May 15, 2012

Who is Holding Whom?

There are verses in the Bible that mention clinging tightly to the Lord:

Rather, cling tightly to the Lord your God as you have done until now. Joshua 23:8 (NLT)

 My soul clings to you; your right hand upholds me.
Psalm 63:8 (NIV)

I believe it’s important for me to cling to the Lord and seek him as my hope, provider, and Father. At times in my life, my relationship with God has been the only thing left to get me through the day.

But I think it’s also important to recognize it’s not my power holding me in his arms. Sometimes, I’m so busy managing everything in my life that I start believing I’m also in control of my relationship with God.

Just like a child, I’m clinging to my Father. But when a child lets go, does her Daddy drop her? Of course not.

Because it’s his power and strength holding her there, not hers.

I often forget who is holding whom. I cling desperately, thinking I’m the one keeping my relationship with him in tact and moving forward.

Just like most loving fathers, God must love it when his children cling to him. But even when we let go, he’s just as close. He’s still right there—holding us, loving us the same.

He doesn’t let go.

Heavenly Father, thank you for holding on to me, even when I let go.

Do not fear, for I am with you;
do not be afraid, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you; I will help you;
I will hold on to you with My righteous right hand.
Isaiah 41:10 (HCSB)

Content Copyright 2012. Allison @ Anointed With Grace.
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April 30, 2012

A Prayer for Single Women

As I work on writing a book for single women, God has continued to affirm my passion and calling for encouraging unmarried women in their faith journeys. This is a prayer I wrote during a recent silent retreat . . .

Dear Father God,

Prayer Labyrinth
Sacred Heart Monastery
Cullman, Alabama

I lift up my dear reader to you. I pray for her heart to be at peace. I pray you will mend any broken pieces of her heart. We know you are close to the brokenhearted (Psalm 34:18). You are our Healer. You forgive all our sins and heal our diseases (Psalm 103:3). Thank you for pouring out your love and compassion on us (Psalm 103:4).

Lord, I pray in the name of Jesus for any remaining ties to unhealthy relationships—both physical and emotional—to be broken. I pray for peace and closure to surround any hurtful relationships from her past. Meet her in her loneliness, and hold her in your arms. She is your beautiful daughter, a co-heir with Christ (Romans 8:17). I pray she will feel your arms holding her tonight and every lonely night.

I pray for hope to be deeply instilled in my friend’s heart. As Psalm 33:20 says, “We wait in hope for the Lord; he is our help and our shield.” We wait for you, Lord. We put ourselves and our futures in your hands. We believe you will do a powerful work with and through our lives. We submit our plans to you. Line up our plans with your plans. God, your plans are greater and your ways higher.

I pray for this dear woman to be present in each moment. As Oswald Chambers said, “Our yesterdays present irreparable things to us; it is true that we have lost opportunities which will never return, but God can transform this destructive anxiety into a constructive thoughtfulness for the future. Let the past sleep, but let it sleep on the bosom of Christ.” Lord, I pray she can let her past rest with you tonight and every night. I pray she can leave the past in your hands and step out into her amazing future with you!

Sacred Heart Monastery
Cullman, Alabama

Finally, dear Father, I pray she will not believe lies. As she is attacked by lies regarding her worth, single status, appearance, and any other area, I pray she will seek truth. The truth is clear. She is your daughter, chosen by you. You created her in your image, and you don’t make mistakes. Standing alone with nothing to offer, she is enough for you. Each day, may she remember and realize her tremendous value as your child.

In the holy name of Jesus,
Amen

If God brings an unmarried friend in your life to your mind, will you pray this for her today?

Content and Photographs Copyright 2012. Allison @ Anointed With Grace.

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April 9, 2012

Hike to the Cross

Last week, I attended my third Mount Hermon Christian Writers Conference. I usually write a recap post telling you about attending writing classes, talking to publishers, meeting new friends, and so on. I had all of those experiences again this year, but I wanted to share another story from the conference with you this year:

Hike to the Cross

The Cross at Mount Hermon

My alarm blares at 5:30 a.m. on Palm Sunday morning. Warm and cozy in the little cabin, I can’t imagine why I would get up so early when breakfast isn’t served until 8 a.m. Before I pull the covers back over my head, I glimpse my hiking clothes stacked neatly on the other bed. I recall the annual hike to the cross that I have managed to skip every year at the conference. For a non-morning person, a 6 a.m. hike sounds great the night before but feels like torture when actually getting out of bed. It’s dark and 42 degrees outside. Perfect. While getting dressed, I change my mind three different times about going. Finally, I stumble out the door to meet the group. Still grumpy, I avoid eye contact with anyone who might strike up conversation. I hike up the paved trail, staying in the middle of the pack and slowly losing my bad attitude as the exercise warms up my body.

The hike gets more intense as we get closer to the top. We are hiking to the summit of Mount Hermon where a wooden cross sits atop the Santa Cruz Sandhills. Our guide tells us these sandhills in California are unique, the only ones in the world. The temperature drops as we climb higher. At sunrise, we reach the summit and the large cross, which is as impressive as the view.

After looking around at the sights, I notice a bag that looks like a heavy computer briefcase sitting at the foot of the cross. I wonder who hiked up here carrying it. How ridiculous, I think. What could possibly be so important that it couldn’t be left in the room during a short hike? As our guide gathers us for prayer, a lovely woman with an accent tells the group she carried the heavy briefcase up the mountain. It represents the burden she’s been carrying regarding her dreams of writing and having a book published. She realizes she’s been carrying this heavy load on her own and needs to turn her dreams over to God. So, she packed this bag and hiked up the mountain to set it at the foot of the cross.

She’s not overly emotional, yet the impact of her words is staggering. I recall my cynicism when first seeing the bag. I hadn’t even noticed this woman lugging a heavy case up the mountain. I grumpily hiked up that trail thinking about the critiques of my writing, publishing contracts, and my scheduled meeting with an agent later that day. In a single act of obedience, she gave each of us a beautiful picture of surrender, more meaningful than any sermon on the topic.

Early on that Palm Sunday morning, a time I would normally be sleeping soundly, I hiked back down the trail a little lighter. My new friend wasn’t the only one who left behind a few things at the foot of the cross.

Content and Photograph Copyright 2012. Allison @ Anointed With Grace.

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February 14, 2012

Love

When I was in elementary school and junior high, I brought my lunch to school. My mom would sometimes include little handwritten notes along with my lunch. Although I pretended like they weren’t a big deal, those notes meant the world to me. I still remember that feeling of being completely loved, knowing I truly belonged to someone.

It’s the same type of peace I feel when I read verses like:

The LORD your God is with you,
the Mighty Warrior who saves.
He will take great delight in you;
in his love he will no longer rebuke you,
but will rejoice over you with singing.

~Zephaniah 3:17

This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us.

~I John 3:16

Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed,
for his compassions never fail.
They are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.

~Lamentations 3:22-23

As a single woman, Valentine’s Day always held this power over me. Being alone, I felt disappointment and emptiness. This year, I’m so grateful that God has filled me with love. Because I know I’m unconditionally loved by him, I can celebrate love and share that love with my friends and family. If you’re also alone on this holiday, I know that a simple “God Loves You” isn’t going to make it all better for you, especially when everyone else is getting flowers and chocolate.

It took me a very (very!) long time to realize that God’s love and acceptance is the only thing that would fill the void in my heart. I chased romantic love, believing that I would be complete when someone loved me back. I chased success, believing that my value would finally be established with a VP-title.  God patiently waited for me to finally understand that he created me to crave his unconditional love.

My mother’s love was something God used to prepare me to understand the greatness of his love. Even if you didn’t have the same kind of experience with your parents, whether you are single or married, I pray that you’ll open your heart to God’s love today and let him show you how much he loves you. If you ask him to show you, I promise he will answer!

Happy Valentine’s Day, friends!

Content Copyright 2012. Allison @ Anointed With Grace.

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October 15, 2011

God’s Redeeming Grace

Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven—for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little, loves little. And he said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.”  Luke 7:47-48 ESV

God must be exasperated with me. I can imagine Him saying, How many times must I forgive this woman? That is certainly how my human nature reacts when I must forgive someone over and over. However, God does not react that way…Click here to continue reading at Christian Devotions.us

P.S. I know it’s been a long blog hiatus. Trust me, it was needed…hope to be back very soon! In the meantime, I’m going to share some links to my writing that have been posted elsewhere over the past month. So thankful to these ministries for publishing my work!

Content Copyright 2011. Allison @ Anointed With Grace.

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September 1, 2011

What If?

Since I first heard this song on the radio, I can’t get these questions out of my head…

What if Your blessings come through raindrops?
What if Your healing comes through tears?

What if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You’re near?

What if trials of this life
Are Your mercies in disguise?

“Blessings” by Laura Story

Most times, when we ask God to bless us, we are really asking him to bless us with an easy, comfortable, and safe life. I’m learning that God is a lot less concerned about my comfort than about my relationship with him. When I examine people in the Bible who were close to God—those who God used in the Old Testament and those who followed Jesus in the New Testament—I notice they didn’t have easy or comfortable lives. In most cases, it was quite the opposite. Their lives were full of trials and opportunities to depend on God in the midst of storms.

I love how Laura Story explains the meaning behind her song in this video…

What if we’re supposed to consider our trials in this life as blessings?

Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. James 1:2-4

“Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, vision cleared, ambition inspired, and success achieved.” -Helen Keller

Content Copyright 2011. Allison @ Anointed With Grace.

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August 22, 2011

“His End is the Process”

Max Lucado’s Facing Your Giants is one of my all-time favorite books. There is one story from the book that sticks with me in tough times. In the book, Lucado tells the story of Florence Chadwick. Here’s a good summary of her story from Wikipedia:

In 1952, Florence attempted to swim the 26 miles between Catalina Island and the California coastline. As she began, she was flanked by small boats that watched for sharks and were prepared to help her if she got hurt or grew tired. After about 15 hours a thick fog set in. Florence began to doubt her ability, and she told her mother, who was in one of the boats, that she didn’t think she could make it. She swam for another hour before asking to be pulled out, unable to see the coastline due to the fog. As she sat in the boat, she found out she had stopped swimming just one mile away from her destination.

Per Lucado, Florence later explained at a news conference, “All I could see was the fog. I think if I could have seen the shore, I would have made it.”1

There are many times when all I can see is fog. I want to give up. Pull me out of the water; I’m through. In those dark times, I remember Lucado’s advice:

Take a long look at the shore that awaits you. Don’t be fooled by the fog of the slump. The finish may only be strokes away … Stay in the water. Stay in the race. Stay in the fight.1

Florence Chadwick learned that lesson as well…

Two months later, Chadwick tried again. This time was different. The same thick fog set in, but she made it because she said that she kept a mental image of the shoreline in her mind while she swam.

I love this story and Lucado’s advice. We do need to stay in the race. Honestly, though, I sometimes struggle with visualizing the “shoreline”. Sometimes, I have no idea which direction God is leading. A life of faith often means taking one step without knowing what the next one will be. For me, faith means staying in the race and focusing on my Father, not necessarily a finish line. Sometimes, the journey is more important than the destination. Oswald Chambers does a great job of explaining this in My Utmost for His Highest:

His purpose is that I depend on Him and on His power now. If I can stay in the middle of the turmoil calm and unperplexed, that is the end of the purpose of God. God is not working towards a particular finish; His end is the process—that I see Him walking on the waves, no shore in sight, no success, no goal, just the absolute certainty that it is all right because I see Him walking on the sea. It is the process, not the end, which is glorifying to God.2

Too many times, I want to skip the process and get to the end. I love that God loves me enough to focus on the process—because that’s where I learn to keep my eyes locked on him.

1 Facing Your Giants, © 2006 by Max Lucado, Pg 70-71
2 My Utmost for His Highest, Oswald Chambers, July 28th entry

Content Copyright 2011. Allison @ Anointed With Grace.

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August 1, 2011

God Thinks About You

How precious are your thoughts about me, O God. They cannot be numbered! I can’t even count them; they outnumber the grains of sand! And when I wake up, you are still with me!  Psalm 139:17-18 (NLT)

God thinks you are special. The writer of Psalm 139 tells us God has many precious thoughts about us—too many for us to count. Sometimes when I have trouble falling asleep, I start counting backwards from 50:  50, 49, 48, and so on. I never make it all the way to one because I always drift off to sleep. (If you have trouble sleeping, try this counting method for yourself.)

When I wake, God is still with me. I love this part of the verse because I can just imagine God watching over me while I sleep…(Continue Reading)

This excerpt taken from my most recent children’s devotional piece at DevoKids.com.

Content Copyright 2011. Allison @ Anointed With Grace.

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July 25, 2011

In the Midst of Fear – A God Story

For years, one of my very close friends was terrified of flying in an airplane. He had panic attacks on planes—or even just sitting in an airport. Although he owns a very successful business and travel is part of the job, he scheduled his life so he wouldn’t have to fly on an airplane. It was inconvenient but necessary for him. He would drive all the way across the country to avoid getting on a plane. Actually, it was hard for me to understand. As a business traveler, I have flown hundreds of times over the years, and I jump onto a plane just like I’m getting in my car. I’m usually asleep before takeoff.

But we all have fears. We all have areas our enemy uses to make us panic and take our eyes from God. Mine is not flying, but I’m certainly crippled by fear in many other areas.

The real story here comes with one word in the first sentence of this post—“was.” Past tense. A few days ago, my friend told me he gets excited when driving past an airport—so much that he can’t wait to fly again. This is the same person that had trouble breathing normally while driving past an airport two years ago. So, what changed?

With his permission, I want to share an excerpt from a recent email he sent:

2 years ago, I would have cut off one of my fingers before getting on an airplane. [Some close friends] prayed over me about this fear. Through their love and God’s healing power, I have now been on, I believe, 19 flights in the past 2 years. On those flights, I have some of my closest experiences with Jesus. Where else do I get to just talk to a stranger for hours without any interruptions—and where else can I do it knowing only the power of CHRIST even enables me to be on the plane to begin with? I am so cocky, so unaware, so selfish, so nasty most of the time, but that gets stripped away on the airplane as I realize how broken and how desperate I am for Jesus. And when I find him there waiting on me, he fills me with his spirit, and it is amazing what a changed person I become. I am praying that I would realize everyday how desperate I am for Christ, and not just on the days that I am flying.

I wanted to share my friend’s testimony with you because I believe this is where we need to be living—right in the middle of our fears. If we stay in our comfort zones, I believe God has little room to show us the impossible. When we step out into those areas where we don’t think we can survive alone, then God can step in, show us his power, and use us in mighty ways.

In closing, I want to share one more story from my friend. This is from his most recent plane flight:

I was seated next to a guy about my age, who was larger than I am, and tougher.  Much tougher. But he took a liking to me, and we began to share our life stories.  He told me he used drugs daily for 10 years and 2 years ago attempted suicide.  He said he took more than enough to die, and somehow didn’t, and it made him believe God was real and had a plan for his life. He entered rehab. He said he is much better now, still using drugs, but not nearly as much. He has had a job for almost two years now and is relying on God to help him battle his addiction. We shared a ton of scripture with each other, encouraged each other, and prayed together on the plane. It would take a long time to tell you everything he and I talked about in 2 hours, but it was unbelievable. Among the more noteworthy, he said his plan was to use drugs when he got home, but he felt God speaking to him through our time together and he was going to lean on God and not use yesterday. There was so much more amazing conversation and God was at work in both of our lives. I shared with him my fears and anxieties and how I have been captive to those for so long and we both received so much encouragement from God, through each other. It was so incredible.

Giving our fears to Jesus puts us in a place where we’re truly dependent on him. When incredible stories happen, we know it’s a God story and nothing we’ve done by our own power. My friend’s story has taught me to truly believe 2 Corinthians 12:9. Live in those areas of weakness, for that is where God’s power can truly be displayed…

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. 2 Corinthians 12:9 (NIV)

What fears can you turn over to Jesus today?

 

Content Copyright 2011. Allison @ Anointed With Grace.

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July 18, 2011

Who is in Control?

God is my Father, He loves me, I shall never think of anything He will forget, why should I worry? –Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest

One of my constant battles as I try to live in relationship with Jesus is the concept of control. As much as I want to depend on Jesus, the illusion that I’m in control sneaks back into my life. I live like the responsibility lies on my shoulders. What if I make the wrong decision? What if I go the wrong direction? What if I step outside of God’s will?

It’s exhausting to believe it’s all up to me. And it puts me in the center—instead of God.

My favorite devotional book is My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers. Chambers does not mince words, and his words often challenge my comfortable, “Christian” life. Chambers points out that God is in control of everything and we must develop an attitude of trust and rest.

Nothing happens in any particular unless God’s will is behind it, therefore you can rest in perfect confidence in Him. –Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest

It’s difficult for me to remove myself from the equation and “rest in perfect confidence” in Jesus. I want to believe that God is in control—even when I make mistakes. I have to believe he is sovereign—regardless of my missteps. Otherwise, I make God too small.

God is the one in control. I can run around each day with a fretting and anxious heart trying to make the right decisions. Or I can choose to rest in the confidence that…

He is faithful,

He is big enough to redeem all things,

He is worthy of my trust.

And even when I fail to trust him, his sovereign plan is never in question.

Do you struggle with giving up control? I would love to hear your tips for learning to rest in God.

Copyright Allison @ Anointed With Grace, 2011

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