Ann Voskamp's Blog, page 91
November 15, 2019
The Power of Forgiveness: a Heart Transformed from Judgement to Redemption
Debra Moerke and her husband, Al, never imagined how their lives would change when they decided to become foster parents. And after fostering over 140 children, never did they imagine their worst nightmare coming true. Murder, Motherhood, and Miraculous Grace is a true story that tests the limits of the human heart. I recommend it as a must read for anyone who loves a gripping story of the power of redemption. A beautiful, life-affirming testament to how unconditional love, and relentless obedience, can transform even the darkest of nights into mornings of hope, and change one’s heart. It’s a grace to welcome Debra to the farm’s front porch today…
Al and I first became foster parents in 1982.
One night, we were watching TV and an advertisement came on explaining that the community was in real need of families who would take in children who had been hurt or neglected by their parents.
We looked at each other and agreed that we had a nice home, food on the table, and room in our hearts that we could share with such children.
The next day, I drove to our local DFS office and filled out an application to become foster parents. After going through interviews and a home check, we received our first child, a little boy.
In our early days of fostering, we were critical of the parents, guardians, and family members who were supposed to be responsible for these innocent children, and we interpreted our role as temporary saviors to these neglected and abused children.
We didn’t think to question why the abuse occurred.
We assumed it was because the adults were on drugs or were alcoholics or they had been abused so they abused others, or they had anger issues that were never addressed.
To us, such parents seemed evil with no conscience or boundaries.
Ours was a simplistic perspective, and though we didn’t comprehend what would cause people to make such choices, we shared a passion to step in and help children who suffered at the hand, or lack of care, of their parents.
One of the first foster babies Al and I received had been rescued from a car when he was five days old. The infant had been abandoned inside the vehicle on a hot day; the mother had grabbed her drugs and run from the car.
She was caught and arrested, but the police never knew about the baby until the mother’s boyfriend came to bail her out. The baby almost didn’t make it and was in the hospital for a month before we were able to bring him home and care for him.
Another infant had suffered skull fractures from abuse. Other children were burned with cigarettes or beaten, leaving their little bodies marked or bruised.
Our own children could see the abuse suffered by these little helpless children and were outraged.
“When he and I shared our newfound faith with one another, we decided to trust God to create a new life in us and a new marriage for us.”
Their reactions gave voice to our own personal thoughts and ranged from “the people who did this should be put in jail for the rest of their lives” to “they should be taken out and whipped, or burned with cigarettes, or shot or electrocuted.”
There wasn’t much grace or forgiveness for such people in their minds. Al and I, in our early years especially, often found ourselves feeling the same way.
But in 1986, four years into foster parenting, our lives changed dramatically.
Al had been drinking excessively, and I was overcome with my inability to cope with it. We saw our marriage falling apart and feared divorce.
Al decided to put himself into an alcohol treatment center and shortly thereafter, I discovered that I was pregnant.
One Sunday while he was still in treatment, I took the children to church and heard a sermon on Deuteronomy 5 addressing “the sin of the parents.”
God used that sermon to bring me to my knees and into salvation as I realized how the sins of my parents, grandparents, and previous generations were affecting my life.
Sins of bitterness, unforgiveness, lust, greed, and so much more.
I saw with fresh eyes that those sins were at work in me and that Al and I, too, would be responsible for generational sin that would be reaped and repeated if there was nothing to stop it.
“God has brought us into a world of challenges that has grown our faith and called us to serve Him fully.”
Jesus Christ’s sacrifice provided a way to break those curses. If I would confess my sin, I would be cleansed of“all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).
I chose Jesus and prayed that the sins and curses I was living out would be broken and, through His blood, forgiven and cleansed.
Unbeknownst to me, Al was going through his own journey of discovering faith while in treatment.
When he and I shared our newfound faith with one another, we decided to trust God to create a new life in us and a new marriage for us.
Al has not touched alcohol since his treatment and lives a life for Christ.
Since then, God has brought us into a world of challenges that has grown our faith and called us to serve Him fully.
Once we’d learned the truths of sin, confession, forgiveness, and spiritual growth, we realized that the care for our own children and those coming into our home needed to be not only physical and emotional care, but spiritual care as well.
That changed everything.
We saw that we had the responsibility to minister to these children with the truth that could also set them and even their families free.
We could play our part in affecting lives for Christ no matter how much or how little time we had with each child.
“We worked at believing that since God’s nature was forgiving, ours needed to become forgiving as well.”
We were to share life with a future and a hope in Christ in whatever ways we could, so we made Sunday church attendance as a family a commitment, prayer a central part of our lives, and reading Bible stories to our children part of our routine.
As Al and I experienced our personal encounters with Jesus, His forgiveness, and the Bible, we worked at believing that since God’s nature was forgiving, ours needed to become forgiving as well.
We challenged each other to seek forgiving hearts toward abusive parents.
Not that our conversion immediately altered our natural responses of anger and the desire for retribution.
We saw no excuse for such behavior, and though it was a struggle, we sought a change of heart toward such parents through the power of God.
It never got easier to see children hurt, especially by their own parents, and was upsetting every time a child was sent home after a parent fulfilled a list of hoop-jumping steps for the courts.
Eventually, however, we realized that though we couldn’t change a broken system, we were called to step into the lives of the children and parents for as long as God would allow and show them love and care and another way of living.
We learned to explain to our children that this is what goes on in the world and all we can do is play the part we’re called to play.
A child disappears… a foster mom faces an impossible choice… a baby’s future hangs in the balance. Overwhelmed with horror and grief, would Debra find her way through the pain to play her role in this saga of loss, redemption, and seemingly impossible forgiveness? Only through total surrender would Debra find herself living out this true story of God’s miraculous grace.
Murder, Motherhood, and Miraculous Grace is an unbelievable true story of faith, family, and a journey toward seemingly impossible forgiveness. A story that tests the limits of the human heart, it’s ultimately a beautiful, life-affirming testament to how unconditional love and relentless obedience can transform even the darkest of nights into mornings of hope.
[ Our humble thanks to Tyndale for their partnership in today’s devotion ]
November 13, 2019
How to Find & Make Good Friends (#WorldKindnessDay: Celebrating Friendship)
I
know there are names you used to scrawl across Christmas cards — that don’t get written down on cards anymore.
Names of friends whose number you once knew by heart, whose laugh you’d still know anywhere, whose presence in a room made you feel known — but somehow, life, or you, or them, or something, moved and moved on — and there’s this always wishing the story had unfolded another way and a story you wish you could get back — or change.
I know because I miss faces and names and friends whose now only come to meet me down bittersweet long lanes of memories.
Sometimes you think a friend will walk with you till you reach forever — but they were only meant to walk with you till you reached the end of a season that’s grown you both into different people.
And you look in the mirror at the person you’ve now become — and you’ve grown into a person that’s committed to make space for people to come. Because you realize: We imitate the habits of the five people we are most intimate with.
Because you know it now more than ever: The fragility of friendships begs that we handle time together with care.
That we make time for friends because time and life together is a fragile thing.
Celebrate with friends! It’s the way that we make our home a place of kindness and friendship and grace that will matter when we see the face of God: The #FAIRTRADE Grace Case. Pictured: wooden lazy susan and cheese knives
This quarter’s Grace Case, themed “CELEBRATE WITH FRIENDS!”, features the beautiful work of: Itza Wood in Guatemala, a social venture handcrafting quality furnishing and wood wares out of sustainable and locally sourced tropical woods. Each piece is a unique expression of the Guatemalan jungle and a testament to the beauty and biodiversity of Peten.
“What keeps us strong is the strength of our bonds”
You know it now, especially this time of year, and it really means something to you:
Lacking friends is as bad for the heart as smoking is. Loneliness causes you to live eight years less.
Friendship literally helps you breathe. More friends, less stress. What keeps us strong is the strength of our bonds. The best, proven supplement is supplementing everything with friendship.
And sure, you can always count on death and taxes —- but where are the people you can count on? Who are your people who will show up when everything’s going downhill?
“Life has enough traps of its own; everyone needs friends who are a safety net.”
You need your 5 ride or die, your Moai — your people who gather for safety and support, advocacy and accountability, courage and connection.
Life has enough traps of its own; everyone needs friends who are a safety net.
It’s never too late to have your own Moai — it’s never too late to pull out some cheese boards, lay out some slices of fresh goodness and invite some people over and create a circle of safe.
Lay out the table and invite your people and celebrate! Join us in the #FAIRTRADE subscription Grace Case story.
Cheese and jelly knives from: from The #FAIRTRADE subscription box, The Grace Case
This quarter’s Grace Case features the artistic woodwork of Arol España who started at the Itza Wood workshop helping out every once and a while with sanding jobs but as a quick learner he was rapidly integrated into the full time team. Early this year because of his full time employment, he was able to qualify for Habitat for Humanity’s low-interest morgage, and this month he finished building his house! A dream come true!
Look at the global family and friends who made our latest Grace Case! “Caring always for the environment and the lives of those involved, Itza Wood aims to break the cycle of poverty and usher healthy development for the remote communities of Peten through job creation and education. “”ITZA” is the name of the lake our town sits on and also the name of the last mayan ethnic group to live in the area, and that is what Itza Wood is all about – the poeple and the place”. Itza’s commitment to protect the jungle drives the company to actively reforest and purchase FSC certified woods, respecting the natural resources their beauty. Itza Wood is partnered with San Andres schools and supports local education. In total 33 global family and friends, both women and men worked on this Grace Case order!
It’s the prayers and grace we weave into our friendships, that survives fire: The #FAIRTRADE subscription box, The Grace Case. Pictured: Cheese knives
You have to meet our Grace Case Artisan: Mohd Alam. “Working with Noah’s Ark has enabled me to build my own workshop, and send our children to school and provide employment opportunities in my village.”
You can hold wares in your hand that you know are changing the world! Wares that you know the name of the person who made it — and you can be part of a grace story! Join us in the #FAIRTRADE subscription Grace Case story. Pictured: cheese knives
These bowls in our latest Grace Case!
Your home can be filled with not only FINE things — but FAIR, WORLD-CHANGING things — that you know the PERSON and STORY behind!
Meet Grace Case Artisan: Dil Bahadur Prajapati was born in a traditional potter’s home and he learned pottery from his father. Since childhood, he used to work with his father on clay and wheels. They made mostly household products of terracotta. We introduced him to the stoneware clay as well as glazing technique and set up an electrical firing kiln for him so that now he is able to make stoneware products. Dil is married and has two sons. His wife helps him glaze and finish the products. His elder son helps him with accounting and bookkeeping.
He has also been able to create work opportunity for 5 additional people in his workshop.
Look at Dil Bahadur Prajapat gorgeous craftsmanship — artwork — in this Grace Case! Your home can be filled with not only FINE things — but FAIR, WORLD-CHANGING things — that you know the PERSON and STORY behind! Join the Grace Case!
The stunning #FAIRTrade artwork of our artisan’s in this Grace Case: a set of white bowls & food markers for all the CELEBRATING!
Meet our artisan in this quarter’s Grace Case: Dilshad Hussain’s speciality is stainless steel cutlery items in India. Due to fair trade principles, he was able to establish his workshop (Noah’s Ark) as a model fair trade workshop maintaining all the records and safety measures. The impact has been tremendous on the family and they have shifted from village to the town and have about 2000sq ft workshop and live on the upper floor. They give fair wages and all their artisans and are looking forward to starting
a free school for the children in their village!
Celebrate at every feast! Food markers: from The #FAIRTRADE subscription box, The Grace CaseWhatever the story you tell yourself in your head about friendship — it’s never too late to rewrite the story you tell yourself in your head, about you and friendship.
How to Rewrite the Story of Your Friendships
“I am not good at friendships” —-> I am committed to daily practicing the art of friendship
“I can’t find friends” —-> I can find interests that let me show interest in people, and I can find ways every single day to show up for just one person
“I don’t have time for friends” —-> When I make time for friends, I get more time to live, more time to enjoy my life
“I don’t trust anyone to be a friend” —-> I can always have boundaries, and I can always find ways to be safe
“I have been hurt by friends” —> I have been hurt deeply because I have loved deeply. Only hard hearts never hurt. Only what’s buried never breaks.
The only way to never hurt is to never share your heart. Keeping your heart guarded, keeps your joy imprisoned. The risk of hurt is worth the reward of friendship.
“No one understands me enough to be a good friend” —-> No one person can understand everything, but when enough different friends together stand with you, you you feel understood.
“I’m too broken for friendships” —-> I am not alone in my brokenness and vulnerability is the key to intimacy.
“I don’t belong at the table of friends” —-> I always belong at some table — I just need the courage to build that table.
Build a table & invite people to come belong at your table — His table of amazing grace!
Join The Grace Case!
Make time for friendship and celebration and passing on the grace: Join The Grace Case!
I tell that tentative face staring back at me in the mirror what I really want her to know about friendship, even now:
Like they say: Friendship doesn’t mean you have to be interesting enough, you simply have to be interested enough.
“Curious people discover friendships everywhere. Ask thoughtful questions and life will answer you with thoughtful friendships.”
Curious people discover friendships everywhere. Ask thoughtful questions and life will answer you with thoughtful friendships.
Friendship is less about having a lot in common, and more about having a commitment to care about someone’s common, every day life.
People committed to growth — grow friendships.
And time is the dialect of all friendship.
And there is still time, especially now, to begin again, reach again, make space again.
Connection is its own kind of cure.
So let the snow fall. Let the holidays begin!
And let it, even now, be the best of times, the celebrating and cherishing our people, the laying out the table with bowls and boards and all the piled high goodness, and this gift of jotting down names that mean the world to us, and names of people to begin new friend stories with — your very own ride or die Moai of 5 — names and faces to invite into your world, to find a way of simply saying:
I will be your friend,
A Lifter of your chin,
A believer of your dreams,
A Circle of safe for your soul.
I will be your kind —
always deeply kind,
always a porch light on,
always a place to call home.
It’s not too late to join (and it makes the perfect gift!):
THE (Best!) SURPRISING SUBSCRIPTION BOX:
THE GRACE CASE
BECAUSE WE’RE WOMEN WHO SUBSCRIBE TO GRACE…
THERE ARE A FEW OPENINGS RIGHT NOW —
BE PART OF WORLD-CHANGING GRACE STORY
Embrace The Grace Case — and become part of a movement of Grace all around the world.– Limited edition fair-trade heirlooms… Gorgeous high end items in quarterly themed boxes- blankets, shoes, lanterns, pillows, fine jewelry…makes the perfect gift to give (or keep!) and changes the world for the most precious women. Limited memberships available at thegracecase.com
– Curated by the Voskamp family — with a new editions in every one of your boxes of the story booklet, ‘The Case for Grace’, written by Ann
– Empower and employ sister-artisans all around the world
– Absolutely 100% of profits fund the Mercy House’s Transition Home
– Get a new box of varying themes, 4 times a year. Be surprised by grace on your doorstep!
Say yes to embracing The Grace Case and join your GenEsther family in making a case for grace around the world. Jump in with us… & literally help change the world.
You can be part of the movement…
this chance to link hands with our sister-artisans around the world —
creating grace, giving grace, and living grace.
Join us… and choose the case for Grace today?
November 11, 2019
Getting Honest with God on Our Darkest Days
Kasey Van Norman spent most of her life believing her past was too scandalous to be significant to God. After years of hypocrisy and rebellion, God would use the very things Kasey spent her entire life running from; a broken childhood, public infidelity, and cancer diagnosis, to draw her to himself. With radical transparency, Biblical integrity, and humor, Kasey shares how God purposes our most painful relationships and experiences to give eternal meaning to our life. It’s a grace to welcome Kasey to the farm’s front porch today…
guest post by Kasey Van Norman
My compromise with promiscuity always began in the same place—the constant pull to be loved, accepted, worth it.
With every sexual encounter, it became more difficult to discern the difference between God’s voice of conviction and Satan’s voice of condemnation.
Conviction, healthy guilt drawing our sense of self closer to God.
Condemnation, unhealthy guilt dividing our knowledge of God from the knowledge of ourselves.
There is no compromise like sex to blur the differences between the voice of God and the voice of Satan. It’s the only sin the Bible says makes one turn on her own self: “Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body” (1 Cor. 6:18 ESV).
I started every relationship not as a temptress but as a regular girl, a girl just like your daughter, niece, sister, mom, you.
That’s all I ever wanted when I numbed my nerve endings and shut down my brain for just a few minutes.
With every boyfriend, I hoped the same thing: “Maybe this is the one. Maybe this time I’ll finally . . .”
Joy Prouty
Joy Prouty
Joy Prouty
Joy ProutyIn every relationship, I only ever cared about the feeling you get right before sex messes everything up, the frenzy not of hormones but of possibility.
I felt it while dancing with Nathan before he swept my virginity of its feet. I felt it when I stared weepily into Pastor Bobby’s eyes the night I received my purity ring. I felt it every time a boyfriend smiled longingly at me or gently held my hand in the school hallway. I felt it at Christmas, the only day of the year my parents tolerated one another long enough to sit in the same room as a family.
“God will always speak to our why—our hearts, motives, beliefs, desires, wants.”
I felt it in spite of my rage and shame, the possibility that God still wanted me. The still, small voice speaking to my heart, “Kasey, I want you. I choose you. You belong to me.”
But that was also the problem. God’s voice had become too still, too small for me to hear over my own—or Satan’s? I could never be sure.
Much like God, Satan also is not satisfied with a few shifts in our behavior. He wants his lie to become our truth, a real belief that manifests in our identity and changes our behavior from there.
But unlike God’s, Satan’s voice is not powerful enough to speak directly to our hearts. He is not tied to our DNA or woven into our image.
He is left only to formulate leading questions. And his questions are designed to confuse and disorient us, to isolate us long enough that our reality feels blurry, fragmented, and compartmentalized.
Satan can speak only to our what, the external pieces of our lives—words and actions, what we do and say.
But God will always speak to our why—our hearts, motives, beliefs, desires, wants.
A created being himself, Satan is allowed only enough power to point out our vulnerabilities from what he observes about us.
But God is the one who determines whether those vulnerabilities make us acceptable or unacceptable to Him.
“Only God speaks with the authority of eternity to the whole picture of our past, present, and future as it matters to heaven.”
Unlike Satan, who has access to us only through our behaviors, when God speaks, His words are attached to our hearts: “Living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart” (Heb. 4:12 ESV).
When God speaks, our hearts cannot help but be nagged, drawn, intrigued, or compelled to attention.
For only God speaks with the authority of eternity to the whole picture of our past, present, and future as it matters to heaven.
Voices are speaking to us even now.
One voice whispers a lie that divides our humanity and separates us from others.
The other speaks a truth that makes us wholly known and eternally accepted.
And while the voices’ message differs, they both speak the loudest in our pain.
We are never more keenly aware of the voices speaking to us than in our weakest moments: when we need, when we lose control, when we fall short of someone’s expectations, when we stand in front of a mirror and view our aging, sagging, frail, mortal bodies.
The more often we choose to listen to the voice of God in our pain, the more convinced we will become that God sees our weaknesses differently than we do. Not as embarrassing moments we need to dismiss or dilute with the mediocre ‘highs’ of this world, but instead, as useable material.
“What seem like scraps to us are God’s best resources to prove His love for us once and for all.”
What seem like scraps to us are God’s best resources to prove His love for us once and for all.
For God’s purpose to be clear in our lives, we must get honest with ourselves about our darkest days, the days we want a buzz, need to numb, continue to do the thing we hate. Honesty acknowledges that there is both a victim and an offender within us, that “none is righteous, no, not one” (Rom. 3:10 ESV).
We are all exposed before God, but who is telling you that?
You don’t have to be as hardheaded and stubborn as me to believe the voice of truth. Twenty years as a Christian, believing in God, but never believing Him.
No more still, small voice for me.
God was about to drop the mic on my wimpy, lukewarm faith. The fake me was about to get the buzz kill of her life.
And when she did, there’d be no doubt, for her or anyone else, whose voice was speaking.
Kasey Van Norman is a licensed professional counselor; specializing in Biblical construct of life story and trauma recovery. She is a speaker and bestselling author of the books and study series, Named by God and Raw Faith. Kasey is the founder of Northway Farms; a non-profit serving homeless women in her community.
In her new release, Nothing Wasted: God Uses the Stuff You Wouldn’t, Kasey helps readers discover how God uses the pain and regret of their past to bring purpose to their future. With vulnerability, sound doctrine, and humor, Kasey unfolds the brokenness in her own life, reminding us that a holy, sovereign God lovingly works, not in spite of our past, but through it.
[ Our humble thanks to Zondervan for their partnership in this devotion ]
November 9, 2019
Only the Good Stuff: Multivitamins for Your Weekend [11.09.19]
Happy, happy, happy weekend!
Some real, down in the bones JOY to celebrate today! Links & stories this week 100% guaranteed to make you smile a mile wide & believe like crazy in a Good God redeeming everything — and that there’s love everywhere & for ((you))!
Serving up only the Good Stuff for you & your people right here:
Mary Anne Morgan
Mary Anne Morgan
Mary Anne Morgan
Mary Anne Morgan
Mary Anne Morgan
when I sit with her photos, the world stop & exhales
You teachers are heroes and soul shapers and generation strengtheners and we’re passing you down a cup of hot tea and all giving you a standing ovation!
‘Be Kind! Just Try It! I Will!’: 98-Year-Old Leads Kindness Movement
‘Cheer dad’ roots for his cheerleader daughter
so who knew?!?
Iwona Podlasińska
Iwona Podlasińska
Iwona Podlasińska
this photographer visited 16 countries and shares some extraordinary here
when someone believes in you…
Over 14,000 people recently shared about various aspects of their prayer lives
anyone else wanna try this too? soup that’s been simmering for 45 years!
Josh Lewis FB
After seeing a FedEx worker walk 12 miles home for months, co-workers rally & do this!
we really do have a lot more in common than we think
The Wonder of Having His Words
a fascinating story & stunning footage:
He Grew Up in Antarctica — And Now He’s Leaving and telling his story
…yeah, we aren’t about to let anything steal our thankfulness today.
Because all of us folks down in the trenches know it:
If you let something steal your thanks?
You let something steal your joy,
And if you let something steal your joy?
You let something steal your strength.
Our friends at FaithGateway have graciously chosen One Thousand Gifts as their next FREE (!!!) online Bible study, beginning November 18th and leading right up to Christmas. They are inviting us to walk all over again – or maybe for the very first time? – through the discipline of counting gifts and finding joy – right. where. you. are!
I hope you will join in this life-changing, life-transforming opportunity that could change the rest of your life!
how this grandfather is crocheting – to help others feel loved
Julia Pertek
Julia Pertek
Julia Pertek
this photographer moved to Iceland to pursue her passion for landscape photography
honest answers from children about families
3 Ways the World Has Changed for Children in 30 Years
Beyond grateful for the saving work of Compassion International
you’ve got to meet Lamont Thomas… all good
when it’s a daily battle to see ourselves the way Jesus sees us
“There is power in prayer. Prayer breaks chains. Prayer sets back the darkness. Prayer moves God, and when He is moved, He moves mountains.”
simplyswenkalife / Instagram
marehoops_warriorlife / Instagram
In sixty vulnerably stories, the tender invitation of The Way of Abundance moves you through your unspoken broken — into the abundant life.
Pick up your own Way to Abundance & start your journey to the abundant life
on repeat this week: Known
I knew a woman once who waited for the perfect day,
the ultimate raise,
the long applause,
the mountain retreat,
the magic number,
the noticed thanks,
the wanted affirmation
that never came—
& for far too long she had no idea that it could just be:
the cotton bedsheets pulled up & made smooth in a messy room,
or even the cup of cold water tipped at her lips that slipped down like the perfect answer
or even this regular moment with her heart drumming
like a wild anthem within her,
because on any old day, even this one, it is never too late, all she had to do was write down these smallest slivers of grace in her everyday because:
Gratefulness isn’t hard.
Forgetting to be grateful is what makes life hard.
All she had to say to herself for the last 60 days of the year is: ‘Keep your eyes open to the gifts all around you — that you get to open if you just pay attention.’
That woman who waited far too long was me.
But the last decade of my life has had the last moments of each day spent in giving thanks, writing down the day’s gifts, & I can testify for living it:
If you aren’t noticeably grateful with what you have right now, why think you’d be noticeably joyful when you have more?
A life that is meaningful — starts with a heart that is grateful.
All the great lives start with a habit of gratefulness.
And everywhere now, you can see it— there’s light catching in the trees, glory sparking right through to the very end. #1000gifts
[excerpted from our little Facebook family … come join us each day?]
That’s all for this weekend, friends.
Go slow. Be God-struck. Grant grace. Live Truth.
Give Thanks. Love well. Re – joy, re- joy, ‘re- joys’ again
Share Whatever Is Good.
November 6, 2019
The Scars That Mark Us
I first met Michele Cushatt before she was diagnosed with Cancer of the Tongue, when she was a young mom of only 39. In the years since, she’s endured two more cancer diagnoses, each more serious than the one before, and she and her husband have adopted three additional children with a heartbreaking history of trauma. Not only does Michele live with permanent functional disabilities and chronic pain, their entire household is filled with hard stories. In this space of both faith and suffering, Michele has learned hard lessons about the presence of God in places of pain. It’s a grace to welcome Michele to the farm’s front porch today…
“Show me your scars,” she said. “I’d really like to see them.”
If anyone else had asked, the words might have felt awkward, intrusive.
But this was Lindsey, my friend of several years whose body bore her own scars.
More than a decade before, she’d nearly died in childbirth and slept forty-seven days in a coma, and she had spent the years since trying to recover. She knew how a scar could leave a girl in irreconcilable pieces.
“Sometimes touch heals more than words, presence more than platitudes.”
At the kindness of her question, my throat turned tight. I reached for my left shirtsleeve, rolled it up slowly, past wrist then elbow, to reveal the largest of my scars.
At least twelve inches, including a two-by-three-inch skin graft on the inside of my wrist.
This is where they removed blood vessels and flesh to rebuild some semblance of a tongue. My left arm looked like a scene pulled from Frankenstein.
She reached her hand toward my arm. With a gentleness hard-earned, she touched the skin, her fingers tracing the long line of memory in the form of an ugly white scar.
I couldn’t speak. She wouldn’t.
With a touch, I felt less alone. She entered in, sharing my pain. And a small part of my unseen wounds started to heal.
Joy Prouty
It has been more than three years since that day. I’ve thought of it many times, and her gesture has changed how I see and reach for other scarred people.
Sometimes touch heals more than words, presence more than platitudes.
And I now understand.
This is what God accomplished in the incarnation.
By becoming flesh and blood, God reached out a hand from the distance of heaven and touched humankind. Bridging the distance of holiness, He not only became someone we can touch but became the one reaching to touch us.
“In a world that pulled away from pain, Jesus pushed in.”
“He touched her hand and the fever left her, and she got up and began to wait on him” (Matt. 8:15).
“He went in and took the girl by the hand, and she got up” (Matt. 9:25).
“But Jesus came and touched them. ‘Get up,’ he said. ‘Don’t be afraid’” (Matt. 17:7).
“Jesus had compassion on them and touched their eyes. Immediately they received their sight and followed him” (Matt. 20:34).
“After he took him aside, away from the crowd, Jesus put his fingers into the man’s ears. Then he spit and touched the man’s tongue” (Mark 7:33).
“Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. ‘I am will- ing,’ he said. ‘Be clean!’ And immediately the leprosy left him” (Luke 5:13).
“Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself! Touch me and see” (Luke 24:39).
In a world that pulled away from pain, Jesus pushed in. He reached for it, experiencing pain so we would know we’re not alone in ours. What was once marked for death showed signs of new life.
Jesus—the flesh-and-blood presence of God with us—became the means to our atonement. The sacrifice cut in two, offered as payment for our breaking the sacred covenant. His death atones for the death we deserve.
“Seeing our deepest needs, He doesn’t pull back.”
But He is also our means of attunement. He will hold the basket while we barf, stay close while we suffer, and clean up our messes with His extravagant grace.
Show Me your scars, He urges.
Seeing our deepest needs, He doesn’t pull back.
Reaching with hands that bear their own wounds, He responds as no other human can or will.
He touches us at the place of our pain. Over and over again, with hands familiar with both suffering and healing.
Until we know, once again, we are not alone.
With her signature storytelling and biblical insight, Michele Cushatt’s third book, Relentless, is a message born of deep personal struggle and the transformational discovery that God is indeed with us.
Are you aching for a Love that will never leave, a Presence that pushes back the dark? If so, I have good news for you. God’s love is Relentless, even when your faith isn’t.
To find more solid evidence of God’s presence through the pages of YOUR story, order Michele’s new book Relentless: The Unshakeable Presence of a God Who Never Leaves. And, if you order before November 18, 2019, click here and you’ll received a FREE Altar Stone Card Pack Download to help you build your own altar of God’s presence, right here, right now. Because whether you can see Him, feel Him, or not, He is with you.
For the truth-seekers, those drowning in impossible questions, and those who find themselves swallowed up by the dark, Relentless is an invitation to search for divine presence in our everyday. stories.
[ Our humble thanks to Zondervan for their partnership in today’s devotion ]
November 4, 2019
What are you waiting for? Why it’s never too late to fully live your life
When Marsha DuCille launched CALLED magazine in 2007, her life was headed in a very different direction. Marsha’s plan was to practice law and shape public policy. But the Lord is constantly stretching us to new heights. So when God decided to call Marsha’s name, she boldly dared to answer. In her book CALLED to Inspire, Marsha shares stories that will inspire and encourage you to step outside your comfort zone and find the strength to answer God’s call. I invite you to explore how God might be calling you to do something special with your life. The world is waiting! It’s a grace to welcome Marsha to the farm’s front porch today…
Whenever I have a project that I’d rather not do, I feel motivated to do all sorts of other things.
Suddenly, the kitchen pantry needs to be organized, and every toilet needs to be scrubbed. Then I notice the mountain of e-mails in my in-box and the laundry that’s calling my name.
That’s the beauty of procrastination: Everything—except the important thing—gets done.
“That’s the beauty of procrastination: Everything—except the important thing—gets done.”
James Albery, an English playwright, wrote an epitaph that highlights the dangers of dillydallying:
He slept beneath the moon,
He basked beneath the sun;
He lived a life of going to do
And died with nothing done.
Graveyards are full of callings that people never got around to answering—procrastination is that cunning of a thief.
It steals time. It tells us that we can put things off.
But the “perfect” moment may never come: Motivation might always be low; money might always be tight; and life might always be busy.
However, Ecclesiastes 11:4 warns, “Farmers who wait for perfect weather never plant. If they watch every cloud, they never harvest.”
Have you ever wondered why women have babies, considering the pain of labor? It can be an unpleasant experience, but mothers keep the end result in mind.
Completing your life’s mission “will be like a woman suffering the pains of labor. When her child is born, her anguish gives way to joy because she has brought a new baby into the world” (John 16:21).
“You’re not too old, and it’s not too late to accomplish your dream.”
So “push” through the cunning schemes of procrastination and keep the end result in mind. There’s something beautiful waiting to be born.
But . . . is it too late?
One of CALLED magazine’s readers once wrote, “My dream function has been broken.”
Age can make us feel this way.
As the years progress, people tend to think that they’ve wasted too much time. But you’re not too old, and it’s not too late to accomplish your dream.
Anna Mary Robertson Moses, better known as “Grandma Moses,” began her painting career in her mid-seventies. In her golden years, she painted thousands of creations—including twenty-five after the age of one hundred.
Some of the finest museums in the world have displayed Grandma Moses’ paintings, and a sundry of reproductions have been placed on china, fabrics, tiles, and greeting cards. In 1946, 16 million of her Christmas cards were sold, and one of her paintings was purchased for $1.2 million in 2006.
Do you still think it’s too late?
Through your faith, God can stop the clock and resurrect your dream.
“Through your faith, God can stop the clock and resurrect your dream.”
God used Jesus’ words to resurrect Lazarus: “When Jesus arrived at Bethany, he was told that Lazarus had already been in his grave for four days.” However, Jesus said to Martha, “Your brother will rise again.” “Lord, he has been dead for four days. The smell will be terrible,” Martha protested.
But Jesus replied, “Didn’t I tell you that you would see God’s glory if you believe?” With great authority, Jesus then shouted, “Lazarus, come out!” And the dead man rose (John 11:17-44).
Procrastination may have stolen years, and your dream may have died.
But, today—no matter how discouraged you may feel—tell your Lazarus to rise!
You’re not too old, and it’s not too late to fully live your life.
The Lord says, “I will give you back what you lost.” ~Joel 2:25, NLT
Marsha DuCille is the founder and editorial director of CALLED magazine, the largest North American–based publication for Christian women. Her “hobby turned global venture” reaches women worldwide through a variety of multimedia platforms. She is also the creative director of CALLED Design, a print and digital solutions enterprise; the creative principal of CALLED Boutique, a merchandising brand; and the chairman of The CALLED Project, a philanthropic arm that supports outreach efforts around the world. Marsha earned a master’s degree in social work from Boston University and a master’s degree in educational foundations, research, and policy from the University of Michigan.
CALLED to Inspire encourages you to step outside your comfort zone and find the strength to answer God’s call. Cling to this companion week after week and discover how you can live a rich, victorious life guided by God. With each devotional experience, you’ll find compelling answers to life’s most significant questions. Powerful prayers, Scripture verses, and declarations help to fortify and grow your faith. Journaling space gives you the freedom to reflect, explore, and record your thoughts.
[ Our humble thanks to Tyndale for their partnership in today’s devotion ]
November 2, 2019
You’ll be so happy you opened this–so you don’t miss TUNING IN TONIGHT! Holiday Kickoff: Tips, Tools & Gifts!
T
HIS!
IT’S FINALLY HERE TODAY! WATCH OUR WORLD PREMIERE WEBCAST & KICK OFF THE SEASON!
Today’s the day!
We’re wildly excited that TODAY we get to kick off the holiday season with the world premiere of Home for the Holidays.
Promise: You will be inspired, informed, and incredibly moved by these beautiful maker-to-market stories that will be give you the tools to make your Christmas tell the best story as you celebrate the Greatest Story ever told!
Grab a cup of something warm and join us for
some hilarity and memorable recipes from the kitchen with the brilliant Jen Schmidt, full-time family manager, who also works from home as author and speaker,
an AMAZING DIY Decor segment by the one and only Myquillyn Smith, host of TheNester.com and author of the The Cozy Minimalist Home,
a bit of my own heart for this Christmas season
some deeply compelling table conversation — that will crack you up (Thanks, Shaun Groves!)
And? You’ll have an opportunity to pick up limited edition #fairtrade items created exclusively for this event
(TRUE CONFESSION: What the Farmer said when he saw the #fairtrade limited edition gift selection? “Oh wow! Let’s give this to everyone we want to send a gift to! All our long-distance gift-giving done!” Nailed it!)
Set alarms on your phone and sign up for FREE below. Trust us, you don’t want to miss it.
GRAB YOUR SEAT HERE
(It’s FREE & SO EASY —just click below, enter your email, and you’ll see Home for the Holidays on the screen.)
Download a Viewer’s Guide for free too.
This one-of-a-kind live webcast event will be filled with inspiration & fun & practical tools for THE MOST AMAZING CHRISTMAS! Decor! Food! Music! Gifts!
We have it all — and like you’ve never seen before — all telling the BEST FAIR & GOOD STORY to celebrate The Greatest Story ever told!
DO NOT MISS TONIGHT’S FREE WEBCAST: HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS!
GRAB YOUR SEAT HERE
Only the Good Stuff: Multivitamins for Your Weekend [11.2.19]
Happy, happy, happy weekend!
Some real, down in the bones JOY to celebrate today! Links & stories this week 100% guaranteed to make you smile a mile wide & believe like crazy in a Good God redeeming everything — and that there’s love everywhere & for ((you))!
Serving up only the Good Stuff for you & your people right here:
Esther Havens / Instagram
Esther Havens / Instagram
Esther Havens / Instagram
Esther Havens / Instagram
Esther Havens / Instagram
no ones captures our world quite like she does
who doesn’t need a quick fix every now and then?!?
Instead of Lacking Trust: How to Have a Different Kind of Trust
a candid and approachable case for believing in God when you really want to walk away
kinda fun to watch?!?
wow: How a 17-Year Old Is Helping to Feed 12,000 Homeless People
tears: love, love, love this! #BeTheGift #TheBrokenWay
Scientists Show How Gratitude Literally Alters The Heart & Molecular Structure Of The Brain #1000Gifts
…yeah, we aren’t about to let anything steal our thankfulness today.
Because all of us folks down in the trenches know it:
If you let something steal your thanks?
You let something steal your joy,
And if you let something steal your joy?
You let something steal your strength.
Our friends at FaithGateway have graciously chosen One Thousand Gifts as their next FREE (!!!) online Bible study, beginning November 18th and leading right up to Christmas. They are inviting us to walk all over again – or maybe for the very first time? – through the discipline of counting gifts and finding joy – right. where. you. are!
I hope you will join in this life-changing, life-transforming opportunity that could change the rest of your life!
just so grateful for the teachers who pray
You teachers are heroes and soul shapers and generation strengtheners and we’re passing you down a cup of hot tea and all giving you a standing ovation!
Why Heaven Will Never Be Boring
Mountains of Cheese
The U.S. is the No. 1 most generous country in the world for the last decade
…that’s the conclusion of the World Giving Index, a ranking that measured how likely residents of 128 countries were to practice acts of generosity
running into moments like this? the best
On Letting My Kids Go, and Realizing They Were Never Mine in the First Place thank you, Scott Sauls
come see: Inside The Longest Flight Ever: 19 Hours, 10,000 Miles
Parenting Prodigals: Do you really believe what you say you believe?
this one is worth pondering
the wonder of it: Postcard From Patagonia: Creating a National Park
please don’t miss? One Boy’s Story of Fear and Hope
Beyond grateful for the saving work of Compassion International
Jim Roberts, the man known as Mr. Playground, has been committed to building playgrounds for kids since 1998.
The 93-year-old is about to finish his 74th playground in Napa Valley, California, and has already set his sights on the next one.
The inspiring story of cancer survivor Casey O’Brien’s first snap in college
a story about the old friends…we forgot we ever had
Post of the week from these parts here
How to Finish the Year Strong: The Year’s Crowning 60 Days
This post is kinda absolutely everything right now.
Who doesn’t want to finish the year strong?
Hallelujah, You have saved me…
THIS! THIS! THIS! IT’S FINALLY HERE! WATCH HOW TO KICK OFF THE SEASON!
TONIGHT IS THE NIGHT! THIS IS IT! LET US KNOW YOU’RE IN!
This one-of-a-kind live webcast event will be filled with inspiration & fun & practical tools for THE MOST AMAZING CHRISTMAS! Decor! Food! Music! Gifts! We have it all — and like you’ve never seen before — all telling the BEST FAIR & GOOD STORY to celebrate the Greatest Story ever told!
DO NOT MISS TONIGHT’S FREE WEBCAST: HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS!
November is here!
Easy, doable ideas for *the whole family* to Give It Forward Today — to be the G.I.F.T. Love is a verb and that verb is give. For God so loved the world — HE GAVE. You only have one life — to love well.
And just for you, when you grab the “Be the Gift” book? Your farm girl here will immediately email you your own gift of THE WHOLE 12 MONTH *Intentional* Acts of Givenness #BeTheGIFT Calendar link to download and print from home!
Love is a verb and that verb is give. For God so loved the world — HE GAVE. You only have one life — to love well.
Pick up #BeTheGIFT — Then receive your own #BeTheGIFT printable calendar by letting us know you picked up a copy of “Be the Gift” here
Love is a verb and that verb is give. For God so loved the world — HE GAVE. You only have one life — to love well.
Pick up Be The Gift & live the life you’ve longed to
on repeat this week: God’s Not Done With You
…yeah, so the day can get itself all in a wad that this week’s gotta be killer amazing if you’re going to survive the pounding surf of everything coming at you —
So let’s just go ahead & kill that little notion right now. You don’t have to get it all perfect & nail it — Jesus already took the nails & finished it, so perfect’s been done & He’s handed His perfect over to you.
So — what if we all just forget right now about being Perfectionist Enablers & instead were Presence Enjoyers? Presence Enjoyers of God, Presence Enjoyers of People, Presence Enjoyers of His ridiculous gift of Now, Today!
Yeah, we’re all over Enabling Perfectionism. Because where real life is at? Is Enjoying Presence. Because, bottom line:
Perfectionism isn’t a fruit of the Spirit —
JOY is.
[excerpted from our little Facebook family … come join us each day?]
That’s all for this weekend, friends.
Go slow. Be God-struck. Grant grace. Live Truth.
Give Thanks. Love well. Re – joy, re- joy, ‘re- joys’ again
Share Whatever Is Good.
November 1, 2019
How to Finish the Year Strong: The Year’s Crowning 60 Days
N
ow, now we begin the crowning 60. “Any dreamer can start strong, but only the strong finish the dreams.”
The last 60 days of the year. Good things can still be birthed.
My grandpa, sitting there at the end of the table with his crown of tussled grey and his knee-thin Levis, he used to say: “Any dreamer can start strong, but only the strong finish the dreams.”
Whatever the dream for the year — joy was what we wanted to wake to.
Gratefulness isn’t hard. Forgetting to be grateful is what makes life hard.
I knew a woman once
who waited
for the perfect day,
the ultimate raise,
the long applause,
the mountain retreat,
the magic number,
the noticed thanks,
the wanted affirmation
that never came —
and for far too long she had no idea that it could just be
the cotton bedsheets pulled up and made smooth in a messy room,
or even the cold water straight from the earth below her there at the edge
of the cup tipped at her lips that slipped down like the perfect answer
or even this regular moment with her heart drumming
like a wild anthem within her,
because on any old day, even this one, it is never too late,
all she had to do was write down these smallest slivers of grace in her everyday because:
Gratefulness isn’t hard.
Forgetting to be grateful is what makes life hard.
If you aren’t noticeably grateful with what you have right now, why think you’d be noticeably joyful when you have more?
All she had to say to herself for the last 60 days is:
‘Keep your eyes open to the gifts all around you — that you get to open if you just pay attention.’
That woman who waited far too long was me, but the last decade of my life has had the last moments of the day spent in giving thanks, writing down the day’s gifts, and I can testify for living it:
You can spend your one life in a waiting room, waiting to be finally called into see more joy, more fulfillment, more of the abundant life you dreamed of —- but you miss out on fully living the joy of your life, when you keep waiting for another life to make you joyful.
If you aren’t noticeably grateful with what you have right now, why think you’d be noticeably joyful when you have more?
Nothing says beauty quite the simplicity of grace. Grace Crafted Home
Favorite #fairtrade kitchenware: Grace Crafted Home
All from Grace Crafted Home.
The last ten years have tutored me in joy:
Everything is training you to think you need more to be more joyful, when the truth is, if we’d just daily train ourselves to be more thankful, we get to be infinitely more joyful.
The more we need — is more thankfulness.
When I stand at the kitchen sink yesterday and launch into this rant about all that’s going wrong and spew on and on, a son who curled up on knee when I first began the practice of gratitude, and who now towers over me a man of 6 ft 3, he says quietly,
“Mom? I just finishing reading this book about…” and this sheepish grin spreads across his face, and he winks“ —- about giving thanks in all things.”
My eyebrows shoot up awkward and I smile thinly.
“I read it because it was time to change the way I saw my life — which is actually changing my life —“ he smiles kindly… “So — tell me three things you’re thankful for right now?”
I look him in the eye and smile back.
“A life that is meaningful — starts with a heart that is grateful.”
The ordinary moments of today are miraculous answers to long-ago prayers.
And I take a deep breath in front of the once-little-boy now-made-man who’s being the friend I now need and I murmur that I am thankful for it right now: the way the morning light’s dancing up the wall, the way this son’s standing like a man before me so tall, the way the calendar page turns here now, the way I can turn even now.
And I begin again, because we always get to begin again.
A life that is meaningful — starts with a heart that is grateful.
All the great lives start with a habit of gratefulness.
“Intentional gratefulness is great rant intervention. Vent—about all that’s good to let your soul breathe.”
And I begin the last 60 days of the year counting gifts, writing down gifts to literally re-write the neural pathways in the brain, choosing gratitude because I choose to finish strong.
Thankfulness in small things —- can give you joy in everything.
I turn to thank my son in the kitchen because I hadn’t known it ever just quite like that:
Intentional gratefulness is great rant intervention.
Vent — about all that’s good to let your soul breathe.
November the 1st and the last 60 days will be about counting gifts, because even the slow-learners like this woman know:
Crown the year with thanks, and you wake to joy reigning over your wide-open eyes.
There’s glory lighting now in all the trees down the lane, right to the very end.
Are you ready to wake up to real living?
This is absolutely amazing & completely unexpected but our friends at FaithGateway (!!! Sister site to Biblegateway!!!) have chosen One Thousand Gifts as their next FREE (!!!) online Bible study, beginning November 18th and leading right up to Christmas.
So that you get the gift of true life transformation.
Want to reset, refresh, reboot your life and literally rewire your brain: Sign up now for the FREE One Thousand Gifts Online Bible Study, led by FaithGateway, and you’ll get access to all the learning videos (sent to your email each week of the study), and a whole bundle of free beautiful tools to make lasting life change.
Want a little preview of the genuine life-change that more than a million people just like you have already experienced:
FaithGateway is hosting this Premiere event for the One Thousand Gifts Online Bible Study, right here on Facebook, just for you! – next Monday, November 4 at 9PM EST.
You will get to watch a special preview video from the study, and our friends at FaithGateway will be online to answer all your questions!
More than a MILLION people have already stepped into the life-change of this experience.
Sign up — and see how things can look up —
for the rest of your one wild and beautiful life.
October 30, 2019
Instead of Lacking Trust: How to Have a Different Kind of Trust
If I ask a person why they aren’t in church today, many may say it’s because of the hypocrisy of Christians. For Mary Jo Sharp, this objection is personal, painful, and forms the background of her latest book, Why I Still Believe. Though she’s an apologist and professor, her experiences in the church have driven her to question if Christianity is true…or even worth it. Having been drawn to God through the beauty of His creation, but seeing the ugliness of human failings, she’s heartbroken that what she found in church didn’t match what she longed for. Mary Jo calls her journey an “anti-deconversion” story about finding hope and answers in the grace of truth of Jesus. It’s a grace to welcome Mary Jo to the farm’s front porch today…
My husband isn’t good at recognizing the difference in women’s clothing sizes. However, he is extremely thoughtful about washing, folding, and putting away laundry.
When these two characteristics come together, it can be quite amusing.
Roger would fold the laundry and put the items in our dresser drawers. Then, in the morning, I would open my underwear drawer and find my preteen daughter’s set of underwear staring back at me.
“Roger-dodger?” “Yes?”
“Where are you? I need to show you something.”
“I’m in the kitchen.”
I sauntered into the kitchen with my daughter’s underwear halfway up one leg over my clothing, a completely serious look on my face. “So, I think I’ll wear these today. I found them in my drawer. What do you think?”
Roger smiled. “Oh, that’s not your underwear, is it?” “No, but I’m flattered that you think I’d fit into these.”
It wasn’t just an underwear issue. Roger’s clothing-size judgment skills extended to all pieces of my wardrobe. Over the years, I’ve found my shirts in Emily’s room and my jeans in Roger’s closet. I routinely engage in impromptu fashion shows to demonstrate the error.
Now, suppose for a moment that I didn’t recognize the error before I put an item on. Assume that I just put on the under- wear and then wondered why I felt uncomfortable.
For me, that is what “churchy faith” felt like. Trying to put on my church’s cultural expression of faith made me feel like an imposter, like I was wearing someone else’s Jesus-believing clothes.
Yet I had no idea how to find a genuinely fitting faith. And so doubt began to creep into my soul.
However, my ability to pinpoint the problem was as bad as Roger’s ability to determine whose underwear was whose. I felt lost in this endeavor.
“I initially viewed doubt as an enemy of faith.”
I had no training from the church in how to handle cantankerous church people, much less how to handle doubt about God’s existence stemming from those same church people.
So what if I’d read a book that gave me evidence for the claims of Christianity? I still had concerns and questions.
Further aggravating the issue, I felt caged by my circumstances, for I determined there was no person I could truly trust to discuss this matter with, especially not as a staff wife. Plus, the few times I had opened up about serious life issues, I had been burned by the fiery arrows of gossip and marginalization.
The Christians I had met so far taught me (albeit indirectly) to hide my problems and my doubts.
Due to my experiences, I initially viewed doubt as an enemy of faith.
It took me a long time to realize that maybe doubt could be viewed as part of growing up.
“It was not a lack of any trust, just a different kind of trust. It was a growing, maturing faith and trust.”
As a child, though I liked to argue, there was a time when I just trusted my parents and their authority in my life.
Of course, being strong-willed, I had my moments of rebellion. But for the most part I trusted and obeyed my parents.
In my later childhood and early teenage years my knowledge of the world began to expand, and I began to have doubts about things my parents said and believed.
I often questioned them or pushed back on them. My parents never assumed any ill will or lack of love as the reason for my questions. They knew that I was still young and navigating my way in the world.
I was outgrowing my old clothes of belief. My childhood faith and trust in my parents didn’t fit me anymore, for I needed to develop a deeper kind of faith and trust.
It was not a lack of any trust, just a different kind of trust. It was a growing, maturing faith and trust. I needed appropriately sized clothing for my current age.
When I playfully paraded around the house in my daughter’s clothing, I didn’t expect to continue to wear that clothing the rest of the day.
Neither should I want to parade around in my initial thoughts about God as I get older as a Christian. However, I was donning those youthful Christian belief clothes.
“I didn’t really understand how to bring together the reality that while God’s character doesn’t change, mine was changing.”
This lack of maturing in my understanding of God made a substantial impact on me for ill.
I didn’t really understand how to bring together the reality that while God’s character doesn’t change, mine was changing. In fact, everything around me was changing.
All these changes impacted my thoughts, ideas, and character.
Plus, as I’ve aged, I have seen much more disease, suffering, death, and evil. Ideas, such as God’s goodness, that once seemed rather basic or easy to accept, now had to contend with my experiences of the wretchedness of human evil.
Acceptance of God’s goodness took much more understanding, and so the questions came.
However, should my questioning be equated to an ill will or lack of love toward God? No.
While I can certainly pervert or manipulate questioning in several ways, ill will is not a necessary propertyof questioning. Even Scripture reminds us to “have mercy on those who doubt” (Jude 1:22).
“We’re all learning how to trust God, from the newest to the oldest of believers.”
Rather, what I needed, and what the church has always needed, is a community dedicated to growing older and more mature in faith together.
We’re all learning how to trust God, from the newest to the oldest of believers.
In an environment where doubt and questioning are viewed as a part of human development, faith and trust can flourish rather than diminish.
We need a place where we can learn, make mistakes, and cultivate an appropriate faith-wardrobe of a maturing believer in God.
A former atheist who came to faith, Mary Jo Sharp has experienced two worlds of American culture: the post-Christian culture of the Pacific Northwest and the evangelical culture of the Bible Belt. She first encountered apologetics in her own spiritual search while seeking answers. Now Mary Jo is an assistant professor of apologetics at Houston Baptist University and the founder and director of Confident Christianity Apologetics Ministry.
For those who feel the ever-present tension between the beauty of salvation and the dark side of human nature, Why I Still Believe is a candid and approachable case for believing in God when you really want to walk away.With fresh and thoughtful insights, this spiritual narrative presents relevant answers to haunting questions like: Isn’t there too much pain and suffering to believe? Is it okay to have doubt? What do I do with it? Does atheism better explain the human experience? How does the truth of Christianity matter when the behaviors of Christians are reprehensible?
At once logical and loving, Mary Jo reframes the gospel as it truly is: the good news of redemption. God’s story is not only powerful but also wonderous in its apologetic evidence. With firmly grounded truths, Why I Still Believe is an affirming reminder that the hypocrisy of Christians can never negate the transforming grace and truth of Christ.
[ Our humble thanks to Zondervan for their partnership in today’s devotion ]
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