gentle

Beloved Day 6 A Lover’s Delight

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Song of Solomon 4:12-16
Genesis 2:18-25
Proverbs 31:10-12

Beloved, Day 6

Have you ever walked in a garden under a pale moonlight? It’s counterintuitive, but at night, a garden truly glows. Everything is bathed in the moon’s gentle light. Visitors can breathe in the sweet fragrance of roses and lavenders, an intoxicating aroma.

During the day, the gardener tends to the plot, and the garden becomes hard-working and industrious. But at night, the garden invites the gardener to lay down the stresses of the day and rest in the pleasure of the fruits of his labor.

Our God is a giver. In Scripture, we encounter His gifts of both literal and metaphorical gardens. In the beginning, He created a world full of blessings. Then, God gave Adam and Eve dominion over creation and entrusted them to rule as He would. God also gave mankind the gifts of food and His Sabbath rest. Tucked away in the midst of all those blessings was another gift, a command to be fruitful and multiply while subduing the Earth.

In Genesis 2, we learn of the creation of the first man, Adam, and how God entrusted him with two gardens. The literal garden of Eden was given as part of Adam’s domain to cultivate, because it is where Heaven met Earth. The second and metaphorical garden, Eve, was given to Adam because God saw Adam needed a companion and helper in order to fulfill his purpose.

In the union of Adam and Eve, we find the design for pure delight and pleasure within marriage:

“This is why a man leaves his father and mother and bonds with his wife, and they become one flesh. Both the man and his wife were naked, but felt no shame.”
(Genesis 2:24-25)
Wrapped up in the sacred space of marriage, both husband and wife were truly free and truly satisfied.

Song of Solomon builds upon the foundation laid in Genesis, giving us a detailed look at God’s plan for pleasure and delight within the boundaries of marriage. Chapter 4 recounts the culmination of the wedding ceremony; here, we find the groom describing his bride as an abundant garden.

Within the garden metaphor, our Creator begins to unlock the mystery of Godly marriage. A good gardener tends carefully to his garden, looking forward to a fruitful harvest. He protects it from pests and disease and rot. The gardener removes troublesome weeds, ensuring a nutrient-rich environment. Finally, his gentle hand encourages flowers and fruit-producing trees to grow. Such a prized and prioritized garden will not only produce an abundant harvest, but will be a great beauty to behold.

In the same way, a husband is to tenderly care for, encourage, and protect his wife, helping her to flourish. Proverbs 31 describes a wife who is industrious and productive under the care of a good gardener.

Within the partnership of Godly marriage, both husband and wife, gardener and garden, delight in the pleasures of a fruitful harvest. In the safety and innocence of lifelong commitment, spouses find every physical sense captivated and exhilarated:

“You have captured my heart with one glance of your eyes;
With one jewel of your necklace.
How delightful your caresses are, my sister, my bride.
Your caresses are much better than wine,
And the fragrance of your perfume, than any balsam.
Your lips drip sweetness like the honeycomb, my bride.
Honey and milk are under your tongue.”
(Song of Solomon 4:9-11, emphasis mine)

As with a garden, cultivating joy and pleasure within marriage requires time and intention. After the battles of the day have been fought, and the responsibilities of the day are laid to rest after bedtime prayers, husband and wife must intentionally turn their hearts, minds, and bodies to one another. Just as a vigilant gardener tends to every corner of his garden, we must make space to nurture our emotional, relational, spiritual, and physical connections.

But this sweet image of man and wife delighting in the fragrance and abundance of their nighttime garden is incomplete. Spouses will never find full delight, full satisfaction, full completion, solely in their mates . . . because husband and wife are human, and imperfect, and sinful.

Only when we have first found fullness of delight in God (our perfect, holy, lacking-in-nothing and possessing-all-we-need God) can we turn our attention from the scarcity in our spouse to overflowing gratitude for all the ways God blesses us through him.

And so, sisters, in the gardens of our marriages, let us first pursue and delight in our Master Gardener. Then, let’s enjoy the blessing of love and take delight in our spouses all the days of our lives.

“Go, eat your bread with pleasure, and drink your wine with a cheerful heart, for God has already accepted your works. Let your clothes be white all the time, and never let oil be lacking on your head. Enjoy life with the wife you love all the days of your fleeting life, which has been given to you under the sun, all your fleeting days. For that is your portion in life and in your struggle under the sun.”
(Ecclesiastes 9:7-9)

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Calling Day 13 One To Another

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Ephesians 5:15-6:9
Mark 12:28-34
Psalm 133:1-3

Calling, Day 13

I saw the picture.
I bet you did, too.

George Floyd’s body on the ground, a police officer’s knee to his neck.

I. Can’t. Breathe.

And the Church began to move.

While racial injustice has soared for the United States’ entire existence and slavery built the understructure of our nation, we’ve been quiet.

Excuses.

“If only…”
“Well, if they hadn’t…”
“They should’ve…”

Until the injustice was so blatantly obvious we couldn’t ignore it any longer.

I’m ashamed it took the dying words of a lynched man to wake us up.

Our call to love, to submit, to live in unity within the Church is as old as mankind
because our God is a God of unity.

All throughout Scripture, God tells us to love. He shows us He is a listening and hearing God and since we were made in His image, we should be listening and hearing, too.

Yet.

We have women in abusive marriages begging for help.
While the Church looks away. 

We have children crying for parents to love and care for them.
While the Church looks away. 

We have Black neighbors decrying injustice and racism of all kinds.
While the Church looks away. 

Or, at least, it did.

In Ephesians, Paul calls the Church to action, disputing the idea we were ever given permission to turn a blind eye to the many dark injustices in the world.

First, he calls us to unity, instructing us to be wise and clear-minded. He exhorts us to speak to one another with the music of heaven threaded through our words and to worship together, offer our thanks to the Lord, and …
submit to one another in reverent awe of Christ. 

Did you catch the lack of distinction?

Submit.
Every. Single. Believer.

The world tries to put the Bible within the context of its own darkened, limited, sin-stained understanding. Unfortunately, many Christians believe the world, instead of reading the Bible and commentaries and seeking the perfect understanding of the Holy Spirit. (Example: the world likes to say, “Only God can judge me.” But we know from Scripture, that is a misrepresentation to excuse sin.)

So, it’s no surprise we’ve believed the world’s pronouncement that submission is archaic, antifeminist, and oppressive. The idea of submission can leave us with a bad aftertaste if we refuse to learn what the Lord truly means by the beautiful dance of submission.

The Lord’s desire for us to submit, each to the other, whoever the “other” is, regardless of gender, heritage, race, position, or ethnicity, is born out of how God holds submission within Himself as a triune God. Each member of the trinity actively submits to the other to bring about whole oneness and perfect unity.
A lovely, holy dance of submission, one to another.

If we, as Christians, submitted “one to the other”, we would look a lot more like Jesus than we do right now.

Biblical submission is not archaic, antifeminist, or oppressive.
It isn’t abusive, it’s beautiful.

Submitting means putting others before ourselves.

In fact, the idea of biblical submission is closely related to meekness. Before you start thinking this means weakness, here’s the definition Jesus referenced for the Greek word for meek:

“Intentionally choosing to lovingly, gently defer in order to esteem and value another.”

Meek submission requires strength of character, complete reliance on God to supply our needs, and a tender, compassionate willingness to pause and listen to others’ words and respond to their needs. Meek submission lovingly and intentionally lays aside our own arrogant need to be right and instead, elevates the other person.

In order to live this way in our everyday lives, we must first submit to God by fully grasping His will for the Church to live as one unified Body.

Now here’s the thing… when I say the Church looks away when injustice reigns, I don’t mean every church or every person in the Church, but shouldn’t we be unified in opposition to injustice?

When People of Color within the Church speak up on division, shouldn’t the whole Church hold each other up?
That’s unity.
That’s submission.
That’s meekness.

Paul goes on to explain wives are to submit to their husbands, children are to honor and respect their parents, and slaves are to obey their masters (or employees to employers), all of which looks like a big, heaping spoonful of beautiful, godly, strong and gentle, meek submission.

Before Paul really gets into details, he first instructs us to speak to one another in love, give thanks, and submission to one another.

No distinction. No qualification. No excuse.

All of us are to submit to one another. 

And all are to submit to Christ.

“I give you a new command: Love one another. Just as I have loved you, you are also to love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
–Jesus

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Calling Day 11 The Lens Of Truth

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Ephesians 5:6-14
Psalm 36:5-12
John 12:44-50
1 Peter 1:13-25
Revelation 6:12-17

Calling, Day 11

A dear friend gave my daughter a delightful pair of purple sunglasses a few weeks ago. She is absolutely smitten with them. Plastic jewels and gems adorn the frames, and they are larger than her last pair, so they fit her better. The tint of the lenses is rather dark, but she feels like such a big girl when she’s wearing them, she’ll insist she can see just fine, thank you very much.

It’s no rare occasion to find her twirling in the sunlight streaming through my front window, wearing those purple, sparkly sunglasses. There’s a shift in her gait when she puts them on; it’s obvious she just feels different.

Take a breath, Christian. We’re going deeper, fast.

Paul’s exhortation to the Ephesians about light versus darkness is an object lesson about delivering truth in love, to say the least. (Ephesians 5:6-14) He didn’t mince words about the dangers to followers of Christ who live in the world. If anything, he underscored the arduous reality of a life surrendered to Christ. He spoke the unpopular truth that those who are disobedient to God will face His wrath. He called out the Ephesians and warned them against even partnering with those who do not obey God. Furthermore, Paul exhorted the church in Ephesus to not only remove themselves from any association with those who do not obey God, but to actually expose their deeds of darkness.

Are you squirming? I am. Talk about high challenge. Not only were the believers at Ephesus not to associate with those who do not follow God, but they were to actually expose the dark deeds of those who were enemies of the Lord.

“Let no one deceive you with empty arguments, for God’s wrath is coming on the disobedient because of these things. Therefore, do not become their partners.” (Ephesians 5:6-7)

Paul’s words were concise and deliberate. They slice through potential internal or external argument, explanation, and even current cultural caution with razor-sharp, Spirit-led acumen. His challenge left no question about the gravity of their, and our, calling.

“For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light for the fruit of the light consists of all goodness, righteousness, and truth – testing what is pleasing to the Lord. Don’t participate in the fruitless works of darkness, but instead expose them.” (Ephesians 5:8-11)

His words were filled with truth, but do you recognize what they aren’t filled with? Accusation, or condemnation. No, these words were delivered in love. Make no mistake; there is a high challenge here, but there is equipping and invitation here, too. Paul extended a hand to the believers at Ephesus when he called them out of popular culture and up into Kingdom culture as he reminded them Whose they were.

He’s inviting us, too.

Christian, does any part of Paul’s challenge indicate we have a call on our lives to blend in with the rest of the world, or to value what is valued by those who do not follow our Father? Further, what do you think might be one of the most effective ways the enemy intends to quiet the hands and feet and voice of Jesus on earth today? 

Might it be to keep them so occupied with the day to day things,
and the big, overwhelming cultural things,
and the general state of the world things,
and their very feelings, that they forget they are merely temporary citizens here?

Exhale.

It’s time for each of us to be honest with the God we serve.

Is it possible we have been looking at the world, and our lives, through a darkened worldly perspective? We have been going through the motions of a Christian walk, but is it merely an accompaniment to our worldly life?

Beloved, what drives you?
Are you ruled by your feelings, or by your Father?
Are you more vested in the things the world holds dear, or the things of your Father’s Kingdom?

Hard questions. Typing them wrecks me, too. But we have to ask them. Daily. And more importantly, we have to answer them.

Because this is what Paul’s words mean. 

We are called to be children of light. Just like my daughter needed to take off her sunglasses to see clearly, we are called to remove every darkened lens which affects our judgement. To test all beliefs with the discernment He gives. To speak the truth, and illuminate the dark deeds of the enemy, and to point always to our Father. We are called to be a royal priesthood, a holy nation. A peculiar, set-apart people. (1 Peter 2:9) This world is not our home. We reside here, for a time, as God has ordained, but this life is but a breath.
Paul’s words are true, and they are for us today. 

There is a God in heaven, and in us, if we have given our lives to Him. He will fulfill all He has said He will fulfill, and He has called us to carry His Kingdom throughout all the earth.

Christian, take off your shades and walk in the light!

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Embracing God’s fullness in our lives is rooted in scripture and memorizing His word is vital to our continued growth and depth with Jesus. Tap and hold from your mobile device to download this week’s verse and make it your phone’s lockscreen!

Thanks for joining us today as we journeyed into Calling Week Three! Don’t miss out on the discussion below – we’d love to hear your thoughts!

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The GT Weekend! ~ Sketched VIII Week 1

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The GT Weekend!

At Gracefully Truthful, weekends aren’t for “checking out”.
Use this time to invite the Almighty’s fullness into you life in a deeper way!
Saturdays and Sundays are a chance to
reflect, rest, and re-center our lives onto Christ.
Don’t miss the opportunity to connect with other women in prayer,
rest your soul in reflective journaling,
and spend time worshiping the Creator who
longs for intimacy with each of us!

Worship Through Journaling

Worship Through Journaling

1) When justice seems to have vanished. When anger, hurt, betrayal, and an overwhelming sense of being utterly alone sweep over you. When you are there, you can relate to Hagar. Her story is one of the greatest outcast narratives in the Bible, and the glorious encounter she experienced with the Lord Himself is all the more beautiful because of her place of defeat. He met her in the desert places of her heart with an oasis of love, tender care, and deep knowing that embraced her brokenness and hurt in a way no one else could. Where do you recognize parts of your story intersecting with Hagar’s? What part of the Lord’s encounter with her do you long for in your own life? Take this to God in prayer, share it with a trusted, believing friend, and trust the Lord sees and knows you and your scenario as deeply as He did for Hagar!

2) What Zacchaeus lacked in stature and integrity, he compensated for in passionate pursuit. He was hungry, and He knew it. He had heard of Jesus and He wanted more. Life wasn’t fulfilling despite his best attempts to satisfy his palate for wealth and prosperity. Jesus, however, already knew Zach’s story. He already knew every detail, every sin, and every lonely place in Zacchaeus’ heart. He was wooing Zacchaeus’ heart long before Zacchaeus climbed that Sycamore tree to catch a glimpse of the Lord. It’s easy for us to think we are the ones who need to chase Jesus, capture His attention, and be close to Him. But this isn’t the heart of God revealed in Scripture. He is already near to each of us. Perhaps you’ve been running and you’re feeling wearied by the chase. Take to heart that Christ Jesus already knows your story and loves you!

3) Yesterday, Carol led us beautifully into one woman’s story of responding to Jesus’ majesty, kindness, and gentle love. Being near Him carried a cost for this woman as she was outcast of all outcasts. Simply being present near Him carried the risk of being shoved aside and trampled. This woman went farther still though, she dared to touch His skin and wipe His feet with a love she had first felt extended to her through His divine grace. There at the feet of Jesus, the woman gave her gift that had cost her everything, yet she left full, whole, and satisfied for an eternity to come. Emptying everything had resulted in all-surpassing fullness. Forgiven. Shameless. Whole. Don’t let the idea of surrendering to the God who loves you completely keep you from experiencing the abundance He offers to all who come to Him.

Praying Scripture back to the One who wrote it in the first place is a great way to jump start our prayer-life! Pray this passage from Luke 19:8-10 back to the Lord and
let His Spirit speak to you through it!

But Zacchaeus stood there and said to the Lord, “Look, I’ll give half of my possessions to the poor, Lord. And if I have extorted anything from anyone, I’ll pay back four times as much.” “Today salvation has come to this house,” Jesus told him, “because he too is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save the lost.”

Prayer Journal
True repentance always brings about life change. Father, the more I follow You, the more I see how there are highs and lows in the genuine following of my everyday life. Sometimes, I feel so close to You, while there are entire seasons where I wonder if You have forgotten me. Lord, teach me in all seasons to hold unswervingly to the truth that You are always fully present, always taking me deeper with You, and always making me new. Teach my heart to dwell in a state of humble repentance towards Your Spirit, so I am ready to keep following You.

Worship Through Community

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Comment Here or in our Facebook Community Group!

Worship Through Prayer

Worship Through Music

Neighbor Day 3 For The Love

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Luke 10:25-37
1 Peter 4:7-16
John 13:1-15

Neighbor, Day 3

Then an expert in the law stood up to test Him, saying,
“Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
(Luke 10:25)

Do.
What must I DO….to inherit eternal life.

When I said, “I do” to my husband, like any other wife, I had no idea what I was saying yes to.

I thought I was saying yes to….
Lifelong happiness.
A good partner.
Someone who would always cheer me on.
A leader I would always want to follow.
Never feeling alone.

What I didn’t think I was saying yes to….
Feeling alone for huge chunks of our marriage.
Wondering if I’d married the “wrong person”.
Feeling more encouraged by my barista than my husband.
Wondering how we could disagree about so. many. things.
Making plans for how to survive if he left me.
Long seasons of sadness.

Eventually, when all my expectations kept falling flat, and I realized I just might not get that “happily ever after”, I was ready to throw it all away…and blame God in the process.

I had stayed in the marriage.
I had been loving and kind. (well….mostly)
I had done the hard relational work.
I had been patient.
I had been prayerful.

I felt I had “done” everything I could, and God….well, He should have done something more…

He should have changed my husband.
He should have made marriage easier.
He should have made us more similar than different.
This was His fault.

If Jesus had been living on earth in physical form around years 7-8 of my marriage (and 9-10, and 11-13…), I probably would have driven over to His house and had a little “come to Jesus meeting.”

And it probably would have looked quite a bit like the conversation between Jesus and the lawyer recorded in Luke’s gospel.

What else could I possibly DO for You to give me a good marriage, Jesus?!
Do you not see how hard I’ve worked here?
Do you not see how hard this is?
What more must I do?!

When the lawyer approached Jesus that afternoon in Jerusalem, he had an agenda, and it wasn’t a heart-felt, how-can-I-change-to-honor-God attitude, either. He wanted to justify himself before this carpenter man from no-good Nazareth who claimed to be the Promised Messiah. He wanted the mic drop moment, where Jesus would be forced to give props to the lawyer and all his astounding “goodness”.

Jesus’ answered the lawyer, the expert on the law, by turning his question back on him with such poignancy, such directness, yet such intimate tenderness, it was impossible to miss Jesus’ heart for people.

In His own culture, Jesus did what I imagine He would have done for me if I had stormed His house with my own agenda. In my mind, He would have poured me a coffee and sat with me on the front steps while I poured out my frustrations, along with a solid dose of self-righteousness. Then, when I took a breath, He would have begun sharing a story. A story about me. A story I would be drawn into. A story that would take my breath away with its accuracy.

“A man was going down from Jerusalem….”, Jesus began, immediately arresting the attention of all those around Him, especially the lawyer. His story went on, full of nuances the expert of the Law would not have missed, while making His point that both examples of self-righteous souls in His story severely missed the mark precisely because they were keenly focused on their ability to perform and do.

Then, unexpectedly, there was a third character in Jesus’ story. A man who simply by being mentioned, would have turned the stomachs of those listening, especially our lawyer friend. The lawyer’s fists began to tighten and the color rushed to his cheeks as the despised man of the story turned out to be the hero instead of the righteous doers.

Without missing a single beat, Jesus looked squarely in the lawyer’s eyes (and mine), and asked, “Which of these three do you think proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?

Perhaps it was with clenched teeth and a stubborn insistence to not roll his eyes, the lawyer responded with resignation, “The one…” How it galled him that the hero was from a people group he loathed with every fiber of his being! He took a big gulp of air and quickly finished, “The one who showed mercy.”

Again, in a nanosecond, Jesus would have picked up our empty coffee cups, tossed me my car keys from the front stoop, and said with that kind, gentle, firm voice,
“Go and do the same.”

Dumbfounded, and awash with the kind of realization that just keeps hitting you like ocean waves, I would walk back to my car knowing I had a single calling in my marriage, to love like that man who was the very least likely to love.

I was called to be merciful.
I was called to be a good neighbor, not a self-righteous one.
I had been invited, by the Lord of All, to love my husband deeply, and continuously, because the Jesus-kind-of-love covers a multitude of sins. (1 Peter 4:8)

What could the lawyer do to earn eternal life?
Nothing.
Absolutely nothing.
So how could he access eternity?
By becoming like the Savior, which is only possible by a complete heart-transplant. Death to the old way of doing things, and coming alive to the love of Jesus and His mercy by trusting Him for salvation alone. No work of ours could suffice.

This really wasn’t about how my husband should change.
This was about my willingness to look at Jesus’ perfection instead of my marital flaws. When I found satisfaction in Christ, He fueled me to love my husband in a way that truly honored Him.

With startling clarity, as I reflected on that coffee meeting with Jesus that afternoon, I was reminded of another scene.
One where smelly, dirt-caked feet were held by the Master of the Universe and gently washed. Humility paired beautifully with lavish, divine love. Humility picked up feet that didn’t deserve His attention, and love bathed them with tenderness.
Christ’s words after giving such a majestic gift?
“Go and do the same.”

Being a neighbor to my husband means washing feet.
It means humility and love and tender mercy.
None of which are possible in my own human strength. I need divine intervention for this calling, which is why I need Jesus and His love to make me new.
For the love of Jesus, I can love my man.
For the love of Christ, I can go, and do the same as my Lord has done for me.

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Embracing God’s fullness in our lives is rooted in scripture and memorizing His word is vital to our continued growth and depth with Jesus. Tap and hold from your mobile device to download this week’s verse and make it your phone’s lockscreen!

Thanks for joining us today as we journeyed into Neighbor Week One! Don’t miss out on the discussion below – we’d love to hear your thoughts!

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Here’s a link to all past studies in Neighbor!

Here Day 3 Mary

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Luke 1:26-38
Luke 1:46-56
Isaiah 7:13-14
Deuteronomy 21:22-23
2 Samuel 7:12-13

Here, Day 3

“Whoooo.” I expelled the mouthful of air as pressure stretched like a band across my taut belly. That was a strong one, I thought. They are getting longer. I leaned back against the rough straw and continued to breathe slowly. In, and out. In, and out. I could feel my nose wrinkle at the musty smell, and I laughed quietly during the moment’s reprieve.

“Drink some water, Mary.” Joseph tipped the small cup to my lips. Cool liquid spilled over my teeth and I swallowed quickly in an effort to beat the next contraction. “It won’t be long now, don’t worry.” His voice was steady. I rested my hand on his and squeezed gently.

Dear Joseph. My thoughts drifted.

What kind of man would believe that his betrothed was expecting a baby fathered by the Lord, let alone stay by her side, never wavering? What kind of man would set aside fear of what others might think or say, forsaking what his culture dictates must be done?

The answer came quickly. A man who listens to God.
A man who will shepherd well. 

Shepherd? Well…that’s perfect, isn’t it? I chuckled again, and Joseph glanced over in concern before returning to his task. My laugh gave way to a quiet gaze as I surreptitiously watched him tidy what he could around the small space. This probably is a rather frightening scene. His young bride, not yet known by him, but miraculously pregnant with the Son of the Most High… and about to give birth on a bed of straw with sheep rustling about just a few feet away. What must he be feeling? 

What are You thinking, Lord? I pressed gently on the side of my belly to see if I could feel the outline of a tiny, holy foot, but another contraction caused my muscles to tighten. I gripped the cup in my hand tightly and breathed with intention, my knuckles white against the dark clay. In, and out. In, and out. 

“Joseph.” In a flash, he knelt by my side. “Soon,” I murmured.

My throat constricted suddenly, and I felt breathless in a wholly different way as the events and emotions of the past nine months rose from my belly and began to stir in my mind. How could any of this be? And yet, it was. We were finally at the brink of fulfillment, after months of trusting, questioning, and praying. Sudden tears pricked my eyelids.

Months of rejection and isolation. Our friends and family had been…confused, to say the least. That’s too kind, I thought. They were like strangers. They didn’t understand. And how could they? We didn’t understand, either.

But we believed the Word of the Lord. 

Joseph’s rough hand settled over mine, and the comforting weight of it soothed me. I glanced up to find concern pooling in his dark, warm gaze. “You’re doing great, Mary.” I nodded gratefully, unable to articulate the words. His lips curved in a wistful smile, and I recognized that he understood.

Of course he did. His own family had treated him like a pariah. No one believed the babe I carried wasn’t his own. Everyone urged him to divorce me, and when he didn’t, they assumed that his conscience wouldn’t allow it because the baby was his. 

And he carried the weight of it all silently, with grace and kindness. He had been a perfect model of support and shelter, always caring for my needs and those of our little soon-to-be family. 

Another wave rippled across my abdomen, and this time, beads of sweat broke across my forehead. Joseph counted quietly beside me and dabbed my temple with a piece of cloth. I breathed. In, and out. In, and-

Lord, WHO AM I? The sudden, silent prayer stirred up from my spirit and startled me as it tore through my soul, in tandem with the sudden succession of contractions which seemed to take over my body.

Why me? Why US?
I am not worthy to mother the Son of the Most High! Lord, what are You doing? I believe You and Your Word, but I don’t understand.
What if we say the wrong things?
What if we don’t teach Him the things You want us to teach Him?
What will He think of us as He grows?
We are not sinless, we make sacrifice for our sins just like everyone else.
I am your servant, and I will do what You have asked,
but we
are
not
qualified
for
this!

In, and out. In, and out. Through flowing tears, I felt my heart rate slow as I breathed once again and realized the waves of pain had ceased. The blood rushing through my ears went suddenly silent as I realized I was hearing something I had never heard before. Confusion and joy battled in my mind, and I realized it sounded something like…rushing water. My heart stopped for a moment as I searched desperately for the source.

There. With Joseph. 

He was standing near my feet, facing way from me. His broad shoulders shook with emotion. Slowly, he turned toward me, and I could see that he was openly weeping. His big, strong hands trembled, and everything in me stilled when I saw what he held there.

Who he held there.

“Yeshua.” Jesus. His name slipped across my lips like honey, and as Joseph handed Him to me, I was flooded with sudden, perfect peace.

He is here.

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Esther Day 3 Trash Or Treasure

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Esther 2
Isaiah 49:15-16       
Isaiah 61:1-4
Matthew 10:29-31
1 Peter 3:1-6

Esther, Day 3

Ugh, another red dot…at my age?

I spent an hour doing my hair today and no one noticed.

My clothes won’t fit; I need to go to the gym.

We’ve all had those times of looking in the mirror and not liking what we see.
It doesn’t take much looking around to discover the world has dragged us into a place where beauty is necessary to survive. 

Television commercials, magazines, billboards, and even friends and family sell us on the necessity of beauty. Buy this product, eat this food, go to the gym, wear this outfit; the taglines scream from everywhere.

We must have that make-up, that membership, and those clothes. We buy new clothes and use a new beauty treatment only to watch the trend fade.

The world has tossed women to a pack of wolves by defining what is beautiful by what is fleeting.  It feels as if we’re always on the stage of the beauty pageant, waiting to hear where we stand.  First, runner up, less than perfect, or worse…last.
Undesirable, unwanted, and unworthy.

Beth Moore, a fellow champion for women to be esteemed with the value God ordains, shares transparently on how tough it is to be a woman. It is tough living in a world where beauty is valued by status.  It is tough living in a world where beauty is treated as something you are entitled to or something you earn.   It is tough to fight against the need to be beautiful instead of being the woman God wants us to be.

This fight to be beautiful isn’t new.
The need to stand above the rest, be noticed, and valued are battles women have waged for centuries. In this chapter of Esther, we find a king looking to replace his banished queen.

He didn’t walk the city and randomly select a pretty face or a hardworking handmaiden. Neither did he scour the synagogues to find a woman of noble character.  This decision was intentional and calculated, hinging on one criteria, his enjoyment of her appearance.
And he wanted the very best.
The king ordered all eligible maidens to the palace to begin eliminating “lesser beauties”. He designed his own beauty pageant where he would win first prize of the prettiest body, while she lost, being valued on gorgeousness alone.

One year of beauty treatments and special dietary regimes were implemented to smooth rough skin, clear imperfections, and fatten scrawny bodies. These ladies’ appearances were the result of real, regular everyday living, just like us.  The arid climate and sun exposure led to dry skin and tan lines instead of the preferred pale complexion and supple flesh. Arms strengthened from everyday workloads and thin figures resulting from low food supply weren’t signs of beauty in this culture, but of poverty.

Where real life was evident, ‘beauty’ was applied.

After all these treatments, they chose clothing and jewelry to impress the king.  Each woman visited the king for a single night. After their one-night-stand, they were sent away, not just from the king, but from the other women….and men.

Sexually soiled, they were now unclean. Whatever life and family they had known and loved before this night was now forever lost. Most ladies would never return home after this disgrace because they had no chance of marriage.  The fate of these women was worse than being last in a beauty pageant.
Their dignity had been stolen as they were tossed out, discarded like trash.

Doesn’t this ancient dichotomy feel well-fitted to today’s message?
Either apply the beauty and win the comparison pageant, or be tossed aside as trash.

For Esther, the Lord used her beauty and her heart to win not only the favor of the King, but of the people around her as well. Esther’s outward beauty was enhanced by her kind and gentle heart; a ‘treatment’ no Persian aesthetician could touch.

Though Esther was chosen as queen, she wasn’t treated much better than the other woman.  She had no rights other than the title, “Queen of Persia”.  She was also Jewish, a people who had largely forgotten about their God as they blended with culture around them, and who probably also felt cast off from Him in the years since they’d been exiled in Persia.

Maybe you’re in a place of forgotten and unwanted too.
Transparently, I’m single and have never married; I’m tired of counting how many times I’ve been rejected and labeled “not worth it”.  Someone here knows the sting of feeling undesirable when a husband walks out to find a younger version of beautiful.  Or maybe you’ve worked hard for a promotion, only to be overlooked by someone “better qualified.”

The appearance of ‘beauty’ comes in many shades, and often, if we aren’t cultivating the beauty of our hearts first, we become a casualty of ‘cast off’.

God does not treat us this way! 
We are not pushed onto a stage while God inspects every inch of us, exasperated by our imperfection. He will not toss us aside like trash, because we aren’t.

When God looks for beauty, He’s looking on the inside. (I Samuel 16:7)
He takes our brokenness and makes it beautiful. (Isaiah 61:3)
God doesn’t forget those the world has forgotten. (Isaiah 49:15-16)
We hear “not good enough” or “not valuable”, but God says we are more important than sparrows.  (Matthew 10:29-31)
He sent His Son to save us from our sin because He made us for being treasured.

“The LORD has chosen you to be a people for His treasured possession…” 
(Deuteronomy 7:6)

When the world judges us for what we are, remember WHOSE we are!
Remember you are a beautiful treasure!

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Thanks for joining us today as we journeyed into Esther Week One! Don’t miss out on the discussion below – we’d love to hear your thoughts!

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Open Day 13 Radical Offering

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Read His Words Before Ours!

2 Kings 4:8-17
Matthew 6:1-4
Matthew 25:42-46

Open, Day 13

Twelve years ago, I met a woman we’ll call “Marcy”.
Marcy’s children and I went to the same school and attended the same church. I knew Marcy’s children better than I knew Marcy, but over the years, we served together in different ministries at church and grew closer.

Marcy and her family live in a beautiful home, her husband has a solid job, and from the outside looking in, it appears that Marcy has everything she needs and even wants. That’s all pretty surface-y, but I’m guessing we can all imagine someone with Marcy’s lifestyle.

However, I know something else about Marcy….
I know she and her husband live out selfless generosity.
All without saying anything to anyone.

The only way I could possibly know this is if I were a benefactor of their open-handed generosity… which I am.
Marcy has opened her home over and over as a welcome place for discipleship, worship, blessing, celebrating, and feeding others. Including me.
I’ve watched Marcy open her arms to people of all walks of life… sometimes she doesn’t remember their names, but she never forgets a face! That Marcy would literally give the shoes off of her feet to someone… and she has.

My mom once told Marcy the shoes she was wearing were adorable and that I would love them. Finding out we wore the same size, she literally took her shoes off of her feet, handed them to my mom, and told her to give them to me.

Marcy’s husband has used his profession to assist my parents on the mission field at no cost to them. Together they bought my entire cart full of Christmas gifts when we ran into one another at Target, where they were purchasing food to serve to parents with sick kiddos.  This couple have poured themselves out to love others in countless ways as they have discipled, mentored, and given away what they had for others. Marcy told me once that nothing they own is actually theirs, it all belongs to God. 

The reason we’re even calling her “Marcy”, is because many of the times she has given to me, she has sworn me to secrecy. She and her husband live out Matthew 6:1-4 with extravagance! While I could go on about this couple and their generosity, they would humbly remind me that living with open hands and hearts is simply the means by which they are called to further the Kingdom.

Marcy reminds me of a woman in the Bible whose name also isn’t mentioned… perhaps because her heart was so similar to Marcy’s. She wasn’t concerned about being remembered only about living generously.

This nameless woman is known as the “Shunammite Woman”.
Like our friend, Gaius, she isn’t well known, but from Scripture, we do know she was wealthy, married, and perhaps most importantly:
she used hospitality to love others well.

The benefactor of her gifts was a prophet named Elisha.
Elisha and this woman somehow met when he visited her town. She insisted on feeding him. (Which I can only laugh at because I literally try to force-feed my brother every time he visits. “Are you hungry? No? Are you sure? Here, I made spaghetti last night, let me just reheat some for you. I also have salad and brownies and coffee and the lesser-known sparkling water, Bubly!”)

The Shunammite Woman must’ve been a pretty decent cook, because after their first encounter, Elisha stopped by her house to eat every single time he visited. I can’t imagine the conversations that occurred, but there is no doubt that Elisha shared about the One True God, Yahweh, with this woman and her husband. Before long, the Shunammite Woman referred to Elisha as a ‘holy man of God’ and had a room built just for him on the roof of their house. They fully furnished the room and welcomed Elisha and his servant readily.

Many of us have guest rooms and happily welcome visitors throughout the year, but to actually construct an entire room specifically for a guest-turned friend is radical.
Elisha wasn’t family.
This wasn’t a neat Airbnb designed for income off of Elisha.
This was love and hospitality and generosity.

After becoming aware of the work the One True God was doing through Elisha, they used what they had – a rooftop – to support God’s Kingdom work in their community.
Expecting nothing in return.

I’ve been writing this Journey study while sitting in my church’s building watching the hustle and bustle of daily church activities occur. Just a moment ago, friends of mine who are empty-nesters, came over to chat and I asked why they were here on a Thursday morning. “Oh, we have four camp counselors staying at our house and we told them we’d come see them at camp today!”
Open handed generosity.

This same couple has opened up their home again and again for Kingdom work.
After becoming aware of the work the One True God is doing, this couple used what they had – a home with empty rooms – to support God’s work in our community.

Sisters, it doesn’t take much for us to demonstrate incredible hospitality like Marcy, the Shunammite woman, or my empty-nester friends.
Each are using what they have – their homes, their love for people, and their love for the Father – to further the work God is doing.

We don’t need a secure job with a steady income, just an open heart.
Maybe all we have is a pull-out couch, bottomless coffee, or cold water on a hot day.

God takes our willingness,
our open hands,
and open hearts,
and He builds His Kingdom!

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Kaleidoscope Day 3 The Kindness Of Love

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Read His Words Before Ours!

1 Corinthians 13:4-9
Galatians 5:22-26
Proverbs 21:21

Kaleidoscope, Day 3

When was the last time someone was kind to you?
How did it make you feel?

Webster’s dictionary states that kind, as an adjective, is defined as:
“having a sympathetic nature, gentle,
characterized by sympathy or forbearance;
to give pleasure or relief, affectionate”.

In 1 John 4:8, the Bible defines God, at the very core of His essence, as:
Love

Love finds its multi-faceted definition in 1 Corinthians 13, and tucked in verse 4, this love flowing from the heart of God is kind.

The thread of God’s loving kindness is woven throughout the Bible. When I think of love being described this way, I can’t help but be moved to tears by the examples to our biblical ancestors and to us each and every day.
Journey with me and see what I mean….

In the Old Testament
In the Garden of Eden at the dawn of creation, God used His own hands to carve out our frame rather than speak us into existence as He had for every other act of creation.
How gentle and sympathetic of Him to put a personal touch on mankind.

“Then the Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground and
breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.”
Genesis 2:7

It was love that initiated our creation, but it was kindness that drew our Creator close!
The intimacy that was intentionally and immediately established in that sacred moment, planted within us a deep connection to and with God.

The kindness shown here was just the beginning of a love story that would span multiple generations and beyond.

In the New Testament
It’s one of my favorite stories precisely because it displayed Jesus’ unfathomable kindness. There was the woman brought to Jesus because she’d been literally caught in the act of adultery in John 8:1-11.

Her accusers were bent on using her as a way to trap Jesus in a philosophical and theological debate, but Jesus knew their hearts.
Rather than engage her accusers, Jesus addressed the woman who was desperate for love. This woman, embarrassed and full of shame, stood before Him exposed.

Jesus spoke to her, not with condemnation for her past, but with love. He acted with a kindness she had likely never experienced without strings attached.
Her forgiveness and freedom were delivered through the kindness of Jesus, as He removed the weight of condemnation she was crushed beneath before weighty stones sentenced her to death. Praise God for Jesus’ kindness!

At the Cross
The cross was kindness personified. Here was the culmination of a promise made long ago in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3:15) to restore mankind to a right relationship with God by forever crushing the head of the enemy, Satan. We were crafted for Eden as sons and daughters of God, but because of sin, the connection we had with the Father was broken (Isaiah 59:2).

But the kind heart of God is for us!
Before sin entered, a plan was already in place.

While we were in the midst of our sin, Jesus endured the cross.
I love how the Douay-Rheims 1899 American Edition (DRA) version of Romans 5:8-9 describes this phenomenon, “But God commendeth his charity towards us; because when as yet we were sinners, according to the time, Christ died for us…”

And guess what friends? That word charity?
You guessed it; it’s a synonym for kindness.

In My Life
I have countless examples of the kindness of God in my life, but my educational journey is just one such example. I am finishing up a doctoral degree, while in the throes of “wife-ing”, motherhood, entrepreneurship, and other interests.

To say I am busy is an extreme understatement. But here’s the thing, friends.
I have seen God’s kindness!
Through various professors, peers, dissertation committee members, and my overall institution His kindness has been made known in ways that have truly blown my mind.

Extensions for papers, last-minute revisions of policies from which I have benefited, scholarships, etc. I know the kindness of my God because I have experienced it!
I can look back and see an unbroken thread of tender, loving-kindness serving as both the foundation of and structure to this process of growth for me.

Be Ye Kind
In being kind, we are exhibiting the very likeness of God through His character at work in us. We are admonished in Ephesians 4:32 to be kind and compassionate, just like God.

You may or may not be able to relate specifically to my testimony, but I know I’m not alone in witnessing the kindness of God in my life. If you look back or even around, I’m sure you too can identify a pattern of Divine kindness at work.

Just take a moment to do so, right now.
What areas of your life come to mind?
How can you, in turn, show this loving kindness of God to others?
To whom will you be kind as you mimic the Savior?!

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