There's this song on the album called, "God of Calvary". He sings,
"And if I never, never lose sight of this place,
I will never, never lose sight of your grace,
Your cross is all, all I need to see,
Oh, praise the God of Calvary."
It's so true, isn't it? The cross is really all that I need to see. The cross, and all that Jesus did for me...and you...that's enough. He made it enough then, and it is still enough. Why is it so easy for us (me) to lose sight of that then? Sadly, I lose sight of it all of the time.
My favorite vacation spot is the mountains of Colorado. I absolutely love it there! Everything about it is just so peaceful. We love taking our girls out there and always have a great time. I spend weeks getting ready for our trip out there, and the excitement just builds each day until the time comes for us to finally head out for a week. I always want time to slow down while we are there, not just because I really enjoy my time with my family away from all the daily responsibilities and activities we have going on, but because I love the view of the mountains. That's the first thing I look at when I wake up and the last thing I look at before the sun goes down. They are beautiful! For those of you that have seen the Colorado mountains, you know that pictures don't do them justice. But I always take hundreds of pictures anyway so I can remember our time there. One of the saddest parts of the trip is leaving. Not because I don't want to come home...it's always good to get back home...but because I can't see the mountains from where I live. Every time we leave, Matt and I are either turning around staring at the last view of the mountains or looking in the rearview mirror to catch that last glimpse of God's beauty. I stare at them until I can't see them anymore. I never want to lose sight of them.
It got me thinking of some other things I don't want to lose sight of:
Never lose sight of who you are, rather WHOSE you are.
I struggle with this one. Yes, I know who I am, but I struggle because I look at what and who others say that I am sometimes more than who God says that I am. Am I good enough? Am I a good enough wife? Am I a good enough mom? Do I invest in others enough? Am I encouraging anyone? Am I a good friend? Am I doing my jobs like I should be? What are people saying about me? Our enemy wants to get inside of our minds so that we focus more on the negatives and the lies, versus the TRUTH of who God says I am. I don't want to lose sight of who I used to be...but I want to see who I am becoming.
Never lose sight of His grace.
I don't deserve God's grace one bit. I know that. But I am so thankful for it! I don't want to lose sight of His goodness and grace, because it's at the moment that I do, that I forget to extend it to someone else.
Never lose sight of the cross.
Remember, the cross is all we need to see. When we look at the cross, we see what's been done for us. I admit though, the cross is not a daily thing I think about. Yes, I thank God for all He has done and continues to do for me. But He made a way already. When I take my focus off of the cross, I tend to forget that there is a God and I'm not it. I start to think of ways I can "fix" problems, control people, make others around me change. That's not up to me. The cross. Don't lose sight of what was done there.
Never lose sight of the plank.
I have many planks. But I tend to look at the specks in everyone else. It goes back to grace that we talked about earlier. I might get arrogant and think that I deserve the grace, but when others disappoint me, let me down, or hurt me or those I love and care about, I start to lose sight of my own planks in my life. That's never a good place to be because growth doesn't happen while looking around at others and their sin.
Never lose sight of our weaknesses.It's no fun to dwell on the things we struggle with most. I don't think we are meant to truly dwell on them because that can be very discouraging. But there comes a point when we have to know what our weaknesses are so that we can see how we have grown through them. I know what I'm gifted at, but I also know the things that are weak spots in my life. Never lose sight of those, because God's strength is made perfect in our weaknesses. He can help you.
Never lose sight of those hurting people around you.
We have all been through things that have cut deep and truly brought emotional or physical pain into our lives. Thank the Lord for good people rallying around us who offer some encouragement! Never lose sight of those hurting around you. Take the focus off of yourself for a minute and see who you can encourage and strengthen today. I never want to miss someone truly hurting because I was too busy thinking about my own struggles.
Never lose sight of your strengths.
God has gifted us and given us certain strengths for a reason. Don't lose sight of those because if you do, you will waste an opportunity that He could use you. I have strengths and I have weaknesses. God can use both. Be willing to be a helper. YOU are the only you! Don't lose sight of that.
Never lose sight of right now.
Any worriers out there? I go through times where it seems that I struggle more with this and losing sight of the here and now. But I'm better than I used to be! There's only so much I can truly control anyway, so why think too far ahead and borrow trouble? There's enough of that as it is. I need to do what's in front of me right now. What is God asking you to do today? Do it. He'll guide you in your tomorrow's.
Never lose sight of your pain and hardships.
It's pretty easy to come up with a list of all the emotional or physical pain you've endured and the people that have ever hurt you. This is not what I mean about never losing sight of that. It's not healthy and isn't productive when we think on those things. I've had my times of dwelling on these and reliving those painful times, but the place I am now in life is being able to see those as a time in my life where God used those things to make me the person I am today. I'm far from perfect. I never will be. But I'm a different Jenn than I once was because of the lessons I've learned and all that He taught me through that pain and hardship.
Never lose sight of your victories.
We shouldn't get a big head over our victories or successes, but we need to thank God that He helped us through different situations. Not everything is easy to get through. I don't know about you, but I've had several things in my life that I wish I could "get past" and it always seems like a constant battle. It can be very frustrating. So those times where I can see some growth through those times and because of them is when I don't ever want to lose sight of the victories.
Never lose sight of God's love for you.
I am so thankful He loves me! He truly loves me for who I am. That's crazy to think about. And He loves my daughters even more than I do! Also crazy to think about that kind of love! I'm thankful that God steps in and repairs damages that I've done to show those closest to me His love for them. He can be trusted that He knows what He's doing in our life and the lives of our family that we love so much. That's a relief! I don't have to worry about being everything to everyone because God is enough for all of us. His love is great. Don't forget that.
I don't know who needs to hear this today. I really wrote down these thoughts for myself so that I wouldn't forget. All I want to do during my time here on earth is make a positive difference in the lives of those around me. I'm so thankful for all of the people...past, current, and future...that has and will continue to make a difference in my life. They didn't lose sight that I am also loved by God and am valued. So are you! Never lose sight. The cross truly is all you need to see.
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