Author: Wendy

Admitting to Being Snackless

Posted on by Wendy
When we admit our need for Jesus, He will provide.
When we admit our need for Jesus, He will provide.

When you work in the office at an elementary school, you begin to notice that there are some kids who are frequent flyers. Some are in the clinic all of the time. Some have regular discipline issues. Some are never sure how they are going home for the day.

One of those kids was in the office yesterday. He has good days and bad days. He struggles. He has a tough back story. But, he knows that the staff at our school cheers for him on his good days, the days when he gets it right.

Yesterday, he came into the office with a smile on his face, something that’s kind of rare for him, and announced matter-of-factly, that he was snackless. We keep snacks in the clinic for the kids that can’t bring one from home. We chuckled at his terminology as we ushered him into the clinic to claim a snack.

Our nurse proclaimed rather loudly to him how happy she was to see his smile as she got him a snack. He thanked her and headed back to class.

I thought about that little boy for the rest of the afternoon. I thought about how everyday is a struggle for him to get it right, to make the right choices, to see the bright side. I thought about how even though he has spent a fair amount of time in trouble, he knew that he would be welcomed when he was in need. He knew he would receive if he only asked.

Haven’t we all been there? Haven’t we found ourselves making the wrong choices? Haven’t we found ourselves with the inability to find the good in the place we find ourselves? Haven’t we found ourselves so far down that we wonder if we can ever climb back out?

I know I have. But, I have also found myself in situations where if I was willing to look outside of the darkness, I could see others cheering me on, praying that I would get it right. I have found myself so far off of the right path, that I wondered if I would ever make it back. But, I did.

When I admitted my need for Jesus, He willingly stepped in and provided. Just like that little boy came in and announced that he was snackless and we reached out to him, Jesus reaches out to us and gives us what we need. I think heaven cheers for us when we admit our need, when we get it right, just like our staff at school cheers for that little boy.

The Bible says, “In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” Luke 15:10

We’ve all been lost. We’ve all been snackless. When we admit our need, Jesus will find us and feed us.

A little boy reminded me. Perhaps you needed reminding too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

 

Roof Lessons

Posted on by Wendy
Just like a roof protects a house, our spiritual coverings protect our hearts.
Just like a roof protects a house, our spiritual coverings protect our hearts.

Last week, I got a message from my friend Amy, who is the director of the Two Rivers Salkehatchie mission camp that my family attends in the summer. I’m always happy to hear from her and anyone else from that camp. She wanted to check with me on some dates for next summer. It’s only October and she’s already at work planning next summer’s projects.

Amy, along with all of the people at Two Rivers, have become family to my family. We talk about them often. We are better people when we work side by side with them helping people who cannot help themselves. Even though we only see them physically, once a year, they have become part of our village.

We are prayer partners with each other. We are warriors for each other. We work together on the physical and the spiritual. We are all aware that our faith requires us to do both.

One of the many lessons I have learned from working on Salkehatchie houses is the importance of roofs. We talk a lot about foundations in our faith and they are very important. A house with a solid foundation can withstand just about anything that gets thrown at it.

Christians with good foundations are equally as strong. When we are rooted in God’s Word and our hearts belong to Jesus, we can weather any storm.

But, we also need to consider our roofs. When a roof springs a leak, it allows water to come in that causes all types of damage and destruction along with other things like mold and rot.

As Christians, we too, have to watch our spiritual coverings, our spiritual roofs. What are we allowing to seep in that may cause damage? If we aren’t covering ourselves with prayer, if we aren’t covering ourselves with scripture, if we aren’t covering ourselves with strong Christian community, we may be allowing small leaks to form.

When we aren’t careful, we can find ourselves doing things like giving in to anger over the trivial, or choosing to be hurt instead of letting offhand comments go, or choosing to believe lies about ourselves or others, whispered to us by our enemy. We can become active in gossip and tearing others down. We can become jealous of other people’s success.

Those are all leaks that over time, can cause some serious damage. They can cause a type of mold to grow in our hearts. When we keep our spiritual roofs in good shape, the bad stuff just rolls off. It has no place to seep in.

Working on roofs at Two Rivers has taught me a lot more than just how to use a nail gun. It’s taught me the importance of staying spiritually covered as well.

A Facebook message from a friend reminded me. Perhaps you needed reminding too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

 

Fall Reflections

Posted on by Wendy
God's amazing artsitry
God’s amazing artistry

Even thought it’s late October here in Georgia, most of our leaves are stubbornly hanging onto the trees. Most of them in my yard are still green too, but as I look around, I have begun to notice that there are many on the ground as well. But, the ones on the ground are brown. It’s like they went from green to brown without turning the brilliant color that they always do. They skipped the beautiful part.

As I was scrolling through some pictures the other day, the one above caught my eye. I really love that picture. The brightly colored leaves reflecting in the water, capture some of God’s greatest creativity. Because of the way light works, we get to see the brilliance twice, once looking directly at the trees and then again in the reflection.

My sweet mama took that photo and felt inspired to send it to me. I was so glad she did.

As I was enjoying that photo and feeling a little cheated that my trees don’t look like that this year, I was reminded that there are likely several reasons for that. For one, Georgia has had record high temperatures this fall. It’s been regularly in the eighties. It doesn’t feel like fall. Then there’s the fact that we are in extreme drought. I’m no tree expert, but I suspect that the lack of rain, may have something to so with the leaf color.

But, the fact is, we are still in the season of fall. Even though it’s hot and dry, even though it doesn’t feel like fall, or look like fall, it’s still fall. The leaves will eventually drop and it will turn colder. Thanksgiving is on the way despite the way the landscape looks at the moment.

Haven’t we all found ourselves in a dry season like this one? Haven’t we all found ourselves longing for some cool and refreshing air? Haven’t we found ourselves longing for some beauty and color when everything seemed drab and brown?

Even in those dry times, if we look back carefully, we can see that God was at work even when it didn’t feel like it at the time. Those times can serve as a reminder to us when we find ourselves there again, that God is in fact at work in the background. Even though our skies may not be emblazoned with beauty, there are still glimpses of hope if we are willing to actively seek it.

The Bible tells us that: “God is light and in him there is no darkness at all.” 1 John 1:5b

The brilliance of those leaves reflected in the pond, comes from the light provided by the sun, the light created by God. The picture reminds me that even in seasons of drought, seasons of beauty are always on the way. This journey on this side of heaven will always be filled with both.

If we find ourselves in a time of drought this fall, we can hold onto the hope that Thanksgiving and reasons to give thanks, are still on the horizon, even when we can’t feel them or see them. That’s called faith. God is at work and we never walk alone.

A photograph reminded me. Perhaps you needed reminding too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

 

 

 

Focusing on the Good

Posted on by Wendy
Focusing on the good is a choice.
Focusing on the good is a choice.

Due to the fact that my son waited to the last minute to write a paper for his lit class and the fact that my brother was unable to install Word on his computer a few weeks back, I was unable to use my computer last night. I don’t really have a post today. But, as irritated as I was with him, I reminded myself that in a couple of years, he won’t even live at home anymore. My time with him is flying.

In the big scheme of things, not having use of my computer for the evening is really not a big deal. Getting angry over trivial matters is a waste of my emotional resources. The older I get, the more I have come to realize that most of the things that drive us crazy in life and eat up so much of our emotional energy, are in fact, trivial.

So, I leave you today with one of my favorite scriptures: “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable- if anything is excellent or praiseworthy- think about such things.” Philippians 4:8

That’s great advice from Paul, advice I think we can all use. There’s a lot of really negative stuff going on, but there always has been. Chaos and evil are not new and it’s rather presumptuous of us to believe that we ware somehow living in the darkest moments of history. We have all been chosen to live at this time, in this moment, for a reason.

Let us remember there’s a lot of good stuff too. May God touch our hearts and turn them all to the light, the light of Christ. When we have that light, the world is a brighter place. Perhaps you needed reminding today.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

 

Exactly What We Need

Posted on by Wendy
Sometimes hope shows up when we least expect it.
Sometimes hope shows up when we least expect it.

A couple of days ago, when I got home from work, I let my dogs out and took a few minutes to enjoy the quiet. I was the first one home so it was really quiet. I sat down for a minute and checked my Facebook feed. The first post I saw was a post about the upcoming election and how America is doomed.

So much for the peace. It seems like everyone on Facebook has something to say about the election and yet everyone is tired of hearing everyone talk about it. Do you see the pattern of chaos here?

I’m tired of hearing about it. I’m tired of thinking about it.

But, the very next thing that popped up on my feed was an article from the Christian Post and it was written by Max Lucado, one of my favorite authors. I took the time to read it.

It was like a breath of fresh air reminding me that it doesn’t matter who our president is, God is still sovereign. He is still in charge. He’s in charge today. He will be in charge on November 8th and He will be in charge on November 9th, too.

Lucado also listed Biblical kings who were not Godly people, but God used them just the same. He then backed it up with scripture. My favorite one was: “The king’s heart is like a stream of water directed by the Lord; he guides it wherever he pleases.” Proverbs 21:1

Yep, that one is from one of the books of wisdom.

As I took a deep breath and shared the post, I felt restored. Lucado didn’t tell me anything I didn’t already know, but God sent me those words at exactly the time I needed to read them. My peace was restored.

I was reminded that God is in control and for me to have any anxiety about the upcoming election, shows my doubts about His control. As I thought about it that evening, I was also reminded that God’s timing is so amazing. The Lucado post showing up right after one more election post, was no coincidence. He always gives us what we need when we need it.

The following morning, there was a note on my desk from my coworker. She had gone to the playground to search for a lost pedometer that a grandparent had called about. The note informed me that she didn’t find it, but she did find a quarter and she taped it to the note.

I laughed about it and shared it with Ivy before our morning prayer. We prayed for strength and peace and to see God and to be God for the people around us.

As the day began and people began to come into the office, one of the teachers came in who had been having a horrible morning. Her child had forgotten her snack and her lunch and they had a hard time getting out of the house, period. She was frazzled and she hadn’t eaten breakfast and was going to get a bag of chips, but was a quarter short.

And there it was, shining on my desk, taped to a note. Ivy and I smiled at each other as I handed the teacher the quarter that was meant for her. God knew the day before, what she would need that morning.

He always knows and He always provides. Whatever road you find yourself traveling on today, don’t lose faith. Hold onto hope. Watch for God. Wait for God. He’s in control and He will show up at exactly the right time with whatever it is you need.

A quarter taped to a note reminded me. Perhaps you needed reminding too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

We Are Not God

Posted on by Wendy
Dogs can't understand why humans do what we do because they are not humans.
Dogs can’t understand why humans do what we do because they are not humans.

We have two dogs at our house, Piper and Sandy. I love them both dearly. They are around eight and ten years old we think. They both came to us as full grown strays. They arrived at different stages in our lives with very different personalities. One is large and one is smaller. One is male and one is female. One has long hair and one has short hair.

I love them differently, but equally, because they are different, but they don’t always accept that fact. They tend to get jealous of one another and jockey for my affection. I can’t really explain my feelings for them to them because they are dogs.

Sandy has seemed to had some stiffness in his joints lately, so we bought him some glucosamine tablets. They are chewable and we give him one every morning. They seem to keep more comfortable. He’s able to run up and down the stairs more easily. He needs them.

Piper doesn’t need them. She’s smaller and younger and her joints are fine. But, when Piper sees us give Sandy a tablet, she thinks it’s a treat and she gets jealous. In her eyes, he’s getting something special that she’s not getting. I can’t explain it to her because she’s a dog.

My Piper and Sandy situation has really weighed on my mind over the past few days. I wonder if that’s how God sometimes feels about us. He loves us as equally, but we are different, so He shows us in different ways. We often don’t understand because we are not God. We are humans.

He also gives us different things at different times because it’s something we need at the time. To those of us looking at someone else’s blessings, we can perceive that, that person always gets more or better than we do and we get jealous. We may wonder why we don’t get those extra blessings. In our focus on other people and their gifts, we can lose sight of the fact that we may appear the same way to others looking at us.

Either way, we often don’t understand because we are not God. We are human.

The Bible tells us, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” Isaiah 55:8-9

We forget though, don’t we? We think we know best. We think we know what we need more than God does. We become jealous like Piper is of Sandy’s glucosamine tablets.

But, when we lean into scripture, the Holy Spirit will whisper in our ears that we are loved. We are treasured and our Heavenly Father knows exactly what we need. Not only that, but He will provide it at exactly the right time. Learning to believe that is called faith and it’s something we can all use a little more of these days.

We are not God. My dogs reminded me. Perhaps you needed reminding too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

 

Letting Grace Seep In

Posted on by Wendy
When we allow grace to truly cover us, it seeps deeply into our souls allowing nothing bad to stick.
When we allow grace to truly cover us, it seeps deeply into our souls allowing nothing bad to stick.

Last spring, by hubby and I decided to paint our rails on our front steps. We had stained them previously and there was none left. The bare wood was exposed. We decided to use paint this time, hoping it would last longer. We sanded and primed first. We followed all of the directions.

It looked great when we were finished and it stayed that way for a time. But, fairly quickly, that paint we put on, began peeling off. We scratched our heads, not really understanding why. As the weeks went on, it looked horrible.

A little research informed us that since we originally used stain, it was still there. Even though we could no longer see it, it was buried deeply within the wood and it was oil based, so latex paint was never going to adhere for long. It may look good for a little while, but it would eventually come off.

As I examined the peeling rails and I searched for some remnant of the stain, I was reminded that we too are like that wood, when we spend some time with Jesus. When we spend time in prayer and reading the Bible, the deep truths of grace and redemption permeate deeply into our souls where they stay forever.

Now the enemy may try to convince us that our faith is not real or that we are not enough. The enemy may try to entice us to stray and we will sometimes fail and end up with a coat of gunk on our hearts and souls.

But, the amazing thing about grace is that it will keep that gunk from sticking for long. Once we have known the peace, freedom and joy that come from grace, we know that it will always shine through because like that oil stain, it lies deeply within us, even when we can’t see it.

Wherever we find ourselves on this journey, we can rest assured that once we belong to Jesus, He is a permanent part of us. He gets the final say and no one else.

Sometimes I need reminding. Perhaps you did too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

The Blessings in the Uneventful

Posted on by Wendy
We don't have to look far to find blessings in the everyday.
We don’t have to look far to find blessings in the everyday.

As I sat down to write today’s post, I wasn’t sure what I would write. I had a blessedly uneventful weekend, with no children with an appendicitis. I bought groceries and cleaned my house. On Sunday, I returned my parents’ dogs to them and got to hear a little bit about their trip to Niagara Falls.

The quiet was restored to our house.

The heat had at long last broken and my hubby and I were able to sand and re-paint our porch rails where the paint had inexplicably peeled. Our daughter was lounging close by in her Eno hammock while we worked. The weather was picture perfect. The sun was out. There was a light breeze. If I were ordering my ideal weather, it would have been yesterday.

As I prayed about what I would write, as I sought out God to share in this space, I could almost feel the tapping, encouraging me to look around and then I saw it.

While our lives are so often captured in photos, in those big moments, like weddings, job offers, birthdays, special trips, or the birth of a child, it’s the everyday that shapes us the most. We spend most of our time there, contrary to what social media would have you believe.

It’s the doing the laundry, and buying the groceries, and cleaning our houses that allow us to embrace our blessings. Are we thankful for the money to buy groceries or the fact that we have plenty of food available? Are we thankful that we have clothes to wash and water to wash them with, or that we have a washing machine? Are we thankful for the people God has put in our lives that created all of that laundry? Are we thankful that we have homes to clean? There are many who don’t.

What about our people? Are we thankful for one more meal with them? Are we thankful when they are close by? Are we thankful for their health? Are we thankful for our own health?

As I thought about it, I had seen God in dozens of ways all weekend, with the many blessings He has bestowed on me and my family. I was reminded that while the mountaintop moments are wonderful, the daily stuff is just as good and I should be thankful for the everyday since that’s where I spend most of my time.

One day, I hope to hear Jesus say, “Well done good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!” Matthew 25:23

Being thankful and diligent with the everyday, is a way to be faithful to our God who has given us those blessings that we too often take for granted.

An uneventful weekend reminded me of my many blessings. Perhaps you needed reminding too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

 

 

Lessons from a Leper

Posted on by Wendy
When they followed Jesus' command, they were cleansed.
When they followed Jesus’ command, they were cleansed.

Last week, our sermon was on the ten lepers that Jesus healed. Lepers, in the Bible, lived on the edge of society. They had to call out to anyone who came near them, to warn them they were unclean.

Jesus was on His way to Jerusalem for Passover when the lepers cried out to Him. He was on a mission. He knew His time had come, yet even though He had important plans, even though He knew the brutality that was coming to Him in a very short time, He still took time to heal them.

That’s the love and compassion that Jesus has for humanity.

But, what my pastor pointed out this time that caught my attention, was that, Jesus didn’t have a long conversation with them or go through any long ritual. He simply gave them a command. “Go, and show yourselves to the priests.”

And the next sentence is the headline. “And as they went, they were cleansed.” Luke 17:14

The lepers were not healed until they obeyed Jesus. Their obedience led to their healing. Jesus said, “go.”

How many times does Jesus tell us to go? Go and apologize. Go and forgive. Go and share. Go and tell.  Go to the meeting. Go to the worship service. How many times do we just stay in the comfort of our own little world and stay? Stay and be angry. Stay and live with the hurt. Stay and hold on tightly to all we perceive as ours. Stay and be quiet. Stay and do our own will.

What would our lives look like if we simply went in obedience wherever He tells us go or did whatever He tells us to do? All ten lepers were healed. They were cleansed of all that had kept them separate and isolated. They were free.

We can be too. One of those ten lepers was so overwhelmed with thanks that when he realized what Jesus had done, he turned around, ran back, and threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him. That particular leper, was the wisest of all. Not only did he obey, when he understood that his obedience had healed him, he couldn’t help, but to give thanks.

That leper, like Martha’s sister Mary before him, understood that at the feet of Jesus is where we should all be, when we are in need, but when we have been blessed as well. It’s easy to find ourselves at the foot of the cross when things are bad for us, when we are worried, sick, or scared. It’s another thing to understand that our thanks for our many blessings go there too.

One leper out of ten got it right and Jesus told him so. Jesus told him to”Rise and go; your faith has made you well.”

May the one guy who got it right, serve as a shining reminder for us all. When we live in obedience with thankful hearts, our lives are permanently changed.

Sometimes I need reminding. Perhaps you needed reminding today.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Acorn Inspiration

Posted on by Wendy
Every mighty oak tree began as a tiny acorn.
Every mighty oak tree began as a tiny acorn.

As Fall attempts to show itself in my neck of the woods, the mornings are much cooler. Some of the leaves are turning colors, but at the moment, most of our trees are stubbornly holding onto them and most of them are still green.

But, one of the biggest signs for me that Fall is indeed here, is the acorns. My backyard is full of oak trees and long before the leaves turn their brilliant fall colors, the acorns begin to fall by the dozens.

The squirrels are busy gathering them up for the winter and they are almost everywhere I step. I love acorns and all they represent. They remind me of the possibilities we all have access to, when we put our faith in God.

On one level, they provide food for hungry animals. They have a real immediate use.

But, on another level, they are capable of almost unfathomable greatness. Each tiny acorn has the possibility of becoming a mighty oak tree. Oak trees are hardy. They provide shade. They provide homes for wildlife and they provide beauty that only God can create, in the fall. Some of them live for hundreds of years and they each began as a tiny acorn.

We too, have the ability to feed those around us. We can use words and acts of encouragement and love to shine the light of Christ into our often dark world.

We also have the choice to lean in close to Jesus and to trust God to do something big with our lives. We can choose to dig deep and be patient and wait on His timing and we too, can stand tall and mighty like the oak tree and point others to our awesome God.

Oak trees are strong. Some can even withstand hurricanes. We too, have that capability when we stay close to God.

All, of that amazing strength begins as a tiny acorn. Acorns always give me hope and inspiration and there are days when I really need them both. Perhaps you needed them today too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂