Author: Wendy

Giving Thanks in All Circumstances

Posted on by Wendy
When we focus on God instead of our situation, His presence radiates like the sun.

Monday was a much awaited day off for me. Yes, we had just had a couple of weeks off for Christmas, but the College Football National Championship had been the week before and it had me and my family and for that matter, everyone I knew, up well past midnight, and the old gray mare, well…..

Anyway, I was super excited about the long weekend. I did have to do fasting blood work that morning, but I was okay with that. I could just sleep until it was time to go, piece of cake.

After that one little chore, I went home and grabbed a cup of coffee and some breakfast. I was reading my devotional and giving thanks when my teenage son came downstairs and collapsed in a chair. He said he didn’t feel well. I took one look at him and I knew it was the flu.

His high fever and a visit to the urgent care clinic confirmed my diagnosis. I had to go to two pharmacies to get the prescriptions filled. I also had to make a Publix run for extra juice, soup and crackers.

There was a time in my life where the entire ordeal would have really bummed me out. My carefree, no plans day was no longer mine.

But, I have come to a point in my life and in my faith, where I really try to give thanks for all that I do have when adversity crosses my path. It’s amazing when I give thanks, how the many blessings, once hidden in my subconscious, show themselves.

I was blessed to have the day off to take him to the doctor. We were blessed to have great medical care close by. We were blessed to have no wait time and a very kind doctor we had never met before. We were blessed to have transportation to get us there. We were blessed that the second pharmacy had what the first one did not. We were blessed with insurance to cover the medications. As I continued to give thanks, I remembered that my hubby had already taken two additional days off because he had maxed out his time. He would be home to care for our son. Since it was a holiday, my son would miss less school.

As I prayed, I was increasingly sure that none of this was a coincidence. God’s timing is always perfect.

Now, no one in their right mind considers the flu a blessing. Jesus never promised a trouble free existence on this side of eternity. We live in a broken world. Pain and sickness are sometimes going to be present in our lives here on planet earth.

Yet, when we walk in faith and open our eyes, we can always see God’s presence with us. He’s always close to His children, helping us along. When we focus on ourselves or our misfortune, we often miss it. When we focus on Him, it shines as brightly as the sun.

A sick child reminded me. Perhaps you needed reminding too!

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Ramsey Wisdom

Posted on by Wendy
Like Ramsey, we have all been strays at some point.

My neighbor, who I’ll call Jack, recently took in a stray cat. He’s a cute little orange and white cat. I had seen him hanging out around the cul-de-sac, but he was wild. He always ran away when I tried to approach him, but Jack has a way with strays and he took him in and got him shots. He named him Ramsey.

I marvel as I look out the window and watch that previously wild cat, follow Jack faithfully to the mailbox. How is it that he can build that kind of trust?

Well, Jack and his wife, went away for the holidays and they boarded Ramsey. When they returned, they found that he had become very sick. He had fluid in his lungs and he could barely breathe. They took him to the animal hospital at UGA and learned that he had a heart defect. They kept him for a while, but they treated him and told them to keep him indoors for a week.

While I was watching the Rose Bowl, I got a frantic call from Jack; Ramsey had slipped out while the trash was being taken out and he was missing. Now, Ramsey has been known to hang out in my garage and Jack was hoping I would check and see if he was there.

I rushed out the door. It was nineteen degrees that night, unseasonably cold for us. There was no way a sick cat could make it in that cold. I didn’t see him at first, but then I got down on my hands and knees and looked under my daughter’s car. There he was, hiding.

I still had Jack on the phone. I told him that I could see him. I didn’t dare approach him because he doesn’t trust me. Jack and his wife came over immediately. He crouched down and called Ramsey and he came out from under the car. Jack scooped him up, but he didn’t hold him for too long before Ramsey was squirming to get down. They apologized for the inconvenience and took him home.

I thought about Ramsey and Jack in the days to follow. His pursuit of Ramsey reminded me of how God pursues us. He finds us as wild strays and fixes our hearts. He seeks only to love us and we like Ramsey, often squirm to get away, back out into that dangerous world that to our minds, seems free and exciting.

Sometimes like Ramsey, we do get away and like Jack, God pursues us, even when it’s unbearably cold, even when the big game is on, He calls us. If we are smart, we answer and return to the safety of His arms, just like Ramsey returned to Jack’s.

An escaped cat on a cold night, reminded me of God’s love for us. Perhaps you needed reminding too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Beacons of Light

Posted on by Wendy
All Christ followers have access to the light.

As I sit here typing my last post of the year, I remember that it’s December 21st, the longest night of the year. We have more hours of darkness on this day that any other day of the year. Starting tomorrow, the time of light gets a little longer everyday and the time of darkness gets less.

I think that today is a perfect day to reflect upon this past year. There are many that would argue that 2017 has been absolutely horrible. We have been barraged by hurricanes and ravaged by wildfires. We have suffered mass shootings. Our political landscape has been nothing but anger and hate spewing from both sides, and it seems that every time we turn on the news, there’s another sexual harassment scandal.

Yet, in all of that darkness, there’s been light as well.

Every disaster that hit us also bred stories of mercy and kindness. Strangers used boats, cars and everything at their disposal, to help those in need. They stood in lines; wrote checks and gave their own blood for their fellow Americans.

The sex scandals have at long last, resulted in justice for many people who have been victims for a long time.

Perhaps it’s by design that the longest period of darkness occurs right before the light bursts forth. Perhaps it’s important to truly acknowledge the darkness in order to fully appreciate the light.

There will always be a certain amount of darkness on this side of eternity. God’s people have an enemy who will see to it. Yet, we are called to remember that just the tiniest flicker of light can dispel the darkness and all Christ followers have access to that light. We also have the means to spread it.

Just yesterday, when I was out doing some last minute Christmas shopping, it was pouring down rain. An older woman stepped out of the store and dropped something out of her bag. No sooner than I had commented to my daughter about her misfortune, another woman came up and helped her get her things back in her bag.

Yes, there are beacons of light everywhere.

The longest night and a rain storm reminded me that wherever we find darkness, we have an opportunity to shine the light and make no mistake, the light wins. Perhaps you needed reminding too.

Have an awesome day! Have a Merry Christmas! Have a Happy New Year! See you in 2018!

Wendy 🙂

Power Outage Inspiration

Posted on by Wendy

http://www.fox5atlanta.com/news/stranded-traveling-football-player-gets-help-from-total-strangers

Last Sunday, the Atlanta airport lost power for eleven hours. It happens to be the busiest airport in the world. You can imagine how crowded it was. You can also probably imagine thousands of angry and frustrated, stranded passengers. Keep it mind they couldn’t even buy so much as a bottle of water because all of the cash registers at the shops were down too.

This story reads like a recipe for disaster. I mean this is a apocalypse, movie type of scenario, but as I was reading about it, not one, but two stories jumped out at me that I just had to share.

The first one was that at about 10:00 pm, that evening, the mayor of Atlanta reached out to the management of Chic-Fil-A and asked for assistance. This company is well known for being closed on Sundays so that its employees can worship with their families. Their management is also known for being strong in their Christian faith and values.

I wonder why the mayor reached out to them.

They sprang into action asking employees who worked or lived near the airport to help. They ended up handing out over 5,000 sandwiches to hungry passengers. Corporate America rarely does much worth bragging about when it comes to helping others, but Chi-Fil-A continues to impress me because not only do they talk the talk; but they walk the walk.

My heart was already warmed as I read the next story. It had tears rolling down my cheeks.

There was a freshman football player, Luis Lebron, for Colorado State University, who was one of the stranded. After he waited for close to seven hours, he began walking, looking for a place to stay and something to eat. He had been to seven hotels that were completely booked. Does that remind you of any other people who were weary travelers and could find no room at the inn?

Luis just happened to come upon a live local newscast and he told his story. Within minutes, people began to show up to help him. He was offered food and a place to stay. He was so very thankful to the people of Atlanta. The newscaster said in all of his years doing the news, he had never seen anything like it.

As we journey through Advent, awaiting Christmas and what it means to us, may we seek out Immanuel, which literally means, “God with us;” and may we remember that He is always with us. May we be inspired to share the light when all seems dark.

A power outage inspired me. Perhaps you needed a little inspiration too.

Have an awesome day!
Wendy 🙂

A Gift from the Heart

Posted on by Wendy
I will never forget the two little girls who presented me with this ornament.

Last Friday was our last day of school for the year. I work in a school office where we have lots of generous parents, and my coworkers and I got little gifts all day long. We got lots of homemade goodies. We got gift cards. We got Christmas cards and handwritten notes. All of the kind wishes and tokens of appreciation were all very heartwarming.

But, I suspect the gift I will always remember the most, was a little handmade paper ornament from two sisters. They have had a rough year. They lost their dad and they come into the office on the way to the clinic, frequently. They usually seem to be looking for just a little extra attention, which our nurse is more than happy to give.

My Friday morning began as it often does, with an early morning visit from them. But, when I saw their little stack of ornaments, I had to fight the tears. Each one was decorated specifically for the recipient and had a hole punched in it with a carefully tied gold chord through it.

They had quite a stack and I’m sure it must have taken them a while to get them all made. When they proudly presented mine to me, I felt like I had received a true treasure.

I immediately thought of the Christmas song, “The Little Drummer Boy.” The child had no expensive gift to bring to the Baby Jesus, so he brought what he had, his ability to play his drum.

A grown up Jesus told His disciples when He witnessed a widow giving only two small copper coins, that her gift was greater than anyone else’s there, because she gave all she had.

In God’s economy, it’s never been about the size of the gifts we bring. It’s about the place they come from. It’s about the hearts who are giving them.

May we take this time in Advent as we await the coming of Christ, to purify our hearts and give to Jesus from that place. In the “Little Drummer Boy,” Jesus smiles at the little boy, showing approval of his gift. When we give what we have, no matter how big or small, with a pure heart, I know that He smiles on us too and blesses us as well.

I saw Jesus in the faces of two little girls and a homemade paper ornament. They reminded me of the true meaning of Christmas. Perhaps you needed reminding too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Unexpected Gifts

Posted on by Wendy
The best gifts rarely come wrapped or from underneath a tree.

Last Sunday morning, when my hubby and I were running out the door to go to church, my car wouldn’t start. We assumed it was the battery and took his car instead. After church, he went and got a new battery. Unfortunately, it wasn’t the battery. It was the starter.

The minor, easy to fix car repair, had quickly turned into a tow truck call and a much pricier fix, right at Christmas time.

But, this Advent, I have been determined to see all of the many gifts that I so often miss. My sixteen-year-old son volunteered to drive me to work. My daughter, who is home from college for the Christmas break, volunteered to pick me up. Just like that; I had transportation.

I can’t really fully express how much I enjoyed being driven by my children. I’ve come to a point in my life where I realize that time and people are the most precious gifts we are given on this side of eternity. I enjoyed our conversations. I enjoyed their choices in music. I enjoyed seeing my children happily helping out in adult roles.

When I discovered that the starter was covered under a warranty, it also meant it took another day to get it repaired. I saw it is a gift all of the way around.

And when my daughter dropped me out at the mechanic’s to retrieve my car and I told her that I didn’t know what I would do without my kids chauffeuring me around, she said, “How many times did you chauffeur us around?” I immediately felt the sting of tears in my eyes.

I gave thanks on my drive home for my what initially seemed like misfortune. God, in His timing and wisdom, gave me not only the unexpected gift of extra time with my children, but also the gift of allowing them to serve me. Now, I’m not one who likes to be served. I like to be the one who does the serving.

But, when we allow others to serve us, we allow them to be a blessing. I wouldn’t trade the time with them for anything, but if I hadn’t been looking for it, I would have missed it.

I could have easily been angry, discouraged or frustrated about my car. I could have chosen to feel inconvenienced. Instead, I chose to look for the blessings in my situation. I was not dissappointed.

But, then again, when I’m truly seeking God in what I do, I never am. Car trouble reminded me. Perhaps you needed reminding too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

No Post

Posted on by Wendy

I had no internet last night and I simply am not capable of writing an entire post on my phone.😀 I hope to be back up and running on Friday.

Have an awesome day!
Wendy

Teen Widsom

Posted on by Wendy
“But He said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.'” 2 Corinthians 12:9a

This past Saturday, my son came home with a story he wanted to share. He had been out to dinner with some friends. It was dark and very cold and he noticed an elderly couple in the parking lot with car trouble. The hood was raised and their car wouldn’t start.

He said he didn’t know what he could do for them, but he felt compelled to help them.

He discovered right away that English was their second language and that they didn’t know that much about cars. They were also hesitant to talk to him. I suppose teenagers don’t have the best reputation these days. But, he was persistent. He fought his way through the language barrier and he found that they thought it was a dead battery.

He didn’t have jumper cables but, there was an AutoZone just up the hill. He offered to call and they agreed. The guy who answered the phone was very nice and they talked about the model of the car and the battery it would need. My son was planning to offer to drive them, when out of the blue, the car started.

He kept the AutoZone employee on the phone for a few minutes and gave them directions. They were extremely grateful and they got in their car and drove away.

I’m sharing this story not because I’m proud of my son, although I am, but because he felt compelled to help and he did. My son knows nothing about cars. He will proudly tell anyone who asks that he’s a band nerd and a computer geek. He loves technology and thrives in that world.

Yet, when he saw someone in need, even though they required a skill he didn’t have, he figured out a way to help anyway. He used his beloved iphone and called someone who could help and who happened to be very close by.

I don’t think I would have thought of that.

I think many times, our go to, is to walk away because we don’t know how to help. We want to help, but the situation can seem so dire, that we just do nothing. Our hearts are often in the right place, but when it comes to action, we miss the mark.

Yet, as Christians, we are called to be His hands and feet. We are called to the physical as well as the spiritual.
Perhaps, the next time our hearts are compelled to help, we should simply offer our help in whatever capacity we have. Perhaps we should stop worrying that we don’t have enough and trust in the One who does.

For He can take our tiny offering and feed the multitudes or even start a car. Our lack has never limited His abilities.

A teenager reminded me. Perhaps you needed reminding too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Finding Him in the Ordinary

Posted on by Wendy
His footprints are everywhere.

As I sat down to write today’s post, I had no idea what I would say. I always attempt to see God in my daily life and share it here in this space, in ways to hopefully, inspire others to do the same. The only problem is that I always require some downtime to sit and reflect and the past couple of days have given me very little downtime.

Monday, I had to run to a store right after work for a great deal on some Christmas shopping. I did get exactly what I was looking for, but the lines were long and it took a while.

When I got home, my son wanted some input on a fairly lengthy paper he had written for school. It went on way past dinner, and I had to help him with lots of grammar, but the story was fantastic and he ended it with a Bible verse from Proverbs. I was thoroughly surprised and impressed.

I was also too tired to write.

Yesterday, I spent my afternoon texting back and forth with my daughter in college, about an opinion piece she wrote for a class. She also wanted my input and when we found that our opinions differed a bit, we texted back and forth about that. It was an intelligent and respectful exchange and I was impressed by the adult that she has become.

Then, my son came home and told me about his day. Then there was dinner. Then I had choir practice for our Christmas Cantata which is this Sunday.

Once again, I had no down time, but even so, God was there whether I saw Him or not.

As I write about the past two busy, yet ordinary days, I can see the hand of God everywhere. He was there when my son asked for my assistance, respecting my opinion. He was certainly there when a Bible verse showed up unexpectedly in his paper.

He was there at the store when I found the very item I was looking for at less than half the original price.

He was there when my daughter and I effectively and peacefully communicated with each other over differing opinions.

He was there when I joined with others in choir practice, to lift my voice to praise His son.

So, today, I don’t have a special moment or one single instance that points to God to share. But, I do have the past couple of days where He was constantly at work in the background. I can see Him there when when I actively look. For me, that makes the ordinary extraordinary.

I’ll bet if you think about it, you can say the same about your seemingly mundane day.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Spreading Positive Tidings

Posted on by Wendy
Perhaps we should be the change we seek.

On Saturday night, the Georgia Bulldogs played the Auburn Tigers, for the SEC Championship. The stakes and the tensions were high because so much was riding on the game, not to mention that Georgia had lost to Auburn just a few weeks earlier.

After that loss, I ran into a friend of mine from work, buying groceries at Walmart. She’s a big Auburn fan. We talked a few minutes about their big win and I congratulated her. We talked about how wearing the orange and blue Auburn colors might be dangerous in a Walmart in Athens, Georgia. We are after all, in Bulldog country. But, we also laughed about it being just a game.

She shared with me that a friend of her teenage daughter, had been really ugly to her after the win. We both kind of shook our heads, wondering why friends would be so petty about something like a football game.

She wore her Auburn colors loud and proud, to work on Monday morning and we all, (most of us Bulldog fans), congratulated her and maybe picked on her a little, but it was all in good fun. She knew it and we knew it.

On Saturday night, the Bulldogs won the rematch and Auburn lost. As I scrolled down on my Facebook feed covered with many, “Dawgs win!,” messages, I came upon a post from my Auburn friend. She simply said, “Win or lose, it’s great to be an Auburn Tiger!! Congrats Georgia!”

I was stunned and incredibly impressed. She didn’t have to say anything, but she did.

I remember when football games were merely games and at the end of the day, winners and losers were good sports, no matter the outcome. I remember when politics was simply politics and if your guy won and mine lost, were still friends. It was after all, just politics. I remember when we were told that everyone’s opinion mattered and when we differed that was okay, because the differences of ideas and opinions, helped to make our country great.

I don’t know what has happened in the past decade or two. We have become so serious and self-focused about everything we do. Somehow, things like sporting events and political races have become ways to spread hate. We have become thin skinned too. We have become completely intolerant of people who don’t think like us.

If they don’t agree with us, then they hate us. Where has our self-control gone? Where has our patience and integrity gone? What happened to our sense of humor? What has happened to our focus?

If the answer to those questions is social media, then maybe social media can be part of the solution. I replied to my friend’s post as soon as I saw it and told her she was my favorite Auburn Tiger. There were a few others who replied positively as well.

If we all followed that example and decided to spread humility, graciousness and love on social media, could we make a difference? Could we stem the tide of anger and hate? Seems to me that Advent might be the perfect season to give it a try.

It simply begins with a single keystroke.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂