“And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart.” Ezekiel 36:26 NLT (Other translations say the heart of flesh)

“To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything and your heart will be wrung and possibly broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact, you must give it to no one, not even an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements. Lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket, safe, dark, motionless, airless, it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable. To love is to be vulnerable.” C. S. Lewis, The Four Loves

What happens when we become a Christian? We learn to love as Jesus did. We turn in our hardhearted hearts and start living a new life with a new heart.  A heart of stone does not beat. It does not feel empathy, compassion, pity, or hope. It does not grieve or share. It never is vulnerable. It exists. It survives. Regrets? Very few regrets, I’m sure, but oh how big the void! The cost for a heart of flesh is great too but there’s a promise … Life and abundantly. This includes heartbreak and grief along with joy, happiness and peace. A full and abundant life has pain and joy. We turned in our hearts of stone for a tender one.

Musings

The Father gave us hearts to feel like His Son did and does. To celebrate like He does. To respond as He does. To forgive even when hurting.  To give when empty. To hope when all seems lost. Jesus did this in His very short life on Earth and is our Perfect Example. Sometimes it seems too much! But to miss love is to miss the Father and all the grace and gifts of being His child.

Prayer

Dear Father,

Thank you for this new heart of flesh. It hurts sometimes, teaches always, and brings us closer to You and Your Son. When our tender heart is in pain, remind us of Jesus’ pain and the price he paid so we may be Your beloved Child.

In His name, Amen.

Fullness of God

“That according to the riches of his glory, he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have the strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.” Ephesians 3:16-19 ESV (Emphasis mine)

“I feign fullness, but in reality I am achingly empty. And it is because I too often sit at the table of the world instead of the feet of God.” ― Craig D. Lounsbrough

I struggle to understand the fullness of God. It is something to be desired. It is something that surpasses knowledge and who can measure it? I read that the following are indicators of the fullness of God, though I believe it’s still more and a mystery.

To have the fullness of God means:

Restoration. The Father “restores our souls.” How can we restore the loss of a loved one? How can we restore our health? How can financial losses be restored? Sometimes health and finances are recovered but the soul? The promise of the Father making everything good for those who love Him is solid. We may not like it then, but we’ll see how it will benefit us and others if we trust Him.

Harmony. Our country has no harmony right now. Families are torn apart. Businesses are going under. Empathy and compassion are in very short supply. How do we walk in “concert” with others who do not know God or want Him? We walk in concert with the Father and release others to Him. We ask the Father to show us what to do today. The future, good or bad, is made up of the little actions we can do today. Jesus reminds us to live in today.

Soundness. For much of my youth and beyond, I did not have a sound mind. I was a hot mess!  It took counseling, support groups, and a strong church to get me above water. If a person is drowning in one inch of water, they’re still drowning. A sound mind—what work! But the Father beckons us to continue. He encourages us to know Him and this will reveal to us who we are—His beloved child with a sound mind.

Wholeness/completeness. Without the fullness of God, how can we be complete? What makes a person complete? Acceptance that I am dependent on the Father is my starting place. He will give me life and abundantly—(John 10:10) Power through His Spirit in our inner beings and grounded in love. We are never alone.

Musings

The world promises so much and it is enticing! Like binging on a dessert, we’ll feel full, but a few hours later, we’re more empty than before. The world is dramatic and discouraging—be this, do that. Most of our failures and uncertainties are from “looking for love in all the wrong places.” The world can never give us the fullness and richness of Life. The world is not permanent.

Prayer

Dear Father,

We have fullness because of what Jesus did and does for us every day. Please help us to realize with thanks our fullness and share this fullness with others. Remind us our cup is never empty.

Amen.

“Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow.” James 1:17 NASB

“A blessing is what we get from practicing righteousness and rejecting wickedness.” Inspirational Quotes

Have you ever gone on a dinner date and knew there was a dark motive? Have you ever had someone help with your work and then take credit for all of it?  The situations promise something but deliver something entirely different than expected.

The Blessings of God have no darkness or push-pull motivations. The blessings may be so familiar or subtle that we miss them. I missed a horrific car accident by a few minutes and was grumpy because I was late getting to an appointment. I missed the hug from my son when he was little because he would be covered in dirt or some other unknown substance. He used to put earthworms in his pockets.

Proverbs promises blessings on the household if we keep close to Him and practice righteousness. That’s right, practicing. Practicing righteousness is not a cakewalk, even with help from the Word and the Holy Spirit. That’s because we abandoned our old way of life to walk in the Savior’s way. That old way is comfortable and familiar. But the blessings come when we change direction and walk with Him and they’re always more than we expect.

Musings

A job well done. An unexpected gift from a friend. A peaceful and contented day. The smell of a newborn. A wet kiss from your child. A delicious dinner. These are blessings we overlook. Running water and heat for our homes! When the famous columnist Erma Bombeck was diagnosed with cancer, suddenly the stained carpet, the dust mites, and the loads of laundry shrunk to their true importance. I, too, put off gatherings because of a stained carpet and loads of laundry. I’m missing some blessings!

Prayer

Dear Father,

Thank you for Your many blessings, especially the ones we take for granted or miss entirely. Please help us practice righteousness daily knowing this leads to peace, joy and success.

We have a new year to look forward to because of Jesus’ sacrifice. May we remember daily.

Amen.

Fullness of God

“that according to the riches of his glory, he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have the strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.” Ephesians 3:16-19 ESV (Emphasis mine)

“I feign fullness, but in reality I am achingly empty. And it is because I too often sit at the table of the world instead of the feet of God.” ― Craig D. Lounsbrough

I struggle to understand the fullness of God. It is something to be desired. It is something that surpasses knowledge and who can measure it? I read that the following are indicators of the fullness of God, though I believe it’s still more and a mystery.

To have the fullness of God means:

Restoration. The Father “restores our souls.” How can we restore the loss of a loved one? How can we restore our health? How can financial losses be restored? Sometimes health and finances are recovered but the soul? The promise of the Father making everything good for those who love Him is solid. We may not like it then, but we’ll see how it will be good for us and others if we trust Him.

Harmony. Our country has no harmony right now. Families are torn apart. Businesses are going under. Empathy and compassion are in very short supply. How do we walk in “concert” with others who do not know God or want Him? We walk in concert with the Father and release others to Him. We ask the Father to show us what to do today. The future, good or bad, is made up of the little actions we can do today. Jesus reminds us to live in today.

Soundness. For much of my youth and beyond, I did not have a sound mind. I was a hot mess!  It took counseling, support groups, and a strong church to get me above water. If a person is drowning in one inch of water, they’re still drowning. A sound mind—what work! But the Father beckons us to continue. He encourages us to know Him and this will reveal to us who we are—His beloved child with a sound mind.

Wholeness/completeness. Without the fullness of God, how can we be complete? What makes a person complete? Acceptance that I am dependent on the Father is my starting place. He will give me life and abundantly—(John 10:10) Power through His Spirit in our inner beings. We are never alone.

Musings

The world promises so much and it is enticing! Just like binging on a dessert, we’ll feel full, but a few hours later, we’re more empty than before. The world is dramatic and discouraging—be this, do that. Most of our failures and uncertainties are from “looking for love in all the wrong places.” The world can never give us the fullness and richness of Life. The world is not permanent.

Prayer

Dear Father,

We have fullness because of what Jesus did and does for us everyday. Help us to share this fullness with others and remind us our cup is never empty.

Amen.

Is this a camel or a gnat?

“You [spiritually] blind guides, who strain out a gnat [consuming yourselves with minuscule matters] and swallow a camel [ignoring and violating God’s precepts]!” Matthew 23:24 Amplified Bible

“Action expresses priorities.” ― Mahatma Gandhi

How many stories are about unimportant things everywhere we look, social media, television and publications? They distract from self-reflection and, (dare I say it?) Repentance. Just the other day I was worried about cleaning my house for company. I thought of the story of Mary and Martha while cleaning at break-neck speed. Mary sat at Jesus’ feet while Martha complained about Mary’s lack of help with dinner preparations. I’ve never had someone come to visit my house. I’ve had them come to laugh and share. I’ve had them come to express grief or an accomplishment. I don’t think dirt and dog hair is what they were looking for. I’ve never visited others and looked at smudges on the mirror or dirty dishes. Gnat or camel?

New year priorities. Am I swallowing a camel while focusing on gnats? A daily meeting at the feet of Jesus, even if it’s only for a few minutes, puts away camels. Here are some of my gnats and camels:

Thankfulness for another day or grumbling about the weather

Boredom with the tasks at hand or thankfulness I am physically able to accomplish them

Fearing others or thankful for the Father’s protection and guidance

Focusing on what’s wrong with me or asking for Divine Help and encouragement

Dusty furniture or arms around a discouraged child

Lack of money or upward call for creativity and discipline

Stumbling over and over the same sin or rejoicing in my grace to start again

Musings

It’s so easy to fixate on matters that mean very little. The dangerous part is overlooking all the love, support, beauty, and meaning the Father provides. What a waste of life and space! The spiritual leaders of Jesus’ time missed the Son of God. They were too impressed with their importance. They strained out a gnat and swallowed a camel.

Prayer

Dear Father,

Jesus demonstrated the important things in life. He demonstrated love even when under attack, entrapment or shame. Help us to notice all the truly important things today with thanks.

Amen.

For the New Year

“When you thought I wasn’t looking I saw you hung my first painting on the refrigerator, and I immediately wanted to paint another one.

When you thought I wasn’t looking I saw you feed a stray cat, and I learned that it was good to be kind to animals.

When you thought I wasn’t looking I saw you make my favorite cake for me, and I learned that the little things can be the special things in life.

When you thought I wasn’t looking I heard you say a prayer, and I knew there is a God I could always talk to, and I learned to trust in Him.

When you thought I wasn’t looking I saw you make a meal and take it to a friend who was sick, and I learned that we all have to help take care of each other.

When you thought I wasn’t looking I saw you take care of our house and everyone in it, and I learned we have to take care of what we are given.

When you thought I wasn’t looking I saw how you handled your responsibilities, even when you didn’t feel good, and I learned that I would have to be responsible when I grow up.

When you thought I wasn’t looking I saw tears come from your eyes, and I learned that sometimes things hurt, but it’s all right to cry.

When you thought I wasn’t looking I saw that you cared, and I wanted to be everything I could be.

When you thought I wasn’t looking I learned most of life’s lessons that I need to know to be a good and productive person when I grow up.

When you thought I wasn’t looking I looked at you and wanted to say, “Thanks for all the things I saw when you thought I wasn’t looking.”

Each of us influences the life of a child.

Author Unknown–The Storyteller

Prayer

Dear Father,

Bless all who seek You. Bless all who struggle. Bless the sick. Bless the peacemaker. Bless the grieving. Bless the hungry. Bless those who do without being asked, give without counting the cost, and love even when their hearts break.

And use us to do Your Glory.

Amen.

Author Unknown

“After listening to the king, they went their way. And behold, the star they had seen in the east went on before them until it came to rest over the place where the Child was. 10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great gladness.” Matthew 2:9-10

“When you thought I wasn’t looking I saw you hang my first painting on the refrigerator, and I immediately wanted to paint another one.

When you thought I wasn’t looking I saw you feed a stray cat, and I learned that it was good to be kind to animals.

When you thought I wasn’t looking I saw you make my favorite cake for me, and I learned that the little things can be the special things in life.

When you thought I wasn’t looking I heard you say a prayer, and I knew there is a God I could always talk to, and I learned to trust in Him.

When you thought I wasn’t looking I saw you make a meal and take it to a friend who was sick, and I learned that we all have to help take care of each other.

When you thought I wasn’t looking I saw you take care of our house and everyone in it, and I learned we have to take care of what we are given.

When you thought I wasn’t looking I saw how you handled your responsibilities, even when you didn’t feel good, and I learned that I would have to be responsible when I grow up.

When you thought I wasn’t looking I saw tears come from your eyes, and I learned that sometimes things hurt, but it’s all right to cry.

When you thought I wasn’t looking I saw that you cared, and I wanted to be everything I could be.

When you thought I wasn’t looking I learned most of life’s lessons that I need to know to be a good and productive person when I grow up.

When you thought I wasn’t looking I looked at you and wanted to say, ‘Thanks for all the things I saw when you thought I wasn’t looking.’

Each of us influences the life of a child.”

Author Unknown

The Storyteller

Prayer

Dear Father,

Bless all who seek You. Bless all who struggle. Bless the sick. Bless the peacemaker. Bless the grieving. Bless the hungry.

And use us to do Your Glory.

Amen.

“Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. ¹³ Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.” Romans 12:12-13 ESV

“If you’re going through hell, keep going!” Winston Churchill

Churchill rallied and encouraged Great Britain through the tragedy and losses of WWII. If there was Hell on Earth, World War II came close. The devastation!  How anyone survived…

Paul gives us specific and encouraging things to do when waiting in turmoil for healing, financial relief, grief softening, rescue, and withdrawal symptoms to ease our pain and fill our hearts.

We don’t just sit there in self-pity. Though the temptation is great and I’ve indulged in it too many times to count, Paul points the way upward. My sister had non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and I was constant in prayer but rejoice in hope? That’s where the Holy Spirit prays, comforts and teaches.

The situation may not be what is desired. Some people die. My spouse died from a horrible disease. Some died in war. Some were from accidents and all were prayed over. That’s a personal hell and we must keep going, especially if we trust the Father and His loving character. It’s okay to wrestle over this. Jacob did all night long. Or we may be flat broke and we are still to contribute to the needs of saints. Another wrestling match for sure, but we always have something to give.

Be hospitable. When I was newly widowed I fostered an abandoned dog. Being with others at that time was too challenging. Entertaining others? Forget it! The dinner after the funeral was all I could bear. I was wrestling. The Father gave me one of His creatures to love, feed, and nurture amid grief. It worked! The little guy had a hole in his heart. I did too. I healed. He passed after three years with me but was he happy for those three years! Me too.

Keep going. You may feel like you’re in a water less desert but that is not true. Seek the promises Jesus made: Living Water. Bread of Life. Wine for forgiveness. Ask for prayer. Let someone love you (or in my case an abandoned pup) until your hope is realized. You’re being patient and doing something in hope.

Musings

Patience is difficult for most of us. It helps to focus on what Jesus would have us do. Sometimes it’s seeking help. Sometimes it’s prayer. Sometimes it’s finding knowledge. Sometimes there’s a specific Bible verse for the situation and we memorize it. Sometimes it’s reaching for another. Patience is made much more frustrating if we do nothing and will lead to self-pity.

Prayer

Dear Father,

Patience is needed in most of our situations and how disheartening it can be! But we are to do something while we wait and it always ends up looking up with Jesus’ help. Most of the time, patience educates and strengthens. Why do things that are good for us sometimes are so difficult? Because it’s building character: Jesus’ character.

Thank you for guiding us through patience without retribution or shame. Help us to persevere.

In Jesus’ name.

Amen.

Drop the Shame of Being a Beginner

“So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up.” Galatians 6:9 NLT

“Change is hard at the beginning, messy in the middle and gorgeous at the end.” — Robin Sharma

Why, oh why do we feel shame if we are a beginner? Babies learning to walk don’t feel shame, some bumps and bruises along the way, and they fall down many times before they run. Learning to ride a bicycle was daunting in my childhood years, yet I persisted and soared through forests, bumpy dirt roads and grassy vacant lots. Then I tackled ice-skating. Ouch! I had no embarrassment or shame in learning to play a game, the computer, driving. I did as I got older and someone saw me struggling. The focus was taken off the activity and onto me. When did it become shameful to become a beginner? I made many mistakes as a widow. I’ve never been a widow before. When I became a manager, I made mistakes. I’d never managed before. Quitting destructive behaviors. I’d never done that before. In fact, destructive behaviors are quite easy to pick up. Well, except when I started smoking and had to smoke a pack till I was nauseous, dizzy and green.

We are all new at something for the rest of our lives. Old? Yep. You’ve never been old before. Married? Yep. Never done that before. And if you’re remarried, you’ve never been married to that particular person before. New job? Yep. New people and skills to sharpen our education. Grace, loads and loads of it, is needed in all beginning situations.  We’re all beginners at something.

What to do?

Musings

Show up!!!  Take a class, ask a friend or mentor for help, read a book, do an online search, ask God for wisdom and courage. You’ll still fumble at first. But every day you show up, you’re making progress. Sometimes slowly and sometimes quickly. Drop the embarrassment and if someone teases you, you can bet they’re new at something too. Say a quick prayer for the outlier and put you focus on Him. The One who does all and is all. Struggle. We all have messy beginnings and middles, but the ending will be something when we’re with the Father, Son and Holy spirit.

Prayer

Father,

We were new when we became a part of your family with failures, sins and regrets intact. You welcomed us any way with singing and celebration.

Being new at anything in this world is humbling, scary, requires patience, discipline and trust. Hold back our shame in being a beginner. Help us to accept that we all, from infants to the very old, are learning new things. Help us to be kind and understanding with the beginners in our lives. “Unless we become like children…”

Amen.