To Whom Do We Anchor?

We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. – (Hebrews 6:19a, NIV)

This hope is like an anchor for us. It is strong and sure and keeps us safe. – (Hebrews 6:19a, ERV)

We have this certain hope like a strong, unbreakable anchor holding our souls to God Himself. – (Hebrews 6:19a, TPT)

To whom do we anchor? When the wind howls and the waters rage, where do we turn? Over the past few years, I have weathered several storms. What I have discovered is that Christ does indeed anchor our soul, as He provides us with strength and safe harbor in the midst of the storms. Right now, the storm is a sick son in the hospital. Due to the nature of his illness, he is not permitted any visitors; not even me. This is, as a momma, one of the most difficult storms to weather. Not being able to be tangibly present to see and hear and advocate for my child is an agonizing space. That being said, God is faithful to provide peace, strength and comfort as each new day begins. He is providing hope anew as I talk and text with my son. Incredibly, the young man my boy has become is strong. His strength of heart and positive take on things is an encouragement to all. Rather than the “why me?” approach, he is recognizing the good that is coming from his experience. Despite the dance of the poking and prodding involved in his treatment, he is prioritizing his college coursework and communicating with family and friends. God knows what each of us need, and anchors our hearts to His to navigate all that comes our way. On my own, I would sink. With Christ, I can rest assured that He has us tethered to His safety and strength. May we ever seek the Lord and trust Him to be the anchor for our souls, for He is strong and secure and the One who provides our hearts with peace.

Hope is an anchor,

That tethers the soul;

Strength in our Savior,

His love makes us whole.

When storms come our way,

The Lord is our peace;

He steadies our hearts,

As grace is released.

Hope is the promise,

Presence that won’t end;

Hands that will hold us,

As each day begins.

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You that You are the hope that anchors our soul. Thank You that You provide peace and strength and safety in spaces where it seems impossible for such to exist. Forgive us for doubting the security of Your hands to hold us. Teach us to continue to anchor our hope in You. Lead us to love those around us in ways that encourage, strengthen and uplift. May many come into a lasting relationship with You. Be glorified O God, as we anchor our hope forever in You. Amen.

© Shannon Elizabeth Grabrick and Revelations in Writing, May 2011 – present

It is God who arms me with strength and keeps my way secure. – Psalm 18:32

To Be Acutely Aware

Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in Him. – (Psalm 34:8, NIV)

Give the Lord a chance to show you how good He is. Great blessings belong to those who depend on Him! – (Psalm 34:8, ERV)

Open your mouth and taste, open your eyes and see – how good God is. Blessed are you who run to Him. – (Psalm 34:8, MSG)

Even in the midst of the hard and the horrible, God remains good. He surrounds us with His goodness and provides His peace when it ought not be found. Yesterday, I found myself in the midst of a horrible mom moment. My son was not doing well, and it was clear that an ER run was going to be needed. Unfortunately, due to the nature of his symptoms, no one was permitted to be with him. Having to drop off my heart outside my body and place him in the hands of someone else’s care, was gut wrenching. It matters not that he is a young man; he is still my child. We waited in the parking lot for hours. At first, we were hearing nothing. I had my phone and noticed that he was active on social media, so I tried messaging him that way. Incredibly, it worked, and we discovered a way to communicate. After x-rays and a laundry list of tests, they determined that he was to be admitted. My heart sank, and I had no choice but to trust. From discussing the treatment plan to learning to be an adult and advocate for himself, God has been showing me His goodness. When my heart did not know what to pray, He still heard me. Though it is still extraordinarily difficult to not be with my son, I see evidence of God’s goodness surrounding him and all around me, and trust that my boy is exactly where he needs to be. May we ever seek the Lord and trust in His goodness, for He holds us up in His hands.

The Lord, He is good,

We need taste and see;

He surrounds with love,

And grants us His peace.

The Lord makes a way,

When we cannot see;

What way is the best,

He meets all our needs.

Today I choose trust,

I will taste and see;

Goodness in action,

And know the Lord’s peace.

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You that You are good. Thank You that we simply need to open our eyes and hearts to all that is around us to be acutely aware of Your love. Thank You that as we seek You to be our help and hope, You hold us up in Your hands. Forgive us for our frustrations and fears, for You love our children even more than we do. Teach us to trust You in all things and at all times. Show us how to love those around us in ways that make Your goodness and love visible and tangible. May many come into a lasting relationship with You. Be glorified O God, as we taste and see how good You are, and run to You to be our shelter and perfect peace. Amen.

© Shannon Elizabeth Grabrick and Revelations in Writing, May 2011 – present

I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God in whom I trust.” – Psalm 91:2

Grief Wanes in the Wake of Gratitude

So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in Him, rooted and built up in Him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness. – (Colossians 2:6-7, NIV)

You accepted Christ Jesus as Lord, so continue to live following Him. You must depend on Christ only, drawing life and strength from Him. Just as you were taught the truth, continue to grow stronger in your understanding of it. And never stop giving thanks to God. – (Colossians 2:6-7, ERV) 

Now that you have welcomed the Anointed One, Jesus the Lord, into your lives continue to journey with Him and allow Him to shape your lives. Let your roots grow down deeply in Him, and let Him build you up on a firm foundation. Be strong in the faith, just as you were taught, and always spill over with thankfulness. – (Colossians 2:6-7, VOICE)

 

Grief shows up in unexpected spaces, and seeks to sink the soul. Last night, as I attempted to fall asleep, I was flooded by sorrow as I longed to be with my family. I have never been separated from my boys for more than a week, and after nearly three months, this mama’s heart has found its limit. My heart simply grieved for the time lost. Missed concerts, activities, milestones, mornings, moments, and the joy of doing life together. It has always been my boys and me, and this space of occasional visits on a weekend that works, is simply not enough. I know it is a preview of adulthood, but we have not yet arrived at that point, and I do not want to miss out on the precious time that I am given. This morning, as I read and pondered these two verses from Colossians 2, I recognize how relevant this particular passage is for me right now. The best remedy for grief is gratitude. I cannot dwell on time lost, but rather must fix my eyes, heart and mind on the blessings that I have before me. My boys want me to be with my mom, as they know how important it is that she have her daughter with her to care and advocate on her behalf. Both boys have set aside their own desires, and are thinking of their grandmother first. As their mom, I am beyond grateful for their kind and generous hearts. Additionally, there is the obvious, as I cannot even begin to unpack my praise to God for sparing the life of my mom. She has been the most incredible example of selfless love throughout my entire life, so how could I not be present and invest all that I am in walking beside her on this road to recovery?

As for mom’s moving along, she had her first attempt at walking with a cane yesterday. There is a huge learning curve, and she was not a fan, due to the seeming unsteadiness in comparison to her walker, yet she persevered, and walked a good fifteen feet with it, before transitioning back to the walker to complete two lengths of the hallway and into the kitchen. Her interest in getting out of the house continued as well, as she advocated to go get coffee and spring rolls from our favorite takeout place. We enjoyed our drive into town and back, and then had a very relaxing afternoon and evening. I think that it was needed after the crazy, busy weekend of birthday fun, as it was the first time that there were no extra people in the house. Today mom has occupational and speech therapies on the agenda, and tomorrow, my sister will arrive back in town so that I may return home for a bit of a furlough.

May we be strong in faith and overflowing with gratitude, for it is in this space that we find peace.

 

When we live in Christ,

Strong rooted in Him;

Our faith is built up,

To graciously live.

As we are built up,

Strengthened we give praise;

Hearts overflowing,

With thanks all our days.

In everything,

Pursue gratitude;

Grace overpowers,

Heartache’s solitude.

 

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You that we are strengthened in faith as we praise and give thanks. Thank You that gratitude helps overcome the weight of grief. Forgive us for sitting in our own heartache rather than seeking You to show us Your kindness and grace. Teach us to trust You more, as You are loving and kind, ready to hold us and lift us up, no matter how we come. Show us how to love those around us well, so that we may strengthen, encourage, help and hold others in their spaces of grief or lack. May many come into a lasting relationship with You. Be glorified O God, as we seek You to be our strength and our salvation forever. Amen.

 

© Shannon Elizabeth Grabrick and Revelations in Writing, May 2011 – present

 

Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His love endures forever. – Psalm 107:1

From Heavenly Throne

Therefore, He is able to save completely those who come to God through Him, because He always lives to intercede for them. – (Hebrews 7:25, NIV)

So, Christ can save those who come to God through Him. Christ can do this forever, because He always lives and is ready to help people when they come before God. – (Hebrews 7:25, ERV)

From such a vantage, He is able to save those who approach God through Him for all time because He will forever live to be their advocate in the presence of God. – (Hebrews 7:25, VOICE)

 

We have a Savior, seated in heaven at the right hand of God, who continually contends for all who seek Him. His sacrifice covers our iniquities, and His love restores us to righteousness before the Father. On our own, we are sinners, destined to die. With Jesus, we are redeemed and made right with God, and granted the promise of eternal life with Him. This gift is freely given, and we need only to receive. As we do, our hearts are changed and our minds renewed, so that we may walk in the freedom that God’s favor and forgiveness provide. Without the weight of our former sin, we are empowered to forge forward in love. May we ever seek the Lord and embrace the grace He freely gives, so that we too, may extend His loving kindness to all.

 

On heavenly throne,

Jesus does reside;

To contend for us,

And make all things right.

He covers our sin,

Our shame and our doubt;

Restores and renews,

His love is devout.

This love we’re given,

So abundantly;

Is so we too give,

And set others free.

 

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for making the way for us to be restored to right relationship with You. Thank You Jesus, for Your life, death, resurrection and ascension to take Your rightful throne in heaven where You contend for us before the Father. Forgive us for not recognizing the enormity of Your sacrifice, or for not receiving what You freely offer. Teach us to trust You more, so that we would receive Your goodness and grace, and in turn, extend the same to all those around us. Show us how to love others in the same way that You so lavishly love each of us. May many come into a lasting relationship with You. Be glorified O God, as we receive Your mercy and grace, and offer the same to all those around us, by Your love. Amen.

 

© Shannon Elizabeth Grabrick and Revelations in Writing, May 2011 – present

 

But from now on, the Son of Man will be seated at the right hand of the mighty God. – Luke 22:69

Be the Change

Injustices are everywhere, we simply need open our eyes and look around us to see suffering that need not be present. There is homelessness, abuse, hunger and human trafficking, and those are but a few out our own front door. The needs are far beyond what one person could conquer, however, if we do nothing, change will never occur. As I continue my book study, Undaunted, by Christine Caine, one of her passions is to help fight human trafficking. She goes far beyond sympathy for the suffering, as Caine goes into the places of known need, and seeks to save those stuck in the shackles of slavery. Her heart is for healing and restoring the victims to wholeness, and she works tirelessly to help establish safety nets for victims once they have been rescued.

 

27 million are in bondage around the globe. That number is staggering. The average age of trafficking victims is twelve, nearly the same age as my own precious progeny. Only 1-2% of victims are ever rescued. That means that 98-99% of those twelve-year-olds, are trapped in bondage until the day they die… (Statistics from www.thea21campaign.org)

 

So what are we to do? When Jesus saw an injustice, He walked toward it, not away from it. When He found out there were merchants misusing the temple and keeping the Gentiles from worshiping, He did not sit idly by. On reaching Jerusalem, Jesus entered the temple area and began driving out those who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves, and would not allow anyone to carry merchandise through the temple courts. – (Mark 11:15-16)

 

If Jesus responded that way to defiling the temple with extortion, imagine how He would respond to human lives being bartered… Our charge is to do something. We are not all called to go into the dark and scary spaces and rescue the captured. However, there are numerous roles to fill. We can pray. We can support. We can educate. We can advocate. We can protect. We can prevent and we can partner with those who are called to go and reach right into the lives that would have otherwise been lost, and be a part of the change. May we each give ear to God’s heart, so that we hear clearly what He would have us do.

 

Change only happens,

when people choose rise;

to stand up and fight,

to open blind eyes.

Awareness becomes,

the mightiest sword;

striking injustice,

as lives are restored.

May we be the change,

that sees and then acts;

let’s go forth in love,

our fire to fight back.

 

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You that You see and know all of the injustice in the world, and that not one is lost from Your sight. Thank You that You are greater than the ugliness and evil that permeates society. Thank You that in You, we can be the change that ends injustice for individuals everywhere. Thank You that even one life rescued and restored is reason for rejoicing. Forgive us for shying away from injustices we see, and help us to take things head on, just as Jesus did. Teach us to trust You more, so that we will hear Your specific instructions for us, individually, as You have a specific role for each of us to play. Help us to know what we are meant to do, and then grant us the strength and the courage to obey. Lead us to love others more than we ever thought possible, just as You love us. May many who are trapped in captivity – be it physically, emotionally or spiritually – be set free and find life everlasting in You. Be glorified Lord God, as we seek to be the change that You are calling us to be. Amen.

© Shannon Elizabeth Moreno and Revelations in Writing, May 2011 – present.

He who refreshes others will himself be refreshed. – Proverbs 11:25