Lion and Lambs

Another excerpt from Dave Dravecky’s Outreach of Hope Encourager Magazine:

Grace has been called “the glue that mends our brokenness,” and in suffering, our brokenness is fully exposed. Grace, then, is indispensable in times of affliction. Grace says, “I love you, warts and all. I understand that pain has stripped away the veneer that covers your raw, unlovely humanity. But you also are made in God’s image. You are, therefore, the most precious and priceless thing in all of His creation. So I will extend unwarranted love and kindness toward you because God has extended it to me. -Jan Dravecky

This one is taken from the edition entitled “The Gift of Grace“. To me it is God’s picture of what He intended love to be for us, and I do not want to commit to anyone unless we can say this to each other.

A Party in Your Honor!

Well, you’ve heard that every party needs a pooper.

I LOVE YOU MORE THAN SO MUCH!!!!

Our pastor shared this on a recent Sunday morning, but I cannot remember who he gave credit to for it, so unfortunately I cannot give credit either. It is however well worth sharing.

By meeting our needs when we are helpless, Jesus teaches us to trust.
By stretching us beyond the realm of the familiar, He teaches us faith.
By taking us through the consequences of wrong choices, He teaches us value.
By allowing us to fail and make mistakes, He teaches us wisdom.
By permitting pain and affliction, He teaches us humility.
By involving us in the lives of difficult people, He teaches us unselfishness.
By making us wait on what we need or want, He teaches us patience.

When I am frail and fragile I am dependant on the Lord!

On the back of a greeting card:

My son loves the circus. One day he met the tightrope walker. He asked her how she managed to keep from falling. “It’s not very hard,” she told him. “The trick is to never look down. Look at where you are going instead. Concentrate on where you want to end up. Then your feet will go where they are supposed to.”

I try to think of the tightrope walker whenever I have something hard to do. I think of where I want to end up – with Jesus! When I keep Him in view, my feet go where they are supposed to go!

In GriefShare we are always telling our guests that it is okay to cry, it is not a sign of weakness. It makes me crazy that society bases your strength on whether we cry or not. To me, there is nothing stronger than a man who is not afraid to show his tears. Then yesterday on TV I heard this statement:

My tears do not compromise my strength

That is a quote to pass on and on.

One of my favorite Christmas songs is “Light of the Stable” by Selah. It is so upbeat and full of praise for the Christ child. One phrase in the song has stood out for me and I often refer back to it when I need help coping or I am feeling lost.

…kneel down by the Child so dear, cast aside your fear and be thankful…

Picture it….kneeling down by the manger, looking into the face of your newborn Savior. How could you be anything but thankful?

And that is how we should live our life.