The Audacity of Grace ~ Guest Blogging Day

Image Courtesy of sakhorn38/freedigitalphotos.net

And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory.  Ephesians 1:13-14 NIV

We are just closing in on the end of Mental Health Awareness Week, and I think this topic is very near and dear to the hearts of those who struggle with mental illness or who are the parent or relative or even close friend of someone who does.  

Can you be saved at one point...having received the Holy Spirit through accepting Christ as your Lord and Savior, but then, (perhaps while suffering from a mental illness), you commit some act which would be judged as a reason to LOSE your salvation? 

Let's face it...we all sin...repeatedly...even after being born again.

Let's face it...we CANNOT, while in these earthly bodies, do ENOUGH good to get into Heaven on our own.

Continue reading on Comfort in the Midst of Chaos...

The Look on His Face ~ Guest Blogging Day

Image courtesy of ImageryMajestic at freedigitalphotos.net

 

 

 

I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account 

for every careless word they speak, 

for by your words you will be justified, 

and by your words you will be condemned.  

Matthew 12:36-37 ESV 

As parents, as friends, as humans, we will have to answer questions concerning sin and forgiveness.  Questions like:  If we are covered in the grace given to us through Jesus Christ on the cross, then what is the point of "following the law?"  Why should we even bother to avoid the "seven deadly sins?"  Why should we feel bad about doing ANYTHING that we do? 

The answer is quite simple...

One day, we WILL have to give an account for our actions, and that will be a day we never forget.  I'd like to keep my list as short as possible so that I don't have to look God in the eyes and admit to all the times I've wallowed in sin.

Once, when I was in elementary school, there was a thing called a SLAM BOOK being passed around.  For those who don't know, a SLAM BOOK was a notebook in which each page had numbered lines which corresponded to the same line on the pages that followed.  A person would put her name on the first page; whichever line was the next available, and then, on the pages that followed, she would answer the questions on that page on the same numbered line each time.  For example, I might sign my name on line number 9 and then I would put my answers on the corresponding line on each page; number 9.

The questions varied and were anything from:  "What's the worst thing you've ever done", to "What's your favorite color?".

I, unfortunately, made the poor decision to fill out a SLAM BOOK.

Continue reading on Comfort in the Midst of Chaos...

My 50 Shades of Infidelity ~ Guest Blogging Day

Photo "Bottle of Wine with Two Glasses" Courtesy of Marin/freedigitalphotos.net

Finally, brothers and sisters, 

whatever is true, whatever is noble, 

whatever is right, whatever is pure, 

whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—

if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—

think about such things.  

Philippians 4:8 NIV

YES!  

It's time to pick up my daughter from school.  I grab my iPad Mini off the counter top and skip out the door.  I can hardly wait to get to the front door of the school so I can stand in my regular "waiting for the bell to ring" spot and open up my digital copy of "the book."   You know, the one EVERYONE was talking about?

Holy cow, look at the time!  1:30 AM...when was the last time I saw 1:30 AM?  And to think it's because I'm reading a book...

Oh.my.goodness...I'm exhausted.  I stayed up WAY too late reading.  Now I can hardly keep my eyes open...well...except to jump back into the story starring Ana and Christian.  

Technically, I think it's called a "50 Shades" hang-over.

Continue reading on Comfort in the Midst of Chaos...

Freedom to Thrive ~ Guest Blogging Day

No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.  Matthew 6:24 NIV

Tomorrow, America celebrates her independence.  For some reason, I'm ultra-excited for the Fourth of July this year, and I think it's because of our recent move out west.  We live among the mountains now, and I can't wait to see fireworks with the mountains as their backdrop.  But, I also want to immerse myself in FREEDOM...I feel as though this move from the Midwest to the West has a type of "freedom cry" to it. 

Continue Reading on Comfort in the Midst of Chaos...

Hey, Jude?~Guest Blogging Day

Last week I wrote about my wondering if my daughter understands how much Jesus loves her, and if she truly “gets” that he is her constant companion and shepherd; loving her and protecting her at all times and in all circumstances.  I hadn’t necessarily intended to carry on with that “theme” this week, but I sort of stumbled into it.

Continue reading on Comfort in the Midst of Chaos...

The Hostage

I was trapped; held hostage in a repetitive cycle of sin.  I would tell myself it was not my fault, that they had chosen to eat from the Tree; not me.  Why should I suffer for what they had chosen to do?

I was captured; held hostage in a prison of fear.  There was sickness, pain, and death everywhere I turned.  But wasn’t it Cain who killed Able?  So long ago that it was the Genesis, yet now we see it all around us. 

I was corned; surrounded by walls of hopelessness, doubt, and confusion.  He stood there staring me down with vicious eyes. “You will follow me…” he sneered, “Bow down, I’ve arrested thee.”

I raised my bound hands, and silently dropped the mustard seed that I held pinched between my fingers.  I knew it was my only hope. The seed shattered on the barren cement floor of my prison cell, and what had once been a tiny seed became hundreds of eagles.  They beat their wings; creating a wind that would have blown down even the strongest trees.  I had to close my eyes against the force of the fierce wind, but I heard the eagles’ shrieking cries as they clawed at my captor and crushed his head.  

Then suddenly I was free.  My hands were no longer shackled.  In fact, I raised them high; extending them toward the man who hung in my place.  He wore the crown of a king, but hung lifeless where I had once hung.  I saw the blood which poured out from him when he had made the exchange; Him for me. 

My captor had fallen; he lay lifeless on the floor of the cell. 

My ransom had been paid; although all I had was a mustard seed, it was enough.  I was no longer a prisoner, I was free.  Now my mission would be to tell the world of the man who became a hostage in exchange for me.

Written in response to the One Minute Writer prompt~The Hostage

Not My Ways...

Once upon a time, humanity had no pain, had no fear and had no shame.  But that all changed with a simple exchange that took place in a beautiful garden with flowing rivers, "You will not surely die. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened and you will be like God, knowing good and evil." Genesis 3:4-5; and the woman decided to try to become like God.  Humanity lost it's innocence when the desire to play God was acted upon, and suddenly we knew pain, fear and shame.

Evie with her White Cane

 The curse of that first defiant act of sin was death.  The sin that was acted upon became the sin of generation, upon generation, upon generation.  We are born into sinful flesh and have a sin nature.  Each one of us comes into this world ready to go our own way, to play God.  Consider the selfishness of babies, for example.  People want to say that babies are innocent because, let's face it, they are adorable.  However, they aren't looking for ways to help their parents get a good night sleep.  They want to be changed, fed, and kept warm.  This demonstrates the selfish, sinful nature of humanity.  We come out of the womb and are thinking only of ourselves.  

I'm just wondering how many people realize that even the greatest leaders in the Bible are also flawed and sinful characters.  It's so common today for us to not want to recognize the sin in ourselves and in others.  But in order for us to understand our NEED for salvation, we must understand that "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." Romans 3:23.  This includes Abraham, Noah, Moses, Aaron, David, and on, and on, and on.  So, when people get uncomfortable because they want to say we (as Christians) are being judgmental or over-critical by acknowledging sin; those people need to realize that the TRUE Christian must recognize that everyone is a sinner.

That being said, if the "wages of sin is death" Romans 6:23, then the most important thing we need in our lives is salvation from our sins.  The apostle Paul writes, "Sin killed me" (Romans 7:11), "I do what I hate" (Romans 7:15) and "Nothing good dwells in me" (7:18).  Paul, especially, is testimony to the redeeming nature of Christ's sacrifice on the cross for us.  Paul, prior to converting to Christianity, was one of the most feared persecutors of Christians!  He murdered the people who believed in Jesus.  I don't know if there's a more dramatic example of a transformation from an old, sinful self into a newly redeemed, passionate soul on a mission to help others find the same redemption.  

Paul says that Christ's death and triumph over the grave has cleared all of the charges against our souls brought on by our sins.  He says that there is "no condemnation" for those who believe in Christ and profess it with our mouths.  (Romans 8:1)

Where am I going with this?  What does this have to do with the fact that Evie

Cancer diagnosis

is blind, that she's suffered through cancer, that we have to always be on guard and monitoring her blood pressure and kidney functions?  

Yesterday I wrote about the splendor of God's creation, the vastness of the Universe, and that fact that he shows his power and wonder in all that he spoke into existence.  And then I posed the question:  if God can do that, then why can't he heal Evie?  

Fact:  He can.
Fact:  He will.

But not.just.yet.

How else will people learn about God if it's not through seeing his ability to bring beauty from pain?  How else with we get softer souls if we don't fall flat on our faces and realize that we can't play God, because we are NOT God?  How else will we be able to praise the Creator if not by praising Him when we are in the midst of a storm?

Anyone can rejoice when things are going well, but it takes true faith to rejoice in the midst of suffering.  Anyone can do something nice for a friend, but it takes true faith to love someone simply because God loves him.  Anyone can learn to be a doctor or scientist and work to cure cancer, heal the blind, or save a kidney from a donor and transplant it to another patient, but only God can rescue their soul from the grip of Hell.  

"God shows his love for us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."  Romans 5:8

While we were yet sinners.  So Christ died for me even before I chose Him.  I don't deserve salvation, I haven't earned eternal life in Heaven, but God is going to give it to me anyway, because I've accepted the gift of life through Jesus.

If I had it my way, we wouldn't have to see Evie struggle with so many challenges.  It's painful; it's terribly painful.  But sin has continued to curse the human race since the fall of man back in that beautiful garden with flowing rivers.  If I had it my way, I could read a newspaper and my stomach wouldn't turn because I read about someone burning a body in a fire pit in his yard.  If I had it my way, those who murder would be murdered; those who tease would get teased; and those who steal would be stolen from.  But, thankfully, God's way are not my ways.  I can't get inside the brain of God because he is so huge that he holds the Universe in the palm of his hand.  What can my little, teeny tiny brain understand of him and his ways?

Nothing.

And that's where faith steps in... 

My Heart Condition

What a difference a week makes.  Last week at this time, I was feeling:

overwhelmed, under-inspired, on automatic pilot, and I just going through the motions.  But, thanks to my study of Romans 12, that has completely changed.  I have a brand new heart condition, thanks to the Holy Spirit.  

The homework that I did for my Romans study of chapter 12 focused on spiritual gifts.  That was just fine; it helped me to realize that God has given to me gifts and talents according to HIS measure, so I need to not feel so overwhelmed by my schedule, because I do what I do with God's strength, NOT mine.  So, that study was quite timely.

HOWEVER, my heart condition didn't just change from that!  On Friday morning, during out Bible Study time at church we listened to Dr. Wayne Barber lecture on Romans 12; but he focused on what are NOT fruits of the spirit.  The piece of information which has changed my attitude around is that my relationship with God (meaning, my ability to communicate with God) is dependent on my heart's condition.  Dr. Barber said that if I am not feeling in sync with God, then there is something wrong with my relationship with him; most likely un-confessed sin, or bitterness.  

Ding-ding-ding!  We have a winner!

Bitterness.  I was flat out bitter.  I was feeling under appreciated, and over used.  I, I, I, I, I...I was tired, and it ticked-me-off. 

I couldn't believe I had fallen victim to bitterness.  That's usually NOT my issue.  I had studied Romans 12 relentlessly as a teenager to help me not grow bitter from the teasing and bullying that I experienced at school.  I still can't believe that I so gradually created this Bitter Wall around my heart that was growing and over-taking my spirit.  

I decided that the buck was going to stop with me.  I needed God to renew my heart and the only way to do that was by humbly approaching him and asking forgiveness for my bitterness, bullheadedness, and self-righteousness. 

God immediately lifted the heavy yoke that I had been feeling across my shoulders.  I suddenly saw the beauty of the Christmas season around me.  I had renewed energy, and excitement for each day.  And now he's blowing my mind with ideas about this season, this universe, this planet which spins around each day in the perfect orbit in which God set it into motion.  

Evie's ornament;  made today!

Tonight I volunteered at my church's Christmas Musical Lightshow.  I'm only saying this as my justification for not writing what I INTENDED to write tonight~which is going to knock EVERYONE'S socks off.  I'll write about that tomorrow instead.  But allow me to wrap up this post by imploring each person reading this to talk to God tonight; confess any sins that have gone unconfessed between you and God.  He already knows, he sees all, he knows you; so be honest with him and ask him to come into your heart, to cleanse it, to renew it, and to give you a NEW heart condition.  He will eagerly enter into you heart and start the renovation. 

And tomorrow?  Oh, tomorrow holds so many promises.  I am praying that God helps me organize my thoughts, and my emotions, so I can create in everyone who reads this the sense of wonder and awe that I had this morning while sitting in church. 

My heart condition is radically new, and that has given me a clearer vision of who God is, what the Universe tells us about Him, and how truly indescribable is his love for the world.

On Truth, Trust, and Temptation

http://stoptalk.files.wordpress.com/2013/02/shhh2.jpg

We have all been there.  We are pros at rationalizing that it's NOT what we are doing.  We simply tell ourselves, "I'm talking through it so I can understand it," or "I would totally say this to this person's face, so this is not gossip..."  However, in reality, we know gossip, and we know WHEN we gossip.  The fact of the matter is, gossip eats away at the reputation of the gossiper just as quickly as it eats away at the reputation of the person being gossiped about.
 
I have found myself unable to trust people after I know that they have been saying things about someone else.  The reason I lose trust is I start to think, "Well, what is that person saying about ME when I'M not in the room?"  So, naturally, that person becomes less trustworthy and it starts to eat away at my relationship with them.  This is ESPECIALLY true when I see the gossiper turn around and be totally sweet to the person about whom they were gossiping.  Ouch!~that hurts ME to see how two-faced that can be.
 
Now, this topic and my feelings on it would lead one to say, "So, Tammie, you never gossip?"  WRONG.  I have totally been the gossiper as well.  It's a common sin, and commonly I have struggled with it, as most people do.  But I have recently seen my friendships falling apart when gossiping becomes the basis, and I find it hard to steer the conversation away from it.  That tells me that my friendship might not be on a solid foundation. 
 
Paul wrote to the church at Corinth about gossiping and slander:
 

2 Corinthians 12:20 For I fear that perhaps when I come I may find you not as I wish, and that you may find me not as you wish—that perhaps there may be quarreling, jealousy, anger, hostility, slander, gossip, conceit, and disorder.

 

Don't those issues usually go hand in hand?  Jealousy and gossip; we try to get others to look poorly upon someone of whom we might be jealous.  Disorder and gossip; when things might be chaotic and messy, we look to place blame on others by gossiping.  Anger and gossip;  we feel slighted and we just have to go tell others so they will be on "our side." 

 

Quite frankly, Paul had reason to be afraid of that!  What else can so quickly shake up a church than some nasty gossip? 

 

So, how do we keep this all in check?  It feels to me, a girl of many insecurities, to be quite a trial to avoid gossip!  We do it so naturally, and we fall into those conversations so naturally and they spiral out of control.

 

I had a friend one time who inquired about a third party and how things were going in a situation that I and the other person were in.  I didn't think anything of it; I responded with how I thought things were going and that was the end of our conversation.  However, my friend followed up with me and apologized and said, "I realize that I was gossiping, and I'm sorry, I didn't mean to do that."  I was floored.  That was the most unexpected message for me to get because I hadn't considered it gossip.  BUT IT WAS!  I'm so glad my friend held herself and myself accountable by apologizing to me and helping ME to see how naturally I accepted the urge to "gossip."  Gossip doesn't have to be saying something "wrong" about a person...it can also be telling information about that person without them there to make sure the information is accurate. 

 

I think the best way for ME to avoid gossip is by daily meditating on the verses in the Bible about gossip, and how God sees it.  Then, the help of our friends holding us accountable to NOT gossip will help eradicate the commonness of it.  Wouldn't it be great if we lived in a world where gossip was UNUSUAL and felt out of place rather than "common?" 

 

Here are some more verses to consider:

http://khanya.wordpress.com/2010/03/13/fasting-and-gossip/
Some ways that we might "mask"
(unsuccessfully) our gossip:

 

Jeremiah 6:28 They are all stubbornly rebellious, going about with slanders; they are bronze and iron;  all of them act corruptly.

 

Proverbs 11:13 Whoever goes about slandering reveals secrets, but he who is trustworthy in spirit keeps a thing covered.

 

Proverbs 26:20-22 For lack of wood the fire goes out, and where there is no whisperer, quarreling ceases.  As charcoal to hot embers and wood to fire, so is a quarrelsome man for kindling strife. The words of a whisperer are like delicious morsels; they go down into the inner parts of the body.

 

Romans 1:28-32 And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done. They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. Though they know God’s righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them.

 

That last example from Romans gets me every time.  Not only should I not participate, but I shouldn't give approval to the practice of it.  (That means I need to speak up when I see it happening too!) 

 

I'll make a list of things I might say to get the gossipers to stop gossiping (at least while I'm around):

 

• I don't feel comfortable talking about this when ____person's name_____ isn't here.
• I'm trying to avoid things that might be considered gossip, so I'd rather not talk about that, or even hear it.
• I'd hate to say anything about this situation because I know how bad I'd feel if others were talking about me when I wasn't there.

Again, I am certainly not guilt free in this area; but who better to hear about a sinful-struggle, and attempts to free myself from that struggle than me, the sinner?  Let's all go boldly forward and try to end the temptation to gossip~if it's a habit, then we need to make the commitment on a daily basis, and go to bed at night having really looked into ourselves and honestly determine whether we made it through the day without gossiping or lending ear to gossip. 

 

Today is Day 1. 

  

 

 

 

Restricted Diet: Avoid Sweets and Sins

I've struggled with managing my weight, and I've struggled with managing the condition of my soul.  I really don't find that they are very different.

In order to maintain a healthy weight (at 5'3 I once weighed 165 lbs. and I now weigh 127 lbs.); I have to log-in to my app on my iPhone (myfitnesspal) and track my calories daily.  I look at how many calories I've consumed, subtract out the calories I've burned with my workout, and I have to stay around 1500 calories a day to maintain my weight.  Some people think, "Why are you trying to lose weight?"  I'm not!  I'm trying NOT TO GAIN weight.  Any and every time I stop tracking my calories; tracking every little thing I put in mouth, I WILL GAIN WEIGHT.  I'm sorry, but I cannot afford to buy a new wardrobe every 6 months simply because I have the desire to eat a jar of peanut butter.

Sin is the same way...but for some reason, we don't say to people, "Why do you study your Bible EVERYDAY!!!"  "Aren't you born again?" ("Aren't you skinny?"  "Why are you tracking your calories?" Sound familiar?)  Number one, we typically don't meet people who study their Bible every day.  Just like you might not meet someone who tracks their calories every day.  But I can tell you that I must read my Bible every day for the very same reason that I must track my calories every day. 

IT'S A SLOW FADE...

It really is!  You don't just go crashing into sin...life-altering, person-shattering, soul-killing sin!  No!  Sin creeps up...it's the little step over the line, and then, when nothing happens, you take another step over that line, and then you think,  "Hey, lightening didn't strike, I don't feel the flames of Hell at my heels, I'll just go a little further..."  That is how sin creeps in...that is how weight creeps back in too. 

When I'm not in the Word; listening with a quiet heart to what God wants to tell me, that is when sin creeps silently into my soul.  I find myself feeling proud, paranoid, and petrified.  Those feelings are what can lead me to doubt the plans God has for me, and to start making plans of my own.  It never turns out well.  I can honestly say that my plans have NEVER been better than God's. 

Whether I'm reading John 3:16 or tracking my Panera Greek Salad 380 calories, the reason I'm doing it is the same (relatively speaking); because I'm a sinner, and I need to be held accountable.

Bitter Blood Bears Burdened Brains

Apparently, God wants me to consider my bitterness toward others...

Not ONLY was our sermon at church today on the burden of a bitter heart, but the couples devotional that Jeff and I read in the morning is focused right now on MERCY.  (The One Year Devotions for Couples, Ferguson.) 

So let me ask you the question that our pastor posed for us today...

Is there anyone with whom you are angry?

Did a face pop into your mind?  Did you whisper a name behind your lips?  I did...

Then you, and  I, are bitter.

(Insert cheesy Homer Simpson, "DOH!")

Yup.  I'm bitter.  Or, at least, I was...until the Holy Spirit finally opened my eyes to it today.  The human in us longs to hold on to that pain.  Why?  Because it's hard for us to believe that OUR worst transgressions could be forgiven, so CERTAINLY we can hold on to the bitter memories of others doing US wrong...right?

But listen to just how forgiving our God is...

He will not always accuse,
nor will he harbor his anger forever;
he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities.
For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
so great is his love for those who fear him;
as far as the east is from the west,
so far has he removed our transgressions from us. Psalm 103: 9-12

How about this?

Who is a God like you,
who pardons sin and forgives the transgression
of the remnant of his inheritance?
You do not stay angry forever but delight to show mercy.
You will again have compassion on us;
you will tread our sins underfoot and hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea. Micah 7:18-19

Um...wow...this drums up in my mind the song by Casting Crowns... http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/castingcrowns/easttowest.html

Here I am, Lord, and I'm drowning in your sea of forgetfulness
The chains of yesterday surround me
I yearn for peace and rest

The best way for us to break free of our sins, is to forgive others for their sins.  God gives us this great gift of his Sea of Forgetfulness, but we can find ourselves drowning in it as we struggle to keep hold of those chains of sin, guilt, and bitterness.  They weigh us down, and continue to grow as our strength continues to fail.  The murky waters start to hide the chains, and the sand we kick up begins to blacken out the light from above...we struggle to stay afloat in our bitterness and shame...all we need to do is let God cast those chains DEEP into the sea to be forgotten forever. 

Why do we hold ON???

Our minds have learned that we want to win!  We want to be right!  We want the majority to vote in our favor and say, "Yeah!  I'm on your side!"  But God's vision is totally the opposite.  He says that mercy will be the winner.

Mercy triumphs over judgement. James 2:13

If we fail to believe that our all powerful, ever-loving God is able to forgive us for our sins~then we have NO FAITH.  Let's think about what all of this means!  God sent Christ to die on the cross for us~for our transgressions.  He bled and DIED so those sins could be cast away, flung to the ocean floor.  If we cannot accept that, and if we cannot accept that he did this ONCE AND FOR ALL...we have NOTHING. 

Forgiveness is not an option.  Forgiveness, love and mercy are what God has shown us, and what he has commanded we show one another. 

Do justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with God. Micah 6:8

[Love] keeps no record of wrongs. 1 Cor. 13:5

You know that list?  That list of names you have in your head of the people who have done the wrong thing, said the wrong thing, written the wrong thing, voted the wrong way, put the wrong sign in their yard?  That list of "hurts"...like the time that so and so did this to you?  All those things that we are ready to chat about in a text, or post on facebook, or sarcastically mention to the person next to us at our kids' soccer game?  Guess what?  God already forgave it.  God already LOVES THAT PERSON all over again.  Does that make your blood boil?  Knowing that God loves that person JUST as much as he loves you?  But you never did ANYTHING like what THAT person did.  Really? 

Bitterness will continue to grow, will continue to spread, will continue to chain you to your own sins, while that other person against whom you harbor such thoughts and feelings has been forgiven, and may not even REMEMBER that thing which is the root of your bitterness. 

Okay, my heart is racing~blood pressure is up~and mind is spinning.  I have a lot of forgiving to do tonight...but for some reason I already feel lighter, happier, freer, and closer to God than I have in a LONG, LONG time.  I just got the green light to let go of all that pain from the past.  Actually, the light was green for a while now...someone just started honking behind me and woke me up to the fact that this day is new, God's love is new, and his mercy is new for me today, tomorrow, and always.

How GREAT is our God?

Crime and Pumice-ment

I am gearing up to celebrate the Easter holiday. A holiday centered on the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. As I ready myself for that, I look back over my year and think, "You really needed Jesus' blood this year, Tammie Jo." Even as I age, I continue to need Jesus more and more. Does that make sense? Wouldn't I get wiser and have less tendency to sin as we mature? It seems counterintuitive.

But it's not...

Consider dry skin, for example. Dry skin has plagued for many years...even back to elementary school. What's worse, as people age, their skin, the first layer of defence for their bodies, is exposed to greater numbers of harsh environmental elements and conditions. If people don't have enough water in their systems, or if their systems aren't absorbing enough moisture, then their skin becomes hard and calloused in order to protect them from the world.
So now I have even drier, harder, more calloused skin than when I was younger. I hate that! My hands scratch Evie when I put lotion on her after a bath. My skin randomly just splits open on my finger tips, especially during the winter. Blech!

Fortunately, you and I were not created by a God who says, "You have dry skin? Well, then we don't want you...". Instead, we have a God who carries a pumice stone. A pumice stone is the funny looking, light weight, grey stones that are coarse and gritty when you touch them. God calls his pumice stone the Holy Spirit. According to dictionary.com, pumice can also mean to clean; and callouses can also come from friction. I find those two distinctions quite poignant as I consider how the world can make us unclean, and that we are becoming calloused due to tension, and friction. But I digress...:)

What does God do with the pumice stone? He takes some time and starts to file, file, file away those rough places of my heart. I can see the microscopic flakes of deadened feelings, calloused pieces of soul, and hardened emotions swirling and floating away with each brush of the stone.

He stops buffing, and looks deeply at me. The roughness is gone. My body is finally realeasing that dead part of me-the part that had calloused and hardened so I wouldn't feel as much pain. But He doesn't quite see the new baby-pink fleshiness that would come with new life.

"We can do more, " says God. The pumicing begins again. Now I feel know He's smoothing out my head AND my heart. The stone moves back and forth, back and forth; like waves of water across rocks on a shore. He's trying to get the heart and the head to an equal cleanliness, an equal newness. He's gently reminding me that the heart and the head typically give me the right answers and guide me the right way to go, but sometimes, I don't get the message because of the callouseness of my soul.

Instead of punishing me for my crimes, God chooses to pumice me. When I have built up too many barriers, too many callouses to the pain of this world; when I have been away from His Living Water, when I haven't had time for Him to nourish my soul...I get off His path...I can't hear His voice. So then, I have to go through the discomfort of pumicement; a gentler alternative to the wages of sin, but time-consuming, and sometimes heart-wrenching.