Tag: love

Seeds of Hope

Good morning God. I come with a heavy heart this morning. I am tired of all the hate and violence in our world. It hit home this morning, as I watch a loved one and his family struggle with the grief of violence.

This morning, I lift prayers up for this family and every family walking through pain and loss today caused by hate and violence. We know life has always been a struggle between peace and violence. Good and evil. We know love and peace give hope to a broken world. That is something that so many of us are striving for in this world. We also realize that there is a group of people spreading hate and violence to destroy peace, hope and love. Good and gracious God, we know hate and violence tries to shatter love and hope. We know hate and violence can tear apart people, families and communities. But we also know that by loving and caring for the hurting, we can bring hope and love back to broken relationships and communities.

In each of us, is a seed of peace and love. It calls out not only to be recognized, but to be nurtured and cared for. As we scroll through social media or turn on the tv, we see what seems like an endless stream of hate and violence. Dear God, help us hold on to those seeds of peace, hope, love and unity.

As fear and violence try to destroy and divide us, may our repulsion of these actions turn us to the soil of our souls. May we instead plant seeds of hope, love and peace. May we work together to nurture those seeds of change. Regardless of skin color, different faiths, cultures or political views may we work together to create change. Not just change for this generation, but for generations to come.

Dear God, do not allow us not to buy into the lies that resistance of violence requires anger, aggression and animosity. No, keep reminding us that peace, prayers, love and community are the ways to achieve the positive changes we cry out for.

Dear God, remind us that love and peace are a constant pursuit and they only grow when we nurture and care for them. Peace, hope and love require constant tending, mindfulness in every moment, and a willingness to see each person as a reflection of You. Amen. ~OC

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Walking Through Chronic Illness

Today’s a new day! Walking through this crazy beautiful health journey can be a daunting task. Anybody dealing with chronic illness can relate. At times it can feel we are not truly living. On days we are barely surviving how can we possibly live for God? When simple daily tasks overwhelm us, how can we even think of living for and serving God? We know He calls us to live for Him, but what does that look like when you’re walking through a season of suffering?

Before I attempt to answer those questions, let us discuss how to go about living for God. When we think of truly living for God our imagination can lead us to mission work in a third world country or preaching in front of a large crowd. But there are many different ways to walk out our faith. Living for God is simply walking out the words and teachings of God. Striving to live a life that points people to God and brings Him glory. A person dealing with chronic health issues can still live for and make a difference for God. It may just look differently than a healthy person. So, no matter your current condition there are always ways that you can glorify God through them. Here are some lessons I have learned during this crazy beautiful health journey.

  1. It’s okay that the way we live for God looks different than the way that healthy people do. In Romans 12:4-5 we read the following words, “For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another.” In his amazing wisdom, God did not create us all with the same gifts or the same circumstances. He doesn’t expect us to serve Him in the exact same way that anybody else does. This is one of the beautiful things about the church. We see how God uses many people in different ways to accomplish things for His Kingdom.

Trying to live for God in a way that is identical to someone else would be so boring. When we attempt to live out someone else’s race, we can become consumed with trying to measure up  to other people that it ends up paralyzing us. Any time our focus shifts from seeking to glorify God, to comparing ourselves with others, it leads to discouragement. The truth is, we can never do as much as healthy people because of our physical limitations, and that’s okay. Serving God isn’t about how much we can do for Him, but using whatever ability we do have for His glory. Focusing on what we are unable to do causes us to stop doing the “small” things that we can do. If we choose to focus on the abilities and opportunities we still have, we are able to live out the gifts God has given us.

Life is not a competition. We miss out on so many opportunities when we try and make life a competition. Serving God in different ways doesn’t make it a lesser way. Even healthy people serve in different capacities. The truth is that nobody, regardless of physical  ability can live for God and serve Him as much as He deserves. He is infinitely worthy, and even if we poured out our entire lives for Him without fail, it would still not be enough. So let’s stop comparing ourselves to others and instead boldly live out the plan God has for your life.

  1. God has a purpose for each of our lives and will give us the tools to accomplish that purpose. From the beginning of time, God has been faithful to provide our needs. Any ability anyone has to live for God is a gift from Him. If God is the one giving us the strength to live for Him then we don’t need to rely on our own. We, the chronically ill, are reminded daily of the harsh reality of our weakness. Our weakness is not a hindrance to God. It’s just a different channel for Him to work through. In 2 Corinthians 3:4-5 we read these powerful words, “And we have such trust through Christ toward God. Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God.” As this verse highlights, a biblical view of our insufficiency leads to increased trust in God. Because we know there isn’t anything in and of ourselves that makes us able to serve Him, we can trust that His love will remain constant. His love remains constant even in the seasons when we feel like we are not able to serve Him the way we desire to. We have to remember, God always provides us with His strength to get through the difficult days. God always provides a way.
  2. God knows our limitations and has prepared things that you can do for Him with your current physical state. Our current health situation is not a surprise to God. He didn’t create a plan for our lives only to find out that we cannot do them in our current physical or mental state. Remember, God is sovereign and all-knowing. Before we were born, God knew the seasons of life we would walk through. God knew the challenges we would face. And He designed things for you to do to His glory as you live life with chronic illness. Ephesians 2:10 tells us this; “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.”

Our limitations are real and valid. We should never be ashamed of our limitations. But through God’s power we can overcome all the limitations and storms life throws at us. God can miraculously work through our struggles in ways that are impossible for anyone but Him.

  1. Finally, living life, trusting God, and praising Him in the midst of the storms we face sometimes doesn’t seem very flashy or important. So many times Christians strive to look like super heroes to the world during their season of challenges. But God isn’t concerned  with how we look to other people. Simply being faithful to God in the midst of suffering doesn’t seem like a very big way to serve Him, but honestly it can be harder to persevere in the day to day struggles of life than to do one Huge thing for God. Simply living for God and thriving through our weaknesses can bring Him glory.

As we walk through our season of chronic illness, we will need to be vulnerable and let some people know what we’re going through. That circle of people can be as big or small as you want it to be. But if we do not let people know the struggles we are facing, how will they be able to walk with us during this difficult season? How will they experience the amazing power of God as He works in our lives? We do not have to share every little detail of our daily struggles, but share enough so people can pray for you. If we intentionally hide all our struggles from others, we are potentially robbing them of a blessing and the opportunity to see God at work.

We also have to constantly be in prayer. Our prayers are how we ask God for the strength to live for Him and thrive during this season of discomfort. Prayer is a lifestyle and a huge aspect of living our lives for God.

Joyfulness is one of the beautiful gifts in our walk with God. Our circumstances may be difficult, but when people see that we still have joy even though we are suffering, it points them to God. It is only through Him that we can have true joy, which is not shaped or determined by any circumstance. Where do we get this type of joy? This joy is a result of regularly saturating ourselves with God’s Word. By constantly keeping our eyes fixed on the promises of God. We can live in peace and joy, knowing God has our current situation under control and is working it out for our good.

So, let people see that you are suffering, but also let them see how God is allowing you to thrive and walk in joy during the suffering.

Walking through chronic illness is not easy. Never let anyone tell you how to live out your story. Each day is a struggle, but praise God that He is the one who guides us through those tough days. So, even if the way you serve God looks different than your healthy neighbor it is not lesser. I encourage you to keep leaning into the promises of God, the Author and Finisher of our faith, and keep on living for Him out of gratitude for the blessings in your life. ~OC

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God Is Watching

Today’s a new day! I have been a Christian for almost 50 years. Definitely not a perfect one, but striving to be a positive light in a dark world. During these almost 50 years, I have seen a lot of things come and go in the Church. But the past 8-10 years, I have seen something that is very troubling. I have witnessed many Christians, including leaders in the church allow their politics to become more of an identity marker than their faith. Some have agued they are interpreting their politics through the prism of scripture, with the former subordinate to the latter, but in fact scripture and biblical truths have often been twisted to fit their political agendas.

The problem is not Christians being involved in the political world. The problem is when Christians and leaders of the church allow politics to eclipse the gospel. That is damaging and dangerous to the church and those watching from a distance.

Whether we like it or not, the world is watching how Christians and churches deal with the issues of the day. Including politics. This election season, will Christians and the Church show love, respect, compassion and grace or will they choose a candidate or political party over the gospel? The world and God are watching. ~OC

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God Is With You

Today’s a new day! I hope you know God is always with you. You never need to walk alone. God always goes before you. He stands with you. Whatever you might be walking through today, be confident God is with you. ~OC

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Keep Showing Up

Today’s a new day! You may not have much to bring to the table right now. And that’s okay. Sometimes just showing up requires extraordinary strength and faith. You could find a million reasons to give up, but please don’t. In the wilderness, showing up is an act of worship, a step of obedience towards God and a firm no in the face of the enemy’s lies. ~OC

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Hope

Today’s a new day! I believe Hope is one of the most important tools in our toolbox. Hope is not based on our circumstances. No, it’s a firm conviction, a way of seeing the world. Hope is what carries us through difficult times. We know God is in control, regardless of what our struggles might lead us to believe. We trust suffering is temporary and that God will use even the worst of situations for good. Evil might have the first word (cancer, broken relationships, etc), but we boldly proclaim that God will have the final word.

Many times in the last twenty-one years, I’ve found encouragement in 2 Corinthians 12:8-9, “Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.”

I may or may not regain my health. That’s in God’s hands. But as I continue to walk through this crazy beautiful health journey, I will hold on to God’s hope, love and grace. That’s more than enough for me. ~OC

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A Different View

Today’s a new day! I have several friends who do not like going to church, but they think Jesus is really cool. When Jesus was walking on earth, thousands of people flocked to hear him teach. He had something worth saying and his message was life changing. If you are a Christian how do you live? If a non-Christian spent the day with you, would they change the way they viewed Christians?

Some people believe that the Church is a place that is only for people who are good enough. Nothing could be further from the truth. The faith lived out by Jesus was one that was taken up by people who were the wrong sort according to the religious people of the day. They did not have it all together. People came to Jesus with their imperfections and some turned to him and called on him for forgiveness and he forgave them and he led them in a new life. Jesus never sent anyone away who was imperfect and he never sent people away who didn’t agree with him or who didn’t want to follow his teaching. One of his disciples Peter, cut off the ear of one of the people who had come to arrest Jesus (John 18:10), Peter also denied knowing Jesus three times (Mark 14:66-72). In Matthew 16:18, Jesus shares these powerful words, “Now I say to you that you are Peter (which means ‘rock’), and upon this rock I will build my church, and all the powers of hell will not conquer it.” In Peter we see the worst and best of the Christian faith, but Jesus loved him and still chose to work with and through him.

Where some Christians go wrong is that they try to portray themselves as perfect rather than the truth which is that we are all broken and thankfully have been forgiven. That as Christians, we are all on a journey of change. I’ve heard it said that: God loves us as we are, but he also loves us too much to leave us that way.

When we make the choice to follow Jesus we are born again, spiritually beginning a new life. The Bible also talks about us reflecting the glory of God as he changes us (2 Corinthians 3:18). The apostle Paul who wrote most of the New Testament talks about a battle going on in every Christian between the Spirit (God in us) and our sinful nature (Romans 7:9). Who will we listen to? Will we live for ourselves only or do we want to live for God?

I pray every Christian will walk securely in God’s love, acceptance, forgiveness, grace and all of His beautiful gifts. I pray as God’s children, we will be guided by the Holy Spirit living in us to keep on striving to become more like Jesus. ~OC

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New Normal

Today’s a new day! As I continue to walk through this crazy beautiful health journey, my life has been filled with many new normals. During all of the new normals, I have learned a new normal does not mean that God has thrown away His plan for me. A new normal does not mean that I am less than anyone else. A new normal has made me the person I am today.

When I decided to embrace the truth of the new normals in my life, I experienced a beautiful freedom. I can still live a full life in this broken body even on days I wish I could return it. I started focusing on what I had and what I could still do.

With this broken, but blessed body:

I can still live and lead an intentional, meaningful life.

I can still worship God in all I do.

I can still love and serve others.

I can still cherish time with my family and friends.

I can still cultivate new and old meaningful friendships.

I can still grow and bloom right where God has me planted.

Sometimes when we walk through the storms of life, we may feel that God isn’t there. Well friend, I have some great news for you. He is. Keep walking in that truth. ~OC

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Gift of Grace Part 3

Today’s a new day! Grace is simultaneously a call to rest and a call to action. There is nothing more freeing than knowing that we have contributed nothing to our salvation. It means we can do nothing to mess it up. Praise God that it is “by grace we have been saved through faith”—and that even this faith is a “gift of God” so that there is no room for boasting (Ephesians 2:8-9). Praise God that nothing “will be able to separate us from the love of Christ” (Romans 8:39). Indeed, we fix our eyes on Jesus as the “founder and the perfecter of our faith” (Hebrews 12:2), knowing He will be faithful to complete the work He has started in us (Phil 1:6). Our trust is in who God is and in what He has done on our behalf. What a sweet joy to rest in that truth. But resting in that truth is not a call to sit on the bench. No, in light of the fact that our standing in Christ is sure, we are called to get to work. No sooner does Paul tell us that we are saved by grace through faith does he tell us that we were “created in Christ Jesus for good works” (Ephesians 2:10). Even after telling us to fix our eyes on Jesus, the author of Hebrews goes on to tell us to “strive . . . for holiness” (Hebrews 12:14). When we experience the amazing grace of God, we cannot just check out and wait for Jesus to come back. No, we called to be the first fruits of a coming kingdom, showing all creation what the restored image of God looks like (James 1:18; Romans 8:18-23, 29-30). “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come” (2 Corinthians 5:17). And this newness isn’t just “not sinning”; rather, this newness is marked by a zeal to advance Christ’s kingdom (2 Corinthians 5:20). Never shortchange the power of grace. As believers, we have a responsibility to share the transforming gift of grace with a lost and hurting world. even as it is transforming us. ~OC

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Gift of Grace Part 2

Today’s a new day! Being a Christian and living a life saved by grace does not mean we take sin less seriously; it means we take sin more seriously. We cannot continue to live in our old self and continually bring out the grace card. Yes, we are saved by grace through faith and not by works. But that doesn’t mean we can be flippant about our sin. Jesus told us, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments” (John 14:15). The Apostle Peter reminded us that “as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct” (1 Peter 1:15). Genuine faith produces the fruit of good works; by the same token, “faith apart from works is dead” (James 2:26). That’s why Paul, even after he has told us that there is “no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1), admonished us to “put to death the deeds of the body,” which themselves lead to death (Romans 8:13). If we take a casual attitude toward sin, we will eventually take a casual attitude toward Jesus. While we should never live in guilt and shame over sin from which we have truly repented, we cannot allow ourselves to live a life where we think that a decision to follow Jesus means anything less than actually following Him. ~OC

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