new every day

Today is a new day.

Yesterday is not worth sulking over, regretting, or mourning, when today is so beautiful.

God's mercy, His forgiveness, His grace - all new today.

I'll never have enough room to receive it if my hands are full of yesterday. But, oh, do I try sometimes. I take all of my failures and clench them tightly, hoping that in so doing, I'll squeeze my own reasoning into the juice of different results. Only, it never really works that way. To be honest, the only change I've ever experienced in life came when I opened my hands to God's stripping, crucifying truth. The kind that surrenders and the kind that repents to turn, not to regret. And all of that involves open hands.

Hands open to whatever God gives - today.

Unfortunately, we resist this open-handed living too many days.

"This is the way of religion today. People do not know where they are, they do not know where they have been, they do not know why they are here, they do not know where they are going; and they do the whole thing on borrowed time, borrowed money, borrowed thinking, and then die." - A.W. Tozer.

So sad. Too sad. And TODAY, I say - not me!

I know where I am, I know who I am, I know who Jesus is, and I will live this day to serve Him. I may not have tomorrow. I do not care. I definitely don't have yesterday. I will not dwell there.

And when I live with open hands, they become full, and being filled continuously.

I need never think they will be empty or stay empty as long as I serve the God I do.

"Even though on the outside it often looks like things are falling apart on us, on the inside, where God is making new life, not a day goes by without His unfolding grace." - 2 Corinthians 4:16 (Msg).

His grace that unfolds into my hands, open.

And though He might ask me to give the grace to others, I will never be emptied of it completely if my hands stay lifted to Him - in worship, in surrender, in receiving.

He gives more every day. And yes, it is always new.

Redefining "Good"

About two months ago my daughter wrote something on a grocery list paper that I kept and hung on my refrigerator because of the profound and life-altering nature of it. Atop each piece of that pad of paper graces the words "Life is Good." A cartoon angel flies over the words carrying a bird house. Underneath those words she wrote "God is Good" as rebuttal (or so my mind imagines). I don't really know what she meant. I have yet to burst my bubble and ask her.

Recently I've been in a season of defining Good. Life doesn't often feel good, to be perfectly honest. It feels heavy when I look at my growing responsibilities and people who need to be pleased by me. It feels confining when I wake up from a dream of what I wish I could pursue. It feels painful when I seem to disappoint those who love me most. It feels unfair when I look at poverty and rape and trafficking and hungry orphans and abandoned women and murdered sons. It feels draining when I get lost in the piles of laundry and dishes and papers and "stuff." It feels frustrating when all I ever wanted was to help people, but people take every freedom of will to refuse the help I offer. Life mostly feels like everything but good.

And so when I read those words penned by still-pudgy-with-innocence fingers, I felt an earthquake in my spirit. It was a life-altering, moment-altar-ing shock. Sorting through the shifting, falling, scattered piles of papers on my kitchen-desk, I trashed old homework worksheets and re-piled bills and receipts and straightened half-written thoughts and prayers and half-accomplished to-do lists. I picked up her note and sat down, a little shaky or shaken, or both.

My heart cried out in agreement, "Of course! Life isn't always good, but God is!"

A few weeks later, though, I was questioning the goodness of God too. As followers of Christ, we surrender to the sovereignty of God - believing that He is indeed in control of us, our families, our lives, our pasts, and our futures. And if He is in control of all of that, and He is indeed good, shouldn't all of that be good too? My heart stomps a foot, demanding and defiant. "Oh, precious daughter, how faulty your small human logic," he whispers, and I balk, repentant.

A few days after His rebuke, I stumbled across a song by City Harmonic called I Am. The chorus repeats these phrases that hit me and comfort me and then hit me again.

"Oh, My God -

You are Good

You are Great

You are Love"

What IS good? What defines goodness? I ask Him one morning. How am I supposed to know what good is, when the things I would call good aren't what You have for me, and that which I would never call good are what you seem to put in my path? What is the definition of good, anyway?

His answer came in tenderness, as always. Let Me define and re-define good for you. I am the Author of life. My words alone hold authority and credence and authenticity. I alone understand goodness. I know Good, I do Good, I define Good, I AM Good.

And so I bowed my knees and my heart, and listened to His definition. It has come piecemeal over a season, but I continue to force my defiant fist into an openly raised hand and I keep driving my knees to the floor lest they break; and I once again clamp my complaining mouth and unlock my hurting heart to hear His terms.

"Taste and see that the Lord is good." -Psalm 34:8

"God saw that the light was good . . ." -Genesis 1:4

" . . . but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done . . ." -Genesis 50:20

" . . . no good thing does He withhold." -Psalm 84:11

" . . . but God disciplines us for our good . . ." -Hebrews 12:10

"You are good, and what you do is good . . ." -Psalm 119:68

"Woe to those who call evil good . . ." Isaiah 5:20

"There is only One who is good." Matthew 19:17

"I am the good Shepherd." -John 10:11

"Test everything. Hold on to the good." -1 Thessalonians 5:21

A friend gave me a book about keeping a list of thank-You's to God, and I received a message of God's goodness in common, yet amazingly glorious blessings. And my heart listened to His labelling and classification of Good. My own list grows even today.

This morning Jesus started my day with the story of Nebuchadnezzar's fall from sanity and return to reign seven years later, with a painful stint of beastly living in the wilderness. Daniel recounts the king's repentant song as this:

"Everything He does is right,

and He does it the right way.

He knows how to turn a proud person

into a humble man or woman." -Daniel 4: 37 (Msg)

I stop and stare at the words for extra seconds. He whispers again, I am good. I do good - every time. My definition of good is good in the end.

I smile and change the aphorism in my head.

"All's good that ends good."

Overcome

A word God has been echoing over and over to me in the past few weeks.

I hear it in songs, read it in the Word and in books I'm finishing. Every time it jumps into my spirit and stirs up something that feels like hope.

There are a few different original definitions I'm finding in my research, but two of my favorites are: boetheo -come to the rescue of; help; to run and meet an urgent distress call, as in battle. The verse where this is found is a prayer most of us have cried to Jesus at one point or another:

"The father instantly cried out, 'I do believe, but help me overcome my unbelief!' " - Mark 9:24 (NLT)

The other is nikao - prevail, overcome, conquer, be victorious, subdue (implying a battle)

This word is used more often, and one of my favorites is in John 16:33:

"I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world" - (NLT)

I have faced some battles recently. Tough ones I would have rather run from than fight. Actually I did try to run away, tried to hide. The battle found me in my cave and came on stronger with fresh attack. I felt helpless and wounded, overwhelmed and defeated. I didn't want to struggle any longer. I was tired and angry and hurt.

But my Rescuer came to overcome for me. When I couldn't fight any more, He fought for me and won. He strengthened my limp arms and set my feet on a steady Rock, which was His Love. Have I faced trials an sorrows in life - of course. He knew we all would, and in some ways more than before I knew Him. Before I served Jesus, Satan was my ally. Once I chose Jesus Satan became my enemy. I had a brand new war to wage and overcome. Alone I'm helpless, but with Him I can. He will win this war, and every battle will be His to overcome. Hopelessness becomes Hope. Defeat turns into prevailing, overwhelming victory when I call on His assistance.

One of the songs God has echoed to me is from David Crowder - "SMS Shine"

"Hold me I need to feel love

Can You overcome this heart that's overcome"

When my heart has felt defeated and conquered, God has come to conquer the attack around me. He has swept me up in His arms, restored what was lost, healed my wounds, stopped my bleeding, and prevailed over my enemies. Overwhelmingly overcome.

Will there be more battles to fight, more enemies to engage? Of course. But what seems frightening in my future, is already accomplished in His usurping of time's boundaries. "I have overcome." It is already done and accomplished. Promise already fulfilled. Every battle - won in my favor. And the ultimate victory - He is coming again. My help is on the way. My future is secure in him.

I will win because He has won.

We overcome.