New Coat

 

Remember a few weeks ago I shared the stripping of the deck story?  May I now share with you the painting of the deck story?  That’s correct, last weekend we found another two days of no rain, so we moved forward with the second part of our project, painting the deck.  We were going to go about this process with precision!  We went to the home improvement store, got six samples of different paints we wanted to try, painted them on the deck to see what we liked and on Friday evening, went to get our paint and supplies.  We woke up Saturday morning ready to go! 

By Saturday night, we were done with the banister.  Each spindle was painted with precision, and it looked great.  Sunday found us doing the floor.  With the sun beating down on us, the paint was soaked in by each deck plank, making for a very long day!  It was hard work and at the end, both of us were incredibly exhausted and sore, our legs and backs in pain from squatting or being hunched over all weekend.  Then our critical eyes looked at the deck and each other to share, “I think the color is a little off!”  It may be a tad greyer than we anticipated, but we both also knew we weren’t going to repaint it!  It looks great.  The journey was hard but the end result-awesome!

Once again, the process reminded me of our Lord and this Bible verse that I have come to love over the years.  When we decide to put off our old way of life, or rejuvenate our lives in Christ, there are many parallels to painting the deck!

Sampling – finding out what works.  When I need to get a “Jesus adjustment”, I find myself trying some new and different things to focus my attention to Jesus.  I may try different Christian music, read a study book from a different author, or join an online Bible study.  As I’m writing this, I’m thinking about diving into a book of the Bible that interests me.  Just as we tried a variety of paints, look at options that may tell you “That’s the one!”

Hard Work – put in the tough work.  Changing our focus is not easy.  Humans are creatures of habit and moving away from bad habits and establishing new ones is not easy.  It means making a commitment.  What if we had started the deck and by the second day said, “This is too hard.”  This is the same in our Jesus journey.  It may be hard; it may be exhausting.  Body and mind may be sore.  Yet, it is worth it to put on a new attitude in Jesus!

Critical Eye – it may not be perfect.  When I have embarked to put on something new in Jesus, I have grandiose ideas of what that is going to look like.  It NEVER ends up the way I thought it would.  If I decide on a daily prayer focus and I miss a day, my mind says, “You’ve failed.”  If I switch the radio channel away to listen to a different music genre, I believe I have failed.  Jesus doesn’t look at it that way, and neither should we.  We weren’t meant to be perfect, in ANYTHING that we do.  What is so wonderful about Jesus is He gets that, especially when we don’t get that.  He is waiting to put His loving arms around you to say, “I’m proud of you, let’s hop back on and see where the journey takes us.”

The journey of putting on a new attitude in Jesus is not always easy, but it is always worth it!  Is it time to put on a ‘fresh coat of paint’ in Jesus’ name?  Try a few things, put in the hard work, know that you will fail, but get back up again.  I’m sure the result will be AWESOME!

Dearest Jesus, as we journey to put on a new self in your name, help us with each step, guiding us closer to you. Amen!

Are You Deserving?

 

What I witnessed reminded me of when I was rearing little ones.  A mother was trying to provide discipline and a learning moment in the middle of Target.  I heard the child a few moments earlier, yelling and screaming.  The little one was upset about something, and she wanted to ensure her mom knew it.  Mom calmed her down and they continued shopping in the toy section.  The child found a toy she was excited about and asked to get it.   Mom got down to her child’s level and, in a calm voice said, “Do you remember a few minutes ago you were yelling and screaming?”  The child shook her head in affirmation of which mom replied, “Do you think you deserve something special?”

Those words hit home!  In that moment, I thought of Jesus.  There are certainly times when I am that child of a few moments earlier, yelling and screaming at my Lord!  Sometimes, it is because something bad happened that “I” felt should not have happened.  Other times, something good should have happened that did not happen.  With all that emotion, I have screamed out to Jesus!  I was upset and He was going to know about it.  Just like the mom in the scenario above, Jesus calmed me down and opened my eyes to the situation.

Yet, the words that hit home, “Do you think you deserve something special?” is what rang in my ears.  Do I deserve Jesus’ forgiveness?  Do I deserve His love?  Do I deserve a life of eternity in paradise?  I do not deserve ANY of what Jesus has lavishly provided to me.  I AM UNDESERVING!  My daily behaviors prove that I am a sinner.  Whether I am screaming in anger or silent in injustice, my sin is prevalent.  Whether I sin in action or inaction, I am sinning.  The common denominator is that I AM UNDESERVING of anything that my Lord has to offer me.

I do not deserve anything special.  None of us do.  The good news is that Jesus came to let us know WE ARE DESERVING.  We deserve His love.  We deserve His forgiveness.  We deserve eternal life.  Why?  Because WE BELIEVE.  We believe in His death and resurrection.  We believe in His forgiveness.  We believe in life eternal.  We believe because we are loved.  Brothers and sisters, we DO deserve something special – we deserve Jesus!  We are part of His kingdom.  We are HIS children, and His love is greater than anything we can fathom here on earth. 

To answer the question?  We are deserving of all Jesus gives to us.  In return, may we ask for forgiveness of our sins.  May we have the faith and hope that only Jesus can provide.  May we rest in the peace that passes all understanding.  Our simple faith takes us on the path from undeserving to deserving.  It was Jesus’ walk to Calvary that gives us the ability to take that path.  In the end, the mother told her daughter she deserved it because she loved her.  Remember, you are deserving as well, because Jesus loves you.

Dearest Jesus, thank you for bringing me from an undeserving person to a child of your kingdom, deserving of all you give to me.  May my heart always remember to give you thanks and praise!  Amen.

Pilgrimage of Provision

 We watched as they came.  They came from afar and they came from nearby.  They walked in groups, and they walked alone.  They sang songs of praise and they prayed silently.  They came!  I had never seen a pilgrimage before, but I had the true honor of seeing one this past week.  We were visiting my husband’s family in Costa Rica this past week.  On August 2^nd, they pay tribute to Costa Rica’s patron saint, the Virgin de Los Angeles at the Basilica De Nuestra Senora De Los Angeles.  The story is a fascinating one and I encourage you to explore this a bit.

What I want to focus on is the people.  People from across the country make the trip to Cartago, by foot, to be a part of this celebration.  Many make the 13-mile trip from the capital, San Jose to the Basilica in Cartago.  Folks who live farther away will start the trek much earlier, some as early as 15 days prior, to experience the celebration.  For over two hundred years, this ritual has taken place.  Our location was Tres Rios, the town next to Cartago, so we were able to watch thousands of people walk to the basilica.  Yet, our venture also took us over to Puntarenas the day before, where we saw people walking towards Cartago, up incredible hills, and unpaved roads.

I found these folks so inspiring.  Their love for their Lord and their belief was amazing.  Some made the trip to thank God for blessings they had received.  Others were setting afoot to ask for healing, either for themselves or others.  Whatever their reason, there was no denying that their Lord meant something to them – so much so that they stopped their lives for a moment and decided that this was so especially important.  Families with little children and strollers were walking.  Then the unthinkable happened, it started to rain!  Not just a sprinkle, it rained!  That did not stop one person.  They walked with rain ponchos, they walked with umbrellas, or they walked letting the rain drench them.  Yet they continued to walk.

I hope one day to make this pilgrimage, to join in this festival.  For whatever reason each person walked, their faith led the way.  God’s path for us takes us in many directions.  We may choose to follow His way or our way at the crossroads of life. If we choose to walk in our path, it may prove to be ‘easy’ and ‘less difficult'.  Walking the road God plans for us may be tougher and filled with questions.  It may be tough, uphill climbing.  It may be rugged with unpaved roads.  It may be filled with downpours of doubts and demanding situations.  Yet the journey, and our faith along the way, will yield the greatest gifts of forgiveness, love, and the knowledge of life eternal.  Brothers and sisters, wherever your journey may take you, ensure that it is God’s journey.  May His guidance provide you with the pilgrimage to the cross, and the grace, mercy and love that comes at the foot of the cross!

Heavenly Father, we thank you for the journeys you provide for us.  Help us to walk in your path and guide us to the life you have prepared for us.  May we join in the pilgrimage to the cross of love and forgiveness.  In your name we pray – Amen!