Boldly I Approach the Throne of Grace ~ A New Post by @ShelleyHendrix

There has been nothing in my life that God has taken from me, or allowed to be taken from me, that hasn't resulted in something better in return. Not like the picture going around social media depicting Jesus asking a child for her small teddy bear so He can give her a bigger one which He hides behind His back - as though bigger always means better.

While I understand and appreciate what the artist is trying to convey (that Jesus doesn't ask us to give Him anything that He doesn't already have something better ready to give us in return), anyone who has suffered genuine loss knows that few losses can actually be replaced. 

Does a new puppy replace a dog who lived with a family for 15 years?
Does a new spouse replace the one a widow or widower grieves?
Does a new child or pregnancy replace a child who has died?

Of course not. We may find comfort in the new and hope in the new and joy in the new. But that doesn't equal a replacement. We are forever changed by and through loss.

What Jesus offers to us, in the midst and wake of loss is something better than what we often gravitate towards in our desire for comfort from pain or avoidance of any additional pain. 

That "something better" is rarely some tangible item or new relationship or anything I can hold onto with my hands or see with my eyes; but rather a truer sense of His goodness and grace and a deeper, richer, truer trust in Him. 

I know this. I've experienced this. I trust this. 

And yet, I struggle with this. I tend to resist whatever causes me pain and when it seems that God is the One causing the pain, my knee-jerk reaction in self-protection is to try to figure out what I must do to get Him to change His mind so that He'll fix life for me and release me from suffering.

And then I remember...

"Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence (or "boldly approach the Throne of Grace"), so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need."

(Hebrews 4:14-16 NIV)

The Long Season of Broken Dreams

As I stumble along this unlit pathway in this season, and with a hurting and grieving heart, I approach His throne of Grace with boldness - not in what He might or might not do - not with my hands clasped around my prayer requests or a list of demands - but because there's no place I belong more than right up close to where He is. And there's no place He'd rather be than with me, trusting Him... 

Relinquishing control and resting in His grace once more means that:

• I can choose with my will to let go of things outside of my control. 
• I can rest my weary heart against His and let Him nurture and care for and protect me in the midst of the storm. 

Why was John the only one who got to lay upon Jesus' chest? Perhaps because he was the only one willing to try it.

Abba Father, Please give us the grace and the courage to make ourselves completely vulnerable to you as you already know more about us than we know ourselves. As we come to you just as we are, and as we pour out whatever is inside of us to you, may we willingly yield control to you; and may you increase our faith in you with each breath that we breathe. In Jesus' Name, Amen

In the Earthquakes by @emilylaney

Me and some of my co-workers in front of our yellow house in Banda Aceh, the house with the 'solid foundation'.

"Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.” – Matthew 7:24.

 

In 2005 I spent six months in Banda Aceh, Indonesia. Aceh was ground zero for the devastating Tsunami that hit Southeast Asia on December 26, 2004. Six months after that day, I found myself in Banda Aceh, walking through a city that was struggling to rebuild. I had never felt an earthquake before going to Aceh, and I’ll never forget the day I felt the ground shake between my feet. It was slight at first, and then it almost felt like the ground buckled under me. I raced out of our home office along with the rest of the other staff. For those few seconds, I felt helpless. I was completely at the mercy of the shaking earth. And after the shaking slowed, I realized how thankful I was for our home’s strong foundation. The home our organization was renting wasn’t destroyed during the intense ten minute earthquake that caused the tsunami, and it wasn’t damaged during the subsequent aftershocks that hit the city for months after. Our foundation was solid, so the house continued to stand.

Our lives are figuratively like life in Banda Aceh. It will be calm for a little while, and then things get shaken up. Maybe it’s financial, a diagnosis, or a loss. Or, maybe it’s something exciting but overwhelming. But regardless of the circumstances, all of us are prone to experience earthquakes in our lives. But when everything gets shaken up, what do we rely on?

That’s where the solid foundation comes in. We must set our minds on Jesus, and build our faith, our lives on the solid rock of Jesus. The parable in Matthew seven is a great example. We can’t put our trust in things of the world, it’s like building a house on sand. But if we put our trust in Jesus, He serves as a firm foundation, a foundation that will not be shaken. And sure, when the earthquakes come, we’ll be shaken up a bit. However, our solid foundation in Christ will keep us from being destroyed. There is so much peace in knowing that we can rely and depend on Jesus to be our true source of stability.

Friends, trust in Jesus today. If you’re going through a storm or if you feel you’re in a full-fledged earthquake, know that no matter how much the enemy tries, he can’t destroy you. Cling to the truth of scripture and the sure foundation and cornerstone of Jesus.

Emily Laney is a social worker, educator, and justice seeker.  She has worked with vulnerable populations in the United States and abroad and loves to help startup nonprofits reach their goals.  She is a Passion City Church door holder and leads a team of abolitionists at Not for Sale Georgia.   She loves her husband Brent and their rescue pup Biscuit. Sunsets and Sushi make her happy.

You can connect with Emily on twitter @emilylaney or on her blog www.emilylaney.com

Am I Blind To My Own Struggles? by Cheryl Laurenza

Photo by Amelia Grace Photography

And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith. Gal 6:8-18 ESV

I have been pondering something the pastor said this morning at our church, (Granite United in Salem, NH) well a couple of things. In talking about using our gifts and talents in the body to build it up as well as to glorify God, I was struck with the thought that it has been far easier for me to minister outside the body over the last couple years. I began to look at the "whys" and how that might have come to be. This is what I was thinking with the above title. I believe I became "weary of doing good" and I also felt I had been hurt and used by the church as far as burn out and a lack of consideration. This was not true of all leaders I was involved with, but sadly some leaders do bring this about because of their own brokenness and bent towards legalism and works, it was however  enough to cause me to pull way back and even attend a different church after resigning from the one that I had worked at for about 8 years.

Now here's where the rubber hits the road for me regarding Gal 6. It's ok for a time to be refreshed, restored etc, but I need to return to the place of allowing God to use what He himself  has given me or I become like the guy who buried his talent in the ground in Matthew 25.  Again, I'm all about healing and grace, yet I recognize the design of how the body works and I am excited about being back using my talent(s) for Him. I can say that I have been focused on "others" outside the family meaning my own, as well as clients that come to me. This is great, but again, being part of the body is what I was designed for and if I am blinded by my own pain, hurt,  selfishness, or indifference, I lose as do those I would have served. God can raise up anyone and I am not indispensable, but needed as are you.

I hope I have encouraged those that have been weary today. Please get help, seek out restoration and as God directs, be open to hearing that still small voice and be led by His spirit, not guilt or coercion. We need to be operating under the power of the Holy Spirit to do what we were created . We need you and your talents, gifts and abilities and have been waiting for you...not in anger or disappointment, but with excitement!

See you on the front lines!!

Cheryl Laurenza, LPC, LCMHC
For more information on aloneness in marriage or otherwise, check out Center For Relational Care out of Austin, TX or contact me via email.
calaurenza@comcast.net
www.refugecounselingcenter.org