Melissa Runcie | Madabella

Gratitude No. 4: The Difficult Thanks

 
Things are different. Foreign. Apprehensive. Melancholy.

But I rejoice, still. And I give thanks in all things. And I sing the difficult hallelujah.

And I remember him. And I lift praise for the certainty of hope.

Four years ago, I wrote a post on Thanksgiving for my father. Today, I am dusting it off the archives to repost it.

One of the most special things you can do for others is say how much they mean to you. All too often we race through life without pausing to tell the people we love how much they have impacted us, taught us, inspired us...

In April, I started a special project for my dad...as a birthday gift. And yes, I realize it's November and I am STILL working on it! I contacted all his closest friends and family members and asked them to share what they love about my dad, recall a special memory or tell how he has touched their lives. It was amazing for me to see my dad in the way others see him...and I'm not quite sure he really knows how he has touched so many lives. It will be a gift I know he will treasure forever.

In the spirit of Thanksgiving, I wanted to share my page that tells the reasons why I am proud to call him dad.

 
Click on image to view larger.

This week I shared thoughts on gratitude. Don't miss GIFTED: 12 Days of Handmade launching December 1st. Subscribe now to receive posts via email or rss feed.

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Today's post inspired by Imperfect Prose, a collective of stories written on redemption and grace.

Gratitude No. 3: Blessing of Surrender

 

A special welcome to those of you visiting from (in)courage today! God taught me the joy of surrender, but later He showed me the blessing of surrender.

Read Part 1 on (in)courage.

When Jesus asks us to pick up our cross and follow Him, we do so knowing the burdens will be heavy.

We take one step at a time, sometimes tumbling down from the weight of it all and dragging that cross to who knows where.

In bearing the cross, we intimately connect with the suffering of Jesus Christ. A paled suffering, but burdensome nonetheless.

Then we forget.

In the midst of decisions, cloudy roads and turbulent wanderings, we forget the cross was resurrected.

We forget about the victory that we WILL indeed have in Christ, in His time, in His way.

A victory just beyond the bend in the road.

I forgot.

We surrendered a small part of our lives, my vehicle, and then we went on with life.

I stumbled over coordinating schedules, leaving the house an hour earlier than normal to drop my husband off at work, timing bus schedules, putting air in bicycle tires, maneuvering a truck in small parking lot spaces, and so on.

I forgot about the joy that comes in full surrender and I just survived.

Then something unexpected happened.

God resurrected our cross.

We fully expected to pay additional thousands to the bank after our car sold at auction. A brand that no one wanted to buy because of historic recalls and looming fraudulent business practices.

Yet, a month later, a blessing was deposited into our bank account.

A bank account that was closed.

When we called to check on the account, we discovered the bank attendant was amazed at the leftover funds from a van that sold at a greater price than expected.

During a time of tremendous trial, Job was given a word:

"Listen to this, Job; stop and consider God's wonders.” (Job 37:14)

In trials and tribulations, let us remember His good works. The ones too numerous to count.

In defeat, recount the victory already promised to us.

In carrying the cross, let us wait in anticipation for the resurrection.

In surrender, let us rejoice in the blessing that follows.

God never asks us to give up something He doesn’t plan to return in spiritual abundance.

We don’t have another car, but in exchanged for voluntary surrender I encounter a sanctuary of praise and worship when the four become one in spirit.

And that alone makes it all worth it.

This week I'm sharing thoughts on gratitude. Don't miss GIFTED: 12 Days of Handmade launching December 1st and PLANTED Bible Study series launching February 1st. Subscribe now to receive posts via email or rss feed.

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Today's post inspired by:

 

Featured on (in)courage: Voluntary Surrender

 

More than a year ago, Dayspring gave flight to a dream and (in)courage website was launched. Each day this collective of women string words from the heart and I am constantly amazed at God’s unfailing love and goodness that flows like the rivers and washes souls clean.

Today, my heart bows in gratitude, not just at the opportunity to offer my own words at (in)courage, but to encounter the value of surrendering my life to Him.

“Surrender hung in the backdrop of days prior. It followed quietly in the distance, forcing me to look back every so often. However, I couldn’t grasp its lingering presence.

Voluntary Surrender.” 

Please click here to read the full story, this excerpt from the pages of my life called “Voluntary Surrender.”

 

Gratitude No. 2: The Lonely Hour

 

Jesus, overflowing with the unwavering love and compassion that held Him to the cross, looked down upon His mother. Head pounding with pain from thorns dug in, flesh stinging from raw wounds, attention turned to the disciple and mother whom He loved.

Jesus’ beaten body was dying while His servant heart kept beating.

"Behold, your mother!"

As he stepped closer into that lonely hour, Jesus desired to see His mother provided and cared for. Living out the letter of the law, honoring Father and mother with last breaths.

“From that hour the disciple took her into his own household.” (John 19:27)

Jesus’ earthly mission was accomplished and a new mission lay before John as caretaker of His Savior’s mother.

No longer would John walk alongside His beloved, who sandals brushed up dust behind them. No longer would he tenderly recline on the chest of His Savior, hearing His heartbeat and pondering His deep love.

Slowly the disciple momentarily slips off pages of scripture.

His brother James was martyred. Paul’s ministry splashed all over the pages of Acts and Peter’s leadership fulfilled the promise of Jesus as the church was being built.

John?

He was taking care of Jesus’ mother.

No big headlines of epic healings, casting demons, powerful conversions in the name of John.

He simply served in the quiet shadows of obscurity.

John was a pillar on the frayed edges of the church. Yet it is here Jesus was refining John to be trusted with the greatest Revelation of all time.  

Motherhood can seem a bit like this obscurity.

Rather than my role being played out on a stage and a corner office, it’s lived between folds of laundry, swept crumbs and prepared meals.

At home, in solitude.

There are days I doubt I'm making an impact.

There are days I doubt motherhood is indeed a ministry.

Then I remember John. The disciple whom Jesus loved.

El Roi, the God who sees, used every moment of obscurity, every wave of loneliness, every solitary thought for His purpose. His exceedingly abundant purpose.

And I’m propelled toward gratitude in my own lonely hour, knowing God is cultivating my character in the stillness of days, preparing me for moments already written with His hands.

This week I'm sharing thoughts on gratitude. Don't miss GIFTED: 12 Days of Handmade launching December 1st. Subscribe now to receive posts via email or rss feed.

Gratitude No. 1: In the Crevices + DIY Thanksgiving Place Cards

God works big wonders in the small crevices of life.

This season has cultivated an acute awareness of God's provision over our lives. More than miracles of radical transformation, healing power or material abundance, we have found God in the faintest whisper. Under-the-breath thoughts have risen as prayers and Most High God has answered.

My husband and I remember the early days of our marriage. He drove a rundown truck that "required" passengers to lean forward to make it up a steep hill. Sometimes I frantically waved my hands out the window to give it an extra push. Or perhaps I was just having fun. With minimal responibilities, we lived in an apartment and our careers were just beginning to launch. No children. No mortgage payments. No car payments.

Life was simple and carefree. Just us, getting by.

More than eight years later - that is one house, two children, four cars, and five jobs later - we find ourselves in the same place financially as when we first married.

We've come full circle, having the same humble salary and one truck that putt putts up the hill. Yet, I have discovered the simple faith I was raised on. God always provides and wants His best for us.

We have no need.

Overflowing abundance has come from random offerings of help, anonymous checks in the mail, unlikely refunds, timely emails and dinner parties with friends. The body of Christ has surrounded us with more love than we know what to do with.

And we tell our stories.

We cast ebeneezer stones in the water and set up invisible altars of remembrance for our children.

Mommy put in a prayer request about trusting God for provision during an exceptionally hard month and the next morning a check arrived for the exact amount we were short. And the day after that, a friend brought enough chicken to fill our entire freezer!

Mommy was wondering how to do all these 12 Days of Handmade crafts without any extra supplies. As soon as I finished thinking that, Daddy tossed me a piece of mail. It was a Michael's gift card from a friend.

Remember how we drank Orange Juice for dinner last night because we were out of milk? Well, this morning, a friend emailed me, "Do you need milk!" She gave us two gallons!

And more and more stones are cast into a deep ocean, sending ripples of God's grace to all who remember.

"Is it because we are good Christians?" my youngest daughter asked one afternoon while pondering the ways God's mighty hand has reached down.

No, Honey. We aren't good Christians. God doesn't keep a holy honor roll. It's His grace. It's His tender care for us, His children.

We are grateful God is watching over us.

We have no need.

As a matter of fact, we have more than we've ever had before.

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Share heartfelt gratitude for those seated around your Thanksgiving table this year with these "Bounty of Blessings" place cards. Click to Download. (896 kb, PDF)

This week I'm sharing thoughts on gratitude. Don't miss GIFTED: 12 Days of Handmade launching December 1st. Subscribe now to receive posts via email or rss feed.

DIY: Mom's Advice Book

 

One of the favorite gifts I still peruse eight years later is a collection of handwritten notes representing decades of wisdom from the women in my life. Each note reveals a small part of these precious women who, for a moment, pondered what it meant to be a mother and offered golden nuggets of advice to pass along.

Admittedly, I didn't post the cards on my refridgerator, tape them next to the bottles or tuck them in my diaper bag. Rather, every now and then I recalled the faithful (and sometimes funny) words of a friend and reassured myself I was doing a good job at my first motherhood gig.

I created this mini book for a friend and if you have a soon-to-be mama in your life, I'm sure she'll enjoy this gift from the heart.

 

:: SUPPLIES

1 Small Kraft Paper Bag
Small Colored Treat/Gift Bags (can be purchased at local craft store)
2 Rings
Hole Punch and Circle Punch
Odds and Ends papers, ephemera to design cover
Rub on or Sticker Letters
Silk Flower

:: DIRECTIONS

1. Cut out sides of the kraft paper bag so only the "front" and "back" of the bag is left with handles intact. You will have two separate pieces.

2. Prep the small colored bags by punching a half circle at the opening of each bag. This ensures easy access of advice cards. If you have rub-on or sticker alphabets, you can add names of everyone offering a note.

 

3. Align a stack of small colored bags with the brown paper bag and punch 2 evenly spaced holes at the bottom.

4. Decorate the cover of the album. Pictured here are random papers, buttons, a small bunting flag made from vintage school book papers, bingo card and flower adhered with a glue gun.

5. Cut small pieces of various patterned paper to fit inside small envelopes. I added a button to the ends of each paper.

6. Put album together by inserting pages to the rings.

 

6. And advice cards, wrap a ribbon around the handles of the bag and pass along to mama-to-be!

Looking for DIY ideas for the holidays? Subscribe now to receive GIFTED: 12 Days of Handmade via email or rss feed.

These Mornings

 

This organic collision of hearts is a gift.

In a season of loneliness, confusion, hurt and broken fellowship, I stepped out.

The seekers came.

And we gather on these mornings.

As time stills, holy words breathe life in the midst of coffee and sometimes freshly baked bread.

Hearts hem in as stories unfold.

Stories of loneliness, confusion, hurt and broken fellowship.

Unexpectedly, I encounter what I thought I left behind.

And I discover this is the gift.

The gift to open souls, shed tears, lay hands, bear burdens.

Silence fills space between and reverence comes in.

Then shouts of victory, triumph, overcoming and praise.

Morning becomes noon and we walk away flowing with God-breathed words, covered in incense of saints.

This organic collision of hearts is agape.

 

Photo Credit

On the Battlefield: How Art Healed Our Marriage

Welcome visitors from Art Saves! My friend Cheryl featured my site yesterday and in honor of that, I’m sharing a story of how God used art in the process of restoring my marriage.

After years of faithfully serving Moses, Joshua was appointed by God to lead the children of Israel into the land of promise. However, the land was already occupied and the Israelites would need to conquer and take back what was rightfully theirs. I believe Joshua well understood the meaning of his name, "The Lord is my salvation." Salvation from their enemies would only come from the Lord God Himself.

"Be strong and courageous..." Joshua 1:6

When God appointed Joshua to rise up as a leader, He admonished Him over and over to be strong and courageous. He reminded Joshua of the oath He had given, but also knew Joshua would be on the battlefield. The promise would not come without a fight. Toil and tears lay ahead, but God would lead them through the valley.

"...Be strong and courageous! Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the Lord God is with you wherever you go." Joshua 1:9

There is much to be learned from Joshua. While we are not in a battlefield facing giants occupying our land, we do face daily battles in our everyday lives, our homes, even in our own hearts.

2009 was a year that tested my marriage and ultimately exposed my own walk with the Lord. I thought I stood strong, walking on a sure foundation with Jesus as the chief cornerstone. In reality, I walked unsteadily on a balance beam of faith that resulted in my own fall, hurting my husband and children deeply along the way. Anger, rage, resentment, pain, and sorrow entered our home. The one I vowed to love, honor and cherish became my enemy. We would go head to head in battle every day. Battle after battle after battle.

In July of that year a group of my friends joined together in a Bible Study that used art as a vehicle for going deeper with God. However, as God would have it, my husband and I went deeper with each other.

Each art piece we created helped open doors where they were once walls and we realized one important thing.

We were fighting the wrong enemy and didn't even know it.

"Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness. against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places." Ephesians 6:12 

My husband and I realized we need to stand TOGETHER behind a shield of faith against the one who seeks to devour and destroy. (I Peter 5:8-9)

Being on a battlefield is exhausting and takes preparation, hard work and commitment. We must be ready to fight, even when we are tired and weary. We must put on our armor even when it feels so heavy that it weighs us down. We must stand up and raise our swords, even when our arms are weak, bruised and battered. 

We created this artwork as our daily reminder and a symbol to stand united always.

 

"Take up the full armor of God, that you may resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. Stand firm therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming missiles of the evil one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God." Ephesians 6:11-17

Truthfully, it seems far easier to give up and wave a white flag of surrender.

Then, I am given an encouraging reminder to stand firm. After all, the battle is already won by Jesus Christ. We have overcome and have great victory in Him. As tears welled up in her eyes in the midst of eating dinner together, in all her seven years of wisdom, Isabella said,

 "I have something to say. Even though this was the saddest part of my life, I want to let you know that I am glad you guys chose to work things out and stay together. I am very proud of you for that. I didn't want you to get divorced because I want us to be a family."

 "Be strong and courageous..." The same words that rang in Joshua's ears, rang over and over in my own heart. Just as God promised Joshua that he would overcome his enemies, He promises the same to us.

 "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches, To him who overcomes, I will grant to eat of the tree of life, which is in the Paradise of God." Revelation 2:7

When Joshua and the children of Israel defeated their enemies, they entered the promised land in Israel. And while I don't think bottles of champagne were poured or streamers and balloons filled the room, a victory speech was still in order. From the time of Abraham to the bondage in Egypt, the Israelites were reminded of how faithful God was. Yet, they were also confronted with the fact they turned away from the very God who rescued them. A choice now laid before them.

"Choose for yourselves today whom you will serve...but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." Joshua 24:15

This anthem of old, spoke thousands of years ago after a victorious battle won by the Lord, has now become a hymn of victory in our own home.

Face Paints and Forgiveness

She couldn’t wait to dig into the face paints and create a masterpiece. There is nothing quite like the exhilaration of unwrapping your imagination, watching it unfold with each stroke of the brush. Together, sisters giggled and tickled their way through painting each other’s faces. Taking turns, they spoke of colorful fairytale lands and magic castles as wings formed on one cheek and flowers formed on the other.

In that moment, they were experiencing life together in the fullest.

Laughing, dreaming, and carrying out the art of sisterhood and friendship. Lost in bright hues and make believe stories, neither of them had a care in the world.

That is until they brought out the mirrors.

“BELLA! This does not look like a butterfly!”

Little sister screamed hysterically as she ran upstairs to hide under the bed. Butterfly wings morphed into messy splotches of paint and remnants of artistic beauty were left behind as tear drops fell to the floor.

Little sister cried because her vision of a glorious butterfly fluttering to her face resembled more of a fuzzy caterpillar. Big sister, who never painted a face before, was crushed.

The evening that sprung forth in anticipation was reduced to disappointment because of unmet expectations.

TEARING DOWN THE HOUSE

I have been there too. Wallowing in my own dark corner, agonizing over failed plans, misspoke words and broken relationships when someone has hurt me.

Our minds become inundated with everything that should have, could have or would have been. The enjoyment of creating life, telling stories and laughing together fades in the background when a heavy let down crashes into the heart.

We, too, can easily hide under the bed, refusing to come out when we’ve been hurt. However, in that dark moment, our thoughts tear the other person down.

She disappointed me.

He wasn’t there for me when I needed him.

She failed to live up to my standards.

He doesn’t do this for me.

Relationships crumble under the weight of unmet expectations. King Solomon tells us that a wise woman builds her house, but a foolish one tears it down with her own hands. Hands of negative thoughts, hurtful words and selfish actions.

WHEN ALL ELSE FAILS, FORGIVE

The next morning, after the Great Face Painting Debacle, I found two notes on the backseat of our truck.

To Bella, From Madelyn: I got mad when you painted my face. I am really sorry. I hope you forgive me. Please write back.

I forgive you. Love, Bella.

I recalled the evening prior when I made Madelyn apologize. However, true repentance can never be forced. Rather, it is compelled by love. And sometimes it doesn’t come until the next morning.

“Love believes all things, hopes all things.” I Corinthians 13:7

Every morning I also have a choice.

I can replay soundtracks of weaknesses, failures and disappointments of others or I can sing sweet songs of praise, adoration and forgiveness.

Today, I choose the latter.

Today, I choose grace.

Planted

Moses journeyed to the end of road. Deliverance came to the children of Israel through his hand and for forty years he led them through the wilderness. Standing on the edge of this Promised Land, Moses knew he would never step foot on the rich soil. Yet, he willingly served God to the very end of his life.

Looking beyond the Jordan, Moses motioned the way to the Promised Land by telling God’s people how to live a life set apart. A heaven sent monologue of holy statues, judgments and declarations for the people to follow.

Even then, a hundred declarations could be summed up in the greatest commandment, “Love the LORD your God will all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.” Deuteronomy 6:5

Moses reminded the Israelites of the toil and sweat characterizing the land left behind and steered them toward the land whose Source is from above.

“The land you are entering to take over is not like the land of Egypt, from which you have come, where you planted your seed and irrigated it by foot as in a vegetable garden.

But the land you are crossing the Jordan to take possession of is a land of mountains and valleys that drinks rain from heaven. It is a land the LORD your God cares for; the eyes of the LORD your God are continually on it.” Deuteronomy 11:10-12

Through Moses, God urged His people to be planted deep in the rich soil sworn to Abraham. God wanted them to be oaks of righteousness that didn’t bend to false gods or sway on winds of disbelief.

“So if you faithfully obey the commands I am giving you today, to love the LORD your God and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul, then I will send rain on your land in its season, both autumn and spring rains, so that you may gather in your harvest…you will eat and be satisfied.” Deuteronomy 11:13-15

Being planted meant delighting in God’s Word, knowing that in due season, the harvest would be plenty.

God calls each of us to be planted in Him.

“But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and in His law he meditates day and night. And he will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in due season, and its leaf does not wither; and in whatever he does, he prospers.” Psalm 1:2-3

The Israelites transplanted to a land flowing with milk and honey. Today, we can bloom where we are planted, partaking of the milk of the Word and the sweet honey of God’s precepts.

 

How are you blooming where God has planted you right now in this very season?

 
 

In February, through the online bible study series “PLANTED” we’ll discover the harvest yielded from being planted, rooted, pruned and cultivated in the Lord. Each session includes in depth bible study, short stories from women, study guides, photograph essays and worship.  

Don’t miss this series launch! Subscribe now to receive posts via email or feeder.