Tag Archives: Grace

Door Knockers

01 Monday Nov 2021

Posted by in Encouragement, MONDAY MUSINGS

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“For a great and effective door has opened to me, and there are many adversaries.” I Corinthians 16:9

NKJV

 

Who knocks on doors any more? With little yapping house dogs, the popular door bell, and (rudely, yes) car horns, there doesn’t seem to be much door knocking lately. 

I was recently given a brass door knocker inscribed with my dad’s last name. As I began to count those of my paternal grandparents’ descendants who could possibly use it, the thought occurred to me how rarely we knock, literally and figuratively, on doors. Likewise, how often do we miss a knock on the door. The last time I knocked on a door I got sore knuckles and no answer.

 

Opportunity may come knocking; guests, maybe; hard times sure can come a knockin’ and the proverbial wolf at the door may have slipped through. Will I answer? When fear of the unknown halts my hand from opening, I’ll never know what stands on the other side. Open it anyway. It doesn’t mean I have to let it all in. Greet it bravely; hope for the best, embrace the potential to be the good someone needs. Perhaps we will be called outside our threshold  of comfort; or we may seize an opportunity to draw someone from their cold circumstances into our warmth. Be kind and if kindness demands a parting of the way, be kind still. When the wolf is at the door, be thankful for the smallest things and he will flee from you. When the hand of goodness is extended to you, grab it. Offer grace to the not so good, for you may see it again someday, transformed by your grace. 

“Let brotherly love continue. Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some have unwittingly entertained angels.” Hebrews 13: 1-2

 

I have, no doubt, left the door shut for fear it might be ‘hard times’, inconvenience, or an adversary.  I imagine Jesus was on the other side inviting me to go with Him on some mission of good. I probably felt pushed for time, or resources (aka money), or more than likely felt inadequate to meet the challenge. A less honorable, and probably more truthful excuse would be laziness, pure and simple. It takes effort to answer the door. But if we do invite opportunity in, she may require shuffling some furniture to accommodate her or she might have dirty feet.  I’m sure the images each of us see on the other side of our figurative door, are all different. Asking a neighbor to bible study; overseas mission work; prison ministry; cleaning house for someone disabled; watching a stressed momma’s kids while she takes a break, and the list is endless. I hope and pray we can all open when opportunity knocks, extend hospitality and in turn find the joy of working elbow to elbow with Christ; feeding the hungry, housing the homeless, clothing the poor, tending the sick and visiting jails.  (Matthew 25: 35-37)

As I hold the smooth shiny door knocker in my hand, I feel driven to find a home for it. Hopefully my musing the matter of doors will propel me toward opening my closed and careful world to be more like Jesus.

A Cup O’ Grace

19 Wednesday Feb 2020

Posted by in Faith

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…not with fleshly wisdom but by the grace of God…

It is hard to find the beginning in a story of grace because one good thing done was preceded by another and another before it, and so on. Today I had opportunity to extend a cup of grace, though a very small one. Lest you think I am about to boast in myself, I’ll assure you I am not. It seems that for every time I remember to be gracious, there are several other hands of grace from whom I’ve been fed.

My husband stays away from coffee like it was leprosy and has for about forty years since he got so sick over a thermos of it. Fatigue, too much coffee and the smells inside the plant got to him and you do not want to hear the rest of that story. He was working a night shift in addition to his farming in order for me to be a stay-at-home momma. I guess that’s the beginning of this chain of grace. Fast forward to present day, he makes sure I get a loaded coffee card each Christmas, to drink all the coffee I want in spite of his hatred for the stuff; grace cup number two. Today I visited a local coffee shop to redeem my free cup-of-your-choice reward. A medium hot macchiato with unsweet vanilla please. “I’ll have that right out for you,” the employee said.  A couple of pretty young girls were waited on after my order was taken; two or three cars were served through the to-go window; still no macchiato. My husband saw how busy they were and commented that they don’t get paid enough, and went to wait for me in the car. Another customer was served, still none for me. I sat with my eyes closed for a bit and let the sun wash over me for calm (cup of grace number three). Finally I just asked, “Have you made that macchiato yet?” Shock, dismay and remorse washed over the poor guy’s face. He apologized humbly and began filling the order. Another barista asked if he could refund my money to which I said, “No, that’s ok, it was free anyway”. He then offered to put another free coffee on my account. For a moment I almost said yes, but then I remembered: many are the times I have been graciously excused and forgiven for some oversight, forgotten obligation, or even an intentional wrong done. I smiled and said, “No, thank you, it’s all right.” I left with a delicious hot beverage and a lift in my step because he had not made excuses, and expressed in his own way that I was valued as a customer, as a person, in a world of excuses and blame games. 

Just yesterday on the other hand, yours truly was served with grace, as I was handing a bitter cup to a phone agent while I simultaneously hammered out an e-mail to their live chat agent. The online floral delivery to an out of town office did not get there by noon after I had paid the extra five bucks for designated delivery time.  I was not ugly, but I stated in an irritated voice, that I was not happy, and the whole purpose of getting the flowers there by, yadda yadda, yadda…you get the idea. Right? After a lengthy wait, (during which time I was mentally formulating a customer satisfaction survey reply, should there be one) the very kind phone agent had arranged to have my extra five dollars refunded, and asked if I wanted to have the flowers delivered to a residence instead, or cancel altogether, or leave any instructions at all for the mistake to be corrected. I changed my mind twice with him, let the live chat agent off the hook, and communicated by text with the intended recipient, all at the same time. Turns out the flowers were delivered, but someone forgot to enter that in the tracking  thing-a-mabob. My daughter had been notified by an efficient receptionist that she had a delivery, but since it missed her, they would be redelivering in two days when she is there. I didn’t even know they could do that! 

Results? God was gracious in answering my prayer for my daughter’s successful conference presentation, with or without flowers. The customer service agent never even sounded slightly ruffled with me. The live chat ended with an apology for my inconvenience. I am five dollars better off. My daughter was just as grateful as if she had received the flowers beforehand – it was the thought that counted. I was lavishly graced.  

As I enjoyed my coffee, I was comparing my minor inconveniences with the countless atrocities God covers  with grace if we will just say, “I am sorry. I have no excuse. I want to make it right.” His grace flows in the blood of Jesus Christ to right our wrongs, cleanse our stains and redirect our wayward steps. There is nothing I can offer God, like a free coffee, to make up for my mistakes; it is He instead, Who keeps offering me redemption. I want to be like Him.

2 Corinthians 1:12 (MSG) Now that the worst is over, we’re pleased we can report that we’ve come out of this with conscience and faith intact, and can face the world – and even more importantly, face you with our heads held high. But it wasn’t by any fancy footwork on our part. It was God who kept us focused on him, uncompromised. (The Message Bible)

2 Corinthians 1:12 (NKJV) For our boasting is this: the testimony of our conscience that we conducted ourselves in the world in simplicity and godly sincerity, not with fleshly wisdom but by the grace of God, and more abundantly toward you. (NKJV)

Grace for Guilt: An Exchange of Enough

10 Wednesday Oct 2018

Posted by in Faith, inspiration, Poetry

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I am guilty. Nothing I am or ever will do, can remove that guilt nor be enough for God’s acceptance. The one thing that makes me as good as new, guiltless, is the grace of God, and that is enough. I have only just begun to realize the depth of that grace. My everything isn’t enough; His enough is everything.

“But God…made us alive…and raised us up…that He might show the exceeding riches of His grace…in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.” Ephesians 2:4-10 (NKJV)

The BEST deal of all ages, hands down, is in that section of Ephesians 2.. To stress what God did, I left out the prepositional phrases where Paul explains when, where, how and why. It makes more impact on my brain if I cut through the chase first to get the noun and verbs – the main thing being said. God – made, raised, and saved. YOU, ME, us; when? Even when we were dead in our sins, (verse 5) Hallelujah!

I must thank Karen Bolls for a really good lesson last Wednesday night and the inspiration for this blog article. She titled it ‘NEW’ with the main points being “recently created, fresh, clean, untouched”, being unworthy and made new by God through the blood of Christ. My trigger was tripped as thoughts of grace in the place of my guilt flooded my mind.

Just as verse 5 answered the question when, the other questions are answered as well. Where? In Christ. How? By God’s grace. Why? Because of His great love. That beautiful grace that answers how, is my focus here. As the scripture points out, it is not by faith (“that not of yourselves”) and it is not by works (lest we think we have any claim to power) that we are saved.

From the tempter’s first encounter with woman, he has continually striven to ruin mankind’s relationship with our Holy Father. We, being human, continually participate  in those efforts and would never be clean enough to come before God, if not for the cleansing blood of Christ. We’re like the child with brand new sneakers on, always destined for  the nearest patch of dirt, who would never wear clean shoes if not for Maytag, Tide, and a forgiving mom! But, we have to get the shoes off the child first!

I love a good deal! Fifty percent off? Yes ma’am! Trade me that cool sweater for a jacket I never use? Sure! There’s always an exchange for what we want. While nothing can be given to Him that makes us deserving of God’s grace, within that grace is provided the means of exchange:  His forgiveness for our repentance. We lay down our guilt through faith that He can do it, and He makes us clean in our obedience of immersion into the blood of Jesus.  His grace is that He allows our faith to do simple works, and He calls it a done deal. He didn’t have to do it; but his great love for us caused Him to have mercy, and extend the grace. By that grace, He provided a means of forgiveness and acceptance – and all I have to give Him is my heart so He can dump out the dirt! My guilt, my sin, all to Him to wash away forever! Away from me, as the Psalmist said, “as far as the east is from the west” (Psalm 103:12).

My guilt, for His Grace? Yes, thank you! In that store of compassion and mercy, I have found a delightful deal; I cast off my old dirty coat for a brand spanking new one!

In the region of Unbelievable, I found my soul retrievable. The sign upon the mystic door, read “come in, and grieve of guilt no more”. The proprietor offered his service free, for he could see the lack in me. Into a room of lost and found, he said that I may look around. There lay my soul with dirt and rust, a price tag said ‘obey and trust’. You mean there is no greater cost? You’ve saved it for me, while I was lost?  “Yes, the greatest price I paid one day, for I had hopes you’d come my way.”

Trisha

 

 

 

 

Age, You Do Not Scare Me!

09 Thursday Aug 2018

Posted by in Celebrating, Faith, Life, Reflections, Uncategorized

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First week of August: It’s hard to be mad at the grass growing in the flower beds when theres a hummingbird sipping on the blue salvia and a bluebird on tbe clothesline pole. Finches are flitting through the blackeyed susans, and a bobwhite calls from the fields. Too much good to dwell on the ungood.
I turn 65 this month, seems like I should be saying that about my parents, not me. But the year of birth verifies it. Its really me. Sitting here on the patio as the sun finds a place to rest, I am overwhelmed with God’s grace. I’ve done nothing to deserve this peace.
Jesus said He gives us peace. Not as the world gives, does He give. And it IS a whole different peace. Though several circumstances could be rewritten if my world were ideal, its that peace that passes all understanding that comes with being in Christ, in spite of the less than idealic. The hummingbird can’t receive life sustenance by being nearby the salvia and feeders, admiring them, talking about them; but must contact that necter, get into it. Well, neither can we receive the peace and grace of Christ”s without contacting Him thru His life giving blood. On the outside looking in just isn’t where He wants us to be. I hear Him beckoning, “Come nearer to me, lean in, feel the peace and protection I promised when you became my child”. Age does not scare me.