Growing Beauty

"But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  To him be glory both now and forever!  Amen."

It is starting - to me, the most beautiful time of year.  Yes, many love spring and summer, but I'm an autumn gal.  Everything about it makes my happy on the inside - the smells (apple pie baking and pumpkin candles burning; the feels (cooler breezes and comfy sweatshirts), and the tastes (apple crisp with a dollop of ice cream does it for me).  Yet, the driving force of my infatuation with autumn is the sights - the colors as they begin to take hold of leaves and become a canvas of beauty.

I saw this tree the other day and although the picture doesn't do it justice, it reminds me of the process of fall foliage.  Though it may seem to happen over night, it is truly a process - one where day by day, with all the right weather conditions, the leaves move from green to yellow to orange.  Step by step, the beauty starts to arrive.

It reminds me of our path with faith.  Although I have always been a lifelong Christian, it doesn't mean that I became a Christian and checked it off the list.  The journey of faith takes many turns.  I have had my fair share of poor decisions and difficult trials.  During those times, my faith may have been shaken.  I may have questioned God for what "He" did to me (we all know THAT wasn't the case).   I may have not have followed on the path He chose for me.

Yet, each wrong turn I may have taken, God was there waiting for me and guiding me back to the path He had paved for me.  With each turn, my faith grew.  I realized that the process of growing my faith didn't have to be complicated.  God just wanted me to have Simple Faith - and to watch it become something beautiful.  Much like the leaves that begin to change into something fantastic, so does our faith.  With each cool breeze, the beauty of faith grows.  Just like each autumn comes to bring us this beautiful canvas, so does each decision in our faith.  

It's not always easy to make the right choices.  The devil is waiting for us at each opportunity.  However, Simple Faith  is that God is waiting for us, He will turn our faith into something that is beautiful -  just like the autumn leaves.  Don't check your faith off the "to do" list - help it grow!  Open up that Bible to read a passage, pray to our Lord, worship together, and bring the beauty of faith to your life.  It's gradual, but the end result is everlasting!

Heavenly Father, help our faith grow in beauty and love.  May the choices we make, bring beauty to you and to others.  Let us realize that faith in you and love for others brings the growth we are searching for.  In your name we pray, Amen!

Attitude Adjustment

"You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds."

Ephesians 4:22-23

I could feel it coming, like a wave over me.  The attitude that wasn't going to be good for anyone, especially those around me.  Lots of thoughts were rushing into my mind, none of them were good.  I was sitting in a pool of self pity, and it wasn't becoming.  I woke up with it and as the minutes and hours progressed, I knew I needed to do something before the "nasty Susan" would come out.

These verses from Ephesians couldn't more clearly depict where I was yesterday.  Was there anything in particular that got me to this point?  Not really.  Yet, I knew that this was not the person I wanted to be, especially to my family.  I wanted to put off this "old self", which I knew was being corrupted by selfishness and nastiness.  It was time to make myself a new attitude - I needed an attitude adjustment.

I got in the car and drove - out to a cute little store that I knew would have wonderful fall items for me to peruse.  It wasn't the store that drove the adjustment, it was the drive itself.   I got in the car and immediately went to my Savior - asking Him to change my heart, my soul, and my mind.  I asked for His forgiveness and mercy.  Then I waited.  As He so richly promises us, it happened.  I drove along these beautiful side roads and noticed the beginnings of autumn leaves changing.

As leaves begin their transformation from green to incredible colors, a yellow hue happens.  Tints of yellow begin the process and as I drove down the road, I began to feel enveloped by yellow - the color of joy and happiness.  God, in a way that He knew would touch my very being, began my transformation.  He enveloped me in this yellow hue to bring my heart to a different place.

By the time I did a little shopping and was returning home, my heart had changed.  My mind had changed.  Most importantly, my soul had changed.  God's love was in each and every one of those leaves that morphed my attitude - bringing a much needed attitude adjustment.  

God has such a way of talking to us, of answering us, when we need Him the most.  Although we may not see Him, when we go to Him with contrite hearts, we know He is close.  I always believe He is sitting right next to me when I'm talking to Him, smiling and nodding, understanding where my heart is and where I want it to be.  He understands me.  He understands you too.  All we need to do is give ourselves to Him, share what we are and who we want to be.  He will always take care of the rest.

As the colors of fall begin to take shape, I ask you to spend some time with our Savior.  Let Him know what is heavy on your heart.  God will take care of the rest.  He will welcome you into the conversation and will know just what you need.  Whether it is a sign of great immense, or the colors of changing leaves.  May you feel His loving arms around you.

Gracious God, we thank you for always being there for us - especially when we need an attitude adjustment.  Bring us to you and wrap your arms around us.  Show us the way to a heart that loves as you love us.  May we always share that with others.  In your name we pray, Amen!

Forward Faith

"Have Faith!"  Pretty common statement to say to someone is fluctuating between faith and doubt.  Seems easy enough, doesn't it?  Just have faith!  I don't know about you, but sometimes having faith can be the most difficult thing to do.  When life gets difficult and it is hard to understand what the future may hold, it should be easy to put it in God's hands and have faith that He will work to our favor.

Yet, it can be easier said than done.  Why?  Why is it so hard to have faith that God has our best interest in mind?  For me, I think it is hard because I cannot always SEE the path that God has for me.  If I can't SEE it, it can be hard to BELIEVE it.  I have faith that our outdoor event won't get rained on - I can see that in the seven-day forecast.  I have faith that I will get to the party on time - I can see my GPS says I will get there before it starts.  

What happens when what we are hoping for cannot be confirmed by anything we can see?  You want to have faith that the test results will come back in your favor, but there is nothing to see to confirm that.  You want to have faith that a long-distance relationship will work, but not seeing the person every day can bring doubt.  It is so hard to have faith with the unseen, or unknown.  So how can we deepen our faith to the faith that is discussed in our verse for today?

We actually do have confirmation of our faith!  Take a look back as you take a look forward.  What???  As you look for the faith in what you hope for, look back on the goodness of God in what you hoped for in the past.  See all the wonderful blessings God has brought upon your life and how He had your best interest in prior situations.  No, maybe the test result didn't come back that it was negative, but how did your closeness to God grow during your health trials.  Maybe the relationship you really wanted to work out came to a close.  Yet, you wouldn't have met the new 'love of your life'!  

Having faith may not always be easy - especially as we walk through difficult times.  Take some time to look back so you can have faith moving forward.  God is there for you - He is ALWAYS there for you.  When the situation doesn't turn out as you had anticipated or hoped for, it doesn't mean that God isn't there for you.  Actually, it means that He is bringing your faith to a new level - a level that will bring you closer to Him!  

Many times I can make faith complicated - rolling the "what if" scenarios over in my head versus going to God in prayer with "simple faith".  Let's uncomplicate faith and look back to the goodness God shared in our lives so we can have the faith to move forward.  It's work.  It may not always come easy, building up our faith.  Yet, let's take the courageous step together!!  Here's to our forward faith!

Heavenly Father, walk with me as I move to have forward faith.  Help me to see the goodness of my past to know that my hope for the future lies in the faith I have in you.  Grant me serenity and peace as I walk this walk.  In you forever name I pray, Amen!

Greatest Protection

"Be strong and courageous.  Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you or forsake you."

Deuteronomy  31:6

"That was a close one"!  How many times we may say that phrase in our lives.  It could be in response to many little things:

• Catching something before it boils over on the stove
• Realizing you misspelled something on an email before you sent it
• The glass which was falling to the floor didn't break

The same response can be said for situations that are of greater importance, such as:

• An accident on the highway that was averted
• Health test results that came back clear
• Side stepped an argument with a spouse

I thought about that phrase the other day as I was about to fall and caught myself before falling to the ground.  It made me think of how many times I have said that phrase, in large and small situations.  We tend to move on from those events pretty quickly and go on with our daily lives.  This one made me think!  How often do we say that in our lives and WHY don't those situation end with a negative result?

God's Protection!  In every situation, large or small, we have a God that is with us every step of the way.  He is there to protect us and be with us to ensure safety, body and soul.  He ensures that each step we take in the morning continues to lead us to the path that he has set for us.  It tends to be OUR actions that pull us away from his protection.  When we walk boldly in His ways and in His love, the protection of our Lord envelopes us like a warm blanket on a cool day.  

The good news is that his protection is there for anyone who wants it!  When we fall back into his loving arms and into his word, his protection is there for us.  No, this doesn't mean that we will advert every difficult time in our lives, but we know we have a God who will continue to be with us, in good times and bad.  We have a God who will continue to love us and bring us peace during tough times.  We have a God who died for us so that we will one day be with him in paradise.  How do we know this?  Because he tells us so, in many verses like the one we have today.  

I encourage you that the next time the glass doesn't break or the accident was averted, why don't we follow up the words, "That was a close one," with the words, "Thank you God".  He is there for us in ALL situations to talk to!

"Dearest Father, we thank you for the greatest protection any of us can have, you!  By your watchful eye and constant love, may we always feel your arms around us, holding us, and helping us to move forward.  In your gracious name I pray.  Amen!"

Paving our Potholes

"The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit."

Psalm 34:18

It's paving season in New England.  Due to the harsh and cold winters, paving can only be done in late spring until fall.  Typically, you will see much of the paving being done almost around the clock to get as much paving time as possible.  I have to share, there is something about driving on a nicely paved road which once used to be filled with broken parts and potholes.  Driving on a nice smooth road without having to worry about a flat tire from a pothole is a great thing!

This reminded me about our lives and how many times we can find ourselves in a season of "potholes".  Maybe as we go through our days we find a "hole of guilt", a "hole of wrong decisions",  a "hole of sinful shame", a "hole of regret", etc.  Many times, these potholes in our lives can bring about despair.  We find ourselves falling into these potholes and flattening our "tires" of hope, joy, and happiness.  These are difficult roads to navigate as we deal with our own brokenness.  

I have lived in times like this.  When we make decisions that bring upon us brokenness, it is hard to believe that anyone would want to be close to us.  The feeling of despair can be overwhelming.  Yet, we DO have hope.  We have a Father who paves over all of our iniquities.  He fills our brokenness with love and forgiveness.  He is always there for us to turn back to, with open arms, of healing and joy!

Have you ever had a time in your life when your own brokenness was too much to bear?  Did you find yourself waking every day with no joy or hope?  Maybe you are in a season of "potholes" now?  Know that you DO have hope.  Turn back to our Lord in prayer.  Let Him know you want to move away from your brokenness towards His healing. Let God have the opportunity to pave over all those potholes and provide a smooth road of love - beginning with loving yourself!  God is the way for healing and happiness.  

"Heavenly Father, help to pave over all of our sins.  Take our broken hearts and turn them into healing hearts.  May we move from despair to joy all at your hand.  In your gracious name we pray, Amen."