Growing in Grace

By Marty Norman –

The spiritual journey is long. With each step we move one step closer or one step farther from the image of Christ. It is only through God’s grace and mercy that we grow.

Over and over the scripture explains that God is in the business of refining and purifying. John tells us that nothing is impossible for our God and Romans that God will make something good out of everything. It is normal for him to place each of us in the refiner’s fire because he is working on perfecting the final product.

For the past two months I have been in the refiner’s fire. Recently I moved my mom from the home that she has lived in for 45 years to a retirement home. To say that this experience was a test of character is an understatement.

The situation was clear. Although she is extremely active, everyone agreed that it was time. She was the one who broached the subject and initiated the transfer. None of us were prepared for the emotional and physical drain that would result from this endeavor.

The exercise began as a move; it quickly morphed into a memory walk. As we carefully combed each cabinet and drawer, I experienced the dismantlement of a lifetime -eighty-seven years of memories; eighty-seven years of life. Pictures, scrapbooks, mementos, pieces of furniture, clothing, dishes and serving pieces, each with a story, each with a memory attached. It was mind boggling. I had no idea some of my mom’s journey.

The most amazing part was that she knew what each piece or fragment represented. She remembered each story with clarity. She had written and carefully taped the story of each picture and piece of furniture on the back. Her life was played out before me in a drama I could not have imagined. I saw her as the lead role in a way I had never seen before.

The move lasted way too long and was started way too early. I was exhausted. But for my mom it was too short with not enough time. It made me wonder how much time one has to review and clean out a lifetime?

I learned a lot about my mom over the past two months. I learned a lot about myself. I learned to be patient when it took three hours to clean out or pack a cabinet, and I knew I could have done it in thirty minutes. I learned how much she loved her family as she laid awake nights thinking about which member to give each item. I could have distributed them in minutes, but the process took days. I observed the immense pleasure she received as she gifted the items. I watched the joy of the receiver. I saw with precision how well she knew each of us and how much this all meant to her. I learned to slow myself down, to match each step to hers as I allowed dignity and time to close this chapter of her book.

Did I grow in grace? You bet!  Was I refined and purified along the way?  Without a doubt!  But experiencing and watching my mom’s life flash before her eyes I learned about her refinement. Her life lessons are experiences I will treasure for the rest of my days.

Did God speak? You bet he did. But most of all he accomplished the impossible in his time while honoring her timetable? Everything turned out for the best, probably because we mutually respected and allowed the other’s journey as we grew in the grace of a loving father.

I am so grateful for this time of growing in his grace. But most of all I will make changes in my own preparations accordingly because of this experience.

Marty Norman is a wife, mother, and grandmother of five, who lives in Fort Worth, Texas.  She is the author of “Generation G – Advice for Savvy Grandmothers Who Will Never Go Gray.” You can learn more about her at:   www.martynorman.com, http://martynorman.blogspot.com, http://savvygrandmothers.blogspot.com.

To Love Another Person Is to See The Face of God

By Marty Norman –

Recently I saw a student production of Les Miserable at the local community theatre in For Worth, Texas. All I have to say is wow, the power of this production! And these were high school students. As surely as I stand, I testify that their voices rivaled those of Broadway stars. It was amazing.

A long time has passed since I last saw the production. I had forgotten the depth of the story, how pertinent and timely its message is for today.

The story takes place in France in the late 1770s, during the time of the French Revolution. The plot revolves around a number of mini-plots with the common denominator the transforming power of love.

Love permeates everything: the love of a mother for a child, a man for a woman, a man for his God and a man for his country. Sound familiar? Almost every song or conversation was about God, prayer, forgiveness, redemption, salvation or un-forgiveness.

Biblical, isn’t it?

What struck me most was the contrast between the two main characters, Jean Val Jean and Javert.  If I didn’t know better I would have thought, in a different time and place, that these two could have been Peter and Judas or at least representatives thereof.  In addition, they both were symbolic of everyman, for there isn’t a man or woman who, when he comes to the end of his life, doesn’t have to make the same choice as they made: to choose God and his plan for salvation or eternal damnation.

This contrast between light and dark was highlighted in song and drama. The first character, Jean Val Jean, was a thief, clearly a sinner, and he knew it. In the middle of his sin he came face to face with a priest who, acting as the hands and mouth of Jesus, poured out unconditional love in the midst of sin. This encounter was life-changing, forcing him to take a deep look at himself. In so doing he recognized his sin and cried out to God for forgiveness. He then turned his life around, experiencing a metanoia not unlike Paul’s on the road to Damascus. He then dedicated his life to serving God and his fellow man. Sounds like a Peter to me.

The second man was also a sinner. Javert, a policeman, spent his entire life following the law. But his eyes and ears were closed to truth. Only when faced with the truth of himself did he make a choice.  Encountering the unconditional love and self-sacrifice of Jean Val Jean, his large ego and even larger pride would not let him receive the forgiveness offered. He commits suicide rather than face the truth about himself, thus choosing eternal damnation and separation from God. Sounds like a repeat of the Judas story, doesn’t it?

So what is the lesson learned?

I believe it is more a question than a lesson.  The question being, which one are you?  A Judas or Peter? A Jean Val Jean or Javert?

As believers most of us are Peters. As a Peter, our job is to be aware of the many Judas’ and Javerts that are out there. Knowing their plot and their end, we should all be spurred to give a helping hand, one that offers the transforming power of a loving father who reaches down from heaven through the gift of his Son, to meet each of us in the middle of our sin and reconcile us to himself.

Just like Les Miserables, this Jesus play has a powerful ending too. No longer miserable, we, His people, are now joyous as we join the cast of thousands who enter into the great drama of heaven, receiving the applause, taking curtain calls, and accepting bouquets of roses as  we  choose the kingdom of light over the kingdom of darkness.

And there’s no better production than that, student or otherwise!

I Stand Amazed

By Marty Norman –

And you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” (Acts 1:8)

At the kind invitation of the Bishop of Mpwapwa, SOMA (Sharing Our Ministries Abroad) www.somausa.org sent a team to Tanzania in early June to lead a teaching conference for pastors and their wives on the Holy Spirit. Read more

We Hold These Truths

By Marty Norman –

Believe it or not, back in my former life and younger years, I taught American and world history. To me, settling in among the pages of history was one of the most exciting adventures in life—it still is. To relive and re-look at the brave men and women who have molded this country, it doesn’t get any better than that. Read more

His Eye is on the Sparrow

By Marty Norman –

Most of us are familiar with the words from Matthew 10:21. But if we have ever heard the song by the same name, we are moved by the haunting melody in a new way, “His eye is on the sparrow, and I know he’s watching me.” Read more

« Previous Page — Next Page »