His grace is truly AMAZING

Was she really so helpless… so insecure… so incapable… so silly… so foolish… so inept… so over invested in her husband and children… or was she defeated? Simply given up? Convinced it wasn't worth trying, because she would only be laughed at or told she had done it wrong, or at least wasn't good enough? Did she really believe she never needed a break… a ladies night, or a mom's day off, or was it just too hard to get away and she just gave up… Did she really never like being alone, or was she never allowed to have alone time? Did she not know how to relate to people, or did she step back and let her husband do it, until she lost all confidence? Did she sit and let him do all the work around the house, or did she give up because she was led to believe she wasn't good enough? Did he build her up? Or did he relentlessly "tease" her about her weaknesses? Did he grant her great measures of respect ALWAYS, or did he condemn her when she defended herself? Could s...

When our "heads are stuck in a hole" it is hard to see, hear or breathe.  When God pulls us out of that "hole", suddenly we can SEE!  It is bright (painfully bright... like the sun reflecting of the wet pavement after rain), It is spacious (Frighteningly so... like standing on the edge of a cliff on the top of a mountain)... The senses are made alive- so alive it is scarey. The desire to retreat into that "hole" can be great! It is far more comfortable to not see, not hear, not feel... when that is the way it has been the way it's been for way too long.  But once we've seen the truth, to go back is wrong... Because freedom from that "hole"... (freedom to feel, freedom to see, to hear, to risk being hurt)... is His will for our lives... Please Lord, keep my eyes on You and give me the strength and grace to stay out of that "hole".  Don't let me retreat!

Yesterday God got my attention. What a great, humbling experience. At church we are working thru a Bible Study by Beth Moore… on the Psalms of Ascent. It's been wonderful… Before I go farther, what I am going to share is from my heart, truth of my FEELINGS… my PERCEPTIONS… please, don't get your feelings hurt, or take offense… if there's any misunderstanding, it's probably mostly me. If I say something that leads you to believe I am/was wrong, please don't argue with me, pray for the Lord to open my eyes… what I am about to share is from reality as I lived it, what is true as I experienced it… OK? OK. :) Also I need to share one other insight. "Dottie" is a nickname given to me by the couple I adopted as "Mom and Dad" a few years ago. "Dottie" short for daughter, because they call me the "daughter of their heart"… As I was saying… I was doing yesterday's lesson... Mrs. Moore shared a story about the Forward he...