Author: Barbara

My passion is to encourage women wherever they are on their life journey. In everything I write and in every opportunity to speak, my goal is to offer hope. May the God of all hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13 NIV

Mary’s Decision

~ Barbara ~ 1 Comment

God sent the angel Gabriel to a betrothed virgin with an astounding message. The news he brought was not only astonishing to Mary but also to the angels above, and though long-awaited, confounding to the people below.

As surprising as the humble arrival of the Messiah was, it fulfilled what Scripture had foretold, right down to the virgin birth (Isaiah 7:14). Could Mary ever have imagined she would be the highly favored woman to give birth to the Savior?

Luke tells us the angel’s words greatly troubled her and made her wonder, but Mary had no decision to make. The angel hadn’t asked for her consent; he told her what will be.

You will conceive and give birth to a son,
and you are to call Him Jesus…
the Son of the Most High (Luke 1:31-32).

Mary’s only decision was how she would respond. Would she beg for more time? Fall to the ground in tears? Demand answers and explanations? Her response came from the fullness of her heart, and her words have inspired us ever since:

I am the Lord’s servant… May it be to me as you have said.”

Lord, how will we respond to your pronouncement that the Messiah has come? Our opinion wasn’t asked. Your plans didn’t need to be informed by our weak intellect. You spoke as you did in creation, and the Savior was incarnated, born to live and die in the humility and limitations of human bonds. Will we struggle until we can grasp the unfathomable? Or simply submit to your perfect plan and live?

I am your servant, Lord. I accept the salvation you offer. May it be to me as you have said, providing me life with you now and in eternity.

I Spy

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Without the bells and whistles of today’s electronic devices, my children depended on interactive games to keep them occupied during a long car trip. One game they played was I Spy.

Whoever was the spy discreetly chose an obscure item in the car and pronounced, “I spy with my little eye something…” adding a hint, such as its beginning letter or color. A player never chose something obvious, like a steering wheel or mom’s red purse, but something discreet, like a crumpled candy wrapper that began with an M, or a book cover with a tiny bit of the named color. Whoever guessed correctly was the next spy.

Since this is my fourth Child’s Play post, you will not be surprised to find there’s a life illustration here. Today, we have convenient electronic devices that the former generation did without, but honesty compels us to admit they monopolize our attention. We miss many of the blessings God has generously scattered around us.

I want to live with an I-Spy mentality, keen to discover thelittle-noticed beauty in the small space I occupy. While life whizzes by and the world screams for attention, I want to notice the teeny mushroom in our front yard, count the juncos at our feeder, and pause to watch the neighbor child struggle to pedal her new bike. I want to step out at night to see the Beaver Moon, delight in the deer munching the apples we tossed, and make time to hear a friend’s voice rather than text her.

I want to share my observations and ask others if they’ve seen what I spied. I want to hear about the beauty they’ve spotted and share the joy of discovery.

And, I want to bless my Father’s heart by noticing His gifts and thanking Him for them. His creation is stunning, mysterious, awesome. Lord, open our eyes to spy the wonders you created.

You thrill me, Lord, with all you have done for me!
I sing for joy because of what you have done.
O Lord, what great works you do!” Psalm 92:4-5a

Hide and Seek

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I remember the laughter and suspense of this game! For me, it was most fun when played outside in the dark. To my mother’s chagrin, we sometimes played it in the house, knocking over chairs and sending clothes to the closet floor.

The rules are simple: the players run off to hide while the seeker covers his eyes, counting to 100, and then calls out, “Ready or not, here I come!” The first hider found is the seeker in the next game, and the last one found is declared the winner.

 It’s fun to watch children play this game, and difficult not to call out hints. But when adults hide from their friends (and to some extent, we all do), it indicates a problem.

What secret embarrasses us? What behavior humiliates us? What action have we not forgiven ourselves for? What sin have we not confessed to God? What shame do we carry?

At the beginning of our hiding, friends may ask what’s wrong. They may probe or even guess, but when we stubbornly remain hidden, they take the hint and keep their distance. God is different.

God is the ultimate Seeker and relentlessly pursues us. He does not search for us with a pointing finger but with open arms. The misery we hide from others is seen by Him. It is not off-putting to Him but rouses His compassion. He longs to forgive, heal, and hold us. We need only to step out of hiding and into His embrace.

Hiding is not a game we can win, and seeking is not an activity God will abandon.

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest,” Jesus, in Matthew 11:28.