Author: Wendy

Kindergarten Wisdom

Posted on by Wendy
We can learn a lot from children.
We can learn a lot from children.

In my new job, in an elementary school office, my desk sits in front of the nurse’s clinic. Now, in a kindergarten through fifth grade school, I’m sure you can imagine that we have a steady stream of visitors. The little guys have all kinds of boo boos. That doesn’t even account for the upset stomachs resulting from nerves that naturally accompany a new school year.

We are blessed with one of the sweetest nurses on the planet. She is soft-spoken, calming and kind-hearted. I mean she’s one of those people where kindness actually radiates from her. The kids feel calmer just being in her presence. I feel calmer being in her presence.

One day this week, we had a kindergartner come in who wasn’t feeling well. It’s been a long time since I’ve been around little guys like that and they are adorable. This little fellow was running a fever and our nurse called his mama to come and get him.

While she was on the way, another student came in and the little guy had to come out of the clinic and wait in the office for her. He sat on the floor for about two minutes before he just went ahead and lay down. He pulled his jacket over him. When my coworker asked him if he was cold, he said he was, so she put her sweater over him.

He put two little fingers in his mouth and went right to sleep. His mama arrived very shortly and took him home.

I thought about that little guy all day the next day and what I could learn from him. I thought about how Jesus said we should have the faith of a child.

When that kindergartner felt bad, he sought help from the nurse and then he just lay down and waited for his mama to come and help him feel better. He didn’t worry or fret. He rested, knowing that help and comfort were on the way. He wasn’t embarrassed about feeling bad. He didn’t try to soldier on, plastering a smile on his face and powering through it. He readily admitted that he couldn’t keep going at the moment.

Have you ever been there? I know I have.

How many times have we been so overwhelmed by what life has thrown at us, yet we plaster a smile on and keep on going. We have been programmed not to show weakness. How often do we end up with stomach-aches of our own, or headaches, or sleepless nights? Stress can manifest itself in a hundred ways that can harm us.

What would our lives look like, if we modeled that kindergartner, and we sought help from God when life gets chaotic and out of control? What if we went to Jesus in heartfelt prayer about what is troubling us and then rested at His feet, trusting that help and healing is coming?

What if we always remembered that God is in control and that it’s okay to rest, and to heal, and to admit that our lives are messy sometimes? What if we remembered that what God thinks is the only thing that really matters, so what others think doesn’t?

I was reminded of some beautiful truths from a kindergartner. Perhaps you needed reminding too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

 

Lessons from a Box Truck

Posted on by Wendy
We don't have to know what lies ahead; we only have to trust the One who does.
We don’t have to know what lies ahead; we only have to trust the One who does.

I was recently driving down the road when I got behind a big box truck. I really dislike driving behind them because I can’t see what’s up ahead. Sure enough, we came to an intersection with a stop light. He blasted through it, but I couldn’t see the light. It was obviously green for him, but was it still green for me?

I couldn’t see it. If it was yellow for him, then it might have switched to red for me. Someone barreling through in the other direction, could have gotten a brand new green light and t-boned me at full force.

What was I to do? Should I hit the gas and pray for the best?

Ummm, no, what I needed to do and I did, was to slow down, which turned out to be a good thing because the light had turned red. Hitting the gas instead of the breaks, would have been a dangerous decision.

But, hitting the gas is our nature, isn’t it? We don’t like to wait. We don’t like to go slowly and we definitely don’t like not knowing what lies up ahead. That’s why we don’t like box trucks.

That box truck stayed on my mind in the days to follow. Walking with Jesus is often like traveling behind a box truck. If we are in a hurry and insist on our own way, we will often find ourselves frustrated.

Faith teaches us to take one step at a time, one day at a time, and to trust that God has a plan. Faith teaches us that His plan is better than ours and that He will provide for us in His way and in His time.

In a world that asks us what our ten-year plan is and seeks to have us plan every minute of every day until we retire, that path often doesn’t sit too well. But, His path is not and has never been a worldly path. The journey with Christ is a daily walk where we sometimes walk the same road for years and then sometimes we take a new turn everyday.

We don’t have to know the way or even see the road ahead. We only have to know and trust the One who does and it can be excruciatingly difficult at times. Yet, that’s what we are called to do.

When we willingly follow Him, we will always arrive at the destination He intended for us and it will always be much more than we could have imagined.

The question for us is really a matter of trust, faith and obedience. I sometimes struggle with those, but thankfully, we have grace and redemption on a daily basis and the Holy Spirit to light our way. When we get off track, Jesus always reaches out for us to pull us back, closely to his side.

A box truck reminded me. Sometimes I need reminding. Perhaps you do too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

 

Walking in Faith

Posted on by Wendy
The light of Christ changes everything.
“For we live by faith, not by sight.” 2 Corinthians 5:7

I was recently praying as I was getting ready for my day. I was in my bedroom and it was quiet. I had so many things on my mind, so many people and circumstances to pray for. I felt certain I was missing some of them.

I had been praying about our current political scene in this country. I had been praying about the recent violence involving police. I had been praying about people who I hold close who are battling sickness as well as other emotional issues. I had been praying about a new chapter in my own life.

My heart was a little heavy and I briefly wondered if I had met my prayer quota for the day. Was God getting all of this? Did I need to back up and repeat?

Of course, I know that is not how God works. The Bible says He knows what I need before I even ask it, but at that moment, the world around me from my little space to globally, seemed to me, to be in great need of His guidance and intervention.

As I finished my prayer, I went to the windows and opened my blinds for the day. The sun was bright and flooded the room with light and tiny rainbows dotted my ceilings and walls. The scene took my breath away. I grinned as I grabbed my cell phone to snap a few shots that don’t even begin to do justice to the moment.

Within minutes, they were gone, but the message was received. Yes, He was listening. Yes, He is in control. No, my list of prayers is never too much for Him. I looked heavenward and whispered, “thank-you.”

Now, those of you out there who may be the Doubting Debbie types, I am fully aware that the sun was reflecting off of something in my bedroom that acted as a prism. I am well aware that it wasn’t some kind of miracle. But, the fact that I just happened to open my blinds at the same exact time I said, “Amen,” and at that precise moment, the sun just happened to hit the right spot at the right time to produce those little rainbows…..

That, my friends is faith. I know that God was letting me know that He was listening. The amazing thing is that when I seek Him with my whole heart, in a quiet place, He always has a way of showing Himself, if I am diligent about looking.

There are so many Bible verses that pop into my mind here: “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.” Matthew 7:7 or “This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in Him there is no darkness at all.” 1 John 1:5  or maybe, “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.” Hebrews 11:1

They all point to the Amazing God who we worship. They all point to Jesus. God is always listening to our prayers. Perhaps you needed reminding today.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Leave It

Posted on by Wendy
We could learn a lot from our furry companions.
We could learn a lot from our furry companions.

My sister and her family brought their dog, Scout, along on their visit south this summer. She’s actually still a puppy, a very big puppy. She’s some kind of lab mix with lots of energy. My sister did some obedience training with her and she learned to use the command, “Leave it,” when Scout is exhibiting undesirable behavior.

It was really kind of fascinating to watch. When Scout would bark when she wasn’t supposed to, my sister would use the command and she would stop and lie down and relax. When she was chewing on something she wasn’t supposed to, the command would make her stop. When she was doing just about anything she wasn’t supposed to be doing, the command worked.

Sometimes, Scout was reluctant to obey and my sister would have to use a sterner tone, but eventually Scout would comply. Dogs, by their very nature, want to please their master.

We could learn a lot from Scout.

I thought about her interactions with my sister long after they headed back north. I thought about how we would all be better off if we were better at listening to the voice of our Master.

How often does His voice simply say, “Leave it?”

When we are anxious and afraid, “Leave it.”

When we are picking up or participating in something we have no business being a part of, “Leave it.”

When we really want to engage in unnecessary arguments or disagreements, “Leave it.”

When we want to hang on to pain and guilt from our past, “Leave it.”

Sometimes His voice is really quiet and sometimes it’s louder, if He really needs to get our attentions, but “Leave it,” seems to apply to most of the earthly situations in which we want to chase and often entangle ourselves.

Because of Jesus and His sacrifice for us, we are all invited to “Leave it,” at the foot of the cross. Whatever “it” is, is redeemable. God has an amazing way of turning ashes and despair into magnificence that we can hardly even recognize.

But, the key comes from obedience. He will not force His will on us. He doesn’t tell us to “Leave it.” He invites us to. When we willingly comply, the peace and rest and joy are beyond anything we can really imagine.

The choice is ours. Are we willing to “Leave it?”

A dog reminded me of the importance of obedience, trust and faith. Perhaps you needed reminding too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

 

River Wisdom

Posted on by Wendy
You can learn a lot from a river.
You can learn a lot from a river.

On a recent trip with my family, we went tubing on a section of the Chattahoochee River in Helen, Georgia. Notice I said tubing and not rafting. Rafting is fast and kind of wild. It often requires a guide of some sort. You have to wear a life jacket and a helmet. It can be dangerous. That’s a little too much adventure for this gal.

Now, tubing, requires me to sit in an inner tube, with a bottom, and float. That’s it. That’s my idea of an ideal way to spend a few hours on a summer afternoon.

It was kind of crowded and I got separated from my family, so I had a lot of time to reflect. I learned a lot from tubing down that river.

First of all, I had no way to steer, so for the most part, I was at the mercy off the current. When I was getting too close to the bank, I would lean forward and use my arms to frantically paddle back into the main stream.

The banks were kind of scary. There were lots of nooks and crannies for snakes to hide. Every now and then, no matter how hard I tried, I ended up at the banks. Sometimes it was because I was pushed over that way by another tuber. Sometimes it was because the current pushed me that way. Sometimes it was because I wasn’t paying attention.

Whatever the reason, I tried to stay off of the banks. But, sometimes I wound up there.

Life is like that sometimes. No matter how hard we try to stay on course, on the right path, we get knocked off. Sometimes we end up on the banks with the snakes because of our own bad choices. Sometimes we get pushed there by somebody else. Sometimes we end up there through no fault of our own.

But, the beauty of being a Christian is that we never walk alone. We walk with Jesus. Thanks to grace, when we find ourselves on the metaphorical banks, we can pray and paddle and have faith that eventually, we will end up back where we need to be.

The second lesson I learned is that the river was full of people of all ages, shapes, sizes and backgrounds. Yet, we were all headed in the same direction. We often bumped into each other. Sometimes people apologized and smiled and sometimes people acted annoyed. Each reaction was a choice.

We have that same choice in everyday life. If we choose to leave our houses and participate in community of any kind, people will bump into us. Whether they do it on purpose or by accident, our reaction to their action is a choice. We can always choose anger or we can choose to let it go and not to take it personally.

When our eyes are set on God, what people do, no longer matters as much.

The final thing that stayed with me, was the opportunity to help others, is always close. I witnessed a little boy fall off of his tube. He was tethered to his brother and he was wearing a life jacket. He was not in any real danger, but he was panicked.

I had the choice to paddle over and offer help or to float on by. I felt led to help and so I did.

I wonder how often I miss that call. How often I’m I focused on my own journey, my own plans and miss the call to help others. That day, I was quiet and watchful. How many times am I self-consumed?

I left that river a little wiser. I was reminded of the importance of faith, focus, and loving our neighbors. Perhaps you needed reminding too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

 

The Amazing Power of Prayer

Posted on by Wendy
Christians should always remember the powerful weapon we have in prayer.
Christians should always remember the powerful weapon we have in prayer.

On July the 4th, my family invited my sister and her kids, and my mom, over to our house. The plan was for us to head out around 6:30 to a park in town where there was music and food, including ice cream, and then a fireworks show.

We were all excited. Who doesn’t love fireworks? We had been loading up our cars for a while. There were several coolers to pack and we kept going back into the house for “one more thing.” Then there was the discussion of who was going to ride where. My young nephews always want my teenage son to ride in their car.

Needless to say, we were running later than we planned.

At last, we were ready to go, when my hubby grabbed my arm and pointed at the house across the street. He said that something was wrong with our neighbor. He had seen her throw her arms into the air and run back towards her house. I thought he was overreacting.

Then her car came tearing out of her driveway and she turned around erratically and flew back into her driveway. I became worried at that point. She’s a widow and she’s older. She’s very careful with all that she does. Something wasn’t right.

I began running toward her house. As I reached her car, she rolled down her window and yelled that there was a snake in her driveway and she went flying back out again.

She was trying to run over it with her car. Unfortunately, she missed it. I could see it. It was a very large copperhead, around three feet long and very wide. Apparently, she had hit it at one point, because it was stunned, but not dead. I yelled for my hubby to get a hoe from our house and he killed the snake.

At this point my own kids had come over to see what the commotion was. Then my mom and my sister and her kids came over to see the large, dead copperhead.

My sweet neighbor was very grateful. We were all a little nervous at the fact that the very large snake was in her driveway, right next to were she walks her puppy everyday. Had the snake stalked her puppy?

After my hubby removed the snake from her driveway, we said our goodbyes and were on our way, a little later than planned, but with quite a story.

It wasn’t until later, that my daughter shared with me that our neighbor told her that she got in her car after she saw that snake and prayed that God would help her and that when we came, we were an answer to her prayer.

My eyes filled with tears. I’m a big believer in the power of prayer and I share those thoughts with my children often. Yet, I’m always amazed at how God steps in and shows Himself through other people, helping to grow my children’s faith a little at the time.

If we had left our house five minutes earlier, we wouldn’t have been able to help my neighbor and she would have been in danger, but God knew that she would need our help and I’ve no doubt, each “one little thing,” was by design, His design.

I am reminded at how perfect His timing is, even when we don’t understand and I stand in awe, as always, by the power of prayer. A snake reminded me. Perhaps you needed reminding today.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Peace in the Thunder

Posted on by Wendy
Sometimes peace like a river requires faith in the thunder.
Sometimes peace like a river requires faith in the thunder.

On a recent tubing trip with my family, we were delayed on a bus, by a thunderstorm. For over an hour, the storm raged and then let up. We were told to get off the bus and then right back on, two different times. There were people who demanded to be taken back to their cars and the driver obliged.

We waited patiently.

At last, the rain stopped. The sun came out and we got the all clear.

I got my tube and dashed to the water as quickly as I could, hoping for some space between me and some of the loud occupants of the bus. I floated for a few minutes, so grateful that we had waited out the storm.

We had followed the rules. We had been patient and the cool, refreshing water was our reward. Yes, we had passed whatever test that had been placed before us and we were in for smooth sailing. All of the tubers around me were laughing and enjoying themselves.

Life seemed just about perfect for a time.

When I had floated for fifteen minutes or so, a booming thunder-clap pierced the air. Now, everybody knows that you get out of the water, the minute you hear thunder. My mama always made us get out of the pool immediately when we heard thunder and just a week before, my sister and I had made our own kids do the same.

The problem was, I was in the middle of a river on a tube. Where was I going to go? Under a tree? There were no good options, so I prayed.

I prayed that God would keep me and my family safe as we were in the worst possible place to be during a thunderstorm. We had followed all of the rules. We had waited patiently. Why were we being subjected to danger?

Life sometimes turns out that way. We sometimes find ourselves in danger of some sort that we did nothing to cause.

But, as I said my prayer, I was filled with peace. I mean seriously, if God was ready to call me home, there wasn’t much I could do about it. I had in fact, followed the rules. I hadn’t acted foolishly. Was there anything that could possibly be gained by my worry?

The answer of course, was “no.” My life is always in God’s hands; being on a river on a tube, with thunder, just happened to make that fact incredibly clear at that moment.

The Bible often tells us not to worry or to be afraid. “Don’t worry about anything; instead pray about everything. Tell God what you need and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7

The rest of my float was uneventful and quiet. There was no more thunder and the sun continued to shine.

I thought about that thunder in the days that followed. I thought about how I was initially struck with fear and how prayer had filled me with peace. I thought about how my life truly is in God’s hands and that His plan for me is always good.

The same is true for you. A loud clap of thunder reminded me. Perhaps you needed reminding too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Waiting on the Bus

Posted on by Wendy
Sometimes we have to have faith that God has us where we are at this moment for a reason.
Sometimes we have to have faith that God has us where we are at this moment for a reason.

My family and I went tubing recently in Helen, Georgia. There’s a stretch of the Chattahoochee River that runs through that little town that is a tuber’s paradise. It’s kind of like a lazy river that God made.

We have been many times through the years. When our kids were little, my hubby would tether one to his tube and I would tether one to mine. This was an impromptu trip and we were all excited. There aren’t many outdoor activities to comfortably do in Georgia in July and tubing is one.

When we arrived, the line was unbelievably long, but we waited patiently. We knew it would be worth it. When we loaded the bus to be transported to the drop off, it began to rain which was no biggie, but then it began to thunder.

Thunder and water don’t mix. Surely the storm would pass quickly.

We waited on the bus for an hour, some of us more patiently than others. Twice we were told to get off, that the storm had passed and twice, it began thundering again and we had to get back on the bus.

There was lots of complaining. The bus was hot and very crowded and kind of smelly, but it gave us shelter and safety. There were people who had exited the river and were standing underneath trees with there tubes. Trees are not a good place to be under, during a thunderstorm.

I was thankful for our hot, crowded bus.

There were some teens on-board who insisted on getting off. They were unwilling to wait out the storm.

But, the storm did eventually pass, as they always do and we were allowed to exit the bus and enter the river.

I thought about that hot, crowded bus as I floated down the cool, refreshing river. I thought about how I would have liked to have been anywhere else at the time, but I also thought about the safety that it provided.

I was reminded of times in my life where I felt like I was confined in a certain place or space when all I wanted to do was to move forward. I thought about how I would spend hours in prayer, pleading with God to move me out of an uncomfortable situation and into something more refreshing and rewarding.

If I’m honest, I have to admit that there have been times that I was like the group of teens who got off the bus before the storm had passed and I insisted on my own way and timing, instead of waiting on God’s. That never turned out very well.

Years of walking with Jesus have taught me that God’s timing is very different that my own. There are times when I’m called to wait in an uncomfortable, cramped, hot space, like that bus. But, like that bus, God has me in that space for a reason, sometimes for my safety. Sometimes there may be storm going on with dangers that I am unaware of, but He knows.

That’s where faith comes in.

I have also learned that when I wait on God to open the door, instead of forcing it open my own way, the ride and the wait are always worth it.

A thunderstorm and a bus reminded me. Perhaps you needed reminding too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

New Chapters

Posted on by Wendy
As our faith grows, we know that Jesus always has our hand, no matter the season.
As our faith grows, we know that Jesus always has our hand, no matter the season.

This is my first post in a month. July was eventful for me, to say the least. My sister came to visit with her three kids, all under the age of eight. We celebrated the 4th of July. My son went to band camp. We had my daughter’s senior pictures taken. We celebrated her seventeenth birthday and I went back to work full-time.

It’s been a roller coaster ride.

For the past seventeen years, I have been a stay-at-home mother and wife. I have been a substitute teacher for the past eight, but that was a very flexible gig.

When I was pregnant with my daughter, I prayed without ceasing, that God would make a way for me to be at home full-time with her. It was something that I desperately wanted to do, but was impossible on paper.

But, as I would learn personally, “Nothing is impossible with God.”

My hubby was offered a new job that paid better and we took a leap of faith. My sweet mother-in-law dropped by from time-to-time with diapers and meals for our freezer. She continued to do so all the way through my son’s birth too. She never told me when she was coming, but she always came with her arms full and she always took us out to lunch and paid for my kids to ride the merry-go-round.

My mama brought diapers too, and formula, and baby clothes. She often took my little ones for the weekend so my hubby and I could have some alone time.

Things were tight, but life was good. God had indeed, provided.

God began to work on me and my faith. I began to read my Bible regularly. I began to teach a Sunday school class. I began to get involved with and then lead Vacation Bible School. I became involved in my kids’ youth group and eventually went on a mission trip with them and then another.

But, when they both started high school, I began to feel called to do something else. I prayed again without ceasing, about the next step. I applied for many different jobs and got more than a few rejections, but my faith had grown to the point that I knew God would let me know what the next chapter would be.

He did. I learned of a position as a bookkeeper at a local elementary school. I interviewed and was offered the job right away. I started a couple of weeks later.

It would be dishonest to say that it’s been easy beginning my new chapter. It’s been exciting and fun doing something new and I’ve met some fabulous people, who I know will become good friends. But, there have been tears too. It’s been exhausting and when my daughter told me she really missed me being at home, I cried myself to sleep.

A Bible study I have been participating in, (which I’m sure is no coincidence), has focused on Ecclesiastes. “For everything there is a season;…. a time to cry and a time to laugh. A time to grieve and a time to dance.” Ecclesiastes 3:4

But, the study also pointed out that on this side of heaven, the seasons often overlap. We can celebrate a Christmas, but mourn that a loved one is no longer with us. We can be thrilled that a child is starting kindergarten, or high school, or going off to college, or getting married, but be sad that our life with them will never be quite the same. We can take a new job, but desperately miss our friends from the old one.

That’s the tension that we live with here on earth. My tender heart is learning to embrace both the laughter and the tears in this season. I can be thankful and sad at the same time. I can be happy and mourn. One is not exclusive of the other and Jesus has my hand, all the way through.

A dear friend asked me if I would continue to write here on Gracefulgaines. My answer was yes. I’m still seeking God in the world around me even though my world is changing, because God never changes.

I’m still hoping to be a reflection of Him here in this space and provide a ray of light to someone who may need it. As long as I’m breathing, God is still at work in me. He is in you too, no matter where you are in your story. Perhaps you needed reminding today.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

 

Family Time

Posted on by Wendy

My sister and her family are coming to Georgia all the way from New Jersey for a few weeks. I am going to take the opportunity to enjoy her and her three little ones as much as possible. When they visit, there is very little downtime, which I have to have, to write on Graceful Gaines, so I won’t be posting for a few weeks. I pray that you all have a fabulous 4th of July and that you actively seek to see God in the world around you. Hope to see you back here soon.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂