Author: Wendy

Prayer Requires Talking and Listening

Posted on by Wendy
Do we pray for guidance or for affirmation?

In a recent sermon, our pastor made the comment, that often when we pray, we don’t really want God’s guidance or even for God to show us His will for us; he said what we really want is God’s affirmation. We want Him to bless what we are already doing.

That notion stuck with me for days.

It reminded me of true friendship. Our closest friends are never afraid to tell us the truth. If we are on the wrong path, they are not afraid to speak hard truth to us. They do it in a loving way, but they don’t blindly agree with us simply because they don’t want to make us angry or hurt our feelings.

They can do it because they love us and they want what’s best for us. Those friendships are precious and if we’re honest, we will admit that they are rare too.

It shouldn’t surprise me that our strongest human relationships would be a close image of what our relationship with God is supposed to be. After all, our loving one another was a call to us from Jesus, Himself.

But, that also got me to thinking about how we tend to pray. Do we approach God with wide open hearts, eager for Him to light the next step of His plan for our lives, and wide open ears for the whisper of His voice, or do we approach Him with a to-do list of all the things we think we need and all of the situations and circumstances we feel need changing?

Do we have a tendency to talk or to listen?

Do we ask Him to show us His will and patiently wait, or do we do what we want to do and ask Him to bless our plans?

Do we ultimately seek guidance or affirmation?

Those questions can be difficult to ask ourselves and maybe even more difficult to answer. Yet, if we truly believe that He loves us and wants our highest good, we have to be willing to ask Him to reveal His plans and let go of our own. We have to wait for direction before we take off down the road.

We also have to be open to the possibility that we might not be on the right road and need to choose another path. He will let us know where we need to be if we are quiet and still.

A sermon reminded me that, prayer involves both talking and listening. Perhaps you needed reminding too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Broken Umbrella Lessons

Posted on by Wendy
The wise person buys an umbrella before the rain begins.

Last Sunday, it was pouring down rain when it was time for church. At one point in my life, I had a stack of umbrellas. Somehow that stack has dwindled down to one and that one is broken. It no longer pops out when I push the button and one of the little metal pieces has come unattached from the material, so it doesn’t even completely cover me. I get wet even when I have it.

Now umbrellas cost less than ten dollars at Walmart, where I am unfortunately, shopping like once a week. Why, you may wonder, don’t I just pick one up when I’m there?

That’s a fair question. Here’s the answer: “I only think about needing an umbrella when it’s raining.”

It’s silly and short-sighted; I know. I mean seriously, It’s always going to rain at some point. Right? Why would I choose not to prepare?

My rainy Sunday got me to thinking about other areas in my life that might need umbrella attention. Sure, there are things like keeping around ibuprofen for unplanned aches and pains and as my family’s recent bout with flu taught me, cough medicine, throat lozenges, Kleenex and Clorox wipes. But, I was reminded of the spiritual realm too.

I’ve learned in my faith walk that in order to stay close to God, I have to read a little bit of His Word everyday and I have to take a little intentional prayer time. When I make those disciplines a priority, I’m covered when the spiritual storms come.

And make no mistake, they always come. There will always be times of sickness, hardship, discouragement and strife. This broken world is full of cliffs and valleys. For us to think they are never going to happen to us is incredibly foolish. Jesus even told us Himself we would have troubles on this side of eternity.

But, if we are prepared, if our faith is in tact and our foundation is strong, we can weather them without too much damage.

Jesus also said, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” John 16:33

The trick is to be prepared before the storm. We can absolutely look for and find Jesus in the midst of it, but it’s so much easier when we were already close by His side. The peace that comes from already knowing Him is an amazing comfort in times of earthly trials.

A broken umbrella on a rainy day, reminded me to always be prepared both physically and spiritually for life’s storms. Perhaps you needed reminded too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Lessons from an Owl Encounter

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If I wasn’t paying close attention I may have missed the danger close by.

This week I’m looking after my parent’s dogs while they go on a cruise. Now, I never mind helping my parents out. Their little dogs are high maintenance, but sweet. However, being responsible for them for a week, makes me a nervous wreck because they are tiny and fragile.

My backyard is covered in giant hardwood trees. There are many squirrels and chipmunks that make their homes in and around those trees. Those of you who remember basic biology, will remember what a food chain is. Those little aforementioned rodents, are at the bottom.

There are much larger predators at the top, which puts those tiny little dogs in danger. Mama and Daddy adore those little dogs, so I take their safety very seriously and I have to be constantly at watch when I take them out to do their doggie business.

The very first afternoon I had them, I decided to run them out for their longest walk before the sun went down, thinking they would be safest at that time of day. We had just stepped off of the back deck area and onto the ground, when I spotted it.

A giant owl sat close by, watching us.

On the other side of the yard, sitting on a bird house, sat a very large owl. I froze. We stared at each other. I literally said to him, “You’re not supposed to be out this early.” I knew if he came for the little dogs, I would have very little chance of escape. A couple of minutes went by and he flew away with like a five foot wing span.

I breathed a sigh of relief as we finished our walk, but I constantly scanned the area, like I was some kind of soldier in a combat zone.

I thought about my owl encounter long after the little pups were safely back in the house.

As disheartening as it was to actually see him my very first day out with my little charges, it was a very effective reminder that I have to be vigilant while they are in my care. For them, danger lurks everywhere.

And as He often does, God used nature to speak to my heart as well. We have spiritual predators that are always lurking close by as well. There are things like anger, jealousy, resentment and ongoing pain that we carry around, that eat away at our souls. They leave gaping holes that allow bigger predators in that can really harm us.

As Christians, we are called not to walk in fear, but to be on guard. “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” 1 Peter 5:8

We are called to pray for strength, protection and wisdom. We are called not only to ask for forgiveness, but to give it to others as well. We are called to be vigilant with our souls.

An owl reminded me. Perhaps you needed reminding too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Pot Luck Lessons

Posted on by Wendy
We usually have something to contribute even when we are convinced that we don’t.

Two of the grade levels at my school, were planning a Groundhog Day luncheon. It’s just a fun reason to do a potluck on a Friday. Like most pot lucks, everyone was invited to bring a dish to share and they were nice enough to include those of us who work in the office.

When I first saw the invitation, I got excited. It’s always fun to try new dishes and to participate in a feast of sorts. But, as the week wore on, I found myself not feeling very well and fighting off some of the many germs that are floating around an elementary school this cold and flu season.

By Thursday afternoon, I had forgotten to sign up for anything or shop for anything and my parents were delivering their pampered pups for an extended visit, right after work, so I didn’t have time to go to the store and I was exhausted. I made the decision not to participate. After all, I had nothing to contribute.

Now, I have to say, that I work with some of the sweetest, most gracious women on the planet. They wouldn’t have thought twice about me not contributing anything. They would have welcomed me to sit down and eat with them anyway. The hang-up was completely mine.

When one of my front office co-workers inquired about what we could bring, they said they were covered. But, she persisted. There had to be something. They did say they could use some drinks and plates.

She said she could do some drinks and another lady said she could as well. Then she looked at me and asked if I had any paper plates at home. I was pretty sure I did. She instructed me to bring them.

When I got home and looked in my cabinet, I had almost an entire pack of paper plates.

I can’t tell you the gratitude that washed over me when I saw them. I did have something to contribute after all, no matter how small it seemed and a tiny thought began to grow.

Those plates reminded me that we are always invited to the table with Christ. Some of us will go with platters heaping over with gifts, talents, love and joy. Some of us come with just a little to share. Some of us come empty handed because the world has has stripped us of all we have to give.

But, the beautiful truth is that we are all welcome. There’s always plenty of grace, love and mercy to pass around, no matter what we have when we arrive. And in the end, when we all come to the table together, we feed each other and no one leaves hungry.

A school luncheon reminded me that Christ welcomes us just as we are. When we choose to miss the banquet, the hang-up is ours. Perhaps you needed reminding too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

We Are Known

Posted on by Wendy
The Creator of the universe knows us by name.

Since I work in the front office of an elementary school, one of my morning duties is to write tardy slips for the kiddos who arrive late. Sometimes there is no one at all who didn’t make it on time and sometimes the line stretches out to the door. There are some children that we see only once or twice over an entire year and there are some we see weekly.

We get to know those frequent tardies so well, that we don’t even ask their names or teacher’s names anymore. There was a little boy last year who was one of those frequent fliers. He was in the office once or twice a week. He was in kindergarten and this year he’s moved up to first grade.

I haven’t seen him much at all this year.

Yesterday, the tardy bell rang and I din’t see anyone coming in late. I sat down at my desk and got to work on my to-do list. A few minutes later, that little boy from last year, came walking into the office on my side of the counter.

I asked him in a stern voice with a smile if he was just getting there. He told me he was finishing breakfast. I asked him what took him so long and he launched into a long story. When I got out a tardy slip, I asked him his name, because it was one of those crazy mornings, and it had simply slipped my mind.

He told me his first name and I immediately remembered his last. But, his next words stayed with me all day. He asked me in an annoyed tone: “Why don’t you know my name?”

It was a fair question. I’d written it a dozen times. I did know his name; I had just momentarily forgotten it. I laughed and told him I was old and doing the best I could. He laughed at that and he headed off to class.

I thought about that little guy all day with a chuckle. I thought about how he boldly asked me why I didn’t know his name.

It made me think about and give thanks for our God who does always know our names, our God who never forgets us, who never gets overwhelmed, who never get old and never changes.

The Bible tells us, “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.” Psalm 138:13-14

In Luke 12:7, Jesus tells us the very hairs on our heads are numbered. That doesn’t point to a far away or distant God. That points to an active and involved God.

Yesterday, a little boy reminded me of how blessed we are to be known and loved by our Creator. Perhaps you needed reminding too!

Have an awesome day!

Wendy

Storm Reactions

Posted on by Wendy
God does some of His beast work in bad weather.

It rained all day here on Sunday. As I sat in my church worship service the rain steadily came down. It never let up. While our sermon was not about rain or storms, the incessant rain reminded me that God does some of His best work in bad weather.

We all know the story of the disciples in the boat in the storm. Quite a few of them were actually fishermen and fishermen don’t panic very easily over weather.

I remember one time as a child, being out in the ocean with my family, with my daddy at the wheel and a storm came up in the Gulf of Mexico. There were whitecaps all around us and thunder loudly crashing. I remember worrying that I might bounce out of the boat, but Daddy was a Navy man. He wasn’t concerned at all. He lead us safely back to the dock.

So, when professional fishermen were terrified in a storm, it must have been bad. Yet, Jesus was asleep. He wasn’t the least bit worried. He knew they would not sink because He had them. But, when they called on Him, He had compassion for them and He calmed the storm with three words. “Quiet! Be still!” Mark 4:39

Over a thousand years later in 1735, John Wesley was on a ship bound for America as a missionary. A horrible storm struck. A group of Moravian missionaries were in the middle of a worship service, the main sail was split in half and ocean water poured over the decks of the ship. The other passengers were screaming and in full panic.

But, the Moravians kept singing and praising God, even their children. Their faith left such and impression on Wesley that he visited one of their services a couple of years later and found his heart, “strangely warmed.”

He took that spark and along with his brother Charles, started the Methodist church.

God does some of His best work in the storms. Not only does He use them to grow our faith and trust in Him, but if we allow Him, like the Moravians, He can use our faith reactions in the storms to plant seeds and grow faith in others.

As our pastor pointed out yesterday, God is never surprised. He knows where we are going and He holds us in His hands, so we have a choice in how we will react to the storms. We can choose to panic like the disciples did or to have faith like the Moravians. Our choice can have far-reaching repercussions.

A rainy Sunday reminded me. Perhaps you needed reminding too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Choosing Love Over Anxiety

Posted on by Wendy
“When I am afraid, I put my trust in you.” Psalm 56:3

A couple of days ago when one of my coworkers arrived at work, I asked her how her evening went. We always chitchat in the mornings and we are both typically positive people.

But, that morning was different. She had received some bad news about a family friend the night before and was concerned about his health. She had also learned that her mama had the flu, along with a few other pieces of bad news. She had been up most of the night and was frustrated.

I listened sympathetically. Who hasn’t been there?

But, then she showed me a picture of what she did when she couldn’t sleep. She made cinnamon rolls in the shape of hearts, for her daughters to have for breakfast when they awoke.

Her gesture really struck my own heart. Life was throwing punches at her left and right. She could have coped in dozens of different ways, the vast majority probably unhealthy. She could have taken something to sleep. She could have just watched television. She could have tossed and turned all night.

Yet, she chose to do something beautiful and creative in the midst of the chaos. As the storm swirled around her, she focused on her love for her children.

I thought about her gift most of the day. I thought of her decision to give to those who have been given to her rather than to singlemindedly focus and worry about what she had no control over. That takes a certain amount of faith.

The Bible tells us not to worry in many places. Christianity teaches us that God loves us and that He’s always in control. Worrying and anxiety has never solved anything. Yet, we worry. There are so many aspects of our lives that are completely out of our control and instead of recognizing that fact and releasing them to God, we worry.

It’s our attempt at gaining control and taming the chaos. It never works, but we have an enemy who would like for us to believe that it does.

There is another way.

We can choose to be thankful during the storm for all the blessings that we do have. We can live thankfully and share the love with those who are in our circle. We can hug those closest to us extra tightly. We can trust that God is in control.

We can live with wide open hearts. There will always be storms on this side of eternity. We can’t control them. We can control our reaction to them.

Some heart-shaped cinnamon rolls reminded me. Perhaps you needed reminding too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Tired of That Life

Posted on by Wendy
If you woke up today, it’s the perfect day for a new beginning.

Last week my teenage son had the flu. He spent two days on the couch. He just didn’t feel like doing much of anything, but sleeping. He even stayed in his pajamas both days. On the third day, he was feeling much better. He even put on real clothes. He was still on the couch for most of the day, but he was awake and vertical with no fever.

On the fourth day, he felt much better, but we were still out of school because of a snow day. After breakfast I asked him if he was going to settle in again on the couch. That’s where I had moved his computer and his drawing stuff earlier in the week. He looked at me and smiled and said, “No, I’m tired of that life.”

We laughed and I helped him move his stuff back upstairs to his work space. It’s a room where he picked the color. It’s a room where all of the things that inspire him are close by. It’s the space where he likes to work, create and play.

I chuckled about his comment several times during that day. I really couldn’t get it off of my mind. He had only been confined to the couch for a few days, but he wanted something different and took steps to make it happen.

I knew there was a life lesson somewhere in those words.

We are headed towards the end of January. How many of us were going to make some changes this year? Maybe it was losing weight or starting to exercise. Maybe it was eating better. Maybe it was looking for a new job. Maybe it was working on relationships or starting a new hobby. Maybe it was going to church or reading the Bible. It may have even been something like stopping drinking or getting help of some sort.

Whatever it may have been, how many of us at some time in our lives have reached the, “I’m tired of that life;” point? How often do we actually do something about it?

Thankfully, God doesn’t care what day it is on the calendar. He doesn’t care how long we have procrastinated or how many times we have failed. There’s not a day or date, that we can’t start over with Him. The Bile says: “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” Lamentations 3:22-23

Those words are beautiful reminders that if we woke up this morning, it’s not too late, for a fresh start, for a new beginning, or for that first unsteady step. Sometimes I need reminding. Perhaps you do too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Inspirations from a Partial Thaw

Posted on by Wendy
We can choose to allow God to thaw and heal all of our hearts or only portions.

Our little town was blessed with two snow days last week. The first was exciting for most people. The snow came down throughout the early morning and when it stopped, it was play time. But, it wasn’t one of those stick around for days, snows for many of us.

In most spots, the sun melted the majority of it away by late afternoon. However, we are a rural town and we have lots of shady spots that are off of the beaten path. Those spots and roads, kept the snow wet and frozen and so when the temperatures dropped back into the low twenties, those spots froze solid making driving conditions very dangerous.

Those conditions bought us a second snow day even if there wasn’t much snow left.

Personally, I couldn’t have been happier about the extra day as I was buzzing around my house cleaning and straightening and doing little chores that I never seem to have the time to do these days, when the roof over the landing to my front door, caught my eye.

One side was completely melted, not a drop of snow or ice, remained, yet the other side was still mostly covered in snow. It was clear that the sun was shining directly on one side, but its warm, thawing rays were not reaching the other.

I had a hard time looking away because the two halves were so very different.

Now, over the past few years, God has taught me a lot from roofs, from helping to remove them and replace them on mission trips, to a tree falling on my roof in all the safest places during a hurricane, so I wanted to pay close attention to what He was trying to tell me.

The answer that kept coming was, that roof is like our hearts. We have different areas and parts of them. When we decide to surrender our hearts to Jesus, there’s always lots of heart work to do. Humans are flawed and broken and we inevitably hurt each other often, whether intentionally or not.

We sometimes carry those heart injuries long after they were incurred. We sometimes carry them for a lifetime. Most of us will allow healing for some of the injuries like the side of the roof where the sun was shining. But, often we will continue to cling to the deepest hurt, anger, shame or resentment, not allowing Jesus to shine His light on those parts. So, they stay frozen and prevent us from living, loving and trusting fully.

Yet, Jesus calls us to more. He calls us to trust Him, to hand over all of our hearts and let Him shine His light and love on all of the parts. He wants to heal us completely, so we can be totally free, not just mostly free.

A partially snow covered roof reminded me that when walking with Jesus, mostly is not enough. He wants to heal all of our hearts and for us to let go of the past so we can embrace the future with Him. Perhaps you needed reminding
too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Snow Inspiration

Posted on by Wendy
Fresh snow, like grace, is brilliantly white and covers everything in its path.

On Tuesday night, we got the much hoped for phone call; there would be no school on Wednesday due to inclement weather. There was the possibility of snow coming our way, which is a big deal in Georgia. We don’t get much of the stuff and it creates a ton of excitement for us.

We also went to bed with cautious optimism. Nature often proves to be fickle where she will or won’t deposit her cold powdery gift. There have been times when it seemed that every county around us got snow and we didn’t get so much as a flake. There have been times when the forecasters promised us it was coming and they were proven wrong.

Many of us in the Peach State have adopted a believing when we see it attitude when it comes to snow.

But, Wednesday morning, we awoke to a pretty little blanket of snow on the ground and it continued to fall for a little while.

I marveled at how beautiful a thin layer of frozen water can make a landscape, but I knew it wouldn’t last for long. I bundled up and grabbed my camera and went to explore.

There had been others out ahead of me because there were already footprints and some tire tracks on the roads, but the areas that were untouched really drew my attention. I didn’t stay out long because it was bitterly cold and I just don’t do cold.

Later, when I sat down at my computer, I noticed that the light coming from the sun shining on the snow was almost blinding. My entire work area was bathed in the light.

I knew there was a Bible verse that had the phrase, “white as snow.” I Googled it. I was not disappointed.

“Come now, let us settle the matter,” says the Lord. Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.” Isaiah 1:18

Sure, I had read it before, but gazing out across my yard at the glowing blanket of white, gave the verse a whole new meaning. We humans can be capable of doing some pretty bad things here on planet earth, sometimes on purpose and sometimes inadvertently.

Sometimes we become the people that we want to be, but we carry past sins around on our conscience. Sometimes there’s an enemy voice that makes us question if we are really forgiven for this or that.

But, God’s Word has an answer for those doubts. “Let us settle the matter.” Yes, we are forgiven if we only ask and let me reassure you if you haven’t seen snow in a while; it is brilliantly white and it covers everything in sight.

A Georgia snow reminded me of the beauty and the reality of forgiveness. Perhaps you needed reminding too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂