Grace For The Journey

"Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest."
Matthew 11:28
 

Author's note: I wrote this 4 years ago. It came up 'On This Day' on my Facebook feed. I miss my mother but I'm happy she's out of pain. Reading this reminded me of the hundred of little glimpses I shared with mom during her last 5 years. I'm glad I read this. Those of you who now have the heavy burden of being caretakers to a loved one with Alzhiemers - God will give you moments that you will treasure always in the middle of what may seem difficult.
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5/16/2013
I’ve worn many different hats in my life. Some fit me to a "T," and some - mmmm - not so much. At this stage of my life, I’m comfortable being Anthony’s wife; Laura, Mikey, Tony and B’s “Mama”; and Grammy to all the grands and their friends.

The one hat I’ve never worn well was daughter. I’ve struggled most of my life feeling like I didn’t fit (a topic for another time). But the last 10 years I’ve stepped into that Daughter role and God has allowed me glimpses of my parents which neither of my siblings shared.

I was able to care for my father the last few days of his life. After his death, I prayed "Dear Lord, please don’t make me go through this again." That prayer wasn’t answered. I find myself back in the caretaker role and having to wear the Daughter/Caretaker hat again.

God is giving me the chance to love and care for my mother and. although she lives in a Skilled Nursing Facility, my fingers are in every aspect of her life. Unfortunately, her health is not the best and she is not going to get better.

This morning I reached out to a friend. I poured out my fears and pain, asking her to pray for me. She put my prayer request out there immediately and I’ve been covered in prayer all day. The doctors appointment I was dreading went smoothly with just my eyes tearing up. No blubbering! Chocolate, Golden Spoon Frozen Yogurt, and a few texts from my Pastor's wife took away the lingering sense of sadness.

The Lord gave me a gift today. While we were in the waiting room my mother turned to me, eyes clear, and said, “You are always here when I need you. Thank you” I looked at her, holding back my tears and said, “I love you, Mom, and you can’t get rid of me even if you try.” She smiled. We talked about nothing important but she was there, even though it was only for a moment. For the life of me, I can’t remember what we talked about - only that we did; then she was gone. I held her hand as she started singing a little tune, I closed my eyes and prayed “Thank you”.

I know many of you are in the middle of the same thing. Nothing I can say will lessen the pain and grief you feel. I understand. Hang in there and hold tight to the Lord. He promises to be there with you!

"When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you."  Isaiah 43:2

by Eve Montano

God's Handiwork

“For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” Ephesians 2:10

For the past few weeks I’ve been out of my element – out of the “normal” circumstances of my life. Currently, I’m called upon to serve a beloved relative whose health status has taken a hit. Life changing decisions will soon be necessary.

My quiet time with Jesus is a struggle. There is time for prayer (before they know I’m awake), but undistracted time in God’s Word – well, that’s nonexistent. As a result, I find myself dry, shallow, and vulnerable to the siren song of the enemy.

You may be familiar with the lyrics. You’re a failure. You’re a hypocrite. You’re judgmental. You expect too much. The “if only” and “what if” phrases ricochet in my mind. Discouragement, even worry, take over.

Have you noticed, when you are busy through your day and the “world” bombards you with constant unsettling messages (political unrest, rampant anger and disrespect in speech, “fake news,” impending doom in the Middle East, Korea, etc.), it’s easy to hear the messages from the enemy and not the still, quiet voice of God?

When all my inner thoughts center on “ME”, I know I’m off balance and need to put myself in the place where I can hear God speak. He is greater than the “white noise” in the background. When I pull aside and focus on Him, on His WORD, His voice becomes loud. All else fades.

It is then I can remember who I am in God – His child, His workmanship. His call on my life is not always in the direction I desire. If it were, where would the sacrifice be – the reckoning of my “self” dead?

This current path is for a season. It looks like a detour, but there’s a lesson in detours. Instead of being delayed without forward progress – or coming to a complete stop and having to back up and retrace my steps – the detour route may be longer but accompanied by steady forward movement.

It’s all good. God is good. His creation is good. His sacrifice is Good. His call is good. The work He prepares for us to do is good. His Song is loud and clear.

“For the LORD your God is living among you. He is a mighty savior. He will take delight in you with gladness. With His love, He will calm all your fears. He will rejoice over you with joyful songs.” Zephaniah 3:17 (NLT)

by Marilyn Allison

Praise The Lord

"Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord from the heavens; Praise Him in the heights!  Psalm 148:1

CREATOR
Order came to chaos. Stars sprinkled on a velvety sky. Mountains lay like sleeping giants waiting to be awakened. Creator God, You paint the morning skies in blue, pink and purple and then, as the sun begins to descend to take its rest, brilliant orange, red and gold flows from Your brush.. Rainbows paint the sky after rain, a reminder of a promise made. Oceans roar, running streams sing over rocks, and waves gently caress the shores. Cattle graze, bird’s fly, Cheetahs run; each listening and waiting for their Creator’s song and for that day when the lion and the lamb will sit side by side, again.

"The wolf and the lamb shall graze together; the lion shall eat straw like the ox, and dust shall be the serpent's food. They shall not hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain,' says the LORD."   Isaiah 65:25

PURPOSE GIVER
You looked past worthlessness, brokenness and fear. You gave purpose, wholeness and peace. Empty lives are filled. The outpouring of Your love lifts us from the mundane, from meaningless lives, giving a direction and vision for life with sacred purpose. You are stronger than our problems and You help us overcome. All-seeing and all-knowing - nothing is hidden from You. You are ever vigilant. You neither slumber nor sleep. 

"Behold, He that keeps Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep."  Psalm 121:4

SAVIOUR
A King came as a Servant. The meek overcame the strong. Humility overcame pride. Light shone into the darkness. Limitless, unending love. Eternal life instead of death. Stony hearts made malleable. Grace given to the undeserved. Mercy poured out like a flood. Cleansing blood! 
Jesus, LORD!

"I, I am the LORD, and besides me there is no Saviour."  Isaiah 43:11

FRIEND 
Sing the highest praises and dance with joy and abandon. Tell everyone what You. LORD Jesus Christ my friend, have done for me, that I may introduce them to Your salvation and they, too, may call You friend. Then they can know how to live in the grace given and in turn be graceful, and encourage the weak, the confused, the friendless - just as You have encouraged and strengthened.

"No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you."  John 15:15

Joy is the melody in my heart because I am Yours and love for You soars through every part of my heart, mind and spirit. It takes me to places that. for now, I can only dream.  Your Agape love for us pushes away disobedience, stubborn pride, lies and bad habits. It replaces them with truth and joy in spite of trials, obedience in spite of fear,  and humility in the face of unending faithfulness.

"Then shall the young women rejoice in the dance, and the young men and the old shall be merry. I will turn their mourning into joy; I will comfort them, and give them gladness for sorrow."  Jeremiah 31:13
 

Creator, Purpose Giver, Saviour, Friend, Lover of my soul, Shepherd, Father. I can go on and on, but for today, this will be enough. I know tomorrow there will be another list giving Adonai, Abba Father, the praise He is due.

"And the ransomed of the LORD shall return and come to Zion with singing; everlasting joy shall be upon their heads; they shall obtain gladness and joy, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away."  Isaiah 35:10

by Eve Montano

Compassionate Father

“The LORD is compassionate and merciful, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love. He will not constantly accuse us, nor remain angry forever. He does not punish us for all our sins; He does not deal harshly with us, as we deserve. For His unfailing love toward those who fear Him is as great as the height of the heavens above the earth. He has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west. The LORD is like a father to His children, tender and compassionate to those who fear Him. For He knows how weak we are; He remembers we are only dust.”  Psalm 103:8-14 (NLT)

God, our Abba Father, is tender and compassionate to those who fear Him. Not fear as we think of it in human terms where we are frightened of “Father” as the disciplinarian. How many of us heard, when we were children and disobeyed Mom, “wait until your Father gets home!” How we dreaded his arrival and the punishment to follow. We knew we’d pushed Mom too far when our fate lay in Father’s hands.

The Hebrew word used here is “Yara.” It describes this “fear” as causing astonishment and awe…to hold someone in awe, reverence, honor and respect. Almighty God, the Creator of heaven and earth, who is worthy of all honor and reverence, loves you and me.

“The LORD hath appeared of old unto me saying, ‘Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee.” Jeremiah 31:3

Love is the motive for everything He does…in the world…in the nations…in you and in me. Difficult times stretch our faith and strengthen us. Joyful times give us rest. Even had He never given us the promises we learn from the Bible, we can trust Him because He is good and He loves us.

Soon we will celebrate our earthly fathers with a day set aside for honoring them. May we not forget to honor our Heavenly Father…every day.

Father, we thank You for Your love that has no end. Thank You for Your lovingkindness, Your mercies that are new every morning. We pray Your blessing on our earthly fathers, that they will be willing to be molded into the image of Jesus, to hold their families close to their hearts and guide them with love and wisdom. We ask this in the powerful Name of Jesus, that You may be glorified. Amen

by Marilyn Allison

Hungry Like London

"Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good." 1 Peter 2:2-3

I ended up with a pet fish last month. I say "ended up", because I did not want, ask, or like this fish. I actually do not like fish unless they have been grilled, fried or baked. I certainly do not like them looking bored in a bowl on the kitchen counter. But my sweet eight-year-old daughter has her daddy wrapped around his caring finger. So when the two of them ran into the pet store to grab dog food, she came back to the car proudly carrying a fish in a cup.

"Mommy! Me and Daddy bought you a pet fish!"

"Oh? Why?" (Probably not the response she wa hoping for. Mom fail.)

"Because! Isn't he so pretty? And, he was on sale!"

Well, then, if he was on sale...I would love to have another dirty animal to care for (on top of the dog, the bunny, and two leopard geckos).

"Oh, thank you, Sweet Girl. He is super pretty."

Ugh!

I have a horrible history with pet fish. Seriously. Once I literally cooked my goldfish. I didn't realize my mom had just washed the dishes with burning hot water. I filled a cup unknowingly with scalding water and carefully transferred my goldfish into it so I could clean his bowl. Within seconds, this poor fish was turning upside down, his scales looking white.

I cooked him...dead. Poor fish. I don't even remember his name.

So here I was, once again with the task of caring for a gilled creature. His name is London. My daughter is right. He is really pretty. London is a Betta fish with long, flowing fins circling all around him.

Two weeks in, London got sick. He sulked at the bottom of his bowl. He stopped eating. His fins looked burdened and heavy. He had weird white spots. I actually felt sad.

Google search seemed indispensable to me at that moment. I needed to find out if I could help London. I felt such responsibility to keep this fish alive.

For one thing, it was a gift from my daughter.

Secondly, I wanted to somehow redeem myself for murdering what's-his-name all those years ago.

I literally googled, "What to do if Betta fish gets sick." I went to the pet store, bought special water drops for his water. We prayed for him as a family at dinner. (No joke.)

While washing dishes a few days later, something caught my attention. A bright blue, poetic-like thrashing called me to London's bowl. He was at the water's surface, fins fanned out, dancing all around his body. He was hungry! I was so excited!

I dropped one small fish food pellet in at a time. He literally jumped up out of the water to catch the first one. He was ravenous. He shimmied and waited intently for more. He was healthy again.

Believe it or not, God's Spirit spoke to me as I fed this silly little fish. He has been chasing me down with a verse from the Psalms for months. I mean, it's been in the random worship songs I chose to listen to for the first time, and every podcast I've decided to turn on. My daughter even wrote her own devotional using the same verse. When I cleaned out the garage last week I randomly opened a devotional and on the top of the page was this same verse...again.

"O taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in Him." Psalm 34:8

My response to His prompting through this verse had been, "Yes, Lord, I know You are good. You are so good."

But, as I watched how breathtaking this fish was when he was hungry, deeper truth whispered to me. Just as London had become gorgeous in his hunger, we are gorgeous in our Father's eyes when we hunger for Him. He is longing for us to hover at the top of every moment, intently waiting to receive from Him.

In order for me to truly taste the full goodness of God, I must first be hungry for Him. Not just hungry, but ravenous. Ravenous for His Word, His presence, His direction, His love. I must be swimming to the top of my prayer life, jumping out in faith to taste His goodness.

If God looks upon me and I am sulking at the bottom of my day - with no desire to taste His goodness, no desire to be nourished by His Word - it is an indication that I am spiritually sick.

How can we taste of God's goodness if we are not coming to His table to eat? And, why would we come to His table if we weren't hungry? We are not called to come to His table as an afterthought. We would not insult a host by filling up on a meal we cooked ourselves before we went to their home for dinner. In the same way, we owe God our full appetite.

What had I been filling my soul with BEFORE coming to the Lord's table? Was I leaving only enough space in my spiritual stomach for a small sampling of the Lord's goodness?

Our mighty God is not an appetizer.

He is not a sweet dessert to finish our day with.

His very Word, His presence, His love is to be the bread that sustains me all day, every day. Nothing else. The more we eat, the more our stomachs stretch. The Lord will only fill us with what we have made room for. The more we come to be filled by Him, the greater and fuller the filling will become. Our stomachs will grow, our appetites will multiply.

As we become more ravenous for the Lord, those around us take notice. Just like London's movement at the top of his bowl made me put down my sponge and watch.

London is healthy, full of color and life. This is how God intended him to be.

God has designed His children to make the world stop and stare. The world should look at God's children and ask, "What are they so hungry for? What makes them so passionate that they would jump up out of the mire of life to reach for more?" And, when they ask, we will have an answer for them. Not only an answer, but we will pull up a chair and invite them to taste and see that the Lord is good.

by Jenna Masters