light is usually a good thing – there’s moonlight and starlight and candlelight and the spotlight and the light at the end of the tunnel and guiding light and light that shines in the darkness – all good things.  But the light in my life right now is a warning light, a harbinger of doom, a recurring nuisance that I have come to dread.  That’s right, the tire pressure light in my car is back on – AGAIN!  This is not the first “again” either.  This is the fourth time in the last month she has come on to warn me that all is not right with my tires.  Something is amiss.

But what?  She does not tell me that, just glows bright orange silently from the dashboard daring me to defy her and continue driving as usual.  The first time I heeded her warning and took the car in to have the tires checked.  It turned out to be a nail in one of the tires, which necessitated buying a new tire.  OK, problem solved.   (see post “I gave my car a tire”)  Or so I thought.

Then my tire light came on again. I waited a little bit longer this time, but I did take the car in.  This second time she came on, it turned out that one of the tires was over inflated, setting her off.  The problem was corrected, pressure equalized all around and my tire light was OFF, again.  Peace of mind was restored.

But not for long.  My tire light soon illuminated my dashboard again, quite unexpectedly.  So I ignored her for awhile and continued driving around as usual. She did not go away but continued to light up my dashboard. Finally, the stress of driving with this warning light on all the time got the better of me and I took my car in again to have the tires checked.  This time all the tires were under inflated. Go figure?  They told me it was due to a change in the temperature which was the weather’s fault for going from hot to cooler suddenly.

So the nice people at the car place restored my tires to their proper pressure once again and sent me on my way.  I was now driving tire light free!  I was ecstatic. But my joy was short lived.  Yes, dear readers, my tire light is on again and has been for several days now.  I am doing my best to ignore her but it isn’t easy.  This light is a constant reminder to me while I am driving, that something is not right with my tires yet AGAIN!

But I am tired of driving to the car place which is far from me and the journey is also perilous because of monumental road construction taking place on the very route I must take to get there.  So I am in the midst of a stand off.  I don’t like driving with my tire pressure warning light on and I don’t like taking the time to make the long trip through all the construction to the car place, just to set things right.  After all, I’m getting along ok, aren’t I?

What to do?  My car has cried wolf  way too many times.  or has she?  Each time I’ve taken her in there has been a real problem, something not quite right. Question is, ‘how long am I willing to continue driving around on tires that aren’t quite right?’  Apparently longer each time, because it’s now been over a week and I still haven’t made the trip back to the car place.

Am I being lulled into complacency because I’ve now driven so long and so often with my tire light on that I no longer think of her as the warning light that she actually is but simply as just another ever present presence on my car’s dashboard, such as the gas gauge or the speedometer?  My tire pressure warning light being on has definitely become my “new normal”.  I hardly notice her anymore.

Except when I do.  And it is then I remember,  this is NOT normal, this is a warning light, telling me that something is not right and that I should find out what it is and get it fixed!  But that is SO inconvenient.  It will require of me both my time and my money.  I don’t want to spend either one on my tires!

Now it occurs to me that I can be like this about other things in my life also.  I think about the words in Hebrews 3:15, “Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion.”  Do I ignore God’s voice when He’s trying to warn me that something’s not right and I need to find out what it is and fix it? (preferably before I end up with a flat tire, stranded on the side of a road somewhere, far from where I want to be)

I don’t want my tire light to be the light of my life – the only light I have.  I want more than just a warning light to guide me.  And that is just what God gives to me. Jesus said in John 8:12, “I am the light of the world.  Whoever follows Me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”   That’s a light I can live with!

Psalm 27:1 reassures me, “The Lord is my light and my salvation – whom shall I fear?”

I need a guiding light in my life and I have found one in God’s word.  “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.”  (Psalm 119:105)  I do not have to walk in darkness.

Though my tire light serves its’ purpose, it is not the “light of my life” – that role is reserved for my Heavenly Father alone.  ”   . . .  God is light; in Him there is no darkness at all.”   (1 John 1:5)

“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)

thank You, God, for the warning lights You send my way to keep me safe – but most of all I thank You that You are the light of the world and of my life – I never have to walk in darkness.

“In Him was life, and that life was the light of men.  The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not overcome it.”  (John 1:4)

sincerely,      Grace Day

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Paul was a paradox.  He was the former Saul, now Paul.  He had been a persecutor of Christ followers, now he was persecuted because he had become a Christ follower.  Paul was now being persecuted for proclaiming the very truth that he had worked so hard to suppress once upon a time.  But now, Paul knew the truth and he could not keep silent.  Paul knew the true identity of Jesus. This was revealed to him as he traveled on the road to Damascus.  It was there Saul had an encounter with the Living God.

“As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him.  He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, ‘Saul, Saul, why do you persecute Me?’  ‘Who are You, Lord?’ Saul asked.  ‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.’  He replied.”  (Acts 9:3-5)

Through this encounter Saul learned that Jesus is who He said He was all along. When Saul realized that Jesus was the promised Messiah, the Deliverer, the Redeemer of Israel and of the world, the Son of God, Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, Wonderful Counselor, Prince of Peace, Savior  . . . that Jesus was everything the Scriptures had foretold He would be . . .  everything changed for him.  This realization born of revelation changed Saul into Paul.  It changed him permanently.

God had plans for Saul, far beyond simply changing his name.  God would change his heart and make him a new person, with a new purpose in life.  Paul’s purpose was no longer to persecute those who knew who Jesus is but to proclaim the very truth of Jesus’ identity that he had worked so diligently to suppress before he met Jesus on the road to Damascus.

“But the Lord said to Ananias, ‘Go! This man is My chosen instrument to carry My name before the Gentiles and their kings and before the people of Israel.  I will show him how much he must suffer for My name.’ ”  (Acts 9:15-16)

Yes, God had a purpose and a plan for Paul all along.  And on God’s plan the path for Paul led straight to and through prison, not just once but multiple times.  God’s plan for Paul to carry His name to so many people and to so many places was actually accomplished because of, not in spite of, Paul’s time spent in prison.

This is counter intuitive to be sure, but true nonetheless.  Paul was traveling to visit churches in many places such as Rome and Philippi and Corinth.  But he was often prevented from visiting in person due to being detained in prison.  So Paul wrote letters to those believers he was longing to visit in person.  And because he did, we have many of the books that make up the New Testament.  Books such as Romans, Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Timothy, Titus – these were all letters written by Paul to the believers in these locations.  Had Paul been there in person, he would have had no need to write a letter.

Paul acknowledged this when he wrote in his letter to the Philippians (1:12-14), “Now I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel.  As a result, it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ.  Because of my chains, most of the brothers in the Lord have been encouraged to speak the word of God more courageously and fearlessly.”

When Paul wrote to the Ephesians he said, “Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains.”  (Eph. 6:19-20)

Paul didn’t let “being in chains” stop him from his purpose of sharing the gospel with everyone and anyone.  He wrote letters to those he wanted to visit personally. He stated in Romans 1:11-13, “I long to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to make you strong –  . . .  I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that I planned many times to come to you (but have been prevented from doing so until now) in order that I might have a harvest among you,”.

Paul pours out his heart in his letters to these churches and to Timothy and Titus as he sits in prison, prevented from doing what he wanted to do, which was to preach the gospel in person to all these people.  As it turns out, Paul’s letters had a wider audience down through the ages, that is to say, they reached more people than his physical presence with them at that time ever would have done.

What Paul’s persecutor’s intended for his harm, (to detain him in prison, thereby preventing the spread of the gospel) God used for His good purposes – to actually advance the spread of the gospel and give us several books of the New Testament.

If Paul’s plans to visit these various churches had gone as scheduled, he would have had no reason to write letters to them because he would have been there in person preaching and teaching.  It is a good thing that God’s purposes are the ones that prevail, not ours.

The paradox of Paul is that the very thing that was meant to keep him from his God given calling of taking the gospel to the world, (imprisonment) was in fact the very thing God used to ensure that Paul would indeed proclaim (through his letters) Christ’s gospel, to all people for all ages.

As Joseph said to his brothers, “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.”  (Genesis 50:20)

Paul made his travel plans but God had a different plan for him, a path that led to and through prison.  Proverbs 19:21 says it clearly,  “Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.”   thank you Lord that You are Sovereign!

sincerely,       Grace Day

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

though You send me no husband (even though You have the entire planet and everyone in it at Your command, from which to select someone especially for me)-still, I will trust only in You.

even though my book does not sell – still, I will continue writing about Your great love and endless mercy

even when no one reads my blog – still, I will pour out my heart to You, proclaiming Your truth, praising Your name, acknowledging my need . . .

even when I must rise before dawn – I will give You thanks for my job

even when my tire light comes on (again and again) – I will give You thanks for my car

when I am lonely – I will rejoice in Your presence abiding with me

when I am weary – I will rest in Your strength which sustains me

when I am filled with pain – I will be grateful for Your comfort

when I feel invisible – I will remember that You know every hair on my head and You see the way that I take – I am not invisible to You because “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 139:15-16)

when my dearest dreams lie dead and buried, I will remember that You are the God of the impossible, “the God who gives life to the dead and calls things that are not as though they were.”  (Romans 4:17b) – I will hope only in You

when those I love most don’t seem to love You – still, I will persist in prayer, for You have said, ” . . . at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.”  (Galatians 6:9)

even when I am not where I want to be – I will give You thanks and praise, trusting I am where You want me to be

I will trust in Your sovereignty, O God

I will rejoice in Your sovereignty, Heavenly Father

I will rest in Your sovereignty, Lord

I will give thanks to You in all circumstances because You are sovereign over all circumstances, events and peoples

I will hope only in You, for You are sovereign, Lord

“Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior.”  (Habakkuk 3:17-18)

“Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again:  Rejoice!”  (Philippians 4:4)

sincerely,      Grace Day

 

 

 

forgiveness, lets love in, as a previous post, “from listening to love”,  pointed out. But the true gift of forgiveness is that it unlocks the door and provides the path for reconciliation to enter in and make her home with us.  Reconciliation is one of God’s good gifts, the miracle of healing for our broken relationships, the miracle of restoration, returning to us what unforgiveness has robbed us of through the years.

We are all in desperate need of reconciliation.  We have been since the fall, which refers to Adam and Eve’s (and through them mankind’s) falling out with God which took place in the Garden so long ago.  This falling out happened because Eve and Adam decided to do things their way rather than God’s way.  They decided to trust themselves rather than trust the One who had created their garden, who had created them, who had created the universe and everything in it.  They thought they knew better than their Creator, so they disobeyed His instructions and ended up hiding from Him, guilty and ashamed.  Separation had taken place. Reconciliation was needed.  Forgiveness would make reconciliation possible. Without forgiveness, they would remain separated from God.  So would we.  So would I.

We long for connectedness and community (as facebook attests to) but we don’t seem to be able to achieve it or to sustain it.  We are alienated from our Creator and we find ourselves alienated from each other as well; from those we live with, from those we work with, from those we share this planet with.  God has provided the solution to our alienation problem.  God has made a way for us to be forgiven and with that forgiveness comes reconciliation to Him.  God accomplished all this when He sent Jesus here to live and walk among us.

“For God was pleased to have all His fullness dwell in Him, and through Him to reconcile to Himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through His blood, shed on the cross.  Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior.  But now He has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in His sight, without blemish and free from accusation-”  (Colossians 1:19-22)

Forgiveness frees us from accusation and makes reconciliation possible.  Once we are reconciled to God, we can be reconciled to each other.  God has already prepared the path that makes this possible.  “All this is from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to Himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them.”  (2 Corinthians 5:18-19)

Forgiveness is that necessary stepping stone to reconciliation.  Without forgiveness reconciliation cannot take place.  It is forgiveness that lets in love, love allows the healing necessary to restore what was broken.  Jesus told His disciples to forgive others ” . . . not seven times, but seventy-seven times.”  which meant there was no limit to how often they should forgive others.  In Colossians 3:13 we are told to “Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another.  Forgive as the Lord forgave you.”

Because Joseph was able to forgive his brothers, (the brothers who had put him in a pit, then sold him into slavery) he was able to be reconciled to them and to his father, who thought he was dead.  Because the father of the prodigal son was able to forgive him, the son was restored to his family through reconciliation.  King David was forgiven by God and restored to right relationship with Him.

The gift of forgiveness is the miracle of reconciliation and restoration that we experience in our relationships when we practice forgiveness in our daily lives. Because I have experienced and received forgiveness so often and so freely from my Heavenly Father, I am able to extend that same forgiveness to those around me.  I can do no less.  I am commanded to do no less.

“For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.  But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.”  (Matthew 6:14-15)

God’s forgiveness of my sins allows me to be reconciled to Him.  Like the father of the prodigal son, He stood ready to forgive me even when I was still a long way off. “But God demonstrates His own love for us in this:  While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”  (Romans 5:8)  He didn’t wait for us to have a change of heart or for us to ask for forgiveness – He made a way for us to receive His forgiveness and the reconciliation that would come with it.

“For if, when we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to Him through the death of His Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through His life!  Not only is this so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.”  (Romans 5:10-11)

The deepest longing of my heart – to be connected to my Creator and connected to those around me – satisfied through God’s gift of forgiveness, which He extends to me and to you.  Being reconciled through forgiveness to God then allows me to be reconciled through forgiveness to those around me whom I love and long to be connected to.

I have received God’s gift of forgiveness.  It is a gift that is meant to be given to others generously.  ” . . .  Freely you have received, freely give.”  (Matthew 10:8)

yes, forgiveness opens the door and lets in love, reconciliation and restoration.

”  . . .  But he who has been forgiven little loves little.”   (Luke 7:47)

sincerely,      Grace Day

 

 

 

you know what I’m talking about – like one of those makeovers on Good Morning America.  They pick women from the crowd outside watching their show and totally transform them – well new hair color and cut, new make up and new clothes and shoes.  It’s fun and the results are dramatic.  Those women are totally transformed before our eyes.  I celebrate with them as I watch from my living room.

But how long will it last I wonder?  Thing is, this makeover transforms the outside while leaving the inside untouched and unchanged.  I’ve often thought a makeover would be fun.  (Who doesn’t love new shoes and somebody else doing your hair?)  But a makeover doesn’t satisfy my need or my longing for a total transformation from the inside out.

Paul had one of those, a total transformation, and it was pretty dramatic.  So dramatic in fact, that it required a name change to go along with it.  He was Saul, then he became Paul.  Saul was a persecutor of Christians.  Paul became the one persecuted because he was a Christian.  Saul put people in prison for their faith. Paul was put in prison by people such as he had been, for that same faith.

From the persecutor to the persecuted – total transformation does that to a person.

Maybe that’s why Paul wrote so much about rejoicing in all his hardships and suffering, he was glad to do it for the Jesus he loved so much – who had loved him so much first.

So much so in fact, that Jesus had sought Saul out while Saul was busy causing harm to those who followed Jesus.  He went so far as to make Saul blind so that he could see the light and realize who Jesus really was – the Messiah that Saul had been waiting for and watching for all of his life – and this Messiah had come and gone and Saul had missed Him – until that day on the road to Damascus where Saul met his Maker and received his makeover.

Saul’s total transformation began with him being made blind for three days.  He had been blind to Jesus’ true identity and this physical blindness would be the way in which Saul would gain his spiritual sight.  “As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him.  He fell to the ground and heard a voice say  to him, ‘Saul, Saul, why do you persecute Me?’  ‘Who are you, Lord?’ Saul asked.  ‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,’ ”  (Acts 9:4-5)

Thus began Saul’s total transformation.  A blinding light, a personal encounter with Jesus and Saul was now Paul.  All his energy and enthusiasm, all his dedication and desire, which Saul had used to persecute the followers of Christ – Paul used to serve the Jesus he now knew and loved.

God had a purpose and a plan for Paul – which necessitated a total transformation of this man before he could be used by God for His good purposes.  “But the Lord said to Ananias, ‘Go!  This man (Saul/Paul) is My chosen instrument to carry My name before the Gentiles and their kings and before the people of Israel.  I will show him how much he must suffer for My name.’ ”  (Acts 9:15-16)

I would like a dramatic, totally transforming makeover of myself.  I could be the new me, whatever that would look like – just like the ladies on Good Morning America – quick, miraculous, painless transformation.  They just had to show up, to present themselves as available, to trust those in charge of hair, make up, wardrobe etc. and then to let those professionals do their jobs and work their miracle.

There is a transformation coming for me that will be quick and painless like that one.  “Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed – in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet.  For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.  For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality.”  (1 Corinthians 15:51-53)

This is a total transformation that lasts forever!  I will be clothed with the imperishable!  Now that’s a wardrobe that not only lasts but never goes out of style!  I love that it takes place “in the twinkling of an eye”.    Nothing like I am experiencing now in my daily life amid the mundane as it were.

You see, I am being transformed even now.  It’s just not one of those blinding light, twinkling of an eye kind of transformations.  It’s a long, slow, painful process yielding results not always readily recognizable.  This transformation is so gradual that it is mostly imperceptible while in progress.  Results are not always visible except maybe in hindsight. This is true for the climber who labors one small step at a time ever upward, putting one foot in front of the other, not realizing how far he has come, until he looks down and sees that he has indeed made progress.

Like water wearing away at rock – rounding, smoothing, perfecting, beautifying, bringing out all the hidden layers, patterns, designs and colors in the rock – not seen immediately, but revealed over time – this is the transformation that takes a lifetime- this is what my Creator is accomplishing in me as He works in me slowly, patiently, gently but persistently – until His work in me is finished.

God is continually pouring over me – “for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to His good purpose.”  (Philippians 2:13)  His good purpose of a total transformation in me from the inside out, making me more like Christ, a little at a time – chipping, chiseling, wearing and washing away everything in me that does not belong there, everything that does not bring glory and honor to Him as my Creator –  so that all that is left is the beauty He created in me which will one day be revealed, like the beauty hidden in the rocks – (no instant gratification or quick fixes on this transformation plan)

But like the ladies getting their morning makeover, I do have to make myself available, to present myself, to give myself up into my Heavenly Father’s hands and to trust Him to do the work of transformation that He wants to do in me.

“being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”   (Philippians 1:6)

sincerely,       Grace Day

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So I’m reading these words, “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.  Perseverance must finish its’ work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”  (James 1:2-4)  and I’m pondering the apparent contradictions contained in them.  Contradictions which nonetheless, real life experience proves true.

First of all, the words joy and trial don’t seem to belong together in the same sentence.  And yet there they are.  But what stood out to me even more was the promise that these trials, this “testing of my faith” was going to leave me “mature and complete, not lacking anything.”  How can this be?  I thought hardships and trials were meant to tear me down and to leave me weaker but God says trials are to build me up and to make me stronger – not to take something from me but to give me something?

James says, “not lacking anything” –  am I to understand that God’s purposes in my trials are accomplished not in taking something away from me but in giving me something – something of so great a value that I could not gain it in any other way? He wants to give me “all things” so that I will be “lacking nothing.”

“He who did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all – how will He not also, along with Him, graciously give us all things?”  (Romans 8:32)

Maybe before my Heavenly Father can give me “all things”, the things that He knows I need, the things He wants me to have – maybe first He has to take from me what weighs me down, what keeps me from my purpose here, what keeps me from my destination – so that He can replace what He takes with what He knows I will need for where I am going, where He is leading me.

Trials are like the tides, washing away the trash, leaving behind treasure in the wake of waves retreating – taking from me what God knows I must let go of and bestowing on me treasures I did not know to ask for – how could I?  I did not know such things existed.  Such gifts His presence bestows – nameless, priceless, all sustaining – His peace that passes understanding, wrapping the untold treasures of my trials together – waiting for me to unwrap them, to uncover and discover the gifts He’s given while I persevered unaware  . . .  ( even perseverance being God’s gift – the gift the testing of my faith bestows)

Who would have thought – my trials are enriching me, not depleting me.  “For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.”  (2 Corinthians 4:17)  My trials, disappointments and heartaches are not keeping me from my destination, my destiny – they are the true path to my destination.  I will not arrive there in spite of them but because of them.

God wants me to be “mature and complete, not lacking anything” and by His grace that is how I will one day arrive.  My trials and troubles in this life are being used by my Heavenly Father to accomplish His good purposes in me. What my culture tells me is bad for me, God actually turns to good because my Heavenly Father cares for me and “works all things together for good for those who love Him and have been called according to His purpose.”   (Romans 8:28)

For now I am “confident of this, that He who began a good work in me will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”  (Philippians 1:6)

I will continue to experience more testing and more trials – “But He knows the way that I take; when He has tested me, I will come forth as gold.”  (Job 23:10)  and in the end I will be lacking nothing  . . . my Heavenly Father will make sure of that . .

sincerely,      Grace Day

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

sometimes I feel like a small child on a road trip.  I am continually asking my Heavenly Father questions such as “how much longer?” or “are we there yet?”  or “is this it?”, only to be disappointed each time as the trip continues with no end in sight and no definitive or satisfying answers to my questions.  I am left to wait and to wonder as I continue my journey of faith by following the path He leads me on each day.  I can’t see or know what lies ahead for me, which causes me worry and anxiety.  It’s the not knowing that is so unsettling for me.

These words are ever present in my mind, “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”  (Ephesians 2:10)  WOW!  I have been created for a purpose (destiny) and God has already prepared things for me to do in advance!  Now you can begin to understand why I have these questions about my life’s journey.  I’m not just starting out in life like a child is.  So why am I still asking these childlike questions?

Sometimes I feel like I haven’t arrived at my destiny yet, the purpose for which I was created.  I am still searching for it.  Do I even know what it is?  What it will look like?  Do I not recognize it?    So I continually ask my Heavenly Father as we travel together, “is this it?, is it this?” – as I try different ways of making a difference in this world.  I feel like I’m on hold much of the time, still waiting to see many of my prayers fulfilled.  As I wait, I find myself continually questioning – “how much longer?”, just like the child in the back seat of the car on the road trip.

Like the child on the family road trip, I don’t want to miss out on anything and I’m in a hurry to get there.  (wherever there is)  Likewise, I don’t want to miss out on anything God has prepared for me to do and I don’t want to miss anything along the way that He might want to show me or to teach me.  I don’t want to be so focused on searching for my purpose or my destiny that I miss out on the beauty and the joy of my journey.

Still, I find myself asking God, “am I there yet?” and “I didn’t miss it, did I?”. (whatever it is)  Did my disobedience or blindness or hardheartedness or selfish busyness cause me to miss what You prepared all along for me to do?  I am very much the child on this road trip that is my life, traveling with my Heavenly Father in the driver’s seat. And that revelation alone should put all my anxious questions to rest.  God is sovereign. He is driving.  He’s got this!

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will direct your paths.”  (Proverbs 3:5-6)

He knows the way – He is the Way!

“being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”  (Philippians 1:6)

God will make sure I arrive at my destination -the destination He prepared for me.

“And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.”  (2 Corinthians 9:8)

those good works that God prepared in advance for me to do – (Ephesians 2:10)

This road trip I’m on has had and will continue to have twists and turns and molehills and mountains (and potholes) and rivers and deserts but with the Lord as my driver, as my shepherd, He leads me   . . .

“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. 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. Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”    (Psalm 23)

sincerely,       Grace Day

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

sincerely,       Grace Day

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

sincerely,      Grace Day

 

 

 

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

tiny crystal snow tears falling on the world.

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

cover pain with beauty tears, falling on the world.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

sincerely,      Grace Day