"With God's Grace Our Worst Past
Becomes Our Best Future"
Becomes Our Best Future"
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My parents used to take us to the coast each summer. We were told to be wary of the undertow. My sister and I find pockets of this mild quicksand, and at first, it was weirdly intriguing to watch it surround my feet. Cooler than the surrounding sand, untouched by the sun, it held a strange sensation. I could feel the sand particles almost come alive as they encased my feet. But the longer I stood still, the more the sand developed my lower extremities, up past my ankles. I was stuck! I couldn’t wiggle free. I was helpless. TALK ABOUT A SAND TRAP!
My eyes scanned for my mother or father as my breaths quickened and the sand crawled higher. When our gazes locked and my father dashed to free me, I sighed in relief.
An intriguing, not-so-legal situation, a temptation, a movie with iffy scenes can be intriguing. We are drawn to it. Yes, it may not be proper or wholesome or upright. The Holy Spirit may whisper for us to back off, turn away or be careful…even so…. we venture toward the experience. A little of it won’t hurt. I’ll just watch it for a few minutes. Everyone else is doing it, right?
Then, we might go deeper, watch longer, become more entangled in the deceit. Soon, we are stuck. This isn’t fun anymore. Two choices. Try to get free on our own with our eyes solely on the problem as panic begins to gurgle up from our stomach juices, or…
Raise our eyes and seek our Father. Call out to Daddy for help.
Of course, if we had kept our eyes on Him in the first place, we never would have wandered. But no sense going back to woulda, shoulda. Instead, it is best to ask forgiveness, receive His help, and move forward while holding on to His hand. It may take a while to shake the wet sand from our feet. Actions do have consequences. But if we walk with our Lord in the way He deems, then the undertows in our world will no longer be a snare.
Just as my father splashed seawater on my toes that day to release the sticky, itchy granules, we can be washed in His waves of mercy.
ABOUT JULIE COSGROVE
Julie B Cosgrove writes contemporary women’s fiction, suspense, and mysteries with a smidgen of romance. She also writes Bible studies and devotionals. She is a Grace Award finalist, INSPY award semifinalist and was awarded “One of the 50 Authors You Should Read” by the nationally syndicated Author Radio Show in both 2015 and 2016. Her books won Best Inspirational Fiction and Best Cozy Mystery by the Texas Association of Authors.
Discover more about Julie
blog: Where Did You Find God Today?
Twitter@JulieBCosgrove, LinkedIn, Facebook
UNDERTOW
7/1/2020 1:00:00 AM by: JULIE COSGROVE
TRUST GOD IN THE FOG OF UNCERTAINTY
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KNOWN FOR WHAT
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GOSPEL FOCUSED IN THE FACE OF FEAR
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AN IMPOSSIBLE PRICE
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WHOLLY LOVED BY GOD
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GOOD NEWS IS COMING
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A HOPE AND A FUTURE
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CONFESS DON'T BURY
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THE EXTRAORDINARY IS APPARENT IN THE ORDINARY
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NOW HE'S ALONE
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HURTING WITH THE BROKEN
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WHEN LIFE FALLS APART ... DON'T
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IT'S NEVER TOO LATE TO BE THANKFUL
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THERE'S LOVE IN THOSE BURNT CASSEROLES
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LIVING BY LUCK
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THE TRUTH ABOUT PRAYERS: AN ATTRACTIVE AROMA TO GOD
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THE PIT OF SELF-ASSURANCE
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A DONUT KIND OF DAY
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Obedience: A Chance To Extend A Blessing
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NEW LEAF
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FORGIVENESS ISN'T EASY
1/29/2020 1:00:00 AM by: TAMERA LYNN KRAFT
God's Delight To Reason Together Makes For A Huge Gift
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DECISION IN THE CROSSROAD
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HOPE FOR A NEW YEAR
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COUNTERFEIT DETECTORS
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A BABY FOR CHRISTMAS
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STAYING FOCUSED
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GOD'S DO-OVERS
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NEVER TIRED
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IS IT FAITH OR TRUST
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THE BANE OF INDECISION
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THE VALLEY OF LIFE: FROM PROMISE TO FULFILLMENT
10/16/2019 1:00:00 AM by: LINDA WOOD RONDEAU
EACH NEW SUNRISE
10/9/2019 1:00:00 AM by: MARTIN WILES
REFLECTIONS ON MOTHERHOOD
10/2/2019 1:00:00 AM by: Marianne Wood
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU PAY A LITTLE ATTENTION
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PENTAGON QUILTS:COMFORTERS
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IT IS NOT IN ME
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COCKROACHES AND LIGHT
8/21/2019 1:00:00 AM by: MARTIN WILES
SEE? GOOD.
8/14/2019 1:00:00 AM by: JULIE COSGROVE
EXPERIENCING GOD'S LOVE IN A BROKEN WORLD
8/7/2019 1:00:00 AM by: ROY AND DEB HAGGERTY
PLUG INTO GOD'S POWER
7/31/2019 1:00:00 AM by: KATHY COLLARD MILLER
DRIVING ON FLAT TIRES
7/22/2019 1:00:00 AM by: BARBARA BRITTON
WAITING FOR THE TEST
7/17/2019 1:00:00 AM by: MELISSA HENDERSON
THE LEAST OF THESE
7/10/2019 1:00:00 AM by: KATHLEEN NEELY
MY COMFORTER SAW IT COMING
7/3/2019 1:00:00 AM by: MEREDITH KENDALL
BLESSINGS IN AN IMPERFECT WORLD
6/19/2019 1:00:00 AM by: GAIL PALLOTTA
BOOKENDS
6/12/2019 1:00:00 AM by: KATHLEEN NEELY
UNDERGROUND
6/5/2019 1:00:00 AM by: JULIE COSGROVE
THE POWER OF LOVE
5/29/2019 1:00:00 AM by: LISA SIMONDS
A CONVENIENT COMPASSION
5/15/2019 1:00:00 AM by: DONNA SCHLACHTER
TONGUE-TAMING 101
5/8/2019 1:00:00 AM by: SUSAN G. MATHIAS
WHAT'S YOUR MOTIVATION
5/1/2019 1:00:00 AM by: HEATHER SMITH
R and I
4/24/2019 1:00:00 PM by: JULIE COSGROVE
MY SINAI SAGA
4/17/2019 1:00:00 AM by: JARM DEL BOCCIO
Counterfeit Detectors
4/3/2019 1:00:00 AM by: Leeann Betts
LANDING HARD
3/27/2019 1:00:00 AM by: ERIN UNGER
LOVING ONE ANOTHER
3/20/2019 1:00:00 AM by: JERRI HARRINGTON
TAKIN' IT TO THE LIMIT
3/13/2019 1:00:00 AM by: TAMMY WHITEHURST
DON'T HIT THE FAN
3/6/2019 1:00:00 AM by: Julie Cosgrove
NOT OF THIS WORLD
2/27/2019 8:07:00 AM by: JUNE FOSTER
THE POWER OF "WITH"/OVERCOMING ANXIETY
2/20/2019 1:00:00 AM by: BARBARA BRITTON
HITTING YOUR SPIRITUAL GROOVE
2/13/2019 1:00:00 AM by: LINDA HANNA AND DEBORAH DULWORTH
STIRRED, NOT SHAKEN
2/6/2019 1:00:00 AM by: JULIE COSGROVE
A CHURCH PLANTER'S WIFE
1/23/2019 1:00:00 AM by: Meredith Kendall
FIG LEAVES RIPPING?
1/16/2019 1:00:00 AM by: Kathy Collard Miller
A BEFORE I
1/9/2019 1:00:00 AM by: Julie Cosgrove
EVERYDAY CHOICES
1/2/2019 1:00:00 AM by: Gail Pallotta
YOU ARE THE APPLE OF HIS EYE
12/26/2018 1:00:00 AM by: Kathy Collard Miller
WHY WE SING JOY TO THE WORLD!
12/19/2018 1:00:00 AM by: Ada Brownell
Coming Home For Christmas
12/12/2018 1:00:00 AM by: MICHELLE DE BRUIN
WHY DO WE NEVER LEARN
12/5/2018 1:00:00 AM by: Linda Wood Rondeau
SAVED BY THE LAMB
11/28/2018 1:01:00 AM by: Julie Cosgrove
FOR SUCH A TIME AS THIS
11/14/2018 1:00:00 AM by: Sandy Kirby Quandt
HONESTLY SPEAKING
10/3/2018 3:22:00 PM by: Linda Wood Rondeau
Perceptual Blindness
10/1/2018 3:56:00 PM by: Linda Wood Rondeau
The God of the Mundane
8/30/2018 9:29:00 PM by: Linda Wood Rondeau
WHEN I WAS THREE
7/16/2018 11:52:00 AM by: Linda Wood Rondeau
THE PURSUIT OF PEACE
5/30/2018 2:39:00 PM by: Linda Wood Rondeau
