Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!

Psalm 46:10

Are you a “list person”? As for me, not only do I incessantly make lists, but if I do something that’s not on my list, I will write it on there just so I can cross it off. It’s so satisfying—am I right?

The problem comes when I feel the need to jot down what I think should be on other people’s lists…and then hound them (to their face or in my own mind) until each item is completed. The way I believe it should be completed. These are some of the signs of a control freak.

We all may be able to relate with the above scenario surrounding, say, household chores (clothes-folding methods, vacuum patterns, etc.). But what about the bigger issues of life? A child’s academic dedication (or lack thereof) in high school, or the way a friend is handling a marital problem. Or, what about the choices being made by college-age or adult children—kids you “raised in the church” and who have professed their faith, but now they’re walking far from the Lord?

Sisters, here are some hard words to hear (and I’m telling them to myself): We have to let go of trying to control others. We can share our wisdom and truth from God’s word. We can communicate how we’d handle the situation at hand, given our experience. That child, friend, or spouse may not listen or change their behavior. But. We. Cannot. Take. Control.

We can, however, pray. We can “be still and know He is God.” Give God the burden and let Him have control over the situation. (He’s got it anyway, regardless of how frequently we try to wrestle it away from Him!) When we love someone, it’s really hard not to want to take over and “fix” what’s going on. But we have a God—the Creator of the universe—Who is sovereign and able. 

So, let’s turn our eyes away from those situations we want to control and focus on the One Who has it all in the palm of His hand.

I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say, ‘My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please.’

Isaiah 46:10

Do you like parades? Around the country—and world—there are parades, large and small, for almost every occasion. There are the biggies, like the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day and the Rose Bowl parades. But all year long there are processions of marching bands, floats, and clowns in tiny cars to celebrate myriad aspects of life and culture. 

And wherever we are standing alongside the parade route, we get to enjoy the sights and sounds of what’s right in front of us. Sure, we may hear the drums of an upcoming band or look down the block at a giant balloon that has passed by. But we don’t really know how many performers there will be or what the big finale is in store. No, we only have a singular perspective—a point of view.

Isn’t this just like life? We experience what’s right in front of us—and get to choose our response. We can remember and learn from what has been…and although we may have a sense of what’s coming, we’re not certain. And this can be very frustrating—am I right?

But God has an eternal perspective! He knows the beginning from the end of our lives. He is the parade Designer. 

This concept can be confusing—the thought of God’s eternal knowledge of your life. But think about a blimp (or a drone) flying over a magnificent parade. From that view, the entire parade can be seen, from grand marshal to grand finale and everything in between. This perspective also captures the crowds, standing along the route and uniquely responding to what’s right in front of them. 

Let’s consider God’s perspective of our lives in this way. We can’t see what’s coming or how it ends. But He can. He knows what’s down the line of our lives—and He wants us to cherish each moment of what’s right in front of us. Savor it, learn from it, and prepare to experience what’s next. Remember also that He has it all under control. 

So, c’mon…let’s enjoy the parade.

By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going.

Hebrews 11:8

As one who is directionally challenged, I do appreciate that (somewhat annoying) voice telling me exactly where and when to turn so I’ll arrive at my desired destination. When using GPS, some of us might not even pay attention to the route before we pull out of the driveway. We just pop in an address and go—trusting that voice for each step of the way. 

Wouldn’t it be awesome if we had the same level of faith and step-by-step compliance when it comes to the Lord’s directions for our lives? Now, for this GPS-to-God’s-will analogy to be accurate, it must be acknowledged that we don’t always (or ever!) know our destination—the place where God wants us to go. And this is perhaps where GPS has spoiled us. We say to Him, “OK, Lord, just tell me where I’m going to end up, and I’ll go.” Or, “Lord, that is where I want to be, show me how to get there.” 

Honestly, our faith journey is more like jumping in the car and pressing “start route” without knowing the ultimate destination. Even when we ask (and beg) Him to show us His will or give us the big picture, we may only hear Him say, “Here’s the first step. Go.” 

“But God,” we respond, “where will this lead? What do you have in store?” When silence follows, we must recognize what God is waiting for—what He teaches us through Moses and other great men and women of the Bible: He wants obedience one step at a time, even when we have no idea what the very next step might be. And as we make our way, we might not even know the destination until we actually get there. But, if we are faithful to follow His divine directions, we can be confident that when we hear, “You have arrived,” that the destination will be for our good and His glory

For by one sacrifice He has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.

— Hebrews 10:14

Before I became a Christian, I believed whole-heartedly that there were many ways to God—different paths, each as valid as the next. In fact, I was so vehement that I designed a logo representing it and had it tattooed onto my body. Now, that’s commitment. 

But, thankfully, the Lord was leading me to the Truth. And, after three decades of going to church (because my “path” was Catholicism), I heard the Gospel for the first time. I truly understood that through Jesus, my sins were paid, and I was made righteous in the eyes of a God that requires perfection. 

Even after I heard the Truth, I questioned God…surely, He wouldn’t condemn all those Baha’i, Buddhists, and Muslims who are just as passionate about their path to Heaven. How could Christianity be so narrow-minded? Couldn’t there still be many ways to God? 

So, on the front steps of my newfound church, I asked that question of the pastor. And he explained a simple, profound truth: Within all the world religions, people must work to earn heaven—they must pursue “good enough” by their own efforts and deeds. Not so with Christianity. By what He accomplished on the cross, Jesus Christ paid in full the cost of eternal life with God. There’s nothing we can do to earn it or be good enough. We are sinners, and the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus. (Romans 6:23).

Jesus paid our debt, stamping it, “Paid in Full”—we owe nothing…and everything. In fact, when Jesus cried from the cross, “It is finished,” the original word equates with a debt being satisfied. 

Others do and do and do, never to be perfected. Christians, however, have been made perfect and holy because He paid it all for us. It’s done. We don’t have to work for our salvation—and fail repeatedly. Instead, in response to what Christ did, we do good—not to earn but in grateful response. 

So, I added the word Teleo to my “tattoo testimony.” It translates from Greek into, “I am complete.” 

Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. ~ Ephesians 4:32

The Bible says a lot about forgiveness. Throughout the New Testament, Jesus and the Epistle writers command believers forgive. But often, we believe that “forgiving” equates with “condoning”—and that forgiveness negates the associated pain of the wrong. But that’s not the case.

The thing is, forgiveness is a choice—not a feeling. And true forgiveness, although it is a gift to the other person, frees our own soul from the destructive burden of bitterness and anger.

About this time several years ago, a virtual bomb was dropped in my life—a revelation of truth that devastated my very soul. I was more hurt and angrier than I thought possible. And no one would have faulted me for wrapping a firm grip around bitterness, never to let go.

Instead, within a matter of hours—in the midst of the shock, horror, pain, and disbelief—I did something unexpected. I chose to forgive.

Please know this was not of my own power—it was not humanly possible. It was the Holy Spirit, living in me, that gave me the supernatural ability to make that decision. In the middle of my pain, He convicted my spirit with five simple words that still burn within today: “How dare you not forgive?”

See, my life is daily filled with sin. I am a sinner. But Jesus stretched out His arms on that cross to pay the penalty I owe. Yesterday’s, today’s, and tomorrow’s sins are all forgiven and thrown into the sea of forgetfulness. We who accept the precious gift of salvation are made white as snow even though our sins are as scarlet. (Isaiah 1:18) 

When you consider people in your life who have wronged you, you may think, “But that person’s sin is way worse than mine—they hurt me!” But in God’s economy, every sin is an imperfection that stains the perfect righteousness required by a perfect God. And every sin hurts Him too. 

We are forgiven. Because of what Jesus accomplished—His pain and suffering on our behalf, His amazing mercy and grace—how can we not extend that same grace, mercy, and forgiveness to another?

Because we are forgiven through Christ, let’s choose to be forgiving through Christ.