You are Covered

Day 13:

“He will cover you with his pinions,
and under his wings you will find refuge;
his faithfulness is a shield and buckler.”  Psalm 91:4

Shame’s number one objective is to distort and destroy identity.  The enemy specializes in exposing.  His mission is shame.  

Shame is deceptive.  Shame exposes.  Shame silences.

God’s mission is grace.  Grace transforms and restores identity.  Grace covers. 

A “pinion” is a wing.  Picture the Lord with wings as eagles, spread out wide, covering and protecting from the shame of the enemy.  Under His wings we find refuge.  Under His wings, we find grace.  Under His wings, we find mercy and protection.   

Every time the enemy tries to throw his darts of accusation and condemnation, they bounce off the Lord’s wings covering us like a shield. 

Under the Wings of freedom, shame loses its power.  It cannot get to us with His pinions covering.   His covering frees us to truth, breaks the silence, and gives us voice. 

Lessons Learned at Walmart

My daughter and I parked the cart over by the side of the rack and began looking at the cute beach towels. Suddenly, I heard a crash and glanced as I saw a man ram a cart into the display and mutter something about people parking their carts in the aisle and how rude that is.

As I looked, I noticed it was our cart he had pushed.  I immediately began singing "Let it Go" from the movie, Frozen...of course. (So many applications to that song.)  

Well, I was able to just "let it go" and go on with a rather enjoyable Walmart experience.  Then, I got in line at the checkout counter.  As I was placing my items on the conveyor belt, I noticed some unpleasantness going on behind me in line.  There were 3 ladies behind me and apparently one of them had "cut" in front of the other by positioning herself to the side and in front of her like she was charging ahead for the finish of the Kentucky Derby.

I had to laugh to myself.  However, the lady behind the eager race horse did not find the whole scenario quite as humorous.  She did try to be gracious and told the lady to go ahead and that she could see she was obviously in a hurry.  The race horse said, "Ok" and began placing her items behind mine on the belt.

Well, the lady behind her could not contain herself any longer and began to inform the lady about how rude she was being, to which, the lady had no response.  She just continued placing items on the belt and then she stood right where I needed to stand to pay.

Still amused by the fiasco, I politely told the lady I still needed to pay and asked her if she could move back. She did...for about 2 minutes, and then stepped back to where I needed to stand.

Well, the cashier was done ringing up my items by this time.  So, I smiled and laughed and told the lady I needed to get to that spot to pay, unless of course, she wanted to pay for my items.

She smiled and laughed too and something changed.  I think something happened in her when I reacted in kindness and even humor to this tense situation.  She immediately had a change of heart and suddenly this race horse that was in such a hurry, backed up, pushed her groceries to the back of the belt and insisted that the lady behind her go first.

A spiritual mentor of mine, Karen Ellison, the founder of Deeper Still Ministry, talks about reacting to people in the opposite spirit.  It is the same principle as blessing those who curse you.  When you are kind to those who are unkind or rude to you, something happens in the spiritual realm that we cannot see.  It disarms the forces that are at work to tempt us into sin.

I could have easily gotten offended and irritated at that lady for continuing to act impatient and being where I needed to stand.  And, many times in the past, I haven't responded in love like I should have.  However, this day I did and I saw the result!  Sometimes we may not see the result, but we just need to know that God is working even if we don't see it.

Power Verses:

1.  Bless those who curse you, and pray for those who spitefully use you.  Luke 6:28

2.  A soft word turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger. Proverbs 15: 1

3.  Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all sin. Proverbs 17:9

  

Room for Grace

Do you ever feel like you don't measure up?  I do. Do you feel pressure to keep up pretenses of perfection? Yes.  Do you ever feel like a failure when you don't live up to others' expections? Absolutely!

Put all those expectations and pressures in a room, lock the door and denounce the voice of defeat.  Box the unrealistic expectations up and close the lid.  Seal them in the room labeled "Grace".

What is possible for one to upkeep may be quite difficult for another.  God doesn't require us to "do" certain legalities to earn our place with Him.

The woman with no children at home will most likely find it easier to keep her home tidy than a mother with four crumb smashers hanging onto her leg while she struggles to make a meal just to have it left uneaten by picky little mouths.

"Grace" makes up the difference between where we are and where we are going.  That doesn't mean we shouldn't want to improve and be all God wants us to be.  It does mean that on the way to where we are going, we can walk light and not be burdened down with a load of legalism trying to gain approval.  God approves of us with dusty dressers and unorganized sock drawers.  He approves of us with frazzled hair and flip flops (or even when we accidentally wear our slippers out in public--which I have done quite frequently!).

Someone pointed out to me today that when we mess up (and we will mess up), the degree to which we condemn ourselves or entertain negative thoughts tells us how much we really understand His grace and the cross.  Would Jesus say that to you?  Umm...no.  He would speak correction encouragingly.  What she said really spoke to me.

I realized that this "grace" girl needs a bigger room for grace.  I need Jesus.  I cannot do this journey or live this life on my own.  I won't try to pretend that I have it all together and I pray you still like me even though I don't.  However, if you don't, God's grace can cover that too!  I need this as much as anyone.  Right now as I am writing this, I am looking at an unmade bed with clothes freshly washed piled on top that need to be put away.  And I almost deleted that last sentence for fear of what you would think of me!   (I do usually make my bed, but to be real, there are mornings it doesn't happen and today was one of those days.)

Along with giving ourselves grace, we need to make room to give others grace as well.  There is enough grace for everyone.  We don't have to keep it all for ourselves and we shouldn't.  When others mess up or disappoint, or even hurt or betray you, the room labeled grace is big enough for that as well.  God already paid the price for their forgiveness as well as yours.  It isn't right to hoard all the grace space ourselves.

I also need to practice giving others grace.  Is there someone in your life constantly disappointing you or hurting you.  This person may be someone you have to have in your life, such as a family member.  I understand forgiving over and over again can be hard, but it is necessary for your heart health.  They need grace too (and maybe a little distance might be beneficial).  Maybe you can build them a faraway vacation home in the mountains and label it grace.  :)

Who is with me?  Who needs to build a room labeled "Grace" and put all the expectations the world and others place on us in there?  As we get closer to Jesus, He leads us and guides us as to what we should do and what should take priority.  Today, I decided that writing on grace to you beautiful readers was just a tad bit more important than laundry.  (Laundry will wait, but I will get the laundry put away--promise!)

"The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly along with faith and love that are in Christ Jesus." 1 Timothy 1:14

 "The gospel is bearing fruit and growing throughout the whole world—just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and truly understood God’s grace." Col 1:6

"I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!” Galations 2:21

I'd love to hear from you.  What is something you beat yourself up about?  How can you give yourself grace while working to improve on that area?  What do you sense the Lord saying to you about this area?

"Man up" or "Man-up-ulate"

Many times I find myself sharing how God spoke to me through my failures.  Today, I am excited to share a victory!

When I was a little girl, like most kids, I did not want to be in trouble.  If I messed up, I would often try to hide it or manipulate (lie) to get out of trouble.   It didn't always work, but it worked enough that I kept trying to hide my mistakes.

"When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man (or woman), I put away childish things."  1 Corinthians 13:11

As I grew into an adult, I continued in this childish behavior.  I would make excuses for why was late for work or why I did not do something expected of me.

I would disguise my delinquency with a mask of justification. 

Justification for wrong actions is as old as Adam and Eve.  Adam was the first to justify his wrong action, blaming Eve and God (Genesis 3:12).

After I become a Christian and starting living for the Lord, sadly, I cannot say this character flaw changed immediately.  I continued to justify wrong behavior, making rationalizations for errors in judgement.

I wish I could say I always make the right decision now.  However, this side of heaven, that statement would be nothing short of a lie, no matter who was saying it.

Now, as a Christian, often my mistakes are just that, "mistakes" or oversights.  With three kids, a husband, ministry service, a job, kid's activities, a home, and a 105 pound dog, there is a lot of room for error or forgetfulness.  Whenever I blunder in a responsibility, my first instinct is to shout for "GRACE".  Afterall, we all mess up from time to time.  Can't a girl get a break?!
 
Grace is important and I am very thankful for it, but we are not entitled to it.  There is something about entitlements that cause us to lack gratefulness.  Oh Lord, let us never be lacking in gratefulness for grace!

Sometimes when we mess up, we just need to face the consequences or, as my husband would say, we need to "Man up".   There have been plenty of times I have attempted to manipulate the consequences while concealing manipulation with shouts of grace.

We need to "man up" and not "man-up-ulate"!

Last week, God decided to call me out on this.  I wasn't aware I did it until He revealed it to me.  Sin is deceptive and often we don't know something is sin until God shows us.

I messed up at work and forgot to turn in a report.  I caught the error in plenty of time.  However, my boss has implemented a monetary "penalty" for late reports.  This penalty would cost me dearly.  I didn't think the penalty was fair and I didn't really want to pay it.  I hadn't been late before, my supervisor had overlooked it, and I had caught the mistake in plenty of time before it would cost my employer.  So, I decided to play the "grace card" with my boss. 

My employer did point out that if she gave me grace it wouldn't be fair to the other employees.  However, my "grace card" appeared to be working and she pretty much said she would give me grace this time, but not to expect it in the future.  Then, God began dealing with me.

"Tell your boss she is right and you will pay the penalty."  

Ouch!  Really?!  But Lord....Ok.

"Sue, don't look at it as she is taking something from you.  Instead, give it to her and I will bless you."

The Lord showed me that if I would willingly give her the fine instead of begrudgingly feel as if she was taking from me, He would honor my choice.  I could have paid it with a wrong attitude and missed out on a blessing from the Lord.
 
Jesus gave us the freedom of grace.  The price Jesus freely paid on the cross gave us the grace of eternal salvation.  The grace poured out on the cross doesn't negate the physical consequences sometimes inevitable by our earthly actions.

May we never use grace again as a means of manipulation.  Let's "Man up" and not "man-up-ulate!"

Yield or Yell

Right now as I am writing this, there is a pile of stuffed animals on the floor of our toy room.  By pile, I mean five square feet of stuff animals covering every inch of the carpet.  Clutter and I don't get along well.

In the past, a pile of clutter like mentioned above would have sent me into a frenzy of frustration with my three little ones, followed by threats of giving away every single toy they own. 

This week I am in the middle of a wonderful Bible study with Proverbs 31 Online Bible Studies with Melissa Taylor.  We are reading the book, Let. It. Go by Karen Ehman.

The wise woman builds her house, but with her own hands the foolish ones tears her down.  Proverbs 14:1  
  
God wants us to parent with grace.  

Karen points out, "Learning to walk the fine line between being controlling and conscientious is a constant yet sanctifying struggle.  It keeps you going to God for direction.  It will find you asking for forgiveness for the times you blow it (there will be many). It will force you out of a stance of selfishness and into a posture of grace."   (pg 124-125)

To parent with grace is not possible without yielding to the One who freely gives grace.  Parenting with grace requires yielding to the Holy Spirit. 

In the above scenario with the stuffed animals, I could let my sinful flesh control me and lose my temper with the kids. (It would not be the first time.)   It is interesting how when we are letting our flesh control us that we desire more control over others.  Perhaps it is because we feel out of control that we attempt to control our kids by losing our temper and yelling at them.  However, when we react that way, it doesn't breathe life into our home.  It destroys our homes.

Which woman will we choose to be?  Will we choose to be the wise woman who builds her home with words of kindness, love and grace?  Or will we choose to be the foolish woman who tears down her home with words of criticism, anger, and control.

Today I have a choice to make.  Everyday I have a choice to make.

“For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. 6. For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. “ Romans 8:5-6

 

Jesus says in John 6:63, "It is the Spirit who gives life, the flesh profits nothing.  The words that I speak to you are spirit and they are life."  

The Holy Spirit gives life and peace. Yielding to the Holy Spirit when you would rather yell will bring life.  The words we speak are so important.  They can bring life or death. 

Words can build up or destroy a home. Words can bring death to relationships.  Words can cut the self-worth of a child with wounds that may take years or a lifetime to heal without God's divine intervention. 

Whether it is clutter, chaos, cleanliness, or compliance in our homes that causes us to seek control, we need let it go and to cling to Jesus.  Nothing is worth the price of destroying our relationships with our children.  Their little spirits need nurturing not knocked down by the piercing of our know-it-all intonation.

The Holy Spirit alone brings life.  Only by His grace can we be the wise woman who builds up her home.  His grace is sufficient.  With all the grace He has given us, how could we not extend it to others, especially the precious ones He has entrusted in our care.

Which will it be, yield or yell?  Today, I choose to yield.  

Dear Father,  I pray for your help.  Help me to let go where I need to in my parenting.  Help me to yield to Your Holy Spirit and not give into my sinful flesh.  Father, help me to be loving and kind to my children and to remember they are only children.  God, I need you.  Help me to yield instead of yell.  Give me wisdom to be the mother who builds up her home and her children.  In Jesus' name, Amen.

A Coke and a Smile

We had a great vacation last week, but I really have missed you.  It is nice to be back.  I have a few posts swirling around in my head right now.   This one is a Luke story...no, not the Luke of the Bible, my seven year old Luke.

There are many Luke stories.  A couple of stories include the time Luke put underwear on his head at school (oh yes he did), and the time Luke ran out of the bathroom at school buck-naked (thankfully no one saw but his teacher).

He just dances to the beat of a different drum with a carefree spirit.  We know and believe God has a great plan for Him. 

God has used Luke to teach me volumes about grace and patience. {smile} 

So, the Luke story today starts with a Coke and a smile.

Knowing our son, we really shouldn't have let him have the Coke.  We were at a wedding in Michigan a couple weeks ago.  My husband's brother was getting married.  It was an outdoor wedding and they were serving drinks before the ceremony. 

An outdoor wedding lends itself to different allowances than more formal church weddings.  One allowance was many of the guests brought their drinks to the ceremony.  It was hot outside and it seemed acceptable to have drinks at the ceremony. 

Chris eyed me with the look indicative with "Is it a good idea for him to have that Coke?"  Caffeine and Luke are not a good combination.  I answered back, "It is fine.  Worst thing that could happen is he spills it on his shirt, right?" 

Yes, you guessed it.   Luke did spill the brown soda down his white collared shirt. 

Then... within seconds, he cut his finger on the can's opening.  Blood started oozing from his finger and tears streamed down his cheeks as he lamented in pain.

We finally got wise and took the Coke can away so it could do no more harm.  Everything was well while we enjoyed the beautiful ceremony.

Then, at the end of the ceremony, I gave him back his Coke.  Yes, you are right...nothing good could come of this. 

We got in line to congratulate the bride and groom.

I hugged the bride.

Luke hugged the bride (while holding his Coke can).

It was like it was in slow motion.  The moment I saw the Coke can I began reaching for it, saying "Noooo Luuuukkkeee".  I was too late.  His Coke had also hugged the lovely bride and left a nice caramel colored trail on her pristine white dress to prove it. 

Immediately, my heart sank as I apologized to the bride.  Her dress!  You know, THE DRESS!

However, she handled it with the grace of a princess, she smiled and said "It happens all the time.  No worries.  I have a stain stick that will get it right out.  Don't worry about it."
 
Luke and I were both relieved.  It happens all the time, really?  How gracious.  She could have gotten upset.  After all, this was her day and this is the dress she envisioned herself wearing probably since childhood.

However...she knew it was an accident.  She knew Luke didn't intend to spill Coke on her dream dress.  She gave him grace, the greatest gift one can give another.  

Grace.  We all blunder.  We all make silly mistakes.  What if we all gave each other the same grace the bride gave my son that day?  What if we let love wipe each mishap away like the stain stick wiped away the Coke stain? 

A man's wisdom gives him patience.  It is to his glory to overlook an offense. Proverbs 19:11

Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.  Col 4:6

The world needs to see God's loving grace through His people.  It is only by grace that we, the bride of the Bridegroom, can overlook an offense and smile. 

"Good Mom"

I hope you had a chance to go to Emily Freeman's blog yesterday to join in her discussion of Grace for the Good Girl. You can also click on the button on the side bar to go to her blog. I didn't blog about it yesterday, but I am now.  I may be a little late, but, it is a book about grace, isn't it?

Anywho...there is a part in Chapter Two that I really wanted to share with you.  (Sorry about all the rhyming in that sentence.)

It is about the "Good Mom".

"Good Mom makes breakfast and smiles a lot.  Good Mom always remembers to notice, compliment, and encourage.  She is fun and funny...Her patience is limitless and she never raises her voice.  She wakes up early every morning to spend time with Jesus.  She is consistent and kind.  She makes cookies from scratch.  She plays outside even when its really hot.  She builds forts with blankets in the living room.  Her house is always clean and her produce is always fresh, and she has a garden with flowers and vegetables.  She can sing.  She makes puppets out of socks.  Her kids never watch TV because they are totally satisfied to listen to the riveting, captivating stories that their Good Mom makes up.  Every night."

Is anyone else exhausted with all that the "Good Mom" has to live up to?

Emily adds:

"And then there is me.  I haven't worn matching socks in three years.  I pulled out nine individual socks from my drawer the other day.  Nine.  All different.  My kids fight.  A lot.  They call each other the biggest insult in their kindergarten arsenal: baby. And they all hate to be called babies...And it drives me crazy.  I have had the same butter knife in my dishwasher for two weeks.  Some unidentifiable food is stuck to one side.  It's just too much to wash it by hand. And? My car has ants."(pg. 31)

Can anyone relate to Emily?  I know I can:

My kids eat cereal pretty much every day for breakfast.  I like to sleep in.  I spend time with the Lord, but some days it is just a brief moment in the car.  I do not want to have a vegetable garden.  I do not like to garden and my thumb is no shade of green.  I don't want to make my own bread, I like buying it at the store.  I value convenience over saving.  I don't clip coupons or use them when I grocery shop unless Chris gives me one to use.  Even then, it is toss up on if I will remember to use it.  I forget to stock the fridge when drinks run low.  I don't know how to properly load a dishwasher or iron.  And I have a basket of clean clothes that I need to put away that has been sitting there two days.

There it is.  I cannot live up to the "Good Mom".  And I will not let her shame me.

To be honest the "good girl" in me isn't sure I want you to know all the above about me.  I want you to think I have it all together and do everything perfectly.  I don't.  

O Lord,  You have searched me and known me.  
You know my sitting down and my rising up;
You understand my thought afar off.
You comprehend my path and my lying down,
And are acquainted with all my ways.
For there is not a word on my tongue, 
But behold, O Lord, You know it altogether.
You have hedged me behind and before,
And laid Your hand upon me.  
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
It is high, I cannot attain it.....
How precious are your thoughts towards me, O God!
How great is the sum of them!  
Psalms 139:1-6, 17


You have a Savior who knows all your faults and loves you unconditionally.  If I ask Him, He will help me learn to load the dishwasher and clip coupons, but He doesn't require it.  He loves me. Period.

He loves you. 

How about you?  Do you ever feel like there are impossible expectations placed on you?  Is there a perfect image of a mom, wife, or Christian that you measure yourself against?  Do you ever feel like you can't measure up no matter how hard you try?
 
I would love to hear your thoughts or comments on this.  PLEASE COMMENT!!!! Yes, I am begging you to comment!  ;  )  Comments are great, really they are!!  Don't be afraid, this is a place of grace.