Finding Faith in the Mess
“For you formed me in my mother’s womb. I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.” Psalm 139: 14 The new year brings a desire for a new you. Whether that be a new body, mind, or spiritual thing, we all tend …
A few times in history, we unite in emotion and human will. Events occur single-handedly stopping time. We unite in feelings, thoughts, and an unstoppable motivation to do better and be better for humanity. For my generation, that time is 9/11. For others, it’s Kennedy’s assassination or the attack on Pearl Harbor. Those around the world are united fighting for the wane of suffering. It’s there. For all of us.
There is another time in history in which all humanity stopped and gasped. I often wonder what it felt like the night Christ was born. CNN was not there to report on the horrific birth conditions. FOXNews didn’t show up to share the good news. It was a quiet night. But, I still wonder if the earth shook. Did it stop on its axis?
One of my very favorite Christmas songs is, “O Holy Night.” One line in that song clenches my attention like no other.
“And the soul felt its worth”
The Lord appeared and the soul finally felt its worth.
Do I feel my worth? Do you?
I wonder what you and I would feel that beautiful night the sky beautifully lit with stars as far as the eye could see. Would we feel our worth the moment our Savior was born? Do we feel our worth the moment we decide to follow Him? Do we realize that his birth was meant so we may feel our worth?
This season, when I look to the night sky remembering a baby born in a manger to a teen mom, I want my soul to feel its worth. If I don’t allow myself to feel my worth in him, then his birth is meaningless for he came for me; for you.
I pray we all exhale Christmas morning. That our breath reminds us of our fullness. I pray we feel united in the glory of God when we look up at the vast night sky spotting the North Star. I pray we find our worth as we walk through the journey of this advent season. We are worthy because a teenage girl unabashedly said yes to God. We are worthy because a teenage boy decided to walk alongside his pregnant fiance. We are worthy because he was born. Feel your worth this Christmas for through him and by his birth, you are worthy.
” O holy night!
The stars are brightly shining
It is the night of the dear Savior’s birth!
Long lay the world in sin and error pining
Till he appear’d and the soul felt its worth.
A thrill of hope the weary soul rejoices
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn!
Fall on your knees
Oh hear the angel voices
Oh night divine
Oh night when Christ was born
Oh night divine
Oh night divine
Led by the light of Faith serenely beaming
With glowing hearts by His cradle we stand
So led by light of a star sweetly gleaming
Here come the wise men from Orient land
The King of Kings lay thus in lowly manger
In all our trials born to be our friend
Truly He taught us to love one another
His law is love and His gospel is peace
Chains shall He break for the slave is our brother
And in His name all oppression shall cease
Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise we,
Let all within us praise His holy name”
Love & Blessings,
Meg
The Family Series: In light of the holiday season, I thought it would benefit all of us if we went through a little family series. We all find ourselves spending a little more time with family members we may avoid throughout the year. What better …
The Family Series: In light of the holiday season, I thought it would benefit all of us if we went through a little family series. We all find ourselves spending a little more time with family members we may avoid throughout the year. What better …
“God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him.” John 3:17
God did not come down to JUDGE the world. He came down to LOVE the world.
God. He’s a tough one to figure out. The Bible seems so black and white. Yet, it doesn’t. The gray space can be overwhelming. We poke and prod and study and discuss. But God. God still seems so inexplicable at times. The world goes against His very nature. Our culture and the way we treat one another does not mirror what we read. We know we live in a fallen and broken world. We also know that God is big enough to fix it and make everything better. But sometimes, a lot of times, He doesn’t. And we don’t understand.
Gray space.
Somehow, someway, we have muddied the waters. No longer is the lake of faith crystal clear. We can’t see to the bottom. We can barely see what rises to the top. Our faith is jumbled and blurred. We’ve flipped the narrative. His narrative. Somehow, over the expanse of time we’ve gone from love to judge. We’ve lost sight of God’s truest intent and character and replaced it with our own ideas and agenda.
In our minds we believe God is full of judgement first and love second.
Oh, man, do we have it all wrong.
Here’s what I know about the God I adore. He set out to love us. He was intentional with his relationship with Adam and Eve in the garden. He walked with them, talked with them, and lived life with them. They were His people; His tribe. He loved them. He loved them so much. His heart was shattered the moment they stepped away from Him. He was saddened and disappointed. But, here’s what else I know: His love never left even when Adam and Eve hid from Him. He loved them first and foremost; always and forever. Even when they wronged Him knowing that what they were doing was going against the very thing He was trying to protect them from, He loved them. His love never left; never ceased. Ever. He loved first. Always. Forever.
Were Adam and Eve held accountable for their actions? Yep. We all know they were because here we all sit living in the repercussions of that fateful choice. Yet, His love is and was always there.
Love.
It is God’s purpose.
God didn’t send Jesus to judge us. If Jesus was sent to judge, He would have never been nailed to that cross. We all know there were far better candidates to hang on that tree that day. Why did God send Jesus, then? Love. Always love. Never ceasing. Forever.
I think about my friends. I’ve heard some heavy stories lately. Stories that make you question His love. But here’s what I know. The moment that friend steps into that room and makes the most difficult decision of her life; a decision that would be (rightfully) judged by the world AND Christians as wrong, God is there. He is sitting in that room with her. He is sitting with her because He loves her. Her choice does not limit His love. Her decision does not take away His love and replace it with judgment. His love. It’s there.For everyone. Always. Forever. Period.
My other friend is going through something that carries such a burden of shame. It’s so so heavy. I cannot type these words without starting to cry. It’s another situation that makes you question God’s love and be vastly aware of the judgment piercing your soul through the eyes of others. But, here’s what I know. God is with her. He is next to her because He loves her. He loves her so wide, so deep, and so boundless regardless of the journey she is on. His love. It’s there. For everyone. Always. Forever. Period.
Maybe today you’ve muddied the waters. You’ve replaced judgment with love. It’s easy to do. I believe it is easier at times to judge than to love. Remember God. In ever situation, in ever circumstance, He loves. To the end of the age, He loves. He loved Judas even when He betrayed His son. His love. It’s there. For everyone. Always. Forever. Period.
Maybe today you feel more judged by God than loved. That’s not the God I know. The God I know is sitting right beside you. He’s been loving you this entire time. He’s just waiting for you to see Him. His love. It’s there. Always. Forever.
I may not be able to give you a reason. I may not be able to answer your “whys”. What I do know and what I can tell you is that you are loved. You always have been loved. You are valued. You always have been valued. You are His and you are loved…even if you are yet to believe. You are loved.
Just in case you’ve forgotten how loved you are, here is a song to remind you…
Love & Blessings,
Meg
Being a mom is the greatest gift. It can also be the most difficult task you’ve ever faced. From joy to frustration, excitement to panic, pride to worry, motherhood brings so many emotions. I watched some mama’s send their kids off to a weekend away. …
Faith and choices. It’s messy. We need help. Lots of help. We need to know how to forgive ourselves of past choices while preparing our hearts for future ones.
Reflection.
When you look in the mirror, what do you see?
What do you say?
How do you view yourself?
Are you complimentary?
Are you self-deprecating?
Do you struggle with guilt?
What is the chatter in your head?
Psalm 103:11-13
“For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His loving devotion for those who fear Him. As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us. As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear Him…”
He has taken your sin, my sin, all our bad choices and removed them as far as the east is from the west. Nothing for you to do but accept this incomprehensible love. His love is reckless. It is so reckless that he loves you regardless of what you did yesterday, what you do today, or what you will do tomorrow.
You have a choice to make…
Are you willing and open to accept that kind of love, that reckless love, knowing you will disappoint Him again some day?
We tend you confuse God’s love. We have decided that because we mess up, we are unlovable. What we don’t realize is that while sin separates us from God, His love never ends for us.
Romans 5:8
“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
Me, Myself, and I
Redemption is upside down from our thinking. We usually want to change and make ourselves better before being forgiven and redeemed. But, God tells us that we are loved and forgiven before we change. That is His reckless love for us.
I think of the thief on the cross (,The Thief) the woman at the well The Woman at the Well) and the woman about to be stoned The Adulterous Woman). All three found themselves in the presence of Jesus when their lives were not up to par. Each had an experience with Him where they experienced His reckless love. While he told both women to no longer sin, he loved all of them regardless of their past transgressions. What propelled them to change was His love; a love so reckless that it was offered before any change occurred. That same love is available to you. All you have to do is acknowledge and accept it.
Others
I believe that how we view ourselves, the honest-to-goodness truth about how we see ourselves can be found in how we view others. What are the first thoughts that come to mind when others do wrong?
How do you treat others when they mess up?
Do you hang them leaving no room for redemption, grace, and change?
We live in a “hang them” world right now. There is no retribution. No redemption. No opportunity for change, healing, and growth. Only forever condemnation.
Romans 8:8
“There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.”
There should be no condemnation, yet we are a people who condemn and park in this space. If we aren’t the ones carrying the pitch forks, we become righteous filled with thoughts of, I would never do that. We end up stuffing and hiding our own sin carrying a weight we were never intended to carry.
The way we treat others when they mess up is the way we treat ourselves when we mess up. We either hang ourselves and sit in a state of self-pity or we act righteous stuffing our junk way down deep feeling heavy and exhausted. How we treat others when they do wrong matters.
It matters because it is a true reflection of how we treat ourselves when we do wrong.
Letting Go & Moving On
If we know that His love for us is reckless…
If we know He buries our sin as far as the east is from the west…
If we know there is nothing we can do to separate us from His love…
Then we need to run towards it. Run towards His love when life is good and you are following all the rules. Run towards it when life is hard and we can’t seem to make a good choice if our life depended on it. Run towards it when we fall flat on our face and don’t want to look ourselves in the eye.
His love is the starting place for any decision we make. His love and lack of condemnation is what helps you heal and forgive yourself from past mistakes. His love is what drives and lack of condemnation is what drives your decisions going forward. He didn’t condemn the thief on the cross, the woman at the well, or the adulterous woman. He didn’t wag His finger at them, slam them on social media, or sit on a panel as a talking head on a cable news show. Instead, He opened His arms and invited them in to the greatest love of all: Jesus. He does the same for you and me.
There is no condemnation in Christ. None. There is nothing you can do to separate yourself from His love. Nothing.
Run towards His love.
Romans 8: 35-39
Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: “For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.” 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 nor 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.
Love & Blessings,
Meg
“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” John 10:10 It’s time. It is time you show up to your life. Too many of us are sitting on the sidelines …
