It dawned on me today, I don’t know why it hasn’t occurred to me before now – such a simple truth, such an obvious fact, such a reasonable explanation for their behavior towards me – and it is this – they simply don’t know. How could they? It’s not their fault. It’s not my fault. It’s not anyone’s fault. Well, it’s COVID’s fault actually, but who’s pointing fingers? (ok, I confess – I am)

When I am out in the world, whether that be at school or getting groceries or at church, I am often not getting the reactions and the interactions that I had with others pre-COVID as I went about my day. I hadn’t realized how much those thousand little, often non-verbal, interactions with others went together to make up an important, yes, even essential, part of my day. Those thousand little interactions would weave together into each day’s fabric, sustaining and covering me, connecting me to my brothers and sisters, my family, the human race.

But now those precious interactions are interrupted, even erased from my day. They have been stolen by a virus. How did said virus accomplish this theft of human interaction? Covid did this by silencing our universal language. Ironic, since this language has no words and needs no voice. Yet, still it has been silenced by COVID. And that’s when I realized this truth, they don’t know, they simply don’t know.

The people that I pass in the hall or in the grocery aisle or see in the check out line or in the office, they don’t know. They don’t know that I am smiling at them! They don’t know that I am wishing them well, hoping they have a good day and giving them encouragement should their day be less than desirable at the moment. Yes, a kind, friendly smile can do all that for another person, whether friend, foe or complete stranger. A smile says so much, says so many things without the need for words. A smile says, “I see you, you are not invisible,” “hang in there,” “you’re accepted,” “have a good day,” “glad to see you,” “let’s talk,” “thanks,” “you’re welcome here, come on in,” “I recognize you, I know you,” “I would like to know you better,” and on and on. The language of the smile is universal. The language of the smile is a positive language. It is a language of peace. It is a language of possibility.

Why don’t other people know that I am smiling at them? Because I am wearing a mask! They have no idea that I am wishing them well, that I am open to engagement with them. A smile is an invitation to interaction. They have no idea an invitation has been issued. No wonder they don’t respond.

A smile is also an acceptance of the invitation. I get none of those (smiles, acceptances) because everyone I meet is masked like I am. (so they can’t see my invitation and I can’t see their acceptance – and I may be missing their invitations as well – maybe they are wondering why I don’t respond?) The universal language of the smile is completely silenced by the masks of COVID. The silence is sad. The silence is isolating and breeds conflict rather than the companionship we all crave after being separated for so long.

At this point, my memory is vague of the time when we were without masks, a time when smiles were freely given and received. It seems just when we most need a universal language, a way to connect with other people, our language is silenced by the covering up COVID requires. I confess – I think I have taken smiles too much for granted in the past, until I have had to do without them. It took me awhile to realize what was missing. I knew something was lacking from our current interactions. Who would have thought it was as simple as a smile?

Now, you may be thinking that I must be one of “those people” who want to bond with every person in the grocery check out line and hear their life story. Please know, that is not the case. I don’t bother random strangers with questions about their lives. Although I am curious to know about others’ life experiences. And everyone has a story to tell, without exception. (post – “Crocs and socks/looks and books”) I would hear them all, if I could. But sometimes a smile will suffice to bridge the gap and say I care. Even though I will not learn your story today, I will send you on your way with the parting gift of a smile.

How sad! I am walking through my days with a smile on my face for my fellowman but they don’t know. I know I need the encouragement and acceptance I used to receive from the smiles of others. And here’s something else – you never know where a smile will lead. It might lead to a conversation which might lead to getting to know someone which might lead to making a new friend for life. And it all starts with a smile! (a smile that needs to be seen)

I’m thinking of a dear friend of mine. We are recent friends, but luckily we met pre-COVID so we were not wearing masks when our paths first crossed for a brief encounter. From the invitation of a smile, to the acceptance of a conversation, to discovering that we are soul sisters, – what would have been missed if we had been masked and simply silenced into doing our respective jobs without making the effort to interact because neither could be sure of the other’s openness to share our stories without the encouragement of a smile.

Not every smile leads to a life long friendship, but every smile serves its good purpose – whether to brighten someone’s day, to welcome, to include, to uplift, to affirm, to connect, to invite, – smiles work their magic in the moments of our days – stepping stones to the stories of others or their purpose fulfilled in the moment they are given – because their purpose is for that moment alone. A world without the language of our smiles is a world of disconnected silence.

Which is what I was experiencing, which left me wondering why no one was responding to my friendly smiles, then realizing – they don’t know – they don’t know I’m smiling at them because they can’t see my face for the mask. It’s an odd feeling, not being able to connect in those moments and ways that used to be so effortless, because they happened naturally. A smile was the connection, momentary as it was. Or it was the open door to more. Either way the smile serves its purpose in our lives.

In Numbers 6:25-26 I read these words,

“the Lord make His face shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn His face toward you and give you peace.”

I’m thinking God’s face shining on us is like God smiling at us. It is being looked upon with favor. A smile bestows favor. A smile is a gift to those around us. The smiles of others are gifts to me. When our smiles are masked, something of value is lost to all of us. We are all missing the miracle of a smile amid the mundane of our everyday lives. A smile lights up a person’s face as it lights up any darkness around them at the same time. Psalm 4:6 says,

“Let the light of Your face shine upon us, O Lord.” or another translation says,

“Let Your face smile on us, Lord.”

In Psalm 119:135, David asks God this,

“Smile on me, and teach me Your laws.” or “Make Your face shine upon Your servant and teach me Your decrees.” then in Proverbs 15:30 I read,

“A cheerful look brings joy to the heart, and good news gives health to the bones.”

What is a smile but a “cheerful look?” so I can bring joy to the heart of others with just a smile? why would I not do what is within my power to do if it would bring joy to someone else? Looking forward to the time when masks are removed, I think of these words from 2 Corinthians 3:18,

“And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into His likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.”

unveiled faces, now that’s something to look forward to, isn’t it? Until then, I will leave you with this, dear readers,

“The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make His face shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn His face toward you and give you peace.” (Numbers 6:24-26)

“turn His face toward me?” I’m both grateful and glad that my Heavenly Father’s face isn’t hidden behind a mask – letting the light of His face shine upon us, bestowing His favor, bidding us come, enter in . . .

sincerely, Grace Day

It’s been awhile since I’ve heard those words because it’s been awhile since I’ve been on an airplane. And I have to confess – when I was on that airplane, getting ready for takeoff, I did not give my full attention to the person going over the safety instructions which always included the words “put on your own oxygen mask first.” I’ve never really given further thought to those words, but upon reflection now, they do seem to be quite selfish on the surface.

Seems like they are advocating looking out for myself rather than those seated around me. But actually, there is more to it. What if I am traveling with or seated by an elderly, handicapped or a very young person? They may need my help, but if I don’t secure my mask first, thereby ensuring that I remain conscious, I am not able to lend anyone else aide. In other words, if I don’t take care of myself first, I am not able to take care of others who might need my assistance. Unconscious, I am of no help to anyone. So maybe, putting on my oxygen mask first is not ultimately as selfish as it seems to be.

If I don’t help myself, I have no ability to help others. It is the same for the United States – if she doesn’t put on her oxygen mask first, she will have no ability to help those in need around the world. America has long been a sustainer of peoples on every continent. Out of our abundance we share with those in need in developing nations, with those devastated by natural disasters and with those oppressed and suffering in other countries. We produce an abundance of food and other goods and services which sustain those living in poverty in other nations.

MAP International is one U.S. organization which supplies donated medicines and medical supplies to those who need them around the world. They also work to provide clean water, health training and CHE (community health evangelism) to poor communities in other countries, helping them to become self-sustaining and therefore self sufficient, with the goal of them then being able to help other nearby villages (communities) to improve conditions, just as they were themselves helped. There are many other organizations from our country that have ministries of caring for people and their needs in countries on every continent.

Our government supplies a lot of aide but much is donated and delivered by private charities, churches and other groups who share out of their abundance to bless those in other nations. Family Legacy has built many schools throughout the city of Lusaka, Zambia and staffed them with trained Zambian teachers. Through the sponsorship of many donors, orphans and other vulnerable children who would not otherwise be in school, are given tuition, uniforms, books, food for their families, health care and the opportunity to go to school every day. Through education they are given hope and a future.

There are countless organizations and churches in our country that send people and supplies around the world to bring clean water, health care, education and the good news of the gospel to many who would not otherwise have access to these things. We are free to participate in these ongoing endeavors or not. I think of the times I went to Haiti – of the churches and schools we supported and worked with there in addition to an agriculture program and a small business training program. Farmers and business owners took time away from their jobs to help those in another country succeed. That’s what is possible when you are successful, you can lend a hand to others.

When your country allows you to be successful and free, you are free to lift others up in whatever ways you choose to do so. We are able to live out the words in Isaiah 58:6-7, where God says –

“Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter – when you see the naked, to clothe him, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?”

The world has long looked to the U.S. as a source of help in times of trouble. But if we don’t put on our own oxygen mask first, we will not be able to help any other nation. If our economy collapses, if our farmers can’t grow crops, if people don’t have jobs, if we are no longer energy independent, – we have nothing to offer anyone else. If we are no longer free, we are no longer that light of hope to refugees and other oppressed peoples around the globe. America has long been the champion of the oppressed, but if we ourselves become the oppressed, what hope is left to the world?

How sad for those who have risked everything to come here, only to find Freedom floundering, fighting for her very life as liberties continue to be lost while anyone who would object is silenced or cancelled into compliance with whatever today’s new edicts might be.

“Woe to those who make unjust laws, to those who issue oppressive decrees, to deprive the poor of their rights and withhold justice from the oppressed of My people, making widows their prey and robbing the fatherless. What will you do on the day of reckoning, when disaster comes from afar? To whom will you run for help? Where will you leave your riches? Nothing will remain but to cringe among the captives or fall among the slain.” (Isaiah 10:1-4)

Oppressive decrees? Isaiah could have been writing those words today. The world is watching, holding its collective breath, waiting to see if this nation “conceived in liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal, . . . can long endure.” (Gettysburg Address) We were the great experiment, the newest of nations, founded out of our forefathers’ desire to be free to worship God and not the current King of England. We were a nation founded on God’s laws, including equality for all, as we are all created in God’s image. The idea that we derive our rights from God and not from government, or a monarch or a dictator or any other person, was revolutionary at the time of our founding.

This new country drew many to her shores who were in search of the freedoms they lacked in their own homelands. That trend continues to this very day. The opportunity for self determination is something worth sacrificing for, as those who begin new lives here know all too well. But if America doesn’t put on her own oxygen mask first, she will have nothing to offer to the world.

No safe harbor, no light of freedom, no hope for the oppressed, no aide, financial or otherwise, will she have to offer to others. With economic collapse like Venezuela and Zimbabwe have suffered since socialism took hold in their countries, we will be equally destitute. The testimonies of those who have escaped to come here are telling as they recognize what they experienced in their home countries, now happening in the United States.

Maybe wanting America to be great wasn’t such a bad idea after all? I guess it depends on what you do with your “greatness.” Maybe better words would be free or independent or prosperous or strong, any of those would allow us to extend a helping hand to other countries – if we ourselves are free to do so and have the resources to provide aide because we are a strong, prosperous, independent people. A strong military, (providing protection and peace) an economy where everyone is working, as opposed to being dependent on government for aide, (that’s prosperity) and freedom to choose your own path, (unlimited possibilities) – that is a great country – one that provides protection, peace, prosperity and myriad possibilities and paths for its citizens to pursue happiness, their dreams, their God, whatever they want – they are free to choose.

I guess that’s why so many people keep risking so much to come here? People want to start their own businesses, they want to worship unrestricted, they want to pursue their dreams just as the declaration of our independence proclaimed all those years ago – our right to “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” When America is no longer “great” she will not be able to lend that helping hand around the world that the world has come to count on – not unless she puts on her own oxygen mask first.

As citizens, it is up to us to be sure our country’s oxygen mask is on – it is up to us to make our country strong, make her prosperous, make her full of opportunity for everyone, make her safe, make her peaceful, make her law abiding, make her God fearing, make her generous, make her just, make her good, make her free. If these are the attributes of greatness – what is wrong with being great? The world is watching – not wanting to see Freedom fall from the face of the earth. Where will they go when we are no longer free? when we are no longer great?

“It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.” (Galatians 5:1)

sincerely, Grace Day

there was ringing, the ringing of the bells, meting out their message, assuring us all was well. Time to gather, time to sing, praises to God, our Savior and King.

there was singing, singing in the stands, before the contest of the teams – there was cheering, much cheering from all the assembled fans

there was laughter, there was laughter all around – as children chased and climbed and swung – the footfalls of their feet echoing on sacred ground

there was dancing, much dancing of every kind – in every place, so free and flowing – so slow and steady, the beat keeps growing, till dancing with a graceful precision – creates in that space a beautiful vision

there was weeping, much weeping when loved ones lost were laid to rest, there was comfort, much comfort in the gathering, the presence of those who loved them best

there was music, so much music – the world could not contain, all the symphonies and children’s choirs, singing a glad refrain, churches filled with familiar hymns sung – while outdoor concerts thrilled old and young

there was joy, there was celebration at many myriad events – weddings, graduations, birthdays, such special times were spent

together, sharing life’s journey, we did not walk our path alone – created for community, in each one God’s image shown

in solitary silence, I wait for freedom’s bells to ring, hoping once again to hear the voices of the people sing

no bullets brought this end to freedom’s ring – it simply became unlawful for anyone to sing – the praises of our country, the praises of our God, no voices heard from shore to shore, where pilgrims’ feet once trod.

dictators deliver their edicts, kings issue their decrees – our democracy had neither, to God we took a knee

we had laws, God’s laws were our own, no more were we subjects to a king on a throne

a dream of freedom was conceived, a nation of freedom was born – to this end they pledged their very lives as their allegiances were sworn

would they wonder why freedom’s ring is silent in our land today? would they listen for the bells calling out, compelling us each day? to take heart, be brave – we will not again be enslaved.

the battle rages all around, now is the time to stand our ground

Truth, was the first to fall, she is the most formidable foe of all – but with Truth gone, fear fills her place, and Freedom falls without a trace, without a sound, without a cry, with no one left to wonder why

why the bells no longer ring, why of our country we can no longer sing – or celebrate or commemorate those who died to make her great – is the hour now too late?

no history to remind of what has gone before, we soon forget the price those paid who once guarded Freedom’s door. No dissent and no lament, one cannot mourn what one does not know, what one never knew nor can’t recall – our history erased, Freedom free to fall – and fall she will on ears grown deaf and hearts grown hard and eyes grown too blind to see Truth

Truth, no longer able to come to her aide – Truth long since banished from every portal where previously she poured forth in generations past, from every pulpit, every courtroom, every classroom, every town square, every home – Truth makes Freedom’s existence possible- without Truth, Freedom dies – freedom of speech, freedom to pursue dreams, – no limits placed by birth bequeathed status or lack thereof

oh to hear the bells! bells ringing, ringing out fear, ringing in freedom – one of my favorite hymns is based on the poem “Christmas Bells” written on Christmas day 1863 by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. It begins with these words,

“I heard the bells on Christmas Day, Their old, familiar carols play, and wild and sweet the words repeat, of peace on earth, good-will to men!”

His poem then becomes a lament of sorts as the Civil War was raging at the time he wrote these words and his son Charles was serving with the Union Army, having gone against his father’s wishes to enlist. The poem continues and as it nears the end we read,

“And in despair I bowed my head; ‘There is no peace on earth,’ I said; ‘For hate is strong, and mocks the song of peace on earth, good-will to men!’ ”

But then we come to the final words of the poem,

“Then pealed the bells more loud and deep: ‘God is not dead, nor doth He sleep; the Wrong shall fail, the Right prevail, with peace on earth, good-will to men.’ ”

The ballad of the bells is peace, freedom for the oppressed, (which was why the Civil War was taking place) and hope, hope that good will always win out over evil. And when there were people like Longfellow’s son, that was a sure hope. This is what his son, Charles, wrote to him in a letter after he left to join the Union army in March 1863, without his father’s knowledge or permission,

“I have tried hard to resist the temptation of going without your leave but I cannot any longer. I feel it to be my first duty to do what I can for my country and I would willingly lay down my life for it if it would be of any good.”

Reminiscent of the patriots of 1776, isn’t it? Imagine it – he was not worried about losing his popularity, his position or his power, not worried about losing his job or even about losing his very life – he apparently loved his country, messed up as she was in 1863, enough to die for her. That is the definition of a patriot.

Currently, we may feel our country to be very messed up. I confess – it is easy to find her faults and her failures. Is that why no one is willing to risk the sacrifice of being defriended or deplatformed, let alone losing a job or personal popularity or power, simply by standing up for her? Do we now value personal comfort over freedom? It seems we are willing to sacrifice, we are now willing to sacrifice freedom for our own comfort instead of sacrificing our own comfort for freedom, for the freedom of others, for the freedom of the many, for the freedom of those who will come after us. (our founding fathers secured freedom not just for themselves but for the generations to come) No wonder the bells are silent.

still, I will hope, I will keep on listening for the bells – let freedom ring!

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

sincerely, Grace Day

Headlines swirl around us at a dizzying pace. I confess – it is hard to keep up with the daily drama of our country. Two headlines which stand out because they remain constant are, “There’s an elephant in the room” and “The Emperor has new clothes.” There’s no denying a connection between the two. However, we are told to pointedly ignore the first headline while simultaneously profusely praising the second one.

What must the rest of the world be thinking as they watch the theater of events parading before us all? Currently, our lawmakers, (that would be the men and women we chose through election and whose salaries we pay – they work for us – we hired them to do a job for us) are preparing to hold a trial in the Senate. The sole purpose of this trial is to determine if a sitting president of our country should be removed from office or not, depending on whether he is convicted or acquitted. By definition, that’s what an impeachment trial is. It has one purpose and one purpose only, according to our constitution – to remove a sitting president from office.

So now, you may be puzzled. Joe Biden has been in office barely more than a week. And they want to remove him already? That does seem a bit hasty by anyone’s standards. Then you realize the purpose of this trial is not to remove Joe, but to remove a president who is no longer in office. Questions may come to mind at this point such as, why am I paying people to remove someone from office who is already gone? Could my money be better spent? Could my lawmakers’ time be better spent on other, more pressing concerns? Could it be no one has informed the Senate members that the defendant in their trial is no longer in office? That must be the explanation. They simply do not know he is gone from office, because if they did know – how foolish they would look to the watching world.

The other possibility is equally embarrassing. They have not read and therefore do not know what our country’s Constitution says about such matters. Or far worse and actually quite alarming, they do know what the Constitution says and they simply don’t care. Our Constitution is what separates and sets apart this country from the rest of the nations in the world. These Senators took an oath to uphold and protect it – how ironic – how grievously sad for our country and for us, that these are the people we entrusted with our liberties and our laws.

Why is no one pointing out the obvious? The person who is the target of this trial is no longer in office, thus the need for and the reason for the impeachment trial no longer exists. This is the elephant in the room which no one is talking about. He is gone! But we are not supposed to acknowledge the presence of the elephant in our room, no matter how big or how obvious the elephant becomes and no matter what we have to do in order to tiptoe around the elephant rather than admit it exists.

If truth be told, (which is rare these days) there is another elephant in our room – the constitution. This is one elephant that has been ignored for far too long at great peril and price to our beloved country. This is another elephant we are not to acknowledge or discuss. If we did read the constitution and follow its dictates, it would become glaringly apparent immediately that there is no need for a trial. Impeachment and the subsequent impeachment trial are matters of constitutional law. Their sole function is to remove a sitting president if the need should arise. There is no other purpose for these actions.

One does not need a law degree or a degree of any kind for that matter, in order to recognize the elephants that fill the room at present. We don’t have to be constitutional scholars to question why a trial is being held for an issue that does not exist. However, no one even raises the question, let alone outright objects to these proceedings moving forward in the Senate. Why will no one state the obvious? One doesn’t hold an impeachment trial for a person no longer in office. It just doesn’t make sense. Also, that’s the law.

Which is yet another elephant in the room – the law – the law which isn’t observed or followed or enforced or referenced in any way, except when it is twisted beyond recognition to achieve the desired outcome of the law twisters. So many elephants. Such a small room. We are running out of room in which to tiptoe quietly around these elephants. Soon we will be tripping and falling all over them. Yet we dare not call attention to their presence for fear of being removed from the room ourselves and permanently exiled, thereby permanently silenced. Seems to me we are silenced already. We spend our days silently tiptoeing around the ever growing elephant population in our room.

While our silence is demanded where the elephants are concerned, our voices are simultaneously solicited to speak up and pour out our praise of the Emperor’s new clothes. And they are quite beautiful and extraordinary, these clothes, we are told daily. I have to confess – I don’t see them myself, but I dare not admit this to anyone, lest my lack of perfect, clear vision be exposed and I am ridiculed, then outcast because I am unable to participate in the collective vision of the Emperor’s new clothes.

It is a hard lesson to learn. There is one vision, one viewpoint, one perspective and if I can’t see the Emperor’s new clothes (which I am told are absolutely fabulous) there is something wrong with me and I must be reprogrammed. Or is it deprogrammed? Either way, I am told to ignore the elephants, admire the new clothes and so get with the program. I wish I could. It would be so much easier. It is always easier to go with the flow than to swim upstream. It is easier to stay silent and hope someone else has the courage to admit that they can’t see the Emperor’s gorgeous new clothes either, but they can see the ever multiplying elephants that are filling up the room.

Who has the courage not to see the Emperor’s new clothes? Who has the courage to see the elephants and call them out? – out of the room and back to their rightful places. A place in time when the law was to be followed and the Constitution of our country was to be upheld and protected at all costs in order to preserve its protections for future generations. I confess – (I seem to have a lot to confess today) the song playing in my head at this point is “you don’t know what you’ve got ’till its gone” and I further confess that I am as guilty as anyone of taking this wonderful country and all the freedoms and opportunities she has afforded me, for granted. I have been privileged to enjoy these gifts freedom bestows my entire life and only now when they are disappearing while our attention is diverted elsewhere, do I realize how precious they are and at what cost they were purchased and passed down to us today.

There is a reason we remember the statement, “Give me liberty or give me death.” There were those in our history who valued liberty more than their individual lives. Now we value not just our life, but our own personal comfort over almost everything it seems. There is nothing worth dying for. The concept of sacrifice for something bigger than our own concerns is as unfamiliar to us today as is the concept of personal struggle and hardship being an inevitable part of achievement, growth and character development.

No wonder we refer to the WWII generation as the last great generation. They knew something about sacrifice and courage. What is more surprising is that, in large part, their sacrifices were on behalf of other nations and other people around the globe, as much as to preserve our own freedoms. We (the U.S.) could have just stayed home and defended our own shores. We didn’t have to free anyone else. But we did. Many Americans got death so that others could have liberty. When the last of these patriots are no longer living, will we completely forget this part of our history? Will it be erased?

Which is another elephant in the room we are to ignore – our history. Well actually, this elephant, like the other elephants, is getting new clothes along with the Emperor. We have permission to admire the new clothes, but must continue to ignore the elephants at all times. The tailors and the seamstresses for the Emperor and the elephants have been hard at work as you can imagine. Elephants, by virtue of their size, require a herculean effort to clothe properly. But the costume creators, aka, the media, work round the clock to continuously provide cover – did I say cover? – I mean to provide the new clothes which the elephants and the Emperor so desperately need and regularly require.

This is definitely a full time job, being an elephant dresser and an emperor maker. (must be why they say, the clothes make the man – must be why the Emperor needed new clothes) It takes a lot of fabric to cover an elephant or to dress an Emperor properly – to make the unpalatable, palatable – the unconscionable, conscionable – the absurd, sane or reasonable – well, you get the idea, it’a a big job.

What must the world be thinking as they watch the re-imagining of America into something unrecognizable? Or maybe it is something easily recognizable to Venezuela, Zimbabwe, North Korea, China and many more because it is their own existence they see mirrored in the events of our nation at present. They remember all too well the path we currently follow which will lead us to where they already are. I only know I can’t see the Emperor’s new clothes at present but I can clearly see the many elephants that nobody is talking about, but which continue to crowd the room, nevertheless . I am tired of tiptoeing and desperately desiring a return of truth to rescue us before it is too late. I understand how David felt when he said,

“Streams of tears flow from my eyes, for Your law is not obeyed.” (Psalm 119:136)

It is painful to watch what Isaiah talked about taking place before my eyes,

“Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter. Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes and clever in their own sight. . . . who acquit the guilty for a bribe, but deny justice to the innocent.” (Isaiah 5:20-23)

Even as I despair for my country, my hope is in the Living God and in His words which remain throughout all generations.

“Better the little that the righteous have than the wealth of many wicked; for the power of the wicked will be broken, but the Lord upholds the righteous. . . . The wicked lie in wait for the righteous, seeking their very lives; but the Lord will not leave them in their power or let them be condemned when brought to trial.” (Psalm 37:16-17 & 32-33)

“Let those who love the Lord hate evil, for He guards the lives of His faithful ones and delivers them from the hand of the wicked.” (Psalm 97:10)

today, I will be brave. I will acknowledge the existence of the elephants and I will admit I cannot see these fabulous new clothes of the Emperor that everyone is talking about. There is something else I can do as well – I will attempt to live out these words in Romans 12:9-19,

“Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with God’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, . . . Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God’s wrath,”

that is a long list, I had better get busy putting those words into practice in my daily life – it will not be easy but nothing worthwhile is ever easy . . . truth, sacrifice, freedom – the more valuable they are, the greater the cost . . . a cost that not many are willing to pay at this time in our history . . . easier to let a country and a people perish . . .

sincerely, Grace Day

“I cry out to You, O God, but You do not answer;” (Job 30:20)

“O my God, I cry out by day, but You do not answer, by night, and am not silent.” (Psalm 22:2)

Ever feel like that? – like Job did or like David did when he called out to God but God was silent. (or so Job and centuries later David, thought at the time) I confess – I’ve felt this way – but

it occurs to me today as I ponder this, that maybe when I am thinking God is silent, when I am complaining that God is silent . . . I should take off my headphones, take out my earbuds – I should turn down the volume on my TV. Then a much more radical thought presents itself – don’t just turn the volume down – turn off the TV!

With that noise silenced, I hear the radio and realize I could turn that off too! The praise music, the pod cast, the audio book, the phone, the talking, the texting (which can be quite loud) – what if I turned them all off? What would that sound like? Whose voice would I hear then?

Could it be, that while I have been assuming God’s silence, He has been speaking? – tenderly, soothingly, clearly, truthfully, forcefully, gently, in every way from thundrous thunder to the gentlest whisper, my Heavenly Father has been speaking, singing over me even – He has not been silent – I just haven’t been listening. I say I want to hear His voice and then I don’t even take the time to listen – to turn down the volume, no to turn off the volume and seek Him in silence . . .

Guess this one’s on me. Forgive me, Lord.

“Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” (Psalm 46:10)

“I waited patiently for the Lord; He turned to me and heard my cry.” (Psalm 40:1)

“But the Lord is in His holy temple; let all the earth be silent before Him.” (Habakkuk 2:20)

“Be still before the Lord, all mankind, because He has roused Himself from His holy dwelling.” (Zechariah 2:13)

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

My Heavenly Father is not silent – He is singing, whispering, teaching, disciplining, reassuring, shouting, proclaiming His truth to me – and to anyone who would be still and listen. I have His promise,

“I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you and watch over you.” (Psalm 32:8)

My Heavenly Father is not silent! But I need to be!

“Call to Me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.” (Jeremiah 33:3)

“So Eli told Samuel, ‘Go and lie down, and if He calls you, say, ‘Speak, Lord, for Your servant is listening.’ ‘ . . . The Lord came . . . Then Samuel said, ‘Speak, for Your servant is listening.’ ” (1 Samuel 3:9-10)

so am I Lord, listening, teach me to listen well,

sincerely, Grace Day

Hope deserted the disciples after Jesus’s death. Those were definitely the darkest of days, anguish filled hours after Jesus’s body was laid in the tomb. It was over. It was done. There was no coming back from this. There is no coming back from death. Well, ok, sure, they had seen Lazarus walk out of his tomb, still bound by his grave clothes. But that had been Jesus’s doing and now Jesus Himself was in the tomb. Who was going to call Him out?

These disciples, these followers of Jesus, had put all their hope in Him. They had followed Him faithfully for three years, watching what He did, learning from His words. And now He was gone to the grave, just like all the prophets, the priests and the kings who had come before Him. They had believed Jesus was different than the others. We read Peter’s confession in John 6:67-69,

” ‘You do not want to leave too, do you?’ Jesus asked the Twelve. Simon Peter answered Him, ‘Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We believe and know that You are the Holy One of God.’ ”

And so they believed. They put all their hope in Jesus. Now He was gone and their hope had gone with Him to the grave. In hope’s place, now sorrow, disappointment and fear filled the spaces in their hearts where hope had so recently reigned unchallenged as long as Jesus walked with them every day. But now Jesus was gone and hope was too. During these days after Jesus’s death (which turned out to be brief, only two, as Jesus walked out of the tomb on the third day) the disciples must have believed this was the end of everything – every hope, every dream, every possibility that Jesus had put before them with His proclaiming of the Good News of God, His promises of redemption, reconciliation and eternal life for mankind – all died with Jesus on that cross. Or so they must have thought during the days following His crucifixion and death.

How long those two days must have seemed! The disciples believed all was lost, forever. They couldn’t know there was a second act coming – that if they could just hold on and hang in, a miracle was on the way. They thought their path had dead ended. (unintended pun) As far as they could see, (which wasn’t all that far) there was not another bend in the road up ahead and so the hope of something better, something just out of sight, something around the next turn in the road, did not exist – it was not a possibility. But with God all things are possible, even what is impossible with man. Especially what is impossible with man. (Matthew 19:26) How soon the disciples forgot those words of Jesus!  

As they grieved, the disciples didn’t know that their miracle was on the way, that their miracle was only mere moments away. To them, those moments after Jesus’s death were an eternity. To Eternity’s Keeper those moments were as fleeting as a firefly’s light on a summer night. Their Deliverer was coming! He would rise with the dawn on that third day. They would see Him again.

But the disciples didn’t know that. They didn’t seem to be recalling or holding on to Jesus words given to them when He was still with them.

“Jesus answered them, ‘Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days.’ . . . But the temple He had spoken of was His body. After He was raised from the dead, His disciples recalled what He had said. Then they believed the Scripture and the words that Jesus had spoken.” (John 2:19-22)

Then they believed, after Jesus rose from the dead and joined them where they were mourning together. Even then it took some convincing. We read what happened in Luke 24:36-48,

” . . . Jesus Himself stood among them and said to them, ‘Peace be with you.’ They were startled and frightened, thinking they saw a ghost. He said to them, ‘Why are you troubled, and why do doubts rise in your minds? Look at My hands and My feet. It is I Myself! Touch Me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have.’ . . . He showed them His hands and feet. . . . Then He opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. He told them, ‘This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things.’ ”

And just like that, hope was back! From death’s apparent ending, to life’s surprising new beginning, the disciples were back in business – returned to their original calling – following Jesus, proclaiming the Good News and making disciples of all whom God had created. Those were their marching orders until Jesus should return. We read about this in Acts 1:9-11,

” . . . ‘and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.’ After He said this, He was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud his Him from their sight. They 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.'”

Interesting isn’t it? Those following Jesus at the time of His crucifixion had to wait only two days before He rose from the dead and restored their hope. Now we have been waiting two thousand years plus for Jesus’s promised return. The need for hope is as great now as it was in those two post crucifixion days. I confess – difficulty and darkness threaten to make me lose my hold on hope but hope’s hands are holding onto me.

Like sailors on a stormy sea, if only we knew just how close we were to the shore, we would be encouraged not to give up hope. But we don’t know. We can’t see the shore, so we don’t know how much longer our wave tossed journey will last before we arrive at safe harbor. Until then, we hold on and hope. Our hope is in God. Psalm 30:11 says,

“You turned my wailing into dancing; You removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy,” Further, I am reminded,

“For His anger lasts only a moment, but His favor lasts a lifetime; weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning.” (Psalm 30:5)

King David knew the pain of uncertain times when all seemed lost forever, yet he said during his most desperate days,

“I am still confident of this; I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.” (Psalm 28:14)

Wait on God, hold on, hope, – I may be closer to safe harbor than I know – my vision is so limited. The day may be about to dawn, the sun to rise, the rain showers ready to fall, bringing the desert back to life, the winds to cease, the sea to calm, truth to take its rightful place, light to eliminate the darkness, good to supplant evil, reconciliation could be closer than I know, – hold on to hope – my Deliverer is coming!

“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

Sometimes you need a hand up along the way. Sometimes what you need is a stepping stone. Stepping stones are like bridges but less grand. Stepping stones help you get to where you are going. They help you over the rough patches when the path gives way to wilderness and water and uncharted territory and you need to find your way back to the path again. Stepping stones provide connection in the gaps so you don’t fall through the cracks. They provide a way forward where none would exist otherwise. Both get walked on, bridges and stepping stones, that is their purpose. They offer us safe passage on our journey. They give us a way to get where we are going.

I have relied on stepping stones often in my life and been grateful for their presence each and every time. Many are the times I need a stepping stone when the path before me crumbles away or becomes impassable and I find it impossible to move forward until I find another way. Stepping stones show me that new way where there was no way. But I have to confess – although I often use stepping stones, I have never aspired to be a stepping stone. After all, who would want to be such a lowly thing? Something on the ground that gets walked on and not even grand like a bridge, that’s a stepping stone. Bridges have names. You never heard of a stepping stone having a name, now did you?

Still, King David said in Psalm 84:10 these words about himself,

“I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked.”

I guess a doorkeeper was a pretty lowly position, you didn’t even get to go inside and enjoy the comforts and the amusements that those inside must surely be enjoying. Yet King David acknowledged that even something seemingly insignificant and lowly in God’s kingdom was to be preferred over a higher, more exalted existence apart from God.

So better a stepping stone in God’s kingdom than a fancy pillar of stone in the world. (those could actually be considered stumbling blocks if truth be told) Stones have been used in various ways throughout history. In Jesus’s time as in other times, people were stoned to death for breaking the current laws of their culture. The expression of “casting stones” remains with us to this day, although with a slightly altered meaning.

A stone may be thought insignificant, while a rock is a symbol of strength and stability. We often refer to someone who is always there for us as “our rock.” In 1 Peter 2:4-5 we read about the most special of stones and our relationship to it. Referring to Jesus, Peter says,

“As you come to Him, the living Stone – rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to Him – you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.”

Jesus Christ is our stepping stone to God. He is my stepping stone to God. Jesus laid down His life so that I could safely step across and find my way to God. Jesus is my sure foundation. Look what Isaiah 28:16 tells me about Him,

“So this is what the Sovereign Lord says: ‘See, I lay a stone in Zion, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone for a sure foundation; the one who trusts will never be dismayed.’ ”

Then I read in Psalm 118:22-23 these words,

“The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone; the Lord has done this and it is marvelous in our eyes.”

As Peter said, Jesus was rejected by men but God chose Jesus to be the capstone or cornerstone of everything that He was building here on earth and in heaven as well. And what’s more, I am told that I am a living stone being built into God’s spiritual house, along with my brothers and sisters in Christ. What an honor! I am one of many living stones being built upon the foundation of Jesus as the cornerstone. We all, as living stones, have different jobs to do. I want to do the work of a stepping stone, a living stepping stone.

I’ve walked across plenty of sacred stepping stone’s in my life’s journey. They are the precious saints who paved my path to God with the firmness of their faithfulness and the light of their love for our Heavenly Father. Like them, I want to be a stepping stone for others pursuing the path to God. It is a perilous path, filled with danger, doubt and discouragement, requiring devotion, dedication and self-sacrifice, so stepping stones are needed and are essential for all the spiritual wayfarers walking the path of faith. But in order to become a stepping stone, I first must learn to lay down. I must be willing to lay down my dreams, my desires, my will, my life, so that I might become a stepping stone used by God for His good purposes.

Jesus said in John 10:11-18,

“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep. The hired hand . . . sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. . . . The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. . . . just as the Father knows Me and I know the Father – and I lay down my life for the sheep. . . . 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.”

Jesus is the Rock eternal, God’s living Stone, the cornerstone, the capstone, the stepping stone to life. He became my stepping stone to eternal life when He laid down His life for me. I can do no less for others than Jesus did for me. Like David the doorkeeper, I would rather be a stepping stone on the path to God than a standing stone pillar, seen by all while blocking the view of and the way to God.

Lord, make me into a stepping stone fit for Your use. Teach me to lay down my life. Place me just where You want me to be. Put me where I am needed most, where the path grows perilous and footholds are hard to find.

“May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.” (Psalm 19:14)

sincerely, Grace Day

Today’s miracle amid the mundane is truly both – a miracle and the most mundane of everyday events. Now I confess – this miracle took place yesterday but continues today and I trust into the forseeable future, so I will count it as today’s miracle. This would be the miracle of being able to wear a boot (or even a shoe) after not being able to do so since December 6th. Since my infamous injuring of my left big toe, I have worn only big socks and slides, until recently graduating to big socks and crocs a few weeks ago.

So yesterday, when it was snowing and I needed to return to work, I wanted to wear something other than crocs on my feet. The boots and shoes I had tried on previously had not worked but this time I found a fit that didn’t hurt my still recovering toe! Progress! It felt so good to have my feet covered, snug and warm while walking in this cold, wet, winter weather. Something I have always taken for granted, warm footwear, has been restored to me. And just when I needed it most! The blessing of warm boots is something I wasn’t necessarily thankful for until I had to go without them for awhile.

There are so many things for me to be thankful for each and every day. Why is it I don’t appreciate so many of my blessings until they are interrupted or taken away? (like being able to wear warm boots) Although it is true that “each day has enough trouble of it’s own”, each day is also filled with God’s unmeasured, unmerited grace and mercy poured out all around me and on me each day. If only my eyes were open to see all of God’s merciful manna, falling around me, new every morning.

Why just this morning I had hot water for a shower, a working furnace, a roof over my head, clothes to wear, a job to go to, a car that started, food to eat, feeling good, living in a free country . . . the list could go on, and of course would include the blessing of being able to wear boots today. Even these blessings I have named are not things that people here or around the world necessarily have access to on a daily basis, such as clean water, shelter or freedom.

This time of COVID causes me to count my blessings anew and be grateful all over again for things I may have grown complacent about. I am not owed anything. It is all grace and it is all a gift – everyday, every moment of every day. The opportunity to worship with others, the opportunity to work, was I not thankful for those things until they were gone? Was I grateful for every hand that held mine, for every hug, for every smile that I can no longer see? It was not until they were gone that I knew them for the gifts, for the blessings they had been every day of my ordinary pre-COVID days.

But even during this time of COVID, each day is a gift and I don’t want to miss the opportunity to be grateful for each and every blessing hidden in these tough times. I feel like my life is on hold. Then I realize my Heavenly Father is the One who holds my life in His hands. What felt like barriers preventing me from moving forward, now I recognize as the hedge of protection His hands provide me.

I have felt isolated and alone during these COVID restricted days. I am physically separated from those I love, but I am not separated from my Heavenly Father.

“For 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 (me) from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:38-39)

Well that’s a pretty all inclusive list, so I don’t think COVID or all the hardships and loss that have come to us because of it will have any power to separate me from God’s love for me or to interfere with His plan for my life or His grand plan for mankind, for that matter.

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

“The Lord is . . . patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” (2 Peter 3:9)

Today, the blessing of my boots has reminded me to open my eyes and my heart to all the gifts from God that I am receiving during this day. I don’t want to miss a one and so fail to give thanks for all God’s very good gifts.

“Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.” (James 1:17)

“Let them give thanks to the Lord for His unfailing love and His wonderful deeds for men. Let them sacrifice thank offerings and tell of His works with songs of joy.” (Psalm 107:21-22)

Giving thanks to God, reveals to me the gifts, the mercies and the miracles He is bestowing daily, which otherwise would remain hidden and unnoticed beneath the sorrows, setbacks, suffering and trials which also fill our days. My days and I bet your days, too, dear readers, are full of both. It is God’s sustaining merciful manna, new every morning which carries me through whatever the day brings.

Perhaps hearing from a long lost loved one or some unexpected kindness or encouraging word is just what we need to see us through a dark day or a disappointment. Maybe these words will awaken the power of praise and gratitude within each of us that ushers us into the very presence of our Creator.

“Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise; give thanks to Him and praise His name. For the Lord is good and His love endures forever; His faithfulness continues through all generations.” (Psalm 100:4-5)

“He who sacrifices thank offerings honors Me, and he prepares the way so that I may show him the salvation of God.” (Psalm 50:23)

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

” . . . let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise – the fruit of lips that confess His name.” (Hebrews 13:15)

Lord, help me to do just that today – thank You for the wearing of the boots, thank You for work, thank You for smiles and kind words, thank You for Your daily mercies, thank You for . . .

sincerely, Grace Day

Today is an ordinary Saturday, well ordinary in COVID world, anyway. Nothing on my calendar and nowhere to go. (Florida is looking pretty good right about now) So imagine my surprise and delight when delicious, homemade muffins are magically delivered to my doorstep! Definitely a miracle amid an otherwise mundane day! Unmerited miracle muffins of mercy, I have decided to call them. I did not order them, they just mysteriously arrived and made my day. Thus the surprise factor.

So today’s kind act of my friend, the muffin maker, got me to thinking yet again about the age old tree falling in the forest debate. The tree in the forest may be an outdated example, so I will state the query in more modern terms. If an action or event is not pictured, posted and paraded on any or all forms of social media, did it really happen? (fyi – my friend did not take a picture and post of me receiving her muffins) But I am telling you – they are really good! She is a good cook, I am not.

But I digress. Because this is the question I am pondering; has social media become more of a reality now than actual real life reality? Asked another way, which is more real, social media or my real life experiences? If no one knows what I did or experienced, did it really happen? And if not, was there no “real life” lived by any of us before social media was around to document and disseminate it?

I’m thinking the pioneers couldn’t really share their frontier, daily life escapades with friends and family back home very easily. By the time any letter they wrote was received, their news was long outdated. Even by the time someone got around to writing a letter, their news was in the past, whether it was of an encounter with a bear or of a successful harvest against all odds, the drama was long past by the time pony express came through. Their letters would have been yesterday’s news many times over.

Before TV and modern day social media, what was real was what we experienced ourselves in our own daily lives, not someone else’s manufactured and edited reality put out there for us to consume and to participate in as our own. Judging by the apparent popularity of reality TV, many must prefer a reality carefully scripted and edited to elicit – well I’m not sure what exactly, I guess something we feel we should be experiencing and we should prefer to our own reality.

But real life is so wonderful if we truly live what we have been given where we have been placed in this time in human history which is so full of possibility and potential, yet we are being told is full of fear, failure and futility. So if it’s not on social media, is it real? did it really happen? Jesus speaks to this modern day issue, which is amazing considering the time in history when He was on this earth. But then, Jesus was counter-cultural in His day and His words from Matthew 6 are just as counter intuitive today as they were then. Consider what He taught,

“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 Father 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. . . . 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.” (Matthew 6:1-4)

So if I give and no one knows, did I really give? (God says yes, God knows) more instructions –

“And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. . . . But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.” (Matthew 6:5-6)

So if I pray and no one hears, did I really pray? (God says yes, God hears) Jesus continues –

“When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting. . . . But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that it will not be obvious to men that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.” (Matthew 6:16-18)

So if I fast and no one knows I am fasting, did I really fast? (God says yes, God sees)

This doing of things on the down-low, especially important things like giving, praying and fasting, certainly goes against the pull of social media, which says put it all out there for people to see. But then God’s ways have never been man’s ways.

” ‘For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways,’ declares the Lord. ‘As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts.’ ” (Isaiah 55:8-9)

A whole new concept – living my life for an audience of one – my Heavenly Father, not for man’s approval but living for the One who died in my place and redeems my life. The secret life is a rich, real, true life lived in the Presence of our Heavenly Father, who sees all, hears all, knows all. Nothing gets by Him. Not the tree falling in the forest all alone, the anonymous gift, the closet prayer, the secret suffering, the unheralded good deed and sacrifice . . . nothing escapes His notice.

“Not one sparrow (What do they cost? Two for a penny?) can fall to the ground without your Father knowing it.” (Matthew 10:29 LB)

sincerely, Grace Day

Today I must start with a confession. I confess – it has belatedly occurred to me that one cannot be a truthteller without first becoming a truthseeker. So my recent post, “truthtellers” really should have come after today’s post. One cannot tell the truth if one does not know the truth. This, itself, should be an obvious truth, but it is a truth that often gets lost in the din of noisy voices purporting to proclaim multiple truths.

Being a truthseeker is a lifelong pursuit. Separating fact from fantasy and fiction requires discernment and a dedication to pursue truth even when it would be easier to accept more pleasing, more plausible, more palatable explanations for the things we encounter in our lives. I’m thinking at one time in history, it was probably easier and more popular to believe that the sun was orbiting the earth, rather than to realize that it was we here on earth who had been orbiting the sun all along. We had not yet discovered this truth which would eventually replace our old, false understanding of how things worked in the universe.

Seems to me, there was a time when people believed the earth was flat. Eventually the truth of earth’s spherical shape and Newton’s discovery of gravity changed that false perception. I remember preferring the fiction of the tooth fairy and of Santa Clause to the truth behind those false fantasies. It wasn’t that the truth was hard or painful, the fantasies were just more fun.

But sometimes truth is hard to face or even to acknowledge. It is simply easier to believe the lie. It is easier to live as if the lie is truth. We do this in many ways. It is easy to believe that someone else is to blame for our problems or our lot in life. It is more painful and requires more time and effort to look at our own choices and contributions to our life and to change them if we desire a different outcome than we have at present. That is just too hard. Being a victim is easier than becoming an overcomer. Overcoming circumstances and realities that we all face in different degrees, at different times and in different ways requires a commitment and effort that we may not be willing to give.

Why do lies come so easily and the truth so hard? Genesis 6:5 tells us something about our human nature saying,

“The Lord saw how great man’s wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time.”

Now that’s a hard truth to face about myself. I’d rather believe the lie that I’m basically good as I am. That way, I don’t need to change a thing. That would be much easier, if you ask me. But then I read in Jeremiah 17:9 these words,

“The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?”

Ok, so it’s getting a little harder to believe the lie that I’m basically good as I am, I don’t need a heart change, I don’t need a Savior. (only sinners need saviors, right?) Then I read in Romans 3:23 & 10-14,

“for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, . . . There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one. Their throats are open graves; their tongues practice deceit. The poison of vipers is on their lips. Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness.”

If I needed further convincing of what is true about me, Isaiah 53:6 adds confirmation saying,

“We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way;”

So I do need a Savior, someone who can change or clean up my messed up, evil heart. That must be why King David cried out in Psalm 51:10-12,

“Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of Your salvation and grant me a willing spirit to sustain me.”

When David faced the truth about himself he said to God,

“Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me. Surely You desire truth in the inner parts; You teach me wisdom in the inmost place.” (Psalm 51:5-6)

When I know the truth, I am set free to follow where it leads me. Better than following my heart, which, as I have learned from God’s word, is deceitful and desperately wicked. When I consider the consequences of living my life without seeking truth from God’s word, this admonition from Proverbs 14:12 comes to mind,

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

Lies lead to death – truth to life. Jesus said this about Himself in John 14:6,

“I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”

Jesus is truth. Jesus is life. In contrast, this is how Jesus describes Satan in John 8:44,

“He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.”

Eve experienced this truth of who Satan is when she encountered him in the garden. She believed his lie rather than the truth of God and to this day we live our lives on this same battlefield, suspended between truth and lies, waging war, wondering and wandering, while waiting for light to overcome darkness, good to triumph over evil and truth to expose and thus render powerless all the lies of the enemy.

Until that time, we are held captive by any lies that we choose to believe. Only the truth can free us from the bondage of believing the lie. Eve (and Adam) were free until they believed the serpent’s lie and acted accordingly. They neglected to seek the truth. Why should I be a truthseeker? Because Jesus said,

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

We see this same connection between lies ensnaring people and endangering their lives when Paul writes about it in his letter to the Thessalonians warning them saying,

“The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with the work of Satan displayed in all kinds of counterfeit miracles, signs and wonders, and in every sort of evil that deceives those who are perishing. They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie and so that all will be condemned who have not believed the truth but have delighted in wickedness.” (2 Thessalonians 2:9-12)

How sad! “they refused to love the truth.” (no wonder truthtellers are hard to find, truthseekers are in short supply – nobody loves or wants to know the truth anymore) Evil deceives people, getting them to believe the lie (like Eve) and they perish. Truth saves. Truth sanctifies. Truthseekers love the truth and will pursue it at all costs. Then they will know the truth and the truth will set them free. Interesting progression in the life of a truthseeker. I am to seek the truth, find the truth, learn or know the truth and through this process I am set free to proclaim the truth – free to be a truthteller.

But first I have to seek the truth. Jeremiah 33:2-3 tells me,

“This is what the Lord says, He who made the earth, the Lord who formed it and established it – the Lord is His name: ‘Call to Me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.’ ”

“But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all truth.” (John 16:13)

Heavenly Father guide me on my truthseeker’s journey. Turn me into a truthteller for Your glory.

sincerely, Grace Day