Tag: grace

when you are the owner of a broken heart

Karla Lees

Friend, today I am going to share from the heart one of the biggest lessons I have ever learned about brokenness.  My prayer is that the same God who is rebuilding the broken pieces with me will give you a glimpse of hope where you are feeling broken.

Maybe you and I, we’re never meant to be complete. Could we just be broken together? If you can bring your shattered dreams and I’ll bring mine. Could healing still be spoken and save us? The only way we’ll last forever is broken together. – Broken Together- Casting Crowns

Relationships are hard.

Especially the ones with the people you interact with every day.

Because in our own way, deep down within each of us, we are broken.

Some more than others, but no one walks this earth unscathed in some way.

Not even Jesus did.

I have found that when I am feeling broken, I have a tendency to hide away, lick my wounds and brood. Occasionally, a full blown cry fest erupts, leaving me exhausted on top of the broken pieces I am trying so hard to hold together.

But we were designed for community. With our best friends and families, but especially in marriage, if we have been blessed with that gift.

These past 25 years together, my hubby and I have had a lot of mileage into the realm of brokenness. It has been harder than I imagined at times, more painful than I ever thought, and gone deeper than I ever dreamed possible.

Yet together we are stronger because of it, for we can see God moving better in each other at times than we can sense Him moving within ourselves.

Building one another up when the other is feeling low. Being the shoulder to cry on when we need to let it out.

Because the secret to being broken in a marriage and still staying married?

The three stranded cord.

By yourself you’re unprotected. With a friend you can face the worst. Can you round up a third? A three-stranded rope isn’t easily snapped.  Ecclesiastes 4:12 (MSG)

When even one of you invite God into your marriage, He intertwines Himself into it. He becomes the stabilizer, the marriage counselor. He gives you the love to express when you feel empty, yet your hubby needs to know you care. He gives your hubby the strength to just listen & tell you he loves you.

Without God, our marriage would not have made it this far.

Because in our own strength we would have run on empty long ago.

It’s not about having made a bad pick, or being a mismatched pair.

It’s making the one you are with your mate, supported by the Love that never fails, never gives up and never runs out on either of you, or your marriage.

If you know you are broken and need help, pray and ask God to bring you to the right resources, or bring the best help to you.

Your spouse’s brokenness isn’t for you to heal, that is His job. They need your support and love as they face their own brokenness and support you in yours.

God knew when He designed marriage that we would need one another:

In better, in worse.
In sickness, in health.
With wealth, without much.
Whether whole or broken.

The amazing thing I have found? My hubby and I have not been so broken in the same ways that we couldn’t be there for one another. Often not perfectly, but present none the less.

In His mercy, He makes us the mate our spouse needs. Whether we have broken bits or not.

Only God can take what is broken, and shape it to make something beautiful.

  • He is with us, every step of the journey.
  • His Presence draws closer with every request for Him to come and be nearer.
  • His love, strength, grace and mercy are more than enough for what you and your spouse may face today.

He longs to restore and repair where we are broken, and can do amazing things when we place ourselves in His hands.

Broken together with the Potter makes for a beautiful finish beyond belief.

When we give Him all the pieces, He can make us whole again, one piece at a time.

broken together

#broken #hopefortheharddays #hopeinHisPresence

lasting hope

Karla Lees

I am hardwired to be optimistic.

It takes a lot to get me down… usually a combination of illness/injury, eating poorly & not sleeping enough.

But like you, every day something tries to undermine my hope:

I am married to a wonderful man, who tends to be more of an Eeyore in nature, mostly due to his having seen so much in his nursing career over the last two decades.

I have had random twitches joint pain which has still not been diagnosed, leaving me exhausted some nights, and make it hard to fall asleep on others.

I too have had unexpected expenses pop up.

The loss of a loved one.

The dishwasher conking out when it was full.

My order not show up.

Not enough work.

Too much work.

Our complaint lists can keep going and going like the Energizer bunny, if we keep feeding them.

I choose to feed my hope.

Not on fluffy catchy feel better quotes.

Not on physical food or drink.

With the hope that lasts…

God given hope which rests on Him as its sole source.

In a world seeking bargains and making our lives as ease filled as possible, it dumbfounds me to see people spend millions on make it all better in 10 day programs.

If it didn’t take 10 days to get there, it isn’t going to take 10 days to get back out….just saying.

Since my life has had a lot of knocks, whacks and pitfalls, I need a source of Hope that can take all the concerns and worries I have, and then some, for days to come, for the rest of my life.

God is my choice.

He even paid the cost, fellow bargain hunters, so we can come to Him without barrier.

He even invites us to come and find rest in the shelter He has to offer:

He himself is our peace (Eph 2:14)

Come to me,all who are weary and heavy laden (burdened) and I will give you rest. (Matthew 11:28)

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” (Jeremiah 29:11)

“Because he loves Me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him;
I will protect him, for he acknowledges My name.
He will call on Me, and I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble,
I will deliver him and honor him.
With long life I will satisfy him
 and show him my salvation.”
(Psalm 91:14-16).

God told them, “I’ve never quit loving you and never will. Expect love, love, and more love!”
(Jeremiah 31:3a)

This is just a glimpse of the treasured promises from God for you.

He knows you.

Despite anything you may have done or will ever do, He loves you dearly.

He made a way for you to come home and be with Him, your heavenly Father.

Jesus calls you sibling, friend, chosen, apple of His eye.

Holy Spirit is within you to guide you, help you in any way you need Him to.

God with us.

That is where I place my hope.
Not on shifting trends, things that pass away and don’t last.
On the foundation of Hope my God has laid down for me.

All my hope is in Him.

The path of hope is waiting for you as well.

Its a journey unlike no other, but with Him leading you, you will always have reason to be thankful, give praise and hope.

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(Repost from Sept 17, 2014 as I am out & about getting ready to celebrate one of my babies’ birthday today, and this is one of my fave posts!)

Joy to the World

Karla Lees

Joy to the World, the Lord is come!
Let earth receive her King;
Let every heart prepare Him room,
And Heaven and nature sing,
And Heaven and nature sing,
And Heaven, and Heaven, and nature sing….
the wonders of His love!

This season is meant to be a shining beacon of hope to a weary world spinning in darkness.

Joy entered the world.

Not only does Jesus represent God’s love in His very essence, He is infused with joy.

You see, God not only loved everyone He created, He enjoys them!

That includes you, and me!

No one is left out.

He takes sheer delight in you, and enjoys your company, because you’re you. And He loves you for it!

Instead of His people holding back and speaking only through tradition, God broke through the barrier between us. He ripped the veil separating Heaven and earth, and entered the story as a living breathing physical man. Fully God wrapped in humanity.

Because He wanted to get as close to you as He could, to make you sit up and notice Him, feel His love for you, know His joy at being near you.

This beloved Christmas carol captures the majesty of God with us, the miracle of God one of us and the mind glowing joy we can have when we accept His gift, His Presence in and with us, always.

Heaven and earth unite to sing of this wonder.

He enjoys His people. For love’s sake, so much so He, our Creator, became one of His own creations to give us the fullness of that love right where we were, are at.

The enemy may be whispering how terrible you were for yelling at your kids last night, or shaming you for something you didn’t do or forgot.

Love is reminding you He is with you.

Your bank account may look smaller than usual, the illness ahead seem insurmountable, your loved one gone on ahead being missed beyond words.

Love is waiting to refill you with the hope and joy of the season.

For this season, Christmas?

Its not dependant upon you or I to become a reality.

It already has!

Because of His love, we have God with us.

It’s sign, sealed and delivered, this gift beyond time and space. And yours, forever.

So regardless of what is happening about you, you can have joy.

For Love came down at Christmas time not only to restore us to Him but for us to enjoy one another, as love tends to do when you draw near to the One you adore.

Joy to the World!
Jesus is born!

Our Carol of truth, love and joy, forevermore!

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Historical Background:

Joy to the World’s music and lyrics were written by Isaac Watts in 1719. It is amazing to me that this piece still sounds like it has just been written by every generation that sings it. I truly believe it is one of the songs we will forever sing when we move Home one day!

called back to life

Karla Lees

Peter denied Jesus three times…

And Peter remembered the saying of Jesus, “Before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times.” And he went out and wept bitterly.

Matthew 26:69-75

In these verses, God gives us a glimpse both into His heart & the heart of man.

Jesus knew Peter would deny Him.  Peter rejected Jesus’ Word of knowledge, yet it came to pass when the going got rough.

Jesus also knew what He was going to do to uproot the damage Peter did within himself with the three denials. Even before Peter denied Him.

When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him,“Feed my lambs.” He said to him a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?”He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Tend my sheep.” He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, “Do you love me?” and he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep.

John 21:15-17

Three times, one for each denial, Jesus reassures Peter of his call.  He will be the rock in which Jesus built His church, even though in that moment he is just a blubbering mess of brokenness.

Because we too are a wreck when God speaks into those painful places where we have denied our wrong doing, didn’t need His warning and were devastated by the results.

I want to reassure you today, Beloved.

Each time you strayed, your Shepherd not only has His eyes in You, He knows how to best help you return to the fold of His embrace.

He gets that we sometimes make decisions based upon fear, as Peter did. 

In the heat of the moment, one of his closest friends having been ripped from his company  Peter reacted on instinct instead of trusting in His plan, in His Words.

I’ve been there. Often. 

Yet His love continues to speak health and life back into my life, and make me whole as He cleans up my messes. Just as He did for Peter.

God restores us, Beloved. He doesn’t just forgive us.  He makes us better than we were before. He makes us whole though His holiness, love, and mercy.

I believe Peter was so changed and emboldened after Jesus spoke those reassuring Words into his heart & Spirit.

Peter became that very rock Jesus saw waiting to be called out from under the rubble of his life.

These verses gives me hope for when I know I’ve blown it!

God knows us so well, Beloved. May we rest in knowing He will restore us in every area we turn over into His waiting hands. Allow Him to speak you to life again.

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for those lost in a maze daze

Karla Lees

I recently read a Christian fiction book where one of the characters was trying to explain to the other about how God longs to guide us.

Because you & I both know there are days when we sooooo need someone to take us by the hand and help us along when we feel like we are about to stumble.

The image the author shared resonated deeply within me, and made so much sense I will attempt to put it into words to share with you today.

We have a tendency to live life thinking we are in control & able to make all our own decisions. We are trained to become independent thinkers at school, and to think of ourselves first as modelled in today’s society.

Until the day I, you,  realize we are actually are in a maze.

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Not an easy only one way to go maze but a multidirectional maze where each step either takes you deeper into the maze, or leads you further towards the exit.

A type of maze we will spend our whole life in.

How we spend that life as we navigate can make all the difference.

When quite young, my kids had a funny habit of chasing one another from room to room on our main floor in a continuous circle.  For years they went round & round, until one of them discovered they could turn around and chase the other back.

Until we realize there is another option, we sometimes stay on the same path longer than we are meant to.

Returning to this image I was sharing about…. the one character finally pointed out to the other,

Which is better when you are in a maze: seeing what is facing you at ground level, or a bird’s eye view of the entire maze?

That’s struck a chord within that is still working its way deeply within me.

What I see when I look at what is facing me is limited only to my narrow vision.  I cannot see the big picture based upon my own abilities, no matter how hard I try.

I do however know the One who sees all.  Who knows all.  Who gets me inside & out, coz He designed & hand crafted me.
Who wants to share His ways with me.

And you.

So instead of fretting over which way to go in front of me, I need to look up.

For He sees the path which is best for me to take, and will let me know, through His Word, a quiet whisper, a sense of direction, a peace to take the next step. 

As some of the decisions are more life impacting than others, I try to make sure I don’t react, but respond as He leads.  Before I move, I ask Him for confirmation.

Not because He is going to steer me wrong. but because I want to walk the path He has for me.

And I know that left to my own devices, I would react more out of selfishness and ease than wisdom.

There are a few crossroads up ahead in the near future, and I am asking Him for clarification before taking the next step.

Even though I don’t like to wait.

But I don’t want to end up going around the same part of the maze over & over again because I refused to listen.

Been there, done that, done with that.

What is mind numbingly awesome to me is how much God longs to take us that next step, to walk along side us, to equip, lead, teach & strengthen us as we go.

Just as Jesus looked to Him & sought His infilling & wisdom as He lived through His time on earth, God longs to do the same for each of us.

The pitfalls, repeated routes & dead ends we will miss along the way He leads, and the victories & blessings which will come our way?

Amazeing!

grace in judgment’s place

Karla Lees

I didn’t get my writing down when I usually do today.

I normally rise & shine with the birdies, and write early before my day gets full, before distractions rear their heads off the pillows 🙂 or my work shift starts.

I started a new medication to help me cope with a new to me condition which has hit me quite hard over the past month, and has been affecting me more than I like to admit emotionally.

Reluctantly I began taking it, and it has hit me wonderfully in one way (pain free) and left me hangry every 2-3 hours or sleepy enough I could sleep at a moment’s notice.

Neither of which makes for a fun wife, mom, friend or co-worker.

So I took it after dinner last night thinking that if I knocked the sleep portion off right away, I could wake up hungry & eat, and start the day wide eyed & bushy tailed as usual.

Not.so.

I woke up an hour late feeling like i had a hangover, needed another four-five hours sleep, and did I mention an hour later than usual?

So my whole routine has been off.all.day.

And that’s okay, because everything I have needed to get done gone done, just not when k thought it should.

Then I realized, I needed to give myself grace instead of judging myself too harshly.

Its okay to admit my day is not what ithought it would be.

Because in some ways I depended more on God than I usually do, and had some conversations I might have otherwise missed because of my early morning delay.

God wasn’t surprised or mad at me, so why should I be?

In the place of self judgment,  I am offering myself the gift of grace today.

May He continue to remind me that all of us need grace in whatever place we find ourselves throughout our days.

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PS. Thanks for being cool about me being late posting today 🙂

Sunday Psalm: Step into the Light

Karla Lees

It’s time to stop cowering, soul
and listening to the Liar.
My spirit longs, cries out
for freedom, for wholeness.
You hear this cry
from my broken & humble heart
and You answer
by shining Your Light
onto the hidden places,
revealing the chains that
have only served to keep
me from anchoring securely
to You, on You, in You.
In Your grace & love
You clear the space
in this time &
set me free.

My soul begins to fly,
my spirit starts to sing,
my whole being
resonates with Your Name
spoken over all I am.

I will never stop
pressing in
for all You have for me
and will never settle
for anything less
than Your all, always.

#SundayPsalm

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Great is Your Faithfulness

Karla Lees

God, You have been so faithful to me.

When I have run from You,
You have been waiting
with open arms
for my return.
Always waiting expectantly,
with the extravagant love
I don’t deserve
and occasionally
taken for granted.

Like a moth to the flame
I am attracted to Your grace,
and the love radiating
in Your face.

You have never not been there
when I have needed You.
You, my rock, my foundation.

#SundayPsalm

what are you serving up?

Karla Lees

Grace means that all of our mistakes now serve purpose instead of serving shame. @POTSC

When we let go & accept Grace, we now serve with, for & a purpose.

We serve a purpose, for we are His hands & feet to a hurting, broken world needing to see hope.

We serve for a purpose, because Grace shows us his heart for all, a love that He desires all to know & receive.

We serve with purpose, because we knowhow it feels to be set free of bondage & shame, and want the same for everyone else.

Grace given freely still needs to be received.

Shame will shrivel & dissolve in the Presence of Grace, for they cannot share the same space.

Love is the strongest force in the universe.

Love expressed as grace ?

An irreplaceable gift, meant to be accepted, to be savored, to be delighted in, and to be shared.

Grace saves a place for you at the King’s table, for His love longs for you to join Him.

Come see that the Lord is good.
His love endures.
His grace has made a place for you.
Your space at His side is reserved just for you.
Your purpose awaits you.

Its time to RSVP to Grace.

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