Everyday Matters by Debbie Griffith

1/21/2025

Life Trials

Tuesday Matters- January 21, 2024
Everyday Life Trials

In one simple month all of life seemed to fall apart. Brandon had lost his job; the family’s golden retriever had died, and Brandon’s wife was back at the clinic again to try new antibiotics to combat her bronchitis. God where are you? If He loves us, won’t He take the pain away or at least some of it? Remember God is always with us, and He isn’t surprised by what’s happening. Everything must pass through His hands first.

Sometimes a tragedy is where we meet God for the first time. We must lose religion, where it’s all about rules and proving ourselves, and instead rest in a personal relationship with God who knows exactly what we’re going through and how to take care us. Jesus working through us and not focusing on our own works or man’s laws is what’s important. God always loves us. He will not fail us. Grasp hold of His grace and mercy with both hands to find hope…everyday.

1/14/2025

Forgiving Others

Tuesday Matters- January 14, 2024
Everyday Truly Forgiving

We all know people who profess to be Christians, attend church, they know the rules. However, we know an authentic Christian by way they live their lives, by the fruit they bear. God’s not asking us to trust someone who doesn’t take responsibility for their part in a big mess, but He does command us to LOVE “that someone.”

In Mark 21:21 God says that we have the ability to move mountains by putting our faith in Him. Usually, we talk ABOUT our mountains, but God tells us to talk TO our mountains. Here’s the application to talk to your mountain as an authentic Christian by following the Bible; “Whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive them and let it drop, and your Father will also forgive your failings and let them drop. True Christians really love by really forgiving…everyday.

1/7/2025

Forgiveness

Tuesday Matters- January 7, 2024
Everyday Breakthrough Forgiveness

I get to share Cindy’s breakthrough in giving real forgiveness. I had been mentoring Cindy and even though she said she’d forgiven her father she continued negatively talking about him and avoided him. “I did forgive him,” said Cindy, “but you don’t know how much he hurt me.” She had become bitter. So, I shared; “Based on what the Bible says it doesn’t matter how great the offense was. We serve a God Who is greater and if we will handle the offense in the right way, He’ll bring justice and recompense when we allow Him to.”

God says in Isaiah 61:7, “Instead of your former shame you shall have a twofold recompense.” A recompense is a reward. It’s payback for past hurts. Think of it like worker’s compensation. You work and serve God and if you get hurt on the job, HE WILL PAY YOU BACK! It was a process, but Cindy finally let go and forgave her dad. She’s set boundaries but they’ve reconciled. Let God be your comfort and your Vindicator…everyday.

12/31/2024

The Poor

Tuesday Matters- December 31, 2024
Everyday I Am Poor

When I honestly accepted who God said I was, loved, redeemed and not a mistake, I felt I could stop pretending and performing. I need Him desperately. It is not the “they” who are poor, sinful and lost. It’s awareness that we ourselves are the primary target.

Unless we acknowledge that we are the sinners, the sick ones and the lost sheep for whom Jesus came, we do not belong to the “blessed” who know that they are poor and inherit the Kingdom. It’s a dangerous zone when get our assurance from wealth or our status. Realize THIS, that” they” is you and me, wretched, pitiably poor and so often blind. Isaiah 64 lays things out clearly when we begin to think, “I’m doing really well here.” “We’re all unclean and all our righteous acts are like filthy garbage. It’s what Jesus did on the cross that cleans us up and sets us free…everyday.

12/24/2024

Heaven

Tuesday Matters- December 24, 2024
Everyday Eternity

God’s love is perfect and He’s perfectly holy too. In His holiness He must punish sin because sin blocks us from having a relationship with Him. God’s love for us brought Him to earth as fully God and fully man to take the punishment and pay for our sins by dying on the cross and then coming back to life. We cannot earn our way to heaven with good works. We now have a choice. Do we accept the sacrificial gift He offers with the hope of heaven where we too will be fully restored physically complete, whole with a purpose or do we refuse His gift and live forever without Him with weeping and gnashing of teeth?

God dearly loves you and so He has a plan of restoration by His grace and in 1 John 1:9 in the Bible it says that when we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and He’ll remove all our sins, all our unrighteousness so we can live with hope and freedom now and into eternity…everyday.

12/17/2024

Aging Parent

Tuesday Matters- December 17, 2024
Everyday Mom Memories

Five years ago, Susan’s mom was in a car accident that resulted in her losing all of her long-term memory. When Susan was little, her mom and she used to quote from ‘Winnie the Pooh’ where one of them would ask, “Have you ever seen a dragon fly?” And the other would reply, “I have, I have seen a dragon fly!” The other evening the daughter was sitting with her mom while they were watching TV and the daughter randomly asked, “Have you ever seen a dragon fly?” And her mom responded, “I have, I have seen a dragon fly!” They stared at each other, and then Mom jumped up and shouted, “Oh my goodness, I remember!”

We go back to our own mom memories and sometimes we want to be the little child sitting on our mom’s lap, but that season is gone so we grieve and then try and be the child our mom needs now. You wanna scream; “I’m not ready,” and I get it. But let’s ask God to help us see and remember what’s good right now in this season…everyday.

12/10/2024

Apology

Tuesday Matters- December 10, 2024
Everyday Apologies

“Most of us would agree that apologies are a good and healing thing. Anyone who’s been on the receiving end of a sincere apology knows that they help and don’t hurt. A world filled with apologies would be a softer, easier world. It would be a better and more humane place to live. A therapist once told me that she would be out of business if parents learned to say just two words to their children: “I’m sorry.” Why then don’t we apologize more often? And when we do, why are good apologies so rare?” That’s the question David Zahl asks in, “Good apologies are so rare.”

Not long ago I chose to ask two of our four adult sons (individually), "Is there anything I need to apologize for?" It was more vulnerable than just saying “sorry” for something I thought might have hurt them. Both had something to share. I listened and I apologized without adding anything about what I felt or thought. My relationship with them is stronger because of that question. Restoration and reconciliation come when we take the time to understand, listen to and then apologize …everyday.

12/3/2024

Mental Health

Tuesday Matters- December 3, 2024
Everyday Medication

“Lisa,” I wrote, “I know exactly where you’re at. You’re not a “bad Christian” because you went on medication for your depression. God doesn’t think that. He loves you where you’re at.”

I went on meds for anxiety. It was hard. I felt; “Maybe I wasn't reading the right scripture, praying right or maybe I didn't have enough faith. We live in a fallen world with sickness and disease. The enemy wants us to believe we’re a failure when our sickness is mental but it’s a lie. We’re sick. We need healing and stability, and we limit God when we say He can only work on way. It was pride that kept me from wanting to take meds. I wanted to say; “God healed me without medication." Instead, He provided a way through meds. It’s a mind battle. It helped me to hear National Speaker Chonda Pierce dealt with medication and depression. She taped a message to her prescription bottle which read; “God loves you, Chonda. Take your medicine.” Don’t lose hope. You will get better…everyday.

11/26/2024

Questioning

Tuesday Matters- November 26, 2024
Everyday Why God, Why

We can’t know the mind of God, but won’t you like to know “WHY” sometimes? Isaiah 55:8 says, “His thoughts are nothing like our thoughts.” But we can know the heart of God. We can TRUST and hope in His promises. I know it should be obvious to us that His ways are past finding out. He wouldn't be a very big God if we could fully comprehend Him with our finite minds. Walter Wangerin wrote, "We chirp theories because we can't stand the silence." I guess that’s how it is when we try to fully understand the purposes of suffering. It’s better to admit, "We don't understand, but we believe that God loves us and, that 'our Redeemer Lives'."

Someone has suggested that in the margins beside many of our life's experiences is simply written: "to be explained later." Success for each day is not waiting for an answer to our whys but walking in the hope that He is making a way and there’s a purpose for it all…everyday.

11/19/2024

Sin

Tuesday Matters- November 19, 2024
Everyday Sin Issues

Don’t have anxiety about yourself and your sin issues. God first pours out His love to you and then He gently exposes your sin, offering a way for you to change direction, to receive His pardon and freedom.

This is what He did with the Samaritan woman at the well. He didn’t meet her with condemnation. He first met her thirst. He offered her living water (eternity with God), but also let her know He knew all about her. She ran back to town to tell others about Him, not because she felt condemned, but because she had been offered hope and a way out. People are not drawn to judgment. They are drawn to true friendship and that is what Jesus is, a real friend of absolute love. No greater love can a man have than to give His life for His friends (John 15:13). Think of the ways you are most loved, it’s when someone meets and loves you right where you’re at. Be that kind person who loves others like Jesus does…everyday.