As I think over the last year, life is so different ... and yet, in many ways, it’s very much the same. The things that HAVE changed ... well, they’ve been the things that have allowed me to meet Jesus as LORD of all ... the good, the bad, & the ugly. I’ve met God the Father in ways I never thought possible. It is the prayer of my heart that these THIRTY-NINE life lessons will continue to challenge me to greater depths in all areas of life ... and to face the unknown holding fast to the One who sought me out when I was in a dark weary valley that only one other person dared to walk through with me without judgment or condemnation  ... By her love, friendship & steadfast encouragement, the LORD radiated HIS light, HIS grace, HIS mercy, HIS love & truth.....The LORD truly sent His redemption in 2020! 

1. Forgiveness is a CHOICE! There’s much to be said for inviting the Holy Spirit into the darkest closets of past trauma that continue to haunt me. By being 100% honest about the trauma, its effects and surrendering it to Him, healing takes place. After the healing, living a lifestyle of forgiveness becomes achievable. 
2. When Jesus is LORD of all, the ALL includes pain/heartache/disappointment ... nothing is too small for Him to be LORD over. 
3. Fellowship over ZOOM can be just as fulfilling as being with one another. There seems to be a deeper authenticity, at times, when online fellowship occurs versus when there’s face-to-face fellowship. 
4. My life is to be lived to please God alone. If other people take issue with it, that is NOT my issue. Rather, it is their issue with GOD. 
5. Life is fleeting. Seize the day you are given. We aren’t promised tomorrow ... CARPE DIEM! SLAY THE DAY!
6. The way I say something is just as important as what I say.
7. Not everything I think needs to be said ... even if it is true.
8. Praying for someone is useless when I choose to gossip/slander them, even if it’s done all in the name of being a prayer request. These prayers are unheard in the halls of heaven.
9. I must scrutinize the sin in my life much harder than the sin in the lives of others.
10. I don’t have to attend every conversation/argument to which I am invited.
11. Gifts & talents come from God. He is honoured when I pursue skill development in these areas of my life.
12. Distance does not matter when the friendship is made in Heaven. My absolute best friends are in Canada. My mentor is in Canada. 
13. Everyone has been through trauma of some sort ... so stop comparing one trauma with another.
14. NOT everyone is trustworthy. 
15. American Christianity is NOT the standard for my faith ... nor is it the standard for Christianity.
16. In matters of faith, do NOT take someone’s word for it. Even if Scripture is quoted specifically, study the Word of God for myself & allow the Holy Spirit to teach me. 
17. Don’t embrace ANY teaching just because the people teaching it say it's right.
18. Investigate as many truth claims of Christianity as possible. Christianity is to be believed by faith; however, it’s based in historical evidence ... Be okay with not having all the answers. Sit in those areas of uncertainty with Jesus. 
19. Embracing the commonalities between two people instead of always dividing over differences can build bridges and bring much needed healing.
20. The darkness is as light to the Saviour.
21. Face your fears .... even when they are irrational ones. It takes the sting out of the fear & the power away from Satan.
22. ”There is enough room in the world for everyone’s unique gifts, talents & passions. Just because someone else is doing it doesn’t mean you shouldn’t.” ~ Krystal
23. Be a BIBLICIST ... one who interprets Scripture with Scripture rather than interpreting Scripture with the ideas of men from varying schools of theology.
24. Answer the question: “who am I trusting with my soul at this moment” & then proceed with all matters of life and faith accordingly.
25. Pride and arrogance detract from the Christian faith, especially to those who don’t embrace it.
26. Set goals & be accountable to someone concerning these goals.
27. Establish & strive to keep my ALERT plan!
28. Keep climbing the Freedom Ladder!
29. Watch what I say to myself! The words I use matter ...
30. It’s NOT prideful to like myself.
31. Set boundaries and love others like Jesus loves me.
32. Taking care of my health is important to God. 
33. Living on mission for God has NOTHING to do with my geographic location.
34. Take no offense at being called a “sheep” ... my Saviour said I was HIS sheep & HE is my Shepherd.
35. Read all kinds of books ... even by authors I don’t agree with. I can learn from them, too.
36. This world is NOT my home! Keep everything & everyone held with a heart & hand open towards Heaven.
37. Purge all unnecessary items from life ... this includes things, attitudes, habits, people, ideologies, theologies, philosophies, etc.
38. PURPOSE to find the joy in every day!
39. If God can use something like a global pandemic to captivate my dark, weary soul for His honour & glory, truly, NOTHING is impossible with God Almighty!

Thank You, Father, for these years You’ve given me. Captivate my heart in greater measure this year. Be honoured in my life in 2021. Show me more of Your glory. Send greater revival in my heart and life ... for Jesus’s sake. 

As I sit at my desk, looking out at the beauty & majesty of the recent snow/ice that has come to my small Mississippi town, I am reminded so much of the pure grace of the Saviour. The One who specializes in making all things new ... The One who sets the captive free. Who makes the lame to walk, the blind to see & the dead to live. The One who purifies the vilest offender to be as white and pure as snow.

Life over the last year has been so hard on everyone! Locally, nationally & globally. Some people’s HARD has been more difficult and challenging to navigate than other people’s HARD has been. As I’ve thought about the challenges many friends and family have endured/are enduring, though, my mind goes back to the Lord’s message to the Apostle Paul in 2 Corinthians 12.
         Verses 7-10 say: “And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the    
        revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I  
        be exalted above measure. Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it
        might depart from me. And He said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is
        made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that
       the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches,
        in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am
        strong.”[NKJV]
Our HARD’s are different. They change with the seasons of life. Some last a short while. Some last an entire lifetime. While we may not ever understand the exact reason for our personal season of HARD, we can rest in the fact that they aren’t eternal! What doesn’t change through every season of life, even during our most difficult HARD seasons, is that the immutable - unchanging - grace of God blankets our lives as the pure freshly fallen snow blankets the earth beneath. 

Another aspect of God’s grace that has captured my soul with its incredible beauty is how God’s grace makes the vilest sinner clean. Remember King David? He was called a “man after God’s own heart” (see 1 Samuel 13:14 and Acts 13:22); he was also an adulterer, a liar, a thief & a murderer. After being confronted by the prophet Nathan, David penned the words in Psalm 51. He knew that God alone was the One who could clean his heart from the stain of the vilest of sins ... In Psalm 51:7, David wrote, “Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.” [NKJV]

As the prophet Isaiah - the mouthpiece of God in his day - called the nation of Israel to repentance for their egregious sins, Isaiah wrote in Isaiah 1:18, “‘Come now, and let us reason together,’ says the LORD, ‘Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool.’” [NKJV]

Being covered in grace changes one’s entire life. It can change the entire trajectory of one’s life. It enables the child of God to obtain an eternal perspective ... to live a life with the knowledge that this life isn’t all there is. It allows us to slow our minds down, even for a moment, to be able to rest. To breathe a little easier. God’s grace allows us to persevere under the severest of trials, no matter how difficult they may be.

Mississippi (& many parts of the South) has experienced record breaking lows and record breaking amounts of snow & ice. I can tell you, personally, that being covered in snow changes lives. Countless lives have been lost due to lack of power/heat, due to automobile accidents & sledding accidents. Undoubtedly, it will take nothing but the tender, pure grace of the Lord to overshadow & blanket the lives of these precious families who have endured such great loss if recovery is to take place. It’s been another tangible reminder of how fragile life really is and how we are called to live lives with wisdom and great care. 

As I’ve stayed at home all week, I’ve come to realize the restlessness that lingers in my own heart and soul. The internal busyness. I’ve struggled to just relax. I’ve enjoyed moments of fun, but it’s been a frustrating week. I’m realizing, also, just how much of an extrovert I really am. Extroverts, by nature, are NOT okay with being shut-in. BUT I am discovering, also, that there’s grace for the restlessness of my soul. The LORD calls me to Himself over & over & over again. The only question is: will I run to Him and rest or will I do my own bidding & remain restless?

No matter what sort of HARD comes in 2021, may our eyes be ever fixed on the One who is faithful. The One who is our Rock. The One who never shakes, never breaks. 

Covered in grace ... and snow!
A fellow pilgrim