Sea Glass

On a recent trip to Ohio with a friend and her three daughters we stayed at my friends family cottage on Lake Erie ( in area called Bernal Beach).  On our last day my friend and her girls took turns kayaking . I am a water lover from the knee down, so I decided to walk along the shore. It wasn't long before two of the girls joined me and the eldest asked if I wanted to look for sea glass.  I had not heard of sea glass before, so I asked her what it was.  She told me it's tiny pieces of glass that come from bottles, lamps, wind shields,anything made of glass that has somehow found it's way into the ocean. It takes years to break down into the tiny pieces that lay hidden within the sand.  They are completely smooth with not a hint of a jagged edge due to the constant friction and movement from the sand and water.

The two girls seemed to be pros at finding these tiny pieces of "treasure". It took me longer, however, once my eyes adjusted to what I was actually looking for and I took my time, I began to find tiny pieces. As I walked along the shore bending down to ruffle the sand and carefully dig around I saw the small pieces of sea glass as a metaphor for life.  Some of us feel discarded, abandoned, and unwanted. Some of us have been battered  like the glass by the sand a constant friction to our souls....by careless hurtful words, by neglect or physical abuse. Some of us can't imagine ever feeling beautiful or worthy again. It feels as if the years have taken a toll, a toll that is nonredeemable.

We need to open our eyes to the truth and stop believing the lies that we are trash carelessly tossed away...just like the glass that has found it's way into the water.  Once we find our way to Christ, He alone can take our jagged edges and smooth them out.  He alone can take the dull and dirty lens and make it clear and shiny. He alone can take something that someone else deemed unworthy and make it completely worthy and priceless. 

As I researched sea glass two things kept coming to mind.  Sea glass is rare and sea glass is expensive.  As daughters and sons of the King we are rare and the price that Christ paid for our life is expensive, so costly, in fact, there can never be a dollar amount put on it. 

If you have experienced the negative affects of feeling unwanted, unloved, unforgiven, and as if you have been battered down by those who are supposed to love, cherish, and care for you...THERE IS HOPE! 

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.  1 John 1:9

In Jesus we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace.  Ephesians 1:7

Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart, says the Lord. Jeremiah 1:5

Jesus said, " Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your father (God). And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows."  Matthew 10:29-31

Just like the tiny pieces of sea glass we may never be completely who we were before, however, with the hope of Christ we can begin one day at a time, one moment at a time and start new.  We can allow ourselves to become rare and priceless in the eyes of Jesus if we choose to draw near to Christ. 

Draw near to God and He will draw near to you James 4:8 a

There is always HOPE!

*This blog is dedicated to Phyllis whom I met in the Maury County Jail August 2012.  Phyllis entered Heaven a week after I met her.  I believe she is now in the arms of our Lord and Saviour...and she finally sees her worth. While I didn't get to know her well, I know that she felt much like a piece of discarded unwanted glass tossed into the ocean without a second thought. Her choices in life reflected her lack of self worth and respect for herself. Patterns deeply ingrained within her for many many years. I pray for those who knew and cared about Phyllis that they will see we are not promised tomorrow and today is the day to see ourselves as beautiful sea glass. As long as there is breathe there is HOPE! 

What Do Weeds and Sin Have in Common?

Tennessee is experiencing a heat wave along with several other states. Our temperatures are record breaking for the month of June. We are not currently on water ration, however, if we don't get some rain soon we will be. I have watered my lawn and plants each night and while the plants seem to be doing ok with a few brown leaves here and there, the lawn is a different story. Our lawn is actually more weeds than grass and someday I hope to remedy that, however, for the time being, I try to do what I can to keep the lawn mowed, edged, and neat looking. During this heat wave any resemblance of a blade of actual green grass seems to have disappeared, even with my (brief) nightly watering’s. I have noticed that the weeds seem to be thriving. Not uniformly, but sporadic here and there just enough to be noticed.

As I watered last night I was thinking how sin is like the weeds in my yard. It doesn’t take much for a weed to live. Weeds grow in every season here except winter, they lay dormant, however, with the first sign of spring they are ready to push out from the dirt and stand tall. People go to extremes to get rid of them, whether it's pulling them out from the root, putting weed killer on them, or covering the area with mulch. These measures are all temporary covers because they will continually reinvent themselves and try to choke the life from your plants or grass. Weeds are greedy as they steal the water you add to keep your plant or grass alive. It doesn’t take long for weed to multiply and get deeply rooted. They can also grow in small cracks and crevices.

Sin is similar. Sin wants to choke the life from you especially your spiritual life. Sin can easily become deeply rooted and multiply. Sin is present in every season of our life. Sin can be masked with temporary covers; however too effectually get rid of a sin area in our life it takes more than a "cover". Sin knows no boundary and sin never gives up. Sin can become dormant just long enough to make you feel as if you have finally mastered it, and then when you least expect it, it rears its head, as if it never left you. Sin can also manifest itself in the smallest of cracks, cracks that you may consider to be too small to worry about, however, that is all it takes.

The best way to defeat a sin area is to never let your guard down. Don't allow yourself to feel as if you have finally mastered it and then move on. We must remain vigilant in our measures to prevent sin from mastering us. It's a day by day, minute by minute challenge; however, if you remain steady with your relationship with God (which includes prayer, reading your Bible, fellowshipping with other believers, and growing spiritually) you will be one step ahead instead of behind. It's never too late to start.

There is always HOPE!

Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. But resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brethren who are in the world. After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you.   1Peter 5:8-10

Redeeming Memories

We recently went on our first Spring Break vacation.  A huge shout out and thank you to the Henry family for inviting us to join them at their family beach house in Gulf Shores.  We had an amazing time.  It was filled with lots of rest, relaxation, reading, good food, laughter, and specifically for me; a healing and redeeming moment.

As a teen and young adult, living in California, I loved going to Santa Cruz Beach Board Walk, however, three specific memories had stolen my love of the beach and ocean.  One memory had to do with heart break and two had to do with fear (deeply ingrained fear situations).  Living in Tennessee for the past fourteen years I had not realized my lost love of the beach until we were invited to join our friends.  When we realized all of the necessary details would work out for us to join them, I suddenly felt conflicted.  I wanted to go and enjoy time with the Henry family, but there seemed to be something I couldn't move past; a negative feeling. 

Within a few days of being at the beach I found myself alone one afternoon.  I brought a book to read and as I began to read I felt myself feeling a bit restless. I was unable to focus on the book so I decided to take a walk along the ocean.  I began to think about the three memories as clearly as if they had just happened (these situations occurred about twenty five years ago...this shows you the power of the mind and the depth of the situations). I sat down on the waters edge and allowed the waves to gently roll over my legs.  I felt a deep sadness and heaviness when suddenly I felt the Lord telling me, "Albagor!" (which I learned in Israel means no fear in the Hebrew language).  As I recalled the memories, it was as if God was saying, "No more fear!  I am the One who created the beach, the ocean, and all that is in it, this is My creation!"  I knew in my heart God was redeeming the memories that still held power over me, power I didn't even realize until that day. As I sat on the oceans edge I began to cry and let go of the memories that haunted me for so long. 

One of the memories involved recalling myself in a moment of desperation writing, HELP ME JESUS, in the sand with my toe.  I knew in an instant I needed to write,  There is always HOPE!, with my toe to reclaim the fear involved in that particular memory.  When I did this I felt a sudden release and peace. 

The next day as our families were settling in for the night to watch a movie, I felt the need to go outside. I had every intention of staying on the porch and listening to the waves crash onto the shore.  Before I knew it, I was walking down the stairs and heading towards the beach.  This is very unlike me. I do not like walking in the dark, especially in a area that I am not that familiar with.  It was as if a magnet was pulling me towards the ocean.  I began to walk faster.  Once I arrived I went straight for the water.  I took off my shoes and let the waves splash my bare legs and feet. I felt the Lord say again, "No fear!"  I felt peace and contentment as I looked up in the sky at the stars and the moon and heard the waves gently crashing on the shore all around me.

After a few minutes I realized I should go back to the house,  I never said I was leaving, I only told them I was going to the porch.  As I walked back with continued peace, I saw my husband on the porch and he was worried about where I had gone. I apologized for worrying him and  told him I felt I needed to face the ocean alone...just me and God.  I needed to walk in the dark towards the water. I needed to feel the water.  I needed to trust God and have, no more fear.  My husband hugged me and asked if I wanted to walk back to the beach with him and I said, "yes".  We walked along the ocean for almost two hours. As we walked back to the house I knew in my heart that not only had the Lord redeemed my old memories but He gave me a new one in it's place.

God is a God of redeeming qualities and He has a desire to bring healing to all of our past to help move us closer to Him! There is nothing to big, to old, or to scary for God!

31 Days of Hope Day 13

The woman at the well is one of my favorite stories in the Bible. It is found in John chapter 4. This is where Jesus asked the Samaritan woman for a drink of water from the well. (I have to add that this is one of the sights I will able to see when I go to Israel in the fall!  And I recently learned that there is STILL water in the well and you can drink it!).  

One of the reason I love this story is because Jesus gives us an example of how to confront someone, how not to ignore facts and put them under the rug, and how not to take responsibility for other peoples choices.  If you have read my book or been reading my blog for a while, you know these are the three things I struggled with for most of my life:

1. Ignoring red flags

2. Putting things under the rug

3. Taking responsibility for other peoples choices and behaviors

In John chapter 4 we know that Jesus already knows the woman is a Samaritan and He, of course, was a Jew.  Samaritans and Jews were not supposed mingle together and they certainly were not expected to give one another a drink of water.  Jesus already knew this woman was living outside the confines of marriage.  The man she was living with was not her husband.  She had been married five times previously.  He knew all of this (and probably more!) when He saw her.  He could have easily waited for her to get her drink and move on.  He could have made small talk with her. Once He tells her all that He knows about her He could have "excused" her behavior by taking responsibility for her (or help her justify her choices). He could have also had a finger pointing moment with her, telling her what He knew by shaming or condemning her. 

The beauty of this story is that He spoke the truth in love to her.  He didn't shame her. He didn't condemn her. He didn't excuse her choices. He didn't pretend He didn't know anything. There are no exclamation marks of His conversation to show He yelled at her. He gave her an opportunity to tell the truth and she did. He then calmly told her what He knew. He tells her He is the Messiah and He can provide water that will never dry up; a well of water springing up to eternal life. The woman goes on to tell others about Jesus and many Samaritans come to believe in Him because of her words. 

If you are looking for hope, you don't need to look any further...Jesus is our hope! He is our well of water springing up to eternal life!