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Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good!
Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him! Psalm 34:8 (ESV)
On a cold Friday morning in January, I took a moment to listen to the snow fall. You may think it has no sound, but that was the beauty of the stillness on that winter morning.
I stepped away from the buzz of my hard drive, the melodious ring of my phone, and the ping of notifications that demanded my attention. All of those things could wait.
Just as my yard was made new by a blanket of snow, my perspective on life and all my frustrations were made new from my time alone with God, listening to the snow fall.
In order to truly and fully listen, I engaged all of my senses. I love the smell of fresh snow and the texture is fun to feel, even on my gloved hands. The crunch under my feet adds to the sound of it falling, but only if I listen carefully through the red hat I have pulled tightly over my ears.
Watching the flakes fall of all different weights and sizes, I am enamored by the ones caught by the wind—the ones that tumble through the sky as they fall to the ground. Makes it harder to catch one to taste, but I love the way it melts on my tongue and moistens my breath.
Can you hear and taste the snow with me? Are you listening?
Listening is more than hearing a sound.
Growing up, my parents used to say, “I need you to listen with your eyes.” They were calling for our full and undivided attention.
Listening takes place through all five senses. We taste and see that the Lord is god. And to be All In with our listening, I must use all five senses.
Today, as you savor that perfect cup of coffee, sip of tea, or morsel of food, may you be reminded to “taste and see that the Lord is good” (Ps. 34:8). Are you a fragrant offering to the Father? Have you touched the life of others through the ways God has touched your life? May we listen and see the promises of God when we are ALL IN with Him.
Taken from portions of Called to Listen: Forty Days of Devotion
#IronRoseSister #IRSM #calledtolisten #areyoulistening #fivesenses #allin
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“If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again.” I’m not sure where or when I first heard that expression, but I know I was very young.
But what is the difference between success and failure? Isn’t failure merely a step on the road toward doing things better the next time?
A baby does not run a marathon immediately after exiting the womb. She falls down many times while learning to walk and later, to run.
An entrepreneur does not create a successful business without making a few rookie mistakes along the way.
Life is filled with failures. We are not going to do everything perfectly.
And these failures can feel like thorns that we wish could be removed. We focus on the negative aspects of those failures instead of recognizing the value they bring to our growth in our walk with God.
I am not talking about failure in the sense of continuous sin that we should repent from and allow God’s transformation to remove from our lives.
Rather, failure is a mistake along the way. We were walking in the light, but we tripped up or stumbled. Our best effort wasn’t quite good enough. We would’ve done it better if...
Yet, the thorns of failure can be a blessing. Just as thorns protect the rose and a part of its growth process, our blessed thorns of failure can protect us from pride and other sins that entice us.
I invite you to consider four blessings from the thorns of failure:
1. Failure makes us compassionate.
Guess what? No one else gets it all right either! We all have different gifts, talents, interests, and passions. It is okay to not be good at everything. We value other people’s contributions when we recognize their strengths and our weaknesses. We more easily forgive when we realize all we have been forgiven (Matt. 18).
2. Failure helps us learn.
Alfred asked master Bruce, also known as Batman, “Why do we fall?” The answer: “So that we can learn to get up again.”
Onesimus experienced this when Paul recommended him to his former owners after having been useless to them previously (Philemon). Onesimus had learned from his mistakes and grew, as a person, a servant, and a Christian.
3. Failure is only one chapter in the book of life.
“One should not judge the book of someone’s life by the chapter just walked into.”
God is a God of forgiveness and redemption. He does not treat us as our sins deserve. And He does not look at us through the lens of our failures, but rather through the redeeming blood of His Son. Our identity is not that of sinners, but as redeemed children of the Father. Yes, Peter betrayed Jesus, but that was not what defined him, because...
4. God is bigger than any failure.
The book of Genesis (or really the entire Bible) can aptly be subtitled “God specializes in working through failures.” He is best glorified through our shortcomings, our inabilities, and our missteps. He longs for us to ask for help in our weakness, for then it is His strength we rely on (2 Cor. 12:9).
Today, as we close out the month looking at our #walkwithGod, I encourage you to take a moment to thank Him for the blessed thorns of failure. And also, to take time to share in the Common Threads with a Christian sister, an Iron Rose Sister. Even if the failure you wish to remove is a sin, don’t let it define you. God is the God of second chances... Just ask Paul.