repurposed

Grow 2018 Day 4 The Lie Of Perfect Growth

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Welcome to “Grow”! These stories are from the hearts of regular, everyday women just like you in the GT Community. They are boldly sharing how God has grown them, met with them, strengthened them, and taught them solid truth as they have discovered anew that Jesus is our everyday Savior! Today’s story is shared from the heart of Rebecca Chartier. 

Jeremiah 31:3
Psalm 46:10-11
Exodus 14:14
Isaiah 43:18-19
Romans 8:28

Grow, Day 4

Initially, when I thought about my growth this year, there were several specifics that came to mind. I didn’t write them down. I was working on another piece of writing, working a lot at my J.O.B., getting ready for Christmas…just downright busy. Then the enemy lies started in:
“You haven’t grown.
You’re no different than you were last year.
You’re even worse in some areas than last year.
Didn’t you say…??
Are you really a Christian??”

So, I put off this project.
It wasn’t a conscious decision to be a slacker. It was simply a lack of prayer on my part and lots of taunting from the enemy.

Do you ever get stuck in a rut like this?
You have a lot to do, you think you’re handling everything, and then something creeps up on you?
Not. Good.

Here we go with growth. I have grown this year. A little.
When perfection is the goal,
any growth can seem so miniscule.

Sometimes I feel defeated.
But then I remember: perfection doesn’t happen until heaven.
Any spiritual growth that happens on this side of heaven brings us closer to the Lord, molds us to be more like him, pleases him and glorifies him!
(Take THAT, Satan!!)

Early this year – February, to be exact – I began leading a ladies’ Bible study group in my home. This one step of faith has changed my life in many ways.
I have kept my home tidier.
I have been scanning important documents onto an electronic drive and shredding paper.
I have been in prayer more.
I have read and studied more.
I have opened myself to these ladies and made new friends.
And I have been blessed by them and by the studies we have gone through together.

One that was especially poignant was “Not A Fan” by Kyle Idleman.
This series of videos reminded me that work can be done in the church and/or in the name of God, but with a wrong heart…a heart that doesn’t truly love the Lord. It caused self-reflection and a warning to guard my heart.

Speaking of my heart, it has been a little bit broken for the past few months.
A longtime friend has become distant.
But I believe that God is taking the broken pieces and gluing them back together with new friendships that have grown this year.
He’s also leaving some spaces for me to practice contentment; He knows that I tend to move to a different apartment every year or two in an effort to be in a nicer environment. Where I am now is just fine.

Another area which the Lord is shaping is my readiness, directly affected by spending and saving. I have been recently convicted that I am not ready to help in a time of need, and I felt terrible. This reshaping of my spending habits hurts, sisters, because I can totally justify everything. Again, it goes back to contentment. (Do I really NEED a new home computer? I did spend 9 hours today trying to update…)

This year I walked the Kansas City Half Marathon with Team World Vision for the first time. The encouragement and support that I received from other walkers, World Vision organizers, family and friends was amazing! The team was a sort of community of its own right. It was a community that I had never experienced before and it changed me and allowed me to see another side of myself.

Another community that is changing my life is the Gracefully Truthful community. Sisters, I have been in Bible study, in Bible college, and leading groups, but the experience of writing something that resonates with you – and hearing you share your experiences – is altogether more beautiful.
Don’t get me wrong. I love a good talk and a hug, but I can easily forget what was shared. This media is tangible to me. And through GT, I can read and cry, and read and cry, as many times as I want! (Trust me, it happens a lot.)
I have been encouraged and challenged by reading other writers’ Journeys and Digging Deeper studies too. Thank you, GT Ladies, for stepping into your calling!

And to my sister across the screen,
if you are sensing the Lord calling you to do something for Him,
don’t let the enemy bully you and make you afraid.
Go ahead and step into it!
My past year has shown me that obedience, even in small ways,
results in good, solid growth toward the goal of perfect Christ-likeness.

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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 Grow 2018! Don’t miss out on the discussion below – we’d love to hear your thoughts!

Looking for other journeys from this theme?
Here’s a link to all stories in Grow 2018!

Freedom Day 13 Freedom Fuels Love

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Galatians 5
Colossians 3:12-17
1 Corinthians 13:4-13

“Man, it’s so hot in here.” 

I mumbled the words under my breath as we made our way from a tiny hut in the middle of the bush in Uganda to the clinic in town for my last malaria treatment. The African heat was on fire that day, and since I was already running a fever, it felt as if it was at least 120 degrees inside the pick-up truck. We had about ten or so minutes left in our commute when the truck started to make an all too familiar noise.

Within an instant the car shut down.

We had run out of gas.

Again.

Up until this point, I had never been in a car that has run out of gas. I’m one of those ‘if it shows it’s got half a tank left then we should immediately get more gas’ kind of people. So imagine the look on my face when the driver got out of the truck and told me to wait there, as he was going to walk and get more gas.

Um, okay.

I put my feet up and allowed the soft breeze to cool me off as I reflected on my situation. Why do so many people here never fill up their car all the way? How can they be okay with running on empty? I know I’m not a mechanic, but I do know that running on little fuel on a consistent basis, does more harm than good. Why not give the tank a good fill-up?

My questions quickly turned from being about a car to being about my spirit.
Do I walk around like I’m half empty with my gas gauge quickly approaching the red zone?

Yes

Am I seeking the Creator regularly to make sure I’m fueled up and ready to love beyond my borders as the Holy Spirit works in my life?

No

When we’re given gifts that require us to do some work, but throw them aside simply because we’re not willing to do it, we’re doing a disservice to ourselves and those around us.

I’m so guilty of this– making it about how I feel, and my own comfort level, rather than denying self, releasing control, and allowing the Spirit to move in my life.

I forget way too often that we were freed to love.
When Christ died for our sins on the cross, He left behind the Holy Spirit who lives inside each believer and fuels this freedom.

Paul describes this freedom to love so beautifully in Galatians 5:14-15. He makes a clear cut understanding between how we should respond in the spirit vs how we should respond in the flesh.

For you were called to FREEDOM, brothers.
Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity
for the flesh,
But through love
serve one another.
For the whole law is fulfilled in one word:
You shall love your neighbor as yourself.

A few months ago, I received word that one of my best friend’s husband had passed away. His time here on this earth was cut short too soon as he suffered from a long time mental disorder, resulting in taking his own life. Upon hearing the news, I knew what I needed to do. I hopped in my car and drove the four hours to be by her side. The entire drive to her parents’ house I prayed. I asked the Lord to give me the words to say, and not to say. I asked Him to give me insight as I navigated through one of the toughest seasons our friendship would endure. I asked Him to comfort not only my friend, but their children as well, as they had just lost their daddy.

I could not love my friend and her family fully, through my flesh.
I needed the Spirit to guide everything that I did, as through the flesh I was an absolute mess and losing energy quickly. I couldn’t stop crying, I couldn’t think straight, so with a deep breath I prayed, switched my mindset and moved forward to be there for her.

The circumstances weren’t going to change just by me showing up and being there for her, but it did help her know that she was loved and not alone. We sat on the guest bedroom bed, just the two of us, for an hour and just laid there and cried, talked, and prayed.

Choosing to surrender our selfish view of love, based on what we should get from the relationship, to a Spirit-fueled love frees us to love like Christ!
And when we love radically, filled up with Jesus’ love, the weight of performing and worrying about what you will get out of the relationship, falls from our shoulders.

So, take a breath, dear sister.
Allow the Holy Spirit to fuel His love inside of you.
Be there for someone today that needs it.
Send a text, or write a letter, to someone you haven’t spoken to in a while.
Call your mom and say I love you, just because.

Take a walk, and see if the Lord puts someone in your path that you need to share the Gospel with.
Unleash the freedom of a Spirit-fueled love!

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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 Freedom Week Three! Don’t miss out on the discussion below – we’d love to hear your thoughts!

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Sketched II Day 4 Goliath: Digging Deeper

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Digging Deeper Days...are a pretty big deal at GT!

We search God's Word together, ask questions as we read, dig around to find the original intentions at the time of writing, and then make some applications to our everyday lives.
Along the way, we hope you'll pick up some new tools to study Scripture and you'll see truth in a new and accessible way!
Dig In!

The Passage

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Journey Study?
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Isaiah 43:1-7 English Standard Version (ESV)

But now, this is what the Lord says—
he who created you, Jacob,
he who formed you, Israel:
“Do not fear, for I have redeemed you;
I have summoned you by name; you are mine.
2 When you pass through the waters,
I will be with you;
and when you pass through the rivers,
they will not sweep over you.
When you walk through the fire,
you will not be burned;
the flames will not set you ablaze.
3 For I am the Lord your God,
the Holy One of Israel, your Savior;
I give Egypt for your ransom,
Cush[a] and Seba in your stead.
4 Since you are precious and honored in my sight,
and because I love you,
I will give people in exchange for you,
nations in exchange for your life.
5 Do not be afraid, for I am with you;
I will bring your children from the east
and gather you from the west.
6 I will say to the north, ‘Give them up!’
and to the south, ‘Do not hold them back.’
Bring my sons from afar
and my daughters from the ends of the earth—
7 everyone who is called by my name,
whom I created for my glory,
whom I formed and made.”

The Questions

1) Who are “Jacob” and “Israel”, do they relate to me?

2) What “name” are they called by? What does “you are mine” mean?

3) What do the references to Egypt, Cush, and Seba mean?

4) Verses 5-7 sound pretty cool, but whose offspring are called from all over the earth? And why?

The Findings for Intention

1) Who are “Jacob” and “Israel”, do they relate to me?
Jacob refers to Abraham’s son. You know, just like the kids’ song, “Father Abraham”. Israel refers to the name God gave Jacob because He had plans to craft an entire nation from the seed of Jacob (which started with “Father Abraham”).
So, these verses are talking straight to the entire nation of Israel, whom God crafted and called and set apart to honor Him.

2) What “name” are they called by? What does “you are mine” mean?
The idea of calling Jacob and Israel “by name” shows a form of intimacy. The nation was named by God Himself and despite her sinful wanderings, God claims her as His own. Note that this passage is not talking straight to one single person.

3) What do the references to Egypt, Cush, and Seba mean?
If your ancient history recall is a little shaky, clicking on a commentary can be quite helpful to give us context. In the case of Egypt, Cush, and Seba, we learn that during Sennacherib’s invasion of Jerusalem, God came to their aid at the expense of other powerful nations (Egypt, Cush, and Seba). God’s love for His people is extreme and furious!

4) Verses 5-7 sound pretty cool, but whose offspring are called from all over the earth? And why?
Doing a little word study, can help us see that “offspring” here refers to the descendants of Israel. And checking into some commentary history helps us see that because of exile and intermarriage and other things, many people of God’s beloved nation Israel had been scattered in all directions. God was pursuing them and bringing them back to Himself; He was intent on redeeming them!

The Everyday Application

1) Who are “Jacob” and “Israel”, do they relate to me?
Here Isaiah references Jacob and Israel and behind the scenes, Abraham, but Paul in the New Testament has some mind-blowing information for us! In Romans 4:13-16 Paul makes it pretty clear that whoever believes in God through faith is also a “son of Abraham” because faith is credited as righteousness in Christ! Just as Jacob and Israel refer to an entire nation created because of faith, so can we apply what is being said here to the called out and redeemed body of believers in Jesus! That’s us as the Church, people!

2) What “name” are they called by? What does “you are mine” mean?
Jacob and Israel were created, named, and called out by God. We, as New Testament believers have been given the same gift. 2 Corinthians 5:17-21 tells us that we are a new creation created in Christ Jesus and called to be set apart as His ambassadors, just as the nation of Israel was. God’s intimacy with Israel points to His own with us as His bride! 

3) What do the references to Egypt, Cush, and Seba mean?
God’s love knows no bounds and nothing can separate us from it. Romans 8:31-38 details just how great His love is for us and just like God didn’t withhold powerful nations to ransom His nation, God chose not to withhold His own Son for us to redeem us from sin. That is boundless love!

4) Verses 5-7 sound pretty cool, but whose offspring are called from all over the earth? And why?
Isaiah’s reference to offspring was clearly Jewish, but in Christ, all believers become the children of God. Gentiles have been “grafted in” as Romans 11:17-26 talks about. One beautifully glorious day when Christ returns to set all things right, every believer, all of God’s offspring or children, will be gathered together. Isaiah even hints at this amazing truth word for word in 43:7, “everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made.” Our hope is not dependent on surviving an earthly battle because one day, we will all be brought home!

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I Can Do That!

1) Take this passage (or any other passage).
2) Read through it (always more than a verse or two).
3) Write down your questions as you think of them.
4) Ask specific culture related questions and be ready to dig around for your answers. Google them, use www.studylight.org, or look them up in a study Bible and read the footnotes (click on the little letters next to a word and it will show you other related verses!). (www.esvbible.org)
5) Check your applications with other trusted Christians that you are in community with and embrace the fullness of God in your everyday!

The Community!

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

The Tools!

We love getting help while we study and www.studylight.org is one of many excellent resources.  Just type in the verse you’re looking at and Boom! It’s right in front of you in English and Hebrew (Old Testament) or Greek (New Testament), which are the original languages the Bible was written in.

Want to know more about a specific word in a verse? Click on “Strong’s Interlinear Bible” then click the word you’d like to study. Find super awesome stuff like “origin”, “definition”, and even all the different ways that single word has been translated into English! If you want to be geeky, you can even click the word and hear its original pronunciation – That Is Awesome!

Want to get more background on a word or phrasing or passage? Click “Study Tools”, then pick a few commentaries to read their scholarly approach, keeping in mind that just because a commentary says it, doesn’t mean it’s true. (just like the internet :-))

The Why!

Finding the original meaning is a huge deal when we study Scripture and can make all the difference in our understanding as we apply God’s truths to our everyday lives.

In our modern-day relationships, we want people to understand our original intention as we communicate; how much more so between God and humanity?!

Here’s a little bit more on why we take Digging Deeper so seriously.

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.
Download this week’s verse and make it your phone’s lockscreen!
Tap and hold on your mobile device to save.

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Repurposed Day 10
Effective Surrender

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Read His Words Before Ours!

1 Samuel 10:17-24
1 Samuel 15
1 Samuel 9:21
2 Peter 1:1-11
 
At Gracefully Truthful, we value authentic transparency and believe it’s the lifeblood of living in community with each other as we follow closely after Jesus. So, here’s my authentic transparency: I struggle with arrogance.

Not the, “I’m so much better than you” mentality.
Nor the, “my way clearly is the best; there’s only room for one”.
(okay, I struggle with that side too…)

But, honestly, my arrogance struggle is much more insidious.
I don’t feel like I’m good enough.

Arrogance? You ask.
Yes.
While I’m sitting around obsessing about how I’m not enough, don’t bring enough to the table, aren’t effective and useful….I’m only thinking about myself.

Don’t believe me?
Check out this guy:

The soon-to-be-king missed his own inauguration, hiding in the baggage.
You can almost hear the voices in his head, “I’m not enough to be king. I can’t do this job. I’m not smart enough, talented enough, good looking enough…..other people would be so much better at this”
and so he hid.
in the baggage.
trying desperately to mask his insecurity.

But God could see his heart.
And it was arrogant.

Saul’s insecurity, his unwillingness to find identity in his God instead of focusing on his own inabilities, was his fatal flaw. This arrogance that said God was not big enough to use him, was his Achilles heel, haunting him his whole life and effectively ending his reign in ruined shambles. Saul’s insecurities, his shame, his fear, they flooded his heart, overtook his life, and eventually left him drowning in pride, direct rebellion, and ugly justification for sin.

Enter guy number 2:

This would be king, unlike Saul, really didn’t have much going for him. He was very young, had a long line of eligible brothers in front of him, and had always been the bottom of the barrel growing up. If anyone had emotional baggage, David could come up with some pretty good stuff to hide behind.

But he didn’t let that happen.

Instead of arrogance, David chose surrender.
He surrendered to how he was made and took confidence in it.
Rather than smolder around, faking piety, he leaned into exactly who he was. Proudly, yet without swagger or arrogance, David knew exactly what his abilities were, what his strengths were, and he wasn’t afraid to appropriately talk about them.

But David said to Saul,
“Your servant used to keep sheep for his father. And when there came a lion, or a bear, and took a lamb from the flock, 35 I went after him and struck him and delivered it out of his mouth. And if he arose against me, I caught him by his beard and struck him and killed him. 36 Your servant has struck down both lions and bears, and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be like one of them, for he has defied the armies of the living God.” 37 And David said, “The Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.”

One king was weak, faking humility by focusing on how he was not enough, and ended up utterly destroyed.
 One king was strong enough in mind, body, and heart to surrender himself entirely to the Lord and left a legacy of being a “man after God’s own heart.”

There’s a secret to success here.
And it has nothing to do with our abilities, our looks, our bank account, our health, the people we know, or anything else we may feel is either “enough” or “not enough”.
It entirely hinges upon faith.

Surrendering to Christ and His sufficiency is the most effective way to live this Jesus-life. Surrender.
In the middle of our everyday weakness.
In the middle of our insecurities,
the middle of our fear,
our shame
our hopelessness,
and a million “not enoughs”.

“Make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue,
and virtue with knowledge, 
and knowledge with self-control,
and self-control with steadfastness,
and steadfastness with godliness, 
and godliness with brotherly affection,
and brotherly affection with love.
For if these qualities are yours and are increasing,
they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful ….
for if you practice these qualities you will never fall.”

 Surrender to faith in Jesus.
Pursue Him.
He will build into you His Own Effectiveness for the kingdom!

But, go ahead, listen to those voices in your head.
Hide behind that baggage.
Succumb to the lies and choose to not engage your gifts the Father gave you.
Destruction awaits, my friends.
Pride will paint the walls of your heart any color you want them,
but in the end, it still leaves you destroyed.

Choose to live life effectively within the Body of Christ.
Stop saying no to work in the Kingdom!
Jump in to all you’ve been called to.
Let your confidence rest in Christ.
“for if you practice these qualities you will never fall!”

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Don’t miss today’s Digging Deeper!     And we’d love to hear your thoughts from today’s Journey!    Comment Here!

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 Repurposed Week Two!
Don’t miss out on the discussion below – we’d love to hear your thoughts!
Click the above image for today’s Digging Deeper!

Looking for other journeys from this theme?
Here’s a link to all past studies in Repurposed!

Repurposed Day 1
Whole Sacrifice

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Romans 12:1-8
Ezekiel 36:22-30
Hebrews 10:1-18

With seven treasures spanning a few months old to 13 years, managing and leading the relationships in our family is quite a load. Seven kids interacting with one another (plus their own view of themselves) makes for 49 different relationships; add in mom and dad and we now have 63 different relationships going on all at the same time, every single day. Everything from squabbles over who has what toy, to who had the phone charger last, to whose turn it is to feed the dog or which team is in charge of trash day. (yes, we have teams of children :-)) We are constantly working on our relationships with each other and pointing our kids forward towards all the relationships they will one day be involved in as adults. From our perspective as parents, it’s important to keep the visual idea of one single, family unit all working together rather than focusing solely on individuals. This helps us keep the “boat” of our family going in the right direction. We talk to our kids about teamwork, about protecting everyone in the family, and how when we hurt one sibling, it affects the whole family. Even if everyone is having a great day, one child’s attitude (or one parent’s…) can act like a plague, gradually pulling others along with them. But some, incredible nights, the love and unity is so palpable, it’s like you can touch it and wrap yourself up in its sweetness.

A family dinner where everyone shares and laughs, cleanup where each person actually does their specific job, while my husband provides the music for it all as his fingers fly over the piano keys, leading us in the familiar melodies we love.
It’s priceless.
Those moments, when no one is fighting, and all are loving on each other, are the ones I will carry with me forever, tucked away deep inside my heart. These are the nights where my tender-hearted oldest son will come up to me and whisper with a twinkle in his eye and his arms wrapped tightly around me, “I’ve got that good, good feeling, Mom!”

He’s right, it does feel deeply satisfying. The feeling of love and unity is bliss.
More than that, it’s exactly what Christ longs for within His Bride, the Church.
Unity and a deep seeded love that overflows naturally with radiant joy.

In Romans 12:1, we hear God’s heart for His church in the pleading words of Paul, “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.”

Multiple bodies, each of us fulfilling our personal responsibility to live a life of love, but only one sacrifice. It only makes sense in the context of unity within the church Body. It’s not about individual performance, rather the massive, overarching focus is unity in the body. The “sacrifice” isn’t carried out by individuals, rather the sacrifice is one, singular gift, given by the Body as a WHOLE. Far from performance driven, with the weight of sacrifice being carried on your shoulders or mine, the sacrifice is offered up by the whole Body, as a gift to the bridegroom.

The image of my family living out love together on those precious evenings is one, collective sacrifice of fragrant love being lifted to God. Are we each sacrificing? Sure, playing with Legos is likely preferable to wiping the table, but the pure joy of working together, of being together, of working out our specific tasks for the betterment of everyone as a whole far outweighs any self-focused pleasure one might find in playing Legos by themselves.

And so it is with following Jesus.

When Christ remade us, He also repurposed us, giving us a new directive to live out the passions He had already crafted inside of us. Compassion for others, generous living, teaching, writing, hospitality, preaching, leading, building….whatever your passion, Jesus meant it for a new purpose. With His Spirit inside of us, and a new heart beating with His passions, He repurposes us to work together within the Body in order that we might offer a sacrifice to Him as His Bride.

As He remakes you, catch the vision of all that He has for you as He repurposes you for much within His kingdom!

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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 Repurposed Week One! Don’t miss out on the discussion below – we’d love to hear your thoughts!

Looking for other journeys from this theme? Here’s a link to all past studies in Repurposed!

The GT Weekend – Space Week One

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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!

Journal With Us!

Journal Prompts

1) What are your top five Space Takers? They occupy the majority of your everyday attention, time, frustrations, and focus. In what ways are you open to Jesus reigning and ruling those arenas. Are there things you need to clear away to make room for the Messiah?

2) Take a look at your day and identify some “spaces” that could be repurposed by finding a new rhythm. Where are you too hard on yourself or pushing others too much? Start your day with a prayer for new opportunities to extend love and then watch for them!

3) Making space to know God better will never happen on its own; the choice is always intentional. We will either choose to intentionally spend time with Him or intentionally use our time for something else. Begin to think creatively about how to create that space for investing in your relationship with Him. Is it opening your Bible app the first thing as you reach for your phone in the morning? Locking yourself in a quiet spot for 10 minutes while you get real with Jesus? Memorizing a new verse every few days? The goal is overall consistency, not a checkbox for our performance. He cares about our relationship not rules!

Worship In Song

Music Video: Jason Ellsworth’s “You Can Have My Whole Heart”

Pour Out Your Heart

Father, I praise You for the gift of time each day and that Your mercies are fresh and new for me every morning. I praise You that I can never deplete You of Your grace and forgiveness, that I can never mess up so much that You will refuse to draw me back. Your invitation to live and learn with You as my God is so rich! I praise You for the freedom found in You! Teach me to shift my focus towards Your heart as I look for those around me to whom I can reflect Your character. May You be glorified in my heart and actions today as I choose to set You above all else. I love You, Abba!

Pray With Us!

In everything, with praise and thanksgiving,
make your requests known to God!
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Journey With Us

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Brave Day 5
Asking For Light

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Matthew 16:13-20
Luke 22
John 21:15-19
Acts 2

image“I am so tired of this!”  My voice rang out harsh, exasperated.  Pain flickered across my husband’s face as I stormed into the other room.

Again.

I closed the door and stood motionless in the center of our bedroom.  Memories spilled across my senses, and my breath caught in my chest.  My mind and heart knew that our infant daughter was gone, but my body seemed slow to accept that reality.  The gentle pulse of the ceiling fan pulled me back to the present.  My throat, choked with anger only moments before, was suddenly empty save the hollow ache of loss.  My clenched fists loosened and my arms began to throb with now familiar pangs of emptiness. I dropped my head in shame.

Yet again, I was driving away my partner, my lover, my friend.  Rather than brave the crippling pain that crept over me at the most unexpected times, I chose denial of my true emotions and a less painful one (anger) instead.  Not anger at God, but anger, nonetheless.  Our future together, once so clear and hopeful, seemed obscured by a dense fog.  I loved my husband, but I just couldn’t seem to see past my grief.  At a time when bravery, truth, and love were most needed, I faltered.

Long ago, a similar scene enfolded.

“I don’t know what you are talking about!”  Even as the words flew across his lips, a wave of nausea washed over him.  He had done it.

Again.

He glanced up, and the Man across the courtyard caught his gaze.  Time seemed to stop, and the voices around him faded as his ears registered the distant echo of a rooster’s crow.  Sad, gentle eyes locked with his own. Seeing all.  Forgiving all. The pull of regret was strong, and as the sobs began to rise, he turned to run.

Simon Peter, the Zealot. He desired knowledge, wisdom, and to passionately follow Christ.  He was fervent, driven, and human.  He wanted to keep the One he loved safe, to the point of harming another, even when he knew that Jesus was destined to die by divine plan.  And then, when he most wanted to prove loyal, brave and true, he faltered.

I can relate.  Can you?
Peter denied Jesus, the One he loved, the Son of God.
Three times.

And yet, Jesus proclaimed that on Peter He would build His church. He was and is God Incarnate, which means He is omniscient (all-knowing), omnipresent (all-present), and omnipotent (all-powerful).  Jesus knew that Peter would fail Him, but He also knew that Peter’s better days were coming.  

He knew that the power of Holy Spirit is real and when He descended, His influence was unstoppable. He knew that through Holy Spirit, men and women can be changed, redeemed, restored, reshaped and rebuilt. Not just Peter, but you and me.

He knew that through the redemptive power of Holy Spirit, the same man that had faltered, that had denied Him in His darkest hours, would later boldly proclaim that Jesus was the Christ.  

Peter, once weak and fearful, was completely and totally changed. Rather than holding on to the shame he so easily could have worn in the aftermath of his denials, he chose instead to shed it for divine forgiveness and grace. Transformed by the power of Holy Spirit, he was fearless in the face of the very men that crucified Jesus.
And not only fearless, but bold.
Brave.
Proclaiming truth in love to crowds of people.

Thousands accepted Christ in the wake of Holy Spirit’s transformation of Peter…and His power is no different today than it was then.

Recognizing in myself a denial not completely unlike Peter’s, I knelt beside our bed. The wooden floor scraped my knees and my hands trembled.  Voice cracking, I began to plead.  “Jesus. I’m so sorry.  Please forgive me. I don’t know where to go from here. This pain is…unspeakable. I know You are here, and I know You are good. But I can’t find You right now. We need You, I need You.”

Bravery can look like many things, but at its core, bravery proclaims Truth with Grace, whether to a friend, to our marriage, to our children, to a stranger, or to ourselves. Bravery faces our darkness and asks for powerful Light to free and fuel us.

And while it may not be our natural inclination, we can take heart that through the transformative power of the Holy Spirit, bravery is ours, too.  Jesus’s sacrifice paved the way for us to be convicted, wrecked, redeemed, and restored, that we might face whatever lies in front of us with the supernatural bravery that comes only through Him.

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