Sunday Writing for 8-4-19... "LOST CAUSE"

Good morning!

Today's writing is entitled "LOST CAUSE" and speaks of several different lost causes that came up in my life this past week and how I viewed them.  Read below and see how this plays out in your own life as well.

Blessings,
Jan

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Today's Devotional: 

"LOST CAUSE"

by

Jan Andersen

Lately, about once a week I have been going to the Lower Salt River about an hour from our home in Arizona to take pictures of the wild horses, birds, and nature in general - all part of God’s marvelous creation.  We are to be good stewards of the wonderful planet earth God gave us and all that is in it and around it.  When I see someone abusing it in any way, I try to educate them to respect it.  Sometimes that goes over better than at other times.

This past Friday I was doing my usual photography of the wild horses there, and I observed a man trying to get a young sleeping foal to get up.  While I am not a member of the Salt River Wild Horse Management Group that monitors and manages these horses, I am quite familiar with their suggestions to the public to assure there is no harassment of the horses, which is now illegal here.  This man saw me photographing the horses, and I saw him getting way to close to this foal.  So I mentioned to him that we are asked to keep at least 50 feet away from them.  He totally mistook my statement as judging him and laid into me with all sorts of foul language and accusations.  This continued for quite some time as he said the foal was injured or sick because it wasn’t moving, and that he was going to call “the game warden” because they want reports of hurt horses.  He never let me get in a complete sentence after my first one.  I tried to explain I was also trying to be helpful but it was of no use.  It was simply a lost cause.  He seemed to be a lost cause as well - I asked him not to swear at me as there were children walking by, and it had the opposite effect.  Finally, a young woman with him went right up next to the foal and startled it awake, making it jump up and her jump back.  The young horse stretched and walked off, just fine.  As I walked past them to get to my car, I told them thank you for being concerned about the horses, but neither of them probably heard me over the guy's continued verbal onslaught.  

In the past this type of attack on me would have gotten my heart pounding and my blood pressure sky high.  I hate when people incorrectly assume the worst about my intentions and question my integrity.  But somewhere along the line I have learned to say, “This is about them, not me.”  Thinking about my part in it, I think I could have started the conversation in a much better way that possibly would have had a complete opposite outcome.  In the past it has worked better when I lead with something positive, like “I’m so glad you are concerned about the horses,” or “Aren’t they wonderful to see here?!”  Further conversation is usually received much better after that.  I can usually learn from even what appears to be something totally unjustified against me.

On further thought about this “lost cause” I also realize that is what I am.  I am a lost cause when it comes to being perfect and earning my own salvation.  However, it is so relieving that I don’t have to be flawless - it has already been done for me in my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ!  That doesn’t justify my wantonly ignoring God’s commandments or purposely going on sinning because it is a lost cause to be unstained by sin, and God will forgive me anyway.  God knows our hearts and expects us to be so thankful for the free gift of forgiveness by grace through faith that we would only want to please Him.  Anything less would be rejecting God, and that would be ruinous. Thank God He saves lost causes!

Romans 3:23-25 ESV  For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith.

Dear heavenly Father, thank you for forgiving me, a lost cause, and making me acceptable in your sight by covering me with your grace and forgiveness through faith in your Son, Jesus Christ. Help me to see others in the same light.  In Jesus’ name,  Amen.

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Song:

AMAZING GRACE (MY CHAINS ARE GONE)

by Chris Tomlin

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Prayers are lifted up daily for you by the Devotional Writers and the Monthly Writing Staff of Women's Focus Ministries

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Sandy Billingham, Karen Bennett, 

 Brother Thomas Ukwute, Jody Ward,  

Bre Miller, Betty Espindola,  Lynda Kinnard

Amie Spruiell, Debbie Rodriguez, Carol Steficek,

Jan Andersen and Corinne Mustafa