Living Life in a Glass House

Being a blogger is a joy for me. I expose myself as though I were living in a glass house. It's on purpose. Being open to sharing my mistakes, do-overs, and wins is to give you hope and if you can learn from me, maybe you'll be spared from having to go around the same mountains that I did. My point is to share faith and how to stay optimistic in such a negative world.

I want my passion for God to get stronger and my light to burn brighter, and a sweet way of doing that is to refresh and recharge at a daily retreat (a place of refuge) with our CEO Who has an “open door” policy. He is never too busy for us to come into His presence. It's an intimate, altogether personal time with Him. I assure you that intimate place of relationship -- removes doubt, worry, concern, and fear consciousness and replaces it with "Savior" consciousness.

Living in a glass house opens us up to vulnerability, because we all know there are times when the journey gets rocky and uncomfortable. It’s okay…..because the rocks make us appreciate the flat terrain more; the uphill climbs make us appreciate the downhill sprints. The times of despair cause us to lean into God’s love even more. I want my glass house to be a beacon of light for those who can follow in my footsteps as I follow my Lord’s footsteps. You can be assured, wherever this walk takes me today – you’ll hear about it tomorrow because it always comes with a lesson learned and a lesson to share. You’ll know all about it, because “living in a glass house” is describing my relationship with Christ. He comforts me when I cry. He directs me, teaches me, reproves me, guides me and loves me.

Here's the thing -- God loves me AND you. He understands our desires, motives, and thoughts. Nothing about you and me escapes His notice. And, for sure, I don’t really want to live in a literal glass house. But, there’s one thing for sure, no matter where we live, we’re being watched daily by God Who doesn’t require glass walls to know everything about us. The Bible tells us that “there is no creature hidden from His sight, but ALL THINGS are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account” (Hebrews 4:13). He knows ALL things -- not just the things in the open, or the things said out loud> He knows all things -- all the way down to the thoughts and intents of our hearts. When it comes to God, we all live in glass houses.

So how should we feel about the God of the universe having access to any and everything about us? How should we feel about Him having complete knowledge of every thought we’ve ever had, every emotion we’ve ever felt and every decision we’ve ever made? It’s simple — we should feel relieved.

Can You See Me Now?

Remember that old Verizon commercial and the guy trying to find good phone reception and kept saying “Can you hear me now?” What about that visual connection and those words, “Can you SEE me now?”

Like any parent or grandparent, I love to watch my family excel in their specific talents and abilities. I get giddy when I receive a photo by text or email of a home run made or a golf trophy they received or them receiving the spotlight because of something they succeeded at or those wonderful pictures of them giving God praise at church. Yesterday, I received a text from my son that included a press release containing some great successes with his new technology company. My “oldest” still wants me to SEE him.

I SEE them. I rejoice with them. They are my offspring and when they succeed at anything, I feel that success. In fact, if I’m there with them, I’m usually the one taking all the photos. With delight and joy in my heart, I see each one. Yes, I see their celebrations, but I also see and feel their pain when they face struggles and when their successes are far and few between, and I see when I need to amp up my prayers for them. Why wouldn’t I keep my eyes on the ones I love the most?

Psalm 34:15 says “The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and His ears are attentive to their cry.” Have you ever wondered if God was seeing you after you’ve had an exhausting and discouraging day? As God's BIG kids, we want our FATHER to see us and hear us. The fact is He does see us. He does hear our prayers. And above all, He knows. Just think of it, in the midst of running the universe, God sees us and is working on our situations for our good. Hebrews 4:13 “Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight”. There’s no greater joy than seeing throughout Scripture that the Creator of the universe (our Father) deeply cares about what we’re going through and He is moving heaven and earth to help us.

"Can you see me now?" With delight and joy in my heart, I see each one of my children and grandchildren. And the reality is, I'm not just seeing them, I’m talking about them to you today. And, isn't this what we desire from God? For Him to see us. For Him to watch us -- to notice us. We want Him to get out His camera and take photos of us because He is so proud of us. And, what we forget is our Creator is already out there watching us. And whether we succeed or fail – He’s enjoying us the whole time. In fact, if He had a Facebook or Instagram account, I’m quite sure He'd be posting our pictures and saying “Look at what my children did today! They have faith in Me. They trust me. I'm so proud of them.”

And here's the truth -- the Gospel Truth -- He sees us and knows what is best for us. He loves us so much. So, let's show off for Him -- He's watching and applauding us and constantly cheering us on!