Loosen your hold

Loosen your hold

by | Jul 14, 2022 | Blessing, Joy, Trust

Fear limits

It was late May at the beach. He was two and he had a death grip on me.

I remember that trip vividly. It was two months before I delivered our youngest child into the world. Garrett loved the wet, packed sand near the water. But he would not let his tiny feet touch the coarse, dry sand that covered most of the beach.

Big and pregnant, I carried him on my hip every day the length of sandy shores to the boardwalk that led to our condo. He would not budge, holding on as if his life depended on it.

The scene reminds me of those clip-on koala bear toys. Once he was attached to my hip, he was there to stay.

I don’t know what fear kept him from walking – fear that kept him from truly enjoying the beach – but I waddle-walked him through the loose sand.

Blessings Abound

God has blessings He wants to give us. What father doesn’t want to give his children gifts that will bless them and help them succeed? And we desperately want the blessings he has for us. However, many of us have such a tight grip on earthly treasures, we have no hand left to accept them. God holds out His hand in love, but we miss the blessing.

Do we need to loosen our hold on some of the things in this world? Could it be an object or person, or even a care or worry we can’t seem to let go of?

Remember the Lord is the giver of good gifts. Let’s loosen our hold and live with joy and in the blessings God wants to give us.

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. James 1:17 (ESV)

 

Let go and enjoy the journey

Let go and enjoy the journey

by | Jul 7, 2022 | God, Joy, Trust

Lately, God has been speaking to me about letting go and giving my “stuff,” (my worries or fears or decisions) to Him.

This week His message came through loud and clear in a game of fetch with our puppy, Winston Duke, who I call annoying most of the time.

We play the game almost every day, the puppy and me. He has his squeaky toy. I throw it across the room so he can chase it. The problem lies in that he won’t give it back. No, he doesn’t settle for the usual game of fetch, dropping it at my feet so I can throw it again. He wants me to take it from him. He’ll get within reach but will run or turn his head away so I can’t grab the toy.

Sometimes he gets really close so I can take it from him. But I have to sneak it from his mouth, then throw it to give him the thrill of the game.

We’re like that too. We have some problem or worry or decision we want God to take from us. Until we drop it at his feet, we’re not actually releasing it to Him. And we miss the thrill or joy of what God has next for us.

God showed up

God showed up

by | May 19, 2022 | God, Trust

For Elijah, God showed up in a whisper. (See 1 Kings 19:11-13)

For me, God showed up on a motorcycle.

Driving through a not-so-safe-small-town on my way home from a funeral in Tennessee, my car blew out a tire. I didn’t hear anything, so I wasn’t certain of it at first. But my tire gauge told me my PSI had quickly dropped to 22. After that, it began declining every few seconds.

I called friends who lived close by. No answer. I thought, “if I can make it to a gas station on the edge of town, it will be well lit.” By the time I arrived, my PSI number was nine. My heart sank when I saw only darkness surrounding the station.

Why were they closed? It was only 10 p.m. on a Friday night. I had no choice but to pull up to the air pump and try to get air in the tire. That didn’t work because by that time, the tire was completely flat. Zero air in it.

As I stood by my car, I saw someone driving toward me on a motorcycle. I quickly ran and jumped in the car; I wasn’t taking any chances. He yelled, “I’m not going to hurt you,” as he passed me. He drove to the end of the parking lot, turned around and headed back my way. My heart in my throat, I cracked my window as he stopped beside me.

His name was Jeremiah. He told me he had seen me from his house, knew the area of town was dangerous, so he came to help. He informed his wife, “I’m going to go help that old lady.” Okay, so my night was getting worse by the second. I’d never been called old lady before, at least not to my face!

I said a quick prayer for protection and got out of the car. My rescuer talked in colorful language while changing the tire out with the spare. At one point, his head darted out from under the car seconds before the jack stand collapsed. My concern escalated.

As a side note, a friend talked with me over the phone as I spoke to Jeremiah throughout the entire encounter. Always quick to help, she had jumped in her car and headed my way, arriving the second time around with the jack. Jeremiah secured the spare tire, loaded the old one in my car, all while sharing many of his life stories. I thanked him as we said our goodbyes.

Later, sharing my story with another friend, she suggested, “God sent an angel to help you.” My quick reply was, “He was no ‘angel.’ I don’t think angels talk like that.”

However, Jeremiah means appointed by God in Hebrew. I had no doubt that God sent him to my rescue, riding in on a two-wheeled chariot, rough language and all.

Be confident of this. God walks beside us when we are afraid. He isn’t just for the Moses’ of the world. He’s for us too. After the death of Moses, God told Joshua, “As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you.” (Joshua 1:5 NIV)

Just as God called Joshua to trust, we can trust Him at his word and put our faith in Him.

What is your story? How has God rescued you? Do you need rescuing now? I share this story because I’ve been there countless times. Sometimes from my own mistakes and failures. Each time, God has been beside me, sending his appointed to save the day.

Are you going to trust me?

Are you going to trust me?

by | May 12, 2022 | Belief, God, Trust

“Trust me,” my husband Matthew used to tease. I knew right then I’d best beware. He was up to something.

This flash from the past popped into my mind as God spoke to me about trust during my morning devotion. Oh, I say I trust Him – and really, I do! But overwhelming thoughts sneak in when I least expect it. Worrisome thoughts. Fearful thoughts. Sometimes even dark thoughts.

God calls us to trust. This means trusting no matter the circumstances. That trust – or confidence – allows us to be calm in stressful situations. That’s trust in action.

The Lord is my strength and my shield;
    my heart trusts in him, and he helps me.
My heart leaps for joy,
    and with my song I praise him.     Psalm 28:7 (NIV)

Trusting in Christ strengthens us. He is our strength, if we will let go and trust. I have reacted in ways that absolutely came from the Lord’s strength, not mine.

Shortly after Matthew’s death I learned something that had my head spinning and my stomach in knots. Breathless, I cried “Lord, what am I going to do?” In my spirit, I heard God say, “Are you going to trust me in this?” In a heartbeat, I thought “I don’t know what else to do but trust you.”

And that is what we are called to do. Even in our desperation, put our trust in action. Trust the one who is trustworthy no matter your: 

situation;

heartache;

conflict; or even

your next decision.

Reading the word of God tells us how. Let the words of Christ wash over us in a new and life-changing way today. Chances are, God just may be up to something.

But blessed is the one who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in him. Jeremiah 17:7 (NIV)

;