Author: Wendy

Magnolia Reminders

Posted on by Wendy
“And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin.  Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these.” Matthew 6:28-29

 

I have had the joy of working with some elementary student field trips at our local arboretum over the past couple of weeks. I love how children remind us to be in awe of the parts of life that have become mundane to us.

Children tend to be naturally curious and so they ask lots of questions, especially in new environments. I was standing with a class while they were waiting in line to use the restroom, when a little boy picked up a small red seed to ask me what it was. I explained to him that it was a magnolia seed an that the huge tree he was standing under, came from a small seed just like the one he was holding in his hand. He seemed very surprised.

When I found a picture of a magnolia flower on my phone to show him, he was even more surprised. I went on to explain to him that not only are magnolias beautiful, they also smell great.

I’ll have to admit, after reflecting on our conversation later that day, that I too, found myself in awe of how a giant magnolia tree with huge perfumed blossoms can come from one tiny red seed. The finished product looks nothing like its humble beginnings. Furthermore, after doing a little research, I learned that the hard wax coating on the red seed is broken down after it is eaten by an animal and after that process, the seed can grow into a mighty tree.

That’s a lot of moving parts, to create a tree. Yet, we have magnolia trees all over the South. As I looked at a magnolia tree in my own yard, I felt a reminder deep in my soul that if God goes to that much effort and detail for a tree, He certainly puts a lot more planning and effort in humanity

Psalm 139: 13-14 says, “For you created my inmost being;  you knit me together in my mother’s womb.  I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;  your works are wonderful,  I know that full well.”

Sometimes I think it’s easy to forget how precious we are to God, but thankfully we have scripture to remind us. Children can also serve as good reminders. Sometimes I need reminding. Perhaps you do too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

A Call to Share Light

Posted on by Wendy
“The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” John 1:5

 

I was getting a haircut last week when a man came into the salon and sat in the chair next to me. He was clearly distraught as he spoke of the shooting that happened live on social media for everyone to see. If I’m honest, I will admit that I had no idea who he was talking about. With the sudden loss of my husband last October, I’ve walked through my own dark grief journey the past year. In an effort to heal, I have eliminated most news and kept my social media interaction to a minimum. I am an empath by nature and I simply no longer had the head or heart space for all the negativity.

My first thought was prayers for his widow and children. It didn’t matter who he was. He left behind a wife and children who would miss him for the rest of their days on this side of eternity.

As the man continued to talk, he made the comment that he wasn’t sure how he could raise his son in a world that had come to this kind of violence.

I sat with his words as the next day led to the 24th year since the 9/11 attacks. I remembered as if it were yesterday, rocking my infant son in the middle of the night and wondering what kind of world he would grow up in. Was this the end of life as we knew it? How would I raise him in a world with that kind of violence.

I remember praying in fear and lament and I remember picking up my Bible.

What I have learned over the past twenty-four years, coupled with what I have learned over the past year, is while there is always space for grief and lament on this side of eternity,  as Christians, I believe we have to ask ourselves, do we believe God is in control or not? Do we believe He has a plan or not?

If we are able to answer yes to both of those questions, then we also know that we were made for such a time as this. When God knitted each of us together in our mother’s womb, He knew we would be here at this moment. He knew this about the children He would bless us with as well.

We each have a God appointed mission to share truth and light with the people who cross our paths. Darkness can never be countered with more darkness. The only remedy for darkness is light. Even the tiniest flicker can make a difference. Sometimes I need reminding. Perhaps you do too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

God is Always Working

Posted on by Wendy
From a distance, the pond looks like a still body of water.

I was recently out for a walk when I felt the nudge to stop and take a seat at a bench next to our pond. I resisted and continued with my walk. I was trying to get in my steps for the day. It had rained for an entire week and when it finally stopped, I felt a deep need to move. When I came back by the bench, I felt the nudge again. This time I stopped. A light breeze swept gently across the water as I soaked in the stillness and caught my breath.

It wasn’t long before I saw a big fish breaking the surface on the other side of the pond. A few minutes later, I saw some minnows swimming near the edge. I  heard frogs croaking and then I saw a turtle poke its head head up out of the water.

As I sat there, it occurred to me that when I rushed by a few minutes earlier and resisted the nudge to stop, the pond looked completely still. It wasn’t until I took the time to be still and observe, that I saw just a few of the many types of life that it nurtures. I know there are different kinds of turtles and fish in the pond, but I don’t often see them.

In fact, most of the work of living that goes on beneath the surface, is never seen by human eyes, yet I never question its existence.

The lesson was not lost on me. There are times on our faith journey when we wonder where God is. Why is He not answering our prayers? Why is He allowing continued suffering? Is He even listening?

While we may not get the answers to all of our questions on this side of eternity. We can rest assured that He is always listening, always close and always working. If we need a reminder, we can follow the gentle nudge from the Spirit that encourages us to be still, pray, and read His Word. The Bible tells us repeatedly not to be afraid, to be at peace and to be still and know that God is in control.

If we know in our hearts that He is writing our story, then we have to know He is always working, even when we can’t see Him. A visit to a pond reminded me. Perhaps you needed reminding too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

God is Not Done

Posted on by Wendy
As long as we are still breathing, God is still at work.

It’s getting towards the end of the summer growing season in my garden. I missed some important opportunities to prune just about everything, and then we had five days of rain followed by cloudy skies. Between bugs and blight, my zinnias are looking rough. I’m still getting some blooms, but not nearly as many and most of them have black spots on them.

I was out in the garden, harvesting what I could and deadheading the blooms that were spent or just in bad shape, when a beautiful butterfly caught my eye. It was busy working on the center of a pitiful flower. At least half of its petals were gone and those it still had were tinged in brown. If I hadn’t seen the butterfly on it, I would have definitely cut it and thrown it over the fence.

I marveled at how hard at work the butterfly was on the seemingly spent flower and I couldn’t help but snap a photo, then left it alone to do its work. I circled around the bed and when I got back to it, a bee was busy working on it. Needless to say, I left the flower right where it stood. It clearly still had worth to nature, even if I couldn’t see it.

I thought about that half-eaten flower for the rest of the afternoon. I thought about how quickly we are to attach worth to the people and things around us and even to ourselves, based on what we see. The Bible tells us that God sees with different eyes than we do.

But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” 1 Samuel 16:7

Friend, the truth is that if you woke up today, if you are reading these words, God is not done with you. You may feel like the half-eaten, tattered flower in my garden, but you are here and our God can still use you. Your unique journey matters, all bruises and scars included. Jesus understands. He too, has some scars.

A butterfly reminded me that we are never too far gone for God to use us. Perhaps you needed reminding too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Finding the Fruit in Wilderness Moments

Posted on by Wendy
Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. James 1:17

I was recently going through one of those times where God felt far away. I think of them as wilderness moments. Now, I’ve been walking with Jesus long enough to know that faith is not based on feelings. He is always close and always at work even when I can’t see Him or feel Him. Interestingly enough, a friend of mine called to check in and eventually, we got around to how I was feeling.

She was quick to reassure me that God was definitely working behind the scenes. She encouraged me to keep reading the Bible, keep praying and to lean into Jesus and always to expect big things. These were of course, truths that I knew but, I was so grateful for her call and her encouragement.

I took a walk and said a prayer of thanks for our friendship and marveled at God’s timing. She and I text regularly, but she just happened to call me when I was in a wilderness moment and really needed to hear some words of truth and encouragement. As I was walking, I found some wild  muscadines along my path. I stopped and picked up a couple and popped them into my mouth.

They were wonderfully sweet and transported me immediately back to my childhood when my sister and I would shake a muscadine vine that climbed a tree in our yard and gather the sweet grapes that dropped seemingly from the sky. I immediately looked up and saw the vine that was very high in a tree above. I smiled and thanked God for the surprise treat on my walk and then a Bible verse popped into my head.

“Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.” James 1:17

It was the ultimate reminder that every blessing comes from God, the God who is always close, the God who cares about our everyday ups and downs, the God who nudged a friend to call me and remind me of His love and the God who sent me some fruit simply because He could. There are days that I need reminding. Perhaps you do too,

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

 

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 🙂

Just Keep Growing

Posted on by Wendy
If we are breathing, we are called to keep growing.

 

Last year, we planted some cherry tomato plants that produced more tomatoes than we could ever eat. We gave tons away and froze even more. After we pulled them up at the end of the season, they reseeded and came back until the frost finally killed them, or so I thought.

This spring, I had two of those same plants come back in between cracks in the rocks in the garden.

I plan to put cement in those cracks, but since I hadn’t yet, I decided to leave them and see what would happened. My brother cut one of them completely down with a weed eater because he thought it was a weed.

It came back.

I  took a close look at it today. It was thriving, covered in blooms and fruit and a little garden spider has made her home in it. I found myself as I often do when I’m in the garden, in awe of God’s work.

Sometimes even when I am determined to make something grow, it doesn’t. I do research. I work on the soil. I fertilize it and water it, but sometimes despite my best efforts, some of the things I plant, fail to thrive.

And then I have instances like the cherry tomato, that is determined to produce fruit whether in good or bad soil, even without any fertilizer to encourage growth or without water from me. Even when all seemed lost in the winter time, they were still working underground, unseen by me, to make a comeback.

It’s as if those seeds are committed to survive and thrive no matter what.

I feel like there is a lesson here. Sometimes we find ourselves in seasons when we feel we have nothing left to give. We may even believe that our time of producing any sort of fruit has passed.

That cherry tomato reminds me that God is always at work. The Bible reassures me that nothing is impossible for Him even though current circumstances may look impossible, He can see what I can’t.

My job is to keep reaching for Him, reaching for the light and to keep growing. He will do the rest. The good fruit always comes from Him.

A determined cherry tomato plant reminded me to just keep growing. Perhaps you needed reminding too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

 

Following Divine Directions

Posted on by Wendy
Sometimes we have to trust that Divine directions will always get us where we need to go.

 

I recently went to visit my daughter and her husband in a different state. I hadn’t been there since December, so I was using a GPS app. I was cruising along, singing with the radio at the top of my lungs without a care in the world when the directions it gave me went along with what I remembered. But, then it directed me to turn onto an unfamiliar side street that was off of the main road.

At first, I hesitated and then I decided to ignore it. This particular app is known for routing you around accidents and construction and even alerting you to road hazards ahead, which is why I chose it, but I didn’t think turning on that particular side street was a good idea. Instead of rerouting me as it often does, the kind voice insisted that I turn on the next side street. Again, I wasn’t sure where I was and it didn’t seem like a good idea to me, but this time, I complied.

It had me take one more turn and then, at last, I was on a main road. If I had listened the first time, it would only have taken me one turn instead of two.

I will never know why it routed me the way it did. Was there an accident? Was there a delay? Perhaps more importantly, why did I decide to use the app if I wasn’t going to trust it? I knew when I connected to it that it had more information on the route than I did.  Why did I feel the need to doubt and micromanage?

As I considered my GPS trust issues, I thought about my faith walk. I have been a Christian almost as long as I can remember. I love Jesus, but I have to admit that there have been times in my life when I have followed my own directions instead of His. Just like the voice in the app, He always gently reminds me about the direction I need to go. Honestly, I don’t always comply and sometimes I have been completely rerouted with a ton of extra turns.

In the end, He always gets me where He needs me to go because whether I want to admit it or not, He has more information than I do. A GPS app reminded me that I should always trust that Jesus has a good plan for me and He knows the direction I need to go even when I don’t. Perhaps you needed reminding too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂