Actually, it is not PayPal that turned out to be my enemy, it was my enemy pretending to be PayPal that turned out to be what they already were – my enemy. I did not recognize my enemy because they were in disguise, of course.  Deception is the only way they can succeed.  They must deceive in order to gain access to me or to whatever it is that they want.

In this case, some nameless, faceless criminal wanted access to my personal information so that they could use it to steal from me.  So like a wolf in sheep’s clothing, they sent me an email, pretending to be PayPal.  They were a hacker in PayPal’s clothing.  And I believed them.  The subject line of their email to me, “unusual activities” got my attention and put me in a panic immediately.  With all the daily news about identity theft and how it ruins people’s lives, I immediately assumed that this “unusual activity” on my PayPal account meant that my identity had been stolen and someone was already up to no good using my account.

What to do?  Well, this email from my “pal” PayPal told me exactly what to do. Except that it wasn’t PayPal at all, but a thief pretending to be my protector from theft.  How ironic is that anyway?  The one who intends me harm is the one posing as my protector.  This isn’t the wolf disguised as a sheep, this is the wolf disguised as the shepherd.  Even more insidious.

So insidious that I didn’t recognize this wolf in shepherd’s clothing.  I trusted and responded by following the instructions in the fraudulent email.  I realize now this is just an impersonal version of a similar crime scenario that used to take place (and still does) before the internet, when criminals had to commit their crimes in person.  They used a variety of disguises to gain entrance into homes such as repairmen, servicemen, gas company employees, cable company etc.  They would even wear some sort of uniform and have ID of some kind.  Hard for the unsuspecting homeowner to discern the difference between an impostor and a person with legitimate business to conduct.

Discernment makes all the difference and discernment is what I lacked the day I got the email from PayPal, the email that wasn’t really from PayPal.  But it looked like PayPal, same logo in same colors – well, no, not really.  Upon closer inspection one could see it was similar to but not the same as.  There’s a big difference between similar and same.  A difference that makes all the difference in the world. My job is to discern that difference.

But this time I didn’t do that.  I was more focused on the urgent message than the identity of the messenger because I thought I knew the identity of the messenger. I didn’t stop to check his identification or his credentials.  Had I done so, there were obvious clues I could clearly see had I taken the time to question and to examine more closely this email before I took the action of blindly following the impostor’s instructions.

This whole experience with my cyber thief has got me to thinking and asking myself, just how easily fooled into following another person am I?  Jesus had something to say about this in John 10 when He said, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; (don’t I know that!) I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.  I am the good shepherd.  The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.  The hired hand is not the shepherd who owns the sheep.  So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away.  Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it.”

So how do I know the good shepherd?  Jesus said He was the good shepherd and He said, “the sheep listen to his voice.  He calls His own sheep by name and leads them out.   . . .  His sheep follow Him because they know His voice.  . . .  My sheep listen to My voice; I know them, and they follow Me.  I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of My hand.”

I also take to heart the advice of 1 Thessalonians 5:21, “Test everything.  Hold on to the good.  Avoid every kind of evil.”  and I like Paul’s advice to the Philippians in 1:9-10 when he said, “And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ,”.

God wants me to be discerning.  He does not want me to be fooled by false voices, false promises, false instructions, false teachings that will cause me harm.  God will give me wisdom and discernment if I ask Him for it instead of relying on my own limited judgement.  I have His promise on that.  “If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.”  (James 1:5)

I know to run from a wolf.  We all do.  It’s when the wolf is wearing sheep’s clothing or worse yet, when the wolf is wearing shepherd’s clothing, that he has the opportunity to get close enough to me to do me harm before I can recognize that there’s a wolf under the disguise.

Evil is the same way.  I can recognize evil.  It’s when evil masquerades as something else, calls itself something else, something non-threatening, familiar and seductive that I can be caught unaware and defenseless, if I don’t test everything and exercise discernment in all things.

I will certainly examine my emails more closely from now on in order to discern the true identity of the sender before I respond.  Because the identity of the sender makes all the difference in how I view the email.  Likewise, I will be careful to know whose voice it is that I am listening to and responding to before I follow.  My life may depend on it.

“There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death.”  (Proverbs 16:25)

“The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.  He makes me lie down in green pastures, He leads me beside quiet waters, He restores my soul.  He guides me in paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.”   (Psalm 23:1-3)

sincerely,       Grace Day

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

this is the sequel to the “if you give a car a tire” post written a year ago.  The reason for the sequel?  The tire drama continues.  My tire pressure light continues to come on at random and inconvenient times.  (well any time is an inconvenient time, I mean when is a good time for a flat tire?)  so most recently, my tire pressure light came on and I ignored it for awhile.  I didn’t have time to take the car in and the tires looked fine to me.  I mean perception is reality – right?

So the standoff continued.  Would I believe what I could see with my eyes or would I believe the glowing, bright orange tire pressure light on my car’s dashboard?   I didn’t want to think that anything was wrong.  That would require time and expense on my part to find and to fix the problem.  (assuming there really was a problem)

Who was right?  Turns out the tire light was right all along.  There was a nail in one of my tires and I needed to get a new one.  Which apparently makes my car very happy.  She seems to want new tires just like women love to get new shoes. Which is why I personally think her tire light comes on so often – she is hoping to get new tires, but there are times when I take her in and it is a false alarm.  I’m sure she was just thinking that her tires were so last year and that she needed to update her look.  She thinks using her tire pressure light is the surest way to get me to buy her new tires.

Well, on this particular day I gave my car a tire, but as usual that wasn’t enough for her.  She was feeling tired and wanted to be renewed, recharged so to speak. She thought this service station visit was a spa day for her.  (I’m thinking I am the one who could use a spa day right about now)  So, she didn’t just get her battery recharged  . . .  she got a brand new battery!  Her energy had been low and this was the new lease on life that she was craving.  We celebrated her newly rejuvenated self with a trip to the car wash, sparing no expense, getting her the Works Wash!

Hopefully, this will keep her happy.  But for how long?  Past experience has taught me that it is only a matter of time before her tire pressure warning light again lights up her dashboard.  So I will give my car a tire  . . .  but it won’t end there – it never does  . . .

I feel like I need to remind my car that “Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes.”  (or from having brand new, fancy tires)  (1 Peter 3:3)

And I need to remind myself not to ignore the warning light when it comes on.  It is there to protect me, to give me a heads up that something is not right, so that I can fix what is wrong before things get worse – before I continue further down the path without correcting the problem.  I drove for too many days with the warning light on in my car.

My conscience is the warning light my Heavenly Father has given me, to protect me and to guide me.  I need to learn not to ignore the warnings of my conscience telling me that something is not right.  Like the tire light, God’s gentle but clear warning will come before I can actually see that there is a problem.  Everything seems fine.  I have no idea what danger awaits me.  Just as I had no idea that there was a slow leak in one of my tires caused by a nail.

God knows before I do, before I can see it.  I just need to believe His warning and not my current circumstances.  Good advice.  “Today if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion.”  (Hebrews 3:15)

Heavenly Father, I ignored my car’s tire light for far too long.  May I never ignore Your voice and the leading of Your Holy Spirit.

sincerely,      Grace Day

 

 

 

See the crystal snow tears, tears of all the years tears,

tiny crystal snow tears falling on the world.

See the crystal snow tears, wash the world with white tears,

cover pain with beauty tears, falling on the world.

Crystal snow tears for man’s sorrows, snow tears for man’s woes –

white, the color of eternal joy, tears God’s love bestows.

Tears to give beauty to our pain, tears to renew our souls,

tears to cover the scars of earth, tears to make us whole.

Perfect snow tears, just like mankind – each one God’s own creation.

Perfect snow tears fall to earth, God’s sign of celebration.

For unto us a child is born, the hope of every nation;

as on that night crystal snow tears fell in joyous expectation.

Yes, God’s tears, crystal snow tears, fell freely to the earth –

a sign of eternal joy to come, on the night of Jesus’ birth.

I watch the crystal snow tears fall and feel their celebration,

snow tears are my own soul’s weeping, my plea for re-creation.

“He has made everything beautiful in its time.”  (Ecclesiastes 3:11)

sincerely,      Grace Day

 

thistles, thorns and thunderous things, like waterfalls and angel wings –

hints of heaven everywhere, we wait in wonder, not despair.

earthquakes quaking, volcanoes shaking,  wild geese gliding, formation breaking –

above the lake so deep, so wide, I cannot see the other side –

hurricanes howl – roaring lions prowl – while jungles full of feathered foul –

keep watch over secrets dark and deep, like where the crocodile goes to sleep –

mountains towering, flowers flowering –

song birds singing, cicadas ringing –

waves in rhythm ebbing and flowing – with the seasons’ coming and going –

stars twinkling, geysers gushing – dusk is coming, the whole world hushing

till owls and bats and bullfrogs rise –  while luna moths and fireflys – with magical mystery fill the skies –

crickets chirping, bullfrogs burping –

raccoons racing, salamanders slurping –

beavers building, foxes hunting –

there is food for all, no one goes wanting.

snow flakes flurrying, field mice scurrying, sand crabs burrowing –

hoot owls hoot, and screech owls screech,  sea gulls cry from every beach, while butterflies fly just out of reach –

bees buzzing, hummingbirds humming –

keeping time with creation’s drumming –

rain falling, rivers running –

eagles soaring, a sight so stunning –

even prairie dogs down below, pause to watch the eagles flow

across the sky and out of sight –

the elephant envies the birds their flight

and wonders what the view from there –

nothing beneath their wings but air.

oh world too wonderful for words –

from flying fish to swimming birds –

full of thistles, thorns and thunderous things, like waterfalls and angel wings

how fair then must heaven be?  I will just have to wait and see!

“How many are Your works, O Lord!  In wisdom You made them all; the earth is full of Your creatures.”   (Psalm 104:24)

“Through Him all things were made; without Him nothing was made that has been made.”   (John 1:3)

sincerely,       Grace Day

 

 

 

 

 

 

oh world – how I long to wrap my arms around you and hold you tight!  You are so full of beauty and so full of pain.  Neither can be contained in mortal minds nor hearts nor souls. Beauty so far beyond comprehension, the eye cannot fully register its wonder.  Pain, pouring out of every person – the cries of the wounded drowned out only by the cries of those whose precious ones have been taken from them – while the cries of the dead echo louder still . . .

I hear the cries of the mourners, loud and strident, rising and falling like the tides – from every continent, from every country, from every city,  the language of love and of loss sounds the same – the silent anguish deafening across the globe –

tears falling fast and furious, are not able to wash away the pain,  it is our tears that fill your oceans, oh world –  it is our pain that builds the walls that make a place for our pain to put down roots and take up residence – to grow unseen, protected, out of sight behind the walls – until the walls can no longer contain what has grown within – and they give way . . .

pain spilling out into the world, destroying everyone in its path, leaving again the mourners crying out –

oh world, I would comfort you and hold you tight and take your pain so far away, that memory could never find it, though she searched for infinite years.  I would sing over you a lullaby and write all your names upon My palms.  I will remember your sins no more but I will remember you forever.

I would shelter you under My wings even as I am preparing a place for you.  I would give My life for you, indeed I did – and I will come again to get you.  oh world – at once so beautiful and so sad  . . .  I hear the unceasing wailing of your mourners, I know the pain piercing every heart  . . .  I am collecting all your tears

“He will cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you will find refuge; His faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.”  (Psalm 91:4)

“Surely He took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows,”  (Isaiah 53:4)

“Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior, who daily bears our burdens.  Our God is a God who saves; from the Sovereign Lord comes escape from death.”  (Psalm 68:19-20)

“And the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will Himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.”  (1 Peter 5:10)

sincerely,       Grace Day

 

 

 

 

Lord, today I come to You empty – needing to be filled.  Tomorrow I may come to You full – needing to be emptied.

how often I come empty handed into Your presence, offering nothing up to You – not even gratitude for Your good gifts, nor praise to You, which is Your due because of who You are . . .  I should come full of both  . . .

how often I come to You full, full of requests I want You to grant, full of my plans for myself that I want You to bless and cause to come to pass  . . .  I come to You so full I have no room for what You want to give me  . . .

so I come to You in need of both,  of both Your emptying and Your filling  . . .

Right now, I am empty, I need to be filled with Your peace, Your comfort, Your wisdom, Your forgiveness, Your joy, Your compassion, Your love for others – that I might share all Your gifts generously with anyone and everyone You send my way  . . .

my condition changes constantly, but You don’t change, Lord – there is no shadow of turning with You – I can count on You to receive me – in whatever condition I am when I come to You – I can come to You as I am  . . .

Next time I come to You I may be full, full of self and sin – needing to be emptied out so that You can fill me with good things once again – so that I can be of use to You once again  . . .

sometimes I come to You with a sick, sin-stained heart – needing Your healing, cleansing restoration of my heart

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

sometimes I come to You burdened by the weight of my sin – needing Your forgiveness

“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”  (1 John 1:9)

sometimes I come to You discouraged and weary – needing encouragement and renewal

“but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength.  They will soar on wings like eagles;”   (Isaiah 40:31)

sometimes I come to You full of grief and sadness – needing comfort and hope

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

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, . . . ”  (2 Cor. 1:3-4)

Lord, I can come to You, just as I am – empty or full, bruised or broken and bleeding – no matter what my condition I can come to You as I am, in whatever way, I can come to You as I am  . . .

sometimes it is with a limp that I make my way slowly towards You, at other times crawling, other times I am climbing upward towards You, climbing out of the pit life has put me in, other times I am stumbling, straining just to stand, or I am walking weary but resolute in pursuit of You, other times I run in a full sprint towards You,  – but this I know – no matter how I come to You – in whatever condition – in whatever way – You will receive me!

You will receive me, You will take care of my needs, You will fill me up or You will empty me out – You will convict me and You will comfort me, You will forgive me and You will purify my heart – whatever it is that You know I need, that is what You will do  . . .  but You will always receive me  . . .

“Jesus said, ‘Let the little children come to Me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.’ ”  (Matthew 19:14)

Jesus received them, He receives me every time . . .

“All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and whoever comes to Me I will never drive away.”  (John 6:37)

“Just as I am, without one plea  . . . Just as I am, You will receive, will welcome, pardon, cleanse, relieve,  Because You promise I believe, O Lamb of God, I come! I come!”  (hymn)

sincerely,          Grace Day

 

 

 

 

 

who would have thought that listening is the first step on the path to love?  It’s not an easy path, the climb is steep, the incline often sharp.  No steps can be skipped over along the way.  This journey is not for the faint of heart.

James said in chapter one, verse 19 – “My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, for man’s anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires.”   Quick to listen  . . . and then learn to listen long . . . I need to listen not just with my ears but with my heart . . .  I need to hear not just the words that are spoken, but the words that are not spoken as well.  We all want to feel that we have been heard.

Listening allows me to learn about another person.  I get to know them.  I began to know another person in a way that I didn’t previously.  I can know them more completely.  “Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.”  (1 Corinthians 13:12)  This new knowledge paves the way for understanding.

It is understanding that opens the door for empathy to enter in.  And when empathy arrives, her presence brings a new perspective.  I am granted the grace to see the world through another’s eyes. The view is different than I have ever experienced before.  I am humbled and enriched as I see the world in this new way.  The gift of empathy is that I am able to feel and to share in another person’s pain.

“Surely He took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows,  . . .  But He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities;  . . .  and by His wounds we are healed.”  (Isaiah 53:4-5)

Then empathy invites compassion in.  I am filled with compassion for this one I have been listening to and learning from.  It is empathy which makes possible compassion.  Compassion has no way in without empathy’s invitation.

“As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear Him; for He knows how we are formed, He remembers that we are dust.” (Psalm 103:13-14)  “The Lord is good to all; He has compassion on all He has made.” (Psalm 145:9)

Compassion is a crucial step in the journey.  It is compassion that gives birth to the miracle that is mercy.  When I am able to feel compassion for another person, I will learn to minister to them with mercy.

“But in Your great mercy You did not put an end to them or abandon them, for You are a gracious and merciful God.”  (Nehemiah 9:31)  “For I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings.”  (Hosea 6:6)  “Who is a God like You, who pardons sin and forgives the transgression of the remnant of His inheritance?  You do not stay angry forever but delight to show mercy.”  (Micah 7:18)

It is out of mercy that forgiveness flows.  Christ’s forgiveness frees me from the guilt of my sins and from the penalty of death attached to them.  When I forgive others, I am relieved of the burden carrying a grudge against them becomes over time.  I am set free.  Forgiveness frees me and forgiveness frees those I forgive. Forgiveness releases both the giver and the receiver from the bondage in which unforgiveness holds them each captive.

“Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.”  (Ephesians 4:32)  ” . . . Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me?  . . .  Jesus answered, ‘I tell you, not seven times, but seventy times seven.”  (Matthew 18:21-22)

It is forgiveness that makes room for love to enter.  Forgiveness opens the flood gates wide and lets love in!  and love, well love is what?   all you need?  . . . makes the world go round?  . . . conquers all?

I do know this about love.  “Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.”  (1 Peter 4:8)

and this, “And now these three remain: faith, hope and love.  But the greatest of these is love.”  (1 Corinthians 13:13)

it is love that is required in the greatest commandment.  ” ‘Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?’  Jesus replied, ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.  This is the first and greatest commandment.  And the second is like it:  Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.’ ” (Matthew 22:36-40)

Two commandments requiring love.  And the path that leads to love starts with listening.  Listening leads to knowledge which makes possible understanding which ushers in empathy which invites compassion in which births mercy.  Mercy makes a way for forgiveness to flow freely in, washing away wounds and preparing the place where love will come to live.  

“As the Father has loved Me, so have I loved you.  Now remain in My love.”  (John 15:9)  

sincerely,      Grace Day    

 

 

Lord, give me a good-soil heart like the one in Your parable about the sower.  Give me a heart like the farmers’ fields of good soil.  The farmers have prepared their fields to receive the precious seeds they will sow. They have plowed the earth, broken up the ground beneath their feet, so that the seeds they sow will have a soft place to land, a safe place to rest, protected, under the cover of the broken sod, until they can take root, grow strong and produce a crop.

Lord, You know I need a good-soil heart to receive the seed that is Your living word.  You want me to receive all Your words.  You said, “Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.”  (Matthew 4:4)

Lord, prepare my heart to receive Your words.  Plowing disrupts the smooth, unbroken surface of my heart.  A surface which grows hard as time passes, covered over with weeds, thistles and thorns if no one comes along to break through to the good soil hidden beneath the hard exterior.

But You can break through, Lord.  You know there is good soil underneath the rocky surface.  You said, “I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.”  (Ezekiel 36:26)  A heart of flesh can be prepared; it can be plowed, broken open, ready to receive Your words of life.

I would protect my heart.  I would let no pain pierce its surface.  But You would have it break into a thousand pieces, making thousands of spaces into which Your word can fall, landing so deeply, so far down in the broken fissures of my heart’s soil, that it takes root, grows strong and produces a harvest of goodness that You intended all along.

Plowing is never pleasant, but it is necessary if planting is to be successful.  The soil has to be prepared before the sower can sow the seed.  Prepare my heart, Lord. Prepare my heart to receive Your words, prepare my heart to receive You.  If giving me the good-soil heart that I desire, means breaking my heart up like the farmer does the field, then that is how it has to be.

I trust You, Heavenly Father.  Only with You can a broken heart still be a heart that knows comfort.  You are the God of all comfort.  Only with You can a broken heart still be full of joy.  You are the source of all true joy.  Only with You, can a broken heart, that can’t hold onto anything else, still hold hope so securely – even while everything else falls away through the cracks.

Except the seed of Your word which takes root and grows strong.  “But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop.”  (Luke 8:15)

Lord, give me a good-soil heart.

sincerely,       Grace Day

 

 

 

 

I’ve already admitted that I’m a planner, so naturally I am a maker of “to do” lists. Once I have created said list however, the problems begin.  I created the list, I brought it to life, so to speak – but now my list takes on a life of its own.  We are locked in a battle for control.  Am I the boss of my list or is my list the boss of me?

Hard to tell sometimes, I’m sure.  I mean I made the list, but now the list is running my life. (well, at least my day)  I tell my list that I brought her into this world and I can take her out of it (as I point threateningly towards the trash can) but she is not alarmed.  She knows I would never throw her out without crossing each of her entries off the list.  And this will take time.  More time than I have.

Because she knows this about me.  I make lists longer than there are hours in the day to actually do what is on my “to do” list at any given time .  My list knows there will be carry over.  She will live to see another day.  She knows she is in no danger of me “trashing” her.

What other options are open to me?  Cross items off the list that I did not actually do?  No, she knows when I cheat and will not allow it.  She overwhelms me with guilt and will not relent until I make things right, either by putting the entry back on the list or actually accomplishing said task.

Creating a “to do” list is supposed to simplify my life, or at least my day.  But because my list takes on a life of her own, this is not the case.  I have to justify my entries to her, then clarify them.  I find myself trying to pacify my list when her insistence on me sticking to her plan (which was originally my plan until I wrote it down) is being met with resistance from me.  If I cannot mollify her or rectify the situation, then I will simply defy her.

Clarifying, justifying, pacifying, mollifying, rectifying, defying –  it’s exhausting.  Am I really going to let my “to do” list run my day or ruin it?  It started out with such promise, but now she is just a reminder of all that I failed to accomplish today.  I don’t want to keep her around.  She just lies there, silently showing me all that I didn’t get done today.  I’m wishing I had never created her in the first place. Without my list to accuse me, who’s to say whether my day was productive or unproductive?

“to do” lists are mainly made up of the most mundane things anyway.  So who needs them?  I mean the entries are things such as, “take Fluffy to vet, get groceries, put trash out, pay bills, cut grass, return emails  . . . “.   I never see entries like, “have mountain top experience, receive promotion, lay on beach, read book, invent next big thing, cure cancer, move mountain, climb mountain, hike Appalachian trail . . . etc.”

Then I realize, those are entries for a different list, what we call a “bucket list.” But it’s the “to do” list that runs my life, not my “bucket list.”  That list gets tucked away somewhere and forgotten while my “to do” list and I duke it out every day to see who’s in control.  I have created a monster and now I must deal with her.

It occurs to me that I have given my “to do” list too much power and I must now take it back.  But how?  By refusing to let her have the final say.  The words, “In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps.”  (Proverbs 16:9) run through my mind.  I may plan my course of action by making a “to do” list, but I need to remember that God may have other plans for me and He will determine my steps, not my list.

Jeremiah 10:23 confirms this, saying, “I know, O Lord, that a man’s life is not his own; it is not for man to direct his steps.”

Rather than letting my self-created “to do” list rule over my day, I know I would be better off to “Trust in the Lord with all my heart and lean not on my own understanding; in all my ways I should acknowledge Him, so that He can direct my paths.”  (and not my “to do” list)  (Proverbs 3:5-6)

My “to do” list is made up of such mundane things, I am always grateful when God overrules it with His own divine agenda.  “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts.”  (Isaiah 55:9)  I am better off with God directing my daily steps than I am following my list.

Or maybe I should invite God into my list making?  Add some entries such as “Be still and know that I am God.”, “Feed My sheep.”, “Rejoice with those who rejoice and mourn with those who mourn.”,  “pray without ceasing”, or “give thanks in all circumstances.”  Now that’s a list!

What to do with my “to do” list?  I can trash it or I can let God transform it.  I can let it become the boss of me or I can acknowledge that my Heavenly Father is the better boss of me than my list or than I am of myself.

With God as the Maker of my daily list, I will be better able to redeem the time and order my days aright, that I might gain a heart of wisdom.  (Psalm 90:12)

And as a bonus, there is no guilty carry over from the day before’s list.  “Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail.  They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness.”  (Lamentations 3:22-23)

Just what I want.  Just what I need.  A fresh start, a clean slate, a second chance with a new kinder, gentler “to do” list, hopefully guided more by God and less by me.  The mundane may still be on my list, but God is at work – His miracles made manifest amid the mundane of my everyday.  My mustard seed is enough.

sincerely,      Grace Day

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

it doesn’t take much to turn a stumbling stone (or block) into a stepping stone, but the impact on each individual who travels that particular path is far greater than one would imagine.  All that is required to turn a stumbling stone into a stepping stone is that the standing stone be laid down, flattest side up.  Now it is useful. Before it was blocking the path, now the same stone provides a way across whatever small break in the path has presented itself.

Usually it is water, especially after a heavy rain, that may be flowing across a usually dry path.  Not enough water to warrant a bridge mind you, but enough water that stepping stones are needed.  Not a lot, just a few stones, to provide a way across the unforeseen gap in the path and enable the traveler to keep going forward, not to have to turn back.

How many times have I done this while hiking?  I come across what is normally a dry riverbed now covered with water.  Simply by knocking over some standing rocks they become stepping stones providing safe passage for the few steps I need to cross.

Stepping stones aren’t grand like a bridge, they don’t need to be.  They just need to help people on their journey on that small part of the path.  Stepping stones provide just what is needed in that moment, a place to put my foot just long enough to get my balance and take the next step.  Stepping stones stand in the gap by lying down in the gap.  They lie in the mud, the muck and the mire so that my feet don’t get stuck there.

That’s the beauty of a stepping stone.  The secret of the stepping stone is that it lies down rather than stands up.  This is counter cultural to us.  We are told to stand up for ourselves, to stand up to other people, not to let people walk all over us.    Then I read “Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.”  (John 15:13)   Jesus did that.

“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.”  (John 10:17-18)

I want to be a stepping stone for the people God puts in my path.  I surely don’t want to be a stumbling block, causing them harm, standing in their way, blocking their view or their path.  Lord, forgive me when I’m so busy standing firm that I forget to lay down just long enough for someone to find a foothold and cross over, continuing on their way to You.

Ecclesiastes 3 talks about a time for everything under heaven and gives many examples such as “a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to weep and a time to laugh,”  well, you get the idea.

In Ephesians 6, I read, “Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.  . . .  so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.  Stand firm then,  . . . ”

In 1 Corinthians 8:9 I read, “Be careful, however, that the exercise of your freedom does not become a stumbling block to the weak.”  And in Romans 14:13 I am told, “Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another.  Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in your brother’s way.”

I think I’d like to add to the list in Ecclesiastes chapter three another “time to” guideline.  I’m thinking, “a time to stand up and a time to lie down.”  I am told to stand firm in my faith but I am also told to lay down my life for others.  They are not mutually exclusive.  I can do both.  I am commanded to do both.

Laying down my life may not be the grand gesture some of the martyrs of the faith have been called to in the past.  It is the dying to self a thousand times a day, laying down my life again and again – which I must learn to do if I would transform from a stumbling stone into a stepping stone.  Only then can the Master use me for His good purposes.

Jesus was a stone mason.  He surely knows how to turn a stumbling block like me into a stepping stone.  I pray that He puts me in place every day, right where I am needed, right where He wants me.  He alone can accomplish this transition, this transformation in me, turning me from a stumbling block into a stepping stone. This is accomplished by turning me on my side and laying me down, just as I did with the rocks in my road in order to turn them into stepping stones.

The humbling of the stumbling stone, I call it.  I experience this often from the gentle hand of my Heavenly Father.  Without this humbling I cannot be the stepping stone that serves His purposes by providing passage for His people along the path.

Lord, help me to stand when You want me to stand firm.  Help me to lay down and become a stepping stone when that is what is needed.  Both take courage.  Give me the wisdom to know when to do the one and when to become the other.

sincerely,        Grace Day