Are You Afraid To Walk Through This Door?

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The Room of Grace is a safe place.  It's the place you go to take off all your masks and be yourself. As you walk through this door you know everyone accepts you even if you have visible sin and if you are hiding invisible sin you're free to confess it. As a matter of fact the people there encourage you to confess it. Then as you release your 'stuff' more masks fall away.

This Room of Grace holds the key to your true identity. Jesus lives here. He's always been here loving and forgiving, holding out His nail scarred hands to all who will take them. His light shines brightly in the room and yours does too because as His child you feel free with Him. You aren't perfect and He knows it but His love is never affected by your imperfections. You never have to hide in shame from God or the people in the Room of Grace.

There is another room the Room of Good Intentions. In this room you are encouraged to wear a mask every day. If you even think of divulging your sin you know you will be judged by the people here.  In your imagination you think God will condemn you too. So a "perfect" person submerges. Perfect on the outside but suffering of guilt, shame, loss of identity, pain, and hurt on the inside. You have to "pretend" a lot when you live in this room. You can never be who you were created to be because it's all about performing for everyone. Performing for your husband, kids, church family, co-workers, friends, and all the time being someone you don't really want to be.

Maybe you have some fear about opening the door to the Room of Grace. Don’t be afraid just go on in, there’s at least one friend waiting there. Yes there’s probably someone you know already in that room. She/he is ready and waiting to help you along. Waiting to listen, to love and to accept you right where you are right now at this time and place in your life.  Its Jesus extended through flesh and blood.

Maybe what you're reading right now has struck a chord and you realize you are living in the Room of Good Intentions. Isn't it time to be YOU, the new creation you are in Christ? The Christian life lived by working, trying, striving and earning is just too hard and it was never meant to be lived that way.

Which room do you live in The Room of Grace or The Room of Good Intentions? If you aren't able to live as YOU then you are in the wrong room.

Romans 5:17 For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ!

1 Corinthians 15:12 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them—yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me.

Check out GraceFull Women today for a great post by my friend Jennifer. Read her Rescue Story.

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She Remains

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I didn’t know what to expect that first time I walked in her home. As I walked through her purposefully decorated living room to the kitchen I felt a little uncomfortable. My home was usually in disarray because I was raising small children and my housekeeping skills had not been perfected. So I was a little out of place when I stepped into a Better Homes and Garden magazine.

She was neatly dressed in jeans, a button up shirt and her hair perfectly set. Where was I, in a Leave It To Beaver episode?

I was escorted to her kitchen table which was already set with “real" plates, silverware, goblets, and cloth napkins. Did she keep it like this all the time or was this for me? I have to admit I felt special and she meant for me to feel that way.  Over at my house we used paper plates, cups and napkins. The easier the better. I later found out she had always used her good dishes even when her children were small. This lady was classy and refined and I wanted to learn what I could from
her.

As a young woman I was impulsive and said and did things on a whim. She taught me what it meant to think before I spoke and later I understood that I should do the same before acting too. My mentor gently and wisely taught me how to be teachable.

I have watched her world almost fall apart and yet she remains. She remains in Him just as Christ tells us to do in John 15.

 Because she remains I have a godly woman to follow.

Because she remains her family stays strong.

Because she remains many others see Jesus every day.

And because she remains her legacy will go on.

We have been in ministry together for many, many years and I’ve grown because of my encourager. There is so much I could say but there is not enough space here or anywhere to contain all she’s taught me. The love I’ve received and had the privilege to give in this relationship has been one of the most special gifts the Lord has given to me.

I am blessed to have her on my side and I consider this woman my friend, mentor and partner in the greatest call we have on our lives, loving others to Jesus. Thank you N.

This was written in response to a prompt from The Red Dress Club. Write about a mentor, someone who guided or inspired you. How did your mentor impact your life?

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A Child and His Grief

He ran up through the backyard as fast as his little legs would carry him. With a small shovel in hand he finally reached Pa’s screened back door. Knocking hard he yelled,” Pa! Pa! Let me in, I have a prize!” The shovel now hid behind his back.

Pa opened the door and JJ came in stumbling across the walkway, holding on to the shovel as if it were his bedtime bear. “What kinda prize?”

Quickly bringing the red shovel out from behind him he said, “I brought my shovel so we can dig to China.” The excitement exuded from his little voice.

JJ loved Pa as much as his own dad. Pa taught him how to catch a baseball.  Plant tomato plants in the garden. In fact JJ had his own plant that he watered and cared for every day. Pa put JJ on his first tricycle, and even helped potty train him. These two did almost everything together.

Pa got his big shovel and JJ had his little red one.  Searching the yard they found the perfect spot behind the pecan tree. The digging began. “How deep do we have to dig 'fore we see China?”

“Don’t know son. It may take us a few weeks, or months.” Pa stopped to take a draw off his cigarette, sweat dripping from his forehead. Breathing harder than usual and coughing now and then. But he kept digging with JJ until the hole was almost a foot deep and just as wide.

“Can we dig some more tomorrow?”

“Yeah, after school. You bring your shovel and we’ll dig a little more.”

The two hard workers went inside to get a drink. Kool-Aid for JJ and a beer for Pa. They sat down on the couch, with JJ as close to Pa as he could get.  They watched Road Runner and fell asleep, JJ’s head on Pa’s shoulder.

One day after school JJ’s mom told him Pa was in the hospital.

A few weeks later she told him Pa was  leaving to go to heaven.

JJ went to visit Pa. To say good-bye? A boy of 9 years old just couldn’t grasp the meaning of heaven. Didn’t understand he would never see Pa again.

Did it mean the dig to China was over? How about the 'mater plants, how would they ever live? What  about bicycle lessons, basketball, pop flies in the outfield? He promised.

Confusion.

Anger.

Grief.

Darkness.

Lonliness.

Hurt.

JJ would not get close to anyone again. He’d keep his distance. It wasn’t worth the pain. Lesson learned.

.

This week's prompt, from Angela and Galit at The Red Dress Club for RemembeRed was to write a post that either starts or ends with the words "Lesson learned."

A true story about my son and my father.

Out Of Her Comfort Zone

She had lots of friends who weren’t from my crowd. To look at us you’d never believe we were compatible. She smoked in the school bathroom; I was scared to go in there most the time. Her crowd was the cool, tough bunch while mine was the mediocre athletic, nerdy types.

I can’t remember our first words to each other but we clicked and that was the start of a lifelong friendship. Crys introduced me to her brother, a popular tough guy. We went on a double date and another lifelong relationship was made that night. I met the guy of my dreams and married him 2
years later. Thanks for that.

You’d have to know Crys to understand that she’s never really been the emotional kind, not lovey dovey, or huggy. I on the other hand cry at the drop of a hat, love anything sentimental and hug a lot. So you’ll understand when I found the letter why it made me cry all over again thinking
of her.

My dad passed away 11 years ago. It was one of saddest, most unbelievable times of my life. I have written several posts about him and if you’ve read any of them you know he was my hero and I was his princess. Crys doesn’t like to show emotion and she’s not big on funerals so she stayed at my
mom’s house the day of the funeral and cleaned and prepared for visitors. This meant more than she’ll ever know.  We never really took the time to talk about his death because I knew and I think
she knew we’d just end up in a bawling session. That day she did her thing and I did mine, and we hugged good bye when it was all over.

A few weeks later I received a letter in the mail from her. She expressed how sorry she was that I had lost my dad. The letter was about a page long and her words touched me so.  I can’t explain how much it helped me at that time. Crys showed my family love by all the things she had “done” because that’s her way of giving love. The special thing about it is that Crys knew I needed a different kind of love, a letter of love. Even though it took her out of her comfort zone she
went there, she did it for me and I will never forget it. As I write this post now big tears well up in my eyes because I am reminded of this thoughtful loving thing Crys did just for me.

I ran across that letter just the other day and as I read it again the memories flooded back to all the times we’ve been there for each other. I write this to tell Crys “I love you. You are never forgotten. You are my sister. You are beautiful inside and out and I’m thankful to God for putting
you in my life.”

The letter is neatly folded and remains in the box with what I have left of my dad's belongings.

I am thankful to The Red Dress Club  for this prompt.  It is a post that needed to be written a long time ago. Here's the prompt:

You or your character find a forgotten letter or card from someone important in
your life--whether good or bad.  What does it say?  How does it affect you or
your character?  What is done with it?

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When Your Friend Hurts....

I have a friend in great emotional pain because someone is purposely hurting her. She is experiencing such loss at this moment. The tears she cries could fill a lake, no, an ocean because they are constant.

What can I do? I am helpless to do anything but listen. That's what I do when she calls, I listen. Somehow it seems to ease her pain for just a moment to talk about something other than the situation. But eventually conversation comes back around to the problem. So I listen, and cry with her and try to be a shoulder for her to lean on.

And I pray. I lift her and her family up to the Father knowing He has the answer. And though the answer may not come as quickly as we would like He is working it out because I know it just can't stay like it is now.

Sometimes in the middle of a bad situation it's hard to step back and see the big picture, it's hard to pray, it's even harder to believe there's something good coming. But thank the Lord for family and friends that believe for us, that pray when we can't and stand with us during this time of despair.

I've been on both sides and God has always been faithful to me. Let me encourage you to be the friend someone needs but also be sure to take the hand of friendship when you need it too.