Posted on by zeevacawford

Grace Notes in a Noisy World

The world is loud. Not just with sounds, but with pressures, expectations, distractions, and endless noise vying for our attention. From the moment we wake up to the time our heads hit the pillow, we’re bombarded—by news, notifications, opinions, and to-do lists. It’s easy to feel overwhelmed, be stretched thin, or feel spiritually numb.

But amidst all the noise, there are grace notes.

In music, a grace note is a small note—quick and delicate—that doesn’t carry the melody but adds something beautiful and subtle to the piece. It’s not essential to the structure, yet its presence enhances the music in ways that are almost hard to describe. It adds dimension, softness, and feeling.

And God? He fills our noisy days with grace notes too.

The Whisper of His Presence

In 1 Kings 19, we find Elijah standing on the mountain, weary and desperate to hear from God. A mighty wind comes—but God isn’t in the wind. Then an earthquake—still, no God. Then a fire—but again, no sign of Him. Finally, a gentle whisper… and that’s where God speaks.

Like Elijah, we often expect God to show up in big, dramatic ways. But more often, He speaks through quiet moments:

  • The warmth of sunlight through the window.
  • A kind word from a friend when you needed it most.
  • A verse that suddenly jumps off the page.
  • The unexpected peace in the middle of a storm.

These are the grace notes—soft, sacred moments that remind us He’s near.

Listening Differently

In a world that encourages us to hustle, prove ourselves, and always “stay in the loop,” it takes intention to pause and listen for grace. We must tune our hearts to hear what the noise often drowns out.

Jesus often withdrew to quiet places—not because He was escaping, but because He was connecting. He knew the value of silence, of margin, of soul space. We need that too.

Practicing this might look like:

  • Waking up a few minutes earlier to sit in stillness with God.
  • Putting your phone away while taking a walk.
  • Journaling the small blessings of your day.
  • Taking a deep breath before responding in frustration.

These small habits open up space to hear the grace notes that are always playing underneath the noise.

Grace for Today

Sometimes, the grace note is simply this: You’re not alone.

You don’t have to keep up with the pace of the world to stay in step with the Spirit. God’s grace doesn’t shout over the chaos—it sings quietly in the background, inviting us back to peace.

When the world feels loud, ask God to help you hear His melody again. It may not always come with trumpets or a spotlight, but it will come—in whispers of love, reminders of truth, and moments of rest.

Final Thought

May we become people who not only recognize the grace notes in our noisy world, but who also create them—in our words, our kindness, our presence. Because sometimes, the gentlest note carries the greatest weight.

Post by Zeeva

Author Bio: Zeeva Usman is an experienced content manager at Christian Marketing Experts and a content specialist at Salt of Heaven, where she uses her expertise to create impactful, faith-centered content. When she’s not crafting words, Zeeva finds joy in worshiping and singing for the Lord Jesus, drawing inspiration from her faith to encourage others.

Posted on by intentional4christ

May we never lose the wonder!

Growing up I looked forward to Palm Sunday with so much excitement. I was excited about finding the perfect palm branch that would be woven by my uncle into an intricate pattern to prepare for our hosanna march through the streets. You see, on Palm Sunday, it was not uncommon to hear kids from every corner of the city singing songs of adoration and waving intricately woven palm branches to Jesus, our King and Saviour.

Over the past few years and particularly this year, Palm Sunday and the Easter season has caught me by surprise. This is not because I did not know it was coming, I just have not felt as prepared for it as I have in my younger years. Whether I chock it up to the busyness of this past couple weeks or the sheer familiarity of the season, I recognize that over time, the magnificence of the season has been lost on me. I have forgotten how truly deep and overwhelming the story behind Easter is. And I am not alone in this.

There are some people who attend Easter services as their once-a-year “fulfill all righteousness” obligation. There are still many others who attend because that is what they have done for many decades of their lives. You attend Easter service. period. no questions asked. Many Christians have heard the Easter story so many times that the novelty has worn off. They know what is coming next in the story and there are no surprises there. This reminds me of the two men on the road to Emmaus. Here is their story:

That same day two of Jesus’ followers were walking to the village of Emmaus, seven miles from Jerusalem. As they walked along they were talking about everything that had happened. As they talked and discussed these things, Jesus himself suddenly came and began walking with them. But God kept them from recognizing him. He asked them, “What are you discussing so intently as you walk along?” They stopped short, sadness written across their faces. Then one of them, Cleopas, replied, “You must be the only person in Jerusalem who hasn’t heard about all the things that have happened there the last few days.” “What things?” Jesus asked. “The things that happened to Jesus, the man from Nazareth,” they said. “He was a prophet who did powerful miracles, and he was a mighty teacher in the eyes of God and all the people. But our leading priests and other religious leaders handed him over to be condemned to death, and they crucified him. We had hoped he was the Messiah who had come to rescue Israel. This all happened three days ago…Then Jesus took them through the writings of Moses and all the prophets, explaining from all the Scriptures the things concerning himself… By this time they were nearing Emmaus and the end of their journey. Jesus acted as if he were going on, but they begged him, “Stay the night with us, since it is getting late.” So he went home with them. As they sat down to eat, he took the bread and blessed it. Then he broke it and gave it to them. Suddenly, their eyes were opened, and they recognized him. And at that moment he disappeared! They said to each other, “Didn’t our hearts burn within us as he talked with us on the road and explained the Scriptures to us?” And within the hour they were on their way back to Jerusalem… Then the two from Emmaus told their story of how Jesus had appeared to them as they were walking along the road, and how they had recognized him as he was breaking the bread.

Luke 24: 13-21, 27-33a, 35 NLT

I intentionally did not paraphrase this story because there are a few things I want you to note. On the way to Emmaus, these two men rehashed the events that had happened over the past three days over and over again. They kept at this conversation for a while until Jesus disrupted the monotony of the narrative by explaining to them the significance of the three-day event. This ignited something within them that they had never experienced before. They described it as a “burning in their hearts” but I describe it as WONDER! They experienced the wonder and depth of the death and resurrection of Jesus.

This story can be likened to many Christian traditions that will recount the events of those historic three-day period we have now come to know as Easter. And like those two men, perhaps many of us, even though we have heard the story over and over again, have never been caught up in the wonder and profoundness of it all. As we go into the Easter season this year, I pray that your eyes will be open to behold the beauty and the wonder of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. I also pray that as you hear the same “old” story being re-told that something new will be (re)kindled in you. May your heart burn within you as your eyes are open to the wonder of it all. May we never lose the wonder of the Easter story.

Yours Truly.

 

Posted on by intentional4christ · 2 Comments

The Joy of Salvation: Shame & Guilt

For a long time in my life I have not felt joy. Desperate to feel joyful, I asked my counsellor, “How can I have more joy in my life?” For the next twelve months, we went through a series of exercises that would help me to be joyful. And after a year do I feel joyful? Well, the therapeutic exercises were eye-opening and helpful. I am certainly less stressed and less depressed. But joyful, I am not quite there yet. This is not because my therapist failed me or counselling did not work. Truth is, joy cannot be found through human undertakings.

One day last week, I heard God whisper to my heart that I am not joyful for three reasons: shame, guilt, and fear. God reminded me that because I have held on tightly to the shame and guilt of my past wrongs I am unable to enjoy His manifold blessings in my life. I feel undeserving of every good thing in my life because at some point in my life I decided that “if only people knew me, the real me, and the things I have done, they would not think so highly of me.” I have no joy because I live in bondage to shame, guilt, and fear.

Fortunately, God did not just drop this bombshell on me and leave me to wrestle with it alone. As God always does, He has also filled me with His encouragement on how to overcome guilt and shame so I can live a life full of joy. For the past few days, every scripture I have read has been a weapon to counteract the voices that scream “guilty,” “undeserving,” and “unworthy.” I will share one with you. Let this scripture wash over you:

Let all that I am praise the LORD; may I never forget the good things he does for me. He forgives all my sins and heals all my diseases… The LORD is compassionate and merciful, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love. He will not constantly accuse us, nor remain angry forever. He does not punish us for all our sins; he does not deal harshly with us, as we deserve. For his unfailing love toward those who fear him is as great as the height of the heavens above the earth. He has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west. The LORD is like a father to his children, tender and compassionate to those who fear him. For he knows how weak we are; he remembers we are only dust. Our days on earth are like grass; like wildflowers, we bloom and die. The wind blows, and we are gone—as though we had never been here. But the love of the LORD remains forever with those who fear him. His salvation extends to the children’s children of those who are faithful to his covenant, of those who obey his commandments!

Psalm 103: 3, 8-18 NLT

God’s voice of truth reminds me that I am forgiven by a loving father who understands that I am only human. God does not accuse me, and neither is He angry or disappointed. My sins and missteps and associated guilt are removed as far as the east is from the west. In place of guilt and shame, God offers His love and salvation.

When we accept His free gift of salvation, God deposits His Spirit in us (2 Corinthians 1:22). The Holy Spirit fills us with His fruit which is joy, love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (Galatians 5:22 – 23). This gift of joy is also known as the joy of salvation: the Holy Spirit is the conduit and joy is the fruit. Let me contextualize this with another scripture. When David was convicted of his sin after he had slept with Bathsheba, Uriah’s wife, and killed him to cover up the ensuring pregnancy, he prayed (Psalm 51: 10-12 NLT):

Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a loyal spirit within me.
Do not banish me from your presence, and don’t take your Holy Spirit from me.
Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and make me willing to obey you.

The joy I speak of is not just the feeling of intense happiness; neither does it propose a state free of suffering and sorrow. It is that quiet confidence that I have knowing that regardless of whatever is going on around me I have found something of value: God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever (Psalm 73:26). This is the joy of salvation. Jesus described this joy with many parables, one of my favourites being the parable of the treasure: “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field…” Matthew 13: 44 NIV

Recognizing that in our salvation we have gained everything and then some (eternal life in glory) ought to fill us with great joy. But shame and guilt rob us of the privilege of experiencing this. Instead of appreciating the gift of salvation and all it brings, we shy away, and like our first parents Adam and Eve, we hide from God. Even though I know cerebrally that God loves me something fierce and unconditionally, shame tells me I am unworthy of this love that He so freely gives. What a sad way to live! However, this is not our reality at all. Our reality is more like this:

Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the Lord, and Satan standing at his right side to accuse him. The Lord said to Satan, “The Lord rebuke you, Satan! The Lord, who has chosen Jerusalem, rebuke you! Is not this man a burning stick snatched from the fire?” Now Joshua was dressed in filthy clothes as he stood before the angel. The angel said to those who were standing before him, “Take off his filthy clothes.” Then he said to Joshua, “See, I have taken away your sin, and I will put fine garments on you.”

Zechariah 3:1- 4 NIV

Jesus takes away our filthy rags and exchanges them for His righteousness. Shame and guilt do not stand a chance when we stand in God’s love. With his nail-pierced hands, He points to the accuser and rebukes him for your sake. “Forgiven” ,“Redeemed” and “Loved” that is who you are. Now scroll back up and read Psalm 103: 3, 8-18. This ought to fill you with joy, the joy of salvation.

So what am I going to do with truth? I am going to spend sometime chatting with God about every thing from my past that brings me shame and guilt. I am going to speak God’s forgiveness over all of those situations and give myself permission to be forgiven. I am going to visualize God removing those sins as far away from me as the east is from the west and hold on to that visualization. This is so I can recall this image the next time shame or guilt comes calling. I am going to meditate on Psalm 103 until it sinks in. Finally, I am going to revel in the fact that God is my portion forever come what may! What a blessed assurance!

I may have to do every time guilt and shame rear their ugly heads. But soon it will get easier, and the process will be less onerous and less frequent as I lean in to the Holy Spirit and allow my heart to be overwhelmed by the joy of my salvation. I pray this for you too.

Yours truly.

p.s. I will deal with the topic of fear in another post. Stay tuned.