Footprints 

A few days ago I left my footprints in the sand. I was walking in search of Jesus, reaching for his nail scarred hand. This countenance, a plea and praise on my heart did land. When I wander forth from you, Lord and my veers, direct me back till Your Light in my view appears. May my steps always follow your trail for that is the only way my flesh will fade and allow Your Spirit to prevail. You are the Light of the world. You shine in the heavens, on the waters and among the tiniest grains of sand. There is not one spot under the sun that Your light can be undone. May your glow always lead me to look up and ahead, never back where my transgressions in your sight are dead. Thank you, Lord Jesus, for dying for me; it is only because of you that my blind eyes are allowed to see. When I needed a friend it is you who has always been there; and because I required a Savior, it was you who my sins did bear. It is finished you did cry, so that I may live with you forever, never to die.

Idols of the Heart

I grew up in a small peach colored house in Southeast Texas. We had a huge yard, roughly 1.5 acres I think. I spent most of my days as a younger child outside exploring the woods around my house, catching crawfish in the ditch that spiraled the side of our home and just enjoying the many possibilities that a big yard and an ambitious imagination afforded me.

In two particular areas of our yard where the landscape was lower and prone to hold water, you could hardly take more than a couple of steps without stepping on a “crawdad” mound. They were prolific! If you have never seen a crawdad mound, they are ugly. I would equate them to a tiny black or brown cone shaped igloo made of mud.

As a kid wanting to run, turn cartwheels, jump and roll in the green grass, particularly fresh cut, in wide open spaces, the crawdads and their homes were unwelcomed intruders. I can vividly remember ever day in the summer time I would kick those suckers over thinking I was reclaiming my territory. One by one, I would go through and clear my space for play. The frustrating thing about destroying the crawdad’s homes, however, was that it seemed that no sooner than I flattened them, I would return the next day to find them there again.

My attempts at creating a clean, green, grassy playground were endless. Day after day I would have to return to knock down the unsightly invaders to start with a clean slate for play.

This past week I was thinking about idols that set up home in my heart. Those thoughts are what rekindled my childhood memories of the crawdad mounds. I will think I have excavated an idol, feeling like I am ready to start anew, much like my play yard growing up. But the reality is, as soon as I rid myself of one, ten more crop up. Also, it is usually not very long before the “kicked out” idol resurfaces, and I have to deal with it yet again.

John Calvin said the human heart is a factory of idols. I will add to his observation that mine is no exception. Idols are the thieves of souls and confiscators of peace and joy. They are dressed up impostures that promise pleasure but ultimately never deliver the pacification they purport. They have an inferior half-life that leaves all partakers thirsty and still longing for more.

Tim Keller defines idols this way, “[An idol] is anything more important to you than God, anything that absorbs your heart and imagination more than God, anything you seek to give you what only God can give.”

Idols are insidious. They can be occupying my heart and monopolizing my mind long before I realize it if I am not guarded. My heart and mind are permeable, and I have to be a good steward of them because our world is in pursuance of them on all fronts.

If you, like me, regularly find yourself having to expunge the idols that wedge themselves into your heart, do not be discouraged, friend. A wise person once told me that seeing more gaps in my life, is a sign of spiritual maturity.

Only what is acknowledged can be abolished. There is freedom in recognizing our sins because only what is seen can be surrendered. You are loved!

I Am A Sinner

It is not until I fully grasp the depth of my sin that I can be forgiving of the sins of others, and I tend to forget and need reminding of that. Forgiveness in some cases does not look like best friends or even a relationship, but it is the freeing of our hearts from the bondage of resentment, ill-will, revenge and all their destructive relatives. Do I do this perfectly? No, but I am seeking progress, not perfection.

I prayed A LOT leading up to last night’s debate. To be honest, there were moments I wanted to throw something at the television. However, those moments were less than the first debate, and this is why. My sins though they look different, at the root, they are the same. I have lied. I have been a hypocrite. I have said things I would not want other people to hear. I make mistakes every day. You might say, but you are not running for President, (and praise God for that!). Even if we had two different candidates to choose from, not one of them would be justified in picking up, much less cast a stone; and neither am I!

It is so easy for me to become a Pharisee by traveling this road, “well, at least I haven’t done what he/she has done.” That is the slogan for self-righteousness at its best, and I have been there. Jesus said, “I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners and need to repent.” Luke 5:32.

My prayer is that we can all lay down our stones and turn our prosecution into prayers. Unless The Lord acts in a mighty way, and He may, one of these two candidates will become the next president. We need to be accepting of that and fight in those difficult moments to remember that God will still be on the throne on election night.

Yes, both DJT and HC are very imperfect, but so am I. They are both sinners, but so am I. Here is the good news for me, and I hope for them and you, there is no sin too big that the grace of God does not cover in a heart in which He dwells.

Also, we can take ourselves off duty right now because we are not the judge of the state of one’s heart today, tomorrow or ever.

As our pastor told us if you cannot vote for a candidate, vote for a platform; the one that most aligns with your views. I am praying for our country, and you are all loved by me!