Quiet Celebration Every Day

I’m joining the Five Minute Friday community with Kate Motaung this weekend…5 minutes, no rewriting, and a one word prompt…

Celebrate

Celebrate seems like a big word to me. Not because of its length or the number of letters in the word, but rather in what it means.

To celebrate – to observe with ceremony, to praise widely, to make known publicly. (Dictionary.com)

We celebrate major accomplishments with parties and holidays with big get-togethers. The word celebration even sounds fancy and extravagant. Society goes over the top with bigger and better celebrations, often for the attention it draws.

But perhaps “celebrate” doesn’t have to only mean bigger and better, and doesn’t only apply to milestones and big events.

What if there’s reason to celebrate every day, but we’re missing it because we’re looking for something cake-and-decorations worthy?

The little things deserve celebration too, but in a different way—a quiet, reflective, pat-on-the-back, praise God way.

Times when…

You move forward despite the fear that threatens to stop you.

You decide to face a new day even though the pain makes you want to hide in bed.

You step out in faith, following God’s lead, without being able to see the future.

You remember to turn to God’s truth before letting the negative thoughts and regret take over.

You put everything aside and allow yourself to relax and enjoy a beautiful day for the first time in ages.

Celebrating doesn’t mean adding more to your to-do list. It means stopping to acknowledge God’s work in your life…to see God’s beauty around you…to congratulate and cheer someone else on.

Most of the time, we don’t need a party—we need someone to say, You did great!...Good job!..I’m proud of you!

Other times, we just need to sit quietly with God in thanks and praise for the strength He gives us to keep moving forward, one step at a time.

What if we look for one thing to celebrate every day, no matter how big or small it may be? What will you celebrate today?

In Christ,
Laura 

Linking up with Five Minute Friday, Give Me Grace, Weekend Whispers, #RaRaLinkup, Sharing His Beauty, SDG Gathering, Playdates with God, #SmallWonder

Vulnerable With God

Vulnerable – susceptible to physical harm or emotional injury, open to criticism, unprotected against attack (TheFreeDictionary.com)

I don’t know anyone who likes to be vulnerable. It’s why we wear masks, isn’t it? Why we quickly answer “fine” when asked how we are?

One of my least favorite responses is, “It’s all good” because it usually follows a list of circumstances that don’t sound all that good. In fact, they sound unpleasant, overwhelming, and quite difficult. But to say so would be vulnerable.

And vulnerability is uncomfortable. It leaves us out there, uncovered, for all to see. The world might see this as weakness, but God does not.

With God, being vulnerable is a safe place to be. {Tweet this}

It means we can tell Him anything, (He already knows anyway) and know that He will always love us.

Where transparency with others may leave us open to attack, it never will with God. When we let ourselves be completely open and honest with God, He shows us new things about ourselves. Admittedly, some things we may not want to know, but He doesn’t leave us there alone.

As He walks us through change, He comforts and strengthens us along the way.

“Complete vulnerability means nothing is off limits; there are no walls. It’s letting God into every area of our mind, heart, and behavior. God is our only constant safe place. He is our hiding place where vulnerability is no longer scary. He knows everything, and He sees everything, and yet, He unconditionally loves us.” – Danise Jurado, Fulfilled (pg. 36)

I don’t like feeling vulnerable, and yet, with God, it’s different.

In this vulnerable state with God, I feel my strong will relax. I let my guard down and He shows me where He desires to work in me.

This is where we come closer to Him and get to know Him better. Our faith grows deeper. It’s where we become more dependent on Him…and that is a good thing.

In fact, perhaps that’s when we can say, “It’s all good.”

*****

If you are reading Danise Jurado’s book Fulfilled with us, we are in week 2 with Chapters 2—Restoration and Chapter 3—Truth. There is a lot in these two chapters to take in. Vulnerability is only one small point, but being open, honest, and exposed with God is necessary for growth and restoration. With our defenses up, we resist change and keep God at arm’s length.

Change is never easy, especially when we’re wanting God to change someone else, but He chooses to work on us. I’ve dug in my heels, insisting I’m not the one who needs work. As you can imagine, that didn’t go well. What it does is make the process take longer and it feels more painful. (It’s a lesson I’ve had to learn more than once.)

But when I humble myself to Him, He gives the ability and strength to endure the refining process. He will lead us through the storm and carry us when we’re too weak to keep going. And when we’ve rested, He sets us back on our feet again and continues to guide us.

How do you feel about being vulnerable with God? Does it come easily or do you struggle with it?

In Christ,

Laura  

Linking up with #RaRaLinkup, #TellHisStory, Coffee for Your Heart, Thought Provoking Thursday, Everyday Jesus, Blessing Counters

Fulfilled Study - Week 2

Welcome! If you're reading Fulfilled by Danise Jurado with us, here is the reading for week 2. (If you are just joining us, it's not to late to get started. Click on the Fulfilled Study tab above for more information.)

Read: Chapter 2—Restoration and Chapter 3—Truth

When you finish reading, consider these questions:

Danise Jurado writes, “I was a brand new Christian, and I didn’t have a lot of knowledge, but I knew that there was a spiritual battle going on for our marriage and, more importantly for my husband.” (pg. 19)

What’s been your experience with spiritual warfare? Did you recognize the spiritual battle at the time, or not until you could look back?

“The problem with Christians is that we know what we believe; we just don’t really believe what we know.” (pg. 39)

Do you struggle with believing what you know about God and what you read in His Word? Do you believe His promises are for you?

Danise describes the battle of truth vs. fact on pgs. 40-41. Do you struggle with the facts of reality getting in the way of your faith and God’s truth?

Have a great week!

In Christ,

Laura

[Image credit: Danise Jurado]

Comparing Our Sins

I’ve written about comparing ourselves to others in the past—how it can make us feel “less than.” But it’s not just looks, careers, children’s behavior, pictures on Facebook and stuff we own that we use to compare ourselves to others.

We compare our sins to one another. Whether we do it consciously or not, it happens.

I’m not perfect, but I’ve never done that!

Wow, he had it all…till he got caught doing that. I’d never.

Maybe not those exact words, but we’ve heard similar comments, and possibly even spoken them.

We compare our sins to someone else’s, and if we determine theirs are worse, well, then we feel a little better about ourselves.

We compare as if there are degrees of sin. But, God says sin is sin. Period.

Our sin cannot be defined by comparing ourselves with others, but rather in comparing ourselves to God’s standard. When humanity is compared to the perfection of God, we are all found guilty. –Danise Jurado, Fulfilled

We try to make ourselves look better by judging and comparing one sin against another, but compared to God’s standard—we all fall short.

For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. Yet God freely and graciously declares that we are righteous. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins. Romans 3:23-24 NLT

It’s freeing, in a way…knowing, and confessing, that I am a sinner. I don’t have to try to live up to someone else’s expectations, and I don’t have to make sure my sins aren’t as bad as someone else’s.

God doesn’t compare us to one another—and He doesn’t compare our sins.

Perhaps we shouldn’t either. We are all in need of God’s forgiveness. We are all in need of God’s generous grace. {click to tweet}

We all need Jesus.

But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8 NIV

Jesus died for all sinners—for all of us.

My sins are not more or less serious than your sins. There are different consequences, but all sin hurts us and those around us.

Comparing and judging each other based on our sins, is, in and of itself, sinful. It leads us to think one is better than another. It puts us in competition with one another—as if we can earn God’s love and grace by our own merits.

And we can’t. We can only be made right with God through Jesus.

We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are. For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. Yet God freely and graciously declares that we are righteous. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins. Romans 3:22-24 NLT

Everyone who believes—regardless of who we are or which sins we’ve committed—can be made right with God through our faith in Jesus Christ.

While it might not be easy, let’s catch ourselves when we start judging our sins against someone else’s. We all need God’s grace and forgiveness…and we need forgiveness from one another.

Which means we need to extend grace and forgiveness to others, without judgment and comparison.

***

If you are reading Fulfilled, by Danise Jurado, with us, we are in the first week of the study with Chapter 1—Forgiveness. How are you doing with the reading? Have you tried the forgiveness homework?

I started with the intention of doing the first day’s work and then putting it away. Out of sight, out of mind, right? Wrong. When you open yourself to God’s healing, He keeps working, even when you’d like to stop. Hours after starting the homework, I went to worship. The sermon topic for that weekend? Grace and forgiveness. That’s right. God at work.

In Christ,

Laura  

Linking up with #RaRaLinkup, #TellHisStory, Thought Provoking Thursday, Grace & Truth, Blessing Counters, Faith Filled Friday, Weekend Whispers, Give Me Grace