Good Mercy Everyone!

The sun shone bright, the morning tasks accomplished without a hitch.  The day held much promise, and the park was calling out my name. It was then, while  trotting around the green with sweet little Chloe Lu that I stepped into a hole and twisted my ankle. I went down in pain and was unable to get up.

Now,  Chloe Lu is two years old, and honestly I had concern that should she take off running I would not be able to catch-up with her (at this point I could hardly move). But Chloe didn’t run - nor did she leave me behind. Instead, this little angel, with whom I get to weekly share my love,  immediately took to my side, cupped her knees with her hands, and stooped to make sure I was okay.

 “You okay?”
"Not really", I said.
“ You okay?”
To which I replied, "I'll be fine, I just need a minute."
And again, “You okay?”
"Not quite yet sweet thing, but I will be."

Waiting patiently, never hurrying me, Chloe squatted by my side and watched until I was able to stand up. When I did finally take to my feet, she took my finger in her hand and together we walked to the play area. Well, she walked. I hobbled.

What a beautiful picture of God’s Love.

You see, God does call us to be strong and of good courage, but He goes before us.

He does ask us to be doers of the Word, and not just hearers, but His still small voice leads us.

We are going to stumble, in word, thought and deed, but be assured of this one thing – Our God of mercy isn’t going anywhere.

In fact - the truth is -  He will immediately take to your side and patiently wait while you muster the strength it might take to get back up.

 Hugs and Blessings,
Jodi
"They (His mercies) are new every morning!" - Lam 3:23
 

I'm Still Learning

I’ve made an observation. Those of us who let life steal our peace tend to operate out of fear and anger, neither of which is rational.

I find myself there from time-to-time, and each time the entrance is subtle, quite deceiving. I’m thankful for Grace, as for without it, I might continue to be stuck in that vast space in time which exists without any true joy, only spurts now-and-again.

I believe it’s called depression, that period in time when everything is so difficult. When for no good reason (as far as the eye can see) one has to hold back sorrowful tears. I’ve experienced this most of my life and have done well to pray and shake it off as something else. What? I don’t know, just something else.

I’ve come to terms with it and have found that acknowledging it is probably the healthiest thing I can do. So, again, I am grateful for His Grace. I am able to admit and lift this area of my life into His hands. It sounds simple, because to me, it is.

The difficult part is touching on the reasons why I struggle with this pain. Sin has hurt me. Not my sin alone (and believe me I’ve played my part), but the sins committed against me. These sins have made a lasting impression and have played a significant role in my life, but Gods Grace has shown me that they can only define me, in-so-much-as, I will allow.

I’ll share more on this later. Maybe. Whenever. Or, maybe not.  As the only reason I wrote any of this in the first place was to explain my periodic absences from the things I love.

One of which is writing.

^“Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” -  John 14:27

Ahh, still learning this one...