Unforced Rhythm of Grace

“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. 

I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”  Matthew 11:28-30  (The Message)

When was the last time you read something from God that sounded so inviting and refreshing?  Did you think that recovery and God's Word didn't go together?  Look again. Be comforted. You are invited to rest and recover your life -  Your life! His Word doesn't ask you to come to Him to save your spouse, son, daughter or parent.  It invites you to come and recover yourself. Ahhhhhhhh.  I can feel my shoulders relaxing and loosening up.  I can sense the weight coming off of me as I breathe just a little bit deeper.  I love the invitation to come and "learn the unforced rhythms of grace."

Grace.  A way of moving that isn't stiff.  A charming or attractive trait.

The word grace conjures up many a picture in my mind.  Being that I loved to dance, especially ballet as a young girl, grace is a beautiful arabesque followed by a quick glissade into a spinning turn with skirts of chiffon twirling about me free and flowing while following a gentle pattern of beauty. Some of you might see Audrey Hepburn in your minds eye.  Others will see a soaring bird or a swimming swan with wings lifted to show its grandeur.  Each of these scenarios is an unforced rhythm ~ it just happens, involuntarily, unplanned movement. 

Grace. A virtue coming from God.

How I've enjoyed grace weaving it's way through my life allowing me to live freely and lightly but I didn't always have that grace in my life. Oh, I thought I did but when I was chasing after dreams, ideals and rules that weren't mine to have, live or enforce, I was living in a forced pattern of rigidity that brought me nothing but chaos, angst and sadness.   I just didn't realize it.  I didn't know how to let go and let God, so to speak.  I didn't realize how freeing it was that I could merely live my life and let others live theirs and that I could choose to be close or distant from the chaos and poison.  I knew nothing about love with detachment or boundaries. But, now, WOW!!

Grace, grace, God's grace.

God's grace allows me to let God be God and lets me be me just as God created me to be.  Little ol' me that doesn't have to keep track of what everyone else is doing and why they're doing it that way. Grace allows me to leave the ones I love and care about into the marvelous grace of God's hand where they too, may find the unforced rhythms of grace.   When we choose to let God be God in our lives it brings an overwhelming amount of grace to us and we learn to give grace to others.  We don't deserve anything more than those who haven't come to the table yet. But the only difference is we've made a choice to live in a powerless place which is right where God is waiting.

Grace. A wonderful gift!

Addicted Me

The older I get the more I realize that I have an addictive personality of  my own. A few years back Cliff and I were driving home from the store when he spied a bag in the backseat holding a new box of  Little Debbie's Swiss Cake Roll Ups. "Mom,"  he said, "why are you buying those? They can't be good for your sugar."  Usually quite defensive of anyone pointing out my food choices, I reluctantly replied that they just called out to me.  He paused and said without judgment, "I know what you mean. Heroin used to call out to me, too."  Ugh.

When I was in high school, heroin was the rich man's drug but pot and other substances could be found everywhere, including my high school vestibule.  But I was afraid of drugs in any form.  In 1972 I knew of several people who died from drug usage and that was enough for me. Though pot didn't claim those statistics, I was afraid of anything that would alter my  mind and self-control.  I'm so thankful that even without knowing it or knowing God that well, that He gave me a strong sense of 'no' in that particular arena.  He was protecting me and for once I didn't throw all caution to the wind and jump the line. 

Why then, am I now facing my own refusal to acknowledge my need for removal of other forms of substance abuse?  Sugar is my "thang".  I clearly remember being at my cousin Leslie Hamp's 5th birthday party and parking myself right at the corner of the picnic table where a bowl of  M&M's sat unsupervised, calling out to me. All the other party attenders were off playing some games and I wanted no part of that. I was in my own little chocolate heaven until my aunt shooed me away. Ugh. 

Still being a sugar person you'd think by 57-3/4 years old I would have won this battle. Not so. And even with all the issues of diabetes I have, it would make sense to everyone around me to just simply walk away. It isn't that simple as many of you can relate with life hazards of your own that you've yet to kick.  This process always reminds me of the Scripture verse in the book of Romans when Paul says "Why do I do the things I hate?"  Ugh. 

I'm reminded that my life didn't exist simply to raise Son #1 and Cliff. Somehow I saw myself as being their life director and trying to intervene where only God could reach them. In so doing, I continued for many years to ignore God when He was trying to reach me and was beckoning me to look Him square in the face, so to speak, and hear what He has for me.  Love, acceptance, intimacy, goodness, blessing, peace, order, freedom, and unsurpassed joy.  All these things await me as I continue to step fully into the life He has planned for me, which includes well-being and good health. 

As I continue to relinquish my ways and my unneeded help for those I love, it frees me up to connect with myself in a healthy way. Today, I will choose to take care of me, my health and my home all in the freedom of surrendering to His magnificent way.  From despair to hope, I've been set free. At times I feel like I'm just starting again down this path and that's the beauty of 12 Steps and a loving God.  He is always holding out His righteous right hand to start anew and you can practice the 12 Steps over and over and over again. 

Peace. 

Picture from google

I Surrender This.....

Like a bolt out of the blue, the phone rings with news we'd rather not get. A newer member at our home group called to say that her son, who's overseas at college, has been using and became addicted to heroin. Quickly, plans have been made to get him home as he's asked to go into rehab. Pretty Mom was rather composed, oh woman of faith that she is. She and her husband have a "solid as a rock" relationship and fortunately have always been totally there for each other. Praying together through the years your married does things like this.

Suddenly, their Christmas celebration will have a different light on it. But it's the light that shines brightly. It's the time of year when we celebrate Jesus sent as a baby for one such as this. For all of us he was sent, but somehow His purpose sometimes seems presented as if it's for those of us who are just little sinners. You know, a little lie here or a bad attitude there and that the "real sinners" should rot in hell. Why should they be forgiven for anything? Others view it as God came for the Big Sinners but us minor players can take care of ourselves. He's to busy for us and afterall, my little sins aren't any big deal, are they? But God's word says He came for all of us and that He himself shows no partiality for one over the other. Sin is sin in the eyes of God and He will not accept any of it.

Because He's God and I'm not, determines that He will forgive and accept to Himself addicts and all their coniving and manipulating ways along with mothers of addicts who can be controlling or manipulative too. He forgives those who think hateful or sinful things but don't act on them. Our secret sins He knows but will forgive. Thoughts of adultery, lusting, hatred, jealousy can all be forgiven. Because He's God and I'm not, He will forgive murderers and rapists and white collar thieves. He will also forgive us when we keep extra change given by accident or the daily swindling that goes on between buyers and sellers and the swindling isn't always done by the sellers! He will forgive school children who are bullies, and teachers who use children for their sexually depraved thinking or addictions. Because He's God and I'm not He knows best the heart of a man who asks for forgiveness for all his sins whatever they may be. And forgives me when I don't understand how He can forgive a murderer or child-molester.

And because He knows the heart of man, he knows who is truly seeking forgiveness and who's giving lip service. But that's not up to me either.

Andrew will return home and enter rehab and his parents will have a great Christmas gift in the simple fact that they know Andrew is alive and being cared for medically instead of detoxing alone in a room about 5000 miles away, or lying in a street, under an overpass or in a homeless shelter guarding his shoes with his life.

The Light of Life is holding out His hand to Andrew and anyone else that is willing to accept that we are powerless over our lives and that their is a Power greater than ourselves who can restore us to sanity and a relationship with Him that beats all the rest. We can wake up each day and thank God for a new day to live healthy and free from alcohol, drugs, or any other ball and chain that wants to rob us from the life He intended for us to live. We can trust Him for just one day, this present day, because He will take care of tomorrow when it gets here. We can lay our heads down on our pillow at night thanking God again for walking with us through the day we just had, joyous and free or lousy and encumbering.

A free gift for anyone who will accept.

*All Pics Googled*