July

Stepping out my front door, hot, muggy air exhaled in my face. Ugh. This was not what I wanted to encounter at 6:45 a.m. What was I hoping to face at that early hour? Jesus.

I took a few strides, starting my Jesus walk, before I realized our house was the only one on the block without our trashcan on the curb. I groaned. But I pushed that large, brown can to the curb. And as I did so, I saw the flat tire.

I froze. What should I do? Wake up my husband early? It’s his problem! Or continue on my Jesus walk? I paused long enough to hear Him tell me to walk with Him.

I strode down the street and turned left, headed toward my favorite path, around the park. The wind cooled. The clouds blocked the sun from view. When I reached the park path, huge crows stared down at me from their perch on the baseball fence. I hurried past them, staring at my feet, not making eye contact. I don’t like birds. Especially big, black, boisterous birds. But they followed me, cawing. A chill of foreboding ran down my spine. This is a bad omen. My mind raced, consumed with worries and stressors in my life. Flat tire. Dead battery. Failing brakes. Father’s Day expenses. Ill daughter.

And then I realized Jesus was not anywhere in my thoughts or on my walk. I had pushed him out of my way. I was attempting to make a plan to handle these issues on my own. Immediately, I turned to Him. He strolled by my side, silent and serene, as He had in Eden (“They heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day,” Genesis 3:8a). Okay, not literally at my side, but I imagined He was, even if I couldn’t see Him. I confessed my fears and surrendered control. Then I fell silent.

He said, “I’m not here to keep you from trouble. But to walk with you through it.”

We walked together, neither speaking, enjoying each other’s presence. The wind died down. The sun peeked through the clouds. Oranges and pinks colored the fluffy clouds. In that moment, I knew this wasn’t the end. There would be more trouble. But as long as I had Him by my side, I would make it to the other side. With joy, peace, and freedom from fear.

“In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world,” John 16:33.

June

Charis Corner: Stories of Grace in a Broken World

By Karen Mahara

One spring morning, a little tree looked around the deserted park.  The sky was clear; the sun warm against her trunk. Other trees—more mature and grander than her—lined the path, weaving around baseball diamonds and children’s playground equipment. She longed to converse with these ancients, but they never once glanced her way. She stretched her limbs and shook her leaves, hoping to draw their attention. But they didn’t even notice. Tears filled her eyes. Her branches sagged in defeat. They’d never see her as anything other than a little tree. With each tear that slipped to the ground, the little tree accepted her fate. Alone. Unwanted. Invisible.

To her surprise, the sun dissolved her tears, making the ground dry once more. The little tree stared up at the bright sun in the sky. Its rays of light stretched from the ground up the entire length of the tree, bathing her bark and leaves in its delicious warmth. In that moment, the little tree knew she wasn’t alone. The sun saw her as she was and loved her. She lifted her head and straightened her branches, and that little tree began to grow.

No matter how alone or insignificant we may feel, love is all around us. He walks alongside us everyday, even when we’re broken. And sometimes our tears are the very life-giving water God uses to help us grow.

But also a word of caution. Busyness can keep you from noticing the lonely ones around you and cause you to miss the warmth of the Son.

Welcome to Charis Corner

I decided to make this blog to feature the pieces I'm writing for our church newsletter each month. Some of my awesome readers--hi, CR Sisters!--don't attend my church or receive these newsletters, so I wanted to make a way for them and all of you to read them.

These are religious pieces--Christian, Protestant. *Charis is the Greek word for grace. Living on the Corner of Grace has broken my chains of fear and dread and restored my damaged relationships. Charis Corner will share stories of grace in a broken world.* Some of the stories are fictional stories I've created. Some are true glimpses into my pursuit of becoming a published author.

Thank you for taking the time to read them. :)