grace

Breathe Again

/ The WheatandTares / 5 Comments

Life can feel like a heavy blanket resting on your chest, soaking up the rain, getting heavier and heavier. You can choose to get lost under the weight, dwindling down to nothing, expelling all the air from your lungs. You can close your eyes and simply allow the pain to wash you away in the storm. 

Heartache and grief is bound to come to each one. If it hasn’t visited you, just hold on, your hour will come when reality slams through the door like a hurricane, and you wonder if the sun will ever shine again. Those days, the air can become so suffocating, as if your house is on fire, and you’re caught within the fumes and the smoke, grasping for one more chance to breathe again. 

In that moment, in that lapse of time, you have to choose to breathe again, even when it is a struggle. Those are the minutes you will have to fight to survive. If it takes clawing your way out of that pit, then claw you must, but never give up. 

Never lie down and give up the fight so easily. Never roll out the red carpet for death to seize your mind and your soul. Never let the reaper consume you with hopelessness and despair. He will try, and he will scream horrors upon horrors to make you see him. Don’t let him win. 

There is Hope. There is a better way. Hope will bring light into the darkest night. Hope will return the song to the wind. Hope will chase away the clouds in due time, and Hope will help you to breathe again. 

Just take one tiny breath. Take one tiny step forward, and whisper His name, “Jesus.” He will answer. He will give you breath to breathe…


Valley Praise

/ The WheatandTares / 1 Comment

psalms-42-11What happens to your countenance when you are in the valley? What is the appearance of your face when everything seems to be going wrong, and you don’t know what to do? How do you react when trials, sickness or persecutions come? Are you sad? Do you get mad? Is confusion and chaos the ruler of the day?

Are you down in the dumps, or are you rejoicing through the valley?  My pastor always says, “What you can PRAISE through, you can MAKE IT through!” Find something in that valley to take joy in. Count your blessings. Even the smallest things can bring the greatest joys.

Honestly, there are some valleys where it seems there is NOTHING about which to celebrate. Some desert places are NOTHING but hot, dry sand and a burning sun that makes you feel you will DIE of thirst and loneliness. Some low places in life simply feel like the abyss with no light, no sound and no direction or hope. Yet, those are the times when we must stand with Job and say, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return there. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; Blessed be the name of the Lord.” Job 1:21, and “Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him…” Job 13:15.

We must praise Him regardless of what we feel or what we see. Praising is a submission of our flesh. It is not something that comes when we “feel it.” It is something that comes as we force our stubborn will into submission. Praise helps us see hope again, because it opens our eyes to His truth beyond our current circumstance.

God is holy. God is righteous. God is gracious, merciful, loving and majestic. He is worthy of all our praise. He is honorable of all our affection, adoration and appreciation. Let us praise Him through the valley. For, it is in our loneliest hours, and through our darkest nights when His glory and grace is revealed in our lives. ❤

Embrace It All

/ The WheatandTares

I walk down this broken road of memories

The dreams that once were, crashed along the side

The joys filled the hours and the laughter rang out for days

I could glory in those moments that once were

Yet I would be mistaken, for those were days filled with smiles and with pain

As time moves on, we seem to embrace the sunshine and push away the clouds

We forget the misery of which we survived

We put away the those heartaches, praying they will never come again

If I only grasp the good and never the bad, I cheat myself and I cheat you

For in the sorrow, wisdom can be found

In the brokenness and the tragedy, grace is remembered

Throughout my agony and distress, that is where His strength and love is deepest know
Penned – MG – 1/2/17

Moving Forward

/ The WheatandTares

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The New Year can often be filled with regrets and remorse over the things of the past. Sometimes, it can be filled with so much trepidation that it might even impede you from moving beyond it. Yet, can I tell you? With God, all things are made new. 

Knowing Christ and surrendering our lives to Him can give us a fresh new start. He simply washed away all sin, as if we have a brand new, clean slate. Isn’t that awesome? 

Now, please understand. Committing your life to Christ doesn’t mean your relationships are instantly made perfect or that traffic ticket is somehow demolished or even that your past due bills are miraculously paid off with no effort from you. No, sometimes, the consequences to or wrong actions are still there, and we have to walk through those painful experiences still. However, as we commit our lives to Him, all of a sudden, we are not alone anymore. We don’t have to be fearful anymore, and we don’t have to dread the future or lament over the past. Our past no longer defines our future when Christ is at the center, because He now defines it. 

He gives us a second chance, a chance we don’t deserve, and we can’t earn. He gives us grace, meaning we have unmerited favor simply because He loves us. He shows us His mercy, not because He needs us, but because we so desperately need Him!

Now, that is something to look forward to. That is something that should make your New Years a pretty good one! 😉

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Fall Into It

/ The WheatandTares

Ahhh, it has finally begun to feel like FALL around here! I love this time of year. It’s the time for cooler weather, beautiful blue skies, crisp, clean breezes and the change of colors on the leaves. Then, they will begin to fall. I’ve not always enjoyed falling, for sometimes, it can cause pain, injury and long recovery times. However, as I’ve grown older, I’ve come to realize, if done right, falling has its advantages. In this season of change, turmoil, and the unknown, I’d like to encourage you to fall just a little…or maybe a lot…

Fall into PEACE

Fall into peace like you’re falling back onto your incredibly soft pillow top or down mattress. You’re about to get the best night’s sleep you’ve had in your life! Perfect peace doesn’t depend on the situation or persons surrounding you. It is a quiet knowing of the soul that says, “Everything’s gonna be alright.” It’s a settling within that is beyond the storm that may rage on the outside. It’s that moment when “all Hades” has broken loose, and you sit back and just breathe, because you know within your heart and soul that no matter what may come, “All is well with my soul.”

Fall into JOY

Fall into joy like you laughed as a child, when you “turned over your tickle box,” and couldn’t stop laughing if you tried. True joy is not only laughter, it’s attitude. It’s a perspective. It’s an outlook on life that looks past the circumstance. When true joy bubbles up, it can’t be contained. It can’t be hidden. True joy changes your mood. It changes the way you see things, the way you see the future and your destiny. The Word of God says Jesus came to give us “joy unspeakable and full of glory.” This kind of joy changes hearts, changes sight and changes lives.

Fall into GRACE

Fall into grace like a refreshing stream or swimming pool on a hot summer day. It’s a gift. It’s totally free. We can’t earn it. We can’t work for it. We can’t do anything to get more or less of it. It allows us to breathe freely, and it helps us to continue breathing when we’ve lost a loved one, and we feel there’s no more air left to take in. It helps us stay on the straight and narrow when hell is knocking at our door, and it gives us strength to stand when we feel the enemy has busted down that door and is about to overwhelm. Grace gives a way of escape, tenacity for the journey, and  a rest for our weary souls. 

Fall into LOVE

Fall into love like you fell into a piles of autumn leaves as a child, or maybe, those snowbanks to make snow angels. Either way, you wanted nothing more than to keep falling over and over, and there was no fear of pain or injury. You wanted nothing less than to get right back up and fall again. That is just how our love should be, falling deeper and deeper with each new day…with God…with our family…with our spouse…with our children…with LIFE!

Do yourself a favor this autumn, fall a little deeper into PEACE, JOY, GRACE and LOVE. You’ll be amazed at where you’ll land.

 

*Originally shared here (and the next 3 days), just “tweaked” a little. 😉

 

To Be More Like Him

/ The WheatandTares / 3 Comments

I read a post the other day of a lady who was in a store parking lot and witnessed a young mom place her two young children (both under the age of five) in the car, roll down the widows just a bit, lock the vehicle and return to the store for a five minute span of time. The person posting simply stood a ways off, watching over the vehicle, until the mother returned. 

There were various comments following, many on either side of choosing right or wrong for this situation. On the one side, the comments ranged from how terrible that mother was, how she should have been reported, and how dangerous the situation was for those children. The opposite side stated how the mother was obviously going through a tough time, how she must be a single parent doing her best, and how judgmental those persons must be who were against her.

This scenario and posts got me to thinking, and it caused me to realize one thing: we are all human, and we all have incredible opinions for each scenario we encounter. Each one of us looks at things from different perspectives, and that’s the way God made us. We all enter the viewpoint of a situation from our own judgmental advantage.

Who’s to say what that young lady was going through? Who’s to say she is or isn’t a hard-working single mom or a selfish, neglective parent? We don’t know her, and we don’t know her situation; so, all we do is assume onto her situation what we want and proceed to get mad at someone else, because they don’t agree with our “right” (or self-righteous) opinion.

As Christians, why don’t we look to Jesus and pray for this young mom and her kids? We don’t know what she’s going through, AND we don’t know what those kids are going through. We have no idea if she needs a ‘bucket full of grace’ or a good ‘kick in the bucket.’ Truth is, it’s not really our judgement call to make on either side.

Truth is, she probably needs a helping hand (or a guardian to watch over her littles), a good talking to AND a lot of love, but it shouldn’t be up to us to decide which of those is more important. What is up to us is to look at the situation with wisdom and grace. Wisdom would say, “Report that incident; so, it doesn’t happen again.” Grace would say, “Love her and give her a second chance that she may not deserve.” 

Too often, we are too quick to assume into a situation our own opinions and conclusions that, sometimes, have no bearings on the truth of the matter. Look at the various moments in Scripture when Jesus had confrontations with people: the woman at the well, the Pharisees, the adulterous woman, the rich young ruler, Blind Bartemaus… When Jesus reached to those in need, He gave truth AND love. He responded differently and the same to each one. He never used their situation, nor their pain, as an enablement for sin nor an excuse for self-righteousness. He confronted the sin, gave grace for repentance and hope for change. He’s called us to follow in His footsteps. That’s our job: to be more like Him. 😉

My prayer is to be more like Him each and every day. Sometimes, I feel as if I do pretty good, and other days, I wonder if I will ever get it right! However, the goal is all about Him, and if we can keep Him at the forefront, we will be able to reach more than if we simply rely on our own opinions and perspectives as our guide. 💕

Withstand the Storm

/ The WheatandTares / 1 Comment

 

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The palm tree is very agile and remains stable through the most torrential storms. The roots go deep and wide and even grow stronger when storms come. The trees can brace against the 120 mph force winds of a hurricane, and they can double over in height to withstand the effects of tsunamis and tropical cyclones.

 

When storms come into our lives, it can be challenging to remain grounded through the downpours and gales. It can be almost unbearable at times. When the waters rise above our heads and the weight of the waves come crashing all around us, we can find ourselves bending and swaying to the rhythms of grace, or we can find ourselves breaking and uprooting from the stress and strain.

The key to this survival is not found in worldly possessions. It cannot be found in strong friendship and a healthy family life. It can’t even be found in self confidence, strong will or a determination to live through the crisis. All these things are good things, and they are definitely an added bonus, but none of these things will sustain us through the most difficult moments of our life.

Only if the root of our soul is anchored in Christ, will we stand. He is the only Rock we can cling to that will not break us but will strengthen and sustain us.

Commit to Him today before the storms begin, and you will find He is faithful to see you through that storm! We cannot wait until the winds begin to blow to make sure our faith is secure. When we are grounded in Christ, we will obtain the grace to withstand the storm. We must remain committed to His Word and keep our trust in Him, and we will survive whatever may come. If you find you are in the midst of a storm today, commit to Him even so. You will be amazed how He can carry you through!

 

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What Is Your Tone?

/ The WheatandTares / 1 Comment

Speaking truth bathed in love and grace is so important. Sometimes, “it’s not what you say, it’s how you say it.” If we speak truth, but it’s covered with bitter tones, hateful actions, and looks of disgust; then, our love is so covered up with mud that it’s surely hard to see.

speak-life2Some today would say, if I disagree with you then I am sending a message of hatred and disgust; however, I have to adamantly disagree with this premise. If my child is playing in the street and a car is barreling down his path, I disagree with him being in that street and will speak out against it to save his life. Even though, I disagree with the position in which he is standing, it is not because I hate him. Even so, in that moment, if I simply look at him with eyes of disgust and scream hateful things at him about being in the road, he might become very confused as to why I desire him to move. This is to what I am referring.

Sometimes, we can be screaming to this world the truth about Jesus and His love for every person, but we fail to give them His love and grace as well. We tell them all about hell and the torture and destruction they will find there, but we forget to share the promise of heaven and the glorious eternity we will encounter. We speak of all the sin and degradation in which they live, but we neglect to give away the hope we have found and how there is a better way survive these days on earth.

Let us shout TRUTH from the rooftops, but let us do it with arms of love spread wide. Let us speak words of life into the hears of those desperately needing a change, and let us snatch lost souls from hell while we embrace them and wipe their tears.

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“A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.” Luke 6:45

“Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.” 1 John 4:7-8

“Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit. ” Prov. 18:21

Shovel or Spoon?

/ The WheatandTares

Do you have a shovel or spoon today?

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We hold love, grace, mercy, kindness, forgiveness, patience, joy, and so many more virtues within our hands each and every day. How do we measure these out to those around us? Do we give these away like candy? Do we use a shovel to measure how much we give to others?

Or do we use a teaspoon, carefully divulging our treasures to those we encounter? Do they have to work hard to earn our love? Do they have to shed blood, sweat and tears to receive our forgiveness and kindness when there’s been a transgression?

The Word says, “It is of the Lord‘s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.” His mercies are new for us each and every day. He has a great big “shovel” to measure our mercies when the day is new.

Are we following His example today?

Please understand, this is not to bring condemnation, nor is it to approve of violence, abuse or sin. I am simply referring to how we treat one another in common arenas. It seems so many Christians are fighting with each other over petty opinions and haughty points of view. Too many have become so offended by the differences of, what I will call, “first degree” judgments that we ruin our witness with the very ones who so desperately need Him.

I read recently about the largest “bucket” machine every built. It was called the “Big Muskie.” It had a bucket capacity of 220 cubic yards and could hold two Greyhound buses side by side. God’s measuring devices are even bigger than that!

What if we tried using His measuring portions today?

“Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.” Luke 6:38

Where Are You Leading Them?

/ The WheatandTares

millstoneLet us never lead a little one to stumble. I have found that this Scripture can be interpreted in so many different scenarios. Literally, it can mean leading small children away in their faith (or in other things, for that matter). It can, also, mean distracting new converts from their new commitment to God’s calling, and it can even be mature Christians being directed down the wrong path by prideful, egotistical or ambitious fellow brothers and sisters in Christ.

As Christians, we must be so careful not to lead “little ones” astray from the Word of God and from what He has in store for their lives. The Bible says it is better for a millstone to be wrapped around your neck and you thrown into the depths of the sea than for you to cause one of these little ones to stumble! In case, you don’t know what a millstone is, it was one of the large circular stones used to grind grain in grist mills years ago.

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When we are called into leadership, when we are called into teaching capacities, and even when we are placed in situations by God to help someone learn more about Him, our number one goal should be to lead them closer to Him not away from Him! We can only do this as we seek His face and listen for His answers to their questions and wonderings.

Whether we are a parent, a mentor, a teacher, or simply a friend, we should never take lightly a position of influence in someone else’s life. We should boldly walk in the authority He gives us but never because of our own wisdom, strength or abilities. We should approach it with buckets full of humility and grace, lest we get filled with pride and lead one of His precious ones away from what He has in store for them.

Let us be ever prayerful and ever mindful when it concerns someone who is impacted by our words and deeds. Let us always be humble and full of grace, and never let us take lightly the positions of leadership and influence He gives us in someone else’s life.

“But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were thrown into the sea.” Mark 9:42