence or impending danger should they choose to consume or to use said product, before it is too late.  That’s the whole point of a warning, it needs to precede the anticipated action, so the person is aware of the consequence before they make their choice.

Tiny print on an obscure product label does not get the job done because it does not get anyone’s attention.  Whoever is in charge of protecting the unsuspecting consumer could take a lesson from the BUMP sign on my walking path.  Now there’s a warning no one can miss!  I have written in previous posts about this ever changing but ever present BUMP warning sign, which alerts me, the walker, to upcoming danger on the path that awaits me should I choose to continue on said path.

Wouldn’t it be helpful if life came with some warnings big enough and bold enough and bright enough (like my BUMP sign) to get my attention and to hold my attention long enough for me to receive the message containing the warning that would leave no doubt as to the danger ahead for me if I continue on the path I am currently taking.

There is truth to the expression “forewarned is forearmed”.  with that in mind I will share some warnings I wish were displayed boldly and brightly so that they would not be missed by myself or others who could benefit from a head’s up before it is too late.

These warnings, if heeded, would protect me from much pain and heartache.  If only these warnings were displayed as prominently as my BUMP sign  . . .

“danger – failure to forgive may damage your relationships”

“beware – hatred is hazardous to your health”

“look out for lies and those who tell them – don’t believe everything you hear – only the truth will set you free”

“proceed with care – entering gossip and slander zone”

“caution – selfishness and greed have been found to be harmful to your heart”

“enter at your own risk – bullying practiced here”

“cannot be held responsible for outcomes occurring apart from prayer”

“be on your guard – casting of stones may occur without warning”

these would certainly be helpful warnings to protect me from the consequences of continuing on a path of unforgiveness or of hatred or of selfishness etc.

God’s word has some warnings that I would do well to pay attention to,  such as

“Be careful, or you will be enticed to turn away and worship other gods and bow down to them.”  (Deuteronomy 11:16)

“then if anyone hears the trumpet but does not take warning and the sword comes and takes his life, his blood will be on his own head.”   (Ezekiel 33:4)

“Then He (Jesus) said to them, ‘Watch out!  Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.’ ”   (Luke 12:15)

“He (Jesus) told them this parable, ‘Look at the fig tree and all the trees.  When they sprout leaves, you can see for yourselves and know that summer is near.  Even so, when you see these things happening, you know that the kingdom of God is near.’ ”  (Luke 21:29-31)

God’s warnings are pretty clear, I just have to pay attention to them.  I shouldn’t ignore them any more than I could miss or ignore my big, bold, bright blue (now yellow-gold) BUMP sign.

my Heavenly Father tells me,  “Listen to My instruction and be wise; do not ignore it.  Blessed is the man who listens to Me, watching daily at My doors, waiting at My doorway.  For whoever finds Me finds life and receives favor from the Lord.  But whoever fails to find Me harms himself; all who hate Me love death.”  (Proverbs 8:33-36)

He also warns me saying, “Watch out that you are not deceived.  For many will come in My name, claiming, ‘I am he,’ and, ‘The time is near.’  Do not follow them.  When you hear of wars and revolutions, do not be frightened.  These things must happen first, but the end will not come right away.”   (Luke 21:8-9)

Fortunately, I am walking with the One who knows the beginning from the end.  He is my guide on this journey.  He will not let my foot slip – He watches over me and He neither slumbers nor sleeps.  He hems me in behind and before.   (Psalm 121:3-4 & Psalm 139:5)

Although my path may be treacherous at times, I have this assurance –  “the God of all grace, who called me to His eternal glory in Christ, after I have suffered a little while, will Himself restore me and make me strong, firm and steadfast.”  (1 Peter 5:10)

I just have to heed His warnings, which He provides in abundance throughout His living Word.

sincerely,            Grace Day

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

yes, it’s true  – the truce I had been enjoying with technology came to an abrupt end recently, leaving me confused and fearful of what she might do next.  As you know, dear readers, technology and I have often been at odds and I have written about our battles in past posts.  But lately, I have erroneously believed that we had made peace, when in truth technology was just lulling me into complacency, waiting for me to let my guard down, so that she could make her move.

And what a move she made!  Technology unexpectedly ambushed me in the worst possible way – she hit me where she knew it would hurt the most – my blog site simply disappeared from my old desktop, which is where I do all the writing of these posts.  I wanted to blame WordPress, because I think they must have updated something.  But my older  (very older) version of Windows could no longer keep up and so my blog site just vanished from my computer without so much as a warning or even a fond farewell.

Technology shattered our peaceful co-existence with this unexpected ambush, which of course is redundant, because an ambush by definition is unexpected.  Nonetheless, I was blindsided, completely caught off guard.  I am still reeling and technology is pressing her advantage, fighting me at every turn.  If I succeed in writing and posting this post, it will be a major victory for me and a step in reclaiming what technology is attempting to take from me – my ability to communicate with you, dear readers.

So I am currently walking through the valley of the shadow of technology filled with fear born of uncertainty as to the outcome of this contest between us.  But then I call to mind a different valley, a much darker valley mentioned in Psalm 23:4, “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.”

I know there are many valleys much darker than the valley of the shadow of technology.  I have walked through some of them and will yet find myself walking through more of them.  They can get pretty dark.  The valleys of the shadows of loneliness, of illness, of despair, of loss, of pain, of fear;  these can be dark and deep valleys indeed.  But there is a Light that shines in my darkness and the darkness cannot extinguish it.

According to Psalm 23:4, the Lord, who is my Shepherd, is with me in the valley.  His rod and staff provide me comfort.  The shepherd used his rod to fight off wild animals and his staff to direct the flock.  That’s both protection and direction the Lord gives me as He walks with me through the valley.  Then there’s something else.

James 1:17 describes God as, “the Father of the heavenly lights, in whom there is no shadow of turning.”  Not only is the One who walks with me in my dark valley the Creator and Sustainer of all light but there is no darkness in Him, no shadow at all.  After all, that’s what shadow is, darkness.  Technology may be attempting to cast her shadow of hindrance and set back over me, but He who is the light of the world is greater than any shadow technology can cast.

Besides, when technology’s shadow is finally eliminated, when she finally takes off her mask, will I find a friend and not a foe as I had expected?  Will I discover that she has been a friend all along, urging me on, forcing me to grow and to change with the times, forcing me to face my fears, not wanting me to be left behind?  Maybe she will prove to have been a friend all along, one I mistakenly judged to be the enemy.

Darkness will do that, shadows will do that – obscure the truth, hide true identities, make the way through the valley harder to find.  But there will come a day when even the valleys will be full of light.  (if there will even be valleys at all)

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

The glory of the Lord will fill the earth with light.  No more dark valleys.  No more shadows.  Today I am walking through the valley of the shadow of technology but I will fear no evil, for “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.”  (Psalm 119:105)   I will not lose my way.

I may feel I spend more time in life’s valleys than on life’s mountaintops, but it is in the valley that my Heavenly Father prepares a table for me in the presence of my enemies.  Take that technology!  I am not giving up.  So today this blogcast (I know that is not a real word) is coming to you from a remote location other than my desktop!  a modern day miracle amid the mundane for sure.

“Rejoice in the Lord always.  Again, I say rejoice!”  (Philippians 4:4)

sincerely,                      Grace Day

 

 

 

 

how’s that for sensationalism?  it is a true statement as of today, but it is not the whole truth.   The whole truth is that the dead body I discovered quite by accident this morning – is that of a mouse.  I immediately exited the basement and have not returned as of this writing.  I am filled with fear, paralyzed by an irrational reaction to my unexpected grim discovery.  After all, the mouse is dead.  It poses no viable threat to me.  But I can’t bring myself to return to the basement.  My basement now contains a corpse.  And I am not ready to face that reality yet.

In the original, animated Cinderella, the mice were so cute, so adorable even – they sang and they danced and they helped her create a beautiful dress to wear to the ball.  Those mice were not scary at all.  Even so, I cannot bring myself to return to the basement.  I’ll just have to do without whatever I might need that I keep down there.

At present, my fear is greater than my need.  We will see.  Time will tell.  Matthew 10:28 says, “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.”  Yes, I think my fear is misplaced. I’m afraid of something that has no power to harm me, while I need to be paying attention to what or to who does have the potential to hurt me, maybe even fatally.

I find a warning in 1 Peter 5:8-9, “Be self-controlled and alert.  Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.  Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings.”

Ephesians 6:10-12 tells me to, ” . . . be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.  For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”

Wow!  I have bigger problems than a dead mouse body in my basement.  I think that is pretty clear.  I have a much more sinister enemy who wants to devour me, to destroy me.  But I also have an infinitely powerful, infinitely compassionate protector and deliverer.

“But You are a shield around me, O Lord; You bestow glory on me and lift up my head.”   (Psalm 3:3)

“The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge.  He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.”  (Psalm 18:2)

“He is a shield for all who take refuge in Him.”   (Psalm 18:30b)

My Heavenly Father is my protector, my shield from the very real forces of evil that Ephesians 6:12 warns me about.  Despite how scary things can be at times for me, causing me to be afraid, I have this assurance – the same assurance Jesus gave to His disciples when He said to them –

“I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have peace.  In this world you will have trouble.  But take heart!  I have overcome the world.”   (John 16:33)

So even when I am surrounded by the troubles and the trials that come into my life, I can take heart as God’s word says, or take courage as another translation says, because my Heavenly Father is my shield.  He holds me securely and promises me that nothing will separate me from Him.  I don’t need to be afraid – of anything – even dead mice.

“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?  Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?    . . .    No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.”  (Romans 8:35, 37)

That’s me – more than a conqueror – because He not only watches over me, He is with me.

“Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are Mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you.  When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.”   (Isaiah 43:1-2)

“For I am the Lord, your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you.”   (Isaiah 41:13)

I don’t need to be afraid – I am not alone – my Creator is holding my hand – He is with me wherever I go – ” . . . I am with you always, even to the end of the world.” (Matthew 28:20)

even to a basement with a dead mouse body  . . .

sincerely,         Grace Day

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I do love beginnings.  They are so full of promise and possibilities.  They are so full of hope.  Beginnings are a fresh start, a clean slate waiting for me to write anything I want on it.  A clean slate, not yet filled with the mistakes I made yesterday. Beginnings are a fresh snowfall, unspoiled by anyone’s tracks, inviting me to leave whatever footprints I want in the unbroken blanket of white that covers everything in sight with beauty and mystery.

Beginnings are full of second chances and third chances and millionth chances. Beginnings are a chance to get it right, to rectify the wrongs of a different day. Beginnings are a gift, the gift of a do-over.  

Tomorrow will be a new day.  Tomorrow will also be the first day of a new year and the first day of a new decade.  We may pay more attention to tomorrow as a new day because it is New Year’s Day but in truth every day is a new day, a fresh start, a new beginning.  Lamentations 3:21-23 confirms this saying,

“Of this I remind myself, therefore I still have hope: Because of the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed; His compassions never fail.  They are new every morning; great is Thy faithfulness.”

I count on that promise from Lamentations.  I count on God’s compassion and mercy never running out but instead being present with me, available to me and actually overflowing towards me.  His love and His compassion surround me new every morning.  My Heavenly Father shows His mercy to me new every morning.  His forgiveness allows me to start each day with a clean slate, full of hope, full of purpose, full of faith, knowing that He will walk with me again today, no matter what the day holds in store for me.

Because of Lamentations 3:23 “They (God’s great love, compassions and mercies) are new every morning;” every day is New Year’s Day.  (well minus the football and time off work)  I don’t have to wait for three hundred sixty-four days to experience another fresh start, clean slate kind of a new beginning.  I can have that experience each day just for the asking.

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

“Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past.  See, I am doing a new thing!  Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?  I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland.”   (Isaiah 43:18-19)

” . . .   I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.  . . . I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it.  But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3:12-14)

With my Heavenly Father, every day is New Year’s Day.  With each new day I have the opportunity to re-evaluate, to recommit, to reconcile, to resolve anew to live with purpose and with passion for the One who created me.  “For You created my inmost being; You knit me together in my mother’s womb.  I praise You because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Your works are wonderful, I know that full well.”  (Psalm 139:13-14)

Each new day is a gift from God, not just New Year’s Day.  “I lie down and sleep; I wake again, because the Lord sustains me.”   (Psalm 3:5)

“All the days ordained for me were written in Your book before one of them came to be.   . . .    When I awake, I am still with you.”  (Psalm 139:16, 18)

Lord, I thank You for each and every new day, not just New Year’s Day.  I thank You that Your mercies to me are new every morning.  I thank you for new beginnings, clean slates, fresh starts, overflowing forgiveness and the miracle of Your mercy towards me.

Lord, teach me to number my days aright, that I might gain a heart of wisdom.  (Psalm 90:12)

” ‘Come now, let us reason together,’ says the Lord.  ‘Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.’ ”     (Isaiah 1:18)

every day is a day to rejoice and to celebrate a new beginning; every day is a day full of possibility yet empty, waiting for me to fill it with good things – acts of kindness, words of encouragement, prayers of praise, hands that offer help, ears that listen well, tears for the hurting, comfort for those who mourn,   . . .

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

sincerely,                 Grace Day

 

 

 

 

 

yes, it’s true – the BUMP is back!  Well actually the BUMP never left, it is right where it has always been.  It is the warning sign preceding the BUMP that is back, (again) a newer, updated version – bolder and brighter than ever.

I had not walked the golf course in quite a few months, so imagine my surprise when I came across my familiar old BUMP sign painted on the cement path, now transformed into something new.  The once bright blue letters boldly proclaiming “BUMP” had faded over time due to weather and traffic on the path.  Now letters of yellow-gold glowingly, glaringly proclaimed BUMP to all who walked this path.

These letters were painted over the now faded blue letters, but traces of the old blue warning were still visible beneath the new letters, peaking out from underneath the edges of the glowing yellow-gold letters that had replaced them.  I guess someone thought people like myself were no longer paying attention to the BUMP warning, so drastic action needed to be taken.  The warning itself remained the same, it just needed to be re-presented more boldly to get my attention.

The hazard that is the BUMP had not increased nor changed in any way – just the warning had been updated.  The old warning had become familiar and faded, commonplace, no longer commanding the attention necessary to deliver a heads up to the unsuspecting walker or jogger.

This got me to thinking – as I begin this New Year are there warnings I need to update so that I once again take notice of them?   Have I learned to ignore certain warning signals rather than give heed to what they are telling me?

One such warning comes to mind immediately.  I have been driving with my tire pressure warning light on for more than a month now.  I got so tired of taking my car in, that I have just ignored this warning light and kept on driving.  It no longer gets my attention.  I am used to it.  It has become normal.  (just like the blue BUMP warning became normal, but the new glowing yellow-gold BUMP got my attention today.)  The message hadn’t changed, I just needed to notice it once again and make the necessary course correction.

Do I need to update any warning signs for the new year?  What warnings have I stopped paying attention to as I go about my day?  Maybe something like, “danger-failure to forgive may damage your relationships” or “beware-hatred is hazardous to your health.”  How about “look out for liars – don’t believe everything you hear.” or “proceed with care – selfishness and greed may be harmful to your heart” or “caution – entering gossip & slander zone.”  or  “enter at your own risk – bullying practiced here.” or “cannot be held responsible for outcomes occurring apart from prayer”  or “danger – casting of stones may occur without warning.”

All these warnings are meant to give me a heads up as to what lies ahead, giving me a chance to adjust my attitudes and behavior thereby avoiding the negative if not dire consequences that awaited me if I continued on with my unforgiveness, or hatred or selfishness or any number of things.

Ephesians 5:15 puts it to me very clearly, warning me to “Be very careful, then, how you live – not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.”

Maybe I need to revisit and to repost the warning signs in my life that keep me from veering off the path that God has for me.  Things like the warning to “lean not to my own understanding but in all my ways to acknowledge God, and let Him direct my path.”     (Proverbs 3:5-6)

If any of God’s warnings have become too faded and too familiar maybe I need to repaint them, to rewrite them on my heart anew so that they will again get my attention before it is too late, before I encounter the BUMP.

warnings like “So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall!”  (1 Corinthians 10:12)

or Jesus’ warning to “Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.  There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known.  What you have said in the dark will be heard in the daylight, and what you have whispered in the ear in the inner rooms will be proclaimed from the roofs.”  (Luke 12:1-3)

that warning is as clear as the glaring yellow-gold BUMP letters on my walking path for sure!

so is this one, “But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.”   (Matthew 6:15)

and this one, “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves.”    (Philippians 2:3)

“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.”  (Galatians 6:7-8)

“Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.”  (Proverbs 4:23)

this is possibly the most profound warning of them all, to have my heart right before my Heavenly Father.  To have a heart able to recognize and receive His compassionate warnings to me –  warnings meant to protect me and to guide me.

To this end, I desire that God keep my heart from becoming stony and give me a heart of flesh.  God’s words are living and active, though they may become familiar, their power to warn and to protect me doesn’t fade with time, circumstance and weather, like the BUMP warning did.

My BUMP warning was intentionally made new again.  I want to be intentional about renewing God’s warnings to me as well, by revisiting His word and letting it teach and transform me all over again.

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

sincerely,        Grace Day

 

 

 

 

 

 

we are on the eve of our annual celebration of the night when Jesus was born – the night when the Word became flesh and made His home with us for a little while, the night when the angels sang, the night when time was torn in two.  That night the universe stood still, pausing to hear a baby’s cry – a light had come into the darkness and the darkness would never overcome it.

Such was Jesus’ entrance upon the earth that He had created all those years ago. It wasn’t a grand entrance by anyone’s standard.  Jesus came as a helpless baby, born in a small village, to poor parents – His birth went mostly unnoticed by an unsuspecting world, except for His parents who had things explained to them by an angel, the shepherds who were also notified by an angel, and the wise men who were watching for His arrival.  The rest of the world went on as if nothing special had happened.  They had no clue that the promised Messiah had come.

Now, more than two thousand years later we are celebrating Jesus’ first appearance on earth even as we wait expectantly for His promised return.

But when Jesus comes again, it is going to be very different from His first appearance here.  I learn something about what to expect in Acts 1:9-11 where I read, “After He (Jesus) said this, He was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid Him from their sight.  They (the disciples) were looking intently up into the sky as He was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them.  ‘Men of Galilee,’ they said, ‘why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen Him go into heaven.’ ”

“Look, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him; and all the peoples of the earth will mourn because of Him.  So shall it be!  Amen.”   (Revelation 1:7)

” ‘the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.’  At that time men will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory.  And He will send His angels and gather His elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of the heavens.”  (Mark 13:24-27)

Not many people living at the time of Jesus’ birth were aware of His arrival on this earth.  But when Jesus comes to earth again, no one will miss the event.  It will be impossible to do so.

“For the Lord Himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.  After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air.  And so we will be with the Lord forever.”   (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17)

Jesus said He would come back for us, “And if I go to 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 14:3)   That’s a promise I can count on.

Christmas is the celebration of Jesus’ first appearance on earth, we remember how God took on flesh and lived among us for awhile.  We remember that He also took on our sin, paid our price with His death and secured our eternity with Him when He rose from His grave on the third day.

Jesus has told us that He is coming again.  But this time no one will miss His arrival.  When He comes again He will wipe away every tear, He will end all our suffering and He will set all things right.  When He comes again He will bring His peace to rule over our constant conflicts.  When He comes again He will bring His reconciliation into all our relationships.  When He comes again He will bring His healing into all our infirmities.  When He comes again His light will vanquish our darkness permanently.  When He comes again His righteousness will prevail and His justice will rule.

When He comes again   . . .   no one will miss it – everyone will see it together  . . .

“But the day of the Lord will come like a thief.  The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare.   . . .  That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and elements will melt in the heat.  But in keeping with His promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness.”  (2 Peter 3:10-13)

When He comes again   . . .

“Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea.  . . .   I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘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.’  He who was seated on the throne said, ‘I am making everything new!’ ”  (Revelation 21:1-5)

When He comes again   . . .

“But we know that when He appears, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.”    (1 John 3:2)

When He comes again    . . .

”  . . .  we will all be changed – in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet.  For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.”    (1 Corinthians 15:51-52)

When He comes again    . . .

sincerely,        Grace Day

 

 

 

 

 

 

at least that’s what my sister tells me – and she should know – she recently had an encounter with one!  I recently wrote a post about this very thing, this very phenomenon, entitled “Secret Santa – secret service” but it was only a dream that perhaps such persons still existed.  Now I know that they are alive and well and on the move among us, all because of what happened to my sister.

She had taken her class and another class of special needs children to the mall to see Santa, have their pictures taken with him and eat lunch.  It was a school field trip for students who don’t usually get to take many field trips.  They were eating lunch in the food court of a busy mall, no small undertaking considering the differing ability levels of each child, necessitating lots of support and assistance from the teachers and the aides who were with them.

As my sister was watching her coworkers interacting with the students, she was thinking how patient, caring, and attentive she saw them being to the students in their care.  Suddenly a man came up behind her and asked if he could give Starbucks gift cards to her and to each of her coworkers.  He said he had been watching and admiring how they treated each of the students in their care with such dignity and compassion.

My sister accepted his kind gesture, but when she turned around to thank him again, he had vanished!  She wondered if he was real, but the gift cards were very real.  Not only that, but later when she and the others opened their gift cards there was also a twenty dollar bill in each one!

Dear readers, this was such a fun and inspiring story, I just had to share it with you!  This is truly right hand – left hand giving at its best, truly undercover without blowing your cover stuff, truly top secret, secret service, a mission accomplished maneuver.

He got in, he assessed the situation, fulfilled the objective, and made a clean getaway. No one knows his name, he didn’t leave a business card or anything to link him to the scene of the good deed, he won’t be able to deduct his generous gifts on his income taxes, he won’t be recognized in a newsletter or at an awards banquet – he is truly a secret servant – his anonymity the measure of his success.

This secret servant brightened the day of my sister and her coworkers, blessing them with something unexpected, the monetary gift, yes, but more than that an acknowledgement that someone saw, recognized and appreciated the very special work they do each and everyday with the very special students they are privileged to teach.  That day in the mall, my sister and the other teachers were not invisible!

“Be careful not to do your ‘acts of righteousness’ before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Gather in heaven.  So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by men.  I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full.  But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret.  Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.”    (Matthew 6:1-4)

long live Secret Santas, secret servants, secret agents of good in this world!

sincerely,      Grace Day

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

that’s what rituals do you know, they help us to remember things or events that we don’t want to forget.  Birthdays, for example, we celebrate them every year, our own and those of others.  Lot’s of rituals and traditions are associated with this celebration such as cake, candles. wishes, presents and even a song specific to the occasion.  Why do we do this?  To remember the day we were born?  are we afraid we’ll forget?  and just what are we celebrating?  another year of life?  gratitude for another person’s presence in our life?  in essence saying to them, “I’m glad you were born!  let’s celebrate!”

We usually celebrate the birthdays of those still living, but we do celebrate the birthdays of some famous people who have long since left this earth.  Of course, those celebrations may get merged together, as with Presidents’ Day, in memory of Abraham Lincoln and George Washington.  Do we really remember them and what they did for our country?  or is it just a day off from school and work with not a thought as to why?  What’s the point of the celebration or ritual if it doesn’t cause us or help us to remember what it is that we are celebrating and why?

Have you ever been at a birthday celebration where someone just “came for the cake”?  Or maybe they gave themselves away during the singing of the birthday song, when they didn’t know the name of the person to whom they were singing! If that isn’t a clue that they have no idea what or who they are celebrating, I don’t know what would be.

Christmas is a birthday celebration.  It is a ritual of remembrance that seemingly is celebrated all over the world, across many languages, nations and cultures. Christmas is the ultimate birthday party bash.  It has not just one birthday song, but countless carols written over the years.  It has not just one cake, but cakes, cookies, pies, candies, treats of every kind imaginable.  And candles?  Candles are not just on a cake, they are everywhere you look.  In windows, in churches, in homes, inside and outside, candles light up the darkness.

And presents?  Retailers live for Christmas!  They count on people buying gifts, multiple gifts, so many gifts as they participate in the birthday celebration of Christmas.  Ironically, we give these gifts to each other instead of to the person whose birthday we are celebrating.  This is quite the twist on the usual custom of bringing and bestowing gifts on the person whose birthday party we are attending.

But what if we don’t know whose birthday everyone around us is celebrating?  Or we know whose birthday it is, but we don’t really know (or maybe aren’t crazy about) him or her?  Do we just go for the cake?  Why should we miss out on all the good food, the presents and the fun just because we don’t exactly know what all the fuss is about?  We don’t exactly know what’s so special about this person, who was born so long ago (two thousand nineteen years ago to be exact) that the whole world still takes time off to celebrate and to remember His birthday every year.

Why?  Could it be that Christmas is more than just another birthday party? another reason for cake and candles and time off work?  Why is Jesus’ birth more celebration worthy than any other?  The answer to that question unlocks the key to the true meaning of Christmas which often lies hidden underneath piles of presents or it gets lost in the frantic scramble to prepare the party.  So much so that we no longer remember Who we are celebrating.

So we celebrate without the remembering.  And when we do, we find the party leaves us empty, more empty and unsatisfied than we were before we attended the party.  We attend but we never even meet or spend time with the guest of honor, the Person whose birthday it is.  If there is nothing for us to remember, there is no reason for us to rejoice.  We have nothing to celebrate.

If only we realized that we are all invited to Jesus’ birthday party, that we all have cause to celebrate His birth because He came for each and everyone of us!  Jesus is God’s gift to the world.  There are those who refuse God’s gift but no one is excluded from God’s invitation to come to the party, to meet and to know and then to celebrate His Son.

Jesus’ birth is the most extraordinary event in human history.  Long foretold by prophets like Isaiah, the Israelites had been waiting centuries for their promised Messiah, the One who would deliver them from all their suffering and oppression. Only problem is, when Jesus was born, they did not recognize Him as their promised Deliverer and King.  They expected God to send someone with position, power and prestige to rescue them, someone who would arrive with great fanfare and earthly pomp and circumstance.

Jesus’ birth contained none of those elements.  It was the opposite of what they were expecting.  Born in an obscure location, to poor parents who had nowhere to stay, forcing them to spend Jesus’ first night in a stable with the animals, Jesus’ entrance into our world seemed less than noteworthy.  (well, except for the angels talking to the shepherds, one spectacular star, and some kings from other countries traveling great distances just to see and to worship Him – otherwise pretty routine stuff)

Why celebrate Jesus’ birthday every December 25th?  What is it we need to be reminded of once again?  That God came down to live among us for awhile?  That He kept His promise to send us a Savior?

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

“She will give birth to a son, and you are to give Him the name Jesus, because He will save His people from their sins.”     (Matthew 1:21)

Those are two pretty incredible things for us to remember, and when we do recall what God did for us when He sent Jesus, we most certainly have reason to celebrate.

Simeon understood this.  Simeon was a man waiting for God to send the Savior that He had promised His people so many years before.  In Luke 2:28-32 we read what Simeon had to say when he encountered the baby Jesus in the temple courts, “Simeon took Him (Jesus) in his arms and praised God, saying: ‘Sovereign Lord, as You have promised, You now dismiss Your servant in peace.  For my eyes have seen Your salvation, which You have prepared in the sight of all people, a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to Your people Israel.’ ”

Jesus had come into the world and the world would never be the same again. Simeon knew this.  I know this too.  But it seems I need to be reminded or I forget just what it is that I am celebrating when I celebrate Jesus’ birth.  Because you see, the baby in the manger became the Christ on the cross.  When I celebrate Jesus’ birth, I am also remembering and celebrating His sacrificial death on the cross and His victorious resurrection, conquering death for all time.  That’s a lot to celebrate!

When I celebrate Jesus’ birth, I am celebrating the lifting of the law, the tearing of the curtain, the forgiveness of my sin, God’s gift of salvation, God’s presence come to live with us and then in us, sealing us for the day of redemption.  Christmas is a time to remember, to reflect and to rejoice over what God did for us in sending Jesus.  I experience in Jesus’ birth the fulfillment of God’s promise to mankind, God’s faithfulness and God’s inexplicable care for me and for each one of us, in providing the sacrifice for us as He did for Abraham on that mountain so long ago, so that I can be reconciled to Him.

Christmas is a birthday party celebrating Jesus’ birth and the whole world is invited.  No one is excluded.  The rituals surrounding Christmas – presents, lights, trees, carols, nativity scenes,  all are to help us remember who and why we are celebrating.  And it is when we take the time to really remember, that we are filled with joy at what God did for us that night.

“Heaven came down and glory filled my soul”, the song says.  That night, heaven came down in the form of a newborn baby and His glory filled the sky and the unsuspecting, slumbering earth as well.

“An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.  But the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.  Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; He is Christ the Lord.  This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.’  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 2:9-14)

The birthday party that is Christmas is our ritual of remembrance.  It is for us to remember, rejoice and share our joy with a hurting world.  They need to know the good news of Christmas.

“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)

“For unto us a child is born, to us a Son is given, and the government will be upon His shoulders.  And He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.  Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end.  He will reign on David’s throne and over His kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever.  The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this.”  (Isaiah 9:6-7)

sincerely,          Grace Day

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lord, give me ears to hear –

to hear Your gospel proclaimed – Your living words reigning down from heaven –

rising up from the deepest deep

echoing from mountain top to mountain top –

Your living words whispered in the morning mist –

sung by every star that fills the universe.

give me ears to hear Your Holy Spirit speak   . . .

give me ears to hear the cries of those You would have me serve.

Lord, give me eyes to see –

to see the beauty with which You have surrounded me,  to see

Your Presence in my every circumstance,

to see You when I am surrounded by darkness,

to see the people you put in my path, to see those individuals invisible to this world but known so well to You, because You count them precious in Your sight,

to see You above all else.

Lord, give me a mind –

to learn Your living words and thereby learn of You,

a mind to study and gain understanding from Your word,

a mind that seeks Your wisdom.

Lord, give me a heart –

a heart ready to receive Your words,

a heart willing to embrace You –

a heart where Your word can live and grow down deep,

give me an undivided heart, a heart wholly Yours –

a heart healed by Your sacrifice on the cross,

a heart made clean and new by Your blood, the blood You bled on that cross for me.

Lord, give me feet –

feet firmly fitted with the message of Your gospel,

feet ready to run, carrying Your Good News to those who have never heard,

feet ready to stand firm against the devil’s schemes,

give me feet that are “swift and beautiful” for You, as the hymn says.

Lord, give me hands –

hands that move only “at the impulse of Your love”, as I have sung so many times –

hands of healing, hands that reach out to others, hands that hold onto others’ hands even as they hold out Your hope to those who are hurting –

let me be Your hands to this wounded world, even as You hold me fast in Your own tender, Almighty hands.

Lord, give me a voice –

a voice that praises You all day long,

a voice that shares Your message of life with each and every soul,

a voice that encourages, a voice that comforts, a voice that proclaims Your love to the lost, Your hope to the hopeless –

a voice that gives You “thank offerings” without pause,

a voice of contrition, a voice of confession, a voice of repentance, a voice of compassion, a voice of rejoicing,

a voice that never ceases to lift up Your name.

“Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.”   (Psalm 150:6)

“Let them sacrifice thank offerings and tell of His works with songs of joy.”  (Psalm 107:22)

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

“Stand firm then,   . . .  with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.”  (Ephesians 6:14-15)

“How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, ‘Your God reigns!’ ”     (Isaiah 52:7)

“Ears that hear and eyes that see – the Lord has made them both.”  (Proverbs 20:12)

sincerely,            Grace Day