Choose to Shine

Anyone who loves their brother and sister lives in the light, and there is nothing in them to make them stumble. – (1 John 2:10, NIV)

Those who love their brothers and sisters live in the light, and there is nothing in them that will make them do wrong. – (1 John 2:10, ERV)

It’s the person who loves brother and sister who dwells in God’s light and doesn’t block the light from others. – (1 John 2:10, MSG)

I appreciate the Message translation of this verse tremendously, as it is a powerful reminder that when we choose love, we allow God’s light to shine, yet when we do not, we can actually block the light that God’s love intended for them to receive. God calls and equips us to love yet created us with a free will to choose. As we choose to love, we choose to allow the loving light of God to shine through us to the world. The people around us become more like family, and our hearts expand to give and receive as we were designed through allowing love to lead in all that we say and do. This is not always easy or natural, yet it is always worthwhile. May we ever seek the Lord to lead us in His love so that we may shine His loving light on all who are near us.

When we choose to love,

Christ’s light is made clear;

His love is poured out,

To all who are near.

Brothers and sisters,

Family and friends;

All who cross our path,

For love to extend.

What’s incredible,

Is there’s always more;

The light of God’s love,

Will always endure.

Lord, help us to choose,

To share well Your light;

And love each other,

For Your love delights.

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You that You call us to love and share Your light wherever we go and whatever we do. Thank You that You fill us to overflowing when we seek You. Forgive us for the times that we have not chosen love and have hidden the light that You intended to shine through us. Teach us to ever trust in You and to follow the path that You have placed before us. Lead us to love well so that all around us may know the lavish light of Your love. May many come into a lasting relationship with You. Be glorified O God, as we seek You to lead us to love one another as sisters and brothers as we allow Your light to shine. Amen.

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

The light of the righteous shines brightly, but the lamp of the wicked is snuffed out. – Proverbs 13:9

Trust the Transformation

Being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. – (Philippians 1:6, NIV)

I am sure that the good work God began in you will continue until He completes it on the day when Jesus Christ comes again. – (Philippians 1:6, ERV)

I am confident that the Creator, who has begun such a great work among you, will not stop in mid-design but will keep perfecting you until the day Jesus the Anointed, our Liberating King, returns to redeem the world. – (Philippians 1:6, VOICE)

We are all a work in progress. The more we seek the Lord, the more we give Him room to work in and through us. He is ever refining and transforming us to be more of who we were created to become. There is always room for us to learn, grow and become better versions of ourselves. The more we learn, the more we recognize there is more to learn. This transformation process is continuous until the day we meet our Maker face-to-face. May we ever seek the Lord to continue the work He has begun in us, so that we might more clearly reflect His heart of love to the world.

O Lord, have Your way,

Transform, bring Your change;

Let all fall away,

Through Love’s great exchange.

You take our ugly,

And use it for good;

You expand our hearts,

To love as we should.

You bring forgiveness,

And grant us Your grace;

Model how to love,

As we live each day.

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You that the work You have begun in us is an ongoing transformative work that will not end until we see Your face-to-face. Thank You that Your love for us is ongoing. Forgive us for placing limits on love or rejecting change that transforms us to be more like You. Show us how to listen, learn and grow into more of who You have created us to become. Lead us to love one another with pure and generous hearts. May many come into a lasting relationship with You. Be glorified O God, as we trust the transformation that is ever taking place within. Amen.

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

Do not conform to the patterns of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – His good, pleasing and perfect will. – Romans 12:2

Wise with Words

When you talk, you should always be kind and wise. Then you will be able to answer everyone in the way you should. – (Colossians 4:6, ERV)

Let your conversations be gracious and attractive so that you will have the right response for everyone. – (Colossians 4:6, NLT)

Make the most of every opportunity. Be gracious in your speech. The goal is to bring out the best in others in a conversation, not to put them down, nor cut them out. – (Colossians 4:6, MSG)

 

First, in a season of so many unknowns, it is difficult to speak with any sort of wisdom about what lies ahead. That being said, kindness and grace must be intentional and come from Christ, or answers will not be the right response in the moment. Before I expand further on what I am learning about this through this whole ordeal, I know the update that so many are looking for ought to come first.

Yesterday, was another good day for mom. Her day was full of various therapy sessions, each one with intention and purpose to propel her to strength and independence. She was at the table in the dining area picking at breakfast when we arrived and handed her the “smuggled in” Frappuccino. From there we met with the social worker and case coordinator (whom I affectionately refer to as Thor and Llama, based on the collections in their office), as they reviewed mom’s rights and care information with mom, my sister and me. Next up was the OT extraordinaire, Stephanie (I think, so many names), who took her in to help her begin to relearn the whole showering process. Cleanliness is next to godliness, and she felt refreshed to have soaked in that warm water, rather than hospital shower wipes. Her least favorite rebuilding session so far was speech therapy. It had little to do with the who, and everything to do with the what. Due to where the stroke occurred in mom’s brain, she is experiencing some apraxia. For those non-medical folks like myself, the dictionary defines apraxia as a disorder of the nervous system, characterized by an inability to perform purposeful movements, but not accompanied by a loss of sensory functions or paralysis. To make it even simpler, based on observations, there has been a disruption in the connection between message sending and receiving for some words to actions, words to objects, and most certainly, thoughts to movements on the right side of her body. Speech is the space where she is made glaringly aware of the disconnect. It is difficult and frustrating, and an area where extra grace will be needed, for sure. Already the speech therapist will adjust the schedule to meet with her in two 30-minute sessions, rather than one longer sitting. As soon as we returned downstairs from speech, Sophie, the recreational therapist came in. Who even knew that was a thing?! Anyway, super sweet, and her job is to help mom get back to doing the recreational things she enjoys, so I made sure she was aware that the bar was extraordinarily high. Sophie was quite pleased. Next up was OT again to work on vision and upper body, then lunch, followed by PT. It was not Penny yesterday, but Kristen was equally lovely and encouraging, and PT is by far, mom’s favorite therapy session of the day. In fact, she was trying to negotiate trading speech time for more PT time. 🙂 We were able to go outside again after dinner, and enjoyed a movie together before I headed back home for the night. A few phone calls were made on speaker, which was huge for mom, as it was a start to regaining a connection to those not standing in front of us.

Anyway, back to the verse of the day. This whole situation is showing me more and more how critically important it is to seek the Lord and His grace to speak to others. We have now had two people in the last week, tell us (in front of my mom!) stories of their own family members who had strokes and died a few months later. Seriously? Not the encouragement, wisdom, nor words seasoned in the love of Christ that this girl’s heart needed to hear, nor the protector in me wanted ANYWHERE near my mom. I was gracious, but it took much self-control to not scream that I am not their therapist, I am fighting for MY MOM, and no nay-sayers allowed. I am well aware of the risks and reality of our circumstances. What we need is love and support, encouragement and most of all, covering in prayer. It is a strange place when I don’t know someone who cares deeply for mom, is super emotional, and I am an empath who refuses to emote. Too much weight. Additionally, mom doesn’t need to see others feeling sorry for her. She needs cheerleaders, encouragers, shoulders who are ready to rise up and walk beside her. It is biblical. It is right. There is an army that has risen, and for you, we are forever grateful. For those waiting in the wings, feeling uncertain of what to do; keep praying – Your prayers are fueling this fight!

 

O Lord let my words,

Be faithful and true;

Seasoned with kindness,

Reflections of You.

By Your loving grace,

May all that I say;

Encourage, build up,

Each day, Lord, I pray.

God grant me wisdom,

In each circumstance;

May Your truth be known,

Your kingdom advanced.

 

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You that You are the watcher of our words. Thank You that what is intended to harm, You use for good. Thank You that You guard our hearts, even though we may have moments of frustration of anger at what we hear, we can trust that You are greater and have us in Your hands. Forgive us for those moments when anger arises and our thoughts are less than godly toward others for the things that they say. Forgive us too, for the times that we have done the same. Not one of us is perfect and we all have fallen short and said the wrong thing at the wrong time, even with the best of intentions. Teach us how to lean on You to love and extend grace with wisdom through our words. Show us how to love like You to all those around us. May many come into a lasting relationship with You. Be glorified O God, as we seek You to speak with wisdom and grace, ever extending kindness and grace to all those around us. Amen.

 

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

 

Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. – Colossians 4:2

Listen for Wisdom

(If you) turn your ear to wisdom and apply your heart to understanding – then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God. – (Proverbs 2:2 & 5, NIV) 

Listen to wisdom, and do your best to understand. If you do this, you will understand what it means to respect the Lord, and you will come to know God. – (Proverbs 2:2 & 5, ERV) 

So, train your heart to listen when I speak and open your spirit wide to expand your discernment – then pass it on to your sons and daughters. Then you will discover the fear of the Lord and find the true knowledge of God. – (Proverbs 2:2 & 5, TPT) 

 

Wisdom, knowledge and understanding come when we turn to God and seek Him. It requires that we purposely pursue the One who holds the key to all. Just as it is with people around us, we only get to know and understand them if we spend intentional time together. God waits willingly and lovingly for us to seek Him. When we do, we begin to understand who He is and how He loves. May we ever seek the Lord and set aside time to learn and grow with Him, as He opens our understanding to know more of Him. 

 

The wisdom of God,

What we ought pursue; 

For His heart’s made known, 

To all those who do. 

Seek to understand, 

For that is the space; 

Where He will reveal, 

His wisdom and grace. 

For great is His Name, 

In every way; 

In awe and wonder, 

May we choose to pray. 

 

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You that as we seek You, You are faithful to meet us and impart to us, new wisdom and understanding of who You are and how You love. Forgive us for the times that we need pursue You and do not. Teach us to trust You more, so that we would seek Your wisdom in all things, with reverence and awe. Show us how to love those around us in ways that are best for each individual whom we encounter. May many come into a lasting relationship with You. Be glorified O God, as we seek You for understanding and insight in all things, and view You with proper awe and reverence. Amen.

 

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

 

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow His precepts have good understanding. To Him belongs eternal praise. – Psalm 111:10

How Faith Grows

In view of all this, make every effort to respond to God’s promises. Supplement your faith with a generous provision of moral excellence, and moral excellence with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with patient endurance, and patient endurance with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love for everyone. – (2 Peter 1:5-7, NLT)

Because you have these blessings, do all you can to add to your life these things: to your faith add goodness; to your goodness add knowledge; to your knowledge add self-control; to your self-control add patience; to your patience add devotion to God; to your devotion add kindness to your brothers and sisters in Christ, and to this kindness add love. – (2 Peter 1:5-7, ERV)

 

Faith that is not actively growing and being utilized, shrivels up and dies. Peter reminds us of a variety of ways that we can continue to grow in our faith and allow God’s grace to shine through us, as we seek Him to help us add to all of these things. When we extend goodness, self-control, patience, kindness and love, those around us notice. We are equipped and empowered to do so as we devote ourselves to the Lord and seek His wisdom to walk in His way. This is the perfect time of year to actively live out our faith tangibly. The need for each of these things is evident, everywhere – be it in a checkout line at the grocery store, in the classroom, at the dinner table, or as we have conversations with those we know, each extension of our response to God’s goodness gives those we interact with a helping of hope they may not have otherwise known. May we make every effort to respond to God’s promises by actively living out our faith as we add to our lives, all of these things.

 

Because we are blessed, 

We can also give;

Extensions of faith,

Each day that we live.

To faith, add goodness,

In knowledge, let’s grow;

Also have patience,

Extend self-control.

Devoted to God,

Add kindness to all;

Let love too, expand,

For this is our call.

 

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You that You call us to exercise our faith in tangible ways. Thank You for those around us that are excellent examples of how to grow in each of these areas as they so faithfully follow You. Forgive us for the times that our faith lies dormant, and we do not actively pursue growth in the things of You. Teach us to trust You more, so that we would ever be seeking You to add to our lives, all of these things. Show us how to best extend goodness, self-control, patience, kindness and love to those around us. May many come into a lasting relationship with You. Be glorified O God, as we make every effort to respond to Your promises and actively grow our faith in You. Amen.

 

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

 

God has brought me laughter, and everyone who hears about this will laugh with me. – Genesis 21:6

The Value of Knowledge

Wise words are more valuable than much gold and many rubies. – (Proverbs 20:15, NLT)

Gold there is, and rubies in abundance, but lips that speak knowledge are a rare jewel. – (Proverbs 20:15, NIV)

Drinking from the beautiful chalice of knowledge is better than adorning oneself with gold and rare gems. – (Proverbs 20:15, MSG)

 

Seeking wisdom, to learn and grow, is far more valuable than pursuing wealth. Knowledge is the key necessary to go from surviving to thriving. The greater our understanding, the better our direction for which path we are meant to pursue. As we go, it is essential that we continue to learn and expand our understanding, lest we grow stagnant and regress. God places people all around us to increase our understanding and grant us wisdom in ways we would not expect. May we ever pursue to grow in our understanding, as we seek wisdom rather than temporary wealth.

 

Seek understanding, 

No jewels pursue;

Instead seek wisdom,

To find the way true.

Let us learn value,

In knowledge to find;

For it is lasting,

In heart, soul and mind.

With wisdom we learn,

Which way we’re to go;

How to honor God,

So His heart’s made known.

 

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You that when we seek wisdom in You, You provide new understanding and insight. Thank You that knowledge is far more valuable than riches, as Your wisdom directs our path in the way that You intend for us to go. Forgive us for getting caught up in the pursuit of things rather than insight, and teach us to trust You more so that we would desire Your wisdom and understanding above all else. Show us how to speak wise words in a way that demonstrates Your unfailing love to those around us. May many come into a lasting relationship with You. Be glorified O God, as we seek wisdom rather than riches, and trust You to lead us in the ways we are meant to go. Amen.

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

He will yet fill your mouth with laughter and your lips with shouts of joy. – Job 8:21

We Are Called Friends

If, when we were at our worst, we were put on friendly terms with God by the sacrificial death of His Son, now that we’re at our best, just think of how our lives will expand and deepen by means of His resurrection life! – (Romans 5:10, MSG)

I mean that while we were God’s enemies, He made friends with us through His Son’s death. And the fact that we are now God’s friends makes it even more certain that He will save us through His Son’s life. – (Romans 5:10, ERV)

 

The reason I often post a few different versions of a verse, is my way of sharing the process of looking and listening to what He wants my heart to hear on any given day. Sometimes, the words jump off of the page and grab hold of my heart the moment I first read them, however, there are other times that something seems significant and is keeping me stuck on a verse, but it requires repeated reading. Though the main message of Romans 5:10 reminds us that we were saved while we were still sinners because of Christ’s sacrifice, God uses His words that I have read many times, to show me something new, or remind me of truth that my heart needs to hear. This morning, I took pause as I read the portion that says: “now that we’re our best, just think of how our lives will expand and deepen by means of His resurrection life!” That is a loaded statement. It is rare that I feel that I am at my best, as I am well aware of my own flaws and shortcomings. That being said, whenever I am dialed in on the depth and breadth of the hope I have in Him forever, I recognize how much He has done both in and through me, and know that there is so much more as I choose to faithfully follow Him. May we ever identify the incredible gift that we have been given through the grace of God, and go forth in the hope that we hold in knowing He is with us, for us, and our eternity is secure in Him.

 

What is this great love,

That saw us in sin;

Enemies of God,

Yet still welcomed in?

While stuck at our worst,

He made way to friend;

Greatest sacrifice,

So life would not end.

It is by His death,

And rising again;

We’re forgiven friends,

Life with Christ won’t end.

 

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You that while we were yet sinners, Your enemies – You called us friends as You gave Your very best so that we could come to have life everlasting in You. Thank You that through Your resurrection, we are also raised to new life by Your mercy and grace, and empowered to walk in Your way, rather than our own. Forgive us for somehow discounting the depth of what You did and thinking that we do not qualify, rather than receiving the gift that You freely give. Teach us to trust You more, so that we would have a proper perspective as to who we are in You. Show us how to walk out our days in the wisdom that we are Your friends, so that we love those around us well. May many come into a lasting relationship with You. Be glorified O God, as we embrace the grace that You freely give, and walk forward in that which You have given us to share. Amen.

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

Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad. – 1 Chronicles 16:31

Overcoming Our Unbelief

So often the mountains that lie before us seem insurmountable. We look at the grade and terrain, forecast and trail conditions, yet fail to look to Him who created the mountains before us. Regardless of what stands before us, Christ who is in us, is greater. In essence, we observe the obstacle, then perhaps, hesitantly, ask God, “If You can help, will You?”

 

Just as Jesus responded to the father of the demon-possessed boy, who sought Him for the healing of his son, Christ answers us in the same way today. “If you can?” said Jesus, “Everything is possible for him who believes.” Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!” – (Mark 9:23-24)

 

We serve a loving and faithful God. He longs to grow and expand our faith, and lead us to understand all the more the depth and breadth of His power and grace for those who earnestly seek Him. May we rise up in faith and seek His help in overcoming our unbelief. Lord, let us see possibilities where the obstacles currently lie before us.

 

Troubles and trials,

insurmountable;

we ask but don’t know,

all things possible.

Though man on his own,

cannot overcome;

through the Lord, Jesus,

impossible’s done.

Despite our belief,

we need faith to rise;

Lord Jesus, help us,

Your strength, realize.

 

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You that despite what lies before us, all things are possible in You. Thank You that You are loving and faithful and that You want the very best outcome for Your children. Forgive us for our focus on the obstacles, rather than on You, the solution, and please help us to overcome our unbelief. Teach us to trust You more, so that we will seek You and find You regardless of what lies before us. Lead us to love others well. May many come into a lasting relationship with You, as they find new possibilities through a hope and a future with You. Be glorified O God, as we believe in word, thought and deed, and help us to seek You to overcome our spaces of unbelief. Amen.

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

For it is commendable if a man bears up under the pain of unjust suffering because he is conscious of God. – 1 Peter 2:19