Month: May 2020

Fear Not

Posted on by Wendy
Marshall reminds me that Christians are not called to live in fear.

My daughter has a new rescue pup named Marshall. We aren’t exactly sure how old he is, but he’s not a year old yet and he has spent most of his life in and animal shelter in a fairly small stall. Needless to say, he has never been on a leash, but my daughter bought him the most adorable harness and leash, and she couldn’t wait to help him explore the world. She reasoned, that he would be thrilled with new wide open spaces and the freedom to walk around.

But, when she took him out for his first walk, he was terrified. People scared him. Barking dogs scared him. Every sound made him tuck his little tail and lock down and refuse to walk. She gave him treats and tried to coax him to walk, but he wanted no part of it.

He didn’t trust her to keep him safe. He had only known her a few days. He had no reason to.

He got a little better over the next few days, and went a little bit further each day, but there was one particular house that always had a dog out front. He had an underground fence and he couldn’t get to Marshall even if he tried, but he didn’t even try. He just stared at him. Marshall didn’t know he was safe and he refused to walk by the house.

After about a week, my daughter decided to pick Marshall up when she walked by the house and put him back down to see if he would continue his walk. It worked like a charm. Not, only did he continue his walk, but they made it all the way to the end of the subdivision.

My daughter and I have had lots of discussions about Marshall’s limited experience with the world outside his little stall and his lack of understanding and trust. We often discuss the importance of patience in building our relationship with him.

Quite honestly, Marshall’s lack of trust reminds me very much of how we tend to view God, especially these days. There seems to be so much to fear, from the pandemic, to politics, to riots and conspiracy theories. Is God listening? Will He protect us? Is He still in control? Like sweet little Marshall, we sometimes want to tuck our tails and lock down, paralyzed with fear of what lies ahead.

God tells His people hundreds of times in the Bible not to live in fear. Why would He do that? He wants us to trust that He is in control and that He has a plan no matter how dark the times may be and even though we like to believe that our current situation is the darkest ever, our Bible tells a different story. There have been plagues, pestilence, famine and unrest since Adam and Eve left the garden. These things will always be present in some form or fashion on this side of eternity.

Yet, we are called to remember that we are travelers here and as travelers, we need to move one step at a time in the direction our Shepherd takes us until He calls us home. We need to remember like Marshall is learning, not to fear, because the Bible tells us not to.

Sometimes I need reminding. Perhaps you do too.

Have an awesome day!
Wendy 🙂

Making a Difference

Posted on by Wendy
We made a difference for this one.

Our 20 year old daughter, just adopted a pup from a nearby animal shelter. When we arrived to look at the adoptables, it was both overwhelming and heartbreaking. It was a really big shelter and it had been closed down for the pandemic so no dogs had been adopted for many weeks. It was almost completely full. The dogs were well cared for and their stalls were clean and the place smelled clean, but walking by stall after stall was really sad.

Some of the pups that we walked by, would come right up to us; some would cower in the corner; some would bark at us. There was a lot of noise. But, there was one that caught my daughter’s eye and she asked to see him. We took him outside and spent some time with him. He was anxious for attention and affection and she knew that he was the one.

She completed the paperwork and a week later, Marshall was hers.

I thought a lot about the other pups long after we left. I thought about how it wasn’t possible for me to help all of them and how easy it is to get overwhelmed in a world with so much need, especially in the current Covid-19 situation we find ourselves in. Sometimes we feel it’s all too much and we can’t help with all of the need anyway, so we just do nothing. But, the truth is doing anything is better that doing nothing.

We can always simply text a friend or neighbor who we know is struggling with loneliness, anxiety, fear or just simply too much on their plate, or better yet, we can call them. It’s amazing that we rarely use the machines we call telephones to actually talk anymore. I recently read that letter writing has seen a surge. When was the last time I wrote a letter? We can post something positive on social media and share some hope. We can make a donation to an organization that is helping others and remember to donate to our local church even if we aren’t attending physically.

Most importantly, we can remember to pray and ask God for guidance. He can use every one of His people during this time to share His light, love and glory. He is not limited by this pandemic nor is He limited by our imagination or lack of resources. When we put what we have to offer in His hands, it will always be more than enough.

No, we couldn’t save all of the pups at the shelter, but Marshall got a brand new life and for him, it was enough. A trip to an animal shelter reminded me that the world will always be a place full of need and noise, but we can always make some kind of difference. Sometimes I need reminding. Perhaps you did too!

Have an awesome day!
Wendy 🙂

Have a Great Weekend

Posted on by Wendy

Our new pup!

I have no post today. My daughter got a new pup last week. I haven’t shared the house with a puppy since before my kids were born and they are both in college now. Our dogs have always been rescues who have been a respectable two years old or so and potty trained. It’s been an adjustment, a happy one, but we have been busy. Puppies are a picture of pure love and some of God’s best work and I’m sure going forward, I will have tons of nuggets to share. I can’t wait to see what the little fellow has to teach me. Have a wonderful weekend!

Have an awesome day!
Wendy 🙂

Trusting God with Our Children

Posted on by Wendy
And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.” Romans 8:28

I’ve been seeing a lot of posts on my Facebook page about seniors who aren’t getting to have their graduation ceremonies. There’s been a lot posted about proms that were missed and sports seasons that never materialized. My heart definitely goes out to those kids. I can’t imagine their disappointment.

I’ve been impressed with all the use of technology and the virtual ceremonies to recognize and celebrate these seniors. The innovative and optimistic spirit of Americans never fails to amaze me.

However, the virtual world is not the same as the real world and the loss for these young people is all too real. But, when I received my first graduation announcement in the mail yesterday, I found that I really empathize most with the parents of the seniors. As a mama, I can attest that when my children hurt, it’s a double whammy for me.

I don’t even have a senior this year and I can feel the anguish of these mamas and daddies. This pandemic has disrupted the plans of people worldwide and our children have been no exception and what’s worse, we can’t do anything to fix it. It’s a terrible lesson about life being unfair for these kids and equally as heartbreaking for their parents.

As I was thinking about it, I was reminded of the story of Joseph and how he was sold through no fault of his own and then after doing exactly what he was supposed to be doing and resisting the temptation that was being thrown at him, he was wrongfully imprisoned, again, through no fault of his own. Where was God?

To young Joseph, it must have seemed that he had been abandoned. But, God was at work, putting him in the places that he needed to be, learning the skills and language that he needed to learn, to eventually, save the entire nation of Israel.

You see, there was a famine coming that would affect the entire world. Joseph had no idea. His family had no idea. The Egyptians had no idea, but God knew and He had a plan.

This pandemic was not a surprise to God. He knew it was coming.

As a mama, I have no problem trusting that God has a plan for me, but if I’m honest, I really struggle sometimes with His plans for my kids. I often feel like my plans are the best and seeing my children suffer is heart wrenching.

One of the most difficult faith concepts as a parent, is remembering that God loves our children more than we do. I know it seems unfathomable, but it’s true. The Bible says, He knit them together in the womb before they were even born. He has a plan for you and He has a plan for your children, a plan to prosper and not harm them.

I know it may not seem that way right now. I’ve no doubt it didn’t seem that way to Joseph when he was in the pit or later when he was in prison, but it’s true. In the end, Joseph was able to say that God meant it for good.

Times seem awfully dark right now and we will all come out of this changed in some way, hopefully as people with more patience, kindness and a deeper faith. Our children will be changed too. There’s no telling what God has planned for them. Some times I need reminding. Perhaps you do too.

Have an awesome day!
Wendy 🙂

A Call to Trust

Posted on by Wendy
We can be at peace not knowing where the road leads when we understand that God knows.

Back in February, I had an annual visit to my doctor. We had a conversation about my yearly mammogram. Due to my mom’s breast cancer, I have been having yearly mammograms for the past fifteen years with no issues, but two out of the last three have resulted in callbacks. While both ended up being completely benign, I had to wait thirty days both times for my both followup visits.

I’m not necessarily that worried about getting breast cancer, but the unknown tends to drive me crazy. I need a plan. Each time, I was okay for the first couple of weeks; my faith was strong. But after that, doubt crept in and I was a nervous wreck by the time I made the appointment, even though I knew that God was with me and even though I knew He had a plan.

When I commented to the technician about my long wait at my last call back, she assured me that everyone had to wait that long because the hospitals in our area serve many surrounding counties. Well, not this time, I decided. I informed my doctor that this time if I got called back, I had no intention of waiting for thirty days. I was perfectly willing to drive to Atlanta or anywhere else. I told her that I just simply didn’t have it in me to wait that long for results.

She assured me that I really shouldn’t get a call back this time, but made a note in my chart. She said there was definitely something that could be done.

But, when I saw a missed call on my phone from the doctor’s office a couple of weeks later, my heart sank. Seriously? Again?

They wanted more films, but this time it was the other side, but this time they had, “sweet talked,” some people and secured me an appointment in two weeks. That was better. I was annoyed, but I could live with two weeks.

Then Covid-19 hit and an e-mail from my chiropractor informed me that he may have been exposed by a patient in his office who may have had it. I got the e-mail on a Friday. My appointment at the hospital was on Tuesday. My mind began spinning and my stomach hurt. If I had been exposed, I could potentially infect someone else and that someone could have cancer. That’s a serious underlying condition. Was I willing to take that chance?

I didn’t sleep on Sunday night. I wrestled and I kept feeling that nudge from God, “Do you trust me?” Did I?

I knew the right thing to do. When I called the hospital to explain, they wanted me to re-schedule in fourteen days, which of course had me right at thirty days for my results. Yes, I appreciated the irony.

When I went in in on the new date, I was less anxious than the other times. God had really worked on me and stretched me. When the results came back benign, I could almost hear Him say, I told you to trust me.

If it’s one thing this pandemic has taught us, it’s that we are not in control, but that’s not new. We never have been. It’s just now painfully clear. That knowledge can either terrify us or free us. Our reaction depends on us remembering that we serve the God who is in control and who always has a plan. There’s a peace that comes from knowing that. Sometimes I need reminding. Perhaps you did too.

Have an awesome day!
Wendy 🙂