Doing Good, Giving Grace

WHY DONT WE JUST TRY AND MAKE THE BEST OF TODAY AND TOMORROW (& the next day & the next day & the next day & the next day & the next day & the next day & the next day & the next)

This summer I've spent a fair amount of time at home, with my parents, brothers & 6 pets. It's safe to say there's never really a "dull" moment here at the house.  One moment the dog has escaped, or the sprinkler system has malfunctioned, or some of my brother's friends show up for supper & a spontaneous night of playing cards… There's work to do, meals to cook, laundry to fold, dust bunnies to catch, a garden to weed, 2 acres to mow, etc. I love it, it keeps me busy. I try to make the most of it; to truly love & appreciate my family while I'm here…

“Do all the good you can. By all the means you can. In all the ways you can. In all the places you can. At all the times you can. To all the people you can. As long as ever you can.” -John Westley

Wow, did ya get that? Thats pretty much doing good e-v-e-r-y-w-h-e-r-e. Doing good is usually fun, I mean helping people or animals gives any of us a good feeling inside, right? But we are all selfish beings, who have the tendency to do bad - even when we are doing good. We have the tendency to do good, only when we "feel" like it. So often we do good, while looking sideways, or we do it begrudgingly, & have conceited thoughts in our hearts. If ya think about that, we'll both find that we haven't done as much good as we've fooled ourselves into thinking we have.

I'm preaching to myself here!! I need to do good because I have a Savior who set the ultimate example of selflessly doing good for bad people, like me. When I'm having a hard time doing good, or I get bogged down - I need to remind myself that I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. All things I do reflect what I believe - & I believe in doing all things as unto Christ - because he did everything for you & me.

Sometimes, it's easy for me to get frustrated while thinking about people, possibilities, work, relationships, & the (generally beautiful) mess that life is. Each day is an irreplaceable gift, & yet I get easily distracted by stupid things that don't matter or affect me. Compare-ism is the thief of joy & contentedness…I need to stop comparing myself to people.  I need to be comparing myself to Christ!  I need to always make the most of life. I need to do good, at work, to others, my family, (& myself for that matter). I need to strive for greater things. I need to focus on what is at hand, I need to genuinely care for others & make the most of everything. I need to give grace - I have received grace (time & time again) by the people in my life - & I have received unconditional grace from my Heavenly Father. I am so undeserving, & yet he loves me, does good for me, & gives me grace when I am at my worst.

Anyways. All this to say, don't lose time, make the most of it. Yesterday is the past, what can you learn from it? We all have a few scars, but by God's grace we can move forwards. Tomorrow is a mystery, so don't bother stressing about it. As a Christian, I know that God already has everything figured out for me, so I don't need to worry about it. (Sounds easy right? But actually its hard not to worry, something I always need to be working on - deeply trusting God & his infinite plan that is sprinkled with amazing grace.) Today? Well, there's no time like the present. Today is a gift - savor each precious moment. This moment is your life - & its bursting with flavor & spice! We need to be good stewards of our lives & with what we have been given. Sometimes life can get crappy, & bad things happen & pain demands to be felt. Sometimes we've gotta take what we're served. But we can try to fix it when we don't like it, just make the most of it. Be content with what you have. Receive & give grace.

Let's get out of the woods & into the path. Lets try to see things clearly, tread lightly, & live fearlessly. Let's do good. Let's live intentionally. Let's see the beauty around us - so many people "get used" to beauty - So I challenge you to do good, give grace, & keep the wonder with your eyes wide open.… Never stop seeing beauty, its everywhere, & can be found in unlikely places…

-GB

P.S.  My name is Grace, in case you didn't know. If ya look the word up in the dictionary, the definition is: simple elegance or refinement of movement. (Funny, because I'm actually a klutzy adult, who is always tripping over everything. I get lots of "graceful" jokes.) The 2nd definition of 'grace' is: the free & unmerited favor of God, as manifested in the salvation of sinners & bestowal of blessings.

Things Unseen & Death Defeated

The other day I was on my way home, driving on wide open roads, through vast fields blanketed in snow. The beautiful sky overhead, with winter storm clouds brewing ominously in the distance. The sun was sinking below the horizon, casting hues of yellow & pink into the heavens. I was tired, it had been a long (but good) day of skiing. The radio was blaring. I couldn't take it anymore, I need silence. Time to think. Time to pray. I stopped the car, got out, & stood on the gravel road for a few moments & took this ^ picture. I was pondering a situation & asking myself, "Why Lord?" Or maybe it really wasn't a "why" question, but more of "how do I process this?" wondering thought. Then later at home scanning through the Bible, I read the following verses:

"Set your mind on things that are above, not on things that are on earth… As we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal. ~Colossians 3:2, 2 Corinthians 4:18

We live in a fallen world. All is vapor, a dust blowing on the wind. A flower quickly fading… We shouldn't "really" be bothered or angered by the trivial things of the world. We need to trust God to know whats best! He does, every time. I need to remember this, even when the going gets tough. When we rightly trust & fear God with a holy sense of awe & wonder, we should have nothing to fear! (Blessed is the man who fears the Lord, who greatly delights in his commandments! He will have no fear of bad news; his heart is steadfast, trusting in the Lord. ~Psalm 112:1,7) We need to seek refuge under God's wings.

Now, I have another thought. What truly are the things above, that I am to set my mind on? Obviously it's Jesus. Jesus plus nothing equals everything! His promises of eternal life & the assurance of His forgiveness are amazing. I should dwell on God's Word & seek to serve His people. God's Word & fellow Christians are the only things (here on earth) that are eternal. We should strive for the best, using every infinite morsel of our entire beings to glorify & serve our King, to the upmost of our abilities in everything we do. I (we) need to live with eternity in view. ...But how is this thought pattern & mindset to become something that is engrained on our brains, & in our everyday lives? Well, for starters, you & I can totally submerge ourselves in the Living Word. The Bible is such an amazing book, it's so rich, so powerful, ruthless, & poetic - it's truly divine! There is a wealth of information there, just waiting to be read. So dive in deep! We should completely surrender ourselves to God & His infinite wisdom.

Ya know what? I have great peace knowing that all things are in Jesus' hands. My country, the government, my life, etc. Christ has a plan. Sure, at times these "vapors" or problems we encounter can be pretty rough. Sickness, cancer, politicians, or even a broken dishwasher, can discourage you. But stand fast & do not falter. It takes strength & faith in God, to trust in Him through all things; the good & the bad. (So do not fear,  for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. ~Isaiah 41:10) The Christian must never give way to despair & hopelessness. We can always bring our pain & struggles before the Lord in prayer, & He will always do what's best for us. Even if it seems really hard, Christ will never give us more then we can bear. With each coming day Jesus is preparing us for the next. I know the Lord loves me & cares for me, even though I'm a wretched fallen sinner, deserving His just wrath. 

God loved me so much that he sent His son to suffer & die on the cross for my sins. The power of Christ is so magnificent that even Death was defeated by that perfect sacrifice. God sent His Son to die for me, to die for you. Not because of anything good we did or can do, but because of our sin & God's glory. It's SO awesome to think about - The immensity of God's mercy, faithfulness, judgement, & righteousness is incomprehensible! We have been born again adopted into His Kingdom.  (According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. ~1 Peter 1:3) 

Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him.  We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him.  For the death He died, He died to sin, once for all; but the life He lives, He lives to God.  So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.  ~Romans 6:8-11

For God saved us and called us to live a holy life. He did this, not because we deserved it, but because that was his plan from before the beginning of time—to show us his grace through Christ Jesus. ~ 2 Timothy 2:9    

It's simply unfathomable. I'm so thankful for Jesus! I always get really excited as Easter approaches. :) Let's continue to look to great things unseen, celebrate the miracle of life & Christ resurrected.
Have a truly wonderful & blessed Easter!

-GB

When Memory Fades…

Psalm 62:6-8

There are beautiful memories you want to hold on to. Memories of people. Fleeting moments. Feelings. These memories will play through your mind like a flickering movie. Off & on. Off & on. The memory fades. Over the past 5 years, several people I've known have passed away. Two dear mothers & friends, Deaun and Theresa were killed in a car accident. Another friend Denise, mother & beautiful example, was taken by cancer. A childhood friend fell victim to homicide. A precious baby boy named Isacc, was triumphantly taken to Heaven, after only spending several short days here on earth. A Godly father & husband left this world suddenly at Christ's bidding. Another Christian woman, succumbed to cancer. My grandfather & grandmother both passed away. A beautiful girl of 15 years, was swept up to Heaven, called home to sing & dance for the first time before her Savior, free from all her earthly disabilities. It's strange to think about, we are all here for such a short time, but when we feel our time ends too soon, often we are troubled. We need to remember everything happens as God justly preordained. Remember, EVERYTHING is all about God's glory! I rejoice in knowing that all those people I mentioned above, truly loved the Lord. & that the Lord loved them enough to call them home, in HIS perfect timing. They are now free from Death's grasp, & are in a far better place then we could ever imagine; they are truly home, resting in Jesus' arms with all the other saints who have come & gone before us. 

When we feel like we are losing perspective & forgetting the details, we should continually go back & read God's word. It's so important, we need to trust in HIS promises... I also enjoy looking at old photos. They are my memory keepers. & smells too. The smell of railroad tracks always takes me back to Virginia, & reminds me of my dear Pappaw. What are your memory keepers? How do you keep beautiful memories alive?

We've all had bad experiences. You will welcome the fading of these unpleasant memories, so you can keep on going with your life. But you should never forget. To forget is to say, it didn't happen. When hardship comes, I believe it's our calling as Christians, to be Jesus visible. Sometimes it's hard. People will try to pull you down or speak out against you. We need to stand out, be a light to the world in the midst of everything. Let others see that Christ is our Rock. People tell you that the unpleasantness of the moment will dissipate. It will. The jagged edges will soften in time. Some very profound & comforting words spoken to me, during a hard time in my life, were: There will be a new normal. Everything will be okay. -It is so true. Everything is okay. 

God works all things for the good of his people, to bring glory to Himself, in ways we often don't understand. Who hasn’t had their heart broken, watched a friendship fade or lost someone dear to them? I remember feeling relief when I unknowingly came to the place when painful memories weren't forefront in my mind. Sometimes from time to time they will still wander through my mind. But whenever they do, it doesn't hurt anymore. I rejoice & thank God for what I have now & had then. I try to remember the happy memories & moments of people now gone, the beauty of their lives & remember the good times we had together. I've been gratefully living the dream; the new normal, for the past 4 years. I'm now surrounded by amazing people, 2,000 miles away from where the old normal used to be. I'm so grateful for the grace of God in my family's life! How has God worked in your life? 

-GB

Day of Rest?

" A primary qualification for serving God with any amount of success, and for doing God's work well and triumphantly, is a sense of our own weakness. When God's warrior marches forth to battle, strong in his own might, when he boasts, "I know that I shall conquer, my own right arm and my conquering sword shall get unto me the victory," defeat is not far distant. God will not go forth with that man who marches in his own strength. He who reckoneth on victory thus has reckoned wrongly, for "it is not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, saith the Lord of hosts." …Those who serve God must serve him in his own way, and in his strength, or he will never accept their service. That which man doth, unaided by divine strength, God can never own. The mere fruits of the earth he casteth away; he will only reap that corn, the seed of which was sown from heaven, watered by grace, and ripened by the sun of divine love. God will empty out all that thou hast before he will put his own into thee; he will first clean out thy granaries before he will fill them with the finest of the wheat. The river of God is full of water; but not one drop of it flows from earthly springs. God will have no strength used in his battles but the strength which he himself imparts. Are you mourning over your own weakness? Take courage, for there must be a consciousness of weakness before the Lord will give thee victory. Your emptiness is but the preparation for your being filled, and your casting down is but the making ready for your lifting up." 

"When I am weak then am I strong, 


Grace is my shield and Christ my song." 

-Charles Spurgeon

Do we prepare ourselves for worship, like men preparing themselves for warfare? The Sabbath is a day of rest, set aside for worship, but even then, we are still at war. Not only on Sundays, but all through the week, we need to be relentless in rooting out our sins. We need to die daily to self while staying on the straight, narrow path the Lord has set us upon. We should acknowledge our weakness, & dire need of HIS saving grace in our lives. Do we put on the full armor of God before stepping out into the world? Are we trusting in the world, or in Christ? It's so very important to read & study the Bible. Without HIM, we're nothing. There is such a war raging around us! We need to be well disciplined, humble, & quicker then the enemy, while trusting in HIM through all things. No matter where we are in life, God finds us acceptable in the beloved. HIS loving mercies are so abundant! God blesses us, so that we in turn, may bless others. God allows 'bad' things to happen to us, so that we might seek after & glorify HIS name. He never gives us more then we can bare. Our plan 'B', is God's plan 'A'. Everything happens for a reason. HIS grace is sufficient for all things. A glorious bond & truth through Christ have melded us together. We are HIS adopted children. The Lord is so forgiving! Minute by minute, day by day, He forgives you & me, through the blood of HIS son Jesus Christ!  We simply must trust in HIM, serve HIM, & remember that it's not our will, but HIS will, that truly matters in our lives.  Thank you God!   

“For my power is made perfect in weakness." 2 Corinthians 12:9

-GB