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Carry Me – Janet Morris Grimes
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He lifts me up!

For it is written: “He will command his angels concerning you to guard you carefully; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone. Luke 4:10 – 11

I was deathly afraid of escalators, though no one knew it at the time. That changed, one particular Saturday morning at Harvey’s Department Store.

Harvey’s, known for its golden-saddled carousel horses hanging above the front entrance, was the largest store I’d ever stepped into as a four-year-old shopper. Colorful displays of bedspreads, dishes, and dresses enticed us from every corner. Clasping my mother’s hand, I stepped into what was sure to be an exciting adventure.

But then came the escalator; a moving black mountain that stretched all the way up to Heaven. Flat steps rolled out in front of us, and the black handrail squealed underneath my hand, as I tried to slow it down.

Mom tiptoed onto their steps with ease, but my feet locked into place. She turned toward me but her hand slipped out of mine. “Mooooooommmmmmyyyyyyyy!”

Her eyes widened as she mouthed words I could not hear. Her face reddened as each step opened in front of me, separating us further.

“Mooooommmmmmmmyyyyyyyy!” My cries grew louder.

A crowd gathered behind me, my legs spread, blocking the entrance. I screamed even louder. Mommy paced back and forth. The solution, the down escalator, would take her completely out of my sight; a terrifying idea for both of us.

Suddenly, a man scooped me up from behind, silencing my cries with an even bigger jolt of fear.

“It’s ok,” he spoke; his voice, so deep, it vibrated inside my body.

Conquering the slippery steps, two-at-a-time, he placed me into my mother’s arms. Her voice cracked as she thanked him. I buried my head into her neck, wiping my tears on her clothes. By the time I looked up, he was gone. My unseen hero remained unseen.

After that day, all I knew was it felt great to be carried, especially in the scariest of situations.

This is just what I need from God. Every day. Every slippery step of the way.

To be carried is effortless. The carrier does all the work. To be carried is to rest, trust, and wait, and the sooner we surrender, the sooner He can deliver us to safety. Let Him carry you.

Photo courtesy of Microsoft.com free image gallery

Janet is the author of the book, The Parent’s Guide to Uncluttering Your Home, released in May of 2011. She currently writes on such topics as faith, family, writing, teen issues, and of course, the process of uncluttering. Janet launched Abbandoned Ministries late in 2010, which leads others through speaking and writing to seek God as Abba during times of abandonment. For additional information, visit her websites at http://www.abbandoned.com or http://janetmorrisgrimes.com.

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Just Handle It – Janet Morris Grimes
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Barbie dolls

Save us and help us with your right hand, that those you love may be delivered. Psalm 60:5

My Barbie dolls were spread across the back porch, perched atop their shiny pink suitcase that also served as the stage for their latest fashion show. All of us were filthy, barefoot, and enjoying every moment of my fifth summer.

“Your sister and I are running across the street to visit the neighbor,” Mommy said, poking her head out the door. “Do you want to come with us?”

“No. My Barbies want me to finish my story.” I giggled to myself, watching Mommy cross the street.

“I’m thirsty. I’ll be right back.”

Just as the sun slid behind the trees for the evening, I returned to my waiting audience; their perfect faces eager with anticipation. Before my feet reached the porch, my heart stopped at the sight of the biggest black bug I had ever seen. A hundred legs carried it’s huge, black body closer to my Barbies. I screamed, jumping back inside to lock the door behind me.

For one brief moment, I considered escaping through the front door.

But what if he can see me? Or what if there is a whole family of Barbie-eating bugs waiting in the front yard?

Panic froze me in my tracks and I imagined the worst, crying until I could no longer breathe.

Then I remembered to call for help. The neighbor’s phone number was scrawled in big letters, attached to the refrigerator door. I dialed it, using undecipherable words to convey the highest level of emergency at our home.

Mommy crossed the street and I let out a sigh of relief when she made it safely through the front yard.

I watched as she gathered the creature of death into a paper towel. “Oh, it’s just a beetle,” she said, as if giving it a name might help. And with a flush of the toilet, she proved she was the bravest woman I’d ever met.

Why is it, when faced with unforeseen obstacles, we call for help as a last resort? Our concerns should go to God first…allowing Him to handle it long before the panic sets in.

No matter what troubles us, God is waiting for us to sit back and let Him handle it. Turn your fears and worries over to the One who manages much better than us.

Janet is the author of the book, The Parent’s Guide to Uncluttering Your Home, released in May of 2011. She currently writes on such topics as faith, family, writing, teen issues, and of course, the process of uncluttering. Janet launched Abbandoned Ministries late in 2010, which leads others through speaking and writing to seek God as Abba during times of abandonment. For additional information, visit her websites at http://www.abbandoned.com or  http://janetmorrisgrimes.com.

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Failure Versus Faking It – Janet Morris Grimes
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I...Eye...I...

I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go. I will counsel you and watch over you. Psalm 32:8

“Repeat after me,” she stated in our weekly, first-grade ritual. “Robert rushed to the red wagon.”

I took in a deep breath. “Wobewt wushed to the wed wagon. How many times do I have to say this?” I accidentally said that last part aloud.

“Try this. Red Rover. Red Rover. Why can’t you come over?”

“Wed Wovew. Wed Wovew. Why can’t you come ovew?”

Those dreaded Rs got me every time. Had it not been for the two of them perched proudly together in my last name, my teacher, Mrs. Jones, might never have noticed. But from the first day of school, I was marked. I dreaded those one-on-one appointments with the specialist.

Second grade brought triumph, at least momentarily. Released from the speech program, I blended in beautifully with my R-pronouncing peers. Until the day of our annual eye test.

I proudly guessed the letters I saw on the eye chart; the oversized E taunting me from the wall across the room. I covered my left eye, then my right, repeating the letters with pride.

“Can you step aside? We will try again in a minute.”

Mrs. Furman wrapped her flappy arm around my shoulder while we waited. Soon we were alone with the school nurse. I stepped up to the line taped across the floor and squinted to guess the letters. With experience, I would have known to listen to what all the other kids said. But this was my first eye test.

Suddenly, I knew what the problem was. It had to be the Rs. I guessed the letters again, throwing in extra Rs whenever I was uncertain.

“Can you see the chalkboard in our room?” she asked, escorting me to the classroom.

“No. I just remember everything you say,” I explained.

“After lunch, we need to call your mother.”

I gulped. I had never failed a test before.

Failure is never fun, but it is not nearly as exhausting as faking it.

One of the best gifts that Jesus offers us is truth. Truth, even when it is painful, is freedom. When truth is on the table, Satan has nothing left to work with. He simply cannot manipulate the truth.

Is there an area of your life where you have faked it? Ask God to reveal His truths to you and thank Him for loving you enough to spend time with you until you get it right.

Janet Morris Grimes is the author of the book, The Parent’s Guide to Uncluttering Your Home, released in May of 2011. She currently writes on such topics as faith, family, writing, teen issues, and of course, the process of uncluttering. Janet launched Abandoned Ministries late in 2010, which leads others through speaking and writing to seek God as Abba during times of abandonment. For additional information, visit her websites at http://www.abbandoned.com or http://janetmorrisgrimes.com.

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Birthday Heartbreak – Janet Morris Grimes
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He should have been there.

A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling. Psalm 68:5

I had it all planned out perfectly. It was my seventh birthday and I wore my favorite blue dress to school that day. I fixed my hair and even saved half my lunch for him in case he was hungry from the long trip. I sat at the table closest to the door, just to make sure he would not get me confused with the other kids.

I imagined them calling my name over the loud speaker: “Janet Morris, please report to the office. You have a very special visitor.”

And then it would all happen in slow motion, like the perfect ending to the best movie ever made. People would line up and applaud when I ran into his arms.

And finally, they would know he was real.

I watched. And waited. But my daddy never showed up.

May 7, 1974. I only asked God for us to spend one day together, and this was supposed to be it. Instead, I learned the meaning of the word forever, and I absolutely hated it, almost as much as I hated the death of my father.

Later that night, this heartbreak led me straight to the flat part of the rooftop beneath my bedroom window. Into the night sky, I questioned God, yelling accusations at Him, unable to direct any anger toward my daddy.

God owed me, and we both knew it.

God is father to the fatherless.

Psalm 68 was familiar to me, and that night, I heard it again, loud and clear. Through the wind whipping my curls, from the stars that Daddy tiptoed across each night, and from God, who rested on the moon while He listened, I wiped away my tears.

Father to the fatherless.

I had His promise. I was no longer alone, and truthfully, never had been. My birthday disappointment turned into my greatest triumph as I laid out what I needed most in a father. God provided in the most personal of ways.

If you yearn to have a relationship with your Heavenly Father, God can do the same for you. Tell Him what you need and hand over your greatest disappointments. God can handle them, and He longs to meet you in the midst of your pain.

Janet is the author of the book, The Parent’s Guide to Uncluttering Your Home, released in May of 2011. She currently writes on such topics as faith, family, writing, teen issues, and of course, the process of uncluttering. Janet launched Abbandoned Ministries late in 2010, which leads others through speaking and writing to seek God as Abba during times of abandonment. For additional information, visit her websites at http://www.abbandoned.com or http://janetmorrisgrimes.com.

Read Janet’s devotions.

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