Gratitude is Brave

November – The month of gratitude. This is the month when the typically disgruntled complainer joins the perpetually positive proclaimer in taking even a moment to remember something they are thankful for. There is a trend on Facebook that has participants writing one thing a day that they are thankful for. I, personally, love this trend! Even if it is only once a day and even if it is only online, there is nothing that is bad about being thankful.

So, I want to explore this thing we call gratitude. Grab that napkin that’s sitting under your teacup and a pen that hopefully works and take a moment, slow your thoughts and remember. Remember what you are thankful for. It can be simple or complex. What is on your heart? Go ahead, write it down. Try to find 5 or 10 things to jot down.

OK, now you have your list, the things that are fresh in your heart that you are grateful for.  Now, look again, how many of you have written down on your paper the words “trial”, “trouble”, “struggle”, “conflict”, or an item that represents a deep pain or intense experience that you have gone through? No need to raise your hand. Just think.

Truly, it is so much easier to thank the Lord for things we love and the things that are good. I am sincerely thankful to my Lord for fresh water, clean air, kind friends, loving family, food on my table, freedom to worship, and the list goes on and on.

But, how often do you say to the Lord, “Thank you for the trial I just experienced”. Or, “Thank you for the struggle I am currently going through.” Oh, but it is truly a bit frightening to say those words, is it not? Because we know that those words don’t just come in a flash but that it will be a jagged journey that eventually culminates in those statements.

These are the words of David, “It was good for me to be afflicted so that I might learn your decrees”. Psalm 119:71

Oh! But really? It was good for me to be afflicted? YES!

Can you live without the Word? The voice of God? The presence of the Healer? I know that I can NOT. I can not live without the decrees of the Lord. I must know them, I must learn them. I will simply waste away to nothing without the food and water for my soul!  And how do I learn? Is it not through lessons? Often the painful kind? Too true.

But when I come to this table of feasting on the decrees, the table of His Word, the table of learning,  I can’t come ready to eat the meat if all I have drunk in the past was milk. So, how do I prepare my spirit for receiving and learning, and strengthen my soul so that it doesn’t crumble on the perilous journey to the table?

Bits of gratitude. Little bits of thankfulness. No less genuine.

“I never stop wanting to learn the hard [deep genuine thankfulness] for the deathbeds and dark skies and the prodigal sons. But I accept this is the way to begin, and all hard things come in due time and with practice.” Ann Voskamp, One Thousand Gifts.

“The brave who focus on all things good and all things beautiful and all things true, even in the small, who give thanks for it and discover joy even in the here and now, they are the change agents who bring fullest Light to all the world.” Ann Voskamp, One Thousand Gifts.

If you are brave enough to be counted among the brave that she mentions, then one thing is certain, you will learn the language of gratitude that you will find brings unspeakable peace during the storms of life.

Now, return to your list. Add to it as things come to your mind throughout your day. Ask the Father where you are in the journey to becoming one of the brave. Maybe, just maybe, jot down the hard thing. The one you are not quite sure if you are thankful for just yet. And just see what the Healer does with your faith.

(P.S. If you are new to this blog and you are possibly, like me, a bit cynical about the author, and wondering, "What troubles could she have possibly gone through?" You can rest assured, I have endured a number of trials that I feel were very difficult to be thankful for. But, yes, today I can humbly say I am thankful for the experiences and the things I endured. I have been prodded toward my Father God in ways I didn't ask for, but am deeply grateful for today. So, if you would like just a glimpse into some of my journey you can explore some of my  past posts. It is there in bits and pieces just like my heart has been from time to time.)

Being Engaged

When I was a little girl there were many times that if you had asked me what I was thinking about, imagining and planning I would have replied, “My wedding”. Yes, I had it all planned out. The dress design, the colors, the flowers, the ring, even the prince charming. I had dreams and visions of what it was all going to look like and feel like and smell like. I invested countless hours in this event that, truth be told, wasn’t even guaranteed to happen.

But, it did happen. And, it wasn’t anything like I had planned and imagined. I met my prince charming and after first impressions disliked him. But, God has a great sense of humor and it didn’t take long for Him to turn my heart around. In February of 1999 Jason proposed. It was beautiful and well planned. He met me with a beautiful bouquet of roses. He took me to our favorite restaurant, he took me to the place where he had initially asked me to date him, it was beautiful and he even cleaned his car! He had hand made a wooden box and had a plaque engraved in it that said, “Trisha Kristine, I love you so much. Will you marry me?” While he was on one knee, holding a beautiful ring handed down through the generations of his family, I said yes.

He had been planning it for weeks. He had been wooing my heart for even longer. He had learned to see and love the deepest part of me. He embraced the process of loving me and the engagement became a beautiful culmination to the story of our courtship. Of course once we were engaged the chaos of planning a wedding ensued. We only had 3 short months before the wedding. There was so much to do, so little time. My focus and all consuming thoughts were now on wedding plans. Where, when, how…. The dress, the flowers, the bridesmaids, the venue…. And the lists went on and on.  But being engaged was one of the most joyous feelings I had ever experienced up to that point in my life. I was engaged!!! I belonged to someone! Someone wanted me! Someone loved me! I was going to have a wedding! I was engaged!

Following is a quote from the book Love Does by Bob Goff.

“… being engaged isn’t just an event that happens when a guy gets on one knee and puts a ring on his true love’s finger. Being engaged is a way of doing life, a way of living and loving. It’s about going to extremes and expressing the bright hope that life offers us, a  hope that makes us brave and expels darkness with light. That’s what I want my life to be about – full of abandon, whimsy, and in love. I want to be engaged to life and with life. “

“I enjoy those parts of the Bible where Jesus talks about how much He loves His bride. It makes me wonder if the trees and mountains and rivers are things He planned in advance, knowing they would wow us. I wonder if God returned over and over to this world He placed us in thinking what He had created was good, but it could be even better, even grander. I wonder if He thought each foggy morning, each soft rain, each field of wild flowers would be a quiet and audacious way to demonstrate His tremendous love for us.”

John 14:15 says – “If you love me, keep my commands.”

We have all heard it and maybe even said the words to our own children. “You show your love for me by being obedient.”

Obedience is more than just avoiding sin. We often grow comfortable with the idea that we are good enough Christians, good enough children because we avoid sin. We don’t do really bad things that would get us into trouble. That’s obedience right? Yes, but obedience that shows love is far more than that. Obedience requires being engaged.

Matthew 25:1-13 – “At the time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish and fiver were wise. The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them. The wise, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps. The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep. At midnight the cry rang out: ‘Here’s the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’ Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps. The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out’. ‘No’, they replied, ‘there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.’ But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet and the door was shut. Later the others also came, ‘Sir! Sir! Open the door for us! ‘ But he replied, ‘I tell you the truth, I do not know you.’ Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.” Or in other words, “I tell you, be engaged!!!”

We are preparing for a wedding. Our groom is the King of Kings and he has prepared the greatest wedding imaginable. He wants you! You belong to him! He knows you and loves you! You are engaged and you are going to have a wedding! Our part in this? Our part is to be engaged.

When we think of being engaged, we often try to differentiate it out into two words with two separate meanings. 1. Getting engaged as in “He proposed. I said yes. We are  now engaged.” And 2. Being engaged, as in – being engaged in life, being active in the process, pursuing the vision etc.

For tonight imagine with me that it is one word with one meaning. To be engaged (betrothed) is to be engaged (active). We are engaged to be the bride of the Prince of Heaven but in order to become that lovely bride we must engage ourselves with him. We must participate in His plan. We must be proactive in our obedience. We must not just sit around waiting for the wedding march. We must not just sit there and protect ourselves and our “beautiful dresses” from getting stained. We must not let the excitement of the betrothal fade away as the oil in the lamps. We must fan the flame, watch the levels of our oil and move and do and be involved. We must plan with Him, engage in His vision.  We must not just sit and wait until the day of the party. We all have a part in preparing for that day. What is your part? How is He calling you to participate? How are you going to be engaged in the most honored engagement of all time and eternity?

What God Has to Say About You!

God says to you:

“I am giving you a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair.” Isaiah 61: 3

“You are unique. You are fearfully and wonderfully made. You are simply wonderful!” Psalm 139:13-17

“You are the apple of my eye. I love to protect you and answer your prayers.” Psalm 17:7 & 8

“You are my treasure. You are the one I love.” Deut. 7: 6 & 8

“I want only good things for you! I have plans for you and they are full of hope.” Jeremiah 29:11

“I am your righteousness. Because of me you are clean and pure.” Zeph. 3:5

“I delight in you! I rejoice because I know you.!” Zeph 3:17

“I love you with an everlasting love – it is unconditional and boundless.” Jer. 31:3

“You are my princess!” Ps. 45:13

“You are precious. You are one to be honored!” Isaiah 43:4

“You are beautiful!” Ecc. 3:11

“I see you. I see your heart, your feelings, your thoughts. You are important to me and I see you when you feel invisible to those around you.” Gen. 16

“You are my friend!” John 15:15

“You are free! Do not feel condemned. You are set free from shame!” Romans 8:1 and Galatians 5:1

“You are my darling. I love you!” John 3:16 and Romans 8:38

“You are strong! You can conquer!” Romans 8:37

“I dwell in you.” 1 Cor. 6:19

“You have been made new. Brand new and shiny and lovely!” 2 Cor. 5:17

 “You can do wonderful things. You have great talents!” Eph 2:10

“You are confident.” Eph 3:12

“You are a bright light in this world.” Eph. 5:8 and Matt. 5:14

“You are holy and royal and you belong to me!” 1 Peter 2:9

“You are healed and made whole.” Isaiah 53:5 and Ex. 15:16

“You can rest and be at peace.” Deut. 33:12

“You are my beloved and I am yours. I am the lover of your soul.” Song of Sol. 2:16

“I will keep my promises to you.” Gen 28:15

“You are spicy! Salty! Exciting!” Matthew 5:13

“You are whole and complete.” Col. 2:10

“You are capable and have the ability to tell others about me.” Acts 1:8

“You are my masterpiece!” Phil 1:6

“You are calm, steady and full of peace.” Phil 4:6-7

“You do not need to be afraid. You are full of power and confidence.” 2 Tim 1:7

“You are redeemed. Paid for. Bought and owned by me.” Eph 1:7-8

“You are strong. You are able. It is possible.” Phil. 4:13

“You are bold.” Eph. 3:12

“I like to tell you my secrets. I like to confide in you.” Jer. 33:3

“You are wise.” James 1:5

“You are fully equipped to do good things.” 2 Tim 3:17

“You are my child. The one I want to inherit my riches!” Gal. 4:7

“I chose you. On purpose. I chose you and I still choose you.” Eph. 1:4 and 1 Thess. 1:4

“You are full of life!” Eph. 2:4-5

“I have given you these truths. Let you heart believe them and your mind think on them and become who I see. Become the woman I made you to be.” Phil. 4:8

You already ARE

Exodus 3:16 & 17 – To Moses: “Go, assemble the elders of Israel and say to them, ‘The Lord , the God of your fathers – the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob – appeared to me and said : I have watched over you and I have seen what has been done to you in Egypt and I have promised to bring you up out of your misery…” God then told Moses, in verse 20 “So I will stretch out my hand and strike the Egyptians with all the wonders that I will perform among them. After that he will let you go.”

I don’t think Moses thought, “Oh, right, so God is going to make Pharaoh say no over and over and over again until I am at my wits end. He is going to do things that I never dreamed of seeing in my whole life. Then, we are going to wander around in the desert for years and years and years and in the end I will not even get to go into the promised land.” In fact, even though Moses was a bit apprehensive about completing the tasks ahead he knew it was a mighty task with great promise and in the end he accepted the challenge and the call. He believed the promise of God to be true. He was probably a bit overwhelmed with the realities of what ended up unfolding.

1 Samuel 23:14 – “David stayed in the desert strongholds and in the hills of the Desert of Ziph. Day after day Saul searched for him, but God did not give David into his hands.”

Who was David at this point in his life? He was already anointed as the next KING! He already knew he was going to be king of Israel. He was given the call and the promise. But, he wasn’t given the kingdom or the castle. He wasn’t given the sword or army. He wasn’t given the robes or the crown. In fact, it was opposite. He was despised and rejected and threatened with death. He was sent running for his life, to hide in caves and caverns, to pretend to be insane, to hide and fear being turned over to the hunter. This isn’t what he expected the day the oil dripped down his face as Samuel anointed him king.

There was Abraham, there was Noah, there were many more fathers and saints before us that heard the voice and call of God. They heard the promise but had no idea of the in between.

Are you in an in between? Have you ever felt like day after day you are in the desert? Like you are running from someone, something? Do you ever remember the words the Lord has given you? The promises of things to come? Do you remember the calling that He has placed on your life only to wonder what is going on in this season right now?

We all have a great and personal calling on our lives. For some of us the call was long ago. Maybe it was years ago we felt the nudging in our spirit that we were meant to be or do something specific. For others of us we are living in that call but we know there is something coming, a change, a task, a ministry, a time of growth, a promise that we are expecting but not seeing it anywhere near. Maybe for you it is simply the desire and knowledge that Heaven is your home, not this world and your spirit is longing for home.

So, what to do in the in between? What did David do? Psalm 52 was written after he was ratted out to Saul by Doeg the Edomite – while he was trying to escape with his life. Verse 8 “I am like an olive tree flourishing in the house of God, I trust in God’s unfailing love for ever and ever. I will praise you forever for what you have done; in your name I will hope for your name is good. I will praise you in the presence of your saints.”

We know God has promises for us, we know He has plans for us, anointing and calling for us. We know that we are meant to honor, glorify and bring praise to Him. But, sometimes we feel like we are in the desert or we feel like we are in the midst of plague after plague. What do we do? We can’t lose sight of the purpose and goal. We can’t lose sight of the promise and anointing.

I recently read a dear friend’s blog and she used a great analogy. Her little toddler loves taking his bath. He had been having fun playing in the warm water but it was time for the little guy to get out of the tub. She spoke gently to him with her sweet mamma voice and informed him it was time to get out. He did not want to get out. He stood up, dripping wet and cold and cried loudly, “I want to obey, I want to obey, I want to obey.” This is a picture of me sometimes. Crying and dripping wet and cold and sometimes somewhat dreading what lies ahead but yet my heart is screaming, “I want to obey. I want to obey, I want to obey.”

This is what we look like often as we face the future full of the unknown. We get so comfy in our warm place and we know that when we move we might be found cold and naked and dripping wet. Do we obey?

Remember, David was already king when he was hiding in the caves. Moses was already the leader and deliverer (so to speak) of the nation of Israel while he was waiting for Pharaoh to finally let the people go. Noah was already safe and protected from the flood while he was spending hundreds of his years building a boat while others made fun of him.

You already are! You have been given a promise, a task, a ministry, a goal, a purpose and you already ARE, if you are choosing to obey. These men also sought and listened for God’s voice and obeyed even when it left them feeling cold and naked and afraid.

Get out of the tub and step forth in obedience. Don’t forget what He has already anointed you to do or be. He has already made a way and you already ARE!

The Shattered Mirror

This is a story about a girl I once knew. A girl who was born into a home that looked as though it were built on sand. Her parents probably loved each other, or at least they loved each other once, in the backseat of a car. One year later, as they contemplated the ramifications of their choice, as they looked into the blue eyes of their baby girl, they decided to make a go of it.

As the pages turned in the stories of their lives they made a decision that turned their sandy foundation into one of stone. The girl’s parents devoted their lives to Jesus. And the pages turned and their lives went on and the girl grew. On the eve of her ninth birthday her home changed and although it still had the foundation of stone it became more of a glass house in some ways. Her daddy became a pastor in a small town. At this point the story changed. Not so much about her parents any longer her story was now more about her forming ideas and identity.

“Bad stuff happens but it doesn't happen to us”, seemed to be an idea that made it’s way into her mind.

Lives, like story books have endings and the message to her was “yours will be happily ever after.”

These were among the forming ideals the young girl began to learn and she tucked them deep into her soul. Little did this young girl know that these forming ideals, when challenged would one day knock the breath out of her and rip her heart into shreds.

Many of those experiences may one day be heard about but today you will hear about the story that broke the magic mirror that once told her she would live happily ever after in a world where bad things didn't happen, at least not to her or maybe I should say, at least not in a way that could forever alter her heart. That magic mirror most likely appeared in her adolescence but it became beautiful and enticing and a point of constant pride when she said “I do” to her handsome prince. He was prince charming. He rode in on a white horse and proved every bit the hero, friend, lover she had always expected she would marry. The wedding was beautiful and the marriage, although not perfect, became a place of great joy and refreshment for her slightly bruised soul. And although this is a lovely thought, and even a lovely blessing for her it only served to affirm the message of the magic mirror “you shall live happily ever after”.

Happily ever after in her mind looked a little something like Leave it to Beaver. The stay at home mom, beautiful children all pressed and clean, dinner on the table as her man walks in the door from work, a house that is a home and plenty of smiles to go around. Over the years of her marriage this seemed to be the picture that was truly unfolding. She and her husband had children and enjoyed their changing life and growing family. Believing she was living the dream and fulfilling her every calling she continued to consult the magic mirror regularly to reaffirm her ever growing belief in happily ever after. It seemed as though it had truly arrived and the girl found that sweet place that some believed was only found at the end of story books.

As fun as it would be to end the story here, the truth is, there is more. Some of you may not believe in happily ever after and some of you might still hold strong to that childhood belief, either way there is more to the story and you may find out that sometimes you have to believe in both ideals.

Three children later the couple was happy and healthy and growing and pursuing their faith and family and dreams. Life was happy and good, maybe not easy, but good. About the time her fourth child was about to enter the world her third child, her only daughter, began to have some chronic health issues. No one prepared her for this. No one told her that the pain that her children would encounter in life would actually hurt her heart more than she felt was bearable. As her young daughter endured the first surgery the pain in her heart only seemed to get deeper and more frightening. She watched her young daughter struggle through the recovery and shed tears and express pain and through it all endured her own magnitude of pain that began to shake the very foundations of her beliefs. One day, as she glanced at the magic mirror in hopes of glimpsing the happily ever after future, she noticed it had begun to crack. This wasn’t supposed to happen. The pain was too profound.

Within weeks of the daughter’s surgery the girl’s fourth child was born. Healthy and strong and full of life, a third son. The girl should have been happy, joyful and jubilant at the life she had brought into this world. But, the truth was, she was merely relieved that the baby was no longer growing inside her body. She should have been reveling in the sweet baby smell and soft baby cheeks and the tiny baby fingers. But, the truth was, she was not. She just wasn't.

Suddenly, the magic mirror shattered. Burst within it’s frame. The event that shattered her very fragile remaining belief in the magic of happily ever after came in the form of another dramatic, traumatic, emergency for her daughter. This time there were no answers to the health questions and there was no way for the girl to be with her daughter as she was bound at home caring for the new baby. Watching her daughter be rushed to the ER and waiting and waiting and waiting for days for answers to the questions was brutal. And the fear of not knowing was like a gaping hole waiting to swallow her up. Her mind convinced her of the worst and her heart felt as if the worst had happened. Finally, there was an answer. Another surgery. This time much more invasive and sudden. The pain that the girl felt was unimaginable and indescribable. It plunged her into depths of depression, despair and loneliness. She felt the pain of her daughter’s trauma as if it were her own and her heart was rent .

Thankfully, the surgery was a success and it seemed to be the answer to the chronic health issues for her daughter. Though this was a great relief and brought glimpses of joy, it did little to rescue the girl from the depression that now had her bound and shackled and held firm in the story of her life that now had a very different ending. Shortly thereafter her new son contracted one sickness after another that sent her to long nights and longer days in the hospital witnessing his struggle to breathe and waiting for the disease to run its course. Three times she watched and hovered near her baby, listening to beeps and watching monitors and following the tubes running into his nose. Wanting with everything in her to just be able to take his place, to take his sickness upon herself. For months she endured the loneliness and despair and depression that came with caring for sick baby. No longer could she see anything in the magic mirror for it was shattered, utterly shattered . No longer was there a happily ever after. No longer did the future seem bright and happy. Because no longer could she believe that the ending would be absent of pain and suffering more so she began to understand that the pain and suffering were more like threads wound tightly through the pages of her life.

This isn't the end of the story. However, for now it will be where we leave a bookmark to perhaps one day return.

John 3:16. “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only son that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”

This verse is familiar to us all. Is it not about Jesus and His love for us? His sacrifice? Yes. And No.

This verse is about God. The Father God. The Father of one son. One son that meant the world, more than than the world to Him. One son that held the place of highest esteem in the Father’s heart. This verse is about the Father that gave his one son to die. Who does that? Who willingly gives up their offspring, their dearest child, to die on behalf of a cause?

The girl in our story decided that there is nothing that she would willingly give her child to die for. Nothing. The pain of watching her child suffer was too much for her heart to bare. Watching her child in pain brought excruciating blackness and scalding wounds to her very soul.

But yet, God the Father chose to give the one thing that cost him everything. The only thing that would cost him more than his own life. His son. Because of His great encompassing, unfathomable love for you He gave His son to suffer. God chose to endure the deepest pain of watching His son endure the unendurable because He loves you that much.

He loves you that much!

This is where the two ideals collide. There is no such thing as “happily ever after” in a world where pain doesn't alter our hearts in some way. There is no such thing as “happily ever after” in a world where we grow and endure wounds from the unexpected. But yet, because of the Father God. Because of His willingness to send his one son, the child that was truly a part of himself, to become a sacrifice. Because He loves you that much. There is a “happily ever after”. The love of the Father covers sins, smooths scars and is balm to the wounds of the soul. The love of the Father remains. In that love we can find our “happily ever after”. We may view it through the shattered glass of pain, fear, and despair but it is there. In the shards and remnants the happily ever after is the healing love that the Father God has for you.

(In case you don't know by now, the girl in the story is me.)

Remember

Think with me for a moment, when I say, “Remember what God has done for us”. What is it that comes to your mind?

There are infinite numbers of answers to that question. Even going back to the beginning of time we can remember what God has done. Take a quick journey with me through the Bible to remember what God has done.

In Genesis, he created perfection from nothing, offered a path to life but did not flinch when Adam and Even shunned Him and chose their own way. Instead he gave them mercy, not what they deserved but instead a way to continue their relationship with Him. He pursued relationship with His children from the beginning of time and from the beginning of time was rejected and shunned and denied. It got so bad at one point his just decided to destroy his entire creation with the flood. Oh, but wait, in His great mercy and maybe more out of His great love for His greatest creation, He saved a tiny remnant, Noah and his family.

And time goes on and people don’t change much and God never changes. Eventually, He created an entire people that would become His chosen from a man that was running from his brother to save his own life. Jacob. And when those people, the Isrealites continually turned away and disobeyed and even sought other Gods, how many times did He call to them and rescue them and even fight for them? Too numerous to count.

Does the story of Hosea ring a bell? This was the very picture of what God himself was doing for his own bride. Hosea 3:1 “The Lord said to me, go show your love to your wife again (who by the way was a prostitute), though she has been loved by another and is an adulteress. Love her as the Lord loves the Isrealites though they turn to other gods…” Hosea 13: 5 “I cared for you in the desert , in the land of burning heat, When I fed them, they were satisfied, they became proud then they forgot me.” We see the calling, the wooing and then the rejection of His love. But yet in Hosea 14: 4 he says (paraphrased_ "I will heal their waywardness and love them freely…. I will be like the dew.. [she] will blossom like a lily…” Do you see it? Of course you do. Is this not a picture of us? Of you and me? So many many years later and people haven’t changed much and God has not changed.

After calling and wooing and pursuing he waited, patiently and quietly until the time of the second perfection created out of nothing. He saw the chasm and the woundedness, the hunger and unsaid longing and knew that the only answer was in His only son, the prince of Heaven, the only worthy lamb. The Lamb. He sent him knowing it would bring the greatest heartbreak Heaven had ever known and the greatest healing the world had ever known. And He looked down then and saw that world was in a turmoil and chose to once again rescue and even fight for us. So, he did the unfathomable. He sent Jesus to enter His creation once again, as He had come in the garden, searching and calling only this time Jesus also came fighting and defeating and winning us back. Remember? He died… in His pursuit of our hearts… for the love of our lives… for the resurrection of His creation… for your healing… for you. He died.

He didn’t just die. He also entered into the very depths of death and took the keys and released the captives and released you and me from the chains once held by darkness and destruction. He then did the unthinkable. He came back, again, through resurrection. Once wasn’t enough. He came back to love on his disciples, so they too could share the love that was overflowing the grave. And they did. From generation to generation it is still continuing on. The love, the grace, the life, the peace, the joy and salvation is continuing on but people haven’t changed much and God never changes and here we are. You and me today.

So, what is it you need to remember? What has this God, your God, our creator Father done for you that He is calling you to remember? Somewhere, wherever you are, write a word or a few words that remind you of that thing, that moment, that time that God was there, that he came through, that He healed or He gifted or He fulfilled that promise. There was once. Write it down.

Do you remember? Do you remember who this God is? Who you are worshiping? What He has done? Do you remember that He loves you?

Do you remember who you were before? Before His entrance into the messy, crumpled, emptiness of your heart? We all do. We all wrestle with the thoughts of who we are and they fall somewhere on the line between unworthy wretch and beautiful princess daughter of the king. The beauty is that truthfully we are both and by grace we can live always both, always flawed but always covered by grace. The beauty is that who He is covers who we are and in Him we become more, always growing, always healing, falling, crying, scraping, burning but also dancing, learning, receiving grace.

I haven’t changed much but my God never changes and I remember the past so I can strengthen my future and my relationship with God is always only a reflection of what He has done. Remember what He has done and who He is. And just as He came to His people over and over and over to woo them, to protect them and to fight for them so it is with you and me. He is coming, He is wooing, He is protecting, He is fighting for us. So, today, remember. remember what God has done for you!