Due to a weekend that had me in the car for six hours on Saturday and getting home late and then a Sunday that included church and then helping to set up, attending and then cleaning up for a band banquet, that had me home in time to work on dinner and do some laundry, I have no post today. I had a great weekend doing things with and for some of the people I love the most. I feel blessed and I’m thankful, but exhausted. I hope your Monday is fabulous and that you see glimpses of God all around you.
When our hearts are overflowing, sometimes we have tears.
I work in an office at an elementary school and from time to time, a couple of the teachers will send a child my way to help reinforce something they may be working on in the classroom. I’m always happy to help. I often get a glimpse of Jesus when I talk with children. I used to tell my own kids when they were little, that children were His favorite people.
There’s a little boy who was coming in for a short while to read to me for a minute. He was working on fluency and every little bit helps, so he would come in and read a short passage and we would count his words together. It was always so fun to see his eyes light up when he read a little bit more than the day before. I think I enjoyed his progress as much as he did.
I hadn’t seen him in a while, but he popped in a couple of days ago with a new page to read with more difficult words. I was happy to see him. I’d missed his excitement and little stories. But, this time he had something on his mind. He didn’t miss a beat when he told me, “He had tears.”
I found that a strange expression for a little guy, but I waited as he went on to tell me he had tears because he was going to be leaving his teacher and going up to second grade.
My heart ached for him. Change is hard at any age. I remembered having teachers in my own life, who left footprints on my heart and I had been really sad to leave them, even though I was moving forward. I remembered my own children having teachers who left their footprints on my babies’ hearts and my own as well.
I have come to appreciate what a gift it is when we become so touched by the people in our lives that leaving them, gives us tears, to borrow my little friend’s expression. Those tears are simply evidence of the lasting, beautiful effect that those people will always have on our hearts. Those people change us forever and help to shape the people we become.
I reassured my little friend that he would get to see his teacher next year and that I was sure he would love second grade. That seemed to be enough for him. He took a deep breath and began reading and went a little further than the day before.
This time of year often brings lots of change, grade changes, school changes, graduations and weddings are just a few things that tend to occur in the spring. Those events while happy, often lead to us having tears, but the good news is that those tears mean we’re alive and our hearts are full, so full that they are overflowing, and that is truly a blessing.
A little boy reminded me. Perhaps you needed reminding too.
I learned a lot more from participating in a 5K than I bargained for.
Last weekend I participated in a 5K. It was a fund raiser for our school’s STEM program and lots of people I work with were participating, so I reluctantly signed up. I’m not a runner. I like to walk for fitness and I run a little, during my walks, but I would never consider myself a runner.
The thought of a race was definitely not my cup of tea. I’m just not competitive that way, but I signed up anyway.
It turned out to be cold, in the forties and there was a small chance of rain, but there was a carnival atmosphere when I arrived. Everyone was pumped up and smiling. There was music playing. I wasn’t really sure what the excitement was about, but it was infectious.
Once the race began, I ended up walking alone and keeping my own pace. When I would see people I knew, they would smile and speak. Sometimes they were way ahead and on their way back when we crossed paths and sometimes I would pass them.
Either way, everyone was very encouraging, “Go Wendy!” they would call. When it began to rain, I began to run more than walk. I got a few good natured call outs, “thought you didn’t run!” I would laugh and reply that I don’t.
I never said I couldn’t run; I said I don’t run. Turns out, when it’s freezing and raining, I can run quite a lot.
But, the encouragement was contagious and I found myself cheering others on when I passed by them as well. When I crossed the finish line, a friend of mine was videoing and cheering me on.
I was so grateful to be done. I was cold and wet and ready to head home, but another friend told me I couldn’t leave because I was going to medal. How could that be possible? Little kids had passed me.
She explained that the race was broken down into age groups. There weren’t many people in my age group. I found it hysterical that just being old and finishing, made me eligible for an award, but I stayed and I got a medal. She did too and everyone cheered for each other.
I thought about that race long after I finally got home and got warm and dry.
It really is a parallel of how we should live our lives, going at our own pace, joining with others sometimes, walking some and running some, continuing forward even when the weather is bad and maybe most importantly, encouraging others in their race.
As a dear friend of mine says, “It doesn’t matter when you cross the finish line, as long as you finish. The only ones who lose are the ones who don’t try at all.” Perhaps you needed reminding today.
What if Christians lived like everyday was Easter Sunday?
When I left church yesterday, which happened to be Easter Sunday, I was chatting with an elderly lady in our congregation. She’s 90 and quite spry. She rarely misses a Sunday. She commented on how she was so happy that the day turned out to be beautiful. I agreed with her and we talked a few more minutes before I gave her a hug and headed to my car.
I was thinking about our conversation on my drive home when I crossed the river. It was way up past flood stage and was moving very quickly. It rained Good Friday and on Saturday almost continuously. It was cold and dark, the way I picture the earth being, the day Jesus was crucified and the days He was in the tomb.
But, Easter Sunday turned out to be gorgeous as if Creation itself was celebrating along with Christians around the world.
Our pastor shared the concept and challenge to let Easter be the first day of the rest of our lives in Christ. I have to say that I never really thought about it that way.
I think of fresh starts on New Year’s Day and on my birthday, but Easter is a call to a spiritual fresh start, a clean slate that comes from the Resurrection. It’s a brand new call to accept grace and redemption and meets us at whatever point we find ourselves on our faith journey.
It doesn’t matter if we are brand new or seasoned Christ followers, or whether we have been traveling faithfully or have fallen away for some reason. Even if we find ourselves completely upside down and on the wrong road altogether, Easter is an invitation back to Jesus, back to forgiveness, back to healing, and back to unconditional love.
Easter is an invitation to all who choose to accept it. There are no exceptions.
When I scanned my Facebook feed it was full of “Happy Easter” and “He is Risen,” messages and each one was beautiful and encouraging to see, but on Monday, we tend to go back to business as usual. Those messages are a one day deal.
What if we tried to live like Easter people all year long? What if we chose to remember first thing each morning, the glory of the miracle that we are blessed to be included in? If we lived with that fresh joy and revelation everyday, it wouldn’t matter how badly our day went, because in the end, our thoughts and sights would be set on something much bigger than today’s troubles.
A Sunday sermon and a sunny day, reminded me to remember the promise of Easter everyday. Perhaps you needed reminding too.
We can always hold the promise of Easter close, despite our current circumstances.
Last Sunday morning, I woke my groggy seventeen-year-old up to tell him his daddy and I were going to church. (He always comes later than we do.) I told him to be very careful driving in because we were expecting some bad weather that day, possibly even some tornadoes.
Without even opening his eyes, he asked me, “If the weather is going to be so bad, why are we going?”
Ahhh, questions from the mouths of babes, are not really surprising, but I suspect that those of us who claim to be mature in our faith, may not do much better.
It’s easy to praise and worship God when life is beautiful and everything is going well. But, how do we do when the really rough weather arrives? What about when it sets in and stays a while?
We probably find ourselves praying and asking for deliverance, which is fine. We should call out to God when we are in distress, but do we find ourselves praising and worshiping Him? Do we revert to the, “I don’t deserve this/ why is this happening to me questions?”
Do we question God’s goodness when things in our lives aren’t good?
The Christian life has never been a promise of a trouble free walk. We live in a broken world with an enemy who is very active and intent on causing chaos.
But, today is Good Friday, a day many of us would prefer to skip over and go straight to Easter. I get it. Easter is glorious. God wins and grace and redemption were born. Death was defeated for good.
Yet, Easter Sunday couldn’t possibly be what it is without the darkness of that Friday. We have the privilege of viewing that Friday through the Easter lens. Jesus’s disciples, friends, family and loved ones, did not. I imagine to them, they felt completely abandoned. The pain and sorrow they felt during those three days must have been unbearable.
But, God was at work. He had a plan just as He always has, just as He always will. When Sunday at last dawned, everything had changed and life on planet earth would never again be the same.
As we contemplate the events of that Friday which ultimately led to that Sunday, may we remember to never stop worshiping and praising the God who loves us enough to grant us eternity with Him.
May we be reminded that our current circumstances are not how our story ends and hold that truth close always. May our souls be filled with the hope that Easter brings.
Today may be Friday, but Easter is coming. Perhaps you needed reminding.
It’s amazing what we can find when we are patient and look closely.
I took a field trip around my yard one day last week. We had been blessed with a couple of days in the eighties and my yard had sprung back to life. Everything was green and blooming and I walked around just snapping pictures, like a kid on Christmas morning.
My fig tree had a bunch of figs for the first time ever and my blueberry bushes were covered in blueberries, not just blooms, but actual berries.
I marveled as I walked around, at all of the life and growth bursting forth around me and I was reminded of the long wet winter. It rained for days and days last winter. I mean seriously, it was gray most of the time and I sometimes wondered if they rain would ever end. I think it was actually the second wettest for us in history.
We got no snow, but tons of rain, and I was so weary of it.
But, the aftermath of that wet, miserable winter, was proving to be stunning. Apparently that incessant rain had caused nature to flourish in a way I would have never thought possible back in February.
As I pondered the thought, I looked closely at my hydrangeas. They are such interesting plants. During the winter, they go completely dormant. If you didn’t know any better, you would swear they were dead and dig them up and toss them, but they seem to turn green again overnight and what was dead on the outside actually was alive on the inside. Mine actually had tiny blooms getting ready to explode.
When I finally went back into the house, I felt filled with the inspiration that can only come from Creation, the kind that comes from what only God can create and I was reminded of the importance of patience, perseverance and trusting His plan.
God knew in January and February about the new life that was coming in the spring. He new about the growth and the beauty. He knew what the rain would produce even when I wasn’t capable of seeing it, even when I was tired and frustrated.
He knows the same about His human creations as well. He knows the plans He has for us. He knows what’s coming after the long rainy seasons move through. He’s constantly working to knit it all together to create something beautiful and fruitful.
A spring walk reminded me. Sometimes I need reminding. Perhaps you do too.
This smart little guy is using his perch, so he can rest.
We put our hummingbird feeder back out a couple of weeks ago. My daddy had spotted some hummers at his house and had declared that it was officially time. Since he’s the hummingbird captain of our family, I put mine out and waited anxiously. A couple of days went by and I didn’t see any.
I was a little disappointed, but I patiently waited and one morning, one was there. I was like a proud new mama, so excited to see him. He was solo for another week. I made a new batch of nectar and hung it out there and then, there were three.
I have no idea why the tiny creatures delight me so much. They just do. I feel like they teach me new life lessons every spring when they return.
Yesterday, I was lamenting to my husband, wondering why the one currently feeding, wouldn’t rest on the provided perch. I specifically purchased a feeder that would allow them to rest. Why wouldn’t he rest? He’s grown accustomed to my hummingbird ponderings and didn’t bother to attempt to offer an explanation.
I wonder if Jesus feels the same way about us sometimes. He told us specifically that He would give us rest. “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” Matthew 11:28-29
Jesus also promised us peace if we would trust Him. He told His disciples, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” John 14:27
Peace and rest sound pretty good to this often tired and weary mama.
But, I have to ask myself, how often do I act like the little hummingbird who fluttered his wings constantly and refused to rest on the perch provided? How often do I bring needless anxiety and worry on myself when I worry about things completely out of my control or when I attempt to fix things I wasn’t called to fix?
The great perch of rest for Believers is prayer. Prayer is where our most effective work is accomplished, but how often do we forget that when we pray, we are then called to hand it over to Jesus and rest in the knowledge that He’s got it covered.
Our continued striving and worry gets us nowhere, but completely exhausted. A hummingbird reminded me that rest is a necessary part of the journey. Perhaps you needed reminding too.
Like a message from Heaven, there they were, blooming early.
As I sit at my keyboard, I’m filled with gratitude. I have come to the end of a faith lesson and it’s been a tough one.
Thirty days ago, I began an online Bible study on Job. That’s always a tough book to read. It’s about human suffering. It’s about us not understanding God’s plans, but it’s ultimately about accepting that His plans are greater than ours because He is God and we are not. It’s about choosing to trust Him and worship Him in good times and bad, even in our suffering.
Thirty days ago, the same day I began the Job study, I got a call from my doctor. My mammogram had come back abnormal. There was some kind of mass and I needed further testing. It was thirty days before I could get an appointment at one of the local hospitals.
I had just finished reading the book, “Crazy Love,” by Francis Chan. In the book, he writes that American Christians tend to focus all of our prayer on our own protection, when our focus should be on glorifying God with our lives, whether we are protected or not.
It’s a difficult concept and not really how most of us are taught to pray, but for whatever reason, I felt convicted to pray that way about my situation. I didn’t pray that it wouldn’t be cancer. I prayed that God would give me the strength to praise and glorify Him, no matter the diagnosis.
While it was difficult, I kept remembering Jesus praying in the garden that there would be another way, but that He would submit to God’s will. I know I have a savior who understands all of my human weaknesses and every time I would pray about it, I would feel this voice deep within asking, “Do you trust me?”
The waiting was hard. I tend to be very patient with people, but I don’t wait well. I wasn’t afraid of the outcome, but I wanted a plan.
The day arrived and of course, they were running behind, more waiting. But, a woman came and sat in front of me with, Matthew 19:26 carved in the side of her purse, “With God all things are possible.”
Jesus was there.
The technician took like 10 films and told me to wait and that she would probably need to take more. She said she definitely saw something. She returned and took me for an ultrasound. After that, a different technician went to get the doctor and I was alone in the room, but not really.
I could feel Jesus there and I continued to pray for strength
When the doctor arrived, she looked some more and then smiled and told me it was a cyst and there was nothing to worry about. Flooded with gratitude I thanked her and as I dressed I thanked God for the outcome and for the lesson.
When I got home and let my dogs out, my yellow irises caught my eye; they were blooming, the ones I planted that belonged to my surrogate grandmother, the ones that usually bloom a little closer to the end of April. Yet there they were, a little early this year.
As tears spilled down my cheeks I thanked God again. I had tried the prayer that I was convicted to pray and I never walked alone. Although a little frustrated at times, I always knew it would be okay because He was with me.
And it’s the same with all who belong to Him. Sometimes I need reminding. Perhaps you do too.
For me, my newly organized cabinets were as beautiful as a sunset.
Last week, I was off for spring break. I knew a lot of people who went to the beach, or the mountains. I knew people who went snow skiing and people who flew across the country. I knew a few folks who actually left the country. Most everyone happily shared their adventures on social media.
I took the week to do some serious spring cleaning. I watched one Marie Kondo episode and I was ready to clean out closets. We moved into our house over Spring Break, fourteen years ago and had accumulated way too much stuff.
So, with my hubby in tow, we started in our bedroom and worked our way to the kitchen. We donated bags of clothes that hadn’t been worn in years. Don’t even get me started on the plastic ware. I can’t begin to express the happiness I feel when I open my cabinets and find nicely stacked storage containers with matching lids.
I saw a post from a friend on Facebook about how she was having the vacation that she had needed to take for years. I felt that I was taking care of projects that I needed to work on for years. I suspect that both of our souls were getting exactly what we needed at this particular moment in our lives.
There was a time in my life when I would have missed that soul truth. I would have been seriously bummed out that I missed out on all of the fun that everyone else seemed to be having last week. All of the beautiful pictures of sunsets and family fun can hardly compare to cleaning out closets and cabinets.
No one wants to see those pictures.
Social media has taken comparison to a whole new level and there’s nothing that steals joy more than comparison can.
But, I’ve reached a point where I know what’s best for my own heart and soul. For me, the satisfaction of completing my own little projects last week was exactly what I needed, because for me, the new organization is like coming home to a new peaceful place every single day.
As long as we are walking with Jesus, wherever we are on the journey, is exactly where we are supposed to be. We aren’t supposed to compare our path with anyone else’s. They are on a different journey.
A week of Spring Break organization reminded me. Perhaps you needed reminding too.
One of the greatest treasures we will ever have to give, is our time.
Most people who have attended church for long enough, have sat through a stewardship sermon where a pastor tells us about the importance of tithing. It’s probably one of a pastor’s least favorite sermons. They will talk about where the concept of tithing come from in the Bible and how the church uses the money to further the mission of spreading the Gospel.
There are many examples of people taking the challenge to give more, even when the checking account says they can’t and in the end, there being more than enough.
The idea of giving in that way tends to make us very uncomfortable, but we often forget that God’s economy is different than man’s.
We are leery of what we can’t see or prove on paper, yet that’s where faith has the opportunity to blossom.
But what about a commodity more precious than money? What about our time? Do we believe that God can multiply our time?
We live in a busy culture. We work all day and rush home to cook dinner, or shuffle kids off to sports or some other activity; we have to assist with projects and homework. We have houses to clean and bills to pay. We have to shop for groceries and at some point, we are supposed to throw some exercise in. We have meetings to attend. We have to sleep.
Finding time in an average day to pray and read the Bible can seem nearly impossible, but what if we trusted God with our schedules? What if we took some time and asked God to make a way for us to have a closer relationship with Him? Do we believe the Maker of time could make the time?
I once read about a woman who prayed that God would multiply her time and He did. So I tried it.
I was running late and I knew that I really needed to start my day with some devotional time including some scripture reading. I stopped rushing around long enough to ask God to multiply my time that morning so that I could read His Word.
He did. It was as if the clock slowed down to a crawl and I was able to sit down and take a few minutes with God before I headed out into the world and I learned a very valuable lesson.
If we believe that God is the Creator of the Universe and of all things in it, then we have to believe that He can control all things in it. If we trust Him with where we will spend Eternity, surely we can trust Him to manage our time here on earth.
When we do, we will find there’s more than enough. Sometimes I need reminding. Perhaps you do too.
