He giveth more grace as our burdens grow greater...

"He Giveth More Grace" by Annie Johnson Flint

He giveth more grace as our burdens grow greater,
He sendeth more strength as our labors increase;
To added afflictions He addeth His mercy,
To multiplied trials He multiplies peace.

When we have exhausted our store of endurance,
When our strength has failed ere the day is half done,
When we reach the end of our hoarded resources
Our Father's full giving is only begun.

His love has not limits, His grace has no measure,
His power no boundary known unto men;
For out of His infinite riches in Jesus
He giveth, and giveth and giveth again.

Here's a poem that I've really liked for awhile, but I've never posted it. But it's been on my mind this week and especially this morning after the Worship service. I wrote music for it (which also involved adding a chorus) to help me remember it and because the words are so beautiful they deserve to be on display. It was the first song I'd ever written... so it's definitely not Grammy worthy, but I think the words are the most important part anyway.

Today I visited Travis Avenue Baptist Church. The theme for the sermon was "Faith-ful Hearts" and the pastor used most of the time to let a missionary speak. She and her husband had gone to Iraq as missionaries after the war started and worked with some others who were already there. They ended up being attacked and everyone died except her. She lost her husband, fingers and had many surgeries. What amazed me so much, was that in her crisis of belief, she had so much faith in God to be able to rejoice, even in the hospital. After having lost so much, she didn't lose her faith or her love for God; if anything, it was strengthened. I wish I could relate her story more accurately and powerfully. It was incredibly moving and inspiring. It made me realize how afraid and faithless I am sometimes. I realize that not everyone is called to Iraq, but I know there have been times I felt called to do something and disobeyed because it was too scary or didn't fit in with what I thought my life should be like. Her testimony really made me stop and think about how lightly I've taken God's call recently because I've been so preoccupied with other matters.

During the service we sang "I Have Decided" and what really stuck out to me, was the last verse. "The world behind me, the cross before me..." I've sung that song a million times it seems during invitations but all of a sudden the weight of what this woman said sunk in. The cross isn't a pretty or pleasant place and it's ludicrous for a sane person to choose that over a comfortable world, but it's where we're called to go. The pastor said it better, "We all want to be like Jesus, we just don't want the cross."