Thoughts
My one regret…
For this week’s Digidare.
The journaling is my own thoughts, interspersed with some verses from Hebrews.
My words (in black, representing my mistakes, and unbelief):
“My one regret is that I’ve said ‘no.’
Busy doing my own thing, I hear you call my name,
and I say, ‘no, not right now, maybe later.’
Every bad decision, every selfish thought, every negative word–
haven’t these also been ‘no’s?”
And these are the verses (in white, representing truth):
“Today, if you hear my voice, do not harden your hearts.”
“With confidence draw near to the throne of grace to receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”
“Lay aside every weight, and the sin that so easily entangles and run the race set before us with endurance.”
Credits:
Metal Alpha by ED by Gabi at SA
Stamped Canvas Alpha by Amber Clegg at SA
Background paper from Softly Spoken by HGD by Laurie Ann at SA
Clips (recolored) from Git R Done by beAudacious Designs at WST
Alphabet Soup Acrylic Alpha by Emily Powers at WST
Worn frame by Danielle at Catscrap
Sequins from Purity by Natali Design at SBG
Tab alpha and newsprint circles from Creation 23 by Catherine Designs & Createwings Designs at A5
Jewel flower from a freebie by Vinnie Pearce on her blog
Clock stamp and stitches from Faith by Two Sisters (retired)
Thank you for grace
Thank you God for grace, because I sure needed it today.
Surrounded by a flurry of white paper snips, I lost my temper, “Why do you do this to me? Why can’t you clean up after yourselves?”
Instant silence. Bruised little hearts. Oops. I’ve done it again.
I’ve let my desire for order and control and neat-ness override my judgment. I’ve given in to anger and venting my frustration, when I could have chosen something better. Something gentler. Something that left these child-hearts that I’ve been entrusted with intact.
Was it worth it to steal the joy of my children over a few bits of paper, easily cleaned up?
God I need your grace today. To choose the better thing. To choose love and mercy and…grace.
At lunch time, my three year old prayed. Not his usual “thanks for the food, help us to have a nice day” prayer, but “God, help Mommy to hear your voice. Amen.”
Father, let me hear your voice. Your voice of grace. Your voice that gently guides and corrects. Your voice that draws me. Let me remember that we are all works in progress, and that every day, little by little, step by step, we are being conformed into your image. Not by our striving and sacrificing, but by your grace through the power of your Spirit. Let me give grace as I have abundantly received it.
“I am not what I ought to be,
I am not what I want to be,
I am not what I hope to be in another world;
but still I am not what I once used to be,
and by the grace of God,
I am what I am.”
–John Newton
New year, Fresh start
Don’t you just love a New Year? It’s so full of hope and possibility. All of last year’s failures and disappointments are past, and it’s a clean slate. A chance to begin again.
The journaling reads:
getting back to my roots…finding God in the everyday, messy, real-life places…loving my neighbor…
loving my kids…loving, loving, loving…leaning on my Beloved…finding peace in the midst of a crazy,
full life…rediscovering who I am in Him…finding joy…finding purpose…eating the Bread of Life…
drinking of the fullness of Christ…being still and knowing…pressing onward towards the prize…no
more looking back…no more regrets…no more excuses…it’s time…come on, 2009, i’m ready…
Everything from my new kit, Rejuvenate, available at Scrapartist
On Perfection
My whole life, I’ve lived by the philosophy that if it’s not perfect, it’s not worth it. I’ve had some times where I thought that it was working for me. But then I start to complain and criticize and end up depressed. Striving for perfection can be a hard burden to bear.
And then God steps in and says, “I’m the only one who’s perfect. Someday, you will be perfected, but it’s a journey, and along this journey you are going to stumble. It’s going to be messy and embarrassing and ugly. You’ll get scraped knees and broken arms. It’s going to hurt. But you know what? It’s also going to be beautiful and thrilling. And I am going to rejoice, not when you’ve done something perfectly, but whenever you get back up after you’ve failed. That’s all I’m asking, not for perfection, but to just keep getting up. Just keep getting up.”
Like a little child, taking first steps, stumbling, and getting up, stumbling and getting up. But as parents we don’t demand perfection, we just look at them with eyes full of love, and encourage them to try again. We say, “look at me, come to me.” And God says to his stumbling children, “Eyes on me. Eyes on me. Look at me. Come to me.” And he’s smiling. And just like the little child eventually learns to perfect his steps, so do we. But the focus is never on perfection, but on just getting up and trying again.
So today, I failed again. But this time, I’m not going to beat myself up, wallow in self-pity, and dwell on how I keep missing the mark. I’m going to just get back up. And I’m going to do it all again tomorrow, and the day after that, and the day after that. Do you want to know why? Because His mercies are new every morning. His mercies are new. A new start–every single day.
