Wanted: Love and Grace

• Posted on July 25, 2018 at 6:09 pm

Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person  ~Colossians 4:6.

Have you ever met someone who prides herself on speaking her mind? I think that phrase alone says a lot: The person who speaks what’s on his mind regardless of how it makes others feel is a proud person. I expect that she doesn’t realize that she sometimes does things that irritates others and yet they show grace to her. Why is it so difficult to bear with “stupid” people?

Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ  ~Ephesians 4:15.

A lack of love is another reason some are quick to cut down others. Especially on social media, it is easy to subtly address faceless beings who can’t have feelings and so something they do or say is picked apart by another individual who has no patience with them.

I would like to submit that this kind of behavior is not boldness; many times, it is simply arrogance. By pointing out someone else’s fault (whether you name him or her or not), you are deflecting away from your own faults.

Facebook is the only social media that I am a part of, and I too see things that others say and do that I wouldn’t, but it is their page. They can do what they like on their page. I can participate or not. If I were truly burdened about it, I would send them a private message. If it’s not a burden, why not let it go?

We live in a world where many do not like confrontation. But passive aggressiveness? That’s a different story. Let’s make sure that the things we say and type are encouraging and helpful. There are times when people or situations need to be addressed, but it needs to be done in humility … with love and grace.

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Support Your Fellow Christians

• Posted on July 18, 2018 at 9:15 am

But seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you” (Matthew 6:33).

The above verse is one that is familiar to most Christians, but I wonder how many think about exactly what it means to “seek first the kingdom of God.” I think the most obvious interpretation of this is that we should be seeking, first and foremost, to be more like Jesus. This involves surrendering our will to His and learning what He desires of us. One area that I think is hard for a lot of people to surrender is that of finances.

With the ever-rising popularity of places like Walmart and Amazon, many “mom and pop” companies have gone by the wayside. We see fewer cottage industries because everyone knows that they can’t compete with companies that have a large enough bank account to buy products for next to nothing and then sell to the consumer for less than you or I could sell them for.

I am not saying that it is wrong to shop at big stores and save money. I like to bargain shop myself. And, if we are talking twice the price or more to order from a Christian company, my budget would probably not allow me to spend that much. However, I have found instances where the savings is only a few dollars, and this is where I would much rather support my fellow Christians or local businesses.

One reason this is weighing heavy on my heart, besides the fact that I just started my own online bookstore, is that I travel the country setting up booths to sell books for Family Renewal and Master Books. These companies spend a lot of time and money to go to conventions where people can look through the books to decide what they would like to purchase. Then many times they go home and order from Amazon or another discount seller, leaving us to pack up the inventory and take it back home. No wonder conferences are dying left and right as exhibitors are no longer covering their expenses.

What many don’t realize is that, when you purchase that really cheap product from a discounter, the creator of the product gets very little from that sale. If you buy a book on Amazon, for example, the author probably makes less than $2/book. Less than $1 in some cases. Most authors are happy to get books into people’s hands so they would rather folks buy from Amazon than not buy, but if you want to support your favorite author and help him or her to be able to continue to write and, in some cases, support their families, then it is much better to purchase directly from the author or another Christian distributor that doesn’t discount very much.

As Christians, we are to be good stewards of the funds God has given us, but we also need to pray about where to use those funds and who He desires to bless through our purchases. It is really His money after all.

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Reminiscing

• Posted on July 15, 2018 at 3:17 pm

Yesterday, I was sorting through cards and books and paperwork which brought back so many memories. Memories of people who have gone to Heaven. Memories of some whom I haven’t heard from in a while but I wonder what they are up to these days. Memories of how life used to be and how I miss aspects of those days. But I think the most fascinating thought, as I look back at my life, is that every joy, every trial, every person I have known has probably contributed to some degree to the person I am today.

As I look back over even the last five years, a lot has changed. I changed jobs and added a couple (editing and my bookstore). Some of the people I felt close to back then, I hardly hear from any more, but I have new friends who stay in touch and encourage me. A couple of my sisters are married. My nieces and nephews are growing up. And they all seem to love me. So as much as it could be tempting to cry over all the things that I no longer have, I am reminded that, in reality, I am still very blessed.

“To everything there is a season.” I do not like change. If it were up to me, I would still be living the life I lived 20 years ago. But if I got what I thought I wanted, I would have become stale and never would have branched out and grown. I therefore would have missed the thrill of having God stretch me and expand my ministry (in spite of the fact that I would have said that’s what I wanted; just on my terms).

Thankfully, God does not always listen to me. He sees the real desire of my heart, and He accomplishes that as only He can do. Some seasons of life are hard but the pain and heartache do not last forever. We simply need to stay close to Him, to trust Him, to stay out of His way while allowing Him to perform His perfect work. Then, one day, we will hear Him say, “Well done, my child. Enter into your rest.”

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