Genuine Love

This past weekend my "large" family had a chance to spend an entire day gathered at our home. My great aunt came. All my mother's siblings came, and 9 of 13 cousins and their families were able to come! It was a blessed day to say the least. I couldn't hold back the tears of thankfulness and joy. It had been a long time since we had all gathered.

As I reflected on the day, one image stood out in my mind, and it was actually the only photo (unfortunately) that I had taken all day. Here it is...

This is my cousin's daughter, Chloe. She's holding my grandson, Jax. Can you see the joy on her face! I just love it! What made this image stand out in my mind was the way Chloe scooted up on the bench next to me and just waited until I offered for her to hold Jax. And then, a simple smile said it all! "Yes, I want to hold that baby!" Chloe is only 7, but she loves little children. She just couldn't keep herself away from the little babies that day. She carried them on her hip, read them stories, and helped them with their supper. My heart is delighted at her genuine love! It wasn't forced or half-hearted. She didn't care what others thought of her, she just had to hold and love on that little baby. I know that's exactly how I would have been as a little girl too!

As I replayed Chloe's love over and over, I had to ask myself, "Why don't I respond to adults the way Chloe did to other kids." I'm saddened to think that I don't just let God's love take over at times. I worry about what others will say, I feel inadequate to offer love to another adult, or I just get plain scared. My prayer today is asking God to help me have that love that just scoots in next to someone waiting until I can love on them! I want that bold, Godly love that reaches out and offers without abandon!

Love Covers A Multitude Of Sin

Most important of all, continue to show deep love for each other, for love covers a multitude of sin.

1 Peter 4:8

Without love, we sin.  Without love we disregard others' feelings, God's commands, and even our own bodies get ignored.  When we aren't loving others or ourselves, we will sin.  God's love for us is so amazing that He is able to forgive our sins, His love conceals our sin as if it never happened.  He does not keep a list of our past, He covers up our sin like we would cover up a stain with a throw pillow or blanket.  The most magnificent thing difference between God and that pillow or blanket is that He doesn't even have to pretend the sin or stain is gone, He truly forgets our sins.  We would get reminded of the stain every time that blanket got moved, but God wipes it clean and does not think about it again.  

God's love is universal.  Through the Holy Spirit we have the same power to love like Jesus.  We have God's love in us when we allow Him to live through us and just like God's love cover's our sin, our love can cover the sin's of those who hurt us.  When we really think about sin, no two people are different.  Sin is sin and we all do it intentionally and unintentionally.  We are all equal and asking God to forgive our sins but not forgiving someone else is wrong.  That person is just as deserving of forgiveness as we are.  If the love within us is genuine then we should be able to look at someone who has hurt us and see the hurt that motivates them.  We should see their sin and be willing to conceal it with our deep love and affection that comes from God.  

If you are having trouble forgiving someone, first you must get into the bible and learn about God's love for you.  You need to understand how much He loves you and is willing to forgive your sins.  Most likely you haven't accepted his forgiveness and you haven't forgiven yourself which is why forgiving someone else seems almost impossible.  Next you have to allow God's love to permeate your life and let Him love that person through you.  Ask Him for eyes to see and a heart to understand the motivation behind the sin.  It is possible to love those who hurt you and it is possible to conceal a person's sin just by loving, but that love comes from God, it isn't something we do in our own power.

Dear God, help me to understand your amazing grace and love for me.  Show me the people who need my forgiveness and show me how to love them like you love them.  Let me see past the hurt into the person, who just like me, gets lost in this crazy world.  Give me compassion and deep love for others and myself so that my love can take over and begin to heal the brokenness in my life and others'.     

Do No Harm

"Love does no harm to a neighbor. Therefore, love is the fulfillment of the law." Romans 13:10

Upon first reading this verse it might be easy for us to say, "I'm good in this area." Why? Because we tend to think of things like physical harm, stealing, or blatant verbal abuse. But what about indifference or repeating someone else's sins and failings to others. Are these not harm? Of course they are, and this verse has even more power when it is read in context:

  "...You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet, and whatever other command there may be, are summed up in this one command: "Love your neighbor as yourself." Love does no harm to a neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law."

"Love your neighbor as yourself!" When is the last time you told your sins in the lunchroom at work or posted your foolishness on social media? I doubt you have, but how quick we can be to do so to others. Being a Christian means training ourselves, with the help of the Holy Spirit,  to be kind in all situations. The next time we go to speak it might do well to ask ourselves, "If this were my issue, would I publicize it like this?" or ask "How would I feel if no one took time to notice me today?"

Doing no harm is more than first meets the eye. Doing no harms actually means doing good! So, what can we say or do today that builds someone else up or makes their life better? Let that be the goal of our hearts today!

Sad Yet Full Of Peace.........It Is Possible

I was feeding my baby lunch today.  She was eating like a big girl absolutely loving her diced peaches and white cheddar pasta.  As we sat there, I was slapped in the face with the hard reality that she was leaving very soon and I still have so much I want to watch her do.  She has so many “firsts” yet to come and those teeth, I just want to stare at those big, awkward things finally making their home in her sweet little mouth.  When she smiles her wrinkled nose and those teeth just brighten my day.  Unfortunately this baby isn’t my own.  This baby has a mommy and daddy who have been working hard lately at getting her back and the most difficult part of fostering is fast approaching.  We get 3 whole days with her, sharing her with her parents, over the span of the next week and a half and then she will be gone, forever.  No more first morning grins from a happy little girl peeping through the side of her bed after she has so proudly pulled herself up to her feet.  No more little arms reaching out wanting to be held.  No more butt scoots along the floor.  No more snuggles and slobbery kisses as she buries her face into the recipient of her affection.  No more sweet, melt your heart moments with my children who have unselfishly loved her and accepted her into our family.    

My heart is breaking at the thought of watching her go, but at the same time I am so excited for her parents.  Mine are very conflicting emotions and it’s almost impossible to explain.  I have been praying for her parents since the day she joined our family, at 10 days old.  I have been praying for them to know the love of the Lord and to accept Him as their Lord and Savior.  I have been praying for her to have parents who love her and know the Lord, who will raise her in church and to know the Lord, as well.  I have prayed for them to find a new life, one that through God’s strength and grace they could start over putting their past behind them and looking forward to a fresh start.  All of which I see as a huge possibility in time.  I do not doubt for a moment that their love for her is genuine and I trust that God will protect her in whatever situation she is in.  

I read somewhere, not long ago, that God’s ability to protect my child in a horrible environment is way better than my ability to protect him or her in a good one.  It stuck with me and from that moment I knew that I could never doubt His plan for her and that I had to find peace in His will.  Through this journey I have experienced an amazing strength and a peace that truly surpasses my understanding.  Yes, friends, that scripture is living and real!!    This journey has brought my faith from knowing, in my mind, that God provides to really understanding and experiencing God's provision.  I can sincerely and confidently say that I believe that everything offered to the people in the bible, including Jesus, is offered to me, as well.  But today, as I begin to picture my life without this sweet baby jabbering and crawling all over my house, I am reminded of the pain that comes with fostering.  The goodbye that we pray for yet, at the same time, try to ignore will ever happen.  The thought of this goodbye makes me sad today.  “His will be done”, something I have said a million times over.  Something that I believe in with every fiber of my being.  A simple phrase that gives me peace in this storm of raw emotion.  My best friend reminded me today that God’s peace does not ignore reality.  As I wanted to hide my true feelings or beat myself up for being sad, she so gently reminded me that just because I am sad doesn’t mean I don’t trust God.  My sadness doesn’t even mean that I have lost my peace.  It simply means I am sad.  God accepts my real feelings and my pain and my sadness, not as a gesture of insecurity or doubt in Him, but because I am human and I have feelings and I am losing someone dear to me.  Even Jesus, when he prayed in the garden, was overwhelmingly sad.  His sadness did not negate his peace in God’s ability to have the best plan.  Just like Jesus, I am sad as I face this loss.  Just like Jesus, I want there to be some other plan, some other way to make this all better.  Just like Jesus, I resort to trusting God and exclaiming, "not my will, but yours be done" (Luke 22:42). Yes, friends my sadness is real but my strength and peace continue to lead me through this difficult time.  God never promises that this life won't bring difficulty, but I am here to tell you He does make it possible to endure.  When you truly believe, He will give you the strength to do the impossible.  I am confident He will be with me every day, and holding me up on that last day I say goodbye to my precious angel.  I can confidently say that I have no fear, a lot of sadness, but my peace is solid, and I trust in God's ultimate plan.  Won't you trust God with everything.  Step out of your comfort zone.  Follow His uneasy calling on your life and see Him do wonderful things.  Watch Him provide strength and peace you never knew existed! 

Whiter than Snow

"Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow."

Psalm 51:7

Snow days are amazing! Not just because they may bring an unexpected day home with family, but because they are beautiful. I love to see the morning sun come up over the snow. The glistening, glittering sparkles just make me happy. The purity of the morning snow is refreshing and seems to offer hope! 

In today's verse, I'm reminded of all that we are offered in Christ's death for our sins. We are made right and pure before our holy heavenly Father. We are cleansed upon asking forgiveness of our sins- past, present and future. Sins that we are aware of, and sins that we unknowingly have committed are washed away, and we are made pure; We are made whiter than snow! Can you even imagine the dazzling beauty of a heart whiter than snow?

As the day moves on, the snow loses its luster as cars travel the roads, and footprints and shovels change the perfect drifts to obscured forms. I find that as this happens I'm ready for the snow to melt and be gone. Our hearts should long for this purging as well. 

Throughout our day, let us make time today and each day to ask for a pure heart. Seek forgiveness and to be convicted of areas that need to be washed clean. I've heard it said before to keep a short account with God. We should long to keep that pure, glistening white heart before our Lord. 

Dear Lord,

I thank you today for the beauty of the snowfall. I thank you for the reminder of your gift of cleansing and forgiveness. Give me a heart that is honest and true, a heart that seeks to be used by you for your glory and honor. In your holy and precious name I pray.

Amen

Sunday Scripture

Even to your old age and gray hairs I am he, I am he who will sustain you.  I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you.

Issaiah 46:4

Withdraw and Pray

But Jesus often withdrew to the wilderness for prayer.

Luke 5:16

When Jesus was at his busiest he still took the time to pray, in fact, sometimes it seemed the more demands that lay at his feet the more devoted he was to separating himself for prayer.  As I sit here facing another school cancellation, thinking of the demands that lay ahead with having my children home all day, I could easily try and get a head start on all the things I need to do.  I could skip my quiet time and get started on all that laundry, I could sleep in since no one needs to wake up, or I could plan a fun filled day in the snow or maybe cook a big breakfast.  These are all things that are important but should any of them take the place of my prayer time?  If Jesus, who was God, still took time to pray even when he had thousands of people in line waiting to be healed, I can keep my prayer life even when my kids are home demanding food and fun, and so can you.  God is our reason for existence and the source of our strength in daily living, not to mention the amazing power that sustains us when things are going bad in our life.  If we give up our prayer time we miss out on that amazing power and peace.  Jesus knew the importance of talking to God and renewing his strength before big days and big tasks.  We too can understand how important it is to keep a consistent quiet time with God even when things around us are busy and demanding.  My prayer for you, my friends, is that you have time for God today.  Separate yourself from the things around you and go off into the "wilderness" and pray.