Tag: forgiveness

Ugh! Not Again!

02/18/2014Spiritual Growth, , , 15 Comments

This was my house on Monday, Feb 10. The sun was shining, and the TV weathermen predicted we’d pass the freezing mark by Thursday! Hope springs eternal!

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This is my house on Monday, Feb 17. We still haven’t gotten above freezing, and the TV weathermen tell us we can expect another eight inches of snow.

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Ugh! Not again!

What else should I expect? It’s the middle of February in the Midwest. It’s going to be cold. It’s going to snow. This is life… for now. But this isn’t life forever; we know spring will come because God tells us it will.

As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night will never cease.” Genesis 8:22

We wouldn’t for a minute doubt that it will eventually get warm. We can trust God’s Word. What God says always comes to pass. Which is a good thing; because I wonder how often God looks at me and says, “Ugh! Not again!”

How often do I frustrate God? Do I give Him more than enough reasons to think about giving up and moving away from me? Do I push Him to the limit of His perseverance?

When I hoped for a thaw and it only got colder was my frustration as great as God’s when he hoped I would finally learn an important lesson, only to see me fail again …and again?

When I looked for sunshine and saw clouds, was I as disappointed as God was when He looked for me to give Him glory, but instead saw me take credit for a work that He did?

Does God think, “It’s just Marcia! She’s going to fall short, she’s going to disappoint. This is her life… for now. But this isn’t her life forever; I know who I’m making her into, I know who she will be!”

Fortunately God promises me that He will never give up on me. And, He will never give up on you!

“Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” Philippians 1:6 NIV

God’s promises enable us to hold out for spring, and they also enable us to hold on to hope that we are not yet who we will become. And, God assures us that He won’t come to an end of patience with believers. He won’t give up on us, because He is…

“The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin.” Exodus 34: 6-7 NIV

God knows that we are mere humans, fallen and sinful. God doesn’t wait for us to blossom into beautiful people before He lavishes His love on us. He loves us just as we are, cold, gray, dark and dreary, because He knows the warm, colorful, joyous and beautiful personalities He is developing within us.

Spring is on its way! And we can trust that God won’t give up on you or me, no matter how often we may cause Him to say, “Ugh, not again!”

Love Is…

02/11/2014Spiritual Walk, , , , , , , , 11 Comments

ValentineTomorrow is Valentine’s Day, and I love it. I always have. I’ve enjoyed it ever since I made my first poster-board Valentine card holder in grade school. I loved being courted by Brian and showered with Valentines in college. And, as a mom, I loved helping Dan and Bob write their names on preschool super-hero Valentines.

Is it a fake holiday? Am I a romantic? Probably “yes” to both. But, I’ve purchased cards and gifts, and I’ll enjoy distributing them. And, I’ll save the ones I receive.

However, the best Valentine I can give to the people I love is to look inward and have a “spiritual EKG”. I need to take a moment and determine if my day to day demonstration of love aligns with God’s definition of love.

In 1 Corinthians 13, God tells us what love should look like:

Love is…

Patient: Love bears with other’s shortcomings, weaknesses, and failures. Love waits for the right moment, it stays calm and perseveres.

Kind: Love is friendly, careful, and meets other’s needs without having to be asked. Love bends over backward to be nice, it is courteous.

Love is not…

Self-seeking: selfishly pursuing what is gratifying to me, or putting my personal desires, focus and needs above others.

Easily angered: becoming intensely displeasured or exasperated without much difficulty; it doesn’t have a short fuse and lean toward a lit match.

Proud: haughty or arrogant, with an exaggerated self-esteem or feeling of superiority.

Love does not…

Envy: discontent with what I have, resenting what another has, wanting what I don’t have.

Boast: focus on my achievements or possessions, lift myself up even at the expense of putting someone else down.

Dishonor others: bring shame or disgrace upon others through disrespect, slander, or maligning their reputation.

Delight in evil: enjoy my own wickedness or find great pleasure when others fall victim to wickedness.

Keep a record of wrongs: maintain a list of unjust treatment, collected and preserved, so as not to be forgotten, refuse to forgive, and continue to recall mistakes, errors, hurts, inequalities and injustices.

Love always…

Rejoices with the truth: Love fills the heart with joy, and is ready to celebrate facts, reality, sincerity, fidelity, integrity and honesty. Love celebrates what is right.

Protects: Love guards or keeps from harm. Love never deliberately hurts another but shields them from hurt.

Trusts: Love believes, has faith and confidence in others. Love gives the benefit of the doubt.

Hopes: Love is not wishful thinking, but confidence. Loves look forward with confidence to the fulfillment of God’s Word.

Perseveres: Love persists, it never gives up, ever.

Love never fails: no way, not at all, not ever, on no occasion will love prove deficient or inadequate. Love will always succeed.

God tells us in 1 John 4:16 that He is love. Because God is love, He can define love, and He can command that we love one another in the way that He defines it. Sometimes I love well. Other times, I don’t. God always does.

Is your heart prepared for Valentine’s Day? Are you? Are those you love? Will you be showering those you love with true Godly love this Valentine’s Day?

Snowy, Slushy, Salty Shoes

02/04/2014Gospel, Sharing the Gospel, Spiritual Walk, , , , 4 Comments

I have a frisnowBootsFeb2014aend who is a beautiful, influential, charming, and well-thought of woman. She is godly, respected and many women look up to her.

Recently she and I attended an event on a snowy evening. When we walked into our hostess’ home, our shoes were snowy, slushy and salty. My friend quickly grabbed a roll of paper towels and a trash bag and as each woman arrived she wiped the mess off every shoe.

Those of us having our shoes wiped clean felt somewhat uncomfortable. In our eyes, the work of wiping shoes seemed far beneath this woman.  While it was difficult to accept her service, it was sweet to witness her servant’s heart. My friend embodied Jesus’ charge to believers:

“Jesus called the Twelve and said, ‘If anyone wants to be first, he must be the very last, and the servant of all.’” – Mark 9:35 NIV

Jesus didn’t just teach this truth, He lived it. Our Lord Jesus Christ, stepped out of heaven, leaving the glory of God, the place where He is continually worshiped and adored as God, and lived in a human body to serve others even unto death.

Jesus did this. Jesus, the Alpha and the Omega, the One who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty, humbled himself and became the servant of all.

“…made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness… he humbled himself and became obedient to death – even death on a cross!” – Philippians 2:7-8

Jesus’ attitude was selfless obedience. He put human beings above Himself, and He put obedience to the Father above all. Jesus, God the Son, did not consider His equality with God the Father as something that He had to grasp with a tight fist. Jesus set His equality aside for you and for me. He died to cleanse and save us.

We can’t clean ourselves up; we can’t remove the muck and the mud of sin’s filth from our hearts. Our self effort is like trying to wipe our slushy shoes off with a dirty rag: we simply spread the filth around. We need the Servant to wash us clean.

When we accept Christ’s sacrifice on our behalf, our hearts are washed clean by His blood. The blood of Jesus wipes the sin away and secures God’s forgiveness. He never holds our sins against us again. The stain of sin is permanently removed.

Christ’s cleansing assures our salvation.

We are clean, but we live in a dirty world. And, sometimes we track the filth of the world into our lives, our homes and our ministries. It’s difficult to serve God and His people when our hearts are dirtied up with selfishness, and pride.

Thankfully, Jesus’ blood continues to cleanse, and removes the mess of selfishness and pride when it is confessed.

Is there a place of service that you’ve dismissed because you thought it was beneath you? Maybe it seemed like wiping slushy shoes? Would you reconsider as you take into account Jesus’ attitude toward serving you?

Polar Vortex? It’s My Fault!

01/28/2014Spiritual Growth, Spiritual Walk, , , , , , , 16 Comments

The temperature is -3 on its way to -18 and I have to apologize to everyone because the cold is my fault.

You see, I’ve been putting off organizing the cabinet under my bathroom sink for months. It’s easy to pretend the mess isn’t there when it’s hidden. And, it’s so easy to hide: just close the door and it’s gone! Outa sight. Outa mind. Life is good.

Until the temps hover below zero for days on end, and the cabinet doors have to stay open so the pipes on the exterior walls don’t freeze.

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UGH! There it is, staring at me, daring me to dig deep. What will I uncover? Garish lipsticks, old eye shadow, and duplicate purchases because I forgot what was in there. Bottles of nail polish used just once. Waste and disorder.

It shouldn’t surprise me that God is going to this length to get me to clean, purge and organize the impulse purchases and hidden mistakes in my cabinet. He goes to even greater lengths to get me to look deep into my heart and purge the mistakes (sins) that are hidden there.

He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of the heart. – 1 Corinthians 4:5 NIV

God does this. He reveals hidden sin so that I might confess, purge, repent and be cleansed. God causes me to look at the hidden sin in my heart because sin is a barrier that separates me from intimacy with God and God wants a relationship that is free of barriers.

God knows the deepest darkest caverns of your heart and mine. He knows the impulse purchases we try to forget. He knows the garish mistakes. He knows the reality of what is hidden there.

For the Lord searches every heart and understands every desire and every thought – 1 Chronicles 28:9 NIV

We may try to hide our sins, but nothing is hidden from God. God won’t let us hide. He loves us and wants us cleansed.

O God, you know how foolish I am; my sins cannot be hidden from you. – Psalm 69:5

We may try to close the door and pretend the mess isn’t there, but God won’t let the door stay closed. He allows circumstances or events in our lives that force us to open the door and confront the reality of sin.

When we acknowledge the mess, confess, and repent, God’s cleansing light of forgiveness floods every deep corner of our hearts.

But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.  – 1 John 1:9 NLT

God cornered me. He does frequently, and when He does, I cleanse, purge and organize. My heart is good and my cabinet is too. You can expect the temps to start rising any moment!

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“The Mom Award”

01/24/2014Sharing the Gospel, Spiritual Growth, Spiritual Walk, , , , , , , 16 Comments

If you’re a mom, you’ve probably given yourself one or more, “Mom Awards”. You know the ones I mean: “Worst Mom of the Hour/Day/Week/Month/Year or Decade”; and the most despised: “Worst Mom of the Century”.

I have a closet full! There are days when I received all of them in one afternoon.

I’ll never forget one of the “Worst Mom” awards I received… I gave it to myself the winter before this family photo was taken.

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In my defense… it was winter, and it’s not easy being a mom of preschoolers cooped up in the house for days. Danny had developed a habit of masterfully pushing Bobby down every time he saw Bobby standing still. I warned Danny: If you do that again, I’m going to push you!

Danny pushed. Bobby fell and started crying. I gave Danny the “you’re in for it now” look!

Immediately, Danny started to quickly back away, in stocking feet on a vinyl floor. I reached toward him, he lost his balance, slipped, fell and hit his head on the cabinet. He started crying. Bobby was still crying. And I sat down beside them, crying.

That night, sitting between Dan’s bed and Bob’s crib, still crying, I wrote them both a letter of apology in case they ever recalled this horrible day in therapy as adults. I still have the letters. Just in case.

There, it’s out there. I’m the worst mom ever. And, I have more stories I could tell…..

Guilt? Yes! Feeling like a failure? Yes! Like King David, I cried out to the Lord:

“My guilt overwhelms me – it is a burden too heavy to bear. My wounds fester and stink because of my foolish sins. I am bent over and racked with pain. All day long I walk around filled with grief.” – Psalm 38:4-6 NLT

There is no way to remove the guilt. We may try to cover over it with kind acts – I probably made cookies for them later on, or let them watch their favorite TV show. I may have tried to ease my conscience by telling myself I was doing my best to be a good mom. I had to keep my word. I had to teach Danny right behavior. It was just a little bump. Barely nothing. And surely nothing in the grand scheme of things.  And, while all of that was true, my heart ached because I had hurt my child by my own hand.

There was only one way to remove the guilt: Come to Jesus and confess the sin.

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. – 1 John 1:9NIV

“For our guilty consciences have been sprinkled with Christ’s blood to make us clean…” – Hebrews 10:22 NLT

As a mom I’ve gotten really good, I think, at asking for forgiveness, both from the Lord and from the boys. Sometimes now, the boys will laugh at me when I bring up long ago events and ask for their forgiveness. It is worth the laughter because I love to dance in the freedom that comes with forgiveness.

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