Month: July 2025

Arrange the Flowers

Posted on by Wendy
The intricacy of the flowers can remind us that God is concerned about all of the details in our lives too.

This year when I planted my vegetable garden, I planted lots of zinnia seeds. I planted a couple of beds with only zinnias and then I added them randomly to the rest of the beds. I planted them because they attract pollinators and maybe more importantly, because they bring me joy.

Most mornings, when I pick the garden, I pick the flowers first. The vegetables may feed my body, but the flowers feed my soul. Their colors are so vibrant. Some are big and some are small, but they all serve as stunning evidence of God’s work and creativity in His creation.

One day last week, as I was having my morning coffee, I was feeling stressed. I had so many balls in the air and my mind was on a seemingly endless hamster wheel running in circles surrounding things I had no control over and couldn’t possibly fix. As I began to feel a bit overwhelmed, I said a silent prayer for peace.

Almost immediately, I felt a gentle nudge to “arrange the flowers.” I looked over at the jar of flowers I had picked from the garden the day before. I hadn’t had the time to do anything with them, so they just remained in the jar that I had placed them in when I picked them.

“Seriously?” I thought.

I had so much to consider and solve, plus, I had to be somewhere that morning and I was supposed to arrange flowers?

Now, I have been walking with Jesus for too long, to ignore a nudge from the Holy Spirit, so as mundane and trivial as it seemed at the moment, I complied.

Not surprisingly, I felt a peace almost immediately, as I examined and trimmed the first perfectly amazing stem. A couple Bible verses popped into my head: 27 “Consider how the wild flowers grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 28 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you—you of little faith!” Luke 12:27-28

When I looked up the verses, in Luke 12, the entire passage is a reminder for us not to worry. Jesus uses the beauty of flowers as part of His illustration of God’s love for His creation and His people and He used the same illustration for me, standing in my kitchen that morning.

I would love to tell you that I never worried again, from that moment forward, but that wouldn’t be true. What I can say is that when I prayed for some peace in a current situation and got quiet and listened, Jesus found a way to use something special to me to remind me that I am loved and He will provide as He always has. Perhaps you needed reminding too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Lessons from a Rescue

Posted on by Wendy
Sometimes peaceful prayer is the best way to respond to the chaos around us.

My dog Oakley is a rescue. He is incredibly sweet, but unfortunately, very stubborn when he feels there is a threat that he is protecting me from. He often goes after the lawn mower. When we first got him, it was the hair dryer, a leaf blower and the chainsaw.

His latest adversary in his quest to protect me, is the pool cleaner. When he sees water spurting up into the air he runs towards the pool. He will run around the pool continuously barking, until the cleaner stops moving.

There’s no way to communicate with him that the pool cleaner poses no danger. He believes it does.

One day last week, I was in the garden and I heard him excitedly barking at the pool which took me by surprise, because the area is fenced. In his excited, (though misguided), attempt to protect me, he actually broke into the fence through the gate, to take on the dastardly pool cleaner. I was furious as I scolded him and rigged the gate with extra protection to keep him out of the area.

Later, as I thought about it in exasperation, I felt a little heart nudge. How often do I overreact and stress about things going on in the world around me?

I feel that as a nation, we have become addicted to 24 hour news on whichever channel shares our point of view, and isn’t it interesting that whichever way we lean has also found its way onto our social media feeds?

The more time we spend with the news, the more agitated we become. Like Oakley, we often feel the need to charge in and take on the perceived threat. We make hurtful and negative comments that fracture relationships. We must protect our position at all costs!

But to what end?

As Christ followers, aren’t we called to be peacemakers? If we read the Bible, doesn’t it tell us that all authority has been allowed by God? All through the Bible, doesn’t He use leadership both good and bad to achieve His purposes? Can we find even one verse where Jesus screams at the top of His lungs, to follow Him or else?

We find Him leading gently, by example. He didn’t yell at the woman at the well. He had a quiet conversation with her, when the opportunity presented itself. She was forever changed.

Like my pup Oakley, we are all rescues and with that, we have a certain amount of opinions, instincts and baggage. Some of it may be helpful. Some of it is not. Before we charge into the next conversation or comment section to defend our point of view, the best move may be to remember what a dear pastor friend of mine once said,  “It is wise to remember there is an opponent on the field who loves division, lies and chaos.”

Oakley reminded me that peace is rarely achieved through barking. Perhaps you needed reminding too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Wisdom from the Waves

Posted on by Wendy
The waves never stop, but neither does God’s love for His people.

 

My daughter recently had the day off of work and she wanted to take a quick trip to check out a nearby beach.  Since she knows how much I love the ocean, she asked me if I would be willing to go. Spoiler alert: she knew I would say yes. I was more than happy to be a part of her coastal whim. We happily got up at 6:00 AM and made the three hour drive.

We were blessed with gorgeous weather and we spent the entire day basking in the sun, walking on the beach and playing in the waves.

I have always considered the beach to be one of those thin places, where my heart and soul feel close to God. A peace settles over me as I watch the waves roll endlessly in and out. The tide comes and goes at its own pace. It doesn’t matter what’s going on in the news or down the street or in my personal life. The ocean pauses for no one.

It’s been a few years since I have swam in the ocean, but when we waded in together to waist deep water, it was like a balm for my weary soul. The waves would gently pull me out and then I would try to catch one just at the right time, to ride towards the shore. Sometimes, I would jump too soon and not get anywhere. Sometimes, I would wait too late and get a face full of salt water. But, sometimes I would move at the perfect time and ride the wave almost completely back to the beach.

I don’t know how long we laughed and played in the ocean; I just know I was pleasantly exhausted when we finally drug ourselves out. I was reminded of playing in the ocean with my parents when I was a child and then playing with my own children when they were little, but this time, I felt like God was holding me close and smiling as I delighted in the wonder that He made.

As I thought about it later, it was almost a physical reminder of my spiritual walk. The ocean would pull me gently out, like God pulls me close, but then it would push me back to the shore, back to where people are, inviting me to share the experience with others who might need to hear about it.

Sometimes the waves are calm and easy and we can just float. Sometimes they are big and scary and we have to swim really hard. We might even get pushed under and have to fight for air, but if we keep our eyes on Jesus, we will always make it to the shore. Sometimes I need reminding. Perhaps you do too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂