Undercurrent of Grace

 

The Lord continually amazes me. Lately my life has been marked with deep pain and frustration – which I’ll share more about in a future post – yet God never fails to give me strength and grace to endure. God is good even when life feels terrible!

The message theme for this past Sunday evening at Simonka Place was frustration. The Lord has impeccable timing! I love how He gently teaches me so that, sometimes sooner than later, I will write down and pass along what I’ve learned. Sharing my experiences and encouraging others makes the trying times a little less so. Yet again, the Lord inspired me with another faith-affirming new poem to share:

“Undercurrent of Grace”

When frustration and pain weigh me down,
riles me up or causes me to frown,
I turn to You, Jesus, You lift me up,
You lighten my heart and refill my cup.
Caught in the swift undertow of my fear,
I just call out Your name and You draw near.
In short-sighted times when things fall apart,
I trust that You forever hold my heart.
Through every hardship, as I humbly seek Your face,
You carry me with an undercurrent of grace.
In the darkest moments when many fail,
You call me Your champion, and help me prevail.
Swept into new depths of hope and love,
eyes off of myself and reset up above.
Strengthened to faithfully follow Your lead,
for it’s all You ask; You’re all that I need.
Sure of what I hope for, my confidence in You;
Turning all things for good is what You do!
Lord, Your perfect love rewrites my story
so it shines the light of hope, for Your glory.
I trust You, Jesus, I lean into Your embrace,
content to be carried by Your transforming grace.

4-22-18
©Ladeena Ashley

Sources of Inspiration

Earlier on Sunday, during the morning sermon, the idea that most resonated with me was that God calls me His champion. That when troubles come into our lives, He has confidence that we can fight the good fight of the faith (1 Timothy 6:12) and overcome by His power. As the phrase goes, if He brings you to it, He’ll bring you through it! He believes in us more than we believe in ourselves. As His beloved children, when we remain committed to His ways, we are carried by a grace that transforms our fear into faith and turns us from worriers into warriors!

Sunday school class also dovetailed neatly into this concept of overcoming. The only way to not only survive but thrive during hardships is to keep our eyes focused on Him instead of all that’s wrong in this world. That in particular, we could all watch a little less news and media in general, which seems increasingly negative and sensationalized, and spend more time reflecting on whatever is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent or praiseworthy (Philippians 4:8-9). Not that we poke our heads in the sand, but that we adjust our internal lens to view life from a godly perspective, instead of being emotionally tossed to and fro by every shocking headline or story. “You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come.” (Matthew 24:6) Instead of getting yanked into the undertow of fear, live your life in gentle surrender to the undercurrent of grace.

Some moments are more frustrating than others, but all the Lord asks is that we do our best to faithfully follow His lead. He will do the rest. Hold onto His promises, trust in His plan for you, then get in there and fight like the champion you are!

Blessings to you, this day and always!

©Ladeena Ashley
2018 All Rights Reserved (Blog content and photos)

A Life Overflowing

Drift Creek Falls – November 4, 2016

The love of God is amazing! It lasts forever, and it is deeper and stronger than any human can fully experience on this earth. Growing up in the faith, I learned that God’s love for all of us is so complete that He sent His Son Jesus here to live, teach and then die on the cross to take the punishment for our sins (Romans 5:8). Then He rose again so that we could have new life – a life overflowing with the love of God.

When I was 13 years old, I believed that for myself and began to follow Christ. However, with so much of my emotions muted or trapped behind an inner wall, my experience of God’s love was also limited. There were faint glimpses, often only during the safety of quiet times with Him. Thankfully, that has changed.

Here’s a poem I wrote about the love of God:

“God Is Love”

In all my failings
God is patient
In all my fears
God is faithful
In all my desires
God is complete
In all my calm memories
God is consistent
In everything I receive
God’s fingerprints are on it
In all my accomplishments
God gets the glory
In all my hasty actions
God still moves slow.
In my impatience
God reminds me
Life is short
Eternity is long.
In my selfishness
I forgot
God is love
and others don’t know
God loves them
just as much.

5-29-95
©Ladeena Ashley

Bearing Fruit

I’ve been slowly reading through a devotional book entitled “Abiding In Christ”. The latest segment speaks about bearing fruit, and how the purpose of each Christian is to bear fruit in serving others, by God’s power and to His glory. The main driving force is always faith expressing itself through love (Galatians 5:6), living to joyfully serve Him in all we do.

I got to thinking: In my own life and walk, have I been more than a “clanging cymbal” (1 Corinthians 13:1), just doing what is right or what is expected, but not from a place of deep love? Being kind, colorblind and non-judgmental is great, but it is a shallow substitute for the selfless love that God calls us to share. Thankfully, by His grace God works with me, as He does with everyone who humbly looks to Him. The Lord uses us right where we are, if we let Him. In all my weaknesses, God is truly my strength (2 Corinthians 12:9), and He helps me grow and improve every day. As I’ve experienced God’s love more powerfully in my own life, His love overflows more freely to bless others.

God Sighting

Recently I stopped at a yard sale. It was nearing five o’clock, so as I browsed, the homeowners chatted with me, asking if I could use this or that for cheap. A few minutes later, as I began pawing through some clothing, they said I might as well just take whatever clothes I wanted because it was all headed to Goodwill. Without a second thought, I told them that I volunteer at Simonka House women and children’s shelter, and they could definitely use the clothes. Intrigued and excited, the family asked about the shelter, and then began asking what else the shelter could use. Before long, the family had eagerly helped me fill my entire car with clothes, luggage sets, bedding and children’s items. They said their kids would be especially happy knowing that their unwanted things would be a blessing to other kids! The ladies at Simonka House were very happy to receive such a generous donation, and it was also an incredible feeling for me!

If I hadn’t spoken up, those blessings would not have been passed along in such a meaningful way. As the Spirit works behind the scenes, it is becoming more natural for me to reach out of myself to care more deeply, to be more empathetic, and to be more engaged with others. As long as I remain pliable to the Lord’s direction, He faithfully leads me step by step, in preparation for whatever He’s got planned next. I have to say, it’s been awesome so far!

How about you?

If you know the love of Christ, pray for opportunities to share His love, and stay open to His leading.
If you used to know His love, it’s not too late! Turn back to God with an honest heart. He will forgive and transform you!

Faith Notes

One of my favorite songs is Your Love by Brandon Heath
(Note: Link opens up in a new window.)
God’s love meets us where we are and fills our deepest need! Once we’ve experienced His love, we can’t help but share it with others!

“… God is love. This is how God showed His love among us: He sent His one and only Son into the world that we might live through Him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.” 1 John 4:8b-11

Extra Credit

Colossians 1:3-14

Blessings to you, this day and always!

©Ladeena Ashley
2017 All Rights Reserved (blog content and photos)