favor

He Finished Well

~ mercyfortheday ~ 1 Comment

We’ve been planning this day for a while now. Two years, in fact. The time when he can leave behind the cares of employment. The day when he can close the door one last time for being on call twenty-four hours seven days a week. The time has come for others to take his place. Oh. It was hard letting go of a job he truly loved. But it was also a sweet relief to turn in his badge and sign off one last time. No regrets. 

Sure. There was a celebration for him. He was honored and applauded. Many kind and gracious words were spoken of his leadership, strong decision making and dedication to always doing the right thing. He treated others with respect and never backed down from speaking words of truth and wisdom when needed.  And many noted that at times he was the only one to use tough love.

As many lauded his actions and achievements, he wiped tears from his eyes. He knew he was well loved and respected. He would be missed. His replacement told him that he had big shoes to fill. Their kind words will make for many memories as he walks away from many years of service in a place he dearly loved and fought for. As one whose love language is words of affirmation, his cup was filled to the brim and running over that day. Those words of respect and kindness will stay with him for years to come.

He worked hard and found great enjoyment in serving others. As I mentioned, he showed tough love when it was appropriate, but he showed it with kindness and respect. He has never been one to mince words when speaking the truth, and some are uncomfortable with strong truths. But that didn’t stop him from having hard conversations with those who needed correction and direction. He always found the right way to say the words that needed to be said without demoralizing the listener, and many he worked with acknowledged him for it.

He can walk away with his head held high and his heart full of accomplishment. He finished well the course of a forty three year career. Oh. There were tough times. And there were many lessons learned. There were multiple job losses and new paths forged. But he walked through each new door ready to learn and accomplish much. As he now lays all those years of service aside, he won’t become lazy. He’ll find a new path to walk and new faces and names to learn. He’s ready for a more leisurely pace, but he hasn’t given up on life. He’ll walk through this new door and find a new contentment and enjoyment he’s totally unaware of at this point. He’ll find his way.

Oh. He’ll face new challenges as he crosses the threshold of retirement,  but he can look back on the years of rising early, knowing he did a job well done. There’s nothing wrong with finishing a career. It’s expected. But there is still a journey ahead that will have its own twists and turns. That, too, is expected.  It’s called life.

So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets. Matthew 7:12

Never think that your acts of service and words of truth go unseen and unheard. In the right moments, others are watching and listening. They see and hear you, and your godly example does not go unnoticed. Oh. They may never publicly or even privately acknowledge your efforts, but trust me. They notice. And they may be envious of the ease in which you carry yourself. Don’t ever walk away from honest living. 

The people who influence us the most are not those who detain us with their continual talk, but those who live their lives like the stars in the sky and “the lilies of the field”–simply and unaffectedly. Those are the lives that mold and shape us.

Oswald Chambers

Oh. A life lived well isn’t without stress and suffering. It’s a testament to the strength and graciousness of a loving God who walks by your side each and every day. The responsibility should not be taken lightly, but at the appointed hour the burden is lifted. The torch is passed to the next generation. And that time has come for him. 

So. Welcome to retirement, my dear. The road has been long, but the days are still short. You have earned the welcome relief of a slower pace of life, less stress and long stretches of sleep. I pray you find your way in this new phase of life as we grow old together. You are the best. And I love you.

Let me be clear. Greatness isn’t about being seen. It’s not about platforms or follower counts or fleeting viral fame. It’s not about accolades or promotions, the hollow rewards that come with a title but not always with true fulfillment. It’s about impact. The kind that doesn’t seek applause. The kind that shifts something in another person’s spirit. The kind that ripples on the waters of another’s heart. The kind that opens up new possibilities. The kind that brings healing, clarity, and light where there once was only darkness.

Etienne Toussaint

Mary’s Birth Story

~ mercyfortheday ~ Leave a comment

She was very surprised to learn she was having a baby. This pregnancy was unplanned. To say the least. She was engaged to be married. She was a virgin. So, technically, there was no way she could become pregnant. Except for one thing. An angel of God visited her. He said she would have a child. This child would be the Son of God. She was to carry and birth the Savior of the world.

Then during the final days of Mary’s pregnancy, she and Joseph left town. They traveled to Bethlehem to be counted in the census. It was roughly a seventy mile trip. Mary on the donkey. Joseph on foot. The terrain was hilly and uneven. It was rough country. The trip either went straight through Samaritan country, or down an out of the way path around the city to reach Bethlehem. The first option was dangerous and uncertain. The second route added more time to an already long trip.

On top of the uncertainties of the trip, Mary was heavily pregnant. Her time was coming due. Oh. She had no birth plan, as is the norm these days. She had never given birth. Perhaps she had been involved in midwifery for other women. Yet she was young. Perhaps she had witnessed her mother birthing younger siblings. Had her mother instructed her on what to expect in birthing a baby? Was she prepared to be completely alone with her husband who was not the father of her child? Did Joseph know what to expect when his wife was expecting?

When the couple arrived in Bethlehem, there were crowds of people. Hotel rooms were full. No vacancy anywhere. They found space in a stable where they spent time awaiting the impending birth. And her time came as they were in the distant city. She was not surrounded by women who knew her. She was not in the company of friends. She was alone with the man who was her husband but not the father of her child. She had yet to know this man intimately, yet he was to help her birth the baby.

Was it an awkward experience for both of them? Joseph was not experienced at delivering babies. Oh. He worked with his hands, but as a carpenter. His hands were rough and strong. But perhaps he was gentle as he soothed her sweaty brow. Was she in labor for hours? Was it an easy birth? Or, was this the perfect labor and delivery, because the Deliverer was being delivered? There were no robes of royalty for this newborn. Mary wrapped this infant King in strips of cloth.

Oh. There was no birthing room. No blood tests. No IV. No heartbeat monitors. No epidural. No apgar test. There were no newborn photos to share with the family. There were no footprints inked on a birth certificate. No steak dinners to celebrate the happy occasion. They were in a stable where animals were kept. Nothing was sterile about the place, yet this perfect child came to save an unsterile world.

The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel. Matthew 1:23

But the birth announcement was out of this world. Literally. As shepherds were in the fields that night, an angel burst onto the scene. He announced the birth of this baby. And then a choir of angels appeared and sang to the shepherds. They sang of his birth. Glory to God in the highest. Peace on earth. Goodwill to all men. The shepherds immediately left the fields and found the stable in Bethlehem. There they worshipped the infant King of kings and Lord of lords.

On the eighth day after his birth, Mary and Joseph took the baby to the temple where he was circumcised. He was given the name Jesus. An offering of two doves was presented that day. It was a typical day in the life of a couple christening their child.

But there were those in the temple. Two who had been waiting for this moment. They had been waiting for years. Their hearts had been stirred as he was brought in for this ceremony. They knew what only his parents knew. They confirmed that he was the Son of God. The Incarnate God in flesh. And only eight days old.

I’m sure Mary pondered this unusual announcement in her heart. She and Joseph had not shared the details of this immaculate conception with strangers. There was no need. Yet here they came. An elderly man named Simon and an elderly widowed woman named Anna. They each shared the prophecies of the birth of this One born in the royal line of David.

Everything we need to know about Mary’s birth story has been written. The information is shared throughout the Bible. The more personal and private details have been left out. Because they aren’t the focus of the story. The baby’s weight is inconsequential. The hours of labor aren’t counted. It doesn’t matter when her water broke. Or when she was fully dilated. The birth of this baby was ordained by God the Father. His birth was part of a beautiful, sacrificial plan for mankind’s salvation. No other birth story compares. The breath of eternal life is given to everyone who calls on the name of Jesus.

Favored or Not

~ mercyfortheday ~ Leave a comment

The popular Christmas song “Mary, Did You Know” asks Mary if she knows what she is getting into by giving birth to the Son of God. When the angel of God appeared to her, he said that she had found favor with God. She was bewildered. What had she done to be noticed by God? Scripture doesn’t say why God chose her.

When Jesus was 8 days old, an old man named Simeon told Mary that a sword would pierce her very soul. He said this God child would cause many in Israel to fall, and many others to rise. This babe had been sent as a sign from God, but many would oppose him. And as a result, the deepest thoughts of many hearts would be revealed. She realized her days would not be easy.

As a twelve year old, Jesus was a growing boy. As he grew physically and spiritually, he found favor with God and man. That favor lay upon him as he matured and began his ministry, but it didn’t exempt him from terrible abuse and suffering at the hands of his accusers. Favor led him straight to his death on the cross.

Mary had pondered many unanswered questions in her heart ever since she found out she was going to be a mother. After all, this God child was born from her virgin womb. How is that even possible? Did Mary feel favored when she searched frantically for her twelve year old son who disappeared for three days while meeting with leaders in the temple? Did Mary know that favor meant that she would endure the most heart wrenching days of her life as her son was tortured and killed? Did she ever wonder if God’s favor was supposed to be so difficult? I wonder if she pondered what kind of favor this was meant to be, since it caused some of the most heartbreaking times of her life.

Don’t be afraid. You have found favor with God. Luke 1:30

At times, we pray for favor. We ask for God’s blessing on our lives. We’re asking for health, wealth and happiness. We’re hoping bad times escape us. We hope the trials of life somehow miss us. We want our blessings to be just that, blessings with no sort of hurt or trouble in the mix.

Does the mother of a special needs child feel as if she’s found favor when her responsibility for her child is as overwhelming as her love is? Does the grandchild who’s caring for their elderly grandmother feel favored when time and funds are in high demand and short supply?

What is God’s favor anyway? Do we think God’s favor has been removed from us when we suffer? When we endure hardships or trials? Paul wrote that we are to rejoice when we run into problems and trials. Don’t we know that those trials will produce endurance? Endurance develops strength of character. Strength of character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. God says this hope will not lead to disappointment. I see favor written all over our suffering. Favor that God has paved a way for us straight to Calvary. He hasn’t forgotten us or abandoned us. He who suffered for us is with us in our suffering.

For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love. Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us. Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of undeserved privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God’s glory. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love. Romans 5:1-2, 5

Undeserved privilege. Favor. Mercy. Peace. Joy. Confidence. Because of God’s great love for us, we can confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing His glory. But if we say we want to know Christ and the power that raised him from the dead, why do we try to avoid the fellowship of suffering that comes with it?