A Devotional from The Thankful Heart

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The Thankful Heart: A Devotional Journey Through Healing

See The God Who Sees

Genesis 16:13
New Living Translation

Thereafter, Hagar used another name to refer to the Lord, who had spoken to her. She said, "You are the God who sees me." She also said, "Have I truly seen the One who sees me?"

The story of Hagar seems so far removed from our current world and society, the life of Abraham and Sarah and the way they were trying to arrange their family are not how we do it today. However, I am not going to try to understand the cultural norms of several thousand years ago. What I would like to do is find little nuggets of truth, comfort, and relevance for me and you today.

This particular scripture is about when Hagar was being used by the aforementioned couple to try to do God's job for him. (And if that isn't relevant...but that's not the point of this...) Based on her relationship to Sarah, it doesn't seem like she probably had any choice in the matter. She was going to do what she was told. She seems to have had a mind of her own, though, which is why she ended up in the place where God saw her. 

Putting our cultural differences aside, and just focusing on the story as told, Hagar was being used for someone else's advantage and convenience. Maybe she was willing. Maybe she felt like if she was "good enough" she would be treated better and included. Did she feel like the situation would make her part of the family? Respected? 

My guess would be that she did not get that respect, which is why she started her attitude with Sarah. When Sarah retaliated, Hagar ran away. She had done what she was told to do, helped make someone's dreams come true (however inappropriate) and yet had been discarded. Not needed. She must have felt pretty invisible. 

And this brings me to the beauty of this whole story. God saw her. He knew who she was, where she was, and what was going on in her life. In my own modern take on it, He said, "I see you and I got you." 

I've taken a little liberty here, of course, and a little imagination to help us see the God who sees. I have had my experiences of feeling invisible. Feeling like I'm just a convenience. A means to and end for someone else. Have you? It hurts, for sure. I sometimes get an attitude about it. 

I am reminded by Hagar's story to lift my eyes up to the One Who Sees. To be reminded of how He looks at me. I want you, as well, to be reminded. Let's not let the situations and people who make us feel like we are invisible or just a means to an end cloud our view of Him - the One Who Sees. Like Hagar, we can receive His care and blessing, and be in awe of Him. See Him! He sees you.

                                                

The Path to Miracles

Exodus 13:17-18
Easy to Read Version

Pharaoh made the people leave Egypt. God did not let the people take the road leading to the land of the Philistines. That road by the Mediterranean Sea is the shortest way, but God said, "If the people go that way they will have to fight. Then they might change their minds and go back to Egypt.” So God led them another way through the desert by the Red Sea. The Israelites were dressed for war when they left Egypt.

You know how you worry about making the right decision?  Or you do your best to do the right thing, make the right move, even praying about it all.  And then trouble comes, or something happens that is contrary to your purpose, you start feeling like you missed the will of God. You start scrambling because you think you chose the wrong thing. 

Well...enter the Israelites coming out of Egypt. I will assume the reader knows the story. This part of their story struck me - did they know why God took them the long way 'round? I doubt it. They possibly even wondered why they weren't making a beeline for the Promised Land. 

God, in His omniscience, knew if they went the direct route, they would be discouraged very quickly by what was in their path. In fact, He took them the way of miracles! Wow. What a mindset change we would have if we quit looking at the obstacles in our life as we're doing something wrong, but instead as a path guided by the One we trust and lean on - a path to the miraculous. You may not need a sea parted, or manna from the sky - but do you need healing? Do you need restoration? Do you need deliverance?

Insert your need here that you can't see a solution for. Then face the day, stay on the path, trust in God and let Him lead you to your miracle.

    Side Note: The last part of this passage says the Israelites were dressed for war - they were ready to fight, but still God thought they would be discouraged by having to fight the Philistines. He knew them better than they knew themselves. He knows us, too. We gotta trust Him!!

Seeing in the Dark

Psalm 139:12
New English Translation

Even the darkness is not too dark for You to see, and the night is as bright as day; darkness and light are the same to You.

This Psalm is one of the most beautiful ones, and clearly shows why David was a man after God's own heart.  I have been rereading it the last few days and this particular scripture keeps shining out at me. 

I have found myself in dark places a time or two in my life.  Places where I could not see the path ahead of me, let alone "see" God, or even feel His presence.  Those are times when I wondered if He could see me! Did He even know I existed?  I wonder if anyone reading this today has ever felt that?  Ever wondered if God could see you, hear you? 

It is so comforting to know that even in our dark times when we can't see our way through, God is not blinded by the dark.  He is not blinded by our darkness.  He sees just as well as if it was light.  There is peace to be had even in the dark times - God is not hindered by the darkness.  Keep going.  He's got you.

Moving Into Hope

Romans 5:1-5
KJV

Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: by whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; and patience, experience; and experience, hope; and hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.

I set out today to work on The Worth Project, but I was detoured to the path of Hope.  In part, I'm sure, because it is my word for the year. Or to be exact, the word "hopeful". In looking back at my word choice, I realize it was instinctive, but as I began to look into the scriptures today about hope, I can apply divine intervention as well. 

Initially, I was led to Romans 5:5 - hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us. Hope doesn't shame us. Oh, how that warmed my heart. But then something told me to go see where did the hope come from?  

Well. That would be tribulation. I used the KJV today because of how often I have heard (you, too, I'm sure) the big, bad, scary word "tribulation". But the original Greek word means "pressure", and that sounds less scary and more real to explain things in my life. 

We all have pressure(s). Whether it's a job, family, relationships, finances - life comes with pressures. Sometimes they can really make us feel like we are suffocating. Out of control. Burdened. Scared. You can go ahead and add your own feelings here. 

But the thing is, pressure, when faced and walked through (I've had to crawl here and there) brings patience (to have fortitude, persevere). Which gives us the experience (proof) that we can actually get through the pressure! 

And so then hope is created. Hope created by the perseverant experience of pressure. Hope is not really possible without the pressure. Hope is the result of of it! And once it is created, the pressure(s) can be more easily tolerated. It is a process (oh, isn't everything!). But if we allow the process (we're going to experience pressure anyway) and let it create hope in us - we can rejoice and be glad in the love and glory of God without shame. If you're reading this, you're human and you have pressure(s) you are dealing with - go ahead and persevere the experience and move into hope! 

The Worth Project Part Two

Genesis 1:27
New Century Version

So God created human beings in His image. In the image of God He created them. He created them male and female.

It has not escaped me that Part Two of this Worth Project has been delayed. This has been for a few reasons, but the one I want to mention is my own struggle with worth and the way life seems to work. As I set out to tackle this topic, I found myself in a position of feeling rejected and betrayed by people I didn't expect it from. This type of thing taps directly on that worth part of me. I have done my best to navigate through that experience and remind myself of what worth is, and what it is not. And I am reminded of why I started The Worth Project in the first place.

And that brings me to the very, very beginning. The scripture referenced is pretty straightforward -  we were created in the image (or resemblance) of God himself. This goes much deeper, I suspect, than what I could cover in this post, but the little I can grasp of this concept brings a confidence in the worth He places on you and me. 

This is where worth originates. From the Creator. He created our worth. This is not a feeling, it's a fact. Let this knowledge filter into your heart and soul.

The Worth Project Part One

Matthew 10:29-31
New Century Version

Two sparrows cost only a penny, but not even one of them can die without your Father's knowing it. God even knows how many hairs are on your head. So don't be afraid. You are worth much more than many sparrows.

How far removed has humankind come from these words of Jesus. Yet one of the basic human needs is to feel our own worth! I would say it is a basic human necessity to know our worth. 

There are so many mixed messages coming at us from birth. By the time we reach adulthood and awareness that we are lacking worth, we are plunged into either accepting our lack as truth (and thereby just coping) or a journey of healing. Both options are painful, but only one propels us to peace and confidence.

The goal of this project is to uncover what the meaning of human worth is, what it looks like, maybe even sounds like. Where does it come from? How do we find it?

Attach Yourself

 Matthew 14:34-36
The Message

On return, they beached the boat at Gennesaret.  When the people got wind that he was back, they sent out word through the neighborhood and rounded up all the sick, who asked for permission to touch the edge of his coat.  And whoever touched him was healed.

Imagine being there.  At a time before medicine and science, as we know it, existed. Today we have very little need of miraculous physical healing, due to the fact that we can go to the local hospital or doctor's office and be prescribed medicine, or have a surgery to fix whatever ailment we might have. Certainly, there are diseases where there are still no known cures - and one does need a miraculous touch from God. But generally speaking, modern medicine has a cure for most things. I feel compelled to mention that in a lot of cases, our modern diseases and ailments are self-imposed due to lifestyles, etc.  (please do not take this as judgment, but rather as basic fact - and food for thought.) And while I do believe that God can "heal" all of these things, I again present the idea that we don't really need Him to.

After having the privilege of going to Israel and being on the Sea of Galilee, visiting these towns that Jesus was in - as I read this passage, I could imagine being there.  In a time before our  modern age, I understood why the crowds would come when they heard that Jesus could heal their sickness and disease. The sick and diseased must have had very few options. There was no pill to take, no disability payments to sustain them - they were put by the wayside to just exist. He was their only hope, their only option. They believed even to the extent that if they could just touch the "edge of his coat" they would be healed. 

With all of the above swirling around in my head, the word "touch" jumped out at me. The original Greek word means "to attach oneself to".  Now, "touch" is not just jumping out of the Word, it's shouting at me - in the still, small voice of God. 

Today, while we may be able to enjoy the modern convenience of science and medicine, we seem to face more and more of the mental, emotional, and spiritual wounds of life. Yes, there are pills to be taken that can help, and professionals that can help guide us, but they cannot erase the wound, the past abuses and the consequences of them. We still need the Healer. Just like those people in Gennesaret heard that He was back, He's here. He's where you are. He has healing for you. And just like those, you can reach out and touch Him. But it is not a one and done thing. Attach yourself to Him. Hold onto Him. Let Him peel back the layers of hurt and disappointment. He's a gentle, loving physician, and you can trust Him with the healing process.

A Psalm for Today

Psalm 23:1 revisited

The Lord is my Shepherd
In my weakness I turn
To find my way to His side
The voices of failure follow
My path they know so well
I've been here before, many times
Those voices are loud
They speak of my fears
They tell of my flaws
But I know the way, the way to His side
His voice becomes louder
In a still small sound
Other voices disappear
My heart again knows
I shall not want

J-Y-O Spells Joy

 Matthew 22:36-40

He said, “Teacher, which command in the law is the most important?”  Jesus answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind. This is the first and most important command. And the second command is like the first: Love your neighbor the same as you love yourself. All of the law and the writings of the prophets take their meaning from these two commands.”

Anyone remember this old Sunday School song?

                                    J-O-Y, J-O-Y,
                                    this is how we sing
                                    Jesus first,
                                    yourself last,
                                    and others in-between

I find it interesting and a little scary that a simple little child's song, seemingly so innocent and lovely, can be so anti-scriptural.  I'm afraid that the church world has too easily skimmed through the scriptures above, focusing only on the parts that showcased its religion.  This gives some explanation as to why we now have a whole generation of people talking about emotional, mental and spiritual health. 

You can see, if you slow it down a little, the scripture clearly indicates that we should love ourselves before we love our neighbor.  In fact, I would suggest that it is imperative!  (it is a commandment, after all)  And yet, generations of children have been taught to put themselves last and to count themselves unworthy.  This goes against scriptural commandments!  God has made us in His own image, fearfully and wonderfully - I think He has expected that children are taught this, that they should have that sense of worth instilled into them, that they should know how to love themselves - so that they know how to love their neighbor. 

Clearly, God's system and commands have been broken by us humans, and our emotion, mental and spiritual health has suffered as a result.  We need to teach our children their worth - to us, to God.  This is how they learn to love themselves and are able to see the worth and value in someone else. 

If one is an adult and you have never seen your worth and value - it is not too late.  God wants to show you who you are to Him.  He sees you and He loves you.  

Love Jesus.  Love Yourself.  Love Others.  ❤ 

The Empty Nest

It started out innocently enough. I was 20 years old with an unmistakable urge to have a baby. I had married the love of my life just a few months before and moved to Germany to live as a military wife. I found myself far away from family and familiar places and surrounded by other young military couples and families. All with young children and babies – and more babies on the way. This, no doubt, propelled me into motherhood sooner than I might have been otherwise.

It was really all working out how I wanted it to, anyway. My dream as a newly minted young adult was to get married and have a couple of babies. So, it all seemed very natural and the way it was supposed to be.

Of course, as a lot of young mothers, I really had no idea what I was getting myself into. The pain of childbirth is literally the easiest part. The tiny little human boy that came home with me from the hospital immediately took over my heart and soul. All he did was sleep and eat at first. I spent a lot of time just looking at him. I thought how in the world did I get the most perfect baby? Then the lack of sleep started to take over. I worried for months about how I was going to get this little bundle of cuteness to sleep through the night! I finally had to let him cry it out, and that was that.

Fast forward a couple of years and there was another little tiny human boy in the mix. Even though I had some experience now, I was still a very young adult with very little life experience. So, another baby was included as no big deal. Been there, done that. However, this one had the most exciting habit of crying every night for hours – otherwise known as colic. Life was certainly not “no big deal.” Since my husband was preparing to exit the military, we were staying at my parent’s house during this time. And my mother did what mothers do – she would take turns rocking the screaming baby at night, then get up and go to her full-time day job.

The handful of years that I had two babies/toddlers seemed longer at the time than they do in retrospect. Those were the days of very little adult conversation and the time period where my sense of identity was fully immersed into my children. I no longer was a young woman trying to figure out her life. I was mommy. Period.

The years through childhood, pre-teen, and teenager start to run together. The school supply shopping, keeping them in jeans and shoes, and managing their after-school snacks seemed like it would go on forever. Oh, there is a lot more to the story than just those things. But they were all every day, normal happenings in the lives of two growing boys. Some moments or days seemed extra hard or extra exciting at the time, but hind-sight has mellowed it all out into a pretty even keeled life.

One day I turned around and my boys were grown and gone.  Overnight, I was 43 with no kids in their bedrooms to check on. I could turn the lights off in their old bedrooms, but there was no switch to turn off my motherhood. How does that happen? And why is there no way to prepare for this?

Seven years later I am still asking these questions. I have still not found the switch for motherhood. I’m pretty sure there isn’t one. I still don’t feel prepared for the emptiness of my little nest. I miss my boys so deeply I can’t really truly express it. Now there are daughters-in-law and grandkids that I’m missing.

I am coming to this conclusion. As a mother I will always be thinking about my children and their families. They are my heart. Yes, I need to reclaim my “identity” in one sense, but in another I don’t want to change who I am. I am a mother; a blessed, proud mother of two beautiful adult men who have given me two beautiful daughters - and the cherry on top grandbabies. Yes, I cry because I miss them, but they are just tears of a mother’s love. My nest is empty, but my heart is fuller than ever.

Don't Be a Grasshopper

Numbers 13:33
21st Century King James Version

And there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, who come of the giants. And we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight.”

The setting of this scripture is in the Old Testament story of some men of Israel taking a peek into Canaan to see what the lay of the land was.  The majority of them had this reaction to what appeared to be giants.

What strikes me here, is that the sentiment sounds so familiar.  As humans we tend to project our insecurities and assume what we think of ourselves is what others think of us.  Clearly, these men of Israel had this problem.  They saw themselves as small as grasshoppers compared to the sons of Anak, so they assumed that's what they looked like to these giant people.  

I see a couple of issues; they projected their own insecurities, and they forgot who they were. 

There are various reasons why one might have an insecurity or two (or more), we all have broken places, whether it be from traumas, life circumstances, or even our own actions or sins.  Regardless of the reasons, we can use these things against ourselves, feel bad about ourselves, and then try to hand them to other people to let them use them against us (aka projection).

Who were these men, anyway?  Were they not men of Israel?  God's chosen people?  Had God not already rescued them?  Had God not already set them free?  Had God not already provided everything they needed?  They let their insecurities blind them to who they actually were!

So, for you and me today - do we know who we are?  Are we letting our feelings of inadequacy and insecurity come between us and the God of our salvation?  Are we worried about how we might look to giants in our own lives?  

I propose we take a minute to remember who we are, who He is, and what He has already done.  The Children of Israel took a little more than a minute to figure this out, but Jesus says we can come to Him, we can find peace and rest in Him.  He does not see us as we see ourselves.  He sees chosen, value, worth, son, daughter - can you let Him project onto you? 

Therein Lies Strength

Proverbs 29:23
The Message

²³ Pride lands you flat on your face;
    humility prepares you for honors.

Just a thought here today regarding pride and humility.  At a quick glance, someone who is exercising pride in their life can sometimes come across as someone we think of as having a "strong" personality.  While the humble can be mistaken for "weak." 

The interesting point I would like to make is that it is actually quite the opposite.  The proud are very weak, and the humble are very strong. 

For this very simple reason:  pride can be broken, but humility cannot - because it already is and therein lies its strength.

Apply the Love and Know God

1 Peter 4:8
Amplified Bible Classic

Above all things have intense and unfailing love for one another, for love covers a multitude of sins (forgives and disregards the offenses of others)

This subject is a recurring one in my head.  Some days it seems easy, some days it's really, really hard.  But the conviction I feel in my own life has been building lately, and this morning it was not to be ignored. 

You see, I, like probably most of you, have been hurt, disappointed, offended, disrespected - you name it.  I have felt rejected - even when dishing out my own versions of love and acceptance of others.  I have felt ignored by family and friends.  I have felt unsupported by those that I (rightfully) expect it from.  And sometimes, maybe I am justified in my feelings.  While many times these offences are most likely not intentional, maybe sometimes they are. 

The struggle in my own head is a basic human nature one - whether or not someone deserves my love, my forgiveness.  

This is where the conviction comes in.  As the thoughts of these things floated around my head this morning, I knew that if I am not abiding by this scripture, then I am not a Christ follower.  The Bible says that God is love.  (1 John 4:7-8)  And it very clearly states that if I don't love, I don't know God. 

Then I think about the love and forgiveness I need from God.  And I think about how He provided that on the cross, bleeding, hurting, suffering - all while I was undeserving.  How then do I think love and forgiveness is going to be any easier for me? 

We can feel and be justified in our hurts and offenses, Jesus certainly was.  But if we are true followers of Him, we will submit our human nature and take on His - which is love.  It hurts.  But just like Jesus knew, we can know that there is joy in the end.  The peace we can experience when we follow His example is amazing.  

I'm a work in progress, sometimes it takes me a minute to get it right.  But with conviction, prayer and practice, the goal is to automatically apply the love and know God. 

About To Pass By

Mark 6:48-52
Contemporary English Version

He could see that the disciples were struggling hard, because they were rowing against the wind.  Not long before morning, Jesus came toward them.  He was walking on the water and was about to pass the boat.  When the disciples saw Jesus walking on the water, they thought he was a ghost, and they started screaming.  All of them saw him and were terrified.  But at the same time he said, "Don't worry!  I am Jesus.  Don't be afraid."  He then got into the boat with them, and the wind died down.  The disciples were completely confused.  Their minds were closed, and they could not understand the true meaning of the loaves of bread.

I was reading this passage of scripture this morning and I noticed something about this story that I hadn't seen before.  It says that Jesus was walking on the water and about to pass the boat.  But they noticed him and actually thought he was a ghost, which basically freaked them out - clearly they weren't expecting him, or looking for him.

He, of course, said it’s me, don’t be afraid.  He then got into the boat with them and calmed the wind.

It dawned on me that maybe in our own lives, Jesus is passing by and we don’t even notice.  Are we sometimes too distracted by our “storm” to see him?  Do we not expect him, or look for him?  Is it because we so easily forget all the times he has been there before?  I suspect we all have missed him when he was right there.

The Bible says they cried out, and I can only image that they were calling his name. Once they did this, Jesus came into their situation, and he calmed it.  I think we could apply that to our lives today, invite him into our situations, call his name - I think he waits on us.  Don’t let him pass by.

Past, Present, Future

Philippians 3:13-14
Easy-to-Read Version

Brothers and sisters, I know that I still have a long way to go. But there is one thing I do: I forget what is in the past and try as hard as I can to reach the goal before me. I keep running hard toward the finish line to get the prize that is mine because God has called me through Christ Jesus to life up there in heaven.

The Past.  We all have one.  And most of us spend a lifetime dealing with the "fall-out" of it.  The majority of us have things from our past that has hurt, traumatized, shamed or debilitated us in some way.  And we spend a lot of time trying to fix or cover it up.  This is what can make living in the present painful, and the thought of the future unbearable sometimes.

And unless you believe in time-travel, you will never be able to "fix" the past.  The things and experiences that happened before - already happened.  There's no changing them.  It is done.

However, this does not mean that there isn't a "fix."  It's just that the fix has to be applied to the present, which will automatically affect the future.  My belief is that the past should be dealt with and identified for what it is.  If there is a hurt or wound, however traumatic, the sooner it is identified as that, the better.

The past issues can be put into their place, to learn and grown from.  And once the place for "the past" has been identified, one can move on to the present.  It is possible to live triumphantly today.  As I read the scripture in Philippians, I see a choice, either live with regret and grief over the past, or reach for the goal before me.  I submit to the reader that they both take the same amount of energy - but take you to two completely different places.

The Past should be a limited part of our lives and put away.  Today can be lived free from the chains of it.  The future is still to be lived with the choice of direction.  Turn away from the past and choose your path towards the finish line.

P.S.  The author understands that this short post regarding the past may seem to minimize the path to the present and the future.  There is no minimizing trauma and wounds, nor the path through healing.  Healing from Jesus is the only way to fix how the past affects us.  And healing can be painful because of the growth that happens in the process.  But it is worth it. ♥

I Am Perfect

Matthew 5:48
KJV

Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.

I am perfect.  Yes, me.  The faulty, flawed, defective human that I am.  I am perfect.

I've spent the majority of my life trying so hard to be perfect, too.  And always feeling like a huge failure because, of course, just like most everyone else, I'm human.  Which means I have flaws and defects - real and perceived.  I look into my life and I see mistakes and wrong turns.  I look in the mirror and I see flaws.  How could I ever be perfect.

Having heard the scripture about being perfect like God is perfect, I have always felt like I was carrying around such a heavy load of hopelessness underneath my seemingly poor attempts at perfection.  Live like that for too long and you start feeling like maybe your walk with God is a façade.  Maybe everyone else has figured out how to be perfect while you do your best to "fake it 'til you make it." 

Well, not all that long ago, God used the little e-Sword app on my phone to speak to me about this perfection thing.  It was a simple tapping on the reference number next to the word perfect.  The original Greek word is teleios, which basically means complete.  Complete. 

Complete.  Let that sink in for a moment. 

It's almost like God was saying to me - don't worry, I just want to be your everything, and if I am, you are perfect...complete in Me.  That huge weight of hopelessness fell off my shoulders as my understanding became complete...perfect. 

In Colossians 2:10 it says that we are "complete in Him."  Interestingly enough, my e-Sword app says the word complete here also means perfect.  I need no further convincing of my own perfection.  I do know who I am in Jesus.  I am His and He is mine.  I am complete in Him.  I am perfect.

Voice of Truth

1 John 4:18
Amplified Bible

¹⁸ There is no fear in love [dread does not exist]. But perfect (complete, full-grown) love drives out fear, because fear involves [the expectation of divine] punishment, so the one who is afraid [of God’s judgment] is not perfected in love [has not grown into a sufficient understanding of God’s love].

I am going to try to keep it short and simple.  We all grow up hearing a lot of voices.  Whether it be parental, religious, or of the world - we hear them all.  Some are good, some are not.  But altogether, they form the things we listen to in our own heads. 

As we become adults, sometimes it is hard to sort through all the voices and hear truth. 

The truth is, God is love.  The truth is He is full of mercy.  The truth is He is kind.  The truth is He looks at us differently than we look at ourselves.  The truth is He looks at us differently then the person next to us.  The truth is if we are living in fear of people, God, etc., then we do not understand God's love for us. 

Listen to the voice of truth.  Turn it up and let it drown out all the other voices.

Stay on the Path

Proverbs 3:5-6
New Living Translation

⁵ Trust in the Lord with all your heart;
    do not depend on your own understanding.
⁶ Seek his will in all you do,
    and he will show you which path to take.

 

Another passage of Scripture that most of us know by heart.  To the point where we spout it off like it's so easy to do.  Like there's no need to worry about a thing, because God is going to direct our path...

 

Well, I can't speak for anyone else, although most who read this post will most likely relate - it's not easy.  Even as we trust in God and submit to His will...the "path" of life can have a lot of bumps, ruts, weeds, blind corners, boulders, and any other description of things that makes it hard to traverse. 

 

In meditating on this a little, I realized that when I have thought about how I try to follow the advice of these scriptures, I kind of make the assumption that it's going to make my life easier, and the obstacles smaller.  Then I thought about how that does not always seem to happen, I still face the obstacles and things that seem to hinder my progress - even though I am trusting God with my life!  What?

 

Then God reminded me of how my own personal growth has almost always come out of the hard times in life.  Aren't those the times we hit our knees and draw closer to God?  So, when we are traveling our path, the one shown to us by God, and it's bumpy and rough, and we wonder if we can make it though - don't try to find the easier way - find God, and let him draw you closer.  If we do that, that is when the growth in ourselves happens, and the boulders become pebbles, the weeds bloom, and the blind corners get straightened out. 

It's Messy

Isaiah 53:5
New Century Version

⁵ But he was wounded for the wrong we did;
    he was crushed for the evil we did.
The punishment, which made us well, was given to him,
    and we are healed because of his wounds.

 

Forgiveness.  It is such a gargantuan word at times.  I have sometimes wondered why it can be so hard to do and feel!  In the archives of this blog, I have more than once expressed my struggle with forgiving and loving those whom I have felt hurt by.  It goes against the grain (aka human nature) to forgive.  It really doesn't make a lot of sense most of the time. 

 

I would say that our innate desire to protect and preserve ourselves is the reason forgiveness can be so hard, sometimes seeming completely impossible.  It takes humility to forgive, because it means we have to let go of our justified feelings or perspective.  And that can hurt like crazy - I know!

 

When Jesus came to earth, gave Himself on the cross because of our sins, when He took the punishment we deserved, He was extended to all of us forgiveness, in anticipation that we would need it!  Now, rewind in your mind to the cross itself.  This is where He did what He needed to do so that we can at any time, any place, any reason, ask Him to forgive us.  The cross was messy.  He had to humble Himself.  It was a bloody, gory, painful, uncomfortable, an "against the grain" thing to do.  Yet He did it because He was looking way ahead in time, even at me, and saw that I would need it, and He wanted a relationship with me - and you.  So, He paid the cost.  He thought it was worth it.
 

When we forgive, it can be painful.  It is ultimately the laying down of our own selves - our feelings, our rights, our perspective - hurts just thinking about it, right?  We may not have to experience the cross in order to forgive, but we can understand that forgiveness comes with cost.  It's messy.  But it's worth it.