Point of Grace

Life is a series of significant "points" along a super highway, a graceful winding road, or the road less traveled.  Often times, the road is navigated by our own free will.  Is it "choice" that determines the "point" of our diversion? Dare we yield to Him?  

The other day I was headed to work.  Somehow, the highway I drive daily blurred before me and my thoughts were taken captive.  I missed my exit.  Taken off guard, I had to navigate back to a familiar road.  In a moment of frustration, it hit me.  How many times have we allowed ourselves to be held captive and missed the exit that Christ designed for us?   Thoughts poured into my head so quickly that I had to pull over and write these words:  Point of Grace.

I see so many people with JOY and immersed in Him and I secretly whisper, "God, I want that."  Their path is pure.  Mine is destructive.  I have uttered the words to my husband, "May we please sell our home and move into a very small home so we can simply breathe again?"  I would quit my job and pour my heart into PEOPLE rather than processes and management.  I would volunteer at the church and school and visit old people in nursing homes.  I would seek Him with FREEDOM in my day and replace the hectic complexities of speed and distraction with the simplicity of "breathing again."  

Everyone has a story to tell... a POINT in their lives filled with tragedy, shame, despair, contempt, hopelessness, pride, selfishness, guilt (and the list goes on).  They missed an exit or the road was suddenly closed.  They wandered into the darkness on a road less traveled.  Each unexpected path a small diversion for most, a lifetime of detours for others and sadly, a dead end for a few.  How then do these diversions become a POINT of GRACE? 

A series of GRACE filled events led me to a recent women's life group where revelations in my life began to unfold. God is so great.  He placed a loving friend in my life to whom I can be accountable; one who extends grace to me and who is teaching me how to yield to Him.  In this process, I determined the last major point at which I did not YIELD, missing the exit that placed me on this current road less traveled.  My dad died of cancer four years ago this December.  Exhaustive "effort" left our relationship without reconciliation and forgiveness.  I can't elaborate on the destructive path that began there, but here is the POINT of GRACE:  The end of me and total surrender to HIM.
Note:  I am still awaiting His revelation on this one.  I TRUST Him, though.  

While I accepted Christ as a child, I am just NOW learning, at 46, the word SURRENDER. There are NO U-TURNS in this journey.  It is simply the trust in HIM, knowing that He is SOVEREIGN in our lives. He knows when we take control and when we allow Him to navigate our hearts.  He stands at the door, all we have to do is open it each day. 

Have you missed your exit? simply pull over and think on this:  What POINT of GRACE is He revealing to you?  ASK and then LISTEN for direction.  How can I count this detour as Joy?  I TRUST You, God, that You know the end and the means to the end and irregardless of the loose gravel, the pot holes, the depths of despair, count it all as JOY.  Every moment of navigation through the dark is as an opportunity for people to see YOUR light through it.  When the storms inhibit our ability to see the road, speak into our hearts, bring on the rain.  On the other side of every dark cloud, there is a blue sky and on the other side of darkness, a sunrise awaits its turn to rise.

At the end of me, there YOU are revealing Your LOVE, Your PROMISE, Your HOPE.  ALL roads lead to YOU.  Proverbs 3:5-6- Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways, acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight.  

The POINT of GRACE is the CROSS.  GRACE is the POINT of LIVING.

Invoking Tears

 Joy, Sadness, Forgiveness, Relief, Grief

I promise not to blog every day or even weekly.  Today was an extremely painful day of reflection invoked by circumstance.  The stronghold of the enemy danced upon my heart, leaving me to ask the question...WHY?   That being said, this post is meant for someone out there.

Some people are simply unable to cry.  Instead, there exists watermarks upon their hearts that invoke emotion brought upon by experiences.  The catharsis of cleansing through tearful expression just does not happen.  For others, weeping is as intuitive as laughter.  It does not necessarily accomplish its purpose for them but it is a subconscious response to circumstances triggering the response to cry. 

The TRUE topic on my heart is NOT this posting.  The content I am convicted to share is not for the faint at heart nor the young who may be following along with me in my posts.  For that reason, I am rebuking my conviction and sharing the alternative.  I simply made the choice not to "share that story." 

Know this, LOSS is TRAGIC and FINAL, particularly when young people are involved.  Falling into the darkness of a lost self is the most treacherous of seasons.  Research confirms, when one lives in physical darkness for days (such as lost in a cave), they go crazy.  Why then, would we think that the darkness in our hearts and mind would not lead us down the same path if we cannot see the light of a new season?

PROACTIVELY PURSUING HIM NOW....Building TRUST, STRENGTH and TRUTH in the WORD NOW ... prepares us to bring forth the mental image upon our hearts and the comforting words to our ears that MAY BE the ONLY directions out of the pit of self we can find when we are at the mercy of the enemy who is prepared to take us down.

Declare the Redeeming Power of Christ and believe in His deliverance, even at the moment of decision.

(Isaiah 43:1-3)   And the Lord said...
Fear not, for I have redeemed you;
I have summoned you by name; you are mine.
When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you.
When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned;
the flames will not set you ablaze.
For I am the Lord, your God,
the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.

Seasons of Change

I was walking last night and happened upon my favorite tree, the Chinese Pistachio.  In the spring it is such a beautiful tree, one whose color glistens in the sun. Amidst an ever so subtle breeze, the leaves were falling to the ground as if tearfully whispering "change is here." I was startled; as I had been too busy admiring the crisp air, the beautiful stars and the comfortable temperatures in the darkness of the night to "catch the season changing."

This once beautiful tree, amidst the season of change, seemed in a bit of distress.  I could hear its anxious movement in anticipation of winter's bitter influence.  The leaves were faded and the limbs slightly droopy as if to bow down its head in a moment of prayer.  Right beside that tree stood an evergreen.  The mighty oak was almost laughing at the pistachio because it would remain armed throughout any season, an untouchable force to be reckoned with.  The oak is my husband’s favorite tree; one that stands tall and strong with the ability to withstand the seasons.  A long lived oak captures the heart of the wanderer in its majestic stance. 

It was then I recalled a question presented in the very last session of a recent bible study, "what is your season of life?" My point to ponder became “who AM I in the seasons of life?”  Am I the mighty oak remaining ever green with a hard exterior or the gentle pistachio destined to give in to the harsh winter season?   

I evaluated that moment in the battlefield of my mind.  I determined that the tree, withstanding the force of winter in its own skin, maintains a protective cover so as not to shed the old.  It does not embrace the change, rather it stands firm through it.  The Oak grows slower through the years, leaves always green and scarred, but constant.  

Then there is vulnerable pistachio tree whose leaves fall to the ground, surrendering its being, shedding the old and trusting God to awaken it again.  It will arise in the next season taller, stronger, and full of new growth.  It will have embraced the winter and flourish in blooms and color throughout each season of the year.  It will never be as tall or as strong as the oak, but it will experience a new awakening on the heels of faith throughout the most difficult of seasons.

Seasons invoke the core being of who we are within each of them.  The choices are to surrender or to embrace each season; however, being faithfully true to His blessings in each season means that we are learning to “embrace the surrender” and to emerge as a hybrid of the oak and the pistachio.  The blue sky lurks in the shadows of the storm and the loneliness of the night holds back the sunrise.  Either way, there will be blue skies and a beautiful sunrise.  It is His promise.  Bring on the rain and the storms of life, for it is through them that we can emerge on the other side loving the sunshine and warmth.

In Ecclesiastes 3:1, we are challenged with God's Word: "For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven."  Even the oak that stands firm in the winter will be challenged in a season of drought or in hurricane force winds.  Will the mighty oak be prepared for change because it stands proud against change rather than embracing it?  As you face spiritual or life’s hardships, think on Christ, as found in II Corinthians 12:10:  "For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weakness, insults, hardships, persecutions and calamities.  For when I am weak, then I am strong." 

Where are you in your life season...your spiritual season?   What has God delivered you from or when have you persevered in faith and He has made you stronger?  What tree do you choose to be in the seasons of change?  I would love to hear from you!