The Value of Circumstances

2 Corinthians 12:9 (NKJV) ⁹ And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.”

I have been reading a book called “Life Without Limits”, written by Nick Vujicic.  Have you heard of him?  He is an amazing person! A quadriplegic from birth, he is blessed with the gift to speak and inspire with many powerful messages about living a happy life filled with humor, humility and Gods peace. One message he shared really stood out for me. 

“If God does not change your circumstances, he will use your circumstances”.  

Who we are, where we are and what we do in life is no coincidence. God has a plan for each of us without limits, yet we still put limits on ourselves. We say, "if only I were younger, wealthier, prettier, healthier, smarter or more talented, then I could be happy.” Why do we limit ourselves and let life's circumstances rule us?  

Many times it is difficult to understand the value of our circumstances, especially when it involves our health, finances, or the loss of a loved one. Some situations simply don’t make sense, at least in the moment, but how we deal with each situation and what we learn from it is far more important than the outcome. 

I had a bit of a wake up call recently. A tumor was found on my inner thigh the size of a lime. For the past five weeks I have been going to doctors, having blood drawn, MRI’s, CT scans and a biopsy.  I spent many hours in various waiting rooms. During this time, I observed people going through chemotherapy, people with bandaged legs, arms and heads, on gurney’s and in wheelchairs in various stages and forms of treatment for a multitude of illness and injury. On the last day of appointments, I remembered James 1:2-4, during our times of trouble, we should pray and give thanks to God and that is exactly what I did.  I have yet to learn the prognosis of my circumstances, but I stand ready to learn what God has to teach me.   

James 1:2-4 (NLT) ² Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. ³ For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. ⁴ So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.

This weekend, I discovered Nick Vujicic.  There are no coincidences.  Check it out. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=da5QQSxSsGY&feature=related

God’s Masterpiece

Ephesians 2:10 (NLT) ¹⁰ For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.

God is the master artist; painter, sculptor, writer, musician and dancer.  All that we create here on earth is inspired by and comes from him.  God uses us as his paintbrush, his hands, his pencil, his guitar, his voice and his legs.  

Most times when I think of God’s artistic creation I look in wonderment at the landscape; the colors in the sky over the ocean at dawn, the mountains at dusk, a deer grazing in the tall golden grass, fluffy inkblot cloud formations and glorious opulent rainbows. His artwork is around us at every minute of every day and I often take it for granted and miss its beauty, depth and complexity.  

Of all of God’s handiwork, his pride, his joy, his masterpiece, is each one of us.  He created each of us as a unique piece of art as individual, delicate and wonderful as a snowflake.  He designed each of us perfectly by his creative expression, specifications and plans.  

I don’t know about you, but when I look in the mirror I don’t see a masterpiece and I definitely don’t feel like one. Clearly, God sees us all differently than we see ourselves. I am certain that his definition of beauty is much different and deeper than our superficial view. God has the perfect  lens and we need only learn to see ourselves and others as he does.  Each of us is his masterpiece, beautiful to behold, inside and out.  You can take his word for it!

1 Peter 3:3-4 (NKJV) ³ Do not let your adornment be merely outward—arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel— ⁴ rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God.

Dear God, 

Even though I don’t feel like your masterpiece, I want to be.  As a work in progress, I ask that you keep chiseling away and mold me into the person you planned for me to be.  Help me to not compare myself to others but only to you so that I may focus on pleasing you and perform your works, by the grace of your gifts and never ending love.  Thank you for your patience and for not giving up on me.

Amen 

  

Dear God

Help me to approach this day and this week, focused not on myself, but focused externally to the service of others to complete the work that you have set before me.  I pray for the strength to let go of the concerns of my problems, entrusting them with confidence to you so that I can focus on being a blessing to others.  Amen

We all have problems, worries, disappointments and frustrations especially when events in our lives do not go according to our plans. When things happen that are outside of our control, it can cause anxiety and fear.  Learning to let go and trust others and God can be a very difficult challenge. 

At times we become so inwardly focused and so filled with worry about tomorrow that we miss the beautiful moments that life has to offer today. We may not see the opportunities that God has provided and we become blind to the needs of others.  

Hardships and disappointments are simply a part of life and ultimately part of God’s plan to prepare us for his purpose. Learning to live one day at a time, serving others and God and surrendering our will and trust to Him, will bring us ultimate peace and happiness. 

It is by God’s grace that we are here. Faith means that we give up control of the our life to him, and live without fear or worry.  

Hebrews 12:1-2 (NLT) 12 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. ² We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne.

The Serenity Prayer

God grant me the serenity 

to accept the things I cannot change; 

courage to change the things I can;

and wisdom to know the difference.

Living one day at a time; 

Enjoying one moment at a time; 

Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace; 

Taking, as He did, this sinful world as it is, not as I would have it; 

Trusting that He will make all things right if I surrender to His Will; 

That I may be reasonably happy in this life

and supremely happy with Him Forever in the next.

Amen.

--Reinhold Niebuhr  

Go in peace!

A God Moment

2 Corinthians 5:6-8 (NKJV) - ⁶ So we are always confident, knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord. ⁷ For we walk by faith, not by sight. ⁸ We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord.

My friend Jill refers to the story that I am about to tell you as a “God Moment”, but I will let you decide.  I think that we all have “God Moments” but we don’t always recognize them as such.  

My story starts two years ago when we rented a house in Pacific Grove for our vacation. During the drive, Patrick and I stopped in Morro Bay to stretch and eat the picnic lunch that I had packed. We walked on the beach and then around town for a a little while. On that day, just like so many others before it I was wearing the precious, beautiful cross that Jill brought to me from Czechoslovakia. When I wore the cross it reminded me that God is always with me and protects me from harm, so I wore it almost everyday and always when I traveled away from home. 

When I got back into the car, I looked down and the chain around my neck had broken and my beautiful cross was gone!   Patrick and I looked everywhere, retracing our steps even in the sand.  We scoured the car on that day and again when we got home to unpack in hopes that it dropped into some  crevice.  To no avail.  I was heartbroken and so ashamed that I lost such a beautiful gift that I couldn’t bear to tell Jill about it.  Finally, I thought that perhaps God did not want me to be so attached to a material thing.  It’s just that it mean’t so much to me and represented a gift of friendship and a constant reminder of God’s love and grace.  

We have cleaned the car on a regular basis in the last two years and slowly my hope of finding my precious cross faded.  I resolved that perhaps God wanted someone else to have it who needed it more.   

Last week as we were making final preparations for our trip to Bodega Bay.  Patrick came in from washing the car, sweaty and with a big grin on his face. As he approached me, he extended his hand to me and opened his fist. There in the palm of his hand was my long lost precious cross!  I cried tears of joy and relief as I snatched it out of his hand.  To me this was a miracle, as I thought it was lost forever. 

Two hours later, Dr. H called me to tell me the results of my MRI.  He said that there is definitely a tumor that shouldn’t be there on my inner thigh and that it will need to be surgically removed.  He told me to go on vacation and in the meantime he will make arrangements with a surgeon.  There is no clarity yet if the tumor is benign or malignant, but he was relieved to see that the tumor was not attached to the muscle, which in his experience is a nasty form of cancer.  He also said that the lymph nodes in my groin area look normal, also a good sign.

While I still do not have full reassurance from the doctors, I think that it is interesting that God chose this date for Patrick to find my cherished cross. I think that God gives us what we need when we need it, so we can comprehend more clearly his message. I know that it is symbolic, but I feel like he gave me back the cross to remind me of his love for me and to reassure me that everything will be okay.  I wore the cross the rest of the day, I am wearing it now and will wear it everyday until my surgery.  

With my current job situation and now this, my faith is clearly being tested.  For now, I will reach out in faith to touch the garment of Jesus.  I will try to do as he instructs and walk by faith and not by sight. 

Matthew 9:20-22 (NKJV) ²⁰ And suddenly, a woman who had a flow of blood for twelve years came from behind and touched the hem of His garment. ²¹ For she said to herself, “If only I may touch His garment, I shall be made well.” ²² But Jesus turned around, and when He saw her He said, “Be of good cheer, daughter; your faith has made you well.” And the woman was made well from that hour.