In December 2020 I will graduate with my Associates Degree in Business Administration. When I committed to school three years ago, it was stepping out of my comfort zone. There have been a lot of tearful nights sitting at my computer, asking my children for help, or phoning my cousin. I recently compared school with running, it is a love/hate relationship. There is always that fear of failure or asking myself, can I finish what I started? Then I remember the verse Josh 1:9; “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”
I have recently committed to running my first marathon by January of 2022. This decision has made me aware of where my comfort zone starts and stops. In November of 2019 I ran my first half marathon. At that time, I was stepping out of my comfort zone. Are you aware of your comfort zone? Just like our faith, God is always stretching us to move outside our comfort zones. Just like Gideon, God will use you and I in unconventional ways if we allow Him to work in our lives for His glory (Judges 7).
Just like school the result will not happen overnight. This will be a Journey that I hope to find a little joy along the way. Just like Nehemiah I have learned that the Joy of the Lord is my strength (Neh 8:10). Just like Joshua and Moses I know God will be with me through the process (Jos 1:5)
Listen to this song “Warrior” by Hannah Kerr. Some of the lyrics sing; “I will keep the hope alive, I will find the strength inside”.
This week I have shared with you pictures of ornaments on my Christmas tree. My tree is in front of me each morning as I write, so I wanted to share with you a little bit of my view. Today’s ornament is one from Walt Disney World. If you know me personally you probably know how much I enjoy anything to do with Disney World. When I look at this particular ornament it conjures up such emotion. I received this ornament from Clark, Preston, and Briley one year when just the 4 of us were at Disney World and my birthday happened to fall on the days we were there. On my birthday, Clark and the children found an excuse to walk over to the main building of the hotel while I was busy getting ready. They went to the gift shop and picked out this ornament and surprised me with it when they returned to the room. I was totally surprised and thrilled at this ornament, as it represents all four parks. That was years ago, yet just the sight of the ornament causes me to travel back in time to that special moment.
Likewise, I have a chicken pox scar on my leg that carries me through time to the when I received it. Most of the time the scar goes unnoticed, but occasionally it will catch my eye and I am transported to laying at home on the couch feeling miserable but also the special love, care and attention I was given by my Mama. I imagine you also have a scar or two that reminds you of something.
I love the Christian song, “Scars” by I Am They. Below are some of the words of the song.
“So I’m thankful for the scars
‘Cause without them I wouldn’t know Your heart
And I know they’ll always tell of who You are
So forever I am thankful for the scars.
I can see, I can see
How you delivered me
In Your hands, In your feet
I found my victory.”
Ephesians 1:7 tells us, “In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and understanding, he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment-to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ. “
The death of Jesus Christ redeeming you and I is not new news to us. However, I want you and I to not lose the connection of His nail scarred hands and our everyday lives. A couple weeks ago Julie wrote about guilt. On her live that week she shared with us a message from Rick Warren’s devotional email. “How long should a follower of Jesus feel guilty? About one second. That’s how long it takes to confess a sin. If you’re carrying around guilt, it means you can’t forgive yourself because you don’t believe God has forgiven you.” Today I want you to be reminded of the scars on the hands and feet of Jesus. Visualize them. Feel them. Imagine the pain and suffering that caused those scars. Allow the sight of the scars to transport you in time. Sit with those scars a few minutes. Then think of the connection of those scars to you today. How do the scars on Jesus affect you? Do you see those scars and remember what Jesus did for you? As a result, do you live your life telling others about Jesus or showing others about Jesus? Do you allow others to see your scars and how Jesus has redeemed you through those scars? Do you let go of guilt, forgiving yourself and others? The definition of a scar is “a mark left on the skin or within body tissue where a wound, burn, or sore has not healed completely and fibrous connective tissue has developed.”
A scar is a connection. Today, connect with the scars on Jesus’ hands and feet. Let those scars be a reminder of your connection to God and remind you of the sacrifices made for you to live a life of freedom. Jesus is the fibrous connective tissue between us and God. Let’s live our lives in a way that reflects our redemption. Let’s tell others in words and actions. Let’s forgive ourselves and others. Let’s allow the scars of Jesus to connect us with God.
Listen to the song “Scars” by I Am They and allow the words to shape and change your perspective of scars.
Look in the comments below for a picture of the ornament in the above story.
Unity is so important in any relationship. As parents we need to have a united front with our children. As school administration and teachers, we need to have unity for our students. When picking a presidential candidate although we may vote for differently, we are united in that we want one president to lead our country in one nation under God. More importantly the church needs a united body of believers. Unity means the state of being united or joined as a whole. We read in Psa 133:1NIV “How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity”. As we have all been through the trenches of COVID-19 over the last several months I believe unity in every relationship has been tested in a battle of unseen forces. We read in Eph 6:12NIV “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms”. It is never too late to heal and restore these broken relationships. I encourage you to listen to Kari Jobe’s song called “Heal our Land”. No matter the denomination, each church shares in the goal that Kari sings about; “We pray in every nation, Christ be known”. I encourage us all to write this declaration down and meditate on it. Let us ask God to search our hearts; “Search me God and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there be any offensive way in me and lead me in the way everlasting” Psa 139: 23-24NIV. As we go to our places of worship may we see the church with a fresh perspective. May we worship our Lord and savior with true and proper worship.
Father, I Declare to always enter the Lord’s gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise Psalm 100:4. You created us to fellowship, how good and pleasant it is when your church lives together in unity Psalm 133:1. May we be mature in faith, not easily persuaded by this world and its schemes. As we speak in truth and love, putting you Lord on the throne we will grow as one body, each of us equipped to do your good works Eph 4:14-16. Just as you accepted us, help us to accept one another so that we may lift our praises to you oh Lord Rom 15:7. As we strive to do nothing out of selfish ambition or in vain conceit rather in humility valuing others above ourselves help us to see the needs of others before we tend to our own Phil 2:3-4. In seeking unity there should be no division in the church body. Lord press upon our hearts to have the same love for one another 1 Cor 12:25. In the name of Jesus
My phone made a noise alerting me of a text. I opened the text and read; “I have an appointment with my doctor at 2:00 to get my test results. Please pray!” I quickly typed out my response of “I will be praying.” Then I immediately lifted my friend’s name in prayer as I set the alarm on my phone for 2:00 so I could specifically pray for my friend during her appointment.
I must admit, I have not always been so intentional with praying for others. In fact sadly in the past I often forgot to pray for others when they asked. Sure I would tell by friends that I would pray for them, but often I would fail to actually lift their names and intercede on their behalf. In fact, I was burdened with the many requests to pray. How could I possibly remember to pray for all my friends who requested I pray for them or their situations? Our lives are so busy and full of activities and we are often bombarded with prayer requests. Just saying we will pray for others has no value if it isn’t backed up by actual prayer.
Through much prayer for clarity and Godly guidance I have since become more intentional. Now I immediately lift a “breath prayer” in relation to the requests and then set an alarm to pray at specific times if applicable. Other times I write the names in my journal and lift the requests each morning. My prayers are not lengthy or elaborate, but specific to the request. Through this process I have discovered what a privilege it is to be asked to pray for others. God places others in our path so that we can be His representative of love. The Old Testament explains how Job was blessed through praying for his friends. “After Job had prayed for his friends, the Lord restored his fortunes and gave him twice as much as he had before.” Job 42:10
Praying for others is a privilege. I am so honored when others trust me to prayer for them and share their journey with me. Who has God placed in your path to lift in prayer? What can you do to be intentional about praying for others? How can you represent Christ to others through prayer?
Water Walkers 