A Year of Grace

Last December, I came in contact with some Instagram friends who had a word for the year.  I wanted to learn more about this word...and how they each picked it.  What I gathered is that instead of making New Year's Resolutions, they picked a word to focus on for the year.  What a great idea!  

I think New Year's Resolutions are overrated.  They get made and about two weeks later, they get left behind in the dust.  So I decided that I wanted in on this little word-picking-for-the-year-shindig.  Boy am I glad that I did.

If you remember, I picked to word Grace for 2013.  Let me just tell you, I had no idea what the Lord had planned for me this year.  Oh goodness.

My mind was open to giving and receiving grace this year...but I shortly learned that my heart was not.  I knew that I wasn't grace-filled.  I knew that I needed to be working on it.  But my heart was completely shut to the idea of grace.  Oh I could receive God's grace...his forgiveness, but I couldn't seem to give grace to people who needed it.  Something was seriously wrong with that picture.

I am a fairly dense individual.  I don't get subtle hints very well and that includes when God is talking to me.  I feel that He has to hit me over the head when it comes things He needs me to hear and learn.

This year, what I didn't know was that God was working in my heart.  He was softening it little by little.  Then one day, He poured His truth on me.  My eyes were open.  My heart was listening, and I was broken.

The next few weeks were emotionally painful for me.  I was working through pain that I had held onto for years.  I was working through situations that hadn't been resolved.  I was working through a mountain of lies that Satan had been telling me through those years that I had chosen to believe.  Yes, I chose to believe those things.

I had even broken down and asked my small group for prayer as I was sorting through all of the issues.  I had been held captive to unforgiveness, bitterness, and even hatred.  I was tired of living this life.  I wanted a life of freedom.

You see when you harbor unforgiveness in your life, the only person you are hurting is yourself.  For some reason I thought that holding onto hurt and anger and grudges would be the way to go.  I thought it was the only way that I could live.  I didn't ever think that I could ever begin to forgive.  

I was right about that, though.  I couldn't ever forgive.  Not on my own.  If it were up to me, and only me, I would hold onto all of that for the rest of my life.  I would try to get even.  I would be filled with hate forever.  It is only through the grace of God that I could forgive.  It is only because I allowed Christ into my heart and let my guard down, that I could truly know what it meant to forgive.

Through lots of prayer, reading the Word, writing down my thoughts, and the encouragement and prayer of my small group, I finally found that freedom.  Slowly but surely, my heart is being healed of all the hurt, guilt, and hate.  I know that God is Healer.  But what I hadn't really known is how He can truly heal my heart...from a pain that I never thought that I would be rid of.  He can heal my wounds...the ones that cut so deep.  He can heal my attitude towards others.  

God has broken down those walls in my heart.  He has busted through and stamped out all the lies.  He has has restored my soul which has allowed me to forgive and extend grace to those in my life who have needed it.  This has been nothing short of a miracle.

God definitely gets all the glory in this story.  There is no way that on my own I would have been able to make this kind of progress.  There is no way that on my own I would even be talking about God's Grace today.

Friends, I am here to tell you that God can truly heal you...but only if you let Him in.  Is there an area in your life that you need to let Him in?  I kept this part of my life from Him for so long...it was such a burden to bear.   But when I finally let Him in, I found freedom.  I found peace.  Most of all, I found grace.  

No more am I a slave to hurt...guilt...hate...bitterness.  I am free.

Overcomers

When was the last time you actually sat down to memorize scripture?  Ok, let's be honest.  When was the last time you sat down to memorize anything?

I remember when I was a kid going to youth group in elementary school and middle school, we had "Overcomers."  I never knew why it was called that.  Now I do.  When we're in situations, we should be able to overcome the trial with God's promises that are hidden in our heart.

6th grade was the last year for Overcomers.  Sad as it sounds, that might be the last time I sat down to actually memorize scripture.

Now let me tell you a little bit about this program.  I think we had it once a month.  We were on some sort of rotation.  We had College Care night {we made cookies, wrote letters, and sent college kids packages in the mail}, Missions Night {we made goodies, went shopping for toys, and wrote letters to missionaries}, TLC {went to visit folks in the nursing homes or shut-ins}, and Overcomers {memorizing scripture and Sword drills}.  

For Overcomers, we had these folders.  They had a list of verses {worth a certain amount of points} that we could memorize.  They varied from easy ones like John 3:16 to the 5 Steps of Salvation {5 verses to memorize and repeat at once}.  We'd study the verses, try to memorize them, and then repeat them to our sponsor.  When we had it word for word, they'd initial the verse and put our points on a tally sheet.

At the end of the semester, we counted our points up and got to spend them in the "Overcomers Store."  We would also have an Overcomers program during Sunday night church.  We would memorize a challenging verse and repeat it in front of the whole congregation.

This might not have been my absolute favorite night of the rotation, but I can say it has helped me in my walk with Christ.  There are those verses that you can repeat to yourself to help you feel better.  When I think back, I remember that I memorized that growing up in youth group.

>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<

Fast forward to present day.  I was introduced to Leslie through another blog.  Well, as I was catching up on my blog reading this past week, I came across this post that she wrote.  Well, I was convicted through her post about memorizing Scripture.  I had been thinking about memorizing for awhile, but her post just sparked something in me to act out on those feelings.

I decided to comment on her post to ask what her "memorizing notebook" was.  I was intrigued.  I just had to know.  I'm always looking for new ideas on how to learn.  Well, in turn, she emailed me back to let me know she posted on that subject.  So I read this post to see what it was all about.

I just love that she found another woman's blog to help keep her accountable {see her post here}!  Isn't that what the Family of God is for?  To help each other?  Well, I'm going to join in with her.  I'm going to start meeting with others twice a month to report back on what I've been memorizing.  

Psalm 119:11

I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.

Psalm 19:14

May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.

I pray that I will be able to hide God's word in my heart and that when I meditate on His word, that it will please Him.

I want to send that challenge out to you.  Would you take the challenge with me of memorizing Scripture?  It sounds scary, I know.  But start small, and work your way up.  The benefits of it will bless you.  I promise.   If you have no idea where to start, let me know and I'll give you a few verses. :]

I'm learning one verse {or section of verses} every two weeks.  I think that's a fair timeframe.  So if you're up for the challenge, will you comment to let me know?  I think accountability is so important in our walk with Christ.  I would love for you to hold me accountable.

My verses are in the picture above.  That is what I'm learning and will recite on October 1st. It is never too late to start.