Almost time to watch that ball drop and party like it’s…2023? 🎉🎉🎉
Oh, who am I kidding…it’s almost time to drink sparkling grape juice with my kids while my husband snores like a freight train on the living room couch. 😒😒😒😂😴😴😴😴
Got any resolutions yet???
I can already think of a couple myself.
As you already know, this is the traditional time people dedicate or rededicate themselves to positive change…in fact, “new year, new me” is a phrase often used around this time of year…
And whether your goal is saving money, losing weight, or just watching less TikToks 😂…let me just say, I hope you reach your goals this year. I hope your hard work pays off! ❤️💪
But……..do me a favor?
While you’re working hard to accomplish those goals, remember this:
Setting and reaching goals is great, but (spoiler alert⚠️)…it won’t make you a “new you.”
Shocking, I know. 🤯🤯🤯😱😱😱😱
It’s actually the same old you, just with a few new habits…
Buuuuut….there is one teeny weeny exception to the rule.
One choice, one change, one resolution that trumps the rest.
And it’s simple really:
The only way to become a “new you” is to be born…all over again.
😳😳😳😳😳😳
Sounds crazy, right?
In John 3:3-7, a man named Nicodemus certainly thought the same when Jesus first explained the divine concept to him:
But “Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ “
When we are born of water and the Spirit through belief and baptism, our old self dies and a new self is born…or as the scriptures so eloquently describe, it is the moment in which we begin to “…walk in newness of life.” (Romans 6:4)
It’s the ultimate definition of a “new you.”
And it’s the most important New Year’s resolution you could ever make.
If you are seeking a new life that only God can provide, there is NO better time to start than today!!! ⏰⏱️🕰️⏳⌚️⌛️🕛⏲️
And there is no better Sunday to start worshipping Him than tomorrow, January 1st.
If you need a Savior — only Jesus can save your soul…
And if you need a church, I can save you a seat. ❤️
Yesterday was the 57th anniversary of “A Charlie Brown Christmas.”
Wow! Hard to believe that a Christmas special could be running that long and still be popular with generations today as it was back when it first aired.
But nevertheless it has stood the test of time — and I can understand why.
The show has lovable characters, colorful scenes, and a meaningful message.
It’s one of our family’s favorites.
In fact, we love it so much that this year we purchased matching “Charlie Brown Christmas” themed pajamas to wear on Christmas morning. (Yes, we’re one of those annoying families that wears matching PJs 🙄😂).
The day they arrived in the mail, I threw them in the washer to make sure they were fresh and clean for Christmas…but when I pulled them back out, I realized something had gone terribly wrong — ALL of the black ink had mysteriously disappeared! 😱😭😭😤😩😔
I was distraught…and a little puzzled. How is that even possible? 🤔
But instead of marching myself down to the store like a total “Karen” and demanding a full refund, I decided to try to salvage the situation myself…with nothing but a little black Sharpie and sheer determination. I wasn’t going to let this ruin my Christmas spirit.
After all, I was a coloring contest champion back in the day…how hard could it be?
So, I sat down and went to work on it.
Tracing over those faded lines, I started out confidently, slowly and gently following the path with my marker. It was starting to take shape again.
But as time went on, my hand began to tire and cramp from all of that meticulous motion, making it difficult to keep the pen from veering outside of the lines.
Maybe it’s because nowadays our hands are more assimilated to keyboards and mouse pads than to good old paper and pen, but whatever the reason, the process turned out to be more difficult than I originally thought.
Thankfully, to the naked eye, the finished product mirrored the original…even though there were a couple of moments where I came dangerously close to giving Lucy a mustache and Charlie Brown a black eye 😳😂…well, that is a bigger black eye than he’s supposed to have, anyway. 🤣
It was in those difficult moments that I gained a newfound appreciation for the talent of the original Peanuts artist, Charles Schulz.
How did he so effortless draw these characters over and over for decades????
If I’m being honest, I couldn’t even TRACE these cartoons as well as he could DRAW THEM FROM SCRATCH! 🤯
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And then I thought about Jesus.
“For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign unto you..Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.” – Luke 2:11-14
This is the time of year that the world chooses to remember the birth of Christ — I mean, that’s what the “Charlie Brown Christmas” special is all about, right? A bunch of kids finding the “true meaning” of Christmas.
But as I traced those lines, my thoughts didn’t stop at the manger — they moved through the life of Christ and the path that he carved out for us through His sinless example.
Much as my Sharpie followed the lines on that shirt, we as Christians are to follow those paths that Jesus has outlined for us as well. “…Jesus told his disciples, ‘If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.’” (Matthew 16:24)
He’s carved out the path, we just have to follow it.
But just like my hand did, we will undoubtedly tire and cramp in the process, resulting in mistakes…sins, if you will.
Even in our best efforts to “stay inside the lines,”we will undoubtedly fall short of the original.
But as a Christian (and recovering perfectionist), I have to remind myself that Christ’s sacrifice forgives me of my sins…so it’s less about how well I trace…and more about God’s redeeming grace.
One day, when I meet God and show him my own proverbial “artwork” — what I’ve drawn on the canvas of my life…will it look like a masterpiece?
Probably not…after all, I’m obviously no Charles Schulz. 😂
And I’m definitely not Jesus — His life was and is the only true masterpiece.
But I am a child of God, and I can call Him my Heavenly Father.
And as my Father, when He sees my incomprehensible scribbles, I imagine His reaction to be the same as that of any loving parent whose little child comes to show him a picture they’ve colored: He, with an immeasurable amount of grace, will look at it and say, “Well done.” (Matthew 25:21)
A “memory” popped up on my Facebook newsfeed the other day. It was a picture of my youngest son playing in the backyard. 🥰
I love it when those kind of memories pop up — but something about this one in particular brought a smile to my face.
My son, who was about four years old at the time, was pretending to build something, so in true preschooler fashion, he was dressed for the part — wearing one of those bright orange safety vests commonly worn by construction workers (and one of The Village People 🤣).
Right after donning the vest, he had run over to me and proudly announced — “Look, Mom! I’m a destruction worker!” 😬
😂😂😂😂🤣
Now, obviously he meant construction worker…but nonetheless, truer words have never been spoken. 😜🤣
But in all fairness, he’s not the only “destruction worker” in the family…look no further than my oldest son’s bedroom and you will see that my husband and I have managed to spawn not one, but two destruction workers. 🙄🙄🙄
They say the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree…and while most of the time I prefer to hold their dad accountable for passing down the destructive genes — I must confess that today I ended up doing a little destructing of my own…😬
You see…after dropping the boys off at school this morning, I stopped at Walmart to pick up a few things.
As I passed the home goods section, there was a large mirror that caught my eye. It was decently priced and I knew just the right place to hang it back at home. 😍
Only problem was finding just the right place to put it in the cart…
Like I said, it was rather large.
So, I tried putting it in the cart this way…and that way… and then the other way… and well, nothing was quite working. 🤔
So I thought, I’ll just set it across the top of the cart like so and just go real slow until I get to the cash register. I’m sure it’ll be just fine.
However…it was, in fact, anything but fine. 😳
With one hand on the mirror and the other commandeering the shopping cart, I bravely pioneered my way toward the end of the aisle.
So far, so good.
But just as I began to turn the corner…things took a “turn” for the worse…literally.
Let’s just say, in the words of Miley Cyrus — “I came in like a wrecking ball!!!!”
🤣🤣🤣🫣🫢😱😭🤦♀️
I hadn’t gone more than a few feet before managing to clip the end-cap display with the corner of the mirror, sending two ceramic votives free-falling to the floor. 🫠🫣🫢😵
I cringed as the sound of shattering glass pierced my ears.
Immediately, a man in the next aisle came over to help, followed by a Walmart associate.
Mortified, I knelt down picking up the broken shards and apologized profusely for causing such a scene.
The associate reassured me not to worry, everything would be fine.
As she radioed for backup, she also instructed me not to touch anything (I think she was referring to the broken glass, but at that point I wouldn’t blame her if she had actually meant “please, for the love of all that is good, don’t touch anything else in this store” 😂).
Thankfully, the votives were small and relatively inexpensive…and Walmart was not going to hold me to the old “you break it, you buy it” slogan.
I felt ashamed, yet relieved at the same time.
😔😔😔😔😔🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏😌😌😌😌😌
Truly remorseful for my lapse in judgment and thankful for the pardon I had received, I apologized again as I slowly wheeled my buggy away from the scene of the crime vowing to never attempt anything like that again.
In fact, I put the mirror back on the shelf — taking the incident as a sign that that purchasing that mirror was not, in fact, a part of God’s plan for my life…🤣).
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Of course…if you know me at all by now, you know that I couldn’t walk away from this experience without having learned at least a couple of invaluable lessons from it.
One of which is…as alone and singled- out as I felt in that moment, I’m sure I’m not the only one to have ever broken something in a store before. And I probably won’t be the last.
And the same is true when it comes to sin.
I Corinthians 10:13: “No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind…”
Romans 3:23: “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God…”
Spiritually speaking, we’re all “destruction workers.”
It’s been that way since Adam and Eve…talk about the apple not falling far from the tree. 🙄
And yet, destruction was never God’s plan for any of our lives.
That’s why He sent His Son Jesus to save and pardon us.
There’s no “you break it, you buy it” clause with Jesus around.
Why? Because Jesus already paid the price!
Romans 5:18: “Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men.”
Praise God!
That’s not to say that we should just go around “breaking things” on purpose like a bunch of rioters or vandals…as Paul writes, “Should we sin that grace may abound? God forbid!” (Romans 6:1-2)
In Matthew 7:13-14, Jesus says that the broad way of living that leads to destruction, but the narrow “aisle” leads to life (even for those of us who are more accident-prone 😉).
But how do you find that narrow aisle?
In John 14:6, Jesus says, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’”
Jesus is that narrow aisle. He is the way to salvation and eternal life. And it was Jesus himself who said, “He who believes and is baptized shall be saved…” (Mark 16:16)
In all my broken, clumsy ways, He has saved me. And He can save you too, if you will only let Him.
“Mirror, mirror on the wall…Jesus really is the fairest one of all.”
For a pretty scrawny kid, I heard this phrase a lot growing up…🙄
Of course, it had nothing to do with me actually outgrowing my pants — it usually meant I needed an attitude check.
As an adult, however, this phrase has taken on a much more literal meaning…
You’ve heard of the freshman 15, right?
Well, over the past two years, I’ve put on the “Covid 19” — if you know what I mean…😜
And as a result, I’ve literally gotten too big for my britches…😂😂🤣😔
When I first noticed that my pants weren’t fitting the way they used to, I thought…no big deal, I’ll just cut back on the calories…take a few more walks…and I’ll be down to my previous weight in no-time.
Ha.
Turns out, it’s a lot easier to pack on the pounds than it is to take them off.
So, despite my good intentions, it became clear that I needed to go with Plan B…
…Buy some bigger pants.
🤣🤣🤣
Ahhh…much better.
In the moment, it seemed my problem was solved…but there was just one glitch.
You see, I changed my pants without changing my habits.
I became so comfortable in my new, roomier pants that it allowed me the wiggle room to continue being complacent in my old eating habits.
Since my old snug pants were no longer there to make me feel like a busted can of biscuits every time I tried them on, there was no longer any catalyst for change.
So…….as I continued along over the course of a few more months, I reached a point where even my new pants were getting a little snug. 😱😱😱
And eventually (I’m ashamed to say), I decided it was time to activate Plan C…
…Stretchy Pants.
😂😂😂
I mean, it was during the height of the pandemic, so we really weren’t going anywhere anyway…(besides Wal-mart pickup, that is)….so it seemed like the perfect solution. 😂
But in the long run, it was more of a band-aid to my problem than a cure.
And in my heart of hearts, I realized that if didn’t break this pattern, it could become an endless cycle…if I outgrew every successive pair of pants I purchased, one day I’d have my own reality TV show and have to be removed from my house by a crane. 😳😳😳
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But my struggle is nothing new…experts have been spouting statistics for years about the American diet/lifestyle and how it is contributing to conditions like obesity, diabetes, and heart disease.
We get ourselves in these predicaments in at least one of two ways:
1. By eating for taste, not for hunger.
2. And a lack of exercise.
I think we all know that by now.
But what experts have yet to report on is that Christians in America are having similar issues with their spiritual diets as well:
In a spiritual context, choosing to “eat for taste, not for hunger” means we only consume Biblical teachings that are palatable to us (e.g. God’s love, forgiveness, and grace)…without feeding on the Word of God as a whole.
Many believers in America today want to skip over the “meat and potatoes” of the Bible and go straight to the “dessert” — and many churches are responding by holding back parts of the Truth for fear of offending picky palates.
But this isn’t Golden Corral.
You don’t get to just pick and choose what you put on your plate — and you definitely don’t get to skip straight to the Chocolate Wonderfall. (🤭)
By failing to acknowledge both God’s love as well as His severity (Romans 11:22), we’re not just loosening a belt…we’re loosening doctrine itself…for the purpose of our comfort.
And just like my own experience, it’s a slippery slope.
Over time, as we become more and more set in our unhealthy habits, the belt only tends to become looser and looser…the pants bigger and bigger…until, like me, one day you find yourself just lounging around all day in a pair of “spiritual sweatpants” (you know, the ones with the mystery stain and the elastic waistband that’s almost shot) feeling more than comfortablein your sins 😱…
I suppose that’s fine if you’ve got no where to go and no one to see…🫣
But let me remind you of this… just as one day the pandemic waned and I actually had to put on real pants to go out in public again…one day, we will have an appointment with God as well…and the last thing we want to do is show up looking less than presentable.
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God calls us to be imitators of Him, and the only way to do that is through spiritual diet and exercise.
Maybe you aren’t glossing over what the Bible says. Maybe you are feeding on every thing God’s all-you-can-eat buffet has to offer…that’s good and I commend you.
But that’s also a lot of calories to consume in one sitting.
So, we can’t just settle for a sedentary lifestyle…we also need to walk…with God.
James 1:22 puts it like this…”Be doers of the word, and not hearers only. Otherwise, you are deceiving yourselves.”
Or to use a more familiar phrase…Just Do It.
It may be Nike’s slogan, but it applies to our walk with Jesus Christ as well.
What good are all those calories if we don’t put them to good use? Calories were meant to sustain our energy as we expend it!
In I Corinthians 9:27 (NLT), the apostle Paul says, “I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should. Otherwise, I fear that after preaching to others I myself might be disqualified.”
Indulgence and complacency feel good in the moment, but the effects of their habitual practice are far-reaching…you know what they say, a moment on the lips, a lifetime on the hips. 😉
When it comes to what God’s Word says on a subject, don’t go “shopping around” for a better fit…instead make the effort to allow God to mold you to fit what His Word says…
…because after all, when we find ourselves getting too big for our britches, it not because He’s changed — it’s because we have.
In fact, if someone took a poll asking who in our family has started the most kitchen fires — hands down, the answer would be…ME!! 🙋♀️ 🔥🔥🔥
— Guilty as charged.
I don’t know what it is, but I have always been a little clumsy…a little accident-prone, especially when I’m trying to do more than one thing at a time.
I’m just not that great at multitasking, I guess. 🤷♀️
If you read my last post, Living the Meme, I’m sure you’re well aware of how I feel about multitasking in this crazy busy life…and sometimes we have so much going on, we have to put certain things on the “back burner” so-to-speak.
As I was cooking the breakfast for the kids this morning, I was feeling the pressure of multitasking once again — dipping and flipping the pancakes over on the griddle while simultaneously trying not to burn the eggs or start (yet another) fire with bacon grease on the stove. Add hollering at two rowdy kids on a Saturday morning to the mix and you’ve got yourself a recipe for disaster.
Most of the time, my husband and kids are gracious in regard to my culinary catastrophes.
If their eggs are a little burnt or their bacon extra crispy, they don’t give me too hard a time…mostly they’re just glad I was making them something to eat at all. 😂
It’s just like my mom always said — the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach. 😂🤣
And metaphorically speaking, it’s sort of that way with God’s heart too.
You see, He’s given us the “recipe for life” in His “cookbook” — the Bible. 😉
But it’s up to us to gather the ingredients and actually whip it up — even if we’re the not the best chefs in town. It’s important we read and follow the recipe carefully, especially when we’re just starting out.
But as we’re cooking, sometimes we get distracted — whether it be by a phone call, text, knock on the door, or a couple of crazy kids wrestling each other on the couch.
And before you know it, something’s gone awry with the meal you were trying to prepare.
With all the different pots we have on the stove of life, it’s almost inevitable that one will boil over, stick to the pan, or start one of those fun-little grease fires…😳🫢🔥🙄
And that’s where grace comes in.
Like a fire-extinguisher for our souls, God’s grace is there to put out those fires that arise as we’re trying to follow His special recipe.
Even if the blaze is so big that it takes a fire engine to come put it out, God’s got the insurance policy to cover it!
But though grace may be offered free for all…it isn’t a “free-for-all.” Contrary to the beliefs of some, God’s grace is not an insurance policy that covers intentional sin when there is little or no effort on our part to prevent and/or contain the fire.
You have to reach out to that fire extinguisher in order for it to work and you have to be willing to call 911 for help!
Think about it.
Should we TRY to burn the food on purpose?? Should we TRY to intentionally start that kitchen fire???
Insurance won’t reimburse for a 5 alarm fire that was the result of a self-sabotaging act of arson.
And neither will God.
So, then does it make any sense that we should “sin that grace may abound?” God forbid! (Romans 6:2)
In fact, the Bible teaches, “If we deliberately go on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no further sacrifice for sins remains, but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume all adversaries.” (Hebrews 10:26-27)
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The opposite is true as well…turning all the burners off and just “ordering take-out” is not part of God’s plan either.
Just like a family recipe handed down for generations, we should cherish God’s Word and its recipe for our lives. Why settle for a cheeseburger when you could have a home cooked meal??
Are we all going to become the next Rachael Ray or Emeril Legasse in the process?
No, but we have to be trying.
God expects us to follow His recipe to the best of our abilities.
I wonder if that’s why despite his flaws, the Bible refers to David as a man after God’s own heart. (I Samuel 13:14)
He was a cheater and a murderer — talk about some big fires to put out. 😳😳😳🔥
But he repented — and he never stopped seeking God.
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I say all this to say….
Culinarily-speaking, if you’re like me and you’re accident prone in the kitchen — then you’re gonna want a fire extinguisher close by when you’re cooking. 🤣
But spiritually-speaking, if you’re a person who like me who is “sin-prone”…then you’re gonna want to keep Jesus close by. ❤️
Only His precious sacrifice can provide us with the grace we need to keep on cooking…
…and one-day land that 5 star review from the most important critic of all time, God Himself.
I was watching Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood with my one-year-old nephew the other day. It was the episode where Daniel has to stay home sick from school.
I didn’t think much about it at the time, but as my 6-year-old has been home sick the past few days, a song from that show randomly popped into my head again — “Rest is Best.”
The message of the song in a nutshell is this: When you’re sick, you need to rest in order to get better.
Pretty simple concept, right?
It’s an instinct really — when our bodies get sick (or even just tired), what do we feel like doing??
Absolutely nothing!!!
Our bodies instinctively tell us to rest.
But there’s more to “resting” than just sleeping 18 hours a day and then lying on the couch watching I Love Lucy reruns for the other 6.
Rest alone will not make us “all-better” – we also need to follow doctor’s orders, eating, drinking, and taking the proper medications to be made whole again.
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Just like our bodies, our souls need rest too.
And while it may sound counterintuitive to get upearly for church on a Sunday morning in order to find rest — Jesus says we can only find true rest in Him:
“Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. “Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls” (Matthew 11:28–29).
You see, Jesus not only knows we’re tired, he knows the reason we’re tired as well — we’re sick.
Sick and tired. Great combination, right?
We’re sick with a terminal disease called sin — and we’re tired because we spend our daily lives battling the side effects of it — fear, hate, depression, loneliness, insecurity, heartaches and pains…the list could go on and on.
Jesus said, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.” – Mark 2:17
Jesus is often considered The Great Physician.
And the church? A hospital for the sinners he heals.
If you haven’t yet been healed of your sin, come to Jesus and follow His prescription:
Believe that He is the Son of God.
Confess your faith publicly.
Be baptized for the remission of your sins.
If you’ve already been healed by the Great Physician through belief and baptism, well…let me just say: don’t forget to keep your “follow-up appointments.” 😉
As an oncology nurse, I educate patients about this all the time: a patient may be considered to be in remission after completing their initial cancer treatments, but they should still continue regular follow ups with their physician as directed.
Why?
Well, these follow-ups are often referred to as surveillance visits — where the doctor will monitor and assess for any signs of a recurrence at regularly scheduled intervals.
In much the same fashion, God also calls the church together in weekly intervals — knowing that we need these regularly scheduled “check-ups” to keep us accountable and to make sure the dreadful disease of sin is not overtaking our lives once more.
But more than some sort of a weekly support group for sinners, our weekly worship to God alongside fellow Christians is commanded and designed for the glory of God.
After all, He deserves our thanks and praise more than any earthly physician does.
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To those who overlook the importance of meeting together as a whole body of believers on the first day of the week, let me just say…
When we don’t heed the call to worship God and remember Jesus’s death on the first day of every week, we become like patients who don’t keep their follow up appointments.
Often referred to as being “lost to follow up,” these patients are almost invariably prone to poorer outcomes than the ones who strictly followed the directions of their doctor.
Forsaking the assembly of the church is nothing short of signing yourself out of God’s “hospital for sinners” ASA (against spiritual advice) — putting yourself at high risk of a similarly poor outcome, spiritually speaking. (Hebrews 10:24-25)
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And lastly, there’s always those who rely on WebMD to diagnose and treat their medical problems.
The world says to find rest in self-care, vacations, retail therapy, spa days, fishing with your buddies on the lake, Netflix binges, and the list could go on and on…
But those are just like putting cheap bandaids on a gaping wound.
Jesus says we can find true rest in Him. Rest that’s more than just a bandaid. Rest that will heal our souls.
So who are you going to listen to?
The Great Physician…or some quack on the internet?
I’d go with Jesus, He’s never lost a patient yet. 😉
Oh…and for what it’s worth…His bedside manner is impeccable. 🥰
The amazingly intricate patchwork quilt pictured above is a famous Civil War-era relic known as the Reconciliation Quilt. Created by Lucinda Ward Honstain in 1867, it depicts scenes of everyday American life in the aftermath of the Civil-war.
According to the clarafordfoundation.org, the Reconciliation Quilt was sold at Sotheby’s in 1991 for $264,000!!!! — making it the most expensive quilt ever sold at auction.
Who would’ve thought that what started out as just some scraps of fabric and spools of thread, could one day be worth so much!
Mind = Blown 🤯
I don’t know if I’d ever pay that much for a quilt (let’s face it, $264,000 is more than I paid for my first house!!!😳😳😳), but I still think they are soft, cozy, and beautiful.
I especially loved my great-grandmother’s quilts. I remember going to her house when I was little, grabbing a peppermint stick from the mason jar on her counter and staring in awe at all of the beautiful patchwork she had lying around her house.
She made things like pillows and baby dolls, but “Grandma Abernathy” had a specialtalent for taking tattered pieces of fabric and lovingly sewing them together into magnificent quilts.
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My dear friend Miss Ruth wrote to me the other day with an idea she had for one of my blog posts. She said, “I was looking at a quilt a friend had made, and the thought came to me that she makes quilts beautiful from scraps (of material); but what does God do? He makes scraps (wayward man) into things beautiful (when they obey).” 😊
And you know what? She’s exactly right.
Just like my great-grandmother, with a pattern and a purpose, these quilters take seemingly insignificant scraps and make them into something beautiful (and useful) — and often selflessly give their finished projects away as gifts to family and friends alike. ❤️
When we choose to give the tattered scraps of our lives to God in humble obedience, reconciling our will to His, God can turn the fabric of our lives into a magnificent “Reconciliation” Quilt of His own.
In fact, the Bible teaches us that “…all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” – Romans 8:28
The Bible is full of stories where God is threading people’s life events together for His purpose…and for our good.
Right now, we’re studying the life of Joseph in our Wednesday night Bible class. He’s kind of the perfect example of how God can take scraps and turn them into something beautiful — if only we’ll be faithful to Him.
Do you remember the story of Joseph? You probably do — you know, he was the one with the “Amazing Technicolor Dream Coat…”
(Or wait…maybe thatwas Donny Osmond??? 🤔)
😂😂😂😉 Anyhoo…Joseph was given that special coat because he was loved by his father — which unfortunately only made his brothers hate him even more.
The target of a murder plot, sold into slavery in a foreign land, falsely accused, and thrown into prison — Joseph’s life ended up as tattered and torn as his beautiful coat did.
And for a while, Joseph was seemingly forgotten by God…despite his faithfulness.
But behind the scenes, God was always there.
Sitting at his proverbial heavenly “sewing machine,” He was threading together the tattered pieces of Joseph’s life with a purpose and a pattern in mind.
As much as Joseph’s earthly father had loved him, he was about to find out that his Heavenly Father loved him even more.
God took Joseph’s dire circumstances as a slave and prisoner, and ultimately promoted him to second-in-command, right under Pharaoh himself — leading him to the conclusion that his brothers had meant “evil against [him], but God meant it for good…” (Genesis 50:20)
Joseph knew who was behind his rags to riches story. He knew who was sewing his scraps together. And he trusted that in time, God was making them into a beautiful…life.
Are you trusting God to do the same for you? He can turn your rags to a priceless quits too, if you will only let Him — if you will only be faithful to him, like Joseph.
Remember that really expensive quilt that we talked about before? The one that cost more than my first home?
Why was it sold for such a high price?
The materials themselves were certainly not worth that much. Neither was the labor.
But it’s a one-of-kind. It’s rare and beautiful and represents something profound in American history. So, therefore it has great value.
The value we put on something directly corresponds to the price we are willing to pay for it.
We too are each one-of-a-kind — rare and valuable in the eyes of God.
And God was willing to pay the highest price there is for our reconciliation — the precious blood of His son Jesus Christ.
And for those of us who choose to bring the scraps of our lives to the cross, He is faithful to weave them together for our good and His glory.
And the finished product will always be beautiful…and priceless.
Well, here I am again…another weekday afternoon spent just waiting in the school car rider line. It’s a 30 minute drive here, and at least a 30 minute wait once I’m parked.
With gas prices at $4.00 per gallon right now, my wallet doesn’t like that very much…but that’s ok — I also do some of my best thinking during this quiet ride.
Sometimes my husband comes with. On those days, we do more talking than thinking.
And then there’s those times when my husband drives himself — and on those days, he’s got one thing and one thing only on his mind:
Beat 👏 The 👏 Odysseys. 😂
— The Honda Odysseys, to be exact.
I don’t know whether it’s his competitive spirit or just that he wants to be the first to nab the super shady parking spot on 90 degree days 🥵 — but let me tell you, that man is on a mission. 🤣
Part of me can understand why he’d want to upstage the Odysseys though.
I mean, they do give off a slightlycondescending vibe 😒 — what with their automatic doors, fresh wax jobs, and…ALL THOSE Disney passholder decals. 🤭🙄🙄🙄🤣
I kid.
But they certainly are a far cry from our dusty Kia van…whose only embellishment is a “custom pinstripe” down one side, courtesy of the sand hill cranes in our neighborhood, who viciously attacked it with their beaks during last year’s mating season. 🤦♀️
And don’t even get me started on the interior, which right now straight up looks like an episode of hoarders.
Literally every time those van doors open, I’m silently praying that one of our McDonald’s wrappers doesn’t go flying out the door like that feather from Forrest Gump.
But honestly people, it wasn’t always like this.
Believe it or not, our van was once in mint condition…even had that “new car smell” for at least a month after we drove it off the lot.
Ahhh, I still remember signing those purchase agreement papers like it was yesterday. 🥰
Our oldest son, who was about six at the time, was with us that day…he was busy playing a game on the iPad while we haggled with the salesman.
And that’s when my husband came up with the brilliant idea to quietly pull the salesman aside and ask if he would draw up a little “contract” for our son to sign as well — a “Keep the Van Clean” contract. 🤣
Thankfully, the salesman was eager to play along. And the hilarity that ensued was almost too much to bear with a straight face…
My husband vacated the seat nearest to the sales desk and motioned for my son to take his place…without missing a beat, the salesman began to explain to my son that indeed he too had a part to play in this whole purchase process.
We watched and listened as the salesman in his most professional composure walked my son through all the details of the “Keep the Van Clean” contract…🤣
My son looked at me in disbelief…would the van really be repossessed if we didn’t keep it clean?!?! 😳😳😳😳😳😱🤯
I bit my lip to keep from bursting out in laughter and somehow managed to nod soberly — but then immediately looked away as tears of laughter began rolling down my cheeks. 😂
We still have a carbon copy of that “contract” tucked away in our glove box for safe-keeping. 🤣
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Fast forward to today and despite the best of intentions, we obviously did not in fact end up keeping the van clean. 😩
Don’t get me wrong, we do take it through the car wash every now and again…always vowing afterward to “never eat fast food in here again.” But it’s never long before we’ve messed things up once more.
Good thing our local car wash has an option for an unlimited pass — for a monthly fee, you can drive through the wash and use the vacuums as many times as you need.
And that’s when I got to thinking…when it comes down to it, we’re all just like those minivans. And no matter how nice looking our “van” is on the outside, we all get all messy on the inside sometimes.
And God knows that.
He knows we’re messy…he knows life is rough and we tend to go off road sometimes…and get a little mud on our tires…we get busy and instead of consuming the bread of life from his Word, we’re stopping at a drive thru and keeping the evidence in a pile on our floorboards.
He also knows that just like my dirty old van, we as sinners are in desperate need of washing too — in need of cleansing from all our sins.
So through the blood of Christ the Lamb, He offers unlimited washes to us, too.
And best yet, God’s wash is free. Praise God the price has already been paid for you and me through Jesus’ sacrifice. 🙏❤️🙏
There is one stipulation though…
Our local car wash is open from dawn to dusk — daylight hours only. As convenient as it would be sometimes to we can’t expect to run through the carwash after business hours (when it’s dark), it’s closed. The washers aren’t working.
And just as we can’t run our van through the carwash in the middle of the night, we also cannot expect God to cleanse us when we are willfully walking in darkness. (Hebrew 10:26-29; Romans 6:1)
We must continue to walk in the light in order to receive that continual forgiveness and cleansing — to receive the blessing and privilege of unlimited washes. (I John 1:5-10) That means, following the example and teachings of Jesus in out everyday lives.
The “Keep the Van Clean” contract is a lot like God’s law for us. We should aim to be holy as He is holy — to follow in the footsteps of Jesus. But alas, we are human and we fail — the car wash is His grace for us through Jesus.
Take advantage of that wonderful grace today by acknowledging Jesus as the Son of God and your Savior, repenting of your sins, and being baptized for the remission of your sins. It’s a limited time offer too good to pass up! ❤️
The other day, my six-year-old son came running to me from the playroom with a flushed face and big crocodile tears in his eyes.
Assuming he had been wrestling around with his big brother again, I braced myself for impact as I anxiously asked, “Buddy — what’s wrong?!??”
He buried his head in the arm of my chair as he broke down into full-on sobs. I stroked and patted his little back, waiting to hear what had happened.
Eventually, through his tears he got a few words out a a time: “Mom…I’m…so…sorry!!!”
“For what?!?” I said.
“Remember that time…I broke the…the…the pirate flashlight? I’m sorry!!!”
Despite his conviction, I honestly couldn’t remember the incident at all …but I knew what he was referring to because he’s told me this story before at random intervals. Always with tears in his eyes. 😔🥺 He’s my youngest and my most sensitive child.
The supposed transgression apparently happened a few years ago when we were living in our previous house. From what I’m told, I bought each of the boys a new toy, but because my younger son liked his older brother’s toy better, he immediately threw his own flashlight to the ground, causing it to break. He couldn’t have been more than 3 or 4 years old at the time.
I said, “Buddy, you were so small…you didn’t even know any better.”
He began to cry again.
“Yes, Mom…I did know that it was wrong — but I did it anyway.”
I hugged him tightly…it was obvious his heart was breaking and mine was breaking for him! I looked at his quivering lip and tear-stained cheeks, and said, “Buddy, don’t worry — I forgive you…I forgave you a long time ago for that…and I don’t even remember it anymore!”
The next morning, I got up and as I was brushing my teeth, a thought hit me. It’s not a new thought by any means, but it nonetheless hit me in a very new, very freeing way…
God forgives me.
There’s been so many days that I’ve come to God in prayer, still riddled with guilt and shame over past sins.
He doesn’t literally speak back to me in prayer, but through His Word the Bible, it’s as if God is saying: I forgive you…I forgave you for that a long time ago…and I don’t even remember it!
“For I will forgive their iniquities and will remember their sins no more.” – Hebrews 8:12
“The LORD is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in loving devotion. He will not always accuse us, nor harbor His anger forever. He has not dealt with us according to our sins or repaid us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His loving devotion for those who fear Him. As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us. As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear Him.” -Psalm 103: 8-13
“Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For in Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set you free from the law of sin and death. For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful man, as an offering for sin. He thus condemned sin in the flesh, so that the righteous standard of the law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.” – Romans 8:1-4
But there is only one way to take part in the forgiveness of God — by becoming His child.
Just like my son came to me for forgiveness…if we are children of God, we can come to our Father in the same way, also!
Because “As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear Him.” -Psalm 103:13
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” – 1 John 1:9.
If you are already a child of God and struggle with believing that God forgives you, I would suggest listening to a sermon called “Saved Without a Doubt” by Don Blackwell . All you have to do is click on the underlined words and it will take you straight to the video on YouTube. His message was a blessing to me and I hope will be to you as well.
My parents are literally DAYS away from closing on their new home. There’s LOTS of last minute detail work going on to prepare for the final inspection.
To help speed things along, the other day my dad offered to help the painters do some touch-up work. So with a can of paint and a brush in hand, he went to work, dabbing away at any little nicks and smudges that needed retouching.
Ironically, most of the paint colors my parents chose for their house are all variations of the color white — Jasper White for the exterior, Origami White for the interior, and Pure White for all of the the baseboards and trim.
Now, if you haven’t been to the paint section at Lowe’s in a while, you’re probably scratching your head right now thinking “a white’s a white, isn’t it????”— and to that, all I can say is…bless your heart. 😂😂😂
Actually, there are SO many “different” whites to choose from nowadays…that after a while, it sort of makes your head spin. 😵💫
It’s like one minute you’re standing in a home improvement store looking through paint swatches and the next you’re suddenly sucked into a “white hole” of endless options.
And the longer you stare at the paint chips, the more they begin blurring together like the vast white sands of a New Mexico desert, until everything around you seems like nothing short of a distant mirage.
That is, until a sales associate wearing a blue vest taps you on the shoulder and says, “Ma’am, is there anything I can help you with?” 😂
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With sooooo many different whites to choose from, how DO you tell them apart?!?
The trouble is, when viewed individually, each white looks…well, white.
But according to today’s top designers, each shade of white has what they call an undertone.
An undertone is the hint of color that lurks just beneath the surface and ultimately affects your overall hue — causing it to look either cool, warm, or neutral. A cool undertone is generally associated with blues, pinks, or reds. A warm undertone is generally more peachy, golden, or yellow.
The trick to determining the undertone? Hold your swatch up to a “pure white.” Designers suggest using a plain white sheet of basic copy paper…and voila! The undertones jump right out.
This advice never rang truer than it did after my dad finally finished touching up those walls and texting pics of the progress to my mom…it was at that point we realized something had gone terribly wrong…😂.
Due to a mix up in paint lids, my dad (who is legally colorblind and can’t tell the difference between red and green let alone between two slightly different shades of white) had inadvertently been touching up the Origami White walls with PURE WHITE PAINT! 😱😂🥴😳😭🤯😵🤭
I think my mom was half tempted to flip her proverbial paint-lid over the whole debacle…but you know what they say…
…2 wrongs don’t make a WHITE. 😂😂😂🤭
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And that’s when I started thinking…
Just like all the various shades white out there, there are seemingly infinite shades of “truth” to choose from nowadays, too…and after a while, it all sort of makes your head spin. 😵💫
In our current culture, we’re led to believe that there is no such thing as absolute truth, but rather that truth is relative and that everyone has their own “personal truth,” if you will.
These “personal truths” seem to hold their own when held to nothing but their own standards; just as the white swatches all appear to be a true white when viewed individually.
But when held to a piece of copy paper, the difference is apparent. And in spiritual terms, that plain piece of white copy paper is none other than the Bible.
Next to the Truth of God’s Word, any man-made truths only pale in comparison. God’s Word alone is the true litmus test.
Why? Because the scriptures are from God Himself (II Timothy 3:16-17), and He alone is the most Pure (Psalm 12:6), the most Holy (I Samuel 2:2), the most High (Psalm 46:2), and the most Righteous (Psalm 119:142).
By our own standards, we may walk around looking like “good” people — but make no mistake, God is not colorblind. And when judged by His holiness, we ALLLLL have undertones.
“As it is written: ‘There is no one righteous, not even one;” – Romans 3:10
“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God…” – Romans 3:23
Thankfully, God knows we have undertones, and He’s provided a way to cover those impurities with “…the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot.” I Peter 1:19
“Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.” -Isaiah 1:18
It is only when we are spiritually washed in the blood of Jesus through baptism that our souls — whether red, yellow, black, or “white” — can become as white as snow (Romans 6:3).
