Sunny&80Let it Go …All of it.
Posted on August 7, 2019
When I’m tempted to wallow in the “nobody knows the trouble I’ve seen” soundtrack of a suffered season …Psalms. Because the first thing I don’t feel like doing when I’m sad, angry or anxious isn’t what these profound words of wisdom instruct me to do. “It is good to give thanks to the LORD,” Psalm 92:1 says, “to sing praises to the Most High.” (NLT)
Flipping through a rolodex of the last month’s gut punches, I don’t want to sing. I’m thankful for the obligatory things …my home, health, family, talents, children, friends and God’s provision. There’s nothing earth shattering falling out of the bottom of my life. But occasionally a million little aggravations collide into a big burst of soul-stripping tears. Still, Psalm 7:17 instructs: “I will thank the LORD because he is just; I will sing praise to the name of the LORD Most High.” (NLT)
“After Jesus was baptized by John,” a pastor at our church faithfully reminded me the day I was baptized, “Jesus was tempted in the desert for forty days.”
“Crap,” was my first thought. CRAP. Over the next few weeks I started to feel like Psalm 3:7 …“Arise, O LORD! Rescue me, my God! Slap all my enemies in the face! Shatter the teeth of the wicked!” (NLT)
And then God asked me if I was willing to put reconciliation in His hands. Not just any reconciliation. One that had already rocked me, and my entire family, to the core. My answer was a resounding, “NO.” I didn’t want to. I’m down with heartfelt apologies. Reach as far back as you want to, God. And forgiveness? Forgiveness is a given. No apology needed. I got that memo. It’s an automatic process every Christian is wise to begin immediately after any hurt or heartbreak to prevent the root of bitterness from having babies all over our souls.
But reconciliation? Nope. No. There are some people we can love from a far and leave behind the lines of our boundaries …right? RIGHT? No. Psalm 5:11 says, “But let all who take refuge in you rejoice; let them sing joyful praises forever. Spread your protection over them, that all who love your name may be filled with joy.” NLT
God is the one protecting and providing refuge. So, if He says we are free to come out of hiding, we should. If He prompts us to reach out one more time in an effort to build a bridge, we should obediently take the chance. What’s the worst thing that could happen when the best thing that could happen is peace?
Let’s just say …the worst thing happened. I opened up a wound that hurt worse than before. It leveled me. It surely made me ask “why …” a lot. But I kept reading through the Psalms …because coincidentally the devotional app I faithfully open every day has been in that book. (not a coincidence.) I kept praising God, through thick and heavy tears. He’s right, of course, but let’s face it …some moments make us doubt ourselves, everyone around us, all the decisions we’ve made, and the faith we stand on. Cry it all out. He can handle it.
As we continue to breathe air He will pull things out of the thin of it for us to give to Him. Not everything we go through in life is all about us. We’re called to leave the door wide open for reconciliation while God works on all of the hearts. If it’s possible …we want it. It’s OK to leave our boundaries in the protective hands of our Defender. God doesn’t owe us an explanation for our obedience. He just says, “obey.” Trust and obey.
We have to let go, so we can receive all He has for us. All we can’t see, doesn’t make sense, and makes it hard to leap in faith when He asks us to stretch past our flexibility. He knows what we need in breaking moments. Life is hard, and God knows it. He is our good Father, and so waits for us to open His book and fall into His capable arms. Every time, He will pick us up, stretch us out, and set us back on the path He’s prepared for us. He promises. And He’s good for it. Don’t let fear rob freedom.
Let go.
Megs
ALL OF THE FRIENDS …
Posted on March 27, 2019
“Friends with Everyone” is the quest to love people in our lives well. God places people in our lives purposefully. As Christians, we are called to reach outside of our comfort zones in order to serve the people bordering our everyday lives.
“Though I am free and belong to no one, I have made myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible.
To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews.
To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law.
To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law), so as to win those not having the law.
To the weak I became weak, to win the weak.
I have become all tings to all people so that by all possible means I might save some. I do this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings.”
1 Corinthians 9:19-23 NIV (emphasis mine.)
Love finds common ground. Paul isn’t advising us to change for people in these verses. He’s challenging us to find common ground with the people in our lives. There is common ground to be found. It’s not an easy quest. There are lines we will be tempted to cross and company we wish would could keep closer. We will be called to ruffle a few feathers in righteousness. We will be left out, called out, questioned, and ridiculed. Being friends with everyone requires us to flip all of the hurt into forgiveness, and trust God with transformation.
“But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions- it is by grace you have been saved.” Ephesians 2:4-5 NIV
We wouldn’t die for someone that hurt us. We wouldn’t die for someone who didn’t apologize for the hurt they caused …and we surely wouldn’t die for someone intent upon hurting us again. Jesus did. Compassion and kindness come from Him. All of us continue to fall short every day, yet the forgiveness Jesus died to grant us, to go before us and pave for us, isn’t effected by our inability to overcome the broken world we live in. He has already defeated what we could …and cannot. It. Is. Done. A true understanding of forgiveness breaks the cycle of hurt and allows the love of Christ to flow through our lives.
“Walk with the wise and become wise, for a companion of fools suffers harm.” Proverbs 13:20 NIV
I believe we take this verse out of context when we use it as an excuse to shun people who are different from us. What good is all of our wisdom about Christ, if we hide from the people that don’t know what we know? Like Paul, through adversity …seek diversity. But we must keep our eyes on Jesus. He is the pioneer and perfecter of our faith. He was friends with everyone, without sacrificing His mission.
Jesus had a close group of twelve friends, and out them three were extremely close to Jesus. Still one, John, was Jesus’ best friend on earth. We’re clearly called to choose our close circle of friends with care, but leave the door open. May our light reflect His Love.
I shudder to think of all the rich friendships I would have missed out on, had I not decided to leave my Monday morning Bible Study group open to anyone. Whether or not they go to church or believe in God is between them and Him. Our job is to open the door and share what we know.
“Don’t hang out with angry people; don’t keep company with hotheads. Bad temper is contagious- don’t get infected.” Proverbs 22:24-25 MSG
The more friends we have, the greater the risk of getting hurt. Learning how to survive devastating blows to our character and create healthy boundaries is all part of the package. Can I tell you something? It’s through our reaction to those situations that our faith is put on display the most.
Loving the people in our lives well leads us to brotherly and sisterly love. As we grow in wisdom and away from the lessons of our past, God is faithful to provide friends that are racing towards Christ alongside us. Never take these friends for granted. These are the best friends. The ones who don’t get all awkward and subject-change when we start to talk about Jesus. No, these are the friends who lean in to learn alongside of us. Every broken hearted moment is worth it to find these people in life. But we can’t stay there.
We are called to be friends with everyone.
Happy Friending,
Megs
The Full Cloud (#jammed daily devo, day 310)
Posted on November 6, 2018
November #jammed: Gracious.
Day 310: Thankful for memories …
“ So let’s get this clear: it’s for My own sake that I save you.
I am He who wipes the slate clean and erases your wrongdoing.
I will not call to mind your sins anymore.” Isaiah 43:25 (VOICE)
I’m continually eluded by the iCloud. Each new device comes with a clean slate. 
Thousands of pictures eventually accumulate, prompting the message to buy more space on the cloud to save all of my pictures. I don’t want them all saved. For every ten I take, nine are deleted. It seems a big waste of technological space and energy to save things automatically that I don’t want to remember.
Today’s verse is an awesome reminder that God is not hanging over our heads what we wish to delete. You know, those people we were in a past life that made terrible decisions and horrible mistakes …said incredibly rude things that flush our cheeks just recalling them in our memories? The missteps of overindulgence and bad relationships. Failures and faults …and things that we still cannot seem to shake.
He’s not focused on them. He’s focused on us. And God says to all the ugliness that we drag through this life …“that’s not who you are.”
Just as He was eager to restore Israel, His chosen people, in the Old Testament, so He delights to restore us. To welcome us home, as Jesus’ tells in the story of the Prodigal Son. To forgive us and welcome us back into His presence. That’s what the cross was for. That’s why Jesus is so important. It’s through Him that we are able to be in the presence of God. To pray to Him, be enlightened and guided by His Word, and restored to who we are meant to be. His will for our lives relieves us from feeling like there’s something we’re missing …
We begin the journey to our true selves when we start to follow Christ. It costs nothing, but takes great faith. When we confess our sins God forgives us …when we believe that’s what His Son died for. That’s who we are. His.
Father, Praise You for Jesus’ death on the cross, which brings so many Old Testament scriptures to life. You love us for who You made us to be, in spite of our sins and mistakes. Bless us to remember that and live guilt-free in the pursuit of Your Son’s steps for our lives. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Get the conversation started by commenting below, and let’s encourage one another as we face life in 2017 armed with grace!
#greatgrace17
Happy Cloud-ing,
Megs
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The “You Know Who.” (#jammed daily devo, day 139)
Posted on May 19, 2018
May #jammed: Growing Grace.
Day 139: Ongoing and unending.
“You know who.” Proverbs 23:30a
WHY did I want to study these Wise Statements? Alcohol has affected my entire life from just about every possible angle, and this passage is specifically about a man with a drinking problem. I promise you, no one is more uncomfortable digging up this verbiage than I.
Though I think it can be applied to a broad range of other things that are just as uncomfortable to talk about, God doesn’t pull specific examples like this …put them in an ancient text …and make them applicable in this era in vain. Read through this passage with eyes and hearts open beyond alcoholism . Looking inward, what traits do you recognize?
“ Who is wallowing in anguish? Who is full of sorrow?
Who has conflicts? Who has complaints?
Who has bruises and can’t remember where they came from?
Who has bloodshot eyes?
You know who: those who stay up late finishing off the wine,
those who can’t stop savoring spiced wines.
Look away from the enticing beauty of wine, the deep red hue;
ignore how it shimmers in the cup
and glides down your throat.
Eventually, when you least expect it, it strikes like a snake;
it stings like viper venom.
Your vision will blur, and you’ll imagine strange things;
you will say crazy, hurtful things and regret it later.
You will reel and stagger as if caught on a wave of seasickness,
as a sailor who holds on to a mast for dear life.
You will say, “They slapped me, but it didn’t hurt.
They beat me, and I didn’t feel a thing!
Whenever I wake up from this stupor,
I’ll have another drink!”
Proverbs 23:29-35
The biggest mistake we make as people, and especially as Christians, is discounting the possibility that things could, are, and will affect us. It isn’t to the left or to the right that we find peace or solution. It’s not in fixing other people or even ourselves. It’s letting go and letting God. It’s gripping Jesus’ hand tight enough to keep us from falling. When I look back and see how many times and how close I came to total destruction, I know there’s no way I made it out alive on my own. He pulled me out. Grace.
Father, Praise You for pulling us out of our pitfalls. Thank You for grace, forgiveness, mercy, and compassion. Forgive us for forgetting that Your lessons are always for our hearts, and bless us to strengthen our faith more each day. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Get the conversation started by commenting below, and let’s encourage one another as we face life in 2017 armed with grace!
#greatgrace17
Happy Pit-crawling out,
Megs
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The Pink Sky (#jammed daily devo day 26)
Posted on January 26, 2018
January #jammed : Grace in Life’s Face
Day 26 Light Causes a Burst of Color
Pink sky fascinates me. When I see the start of a pink-skied sunrise, I rush through the
rest of my daybreak routine just to be as close to it as I can be before it’s at maximum pink capacity. I long to stand there and receive it.
Joseph’s brothers left him for dead, sold him to slavery, and then met him as royalty. Imagine their surprise. At the sight of his brother, Benjamin, Joseph wept. That’s probably not the reaction the rest of his family expected.
I believe Joseph’s first glance at his brother was an explosion of colorfully lit grace.
“Joseph’s sensitive heart was a miracle of God’s grace.” -Warren Wiersbe BE Bible Study Series.
How many times do we roll over and miss the sunrise?
“There is a way that seems right to man, but it leads to death.” Proverbs 14:12
Opportunities to lend grace to others surround us everyday. Forgiveness is even harder than it looks, but we can push past entitlement and onto a grace filled life by embracing the minutes Jesus sacrificed all of His for. Spending time with our Father each day sparks an explosion of color.
Father, You are powerful to save us from our own calamity. Praise You, for You are fair. Thank you for loving us. We confess that we hold onto grudges all too often, and ask that you soften our hearts to forgive. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
What do you need to let go of in forgiveness today? Get the conversation started by commenting below, and let’s encourage one another as we face life in 2017 armed with grace!
#greatgrace17
Happy
Megs
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