A New Creation

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This is the third post I've attempted this morning. The other two posts I saved for another day.

Over at A Holy Experience we are talking about new life. What does this mean to me?



I thought I might write something bookish or scholarly...but, it fell flat.

So, I've decided to just be blunt. Plain. Open my heart. Tell about new life, in the only way I know how.

Living a new life in Christ...as a follower of Jesus.

Jesus. The name above all names.

"Therefore, God exalted Him to the highest place and gave Him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." Philippians 2:9-11 NIV

The Jewish people called him, Yeshua. As a Christian, I call Him God's Son. King of kings. Lord of lords. The Light of the world. Messiah. Passover lamb. Rock of ages. Shepherd. The Alpha and the Omega. The Way. The Truth. The Life. The living Word. Wonderful Counselor. The Prince of Peace.

He came to this earth as a baby. He walked this earth as a Jewish man. Began His ministry. Boldly proclaimed that He is the Son of the living God. He spoke wisdom, performed miracles, and changed people's lives. Yahweh. God in the flesh. Sacrificed for me. For you. For us all. There is nothing I could have done to save myself. I was unworthy. I needed a Savior. A Redeemer. And yet, His love for me, for us, was so great that ..... He died in my place. He rose again. Is living today, and will one day return.

It is because of Jesus' sacrifice, the fact that He took my place, that I have new life. It is because of Him that I have hope. It is because of Him that I have peace. It is because of Him that I have assurance. There is nothing else in this world that can take His place. Everything else falls flat and empty. It is only through Him that I do not just survive, but truly live.

My life is changed... all because of Him.

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation" the old has gone, the new has come!" 2 Corinthians 5:17 NIV

Do you know Jesus? Not just as a historical character. Not just as a Jewish carpenter. Not just as a character in the Bible. But, as Jesus, the Son of the living God. He wants to know you.

"Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in..."  Revelation 3:20 NIV

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God's Story

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Life has joy mixed with sorrow. Incredible highs punctuated with incredible lows. Births and marriages. Smiles and friendships, scattered amongst deaths, chronic illness, financial challenges and broken promises.

There are so many people that I know that are going through difficult times. People that are hurting because life has handed them situations that seem almost impossible to handle.

*Family members that continue to fight through treatments to rid their bodies of cancer. Their bodies are tired.

*A friend whose husband has to face early onset Alzheimers in his 40's...and she has to watch it.  It seems so unfair.

*A friend of a friend who woke up yesterday morning to find her teen had passed away during the night. And a mother's heart breaks.

*A woman from my home school group who said goodbye to her husband one morning in early November, he died hours later in an accident. And she is lonely.

* A mother who has three children and all three children are on the autism scale. She feels overwhelmed.

*Friends whose hearts are broken because of divorce. And they feel like failures.

*Financial devastation. Lost jobs. Foreclosures. And they are scared.

It's easy to love God when life is going well. When the bills are paid, the house is warm, and the family is safe. How do I feel about Him when life is hard and seems unfair to me? I thought I wasn't supposed to get more than I could handle? WHERE IS GOD?!

Not being able to get pregnant again after my only child. A first husband who died from a chronic illness. A father who chose to take his own life. A second husband who lost his job of 22 years. Pain. Broken dreams. Confusion. Scared. I have been there.

Life isn't fair. I said it out loud. It tastes bitter in my mouth. I gag on the pain of saying it. And yet it is true.

Bad things happen to good people. Bad things happen to bad people. Good things happen to both. It really doesn't make any sense by itself.

Each of our lives must be looked at in the scope of eternity. Each of our lives is but a chapter in God's great story of redemption. When we just "read" our chapter, most of the time it doesn't make sense by itself. It seems jumbled and confusing. And not fair. It is impossible for us to fully understand how we fit into the story...how our chapter is interwoven with others.

But God does. He knows. His story began before time. He is an exceptional and deliberate writer. He sees each smile, and marks every tear. As He penned the story He already knew how it would end. Each of us is a part of His grand story of redemption. In light of His son, Jesus Christ, everything begins to make sense. It is Jesus that makes this story special. And real. And alive.

It is He, that is the main character in God's story of redemption. The reader begins to see the central theme of God's story is love.

Love for a hurting and dying world.

 

 

 

 

 

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An Attitude Of Gratitude

How many times do I gripe? Feel sorry for myself? Complain? Say, "why me"?

The truth is I have plenty to be thankful for. My human nature tends to focus on the bad or annoying and take the good for granted.

If we are honest, aren't most of us that way?

Today I have made a pact with myself. I will only look for the good today. No, I am not neglecting anything. I am not trying to be Polly Sunshine, or ignore the necessary. I'm doing nothing but making a choice.

1. I'm thankful for my vision. I saw the most beautiful sunrise this morning. Breathtaking, actually. God, as master artist, paints the morning canvas with hues that can never be duplicated with the human hand. It is a sight to behold. And for that I am thankful.

2. So thankful for my hearing. I woke to the sound of rushing wind going by my window. I cannot see the wind, but I sure can hear it. The sound reminds me of a roaring river. I hear the morning noises of my family, the coffee maker humming and sputtering, and the cat meowing. And for that I am thankful.

3. I'm thankful for food. As I was getting the coffee creamer out of the fridge this morning, I looked at the inside of my refrigerator. Really looked. It is packed to the max with food and trimmings for Thanksgiving. To be able to afford to feed my family...It humbles me. I know there are many who do not have what I have. I've been uncomfortable before, and hungry...but, never starving. When my husband went through nearly a year and a half of unemployment I knew what it was to have our family "eat cheap". It wasn't always great, but we didn't go hungry. So, to have a full refrigerator makes me feel thankful.

4. I'm thankful that my husband now has a job. One that he is really good at. One that provides for our family. When one has walked through the valley of unemployment and been faced with the scary possibilities of losing everything....to have a job, makes me thankful.

5. I'm thankful for a healthy family. Sure, we all get croupy, or deal with sniffles, or stomach aches or occasion...but, we are healthy for the most part. Nothing serious. Having known the feeling of standing over the grave of a loved one, it makes me appreciate health all the more.

The truth is all these things that I just said I was thankful for...I could lose tomorrow. I could be in an accident, I could get a scary diagnosis, my family members could be hurt, and my husband could lose his job. These things happen. I am not immuned to the problems of this world.

If that were to happen I know that I still have the greatest gift of all. That is my relationship with Jesus Christ. His love knows no end.

"Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?.....No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height or depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."  Romans 8:35,37-39

There is a deep peace, that passes human understanding, when those verses really sink in...and for that I am thankful.

 

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With A Thankful Heart

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As we are heading into the Thanksgiving season, I am taking time to think on those things that I am thankful for. In the midst of life's urgent moments, frustrations, and chaos, it is good to slow down and remind oneself to take pause and say thank you. Each of us has much to be grateful for...

1. My very real relationship with Jesus Christ. It is because of this relationship that all other things make sense.

2. God's Patience with me. For all the times I mess up, and yet He loves me.

3. My heavenly Father's faithfulness. I can always count on Him.

4. God's blessings. He has blessed me in ways that I do not deserve.

5. Family...that loves me. People that love me through thick and thin. Through the smiles and the tears.

6. New friends. Old friends.

7. For Saturdays

8. Full Moon

9. Getting to sleep in.

10. Rainy days with a good book.

11. That bad days usually don't last.

12. Beautiful Fall leaves.

13. Being ABLE to exercise. For hands and feet and legs and arms that work.

14. Hot chocolate.

15. Quiet times.

16. For my blogging buddies. Getting to see their lives through their eyes. For making me laugh out loud:)

17. Warm clothes.

18. A husband that loves me. That reminds me that he is here ALWAYS.

19. For being a mom.

20. For healthy, funny, nerve wracking, nutty, confusing children.

21. A family that loves me. When I'm mother of the year, or a pain in the neck.

22. A mother who loves me.

23. In-laws that accept me, and love me.

24. Good memories.

25. My health.

26. That all sadness usually passes.

27. I am even thankful for the hard times, the sad times, the painful times....because, it is in light of these times that everything else seems so much sweeter.

28. Church

29. Connections

30. Being able to help special needs individuals.

31. Love

32. Feeling useful.

33. My computer.

34. Sunrises/Sunsets

35. Seasons of the year

36. Seasons of life

37. Prayer

38. Pets

39. Classic movies

40. My country.

41. The privilege of voting.

42. Freedom.

43. Flavored coffee in a favorite mug.

44. Forgiveness.

45. Having yet another day to be thankful.

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