Grace

Let grace, mercy, and peace be with us in truth and love from God the Father and from Jesus Christ, Son of the Father! 2 John 1:3

How perfect to focus on God’s grace as Easter is approaching. It’s the easiest time of year to be aware of God’s grace in that His son gave his life to give us that grace. It is a gift that we don’t deserve….better yet, we can’t ever do anything good enough to deserve it. Man, that takes off the pressure! I mean, have you ever wondered “how good is good enough”? If Mother Theresa set the standard, we are all doomed. But God knew we would never measure up…He even knew Mother Theresa’s deep dark secrets and mistakes. So, He came up with a way to bridge the gap from here to Heaven. He even made it personal…His own Son. Jesus gave us His life asking nothing in return except belief that it happened.

He was beaten and murdered because it is what we deserved. When I acted like a wild child in college, I should have been publicly humiliated and stoned. That is what happened to people who sinned like that before Jesus’ death. But now we have grace. I can learn from my mistakes and have another chance to be the woman that God created me to be. That’s what grace is…a second chance. Or a third, or a fourth.

He is alive! He has risen! Don’t let these terms slip by as another Easter catch phrase. Jesus really did this, and you only have to believe it to be forgiven and saved from the torture that He endured. I tell Parker that Jesus got in trouble for all of our no no’s so we don’t have to get in really big trouble for them. I know I have gotten pretty deep here, but I don’t want to risk that any of our readers don’t get the big picture. Easter is so much fun with kids…the baskets, the egg hunts, the excitement. I hope you enjoy every second of it, but let Jesus be at the heart of your celebration. Help your kids extend grace to each other as they hunt eggs. Let His amazing love be on the tip of your tongue all this week and the next as you prepare to observe the most miraculous act of grace that has ever taken place.

Friends

Become wise by walking with the wise; hang out with fools and watch your life fall into pieces. Proverbs 13:20

Proverbs 13:20 and this week's reflection remind us that we are the company we keep. As mothers, we feel the same way for our children, which is why we try to surround them with good friends, positive opportunities, and a loving, nurturing environment. Do you set up playdates for your children? How do you choose those playdates? Do the playdates give positive opportunities for your children to play and interact? If only we had as much control over their friends as they grew older!

And what about you? Do you surround yourself with good friends and positive people? Our friend choices serve as an example for our children - so we need to mindful of who we associate with. This past week, I spoke at an event that I helped to plan - the United Way of Milford's Women with United Vision kickoff breakfast. At the end of the breakfast, we went around the room and allowed the 20 attendees to introduce themselves. I thought at the conclusion of the introductions, "wow, these are women that I want to surround myself with." The women shared the same vision - to help women and children of Milford who were less fortunate. I'm thrilled to be able to align myself with such an accomplished group of women. I'm excited to see where this journey brings us and the friendships that are formed.

I think it's also important to mention that friendships, like any other relationships, need to be nurtured and nourished. It takes time and dedication to build strong friendships. I must say that I'm blessed to have the friends that I do, especially my best friend Stephanie. We've been building our friendship since sixth grade (and hard to believe that we're now 30!). We take the time to talk to each other at least two mornings a week as we drive into work and we talk on the weekend too. I think in this digital age, the phone is underused as I have other friends who only text or send an email - although I appreciate the interactions, I must say I would really like to speak on the phone instead as so much gets lost over email. Pick up the phone this week and call a friend. Then, take a minute to be grateful for that friend and say an extra prayer of thanksgiving!

Fears

The resurrection life you received from God is not a timid, grave-tending life. It’s adventurously expectant, greeting God with a childlike “What’s next, Papa?” God’s Spirit touches our spirits and confirms who we really are. We know who he is, and we know who we are: Father and children. And we know we are going to get what’s coming to us – an unbelievable inheritance! We go through exactly what Christ goes through. If we go through the hard times with him, then we’re certainly going to go through the good times with him! Romans 8:15

Okay, so The Message is certainly different from my NIV version! I do like to think of myself saying, ‘What’s next, Papa?’ . The author hit the nail on the head about the child with no fear. That is Parker. As soon as he learned to stand on his own, we walked in to find him balancing on top of his 4-wheeler toy. He just laughed when we freaked out. In his short 19 months he has never had a traumatic incident that left scars. We on the other hand, have fallen from heights or been in a car accident or experienced emotional heartbreak. We have fear. We know sometimes everything is not okay.

Do you remember the slogan “No Fear’? They put it all over clothes and car stickers. The world seemed obsessed with exclaiming that they had no fear. But was that truthful? Surely those people had endured heartache or physical trauma. Like each of them, we want to stand up to our fear, but sometimes we can’t. At times, fear can run our lives. It keeps us from getting on an airplane or trusting our spouse again.

But God wants doesn’t want fear to make your decisions. He has a plan already made for you. He will take care of you. I’m not saying to test Him by jumping off the roof, but do trust Him with your fears. Tell Him about it and ask for opportunities to overcome your fears. Memorize the scripture suggested in the reading. Hide it in your heart. It will appear again when you really need it…like when you watch that daredevil child climbing to the top of the jungle gym!