19 entries categorized "Abba's Grace"
the root of all evil is NOT money
the root of all evil is not money, it is comparison. comparison breeds discontent. discontent breeds envy. and envy breeds malice. thanks be to Abba that i only got as far as phase one. i stopped blogging because it was breeding comparison and discontent. i was trying so hard to keep up. i wanted to belong to some sort of community, and in my mind that meant i must do.....more. i was doing more. i was DOING a lot. i couldn't DO enough. the more i DID the more i WANTED. i got tired. i got tired of competing with myself. so i just stopped. that's my M.O. i recognize an unheathy pattern in my life and i simply STOP it. i know that i am blessed with the ability and strength to do that. It just takes me awhile to realize the pattern is there in the first place.
so i have been spending all of these long months UNdoing. I am now an expert BEer. I spent my time BEING in my garden , communing with the amazing nature that He has given us, that reveals His true Nature. His Nature is revealed in our world. We just need to focus on it. He revealed himself in so many exoctic ways. He is true and faithful to the very end.
when i was sitting in a hot bath with sammi's new floating rubber duckys tonight, i realized an important truth. the water was cooling and i wasn't ready to get out...i had become discontent as the water cooled. i started the tap and ran very hot water. the hotness of the water was a bit uncomfortable to my skin, so i swirled it around with the cold water already in the tub. as i did this, the duckys became agitated and some even toppled over. i told them, " it's only for a minute, and it will make you more comfortable for the rest of your stay". That is so true. Sometimes we go through some very painful times when Abba is stirring the waters of our lives. But what we must always remember is...it will make the rest of our stay all the more comfortable.
Laura VanRyn and Whitney Cerack
There was an accident involving a bus full of Taylor University students. Many students died in the accident and one student was airlifted by helicopter with many injuries including a brain trauma. The student in a coma was identified as Laura VanRyn. The Van Ryn family set up a 5 week vigil with around the clock care for their daughter. Laura's sister even attended Laura's graduation ceremony to accept Laura's college diploma on her behalf. Meanwhile, Whitney Cerak's family tended to the duties of mourning the loss of their daughter and hosting a memorial service with over 1400 people in attendance.
A few days ago as Laura VanRyn came out of a coma and became more alert to her surroundings she began to say that her name was Whitney. The family surrounding her soon realized that the person they had been nursing back to health was not their daughter. Through dental records it was confirmed that the patient was, in fact, Whitney Cerak.
Please pray for the family, friends, and the two communities of these two women. This is an amazing story. The blog that was set up to keep family members informed of Laura's (actually Whitney's) medical progress is full of grace and an example of God's amazing provisions during a difficult time. I am truly at a loss for words hearing about this story. What an incredible story of upmost joy and deepest sorrow. Truly the highest of both emotions clashing in a profound and unforgetable way. It is reported that the two families are united by their faith and are supporting each other through this difficult and confusing time.
For more information see the following links.
Adjectives and Verbs
When Blair posted about her 100th entry she recognized a few other bloggers that encouraged her and continue to support her. I posted a comment about how the blogging community has done much of the same for me. I have been so encouraged and uplifted since finding this community of gracious crafters, infertile ladies on their treacherous journeys, adoptive parents waiting in anticipation for the fulfillment of family, and long-distance friends. And, somehow, ironically, I still tend to be so insecure about my place in it all. Today, after much mulling and praying, I have come to some grand conclusions. My insecurity comes from my own self-inflicted expectations. And, sadly, I have inflicted some of those expectations on others. It all comes down to the relationship of adjectives and verbs.
It begins with my own voice pounding in my head. “You are so __________, you should _________.” As I thought about this interesting sentence map, I realized that most of my self-talk takes this form. “You are so __________________, you should ____________. I won’t horrify you with the realization of the actual adjectives; they are not usually pretty. The sad part is that even if the adjectives are positive, the second part of the sentence can still be very negative. “You are so articulate, you should write more.” “You are so creative, you should sew more.” “You are so insightful, you should communicate more.” So, even when I combat the negative adjective, the end of sentence pounces in like a prideful tiger devouring my confidence and confining me to a cage of guilt.
Unfortunately we do this same thing to each other. How many times have we extended a compliment in this same form? “You are so artistic, you should sell you things in stores!” “You are so eloquent, you should write a book.” “You are so patient, you should have children.” Somehow, when we are on the receiving end of such sentences there is a bittersweet taste left lingering. We were just handed a compliment, but unknowingly we were also handed a job to do. This mix of adjective and verbs sends a message that we should do MORE, that somehow what we are doing is not enough.
The place of peace within us comes from knowing when to end a sentence. What if instead of the comma, we inserted a great big period. “You are so eloquent.” “You are so stylish.” Or, even an exclamation mark! “You are so smart!” This is my new goal. I hope to not only exert these criteria upon my own verbal wars within, but to learn to address others with the same grace. Forgive me if I have ever unknowingly handed this bittersweet compliment to you. Forgive me for qualifying your talents with a future task. I am learning and growing and realizing that life is about Being, not about Being More.
Welcome Home!
When the prodigal son limped home from his lengthy binge of waste and wandering, boozing and womanizing, his motives were mixed at best. He said to himself, "How many of my father's hired men have all the food they want and more, and here am I dying of hunger! I will leave this place and go to my father" (Luke 15:17-18) The ragamuffin stomach was not churning with compunction because he had broken his father's heart. He stumbled home simply to survive. His sojourn in a far country had left him bankrupt. The days of wine and roses had left him dazed and disillusioned. The wine soured and the roses withered. His declaration of independence had reaped an unexpected harvest: not freedom, joy and new life but bondage, gloom, and a brush with death. His fair-weather friends had shifted their allegiance when his piggy bank emptied. Disenchanted with life, the wastrel weaved his way home, not from a burning desire to see his father, but just to stay alive.
For me, the most touching verse in the entire Bible is the father's response: "While he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was moved with pity. He ran to the boy, clasped him in his arms and kissed him" (Luke 15:20). I am moved that the father didn't cross-examine the boy, bully him, lecture him on ingratitude, or insist on any high motivation. He was so overjoyed at the sight of his son that he ignored all canons of prudence and parental discretion and simply welcomed him home. The father took him back just as he was.
What a word of encouragement, consolation, and comfort! We don't have to sift our hearts and analyze our intentions before returning home. Abba just wants us to show up. We don't have to tarry at the tavern until purity of heart arrives. We don't have to be shredded with sorrow or crushed with contrition. We don't have to be perfect or even very good before God will accept us. We don’t have to wallow in guilt, shame, remorse, and self-condemnation. Even if we still nurse a secret nostalgia for the far country, Abba falls on our neck and kisses us.
On the last day, when we arrive at the Great Cabin in the Sky, many of us will be bloodied, battered, bruised, and limping. But by God and by Christ, there will be a light in the window and a "Welcome Home" sign on the door.
~~~~~Brennan Manning always says it best (The Ragamuffin Gospel)
