Rescued

We are about to wrap up a series here in Trinity Church entitled Rescue - God's Story of Life from Death.  It has been a great time of remembering the gospel.

In our small group this week, we were discussing and defining the word rescue. Since this was our first gathering, to help us to get to know each other, our group leader asked us all to share our own rescue stories. It was such an encouraging time to hear how God has and is working in the lives of my friends.  One person shared that there has been more rescue and growth in the last year than ever before. I love that!

On the way home from group I was contemplating rescue accounts and I remembered the following story.

Several years ago Mike and I had hit a really rough place in life and the Lord worked it out for us to live for about a year with some of the most gracious and generous friends I think I'll ever have, Amy and Shawn. During this year there, Amy's parents lived and traveled in an RV and from time to time would come and stay in Amy's back yard as the opportunity afforded. Amy had two small children and her parents, Nanny and Poppy, just took our Lucy in as one of their own granddaughters. What a blessing!

One particular evening we were all hanging out in the living room. Being the young moms Amy and I were, our conversation led to parenting.  Nanny told us a story that I don't think I'll ever forget. She and a large group of extended family were at some sort of fair or amusement park. They all decided to ride on a big ferris wheel that had large gondola bucket seats. For what ever reason, in the impulse of the moment, all the adults decided to ride in one gondola and allowed all the kids to ride on a separate gondola. Alone. With out any adults.

I began holding my breath as I listened.

As the ride took off, everyone was enjoying themselves and having a big time looking over the horizon and loving the wind in their faces. About half way around the ride stopped to exchange riders. When it did, Nanny looked over to the gondola with all the kids. Before her eyes was a scene that would terrify anyone, let alone a mother.  There, across the sky was her child standing up on the seat and peering over the side of the bucket. Panic struck her heart and every horrible thought possible came plunging through her mind. I could hardly wait for her to finish talking!

She frantically screamed at her child to sit back down in her seat but it was to no avail. The distance was too great and the kids were completely self engulfed. It was in this moment, she said, she realized the total impossibility of the situation because there was absolutely nothing that she could do. She could not reach her with her hands. She could not reach her with her voice. She had no power over the giant machine. She was out of control in every way possible and completely at the mercy of God.

She said she took a breath and prayed. She surrendered herself and precious child to God alone and experienced the most tender grace and God's incomparable rescue. She needed mercy for her daughter's safety and she needed rescue from her own insanity. She had to release this child that she loved immeasurably into the hands of Jesus. She told us that He reminded her that He loved that child even more than she and that they both were in His hands.

To close the story, her daughter (I think it was Amy's older sister) sat down and the ride concluded without a mortal tragedy; at least in her daughter's body! Haha. But Nanny continued to share with Amy and I the lesson Jesus used in that moment to teach her about her own lack of real control and what it really means to trust Jesus and live in his rescue.

What a parallel to life that event was. Just like Nanny, we are without control in every way to enter what the Bible describes as real life, abundant life. I can't act right enough. I can't speak or think right enough, I have no real power over more things than I care to admit. And the thing I love most, my own flesh and blood, and I mean me, is often oblivious. Standing at the edge of danger, peering unaware.

But it's in those moments like Nanny experienced, when life grabs you by the throat and your realize that control is a myth; these are the moments that Jesus is ever present. These are the moments where he surrounds us with his grace and peace like the wind wrapped around Nanny's face high in the air. These are the teaching moments where he shows us that the life he offers, real life, is meant to be lived out with the faith like a child. Ever trusting that He knows best, trusting that He is in control.

When we release ourselves to him fully and trust Him with everything we hold dear, what we find is that He is the safe place. We find a Father who loves us more than we love ourselves and is taking us on the ride of our lives to show us horizons we never dreamed existed.  We find He is trustworthy. And faithful. We find a relief from the thing that plagues us most, ourselves. We find that surrender to Him really is the only way to move from death to life.

We find we've been rescued.

He brought me out into a spacious place;
he rescued me because he delighted in me. - Psalm 18:19

The 6 requirements to be a good mom

I read this post over at Confessions of a Tired Supergirl last week and wanted to share it with you.

I was talking to my friend, Leslie, the other day.We were lamenting the fact that we often feel like we are coming up short in the mom department.That we are not the supermom we hope to be and that is disappointingto both us and our kids.I believe the real problem is that we have unrealistic motherhood goals...we think we have to be a marathon running, birthday cupcaking, homework brainiac, organizationally superb, philanthropic, soda bottle recycling, emotionally stable, theologically sound, sous chef, nutritionist, child psychologist type of woman to be considered a good mom.I decided that what we really need to do is revamp our expectations of what it takes to be a good mom. And maybe we should be just a touch more realistic in what we require of ourselves..So here goes.

To be a good mom you need to: 

1. Be a girl. 

2. Have a child. 

3. Remember the child's name. (Or a name that sounds like their name... Bobby and Robby are interchangeable, as are Cindy and Mindy.) 

4. Feed the child.(You can use the traditional 4 main food groups:or Buddy the Elf's 4 main food groups: candy, candy canes, candy corns and syrup.) 

5. Provide the child with clean underwear.(If they don't wear it, clearly, that is on them.) 

6. Give the child lots of love and hugs and kisses.(This one is non-negotiable.) 

I believe I have taken the requirements down to the bare minimum.Now as we compare ourselves to this list, we will find out the truth.WE are a rockstar moms and our children are blessed to have us.We can bask in the glow of that for at least 14 seconds or until wehave to go make dinner...whichever comes first.

Be blessed friends!  

An Excerpt

I've been reading Sacred Parenting by Gary Thomas and I read a paragraph today that really impacted me. Chapter 3 is titled The Gold behind the Guilt - how raising children teaches us to deal with guilt. He opens the chapter with a story of a wandering, lost little boy without a mom insight.  When the mom and son are finally reunited her emotions move from joy to extreme guilt.

Upon reuniting the boy and mom, the author comes to find the child had become quite the escape artist. His parents had put three locks on the front door for him as one lock and then two locks were not enough. Grandma had come over to visit and Dad ran out to run to the store and inadvertently only locked two of the three locks. Jr saw the opportunity while mom was chatting with grandma and performed one of his amazing Houdini acts.

How could anyone call this mom a bad parent? Three locks for an 18 month old? I don't see a bad mom. However the only one throwing accusations at her was herself.

Been there, done that!

Then the author goes through several examples of parenting in scripture that frankly, were very encouraging. Then came these words:

None of us can be such good parents that God becomes obligated to save our children's souls. One the more encouraging end, none of us can mess up so badly that our children somehow extend beyond the reach of God's mercy.

Then a few paragraphs later were these words:

I realized a truth that had lain hidden for so long. Though I had wonderful, godly parents, I still grew up with certain disappointments that I wanted to rectify as a parent. It finally dawned on me that I had asked something of my parents that they could never be; I had wanted them to love me as only God can love me, and now I wanted to love my kids as only God can love them.
In short, either I was setting up rivals for God or I was trying to compete with God - both are efforts doomed to failure. I finally came to a major crossroads; instead of competing with God, I realized God had called me to focus my efforts on introducing my kids to God, even using my own failures and inadequacies as compelling causes for my children to find their refuge in him.

What truth!!

I have a girlfriend here in IL that has been such an example to me of great parenting.  I first thought that she realized that kids are kids and will be childlike and lovingly gave space for that. While I am sure this a truth she operates in, after reading this chapter and remembering conversations we've had, I realize now that she is simply not competing with God.  I'm so thankful for her transparency!

What an audacious thought; me competing with God! I'm humbled to admit it. At the same time, how freeing to have my job description redefined.

Anyone else ever struggle with parenting guilt?

Lord Jesus, there is always more I can do, more I can give, more I can sacrifice. Transform my mind Jesus, to remember I can never be the source of satisfying love for anyone the way you are, and that no one but you can ever be that source for me either. Help me to give my kids (and everyone else I'm in relationship with) the freedom you give me and to use every opportunity as an instance to find you. Thank you Jesus for the freedom of not having to be a perfect parent. Thank you for the freedom of not having to be a functional saviour for my kids (or anyone else).  Thank you for the gifts and blessings of parenting. You are a good God!

Do It Anyway

People are unreasonable, illogical and self-centered
– love them anyway!

If you do good, people will accuse you of selfish ulterior motives
– do good anyway!

If you are successful you will win false friends and true enemies
– succeed anyway!

The good you do today will be forgotten tomorrow
– do good anyway!

Honesty and frankness make you vulnerable
– be honest and frank anyway!

The biggest people with the biggest ideas can be shot down by the smallest people with the smallest minds
– think big anyway!

People favor underdogs and follow only top dogs
– fight for some underdog anyway!

What you spend years building may be destroyed overnight
– build anyway!

People really need help but may attack you if you help them
– help people anyway!

Give the world the best you’ve got and you’ll get kicked in the teeth
– give the world the best you’ve got anyway!

by Dr. Kent M. Keith

First Big Rock, Lesson # 2

We did not fill up our marble jar in September, but we are continuing to work on it and doing well.  We have been gone a lot and I keep forgetting to put marbles in.  The kids remember better than me sometimes but we are moving on to lesson number two.  I am using this book as a guide in case you want to check it out yourself.   Lesson number two in learning honor is this: do more than what's expected.

I get parenting emails from this website that always have good short examples of how to implement character into your kids.  Our example for lesson number two comes from there.

I have made a sign by the light switch in the bathroom that reads:  Is the bathroom ready for the next person?  Picking up the towel and taking out the dirty clothes are first on the list but I am asking the girls to think of one more thing to do to make the bathroom a little neater. 

Did you remember put the new toilet paper on the roller? Is the sink clean? Are the towels hanging neatly? Is the rug nice and neat? These are examples of ways that we can continue to show honor to each other and we probably won't get any credit or reward for them. This is an opportunity to learn and remember that if you do your acts of righteousness before men then you have received your reward, but if you do your acts of righteousness before God then God who sees in secret will reward you openly (Matthew 6:1-4). 

I expect them to do their chores and things that are asked, but to do more than what's expected is definitely a way of showing honor.  We will keep filling the jar up as before when we catch each other showing honor and now we will be on the lookout to see who's going the extra mile.  I'm very hopeful for the fruit this will bring. 

First Big Rock

In my effort to move our first big rock (you can read about big rocks here), we are going to take the month of September and concentrate on the first lesson in showing honor. There are 6 lessons in the book I am using as a guide. We'll pick up on lesson #2 in Oct and so on and so on.  I had a wise girlfriend in FL give me a great idea that we are going to try - an honor jar. (Thanks Van!)

We are going to transfer having individual marble jars for the girls, to one honor jar for all of us.  Honor lesson #1 is 'to treat people as special'.  We are going to be looking for the ways that the other three members of the family esteem each other. There are tons of ways to do this, from kind and courteous greetings, being thankful and appreciative, good manners, and acting selfless. As we 'catch' one of us giving respect, we put a marble in the jar. Hopefully by the end of the month we will have the jar full and will celebrate with a fun, special occasion.

There are several reasons I like this idea.  First, it gives us a fresh start to eliminate using the marble jar as punishment. Often we have taken marbles out of the kids jar for undesirable behavior. That deviated from the original plan. Second, it will really help us to seek out the positive and give each other praise and encouragement in order to fill it in a month. Third it will get rid of the negative competition element that has unwittingly developed between the girls and move us toward unity. Also, it really calls Mike and I to the line to be examples as the kids will get to put marbles in the jar when they see us being regardful too.

I am excited to see what creative and fun ways we will find to treat the ones we love most as special.  I am praying that this will be a new habit for us to be looking for the good in people (and not the bad) and to continue in learning how to love.

How about you? What great, fun ways have you found to teach and/or show honor to people? Or what's something that always makes you feel special and honored?

"You're A Good Man"

The following story and nuggets of truth afterward are taken from chapter three of Sacred Influence.

In his excellent book How Children Raise Parents, Dr Dan Allender describes how his young son lost his nerve on a ski slope. When the boy asked Dan to carry him down, Dan refused so the boy fell down and began to cry and kick his feet. Dan grew tired and irritated with his son and demanded that he ski down. As Dan raised his voice in anger, his wife Becky, suggested he go on ahead and let her handle it.
Dan did so but then watched as his son refused Becky's entreaties. That did it for Dan; he walked back up the slope, fuming all the while and met Becky with the words. "Move. Your way didn't work. I'll get him done my way."
You're about to witness the incredible and profound power that a strong godly woman represents. I'll let Dan take it from here:

Becky stood her ground.
My wife looked at me with kindness and strength. When I finally reached her, her head slowly turned from side to side and she said, "No."
There was a moment of silence, and she said, "I know you've been shamed by many men who meant the world to you and I know that is no what you want to do to your son." It was all she had to say. A myriad of faces flashed in my memory; and I felt again the raw experience of being humiliated and shamed by men who really did matter to me. It silenced my anger and I began to cry. My wife put her hand on my heart and said, "You're a good man." She turned away and in one fluid graceful movement, she skied down the icy slope

Even while Dan acted at his worst, his wife called him to his best, using affirmation. She stood up to him, but she also touched him in his anger and firmly but gently reminded him, "You're a good man."

When Dan reached his son, he was a much-changed man. That's the power women have - one magnanimous gesture and one aptly spoken phrase can work wonders. Since Dan's son had seen and heard everything, Dan opted for a direct approach.

"Andrew, you saw my face as I was coming up the slope, didn't you?"
He quivered. "Yes."
"And you saw how angry I was, didn't you?"
"Yesss."
"And you were afraid, weren't you?'
"Yes, yesss."
"And you knew I'd make you pay if Mommy had not been so strong and loving and stood in my way and protected you"

At this point his eyes were bristling with tears and his cheeks were shivering with fear. I looked at him, put my hands on his cheeks, and said, "Andrew, I was wrong. Mommy loved me well and loved you well too. She invited me to see what I had become and what I did not what to be. Andrew, I'm sorry for being so angry. Please forgive me."
The gift my son gave is incalculable. He put his hand on my heart as he had seen my wife do and he said with tears, "Daddy, mommy is right. You are a good man."

Can you see the good in your husband, even when he's at his worst? Can you pause long enough to see the hurt behind the heat, and call him to his best? If you can learn to do that, you move your man - directly into God's arms.

~Your job as a wife is to stay sensitive to your husbands strengths.
~Don't resist your husband for being less than perfect; he can't be anything else.
~Rule number one for influencing your man is this: stop taking your husband for granted. He wants to feel noticed, special and appreciated.
~Your first step - the primary one - is to love, accept and even honor your imperfect husband.

Jesus, may I be the kind of wife that brings out the best and not the worst in my man. Help me to always see the excellent strengths that you have created in him and to not take him for granted. Thank you for the precious gift of marriage.

Be Bold

Mike is out of town on a leadership retreat for a week. While he is gone, I started reading a book given to all the wives of the men going on this retreat. It's called Sacred Influence by Gary Thomas. I am only on the 3d chapter but I have already highlighted half the book!

There was a short paragraph that really impacted me and I wanted to share it with you:

The person who never goes out on a limb will never, it is true, have the limb cut off while he is on it, but neither will he reach the best fruit. The best fruit which human life offers seem to come only within the reach of those who face life boldly...with no excessive concern for possible failure and personal danger. The good life is always the gambler's choice, and comes to those who take sides. Neutrality is seldom a virtue.

This speaks to me in so many areas. Deuteronomy 31:8 says this: The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you . Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.

Thank you Jesus, that you have the best in mind for me. Thank you that you long to give me the adventure and excitement of the climb. Forgive me for being fearful and forgetting the truth that you are with me and will never cut the limb out from under me except for when you give me wings to fly! I want the good fruit lord. I know it gives you much glory. I'm ready!

A Connection

Last week Mike led worship in North Orlando and the preacher spoke on Romans 12:3-21. I jotted down a few thoughts he shared that rang out in my soul:

- A lack of humility is what causes relational stress. See vs 3.

- Do you bring peace or chaos to your relationships? See vs 18.

- If you do not pursue love, you will be overcome with evil. See vs 21. (Whoa! That's a big thought!)

And the one that struck me the most was this one;

- Pray for God's favor on people who are cruel to you. See vs 14.

The speaker paused here for a while and talked about several reasons why we are to do this and while he was talking the Lord led my mind to another verse in Romans that says it's God's kindness that leads to repentance.

And there was the connection.

When someone is ugly to you, if you ask God to be kind to them, that's what leads them to change.

This is what we see from Jesus on the cross when He said "Father forgive them." It is truly one of the opposites in His Kingdom that doesn't seem to come natural to our flesh. Our human nature wants to retaliate. To get even and payback. To show we are stronger. To have power and be in control. Our pride says we have something to prove.

But the truth of the scriptures says to not stand up to an evil person. That if someone slaps your right cheek, give the left. If you are forced to go one mile, instead go two. To relinquish our rights. To disregard the idea of fair. To forsake our selfish thoughts of entitlement. To surrender power and control.

Surrendering power and control is nearly impossible if we have the idea that we are yielding to our offender. But when we come to know who we are in Christ, and that it is Him we are entrusting all power and control to, then and only then can we realize that we don't have to prove anything nor have anything to prove. Except that our humility brings His kindness which brings their repentance which brings glory to the King - the only one who is stronger, who has power and who is worthy of being in control.

Lord Jesus, I am baffled and perplexed that in Your infinite wisdom you use the humble and lowly to demonstrate your Kingdom and love. I submit to you. You alone are wise. May I be a connection of You to those You have placed around me.

"Help Me"

The second week of school in Lucy's workboxes she had a new science activity in a bag. This particular one had some geometry as well. In her bag were mini marshmallows and tooth picks and her directions were to build a cube and a pyramid, then make observations about both.

The cube she had no trouble putting together. Her little brain saw that almost before I told her what to do. The pyramid however was a different story. And herein lies my story.

The directions were to build a pyramid out of 6 toothpicks and 4 marshmallows. As we discussed what exactly a pyramid was and what it looked like, she got more and more stumped. She figured out how to make a triangle and that was as far as she got. There was no connection how to use 3 more toothpicks and only 1 marshmallow. (To her credit, I think doing the cube first is what threw her off a bit) However, frustration set in as well as a bad attitude.

She completely gave up and was uninterested in even trying. I tried to encourage her to just experiment, but it was of no use. She had already quit. By this time, I too, am frustrated because she has just given up without even asking for help. She is full on having a melt down about her inabilities and lack of intelligence.

Enter teaching moment.

She felt like a failure for not being able to get it immediately. She also had a quitters mentality that we addressed as well, but I wanted to share with you what I felt God teaching me about the situation.

She never even asked for my help. She just couldn't see how to make it work and gave up. All the while I am sitting right beside her, encouraging her, offering suggestions and possibilities, and they are falling on deaf ears. Only to result in a complete meltdown of self doubt and feelings of inadequacies.

If Lucy had only said "Can you help me?" I would have gladly given a resolving tip to her conundrum. But she didn't. She needlessly used so much more energy and emotion and had to learn this lesson "the hard way" evidently.

I was waiting to help her but she was insistent on a different train of thought. Even if I had given her the answer without being asked, it would not have changed her present mindset or given her the satisfaction of figuring it out.

How many times do I do this?? How many times, for whatever reason, am I completely stumped about a situation and see no possible way out, and quit to have myself a pity party and throw a fit about what a horrible person I must be? Meanwhile, my heavenly Father is right beside me building me up and hopeful for an invitation to act.

I am a big believer that God is a gentleman, and while He can do anything, I think He often waits for an invitation, because this creates relationship. But so many times I have such a mindset that is so counter productive that even the right answer is of no help to change it. I'm just in the mood to have a fit.

It was such an eye opener to me about how near to the heart of God the idea of relationship is. I think He wants us to ask Him for help. Not so that He can show us how much we don't know and make us feel stupid, but so that we can experience the joy of His presence and then the satisfaction of resolution to the problem.

I wanted to help Lucy! I am all for her. I wanted her to know the delight of working it out together and making a fun memory. I wanted her to have the thrill of solving the problem correctly. I am always on her side!

How much more does God feel this way about us?

So why is it so hard to ask for help? Or is it rather that I have just made it a habit to quit first? Either way, the lie of being all alone settles in quickly along with more lies about who I am and I miss out on so much.

I cry out with my whole heart;
Hear me, O LORD!
I will keep Your statutes.
I cry out to You;
Save me, and I will keep Your testimonies.
I rise before the dawning of the morning,
And cry for help;
I hope in Your word.
My eyes are awake through the night watches,
That I may meditate on Your word.
Hear my voice according to Your lovingkindness;
O LORD, revive me according to Your justice.
You are near, O LORD,
And all Your commandments are truth.
Concerning Your testimonies,
I have known of old that You have founded them forever.

Psalm 119:145-152

Jesus, please teach me like the psalmist to cry out to You for help. I want to be persuaded by Your truth and stop enduring so much needless stress and anguish. Thank you that You are a present help. What a double blessing to have Your presence and Your help. Help me Jesus.

PS -The picture was taken post meltdown - off to the right are the 3 lonely triangle marshmallows! haha

Love This!!

A fellow blogger posted this and I had to pass it along.

Mike and I left our ceremony to the Young Messiah's Hallelujah Chorus, which I thought was pretty cool, but this is just awesome!!!

Here is a link if the video is not there.

The "One Anothers"

I have been wanting to write this post for some time, but I'm so good at excuses. Alas here it is.

I have mentioned several times about reading this book and I am really enjoying it. I think no matter how long I've been married, it's always good to be reminded of the basics. There is no earthly relationship of more value to me than the one with my man.

There is a list of verses in the study portion of this book that I want to share. Since the book is about marriage, of coarse the author means for them to be directed toward my spouse, but really, they are about anyone you find yourself in relationship with.

The following are from the NIV translation.

Romans 12:10 Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves.

Galatians 5:13 You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love.

Ephesians 4:2 Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.

Ephesians 4:32 Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.

Ephesians 5:21 Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.

1 Thessalonians 5:11 Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.

Hebrews 10:25 Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

James 4:11 Brothers, do not slander one another.

1 Peter 3:8 Finally, all of you, live in harmony with one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble.

1 Peter 4:9 Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling.

1 Peter 5:5 Young men, in the same way be submissive to those who are older. All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because,

"God opposes the proud
but gives grace to the humble."

1 John 4:7 Dear friends, let us love one another.

Jesus, help to treat the others in my life in the ways You have instructed me. Help me to remember how gracious, loving and patient You are with me. May I be an extension of You to the others You have placed in my life.

A Lesson in Community

I find it so easy to be selfish. It is so easy to be consumed with me, my world and my agenda. Not that I don't consider others, but certainly not to the degree that I'm concerned with myself. I think this is why Jesus gave us the instructions to love your neighbor as much as you love yourself. Ouch! That really is a lot of love for my neighbor. Do I really want to love others that much? Hmm.

I have had several conversations lately about community. In fact I was sharing with someone how a third person just seems to not engage in a particular setting. I stated that I had been trying to persuade and encourage this third person to jump in but to no avail. I felt like I had been trying and trying and was just about done trying. My thought process being; at some point, you have to take responsibility for yourself. There comes a time when I can't keep pulling you in.

When I shared these thoughts my friend said to me; "Why? Why does there have to be that time? Why would you draw a line that says I will only go this far for you? Why would you stop tyring to engage this person you care about? What if the very time you gave up was going to be the time they engaged and you missed it?"

Great questions. It made me think, "Why do I do that? Why do I get lazy with people? Why do I give up? Why is there a line that would define the end of my love or at the very least my actions?"

Selfishness in full display.

Fast forward to another conversation with a girlfriend who is going through a most difficult time right now. She opened up the littlest bit to me and my heart began to break for her. Having no words or wisdom to offer, I quickly prayed for her and just asked Jesus to hold her and to draw her near. She said something to me that really impacted me. She said "Sometimes we can't get to Him on our own and need our friends to carry us like the paralytic."

The Lord taught me a lesson last year I will not soon forget about realizing that we never really know where people are and what they are going through. I had no idea the depth of my friend's pain and probably will never fully understand. I was so honored that she would open up to me like that. It was a privilege to pray for her and to use her words; "to carry her to Him". It really was all I could do.

So this morning as I was pondering all these thoughts I looked up the passage of the paralytic my friend referred to. You can read the whole passage here. What jumped out to me was verse 5. It says that when Jesus saw their faith he healed the paralytic. It was someone else's faith that brought healing to this lame man. That's a pretty heavy thought. Someone else's life might be changed because of my faith.

How could I be so quick to judge and abandon my first mentioned friend that is clearly paralyzed to opening up? Jesus may very well be waiting for someone with faith to bring this person to Him so He can bring instant healing. I want to be that faith filled friend. I want to have a front row seat to watch the miracle. I want the joy of seeing my friend restored.

Jesus, how patient you are with me and how slow I am to get the big picture! Thank you for your grace. It is amazing! Thank you for my friends you have given me. Thank you for the opportunity to love and be loved. Teach me faithfulness as you are faithful. Help me to love like You love - sacrificially and selflessly. I am such a mess. How amazing that You would use me to bring healing to others. Thank you for Your amazing love that first carried my paralyzed self to Your Father. I can only love because YOU first loved me! Take me to the end of myself.