A bad day....marked by grace

Girlfriends, today I don't want to offer any motivational quips, quick fit tips or eating clean verbiage. I want to share a day I experienced a couple of weeks ago. I would call it a "bad" day. I'll let you judge for yourselves. One of my sons, who works hard to make ends meet, while in college, lives on his own and works part time, texted me, at work, to call him and stated it was "an emergency." When I returned his call a few minutes later, the story that he relayed went like this. "Mom, I parked in a handcicap space for maybe 20 minutes to go in and see a friend at his apartments and when I came out, my car was gone...towed. I went to pick up the car and discovered my license was expired (had expired on his birthday the same month)so I couldn't pick up my car. I went to the DMV to get my license renewed and....(you guessed it)...they informed me I owed money to the state of Arkansas!" I believe my initial response was a big sigh (not into the receiver) and a prayer for grace. A day and 1/2 later of vacation time(mine)and 2 additional trips to the DMV, multiple phone calls, being on hold for loooooonnnng periods of time, followed by fees paid to the state of Arkansas (for a speeding ticket he had received 7 years prior and had not paid)about $900 all in all (his dad assisted, too), including the storage fee on the car in the tow lot, and we were back in business. My son said, "All this for 20 minutes in a handicap space...never again!" I looked my son in his pretty green eyes and explained that I had been the recipient of much grace and now he was receiving a little of that same grace. You see, my son is not a believer, just yet, and he needs to understand and experience grace and forgiveness, that unearned favor we all long for and have a hard time grasping. He knew what he'd done wrong and didn't need me to remind him just then. Was I frustrated? Ummm, have you spent much time in the DMV? Was I irritated? Somewhat. Did I want to spend my hard earned money or vacation time this way? Guess, again. Sweet friends, I'm not glamorizing or purporting enabling our kids to make bad decisions without consequences. I am simply stating there are times when we need to realize, "Freely you have received. Freely give." Matthew 10:8 Keep Climbing: Is there someone who needs grace in your circle, today? Is God calling you to an opportunity to offer grace, freely, without a lecture or a harsh word about "what I having to do....for you!" Ask the Lord to reveal these times to you. Sometimes an opportunity to show grace can be hidden in a "bad day." Still Climbing, Cher

Surely he was the Son of God!

Girlfriends, let's take a few minutes from our busy day to look to God's Word and let it shine on our hearts and provide nourishment for our souls, as we begin the new week. Matthew 27:54 "When the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and all that had happened, they were terrified, and exclaimed, “Surely he was the Son of God!” We might think it amazing that the Roman guards, who had the responsibility of putting Jesus to death, didn't see who he was until they felt the rumble of the earthquake beneath their feet. Didn't they see how Jesus conducted himself during his scourging, hadn't they looked into his face and felt their souls exposed? Wasn't there something that made them think about what they were doing before the earthquake? Let's not be too quick to judge, sweet friends. How many of us have had to experience our own earthquake(s) in order to see Jesus as the Son of God? We are, by nature, a skeptical people and "slow to believe all the prophets have said..." Luke 24:25. But when calamity comes, we are brought to the place where we realize that we are not in control and, in that place, we may cry out to Jesus who "surely is the Son of God." This is not true only as we initially believe but as we continue to believe. We quickly forget or dismiss the thought that we are not in control and resort back to going about trying to save ourselves. Keep climbing: "Earthquakes" often serve a purpose in giving us the opportunity to see the Savior but let's determine in our hearts to live beyond "earthquake induced faith." May we lean in, during times of quiet blessing or in seasons of pain, and hear the gentle whisper of Jesus, "Come. Follow me."

My List…God’s Design?

Good Morning, Girlfriends! Pull up a chair! Grab a cup of coffee and your list..what list, you ask? You know, YOUR LIST. It's different than mine but we each have a list. My list is long. It is a specific list. A detailed list. It’s the list, unofficially titled, “Cherrie’s plans.” Borne out of the desires of my heart, it is the list of things that I hope to see come to pass, the things I want to accomplish and the things on which I place value, quantified by how I spend my time, energy and focus. For those of you familiar with the Bible, there is an often quoted verse that says, “Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart.” Psalm 37:4 This is the subject of my thought, today. I want to be certain that my plans, the desires of my heart, which are many, are subject to God’s design. The first part of that familiar verse says, "Delight yourself in the Lord and...." There is an order to this promise. As I delight myself in the Lord, God will give to me the desires of my heart! God is the very Creator of my existence AND the Creator of the new spiritual life I received, when he opened my eyes and, as I believed, granted me new birth. As my Creator, shouldn’t he also have preeminence with regard to my list? Isn’t he truthworthy with the agenda of my days, considering the breath he grants to me? Let’s talk about numbers. He has numbered my days (Psalm 139:16) and knows the very number of hairs on my head (Matthew 10:30). How then would I think that I am left on my own to decide how I am to spend my days or don’t I realize that, in wisdom, I would do well to seek him, with care, to design my list? Reading through the rest of Psalm 139, it is clear that God is intimately involved and actively participates in our formation from the time of our conception. Let's think of it in a simple word picture. If I designed and formed a certain dish so that it would perfectly hold and showcase a beautifully oval shaped egg and I proceeded to try and serve a 16 oz. ribeye on it, what would the result be? It wouldn't fit! It would hang out all over the place and it certainly wouldn't make an appetizing presentation! Isn't that often what we do? We try to make our own list outside of God's design or according to what someone else thinks we should be and we wonder why we feel exhausted, frustrated and unfulfilled! Remember *God's personal design is the best "style" for me to wear! :) Isaiah 46:10 makes it clear that God's purpose will be carried out, regardless of my cooperation…BUT I don’t want to miss out! I want to lean in and realize the joy of participating in the purpose he has to reach people with the good news of redemption, specifically those whom he has placed within my sphere of influence. Today, there is a vast amount of time and attention given to “finding myself” and being “fulfilled.” I would like to suggest that there is no deep secret to be unearthed in this quest. Personal fulfillment comes in walking within God’s design for our lives and pointing others to him. If this is my focus, I will leave a perpetual legacy that continues to be shared, long after I am gone. In contrast, a self-centered, self-focused life leaves nothing of lasting value. It does leave untilled soil in the hearts of those within that circle, which another, must step into and labor for the harvest that has been left unattended, so that they might see and believe. A familiar corporate term is “knowledge sharing.” Let’s engage in LIFE sharing, girlfriends. Make each of us an instrument of your peace, according to your design, Lord Jesus! Keep climbing: Take your list….kneel with it and pray, before your Creator, who knows ALL things regarding you. Don’t be afraid – he is your Creator, Redeemer and Friend. Invite him to design, refine and shine in your list, that his purpose might be fulfilled and, in doing so, you will find fulfillment. Still Climbing,