Reflection of Providence

“God rescued us from dead-end alleys and dark dungeons. He’s set us up in the kingdom of the Son he loves so much, the Son who got us out of the pit we were in, got rid of the sins we were doomed to keep repeating.” – Colossians 1: 13 – 14(MSG) He is asking me to walk past dead ends. I’ve lived safe; etching Crayola color borders on construction paper. A dream, 27 years in the making, is taking shape. There have been no words. The tender wet, the flint and steel lost. But, I linger on the precipice of merriment. I am standing on a hillside with Him. The break of day touches the horizon in a low pink glow that feels strangely alive. The sun rises over the mountain range, glistening over a river that cuts a deep swath through the valley dotted with wildflowers. He looks at me and says, “this is what I have for you, Melissa.” When we come up against a dead end our first reaction is to turn around. We feel there is no way around, out, or over. What if? What if, past ...

A  flood plain  is an area of land that is prone to flooding. People realize it is prone to flooding because it has flooded in the past due to a river or stream overflowing its banks. A flood plain  usually is a flat area with areas of higher elevation on both sides… I am struck by this imagery. An area of land that is prone to flooding, its landscape ever changing – washed away and consistently made new. The pain and destruction are great. It would be easier to move to higher ground where stability is a bit more certain. Yet, the elegance of change always makes life more appreciable. As Sara Groves sings in her title track, “some hearts are built on the floodplain”… In 2015, I have seen more sorrow than joy. There have been more sharp edges than soft. My heart has quivered underneath emotions of doubt, insecurity, anger, apathy, hurt, and desolation. It has truly been an odd broken 12 months and, I must say, I am tickled pink to see this year in my rearview...

“You thrill me, Lord, with all you have done for me! I sing for joy because of what you have done.” – Psalm 92:4 *I get to cheat a bit. I have actually written on Simeon twice. The first blog post got deleted by mistake. Last year I revisited his story through "Anna's Candles". Of all the people that took part in the Christmas Story, Simeon is my favorite...let us step into his story and see what we find:  Jesus Presented in the Temple 22  Now when the days of her purification according to the law of Moses were completed, they brought Him to Jerusalem to present  Him  to the Lord  23  (as it is written in the law of the Lord, “Every male who opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord”), [ a ]   24  and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the law of the Lord, “A pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.” [ b ] Simeon Sees God’s Salvation 25  And behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name  was ...

“Because of love, God trusted a brave young woman and an honest, hardworking carpenter with the precious gift of his Son.” (p.108, Women of Christmas, Higgs) “And Jacob begot Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus who is called Christ.” – Matthew 1:16 The Nativity is a lovely little movie, and it does a really wonderful job fleshing out Joseph. Oscar Isaac (who plays Joseph) displays the complexity, kindness, and devotion of this man in a beautiful way. I ponder this gentle, righteous, and obedient man. His actions fulfill prophecy! He walks with dignity and serves God with his whole heart. He is quick to follow the Lord’s prompting. He is a minor character, so it seems, but his actions speak volumes of who he serves. I cannot imagine being Mary, a young woman in her early teens, expecting a child and never knowing the touch of a man. The weight of enormity must have been crushing. How was she to convince her parents, much less the man she was betroth...

“Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.” – Ephesians 3: 20-21 (NKJV) “Through all her years of feeling less-than, Elizabeth had worshipped a more-than God.” (P.35, Women of Christmas, Higgs) Oh, how do I convey this deep soul connection that I feel with Elizabeth – to scratch out the words on brokenness and healing? May our sweet Jesus use these meager words to bring hope, belief, and trust in the midst of our loss, hurt, and pain. Beautiful, broken, blessed, barren…Elizabeth! I think we all know the women that put on a good face. When asked how they are doing they always respond with, “I’m doing well!” They don’t show much of their skirts, and keep their pain close to the cuff. I am one of those women. I don’t know how to express those emotions that hurt me. Instead, I go inward and lock the door on my h...

* I like the spelling of Zacharias opposed to Zechariah. I will be using Zacharias when talking about Elizabeth’s husband in this post.* I often get swept up in tradition, duty, and service to God. Each of these is good, even noble. Yet, I scarcely expect God to show up, to do something that brings me to my knees; an encounter that shapes my thoughts on being faithful to God, to His faithfulness to me. I unequivocally believe that obedience to God is how we heed to His love in our lives. But obedience isn’t a duty. It is a lifestyle. It is, as my sister says, “breathing in Jesus and breathing out peace”. It leads to a holy ground encounter with God. It shifts our focus from what we can do for God, to worshipping God for who He is. This is what Zacharias learns when the presence of God shows up… I picture Zacharias and Elizabeth as grandparent figures to their community. Even though, at the time we first meet them they have no children of their own, I envision them being a fa...

“Then God surveyed everything He had made, savoring its beauty and appreciating its goodness.” – Genesis 1:31a (The Voice) The Testaments are a proclamation of God Almighty’s quest to love His people. The triune God desires intimacy with His creation. He not only sees us as worthy, but continually makes a way for us to be with Him. Despite the endless failings, sins, and shortcomings of His people He sees us as good. He loves us. The relationship God had with Adam and Eve was beautiful. Envision them walking and talking with the Lord. I often think of day to day life in Eden. He would walk with them in the cool of the day. A poignant time that, for me, denotes rest, friendship, and tranquility. The severance caused from forbidden fruit bitten didn’t simply affect Adam and Eve, but God. It clearly grieved His heart. If it didn’t, he would have simply walked away and left us with our own devices. Instead, what does He do? He takes His sweeping providential hand and devise...