Grace

Sometimes you have a week…

where the kids have been sick and everyone has cabin fever…

and you have some friends who are hurting and there's nothing you can do…

and you're tired…

and you're working through forgiveness even when you don't really want to...

and you spend time wondering if you've really got what it takes to do what you've been called to do…

and one of your babies has a birthday and reminds you of the passing of time…

and you remember that 7 years ago to the day your Granny left this earth…

and you want to curl up in bed and stay there for a bit because it seems like a lot when you put it all together. But then the boy comes in from the mailbox and there's a box with your name on it and inside the box is a note…

And under the note is a picture…

And the picture is covering up a beautiful leather purse that you had seen online, but knew you could not spend the money on, even though it supported a wonderful cause…

And you realize that God has used a kind, thoughtful and sensitive friend, whom you rarely get to see even though your hearts were bound together 2 decades before, to remind you that He sees it all…

And the tag line for the company that made the purse makes you laugh out loud when you see it because isn't that just like Him to remind you in an unexpected way that you're one of those women who has overcome and that's not going to change…

 because it's not about you…

it's about GRACE…

and this Grace upon Grace flows out of HIS fullness…

So you breathe deeply and continue to do what the card suggested…

be assured of His great dream of…

ME…

because…

I AM LOVED!!!

Little Things Can Be Big Things

Today I was thinking over the last 5 years since we have come to lead The Cross Loganville and all that has happened during that time. It has been an amazing time and it has been a hard time, but the things that stand out the most are the little moments. The moments that involve a passing word or a kind deed. The moments that don't involve any fanfare, but ultimately communicate so much. I started thinking about all the kindnesses that have been shown to us these last 5 years and, while they are way too many to count, some really stand out.

One of these moments came to mind as I was pondering it all and it made me feel loved and cared for all over again. This moment came in the midst of something that had me unusually flustered and out of sorts. I'm normally pretty laid back and not much gets my feathers too ruffled, but I was all in a tizzy this particular day. It just so happened that the reason for my frantic state came about on my way to church so when I got there a friend got a firsthand glimpse at "crazy Barb". This particular friend is quiet, soft-spoken and exceedingly kind. She overheard my dilemma as I related it to Tim and she gently stepped in and offered to do something that would alleviate much of my stress at the moment. She didn't have to offer and no one else was there to witness it. She didn't ask for an explanation with all the gory details attached. She just saw a need and did what she could to help. 

After I got done replaying this special moment in my mind, I texted my friend. I reminded her of what had happened (although "crazy Barb" was probably hard for her to forget) and I thanked her again for the kind, quiet way that she ministered to me that day. I told her that moment with her made me feel cared for and it made me feel like I mattered and I wanted her to know I hadn't forgotten. 

How about you? What are some of the small, seemingly insignificant moments that really stand out to you? Who has extended a kindness to you that you haven't forgotten? Who made you feel like you had value and you mattered? 

Why don't you tell them? Call them, text them, or pay them a visit. Let them know what they did and how it made you feel. While initially it was them who encouraged you, you just might be able to return the favor by encouraging them. My friend told me my text made her smile this morning and that meant the world to me. I hope it made her feel like who she is and what she does for others matters…and that's worth remembering!!

"Encourage one another and build each other up!!!!"

1 Thessalonians 5:11

Fresh Slate?

We hear a lot about how the beginning of a physical new year is a fresh slate full of new opportunities. While there is some truth to that, I think the concept can be a little deceptive, not to mention disappointing. The things I was dealing with on December 31, 2015 didn't mysteriously disappear January 1, 2016. The people with whom my life was intertwined in 2015 didn't all hit a personal reset button so that we could begin our relationships again this year in a healthier, less messy way. Much of my life in 2015 has spilled into 2016 whether I wanted it to or not. I didn't get to take a giant eraser and smudge out all those things that weighed me down in 2015 so that I could start fresh and less encumbered.

What I do get to do, though, is have a physical mile marker along the road of my life at which I can pause, contemplate and make a new resolve. I often pray and ask the Lord to give me a word for the year. It's not necessarily a Biblical exercise whose origin I can point to anywhere in scripture, but it's rather a personal exercise designed to recalibrate as I move forward into the new year. Some years I know way ahead of time which word the Lord is impressing on me to pursue and others it has felt so forced that I have abandoned it all together.  This year, though, I believe the Lord clearly showed me a word because it is the message I kept hearing Him whisper to my heart the last few weeks, before I even really started thinking about the need for a new word.

Focus…

Focus…

Focus…

That's my word.

When I feel overwhelmed with all that's on my plate…

FOCUS!

When I feel pulled in so many different directions…

FOCUS!

When I'm tempted to listen to the lies of the enemy…

FOCUS!

When I would rather distract myself with Netflix, Facebook or Solitaire…

FOCUS!

When the words of accusers ring louder than than the words of Truth…

FOCUS!

When I feel the overwhelming urge to roll up the sidewalk and stay in bed with the covers over my head…

FOCUS!

When relationships feel messy…

FOCUS!

So while my slate may not be clean and shiny, I am choosing to focus on Jesus! I am choosing to eliminate distractions and find my best YES when presented with opportunities. I am choosing to not allow the frenzied requests of others to dictate my decisions. I am choosing to put down the phone and the iPad and engage instead of using them to escape. We are not victims of our circumstances and we always have a choice!!!

(Image before "Jesus" was added taken from http://blog.picsart.com/post/how-to-draw-a-camera-a-step-by-step-drawing-tutorial)

I choose Jesus!!!!!

Colossians 3:2 ~ "Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth."

 Hebrews 12:2-3 ~ "Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we’re in. Study how he did it. Because he never lost sight of where he was headed—that exhilarating finish in and with God—he could put up with anything along the way: Cross, shame, whatever. And now he’s there, in the place of honor, right alongside God. When you find yourselves flagging in your faith, go over that story again, item by item, that long litany of hostility he plowed through."