Charisa Stories

Tag: psalm 139

  • EVERY Day is Sacred

    EVERY Day is Sacred

    Please forgive me because this week’s musing is directed at a very specific target audience.

    Me.

    Feel free to eavesdrop.

    Last week I watched Monday Night Football with great interest because my Fantasy Football championship was at stake. A few minutes into the game that became the most meaningless thing in the world. I witnessed along with millions the terrifying collapse of Buffalo Bill defensive back Damar Hamlin. It was obvious from the players reactions on the field that this was not a typical injury situation. We learned that CPR was being administered to restore Hamlin’s heartbeat. Millions united in prayer as he was rushed to the hospital in critical condition.

    I was encouraged by the unity shown by people around the world as they joined in prayer and support for Damar and his family. As I write this the prognosis for Damar Hamlin is very encouraging.

    I was once again reminded of the uncertainty of my days on earth. I may have 20 years or 20 minutes and only God knows that number. Time and time again over the years I have had similar moments where I determined to be more aware of how precious life is and to live out of that mindset.

    But I always forget and allow myself to fall back into reacting to meaningless annoyances and worthless distractions. Here is my take away from the incident on the field in Cincinnati last week.

    Every day is sacred. Today is sacred.

    I started running that through my mind each morning this this week and throughout the day. I was driving Friday when a car cut me off and I had my normal not kind initial reaction. That momentary reaction is not necessarily sin. Dwelling on that feeling and allowing it to change your spirit is sin. I remembered my morning emphasis.

    Every day is sacred. Today is sacred.

    That allowed me to change focus to the bigger picture. I am healthy and able to drive. God protected me from an accident. I don’t know what that driver’s story might be. So I simply breathed a prayer for that driver’s safety and those around them. I asked that God would be present in their life. What a difference that awareness made.

    This journey is full of frustrating situations and frustrating people. But I believe with all of my heart that there are sacred moments to be found in even the most mundane of days. Those moments don’t come up and tap you on the shoulder. You have to be in tune with the Holy Spirit to receive those sacred moments. Let me disclaim that I am not accomplished in this practice but I am praying that the Spirit of God will allow me to recognize these sacred events.

    Psalm 139 clearly and poetically proclaims that God is the middle of everything I do. I suspect that every day I am stubbing my toe on something sacred even as I complain about something insignificant.

    This week’s mental post-note is very simple.

    Today Is Sacred.

    David wrote about the constant presence of God in Psalm 139.

    You go before me and follow me.
        You place your hand of blessing on my head.
    Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
        too great for me to understand! (Psalm 139:5-6, NLT)

    If I believe that to be true then I have to believe there are daily sacred moments to be received and given away. They don’t have to be earth shaking in their scope. Just a simple act of love, kindness, service, or concern can be a sacred moment.

    I don’t want to live in a world of frustration, angst, and division. We witnessed with the reaction to Damar Hamlin’s crisis how empowering unity can be. Why can’t we as the body of Christ do better? I want to focus on who unites us.

    Jesus.

    I want to focus on what gives me strength and courage.

    God’s constant presence.

    I want to pray for open eyes to see and enjoy the sacred moments in every day.

    David concludes Psalm 139 with this amazing request.

    Search me, O God, and know my heart;
        test me and know my anxious thoughts.
    Point out anything in me that offends you,
        and lead me along the path of everlasting life. (Psalm 139:23-24, NLT)

    Thank you for this day dear Lord. Remind me through your Spirit that today and everyday is sacred. Please use me as an instrument to show your love and grace today.

  • Think You Don’t Have a Purpose in Life?

    Think You Don’t Have a Purpose in Life?

    Psalm 139 is one of the most inspiring Psalms in Scripture and it was the inspiration for my book Waking Up Slowly. We don’t know when David wrote this stirring account of God’s indescribable attributes. Some believe he wrote it as a shepherd while gazing at the stars and the enormity of the heavens. Some feel he wrote it when he became king over Israel. As a more experienced human being myself it certainly feels like David had to have lived a little more life in order to write such a majestic dialog with God. But the truth is we just don’t know. In this amazing Psalm David made three observations about the greatness of God.

    1. God knows everything about us.
    2. God is everywhere we are.
    3. God ordains everything about you.

    One thing the Psalmist clearly proclaims is that we are not accidents and there is a purpose for you and me.

    You know me inside and out,
        you know every bone in my body;
    You know exactly how I was made, bit by bit,
        how I was sculpted from nothing into something.
    Like an open book, you watched me grow from conception to birth;
        all the stages of my life were spread out before you,
    The days of my life all prepared
        before I’d even lived one day.
    Psalm 139:13-16 (The Message)

    We are known by God, We are watched over by God. We are ordained by God. You are not an accident nor am I. You are here for a reason. Henri Nouwen frames it beautifully.

    “We seldom realize fully that we are sent to fulfill God-given tasks. We act as if we were simply dropped down in creation and have to decide how to entertain ourselves until we die. But we were sent into the world by God, just as Jesus was. Once we start living our lives with that conviction, we will soon know what we were sent to do.”

    Everyday has the potential to do something or learn something that will alter someone’s life and even eternity. What an amazing thought that God can use someone like me for His purpose. I find that a remarkable example of His grace. But I forget that. I am known, cherished and ordained by God for His purpose. So are you. Every day matters and every moment matters.

    This Psalm also inspired my children’s book about God’s purpose for all of His creatures. Grunt the Runt Finds His Purpose is the story of a little puppy with a big heart. Grunt learns that God creates every one of His creatures with a special role to fulfill but sometimes the journey to find that path is tough. Grunt finds his way into a service dog training program for military veterans. You will be touched by the heartwarming completion of Grunt the Runt’s determined and successful trek to find his purpose. 

    To honor Veteran’s Day we are going to donate $5 from EVERY book sale from my online store to Patriot Paws Service Dogs.You can help further their vital mission to help disabled American veterans find canine companions. And every copy will be autographed at no charge.

    Help make a difference in the life of a deserving veteran today.

    Click here now to support this cause and enjoy an inspiring story of a true underdog.

  • You Are Not an Accident!

    You Are Not an Accident!

    Psalm 139 is one of the most inspiring Psalms in Scripture and it was the inspiration for my book Waking Up Slowly. We don’t know when David wrote this stirring account of God’s indescribable attributes. Some believe he wrote it as a shepherd while gazing at the stars and the enormity of the heavens. Some feel he wrote it when he became king over Israel. As a more experienced human being myself it certainly feels like David had to have lived a little more life in order to write such a majestic dialog with God. But the truth is we just don’t know. In this amazing Psalm David made three observations about the greatness of God.

    1. God knows everything about us.
    2. God is everywhere we are.
    3. God ordains everything about you.

    The Psalmist clearly proclaims that we are not accidents and there is a purpose for you and me.

    You know me inside and out,
        you know every bone in my body;
    You know exactly how I was made, bit by bit,
        how I was sculpted from nothing into something.
    Like an open book, you watched me grow from conception to birth;
        all the stages of my life were spread out before you,
    The days of my life all prepared
        before I’d even lived one day.
    Psalm 139:13-16 (The Message)

    The thought that God has an ordained plan for our lives is a difficult idea to wrap our finite minds around. I am writing these words as we head into the Christmas season. I faithfully watch “It’s a Wonderful Life” every Christmas. That classic movie reminds me that I am here for a reason. It is easy to think that our lives have fallen short of the dreams we once had. Remember the exuberant dreams that George Bailey shared with Mary during the movie? He had his life planned out and knew exactly how it would look.

    “Mary, I know what I’m gonna do tomorrow and the next day and the next year and the year after that. I’m shaking the dust of this crummy little town off my feet and I’m gonna see the world. Italy, Greece, the Parthenon…the Coliseum. Then I’m coming back here and go to college and see what they know and then I’m going to build things. I’m gonna build air fields. I’m gonna build skyscrapers a hundred stories high. I’m gonna build bridges a mile long.”

    None of that happened. Not one part of it. His dreams had to be put aside to support his family. He lived a successful but humdrum life that fell apart after his Uncle Billy lost a huge deposit. The family business was about to be bankrupted and in the process many in his beloved community would be dramatically impacted or even ruined. There seems to be no hope and George wishes that he had never lived. An angel named Clarence (probably like the one I would get assigned) shows him what would have happened if that wish had come true. What if God had not put George Bailey in Bedford Falls? You likely know the rest of the story. George sees how many people and events his seemingly mundane existence had changed for good. His actions had even led to saving dozens of lives.

    The awkward angel Clarence makes this simple but profound observation.

    “Strange, isn’t it? Each man’s life touches so many other lives. When he isn’t around he leaves an awful hole, doesn’t he?”

    Indeed.

    The movie powerfully illustrates the truth of Psalm 139. We are known by God, We are watched over by God. We are ordained by God. You are not an accident nor am I. You are here for a reason. Henri Nouwen frames it beautifully.

    “We seldom realize fully that we are sent to fulfill God-given tasks. We act as if we were simply dropped down in creation and have to decide how to entertain ourselves until we die. But we were sent into the world by God, just as Jesus was. Once we start living our lives with that conviction, we will soon know what we were sent to do.”

    Everyday has the potential to do something or learn something that will alter someone’s life and even eternity. What an amazing thought that God can use someone like me for His purpose. I find that a remarkable example of His grace. I am known, cherished and ordained by God for His purpose. So are you. Every day matters and every moment matters.

    Our goal is to make that more real in our daily experience.

    My brand new book children’s book Grunt the Runt Finds His Purpose illustrates in a heartwarming story how all of God’s creatures have a purpose. I hope you share Grunt’s story with the kids and grandkids in your life.

  • Can I Trust God’s Directions as much as my GPS?

    Can I Trust God’s Directions as much as my GPS?

    My lovely wife returned from a luncheon engagement with an insight I was more than willing to borrow. “My GPS took me on a path that was completely counter-intuitive to me.” Joni reported. “I even wondered if I had entered the wrong destination. I learned later that there was a major slowdown on the normal route and this strange path got me there on time. The GPS could see things I could not and knew how to get me there. I began to think I do the same thing with God. I wonder about the path He has me on and if He knows how to get me to the place I want to be. But He sees things I cannot and I need to trust Him more.”

    I love that metaphor. I think part of the answer is that we fail to recognize how big our God really is. I am going to borrow a bit from my book Waking Up Slowly that addressed that topic.

    Psalm 139 is one of the most inspiring Psalms in Scripture. David made three observations about the greatness of God.

    God knows everything about us.
    God is everywhere we are.
    God ordains everything about you.

    If those statements are true about God then it should change how we go about our daily business.

    The Psalmist writes that God knows my move and every thought. And I was concerned about the government snooping on me!

    God, investigate my life;
        get all the facts firsthand.
    I’m an open book to you;
        even from a distance, you know what I’m thinking.
    You know when I leave and when I get back;
        I’m never out of your sight.
    You know everything I’m going to say
        before I start the first sentence.
    I look behind me and you’re there,
        then up ahead and you’re there, too—
        your reassuring presence, coming and going.
    This is too much, too wonderful—
        I can’t take it all in!   (Psalm 139:1-6, The Message)

    There are no secrets from God. There is no hiding from God. Our desire to keep those secrets and to hide from His presence results from our lack of understanding of His redemptive love for us. We think God will love us less when we sin. The uniqueness of grace for a follower of Christ is that God already knows everything about you and He loves you exactly the same on your best or worst day.

    Don’t rush past that truth. Read it again.

    God knows everything about you and He loves you exactly the same on both your best or worst day.

    We are known by God, We are watched over by God. We are ordained by God. You are not an accident nor am I. You are here for a reason. Henri Nouwen frames it beautifully.

    “We seldom realize fully that we are sent to fulfill God-given tasks. We act as if we were simply dropped down in creation and have to decide how to entertain ourselves until we die. But we were sent into the world by God, just as Jesus was. Once we start living our lives with that conviction, we will soon know what we were sent to do.”

    Everyday has the potential to do something or learn something that will alter someone’s life and even eternity. What an amazing thought that God can use someone like me for His purpose. I find that a remarkable example of His grace. But I forget that. I often start the day feeling, to quote Rich Mullins, about as useful as a screen door on a submarine. That is a lie from the pit of Hell. I am known, cherished and ordained by God for His purpose. So are you. Every day matters and every moment matters.

    A God this amazing that calls us by name can be trusted with a path that may seem counter-intuitive at times. I may not understand His ways but I can always trust them.