Tag: compassion

Father of Compassion

I stumble. I fall. I do those things I wish I would not do yet again.

Even though I get frustrated with myself, I have never once imagined God ready to pull His hair out because I am not “getting it.”

Instead, I see His mercy and grace and compassion.

It isn’t that the wrath of God does not exist. But the Bible illustrates many situations where God showed compassion: Jesus feeding the crowds, Jesus meeting the woman at the well, Jesus healing the many, many people He healed.

Maybe all of those different scenarios are for us to see ourselves in them.

God does not tire of hearing from us. When we are coming to Him it is usually out of our own need or we are coming on the behalf of others.

Even if we aren’t coming to Him with pure intentions He can take and shape our prayers to become “His will.”

As humans, we can get tired of repeated situations with the humans around us. Our fuses are sometimes short for our siblings, co-workers, neighbors, spouse, children, or grandchildren.

He is the Father of Compassion.

My prayer is that I respond as one who is frequently shown compassion, mercy, and grace. I hope to reflect my Father’s heart.

Compassion

It is much easier for me to think about forgiving others when I have taken stock of my own sins. I have plenty of them. Some have been traveling companions throughout my life.

I have a little stockpile of regrets and I imagine others might, too. How do I want my regrets received when I verbalize them? And how might I respond when others speak of their own regrets? We have all done things we shouldn’t have and we have all left things undone.

I don’t have to look very far to know that showing grace, mercy, and compassion to those who are sitting with regret. Sometimes the stories are difficult to hear. Sometimes there is no earthly resolution. But, there is the peace that God can give.

Confession is good for the soul. Our own regret can deepen our compassion for others. God longs for us to come to Him in confession. And we can offer to others the forgiveness and comfort we have received from Him.

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort,  who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 NIV

Background noise

I have been a little more sensitive to noise lately. I wore headphones when I flew earlier this month. They were not total noise cancelling headphones but, wow, they sure dulled the roar of the plane. It was amazing the difference when I had them on.

What kind of background “noise” is going on in your mind and soul as you move through a day? Is it helpful? Kind? True? Sometimes the rumblings are anything but positive. And it is important to root those out and replace them. Sometimes they are one liners that were tossed your way during your childhood, maybe they were words from someone you trusted, or maybe they are thoughts you have about a circumstance.

Sometimes we are so used to hearing background noise that we don’t even realize its there. But it can shape our day, our week, and even our life.

Below are some Scripture verses you might consider inserting into the “noise” of your day. Turn up the volume on these! They are powerful and worth pondering. You can doodle them, embroider them, write them out and put them in places around your living space. They probably all have a song written based on them. Surround yourself with good news — good words. And share those with others, too!

Be willing to investigate some of the background noise you have been listening to. Chances are they are not good, helpful, kind or true.

Have some other favorites to share? I would love to see them!

John 16:33 (ESV)
“In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”

Isaiah 41:10 (NIV)
“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”

Philippians 4:6–7 (NIV)
Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Psalm 34:4–5, 8 (ESV)
I sought the LORD, and He answered me and delivered me from all my fears. Those who look to Him are radiant, and their faces shall never be ashamed. Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him!

Romans 8:28 (ESV)
And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose.

Joshua 1:9 (ESV)
“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.”

Proverbs 3:5–6 (ESV)
Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make straight your paths.

Romans 15:13 (NIV)
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Regrets

Oohhhh. I have a few. Do you?

In the past, if I had a sleepless night, I have run through all of the regrets I have.

What a waste of energy. I feel like that is a perfect way for my day to get derailed. And, God is certainly not behind that.

In some situations, there aren’t “do overs” and sometimes our miss “takes” have some serious consequences. Sometimes we have done things simply out of ignorance. Other times, we have done things out of rebellion. Sometime we have deliberately done things or deliberately not done things without truly understanding the ramifications. Have you ever done something even when you were “old enough to know better?” Yea, me too.

How do you deal with your regrets?

Here is what I try to do:

a) realize and admit to the misstep, mistake, sin — whatever it is.
b) recognize that there may be some damage that cannot be reversed
c) if I was doing the best I knew at the time, accept that
d) ask for forgiveness from God and, if possible, from the others who were impacted
e) forgive myself
f) bring it back to God when I am stuck at any one of these steps

As humans, we make mistakes, missteps, and we sin. Sometimes we do this out of ignorance and sometimes it is very deliberate. And there are times that the aftermath of our decisions has some devastating consequences. We are sinners and we are living and working with other sinners. It can be ugly out there. It can be ugly in my heart.

But, God — He takes all of it. He can work through all of it. He can handle all of it. He can forgive all of it. He can redeem all of it.

God can.

Let Him do what only He can do. It won’t make everything rosy and perfect. But, He will bring it together in a message of love, grace, mercy, forgiveness, and redemption — over time.

Hello Friend! Day Twelve

Hello Friend!

It is so hard to hear the life stories I hear sometimes and I can only imagine how difficult it is to live through them. There is a lot of heartache and pain in the world. It’s difficult to be in it but also very painful to watch. Some of what people have lived through is unfathomable – it doesn’t even touch my worst moment. All I can do is listen. And pray.

For peace. For healing. For reconciliation. For strength.

I have walked in my own shoes but I really haven’t walked in anyone else’s so, given a situation, it’s hard to say if I would have done things better or worse or at all.

What has helped you most when you have been on a difficult road?

Love,
Liz

Inside/Outside

As we look to the empty tomb we are confident of God’s work in and through our lives. We are on the inside — receiving and thankful for His gifts.

But are hearts are heavy for those who insist on remaining on the outside. They are skeptical, hurt, angry, confused. They have had some difficult things to live through and they don’t trust or believe in Jesus. We may not understand their perspective but we pray for them. We all know and love those who have rejected God’s gift of grace.

And there are others who don’t know at all. They have not heard about the Jesus we know. Even though the heavens do declare, it is important for us to also proclaim our faith in a way that opens doors for conversation. Jesus died for all.

May we be loving to all — those on the inside the walls of faith as well as those who have stepped away or truly have never known Jesus. We don’t know the whole story. Our love and compassion can make an amazing difference in how they view God.

May we love generously with the love that has been given to us!

He is Risen!

He is Risen, Indeed!

Alleluia!

PrayerPoints~ Monday, March 14th

week 5-W

Today’s PrayerPoint ~ Psalm 103

“Praise the Lord, O my soul; all my inmost being, praise is holy name. Praise the Lord, O my soul and forget not all his benefits.

He forgives all my sins and heals all my diseases; he redeems my life from the pit and crowns me with love and compassion.

He satisfies my desires with good things, so that my youth is renewed like the eagle’s.” Psalm 103:1-5

When I am struggling — and there always seems to be some sort of thing I dread that is coming up — it is really important for me to focus on praising and thanking God for what He has done and recalling those things. Reminding myself of God’s provision in my life is so important..sometimes I have a crazy short-term memory!

I also think it is helpful to encourage others when they struggle to remember. There are times when life is hard and there seems to be no good choice out there. Remembering that God goes before and behind me and hems me in is sometimes hard when  I am caught up in a moment (or days) of discouragement.

“Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.” 1 Thessalonians 5:11

Is there someone in your life who can use some encouragement today?

Below is another great Integrity Music Song. Enjoy!

Getting what you deserve

Today’s PrayerPoint ~ Getting what you deserve

Have you ever heard Dave Ramsey speak? One of his classic lines is “Deserve is a dirty word”. Have you ever thought about it in that way?

Typically the world encourages us to “Have it Your Way” or reminds you that “You Deserve a Break Today”. Do most people really need to reminder to put themselves first? Isn’t that the typical sinful nature?

Here are some titles for magazines for women:

  • Self
  • Me
  • All You
  • Allure
  • First
  • More
  • She

Notice a trend here? Buying into this mentality really wreaks havoc on our spiritual life. When we start thinking about what we deserve in the worldly sense, we start a journey on a difficult path that generally leads to dissatisfaction, depression, envy, regret, uneasiness, unhappiness, discontentment, displeasure, fretfulness, restlessness. How quickly we can become dissatisfied with our house, job, spouse, children, vehicle, friends, etc.

If we think about what we deserve in the spiritual sense, it really can put a positive spin on the way we look at others. God graciously extends His forgiveness to us and there is nothing we have done or can do to deserve it. Isn’t that Good News? Contemplating God’s graciousness to us really calls us to consider whether we are sharing that same grace with others and learn how to be content with God’s provisions.

The next time someone causes you a little grief, consider giving them something they don’t ‘deserve’ ~ give them a break, cut them some slack. Maybe they are in a circumstance where they would benefit from God’s compassionate grace and you are the person called to extend it!

8 The LORD is compassionate and gracious,
slow to anger, abounding in love.  9 He will not always accuse,
nor will he harbor his anger forever;
10 he does not treat us as our sins deserve
or repay us according to our iniquities.
11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
so great is his love for those who fear him;
12 as far as the east is from the west,
so far has he removed our transgressions from us.