Vulnerable

 

Vulnerable!  The word alone can stir a variety of emotions.  One can feel fear, anxiety, and insecurity.  The greatest can be a sense of exposure – letting the world see weaknesses that you may have.  I happen to love the word.  I associate vulnerable to humility – understanding that I have weaknesses and difficulties and I am not perfect.  Being vulnerable takes humility to the next level; it is where the risk of opening up about your gaps, the insults you may have endured, or the difficulties you have experienced is met with the anticipation of working to close the gaps to bring connection or healing. 

This is beautifully illustrated in our verse for today.  Paul speaks to the community of Corinth and shares his experiences with them.  When I sit quietly and reflect on this verse, I believe Paul is speaking to me as well.  It is hard to imagine a person delighted with the areas Paul addresses in this verse.  Yet, the glory and strength come from God in those moments Paul shares.  How so?

Weaknesses & Difficulties – We are not perfect creatures, only Jesus can claim that!  When I explore myself, there are numerous areas where I am weak.  We may want to try and build on those weaknesses with people here on earth, but when we rely on God to close those gaps, we create a relationship with Him that builds trust in Him.

Insults – Have you ever endured insults being hurled at you?  I have, and it is a horrible feeling that someone would actively work hard to make you feel miserable.  God reminds us that in His eyes, the only eyes that matter, we can gain inner strength to withstand insults that are projected to us.

Hardships & Persecutions -   Throughout this world, people are graced with hardships and are persecuted every day for their belief in our Lord.  Graced hardships in our lives?  Yes, my friends.  These situations that we endure help us to go to God, knowing we will be safe in His arms and grow in our faith.

When we expose our own vulnerability to the weaknesses that we have, it is then that we can go to our Lord for the strength that only He can provide. It is when I am weak that my faith becomes strong, my reliance on Jesus becomes strong, and my growth in God can be strengthened.  Let us explore those areas of weakness and go to God, in Simple Faith, and ask for His help!

Click here for the video companion: Vulnerability

Dearest Father, thank you for being my strength when I am weak, when I ensure hardship or difficulties.  May I grow closer to you during these experiences.  Amen.

Instructions

 

I am sitting on the porch watching my husband put together a toy car for our grandchildren. As he does with most items that come in a box that need to be assembled, he gets a few tools and away he goes. Who needs instructions? For 95% of his projects, this method is successful. Yet the other 5%? Those usually involve an immense sense of frustration and possibly some choice words.

It reminds me of our lives. How many times have you heard, “wouldn’t it be great to have an instruction manual for life”? This is probably shared the most by new parents, referencing the challenges of parenting. How often do we set off in search for that instruction manual? Maybe we look to a self-help book. Possibly we gain the instructions from friends of family members. Other times, we may find ourselves much like my husband, “Give me the tools and I’ll wing it!” Friends, we DO have an instruction manual.

Our guide has been around for thousands of years and is 100% verified, the Bible. Within those pages, we can find the instruction for a God-pleasing life. In the Holy Word, we learn where our priorities should be, what our purpose is, how to act and what to say. Yes, within those hallowed pages we learn how to live our lives with God at the center.

Sure, it may be fun to go through life without a manual. Flying through life without any guardrails! What happens when you have too many ‘screws’ left over after a life project? Where do you go when you come to a crossroads and you don’t know which direction to take? It is typically those times that find us crying out for the map to life - crying out to God.

Friends, before the life here on earth becomes too difficult to manage, go get instruction, go find directions! Go to God’s Word, the Bible, and find the right road for your life. God has all the answers you need and the best directions to assemble a healthy and happy YOU!

Heavenly Father, thank you for giving us the best instruction for life, your Word. May we turn to the Bible for guidance and direction. In your name we give thanks, Amen!

Our Purpose

 

I am lost!  Not in the physical GPS sense, but with my purpose.  I had plans when I retired a few months ago.  I was going to spend time with my mom - having lunch, taking her on drives through the New Hampshire scenery, chatting. I was looking forward to doing the things that plagued me while I was working long hours.  Then the unimaginable happened, she went to see Jesus two weeks before I retired.  The last few months have left me a bit empty – how do I fill the space and time I was going to spend with mom.

Funny how we can have OUR best laid plans changed up so quickly by JESUS’ best laid plans.  His plan was different than mine.  I cannot share with you how many times that has happened in my life!  How about you?  When has your purpose or your plan changed dramatically when our dear Jesus intervened?  The diversion that Jesus created may have been seen as a barrier to what we wanted to accomplish.  The path that Jesus took us down was completely different than our path. When we reflect on those times, we always see that Jesus’ way worked out for our benefit. 

This verse crossed my devotion a few days ago and hit my soul.  Whatever I am supposed to be doing, whatever path I should be going down, whatever purpose I should have, I know that my Jesus is with me.  If I look to Jesus for that purpose, then I will be doing His will.  I will be living out the life Jesus has for me.  That sounds reasonable, but how do I know what Jesus’ purpose is for me?  I need to listen.  I need to be still and look at what Jesus has put in my path, what Jesus has put on my heart.  It is in those moments that my Jesus will let me know how to proceed.  With purpose in hand, I can gladly shout from the mountain tops the goodness of our Lord.

Friends, finding out what we should do, what we should say, where we should go can be intimidating.  Having that lack of clarity can be scary.  These are the times we need to rest in the arms of Jesus and let Him guide our path.  Let us open our eyes, our ears, and our hearts to see what He has in store for us.  One thing can be guaranteed – if we listen to Him, our purpose will be in His light.  I know that is where I want to be, walking in His light for my life.  Let us take our purpose journey with Jesus.  Let us have simple faith He will always know best!

Video complimenting this blog post:  https://youtu.be/oMVA1raDXEg

Heavenly Father, guide me to my purpose in You.  Help me to do Your will and give You all the praise!  May I bask in your goodness for my life.  Amen!

Stepping Stones of Faith

 

Recently, we had our sidewalk and driveway replaced.  They dug out the old driveway, rescaled it all, and then added layers of gravel and paving to make it look great!  It was an interesting process of layer upon layer until the final result was just what we expected.  Susan, why are we talking about your driveway?  Stay with me!

During devotion this morning, I came across these verses and it pressed upon my heart to share it.  It always amazes me how the Lord shares with us nuggets that we have never seen before.  I absolutely love these verses – so get ready – I believe there will be a blog series in the future.  Today, let’s look at these great stepping stones to add to our faith!

Just as the driveway had to be developed layer by layer until we saw the true beauty, so does our faith.  These beautiful aspects to add to our faith show the world God’s love is something we can be reminded of! 

Goodness – The ability to be good and virtuous.  We are sinners, and ‘being good’ does not happen every minute of every day.  If we make a conscious decision to share goodness with others, that goodness can spread.

Knowledge – Acquiring facts and information.  As Christians, our knowledge comes from the Word of God, the words of the Bible.  There, our facts and information are real and are what we can stand on.

Self-Control – Regulate our thoughts, emotions, and behaviors.  This one will get us every time!  It is important to have self-control over things such as the words we use so we don’t hurt others, the thoughts we have so sinful thoughts do not cross our minds and regulating our behaviors on things that are not good for us (gluttony, financial debt, etc).

Perseverance – Moving forward despite difficulty.  To continue the journey regardless of how tough it gets can be exhausting.  If the journey takes us to a closer relationship with Jesus, it is worth the difficult times!

Godliness – Conforming to the laws and wishes of God.  We need to know those laws in order to work hard to try to conform to them.  We will fail, yet striving to be the people God wants us to be will help us to serve God.

Mutual Affection – Shared feeling of like between individuals or groups.  My friends, how we need mutual affection in our world today!  My mom used to say that although we may disagree with others, we can always find one thing to like about the other.  We need to do better – we need to find that common denominator to get to like!

Love – An intense feeling of deep affection.  This is what we strive for.  Building upon all the other ‘steps’ to achieve the love we can share to others – to show God’s love to others.  If we can show all the love that Jesus has for us, all will win!

During this next week, take some time to add one of the stepping stones to your faith character!  Let us show the world Jesus’ love!

To view the companion video:  Stepping Stones of Faith

Dearest Jesus, thank you for these stepping stones of faith.  May they live deep within all of us.  Amen!