Tag: faith

The Joy of Light

Posted on by Jessica R. Patch

Today I’m breaking
it down. Verse seven of Psalm 19 that is. But go ahead and beat-box if you
choose. It’s not like I’ll feel the spray of spittle from here. Just sayin’.
On Monday, we looked
at the whole Psalm 19 in the Message translation. 
Today, I want to
look at it more in detail (just a portion) in the NKJV. I’m a fan of the NKJV and that’s what I use to study
with each morning, but again, it’s important and beneficial to study your Bible
by looking at many translations. An easy way to do this is by pulling up Biblegateway each morning, or evening when you
have study time, and yes…you should be having daily study time!
We’re focusing on
verse 7 today.
“The law of the Lord is perfect,
converting the soul;
The
testimony of the Lord is sure,
making wise the simple;” Psalm 19:7 NKJV
Here it
is in the Message translation:
“The
revelation of God is whole and pulls our lives together.
The
signposts of God are clear and point out the right road.”
The
meanings are the same but it’s said in a way that gives you a little different
word picture.
God’s
word is perfect. Whole.
The NIV
translation says, “The law of the LORD is perfect, refreshing the
soul.”
I don’t
know about you, but I could stand to be refreshed. The way for that to happen
is by studying the law of the LORD. His Word. Um…yep, the Bible. Not just
skimming it out of obligation. Reading it to meet a yearly goal. But to digest
it, letting it run like oxygen through the blood stream, bringing life to every
organ and limb of your body and then applying what you’ve studied to your every
day life. If you never do that, it’s pointless. It’s just some  head knowledge. Big deal.
*A helpful hint: Use your cross-reference if you have
one in your Bible, to study. If not, use the online cross-reference at BibleGateway or
Biblos!
This
verse leads us to Psalm 119:130 “The entrance of Your words gives light;
It gives understanding to the simple.” NKJV
I don’t
know about you, but I qualify here. I’m the simple. And I could use some
understanding. Am I the only one? Really? That’s what I thought! Then hang
tight with me a few more paragraphs and let’s bring this joker home!
The key
word here is light. The entrance of  light i.e. reading God’s Word, taking it in
and digesting gives light. It gives understanding. I get that. I know what
understanding and entrance mean, but what exactly does the word light mean. Am
I going to implode like a firework? Will I glow like those Fisherprice worms?
Where
better to get a grip on light but the first time it appears in scripture. At
the beginning. Like we are at the beginning of the year. At the beginning of
the Bible. Genesis. Chapter 1. The beginning.
“Then God said, “Let there be light”; and
there was light.” Gen. 1:3 NKJV
God always wanted light. From the beginning. It was the first thing He brought
about. And it’s been a steady topic all throughout the Bible.
photocredit: freedigitalphotos/thawats
He
brought light out to the darkness and separated the two, because light and dark can’t co-exist. They just can’t.
If you bring even the tiniest light to a dark place, it can be seen and it’s
not blinding dark anymore.
But
before He did that, in verse two, something was happening.
“And
the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.”
Why?
“The
earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the
deep.”
photo credit: freedigitalphotos/VictorHabbick
But
light was about to come. For the first time.
We have
to ask some questions (that’s what good students do!). What exactly does w/o
form, void and dark really mean?
Without form in the Hebrew is “tohuw”
and it means, “confusion, unreality, emptiness, wasteland, a place of
chaos.”
Void in the Hebrew is “bohuw”
(similar) and it means emptiness, waste
And the
word darkness in Hebrew is
“choshek” and it means, obscurity–which means a state of being
unknown or unimportant.
But with
one word from The Word (John 1:1-3) it all changed. The Spirit was hovering
over the chaos, that which seemed unimportant, a wasteland, that which seemed
empty. But He saw order. He saw something beautiful and He brought light. (and
He kept on going)
Do you feel unimportant? Empty? Like your life is a chaotic
wasteland?
The
Spirit is hovering, waiting on the Word to go forth to bring order. Peace. A
purpose to your life. Just say the word and THE WORD will give the command.
Let the
entrance of His words give you understanding. And light. Light of the knowledge
of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ shines from us inside out. And
it takes the work of the Spirit (sanctification) to do it. It also takes
discipline to crack the book open.
2
Corinthians 4:6 says, “For it is the God who commanded light to shine out
of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the
light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.”
NKJV
The
Message says it like this:
 “Remember, our Message is not about
ourselves; we’re proclaiming Jesus Christ, the Master. All we are is
messengers, errand runners from Jesus for you. It started when God said, “Light
up the darkness!” and our lives filled up with light as we saw and understood
God in the face of Christ, all bright and beautiful.”
Want to
light up the darkness around us?  We can.
The entrance of God’s Words bring order to chaos. Peace to anxiety and fear.
Confidence to doubt. Purpose to a wasteland. Fulfillment to emptiness.
And you
know what a person has when they have peace, confidence, purpose and
fulfillment?
JOY
 The joy of the Lord is our strength. Nehemiah 8:10
Therefore
with joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.” Isaiah 12:3
“…But
the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water
springing up into everlasting life.” John 4:14 This was Jesus talking to
the woman at the well. A woman who had been married five times and was now
living with a man. I see chaos. Lack of purpose. Emptiness. But the Word was at
the well that day.
photo credit: freedigitalphotos/Adamr
Ephesians 5:8 (MSG) says,”You groped your way through that murk once, but no longer.
You’re out in the open now. The bright light of Christ makes your way plain. So
no more stumbling around. Get on with it! The good, the right, the true—these
are the actions appropriate for daylight hours. Figure out what will please
Christ, and then do it.”
“Awake
you who sleep! Arise from the dead and Christ will give you light.’ Ephesians
5:14
We’re
cleansed and transformed by the washing of the water of the Word. (Eph. 5:26)
It brings light from darkness (new life from death) and it keeps giving us
light to keep shining in a dark/dead world.
Which
brings us back to Psalm 119:130 and ultimately our verse we began with today.
Psalm 19:7 “The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul; The
testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple.”
Feel
wiser? I do!
Practical application: Study your Bible just
like we did now. Choose one verse. Reflect on it. Then act on it and journal it
at the end of the day.
What one thing comes to mind right now that you can do
to shine light today? Share it in the comments and use it as accountability to
do 
that one thing!
Join me
at Living By Grace. I encourage you to leave a verse about light in the
comments on the FACEBOOK PAGE! Let’s see if we can light it up! 
*Genesis Bible photocredit: freedigitalphotos/JanakaDharmasen

Dear Teenage Girl,

Posted on by Jessica R. Patch

Fill in the blank:


If I could offer only one piece of advice to a teenage girl, I would say________________________. 

Tonight, my daughter is having a slumber party for her 14th birthday. Ten teenage girls will be crowding my house with giggles, shrieks, and who knows what else. My husband and Myles rented a hotel room–they’re not sticking around for it, but my friend “Jane” is coming (with her daughter) to spend the night. 

We did the same thing last year, only Tim went to Thailand. LOL On a missions trip–not to escape. At least he said it was a missions trip. 😉 

I blogged about my daughter getting lost on our street in the subdivision on that night and the hoopla that went on. You can read it for fun HERE! 

Have a great weekend! Can’t wait to share the advice you leave in the comments with her. 

*Photo credit: Freedigitalphotos

Patience’s Perfect Work

Posted on by Jessica R. Patch

 “My brethren, count it all joy when
you fall into various trials, knowing
that the testing of your faith produces patience.  But let patience have its perfect
work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.” James 1: 2-4.

 I read this over the weekend and verse 3 and 4
stood out. “knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But
let patience have it’s perfect work…”
The
tests have come. Some days it seems like more than I can handle (seems is the
key word). I’ve held on to faith in what I know is true. But have I been
letting patience have its perfect work? Am I truly being changed? I’m still pondering that one.
What
about you? 
What does this verse mean to you?

*Photo credit: Freedigitalphotos

Why Your Dream Hasn’t Come True…Yet

Posted on by Jessica R. Patch

 

 

Joseph. One of my
favorite people in the Bible. I taught on him last week in class. I can never
make it through without crying.

 
God gave Joseph a
dream. A big dream. Most times, when God gives us a dream it’ll be bigger than
us so we don’t get the glory.
 
But Joseph was only
17. He was immature, bratty, spoiled, and a tattle tale. He wasn’t ready for his
dream.
 
And that’s why God
allowed tough circumstances to enter his life. He was sold by his brothers and
taken to Egypt as a slave. He was purchased by the captain of the guard. Yet,
Joseph was successful in everything because the Lord was with him. Even in tough
times, Joseph clung to his faith. He abided in God. When the master’s wife came
at him day after day, he refused until he had to literally run lest he sinned against God.
 
Doing the right thing landed him
in prison.
 
Joseph let himself get comfortable. Hey, the Captain’s house wasn’t home, but it wasn’t the pit his
brothers had tossed him in and it could be worse. He had freedom to come and go.
He had his master’s household under his authority. No more iron neck collars or
fetters.
 
But God didn’t allow
him to go into captivity to be comfortable as a slave. He still had a dream to
fulfill. So He took him out of his comfort zone and placed Joseph in another
set of grim circumstances.
 
In prison, Joseph
was a success. God was with him. And he was given all authority over everyone
there. He’d been faithful with little. Now, he was faithful over a little more.
 
He matured. Life
wasn’t about him alone anymore. He’d taken an interest in others. That’s how he
could tell something was wrong with the baker and the butler. He was becoming
more of the man God knew he was to be. He was getting closer to his dream.
 
And then the Pharaoh
had a dream. Joseph interpreted it. And he became ruler over much. Over the
nation of Egypt in fact. He was 30.
 
When his brothers
came and bowed down to him, fulfilling the dream he had. He was at least 37.
 
Dreams take time. Your dreams aren’t even all about you. God was working behind the scenes, not only for Joseph–to bless him, but for His people He’d made covenant with. A famine was coming and God was making plans to take care of them. He was working on uniting a dysfunctional family. His brothers hated him. His father favored him over the rest. And He was working on showing a nation, who considered Pharaoh a god amongst the other 1000 gods they worship, His glory. Giving them a chance to see a true living God. 

Yes, dreams take time.

 
 God needs time to mold us into what we need to be in
order to handle them when they come true.
 
 Joseph understood this when he said, “For
God has caused me to be fruitful in the land of my affliction.” Genesis
41:52
 
It’s in the
disastrous times, tough times, frightening times, uncertain times, painful
times, lonely times that God can cut off the things in our lives that don’t
belong and produce a fruit (a beneficial, wonderful product) that will last.
It’s in those times if we abide in Christ, we will become more Christ-like.
 
I’m sure Joseph
questioned his circumstances. But at the end of the day, I think he may have
said exactly what this song says he did. I love this video clip from Joseph,
King of Dreams. It’s a favorite movie of mine. Take a minute and let the words
seep into your heart.
 
And remember when you wonder and ask, “Why?”
 
You God, know better
than I. 


Have you found that God is near in the tough times?  Why or why not?

 
*The Name that Sailboat contest is still going on! Enter for a chance to win a $10 Starbucks or Amazon card (winner choice). Just head over to my facebook page! 

Come by our facebook page
and chat about abiding in
the tough times!

 

#1 Key to Succeeding at Great Things

Posted on by Jessica R. Patch

 

 

Everyone wants to
succeed and do great things. We’re wired to for it. Remember those commercials
about drugs. “No one said they wanted to grow up to be a junkie.” I
would agree with that.

 
Last week, I taught
on Daniel. A wonderful model for us to live lives of worship, praise, and
prayer. A boy taken captive from his homeland. Full of uncertainty. Possible
doubt about where God was in the circumstances that he found himself in, and
surely some fear and anxiety. That’s a lot of miles to walk to Babylon with
nothing but your mind to keep you company. I know what my mind does when I’m in
uncertain times or feel imprisoned.
 
But Daniel held fast
to his faith, even when others directly targeted it. He didn’t compromise, not
when offered the king’s food that was offered to false gods and not when an
unchangeable decree went out that he couldn’t pray or petition any god or man,
but the king, for thirty days. That’s what sealed him in the lion’s den.
 
Instead he prayed.
He lived a lifestyle of worship. Everything he did was offered to God. And when
we live of worship, we’ll excel. But even that’s not the #1 thing you need to
know.
 
Daniel was faithful
with little things. He was made ruler over much. (Matthew 25:21) God gave him
abilities and gifts, and he used them for God’s glory. But even that isn’t the
#1 thing you need to know. And don’t think Daniel was perfect.
 
Daniel wasn’t a
perfect man. “While I was speaking, praying, and confessing my sins…” Daniel 9:20 But he honored God with
whatever was put before him. His job. His responsibilities. Even his friends
and his people. “…confessing my sins and the sins of my people, and
presenting my supplications before the LORD my God…”
 
So what is the #1
thing we need to know to be successful and to actually accomplish all of those
wildly big dreams God plants in our heart?
 
How did Daniel start
out? A scholar? Rich beyond our imagination? Was he famous with a huge
platform, an outstanding twitter tribe, and facebook following? Did he have a
few books under his belt that he self-published first? Did he put an amazing
YouTube out that went viral?
 
He started out in
captivity. He started out far away from what he’d ever known. He started out
half-naked (vulnerable). He started out walking…one step after another…in the
heat.
 
Daniel worshipped,
praised God (even in the uncertain times when he could have grown bitter and
cold), he prayed every day–3 times a day looking out toward home,  with the window open, he studied the word (in
scroll form but had he not, he wouldn’t have realized a prophecy was about to
be fulfilled), he interceded for others, he asked God for some things (probably
to get them out of captivity). And he never took for granted the favor God gave
him with those who could have made life difficult–the gatekeepers, if you
will, to his life or death.
 
Daniel, over the
course of his years, learned something that we all need to learn. When the
enemy lies to us, plants seeds of doubt in our mind, taunts us with roars of
fear, brings us face to face with uncertainty, tries to cut our knees out from
under us…all things he did to Daniel…he discovered this:
 
“The
people who know their God shall be strong, and carry out great exploits.”
Daniel 11:32
 
That’s it. That’s
all.
 
Should we study and
learn? Should we be knowledgeable about the things we want to accomplish? Yes.
Am I telling you not to go to college or get your Master’s Degree, or read
craft books, or to practice at what it is you want to do? No.
 
“Study and be
eager…correctly analyzing and accurately dividing rightly  handling and skillfully teaching) the Word of
Truth.” 2 Timothy 2:15 God expects us to learn, grow, mature and be
knowledgeable about many things. We have a partnership. “Carry out”
that lets us know, He’s not going to do it all. “know their God” that
takes effort. We have to actually spend time with Him to know Him!
 
What I am saying is it really is about Who you know. The #1 thing you need to know is Daniel 11:32.
 
How does this verse change 
the way you may feel about
success and doing great things?

Glory Due Your Name

Posted on by Jessica R. Patch

Glorious God, you
are holy, mighty, beautiful. There is no name besides Yours that can save us.
You do wonderful works, so many we cannot count them; we do not even know them
all.

We sing praises to
your name. We lift your name up and stand in awe of who You are. You, our rock,
shelter, strong tower. Our safe place–under the shadow of Your Wings we find
rest. In Your presence, we become changed.
The thoughts you
think about us are so many they can’t be numbered and all are good. There is
not one that is less than stellar. It’s beyond our imagination but we humbly
accept Your gifts of grace and mercy.
When we are
unfaithful, Lord, You are still faithful. Your call is irrevocable. Your
covenant everlasting. Our hope–secured.
“Give unto the
LORD the glory due to His name; Worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness.”
Psalm 29:2
What
is one thing you can give God glory for today? 

Come by our facebook
community and chat
about giving God glory!

The Best Writing Comes from a Prison Cell

Posted on by Jessica R. Patch

It’s a quiet
morning, I’m sipping my coffee from the mug given to me by my friend, DonnaPyle. And while I’m having my morning brew, I’m working through her  newest study,
The God of All Comfort.

This day’s lesson
was about how losers are better givers.
It’s such a great study as it uses real life stories from various people Donna
interviewed for each section of study.
This verse jumped
out to me: 
“Those things were important to me, but now I
think they are worth nothing because of Christ. Not only those things, but
I think that all things are worth nothing compared with the greatness of
knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. Because of him, I have lost all those things, and
now I know they are worthless trash. This allows me to have Christ and to
belong to him. Now I am right with God, not because I followed the law, but
because I believed in Christ. God uses my faith to make me right with
him.” Philippians 3:7-9 (NCV)
Now, I’ve read it
before. But this morning it stopped me in my tracks.
I’m not what you would consider a materialistic
person. I’m not a fan of shopping. I don’t care if I have designer
clothes. I only know some of the names because characters in my manuscripts
wear them. I don’t try to keep up with Jones’. I laugh behind the backs of
those who do. (That’ s probably wrong.)
I do like nice
things. I like my house to feel warm and inviting. But what I do whine about
most, is writing space. “Lord, I can’t wait for us to move because I know
you’ll provide me with a room of my own. A place where I can study, pray, and
write without interruptions from people or the TV.”
Right now, I have a
nice desk and sweet office chair in the corner of my bedroom. I have my dry
erase board and bulletin board tacked up. But I share my bedroom with my
husband and that’s where he likes to watch TV. It’s where he gets ready for
work. I’ve become accustomed to ear buds, but sometimes, it irritates me that
he’s there. Isn’t that selfish? It is. You can agree.
As I read this verse
this morning, it struck me that Paul penned his
best work and spent some of his most intimate time with the Lord in shared
prison cells with little to no lighting. And it’s possible he had crummy
eye sight. He wrote in chains. Seated on hard, cold, rock. No cushiony chair.
No heating pad for a bad back–and most of the time he was bruised, beaten and
bloody. Always interrupted by other prisoners and guards. Nothing to tune them
out. And he wouldn’t have wanted to, as it would have been a missed opportunity
to share Christ Jesus with them.
No
physical comfort.
But he was content. He was doing what he loved. And it didn’t
matter where he did it. As long as he had two hands and something to write with
and on, he had peace.
Paul didn’t have a
laptop, iPad, or iPhone that helped him with his social media efforts. He
didn’t have scrolls at his finger tips to reference what he was talking about.
He knew it from memory.
Having those things
are a blessing. Blessings that should humble our
hearts and be used to glorify Him. Blessings that can go at any minute
through theft, fire, or small children with wandering hands. Or adults with
butter fingers (not the candy).
Jesus stays. He
can’t be stolen away, burned off, cracked, broken, or lost. And truly, He’s the
greatest reward. He offers gifts that last.
I had a wonderful
wake-up call this morning. A refocus. And if God decides to bless me with a
home office all to myself, I won’t say no. But I’ll see it for what it is. A
blessing. Not a necessity.
Come by our women’s
facebook community and chat!
I’m hosting!

What about you? Do you need a nudge every once in
awhile to bring you back into focus on what is a need and what is an added
blessing?

Donna Pyle’s
newest study

**photo credit freedigitalphotos

How to Balance Your Ministry and Spiritual Life Successfully

Posted on by Jessica R. Patch

 

 

“For
he shall be like a tree planted by the waters, Which spreads out its
roots by the river, And will not fear when heat comes; But its leaf will be
green, And will not be anxious in the year of drought, Nor will cease from
yielding fruit. ” Jeremiah 17:8

 
A friend of mine
stopped by the church last week to chat with me. He shared some of his
frustrations about his spiritual life and told me where he wanted to be.
 
What I found while
listening to him talk was he was trying to pour out, but he wasn’t being filled
enough to give anything of substance
away. He was tired due to a hectic schedule, work, lack of rest, and trying to
help in too many areas of the church.
 
“I appreciate
the love and passion you have for your ministry, for the church and the people
in it. But you can’t be effective if you have nothing to give. And if you don’t
take some time for yourself–to soak–you’re going to shrivel up and cough out
dust to the ones you want to saturate with living water.”
 
Sometimes we get so
busy ministering to others, we forget we need to be filled ourselves. You can’t
run a ministry and  never sit in the
service under the shepherd, skip small groups that will minister the Word, or neglect
personal time in the Word for whatever excuses
reasons.
 
And I’m not saying
this person was neglecting his personal time with God. But he needed to sit a
little longer. Soak until his skin puckered.
 
Soaking is fabulous.
We need to soak in God’s word personally, from pastors, teachers, and other
ministries.
 
Now, by telling you
to soak, I’m not giving you license to sit on a pew or in a chair and take and
take and never give. There’s a balance.
 
What
goes in, needs to come out. That’s the point of soaking.
 
Let’s look at trees
for a minute. Hang with me. Fascinating creations, aren’t they? Most every tree
branch raises its limbs to the heavens, except the Willow and I have to wonder
if it’s called Weeping because it’s not praising the Lord. I don’t know. Something
to think about.
 
When trees are
planted, water is taken in at the root and carried up with nutrients through
the trunk and into the leaves.
 
90%
of tree water is eventually dispersed from the leaf stomata through
evaporation, into the atmosphere.
 
That beneficial loss of water from the tree is
called transpiration.
 
Transpiration comes
from the word “transpire” which means, “to come to light or be
known.” Latin trans + spirare = to breathe.
 
The
tree keeps 10%, enough to stay alive and healthy, the rest it breathes out for
others to breathe in.
 
We need the washing
of the water of the Word in our lives. We need to daily soak our roots in it. We need to let it travel from where we’re planted (by
living water), through the trunk of our body–saturating our stomach’s
desires,  filling our lungs with praise,
and protecting our hearts, until it reaches our limbs. Leaves like our
fingers and tongue. Letting Light be known. Breathing out and giving
life-giving air to the atmosphere around us.
 
Keeping enough to
stay healthy and strong.
 
Giving most of it
away.
 
We
weren’t meant to hoard God. We were meant to give Him away.
And
we weren’t meant to give until we have nothing left to keep going.
 
90/10 ratio. If
trees can stay sustained at this rate. I think we can too.
 
“…it
grows up and becomes greater than all herbs, and shoots out large branches, so
that the birds of the air may nest under its shade.”  Mark 4:32
 
Where
do you fall? Is it time to give some away? Are you giving and skipping on
soaking up water in your roots? And do you have a favorite tree? Why do you
love it?

Trusting That He’s Got This

Posted on by Jessica R. Patch

Not too long ago, Lindsay Harrel and I hung out at the beach. Virtual beach that is! And today she’s back to encourage you spiritually! Thanks, Linds!

 Last
Sunday, I got the awesome privilege of singing for all three of our church services.
I sang a
solo with the choir and orchestra, then I sang a complete solo song during the
offering, and then I helped to lead a few songs in our contemporary service.
I love
singing. There’s something about it that just fills me up inside like nothing
can. When I’m singing, I feel incredibly close to my Lord.
That is,
when I’m focused on the right things.
Because it
can be so easy to focus on me and how I sound. I worry…will I forget the
lyrics? Will I totally bomb this song? Will I get the opening rhythm right?
Will I…will I…will I?
Now,
what’s wrong with that picture?
Well,
considering the fact that I’m supposed to be singing as an act of WORSHIP…to
GOD…I probably should be much more focused on Him than on myself.
I get it,
it’s human nature, we are fallen, we’ll never be perfect. But that doesn’t mean
we shouldn’t constantly remind ourselves of how we SHOULD react…even if it
never becomes our NATURAL reaction.
I was
sitting in first service before I sang, worrying. I almost didn’t even want to
go up there on that stage. Because I was afraid of failure. Thankfully, I
wasn’t just afraid that I’d look like a screw up (although I’m sure that fear
is always part of it).
Instead,
my main concern was whether I’d mess up an opportunity to share Jesus with
someone. That I’d mess up the lyrics that someone desperately needed to hear.
That my voice would crack and people listening would be too distracted by that
to hear the heart of the song.
In short,
I thought I’d inadvertently mess up my ministry…and God’s plan.
Fear
almost kept me from ministering.
But as I
sat fretting, our music pastor sang these words:
Then sings my soul, my Savior, God to Thee
How great Thou art, How great Thou art
And I
nearly cried.
Because He
was speaking right to me, saying, “Lindsay, don’t you see how great I am? So
great that I’m able to get you through each one of these songs in exactly the
manner I want you to get through them. And I will speak to people’s hearts. I
am able. I am great.”
I can’t
even tell you the freedom that came. How the fear dissipated.
Because He
doesn’t ask us to be perfect.
He only
asks that we’re willing.  That we try our
best and draw near to Him.
Because He
is perfectly and totally capable of handling the rest.
Your Turn: Do you ever worry that you’ll mess up
in ministry? Do you find it hard to remember that He’s got it all under
control?
Since the
age of six, when she wrote the riveting tale “How to Eat Mud Pie,” Lindsay
Harrel has passionately engaged the written word as a reader, writer, and
editor. She holds a B.A. in Journalism and Mass Communication and an M.A. in
English. In her current day job as a curriculum editor for a local university,
Lindsay helps others improve their work and hones her skills for her night
job—writing inspirational contemporary fiction. Lindsay lives in Phoenix,
Arizona, with her husband of five years and a golden retriever puppy in serious
need of training.
Connect with Lindsay! 
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Twitter:@Lindsay Harrel
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Living By Grace
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for women of faith!
*Photo credit: freedigitalphotos

I Learned to Hate: Guest post by Jaime Wright

Posted on by Jessica R. Patch

I’m thrilled to have the talented and coffee-crazed (and not ashamed to admit that) Jaime Wright with me today! Mostly you see the silly and sarcastic side of Jaime and it’s a beautiful thing, but Jaime’s deep spiritual insight always messes with my mind and leaves me wanting more. (Is that stalker-ish?) She inspires me and encourages me and today, I hope you’ll feel the same! Take it away, Jaime.
I have learned to hate.
Hate is a driving force that spurs
me to action, opinion, and determination. Weirded out yet? Yeah. I guess that’s
not your typical opening statement for a devotional. .But hate — in the correct
context — can make a lot of sense.

Paul
the Apostle stated it best when he said: “For I do not
understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing
I hate.” (Romans 7:15 ESV)
I do the very thing that I hate. There is
so much of my sinful self that I have come to despise. My impatience is one of
them. When I have projects to complete, I become driven — focused — and my two
year old suffers. The other night she was following me close on my heels, like
a needy little puppy dog. I turned and snapped “go watch Bubbleguppies!”
Like really — what kid doesn’t want their
mother to tell them to watch TV? The look in her big baby blues just about
killed me. Sadness. Mommy didn’t want her help, or her prancing on tiptoes
singing, “I may never march in the infary, toot in the tootery”. Mommy was too
busy. She hung her head and without question returned to her banishment on the
couch and the cheerful cartoons went over her head as she buried her face in
her Blanky.

I have
come to hate the darkness inside of me.

“For I
know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the
desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out.” (Romans 7:18
ESV)
As humanity, we have formed a culture that
fights for the right to act on our fleshly impulses. But as Paul defines, those
impulses are “nothing good”. Strangely enough, in our fight for human rights,
we have also fought for the right to damage, wound, impale, break, and scar
those around us. For sin does not only affect ourselves. It does not only
affect our relationship to God. It touches others in a rippling effect of pain.

“I have
the desire to do what is right…” — I do. I really do. “…but not the ability to
carry it out.” Failure. Morbid utter
condemnation.

“Wretched
man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?  Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ
our Lord!” (Romans 7:24-25a ESV)
I stared at my daughter while I was
consumed with hatred for the sin inside of me that caused me to selfishly snap
at my child, wounding her spirit of joy and creating even a smidgeon of doubt
that I wanted her presence in my life.
“Are you mad at Mommy, honey?”
She nodded.
“I’m sorry.” I whispered it. She turned and
her cheeks stretched into a smile. Sitting up, she patted my knee with all the
motherly love she could muster.
“It’s o-tay, Mommy.”
She understood. Why? Because she’s already
been there too. In her own tiny sinful self, she knows what it’s like to wound.
She knows what it’s like to ask forgiveness.
Thanks be to God … to Jesus Christ our Lord
… for in and of myself, I will continue to wound, to scar, to walk in darkness.
But in Jesus, I find life, healing,
strength, and the ability to claim His victory over my sinful self.
I have learned to love. I have learned to
love life — and the righteousness found therein.
What have you learned to hate about your old nature and/or what new character has God recently taught you?

Come by to chat and encourage others today! I’m
hosting at Living By Grace on facebook!