Author: Wendy

You’re Not Done Yet

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My son and I spent a few days at my parents’ house for spring break. My mom has always loved to take pictures and she had taken a bunch in her yard that she thought I could use in my blog posts. She did a great job and she had lots of good ones, but there were two in particular, that she wanted to show me. She said she thought maybe I could write something about them.

This red bed tree was cut down and left for dead.
This red bud tree was cut down and left for dead.

When she and my dad had some trees cut around their house, this red bud tree was cut down. They assumed it was dead. There was nothing but a trunk left. It remained in the same spot for a few seasons and moss began to grow on it. They gave up on the little tree.

They gave up on the tree, but the tree wasn't done.
They gave up on the tree, but the tree wasn’t done.

But, the tree wasn’t done. It was dormant for a little while, but then it burst forth into bloom. It wasn’t the same as before, but thriving and blooming, just the same.

I was thrilled with her pictures and she was right. I knew immediately I would write about the little tree. I was thrilled that she was watching for God in the world around her. Did she learn that from me or did I learn that from her? Maybe it was both.

Either way, I am reminded that we often give up way before we should. We find ourselves believing that the best of our years have gone by. We believe that we have little left to contribute. Maybe we’re too damaged, or too inadequate, or too old. Sometimes we sit for a period, believing those lies and let moss grow on us wondering who could ever benefit from our talents or our time.

We could spend the rest of our days as a stump of some kind, just sitting out and missing, out or we could choose another way. We could lean into the truth that comes from God.

We are each special, and loved, and unique, and as long as we are drawing breath here on planet earth, God is not done with us, nor should we be done. We each are called to fill our world with our unique gifts. Those gifts and talents don’t have an expiration date.

There is a time for rest. But, there is never a time to just give up on serving. Maybe you have been sitting out for a while. Maybe you have allowed a little moss to grow, but it’s never too late to burst forth in bloom. It’s never too late to answer God’s call.

Let’s make every moment count. Who’s with me?

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

When the Path has Stones

Posted on by Wendy
If we walk by faith instead of worrying about the details, we might be pleasantly surprised.
If we walk by faith instead of worrying about the details, we might be pleasantly surprised.

Last week was spring break for my kids. I decided to take a break myself. When the kids are super stressed, mama is too and school always makes my kids stressed. This year, spring break was kicked off by Easter. We attended a church service and heard the familiar Easter story.

But, this year something different stayed with me, and that was the faith journey of three women. In the Gospel of Mark, on that first Easter Sunday, three women rose just after sunrise to visit Jesus’ tomb and anoint his body with oils and spices. These were three women on a mission. They had stayed and watched the crucifixion and now they sought the body of their beloved Jesus.

Mark’s Gospel is famously short on the details that I crave, but it does say that the women asked each other, “Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?” Mark 16:3

Three women, walking alone, were planning on honoring Jesus by preparing his body. They felt called to serve him. They knew what they wanted to do, but they didn’t have a plan to make it happen. There was a huge stone covering the entrance to the tomb. Who would move it?

Were they planning on sweet talking the Roman soldiers who were guarding it? Did they hope that there would be some strong men hanging out in the area of the tomb who would lend them a little muscle?

The text doesn’t say, but perhaps that’s the point. They were following God’s will for their lives. They were answering the call to serve Jesus. The details didn’t matter. They believed that God would provide and He did. All four Gospels have the stone rolled away. But, the three women couldn’t have known that.

Yet, they went anyway.

My take away from this story is that if we want to serve Jesus with our lives, we have to have faith that God will make things happen. There will be stones in our path. Sometimes the stones are closer to the size of boulders. When we know that we are approaching one of those seemingly insurmountable boulders, we have two choices.

We can give up and turn around or we can stay on the path and have faith that God will roll it out of our way. We have the privilege of worshiping the same God who moved that stone.

If the three women would have stayed home that morning because they believed that logistically it was impossible to fulfill their mission, just think what they would have missed out on. They got to play a part in the greatest miracle known to mankind.

Maybe we should ask ourselves what we may lose if we pay too much attention to the logistics and not enough attention to the voice of God.

Even when passage on the road seems impossible, perhaps we should go anyway. Who knows what God may have in store for us or what part we may have to play in the continuing story of Jesus? Let’s not miss it.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

The Complete Picture of Grace

Posted on by Wendy
He is risen!
He is risen!

Today is Good Friday. It’s the cornerstone of Christianity. Easter gets all of the press. It’s beautiful and glorious. All Christian churches acknowledge and celebrate Easter. Not nearly as many acknowledge and have a service for Good Friday. It’s a somber day and a somber service.

Talking about and picturing the crucifixion of Jesus is hard and brutal. It also requires that we take a hard look at our own sin, not a fun thing to do. However, just like a woman has to endure labor to get a baby, we have to go to the cross to get to Easter. We have to repent of our sins to get forgiveness. There’s no way around it.

I am reminded that there were two other men who were crucified with Jesus. The Gospel of Luke tells us that as they were all three hanging up there in shame, enduring a slow agonizing death, that a short conversation occurred. One of the men was surly and angry til the end. Luke tells us he hurled insults at Jesus and basically said if he were the Christ, he could save himself and the other two hanging there.

Jesus said nothing in reply to the angry, hateful words hurled at him. As far as we know, that man died with his hate and anger.

The other man chose a different path. He “rebuked” the first man. He told him they were getting what they deserved, but that Jesus was innocent. Notice what he did. He owned his sin. He admitted he was wrong. Then he addressed Jesus. “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” Luke 23:42 He repented.

And the innocent, Son of God, who was hanging on a cross said, “I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise.” Luke 23:43

Those few words and a changed heart, guaranteed that repentant sinner a place in paradise with Jesus. That’s all it took. That’s all it takes for us.

I pray that all Christians will take some time today to think about the cross and what Jesus endured and what was accomplished. Let’s think about those two criminals and their choices and the ramifications. Let’s think about the importance of repentance and ask for forgiveness.

Let’s bask in the knowledge that grace was born on Good Friday as Jesus willingly breathed his last breath. Let’s really take it all in.

And then, let’s wake up Sunday morning with nothing but joy in our hearts because we know the rest of the story. Let’s remember the utter joy and amazement of Mary Magdalene when she got to see Jesus and talk to him that very first Easter morning. Let’s remember the shock and excitement of the disciples when Jesus appeared to them in a locked room.

Let’s remember the relief that Peter felt when Jesus forgave him for is denial. Peter’s guilt was replaced by a courage that made him stand up for Jesus even when it cost him his own life and countless people were saved because of Peter’s newfound courage and faith.

Let’s celebrate God’s love for us on Sunday. Let’s be at complete peace because in the end God’s love and Jesus’ willing sacrifice is all that really matters. Period. Hallelujah. Amen. He is risen!!

Have an awesome day!!

Wendy 🙂

P.S. I am taking next week off to spend time with my family over spring break, so I won’t be posting. Have a great week.

God is with Us

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When you look at a dogwood bloom, what do you see?
When you look at a dogwood bloom, what do you see?

As I was taking a walk and praying, I kept watch for a hawk. A hawk often flies across my path when I’m deep into a conversation with God. It’s simply happened way too many times for me to discount it as a coincidence. I have a dear friend that said when she was going through a time of struggle when raising her kids, God sent her Carolina Wrens to sing to her. She told me that her family thought she was crazy, but I knew that it was truth.

But, today God didn’t send a hawk. Today, as I was walking and praying and asking God to show Himself, I looked down and there, among the weeds on the side of the road, were the purple blooms of a viola. I first saw one and then as I walked, there they were interspersed in the overgrowth. There’s no way a person planted them. But, nature had some how put them there.

I smiled as I continued to pray and thanked Him for the beauty among the overgrown chaos. I was reminded that there’s always beauty within chaos. In our darkest times, there’s always grace. There’s a friend who stands by us or an unexpected call from someone we haven’t heard from in a while. There’s a meal that shows up on our doorstep or an unexpected card or check in the mail. Sometimes a new friendship begins in those dark times.

To the Christian who actively seeks the face of God, He is everywhere. To the non-believer, He is nowhere. There are so many things in our lives that can be chalked up to mere coincidences, but faith teaches us a different way. Faith teaches us that God created all of the animals, so He could certainly send a hawk across my path or wrens to my friend’s window. He can make things grow where they really shouldn’t be growing.

God’s way of showing His love for us is infinite. We are the ones who seek to limit its scope with our own preconceived notions and misconceptions.

As my walk came to an end, I came across a dogwood tree. Legend has it that Jesus was crucified on a dogwood tree. They used to grow huge like oaks. Because the trees were distressed at being used for such a cruel purpose, Jesus promised they would never again be large and strong enough to construct a cross.The blooms are in the shape of a cross, with two long petals and two short ones, and the ends are tinged red for Christ’s blood.

While it’s not likely that the legend is true; every spring around Easter, they serve as a beautiful reminder of God’s love for us and Jesus’ sacrifice. God could have made those trees look anyway He pleased. The believer sees a cross.

As we draw ever closer to Easter and the glory of the resurrection, I would love to encourage you to get outside and bask in Creation. Look for God in our world and remember that not only did He create the beauty around us, He is still with us. Just take a look.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

 

Things Are Not Always What They Seem

Posted on by Wendy
Everyone has some wind in their lives. The key is to remember that it is usually just passing through and there are warmer days ahead.
Everyone has some wind in their lives. The key is to remember that it is usually just passing through and there are warmer days ahead.

The forecast yesterday was seventy-seven degrees and sunny. Finally, I thought that spring had sprung and I could move comfortably to shorts. We had a cold snap last weekend. It was in the thirties for a couple of nights. My granddaddy always said there would be one last cold snap before Easter and then it would be warm. I have no idea where he got that from, but he was usually right.

So when I saw the forecast today and planned on going to one of my daughter’s last tennis matches of the season, (thank goodness!), I was thinking I would wear shorts and soak up a little warm sun. What I didn’t plan on was a cool, persistent, wind.

Seventy-seven in March and seventy-seven in July are two very different scenarios. That cool wind changed everything. Sure, it was still very nice outside, but not shorts weather, at least not for me. I was kind of disappointed, but at least it wasn’t freezing.

That wind made me think about similar situations in life where things look perfectly sunny, happy and warm, on paper, but the cool wind made them not as rosy as they looked.

You know the situations I’m talking about; that friend or neighbor who seems to have the perfect job or the perfect marriage, that we always wish we could have, or people we know who have the perfect kids with the perfect grades, or even people we know who seem to always have it together, people who never mess up.

We all at some time or another, have looked at other people and wanted what they had because something about their lives seemed perfect or at least better than our own. But, the truth is, every perfectly sunny looking life has some wind that’s invisible to those on the outside. However, those on the inside are perfectly aware of it.

Whether or not, people are brave enough to share the truth about their imperfections with friends doesn’t make them any less imperfect.

We all have our burdens to bear. We all have our own brand of wind. That is a fact for all of humanity, no matter what people say. Perfection does not exist on this side of eternity.

But, beauty does exist as well as sunny days along with the rainy ones and the wind. God rains down blessings on everyone. The trick is to watch for our many blessings and bask in those and be thankful for those and not to focus on what others have. Their burdens and blessings are unique to them, just like ours are unique to us.

And when we are truly honest with ourselves, we usually have to admit that the blessings far outnumber the burdens and the wind is usually just passing through.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Knowing When to Yield

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Making the decision to yield can lead to physical and spiritual peace.
Making the decision to yield can lead to physical and spiritual peace.

I was driving along the other day when I came to some railroad tracks with a yield sign. I chuckled to myself as I thought about the sign. Do drivers really need a yield sign in front of railroad tracks to remind them to yield to an oncoming train? Surely, that kind of thing is common sense. Right?

However, as I thought about it, I was reminded of the uncertainty that a yield sign causes my fifteen-year-old. I’ve been teaching her how to drive for around nine months now. Red lights and green lights are no problems. Stop signs are no problem. But, when we get a yellow light or a yield sign, she always asks what she should do.

“Can I go or should I stop?” she often asks at a yield sign. My answer is always the same, “Is anyone coming?” In other words, “Is the road clear for you to proceed?”

Failure to yield in a car can have disastrous consequences, so figuring it out is of utmost importance. But, as I thought about it a little longer, it occurred to me that yielding is really against human nature.

One of the definitions for yield is to give up or surrender. Surrender is also listed as a synonym.We don’t like the word surrender and we certainly don’t like to give up. We are taught those are bad things. Never give up! Never surrender! Aren’t those mantras to live by?

Maybe. But, sometimes if we refuse to yield, we could get run down by a train.

While not yielding physically can have immediate consequences that are tangible, failure to yield spiritually can be just as dangerous. Perhaps one of the most difficult concepts that many Christians wrestle with is obedience. The Bible tells us under no uncertain terms that we are to yield to God’s will. That’s obedience.

It gives us many examples of people who don’t yield, like Jonah and Saul and many who do like, Ruth, Elijah, and Joshua. The people who yielded to God’s will were always blessed in some amazing way.

This week is Holy Week and possibly the best time ever to ask ourselves what we need to yield to God. Do we need to surrender anger, or hurt, or finances, or doubt? Do we need to completely begin a new path altogether? Do we need to let go of some kind of guilt we have been carrying around? Do we need to simply pray about whatever is troubling us and say and mean, “Not my will but, yours be done”?

Some two thousand years ago this week, Jesus prayed those same words and his obedience to God’s will, saved us all.

If we are ready for more peace, joy and happiness, perhaps we need to seriously consider yielding to God’s will and His plan. It’s way better than one we could come up with anyway.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Hosanna!

Posted on by Wendy
As we journey towards Easter, let's take some time to remember the true cost of grace.
As we journey towards Easter, let’s take some time to remember the true cost of grace.

Yesterday, the Christian Church, (the church universal), celebrated or acknowledged, the Triumphal Entry, which was when Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey. The crowd went wild and children cut palm branches and put them across his path. That’s where we get the term Palm Sunday.

It’s the official beginning of Holy Week. I picture a beautiful, sunny day. Jesus comes riding into town on a donkey. How he got he acquired the donkey is one of those, watching for God at work, hair standing up on the back of your neck stories. Three of the Gospels record the account.

Jesus sent two of his disciples to get him a donkey. He told them where it would be and what to say if anyone questioned them. I wonder if the two were nervous. I suppose they could have been accused of stealing. Was their faith strong enough at this point to simply obey without asking questions? They had seen demons cast out and miracles. Were they expecting something huge to happen?

We don’t get many details. They were asked what they were doing in two of the Gospel accounts. They gave the simple message Jesus told them to, “The Lord needs it.” They were allowed to go, with no further questions.

I wonder what our world would look like if we proceeded in life with that mantra. “The Lord needs it.” What if we used it with our money? What if we used it with our time and resources?

They delivered the donkey and Jesus rode in on it. The city was likely very busy. I don’t know whether Jesus just rode in on the donkey alone or if the disciples walked beside him. But, people began to notice and a few voices became many. They began shouting “Hosanna!” which translates to “save please.”

Of course, the crowd would get their wish, although not in the way they expected. They wanted to be saved by being delivered from Rome in a blaze of glory. This same crowd turned on Jesus just five days later and called for his death, a death that did ultimately save not only them, but all of humanity.

The Jews were thinking of the small picture with their desires when the orchestrated Jesus’ death. But, God had something much bigger in mind. He wasn’t interested in saving only Israel from Rome at that moment in time. No, He was interested in saving people from that moment to thousands of years later.

Only God could have known the events coming over the next week. Only God could have known that the real triumph was not to be found on that day, but on Easter morning, six days later, when death lost its power for good.

Let’s take some time this week to think about Jesus and his journey to Easter. Let’s remember his miraculous birth and maybe take some time to read about some of his awesome miracles. Let’s think about the Last Supper and its deeper meaning. Let’s think about his friends. Let’s think about Peter and Judas. Let’s think about his mother Mary.

Let’s think about the cross.

And on Easter morning, let’s really embrace love and grace and the freedom that comes with it.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

The Face of Jesus

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Who knows how far a simple act of kindness will go?
Who knows how far a simple act of kindness will go?

I was subbing at a local elementary school yesterday in fifth grade. I was giving a math test. All of the kids were deep in concentration, when a little girl walked up to my desk. She said, “Can I ask you a weird question?”

I hesitantly answered, “yes.” You never know what you’re going to get with children; so there was absolutely no way of knowing what the question would be. I braced myself as she asked, “Will you braid my hair?”

A deep sigh of relief came from the substitute teacher; she went on to say that there had been something in her hair and when she tried to pull it out, it messed up her braid. Her hair was hanging in her face as she was trying to do her test and it was distracting her.

Truthfully, I was honored that she would even ask, delighted that she felt that comfortable. I sub because I enjoy the kids. It took all of two minutes to braid her hair and put her at ease again. I told her that her hair was beautiful just like she was and her smile bloomed like the spring time. I was instantly reminded of my prayer earlier that morning.

I always pray before I work in the school that God will allow me to see the face of Jesus in someone and that I will be the face of Jesus for someone. I knew instantly, that my prayer had been answered. That seemingly insignificant act of kindness produced a brilliant smile that made me know I was in the presence of God.

I can’t say that I was really surprised, because I often see Jesus in children. I have always told my own kids that children are Jesus’ favorite people, which always makes them smile and stand a little taller.

The math test will soon be forgotten, but I pray that the little girl will remember the substitute teacher who braided her hair and that maybe someday she will be able to feel like she saw the face of Jesus in me.

It’s impossible to know how far-reaching our little acts of kindness can be or if they even go anywhere. But, what if they do make a huge difference for just one person? As Christians, shouldn’t we try to be the hands and feet and face of Christ at every opportunity? What if God sent that child at that moment?

What if He sends someone across my path tomorrow? What if He sends someone across yours? Will I be watching and looking? Will you?

As we journey closer to Easter, perhaps we should make an effort to look for Jesus more intentionally. Perhaps we should be more intentional about representing him to the world around us. We don’t have to do anything huge, but simply reach out a helping hand when the opportunity presents itself. Who knows what kind of difference we can make?

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Denial

Posted on by Wendy
When we think of Lent and Peter's denial, we are reminded of forgiveness.
When we think of Lent and Peter’s denial, we are reminded of forgiveness.

I recently read a post on the website #SheReadsTruth about Peter’s denial of Jesus when he was arrested. You can read the post here if you like. http://shereadstruth.com/2015/03/23/peter-denies-jesus/

I have never liked the account of Peter denying Jesus. It has always made me uncomfortable. I mean Jesus warned him ahead of time that he would deny him three times before the rooster crowed and Peter swore up and down that he would not, and of course, he did.

I always want to scream at Peter each time he denies Jesus, just like I used to scream at the “Friday the 13th,” movies back in high school. “Don’t go outside!” “Don’t split up!” “Don’t check out that noise!” But, they always did with disastrous consequences.

I desperately want Peter to remember that Jesus warned him. Did he forget already? It couldn’t have been more than a few hours. But, to be fair, Peter was likely scared out of his mind and confused and anxious. We never get that way; do we?

The post I read earlier brought a new thought to light, that I hadn’t considered before. She said that Jesus wanted Peter to realize that he had sinned so that he could be forgiven. Jesus pointed it out. I never thought about it that way. We can’t be forgiven of our sins if we don’t admit that we have sinned. We can’t be forgiven if we don’t repent.

That notion changed my view of this story, completely. Jesus forgave Peter after the resurrection. Peter repented. He wept bitterly when he realized Jesus had been right all along and he was wrong.

We are all sinners, but isn’t it a lot easier to see our neighbor’s sin than our own? We sometimes comfort ourselves by thinking, at least we’re not as bad as the other guy. While that may be true, that’s not really the point is it? We can only repent of our own sin, not anyone else’s, so isn’t our own sin the thing we should be most concerned with?

And if we are really truthful with ourselves, don’t we all deny Jesus in us everyday, when we do things like gossip, or say unkind things about someone, or look down on someone, or refuse to help others when we can? If we claim to be believers and followers of Jesus, aren’t we supposed to do the things he would do? When we don’t, aren’t we denying him in some way?

We are going to mess up regularly. We are likely going to get it wrong more often than right, but that’s okay. We have grace and that changes everything. We can be forgiven endlessly and the only catch is we have to ask and the slate is wiped clean.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

The Divine Juggler

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That says it all!
That says it all!

My life has been pretty chaotic lately. I seem to have way too many balls in the air. Our van died, so we have been actively searching for a car. We have a program at church that I am a part of, that requires a bunch of writing as well as the cooperation of ten teenagers. Our wireless router is on its last leg and keeps knocking us offline. Needless to say I know less than nothing about wireless routers. We are looking at doing a mission trip and rounding up the aforementioned teenagers for a specific date is challenging to say the least.

Now all of those things are no big deal on their own. None of them qualify as even close to a tragedy. In fact, some of them are good things. The mission trip possibility came about when the foreman on my daughter’s project last year, reached out to her through text and asked her if she was coming back. He’s a Godly man and left a permanent imprint on her heart. She really wants to go. I’m thankful beyond words for adults like that in my children’s lives.

But, at the moment, I’m really struggling with the juggling. As I was talking to my hubby about it yesterday, we finally agreed that God’s hands were all in our current chaos and we need to just let it all go and stop worrying about how it all will come together.

I’ve no doubt whatsoever that it will come together, and at this point, I can’t wait to see how it all fits.

There’s a certain peace that comes from admitting that we are powerless over most of life’s circumstances and sometimes I feel like God allows things to pile up until we get to the point where we readily admit we can’t fix it all or handle it all alone.

But, He can. He’s the Divine Juggler and He can turn any situation no matter how chaotic, into good for His glory.

I was talking to a friend of mine recently whose daughter attended an AA meeting with a friend of hers in recovery. She told her mom it was the closest she had ever felt to God. I found that intriguing and looked up the Twelve Step Program.

It was pretty powerful stuff. The first one was admitting, “We were powerless over alcohol and that our lives had become unmanageable.” I don’t know about you, but I could replace alcohol with life’s struggles sometimes or even daily stress and it would be a true statement for me.

Next was, “We came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.” I could fill in God for power here and completely agree. Sanity and peace go hand-in-hand in my book.

The third one was about turning their will and life over to God. I won’t go through all of them, but it was a really good read. It’s no surprise to me that AA works and has been around for so long.

Members of AA seem to grasp the same thing that we all struggle with, and that is simply that we are not in control, but God is. When we really surrender to that notion, the peace that passes all understanding overflows from us. Now doesn’t that sound fantastic?

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂