Month: March 2019

The Gift of Never-Ending Grace

Posted on by Wendy
“But those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. It becomes a fresh bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life.” John 4:14

I work in the office of an elementary school. One day this week, a sweet lady came and delivered a basket of treats for our faculty and staff. She was from a local church and they bring a basket a couple of times a year. She’s a retired teacher and she said that she knows how stressful this time of year can get for educators.

There are no strings attached. There’s simply a really cute sign with the name of the church on the front. She just asks that we return their basket to them in a few days, so they can refill it for next time and she comes back and gets it.

When I say the basket is full of goodies, I mean serious goodies. There were Snickers bars, Reeses Cups, Skittles, Butterfingers, Hershey Bars, all types of Lance Crackers, Nutrigrain Bars; and the list goes on.

The basket itself, was huge and the treats went all the way to the bottom. There was no tissue paper or filler. I love to send out the e-mail announcing that the Briarwood Basket has arrived. The teachers and staff, who have been there a while, come to the office at the earliest opportunity, to get a treat. The new ones are always shocked at the bounty.

They are all surprised when we encourage them to take two items and they are like a delighted children on Christmas morning going through the basket that has so many delicious treats.

They are even more surprised when they come through the next day and we tell them to get another treat. Most of them will tell us that they received a treat the day before, trying not to take away someone else’s opportunity, but when we tell them, that everyone has already gotten one and they can get another one, they are just as thrilled as the first day.

It’s so fun watching them all receive a gift that they didn’t earn, but was given freely. Everyone is invited and everyone comes. It doesn’t matter if the employee is new or seasoned, young or ready for retirement, or if they are the lead teacher or a paraprofessional, or if they feed the kiddos breakfast and lunch or help keep the school clean, or answer the phones, or are an administrator.

All are welcome to partake of the bounty in the basket.

The basket is a beautiful illustration of grace. We can do nothing to earn forgiveness and redemption, yet Jesus offers it to us freely if we ask. All are welcome, but unlike the basket, His grace never ends. We are encouraged to receive grace as often as we like.

But, I’m guessing that’s exactly what those ladies at Briarwood were hoping for.

A love offering from a church, reminded me of the beautiful gift of grace, available to us with each new day and with every breath we take. Perhaps you needed reminding too.

Have an awesome day!
Wendy 🙂

The Blessings After the Showers

Posted on by Wendy
“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” Romans 8:28

Yesterday, I barely made it home before it started raining. It was a pretty decent shower with a couple of thunder claps. As I looked out my kitchen window, I silently congratulated myself that I didn’t get caught in it. I was in my house, safe and dry and my car was parked safely in the garage.

My hubby wasn’t so lucky. He had to drive home in the rain and it was still drizzling when he got home. It didn’t last long though and the sun came out almost as soon as the rain stopped. He ran out to his truck to get something and came back in the house smiling.

It’s pollen season in Georgia and everything is blanketed in a thick coat of yellow powder. You can sweep it off, but it comes right back. The only thing that really removes it is a good rain shower.

My hubby was happy to report that his truck was all shiny again after the rain. The pollen had been washed away.

I glanced out the door at my car, yep, still covered in pollen. I had missed the inconvenience of the rain, but I’d missed the blessing that came with it as well.

I thought about the rain for the rest of the evening. I thought about how we dread the inconveniences and frustrations that inevitably occur on this side of eternity. I thought about hard times and how we tend to avoid them at all cost.

Yet, often, when life gets hard, we learn to focus on the things in life that really matter and we learn to let go of the things that don’t. We find ourselves drawing closer to God, when we find ourselves in need.

In a sense, hardship washes away the stuff that doesn’t really matter and magnifies the stuff that does.

And when the sun comes out again, and it always does, we are lighter than we were before because we laid those needless burdens down and if we allow Him to, God will put new light into us and we can see new blessings.

A spring shower reminded me to stop dreading the rain. Perhaps you needed reminding too.

Have an awesome day!
Wendy 🙂

Breakfast Lessons

Posted on by Wendy
If God calls us to it, He always equips us.

Last weekend, my family went to visit my parents. My daughter who is in college, was home for a couple of days for spring break and my mama was giving her some patio furniture. We were going to deliver it for her and Mama was going to ride along to see my daughter’s place.

All went as planned and we made the delivery on Saturday. Mama got to see my daughter’s college pad and got to visit some of her other donated furniture. We had lunch and headed back to my parents’ house where we stayed another night.

Mama asked my hubby to cook breakfast on Sunday morning. He loves to cook and breakfast is a specialty of his. He happily agreed, but when he got started, I found myself chuckling as he searched her kitchen cabinets. I gave him a few minutes before I asked if I could help him find something, knowing full well, I probably could not.

He was looking for the griddle and it had been moved since the last time he used it.

Now, my mama is one of the most organized people on the planet. She’s always buying new little stackers or dividers, to make her kitchen more organized and it is. However, it’s a well known family truth, that she constantly moves things around, so chances are, wherever it was the last time we were there, it will be somewhere different the next visit.

She vehemently denies this fact, but my sister will vouch for me. 🙂

When my hubby and I first got married, he was very uncomfortable looking through her cabinets to find the items he needed to cook, but twenty-two years later, he has no issues looking through the cabinets.

He’s come to understand that when he has a meal to cook, he rolls up his sleeves and gets it done. He may not know where everything is, but he’s willing to look for it to complete his task. He no longer waits for someone to offer him assistance, but he’s not afraid to ask for it if he needs it.

As I watched him cook breakfast in Mama’s kitchen, I felt a lesson dawning.

We often find ourselves in unfamiliar situations, with a new task to do. So often, we are hesitant to ask for help and sometimes we are even tempted to walk away and give up altogether. The older we get, it seems, the more uncomfortable we get with the new and unknown.

Yet, sometimes that’s exactly where we find ourselves called. We have to remember that when God calls us to do something new, we never walk alone. If He calls us, He will equip us.

Sunday morning breakfast reminded me. Perhaps you needed reminding too.

Have an awesome day!
Wendy 🙂

The Spirituality of Technology

Posted on by Wendy
How we use technology, is entirely up to us.

Last weekend, I was out shopping with my hubby. Our son was out of town on a school trip. My cell phone began to blow up with texts. Many were from a remind service I had signed up for, telling me what was going on during my son’s trip. They were instructions like, “meet back at the bus at 7:00.” Some were from my mama who was visiting a friend in the hospital and the news was not good. Some were from my daughter and included pictures from her spring break beach trip. There was one from a friend that contained a funny meme.

All of the texts meant something to me. All of the texts were information that I wanted to know or were from people who I wanted to hear from, but I was shopping for something specific and I was feeling a little overwhelmed, when my phone buzzed again.

Of course I looked at it. Both of my children, though mostly grown, were in different states. My mama was at a hospital. There could be news that I really needed to know.

Isn’t it interesting how cell phones have made us always feel like we’re on the edge of an emergency? We feel like if we accidentally leave our phone on the table at home, for a quick grocery store trip, disaster will surely strike us. We might have a flat tire or get abducted or something horrible may befall a loved one.

How in the world did we survive before the late 1990’s?

Right or wrong, my phone buzzed and I dug it out of my purse. But, this time it was from a number I did not know and it made me catch my breath as I stopped and read it, giving it my full attention.

Just after Christmas, a dear faith friend of mine, who I had met on a mission trip, reached out to me asking me for prayer for his brother-in-law. He had developed a large brain bleed the day after Christmas. The doctors were having difficulty locating it and things didn’t look good. My friend rarely reaches out with prayer requests, so when he does, I know it’s something very important.

I immediately began praying for this man. He improved, thought very slowly. I continued to pray and every now and then I would ask an for an update. He was getting better. I hadn’t heard from him in quite a while when I received that text.

It was from his wife, thanking me and my family, for praying for her husband. She said that, “through prayers and the love and mercy of Jesus Christ, he had been released by the neurosurgeon and was doing great.”

My heart cheered for this woman who I had never met and I thanked God for her miracle.

Later, I marveled at the connection that believers have with one another. I thought about the wonder of technology and how it can be used for both good and bad. It can at times, enslave us, but it can knit us together too and it can help create an army of warriors who are willing to pray and prayer can make all the difference.

A text reminded me. Perhaps you needed reminding too.

Have an awesome day!
Wendy 🙂

The Freedom of Letting Go

Posted on by Wendy
When we fight for control, we miss you so much beauty along the way.

Last Sunday, I had to drive myself to church. My hubby was staying afterward for a meeting and I had to be there early, so we took two cars, which is certainly no big deal. On most Sundays, my hubby drives and I usually text our daughter, who is away at school, a good morning message.

While I’m in the passenger seat, I often marvel at how high or low the river is, when we cross over it. I notice the different trees and flowers that are blooming, or if someone along our route, has painted their house or built a deck. I take note of all of the runners on the sidewalk. I don’t concern myself with the traffic or if the car in front of us is going too fast or too slowly, or if someone pulls out in front of us. I sometimes fiddle with the radio.

I can do all of those things because I am not driving the car. I am not the driver. I’m the passenger. I am not in control or responsible for getting us safely to our destination.

Last Sunday, I was in the driver’s seat. I couldn’t text my daughter. I gave the river a quick glance and I mostly missed the spring blooms. I had to concentrate on driving the car and arriving safely. I couldn’t concern myself with all of the pretty scenery along the way. I missed it.

I found myself thinking about my Sunday morning drive long after I had returned home.

Like most people, I like to feel like I’m in control of my current situation, whatever that situation may be. I like the idea of being in the driver’s seat and calling the shots. But, what if being in the driver’s seat means that we miss all of the beautiful scenery along the way, while we fight to keep ourselves on the road, in between the lines, and in charge?

The fight to be in control is a lot of work and effort and how often does it really pay off?

When we walk closely with Jesus, we agree to not only let Him drive, but to trust that the scenery will be breathtaking and that we will arrive where we are supposed to, at exactly the time we are supposed to.

We hand over the control and enjoy the ride. There’s freedom that comes from letting go. A Sunday morning drive reminded me. Perhaps you needed reminding too.

Have an awesome day!
Wendy 🙂

A Call to Plant

Posted on by Wendy
If we keep planting, something will eventually bloom.

Last weekend, I looked out of my bedroom window and saw a white iris standing tall and in full bloom. It made me catch my breath for a moment. There are lots of things in bloom right now. It’s spring time in Georgia and the pollen count is through the roof. A blooming iris is by no means unusual.

But, this is the first of the season at my house, which always touches my heart. The first one always signals a new beginning, a new chapter that is beginning to unfold. I also have a history with this particular group of irises.

May parents have an old home place on their property. There’s nothing left at this point, but a decade or so ago, my hubby and I dug up a bunch of bulbs that had been planted near that house. We really didn’t have any idea what we were digging up, but we dug them up anyway and transplanted them to our backyard around some of our trees. Turns out, that they were irises.

The first couple of years, I tended to them. I watered them and kept them clear of debris. Some of them bloomed. Some did not. At one point, I divided them because they became overcrowded and some did really well. Some didn’t.

I haven’t given them much attention at all over the past several years. I got busy with work, and kids, and other projects. They have become very overcrowded. I haven’t fertilized them or watered them, yet, the first one has bloomed in spite of my lack of attention.

As I went to examine it, I was reminded that we never really get to decide what blooms, or when it blooms, or if it even blooms at all.

We can plant. We can nurture. We can water. Sometimes what we plant takes off and sometimes it doesn’t. Sometimes we get to see the fruition of our hard work and sometimes we never get to see it, yet we are all called to plant something. Sometimes they are physical plants that we can enjoy or even eat. Sometimes it’s encouragement that someone needs desperately to hear. Sometimes it’s spiritual truth that may not take root until many years in the future.

Just because we may not get to see the blooms, doesn’t mean we shouldn’t plant or that we should get discouraged. We need to remember that we have a Divine Gardener, who has a plan. We simply need to keep planting.

A single iris reminded me. Sometimes I need reminding. Perhaps you do too.

Have an awesome day!
Wendy 🙂

Using Our Circumstances

Posted on by Wendy
Patrick used the shamrock to explain the trinity.

As I write this, my son is in New York City with his high school marching band, getting ready to march in the St. Patrick’s Day Parade. Needless to say, he was super excited to get to be a part of it.

St. Patrick’s Day is one of those holidays that retailers have come to love. It’s about parades, wearing green and drinking beer.

But, St. Patrick has an interesting story.

Patrick was probably born to wealthy British parents somewhere from 400-460 AD. He was captured by Irish raiders as a teenager and taken to Ireland. He was then sent off alone as a slave to tend sheep. During that time, he was very lonely and prayed constantly.

After six years, God told him in a dream that it was time to leave Ireland. He started walking around 200 miles to the coast where he was rescued by friendly sailors and returned home.

While he was in Ireland, he learned their language and customs. Legend says that an angel told him in a dream to return to Ireland to teach the Gospel. After studying for 15 years, he went back to Ireland.

The Irish were mostly pagan and Druid, but there were some Christians there. Since Patrick knew the Irish customs, he knew that the shamrock plant was sacred to them , so he used the three leaf clover to explain the trinity. He knew fire was also sacred to them and so he used bonfires to celebrate Easter. He also used the sun, a powerful Irish symbol, and superimposed a cross over it to create the Celtic cross.

He took what he had learned during a dark time in his life, in a place where he didn’t want to be, and used it to glorify God. God was preparing him for a plan all along, that Patrick couldn’t have possibly understood, but God knew. At the end of Patrick’s life, he is credited with starting three hundred churches and baptizing over a hundred twenty thousand Irish people. He preached for forty years and died on March 17th.

He is also credited with performing at least thirty-three miracles, none of which were driving out snakes. There never were snakes in Ireland. Perhaps he drove out a different kind of snake.

Patrick’s story reminds me that no matter how lost or abandoned we may feel, we never walk alone. God is always with us and always working. Sometimes I need reminding. Perhaps you needed reminding too. Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

Wendy 🙂

The Gift of Empathy

Posted on by Wendy
Sometimes the smallest amount of light can make all of the difference.

I received a text early one morning last week, that my co-worker had an ear ache. She was in lots of pain and was going to the doctor. I felt horrible for her. I had frequent ear infections as a child. They were terribly painful. I can remember doctor visits, ear drops and yucky pink medicine. I can remember my Mama rocking me in the middle of the night to try to soothe the pain and comfort me.

Those long nights as a child, have given me deep empathy for someone suffering from ear pain.

As an adult, I have come to see empathy as a gift that comes from personal circumstances and sometimes suffering, that can turn into deep, heartfelt encouragement for others in similar situations.

Have you ever noticed that some of the people who shine the brightest light have been through some really dark times? Those who have been through deep personal turmoil and called out to God and walked out on the other side, not only have a story to share, but they have a unique empathy because they have been there. They truly understand.

That’s why mommy groups, cancer survivor groups and groups like Alcoholics Anonymous, work so well.

There will always be suffering and turmoil on this side of Eternity. We can spend our time shaking our fists at the sky and ask, “Why me?” or we can call out to God and reach out to others who have been there. We can receive comfort and encouragement from both.

When we get through it, we have two choices. We can harden our hearts and close that door and lock it tightly. We can become angry and bitter or we can allow it to change us in a good way. We can allow our suffering to be used to help others in similar circumstances. We can become a blessing to those in need. We can listen, encourage and offer comfort and understanding. We can offer witness that God is still in charge and still good.

We can shine a brighter light than ever before because in the end, the darkness does not win. Light will always be triumphant. A text from a friend reminded me. Perhaps you needed reminding too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Choosing to Be Malleable

Posted on by Wendy
Clay is rigid. Once it becomes a bowl, it’s always a bowl.

We sang a song in church on Sunday called, “The Potter’s Hands.” It talks about being made and molded by God’s hands. It’s beautiful imagery. The idea of God as a potter and His people as clay is always a reminder that the clay doesn’t get to decide what kind of art it becomes. The clay must be content in knowing that the potter has a plan.

As we were singing, I was reminded of a recent conversation with a friend of mine who has retired and struggling a bit on the next chapter. Transition and change is always hard even if it’s good change.

If God has used you in a certain way, for His glory, for many years, and that path comes to an end, what’s next? Is the Potter done with you? Does He put you up on a shelf until it’s time to call you home?

These are questions that can plague us when chapters in our lives come to an end.

I have no doubt that the answer to these questions is no. God is always at work and there is no expiration date on our usefulness to Him. It’s really more about our availability and flexibility.

After church, when that song was still on my mind, I thought of a post I wrote several years ago. I had come to the conclusion that we are really meant to be more like Play-Doh than clay. Clay gets hard and dries out. Once it’s been made a bowl, it will always be a bowl.

But, Play-Doh, can be a cup, a bowl, a bird, or whatever the artist wants it to be. It can always be rolled back up into a ball and be made into an entirely new creation.

As Christians, we can choose to be either. We can choose to believe that God has only one life calling for us and when we’ve seen that through, He’s done with us. We can be rigid and unbending or we can choose to be malleable in His hands, accepting that life is always changing and therefore He might change His way of using us for His glory.

We are still a type of clay in the Artist’s hands, but a type that is useful until our last breath on this side of Eternity, being made into something entirely new whenever He sees fit.

The choice is ours to make. A song reminded me. Perhaps you needed reminding too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Standing on the Promises

Posted on by Wendy
“The grass withers and flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever.” Isaiah 40:8

When I write in this space, it’s usually to share glimpses of God that I have witnessed, with fellow Christ followers or those who may be seeking Him. I like to try to share encouragement and hope with those who may desperately need it, hope that God has a plan and that He’s always busy working, even when we can’t see Him.

Sometimes I hear about an account that is simply too powerful not to share. I heard one a few days ago.

Early Sunday morning, March 5th, a small church in rural West Virginia caught on fire. Firefighters from several fire departments worked for hours to battle the blaze. The fire burned so hot at times, that the firefighters had to retreat.

The pastor, Reverend Phil Farrington, who had been notified, sat on the ground and wept as he watched his church burn. The building sustained heavy damage, but when the firemen went in to investigate, they were surprised to find almost two dozen Bibles, unharmed. They were scattered around the sanctuary, mostly in the backs of seats.

The shocked firemen piled them up and took pictures of the miracle.

Reverend Farrington saw it as a sign from God and said, “In the midst of the fire, God’s word will always stand.”

Interestingly enough, there were three crosses that didn’t burn either. Two were made of wood and hanging on the walls.

The Coal City Fire Department put on their Facebook page, “Though odds were against us, God was not. Not a single Bible was burned and not a single cross was harmed! Not a single firefighter was hurt!”

I love this story. It speaks to believers and doubters. Bibles are made of paper. There isn’t a single, logical, physical, reason, why they didn’t burn, not one of them. But, faith isn’t always logical and it’s much more about the spiritual than the physical.

God’s Word has come under a different kind of fire lately. There are those who say it’s outdated, or doesn’t matter, or that God has changed since it was written, yet the Bible itself tells us that God doesn’t change and that His laws, plans, and thanks be to God, mercy, grace and love, are still in play.

As Christians, we can hold tight to that fact along with what the firefighters’ said, “Though odds were against us, God was not.” Deep in our hearts, that’s all we really need to know.

Sometimes I need reminding. Perhaps you do too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂