Tag: Eve

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Leaning Into Hope

Dear sister,

Have you noticed that when we talk about suffering we often talk about when a family member gets cancer, we ourselves get sick, or a loved one passes away? I’m not discounting the pain and struggle that comes in these difficult times but what sticks out to me is that these things are outside of our control.

What about the disappointments and shattered dreams we bring on ourselves? I don’t hear anyone talking about those. When I look at my own life and look at the lives of those around me, I feel alienated and alone. Does it ever seem to you, dear sister, like everyone else has life figured out? Do you ever feel like you’re the only one struggling?

I do. That’s why I want to take a moment to shine a light on our depravity. I want to consider Eve, who was the first person to disobey God; David, who committed adultery with his best friend’s wife and then had him killed in battle to cover it up; and Peter, who willfully denied the Lord Jesus in His hour of greatest need. I want to hear their stories. I want to know that I’m not alone. Don’t you?

Some time ago I was in a relationship with a really great guy. He really liked me and wanted to be with me. I liked him as well but was experiencing some doubt and fear. Long story short, a little bit of doubt and fear turned into a lot of doubt and fear and I ended up going down a destructive path and breaking things off with him.

Months later, it suddenly clicked; our future together was as clear as if it had already happened. Shattered, broken, and empty, I ran to God in my distress, giving him the pieces of my broken heart and there he revealed the sins, idols, and wrong beliefs that had been guiding my decisions for a long time.

I was angry with myself for messing up and angry with God for letting it happen. Yet I heard him calling: “Are you willing to go with me? Come, follow me.” I could see where he was taking me; it was dark, scary, and far away from the things I wanted. I did NOT want to go with Him. But after some kicking and screaming I finally surrendered to the work God was doing in my heart.

Let’s fast forward to where God and I, through counseling, mentorship, reading the Word, and prayer, began to identify my idolatry and my enslavement to the approval of others. Then God the Holy Spirit unraveled the lies that had caused me to break my own heart. He also revealed deep hurts that had never healed, and brought reconciliation to broken relationships. Finally, with this new knowledge of the truth, I was able to discard the lies I had been believing.

Even though I still have moments of regret, I am learning to lean into the hope and healing the Lord has brought about through my brokenness, that God is the Always Good Father and that this hardship was necessary for my own salvation and the situation that ultimately will bring Jesus the greatest glory.

Sis, if you have fallen into a snare, please know that you are not alone. It may look like everyone else has it all together, but they don’t. We are all sinners and we all have struggles. Remember that God holds your life and in Christ there is no condemnation but only forgiveness, mercy and grace. Take courage, dear sister, and be strong in the Lord. Whatever you’ve done, it is not beyond redeeming. Whatever you’ve done, it is not the end. God is an expert in redemption and making old things new. You can trust Him.

Fighting with you,

Kayla

And I will lead the blind in a way that they do not know, in paths they have not known I will guide them. I will turn the darkness before them into light, the rough places into level ground.  These are the things I do, and I do not forsake them.

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Grace To The Humble

Dear sister,

Things haven’t changed much since the garden of Eden, have they? Adam and Eve’s desire to have what they deemed the “best” fruit in the garden led to a heredity of sin that can be seen in every person and child. They trusted in their own desires and feelings rather than trusting that what the Lord told them was true and better than that fruit. Instead of humbling themselves and trusting the Lord, they proudly and boldly ate the forbidden fruit.

Man, it is so hard to humble ourselves, isn’t it? We want to be proud parents, proud wives, known for something, anything! We don’t want to be told what to do…or is this just me? I’m really not one to boast vocally, but internally, my heart yearns for recognition from this world. I don’t want to be just a wife of so and so, mother of ______, or from this family. I want to stand out, be accomplished with my hands, skills, sports, or brain. I want to be known for my whit, humor, or craftiness. I can’t be alone…I’ve seen all the proud stickers on cars proclaiming honor rolls and personal advertisements.

Peter scripts in 1 Pet 5:6, that “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble”. When we, like Adam and Eve, desire our fame more than God’s, He opposes us. But when we instead, proclaim His fame over our own, we get grace! But how do I humble myself? Think about how we feel pride…we contrast something against our own standard and when we beat the standard, we feel proud! If the whole class gets a C and I get a C+, I am proud of that C+! If I compare my looks or skills with someone I think isn’t as good as me, I feel proud! So…why not compare myself with God for a good dose of humility?

He spoke. The universe was thrown into existence. He spoke and nature bloomed. He breathed life into the dirt and man stepped forth. He formed you in your mother’s womb. He made each cell move exactly where it was supposed to go. He created the nerve firings in your brain to command your every breath and heart beat. He gave skill to doctors, ideas to men and women to create art and science. He gave you a conscience. He holds the world in His hands! He made a way to fix the sin problem that Adam, Eve, and all of us have by sending Himself into the world to die for our sins! Then…He rose again, conquering death and defeating its fate for all those who put their trust in Jesus. Ummmmm…I can’t do any of that.

Humility is not self-condemnation or defamation; rather it is acknowledging everything we have comes from the Lord. It’s realizing that God deserves our praise, not us. We praise God and give thanks for our every breath, for our skills, whit, and humor He gave us. We praise God for the gifts and people in our lives. We praise and give thanks to God for our families, for the gifts and talents He has given our children and spouses. When we put the Lord in His rightful position, the result is humility in our hearts. But it’s a humility that brings joy, not shame. It brings the grace of the Lord, not His opposition. Wow! I want that! Don’t you?

Grace to you, sister,

Colleen

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Image Redeemed

Dearest sister,

While reading Genesis I was sweetly reminded that we are made in the image of God. Not only this but God breathed into man the breath of life. Everything else He simply spoke into being. But Adam He breathed into life. Wow! Living in the garden, Adam and Eve enjoyed unadulterated communion with the Lord God. They talked with Him, walked with Him, and were unashamed before Him. Just imagine what that must have been like!

But as we continue reading Genesis we come to a pivotal point in the narrative. The serpent approaches Eve, deceives her, and Eve falls (along with her husband) into sin and darkness. Now when they hear the Lord’s voice they are afraid and hide from Him.

Dear sister, let me share with you a situation that arose in my life that reminded me of how far I fall short of reflecting God’s glory. On Thursday I drove a perfectly suitable car with a clear view out of the windshield to and from work. That night I heard a loud crashing noise right outside my window. I opened the front door only to find tree limbs at my doorstep and a giant tree trunk on my car! Thankfully, there was no structural damage but my windshield was completely shattered.

Just how in one moment I went from being the proud owner of a drivable car to bumming a ride to work the next morning, so too did Eve go from perfectly reflecting the image of God to reflecting a shattered image that could not be distinguished.

Because of Eve’s disobedience, the image of God that we still bear is now tainted with sin and its consequences of guilt, shame and fear. We can no longer see Christ clearly through the temples that the Lord designed for us.

Thankfully we are not without hope. In order to redeem His image in us, God sent His Son Jesus to perfectly reflect God’s character—a feat we are unable to accomplish because of sin. Now, those who have Christ in their lives are new creations. And as we are cleansed from our unrighteousness, we are becoming more and more like Christ.

Second Corinthians 5:17 says “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” And Romans 8:29 assures us that “those whom [Christ] foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.”

These two verses state two truths. 1) we are new creations, and 2) we will be conformed to the image of Christ because those in Him have been predestined to become like Him.

Let us look forward to this new year as we lean on Him to produce in us a character that reflects the perfections of Christ.

Your Sister in Christ,

Kayla