Written on
August 31, 2010 by
Gina in
Blog
"But Jesus said, "Let the children alone, and do not hinder them from coming to Me; for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these." Matthew 9:14
When my daughter Grace was 4 1/2, I recorded a conversation we had about sin and heaven.
It's amazing how God can work on the hearts of little ones, and how God's teaching me even now to pause and rest, and catch Him working in these little moments... and in his little people!
This is the conversation that Grace had with me about sin.
Grace (4): "Sin is really bad."
Me: "Yes, it is."
Grace: "What's sin?"
Me: "Remember in the garden of Eden when Eve ate the apple she wasn't supposed to?"
Grace: "Yes."
Me: "That's sin. Sin is when you do something wrong. Like when you're mean to your brothers."
Grace: "Yes, that's sin." She thought for a moment, then, "What about doing what I'm supposed to?"
Me: "Now that's ...
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grace: unmerited divine assistance given humans for their regeneration or sanctification b: a virtue coming from God c: a state of sanctification enjoyed through divine grace
I can’t get away from it this morning.
I woke up with these words--a space of grace--trailing again and again across my mind. I wanted to write about something entirely different here this morning, but the right words for that post are just too elusive. And so I’m giving in to the words that are here, and I’m exploring them.
I’ve always known these spots existed, these spaces of grace, but I’ve never had reason to put a name or a description to what they were, or what they meant to my life. They are these “pockets of time” in our spiritual journey when we experience moments so filled with His power that we are ...
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Grace...
is the unexplainable hope
that washes away
the accusing whispers that dance in the darkness
and hide behind the mirror
and say, “You need to be thinner
and thinner
and thinner.”
Grace…
is the light that calls you
toward something so good that you’re scared to trust it.
You might even ignore it at first,
thinking it’s not for you.
Instead,
you try to get better
and fix things on your own.
You try to be strong.
Confident.
Perfect.
But hours of 3:00 a.m. sit-ups,
calorie counting,
dieting,
scrutinizing,
and hiding,
will make a person fall.
Yet Grace…
is the mighty hand that will catch you
and promise you
that you don’t have to be
perfect.
That you are loved
exactly
the way you are.
Grace…
is the gentle voice that lifts your chin,
tugs at your heart,
and encourages you to believe.
And when you do,
Grace rains
and pours
and washes away
moments,
days,
years,
of worry and trying,
trying,
trying,
on your own.
Grace…
restores your dreams,
fills your heart,
melts your fear,
and opens your eyes
so that you are ...
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Last year, my son went through a phase of independence. At just seven years old, he no longer wanted me hugging him around his friends, calling him buddy, or kissing him when I dropped him off places.
But during that phase, one day as I was writing at the kitchen table, he did something that surprised me.
Out of the blue, he walked over and climbed onto my lap.
At first, I thought maybe he was hurt or upset about something.
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
“Nothing.” He smiled.
Then he wrapped his arms around my neck, rested his head on my shoulder, and hugged me.
I hugged him back.
Tight.
“Love you, Mom,” he whispered.
“Love you, too.” I could barely get the words out.
And I wished the moment would never end.
A minute passed, and he slid off my lap and ran upstairs to play.
But his hug stayed with me.
And as I remember that day, I realize: that’s ...
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A while ago, my husband got a new phone system in our house that made working from home easier for him. One of the features of the system was that the phones intercomed each other--a convenient thing when you needed to ask a quick question from upstairs or downstairs and didn’t want to yell.
My daughter thought it was a great feature too and had fun calling from room to room.
Especially at bed-time.
One night, literally a minute after we'd put the kids to bed, we heard the intercom…
Beep. Beep. Beep.
I picked up the phone.
“Mommy?” My daughter said. “Can I have some warm milk?”
“No, Honey. It’s late. You haven’t even tried to get to sleep yet.”
“But, Mommy?”
“What?”
“I’m starving.”
“You already had dinner and brushed your teeth. It’s time for bed.” I went to hang up the phone.
“Wait, Mommy. If I have crackers, do I have to brush my teeth again?”
“You can’t have crackers.”
“But ...
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It’s our answer!
I know, at first glance it sounds a little strange. I felt the same way when I heard it at church the other day, but oh, the wisdom in this seemingly “wrong” statement.
Think about it…sin is how we deal with our problems. We think getting angry at our children is the answer to helping them behave. We think spending hours on the internet will combat our loneliness. Or that buying those new pair of shoes or purse will fill that empty spot inside of us. Gluttony, greed, wrath, lust. They’re all ways people deal with other issues. They sin trying to solve the problems in their lives, but never will because sin is not God’s answer.
What a revelation I had listening to my pastor speak! How about you? Are you ready to see your sin as a means to control the uncontrollable in your life? Are you ready ...
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Genny Heikka
