Category Archives: Faith

All things faith related.

Old Lyrics with Fresh Ears: God and Sinners Reconciled

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I love Christmas music. I used to start listening to it in October, but my dear husband convinced me he “only has so much Christmas music in him” per year, so I’ve learned to accommodate. But in December, all bets are off. I’m partial to Bing Crosby and the Rat Pack, but also love a pretty wide variety, including old hymns.

I was recently listening to a modern version of Hark! The Herald Angels Sing in the van, and for some reason I heard it with fresh ears. I don’t know about you, but this is one of those Christmas songs I’ve sung in church since I was born, and sometimes when that happens the lyrics sort of lose their meaning.

If you read the lyrics to this song, you’ll find these things being said about newborn Jesus: He brings light, life, and healing to all. He brings peace and mercy. He’s the Prince of Peace and the Son of Righteousness. He makes the nations joyful. He was born that man no more may die. And finally, through him, God and sinners are reconciled.

  That’s a big deal, being reconciled with God. Without Jesus, our sin alienates us from perfect, holy God. With Jesus, our relationship is restored and made right with God. And once restored, God is free to start molding us into the image of Christ so we can walk in partnership with him and live out our lives as the Holy Spirit guides—which is always the best way.

As we run around during the next couple weeks preparing for whatever festivities we have planned, let’s crank up some Christian Christmas music and use it to get our minds and hearts focused on the point of this busy season—celebrating Jesus’ birth. The birth that single-handedly changed the course of human history. The birth that reconciled us so we could walk in right relationship with God himself, despite our flaws and failures.

God and sinners reconciled.

What sweet, sweet words.

What a gracious, loving God to offer us a rescue plan in the form of Jesus. Now that’s something to celebrate this Christmas.

What is one of your favorite Christmas songs this year? Let me know in the comments!

Thanks for reading, and I pray you have a wonderful Christmas season. And if you need a quick gift idea, hop over to my “books” page — here you’ll find Christmas fiction, middle grade fiction, and even a free historical fiction novella if you’ve reached your December budget! Merry Christmas! 🙂

Stopped in Our Tracks: Joy in the Midst of Pain

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We can’t really know how strong our faith is until we have an opportunity to exercise it. And it’s not as if we go out looking for these chances, because most of the time these chances come in the midst of pain. Many of us mosey along in life—we read our devotions, do our work, and care for our families on a surface (though genuine) level until something unforeseen stops us in our tracks.

And since we’re on this side of Heaven, that “something unforeseen” always appears sooner or later, doesn’t it? Whether it’s a lost job, a death in the family, a strained relationship, or a scary diagnosis, suddenly life is more complex than we ever imagined, and we wonder how we ever walked so casually through life before. We wonder how everyone else can keep walking so casually through life while we’re pouring all of our energy into managing our crisis situation. How can life continue on around us? At first, it feels indecent. Cold.

But then we center our focus back on Jesus.

The clouds part, if for the briefest of moments, and we’re able to see our Creator walking alongside us. Holding us, even. We realize we’re glad life is carrying on around us—it gives us hope that normalcy (whatever that means) may not be completely out of reach again for ourselves.

We realize that, while we’ve claimed to be faithful followers of Jesus all along, now is our chance to embrace it. To heavily lean into our faith. To draw near to God in ways we never could have imagined otherwise. We feel his tangible presence and his deep peace envelop us as we take the next step and face the next day, and we know—we know—we aren’t doing this alone. Not just in a “Jesus loves me, this I know” sort of way, but in an intense, raw, going-through-this-wouldn’t-be-possible-without-Jesus sort of way.

We fall at His feet in prayer and in worship, knowing that He’s big enough to change our circumstances and acknowledging that His ways are so far beyond us that he indeed may not. We remind ourselves over and over again that His plan is always best. Even when we don’t understand. What peace there is, knowing we don’t have to understand.

And while we would, of course, never choose the difficulty we’re facing, we draw near to God in such a way as to find some semblance of joy in the midst of the heartache. It sounds like a contradiction, but it’s not. Joy isn’t dependent on circumstances. It’s dependent only on our level of connection to our glorious Creator. Joy in the midst of pain is illogical and impossible to explain. But it’s real. Oh, but it’s real.

So we pray our way through our difficulties, managing what is in our control here on earth and heavily leaning on God along the way. And our faith—our relationship with our Creator—will never be the same. And for that, we’re thankful.

“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” – James 1:2-4

When You Just Can’t Catch a Breath

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Sometimes we just can’t catch a breath. It’s not that we don’t appreciate the abundance of blessings surrounding us, and it’s not that our faith is gone. It’s just that nothing feels quite settled.

Maybe the news has been beating you down so constantly it has become a mental block. Maybe the circumstances you’ve prayed would change for so long haven’t budged and hope is hanging thin. Maybe the hurt of those around you is piling up and there’s nothing you can do, so you feel overwhelmed.

You know God is powerful and capable, but you also know sometimes circumstances don’t change this side of heaven, so you’re hesitant to expect him to move in a big way. You know prayers get answered, but also sometimes they don’t seem to get answered, so you’re hesitant to pour yourself into prayer.

Maybe the door to *fill in the blank* has been closed so many times, you’d rather not try to open it again than risk finding more pain on the other side.

If any of this rings true, here is my encouragement for you today:

– You are enough. You are not deficient. Letting God carry you through the difficulties shows your strength and wisdom as you rely on him. In other words, stop trying to pull yourself up by your bootstraps. You are not that strong in and of yourself. In his arms is the safest place to be.

–God is still good. It’s true. Even when it doesn’t feel like it.

– Emotions often lie or embellish. Emotions can help us gather information about ourselves, but they can’t be trusted without reason, logic, and prayer alongside them. Don’t believe everything they tell you or you’ll only end up hurt.

– Your pain, hurt, hopelessness, faithlessness, mistakes…none of that defines you. God defines you. And he calls you:

            – a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17)

            – God’s child (John 1:12)

            – a friend of Jesus (John 15:15)

            – a temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19)

            – redeemed and forgiven (Ephesians 1:7)

            – a citizen of heaven (Philippians 3:20)

If this is what God says of us, who are we to disagree?

When life feels heavy, don’t retreat. Seek community. Let loved ones help carry your load. Take a step in faith, no matter how small it may seem to anyone else.

And more than anything else, lean into God. Seek silence with him. Create space for him to wrap you in his arms and quietly remind you of his goodness, provision, and love. He’s just waiting for the opportunity to tell you.

Thanks for reading! I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments, and if you haven’t already, I invite you to sign up for my monthly email encouragements – you’ll receive my free historical romance novella (Love on a Whim) if you do!

Dear Weary Christian Parent

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Dear Weary Christian Parent,

First of all, the fact that you’re weary shows that you care; that you’re in it for the long haul. So congratulate yourself for loving your children so thoroughly—you’re doing great.

I hope you know you’re not failing just because you got short with your child, forgot that appointment, or yelled when the chaos was too much. You’re human. And when you get real with them and ask your children’s forgiveness, it will likely come with hugs and smiles, just as it does so lavishly from our Father to us.

Don’t forget that you were never meant to “do it all.” Even Jesus had limits and boundaries. He didn’t heal every person in every town he visited. He rested. He sought solace to pray. He didn’t drive himself into the ground trying to be everything for everyone around him; he was human. And he simply kept his focus on where his Father was leading each day. And one more time for those in the back—he rested.

Remember to use your “yes” sparingly and intentionally. Saying yes to something means saying no to other things, be they organic playdates, much-needed family nights, or that alone time with God that you just haven’t managed to squeeze in lately. Whatever you say “yes” or “no” to, pray and think it through. You don’t win any prizes for having your children in the most activities…you only get burned out. Trust me—unless they are future Olympians, your children would much rather have a present, peaceful parent than a shelf full of trophies.

When things feel too hard and you wonder if you’re just crazy (as we all do), remember—parenting IS hard. Culture is against you and your desire to raise godly, moral humans. We are constantly at battle against the evil one who wants to guide our children away from us…away from God. No wonder you’re weary. Christian parenting takes diligence, patience, and lots of grace, and while it’s wonderful and rewarding, it’s also exhausting.

Let Jesus carry you. His strength is unlimited and it’s ours free through the power of the Holy Spirit. Walking in His strength is a pretty incredible privilege in the Christian life. It’s a game-changer.

A few last reminders for battling the weariness. Prioritize sleep as much as possible. Drink more water and less coffee. Laugh more. Carve out at least a few minutes of solitude to sit at the feet of God and lay your day before him, and you won’t regret it. You just might find your weariness being replaced with strength and the peace that surpasses all understanding.

Love,

Jessie

PS—One final thing. Don’t forget that YOU are the parent God decided your child needed. The pairing is purposeful. Move forward with confidence as you guide your child closer to knowing the God of the universe. Also, take a deep breath and calm those racing, worried thoughts. God’s got this. God’s got you.

What if Our Defintion of “Good” is All Wrong?

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What if our definition of good is all wrong? What if, in our humanness, we reduce goodness to what feels, looks, or seems good when all the while, God has bigger things to say about it?

I have an autoimmune condition. Most of the time I’m fine, but sometimes I’m not. And ten years ago, I had a few of the worst weeks of my life. During those weeks, immediately following the birth of our baby girl, I was unable to carry on normal responsibilities. All I could really do was sit while my husband, family, and friends took care of our newborn, two-year-old, and four-year-old. If I moved my head much at all, my body would spasm, and let me tell you…it was unpleasant. It was bad. Awful. Angering. And all the other adjectives that describe a terrible situation. Physically, it was the worst time of my life.

It may come as a surprise that I can say with full confidence that this time of physical and emotional suffering was the best time of my life, spiritually. When distractions were removed and I found myself crying out to God hundreds of times per day, he and I grew closer, as relationships naturally do when given undivided time and attention.

The book of Isaiah was written seven hundred years before Jesus was born. But this prophet spoke prophecies regarding the coming Savior that unfolded exactly as stated, seven hundred years later. Isaiah 53:10 says this regarding Jesus:

But it was the Lord’s good plan to crush him and cause him grief.

If you’re like me, that sentence gives you pause. We could discuss for days all the approaches to theology regarding God willing or not willing human suffering, but let’s lay that aside for now. The above verse states clearly that God’s plan was to crush Jesus. Crush.

Seem dramatic? I agree. But with this mysterious plan of God’s came the rescue of the entire human race.

And look at 2 Corinthians 1:8b-9. Paul says this in the New Testament:

We were crushed and overwhelmed beyond our ability to endure, and we thought we would never live through it. In fact, we expected to die. But as a result, we stopped relying on ourselves and learned to rely only on God, who raises the dead.

As a result of Paul’s crushing, he learned to rely on God. It may not sound worth it, but I assure you, it is. Paul says so and God says so. Our time on earth is only a blink of an eye compared to eternity in Heaven, so being Heaven-minded now has much greater benefits for us in the long run. We will never fully understand God’s ways, but one truth we can count on is this:

Good things come from crushing.

Maybe we don’t feel it, see it, or even believe it much of the time. But feelings don’t lead us to truth. Truth is truth, regardless of our thoughts or feelings. The truth is, going through intense difficulties refines us in ways that wouldn’t otherwise be possible. As long as we don’t run the other direction, being crushed draws us nearer to God than any amount of church-going, praise songs, or study can. (And no, we don’t draw near to God because God has an ego problem and wants us to need him. We draw near to God so we can know on an intimate level his love, goodness, and guidance.)

This topic was inspired by a recent sermon by my pastor, David Wigington. In his sermon, which you can check out here, he said, “Crushing doesn’t destroy your gifts; it exposes them.” Truer words were never spoken.

When I was going through that health crisis a decade ago, I nearly felt like my life was over. I never dreamed of all God could do with me in the years to come. Suffering allowed me to experience what it means to rely utterly and completely on God, and because of it, I am now able to be and do things I would have otherwise never thought possible.

Suffering is never pleasant in the moment. Of course we want to avoid pain when possible, and I’m not implying otherwise, but when unpreventable suffering does come, if aligning our souls with God himself is what we gain, what could be better? Perhaps it’s time to rethink our perception of good.

Do you have any stories of how God used difficult things in your life to bring about good? I’d love for you to share them in the comments below – it’s so encouraging to read such stories! And if you want to dive deeper into David Wigington’s words of wisdom, check out his awesome book, God of the Long View. Highly recommend!