Impossible gifts

Haven’t posted in a while. Honestly, I haven’t had much to say worth putting in print. It’s been one of those empty times, and I’ve been under the kind of stress where you simply try to make it from one day to the next. Not much deep thought or profound inspiration, just mostly trying to put one foot in front of the other.

Today I experienced something wonderfully profound and got the jump start of inspiration I needed. I had coffee with a friend. Not just any friend. This friend and I have suffered an irreparably broken relationship. Irreparable by most people’s standards, anyway. God has brought an incredible healing to our relationship. I’m not sure either of us can understand it. We kind of just giggle and throw up our hands, not sure we can believe something this wonderful is possible.

We talked for a couple of hours, laughed and truly enjoyed ourselves. I left and on the drive home I couldn’t stop thinking about Jesus and the cross. I realized that His cross has taken on yet another dimension of meaning in my life. I realized that the healing I have experienced was personally bought by Christ as He bore my pain and mistakes on the cross. It was handed to me as a gift, a gift so extravagant and priceless that I’m left with no way to even comprehend it. Because of His suffering, I have been given grace. His grace has made it possible for my friend and I to look into one another’s eyes after deep pain and hurt, and extend true friendship with no shame, no regrets, and no hesitation. The road to this healing hasn't been easy for either of us. We've had to learn to set aside painful feelings, to sacrificially forgive, and to let go of any right to revenge. We didn't have to mend this friendship. It took a lot of painful work to get here.

But know what? In my opinion, for us to do any less than embrace the forgiveness and healing that God has brought to us would be a sad disrespect to His suffering and sacrifice for us. My Jesus died a messy, ugly, painful, embarrassing, agonizing death so that I could have this kind of restoration. How dare I do anything but embrace it, bask in it, and enjoy it like the humbly grateful daughter I want to be. I always knew God was big. He’s blown my mind by showing me just how incredible He is. He’s made the impossible possible for me.

I’m really doing a terrible job of communicating the awesomeness of what God has done. Maybe someday the whole story will be for the telling. For now, maybe you’ll be inspired to explore and embrace the impossible restoration and forgiveness God wants to bring about for you. Or maybe you’ll just think I’m nuts!! Either way is ok.with me. I was just too excited not to write something. about how God amazed me today.

Echo

I've gotta echo Christy's statements about the business and craziness of life that sometimes prevents regular posting. Life has kind of taken me over as of late. No one's fault but my own...

I've emerged from Thanksgiving indeed thankful for the supportive and loving family and friends I have. I could never survive without them. Now... to make it two more weeks through final exams and I'm FREE!!!!!

Coming soon! New Woman on the Edge site. CAN'T WAIT!!!

B

With Apologies

With sincere apologies to both of my readers (that includes you, Mom), this is my I-can't-believe-I-haven't-blogged-since-Halloween blog. And it isn't going to be much. I scrambled really hard to finish some projects around the house between Halloween and our vacation. I was up until 1:00, more like 2:00 and the night before vacation, nearly 3:00 in the morning for days on end painting and stuff. Man! I was pretty exhausted. And I didn't finish the projects. We vacationed in the mountains of northern Georgia and didn't have cell phone service or internet. Very relaxing, but not exactly a good environment for blogging. We had a wonderful vacation though, and when I have a spare minute, I'll post something about it, I suppose. But I already sent the e-mail to my mom.

DAILY BLISS: My own bed. Sigh.

<3 Christy

My friend Ez... (by Becky)

Ok... since I know God's reading my blogs (actually He had the pre-release version before I even thought it up... hmmm...) I gotta tell you what He did to remind me. Today I sat around a table discussing Ezra chapters 9 and 10 with some guys from my Old Testament Interpretation class. We were given a sheet of discussion questions and sent off to forage for truth on our own. Now you might think there's nothing in Ezra 9 and 10 worth discussing. Not so, my friends! Today I was reminded in that moment of blissful consideration of scripture that one of the reasons why I do this is because the scriptures are LIFE. They are full of real, true, radical examples, explanations, and challenges. I love to dig deep, think hard, and look long at what God has to say about life, and about me. More than that, I love when I can't understand but then His Spirit begins to shed a light over a concept. It slowly dawns in my mind, so softly I can't speak it at first and then more vividly so I can write it down fast before I forget it!! Then I can chew on it, taste it, and make it part of me. THIS is why I'm here. I interacted with God today. Not that He isn't always interacting with me on a level I can't even express, but today He fed me something He knew I needed.
Maybe some specific conclusions from the chapters later. For now, suffice it to say that a deep discussion of Ezra was a definite stepping stone toward getting out of the pit of frustration I've been in. Good ole Ez!!