The week before last was undoubtedly one of the most stress-filled work weeks I have ever experienced. I’m a teacher by trade, but I have worked in educational publishing for the last four years. In my current position, I oversee all the complimentary teacher training that accompanies our various programs. I schedule it, work out the logistics, order training materials, and sometimes provide the training. I also schedule, provide support for, and even sometimes provide webinar training.

As you can imagine, the month leading up to a new school year is busy. The week of August 3rd was packed, and I knew it would be challenging. Among lots of other things, I was scheduled to deliver four online training sessions for a very large school district in Texas that has recently adopted one of our programs. We are very invested in the success of this adoption, and providing training there is not only an honor, but also a very big responsibility. I had two sessions scheduled for August 3rd (from 9:00-10:30 and 1:00-2:30) and two scheduled for August 5th (from 1:00-2:30 and 3:00-4:30). The two sessions on August 3rd went well in spite of the fact that there was so much swirling around in the busyness of the week. August 5th, however, was going to be a very different story…

You may or may not know this, but on August 4th, major storms swept through the northeast leaving power outages and other damage in their wake. On the evening of August 4th, I was notified that one of our trainers was without power and would be unable to provide a scheduled online training on August 5th for a district in another part of the country. I found myself at 10:00 that evening scrambling to find someone who could replace her.

That scrambling carried over into the morning without much success. At 8:50 a.m., I found myself crafting an email to the administrator in that district explaining the situation and profusely apologizing for the fact that we were going to have to reschedule their teacher training at the last minute. I was simultaneously providing technology support for an all-company Zoom meeting that ended at 9:00. During that meeting, I noticed that I had missed a couple of calls, but didn’t think too much about it. I would simply return the calls once I had a moment to catch my breath. At 9:05, my phone rang again. I answered, and it was a curriculum director from the large district in Texas asking me if I was planning to join the training session soon because she and all the participants were waiting for me. 

There had been a misunderstanding. On my calendar, I had 1:00-2:30 and 3:00-4:30 for August 5th. On their calendar, they had 9:00-10:30 and 1:00-2:30 (the same times as on August 3rd). There was no way that I could provide the training at 9:05 because I had a national webinar starting at 10:00. This has probably been a lot to follow (it was a lot to follow for me, and I was living it), but as you can imagine, stress and panic washed over me.

I wish I could tell you that I handled it well, but I can’t. After letting this curriculum director know that there was no way I could make it, I called my boss and had a meltdown. It wasn’t pretty. I was overwhelmed, stressed, and not coping well. After our call was over, I regrouped as best as I could, got the national webinar underway, and spent a few hours fighting tears as I continued to work.

At 12:45, I started the Zoom meeting for my 1:00 session for the big district in Texas. Time to face the music with what I was sure would be an unhappy curriculum director. Even though the misunderstanding hadn’t necessarily been my fault, I still felt terrible for letting the district down. When she logged in, I apologized profusely. I was expecting a cool reception at best. What happened instead took my breath away.

This precious curriculum director looked at me (via Zoom) and said these words, “This is a year of grace.” Grace. Even now it brings tears to my eyes. Grace was EXACTLY what I needed. Somehow, I hadn’t realized it until that very moment. And this person who could have chosen frustration or anger chose to extend grace instead. She will probably never know what that meant to me. It was almost like she had flipped a switch, and light began replacing darkness. The effect of grace.

I finished my session with them, and it went well. As I continued on with my day, I found myself telling the story to one of my co-workers who is a fellow believer. We spent just a few moments together over the phone marveling at God’s grace. As I was working the next day, there was a knock at my front door. A flower delivery. My co-worker had sent flowers.

If you know me well, you know that I am a sucker for fresh flowers. What a blessing and an encouragement! Even better than the flowers though was the card that accompanied them. It says, “‘Your worst days are never so bad that you are beyond the reach of God’s grace, and your best days are never so good that you are beyond the need of God’s grace.’ I’m so glad this is the year of God’s grace!” As it happens, I’m very familiar with the quote she chose for the card. It’s a quote from Jerry Bridges’ book The Discipline of Grace which we just happen to be studying in our Discipleship Class at church. God was using other people to remind me of His presence and His grace. I was awestruck.

Only God sees where we are, knows our deepest needs, and has the ability to meet them. On our worst days, we are never beyond the reach of His grace. On those days, we are more aware than ever that we are in desperate need of His grace.

As I pondered the happenings over those days, I was struck by something. I have seen some pretty funny Facebook memes depicting the year 2020. This has been a year so far. Check out a few of them –

These memes make me laugh. It has been a hard and confusing year. But what if we began to think of 2020 as a year of grace? How would that change our perspective? We ALL need grace. We need grace from God, and we need grace from each other. Trust me, as a recent recipient of grace from another person, it is meaningful beyond words.

What if we started today to purposefully give grace to the people around us? We are all struggling with 2020. All of us feel upside down, and none of us have all the answers. What we have to give is grace. Grace for the people who agree with us. Grace for the people who disagree with us. Grace for government leaders who are struggling with difficult decisions. Grace, grace, grace. We can be grace givers because we have been grace receivers.

“and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost. But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display His perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in Him for eternal life.” (I Timothy 1:14-16, ESV)

“But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.” (2 Peter 3:18, ESV)

“Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.” (Ephesians 4:29-32, ESV)

This is a year of grace!

Father, you have poured out Your grace on us. Your grace to us is undeserved, and yet you don’t hold it back. Please help us to be grace givers. We find ourselves in the middle of hard circumstances, and the opportunities for frustration, division, and anger are many. Would You please remind us that instead of reacting in those ways, we can choose to extend grace? Help us this week to see the opportunities we have to share Your grace with those around us. Amen.

-Dana

Sometimes it’s the little things…

A few months back my friend texted that she had a little gift for me. I really couldn’t guess what it would be. It wasn’t my birthday or Christmas or even our Facebook “friendversary.” When I saw it -a coffee mug that she had personalized with my name on one side and the words, “Be still, and know that I am God. Psalm 46:10” on the other – it made my heart smile. So thoughtful! And what could be better than coffee and God’s Word? She knows me.

I used that mug every day. One day I noticed it was dripping coffee when I drank from it. I thought maybe the lid wasn’t sealed or I was just clumsy, but eventually I realized that there was a crack, right through my name. I was bummed for a bit, but then I discovered that the mug worked fine if I just keep the Bible side turned toward me when I drink. Hooray!

This week, as I filled my coffee mug, I got another gift. Let me see if I can share it with you.

In life, things often don’t go well. There are messes. Coffee drips out and stains our clothes or burns us. And the gift of the coffee mug is the reminder that we need to turn away from ourselves and turn toward the truth of God’s Word. John the Baptist was speaking of Jesus when he said, “‘A person can receive only what is given them form heaven. You yourselves can testify that I said, ‘I am not the Messiah but am sent ahead of him.’ The bride belongs to the bridegroom. The friend who attends the bridegroom waits and listens for him, and is full of joy when he hears the bridegroom’s voice. That joy is mine, and it is now complete. He must become greater; I must become less.'” (John 3:27-30) Basically, “It’s not about me, and keeping it that way gives me tremendous joy.”

It’s not about me. It really isn’t. And when I think about it, it is clear that when I make it about me, I am so much more likely to become frustrated or sad or angry and so much less likely to have joy. Is that because that’s not how I was designed? I was created to focus on Jesus, and to submit to Him, to follow Him.

Paul said it with strong words in Galatians 2:20, “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” When I decided to follow Jesus, it stopped being about me and started being about Him. The challenge is to remind myself of that and to live that way.

One of the things I struggle with most is the sense that I am not enough, that I am messing up or failing. From what I hear, that’s a fairly common issue. Just last night, I read a devotional written by a friend of mine. He was talking about the lilies. They are beautiful, and they are enough. Jesus used them as an object lesson when He was teaching His followers that they should not worry. “Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow. They do not labor or spin, yet I tell you that Solomon in all his splendor was not dressed like one of these.” Luke 12:27. Here’s what Chuck Niswander said, “A life trying to produce works of righteousness for God will never succeed. It always reverts back to the source which is SELF. A life focused on the work of God will focus on the source, which is God. So the secret to all this is not to focus on your work for God. The secret is to become the work of God. Stop trying to produce works for God. Let God produce His work in you. Let your righteousness be the outflowing of His righteousness, your love the outflowing of His love, and your life the outflowing of His life. Then your life will take on a beauty, ‘as is the lily of the field.'” It’s not about me, and I am beautiful when I let it be about Him and stop trying to make it about me.

Because of Christ in me, I am enough. I might feel empty, but the truth is, I am full. “For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, and you have come to fullness in him, who is the head of every ruler and authority.” Colossians 2:9-10 NRSV. Another translation says “you are complete in Him.”

Here’s the challenge for me and for you: let’s keep our focus on Jesus. Let’s make it about Him, and not about us. When we start to notice coffee dripping in our laps in the form of feelings of inadequacy or frustration or anger or sadness, let’s remind ourselves to turn the coffee mug around, so we can read God’s Word – “Be still, and know that I am God.”

Jesus, thank You for being the fullness of God and for bringing that fullness to live in me. What a mystery! Forgive me for the way I over and over make it about me and forget that it is all about You. Teach me, remind me, grow in me. Let me become Your work. May You increase in me. May Your kingdom come and Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Amen.

-Leah

This week’s post is a little bit of a departure from the usual. I’m hoping you’ll join me in taking some moments today to meditate on a passage of Scripture.

“Who among you is wise and understanding? Let him show by his good behavior his deeds in the gentleness of wisdom. But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your heart, do not be arrogant and so lie against the truth. This wisdom is not that which comes down from above, but is earthly, natural, demonic. For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder and every evil thing. But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, without hypocrisy. And the seed whose fruit is righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.” (James 3:13-18, NASB)

Here is the same passage in another translation –

“If you are wise and understand God’s ways, prove it by living an honorable life, doing good works with the humility that comes from wisdom. But if you are bitterly jealous and there is selfish ambition in your heart, don’t cover up the truth with boasting and lying. For jealousy and selfishness are not God’s kind of wisdom. Such things are earthly, unspiritual, and demonic. For wherever there is jealousy and selfish ambition, there you will find disorder and evil of every kind. But the wisdom from above is first of all pure. It is also peace loving, gentle at all times, and willing to yield to others. It is full of mercy and the fruit of good deeds. It shows no favoritism and is always sincere. And those who are peacemakers will plant seeds of peace and reap a harvest of righteousness.” (James 3:13-18, NLT)

Please feel free to read those words over and over again. Let them wash over you as we consider the qualities of “God’s kind of wisdom.” Here are the descriptors that James gives us for the “wisdom from above” –

• It produces gentleness and humility
• It is pure 
• It is peaceable (peace loving)
• It is gentle (at all times)
• It is reasonable (willing to yield to others)
• It is full of mercy and good fruits (the fruit of good deeds)
• It is unwavering (always sincere)
• It is without hypocrisy (shows no favoritism)

God’s wisdom is contrasted in these verses with human wisdom.This human wisdom is described as follows –

• It is generated by bitter jealousy and selfish ambition
• It does not come down from above (it’s not God’s kind of wisdom)
• It is earthly
• It is natural (unspiritual)
• It is demonic
• It produces disorder and every evil thing (evil of every kind)

In the past few months, many of us have felt compelled to share our wisdom, whether it be on social media, in emails, or in conversations. A quick scroll through Facebook or Instagram will provide an opportunity to see the opinions of others (and maybe our own) on full display. Our opinions have become larger than life and of utmost importance, or so it seems. As I ponder these verses, I wonder what is the source of the wisdom we are sharing? Are we using God’s Word as the measure for wisdom? 

The end result of God’s wisdom as described by James is the development of peacemakers – “those who plant seeds of peace and reap a harvest of righteousness.” Are we peacemakers? Is the wisdom we share planting seeds of peace, or are we sowing seeds of division and controversy? Is our wisdom God’s kind of wisdom, or is characterized by jealousy and selfishness? 

“So teach us to number our days, that we may present to You a heart of wisdom.” (Psalm 90:12, NASB)

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.” (Matthew 5:9, NASB)

Father, we need You. As we meditate on Your Word, we understand that so often we have put our prideful, human wisdom on display when what the world around us really needs is Your wisdom. Please forgive us for seeds of contention that we have sown with earthly wisdom that is produced by selfishness and jealousy. Teach us to have Your kind of wisdom – wisdom that is pure, peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy, full of good fruits, unwavering, and without hypocrisy. Help us to be peacemakers so that we can reap a harvest of righteousness. Amen.

-Dana

My son, Ben, is a drone guy. Although my interest in drones doesn’t reach the heights that his does, I have to admit that they are fascinating machines, and they capture amazing pictures. About 3 years ago, Ben pooled birthday and Christmas money and some of his own earnings and purchased a pretty nice drone, several steps up from what he had previously earned. As he explored and explained the nuances of this higher-tech aircraft, I was particularly impressed by the “return to home” feature.

For Ben’s drone, “home” is the place it started, the launching point for that flight. The drone basically needs two things to function: battery power and Ben’s guidance, which depends on a wi-fi signal. If either of these things is lost, i.e if the battery charge reaches a critical ow or if the connection to Ben is not clear, the drone returns to home. It flies back to its starting place and lands. Back at home, it can be recharged and reconnected.

In some ways, as believers in Jesus, we are like drones. We function because of God’s energy and guidance, which depend on a connection to Him. God empowers us, and (ideally) we go where He sends us, completing the missions He gives us. But, unlike drones, our design includes free will and the ability to choose. In our clearest moments, we recognize and embrace our best life as the one empowered and led by our Creator. Jesus said, “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” (John 10:10). When we allow His life to live in us, then we soar!

So often, we start to lose that connection and start drifting towards relying on our own power and/or going our own direction. Sometimes we get distracted by difficult circumstances or things we want. When we notice discouragement or confusion or worry or frustration seeping into our thoughts, it is usually because our connection isn’t what it should be. It is at those times that we should be like Ben’s drone and “return to home.”

Think about Peter, walking on the water toward Jesus. He looked at the waves, lost his connection, and started to sink. Then, he returned to home-he called out to Jesus and Jesus reached out and steadied him.

It is best to stay vigilant about our connection to Christ, and to be quick to “return to home.” How do we do that?

We confess sin. Sin is a major reason for interference in connection to God. We need to watch for it and turn away from it as soon as we see it. “If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin, and heal their land.” II Chronicles 7:14 NIV

We head to God’s Word. Remember, it’s living and active. “For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” Hebrews 4:12 NIV. Reading the Bible, praying the Bible restores our connection.

Taking that a step farther, we speak truth to ourselves. To use a phrase from a favorite speaker of mine, Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth, we “counsel our hearts according to the truth.” If we can’t do it for ourselves, we ask a friend to “tell us what we already know.” “Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed in Him, ‘If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.’“ John 8:31-32 NKJV

We wait. Sometimes we have to stop and choose quiet. We have to pull away from the noise outside us or even inside us, and be still. “For thus says the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel: ‘In returning and rest you shall be saved; In quietness and confidence shall be your strength.’“ Isaiah 30:15 NKJV. “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!” Psalm 46:10 NKJV

It is definitely better to stay put than to try to push ahead without the power and the presence of God. Like Moses said, “If Your presence does not go with us, do not bring us up from here.” Exodus 33:15 NKJV

Jesus told a beautiful story about a son who “returned to home” after a long absence that had been filled with repeated bad decisions and failure. Way out of the range of his father’s help and guidance, he made a decision to go back to where he started. “When he came to his senses, he said,… ‘I will set out and go back to my father…’“ Luke 15:17-18 NIV. He was warmly received, forgiven, and restored.

Whether we are prodigal sons or just getting distracted, let’s “return to home.” Let’s prioritize our connection to our pilot and let Him send us out to do His will.

“For ‘you were like sheep going astray,’ but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.” I Peter 2:25 NIV

God, thank You for the home You have given us, the home of Your presence. Thank You for Your energy that allows us to soar and for Your guidance keeps us heading where You want us to go. May we be watchful for things that would interfere with our connection to You and quick to return to You. May we abide in You all the days of our lives.

-Leah

To be alive is to have the opportunity to be mistreated. We have all experienced it. Because none of us are perfect people, we mistreat others, and we are often mistreated by others. As we journey through life, we get wounded. There’s no escaping it. We will pick up scars along the way. We will be the recipients of unkind, untrue, malicious, slanderous, and hateful words. We will bear the brunt of unloving, thoughtless, and even violent actions. It’s a harsh reality, but it’s a reality nonetheless. In a world full of sinful people, we will be hurt. Since we are also sinful people, we will undoubtedly hurt others.

While we can’t control the words or actions of others, we can choose how we will respond to those things that hurt us. Our response makes a difference, and it speaks volumes about our trust in God. There is a passage in I Peter that I love. I love it because it’s a beautiful picture of trust, but I have also come to love it because it challenges and convicts me every time I read it.

“Servants, be subject to your masters with all respect, not only to the good and gentle but also to the unjust. For this is a gracious thing, when, mindful of God, one endures sorrow while suffering unjustly. For what credit is it if, when you sin and are beaten for it, you endure? But if when you do good and suffer for it you endure, this is a gracious thing in the sight of God.

For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in His steps. He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in His mouth. When He was reviled, He did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but continued entrusting Himself to Him who judges justly.

He himself bore our sins in His body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By His wounds you have been healed. For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.” (I Peter 2:18-25)

There’s a lot there, right? Maybe take a moment to read it again slowly. Ponder the words and let them really sink in. 

My guess is that most of you reading this are not “servants” insofar as your daily work is not as a household worker, butler, or maid. But if you think about it, we are all under some type of authority – bosses, church leaders, government leaders, and ultimately, God. So, it might help to think of it in that way. People under authority, be subject to those who are in authority with all respect… 

Peter goes on to say a mouthful. He tells us we don’t just respectfully subject ourselves to those in authority when they are good and gentle, but also when they are unjust. Synonyms for the word ‘unjust’ from the Strong’s Concordance include crooked, perverse, wicked, and unfair. Look at what Peter says next. “For this is a gracious thing, when, mindful of God, one endures sorrow while suffering unjustly.” What?! I don’t know about you, but that goes against everything my natural mind says is right. When I’m treated unjustly, if I’m mindful of God, it’s a gracious thing. Look at this list of meanings for the word ‘gracious’ in the Strong’s –

When I read that list, I think, “Yes, I want all of those things!” If I’m reading that verse correctly, these benefits of grace are tied directly to my response when I’m suffering unjustly. When I’m suffering. Unjustly. When I’m being treated unfairly. When someone has hurt me unfairly with their words and/or actions. If I endure it with my heart set on God, it is a means of grace.

In case we missed it the first time, Peter even repeats it. “If when you do good and suffer for it you endure, this is a gracious thing in the sight of God.” He uses that same Greek word translated here as ‘gracious.’

It’s almost as if Peter knows what we will be thinking when we read this because he provides an example right away. Not just an example. THE example. He points us straight to Jesus. “For to this you have been called…” We’ve been called to endure mistreatment. Why? “Because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in His steps.” Jesus, the perfect sinless Son of God, suffered for us, and He calls us to follow in His steps. To endure unfair treatment. To suffer even when we’ve done the right thing.

Peter tells us that when Jesus was reviled (Strong’s says “heap abuse on”), He did not revile in return. When He suffered, He did not threaten. He didn’t respond in the same manner. He took it. He endured. And we are to do the same.

How? How can we do it? The key is found in the next nine words. “But continued entrusting Himself to Him who judges justly.” There it is. There’s the ah-ha. How can we endure mistreatment? How can we respectfully subject ourselves to those who are unjust? How can we have abuse heaped on us without throwing some of it back on the other person? We entrust ourselves to the One who judges justly. We give it to God, and we trust Him with the outcome. 

When I threaten, throw abuse back to, seek revenge upon, or talk maliciously about someone who has mistreated me or made me suffer when I haven’t done anything wrong, I am expressing a lack of trust in God. I’m not trusting God that He can take care of it. That He can take care of me. In those moments, my attitude and actions are saying that I need to take care of myself. 

The truth is that it really does take a lot of trust in God to let Him take care of things the way He wants to. It doesn’t always mean that it will turn out exactly the way I want it to. For Jesus, entrusting Himself to God meant that He died a cruel death on the cross. For me, sometimes entrusting myself to God means I will have to die to myself. But look at the victory. “He Himself bore our sins in His body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By His wounds you have been healed.” 

By His wounds, I have been healed. You have been healed. No one can take that away from us no matter how they mistreat us. We are healed. We are safe in God’s hands. He is trustworthy. We can trust Him to take care of us. When others hurt us (and they will), we can rest in God’s care. We can entrust ourselves to the One who judges justly. We don’t have to take up our own cause. We can trust God with the outcome. By Jesus’ wounds, we have been healed.

“You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You.” (Isaiah 26:3)

When I’m taking up my own cause and figuring out how I can avenge myself, the result is inner turmoil. When instead, I choose to trust God, the result is perfect peace.

Heavenly Father, You know our frame. You know our impulsivity and how often we want to avenge ourselves when we are mistreated. You know the inner turmoil we experience when we try to take matters into our own hands. Forgive us for our lack of trust in You. Help us to run to You when we are hurt, and help us to know what it means to entrust ourselves completely to You knowing that You are the One who judges justly. Forgive us for the times that we have hurt others with our words and actions. Keep us near the cross, understanding that we need forgiveness as much as we need to forgive. Give us a mind that is stayed on You and a heart that trusts You completely. Thank you for the perfect peace that only You can give. Amen.

-Dana