Grace 'n Grounds

Encouragement Grounded in His Truth

Encouragement grounded in Scripture
Rooted in truth. Anchored in Christ.
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  • Promises of God: A Family

    Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure. Ephesians 1:4-5

    When we go to work, we likely build connections with others during our day to day interactions. This is the place where we spend a lot of our time. At least 8 hours of our day, more than likely 5 days a week. We may spend more time with our co-workers than the family we have at home. We may even crave this connection and time away from the demands of parenting. We share big moments, trials, triumphs. These people become like our family.

    But what happens if you don’t have that? If you, on a daily basis, don’t have this family-like connection with others in your workplace?

    Prior to COVID, my day to day role as a mental health professional placed me in a local school setting throughout the year. This was my “placement” and my assignment for the entire school year, or longer if I desired. I spent each day in the buildings I was placed with the staff and students. I become part of their daily lives. I was connected. Part of each individual school family, even if my name badge indicated I worked for an outside agency. I had a work family.

    It has been 2 years since COVID shut down schools for the better part of over a year. These days I shuffle back and forth between 5 different spaces during the week. Some on the same day. Most days I appear as a random face who is popping into a building for a couple hours a day, once a week. I don’t know most of the people. Don’t even know their names. Certain they don’t know mine either. My work family now consists of people across phone lines in another region most days, and I feel disconnected from the many places in which I spend my day. Like I don’t belong. Like I am still searching for my family.

    The second scenario is how many of us go through life. Feeling distant from others. Shuffling from place to place, trying to find a spot where we belong. A place that makes us feel like we are connected. Loved. Wanted. A family.

    But to all who believed in him and accepted him, he gave the right to be called, children of God. John 1:12

    When we seek God, repent, and accept His grace, we become part of His family. We are no longer disconnected because we are now connected with our Father. And with that connection comes all the perks of being part of a family. We have someone to comfort us in times of sorrow, to share in our joy. And we become united with other brothers and sisters within His church. Working together to fulfill one mission. We no longer have to feel as if we don’t belong, or are just wandering from place to place. We have finally found a home. A family. With Him.

    If you are still wandering from place to place today, desperately looking for a connection. A family, some place to call home-why not call on God? He promises to adopt you as His own, and He doesn’t care what company is listed on your name badge. He desires that you be part of His family. He has a place waiting just for you.

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  • His Love Letter

    This is how we’ve come to understand and experience love: Christ sacrificed his life for us. This is why we ought to live sacrificially for our fellow believers, and not just be out for ourselves. If you see some brother or sister in need and have the means to do something about it but turn a cold shoulder and do nothing, what happens to God’s love? It disappears. And you made it disappear. 1 John 3:16, MSG

    We are ending our monthly exploration of the ways in which God expresses true love, and the ways in which He desires we go out and love on others. That we have learned it is far more than receiving gifts, flowers, sweet nothings whispered to us, and seeking this love from a person. That it is a sacrifice we offer, even when we often don’t feel like it; to those we don’t often like.

    Speaking of those we don’t like, I recently had a conversation with my husband. It was after I had kept something that was hurting me to myself for a while. I was disappointed by a relationship. By someone I thought was close. Wouldn’t leave. Was there for me one day, and gone without any explanation the next. It hurt me. It left me wondering what I did wrong. Left me doubting myself. My worth. And I remember in this conversation fighting back tears, though it didn’t take long for them to flow, asking him, “What is it about me? Why are others just so mean to me? I know I do things that are annoying, and I know I have made grave mistakes, but why do I get treated like such dirt?”

    This is the human experience of love at times. Or the worldly love we have come to know. The kind we just toss away when it disappoints or we find a shinier, better version. We cut off, or we speak hurtful words. Love should not hurt. Yes, we sacrifice; and sometimes we do things we don’t really want to do for the ones we love; but we don’t hurt those we love. We sacrifice our feelings for them. We put aside our agendas for them. We are willing to leave them better than we found them, even if we have to leave them. If we don’t do these things-we don’t have love. And yes, love disappears. It can even disappear from the person who freely gave it you, leaving them wondering if they are worthy.

    I heard this song recently, and I am sharing it as I believe it concludes this month’s exploration; and moves into the next month appropriately. While in love, we may desire letters. Well-crafted words that express feelings of affection; which most of the time we don’t likely receive.

    But, we have one. We have a love letter. It’s from God, and I imagine the love letter I would receive back from Him would sound much like it does in this song, especially on those days when I cry out like the artist does to Him-trying to make others proud, seeking approval, coming up empty, feeling worthless, and wanting to just give up. Proving that I need Him more and more.

    My desire for you today is that you do love like He loves you. Not in the ways others have disappointed you. That you leave others better than you found them, not the way they left you. All these things are written in your love letter. He will show you how. Just read it when you feel like giving up.

    I do not own the rights to this music or video.

  • March Scripture Study

    March.
    Some celebrate St. Patty’s Day, and focus on luck and blessings such as worldly possessions, but God promises us a number of blessings that have nothing to do with what we can obtain with wealth or through sheer luck.

    Follow along with me as we read His Word, and focus on some of these promises during the month of March.

    Link to printable below!

    March Promises Calendar (1)Download

    Also, sign-up to receive a daily reflection on each of these verses right in your email inbox, as well as exclusive access to April’s Scripture Study Calendar. Both are only available on the blog or via email subscription!

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  • We Give Because He Gave All

    If someone has enough money to live well and sees a brother or sister in need but shows no compassion—how can God’s love be in that person? 1 John 3:17

    I have the opportunity each month to mentor a few teen girls. While it is part of my role as a mental health provider to also provide some form of group counseling, the challenges of COVID means that the organization for which I work has had to be creative with how we provide this service over the course of the pandemic. As a result, many group counseling sessions take place outdoors or in the local community; at local parks or nature trails.

    It was during one of these park activities that the discussion of homelessness came up. There was a homeless man walking along the edge of the street close to the complex where two of the girls lived. They talked about how they had given him money in the past, and one of the girls asked why he couldn’t just get a job. I told them why some of the population may not work, why I don’t give out money, but will stop and provide a drive thru meal, asking them if there was something left we could give that day. With excitement, they all noted we had an extra hot chocolate, and some left over snacks. “Let’s stop on the way back and give them to him!”

    And so we did. I made it clear it didn’t matter whether he accepted what we gave, but that we gave what we had in abundance, cheerfully.

    Jesus was clear many times throughout his ministry about giving, especially to those in need. In fact, he mentions in Matthew 25:35-40 how giving to the “least of these,” is like giving to Jesus himself:

    For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home. I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me. “Then these righteous ones will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you something to drink? Or a stranger and show you hospitality? Or naked and give you clothing? When did we ever see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ “And the King will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!’

    We are called to give as Jesus gave, and He gave it all. We are called to love as Jesus loved. And he loved enough to die so we could have life. If we profess to love Jesus, we must be willing to give to others as a testament of that love. Not just to those we like. Not just to those that look like us. Not just to those in our inner circle, or those that believe what we believe.

    To the hungry. To the thirsty. To the stranger. To the naked. To the sick. To the prisoner. As if they were Jesus.

    We give in this way to the “least,” remembering we were once the “least,” and he gave to us first. We give because he loves, and we want others to know this love.

    We don’t question who deserves it, we just give.

  • Ain’t No Mountain

    For the mountains may move and the hills disappear, but even then my faithful love for you will remain. My covenant of blessing will never be broken, says the Lord, who has mercy on you. Isaiah 54:10

    I love music. It has been the permeating sound of my life for many years. Even as a kid. Riding in the backseat of my parents car, I remember listening to what I referred to back then as the “oldies.” Motown classics. Old school crooners like Frankie Valli, and girl gangs such as The Shangri-Las. Rides in my dad’s truck consisted of tape decks filled with The Pointer Sisters, and Huey Lewis and the News. I remember kitchen dance parties with Elvis and my mom. Music was my jam, and I loved all of it.

    There is one song that gets me going still today. You probably know it. It’s a duet between Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell. It has even been used in movies when the characters are sharing their pledge to stand with each other-no matter what:

    If you need me, call me,
    No matter where you are
    No matter how far,
    Don’t worry, baby
    Just call my name, I’ll be there in a hurry
    You don’t have to worry

    ‘Cause baby, there ain’t no mountain high enough
    Ain’t no valley low enough,
    Ain’t no river wide enough
    To keep me from getting to you, baby

    Yes. You probably have heard it. But what does it have to do with God?

    If you read through the last half of the book of Isaiah, you will read beautiful lines written of the coming of the blessings God would bestow on the people, and of a coming Messiah who would bring salvation and peace. He also tells of what is to come. Like the mountains and hills he had to make disappear before any of this could happen.

    Like the Israelites heavy reliance and trust in things other than God. The Israelites believed in false prophets who didn’t offer God’s truth. They had a false sense of security. A security in man and his ways and power. They placed trust in their earthly kings. Kings God eventually removed. Kings who were defeated and taken over by those more terrifying and evil than anything their prophets could have predicted, who left them confused, unsafe, insecure, and feeling far from God.

    We have some strongholds, too. Mountains and hills we place our faith in. Pledge allegiance to that can crumble in any season. Our jobs. Our varied affiliations. Our wealth. Our possessions. We find safety and security in these things, but what happens when they are gone?

    What is left?

    My faithful love for you will remain, my covenant of blessing will never be broken. Isaiah 54:10

    Or…Just call my name, I’ll be there in a hurry
    You don’t have to worry

    He is left. God. Hopefully He doesn’t have to send you into exile just to prove your security is truly in Him alone for you to cling to Him; but He will do what it takes-scale all these mountains and hills to show you His love is what remains when everything else is gone.

    His love is the mountain to cling to; the hill that won’t disappear. There is no mountain too high, and no valley too low for God to get to us. And it doesn’t fade away like those other things. Don’t wait until all those things are gone and your in exile to receive it right now-and every day thereafter.

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About Me

I am January! Wife, mother, meemaw, pastor, and mental health provider who makes it through the day with my coffee, my journal, and my God. A simple human, navigating life through the messy and sometimes chaotic. All focused on Him.

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