Usually my mood follows the weather. Gray skies – gloomy feelings – despairing outlook. Sunny skies – sunny disposition – hopeful outlook. The world looks safer, saner, in sunlight than it does when storm clouds surround. But today I am conflicted. I confess – even though sunlight pours through every window, I feel surrounded by sadness, sorrow and uncertainty, enveloping and threatening to overwhelm me like dark storm clouds which move in and seem to settle indefinitely. I definitely identify with David, so I do what he did in his dark days,

“I call on the Lord in my distress, and He answers me. Save me, O Lord, from lying lips and from deceitful tongues.” (Psalm 120:1-2)

“In my anguish I cried to the Lord, and He answered by setting me free. The Lord is with me; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me? The Lord is with me; He is my helper. I will look in triumph on my enemies. It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in man. It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in princes.” (Psalm 118:5-9)

These feelings of darkness and doom are feelings I cannot so easily shake off. They are a garment I want to discard, a burden I want to lay down – but I am surrounded by distressing, even fearful news from every side, no matter where I turn. I find myself asking and answering along with David,

“Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise Him, my Savior and my God.” (Psalm 42:5)

Today, even though I feel surrounded by bad news, as I said, everywhere I turn, I have to ask myself, did my turning include turning to God? Or have I looked to everyone but God? Am I looking for answers, looking for peace, looking for clarity, looking for hope, looking for truth, looking for good news in all the wrong places? Could be.

“I lift up my eyes to the hills – where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. He will not let your foot slip – He who watches over you will not slumber; indeed He who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.” (Psalm 121:1-4)

It makes a difference who or what I turn my eyes to, who or what I focus on. I have the assurance that my Heavenly Father is not asleep through nor indifferent to any of my sad, dark days. He knows, that like everyone else around me, I am simply longing to hear some good news for a change. Then I realize, I have been given good news! And the best kind of good news, at that. This is news that doesn’t change, news that can’t be taken away. Isaiah 52:7-10 talks about this wonderful news saying,

“How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, ‘Your God reigns!’ Listen! Your watchmen lift up their voices; together they shout for joy. When the Lord returns to Zion, they will see it with their own eyes. Burst into songs of joy together, you ruins of Jerusalem, for the Lord has comforted His people, He has redeemed Jerusalem. The Lord will lay bare His holy arm in the sight of all the nations, and all the ends of the earth will see the salvation of our God.”

Wow! This is good news! peace, good tidings, shouting for joy, bursting into song, comfort, redemption, seeing God’s salvation . . . no wonder the feet of the messengers were thought beautiful in Isaiah’s day! Good news was welcomed and rejoiced over by the people receiving it. Strange today, it’s bad news that seems to sell, seems to get people’s attention. The worse the news, the bigger the headline. But it is the good news that each soul longs to hear and to receive and to rejoice over.

No amount of temporal bad news in my days and in my years can cover up the good news that God’s word proclaims to me. The good news has a way of breaking through the darkness of lies, false tidings and even true tales of man’s atrocities, to shine a light that guides us to God’s truth, which shows us the way out of our despairing, downcast state of being. God’s good news says to us,

“For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” (2 Corinthians 4:17-18)

That is good news. And as I said, I need good news, especially when I feel bombarded with bad news, even sad, scary news twenty-four seven. I will lift up my eyes and I will call to the Lord.  

“In my distress I called to the Lord; I cried to my God for help. From His temple He heard my voice; my cry came before Him, into His ears. . . . I call to the Lord, who is worthy of praise, and I am saved from my enemies. . . . The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge. He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.” (Psalm 18:6, 2-3)

yes, the feet of those who bring and the mouths of those who proclaim good news are beautiful! I will look to God to hear good news,

“For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile – the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on Him, for, ‘Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’ ” (Romans 10:12-13)

sincerely, Grace Day

“to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth”, isn’t that how it goes? and yet now that we live in a “post- truth” time, what do those words even mean? Post-truth was 2016’s word of the year. Post-truth refers to a reality in which objective, observable facts are no longer important or given weight in our daily lives. What is viewed as most important are a person’s feelings, emotions, and beliefs about whatever it might be. In a post-truth world, there is no shared, objective standard of truth regarding anything.

We see this post-truth philosophy expressed in statements such as “live your truth” or “be true to your heart/self.” So I have my own personal truth, which may be very different from your truth. But both are called “truth” nonetheless. Both are considered equally valid. This can make for one confusing world, when there are no shared objective, observable truths. We don’t know who or what to believe and we dare not trust our own real life experiences (if we have any). What we see on a screen becomes our reality and by extension, our truth, if we are not out in the world actually interacting with other people and living our lives. If we are isolated at home, what comes into our home via TV, twitter, Facebook, internet etc. becomes our reality, becomes our truth.

We become slaves to our own feelings, which being human, vary greatly from moment to moment. My “truth” is an everchanging truth, depending on my circumstances and accompanying emotions at any given moment. Eventually, I don’t know which direction is up, which is down. I don’t know right from wrong and I can’t discern between good and evil.

“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. Woe to those . . . who acquit the guilty for a bribe, but deny justice to the innocent.” (Isaiah 5:20-23)

Woe is me! I confess – I long to escape, but I don’t know the way out. I read in John 8:32 these words,

“Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

Well, that sounds good to me. I really want to be free. I want to be free of the doubt and the fear and the uncertainty of not knowing what is true and what isn’t true. I want to be free of confusion and chaos and instead experience clarity and calm. So what is the truth? In John 14:6 I read,

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

Then I read these words which Jesus prayed aloud to God for His disciples, saying,

“Sanctify them by the truth; Your word is truth.” (John 17:17)

“All Your words are true; all Your righteous laws are eternal.” (Psalm 119:160)

“Your word, O Lord, is eternal; it stands firm in the heavens.” (Psalm 119:89)

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

So I learn that God’s word is both true and eternal. The truth of God’s word is not going to change on me, although it will bring about change in me. God’s word is not going to change with the times, like human thought, popular opinion and reasoning do daily it seems at present. God’s word stands true throughout human history and throughout eternity. It is good to have an objective standard outside of myself that does not constantly shift and change its ways.

I read in 2 Timothy 2:15 a warning about my relationship to truth, my relationship to God’s word,

“Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” (this sounds old fashioned because it is the King James version, but rightly dividing the word of truth is such an important instruction to me and to anyone who would profess to proclaim truth)

Another translation says I am to be one, “who correctly handles the word of truth” while yet another tells me to “Know what His Word says and means.” Rightly dividing the word of truth is a big responsibility. Actually, it is a sacred responsibility. How could I or anyone ever live up to or live out this most challenging, difficult task? Especially in this post-truth time, where does a truthteller fit in? And on whom does a truthteller rely?

These words of Jesus in John 14:16-17 and John 16:13 help answer this question,

“And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Counselor to be with you forever – the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for He lives with you and will be in you.”

“But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on His own; He will speak only what He hears, and He will tell you what is yet to come.”

I am not alone. God’s Holy Spirit, God’s gift to me, lives in me and will teach me truth and guide me into all truth, according to God’s word. (which is truth) Still, this is not a good time in history to be a seeker of the truth or a teller of the truth. By definition, truth has no place in a post-truth era. The very meaning of the expression is “after truth”, meaning after truth is no longer relevant, is no longer sought out and is no longer valued or even acknowledged. But then again, maybe truth has always been an unwelcome intruder in every age of man throughout our history.

Being a truthteller can prove to be downright dangerous for anyone brave enough to take on such a task. Paul knew this when he asked this telling question of the Galatians in Galatians 4:16,

“Have I now become your enemy by telling you the truth?”

Paul often ended up in prison for proclaiming the gospel, which is God’s truth. We see what happens to truthtellers, starting with Jesus. (actually old testament prophets also put themselves in danger for proclaiming God’s words) Jesus was crucified for proclaiming God’s truth to the people of His day. And eleven of His twelve disciples were also put to death for spreading God’s gospel message. Clearly, being a truthteller comes with a high cost. Sometimes the cost is your life itself.

I am instructed to be a truthteller often in God’s word. Ephesians 4:25 tells me,

“Therefore, laying aside falsehood, speak truth each one of you with his neighbor, for we are members of one another.”

How the Living Bible says it, really gets my attention,

“Stop lying to each other; tell the truth, for we are parts of each other and when we lie to each other we are hurting ourselves.”

We co-inhabit this planet, we are fellow citizens of this country. What affects one of us will eventually affect us all. We need more truthtellers and less silent compliers in this post-truth world. Lack of truth is holding us all hostage to a false narrative and a false, media created reality. This is not a new, modern day problem. Look at these words of Zechariah, an Old Testament prophet of God,

” ‘These are the things you are to do: Speak the truth to each other, and render true and sound judgment in your courts; do not plot evil against your neighbor, and do not love to swear falsely. I hate all this,’ declares the Lord.” (Zechariah 8:16-17)

Sounds like they were dealing with the same problems a couple thousand years ago that we still deal with today – false testimonies, truth not prevailing in courts, truth suppressed and lies lifted up. We need the truth if we are to live in freedom. Truth is a prerequisite for freedom to flourish. And for there to be truth, we need truthtellers. In fact, truthtellers are essential. (well, not by COVID standards) Proverbs 14:25 says,

“A truthful witness saves lives, but a false witness is deceitful.”

So truthtellers are essential, after all. We cannot be free unless we know the truth. Jesus and His followers were put to death for speaking truth. Today, truthtellers face great personal risk as well. Loss of jobs and public censor are part of the cost of speaking out in our current cancel culture. It is a difficult choice facing each individual . Psalm 34:13-14 tells me to,

“keep your (my) tongue from evil and your (my) lips from speaking lies. Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.”

I want to be a truthteller, even when the cost is great. To that end, I pray these words from Psalm 86:11-12,

“Teach me Your way, O Lord, and I will walk in Your truth; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear Your name. I will praise You, O Lord my God, with all my heart; I will glorify Your name forever.”

and these words from Psalm 141:3-4,

“Set a guard over my mouth, O Lord; keep watch over the door of my lips. Let not my heart be drawn to what is evil, to take part in wicked deeds with men who are evildoers; let me not eat of their delicacies.”

make me a truthteller, Heavenly Father –

sincerely, Grace Day

Today my thoughts may be a bit scattered and that may be reflected in the title of today’s post. I confess – any logic or reasonable connection to reality may appear to be missing from today’s title. Or maybe I can attribute said title to my love of Dr. Seuss books, which I enjoyed as a child. Then there is my current reality. Due to my December toe injury, my current footwear consists solely of socks and crocs. I only have one pair of crocs at present, but I have many pairs of big, heavy, warm, colorful socks that will fit nicely into my roomy crocs.

So being in rhyming mode already, my thoughts naturally turned to looks and books. And from there, logically progressed to an old but familiar adage, don’t judge a book by its cover. In other words, don’t judge books by their looks! Funny how advice from the past continues to be so applicable to today’s dilemmas. Too bad we seem to have forgotten this particular piece of advice.

Have we not learned that we cannot accurately assess other people by how they look, anymore than we can know what’s actually inside a book until we look beyond its cover and open it up? We don’t need a scientific study to determine if this is true or not. Our own personal everyday experience and interactions with other people confirm to us that it is true – mine confirm to me that it is true – I am too often mistaken if I rely on someone’s outward appearance to assess what kind of a person I believe them to be.

I never get it right. And I am always surprised when I get to know people personally, at the depth and wealth of what is hidden to the world until someone stops to listen and to learn about them. I think of all the books I have not yet read and wonder what treasures I am missing. Likewise, I realize I am missing out on much if I pass over people carelessly, never bothering to lift the cover and learn what lies inside.

So many books, so little time! So many people, so little time! And opening up a book, like looking into a person’s heart, does take time. Maybe that’s why critical race theory and intersectionality are so popular right now. They are shortcuts to doing the real work of reading the book or getting to know another human being. What is the short cut? Critical race theory and intersectionality both rely on the cover of a person, on the outward appearance and trappings, which can be instantly assessed, in order to form judgments and make decisions about any particular individual.

How does this work in real life? One is to look at a person’s gender, age, skin color, clothes, where they live, what they drive, any outward thing from which a conclusion is to be drawn based on what age group or skin color group or economic group or educational group or religious group it can be determined that the individual might belong to. So ironically, critical race theory, is the most racist of all theories and the most racist of all realities when put into practice.

Why? Because it says judge a person by the color of their skin, their gender, their ethnic heritage, etc.. It says judge a person by outward appearance, you don’t have to take the time to look inside – to have a conversation, to listen and to learn about a real person. Every person is just a demographic, a number, a statistic in critical race theory, a statistic to be controlled and manipulated for someone else’s personal gain.

Theories are not real life. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. knew this truth, which he stated so eloquently saying that individuals should be judged by “the content of their character not the color of their skin.” He knew the measure of the man, so to speak, was on the inside not the outside of a person. That’s why critical race theory doesn’t work, it relies on the unreliable. The cover of a book doesn’t reveal all there is inside the book, waiting to be read. The skin color of a person doesn’t reveal anything of their character, their heart, their mind, their life experiences, their accomplishments, their hopes or their dreams. Critical race theory tells us to make decisions/judgments about people based on their skin color rather than on who they actually are. That’s as racist as one can get!

Our grandparents did have the right idea when they told us not to judge a book by its cover. Someone else who doesn’t do that is God, our Creator. We read in 1 Samuel 16:7,

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

Then in Matthew 23:27-28 I read what Jesus said,

“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men’s bones and everything unclean. In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.”

In the same way, the outside of a person, including their skin color or race, tells me nothing about the inside of the person. And the inside is the true essence of the person, their character, their spirit, all that makes them unique and sets them apart from every other person. But it takes time, intention and hard work to get to know another person, to let them into your life and you into theirs.

No wonder CRT is so popular in this era when we are pressed for time and more truly, don’t really want to do the work looking beyond the appearance/surface of another person would require. So instead, CRT gives us created categories, divisions, artificial boxes to assign people to based on groups which naturally occur but shouldn’t and didn’t previously define us. Meaning we automatically belong to a gender group and a skin color group and an age group, while other groups we move in and out of depending on choices and circumstances throughout our lives. These would be economic groups, educational groups, political groups, religious groups, career groups etc.

This allows me to relate to another person simply as a member of a larger group (whatever that group might be) rather than relate to them as the unique individual that they are. And that is my loss. In fact, it is a huge loss for all of us, when we allow these ways of thinking to decide how we will walk in this world in relation to other people. If I choose to relate to others only as members of a particular group, the opportunity to know who they really are is lost. And all I had to do was to open the cover and look inside.

This is why our world is so divided at the moment. It is easy to hate a group of people that you don’t know. It is harder to hate an individual whose story you know personally, even if CRT would assign you to different categories and so divide you from those you know and prevent you from hearing the stories of those you don’t yet know.

Just a few days ago, I was in a group where a woman I know somewhat but not well, shared an experience from her life and I was stopped in my tracks. I had no idea what she had been through. And as I said, it takes time, lots of time, to get to know someone well. Time and opportunity to share stories and form bonds are needed. I am always surprised by peoples’ stories. When I hear them, I realize that I have no idea what individual people are carrying around with them on a daily basis. (this lady is a courageous hero, but she doesn’t wear a sign, so you would never know unless you looked deeper than her cover)

In today’s cyberspace, zoom meeting, virtual everything existence, we are more isolated and divided than before COVID. Without the opportunity for face to face encounters and in person community gatherings and family gatherings etc. there will be little chance to share personal stories and bridge the gaps created by destructive theories such as CRT. Theory does not have to become reality in our daily lives. We have a choice. Romans 12:15 tells me to,

“Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.” Live life in community with other people. Tear down walls, categories and labels that would divide us from each other. Galatians 3:28 says,

“There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”

“Here there is no Greek or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all.” (Colossians 3:11)

God is a God of unity, not of division. I love the words of 1 Corinthians 13:12 which say,

“Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.”

face to face and fully known! – to know others for who they truly are and to be known for who I truly am – not misunderstood or overlooked – no more divisions – this is the desire of every heart! – this is the desire of my heart.

I am always wishing to hear more of peoples’ stories – so many stories to be shared – and there will be time to listen to each and every story, from each and every person, with time left over to hear them all again – after all, eternity will not run out . . .

sincerely, Grace Day

I confess – I like watching old TV sitcoms. One such show I sometimes watch is “The Andy Griffith Show,” still in the original black and white. Interestingly enough, the problem or issue which arises in each episode seems to have a very obvious, clear-cut, right vs. wrong solution. I guess those were simpler times? One of my favorite episodes is one in which Opie encounters a particular classmate everyday on his way to school. The problem is that this classmate demands Opie’s milk money before he will let Opie continue on to school. I think it was a nickel a day, which is an indication of just how old this show is. Prices have gone up since then for sure.

Nevertheless, some things never change but remain constant down through time and generations. The existence of bullies would be one of those constants. Bullies are not something new to our current time. People in every era of history have faced opposition in the form of bullies. And like Opie in this episode, we each have to decide how to deal with the bullies in our life.

Opie’s story is a familiar one for any of us who have bullies in our pasts. (or in our present for that matter) For a while, Opie hands over his nickel each day rather than risk confrontation with the bully, who Opie sees as bigger and stronger than himself. Opie would rather play it safe than take any risk. Fear keeps him compliant. Fear keeps him silent. Opie doesn’t tell anyone that the bully is taking his milk money every morning.

The situation continues until Opie has the courage to stand up to the bully and refuse to hand over his milk money. Opie does end up with a black eye but the bully never bothers him again. That’s because bullies are cowards by definition. However, this truth is not revealed until someone has the courage to stand up and call the bully’s bluff. Then the bully no longer has the power to control another person with the weapons of fear and intimidation.

Some three-thousand years ago, there was another young boy, who just like Opie, came face to face with a bully. (told you bullies have been around for a long time) His name was David. He was tending his fathers’s sheep at the time, while three of his older brothers were serving in King Saul’s army. The Israelites were currently at war with the Philistines and the conflict had gone on for some time. We read this account of David’s battle with his bully in 1 Samuel, chapter 17. First we learn that,

“The Philistines occupied one hill and the Israelites another, with the valley between them. A champion named Goliath, . . . came out of the Philistine camp. He was over nine feet tall. He had a bronze helmet on his head and wore a coat of scale armor of bronze weighing five thousand shekels, . . . His spear shaft was like a weaver’s rod, and its iron point weighed six hundred shekels.”

Ok, so you get the point. Goliath was a bad dude. He looked the part and by his behavior he played the part of the bully as well. Listen to how he would taunt the Israelite army,

“Goliath stood and shouted to the ranks of Israel, . . . ‘This day I defy the ranks of Israel! Give me a man and let us fight each other.’ On hearing the Philistine’s words, Saul and all the Israelites were dismayed and terrified. . . . For forty days the Philistine (Goliath, the bully) came forward every morning and evening and took his stand.”

Now David’s father, Jesse, sent David with food supplies to be delivered to Saul and the Israelite army. “He reached the camp as the army was going out to its battle positions, shouting the war cry. Israel and the Philistines were drawing up their lines facing each other. . . . Goliath, . . . stepped out from his lines and shouted his usual defiance, and David heard it. When the Israelites saw the man, (Goliath) they all ran from him in great fear.”

So you get the picture. The Israelite soldiers, including David’s brothers, are all terrified of this guy, Goliath. (it says they all ran from him in great fear) At this point in the story, Goliath has been taunting, teasing and intimidating Saul’s soldiers for forty days and forty nights. And still, no soldier has stepped forward to accept Goliath’s challenge. No one has yet stood up to this bully.

Enter David into the story. “David said to Saul, ‘Let no one lose heart on account of this Philistine; your servant will go and fight him.’ Saul replied, ‘You are not able to go out against this Philistine and fight him; you are only a boy, and he has been a fighting man from his youth.’ ”

So David receives no support nor vote of confidence from his own countrymen. After all, it appears to be an impossible situation – a mere boy, wearing no armor, with only stones and a slingshot facing a nine foot tall, trained fighting man in full armor – this would seem to be a hopeless scenario. But still, David goes out to fight Goliath anyway. David steps forward to do the impossible. David stands up to the bully when no one else would. We read what happens next in this confrontation between David and Goliath,

“He (Goliath) looked David over and saw that he was only a boy, . . . and he despised him. . . . ‘Come here,’ he said, ‘and I’ll give your flesh to the birds of the air and the beasts of the field!’ David said to the Philistine, ‘You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the Lord will hand you over to me, . . . and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel. All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves; for the battle is the Lord’s, and He will give all of you into our hands.’ ”

What happens next is perhaps the better known part of this story. David fells the great Goliath with a stone and a sling shot.

“So David triumphed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone; without a sword in his hand he struck down the Philistine and killed him. . . . When the Philistines saw that their hero was dead, they turned and ran. Then the men of Israel and Judah surged forward with a shout and pursued the Philistines to the entrance of Gath and to the gates of Ekron.”

Interesting, isn’t it? Once David defeated the bully, the men of Israel suddenly became brave. We are told that they “surged forward with a shout and pursued the Philistines.” These were the same people who had been paralyzed with fear for the previous forty days and forty nights. What changed? Someone stood up and spoke out. All it takes is for one person of courage to stand up to the bully and others will then draw courage from their example and follow suit.

But it is rare to find the person who will be the first. It is much easier to follow than to lead where no one has yet gone. That day on the battlefield, David was that rare person of courage. And God used David to secure the victory for His chosen nation, Israel.

David acknowledged that “the battle was the Lord’s.” The Israelites needed to be willing to defend at any cost their nation, a nation God had set apart for Himself and prospered. They needed to fight against the attacks of the pagan nations surrounding them. If they did not stand up to those who were attempting to invade their beloved country, they would be overrun and subsequently enslaved to whichever nation conquered them. That was the custom at that time. The vanquished became the slaves of the victors.

But fortunately for Israel, David, like Opie, stood up to the bully. All that is needed to turn the tide, is one person of courage willing to stand up and to speak out, willing to risk it all for something greater than themselves. Not much is worth taking the ultimate risk, that is true.

But David knew that being free to worship and to serve the Living God of Israel was worth the price he might have to pay. He did not want to end up enslaved to the Philistines, should they succeed in their conquest of Israel. He wanted to live as a free man in the land God had given to Abraham, his forefather, on oath all those years ago. And so, for freedom’s sake, for God’s sake, David risked it all and stood up to his bully, Goliath.

Where did David find the courage to stand up and to take action? Perhaps he was remembering Moses’s words to Joshua from another time that called for courage, when Moses said,

“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you. . . . Be strong and courageous, for you must go with this people into the land that the Lord swore to their forefathers to give them, and you must divide it among them as their inheritance. The Lord Himself goes before you and will be with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.” (Deuteronomy 31:6-8)

Perhaps David found his courage in these words, in the promise of God’s presence with him, providing God’s protection and God’s power for the task to which God had called David. I, too am called to be strong and courageous, I, too am promised that God will never leave me nor forsake me, I, too am assured that God goes before me. God’s presence ensures the power necessary to accomplish His purposes. The power is His, the purposes are His. As David said, the battle is the Lord’s.

Perhaps there is a time in everyone’s life, in everyone’s story, that calls for courage. Perhaps there are times in the life of a country that call for courage. Perhaps there are times in the history of the world that call for people of courage to speak up or forever hold their peace.

We have God’s promise. We don’t have to be afraid because He has promised us His presence. And His further assurance,

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

sincerely, Grace Day

“The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” (John 1:14) Our Creator knew. He knew it all along. God knew the vital importance of the in the flesh, of the face to face. And so, as John’s words tell us, God sent us His Son, Jesus. He didn’t phone it in, so to speak. He came here in the flesh. He made it personal.

Why? Because it is personal. Because He is a personal God. He knows the way that I take and every hair on my head. That’s personal.

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

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

He knows my words before I speak them. That’s personal.

“Before a word is on my tongue You know it completely, O Lord.” (Psalm 139:4)

He knows all my inmost thoughts. That’s personal.

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

He sees, collects and saves each and every one of my tears. That’s personal.

“You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in Your bottle. You have recorded each one in Your book.” (Psalm 56:8 NLT)

He knows the number of my days. That’s personal.

“All the days ordained for me were written in Your book before one of them came to be.” (Psalm 139:16)

He saw me and knew me in my mother’s womb. That’s personal.

“For You created my inmost being; You knit me together in my mother’s womb. . . . My frame was not hidden from You when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, Your eyes saw my unformed body.” (Psalm 139:13-16)

He gave up His life on that cross so that I might have life and not death. That’s as personal as you can get.

“For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him.” (John 3:16-17)

“Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made Himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. (in the flesh) And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to death – even death on a cross!” (Philippians 2:5-8)

We are created in God’s image. Consequently, we are personal beings. In the flesh is how God made us. In the flesh is the world in which we live. In the flesh is the medium in which we operate. And so God sent us His Son, Jesus, in the flesh, to walk among us for awhile, to walk a mile in our shoes, so to speak. This explains what we read in Hebrews 4:14-16 about Jesus, which says,

“Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are – yet was without sin. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”

I must confess – lately, I feel like all the time is my time of need. I also think that may be true for most of us as we continue dealing with COVID fears, restrictions and realities, while isolated and unable to participate in many of the activities that used to bring us together and bring us joy. We cannot come together in the flesh like we used to for – well, for most everything. We used to work, to worship, to workout, to watch sports or other entertainment, to celebrate birthdays, bar mitzvahs, quinceaneras, weddings, graduations, births, deaths – anything and everything was experienced in community – in the flesh.

Chat rooms, zoom meetings, Facebook etc. can’t supply that in the flesh experience and so we are never fully satisfied with those interactions, even if we can’t identify why our cyberspace encounters leave us vaguely unfulfilled and even lonely. What is missing? The personal touch? That’s why Jesus came in the flesh. Because for Him, it’s personal.

“Surely He took up our (my) infirmities and carried our (my) sorrows, yet we (I) considered Him stricken by God, smitten by Him, and afflicted. But He was pierced for our (my) transgressions, He was crushed for our (my) iniquities; the punishment that brought us (me) peace was upon Him, and by His wounds we (I) are (am) healed.” (Isaiah 53:4-5)

Jesus takes on my pain and shares in my sorrows. Jesus paid my sin price in His flesh. That’s as personal as it can get. He came here in the flesh to do for me, what I cannot do for myself. I need a Savior and Jesus has shown up for me in the flesh. The Creator of the universe is a most personal God. He has demonstrated this to us by showing up in person, in the flesh, to redeem us for His own.

God knew the power of the “in person” experience. That’s why Jesus walked among us for thirty-three years. And now He is at the right hand of the Father pleading our case continually.

” . . . Christ Jesus, who died – more than that, who was raised to life – is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.” (Romans 8:34)

There’s more. Jesus’s “in person” presence with us continues to this day. In John 14:18-20 Jesus tells His disciples this,

“I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. Before long, the world will not see Me anymore, but you will see Me. Because I live, you also will live. On that day you will realize that I am in My Father, and you are in Me, and I am in you.”

Jesus further explained to His disciples,

“And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Counselor to be with you forever – the Spirit of truth. . . . you know Him, for He lives with you and will be in you.” (John 14:16-17)

With me and in me, that is up close and personal. God’s Holy Spirit is just that, His personal presence abiding within me. Because my Heavenly Father is a deeply personal God. He desires a relationship with each one of His children. To that end, He came in the flesh and He abides today personally within anyone who will invite Him in.

“Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with Me.” (Revelation 3:20)

Sharing a meal together. That’s personal. So is His care for me and for you, dear readers. We can rest secure in the knowledge that,

“The Lord will keep you from all harm – He will watch over your life; the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.” (Psalm 121:7-8)

sincerely, Grace Day

Nehemiah, the old testament prophet, was weeping. He was filled with grief over the news he had just received concerning his homeland. We read about what happened in Nehemiah 1:2-4, as Nehemiah tells us in his own words,

“Hanani, one of my brothers, came from Judah with some other men, and I questioned them about the Jewish remnant that survived the exile, and also about Jerusalem. They said to me, ‘Those who survived the exile and are back in the province are in great trouble and disgrace. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates have been burned with fire.’ When I heard these things, I sat down and wept. For some days I mourned and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven.”

Broken walls, burned gates, breached borders, his beloved homeland defenseless and destroyed. No wonder Nehemiah wept for the people of his homeland and their current sad state of affairs. It broke his heart to think of the once beautiful Jerusalem now in ruins, his fellow countrymen, once prosperous people now destitute. I confess – I understand why Nehemiah was weeping. I, too, know that pain. I weep as well.

When Nehemiah received this sad news, he was living in the citadel of Susa, away from his beloved homeland. He had no way of knowing what was happening back at home, until Hanani along with some others, made the trip on foot to where Nehemiah was, so they could give him their report face to face. Keep in mind, there were no other options at the time. They couldn’t pick up the phone and call Nehemiah, they couldn’t send him an email or a text or face time with him or post something for him to see on Facebook about what was happening in his homeland. There wasn’t even the possibility of a telegram or of pony express. Nehemiah couldn’t read about it in a newspaper nor could he turn on a TV or a radio and learn the news. Hanani could have written a letter, I guess, which would then have to be delivered by a messenger who would travel just as Hanani and his men did in order to deliver it, but then Hanani would have to trust the messenger. What if the messenger doesn’t discharge his duties honestly and Nehemiah never knows the true plight of Jerusalem?

It is hard for me to imagine not being able to know what is going on in other places around the world. Of course, it is not first hand knowledge, it is filtered and reported through the lens of someone that was there. Or maybe they weren’t actually there, but someone told them about it. Nevertheless, in Nehemiah’s day what you knew was primarily what you experienced personally and secondarily what someone might relate to you, having traveled from somewhere else.

So when Nehemiah received this news about Jerusalem, he was deeply affected. His response was tears. It was also to grieve, to fast and to pray. We don’t know how long this went on, he only says “for some days.” Nehemiah’s prayer to God reminds me of God’s command to us in 2 Chronicles 7:14,

“if My people, who are called by My name, will humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”

Nehemiah cried out to God,

“O Lord, God of heaven, the great and awesome God, who keeps His covenant of love with those who love Him and obey His commands, let Your ear be attentive and Your eyes open to hear the prayer Your servant is praying before You day and night for Your servants, the people of Israel. I confess the sins we Israelites, including myself and my father’s house, have committed against You. . . . We have not obeyed the commands, decrees and laws You gave Your servant Moses. . . . They are Your servants and Your people, whom You redeemed by Your great strength and Your mighty hand. O Lord, let Your ear be attentive to the prayer of this Your servant and to the prayer of Your servants who delight in revering Your name.” (Nehemiah 1:5-11)

Confession. Repentance. Turning back to the God who called them to come out and be separate from other nations. Turning back to the God who made them a people, who made them a nation. God had prospered Israel, but they ceased following His ways of righteous living and instead they pursued their own sinful ways of living. They abandoned God’s law for laws of their own making, which resulted in lawlessness. They profaned that which was holy and exalted that which was baseless and degrading. Because of this, God allowed neighboring nations to invade and conquer Israel, and many were carried off into exile in Babylon at that time.

Perhaps they didn’t see it coming, this destruction of their country and their way of life. But they should have. God’s word was always pretty clear. God said in Deuteronomy 5:6-9,

“I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. You shall have no other gods besides Me. You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them;”

But they did. The Israelites turned away from the Living God, who had brought them into the land He had promised to Abraham years ago, and made them into a nation. They had become a great nation, a secure nation, a prosperous nation. But their behavior toward God changed. Romans 1:21-25 describes what happened to the people of Israel,

“For although they knew God, they neither glorified Him as God nor gave thanks to Him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles. Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator – ”

That’s why Nehemiah spent time in confession and repentance before God. He knew that must come first before anything he might do to help in the restoration of his beloved Jerusalem. Next, Nehemiah secured the king’s (his boss) permission to journey to Judah and help to restore Jerusalem. The king not only granted Nehemiah’s request for time off from his job, but sent supplies, army officers, cavalry, and letters of protection and a request for timber from the king’s forest, to be used to make beams for the gates and for the city wall and to make a place for Nehemiah to live. (he was going to be in Jerusalem awhile, rebuilding after such destruction takes time)

Nehemiah set about the work God had given him to do and enlisted others to join him in this endeavor. He said to the people, ” ‘You see the trouble we are in: Jerusalem lies in ruins, and its gates have been burned with fire. Come, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, and we will no longer be in disgrace.’ . . . They replied, ‘Let us start rebuilding.’ So they began this good work.” (Nehemiah 2:17-18)

So Nehemiah began the work of rebuilding the wall of Jerusalem. However, he faced opposition from enemies who opposed his desire to see his homeland restored. These enemies used the predictable and the proven methods employed by all successful bullies, those being threats, intimidation, blackmail and fear. Oh, and of course the ever popular bully tactic of ridicule. We read in Nehemiah 2:19,

“But when Sanballat, Tobiah, and Geshem heard about it, they mocked and ridiculed us. ‘What is this you are doing?’ they asked. ‘Are you rebelling against the king?’ I answered them by saying, ‘The God of heaven will give us success. We his servants will start rebuilding, but as for you, you have no share in Jerusalem or any claim or historic right to it.’ ”

Still the bullies persisted,

“When Sanballat heard that we were rebuilding the wall, he became angry and was greatly incensed. He ridiculed the Jews, and in the presence of his associates and the army of Samaria, he said, ‘What are those feeble Jews doing? Will they restore their wall? . . . Can they bring the stones back to life from those heaps of rubble – burned as they are?’ ” (Nehemiah 4:1-2)

But Nehemiah and those that labored with him, persevered in their work of rebuilding the wall.

“So we rebuilt the wall till all of it reached half its height, for the people worked with all their heart. But when Sanballat, Tobiah, the Ammonites and the men of Ashdod heard that the repairs to Jerusalem’s walls had gone ahead and that the gaps were being closed, they were very angry. They all plotted together to come and fight against Jerusalem and stir up trouble against it. But we prayed to our God and posted a guard day and night to meet this threat.”

Still, the threats of Nehemiah’s enemies continued, causing the people to become discouraged and filled with fear, saying there was too much rubble for them to ever rebuild the wall and their enemies would surely kill them before they could finish the work. But Nehemiah tells us what happens next in this story,

“After I looked things over, I stood up and said to the nobles, the officials and the rest of the people, ‘Don’t be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons and your daughters, your wives and your homes.’ When our enemies heard that we were aware of their plot and that God had frustrated it, we all returned to the wall, each to his own work.” (Nehemiah 4:14-15)

So Nehemiah’s work on the wall continued. His enemies’ threats of violence against them did not succeed in getting him to stop the work of rebuilding, fear and intimidation failed. But the bullies had one more weapon to try – blackmail or extortion. Sanballat sent his messenger to Nehemiah with an unsealed letter that was to be sent to King Artaxerxes (Nehemiah’s boss) claiming that Nehemiah was planning a revolt and was going to make himself king. Nehemiah’s response to Sanballat the bully?

“I sent him this reply: ‘Nothing like what you are saying is happening, you are just making it up out of your head.’ They were all trying to frighten us, thinking, ‘Their hands will get too weak for the work, and it will not be completed.’ But I prayed, ‘Now strengthen my hands.’ ” (Nehemiah 6:8-9)

Nehemiah was praying his way through each and every assault of his enemies. And there came yet another one. This time they tried to entice Nehemiah to a secret meeting. Nehemiah’s response?

“I realized that God had not sent him, but that he had prophesied against me because Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him. He had been hired to intimidate me so that I would commit a sin by doing this, and then they would give me a bad name to discredit me.” (Nehemiah 6:12-13)

Then we read,

“So the wall was completed on the twenty-fifth of Elul, in fifty-two days. When all our enemies heard about this, all the surrounding nations were afraid and lost their self-confidence, because they realized that this work had been done with the help of our God.” (Nehemiah 6:15-16) (when things are done in God’s power and timing, He gets the glory!)

Nehemiah wept, he prayed, he obeyed and he worked. He worked as unto the Lord and consequently, he was not deterred nor intimidated by the bullies who were his enemies. He met each challenge with prayer and then returned to the task God had given him to do, which at this time was rebuilding Jerusalem’s wall. He and the Israelites were again experiencing the truth of Psalm 33:12,

“Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people He chose for His inheritance.”

The Israelites had also experienced in the preceding years, what life is like apart from God, when they turned their backs on Him and lived by their own rules instead of following God’s life-giving laws. As it says in Romans 1:25, “they exchanged the truth of God for a lie,”.

history certainly does seem to repeat itself, no matter how much we claim we learn from it –

sometimes (unlike Cinderella) if the shoe fits it can be fatal

sincerely, Grace Day

I confess – my Christmas decorations are still out. This should not be that much of a surprise given that I am a procrastinator and given that I was still decorating right up to the twenty-fifth when I decided I was done. So some decorations haven’t been out that long and I need more time to enjoy them. Maybe my standard should be, when there are no longer any Hallmark Christmas movies on TV, then my Christmas decorations should be packed away. But by that standard, I don’t think my decorations would ever come down.

So what to do? Maybe I will use my “a decoration a day” approach in reverse to transition back to pre-Advent decor. But what then? With Advent over what am I preparing for? An empty calendar hangs on my wall and empty days stretch out ahead of me. Schools are still closed along with so many restaurants and businesses and events, such as meetings, conventions, conferences, concerts, plays etc. will not be taking place as they have in the past. Many possible travel destinations come to mind, but travel doesn’t seem to be possible today.

So what’s a journey without a destination? Or more accurately, maybe without a destination there is no need for a journey. Without a journey, stagnation sets in and growth stops. Without growth, living things die. We are meant to keep on growing throughout our lives. Physical growth may stop, but mental, emotional and spiritual growth are lifetime pursuits. So the good news is, our journeys are not over. There is always more to learn, more to experience, more to be done. I have found this to be particularly true as I journey towards and pursue knowing God.

God is infinite in His Being and in all His attributes, so I will never fully know Him. But my pursuit of Him will certainly last a lifetime, a lifetime filled with new revelations of my Heavenly Father, yet always more to learn, more to discover about His character, about His ways, about Him. Paul knew this was a lifetime pursuit, a lifetime journey or just maybe the journey of a lifetime. We can read what Paul said about his “after Advent” journey (meaning after Paul met Jesus while traveling on the road to Damascus) in Philippians 3:12-14,

“Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”

Paul presses on because he has not yet arrived at his journey’s end. Paul was not stagnate, he did not stand still, mistakenly thinking that he had already been made perfect. No, Paul stated clearly that he would “press on toward the goal to win the prize.” His journey wasn’t over and neither is mine. I just need some direction in this uncharted new year so that I don’t wander off the path or journey in the wrong direction.

It occurs to me that my direction is determined by where my focus falls. These words from Hebrews 12:3 seem particularly relevant,

“Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

So, as I find my way on my after Advent journey, I am to keep my eyes on Jesus. Furthermore I am instructed to,

” . . . throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us (me) run with perseverance the race marked out for us. (me)”

I am to run the race marked out for me, not for someone else, not for anyone else. I am called to run the race God has prepared for me, not to attempt to run someone else’s race in shoes I was not meant to wear. I can take to heart God’s words to the Israelites when they were captives in Babylon. God told them,

” ‘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)

There’s my word HOPE, something God says He plans to give me. That is a gift I definitely desire. My life feels like it’s on hold today. And actually on so many days in these COVID controlled times, it feels that way to me. I long to be in motion, searching, pursuing, journeying, discovering, growing, walking, running, soaring – anything but standing stagnate. Today I may only be able to take a few steps on my journey, but tomorrow I want to run with perseverance the race God has marked out for me.

How do I do that? One day at a time, one step at a time. And I have hope in God’s promise to me given in these words in Isaiah 40:31,

“but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”

walking, running, soaring . . . let the journey continue!

sincerely, Grace Day

I ask myself this question as I take down my 2020 wall calendar and hang up my 2021 calendar. I guess I’m hoping quite a bit of something good is in a number, specifically in a new number for a new year. It hasn’t been twenty-four hours yet, so maybe I should give 2021 a little more time, but so far I don’t discern any difference in today (2021) from yesterday. (2020)

The prevailing sentiment has been a desire for the year 2020 to end. The reason for this is no mystery but the realization that 2021 has no magic up its sleeve to mask all our losses and heartaches behind a shroud of false reality and thereby enable us to move forward, will be a rude awakening for many, whenever it should become apparent. (all puns intended)

I look at my new 2021 calendar and open it to the month of January. On the page are written these words, “set your goals now and watch as they unfold throughout the year.” If only it were that simple! Like many of you, I, too, am a planner. If only I could plan and know that it would come to pass. This is the time we make New Year’s resolutions and set goals and plan for the future. But . . . Proverbs 19:21 has something interesting to say about this,

“Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.”

I do spend time planning, dreaming, desiring, pursuing, striving after – after what? That is an important question which I should be able to answer. Proverbs 3:5-6 gives me this advice,

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.”

Matthew 6:33-34 tells me, “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”

So much for all of my carefully laid plans. If nothing else, this past year taught us (and taught me) we can’t count on our own plans becoming reality. My plans have no certainty of coming true. 2020 was the year of postponed plans/events, rescheduled plans/events and cancelled indefinitely plans/events. Maybe I should plan less and trust God more? Proverbs 16:9 says,

“In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps.”

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

Maybe that would be a good New Year’s resolution for me – stop leaning on my own understanding and instead, trust God completely. Of course, my Heavenly Father doesn’t necessarily tell me what my future holds, He just asks me to follow wherever He leads. Psalm 23 tells me some of the places He will lead me saying,

“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.”

That doesn’t sound too bad, does it? green pastures, quiet waters, and paths of righteousness. Still, this path of righteousness can require me to pass through some dangerous places. But I have my Heavenly Father’s promise to me as I follow Him on the path He has prepared for me,

“Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.” (Psalm 23:4-5)

God’s presence will protect and provide for me as I allow Him to direct my paths. 2021 is uncharted territory, maybe it is time I let the One who knows the beginning from the end take the lead in my life?

“I am God, and there is none like Me. I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say: ‘My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please.’ ” (Isaiah 46:9-10)

My plans sometimes don’t hold up for even a day, let alone something planned months ahead. In other words, my plans are pretty wishy-washy and subject to change with every whim and wind of the moment. Not at all reliable. But God’s plans and purposes always materialize, always come to pass. In a world of uncertainty, it would be nice to have something to count on, something or someone to put my hope in. Psalm 33:10-11 tells me,

“The Lord foils the plans of the nations; He thwarts the purposes of the peoples. But the plans of the Lord stand firm forever, the purposes of His heart through all generations.”

That’s the assurance I’m looking for in this uncertain world – God’s plans, promises and purposes stand firm forever. They cannot be thwarted. God is calling me to take up my cross and follow Him. Like Abraham, I have a decision to make. I can follow God and go with His plan, or lean on my own understanding. (which I confess – doesn’t always end well for me) Like Abraham, I don’t know where God will lead me, what lies on the path ahead, but I know I can trust God and walk by faith.

“Abram believed the Lord, and He credited it to him as righteousness.” (Genesis 15:6)

I don’t know what lies ahead in 2021, it is an unknown future stretching ahead of me on this first day of the New Year. After 2020, I don’t even dare to fill in any of the squares on my new calendar. But I don’t need to know what the future holds, my Heavenly Father knows and that is enough for me to walk without fear into 2021. I have these words of assurance from Psalm 121:3-8,

“He will not let your foot slip – He who watches over you will not slumber; indeed, He who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord watches over you – the Lord is your shade at your right hand; the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night. The Lord will keep you from all harm – He will watch over your life; the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.”

that’s all I need to know,

sincerely, Grace Day

I hardly ever buy new Christmas decorations. You know why. I have too many boxes of them in my basement already. But this year I did buy one new decoration for myself. I hadn’t planned on buying anything new, but . . . it happened when I was out shopping for gifts for others. (I confess – that seems to be how it usually happens, I go out to purchase a gift for someone else and come home having purchased something for myself)

So that’s how I ended up with my “word for the year”. I’ve never had one before ( a word, that is) but I have a friend who chooses for herself a “word for the year” each new year. This word is to reflect what she wants to be her focus in the coming year. This word serves to remind her of her commitment to be intentional each day about living out whatever her particular “word for the year” happens to be.

So I never planned on buying a new Christmas decoration. And I hadn’t given any thought to picking out a “word for the year” for myself. Yet, here I am today, living in that limbo land of days which fall after Christmas day but before New Year’s day, and I have accomplished both things. I have my new decoration and I, for the first time ever, have my own “word for the year”.

Both events occurred simultaneously for me, because my “word” is written in large letters on my new Christmas decoration. I have it currently displayed in my home’s entry way, so anyone who enters encounters my new “word for the year” immediately. (not that anyone has been entering my home, but if they did, they would know my new word)

My word for 2021 is “HOPE”. I don’t know that I chose it so much as it chose me. There were many wooden decorations with snowflakes and various words on them on the shelf that day, but only one with the word HOPE. When I saw it, I knew, that was the word I needed most for 2021.

Suspended in time between Christ’s first Advent and His second coming as we are, I think HOPE is what sustains us during this time in history. Hope has been my constant companion throughout 2020 – hope in God, in His promises and in His plan. Romans 8:21-25 talks about this hope saying that we wait,

“in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God. We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.”

Patiently waiting? I feel like I have spent most of 2020 waiting and hoping and being disappointed and waiting some more (with hope) and being disappointed again and waiting again . . . I’m sure you know the drill, dear readers, because you have been on the same treadmill yourselves. The finish line has been moved so many times, I don’t even know if a finish line exists currently. Each promised finish line was hope, such as a reopen date for schools. Your finish line may have been different, such as a church, an office or a gym opening back up, or getting to see a loved one at last, or being able to take a postponed trip or plan a wedding. All involve hope, hope for something we don’t yet have but hope for the possibility of what we desire, sustaining us until it should become reality.

Most of us would say that 2020 has brought us some degree of suffering. We all have experienced loss on many levels this year, some much greater losses than others. Romans 5:3-5 talks about the connection between suffering and hope, (maybe why HOPE is my word of choice for this next year, because it follows a year of such suffering)

“Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out His love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom He has given us.”

My hope comes from God. My hope is in God. 1 Timothy 4:9-10 reminds me,

“This is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance (and for this we labor and strive), that we have put our hope in the living God, who is the Savior of all men, and especially of those who believe.”

“The Lord is good to those whose hope is in Him, to the one who seeks Him;” (Lamentations 3:25)

“Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from Him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; He is my fortress, I will not be shaken.” (Psalm 62:5-6)

My Heavenly Father is the supplier of my hope, the reason for my hope, the sustainer of my hope and the object of my hope.

Hebrews 10:23 tells me,

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

I have wanted to run, to flee often during this past year dominated by COVID, chaos and fear. But where would I go? This pandemic is world wide. No place has been unaffected. Hebrews 6:18-20 has something to say about where to run to,

“We who have fled to take hold of the hope offered to us may be greatly encouraged. We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, where Jesus, who went before us, has entered on our behalf.”

We all want an anchor during stormy times, something to hang on to so we don’t get washed away with the waves. We want something that will settle our soul. How interesting that hope is described as an anchor for the soul in the words above from Hebrews. Hope is my anchor and at the same time, hope is my wings.

“but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” (Isaiah 40:31)

An anchor and wings, I need both. And HOPE gives me both. I think I picked just the right word for 2021! I felt hopeless during many days of 2020 while isolated and alone. And yet I was never alone and never without HOPE. My Heavenly Father is omnipresent and has promised never to leave me nor forsake me. My “word for the year” will remind me of this truth when disappointments come and the finish line gets moved again. (I think I may need to leave my new Christmas decoration out where I can see it all year)

We are living in an inter-advental time, dear readers. (I just made that word up, but it fits)

Jesus has come! Jesus is coming back again! hence, inter-advental, between His first and second coming.

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” (Romans 15:13)

sincerely, Grace Day

Another quiet after Advent day. Maybe it just seems quiet by comparison, because the days leading up to Christmas are typically so full of anticipation and preparation for what is to come, that once it has come, everything seems to pause, giving everyone, including me, time to reflect and to refocus in the still hush that settles in to surround me, while Advent continues for many, including the Wise Men of old. (ok, maybe not so much this year, but still I can sense the shift in activity level going on around me)

So maybe you, dear readers, like the Wise Men, are still on your Advent journey in search of the Christ Child, God’s gift to the world, God’s gift to each one of us. Or maybe, though you journey and search, you do not know what it is that you seek. You only know that you lack something vital and so your search continues without rest until you should find that elusive missing piece to the mystery that is eternity and your place in it.

As I sit surrounded by yesterday’s already opened gifts, it occurs to me to share this poem with you entitled “The Forgotten Gift of Christmas” – so this is my gift to you, dear readers.

The Forgotten Gift of Christmas

so many gifts under the tree, I wonder how many are there for me?

I open them quickly, one by one – then I feel kinda sad when I’m all done.

is that all there is? is there nothing more? I guess what I want can’t be found in a store.

it can’t be bought and it can’t be sold – I don’t even know its name – if truth be told.

But there must be some gift that could fill my empty space, something or someone – I don’t know the name or face.

the face of forgiveness, the face of love, the face of God, come down from above.

God’s gift to me lay in a manger lowly, the commonplace now transformed by the Presence of the Holy.

God’s gift to me, so unexpected, this gift of Christmas so often rejected.

the package is a manger, holding a Baby small, those who accept the present, find the greatest gift of all.

The gifts God gives of hope and joy, are better to me than any new toy.

The Manger was full of peace and of light, full of God’s plan to make all things right.

I was looking for my Christmas gift under the Christmas tree, but I found it right where God had said, it was in the Nativity!

(from the book “Looking for Christmas” by Grace Day)

And that’s precisely where every Advent search ends – wherever Jesus is. For the shepherds, it was at the manger, for the Wise Men it was a small house in Bethlehem, for Zacchaeus it was when he climbed a tree, for Peter it was while fishing off the Galilean shore, for the Samaritan woman it was at the well, for Paul it was on the road to Damascus, for the criminal being put to death for his crimes, it was while on his own cross, which was next to the cross of Christ, that his search came to an end.

Likewise, there is hope that my search and that your search will end well also. That hope is found in God’s promise to each one of us that if we are looking for Him, we will find Him.

” ‘Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. You will seek Me and find Me when you seek Me with all your heart. I will be found by you,’ declares the Lord.” (Jeremiah 29:12-14)

As you celebrated Christmas this year, maybe in remembering and rejoicing over His first coming, you met Jesus in the manger. Now the Baby in the manger grew up to be the Christ on the cross, and you can meet Him there as well, just like the criminal on the cross beside Jesus met Him there. But know that whatever road your journey has you traveling today, God will meet you on that road, just like He met Paul on his road to Damascus so many years ago.

I confess – I sometimes feel alone and forgotten on the road I am traveling today. Job must have felt the same way on his journey. I’m sure Job felt abandoned by God and totally unseen. But then, in the midst of his terribly tough trial, Job said these words about God,

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

Job acknowledged that he was not off of God’s radar. God saw Job, God was with Job, and God would bring good to Job from his journey. That is what walking by faith looks like.

Jesus has come! Jesus is coming back again! In the meantime, I will wait with hope and walk by faith.

sincerely, Grace Day