Author: Wendy

Joy Stealing Comparison

Posted on by Wendy
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.

Have an awesome day!
Wendy 🙂

Trusting the Divine Scheduler

Posted on by Wendy
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.

Have an awesome day!
Wendy 🙂

Spring Break

Posted on by Wendy

I’m off for spring break this week. I’m planning on unplugging, taking a break and spending as much time as possible with my son who’s a senior. I hope to meet you back here in a week and I hope you have a blessed week.

Have an awesome day!
Wendy 🙂

The Gift of Never-Ending Grace

Posted on by Wendy
“But those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. It becomes a fresh bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life.” John 4:14

I work in the office of an elementary school. One day this week, a sweet lady came and delivered a basket of treats for our faculty and staff. She was from a local church and they bring a basket a couple of times a year. She’s a retired teacher and she said that she knows how stressful this time of year can get for educators.

There are no strings attached. There’s simply a really cute sign with the name of the church on the front. She just asks that we return their basket to them in a few days, so they can refill it for next time and she comes back and gets it.

When I say the basket is full of goodies, I mean serious goodies. There were Snickers bars, Reeses Cups, Skittles, Butterfingers, Hershey Bars, all types of Lance Crackers, Nutrigrain Bars; and the list goes on.

The basket itself, was huge and the treats went all the way to the bottom. There was no tissue paper or filler. I love to send out the e-mail announcing that the Briarwood Basket has arrived. The teachers and staff, who have been there a while, come to the office at the earliest opportunity, to get a treat. The new ones are always shocked at the bounty.

They are all surprised when we encourage them to take two items and they are like a delighted children on Christmas morning going through the basket that has so many delicious treats.

They are even more surprised when they come through the next day and we tell them to get another treat. Most of them will tell us that they received a treat the day before, trying not to take away someone else’s opportunity, but when we tell them, that everyone has already gotten one and they can get another one, they are just as thrilled as the first day.

It’s so fun watching them all receive a gift that they didn’t earn, but was given freely. Everyone is invited and everyone comes. It doesn’t matter if the employee is new or seasoned, young or ready for retirement, or if they are the lead teacher or a paraprofessional, or if they feed the kiddos breakfast and lunch or help keep the school clean, or answer the phones, or are an administrator.

All are welcome to partake of the bounty in the basket.

The basket is a beautiful illustration of grace. We can do nothing to earn forgiveness and redemption, yet Jesus offers it to us freely if we ask. All are welcome, but unlike the basket, His grace never ends. We are encouraged to receive grace as often as we like.

But, I’m guessing that’s exactly what those ladies at Briarwood were hoping for.

A love offering from a church, reminded me of the beautiful gift of grace, available to us with each new day and with every breath we take. Perhaps you needed reminding too.

Have an awesome day!
Wendy 🙂

The Blessings After the Showers

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

Yesterday, I barely made it home before it started raining. It was a pretty decent shower with a couple of thunder claps. As I looked out my kitchen window, I silently congratulated myself that I didn’t get caught in it. I was in my house, safe and dry and my car was parked safely in the garage.

My hubby wasn’t so lucky. He had to drive home in the rain and it was still drizzling when he got home. It didn’t last long though and the sun came out almost as soon as the rain stopped. He ran out to his truck to get something and came back in the house smiling.

It’s pollen season in Georgia and everything is blanketed in a thick coat of yellow powder. You can sweep it off, but it comes right back. The only thing that really removes it is a good rain shower.

My hubby was happy to report that his truck was all shiny again after the rain. The pollen had been washed away.

I glanced out the door at my car, yep, still covered in pollen. I had missed the inconvenience of the rain, but I’d missed the blessing that came with it as well.

I thought about the rain for the rest of the evening. I thought about how we dread the inconveniences and frustrations that inevitably occur on this side of eternity. I thought about hard times and how we tend to avoid them at all cost.

Yet, often, when life gets hard, we learn to focus on the things in life that really matter and we learn to let go of the things that don’t. We find ourselves drawing closer to God, when we find ourselves in need.

In a sense, hardship washes away the stuff that doesn’t really matter and magnifies the stuff that does.

And when the sun comes out again, and it always does, we are lighter than we were before because we laid those needless burdens down and if we allow Him to, God will put new light into us and we can see new blessings.

A spring shower reminded me to stop dreading the rain. Perhaps you needed reminding too.

Have an awesome day!
Wendy 🙂

Breakfast Lessons

Posted on by Wendy
If God calls us to it, He always equips us.

Last weekend, my family went to visit my parents. My daughter who is in college, was home for a couple of days for spring break and my mama was giving her some patio furniture. We were going to deliver it for her and Mama was going to ride along to see my daughter’s place.

All went as planned and we made the delivery on Saturday. Mama got to see my daughter’s college pad and got to visit some of her other donated furniture. We had lunch and headed back to my parents’ house where we stayed another night.

Mama asked my hubby to cook breakfast on Sunday morning. He loves to cook and breakfast is a specialty of his. He happily agreed, but when he got started, I found myself chuckling as he searched her kitchen cabinets. I gave him a few minutes before I asked if I could help him find something, knowing full well, I probably could not.

He was looking for the griddle and it had been moved since the last time he used it.

Now, my mama is one of the most organized people on the planet. She’s always buying new little stackers or dividers, to make her kitchen more organized and it is. However, it’s a well known family truth, that she constantly moves things around, so chances are, wherever it was the last time we were there, it will be somewhere different the next visit.

She vehemently denies this fact, but my sister will vouch for me. 🙂

When my hubby and I first got married, he was very uncomfortable looking through her cabinets to find the items he needed to cook, but twenty-two years later, he has no issues looking through the cabinets.

He’s come to understand that when he has a meal to cook, he rolls up his sleeves and gets it done. He may not know where everything is, but he’s willing to look for it to complete his task. He no longer waits for someone to offer him assistance, but he’s not afraid to ask for it if he needs it.

As I watched him cook breakfast in Mama’s kitchen, I felt a lesson dawning.

We often find ourselves in unfamiliar situations, with a new task to do. So often, we are hesitant to ask for help and sometimes we are even tempted to walk away and give up altogether. The older we get, it seems, the more uncomfortable we get with the new and unknown.

Yet, sometimes that’s exactly where we find ourselves called. We have to remember that when God calls us to do something new, we never walk alone. If He calls us, He will equip us.

Sunday morning breakfast reminded me. Perhaps you needed reminding too.

Have an awesome day!
Wendy 🙂

The Spirituality of Technology

Posted on by Wendy
How we use technology, is entirely up to us.

Last weekend, I was out shopping with my hubby. Our son was out of town on a school trip. My cell phone began to blow up with texts. Many were from a remind service I had signed up for, telling me what was going on during my son’s trip. They were instructions like, “meet back at the bus at 7:00.” Some were from my mama who was visiting a friend in the hospital and the news was not good. Some were from my daughter and included pictures from her spring break beach trip. There was one from a friend that contained a funny meme.

All of the texts meant something to me. All of the texts were information that I wanted to know or were from people who I wanted to hear from, but I was shopping for something specific and I was feeling a little overwhelmed, when my phone buzzed again.

Of course I looked at it. Both of my children, though mostly grown, were in different states. My mama was at a hospital. There could be news that I really needed to know.

Isn’t it interesting how cell phones have made us always feel like we’re on the edge of an emergency? We feel like if we accidentally leave our phone on the table at home, for a quick grocery store trip, disaster will surely strike us. We might have a flat tire or get abducted or something horrible may befall a loved one.

How in the world did we survive before the late 1990’s?

Right or wrong, my phone buzzed and I dug it out of my purse. But, this time it was from a number I did not know and it made me catch my breath as I stopped and read it, giving it my full attention.

Just after Christmas, a dear faith friend of mine, who I had met on a mission trip, reached out to me asking me for prayer for his brother-in-law. He had developed a large brain bleed the day after Christmas. The doctors were having difficulty locating it and things didn’t look good. My friend rarely reaches out with prayer requests, so when he does, I know it’s something very important.

I immediately began praying for this man. He improved, thought very slowly. I continued to pray and every now and then I would ask an for an update. He was getting better. I hadn’t heard from him in quite a while when I received that text.

It was from his wife, thanking me and my family, for praying for her husband. She said that, “through prayers and the love and mercy of Jesus Christ, he had been released by the neurosurgeon and was doing great.”

My heart cheered for this woman who I had never met and I thanked God for her miracle.

Later, I marveled at the connection that believers have with one another. I thought about the wonder of technology and how it can be used for both good and bad. It can at times, enslave us, but it can knit us together too and it can help create an army of warriors who are willing to pray and prayer can make all the difference.

A text reminded me. Perhaps you needed reminding too.

Have an awesome day!
Wendy 🙂

The Freedom of Letting Go

Posted on by Wendy
When we fight for control, we miss you so much beauty along the way.

Last Sunday, I had to drive myself to church. My hubby was staying afterward for a meeting and I had to be there early, so we took two cars, which is certainly no big deal. On most Sundays, my hubby drives and I usually text our daughter, who is away at school, a good morning message.

While I’m in the passenger seat, I often marvel at how high or low the river is, when we cross over it. I notice the different trees and flowers that are blooming, or if someone along our route, has painted their house or built a deck. I take note of all of the runners on the sidewalk. I don’t concern myself with the traffic or if the car in front of us is going too fast or too slowly, or if someone pulls out in front of us. I sometimes fiddle with the radio.

I can do all of those things because I am not driving the car. I am not the driver. I’m the passenger. I am not in control or responsible for getting us safely to our destination.

Last Sunday, I was in the driver’s seat. I couldn’t text my daughter. I gave the river a quick glance and I mostly missed the spring blooms. I had to concentrate on driving the car and arriving safely. I couldn’t concern myself with all of the pretty scenery along the way. I missed it.

I found myself thinking about my Sunday morning drive long after I had returned home.

Like most people, I like to feel like I’m in control of my current situation, whatever that situation may be. I like the idea of being in the driver’s seat and calling the shots. But, what if being in the driver’s seat means that we miss all of the beautiful scenery along the way, while we fight to keep ourselves on the road, in between the lines, and in charge?

The fight to be in control is a lot of work and effort and how often does it really pay off?

When we walk closely with Jesus, we agree to not only let Him drive, but to trust that the scenery will be breathtaking and that we will arrive where we are supposed to, at exactly the time we are supposed to.

We hand over the control and enjoy the ride. There’s freedom that comes from letting go. A Sunday morning drive reminded me. Perhaps you needed reminding too.

Have an awesome day!
Wendy 🙂

A Call to Plant

Posted on by Wendy
If we keep planting, something will eventually bloom.

Last weekend, I looked out of my bedroom window and saw a white iris standing tall and in full bloom. It made me catch my breath for a moment. There are lots of things in bloom right now. It’s spring time in Georgia and the pollen count is through the roof. A blooming iris is by no means unusual.

But, this is the first of the season at my house, which always touches my heart. The first one always signals a new beginning, a new chapter that is beginning to unfold. I also have a history with this particular group of irises.

May parents have an old home place on their property. There’s nothing left at this point, but a decade or so ago, my hubby and I dug up a bunch of bulbs that had been planted near that house. We really didn’t have any idea what we were digging up, but we dug them up anyway and transplanted them to our backyard around some of our trees. Turns out, that they were irises.

The first couple of years, I tended to them. I watered them and kept them clear of debris. Some of them bloomed. Some did not. At one point, I divided them because they became overcrowded and some did really well. Some didn’t.

I haven’t given them much attention at all over the past several years. I got busy with work, and kids, and other projects. They have become very overcrowded. I haven’t fertilized them or watered them, yet, the first one has bloomed in spite of my lack of attention.

As I went to examine it, I was reminded that we never really get to decide what blooms, or when it blooms, or if it even blooms at all.

We can plant. We can nurture. We can water. Sometimes what we plant takes off and sometimes it doesn’t. Sometimes we get to see the fruition of our hard work and sometimes we never get to see it, yet we are all called to plant something. Sometimes they are physical plants that we can enjoy or even eat. Sometimes it’s encouragement that someone needs desperately to hear. Sometimes it’s spiritual truth that may not take root until many years in the future.

Just because we may not get to see the blooms, doesn’t mean we shouldn’t plant or that we should get discouraged. We need to remember that we have a Divine Gardener, who has a plan. We simply need to keep planting.

A single iris reminded me. Sometimes I need reminding. Perhaps you do too.

Have an awesome day!
Wendy 🙂

Using Our Circumstances

Posted on by Wendy
Patrick used the shamrock to explain the trinity.

As I write this, my son is in New York City with his high school marching band, getting ready to march in the St. Patrick’s Day Parade. Needless to say, he was super excited to get to be a part of it.

St. Patrick’s Day is one of those holidays that retailers have come to love. It’s about parades, wearing green and drinking beer.

But, St. Patrick has an interesting story.

Patrick was probably born to wealthy British parents somewhere from 400-460 AD. He was captured by Irish raiders as a teenager and taken to Ireland. He was then sent off alone as a slave to tend sheep. During that time, he was very lonely and prayed constantly.

After six years, God told him in a dream that it was time to leave Ireland. He started walking around 200 miles to the coast where he was rescued by friendly sailors and returned home.

While he was in Ireland, he learned their language and customs. Legend says that an angel told him in a dream to return to Ireland to teach the Gospel. After studying for 15 years, he went back to Ireland.

The Irish were mostly pagan and Druid, but there were some Christians there. Since Patrick knew the Irish customs, he knew that the shamrock plant was sacred to them , so he used the three leaf clover to explain the trinity. He knew fire was also sacred to them and so he used bonfires to celebrate Easter. He also used the sun, a powerful Irish symbol, and superimposed a cross over it to create the Celtic cross.

He took what he had learned during a dark time in his life, in a place where he didn’t want to be, and used it to glorify God. God was preparing him for a plan all along, that Patrick couldn’t have possibly understood, but God knew. At the end of Patrick’s life, he is credited with starting three hundred churches and baptizing over a hundred twenty thousand Irish people. He preached for forty years and died on March 17th.

He is also credited with performing at least thirty-three miracles, none of which were driving out snakes. There never were snakes in Ireland. Perhaps he drove out a different kind of snake.

Patrick’s story reminds me that no matter how lost or abandoned we may feel, we never walk alone. God is always with us and always working. Sometimes I need reminding. Perhaps you needed reminding too. Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

Wendy 🙂