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Finding Grace
20
January
Michelle

The new year has brought so many new things to my plate.  These new things keep me busy with books to read, bible studies to complete, scripture to memorize, biographies to write and a full schedule of meeting times.  I am in complete awe of the things that God has brought into my life recently.  These groups and opportunities have literally fallen into my lap and it excites me to no end to see what is in store over the next few months.

Last night at my ladies small group meeting we discussed Grace.  I have used, written and seen this word millions of time in my life.  Up until last night though, I don’t think I ever fully understood what exactly it meant.  We discussed how Gods grace is all around us and that we just have to train our eyes to see it.  I immediately thought of the amazing sunrise that meets me every morning on my commute to work.  Of course I see it as beautiful, and I am thankful for the view during an otherwise boring drive up 285.  But, that same sunrise takes on a whole new appearance when we choose to see it as a God thing!  The same can be said for the warm weather that greeted me this afternoon and the wind against my face coming in from my rolled down window.  For the friends that I spent the weekend with, for the warm bed that I will sleep in tonight.  It all takes on a different look, and different feeling.  Grace is easily defined as repentance and forgiveness…. but it is so much more. I think my heart grew two sizes last night with this realization.

Over the last 21 days, I have given up sweets, Starbucks and a few other frivolous foods as my church took it upon ourselves to really, really pray.  We had 300,000 people in mind as we spoke to God about the daunting task of reaching so many un-churched neighbors.  I quickly leaned that the praying was the easy part.  It was the listening that was more of a challenge.  The lesson of looking for God’s grace in our surroundings can also be used to teach us how to be still and quiet long enough to hear what He has to say.  We challenged ourselves last night to make a date with God.  To find a chunk of time when we turn off the cell phone, turn off the radio, turn off the TV, and just be. Scary concept.  Amazingly powerful opportunity.

Only when we learn to live in the grace of the Father’s house can we become like Him.  When our hands are filled with His blessings, we are able to relax our grip on our sinful pursuits of fulfillment, our prideful competitiveness, our inner complaints.

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The Insignificant Details
23
November
Michelle

Today I started at the new office.  My commute was surprisingly not as bad as I had envisioned, the work load was not nearly as bad as I had thought, and the doctors were all much nicer then I had been told.  All in all, it was a successful day.

I knew that I would be “unplugged” going into today.  My normal routines of checking in on Twitter, Facebook and gchat would no longer be an option in my new position.  (What can I say… Im addicted to the social media scene!)  I was surprisingly okay with the idea and managed to get through the day without many withdrawal pains.  But as I sat down tonight and plugged in the laptop I realize how much had transpired today.

Through that same social media scene that I thought I could live without, I learn that a friend has lost his mom today.  I immediately pick up the phone and call him.  As I listen to him recount the last few hours of his life I can’t help but think about how much we take for granted.

I have been stressing and worrying so much over the last few weeks about this new position.  I became so consumed in the details of the transition and worried about how the lack of control would effect me.   I took for granted that the opportunity was there at all and that I had a choice in the matter.  I obviously had no way of knowing what the future would look like but that didn’t stop me from spending countless hours worrying about it.

Tonight I have Josh in my prayers as I realize how insignificant my new office is…… when you think about the big picture.   I also pray that all of us will understand that God has all of this planned.  We worry ourselves sick over details, when at the end of the day it was never in our control to begin with.  Which, honestly, it much more comforting then any plan I could come up with.

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Final Destination
05
November
Michelle

LDRI have recently found a group of girls through Buckhead Church and we meet once a week to check in, share, and learn a few things about Jesus.  Its been incredible to witness the forming of this group and how the six of us were put together in such a random setting, and yet we have so so so much in common.  Truly Gods work!

These past few weeks we have taken our small group time to be apart of a series that the church is offering.  The topics center around dating while maintaining a Christian walk and also keeping a balance between the new love, the friends, the family, etc.  One of the questions that came up last night was about keeping Christian friends around when you are in a relationship.  The speaker asked us if we should take advice from our Christian friends over the advice from our not-so Christian friends.  The conversation that swirled around was eye-opening. People had strong and valid opinions for both choices.

We all have those friends.  The friends that may not share in our values.  The friends that we love and whose opinions we honestly cherish.  But at the end of the day, those friends don’t have the same moral compass, the same biblical understanding, the same perspective as our Christian friends.  The advice they give is in a secular sense…. without the backing of Christian standards.  I’m not saying that their advice is bad.  I’m not even saying that the advice is wrong.  But I think we need to be careful when trying to walk a path that brings us closer to God when those walking with you don’t have the same destination in mind.

My past once again sheds light on how important this truth is.  I sat in that auditorium last night and had the realization that there is a chance that I wouldn’t be divorced had I not listened so much to a close friend of mine.  A close friend that is by no means walking on the Jesus path.  And in all fairness, at that time, I wasn’t exactly on that path either.  I love this girl.  I truly value her friendship and her opinion.  But at the time, her opinion was all I had.  And in her eyes, walking away from my marriage was what needed to be done.  I don’t blame her.  Not by a long shot.  But I do wonder what would have happened if my friends surrounding me at that time had been a little more….. well….. Christian.

I think its great and necessary to keep all sorts of people around us.  We need the strong Christians to keep us accountable, to help us grow.  But we also need our secular friends so that we can experience all that life has to offer. They are there to challenge us in ways our Christian friends might not be able to.  They are there to keep us from becoming closed minded.  They are there to remind us that we cannot judge those around us who don’t think or act like us.

I’m so blessed to have found some fabulous Christian girls.  But I have no plans to forget about the amazing people in my life that may not be exactly on my same page spiritually.  Being christian means we made a choice to follow Jesus. But we have to remember at one point we were right where our non Christian friends are.

All of our friends are invaluable.  Let this be a reminder to ask for lots of opinions.  To truly hear from everyone around us.  But to ultimately seek what would be best in order to keep us on that path that brings us closer to God.

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