Happy Holidays
Well the holidays are almost over as we approach new years eve. I trust many of you have taken the time to look at your year this past year and consider all the events and things it has given you. If you are like me, you will have buckets of extremely wonderful things and buckets of awful things, but if you are reading this, then like me you have survived!
I think it is a wonderful thing to not only survive, but to learn and grow. Each of us face many challenges with our lives, some are momentarily cripling, some are life cripling and some are life ending. Perspective is a wonderful thing in the midst of all of it. I have come to discover that the only life ending event is truly death! For those of you who have lost loved ones and friends this past year, I offer my condolences.
When I think of all other life events, I am reminded two stories, one from the movie Lethal Weapon and the other, the story of Jacob of Jacob in the Bible. The scene in Lethal Weapon, Mel Gibson is compare scares he received to another mans and considering them as badges of honor for their duty as policmen. In the Bible story of Jacob, Jacob was a man who often avoided trouble by running or coniving. Then one night he entered a wrestling match with the angel of the Lord, and during that wrestling match, Jacob pinned the angel and the angel touched him on his thigh. The angel touched him, and he walked with a limp the rest of his life. The limp was as a permanent reminder of his encounter with God. At one point, God renamed Jacob. He was no longer Jacob, for God changed His name to Israel, which means ‘prince with God.’
I enourage you to look on your challenges as encounters with God, what is He trying to do in your life today. Where is He changing your name? How is He changing your walk?
You Still Love Me
I messed up today.
I failed to walk in all Your ways.
I stumble and fall,
I miss Your call.
But You still love me.
The things I do, I shouldnt.
The things I can, I couldnt.
I struggle, fail and often loose
Your grace I sometimes abuse
But You still love me.
I desire to bring You joy
To be the perfect little boy
But at times I stink
Taking Your grace to the brink
But You still love me.
It amazes me every day
In a most joyful way
That your love so rich and pure
Will always endure.
I love You too.
Thanks for loving me God!
The Light of Your Face
Wretched and shameful I could barely see
Then Your grace was poured out to me
You called and searched for my soul
Desiring only to make me whole
I ran and fled from Your face
Feeling guilt, remorse and disgrace
I was naked and bare and full of doubt
In love and compassion You sought me out
You showed me the sacrifice of Your Son
and by His death a great victory was won
By His blood I was washed and purified
And my sins were paid when He died
Now I stand in the light of Your face
and walk in the shadow of Your grace
I am redeemed and made whole
You have rescued my soul
I no longer hide in fear and shame
Nor do I run at the mention of Your name
No more guilt or disgrace
I stand in the light of Your face
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Reflections
Over the last couple of days I had to the opportunity to take a quick to Fargo, ND. One of the benifits to traveling is that I find to sit and reflect (not alot else you can do on the plane!). As I was reading and reflecting, particular over the last year, I had a few thoughts and decided I would begin sharing them as the year end approaches.
This has been an extremely difficult year for me relationship wise. I have experienced the end of an 18 year marriage and found myself working through alot of heart related issues. In Proverbs 27:19, the Bible (my source of personal strength and encouragment) says, “As water reflects a face, so a man’s heart reflects the man.” Through the process of discovery and seperation, I often found it difficult to move with integrity and kindness and even forgiveness. I had to constantly stop and check my heart to see where I was at. You see, our heart is a great gauge to our emotional and spiritual condition. Proverbs 4:23 says, “Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life. ” This challenges us to keep a guard on our hearts, or in otherwords, keep a check on it. For what flows from our heart is who we really are. “The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks.”-Luke 6:45
So my challenge for today, for me and for you, is what is flowing out? When you look at your heart reflection, what do you see?
