or beyond the chasm  . . .

sometimes you don’t come to a cliff, the cliff comes to you –  sometimes you don’t step off the cliff into the chasm, the cliff disappears beneath your feet and you are in the chasm . . .

you are careful to stay on the path, but the path becomes a cliff and the cliff becomes a chasm  . . .  and you are free falling

you never signed up to go bungee jumping, you never even packed a parachute . . .

yet here you are, free falling through this unknown, unexpected chasm;  your cries echoing around you in the silence  . . .

you don’t know where they are landing, you don’t know where you will land  . . .

you wonder if anyone can hear you from the chasm, you wonder what awaits you at the bottom  . . .

you wonder if your chasm even has a bottom?  . . .   and then  . . .

you realize that Someone has you by the hand  . . .

Someone has heard you,  Someone is with you  . . .

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

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

and when I am free falling through the chasm You are with me; You catch me with Your strong right hand, You carry me.  You are with me in the falling even as You are preparing the place where You know I will land   . . .

“No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love Him”    (1 Corinthians 2:9)

I called out to You from my chasm and You came  . . .

“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.    . . .   He reached down from on high and took hold of me; He drew me out of deep waters.”  or a deep never-ending chasm  (Psalm 18:6 & 16)

There will be more cliffs and chasms in my path as I continue following after Jesus. But this I know,  “The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack (cliff and chasm)  and will bring me safely to His heavenly kingdom.  (where He is preparing a place for me to land)  To Him be glory for ever and ever.  Amen.”  (2 Timothy 4:18)

It is my Heavenly Father who “redeems my life from the pit or the chasm and crowns me with love and compassion,”   (Psalm 103:4)

No matter how fast or how far I am falling, I have this assurance – “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.  My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of My Father’s hand.  I and the Father are one.”  (John 10:27-30)

And that’s right where I want to be, chasm or no chasm, being held secure in my Heavenly Father’s hands.  “For the Lord is the great God, the great King above all gods.  In His hand are the depths of the earth, and the mountain peaks belong to Him.  The sea is His, for He made it, and His hands formed the dry land.”  (Psalm 95:3-5)

Those are the hands I want holding me, there is no where I can go that is beyond their redemptive reach.  For that I am truly grateful.

“Reach down Your hand from on high; deliver me and rescue me from the mighty waters,”   (Psalm 144:7)   And that’s just what God did.  He saw my chasm coming and prepared the way ahead of me even as He walked with me (or free fell with me as the case may be) through it.

“Now I know that the Lord saves His anointed; He answers him from His holy heaven with the saving power of His right hand.  Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but I trust in the name of the Lord my God.”  (Psalm 20:6-7)

sincerely,        Grace Day

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

it’s bigger, bolder, brighter, bluer and it’s back  – well technically the bump never left, it is still there, same as always; same place, same size – unaltered by time.  It is the warning sign that has changed.  It has become new and improved, if you will.  This became apparent to me on my morning walk when as I neared the place where the old orange BUMP letters were (they are now quite faded but still visible) I was startled to see even bigger, bright blue, bold letters – BUMP –  ahead of where the old neon orange letters spelling BUMP were.  Now covering the faded orange letters is a large, bright, yellow-gold rectangle with diagonal stripes spanning the entire width of the cartpath.

A double warning!  Unmistakable.  Inescapable.  No one is going to miss this.  But why all the over kill?  I wondered.  Wasn’t the old warning sign enough?  Were people not heeding the old neon orange BUMP letters, so something more drastic had to be done?  Is the actual bump really that dangerous?  Are golf carts careening out of control and crashing?  Are people tripping and falling and suffering bodily injury?  Is the bump more of a hazard than the normal hazards one would expect on a golf course?

I pondered these things as I continued my walk unharmed, thanks to the glaringly large letter warning in the form of the word BUMP.  If this new warning didn’t work, would I soon see signs along the cart path such as “Beware of BUMP” or “BUMP ahead, proceed with caution” or “prepare for upcoming BUMP” or “BUMP – 300 feet ahead, travel at your own risk”, then “BUMP – 200 feet”, “BUMP – 100 feet”, then “you are now entering THE BUMP zone, use extreme caution”?  These warning signs would certainly get anyone’s attention.

They would get my attention.  How nice to have a sign warning me when something unexpected lies in my path just out of sight.  This wasn’t the case for some dear friends of mine just recently. They were walking along their life’s path; walking faithfully, joyfully, purposefully, obediently.  There were no warning signs posted for their particular bump, which turned out to be not a bump at all but a cliff.  A full blown drop off.  A cliff they did not see coming and so they had no way to prepare for it or to plan for it.

They did not see the cliff coming because there were no warning signs posted along their path.  And none of us can see any further down the road than our physical vision allows.  That whole crystal ball thing just isn’t helpful or reliable. This cliff appeared out of nowhere.  Their path literally gave way, turning into a cliff which then dissolved right beneath their feet into a chasm, sending them into a free fall.  A free fall with an unknown end in an abyss with an unknown bottom.

There was no CLIFF sign to warn my friends about what was ahead, as my BUMP sign warns me every morning, lest I be lost in thought and forget to prepare by adjusting my stride.  They were not warned to prepare for a free fall.  There was no time for my friends to purchase parachutes.

But even though my friends had no BUMP sign in their path (which would have been such an understatement anyway.  How would it read?  “Road ends, only way out is off the cliff” or “Detour ahead, may involve some off-road, in the air travel”), they had something better.  They didn’t see this coming but they walk with and follow the One who did know this was coming, the One who was already at work preparing their next path; the One who knows the beginning from the end.  They were surprised, but our Heavenly Father was not.

“I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come.”  (Isaiah 46:10)  ” . . . I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End.”  (Revelation 21:6)  God knows what we will face in our future and is always at work preparing the way ahead of us.

David said in Psalm 139:5-6 of God, “You hem me in – behind and before; You have laid Your hand upon me.  Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain.”

“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 31:8)

In Isaiah 45:2 my Heavenly Father reminds me, “I will go before you and will level the mountains; I will break down gates of bronze and cut through bars of iron.” Talk about some heavy duty path preparation! Definitely sounds like my Heavenly Father is preparing the way ahead of me, even if I don’t see Him doing it, even if I don’t realize that He has indeed gone ahead of me.  I just need to open my eyes to see and to appreciate all the ways He has prepared and made beautiful the path He has for me to travel as I follow after Him,  BUMPS, CLIFFS, CHASMS and all.

So my friends found themselves very unexpectedly free falling through the abyss that they never saw coming.  But our Creator was already at work on their behalf, making a way for them where there was no way.  “This is what the Lord says – He who made a way through the sea, a path through the mighty waters,  . . .  ‘See, I am doing a new thing!  Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?  I am making a way in the desert (abyss) and streams in the wasteland.’ ”   (Isaiah 43:16, 19)

Their old path had disappeared, crumbling away beneath their feet.  But God was busy creating and providing a new path for them to walk upon.  Their feet would again be on level ground.  “I waited patiently for the Lord; He turned to me and heard my cry.  He lifted me out of the slimy pit (abyss), out of the mud and mire; He set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand.”  (Psalm 40:1-2)  God was with my friends in the abyss and He led them out of the abyss by the new path He had created and provided, just for them.

I smile as I encounter my very big, very bold, very bright blue BUMP letters each morning warning me of such a minor thing that I probably would not take notice of it except for the letters pointing it out to me and telling me I should take notice of it.

And then there’s real life, where at any moment my level path may become a steep incline or a cliff giving way to a chasm.  However, I don’t need to waste a moment in worry over what lies ahead or worry that there might not be a BUMP sign on my path to alert me, to warn me that there is danger up ahead.

I have decided instead to “Trust in the Lord with all my heart and to lean not on my own understanding; instead, in all my ways I will acknowledge and seek God, and He will make my paths straight, He will direct my paths.”  (Proverbs 3:5-6)

I don’t need a BUMP sign as long as I’m following in Jesus’ footsteps.  He knows the way that I take, He is the way and He is preparing the way ahead of me.

“Teach me to do Your will, for You are my God; may Your good Spirit lead me on level ground.”   (Psalm 143:10)

Oh Lord, “guide me in paths of righteousness for Your name’s sake.  lead me in the way everlasting.”   (Psalm 23:3 & 139:24)

sincerely,       Grace Day

PS.  thinking about appropriate cliff warning signs  . . .   how about  . . . “cliff with attached chasm now beneath your feet – no alternate routes available – wings would be good, engage wings now, halos won’t help, water wings don’t count but the prayers of the saints do, so proceed with prayer!”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

logs and stones  . . .   and I have them both.  I have logs in my eyes and stones in my pockets.  This is a dangerous combination to be sure.  If I don’t get the logs out of my eyes, I will not be able to see clearly enough to throw my stones with any accuracy, now will I?  And I want to hit my intended target, don’t I?  Or maybe, when I can see more clearly, I will see that I have no business throwing stones at other people.  In the meantime, in my current state, I am a dangerous combination of poor vision and plenty of ammunition.

Jesus proposed the solution for both problems.  He said in Matthew 7 “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank (log) in your own eye?  . . .   You hypocrite, first take the plank (log) out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your bother’s eye.”  (of course when I’m seeing more clearly, I will realize what I thought were logs in others’ eyes, were only specks all along)

Now when I began to lose my logs, I began to see more clearly.  And what I see more clearly are my own shortcomings and my own sins.  I began to feel the weight of the stones in my pockets that I carry with me into every situation wherever I go.  I began to realize I have no good use for them.

Jesus confirmed this when he spoke to those who brought before Him a woman they had caught in adultery.  They wanted to stone her, as their law commanded them to do.  But first they asked Jesus what He thought should be done.  His reply? “If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.”  (this should be my first clue that I’m never going to need or use my stones for throwing at others, so why am I still carrying them around?  they are weighing me down)

Now when they heard Jesus’ answer, those in the crowd began to leave, one by one, until no one was left but Jesus and the woman accused of adultery.  It was then that Jesus asked her, ” ‘Woman, where are they?  Has no one condemned you?’  ‘No one, sir,’  she said.  ‘Then neither do I condemn you,’ Jesus declared.  ‘Go now and leave your life of sin.’ ”   (John 8:7-11)

And in that quiet moment it was over.  With one simple instruction Jesus had rescued her from the angry crowd and given her back her life.  She had been brought to Jesus against her will, a woman condemned to die by others –  she left, a woman forgiven, freed from her sin, rescued and redeemed by Jesus.  No one had a stone to throw that day and neither do I.  It’s time to empty my pockets of their stones.

That’s why Jesus came in the first place.  “For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him.”  (John 3:17)

“For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost.”  (Luke 19:10)

I will spend my lifetime trying to lose the logs from my eyes and to empty the stones from my pockets.  But every little bit I leave behind gives me clearer vision and a lighter load for the journey ahead.  I need both.

sincerely,          Grace Day

 

 

 

 

 

 

my life feels like an open door (not the same thing as being an open book).  what I mean by this is that people seem to continuously come and go, in and out of my life.  So maybe revolving door would be a better description of what I experience. Doesn’t anybody stay in one place anymore?  (isn’t that a song title?)  But you get what I’m feeling, right?

Seems like I just get attached to a person, let them in, create a space for them in my life and in my heart – and then poof  they are gone.  Leaving behind an empty space that will remain that way, always hopeful for their return.  Hence the word revolving. There are partings and there are reunions.  Both are a part of this open door policy I have.

When parting is too painful, I often consider adopting a closed door policy.  I will let no one in and let no one out.  No one will get too close to me and so gain access to my heart.  “No more empty spaces!”,  I promise myself.  Funny thing about a closed door, it may keep people from entering in, but it doesn’t seem to stop them from leaving.  Death, disagreements, misunderstandings, moving away for a job; these somehow find their way through the closed door, letting my loved ones leave my life.

Living life with an open hand, open heart, open door policy is not for the faint of heart.  It requires risk.  To open my hand, I have to let go of what I am holding onto so tightly.  It is the only way my hands will be ready to receive what God wants to give me today.  I have to turn my clenched fists into open palms, extended outward, facing upward – empty of yesterday’s burdens and regrets, ready to receive today’s manna from God’s hand.  Just what I need for today.  No more and no less.  Just what my open hands can hold for now.  Nothing I have to hang onto.  I can share it, I can give it away.  This leaves room to receive more from God that can flow right through my spread out fingers onto others.  That’s the beauty of an open hand.

I need an open heart to go along with my open hands.  This means people will be entering and exiting my life often, leaving well worn paths across my heart and empty spaces in their wake when they leave.  Joy and pain taking turns, vying for position.  Some days the former has the upper hand, some days the latter.  If I close my heart to one of them, my heart is closed to the other also.  I must accept both joy and pain, the comings and the goings.  It is for me to keep their empty spaces open, ready to receive them gladly, if perchance they should return.  That is the beauty of an open heart.

An open door not only allows people access, it invites them in.  It says you are welcome here for as long as you like.  The open door says you are not a prisoner here, you can leave anytime you like.  The open door is not afraid of loss.  It knows that is the price paid for the privilege of knowing someone who enters in at the open door; only to later leave by that same open door.  The door that is always open to those who would enter, must be equally open to those who would exit.  I must learn to cherish well those who come in and those who go out. That is the beauty of an open door.

My open door policy often leaves me reeling, probably because of how often people come and go.  I crave more consistency.  And I have found that consistency in One who asked to enter into my life and my heart, has made His home with me and has never left.  Jesus doesn’t change and He doesn’t enter my life only to exit it. Even with my open door policy, Jesus has come to stay.  In fact, because of Him I can live my life with open hands, an open heart and an open door.

Jesus is the model for my open door policy.  In fact, He is the open door.  In John 10:9 Jesus tells me, “I am the gate; whoever enters through Me will be saved.  He will come in and go out, and find pasture.”  That’s a life giving, life sustaining, open door.

“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.”  (Hebrews 13:8)

“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 31:8)

“Jesus replied, ‘If anyone loves Me, he will obey My teaching.  My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.’ ”  (John 14:23)

“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)

God’s word also tells me in Hebrews 3:7, “Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion, . . . “.    A closed heart, closed door policy shuts God out and shuts me off from all He has planned for me.  I need to loosen my clenched fists’ grip on the things of this world and live with open hands, an open heart and an open door.  It’s not a pain free policy, but it is a policy providing freedom and joy in abundant measure.

sincerely,         Grace Day

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I confess, I’m a planner.  To this end, I have purchased plenty of planners over the years.  But if truth be told, I don’t think they did me much good.  I mean, much of what I have planned for (or worried about) over the years, has never come to pass while so much of what has actually taken place in my life have been things I never planned for or saw coming.  So much for all my time spent planning.  (or worrying) No wonder Matthew 6:27 says, “Will all your worries add a single moment to your life?”

In fact, planning is not just an American or western thing – I think it’s a people thing.  We all like to make our plans.  It makes us feel in charge.  Planning gives us the illusion of control over our lives.

We make plans for everything.  We make travel plans, financial plans, educational plans, family plans, game plans, battle plans, lesson plans, emergency plans, contingency plans . . . we call those plan B or a back-up plan.  (and then we make a back-up plan for our back-up plan)  We even have “planning meetings” whose sole purpose is not to actually do anything, but solely to make plans to do something at a later date.  We plan our future endeavors, events and directions for our workplaces, our churches, our volunteer organizations, our neighborhoods, and our communities.

Planning has even become a way to make a living.  Yes, planning can be a career choice.  We have travel agencies whose people plan trips for other people, event planners, wedding planners, funeral planners, financial planners, fitness planners (we call them trainers) diet planners, life planners (we call them “life coaches” and we hire them to help us make a “plan” for our lives).  Developers plan out our neighborhoods and our communities while insurance salesmen help us to plan for everything that could possibly happen to us, our health, our home, our car, our pets, etc.  It seems that everything we own has a warranty but we are always advised to extend or to get warranties for everything in order to “plan” for their breakdown.

Planning may be more than just an American pastime, it could be an American obsession and it is definitely big business.  Still much of my own personal planning seems to be for naught.  For example, this week I was scheduled to read my book to children at a local library.  I showed up at the appointed time but as they say “the best laid plans . . .”.   My first clue came before I even entered the library.  I found myself holding the door open for a person from the zoo who was wheeling in a cart full of various small animals.  Sure enough when I got inside and made contact with the person who had “planned” my reading time, I found that she had double booked the room and the time slot with the children.

Needless to say, my plans were changed in that instant.  Now changes in plans are not always a bad thing.  I am rescheduled to read on another day when a therapy dog will be visiting.  The children will enjoy the dog while listening to the story. This sounds like a lot of fun to me and I am looking forward to this new opportunity which this “change in plans”  has brought to me.  This is just another reminder to me, that even when I have a good plan, God often has a better one.

Still, I persist in making my plans even though I make them just to have them fall through, fall apart, be changed, broken, re-arranged, re-scheduled or be cast aside, thrown out, never to materialize at all.  It’s then the reality of these words hits home with me.  “Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.”  (Proverbs 19:21)  or “But the plans of the Lord stand firm forever, the purposes of His heart through all generations.”  (Psalm 33:11)

My plans don’t usually hold up, but God’s plans do.  I can rely on that.  God said in Isaiah 46:10,  “I say, ‘My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please.’ ”   And I can take comfort in that fact as well.  When my best laid plans fall through or fall short of my expectations, I can know that God’s plans (including His plans for me) are not thwarted and are better for me than anything I could have planned for myself.

I trust His promise in Jeremiah 29:11, ” ‘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.’ ”    I just need to remember and to trust that God’s plans are better than my plans; and that God’s plans for me are better than my plans for me.  Instead of being upset, I can be glad when I don’t get my own way (that sounds counter intuitive) knowing that God is in control and that His plans are better than any plans I could come up with on my own.

Job 5:12 says of God, “He thwarts the plans of the crafty, so that their hands achieve no success.  He catches the wise in their craftiness, and the schemes of the wily are swept away.”

Psalm 33:10 says, “The Lord foils the plans of the nations; He thwarts the purposes of the peoples.”

We experience this reality in our everyday lives.  Architects make up their plans to build the home, the church, the store, the arena, the skyscraper etc. but “Unless the Lord builds the house, its’ builders labor in vain.  Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchmen stand guard in vain.”  (battle plan?)

Our politicians wage their war of words, executing their strategies, making their battle plans as the next election approaches.  They are all about plans and planning.  All their time and effort is spent in formulating a plan that they believe will get them elected.  Then they seek to woo us with their promised, glorious plans of what they plan to do for us once they are elected.  Again, men making their plans while in Daniel we read, “Praise be to the name of God for ever and ever; wisdom and power are His.  He changes times and seasons; He sets up kings and deposes them.  He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the discerning.” (Daniel 2:20-21)

Or consider the rich man in the gospel of Luke.  He had a plan, a life plan and it seemed like a good one to him.  (I wonder who his life coach was?)  Here’s his story, “The ground of a certain rich man produced a good crop.  He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do?  I have no place to store my crops.’  Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do.  I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods.  And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of good things laid up for many years.  Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.” ‘  But God said to him, ‘You fool!  This very night your life will be demanded from you.  Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’  (now I’m wondering if he had a good financial planner?)

A financial planner who would give him good advice like this found in Matthew 6:19-21, “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.  But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.  For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

Old habits are hard to break.  I may continue to make my plans, but at least I can rest in the knowledge that my Heavenly Father will correct my steps and direct my paths.

“In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps.”  (Proverbs 16:9)

Let me pray along with Jeremiah, “I know, O Lord, that a man’s life is not his own; it is not for man to direct his steps.  Correct me, Lord, but only with justice – not in Your anger, lest You reduce me to nothing.”  (Jeremiah 10:23-24)

finally, Heavenly Father,  grant that I would trust in You with all my heart and lean not on my own understanding; that I would acknowledge You in all my ways so that You can make my paths straight.   (Proverbs 3:5-6)

I like knowing that it is You, Lord, who determines and directs my steps.  I am not all that good of a planner anyway.

sincerely,          Grace Day

 

 

 

 

 

 

sometimes my mountains do get moved, but more often than not, I have to climb them.  And I get to wondering why that is?  It would be so much quicker, so much easier, if God would just move them, preferably into the sea but anywhere away from me would be just fine.  Anywhere where I no longer have to face that particular mountain anymore.

But then I got to thinking  . . .    as parents do we always remove the mountains from our children’s paths, making it easier for them and sparing them whatever difficulties dealing with the mountain would bring them?  If we do, how will they ever learn the skill of mountain climbing?  (they won’t)

Maybe that’s why my Heavenly Father leaves my mountains right where they are – in my face and in my way.  He knows I need to learn to climb them.  Mountain climbing is hard work, slow work, difficult work; it is often painful and uncertain. It’s a step at a time kind of walk.  And it’s uphill all the way!  Kind of like the walk of faith that God wants for me each day.

It’s in the climbing that I learn the lessons God knows I need to learn.  The answers are not at the top, they are discovered along the way.  In the climbing I grow stronger because I have to exert effort with every step to push forward in order to reach the summit.  If my mountain was moved for me, nothing would be required of me and I would remain unchanged.

When my next mountain appears, as they inevitably do, I will not be prepared to climb it.  That was the purpose of the first mountain.  Climbing it would have prepared me to face this one.  And I would have had the memory of the previous summit experience to encourage me, to remind me what is waiting for me at the top.

At the top?  A breathtaking  view, a new perspective, a moment of joy, satisfaction and rest – followed all too quickly by the descent.  Equally challenging in its’ own way, the descent brings us down to level ground.  But level doesn’t last in topography or in life.  The next mountain is lying in wait.

The time spent climbing is long, time at the summit is short.  But usually it is the summit we remember, the summit is where we take the picture.  We want to forget the pain of the path that brought us to our summit.  We want to remember that moment of joy, not the months or more of mundane moving step by step toward the top.

Sometimes my little mustard seed isn’t enough to move my mountain.  Or maybe climbing my mountain is what grows my mustard seed?  Either way it’s faith. Faith that moves the mountains, faith that climbs them.  Faith to walk, faith to climb, faith to follow where Jesus leads.

“For we walk by faith, not by sight.”  (2 Corinthians 5:7)

“for everyone born of God overcomes the world.  This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith.”   (1 John 5:4)

sincerely,        Grace Day

 

 

these are things that don’t bode well in my book and yet I experienced both today. On my morning walk I come across four very large, very neon bright, very orange letters painted on the concrete path.  These four large letters, “BUMP”, are impossible to miss or to ignore.  Every day they faithfully remind me of the impending hazard or danger which awaits me if I continue to walk forward, passing over them, despite their warning that I will indeed encounter a “bump” if I keep going.  (I take my chances everyday)

I never trip or fall at this particular place in my walk because I have been given a heads up, as it were.  I know what to expect and I adjust my stride accordingly. Not so today though.  I did not receive any kind of a heads up regarding big trucks and strange men.  So imagine my surprise when I returned from an errand to find my normally quiet cul de sac filled with really big trucks and machinery and many strange men wearing bright neon yellow-green vests with orange stripes and colorful hardhats to complete their ensembles.

They were happily, busily digging in my front yard when I arrived home, which didn’t bode well at all.  I was right to feel that way.  As I pulled into my driveway I expected my garage door to rise, letting me in.  But it remained shut.  Was my opener needing a new battery? Then I realized the truth.  My power was out.  The fact that the strange, brightly colored, very busy men were digging up the box in my front yard that contained that kind of electrical connection power stuff, should have been my first clue.  (I guess I was momentarily distracted by the extravagantly bright and glowing hue of their work attire – their neon vests)

I had groceries in my car that needed to go into my now non-running refrigerator. Did I mention it was a 90 degree day?  Had I been given advance notice that I would be without power for an undetermined period of time, I would have planned differently for sure.  I would have adjusted my stride, as I do when I see the BUMP greeting (warning) on my walk each morning.

But as with little things like this and bigger things also, we don’t always get a BUMP notice before we hit that rough patch in our road.  And some patches are much rougher than others.  They will take us by surprise, halting our forward progress, taking the wind out of our sails and our lungs, driving us to our knees. But  it is from our knees that we find our way back up again.

Just like today, I may be surprised by a particular turn of events.  But nothing takes my Heavenly Father by surprise.  I have that assurance.  “I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come.”  (Isaiah 46:10)

“I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.”  (Revelation 22:13)

Come to think of it, 1 Peter 4:12-13 is a kind of a BUMP warning to me.  “Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you. (ok, I thought the men and the big trucks were strange)  But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when His glory is revealed.”

No matter how many unannounced “bumps” still lie ahead for me on the road I travel – I have this promise.  “And the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will Himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.”  (1 Peter 5:10)

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

that’s reassurance enough for me!  through all the unannounced BUMPs still in my future, my Heavenly Father will be with me.  I don’t need to walk in fear.  I don’t need to live in fear.

sincerely,          Grace Day

 

 

 

 

There are all kinds of diets out there to choose from.  Just turn on the TV or open a magazine and you are presented with seemingly infinite alternatives, each purporting to be the diet that finally works, the diet to end all diets.  There are protein diets, diets that cut out carbs or sugar, diets that promise fast results, miraculous results, lasting results.  I just have to buy their products and follow their guidelines.

I personally think I would prefer the dessert diet, (all desserts-all the time) or my personal favorite, the comfort food diet.  Let’s face it, we don’t call it comfort food for nothing,  it tastes really good.  (I’m thinking of mac & cheese or mashed potatoes or milkshakes)  But we all have our own favorites.

It’s hard to choose a diet because the “experts” keep changing their minds about what is good for us and what is not so good.  Remember the original food pyramid? Apparently it is no longer.  It’s been revised, turned upside down, maybe even cast out in the clamor to be cutting edge and politically correct.  Who would have thought diets were involved with politics?

Super foods come and go like celebrities.  They are in today, out tomorrow.  What was bad for you is now good for you again.  Remember eggs?  Remember coffee? Remember butter and even (surprise) real sugar?  I think I just heard a recent report on the news that antioxidants aren’t all powerful, all magical after all.  Add antioxidant to any food label and you make it a must have.  (well until this most recent research becomes more well known).

Food sustains us, it keeps us alive.  But we demand more of our food than just sustenance, we want it to taste good, to make us healthy and strong, to give us energy for everyday and to help us live longer.  Food also binds us together in community as we break bread together.  We share our lives as we share a meal.

New “superfoods” are discovered almost daily it seems.  They promise to give us more energy, to make us feel better, to heal our diseases and to increase our life span.  To that end I think I have found the perfect food, soul food.  This food tastes good, is deeply satisfying, is totally nutritious, provides strength and energy for each day, heals my hurts and cures my infirmities, is completely sustaining and ultimately life giving.  All this and it’s low cal too.

No wonder Jesus said, “It is written: ‘Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’ ”  (Matthew 4:4)

Moses knew the sustaining power of God’s words.  He had received words from God on Mt. Sinai which he shared with his fellow Israelites, telling them, “They are not just idle words for you – they are your life.  By them you will live long in the land you are crossing the Jordan to possess.”  (Deuteronomy 32:47)

Proverbs 4:21-22 says of God’s words, “Do not let them out of your sight, keep them within your heart; for they are life to those who find them and health to a man’s whole body.”  (God’s word is health food!)

In Ezekiel 3:3 I read, “Then he said to me, ‘Son of man, eat this scroll I am giving you and fill your stomach with it.’  So I ate it, and it tasted as sweet as honey in my mouth.”   (good to know, I have a sweet tooth)  the scroll would have been full of God’s words, another reminder that God’s word can and does both fill and sustain me.

“When Your words came, I ate them; they were my joy and my heart’s delight, for I bear Your name, O Lord God Almighty.”  (Jeremiah 15:16)  talk about your “heart healthy” diet, I think this qualifies!

“How sweet are Your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!”  (Psalm 119:103)  no wonder I love this “soul food diet”, me being a dessert girl and all . . .

“I have hidden Your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.”  (Psalm 119:11)   God’s word is the protection I need, it gives me the power to live pleasing to my Heavenly Father and guards my heart from attacks of the enemy.  (pun intended)

“For the word of God is living and active.  Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.”  (Hebrews 4:12)  this is good to know, I don’t want to be eating outdated, expired food.  But God’s word is always current, the “active ingredients” still viable today.  And talk about your detox diet.  Sounds like God’s word will surgically expose and remove what needs to go from my heart, keeping my heart healthy and not clogged up with hate, bitterness or other toxic things that would otherwise build up over time.

“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”  (2 Timothy 3:16-17)  “The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple.”  (Psalm 19:7b)  God’s word is brain food!  It teaches and trains me and gives me wisdom.

“The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul.”  (Psalm 19:7)  God’s word is like an energy drink,  enabling me to finish this race we call life.

“The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever.”  (Isaiah 40:8)  “Your word, O Lord, is eternal; it stands firm in the heavens.”  (Psalm 119:89)  I don’t have to worry about famine or short supply with my “soul food diet”, it will always be available to me and will always fill me up.

Lord  you said, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.”  (Matthew 5:6)  My soul food diet does fill me up.  God’s words fill me with joy, with wisdom, with encouragement, with comfort, with peace, with hope, with healing, with health and ultimately with eternal life. Guess I’ll stick with a winner.

Again today I will “Taste and see that the Lord is good;”  (Psalm 34:8)  Won’t you join me, dear readers?  this soul food diet is the best one I’ve found yet; it tastes good and is good for me at the same time.  (Usually when something tastes really good I find out that it is equally bad for me, the relationship seems to be inversely proportional)

but not with the soul food diet.  God’s word is health food, it is brain food, it is energy food, it is comfort food, it is food for my soul.  It is heart healthy, good for detoxing and it increases my immunity, guarding my heart and my mind, by providing me protection from the deadly diseases carried by this world’s deceits.   God’s word is the fuel that sustains me in the furnace, the fuel that keeps me running in life’s race.  (reading God’s word is me carb loading for the marathon I run each day, so that I will “run and not grow weary” (Isaiah 40:31))  I think I’ll continue with my soul food diet.  It provides me everything I need in abundance.

“The eyes of all look to You, and You give them their food at the proper time.  You open Your hand and satisfy the desires of every living thing.”  (Psalm 145:15-16)

sincerely,          Grace Day

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

that’s what Jesus told His disciples to do in Matthew 10:14, “If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, shake the dust off your feet when you leave that home or town.”  In other words, when you are rejected, when you fail, “shake the dust off your feet.”

To me, having clean feet symbolizes having a fresh start, a new beginning, a clean slate – reminding me of God’s mercies, which are “new every morning.”  I don’t have to bring the dirt from where I’ve been into the new place where I am going. That would only serve to muddy the waters in my new place right from the start.

Jesus disciples were traveling long distances on foot over dirty, dusty roads.  Over time the dust would began to accumulate; dirt becoming mud, building up with the miles on their feet, sticking to them – a reminder of all the places they had been.  Jesus didn’t want them to carry reminders of their past rejections with them into their new destinations.  And so He commanded them, “shake the dust off your feet when you leave.”   Travel light!

Rejections, failures, disappointments, like dust, can accumulate over time and if not washed off will build up, becoming a heavy load to carry that only increases as time passes.  Unless we realize we have already been given permission to “shake the dust off” of our feet.  I have been invited to lay down my heavy load and instead to take up my cross and follow Him whose yoke is easy and whose burden is light.

Imagine such a trade – dust for a cross?  Which would I rather carry?  Dust which seems so light, so scattered, so unsubstantial, or a heavy wooden cross?  But the truth is – the weight of the cross is lighter by far than the weight of the dust; the dust that appears so deceptively light even as it clings to me, weighing me down as it accumulates over time, layer upon layer, with every mile I travel in this life. Unless  . . .

Unless what?  Unless I shake the dust off my feet and shake it off often.  But I need more.  I need done for me what Jesus did for His disciples before they all ate the last supper together.  Jesus washed the feet of His disciples.  He knew they would need a clean slate, a fresh start to be able to carry on His work after His resurrection and ascension into heaven.  Or maybe He knew they needed any and all previous burdens of dust (sin, failure, defeat, the “dust” of this world) removed before they faced the more immediate events of His trial, crucifixion and burial.

And so Jesus washed their feet.  I don’t want to make the mistake Peter did at first, not wanting Jesus to wash his feet.  But Jesus said to him, “Unless I wash you, you have no part with Me.”  (John 13:8)  I cannot clean myself up, I need a Savior to do for me what I do not have the power to do for myself.

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

“Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.”  (Psalm 51:7)

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

Just as Jesus washed the feet of the disciples clean, ridding them of the accumulated dust and dirt from the day;  Jesus will likewise clean away my accumulated dust and dirt by forgiving my sins when I ask Him.  I don’t have to carry the dust of this world with me on my journey; the dust from the roads I travel and have traveled; the dust that so silently seeps in and settles oh so subtly on my soul, blocking out the light of Christ’s love and life – leaving me in darkness. I just have to carry my cross – that’s all.

That’s all Jesus asks me to carry.  He is the washer of my feet, giving me a clean slate, giving me a new beginning every morning because of His limitless mercy.

I ask Him to “Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.   . . . Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.” (Psalm 51:2 & 10)

Jesus commands me to shake off the dust, so that is just what I will do.  Shake off the dust, take up my cross and follow Him.

sincerely,                Grace Day

 

 

 

 

 

“What do you want Me to do for you?”  This is the question Jesus asked of James and John in Mark 10.  This is the question Jesus asked of Bartimaeus, the blind beggar, when Bartimaeus called out to Him as He passed by.  Bartimaeus’s answer was quick to come, he knew what he wanted, what he needed.  “Rabbi, I want to see.”  he replied.  Jesus granted his request and with it so much more, I suspect.

How would I answer this same question if Jesus asked it of me?  What do I want Jesus to do for me?  Do I even know where to start?  Lord, be merciful to me, a sinner.  Convict me, forgive my sins, clean me from all unrighteousness, and adopt me – make me Your child.  Set my feet on level ground and direct my paths.  Search me and know me, take away my heart of stone and give me a heart of flesh.  Give me a good soil heart ready to receive Your word.

Lord, I want you to rescue me, from myself and if necessary from my enemies.  I want you to redeem me, to restore me, to renew me and to reconcile me to You and to others.  I want You to give me hope and a future, meaning and purpose.  I want You to fill me with Your Holy Spirit, to walk with me.  I want You to take hold of my right hand.  I want You to SHOW ME YOUR GLORY.  (didn’t Moses dare to ask that of You?)   Moses didn’t want to go anywhere that You did not go with him and neither do I.

Make me bold.  Make me joyful, thankful, compassionate and merciful.  Make my scarlet sins as white as snow.  Clean me with hyssop and give me a pure heart. Search out any wicked ways in me and remove them.  Make me more like You, Jesus.  Restore to me the joy of Your salvation and give me rest for my soul.  And SHOW ME YOUR GLORY.

When I suffer, make me strong, firm and steadfast.  Lord, make Your grace abound to me so that in all things at all times I have all that I need to abound in the work You have for me to do.  Teach me Your ways and give me an undivided heart.  Put Your laws in my mind, write Your laws on my heart.  Guide me in Your truth and lead me in the way everlasting.  Walk with me.  Promise me You will never leave me nor forsake me.  and SHOW ME YOUR GLORY.

When I am weary, make me strong.  I want You to hide me beneath the shelter of Your wings or hide me in the cleft of the rock, like You did Moses.  Make me lie down in green pastures, lead me beside still waters.  Restore my soul, renew my faith.  Grant that I will soar on wings like eagles, let me run and not be weary, let me walk with You and not grow faint.  Let me hear You calling my name, like You do each and every star.  Grant me a glimpse through the glass.  SHOW ME YOUR GLORY!

as I write this I am realizing, that God through Jesus, has already promised in His word to do everything that I have just asked of Him, and more!  And God keeps His promises.  “What I have said, that will I bring about;”  (Isaiah 46:11)

“Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever!  Amen.”  (Ephesians 3:20-21)

“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.  For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.”  (Matthew 7:7-8)

Lord, SHOW ME YOUR GLORY!

sincerely,        Grace Day