Author: Wendy

Finding His Provision

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

We have a place in our yard where we have talked about putting in a fish pond for years. We had one at our last house and really enjoyed it, but we never got around to taking the time and doing the work it took to put one in when we moved. We’ve been here for fifteen years now and it seemed like one of those projects that was simply never going to happen. The kids grew up and went off to school and we all just had better things to do.

That was until Covid-19 put us under a mandatory quarantine. The kids came home from college in March instead of May. Internships and part-time jobs were off the table. All of a sudden, we had time on our hands and the desire to add a spot where we could sit in the shade, watch goldfish swim and hear the soothing gurgle of a waterfall.

My daughter and my hubby dug the hole together and ordered the items needed and Saturday morning, my daughter and I went to gather some rocks from the edge of our property. When we got ready to go outside, I found myself grumbling aloud about the overcast skies. I wondered why we couldn’t have a sunny day to do our work.

As we began to use our shovels to dig around, we found some really big rocks. Some of them took both of us to lift and we had to call my hubby to help us with a couple. We worked up quite a sweat. As we dug and pulled and lifted, a soft breeze blew. Before I could stop myself, I found myself commenting to my daughter, how hot it would have been if the sun had been out.

The moment I said the words, I felt both humbled and convicted. I wanted the sun to be out. I was tired of clouds and rain. As is often the case, I thought I knew what was best for me and equally as often, I was wrong. God had provided as He always does in His way, not mine and His way as always, was infinitely better.

I’ve helped roof houses before when I knew the clouds were a gift and gave thanks immediately for them. But, sometimes in valley seasons, we miss those gifts, God’s provision, even though it’s always there.

Covid-19 has us all walking in a valley season. Everyone is affected, old and young, rich and poor, all races, genders and nationalities. It’s easy to miss the gifts and provision when we listen to the news and become filled with despair and panic.

But, when we focus on Jesus and trust in His love and grace, no matter the season, we will see His provision. An overcast Saturday reminded me. Sometimes I need reminding. Perhaps you do too.

Have an awesome day!
Wendy 🙂

A Mandatory Season of Lent

Posted on by Wendy
“Such love has no fear, because perfect love drives out fear. If we are afraid, it is for fear of punishment, and this shows that we have not fully experienced his perfect love.” 1 John 4:18 NLT

Last week I began to take a daily walk during my lunch break. Covid-19 has me working from home, so I really have no excuse not to get out and walk. The people I work with all encourage us to get outside and take brain breaks away from all of the technology that pings, dings and vibrates all day long vying for my constant attention. Everyone seems to intrinsically know that nature is good for the soul.

Since this crisis has hit us at the same time spring has, there has literally been new discoveries everyday. I have been amazed at how pink buds appear seemingly overnight on a tree that was barren the day before and then wowed again at the blossoms that burst forth so quickly after. I’ve seen wisteria vines go from dormant, to a few blossoms, to dozens of clusters in days and the fragrance they release is a small wonder all its own.

As I was praying and giving thanks for the beauty, I found myself almost overwhelmed at God’s timing. If Covid-19 would have shown itself during the winter, most of us would have had to remain locked up indoors and for those of us in the Deep South, our winter included an unprecedented amount of rain. It was a miserable winter. We all grumbled about it. I even blogged about it.

But, those showers, as incessant as they were, have led to a beautiful spring. Would we have appreciated our beautiful and warm weather if we hadn’t endured that rain?

It also struck me that we are in the midst of Lent, a period of time when Christians are called to draw closer to Jesus by asking ourselves what it is that keeps us away from Him. It’s a time of self-reflection when we are supposed to put down those idols that we put before our relationship with Jesus.

If I’m honest, there are years when I have wholeheartedly participated in Lent and there are years when I have not. But, this year, it seems that Lent has been forcibly thrust upon us. We are living in a time of fear, chaos, panic and uncertainty. Our economy is in a free fall. We are confined to our homes with our families and isolated from other people and just about everything worldly. We are barraged with hourly messages of doom from the media.

Maybe now is the time for us to prayerfully ask, what has kept us from God and what He wants to teach us. Since we have had to put down just about everything we have held tightly in our hands, maybe now is the time to refocus and rededicate our lives to the higher purpose to which we have been called. Maybe in doing that, we can become part of a revival that our nation and even our world, has never seen before.

A walk reminded me that people who keep their focus fixed on Jesus can’t help, but become people of love and light and people of love and light, spread hope faster than any virus can ever spread desolation and fear. Sometimes I need reminding. Perhaps you do too.

Have an awesome day!
Wendy 🙂

For Such a Time As This

Posted on by Wendy
“For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?” Esther 4:14

A few weeks ago, I started a new job. Interestingly, it happened to be at my college alma mater. I had prayed about the next chapter in my life for a long time. I sensed that when my nest became empty, I was called to do something else, something more challenging, something that would make better use of my talents, something that would stretch me.

If I’m honest, I prayed with hesitancy. I really don’t like change and I had become quite comfortable where I was. I loved the people I worked with at a small elementary school, so much so, they had become like family. I loved the children I got to see everyday. I loved their parents.

I had prayed about returning to work full time, for over a year when my last position came open. When I first started that job, our school nurse, who became a dear friend, had just been diagnosed with ALS. I prayed with her every morning as I watched her slowly die with each passing day. She taught me so much. It was the hardest year of my life and it bonded me with my coworkers in ways I could never explain to people who weren’t there. She passed away at the beginning of the next school year.

If given a choice, I would have never chosen to live through that season, but God clearly wanted me there, like Esther in the Bible, God put me there at that moment in time for a reason. When the sun came out again, coworkers had become family.

So, when I obediently started sending out resumes and got rejections, it was okay with me. I had decided to put it in God’s hands. I wasn’t worried. I knew there was a plan and I was okay if it was to stay put.

But, when I got called in for an interview, I met eight of the most upbeat positive people I had ever met. We laughed a lot and they seemed to really enjoy their jobs. They were doing work that I would be proud to be a part of, using skills that I had longed to use for years.

When I got the offer, I knew it was meant to be, so I put in my notice. My coworkers were super supportive, but it was very bittersweet. My last day was difficult to say the least. My desk was decorated. I received flowers and treats all day from staff, parents and kiddos. My team provided lunch. After hugging my office mate goodbye, I sobbed all the way home.

Monday called for rain, but as I drove in, I witnessed a gorgeous sunrise. A student bus was at a stop light and I smiled as I remembered riding that route myself, but I laughed out loud as the message, “Have a Nice Day,” scrolled across. I knew it was a God wink. When I arrived, my new coworkers were so kind and welcoming. I knew I was in the right place. On my drive home, I saw a hawk sitting on a fence, another God wink, another reminder that I was where I was supposed to be.

Now, as I find myself working from home due to the COVID-19 outbreak, along with my hubby and two college kids, asked by government officials not to leave unless we absolutely have to, I once again find myself in a place I wouldn’t have chosen to be. I see so many Facebook posts about the death toll rising, jobs lost, weddings postponed, and senior years cut short. There’s a lot of fear, sadness and negativity out there and it’s all legitimate.

Maybe now more than ever, like Esther, we need to remember that we are all here, “for such a time as this.” The God who knit us together in our mother’s womb, is in control. He has a plan. If we trust Him, He will use us to glorify Him, even if it’s scary and sad for us at the moment.

Sometimes I need reminding. Perhaps you did too.

Have an awesome day!
Wendy 🙂

The Prayers of Children

Posted on by Wendy
Remembering to pray with the honesty of children, can help us along our faith walk.

I was recently talking to a new friend of mine who is bilingual. The concept of speaking two languages has always intrigued me. It’s likely because I took two years of Spanish in high school and five quarters in college and I still can’t speak it. When I learned that she was bilingual, I asked her same thing I always ask people who speak two languages.

“Which language do you think in?” She told me that she thinks in English now, but that she was having her daughter’s baptism service in Spanish because she prays in Spanish. I was fascinated.

She said she learned all of her prayers as a child, in Spanish and that’s the only way she knows how to pray.

So, it doesn’t matter how well she knows English, and by talking to her, you would have no clue that she speaks any other language, when she talks to God, she talks to Him in the language of her childhood, the language she spoke when she first began verbally communicating with God.

I thought of our conversation long after it was over. I thought about how innocently yet perfectly, children pray. There are no long flowery words strung together. They just simply talk to God. They give thanks. They say what’s on their mind, sometimes even if an adult wouldn’t approve. They don’t hide what’s in their hearts or minds. They just honestly put it out there with no guile involved. They truly believe that He’s listening. It really doesn’t occur to them that He wouldn’t be. They know they are loved. The Bible tells them so.

Most young children are happy to pray out loud if asked. They aren’t embarrassed. Their prayers are usually simple and to the point and sometimes you can almost feel God smiling as they speak.

But, as we get older and our lives and hearts get more complex, our prayers tend to change. We aren’t as honest. We hide certain parts of ourselves even though He can see them. Nothing is ever hidden from Him. We often keep Him at a distance, more like a far away uncle than the daddy in the room.

Ask us to pray out loud and we totally freeze. I get it. I’ve been in the room when the person praying seems to pray for every headline from the morning news and recites a dozen Bible verses using words that require a thesaurus. We simply don’t know what to say. What we need to remember is that we don’t have to.

If we quiet our minds and listen to our hearts, the Holy Spirit will guide us. God isn’t interested in our large vocabularies or in how many headlines we can remember. He’s interested in our hearts. He’s interested in our worship. He’s interested in our trust and our obedience.

The Bible says, “But Jesus called the children to him and said, ‘Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.'” Luke 18:16

Jesus knew all about the hearts of children. Their prayers reflect their hearts. Maybe we can try to remember to pray with childlike faith, innocence and wisdom.

A conversation with a friend reminded me. Perhaps you needed reminding too.

Have an awesome day!
Wendy 🙂

Honoring the Greatest Two Commandments

Posted on by Wendy
The azaleas reminded me that God has a plan and is not surprised by this pandemic or anything else.

I don’t usually post on Mondays, but today I felt led to. I am astounded at how quickly our world is changing. Every 24 hours the news is a little more grim. What weeks ago, was a virus called Covid-19, that I had never heard of, in an area of China I had never even heard of, has now crossed our borders. At this writing, 46 states, including mine, and the District of Columbia all have reported cases.

Unfortunately, panic has ensued. There’s not a drop of hand sanitizer to be found anywhere and for some bizarre reason, toilet paper has become scarce.

We have been told not to panic. Some 80 percent of people will clear it with no problems if infected. But, the remaining 20 percent will get very sick or die. Our government has asked us to stay at home if possible, for two weeks. Schools and colleges have been cancelled. People have been asked to work from home if at all possible.

Yet, it seems to me, that most everyone seems to believe that they are included in that 80 percent, even though the twenty percent includes anyone over 60, which is over 60.7 million, anyone with underlying health conditions like diabetes and emphysema and people who are obese, which is 70 million, not to mention anyone on chemotherapy. That’s a lot of at risk people.

Last week at my office, the question that arose over and over from my younger co-workers was if any of us older folks remembered a time this surreal. The answer most often repeated was the days after 911. Those of us who lived through that dark time remember it well. The difference is that we all came together, even Congress (for a time, if you can believe that). We reached out to our neighbors. We were all Americans and we shared concern for one another.

Our nation turned back to God and the churches were full, for a time.

I also have vivid memories of the Ebola outbreak in 2014. I even wrote about it. With a 50 percent death rate for all exposed, it was terrifying. I remember asking my readers to pray and a scripture came to mind.

“If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.” 2 Chronicles 7:14

Our nation once again, turned back to God, for a time.

The Ebola outbreak was halted. I’ve no doubt that was due to Divine intervention.

As I was walking today and I observed that the earth was coming back to life, bursting forth in bloom, I was reminded that God is not surprised by any of this. He’s at work and He expects us to be as well. First of all, we all need to pray for intervention and we need to remember that we are not now nor have we ever been in control of our lives.

We need to acknowledge Who is.

Then perhaps we should ask ourselves how we can help that 20 percent. Can we deliver groceries or meds to them, so they can stay at home? Can we call them on the phone so they don’t feel so isolated? Can we stay at home as much as possible ourselves to avoid becoming carriers?

How can we effectively “Love our neighbor?”

Jesus said that the greatest commandment was, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself.” Matthew 22:37-39

Panic has never solved anything. The Bible repeatedly tells us not to fear, but apathy isn’t the way to go either. Maybe we could all dig deep and reach for empathy and remember that God is in control. Those of us who belong to Him need not fear.

Our most recent global crises reminded me. Perhaps you needed reminding too.

Have an awesome day!
Wendy 🙂

The Gifts of Light

Posted on by Wendy

Sunset
Perhaps we are made to crave light both physically and spiritually.

I recently started a new job where I work in a downtown in a small city. As in most downtown areas, there’s lots of pedestrian traffic. Most people, myself included, have to park our cars and walk to wherever we are going. It rained my first four days of work. Most people either carried an umbrella or huddled underneath a raincoat. No one made eye contact. People seemed to be looking down or zoning out as they trudged to wherever they were going.

Even inside the building where I work, the topic of rain randomly popped up in most people’s conversations. We all needed some light.

But, on Friday, the sun came out. The transformation was amazing. I actually took a walk during my lunch break.

There were tons of people out. Folks seemed to have a bounce in their step. I smiled and made eye contact with people and they smiled back. The sun seemed to have made all of the difference. Even on my drive home, people behaved a little better on the road. They were less aggressive and more patient.

On Saturday, I had errands to do and I was shocked at how many people were out. I live in a college town and the college is on spring break so I didn’t expect much traffic. When I grumbled to my hubby about it, he reminded me that it was the first warm sunny day we had in a while and people were more inclined to get out and get things done.

He was right of course. Errands that would have been complete drudgery in the rain, became no big deal in the pretty warm weather.

As I was sitting in church on Sunday and the sun was coming through the windows, a Biblical reminder popped into my head. In Genesis, God’s very first words in the Bible were, “Let there be light.”

It goes on to say, “God saw that the light was good.”

It got me to thinking that maybe we are drawn to the light because God created it and it’s good. It seems to effect our mood and even our actions. Maybe that’s by design.

John 1:4 talks about Jesus and says, “In him was the light of men.” This light is a light for our souls.

So, God designed us to physically and spiritually crave light and He has provided us with both.

After the sermon, as my hubby and I walked to our car and I could feel the warmth on my face and in my heart, I said a prayer of thanks for both.

A sunny Sunday reminded me that God loves us and knows what we need even before we do. But, then, He always has. Sometimes I need reminding. Perhaps you did too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Taking a Break

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Last week I left my job of 3 1/2 years to to start a new one. It was a really good move for me, but leaving was hard. I was very attached to the people that I worked with as well as lots of the kiddos and their parents. I started my new job and I’ve met some wonderful people and I’m really excited to be there, but it’s been a long week with very little quiet time or white space, so I don’t have a post this week. I hope to get some rest and see you back here next week.

Have an awesome day!
Wendy 🙂

Tree Wisdom

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God can take the seemingly dead and useless and turn it into something spectacular.

I’m a big fan of trees. My yard is covered in them. I feel like I’ve learned a lot from them over the years. Being a lifelong Georgia girl, I grew up surrounded by pine trees. They are evergreen, but they aren’t very sturdy. A good ice storm will take them out like a bowling ball knocking down pins.

The trees that surround me these days are hardwoods, mostly oaks. They provide amazing shade in the summer and actually help keep our house cooler. In the fall, their leaves are so brilliantly colored, that they seem hand painted by God himself. They are horribly messy when they fall, covering our yard and filling up our gutters, but I’ve found over the years, that most of the beautiful things in life are messy.

Everything from puppies, to babies, to relationships, if they affect our hearts and souls, they tend to be messy, but oh so worth it.

I am also in awe of the fact that the mighty oak tree comes from a tiny acorn. When you hold one up next to the other, it doesn’t seem possible. Acorns remind me of the possibilities of dreaming big.

I recently learned a new lesson from some trees. Yes, I love them when they are green and when they are brilliantly colored. I can even appreciate them when they are bare in the winter. They remind me that we all go through seasons of dormancy, but deep roots along with the change of seasons, guarantee that we will again produce beauty.

But, what about dead trees? Do they have anything to teach?

Jekyll Island has a beach called Driftwood Beach, where hundreds of trees that have been uprooted by storms or other calamities, land on a particular point on the island. Once they are there, the sun bleaches them to almost white. You would think that there’s no way a bunch of dead trees would have anything to offer. much less become a tourist attraction.

But, the sun, the salt and the sea have made these trees into works of art. They each become individual sculptures of sorts. Tiny beach creatures make their homes in them. Tourists come from all over to see them. Children climb on them. People even get married with them as a backdrop.

God has taken something that man would deem lifeless and useless, put His hands on it and made it into something spectacular.

He does the same with us. We can put something tiny like an acorn, in His hands and He can create something mighty like an oak tree. He uses seasons in our lives to sometimes produce much beauty and shade like those leaves. Sometimes He leads us into a season of dormancy and yet other times, when we think it’s all over and we have nothing left to give, He creates the most unexpected, unique beauty of all, like those trees on Driftwood Beach and quite frankly, I stand amazed.

Some sun bleached trees reminded me of the limitless possibilities we have when we place our lives in God’s hands, no matter our age or stage in life. Perhaps you needed reminding too!

Have an awesome day!
Wendy 🙂

Sunshine Wisdom

Posted on by Wendy
When our lives have been flooded with rain, the wise see even a moment of sunshine, as a gift.

My hubby and I, recently took a trip for our anniversary. We have rarely been away without our kids and in our new empty nest season, it seemed like it was time. We decided to go to Jekyll Island where we could park the truck for the entire weekend and ride our bicycles.

When we awoke on Saturday morning, the weather was beautiful. I couldn’t stop commenting on the color of the sky. It didn’t occur to me until later, that blue skies have been rare here lately. One of the Atlanta news stations reported that we have had 14.75 inches of rain this year and it’s only February. We are currently beating Seattle by like two inches!

No wonder my heart and soul longed for the blue sky and sunshine.

As we made our way towards the beach where the bike path runs, the wind was really gusty, I mean we had to fight the wind to ride, and it was hurting my ears. My hubby had a hoodie, but I didn’t. Undaunted, we hit the shops until we found a hat and gloves I could purchase.

Life was good and we got back on the trail, soaking up the sun and pedaling away. I remember sending up a prayer of thanks for the beautiful day and the new season we were in. Life was different without our kids, but still fun. We made it for 5 miles, but right at Driftwood Beach, my back tire went flat.

Determined to enjoy our day, we pushed the bikes out of the way and walked on the beach for a while. Then we got back on the trail back to our hotel. The further we got away from the beach, the more the wind died down. We laughed and joked about how our kids would have viewed the wind and the flat tire as hardship. We viewed them as an adventure.

We talked and walked the four plus miles back to the hotel, greeting all the cyclists we passed along the way, growing a little weary, but never discouraged, always enjoying the gorgeous sunshine. When we reached the hotel, we got in the truck, retrieved our bikes, got some lunch and then a nap followed some coffee, and we went off to explore again.

We soaked up just about every drop of sunshine we could and watched the sunset over the water.

As I write this, it’s been raining for the past four days and now I realize why we were so enamored with the blue sky and the sunshine. But, I am also reminded that change is hard. Starting a new chapter is both sad and exciting at the same time. It’s a tension that comes from living on this side of eternity. If I’m honest, about my current season, I will have to admit that there have been times that I have wanted to just go back to how things used to be.

But, the sunshine coupled with the mishaps last weekend, reminded me that happiness is in fact, a choice. We could have let the wind stop us. We could have given into frustration over the tire or the long walk. Our younger selves may have. But, there’s a measure of wisdom that comes from living and that wisdom told us that every moment together with the people we love is a gift from God and every drop of sunshine is precious and those who are wise, don’t take even a moment, for granted.

A sunny day reminded me. Perhaps you needed reminding too.

Have an awesome day!
Wendy 🙂

Finding God in All Kinds of Weather

Posted on by Wendy
God is with us during both good and bad weather.

Last week we had some wild weather in parts of Georgia. We went from sunny and mid sixties to rain, to tornadoes, to really cold, to a beautiful snowfall within a matter of days.

On the tornado warning day, we had our kiddos at the elementary school, where I work, in the halls and bathrooms for their safety. Thankfully, we didn’t receive any damage, but we were all talking about it over the next couple of days. My favorite teller at the bank told me they took shelter in the vault. It seemed that everywhere I went, someone had a story to tell of a near miss with the bad weather.

Then it turned bitter cold on Friday and a little snow was forecasted early Saturday morning. No accumulation was expected.

But, when that snow started coming down in the late morning, it was spectacular. Big fluffy flakes fell over a couple of hours and our yards were blanketed for a couple of hours or so. It didn’t stick or stick around just as forecasted, but it made for a quiet peaceful picture for a little while.

My Facebook feed was covered in photos of people out playing with their kids and making snowmen on the little bit of snow that we had. Snow is a big deal in Georgia. It just doesn’t happen very often here and when it does, the child in all of us seems to awaken and beg us to go out and play.

A few hours later, the snow was gone, but memories were made that I suspect, will last a lifetime.

I’ve thought of our weather a lot over the past few days. I’ve thought of the scary tornado warnings and I’ve thought of the glorious snowfall and how God was present in both.

He shielded us when the weather was rough and later He sent us a rare winter treat. There were blessings in both, but I wonder if we really were able to comprehend them fully. It’s really easy to see God in the beautiful parts of life like the rare snowfall, or in the birth of a new baby, or in a new job, or when our prayers are answered. When times are good, we feel blessed and we believe that God is good.

But, what about when life is stormy? When we weather serious storms or even tornadoes in life like illness, divorce or the death of a loved one, do we believe God is with us then too? Do we believe that He’s still good and sheltering us in some unseen way? Do we miss the blessings in the storms by only longing for the good times?

The truth is we all will travel through both sunshine and storms on our journey here and maybe even a little snow, but we are called to remember that God is present in all weather and in every season and that we never walk alone. If we truly seek Him, we will always find Him.

Some wild weather reminded me. Perhaps you needed reminding too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂