Our youngest son graduates from high school in a few weeks. It's a landmark time for him -- and for my husband and me.
We're all looking forward to this new phase of our lives, and our hearts are full of wonder and anticipation as to where God will lead us.
All of us reach pivotal points in our lives where we seek to move to the "next level." I often hear Christians talk about how they hope to take their faith to the "next level."
Just what does that mean, anyway?
I've given that a lot of thought lately, and I've come to the conclusion that there is only one place to start (and return often!): On our knees -- maybe even prostrate before our Heavenly Father. Only there can we humbly surrender to His will for our lives. Quite possibly we'll find that we need to shake off a lot of what we've been doing so that we can be still before Him and remember that He is the only One who deserves to be glorified.
Do I want our son to be a hard-working productive young man? You bet! But my desire for him isn't worldly fame or riches. More than anything I want him to fully rely on Jesus -- the author and perfecter of his faith -- and to live out his faith by obeying God and loving others.
And I'm going to make sure to let him know that sometimes God moves us to the "next level" by taking us down a peg or two so that we don't get so high on ourselves that we forget to look up to Him.
Cindy Gray
Sunday, May 3, 2009
Peeling Grapes
Especially when he was teething, our baby loved grapes. Problem was, he didn't have the choppers to chew the tough skins, so I carefully peeled, seeded and quartered the juicy morsels while the drooling child bounced in his high chair and slapped the tray in anticipation of the soothing treat.
"Son," I'd say, "when you're a teenager and think that I'm your enemy, I'm going to remind you of this so that you know how much I have always loved you."
By God's grace those teen years were never so rough that he called me his enemy, but there were times when I should have quietly sat down with him, peeled him a grape, and told him that I loved him. I think he would have gotten the message a lot more clearly than by my redundant harping about things I felt he needed to know or do.
Simple acts of kindness can be tremendous acts of love. Ask someone who's lonely. Watch someone with a spouse with Alzheimer's disease. Take note of parents with a handicapped child. Learn from the one person who knew how to comfort you when you were grieving.
It doesn't take a million dollars to love somebody. And it doesn't take more time than it takes to peel a grape.
If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to flames, but have not love, I gain nothing." 1 Corinthians 13:3
Cindy Gray
"Son," I'd say, "when you're a teenager and think that I'm your enemy, I'm going to remind you of this so that you know how much I have always loved you."
By God's grace those teen years were never so rough that he called me his enemy, but there were times when I should have quietly sat down with him, peeled him a grape, and told him that I loved him. I think he would have gotten the message a lot more clearly than by my redundant harping about things I felt he needed to know or do.
Simple acts of kindness can be tremendous acts of love. Ask someone who's lonely. Watch someone with a spouse with Alzheimer's disease. Take note of parents with a handicapped child. Learn from the one person who knew how to comfort you when you were grieving.
It doesn't take a million dollars to love somebody. And it doesn't take more time than it takes to peel a grape.
If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to flames, but have not love, I gain nothing." 1 Corinthians 13:3
Cindy Gray
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Death, Taxes and Tea Parties
Yesterday I attended the funeral of my dearly beloved aunt, filed income taxes, and watched the evening news showing protesters pretending to pitch tea into rivers across the country.
There’s something about standing next to a coffin at a cemetery that brings life’s priorities into focus.
There’s something about paying taxes that emphasizes the futility of a life dedicated to making money.
And there was something about seeing the protesters hauling boxes marked "TEA" to the bows of their boats that made me realize that when Mom, my sisters and I returned from the funeral we should have taken time to have a good old-fashioned tea party complete with pretty teacups and delicate cookies.
My mom’s mom lived a most humble life. By worldly standards, she was poor. She probably never had enough money to GET to pay taxes. But she knew how to put on a tea party that would make a fairy tale princess swoon. At her table we were royalty and unconditionally loved. At her table, we learned that her riches were treasures stored up in heaven.
A beautiful scripture, Romans 8:38-39 NASB, shared at my aunt’s funeral bolstered us with a promise that helped us rejoice in the midst of our grief: "For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."
. . . nor funerals, nor taxes, nor social injustice . . .
Gathering for a funeral tends to make us look back on what used to be. The promise of eternal life through Jesus Christ helps us look forward to all that is to come -- starting now!
Cindy Gray
Sunday, March 29, 2009
RUN
I remember one spring morning after a particularly brutal winter when our son Zac was about three years old. A warm breeze washed over him as he stood in the open doorway, and he turned to his dad and said, "Do you mind if I scream?" Our little boy had been cooped up for so long he was ready to bound into the yard like a spring lamb. He couldn’t contain his joy.
Sometimes God’s love overwhelms me in the same way. When I lay hold of the joy He sets before me with His mercies made new each day, I want to sing to Him at the top of my lungs and not care if anyone else hears. I want to lie on the ground and soak up the earth’s warmth and watch the clouds make cartoon shapes in the sky. If that sounds childish, I don’t care. I love to get lost in the wonder of God’s majesty.
Jesus knew the value of childlike faith. When 70 of his disciples (baby Christians) returned to Jesus after sharing the Good News with the masses, they were jubilant because "Even the demons submit to us in your name." Jesus cautioned them not to rejoice that the spirits submitted to them, but rejoice because "your names are written in heaven."
At that time Jesus, full of joy through the Holy Spirit (stop and relish that picture for a moment), said, "I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this was your good pleasure." Luke 10:21 NIV
Much as we love to watch the unbound awe of a little child discovering his fingers for the first time, God must delight when we, His children, put aside what we think we know so that we can unassumingly, with child-like abandon, embrace God for who He is.
When my dear grandmother was 90 and near to her home-going, I asked her what she wanted to do when she got to heaven. She closed her eyes, smiled and said, "Run." Stricken by polio when she was a little girl, she had watched the rest of the world run and dance past her for most of her life. She loved the Lord with her whole heart, so the image of her running into the open arms of Jesus was one of her sweetest parting gifts to me. Oh, for the day when we will fully realize our Father’s "good pleasure."
Sometimes God’s love overwhelms me in the same way. When I lay hold of the joy He sets before me with His mercies made new each day, I want to sing to Him at the top of my lungs and not care if anyone else hears. I want to lie on the ground and soak up the earth’s warmth and watch the clouds make cartoon shapes in the sky. If that sounds childish, I don’t care. I love to get lost in the wonder of God’s majesty.
Jesus knew the value of childlike faith. When 70 of his disciples (baby Christians) returned to Jesus after sharing the Good News with the masses, they were jubilant because "Even the demons submit to us in your name." Jesus cautioned them not to rejoice that the spirits submitted to them, but rejoice because "your names are written in heaven."
At that time Jesus, full of joy through the Holy Spirit (stop and relish that picture for a moment), said, "I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this was your good pleasure." Luke 10:21 NIV
Much as we love to watch the unbound awe of a little child discovering his fingers for the first time, God must delight when we, His children, put aside what we think we know so that we can unassumingly, with child-like abandon, embrace God for who He is.
When my dear grandmother was 90 and near to her home-going, I asked her what she wanted to do when she got to heaven. She closed her eyes, smiled and said, "Run." Stricken by polio when she was a little girl, she had watched the rest of the world run and dance past her for most of her life. She loved the Lord with her whole heart, so the image of her running into the open arms of Jesus was one of her sweetest parting gifts to me. Oh, for the day when we will fully realize our Father’s "good pleasure."
Friday, February 27, 2009
PIP-SQUEAK
"I have spread out My hands all day long to a rebellious people,
Who walk in the way which is not good, following their own thoughts,
A people who continually provoke Me to My face" Read Isaiah 65:1-3 NASB
I read that verse last week, and I can't get it out of my head. It breaks my heart and brings me to my knees. Provoke God to His face? How crazy is that? Why would a little pip-squeak (one that is small, insignificant)* like me try to stand toe to toe with Almighty God, fold my arms, shake my fist at Him and refuse to stop my ways which are not good? How dare I provoke (incite to anger, call forth, exasperate)* the One who regulates my every breath and the beat of my heart? The One who loves me so much that He has spread out His hands to me all day long!
But I do it. I do it every time I realize that what I am doing defies God and I say, "I know that what I'm doing is not pleasing to You, but (therefore, in spite of)* I am going to do it anyway."
I know that I shouldn't talk that way to my husband, but I . . . I know that it hurts Your heart when I harp at my kids, but I . . . I know that what I am doing goes against You, but I . . . But I means that I have no intention of changing my ways. I'm staying in my sin and I have lots of reasons why I'm staying here.
Lord, please help me change my response from "but I" to "so I." When You show me that I am dishonoring You, let me confess, "I know that what I'm doing is not pleasing to You, SO (for that reason, finally)* I will change my ways to ways that are good. Let Your will be my will. Father, I love You and thank You for making this pip-squeak a child of the King!
Cindy Gray
Leaning Toward Home
* definitions from Webste's New American Dictionary, copyright 1995, Merriam-Webster, Inc.
Who walk in the way which is not good, following their own thoughts,
A people who continually provoke Me to My face" Read Isaiah 65:1-3 NASB
I read that verse last week, and I can't get it out of my head. It breaks my heart and brings me to my knees. Provoke God to His face? How crazy is that? Why would a little pip-squeak (one that is small, insignificant)* like me try to stand toe to toe with Almighty God, fold my arms, shake my fist at Him and refuse to stop my ways which are not good? How dare I provoke (incite to anger, call forth, exasperate)* the One who regulates my every breath and the beat of my heart? The One who loves me so much that He has spread out His hands to me all day long!
But I do it. I do it every time I realize that what I am doing defies God and I say, "I know that what I'm doing is not pleasing to You, but (therefore, in spite of)* I am going to do it anyway."
I know that I shouldn't talk that way to my husband, but I . . . I know that it hurts Your heart when I harp at my kids, but I . . . I know that what I am doing goes against You, but I . . . But I means that I have no intention of changing my ways. I'm staying in my sin and I have lots of reasons why I'm staying here.
Lord, please help me change my response from "but I" to "so I." When You show me that I am dishonoring You, let me confess, "I know that what I'm doing is not pleasing to You, SO (for that reason, finally)* I will change my ways to ways that are good. Let Your will be my will. Father, I love You and thank You for making this pip-squeak a child of the King!
Cindy Gray
Leaning Toward Home
* definitions from Webste's New American Dictionary, copyright 1995, Merriam-Webster, Inc.
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
TURKEY AND HIVES
“Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life. . .” from Psalm 23.
“Do I smell turkey cooking?” my husband Dennis asked me as he walked into the kitchen this morning.
“No. Rice. I’m making rice pudding for breakfast.”
“I smell turkey cooking,” he insisted. “I’m serious. Turkey.”
Sometimes I wonder about that guy; especially lately since he’s been plagued by torturous outbreaks of hives. Yesterday the doctor gave him an antihistamine. Today there isn’t a finger’s width between the awful welts that cover him from head to toe.
Historically, hives means that my dearest one is stressed out, so we started talking about what might be causing the stress. We soon realized that most of our concerns are for our adult children who are facing so many challenges of their own. Almost immediately the conversation turned to memories of how God has met all of our needs throughout the years.
For most of our married life, we have been self-employed. In the midst of the years that our first three children were born, Dennis suffered from several episodes of collapsed lungs culminating in lung surgery just two weeks after our second son, Nathaniel, was born and died 11 days later. We’ve started over again more times than I care to count. Sometimes we were broke. But in our darkest hours, we were most aware of God’s incredible love: "For I am the LORD your God, who upholds your right hand, Who says to you, ‘Do not fear, I will help you.' Isaiah 41:13 NASB.
We agreed that God will bring our kids through their trials just as He’s faithfully done for us. So with a reassuring hug and a smile, Dennis left for work.
Within a few minutes I heard his truck pull back into our driveway. When I met him at the door, he handed me a whole deli turkey breast and laughed, “You won’t believe this. Remember the man from Chicago who’s truck I fixed last week and he didn’t have money for his bill? He stopped in this morning to pay me, and gave me this turkey as a thank you for helping him.”
Don’t you just love God! His goodness and mercy have followed me all the days of my life and I’m still dumb-struck by His perfect timing and brilliant sense of humor.
As we celebrate the gift of eternal salvation through Jesus' death and resurrection, let’s also remember that He promised that He would never leave us nor forsake us. He is with us right here and right now, giving us constant little reminders of his love and faithfulness. We just have to learn to see (or maybe smell) them!
Cindy Gray – Leaning Toward Home
“Do I smell turkey cooking?” my husband Dennis asked me as he walked into the kitchen this morning.
“No. Rice. I’m making rice pudding for breakfast.”
“I smell turkey cooking,” he insisted. “I’m serious. Turkey.”
Sometimes I wonder about that guy; especially lately since he’s been plagued by torturous outbreaks of hives. Yesterday the doctor gave him an antihistamine. Today there isn’t a finger’s width between the awful welts that cover him from head to toe.
Historically, hives means that my dearest one is stressed out, so we started talking about what might be causing the stress. We soon realized that most of our concerns are for our adult children who are facing so many challenges of their own. Almost immediately the conversation turned to memories of how God has met all of our needs throughout the years.
For most of our married life, we have been self-employed. In the midst of the years that our first three children were born, Dennis suffered from several episodes of collapsed lungs culminating in lung surgery just two weeks after our second son, Nathaniel, was born and died 11 days later. We’ve started over again more times than I care to count. Sometimes we were broke. But in our darkest hours, we were most aware of God’s incredible love: "For I am the LORD your God, who upholds your right hand, Who says to you, ‘Do not fear, I will help you.' Isaiah 41:13 NASB.
We agreed that God will bring our kids through their trials just as He’s faithfully done for us. So with a reassuring hug and a smile, Dennis left for work.
Within a few minutes I heard his truck pull back into our driveway. When I met him at the door, he handed me a whole deli turkey breast and laughed, “You won’t believe this. Remember the man from Chicago who’s truck I fixed last week and he didn’t have money for his bill? He stopped in this morning to pay me, and gave me this turkey as a thank you for helping him.”
Don’t you just love God! His goodness and mercy have followed me all the days of my life and I’m still dumb-struck by His perfect timing and brilliant sense of humor.
As we celebrate the gift of eternal salvation through Jesus' death and resurrection, let’s also remember that He promised that He would never leave us nor forsake us. He is with us right here and right now, giving us constant little reminders of his love and faithfulness. We just have to learn to see (or maybe smell) them!
Cindy Gray – Leaning Toward Home
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