well, technology and I continue to do battle on a daily basis.  And technology continues to win most of the time. Technology usually gets the best of me, leaving me confused, discouraged, and longing for things to be simpler, clearer or at least more user friendly.  I mean one wrong click and things can go awry at an alarmingly fast pace and I’m left wondering what if anything will fix the mess and put me back on track. Technology has the upper hand.  No matter how much I learn, she advances far faster than my futile efforts to close the gap between us.  She is always  out of reach, taunting me, telling me I will never catch her, let alone master her.

So, she has the fear factor going for her, keeping me in my place.  Additionally, she surrounds me at every turn, making herself inescapable.  There is no where I can go to get a rest from technology, she is everywhere.  She has made herself necessary even as I have been trying valiantly, (but without success) to get through a day without her, so that I can avoid the battle.  The battle that will leave me worn out and wondering where I went wrong this time and what I could do differently at our next encounter.  No matter though,  technology always has new moves with which to block any attempt I might make to use her to accomplish even the simplest of tasks.  She can turn these seemingly simple tasks into monumental challenges.  Technology turns my molehills into insurmountable mountains every day, leaving me looking for the miracle that will lead me out of the maze.  Otherwise, technology once again holds me captive, an unwilling prisoner unable to free herself from the confusion and chaos that is technology, as she runs circles around me yet again.  (That must be her victory dance)

And passwords?   Let me just say, passwords are the bane of my existence.  I mean, everything requires a password.  Who can keep them all straight?  Having the same password for each account, membership or whatever is not advised.  And the requirements vary for passwords for different things.  Some require including capitalization, some require numbers as well as letters,  there are length requirements as well.  My user name and password often don’t match, so I seem to be always creating new passwords so I can access something of mine that I need.  It is a process without an end in sight.  Yes, I know, write them down, you say.  I do, but then I have to remember where is the all important place where I have hidden this top secret information away to keep it safe?  The question, safe from whom? comes to mind.  I have no specific answer to that question, but passwords continue to be required from me nonetheless.  They are safe from me,  that much is clear every time I have to remember one and have no clue what brilliant, memorable password I changed it to the last time.

And so the cycle continues.  I’m glad God doesn’t require a password from me, like say when I want to pray, to spend time with Him.  He already knows my thoughts, He knows my name.  He knows my user ID and I don’t need a password to prove I belong to Him.  My name is engraved on the palms of His hands and He knew me before I was even born.  I’m relieved I don’t have to log in,  that’s where I get stopped cold every time by technology and I can’t even get the access that I need or desire.  But our Creator is available 24/7 to us and without a “log in” requirement.  This is good news to me for sure.  After being totally frustrated and shut out of where I want to go by technology, I enjoy immensely the immediate access and total freedom I have in Christ to live, move and have my being in Him who created me and sustains me every moment.

Technology may be a thorn in my side but at least I don’t need her to access what is most important to me.  Prayer doesn’t require a password, just that mustard seed of faith and a willing spirit.  Our heavenly Father is ready, willing and able.

“Before they call I will answer; while they are still speaking I will hear.”  Isaiah 65:24

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

sincerely,                Grace Day

 

 

Recently, as I was driving to my dentist appointment, I realized I was looking forward to it and had been all day.  It would be a break in my busy day,  my only chance to literally put my feet up for a few minutes and rest.

So my question is, if I am looking forward to my time at the dentist, what does this say about my day?  Seriously, if my dentist appointment is the high point of my day,  what does that tell me?  Is my day that bad?  Or is my dentist that good?  These are points to ponder for sure.  I’m supposed to be dreading the dentist, aren’t I?  I mean,  its not a spa, after all.

So I will give the credit to my dentist, ( really to my hygienist ) rather than the blame to my day. Not many days are bad enough to make the dentist look good all on their own.  It’s  Sheila who makes me feel welcome, comfortable, cared for and at ease when I go to the dentist.  And that is no small feat considering that the dentist is most often a dreaded and put off appointment for most everyone and considering my own personal aversion to pain and any possible discomfort.

This is truly an everyday miracle amid the mundane and I’ll give thanks for it.  They show me compassion and mercy there and the miracle occurs.  (also, that anti-anxiety gas stuff doesn’t hurt either.)  My dread is replaced with my anticipation of a relaxing respite in my day,  while getting the health care that is important and needed.

So,  a shout out to Sheila, with my thanks and gratitude, for doing more than just her job, but caring about her patients as people in the process.  And to everyone working there for creating that kind of an environment,  one we don’t necessarily expect to encounter when we enter.  Pleasant surprises are always welcome!

sincerely,                      Grace Day

ps.     they also have my all time favorite game,   ms. pac  man in the waiting room

Forgiveness, its a tough topic.  We all need it and we all need to give it as well.  But it’s just not that easy.  We’ve all been hurt, we’ve all been wronged, treated unfairly, treated unjustly,  maybe we’ve experienced harm at the hands of others.  Sadly,  maybe there have been those times when we were the one causing the hurt, inflicting the pain or perpetrating the injustice upon another person.  So we may find ourselves in need of forgiveness as often as we find ourselves needing to extend our forgiveness to someone we know.

Peter asked Jesus about forgiveness saying, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me?  Up to seven times?”  Jesus’ answer was, “I tell you not seven times, but seventy-seven times.”  (Matt.18:21-22)   This is also translated seventy times seven,  either way expressing that we are not to put a limit on our forgiveness of others, just as God’s forgiveness towards us is infinite and without limit.  This is very good news because I know I can’t go a day without needing my Heavenly Father’s forgiveness many times in the course of that day.  And I may also be called upon to offer my forgiveness to others often in the course of that same day.  So I become both the forgiven and the forgiver.  It is precisely because I am the forgiven that I can also be the forgiver. Because I am forgiven by my Heavenly Father, (1 John 1:9), I can practice forgiveness and become the forgiver of those who wrong me.

God’s love leads me to do this.  He compels me to forgive, He commands me to forgive.  And He empowers me to forgive, to obey Him in practicing forgiveness towards all.  In the Lord’s prayer we ask to be forgiven our sins just as we forgive those who sin against us. The two actions are linked and cannot be separated in theory or in practice.  If I refuse to forgive, how can I expect to be forgiven?

Yet, sometimes I hold on to my hurt, to my anger, to my injury at the hands of another. Someone has wronged me, I have suffered an injustice and I refuse to let it go.  I wear it as a badge of honor, I have suffered, I have been mistreated.  But the badge becomes a burden, the bearing of which destroys the bearer.  Jesus was mistreated,  He was falsely accused, persecuted  and unjustly put to death.   Yet His words as He hung on the cross were, “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.”

The religious leaders of that day brought before Jesus a woman caught in adultery.  The laws of that time required death by stoning for such an offense.  They asked Jesus about this woman and his reply was,  ” He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her. ”    John 8:7

 

I have no stone in my hand to cast,                                                                                                 only my sins both present and past;   but                                                                                                     I have no stone

I am the woman at the well,   I am the leper,  I am lame;  and                                                                 I have no stone

I have logs in my eyes, I have pride, I have shame;   but                                                                           I have no stone

I am the blind man by the roadside,   I’m the beggar by the pool;   and                                                  I have no stone

I am the rich young ruler, I’m thought wise but am a fool;   and                                                                I have no stone

I am the woman who poured perfume,  I’m the Pharisee who prayed;                                                     I have no stone

I am Peter who denied Him,  I am those who should have stayed;                                                              I have no stone

I have a heart that’s hurting,  I have many a regret;   but                                                                              I have no stone

I have the joy of His forgiveness,  I have the hope His love begets;   but                                                  I have no stone

I have feet that refuse to follow where He would bid me go,                                                     I have sins of scarlet,  His mercy made them snow;    but                                                                             I have no stone

I have the joy and comfort of His unending grace,  I have the hope that on that day I’ll see Him face to face;      but                                                                                                                                    I have no stone

I have hands full of the good gifts,  God alone can give;                                                             Forgiveness,  His greatest,  for eternity will live                                                                                                I will never have a stone

Your debt is not large, though it caused me much grief;                                                              In releasing you, I find my relief;                                                                                                      I will never have a stone to cast,                                                                                                      God has forgiven me my past;                                                                                                                              I have no stone

The religious leaders accusing the woman slipped away, one by one,  until just Jesus and the woman were left.  Then Jesus asked her,  “Where are your accusers?  has no one condemned you?”  She answered Him,  “no one, Lord”   and Jesus told her, ” Neither do I condemn you; go, and sin no more.”

“Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus”  Romans 8:1

sincerely,                       Grace Day

 

 

Mark Twain was onto something when he said,”youth is wasted on the young.” Why is it that we lose our hearing just when we have learned to listen well?  Why does our eyesight become cloudy just as we are seeing things more clearly than we ever have before?  Why does our voice grow faint just when what we have to say has the value experience bestows?  Why does our heart grow weak just as our love for others grows stronger than it has ever been before?

Our steps may falter even as our resolve grows firmer.  Time takes some things from us for sure,  but it deposits more than it withdraws.  Time takes from us the tangible, giving us in exchange the intangible.  Now we know that what is seen is temporary and what is unseen is eternal.  (2Cor. 4:18)  So to lose what is temporary and gain what is eternal,  seems an excellent trade-off to me.  While our bodies are growing weaker, our spirits are growing stronger.  Our minds may cease to remember the multitude of minutia that is part of our daily lives, yet our hearts will retain the reality of our identity in Christ, whose we are and where we are going.

Proverbs 16:31 says, “Gray hair is a crown of splendor; it is attained by a righteous life.”  If more of us believed that, maybe we wouldn’t spend our time and money concealing our crown of splendor with the magic of hair color.  Not all cultures feel the need to conceal their crowns of splendor as we do.  Its a matter of focus,  do we focus on what we are losing or what we are gaining each day?  If we lose our self-centeredness  and gain empathy we are the richer for it.  If judgement is replaced with mercy the gain is ours.  God wants to give us something better than what time has taken from us here.  God’s gifts are eternal and they are always good.   (James 1:17)

God promises that He will renew our strength, that we will soar on wings like eagles; we will run and not grow weary, we will walk and not be faint.   Isaiah 40:31   This is what He will do when our hope is in Him (and not in ourselves).   All I can say is, thank you Lord,  I need You every hour.

sincerely,                                     Grace Day

Let me just say that I have a love/hate relationship with technology, with most of it being hate, if truth be told.  Today was no exception.  I almost cried in the Verizon store, but willed myself to wait until I was safely alone in my car.  Its the things we don’t anticipate that blind side us when least expected.  I went in to the store for a multitude of miniscule problems with my service and left with a loss.  A loss I had miraculously been spared only a few weeks prior.  A loss I didn’t see coming.

Silly, the things we hang onto.  Or is it?  I would say I’m a saver. (That’s the politically correct term for hoarder, isn’t it?)  Emails, voice mails,  letters, notes, cards with kind words in them from friends and family,  these are things I treasure and hang onto.  (I wrote in an earlier post, “Walking Wounded”, about the profound power of the word, both written and spoken.  Perhaps this explains my attachment to these things.)  So it should come as no surprise, dear reader, that I had several saved voice mails on my trusty flip phone.  These treasured voice mails were from my children in years past, saying such funny or sweet things that I had never been able to erase them.  Every time the prompt would come around to delete or resave, I would always press resave, thus preserving them for another twenty some odd days.  And this had gone on for years now.

I think its wise to hang onto what’s good and encouraging to get us through the tough, rocky times.  It’s during those times that we need to remember what was good and its that remembering which gives us hope and gets us through.  With my children grown and living in other states,  such were these voice mails to me, reminders of something precious to me.  They had survived several different phones and as recently as two weeks ago,  the loss of the phone in Lake Michigan.  In that instance, as you may recall from my previous post, my contact list had been lost but the saved voice mails had survived intact.   They were all there.  I considered this nothing less than a miracle.  There was something so comforting about the continuity of being able to access them despite the loss of my phone and the fact that this was a totally new, different phone.  At that moment, let me tell you, boy did I love technology even though I didn’t understand how it worked.  I didn’t care,  I had my saved voice mails, that’s all I needed to know.

Then came today.  Apparently, Verizon decided to change something about the voice mail systems on phones that were not smart phones or whatever.  This would include my flip phone.  The unsuspecting customer, such as myself, had no choice in this matter.  There was no opt out or do you want this new system?  It was automatically done for/to you  and on my phone the prompt was to set up a new voice mail, totally starting over.  The old was already gone and there was nothing I could do or could have done.  Something has been taken from me without my consent.  How keenly I feel the loss surprises me.  It is part of my history they have taken.

Now my head is telling me this is no big deal.  But my heart refuses to agree.  They are battling it out even as I write these words.  And these are the words running through my head now, “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.”   Matt. 6:19-21

That’s the bottom line,  that’s the real truth.  Any treasure I have here is subject to loss,  whether from theft or decay or from technology/big business that I don’t understand and don’t have any control over.  Loss is inevitable.  My real treasure, my eternal treasure, however is secure from loss of any kind.  It is being kept secure for me, safe from theft and decay, I will not suffer loss of heavenly treasures as I do earthly ones.  “For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”  Romans 4:18

And so I have both comfort and hope in these truths.  My mother’s heart will continue to feel the loss and my consumer’s  indignation at something taken from me without my consent may persist.  But neither are ultimately any match for the powerful truth of God’s Word reminding me where my priorities, my treasures and my heart belong. They belong with Him and there they are forever kept secure.  There I will no longer suffer loss.

sincerely,                                           Grace Day

It was an ordinary day, though not a typical day for me.  I was walking the Lake Michigan beach alone on an overcast day.  I had gotten suddenly homesick for the water, so had taken a couple days to travel, leaving my land locked location behind.  I had the entire beach to myself, which I suspected I would as there were no other cars parked along the highway and this was not a public part of the beach.  Located on the road to the state park,  there was no development.  Sometimes people just parked their cars and hiked down the grassy dunes from the road to the beach below.  It is wild and in its natural state and I have always loved that about this particular spot.

Because of the rainy weather and the fact that it was a weekday, I felt my solitude would be assured and I was right.  I had not encountered anyone other than the numerous sea gulls and other beach birds that seemed to be enjoying the wind and the waves as much as I was.  Time to be still.  No burning bush, just the peaceful comfort of His presence as I walked along, the joy of His creation on this cloudy day singing His praise with every wave that washed ashore and every sea gull that took flight. On one side was the endless horizon of water meeting sky and on the other side the grassy dunes with the occasional tree and the beach with a variety of driftwood and seaweed washed ashore.  I walked in between, with my feet in the water as the waves came and went.

Reluctantly, I decided it was time to leave the beach and I turned back.  I would still have plenty of time to enjoy this pure freedom and solitude, as I had been walking for awhile so it would take equal time to return.  Determined to make the most of my remaining moments on the beach, I remained deep in thought, prayer and praise as I walked along looking out at the horizon.  Eventually, I sensed the beach didn’t look all that familiar anymore.  Although, sand, dune grass  and driftwood pretty much look like sand, dune grass and driftwood,  (I know no two pieces of driftwood are identical, but still), I sensed I had gone too far.

You see, when first I hiked from my car down the dune to the beach, I was aware that I would have to be able to find my car again.  The road is not visible from the beach, so my car would not be either.  All you see from the beach is sand and grass rising up away from the water.  So, (this is the Girl Scout in me),  when I hiked down the sandy path and arrived at the beach I found two pieces of driftwood, put them in the shape of a cross, and pressed them into the sand at the foot of the trail that would lead me back to my car.  Looking up, I made note of one fairly good sized tree to one side of the path and two smaller trees just opposite.  There didn’t seem to be too many other trees in the area.  So with the image firmly planted in my memory, I set off with confidence.

But now I had gone too far, or had I?  How could I have missed my cross marker?  Well, I was walking at the water’s edge, where the waves hit the beach and backed out again.  My cross was in the dryer sand just above, because I hadn’t wanted the waves to wash it away in my absence.  So I wouldn’t have actually walked over it, had I passed it.  And now there seemed to be more trees than before, which trees were my trees?  They all looked so similar to me now.  There were many little access paths along the beach, all of which would lead up to the road.  But once at the road, which direction would my car be?  to the right? to the left?  Had I passed my marker or not?  I was unsure.  I decided I would rather walk on the beach barefoot than the highway.  I had been walking steadily for more than an hour.  How far off was I?  If I could find my marker, the path ended where my car was parked.  Otherwise, I could end up walking long distances on the road and be going the wrong direction the whole time.  This stretch of highway, like the beach, had no defining markers.  There were no houses, no shops, no buildings of any kind.

I decided I was better off on the beach.  I decided I had overshot and turned to retrace my steps, no longer lost in thought or watching the horizon, but scanning the trees up above and the sandier part of the beach as I prayed, thanking God that there was still plenty of daylight left and that it wasn’t raining.  (although the clouds seemed to darken during this time, adding to my sense of urgency).  I was tired by now and ready to rest.  How had I ever covered so much distance?  As I passed different groups of trees I would check the ground for my cross marker,  my sense of unease growing with every disappointment.  I had been so careful, how could this be happening?  Nothing looked familiar nor unfamiliar,  just a diverse sameness to all of this beach landscape.

There was a tree way up ahead that I decided looked taller than the rest.  Could this be my tree?  If so,  I had way overshot.  Keeping that tree as my goal, I made my way down the beach.  I passed several access trails up to the road as I walked and decided that if I didn’t find my cross marker in the sand by the time I got to that particular tree (which was still aways off) I would take one up to the road and begin a new search, this time for my car.

Time that had flown by before, now seemed long as I pushed forward keeping my chosen tree in sight as my goal.  My beloved beach had seemed such a friendly, welcoming place just minutes ago, now it felt less than friendly, a bit ominous, in fact.  As I drew near I was sure this was my tree and the other two smaller trees were as I remembered.  I looked down at the sand for confirmation and there it was,  my driftwood cross laying in the sand at my feet, marking the foot of the trail.  I was found!  I was no longer lost! My heart rejoiced as relief washed over me. Thanking God for His protection and provision I walked up the short trail to my car. (still the only one there)

Still full of gratitude to God and telling Him so, I reached into the bag on my back for my car keys and felt nothing.  Continuing to feel around, I realized I wasn’t feeling my phone either.  Removing the bag from my back and holding it in front of me,  I continued to search for my keys and phone.  Praise turned instantly to panic as the realization of my situation hit me full force.  I couldn’t get in my car, I couldn’t call for help, I could retrace my steps ( which direction?) but were my keys and phone already washed out to sea or buried in the sand?  (or become the proud possessions of a nice sea gull family?)  How much time had elapsed?   I had no idea at what point in my journey I had lost my keys and phone.  With the noise of the wind and the waves I would never have heard keys hitting the sand or the water.

In my panicked state I raised my arm to flag down whoever might pass by.  The first truck sped on but the second passed me, then stopped and backed up.  I don’t think I was making much sense but they dialed the state park office for me,  which was just down the highway.  I felt like I needed to get back to the beach and gave the person on the other end of the line my vehicle description so they could find me.  As I went to return the phone to the people who had graciously stopped for a stranger,  they pulled in next to my car and got out.  They were going to help me search the beach for my keys and phone.  This special couple, Bill and Barb, were God’s answer to a prayer I hadn’t even prayed yet in my panicked state.  As we descended the short path to the beach Bill said Barb had asked God to show her where the keys were.   I pointed out my driftwood cross as we stepped onto the beach.  Bill and I went one direction, Barb the other.  I didn’t know whether to be looking in the shallow water on my one hand or in the sand on my other side. Both were equally possible outcomes.  I was frozen in a panic state.  I was alone, far from home.  What would I do without my car and phone?  (good thing I wasn’t a pioneer, huh?).

As I reached a wooden beam laying across the sand and into the water, I knew I had gone no further than that point, so I turned around.  As I passed Bill, who was searching more carefully and less frantically, I let him know the turn around point and continued on, making my way back to the starting point of the driftwood cross.  By this time the sun had come out (part of the miracle in that it allowed for the keys to glint in the sunlight) and there were some swimmers in the water.  I was in the process of asking them to keep a look out for some keys, when Barb appeared, walking towards me down the beach.  And miracle of miracles, she had my car keys in her hand!

Yes, she had found my keys in the water, against all odds.  This was beyond belief!  I was hardly able to realize the enormity of it all.  Lake Michigan is vast and I had covered a lot of beach that day.  Lake Michigan is huge from my perspective but God created it and knows every ounce of water in it. We serve a big God, He calls every star by name and He knows when a sparrow falls to the ground.  He knows the way that I take.  He knew where my keys were that day and He could certainly guide His willing servant Barb to find them.  My Heavenly Father used Barb and Bill to show His love and care for me that day.  Barb and Bill, I want to thank you for stopping, for caring, for putting that care into the action of helping a stranger in need.  I am grateful for your kindness to me still and always will be.

I faced a molehill, then a mountain.  Through the mercy of God, demonstrated through the mercy of Barb and Bill,  the miracle occurred and my keys were found.  It wasn’t luck, it wasn’t coincidence, it was God’s own perfect timing  that they drove down that highway at the exact moment when I realized my phone and keys were missing, my moment of desperate need.  My panic was replaced with praise to God.  And He wasn’t done blessing me yet.

I had already received a miracle, I didn’t need anything else. Of the two, the keys were the more important.  I could more easily replace the cell phone.  Which I did, and when I did I got a lower monthly bill and more minutes plus texting which I did not have before.  To appreciate the significance of this you have to know that I had/still have a flip phone with minimum service which did not include texting.  (until now)  Also, another miracle.  Of course, as expected all info from the previous phone was lost, such as contacts.  But what was not lost were some old voice mails that I have continued to save over the years because they were funny or sweet messages from my children that I could not bear to erase.  They are all there intact on my new phone.  How miraculous is that?   Our Heavenly Father certainly doesn’t treat us as we deserve to be treated, but with so much care, compassion and mercy.  God reveals Himself to us in the details for sure.  We just need to keep our eyes open.

All this has reminded me of the time I almost couldn’t get off a foreign island because I didn’t have cash for an unexpected exit fee that I didn’t know about until I was ready to board the plane and they didn’t take credit cards.  But that’s another post for another time.

“You hem me in – behind and before; You have laid Your hand upon me.”   Psalm 139:5

“He determines the number of the stars and calls them each by name.”   Psalm 147:4

“God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.”   Psalm 46:1

sincerely,                                      Grace Day

 

 

 

 

 

In the discipline of mathematics, the whole is always equal to the sum of the parts. Four plus two plus three will always equal nine, we can count on it (pun intended).   This concept holds true no matter how many the parts, it is predictable, reliable. We can count on the outcome.  This is a good thing.  Without it, I doubt we could have put a man on the moon.  But I don’t think this rule holds true in other disciplines.

Take a choir, for example.  You have your parts; soprano, alto, tenor, bass; throw in a piano, a director, the music (words and notes) of course, the singers themselves and anything else that might be thrown into the mix.  But when the choir sings, most often, the result will be something far greater than the sum of the individual parts, the individual notes, the individual singers themselves.  Because a skillful director will bring all the parts together in performance and the result will be something far greater than a simple sum, as voices blend and bring written music to life, letting it fill the air, bringing joy to those who listen.

Live theater is another example of the whole being considerably greater than the sum of its parts.  You start with a script, add in actors, costumes, lighting, a set, a director, blocking and the actual delivering of the individual lines of the play; but the result or sum total of all this coming together is much more than would be predicted by just looking at the individual parts.  In performance, the characters come to life and the audience becomes a part of the equation as they are ushered into the story and the very lives of the people who have come to life before them.  The whole is greater than the sum of the parts.

Even in a team sport, such as basketball, the coach counts on the whole being greater than the sum of the parts.  He counts on his team being better as a team, than are his players individually.  When the players combine their talents on the court, the result is more than simple addition would have predicted.  That’s when the magic happens and the unexpected occurs.  That’s what sports fans live for.

People are more than the sum of their individual parts as well.  I was reminded of this when I tried to compose an introduction for myself, for an online dating service.  How do you put a life on paper?  I found the process intensely frustrating, with no satisfactory solution.  In attempting to put a life on paper, something is lost in the translation.What is behind the words?  What is between the lines?  What is left unsaid?  The lines we write about ourselves, meant to define us, are the same lines which confine us, putting limits on who we are as we feel compelled to stay within the lines we have drawn for ourselves, or worse yet, the lines that others have drawn for us.

Is our resume the measure of our life?  We are more than our resumes. We are more than a list of our accomplishments.  We are more than a list of our likes and dislikes. We are more than the sum total of our cumulative life experiences.  We all have a story.  Actually, we all have many stories over time, woven together into the fabric that we wear as our life story.  We are so much more than meets the eye.  Like icebergs, most of who we are is not visible, but hidden beneath the surface, out of view, waiting to be discovered.  For each of us, our whole is greater than the sum of our individual parts.

What is our measure?  Where is our worth?  We are more than the jobs we do, more than the roles we fill, (parent, sibling, friend, neighbor, coworker, boss, teacher, student and on and on).  We are more than our relationships, more than our possessions, more than our activities.  We are more because our identity, our worth, is not found in these things. It is found in our Creator.  And because He doesn’t change, even though our circumstances constantly change, (jobs, relationships, health, finances, etc.),  our worth and value as His creation doesn’t change.  We will always be “more” because we are created in His image.  And we would do well to remember that each and everyone we share this planet with is “more” than meets the eye also, just as we are, because they too are created in His image.

We are more than our physical bodies, with the accompanying abilities or disabilities; more than our physical attributes, upon which our culture puts so much attention and emphasis.  Created in the image of our triune Creator,  we are body, mind and spirit.  These cannot be separated out, but added together are who we are, yet yielding more than can be explained by simple addition.  Even modern medicine acknowledges the connections between the three.  In attempting to treat our physical ailments, the effects of our mind and our spirit cannot be ignored.  They are inseparable, inextricably linked, each to the other.  Our experience of ourselves and others is a result of the interplay and interaction between our three parts.  This mysterious coexistence of our three aspects reveals the unique person that God created us to be.  We are more because He is always more than we could ever imagine or comprehend.  We are more because He is more.  We are more because we are created in His image.

“For God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.”   Genesis 1:27

“For You created my inmost being; You knit me together in my mother’s womb.  I praise You because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Your works are wonderful, I know that full well.”   Psalm 139:13-14

“what is man that You are mindful of him, the son of man that You care for him?  You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor.  You made him ruler over the works of Your hands; You put everything under his feet:”   Psalm 8:4-6

“Are not two sparrows sold for a penny?  Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father.  And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered.  So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.”   Matt.10:29-31

There you have it.  We are valuable to God, our Creator.  That’s where our worth lies, where our identity resides.  We are more than the sum of our individual parts because He knit our parts together and because we are created in His image.  He created us unique, we are all originals.   When we seek our worth in other ways we will be disappointed.  But God’s love never fails.   take heart,  in Him we are more . . .

sincerely,                        Grace Day

 

 

“I can’t wait ’till I’m bigger,” my young student whispered in my ear.  This got me to thinking, why is it we spend our early years wishing we were older and our later years wishing we were younger?  Are we never content to be where we are in life?  Growing up we are always anxious to reach the next stage, gain the next privilege, such as a driver’s license, or to be tall enough to ride the roller coaster.  We are impatient and life moves too slowly for us.  Then, when older, life flies past us and we wish to slow it down. We spend our days waiting on our future to arrive or longing for our past to return.  In the process, today escapes us.  Contentment eludes us.

In Philippians 4:12-13 Paul spoke to this issue when he said, “. . . I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.  I can do everything through Him who gives me strength.” We are not a culture that practices contentment, we always want to be where we are not or to have what we don’t have.  We haven’t learned to be content in all situations; employed or unemployed, single or married, young or old, rich or less rich (since by global standards even the “poor” among us are richer than most of the rest of the world just by virtue of living in this country.)  When we are in school we can’t wait to be graduated, when we are out of school we think about going back, thinking life will be more satisfying perhaps if we study something different.

Our constantly changing hair colors could be a clue that contentment continues to elude us in matters both large and small.  We find ourselves endlessly in pursuit, but in pursuit of what?  Until we know the answer to that question,  we are not likely to find peace in the moment.   “Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?  . . . Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself.  Each day has enough trouble of its own.”  (Matthew 6:27, 34)

Worry and strife, the thieves that rob us of our todays and leave us discontented and empty.  Worry about things that may never come to pass steals our peace and keeps us from fully living in the moment.  It’s amid the mundane moments of our every day lives that the profound emerges, popping up when least expected.  We must be fully present to recognize, engage and enjoy the profound amid the mundane or she will be gone before we realize she had made an appearance; an appearance transforming an ordinary day into an extraordinary one, making clear what was cloudy for the briefest yet brightest of moments.  But only for those able to behold the appearance of the profound amid the mundane and bid her linger.

What was “the secret” Paul said he had learned?  To trust in God to strengthen him.  Trust and worry cannot coexist, they are mutually exclusive.  We are either doing the one or we are doing the other, we can’t do both at the same time.  We can choose.  If we are worrying we are robbed of contentment.  If we are striving for what we feel we lack, we are not at peace.  We don’t have to live in a constant state of discontent.  That was never the plan.  Jesus said, “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”  (John 10:10)  Nothing lacking there.  “You open Your hand and satisfy the desires of every living thing.”  (Psalm 145:16)  “Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.”  (Psalm 37:4)

With our Creator are peace and contentment.  “You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in You.”  (Isaiah 26:3)

“Peace I leave with you; My peace I give you.  I do not give to you as the world gives.  Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”  (John 14:27)

To live content is to live free;  free from worry and constant striving.  Free to live today fully instead of wishing it away.  May you rest content in God’s peace and provision.

sincerely,                            Grace Day

 

 

 

While hope be held in heart or hand,                                                                                                I dare to dream of good things planned,                                                                                         sustained by a promise yet to be,                                                                                                      it is enough, I need not see

the promise fulfilled ’till its time has come.

But when dreams die hope follows after,                                                                                       leaving empty the bright space once occupied so fully, so completely,                                 by promises of what was to come,                                                                                                   promises, such good company,                                                                                                         such comfort and companion, hope,

I feel her absence abiding constant,                                                                                             my new companion sadly lacking.                                                                                                   such a space to fill,                                                                                                                               where hope once lived,  filling full, sustaining, reigning,                                                           making bearable the wait,  more than bearing, caring for and carrying me through days of endless wait, of dreams deferred; being the wings that bring me safe to the hoped for destination,

hope bids me soar and makes it so,                                                                                                  when circumstances would say no;

hope’s home now empty,  the crushing weight of her vacant space requires more of me than hope ever did, this weight I cannot carry on my own.  Who would have thought it so?   Hope carried me when I held her,   but her absence I cannot abide, it is too heavy for my soul to bear.  I will hold onto my mustard seed,  see my mountains moved.

I pray Hope’s empty home again be filled,  and with her presence filling full and flowing free,  the weight of her absence washed away, leaving me weightless in my waiting,  I  wait with hope for hope’s return.

“Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.”  (Hebrews 11:1)

“We walk by faith, not by sight.”   (2Cor. 5:7)

“. . . those who hope in Me will not be disappointed.”  (Isaiah 50:23)

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

sincerely and hopefully,                Grace Day

 

 

 

There are a lot of walking wounded among us.  Perhaps you are one of them.  I know I often am.  Though we may not be recognizable as “the wounded” to each other or to the casual observer,  we are, nonetheless, walking wounded in this world, walking wounded through our days, unnoticed and untreated.  Whoever said, “sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me”,  was seriously wrong.   But whoever said, “the pen is mightier than the sword”,   clearly understood the power of words, both written and spoken.  Words are weapons,  we must wield them with the utmost care and consideration.  Words have more power than “sticks and stones”, more power than knives or guns. “The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit.”  (Proverbs 18:21)

Words are a weapon we all have access to and a weapon we all possess in equal measure.  However,no background check is required for this most lethal of weapons, as it is to obtain a gun of any kind.  Because words have more power than we realize,  word wounds are deeper than those wounds inflicted by fists, or knives or bullets.  Word wounds target the heart, word wounds break the heart and destroy the soul. Word wounds may be invisible to the eye but the effect is real and the result can be deadly.  The broken hearted are all around us, but we do not see them.  They walk invisible among us, hiding their hurt on the inside.  We see clearly those “walking wounded” with physical wounds; the cast on the arm, the crutches, the bandages, the wheelchair. All these outward signs signal us to give special consideration, to take special care of the injured person.  We notice the signs and treat each person as their needs dictate, we make a special allowance for their condition.

Not so with word wounds.  Those wounds are invisible to us because they are on the inside.  Internal wounds are more painful, harder to treat and harder to heal.  Also, because the word wounds are internal, we don’t recognize these “walking wounded” as we encounter them in the course of our own daily walk.  They are invisible to us because their wounds are invisible to us.  So we don’t treat them as they need to be treated.  We don’t make any special allowance.   Wouldn’t this be a different place if we recognized our fellow “walking wounded” and “held the door”, so to speak, for them?  Gave them that extra measure of kindness reserved for those who are clearly hurting?  But usually it is not at all clear,  we are masters at hiding our pain, hiding our wounds.

We’ve all been the recipients of word wounds and sadly,  we’ve also been the assailant, wounding others with our words.  “Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing.  My brothers, this should not be”.  James 3:10  Sometimes intentionally, sometimes unintended, we are the one wounding another with our words.  But if words can wound, they can also heal.   “The tongue that brings healing is a tree of life, but a deceitful tongue crushes the spirit.”  (Proverbs 15:4)  “Reckless words pierce like a sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.”  (Prov. 12:18)  “Pleasant words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.” (Prov. 16:24)   So, this isn’t a new idea, the healing power of words.  It’s been known,  we just need to put it into practice.  Our words will either tear others down or build them up, wound them or heal them.  Every time we open our mouths to speak, we have a choice.  Such power, and we don’t always handle this God given gift very well.

We can use this power to promote peace as well as healing and reconciliation.  “A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.”  (Prov. 15:1)   Don’t we experience that almost every day in our own interactions with others?  “A word aptly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver.” (Prov. 25:11)  “A man finds joy in giving an apt reply-and how good is a timely word!” (Prov. 15:23)  Our words matter, they make a difference to us and they make a difference to others.  A positive difference or a negative difference, the choice is always ours to make. There are many things in this world we can’t control, but we get to choose our words.  “For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.” (Matthew 12:37)

Why is there such power in the spoken word?  Perhaps because it has been so from the beginning of time.  “And God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light.”  (Genesis 1:3)  That’s right, God spoke everything we know, everything we see, all of creation into existence.  He spoke and it came to be.  There is power in God’s Word, both spoken and written.  Always was, always will be.  “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)  “so is My Word that goes out from My mouth: It will not return to Me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.”  (Isaiah 55:11)

“Your Word, O Lord, is eternal; it stands firm in the heavens.”  (Psalm 119:89)  “The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the Word of our God stands forever.”  (Isaiah 40:8)  God’s words are both powerful and eternal.  Since He created us in His image it stands to reason that He equipped us with words as well, and that they would wield as much power as they do in our lives.  And there’s more.  In Matthew 4:4  we read, “Jesus answered, ‘It is written: Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.'”   Food sustains our physical bodies and enables us to grow.  In the same way, God’s Word nourishes and sustains our minds, our hearts, our very souls, enabling us to grow in love and mercy, in grace and in kindness, faithfulness, peace;  into the fullness of the person He created us to be.  Yes, there is power in God’s Word.

Consider this, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  He was with God in the beginning.  The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us.  We have seen His glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.”  (John 1:1,2 &14)  The Living Word walked among us on this earth for a time.  Jesus spoke and people were healed.  Jesus spoke and the sea became calm.  Jesus spoke and five barley loaves and two fish fed five thousand people.  Jesus spoke and Lazarus walked out of a grave.  Words have power because our God is the Living Word.

This war of words continues to be waged around us each day, and we ourselves are participants whether we like it or not.  While there are some defenses against physical weapons, such as taking cover or a bullet proof vest,  the most common defense against hateful words seems to be a hard heart developed over time.  While the vest can be removed when no longer needed, hard hearts seem to remain.  Hardened hearts while impervious to unkind words, are also more resistant to the healing powers of kind words.  I don’t want to live in a world of hard hearted  people, I see the results of this every day.  We all do.  We are all the “walking wounded” to one degree or another.  And yet we keep on wounding each other.  Our words have power.  How will we use this God given gift?  Will we use words to hurt or to heal?  Will we use our words as weapons of destruction or as instruments of peace?  The choice is ours to make every day.  May we choose well.  Our lives depend on it.  It is the difference between brokenness or wholeness, division or unity, cruelty or kindness, death or life.

“Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, to that you may know how to answer everyone.” (Col. 4:6)

sincerely,           Grace Day