Memorial Day

Many of today’s citizens view Memorial Day as just another day to celebrate a long weekend, a mini vacation, BBQ cook-outs, social gatherings etc. But how many Americans remember the sacrifice of those who have fallen, so that we can enjoy the immense freedom that this day brings?

~

~

Many men, women, and children are gathered at military cemeteries across this Nation and in far away countries to remember and to honor the many soldiers who have fought and died for the freedom we enjoy today. Abraham Lincoln’s following words are very sobering as we hope and pray for the future of our country:

~

Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.

Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure . We are met on a great battlefield of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting  place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.

But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate – we can not consecrate – we can not hallow – this ground. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us – that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion – that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain – that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom – and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.

- President Abraham Lincoln -  Gettysburg Address

~

Memorial Day was originally called Decoration Day to remember those who have fallen for freedom’s sake:

~

Memorial Day, originally called Decoration Day, is a day of remembrance for those who have died in our nation’s service. There are many stories as to its actual beginnings, with over two dozen cities and towns laying claim to being the birthplace of Memorial Day.

While Waterloo N.Y. was officially declared the birthplace of Memorial Day by President Lyndon Johnson in May 1966, it’s difficult to prove conclusively the origins of the day…

It is not important who was the very first, what is important is that Memorial Day was established. Memorial Day is not about division. It is about reconciliation; it is about coming together to honor those who gave their all.

Traditional observance of Memorial day has diminished over the years. Many Americans nowadays have forgotten the meaning and traditions of Memorial Day.

Source: usmemorialday.org

~

Kneel Where Our Loves Are Sleeping is a hymn dedicated to the, Ladies of the South who are decorating the graves of the Confederate Dead. (Historic American Sheet Music)

~

Kneel Where Our Loves Are Sleeping
Words by G.W.R.
Music by Mrs. L. Nella Sweet (1867)

Kneel where our loves are sleeping,
Dear ones days gone by,
Here we bow in holy reverence,
Our bosoms heave the heartfelt sigh.
They fell like brave men, true as steel,
And pour’d their blood like rain,
We feel we owe them all we have,
And can but weep and kneel again.

CHORUS

Kneel where our loves are sleeping,
They lost but still were good and true,

Our fathers, brothers fell still fighting,
We weep, ‘tis all that we can do.
Here we find our noble dead,
Their spirits soar’d to him above,
Rest they now about his throne,
For God is mercy, God is love.
Then let us pray that we may live,
As pure and good as they have been,
That dying we may ask of him,
To open the gate and let us in.

CHORUS

Kneel where our loves are sleeping,
They lost but still were good and true,
Our fathers, brothers fell still fighting,
We weep, ‘tis all that we can do.”

~

Even though this country is far from perfect, we need to guard the freedom we have and not take it for granted. Freedom is not free and has cost many their all.

While we remember those who have sacrificed their lives for the freedom of our country, let us also remember Christ who gave Himself for us that we might be freed and forgiven of all our iniquities and fears. The sacrifice and resurrection of Christ promises those who have faith in Him a clear conscience, freedom, life, and glory in God forever!

~

~

Posted by Petra O. Hefner

Photo Credits:Eduardo; Ladyheart; J. Durham; Mary R. Vogt

Only One

How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in?
And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard?

And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?
And how can they preach unless they are sent?
Romans 10:14-15

…

Many people pray, but there is only one
true God who hears and who answers.
~
Most people want to hear
more good news about themselves
about their purpose and their future
but only one news remains
worth hearing,

The Good News of Christ!

His atoning death for all sin,
His glorious resurrection for all hope,
His grace that the blind may see

how desperate they stand
in need of Him
to justify
and
to

redeem
them.
~
All people,
whether glib or silent,
have something to say
and wish to be regarded
but there remains only one
subject worth preaching,

The Word of God
regarding
Christ
!

Petra O. Hefner

~~~

Photo by mercucio2

Grace and Blessings

And ye shall serve the LORD your God, and he shall bless thy bread,
and thy water. (Exodus 23:25)

What a promise is this! To serve God is in itself a high delight. But what an added privilege to have the blessing of the Lord resting upon us in all things!

What a promise indeed! If we serve the Lord; if God the Father is our all and everything, then we will have His blessing. However, serving God is not a prerequisite to being saved, but a result of having been saved. Christ died for us while we were yet sinners and could neither seek nor truly serve Him. We were saved by grace! Grace made our hearts to worship Him!

Our Lord Jesus took bread and blessed it; behold, we also eat of blessed bread. Jesus blessed water… every drop has a benediction in it.

If I serve the Lord my God, then He shall bless my water and my food! Then why would I still ask for God’s blessing? It is an honor and a privilege to be able to ask  for what God has promised! I ask for God’s blessing also as an acknowledgment of His supremacy. Have you ever had someone ask you to bless the food? It’s a perfect opportunity to place the ball back into God’s court by asking/thanking Him for His blessing.

Should I ask or thank God for His blessing even if I eat junk food? While I should make every effort to eat healthy, I need to be very careful not to make that my idol. According to Exodus 23:25, God’s blessing is a result of my seeking and serving Him and not my food choice or health regiment (although they too reflect my love for God, and in turn are blessed by Him to help me make even better choices).

What if we have only bread and water! Yet it is blessed bread and water… With God at our table, we not only ask a blessing, but we have one.

Those of us who can afford to eat healthy are very fortunate, but let us be compassionate toward those who are not. It is very sad to have fellow believers make the asking of a blessing or the giving of thanks for certain foods a shameful thing, when such may be their only meal. Let us always remember that God is God; that He blesses whom or what He will; and that He (and not our food) is the object of our worship.

“Worship the Lord your God, and His blessing will be on your food and water!”

He serves those well who serve Him well. This table blessing is not of debt but of grace. Indeed, there is a trebled grace; He grants us grace to serve Him, by His grace feeds us with bread, and then in His grace blesses it.

Quotes are from Commonest Things Blessed by C.H. Spurgeon – source: Faith’s Checkbook

See also:

Matt 6:31-33 NIV (Jesus’ promise)
John 6:32-33, 50-51 NIV (The healthiest of staples!)
Acts 10:9-16 NIV (Peter a health food nut, or one who had his head stuck in regulations?)

~~~

Photo by dieraecherin

Posted by Petra O. Hefner

Why do you call me good?

“‘Why do you call me good?’ Jesus answered. ‘No one is good—except God alone.’” Mark 10:18

What is my set of standards by which I compare myself? Am I better than others but not as good as some? What do my feelings of accomplishments tell me? Do I emphasize my qualities, so that others might think well of me? There is only one standard by which I can safely compare myself, and that is God. As soon as I do, I realize my inefficiencies and utmost need of Him!

“Therefore let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be sober.” 1 Thessalonians 5:6

I find to this day seven abominations in my heart: (1) Inclinings to unbelief. (2) Suddenly to forget the love and mercy that Christ manifesteth. (3) A leaning to the works of the law. (4) Wanderings and coldness in prayer. (5) To forget to watch for that I pray for. (6) Apt to murmur because I have no more, and yet ready to abuse what I have. (7) I can do none of those things which God commands me, but my corruptions will thrust in themselves, ‘When I would do good, evil is present with me.’

These things I continually see and feel, and am afflicted and oppressed with; yet the wisdom of God doth order them for my good. (1) They make me abhor myself. (2) They keep me from trusting my heart. (3) They convince me of the insufficiency of all inherent righteousness. (4) They show me the necessity of fleeing to Jesus. (5) They press me to pray unto God. (6) They show me the need I have to watch and be sober. (7) And provoke me to look to God, through Christ, to help me, and carry me through this world. Amen. — John Bunyan, Grace Abounding

As I read John Bunyan’s words, I see myself as in a mirror…

But this is the hope I have; that I’ve been justified by faith through Jesus Christ; that I have peace with God because of what Christ has done; and that I have access to God’s grace always. How can pride live, or self boast, in such a light and love and grace as this?

“But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more.” Romans 5:20

“Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it. Brethren, pray for us.” 1 Thessalonians 5:23-25

~~~
Posted by Petra O. Hefner

Indispensably Real

In one of her recent articles, Beauty Uncovered, Melissa Griffin sheds some light on our inner struggles as we try to appease our world’s standards of beauty.

The pain of feeling unattractive remains an all too familiar experience for us as women, yet our deceitful hearts tell us we’re entirely isolated in what we face.

While our deceitful hearts may leave us feeling isolated, cosmetic companies are cashing in on our not so unfamiliar preoccupation. But her article reassures us that we are not alone and need not be enslaved by what our mirrors reflect or by what the cosmetic isles offer.

Melissa uses a prophecy in Isaiah 53:2-3 to remind us that our Lord had no majesty or external beauty that any should desire Him. Instead, He radiated a different kind of beauty–an inner beauty most of us know very little of. Yet, we seem to ache for this beauty, in that we spend hundreds, perhaps thousands of dollars each year chasing it. However, imperfections continue to surface and discontent continues to grow alongside many an imperfect face or thigh, right into its grave.

Melissa’s article inspired me to revive an old poem that tries to touch upon the danger and inherent ugliness of our earthly requirements of beauty, but also points to the hope we have in answering true Beauty’s call.

In this life,
passing and imperfect,
beauty lies marred
by broken promises,
and wallows in disguises.

She’s scarring souls
with mirrored shards
reflecting wounded smiles
and empty laughter,
while grief has drowned
in her shallowness and idle banter.

She prowls to allure
all who seek to befriend her
yet feels lost and most alone
staring at mirages–invisible;
screaming in silence–inaudible;
prating in vain–meaningless.

She’s lost her passion–
has left her peace without a shelter;
her hope is dull, her colors faded
and her accuser smiles behind his lies
of love for life and fear of death.

Yet in this life,
passing and imperfect,
God longs to redeem her
with tears and scars that heal
and blood that purifies.

True beauty is born
of God’s grace and sees not
what was or is, but will yet be.

True beauty grows
at each evaporating tear,
where smiles in God of mercy sing.

True beauty shines
where doubt and darkness melt
and morning wakes His perfect sacrifice
so that in this life, passing and imperfect,
God’s beauty may reflect in you.

God’s heartbeat moves
to a melody of calling you;
tilt your weary doubtful head
toward this chance of countless chances
and begin your trust in Him.

Do not tarry!
Touch the bursting colors
of His endlessly waking sky
and come away from death
into the scent of a brand new morning
as it pours from God’s own whisp’ring wind.

Pour golden silence
over your endless prattle
and bid your limbs be still!
that you may hear His love,
sung long before all life began;
lyrics of your beauty
as it was intended, all splendid
and indispensably real!

Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight. (1 Peter 3:4)

Although these verses refer to the proper conduct of wives towards their husbands, might we not safely assume that the apostle’s suggestions are based on the fact that God values the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit more than any external adornment, regardless of who displays it?

Do we not read in Isaiah 53:2-3 that Jesus himself lacked the beauty of a worldly standard? Yet we find throughout scripture and via personal accounts that He was filled with a different kind of beauty–an inner beauty of Grace and Truth, irresistible and indispensably real!

~~~

© Petra Hefner

Thoughts on Prayer

“There is enough sin in my best prayer to send the whole world to hell.”
- John Bunyan

Now here’s a sobering thought! We are imperfect until the life hereafter! Until then, our best prayers are tainted and our motives less than pure. That’s why we don’t pray in our righteousness but in the name of Christ!

Sometimes the circumstances we pray for benefit us more than our prayers, but I’ve not always acknowledged that. My prayer life was actually most active while I was most deceived, and most persuasive when I was using God as a means to my own ends.

My eagerness to pray had little to do with glorifying God or admitting my own weaknesses. Instead, I tried hard to abase my imperfections by my excessive prayer and servitude… until God found me out. His truth exposed all the real motives and stripped me of all self-confidence.

Everything changed and is changing still. Shame and anger are slowly giving way to discernment and forgiveness. Doubt and mistrust are finally giving way to peace and assurance, and each new question continually finds new solace in God’s Word.

My prayer life changed as well. It has become private, personal, silent; pleading yet eager to listen, focusing only on God while all else vanishes. At times I set out to pray, only to find the deepest longings bereft of words, leaving me as helpless as an infant crying for that familiar voice and touch.

Prayer is becoming all about God and trusting Him. It has switched from what I might get out of it to what God can make out of it. My understanding still lacks much compared to God’s ultimate wisdom. I may weep my bitterest tears yet, but this I do know, God can be trusted.

As a child I trusted my parents with my life, which kept my earliest days so sweetly carefree. Today I can trust God with my life because He is not a man that He should lie. God will keep His Word, avow His honor and do what is right, all the time! I might not always understand it, but my faith is taking root, not in my own efforts, sufficiency or power to believe, but in God’s sovereignty and mercy.

So when I pray, I want to trust God and His righteous judgments more and my desires (whether selfish or sympathetic) less. God’s glory should be my focus rather than comfort or ease. I cannot turn that around and claim to love God first. I must go to the cross to pray. What do I really want to ask of Jesus while He suffers there for you and me?

I used to ask for things; now I ask for the living Christ, that those in need may find Him and be reconciled with God. I used to pray as though I deserved better; now I plead that I do not get all that I deserve. My appreciation used to be a mere religious courtesy; but now, tears of joy and utmost gratitude wash His feet.

God hears my prayers, not because I have something special to say or give, but because He wants to refine me and work His purpose through me. In Psalms I read that the One who owns the cattle on a thousand hills has no need of me at all; and suddenly my prayer lies exposed for what it really is! How can I pray for help when it was my own neglect that caused the trouble. I’ve misused what belongs to God. It was never mine! Why should God heed me now?

“Even now,” declares the LORD,
“return to Me with all your heart,
with fasting and weeping and mourning.”

Rend your heart
and not your garments.
Return to the LORD your God,
for He is gracious and compassionate,
slow to anger and abounding in love,
and He relents from sending calamity.
Who knows? He may turn and have pity
and leave behind a blessing—

Joel 2:12-14

God may leave behind a blessing, not because my offense is no longer an offense, but because Christ has already paid for it! God may help, not because I’ve tried extra hard to undo my sins (I can’t), but because my heart is truly rent. Christ promises to forgive and not to break a bruised reed or snuff a smoldering wick. A contrite and broken heart God will not despise. Grace upon grace! Grace beyond my comprehension!

Pray in snug self-confidence and receive perhaps a greater sense of self-satisfaction, maybe even an improved attitude. Pray that all goes well with you and risk loving life more than God. But rend your heart and receive God’s forgiveness. Return to God and receive His grace instead of the calamity that you once deserved!

Thank God that there’s a limit to prayers asked amiss though they be steeped in faith. Thank God for His patience and compassion; there seems no limit to His grace. Looking back I’m more than grateful that God did not always take me at my word or let me have my way. Where would I be?

~~~

Numbers 23: 19
Isaiah 42:3 and Matthew 12:20
Joel 2:11-14
Psalm 50:9-12
John 12:25

~~~

© Petra O. Hefner

Sweeter than Honey

Oh, that we would be still, to savor the richness of God’s Word; looking simply to Him, and letting it quietly sink in.

The law of the LORD is perfect,
reviving the soul.
The statutes of the LORD are trustworthy,
making wise the simple.

The precepts of the LORD are right,
giving joy to the heart.
The commands of the LORD are radiant,
giving light to the eyes.

The fear of the LORD is pure,
enduring forever.
The ordinances of the LORD are sure
and altogether righteous.

They are more precious than gold,
than much pure gold;
they are sweeter than honey,
than honey from the comb.

Psalm 19:7-10 (New King James Version)

Photos by Petra

A Special Find

Several days ago, I’ve stumbled across a most touching and encouraging post:

“Letting go is not the same as giving up“  by Greg Lucas.

The author’s story, sensitivity, transparent honesty, encouragement and gift of writing all leave me feeling grossly unqualified to expand on it.

Yet, Greg’s words pulled me in… they pulled me into a world I know very little of and left me quietly crying with a mother I do not even know. The pain of letting go and its stabs of guilt are no strangers to me. Perhaps all the love that we as parents pour into our children connects us somehow even though our circumstances differ as night and day.

Our carefully painted compositions each tell a different story until the colors run. We feel undone and our hearts break, because in God’s book we’re all disabled and in utmost need of His sovereign intervention. We were created for His purpose and need His help to become who He has destined us to be.

When my eyes fell upon the following sentence, I felt more than sympathy. I felt deeply convicted!

My selfish attitude of, “No one can care for my son as good as myself” faded into the submission and surrender of his future to the care of my sovereign God.

How often have I expressed that same attitude myself? If I’m going to be honest, more than once. I’ve realized (perhaps too late) that no matter what I fill the blank with, when my heart cries, “No one can ___ as good as myself!” my sacrifices and desires take center stage. Instead of trusting God and His perfect sacrifice, I rely on my ‘self‘ and its own inadequate and exhausting efforts.  Sometimes we try so hard to rescue those we love that we fail to see the Savior’s hand at work.

Letting go often feels as though the house of cards we’ve so painstakingly erected suddenly collapses and the things that used to bring us joy and laughter all lie in a heap, and it breaks our hearts! Letting go of the things that have helped us to become who we are, the many tasks and trials that gave us our purpose, is more than hard. It leaves us feeling helpless and all alone, but this is precisely where God wants us! In God lies our greatest treasure.

I’m so thankful to have found this article, and in no way wish to detract from it. To have met this special family, and to have learned from them the immense value of letting go and trusting God, is a gift. It is my heart’s prayer that they will continue to run the race set before them with great hope and endurance, and that they will love and cherish God and each other more and more as time goes on.

I hope that many other parents will find hope, faith and courage as they read Greg’s story. I pray that we will each run and not grow weary even if we fail to see the light or hear the lauds at the finish line of our earthly endeavors. Let us embrace each new hurdle, knowing that it’s God’s way of bringing us closer to His heart. May we keep our eyes fixed on the prize because the One who made it all worthwhile awaits us!

© Petra O. Hefner

Waves in the Comment Queue

I went blog surfing the other day and almost drowned. As I was paddling down a blogger’s comment queue I noticed that some contributors’ opinions caused quite a ripple. I contemplated leaving my own two cents’ worth but the ripple caused waves – big, choppy waves, and I got out!

How sad that we believers would use a slew of carefully selected verses and Christian clichés as deadly missiles. Why do we have such an adamant need to be right? Some may contend that God’s honor is at stake, but does God really need us to defend His truth and honor; at what expense?

Then how are we to uphold the truth? Truth does matter, does it not? It would be impious not to speak the truth in all things! Yes, but speak the truth in love we must! Let us look upon the One who is full of truth and grace. Did He argue?

At appropriate and God-appointed times Jesus knew when to speak, when to expound and when to walk away! He often spoke in parables because He knew the condition of His listeners’ ears and hearts, and He understood their motives.

And Jesus knew when to punch a heart fair and square, and in love. He’d punch deep enough to cause conviction yet gracefully enough to pave the way to forgiveness and reconciliation; but He didn’t argue. He didn’t have to. Instead He prayed, and He prayed a lot!

We’ve all had hearts of stone once; some very beautiful and gifted stones of merit, others not so smooth. We’ve all been saved by grace! Try as we may, we could never get it right! Christ made it right!!!

I could see Jesus drop His opinion right into the midst of all that pious rant: “He who is without sin among you, let him throw the first stone!” We could learn much from the Master. Let Him punch the heart to make it soft again. Then let Him bid the waves be still!

Believer, you can bear your testimony… You can say, “He is divine to me… He has done that for me which none but a God could do. He has subdued my stubborn will, melted a heart of adamant, opened gates of brass, and snapped bars of iron… And he is full of grace. Ah! had he not been, I should never have been saved. He drew me when I struggled to escape… And he is full of truth. True have his promises been, not one has failed. I bear witness… Jesus is to me all grace and no wrath, all truth and no falsehood: and of truth and grace he is full, infinitely full. – Charles H. Spurgeon

How do you think we should bear testimony to the truth?

~~~

© Petra O. Hefner

Grace Still Waits

“For the grace of God hath appeared…”

The friend we’ve hungered for
The soul mate we’ve yearned for
The liberator we’ve hoped for
The rescuer we’ve ached for…

The truth we’ve meditated
and pondered was rejected!

Was ridiculed, mocked, bruised, belittled
humiliated, injured and disgraced!
Was teased, tortured, agonized and trampled
drained of life and maimed!

Fairness wore the scars of sin
that we’re too vain to face!

Innocence bore the wrath of death
that lies in wait for us!

Grace appeared as an immaculate life,

while an age-old lie tried to kill and mute the truth
but failed and fled, in light of His great mercy.

Grace still waits for us; still longs for us
to know the One who cannot be denied.

~~~

© Petra O. Hefner