grace Archives - karin madden

January 7, 2014 by Karin 4 Comments

Bigger Cups Sizes And Thin Skin

I wish it didn’t matter to me. I wish I could say I don’t care.

I want to be liked. When I am not, it hurts. I wonder what I must have done to cause this perceived dislike, and return the favor – certain it is the other person’s problem anyway.

The skin thickens.

I heard a story once. A priest speaking at a retreat compared us to cups.

The larger our cups get, the thinner the sides. The thinner the sides, the more others can see Christ through us. We pour ourselves out and fill ourselves with Christ.

A woman excitedly responded,

So we want to have a bigger cup size!

The priest smiled and replied,

I choose not to answer that.

Laughter erupted in the room and the woman blushed,

Oh dear.

She is right. We want to have a bigger cup size and thin skin.

(Join me at (in)courage today for the rest of this story…)

Philippians 1:9-11

And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God.

October 30, 2012 by Karin 2 Comments

Grace Dance (#30)

PROMISE #30 ~ GRACE

The storm outside blows furiously. Her name is Sandy.

Sandy… a benign name for a massive force of nature, which may be why she has been nicknamed “Frankenstorm.”

I busy myself with laundry, cleaning, preparing. Filling water bottles, bathtubs, flashlights. Cooking pizzas, popcorn, chicken.

The preparation for a possible power outage.

Who knows if we’ll lose power? Who knows if trees will fall? Who knows what food will remain edible? Who knows how hard, how long, how furiously the winds will blow? How high the waters will rise?

I busy myself with the preparation… while my warrior prepares the things of warriors. Protection of the masses. The waiting game… waiting for word to assist the ones who may fall victim to damage from ferocious winds… rains.

I’ve watched the spectacular fall-tinted leaves… as they are ripped from their home base.

Flung wide.

Here’s a funny thing. I have been chasing God’s promises for 29 days. I vowed to complete 31. I suppose I made the vow to myself… my own self-promise. So, I am bound and determined to finish it. I am so close. I promised God that I would go for 31 days.

The 31 day promise seeking… a promise to myself… to God. And now, I face a possible power outage. Now, of course, this is not the greatest tragedy facing millions at this moment. This is nothing of fear. This really is no big deal in the big picture. It is simply something I wanted to finish. For me. For God.

Then, the words… the words from a dear sister ring in my mind.

It’s all in the prepositions.

It has nothing to do with “for”

It has everything to do with… “with”

I paraphrase the beautiful wisdom from a dear soul, so eloquently spoken to hundreds.

This thought… burying itself deep.

He doesn’t need us to do FOR Him. He wants us WITH Him.

He’s got it. He, after all, is God.

My fingers dance across the keyboard as the wind gusts ebb and flow outside the barriers of these four walls.

This dancing of fingers, for Him… change to a dancing ~ with Him.

I may or may not finish the 31 days. We may or may not lose power, trees, food, water…

We dance with Him, in this swirling world. Once again, opening hands to the Father… hands taken for the dance.

With Him.

This grace… His grace… a gift.

Not one thing I ever do, we ever do… will deserve it.

His grace. His grace is sufficient.

As we dance.

PROMISE #30 ~ God gives grace… His grace is sufficient.

2 Corinthians 12:9

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.

October 2, 2012 by Karin Leave a Comment

Billboards and Bumper Stickers (#2)

#2 ~ PROVISION

12 hours.

1 truck.

6 kids.

2 parents.

2nd time.

1 week.

Road trip.

0 patience

1 definition of insanity.

I need some of God’s promises…

The truth… the kids did great, after much anticipation and recollection of past (painful) road trips. The kids did great. God is good.

My warrior and I had plenty of time to catch up on thoughts, laughs, concerns, memories… all of this between passing bottles, crackers, sippy cups, sandwiches, cookies, movies, reprimands, praises, scowls, smiles… to the back of the red bullet flying down the highway. (I really want to develop a pulley system… back and forth, back and forth).

During the peaceful times (thanks to Pixar), warrior husband and I were able to catch up… on all things related to worry. You know, the things of finance, war, peace, future, and on and on…

Not long into our journey back home, we were both plagued by dormant frustrations that had reared their ugly heads.

I think He uses this to test our response.

To see if we are learning… moving forward… toward Him.

My warrior nodded in agreement.

Silently we pondered, while the rain began to drizzle from the southern skies, wheels spinning, headphone adorned children mesmerized. Quiet. Peace in our hearts… missing.

My thoughts called to Him.

I want to trust You.

I want to know You are here. That You will provide for us.

I know You have time and again. I am sorry I keep asking. I want to trust You more.

My husband has this thing with God. His many commutes back and forth to and from work… he sees God speak to Him…

on billboards and bumper stickers

You know, He speaks to us any way we will hear Him. He knows where we are… heart, mind, body… every moment.

For my warrior… it’s

on billboards and bumper stickers

I don’t know why it amazes me every time… every. single. time. I am blown away. His presence. His faithfulness. His wooing. His reassurance. With Him… trust is rightfully placed.

Don’t you know… 5 minutes into this journey northbound with our six pack… He made it perfectly clear. Not once. Not twice.

At least six times. I lost count.

Just minutes after my thoughts stirred, my heart stirred… wanting so badly to battle the worries of this world…

I looked up.

Need Directions? … God

Not a small sign. On a tractor-trailer!

Then,

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Proverbs 3:5

(Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding)

On the same big rig.

My warrior and I grinned at each other.

5 minutes later… just a few miles down the road…

A red car sped past us… a bumper sticker…

Need directions? Ask God.

Are You kidding me? We both laughed. Ok, ok, we get it…

If there was any doubt, He was going to squelch it.

A few more miles down the road… a billboard… no, two billboards stacked upon each other…

Jesus. I trust You!

Really? We are that dense?

He knows we need Him that much. He loves so much that He relentlessly pursues us, reassures us.

But, He was not finished yet. Yet a few more miles and one more state line behind us… a sign, barely visible on a tree… on the side of the interstate…

No matter what,

Trust God.

We could barely make eye contact with each other. We, waited… for the next one…

And another. A billboard…

God loves you

Still, not enough… a family truck passed us by… a license plate

8 4Jesus

Just like us. Our road trip with 8… our journey with our six pack. All of us… for Jesus.

Just as I am pondering God’s promises. Just as my trust flickers, sparks, trembles in the wind. Just then… He, full of grace and love… He reminds me to trust. He will provide. Every time. All the time. Without fail. A promise. Never broken.

PROMISE #2 ~ God will provide.

Matthew 6:31-34

So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

September 16, 2012 by Karin 4 Comments

When I see you, I see me

Don’t you sometimes feel like a broken record?

(Do kids even know what records are anymore?)

It seems like I spend most of my time saying the same thing over and over again.

be nice

stop fighting

yes, you can do this

yes, you do need help with this

no, you can not have that… do that… take that…

It’s exhausting and I wonder why they don’t just get it the first time (or the seventh). Why won’t they just listen? Learn from me? Do what I ask them to do? I, after all, have been here longer… I know more… I love them more than they know… I have their best interests at heart. I can see the mistakes they make… and I know where these mistakes will take them.

to sadness

to frustration

to confusion

to discontent

to trouble

If they would only listen the first time.

I read something. The thought of it wouldn’t leave my mind. Then I began to pay attention…

Watch the kind of people God brings around you, and you will be humiliated to find that this is His way of revealing to you the kind of person you have been to Him. Now, He says, exhibit to that one exactly what I have shown to you.

Oswald Chambers

I began to pay attention… I found the people around me… six children! I have been like 6 children to God… sigh. Not one, or two, but six little children who are convinced that they know the way… bound and determined to do it their way. Oh, boy.

I have been this. To God.

I can do this by myself

I don’t want to do that

Why should I be nice? Do you know what that person did?

I need (read… want) this, that, and that other thing, too

I will stop fighting when I win… I am right, you know

Humiliating is right. I have behaved just like six young children.

I imagine my own words mirror His…

Why won’t they just listen? Learn from Me? Do what I ask them to do? I, after all, have been here longer… I know more… I love them more than they know… I have their best interests at heart. I can see the mistakes they make… and I know where these mistakes will take them.

Nothing will humble you more than seeing your own behavior embodied in a child, right in front of your eyes.

Then, a light… a child comes to me

I want to give Myrlande a gift

Is this a lot of money where she lives?

My daughter, only 9-years-old, thinks of her Compassion sister. My heart swells. The beauty, the joy… in the giving. Maybe, this is something she listened to the first time. Maybe, the opening of my eyes… have opened theirs a little bit more.

My baby, grabbing mama fingers, pulls herself up to take first steps. Peels of laughter, squeals coming from this blue-eyed doll. One. Step. At. A. Time. Pure joy in her accomplishment. This little one, knowing the strength comes from the hand that steadies her… as she ventures forward on her two feet. Something I can learn from this little one right in front of me.

taking the Hand of strength as I venture forward on my two feet

The awareness. Perhaps, the awareness of what you see in front of you, points back to your own ways. The awareness is the first step in peeling just a few more scales from these eyes… revealing nuggets of wisdom. Revealing… just one more reason to look around, just one more reason… to look Up.

John 13:14-15

Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.

Bigger Cups Sizes And Thin Skin

Grace Dance (#30)

Billboards and Bumper Stickers (#2)

When I see you, I see me

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