Giving Thanks for Grace

“Who would like to say grace?”

Perhaps this question will be asked around a million tables this Thanksgiving.

When my daughter was younger, she would pray, “God is grace, God is good. Let us thank Him for our food.”

The original prayer is “God is great …” but, I cherish this rendition. 

Maybe it’s because God’s grace is so precious to me.

Seems like the Lord hand-tailored this focus on grace for me this week.  I taught on Rahab last Wednesday – “God’s grace knows no barriers,”  and saw Les Miserable night where I  watched the theme of God’s grace dance upon the stage.

And then there’s my own life.  Flashbacks roll in front of my mind, like scenes on a stage, reminding me of what God’s grace has been during times of great sorrow, loneliness, fear and uncertainty.  And even in today, I see what it is to be for me.

God’s grace fills me with peace when chaos swirls around me.

God’s grace rescues me when I am lost.

God’s grace washes me with strength when I am weak.

God’s grace fills me up with His truth when I am bombarded with lies.

God’s grace draws me close and wraps around me when I am scared and cold.

God’s grace stills my anxious heart.

God’s grace shows me that forgiveness is possible and it sets me free.

God’s grace leads me on when I am hesitant (or forget) to follow Him.

God’s grace covers me when I sleep.

God’s grace forgets my wrong-doings and does not hold them against me.

God’s grace refreshes me like falling rain when I am weary.

I am humbled by His grace.

Indeed, God’s grace is precious to me.

And this Thanksgiving, I am keenly aware of it and thankful for it – thankful for God's grace, Jesus.

Noise Pollution!

I woke up to the screech of a high pitched siren sound piercing through my bedroom window. It was not varied, like that of a tornado siren that intensifies and quiets as it rotates round and round, but rather, constant and persistent.

It made my shoulders tighten and my eyes squint.

It did not go away -- has not gone away.

I would liken it to fingernails scratching down a chalk board.

Anyone else reeling from the mere thought of it?

The kids woke up, noticing the same sound and wondered what it was.

The dog even laid in his kennel whimpering. 

Noise pollution. I don't know what the source is, but that’s what I am calling it.  I looked it up in the dictionary.

noise pollution

n.

Environmental noise that is annoying, distracting, or physically harmful.

And I thought to myself -- barely over the noise that was driving me crazy -- life is full of noise pollution

and I don’t want to add to it.

I don’t want to add to the noise of sarcasm.

I don’t want to add to the noise of unbelief.

I don’t want to add to the noise of criticism.

I don’t want to add to the noise of lies.

I don’t want to add to the noise of complaining.

I don’t want to add to the noise of gossip.

I don’t want to add to the noise of busyness.

I don’t want to add to the noise of negative self talk.

You must admit –there’s a lot of noise out there – environmental noise, emotional noise, exasperating noise.

There are noises that both come out of our mouths and echo around in our hearts and minds – noises that are annoying, distracting and perhaps most often -- harmful.

They creep in, even when we try not to listen to them and agitate the soul.

I’m convicted. I may not be able to do anything about the high-pitched noise that is in the air today, but I can do something about the noise I make.

I don’t want to add to the noise and pollute the air and hearts around me.

I want to add to the peace. 

I want the sounds that I make to be edifying, encouraging and filled with hope.

Oh, Jesus, I need your grace to not add to the noise, but to bring peace.

In to a Beautiful Space

I’ve been in some very beautiful places.

Ireland.

The Rocky Mountains.

On the beach with waves tickling my feet.

A kayak on an early morning on a lake.

A comfy chair in front of a fire place, surrounded by my family.

My backyard on a warm summer day.

Hospital rooms on the days my children were born.

But nearly nothing compares to the places that I would not really describe as beautiful at first, but after time, have become my most lovely of spaces.

They are not necessarily places that I have stood on – but rather places and times that I have stood in.

Places and times of sorrow and grief, when I thought my heart would melt, not being strong enough to hold itself together.  Places and times when an echo inside of me bounced back in forth in the cavern of my loneliness. Places and times of grave uncertainty when the bottom was not in view and the sky was occluded with darkness. Places and times of fear when my stomach churned upon itself and my head throbbed rhythmically, repeatedly in sync with my heart beat. Times and places of facing the impossible, in the face.

But oddly enough, it is in these places that outwardly – inwardly – were not destination places that I chose, that the Lord brought me in to a beautiful space.

A space of grace.

A space of trust.

A space of peace.

A space filled with Him.

A place and space that I would not have – could not have – known other than by walking down the corridor of those other times and places.

May I pray?

Dear Lord:

“… But You brought us to a place of abundance” (Psalm 66:12). Thank you for your tender care, for loving us so much as to teach us what we need to know and make us in to who we are, through all of life’s circumstances.  Help us to see that even during times of trial and heartache, you are with us.  Help us to believe that these are indeed places of abundance -- spaces filled with You.

Amen

Held

My cell phone pinged the other day, with a text message and a picture from a friend.

Morgan:  Making this now … look familiar?

Me: Ur making that????  Is it the lady we think looks like shame?

Morgan: Yes … with her Kinsman Redeemer holding her and lifting her out of her shame J

Me:  That is so beautiful!   Oh, if only I would believe it lately …

Morgan: Me too girl …. Love u!

Six months ago, I travelled to Nashville and spoke at a Women’s Retreat at her church. I shared with the ladies a statue.  The little lady in the statue has quite a story – both of how my friend and I found her (click here) and the story of how the Lord has used her (click here).

Now Morgan was creating her own rendition of the statue.

She knew that I would love it – and I do!

I’m looking forward to seeing the finished product, but even now, there is something about her and the One who holds her, that moves me.  She looks raw and simple. He is so close and His love is so pure.

Morgan and I continued to text for a bit more about a name; she is still “unnamed” for now.  I think Morgan should name her. She made created her. 

But her last text struck me ...

Morgan wrote.  “U already knew her when I met her – but I guess we all did in a way.”

Dear friend, do you know shame?  Shame says, “I am a mistake” rather than “I made a mistake.”  Shame draws your head down, making you feel unloved, devalued, unwanted.

I think Morgan is right. Perhaps, we all do in a way. 

Consider yourself held today, and every day, but the One who redeems you – the One Who is the lifter of your head. His arms are wrapped around you and He holds you close.

Thank you, sweet Morgan, for reminding me.

The Beauty of Bridges

I'm a big fan of bridges – especially foot bridges.

I like them spanning over streams or small rivers and covered by a canopy of trees. I especially like them handmade; each one is unique.

I’m drawn to them.

They beckon me forward to experience them and to venture in to the space that is on the other side.

I like walking over foot bridges, feeling the sound of the water on my feet. I like watching the  water wash past me.  There is a sense of being suspended above, and yet standing firm on a bridge.

They remind me that when I come upon places in my life that appear impassable – the Lord makes a way. 

They are a picture of a place where He lays down His grace, handmade and unique, helping to bring me from here to there, across ravines and rivers, on this journey of life.

Today I’m thinking of some of these places of grace that He laid down in my life, where I have walked suspended and yet with my feet firm confident in Him, over areas that I could not pass on my own.

It's a beautiful thing. God lays down His grace and it is amazing.

A Sneaky Chunk of Cheese

 (((( tee -- hee ))))

My status on Facebook yesterday read like this …

“Found a box of Velveeta in the back drawer of our fridge with an expiration date of August 2005.  Seriously … what have I been doing?”

This sneaky little piece of cheese keeps on coming to mind, as the comments role in.  I think that most of us can relate.  We discover expired things, at unexpected moments in time, tucked deep in the recesses of our cabinets and fridges, to then be almost archaeologically dug out and ... 

It’s funny, really.  At least it is to me, and some of my FB friends, as they wrote:

·         It’s probably still good!

·         That’s some old cheese!

·         That’s nothing. In our past 3 moves, I packed and moved expired can/box goods to 2 different homes.  Fortunately, I have thrown them away in prep for our next move. J

·         Aged cheese is supposed to be good, right?

·         Hee – hee! We ate tilapia last night (out of the freezer) that was dated July 2009!  What they didn’t know didn’t hurt ‘em!

·         Don’t be so hard on yourself – it’s not like you fed it to anyone … right? J

·         I’m not sure why, but hearing this from you relaxes my shoulders a bit. J

The thing is – believe it or not, I actually do clean out my fridge. I tend to be organized (yet, easily distracted), and although not a full blown germaphobe, I do keep an eye on molds accumulating and half-and-half creams congealing. I don’t like old yogurt, soft potatoes, dried out tortillas or bruised apples. 

But somehow this sneaky chunk of cheese got past me.  As I reflect back, I do recall noticing it in its undisturbed box at the back of my cheese drawer. I think I just kept on thinking, “Oh, I’m sure it’s fine. Someday, I’ll use it for a dip.”

But, I never did. I knew it was there, it appears that I just I avoided it.  After all, it looked okay from the outside. I guess.

Well, nearly 6 years later, with an expiration day of August 2005, this chunk of cheese has got me thinking, not just about the possibility of other things lurking in the dark corners of my fridge (I’ll work on that), but some of the things that I am sure are lurking in the out of the way places of – me.

 I know they’re there. I just choose to avoid them. It’s not that their bad, it’s just that they’re past their expiration date. I can’t use them anymore – don’t need them anymore.  I’m sure there are some chunks of “this” and chunks of “that” which I can --  well, chuck.

In addition, I am smiling at the fact that God does not stamp an expiration date on His grace.  It’s not hidden away for us to find, but right out in front where we can see it, taste it, feel it, rejoice in it. It never gets old. Never needs to be replaced.  

Funny how a sneaky chunk of cheese can get in my head and stir up some thoughts. 

Still laughing about it today.  We promptly threw the cheese away, but it did cross my mind – could there be a market out there for “Aged Velveeta?” And if so, should I have tried to sell it on e-bay?

A Fashion Dilemma Diverted

I stood in my closet with my hands on my hips, wrapped in a robe with a towel swirled around the wet hair on my head.

“I don’t know what to wear,” I moaned rather loudly to my husband in the other room.  “I don’t even remember what I wore last week!  I don’t want to wear the same thing twice!”

I needed to get out the door, get the kids to school, and get to the Women’s Bible Study that I am currently teaching at my church.  It was week four of the six week series I have been working on, and it wasn’t that I didn’t have clothes to wear, I just was getting hung up on what to wear.  And for whatever reason, I didn’t want to risk a repeat. Who knows why. 

As I stood there expressing my wardrobe woe to my husband, not really expecting a solution from him nor a response I heard him say,

 “Andrea?” ( ---- long pause -----)

 “I bet Jesus wore the same thing every time He preached.”

I almost fell over laughing as the burden of wearing the right thing, or the same thing, was completely lifted off my shoulders. It brought it all in to perspective. Sure, it wasn’t completely unreasonable for me to want to look presentable, but it was probably just fine if I wore the same thing twice!

Phew! What a relief!  A fashion dilemma diverted!

How silly and superficial of me.  Apparently, I had a momentary loss of memory (or judgment), forgetting that it wasn’t so much about the messenger as it was about the truth of my message, which was for that day – God’s grace is Amazing.

It was God’s grace on top of grace for me – right there and then.  He was reminding me of my priorities, making me laugh, and giving me freedom to wear whatever and not worry about what someone may think of me if I stand up in front – again – with the same outfit on. It’s okay.

That morning I shared the story with my friend Debbie, and then with the 140 women at the study.  They all laughed, while I stood there laughing at myself.

The next day Debbie sent me a message. “Dear Andrea, I can’t help thinking about what you said this past Wednesday and I came up with a new slogan.  WWJW – What Would Jesus Wear?  What do you think?”

I love it!  A play on WWJD, and quite funny, I will say.

So, dear friend, next time you are feeling like you are having a major fashion dilemma as you step forth to share the love of the Lord (or just are going about your day in His service) remember WWJW?  It just may take a lot of pressure off of you, for really, it does not matter what you wear when you are doing His work. It really is all about Jesus.

Did I Just Say That?

I’m still laughing to myself this morning after having ingested a small piece of humble pie, last night.

Two hundred and thirty women gathered for the event, “The Heart of Christmas,” at our Women's Christmas Tea. The mood was set for a night of remembering the true meaning of Christmas through special music, lovely decorations, the men from our church serving, glowing candlelight , a lovely speaker sharing a powerful message and more.

It was my responsibility to welcome the women on behalf of the women of our church and help with the transitions between fellowship, music and the speaker.  It wasn’t a huge deal; it's not like I had to present the main message. I just had to help the women  feel welcome and special .

I began to welcome the women and attempt to quiet the room so that we could get started , and out of my mouth came … “Ladies, we need to quiet down so that we can get on with the show …” I don’t even remember what I said after that.

What I can remember is sitting back down in my chair, having an OBE (out of body experience) – well, not really – but standing back and looking at myself and saying, “Did you really just say that, at this lovely evening filled with spiritual richness?  Let’s get on with the show? Honestly, Andrea.  What is this a circus?”

I tried not to be too hard on myself, but rather laughed and tried to chalk it up to experience and another lesson in humility.  The rest of the night went beautifully and I don’t recall any other verbal snafus, but I will say, it did remind me of the fact that we just don’t know what may come out of our mouths.  I mean it could have been a lot worse than that, but none-the-less, I am still digesting that piece of pie.

Perhaps it was one of those “you had to be there moments for it to be funny,”but the point is we can really say some goofy things at times and unfortunately, at other times we can say some pretty hurtful things. We don’t mean to, but they slip out.   And as I’ve chuckled and pondered this little episode, I am reminded of the value of being humble,  not only about ourselves but extending humility by being gracious to others when they say silly things – or harder yet, hurtful things.

All I can think is “Good thing I have God.” Some of my friends said that they didn’t even notice and when I shared the story (trust me, it’s funnier when I tell the story than write it …) they laughed and said, “Well, It’s just the thing that makes you, you -- real.” 

Perhaps it is that, too, willing to be real and realizing that we are not going to perfectly perform.  Life isn’t a circus and our words are not always scripted to perfection. We all slip up, in alittle and not-so-little ways, but God's grace is bigger in our lives. and in the lives of others.  Let us give each other that grace. Let us receive it, as well.

I need to go, now … and well, “Get on with the show …” of my day. Hope yours is blessed in an unique way.

(PS -- excuse today's picture -- I am not gifted in "food photography" but I tried).

Ever Feel Like You're Just Too Much?

I stood waiting at the airport ticket counter, a bulging purse slung over one shoulder, a stuffed briefcase over the other and a very heavy suitcase in tow. I knew that upon departing for my trip, my suitcase was precariously close to 48 pounds. Now on the return trip, I feared that I mis-packed and was going to tip over the 50 pound limit. Oddly, I considered the notion that if I could some how gain two pounds of body weight on a weekend getaway, maybe my suitcase could, too.

I felt the presence of the long line of people behind me, while the thought flashed through my mind, like a blinking neon sign – “what will I do if I have too much?”

“What if I place my suitcase on the scale and the digital indicator reads more than 50 pounds? What am I going to do? Pay the over price? No. That’s not sensible. Take something out? What will I remove? A heavy jean skirt? No. I am wearing that right now. My hair straightener ? No, probably won’t let me through security with that. A couple pairs of shoes? Now, where would I put those? My briefcase is already overflowing.”

Silly -- so, so silly. Finally, after an extended wait, I got called up to the counter – the counter that did not even have a scale. The attendant was gracious as he lifted my suitcase with a grunt, and placed it on the conveyor belt. He checked my bag through, gave me my ticket and I was on my way. All that wasted worry.

I don’t know about you, but sometimes similarly, I find myself lugging around the notion that I am too much -- too much for God. Too many hurts. Too much worry. Too complicated. Too many mistakes. Too prone to wandering. Too pathetic. Too serious. Too superficial. Too many questions. Too much trouble. From one extreme to another – just too much “stuff.” Memories and experiences, by my own doing and the doing of others, are crammed in to my heart, and I feel heavy and burdened.

Truth is, for me and for you sweet reader, we are not too much. We can’t have too many mistakes or hurts that stand in the way of our being accepted and loved by the Lord. He does not look at us and say, “Hmmm. We have a problem here. You are just too much. Can you unload something?”

Instead, He knows every little detail, and He is not interested in weighing it against us. He lifts up our hearts and tends to them. He doesn’t ask us to unpack them alone. He helps us. He knows the intimate and the practical parts of us. We can’t be too much for Him. He doesn’t ask us to pay for more than we think we can handle. He took care of the price. There is no weight limit to God. He has all the strength in the world to handle whatever we have.

Okay, I’m taking my eyes off of myself and fixing them on the my sweet Jesus. And as I do so, I think I can faintly hear His voice calling to me (and to you, too!) -- “Oh, dear child, I love you. Do you not know that I know exactly what is in your heart? I am here to lift your burden. It cannot be too heavy. I am not limited by anything. You are precious and honored in My sight. Let me love you. Let me carry you. Stop fighting. I am abounding in compassion. Fear not. I have summoned you by name; you are Mine.”

"The Will of God Will Never Lead You Where ..."

The framed quote was lost in the abyss of my bathroom linen closet. I forgot about it. It was stashed in the back, past half used shampoo bottles, tubes of tooth paste that were purchased in bulk on sale, and other miscellaneous medicine bottles, lotions, and personal items. My daughter found it, while searching around for something else, and placed it, as a surprise, on my bathroom sink counter. When God wants to say something, He finds a way to do it – one way or another. The quote reads,

“The will of God will never lead you where the grace of God cannot keep you.”

I do know it to be true, but sometimes it requires intentional believing for me. When tensions are mounting and new developments are occurring faster than popcorn popping the truth is that God will not take us outside of His grace, and in every circumstance that He brings us He is present and ready to equip us for that which He asks us to do.

Looking back, I must have stuck the framed quote away years ago, probably on sunnier, “no kidding, I know that” days -- days when “God is great, God is good” rolled off my tongue with ease, for my tongue was not weary and dried from exhaustion. I may have thought I mastered this truth, and did not need to have it present in front of my eyes on a daily basis. It is easy to lose sight of God’s truths – truths that get lost behind the bottles of busyness and the clutter in our lives.

Thankfully, God brings them to us despite our tendency to forget, and He is impeccable in His timing. Suffice it to say, as I struggle with certain issues right now, I need to remember that God is in it and will give me the strength to face what (and whom) I would rather not, and strengthen my weary heart and gird up my courage to stand firm in what He is asking me to handle, today and every tomorrow.

Dear reader, do you need to be built up by this truth today? God will not lead you where He will not keep you. He will never forsake you. He will never leave you. He will never push you out and say “good luck with this one … I’ll see you later.” No, He is faithful to walk with you through all things that He calls you to do.

What is it for you? Are you dealing with a difficult person? Are you suffering physical pain? Have you been betrayed? Abandoned? Have you been criticized unjustly? Are you being called to persevere in a challenging situation and not sure if you can do it? Are you being asked to love your enemy? Are you being asked to exercise bold love? Are you grieving over the loss of a loved one? Are you facing changes – drastic changes? Are you experiencing the one devastating thing that you thought (or hoped!) you would never have to face as a spouse, parent, friend or child?

Living in the tension of the truth that the will of God will never lead you where the grace of God cannot keep you, can be very difficult, but if God calls, He carries and equips. I have lived the reality of His constant care and I am confident of this truth.

His grace is sufficient; His power is made perfect in weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9). God’s ways are higher than our ways and His will is perfect. He calls us to trust in Him in all circumstances. Amidst dark and difficult times, His abundant grace and love will keep us safe and secure. Half the battle is to believe, the other is to wait. His grace is for both.

Face to Face with Grace

I knew that it was time. God made it evident. I dreaded coming face to face with realities that were the result of something I had not asked for; something I had been hurt deeply by.

I called out to the Lord, asking Him for His strength and trusting that He would go before me. He did, as always. I stepped in to the situatin realizing that what I was coming face to face with in my pain was grace, God's grace. I knew, instantly, that as I moved forward in faith and obeyed His call for me to face this place of pain, that He was ready to meet me there and hold my hand and my heart. He did not let go.

2 Corinthians 12:9 says, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." His grace is sufficient. As I dealt with facts that were hard for me, I realized that I was experiencing the power of the living God in my life; His perfect power. Only by His grace could I begin to work through the pain, and believe that He had something for me in it.

In our weakness, God gives us His strength. It can be scary to face things that are hard. When we realize the time is at hand, we can call out to Him, and trust that He will answer.

Psalm 138:3 says, "When I called, you answered me; you made me bold and stouthearted." To be bold is to be fearless and daring. To be steadfast is to be firm, steady, unfaltering, unwavering and unshakable. Other translations of the Bible say that when we call to God he makes our life large with strength. He energizes us. He gives us the strength that we need, making us great with strength in our soul. We can and will be bold and stouthearted when we walk with God.

Dear reader, perhaps God is calling you to face hard times from your past or your present. It can be overwhelming and filled with uncertainty. Call out to God. Ask Him when and in which way you should walk, and trust that as you do, in obedience to Him, He will make you "bold and stouthearted." He will not fail you. As you face the past and the present, dependent on Him, you will come face to face with His grace, and you will see that His strength is made perfect in your weakness. It is a powerful experience to be filled with the One true God.

God's Grace IS Sufficient

Dear reader, today I realize how much I have missed writing on the blog. It brings me so much joy and really helps me to internalize the truths that I learn about God.

The reason for my absence for the last week is that my 12 year old daughter had an unusual injury in ballet class, fracturing a part of her pelvis. We tried to manage her intense pain at home, over the weekend, but on Sunday morning I had had enough, and brought her to the ER. She was admitted for pain management, and ended up being in the hospital for three nights. It was so sad to watch her struggle with so much pain and the side effects of the pain medications that she was on. I am very relieved that she is home and feeling much better.

A friend shared with me that Shakespeare once said when sorrows come, they come not as single spies, but in battalions. I can relate to that right now. The dictionary says that a battalion is a large number of persons or things. In military terms, it is a ground force unit composed of headquarters and two or more companies; an army in battle array.

It does seem like a sort of assault when troubles come in multitudes. As I have shared, my heart is tired and weary as it sorrows over the crisis that I have been walking through, and now watching her suffer was heartbreak on top of heartbreak, as well as trying to care for my family, while she has such great need, was added challenge.

I am reminded of the description in 2 Corinthians 4:7-9 "But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed."

As the army of our sorrows push in, and we feel as we are overwhelmed, squished, even unable to take a deep breath, we can have hope, for within us we carry the truth of Jesus and his great love for us. And we can be confident that God will give us the grace that we need each moment of each day, as He says "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness" 2 Corinthians 11:28. God gave me the grace to stay up late (even all night)and care for her in her pain, to hold her hand, rub her back, alert the nurses, feed her when she could not, support her body when she needed to take a few steps to the bathroom, and discern what she needed and when, and be available to my other children, even if by phone, to help them as they go on with their lives. God's grace is truly sufficient.

I am thankful to be home, and I am thankful that even when I feel like it is too much, that I can rest in God's grace and He will do more than I can imagine. I hope that you are able to rest in these simple yet powerful, active truths, today. It is good to be back.

My Thoughts about Worry

Tonite I was brushing my daughter's hair, after taking out a series of corn rows that were braided in her hair. She wore them for about 3 weeks, and we could not believe how much hair was in the hair brush when we were done taking them out - handfulls of hair. We really lose alot of hair each day, and when they are not allowed to fly free -WOW - they really accumulate!

In addition to thinking about the hairs on our head, a friend dropped off a bouquet of lily's. I decided that God is trying to get my attention and speak to me about my worrying.

I did some research and an average person's worry is focused on several things:
Things that will never happen - 40%
Things about the past that can’t be changed - 30%
Things about criticism by others, mostly untrue -12%
About health, which gets worse with stress -10%
About real problems that will be faced - 8%.

Isn't that interesting? Only eight percent of the the things that we worry about are real problems that we face. The first two we can't even do anything about.

God has some things to say about worry, in the bible, and lily's and hair remind me of two of them.

"And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown in the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith. So do not worry, saying 'What shall we eat?' or ' What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own" Matthew 6:28-34.

Matthew 10:30 reminds us "Aren't 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."

We can learn of one of the solutions to worry in 1 Peter 5:7, "Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you."

We are more valuable than lilies and sparrows, whom He cares for tenderly, and He even knows every hair on our heads. That is pretty detailed, intricate care. I am humbled by that. So therefore, I will try to cast my cares upon the Lord, and not reel them back in, but leave them at His feet entrusting them to His loving care.

The Giver of Grace

My friend, Karla, reminded me of something that I hold dear in my walk with the Lord, having seen its truth time again, and now experiencing the power of "God's grace given" last night.

In the book The Hiding Place, Corrie ten boom, writes of an interaction with her father when she was a little girl, as she feared the future, overwhelmed with what she would do when her father would die. She writes,

At last we heard Father's footsteps winding up the stairs. It was the best moment of every day, when he came up to tuck us in. We never fell asleep until he arranged the blankets in his special way and laid his hand for a moment on each head. Then we tried not to move even a toe.

But that night as he stepped through the door I burst into tears. "I need you!" I sobbed. "You can't die! You can't!"

Father sat down on the edge of the narrow bed. "Corrie,"he began gently, "when you and I go to Amsterdam - when do I give you the ticket?'"

I sniffed a few times, considering this.

"Why, just before we get on the train."

"Exactly. And our wise Father in heaven knows when we're going to need things, too. Don't run ahead of Him, Corrie. When the times comes that some us will have to die, you will look into your heart and find the strength you need -- just in time."

Sometimes, when dreams or desires or people or marriages or friendships "die" we can't imagine how we are going to survive without this thing that we hold so dear to us. We cry out, "But I need you!"

But God is a gentle Father. He gives us just what we need when we need it, in all circumstances. As I grieved the loss of something dear to me, last night, I was reminded of how the Lord's gentleness and grace is right there to comfort me. As I sobbed, I was comforted by His loving embrace. I can not understand it. I could not predict what He would do, or how He would do it for me, as I was asked to give up something that I did not want to give up.

He was present with me, in my pain and in my tears, holding me up and unfailingly loving me. Then He was present in my friends, as they came to my home and cried and laughed, ate snacks with me, and encouraged me in the life that God has for me. It was a beautiful thing. God created beauty and joy, even out of my despair.

"My grace is sufficient for you ..." (2 Corinthians 12:9) says the Lord. And He gives it just when we need it, in just the right way. This is truth, as it lies in who God is, the Giver of Grace.

(If you have not read The Hiding Place, I would highly recommend it. It is a true story about a Dutch woman, who with her family, protected the lives of Jewish people during the holocaust of World War II. She was imprisoned in a concentration camp, as a result of what she chose to do forthe Lord, and shares her story in this powerful account of how faith triumphs over evil.)