Graced

So I haven’t posted in a long time. There’s a reason for that, and that reason is a long story. For now I won’t share details, but I’d like to introduce something. The last eight months have been a turbulent, on-going adventure with Christ. My life has changed drastically through Jesus’s gift of grace, which brings me to what I want to introduce. This year I want to share some of His grace and help you see you how He sees you. This year all my posts will be themed around this one word: graced.

If you believe in Christ, He has set you apart, marked you for his work, and covered you in grace you don’t have to earn. Whatever shame you’re feeling today, whatever dirty deeds you’re hiding under the covers, keeping in the closet, deleting your search history over, or hoping nobody can read your mind for are paid for in full by grace. You are beautiful, my friend. You are loved. You are alive. You are not condemned. You are free. You are worthy. I am praying you come to know this fully and come to know Jesus’s grace like I have.

Jesus has taken me on a journey and graced my life to the point that I am not the person I was a eight months ago. It wasn’t by my own power or might, but by His alone, and He wants to do the same for you. Are you ready to take the first step on His path for you? Whatever is burning in your mind right now…that thought, that word, that verse, that whatever it is—good or bad,right or wrong, shameful or holy pray about it. Ask Jesus what the first step is. Are you ready to lay it at His feet and trust Him to be faithful? Are you ready for freedom? Are you ready for grace? If yes, what are you waiting for? Let’s get ready to be graced by our Jesus.

Grace for the Big Stuff

The big stuff. You know what big stuff is. It’s whatever is consuming your thoughts right now and causing disturbance in your life. Big stuff can be good and cause good disturbances, but it can be bad and make a nasty splash in your otherwise calm life. Whatever your big stuff is, there is grace for it.

There is grace to help you learn how to play setter in volleyball, and there is grace to help you break free from past regrets and the grip of shameful memories. Grace is a broad concept covering everything from making margin in your life for the good little things to weeding out the very big, very bad things. This grace is not here to drag you in front of what you’ve done and shame you for it; it’s here to gently show you how much more comfortable you will be living in God’s clean, holy space. When life, temptation, sin, loneliness, depression, abuse, or, if we’re really honest, anything makes a mess you can’t clean up, it causes pain and hurt and makes the problem worse. This sound familiar to anyone? My guess is that everyone reading this understands what I’m talking about in some way or another.

Some of you will have gone through depression which takes you to such a low place you can’t do anything, no matter how hard you try. Some of you have been stuck watching porn and are hoping and praying I can’t actually read your mind right now. Some of you are battling same-sex attraction and wondering what the big deal with it is and why it’s causing such a big stink in the church anyway. Some of you are stressed or lonely and can’t figure out how to deal with it. Some of you are just wondering why Jesus feels so distant. All of you somewhere deep down inside are struggling with something, whether you know it or not. God sees it and he knows it, and, you guess it, he has plenty of grace spilling over the brim for you! The only thing you have to do to is accept it. Live in his love, and live graced.

Because we’re all completely broken and in need of grace and God knows this, he made sure to include a passage or two to help pick us up in our time of need. For the big stuff, those problems that seem insurmountable, we have a God who conquered the most insurmountable problem of all. He leapt straight over death itself

Mind your business

I have two siblings: a younger brother and a younger sister. My parent’s favorite thing to say when they’re nosing in each other’s business and making each other’s lives difficult is “worry about what I tell you to worry about”. Now, they’ve said this a million times to my siblings and me, but I never really picked up on how powerful these few words can be.

One time I had just finished reading a little in my bible when I started to walk out into the kitchen to get some lunch. My dad told my sister to “worry about what I tell you to worry about” and I started thinking about that simple little mantra in terms of what God tells us to worry about. So…what does he tell us to worry about? That’s sort of a trick question because the answer is nothing. Yes, there’s plenty of stuff he tells us to do or says is a good idea to avoid, but there’s nothing that he outright tells us to worry about.

Why on earth is that?? Cuz he’s got everything in control…he owns everything, and he controls it. And God is perfect so there’s nothing to worry about. I have so much trouble wrapping my mind around this that I actually have to stop, take a deep breath, and ask myself this: why am I holding onto this? If all worrying does is cause stress and all stress does is cause health problems, what’s the point? Wouldn’t it be so much better if I could just hand over all my issues and problems to someone who can take care of it all? Oh wait…I can, and so can you 😉

Calm within the storm

Most are familiar with the “calm before the storm” effect, but what do we do when the storm actually hits? Panic? I do. It is so easy to relax when times are easy then go into full-on panic mode when life’s storms find their way across our paths. As I’ve read my bible and prayed, God has shown me this is not the way. Times of peace and calm are meant for us to relax, but also for us to prepare for what may come. Don’t people build cellars or store food for a time when both may be necessary? God doesn’t want us to breeze through easy moments like vacations just to get to hard ones and lose control. He wants us to prepare our hearts with His word and His light, not because we are afraid of what may come, but so we are not rattled and shaken when the storms do come.

Wherever you go…

Hey everyone! For those who are new, welcome to my blog! I’m going a super exciting, week-long trip to Washington D.C. in eight days, I set up a little AM/PM devotional for each day of the trip, and thought I might share it with you guys. Even though trips are always busy and exhausting, I promise you won’t regret giving ten minutes on the morning and evening to God! “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.” Luke 10: 41-42

So here’s the plan…

Day 1:

AM: Joshua 1

PM: Joshua 2

Day 2:

AM: Exodus 12:33-50

PM: Exodus 13: 17-22

Day 3:

AM: Exodus 14: 1-18

PM: Exodus 19-31

Day 4:

AM: Ruth 1

PM: Ruth 2: 1-13

Day 5:

AM: Ruth 2:14-23

PM: Ruth 3

Day 6:

AM: Ruth 4

PM: Psalm 32

Day 7:

AM: Psalm 139

PM: Psalm 147

Hope you enjoy it! Let me know how God spoke to you once you’re done. You don’t even have to be traveling to read the Bible, so don’t wait to start!