Author: Wendy

A Grain of Sand

Posted on by Wendy
Remembering the power of our words can make all the difference in the people around us.
Remembering the power of our words can make all the difference for the people around us.

I jumped out of bed one morning last week and put on some sweatpants and tennis shoes. Mornings are always busy at my house. I had lunches to make as well as breakfasts and I had to coax a couple of teenagers out of bed. Right away, I felt something on the ball of my right foot, not painful, but annoying.

I didn’t really have time to be annoyed, so I just let it go. After I finally sat down to eat my breakfast, I could no longer stand it. I pulled off my shoe and my sock and lo and behold I found the culprit. It was a tiny pebble, not much larger than a grain of sand. I marveled at the fact that something so tiny and seemingly insignificant, could cause me so much discomfort.

I showed it to my son, who was unimpressed and went back to his game of Crossy Chicken. But, I thought about that tiny grain all day long and other things in life that seem insignificant that can cause frustration. Unfortunately, many such things came to mind.

Things like snapping at your spouse or kids first thing in the morning. Snippy, harsh words may seem like no big deal. But, those words first thing in the morning can ruin a perfectly good day. Who knows what great things could have been achieved that day if we hadn’t unleashed our frustrations on those around us? A tiny grain of sand can do damage.

What about offhand comments about a friend or neighbor that we really didn’t mean anything by? The intention may not have been bad on our own part, but it was perceived that way? A tiny grain of sand can do damage.

We have very little control of whether or not our words or actions will take root once they have been said or done. Sometimes they will fall on deaf ears and be completely forgotten. But, sometimes they grow. If they are good and positive words and deeds, then that’s a great thing. If they are negative words or deeds; they can fester.

What seems like a tiny grain of sand can produce some seriously hurt feelings or worse. That tiny pebble in my shoe really reminded me of the importance of the little things like praise or criticism and sometimes it’s in the very best interest of everyone involved when just keep our mouths shut. You know the old saying, “If you can’t say something nice…….”

Perhaps Lent is the perfect time to think about the seemingly tiny sand pebbles in our own lives. Maybe we can be much more careful about the words we say and also vigilant about how we take the words of others, remembering that others struggle with scattering their own grains just like we do.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

The Elusive State of Balance

Posted on by Wendy
For living things to grow and prosper, they need a good balance of sun and rain.
For living things to grow and prosper, they need a good balance of sun and rain.

My daughter had two tennis matches last Saturday. Since we had so many cancelled this season due to rain or ice, the only way to fit two in was to schedule them both on the same day. One was at 10:00 and one was at 11:00. It was a delightful day, not a cloud in the sky. The high was 72 degrees. It was not too hot and not too cold. The weather was perfect.

It was so comfortable outside that when my hubby and I ran home for lunch, I changed into shorts. We ended up being at the tennis courts until 3:00. It wasn’t until we got home that we realized that we had fried like bacon. We all were sunburned.

The perfect breeze and temperature had lulled us into believing that we didn’t need sunscreen. After all, it wasn’t hot and my family has been blessed with an olive skin tone. We rarely burn; but we are also meticulous about sunscreen when we are going to be outside for a while.

This particular spring season has had much more rain than sun and we were still sporting our winter white skin. We now have the sunburn to prove it. We had no business sitting out in the sun all day with no protection, but since we had longed for a warm sunny day for so long, we were complacent. Too much sun is dangerous.

But, isn’t that the case with just about everything in our lives? A little wine, a little cheesecake, an occasional Coke are all fine. The problem is that humanity very rarely gets the state of balance right.

We eat too much. We drink too much. We work too much. There are people who run too much and have to have joints replaced. Moderation seems to escape us much of the time.

Why is that, I wonder? Perhaps it’s because we have an inherent need for more. We want ten more minutes of sleep, or just another hour at the pool, or just one more bite. But, it’s never really enough. Balance can be really hard to attain.

We have family, friends, work, exercise, hobbies, and a long list of other things that we would like to fit into twenty-four hours in any given day. We also have to sleep sometime.

I think maybe this is where prayer comes in and a right relationship with God. When we look to the Trinity, we find perfect balance, so much so, that the founders of this country based our government on it. The Bible is full of stories of people who get their priorities out of whack and the disaster that inevitably follows. But, there are also stories of people who repent, turn back to God and get it right. There is plenty of instruction there, if we are willing to seek it.

Prayer can also keep us in balance. When we begin our day talking to God and listening for answers, then we are more likely stay on track the entire day. When we always keep our eyes on Him first, then we can keep the balance in our lives that He intended.

We can be at peace and not get sunburned. I think that is a plan worth pursuing. What do you think?

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

In Relentless Pursuit

Posted on by Wendy
What would our lives look like if we relentlessly pursued God with no fear?
What would our lives look like if we relentlessly pursued God with no fear?

Yesterday, my daughter had a tennis match. It was away. I loathe away matches. First of all, I am prone to getting lost. Secondly, once I make it there, few other parents from our team usually go and I have no one to sit with or talk to.

Well, yesterday I was prepared. I printed directions before I left the house and I had a very good idea of where I was going. To make my chances even better of not getting lost, I decided to go to the high school and follow the bus. There were three buses there, loading up three different sports teams. I asked my daughter which bus was hers and she told me.

When her team bus pulled out, I was right behind it. “Ha!” I said to no one in particular, I would not get lost this time. We headed to the stop sign and I was all set to make a left turn because I had my directions printed out right beside me. The bus turned right.

Uh, oh! Had I followed the wrong bus? I was concerned for a few miles, but then a girl from my daughter’s team turned around and waved at me. I was following the right bus, but where was it going?

When it went 50 miles per hour in a 35 zone, I said a prayer and stayed close. When it got on the loop and continued to change lanes, I stayed close. I followed more closely than I normally follow cars, but traffic got thick and I couldn’t lose the bus. At this point, I had no idea how to get to the school.

Somewhere on that hour plus drive, it struck me how relentless I was being about pursuing that bus. My child was on board and I stayed close like my life depended on it. I simply was completely unwilling to get separated.

Then I began to think about what my life would look like if I pursued God in the same relentless manner. What if I refused to become separated from Him at all costs? What if I was willing to go in a direction that I felt was completely wrong or at odds with my own printed out map? What if I was willing to trust that He would get me to the right destination at the right time if I just had enough faith? What if I just obeyed and went wherever He called?

What if all Christians felt that way?

We did end up getting to the school safely. It wasn’t the route I would have taken, but it got us there. I didn’t get lost. I am reminded that our Christian walk can be very much like that seemingly convoluted trip.

God knows where He’s going. He knows where He wants us to go. The question for us is simply, “Are we willing to follow even when the path doesn’t seem to make sense?” Our faith journey hangs on our answer to that question; because sticking close to Him and willingly following, is the only way we can get to His destination for us and His destination is infinitely better than anything we could even dream of.

Perhaps we should take this season of Lent and consider relentlessly following God.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

 

Controlling Your Smoke

Posted on by Wendy
Sometimes our words are like smoke and they spread much further than we may think.
Sometimes our words are like smoke and they spread much further than we may think.

When spring finally shows up each year, I love to get out and walk. I am not a treadmill or gym girl. I like to be out in nature, taking in all of the glorious sights that nature has to offer this time of year and I am never disappointed. Unfortunately, the other thing I can usually depend on this time of year is my neighbors burning leaves.

My neighborhood is full of hardwood trees which create like a billion leaves. There is one particular set of homeowners along my walk who insist on burning their leaves and it seems like they burn them all of the time, which probably seems like no big deal, right?

But, when I am walking or running and breathing hard and the air is filled with smoke, so are my lungs. It gets difficult to breathe and my fabulous walk in the beautiful sunshine, gets tarnished. I sometimes shoot daggers at them with my eyes as I walk by, not that they notice, and I allow myself to get angry, which is normally the complete opposite effect of exercise for me.

But, as I was fuming about it the other day, it occurred to me that those people probably have no idea how uncomfortable their smoke from their leaves, makes people. They are just burning their leaves on their property, thinking about clearing out their yard.

I then began to think about things that we all do that inadvertently effect those around us. Things like constantly complaining about our spouses, or our kids, or our jobs, or our churches.

Words can be like smoke and have far-reaching consequences. When we are regularly venting to a friend, there may be others around us who hear us. Maybe they are having their own relationship struggles and negative words spill over on them. Maybe they are questioning their own faith and our griping about the people at our church just reinforces their idea that churches are just social clubs anyway, not true places of growth and worship.

The Bible tells us “Don’t use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them.” Ephesians 4:29

Constant negative words also eventually effect our own thought processes. It becomes a vicious cycle. We speak negatively and then we think negatively and then most of our thoughts become negative. God has a different way for us, a different plan.

“And now dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.” Philippians 4:8

Perhaps Lent is an ideal time to focus on all of the good things and then try to only speak good things, then maybe our “smoke” will be like a breath of fresh air in a world that desperately needs it.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

 

Dark History

Posted on by Wendy
Sometimes remembering the past is a way to honor those who lived it.
Sometimes remembering the past is a way to honor those who lived it.

My son is reading the book, “The Boy in the Striped Pajamas,” in his 8th grade language arts class. It’s an incredibly moving and sad story about two boys who are friends during the Holocaust. One was Jewish. One was not. They both end up dying in a Nazi concentration camp.

I don’t like to think about dark times in history or dark things for the most part. When a television commercial comes on about children starving or animals being abused, I change the channel. The images stay with me long after the commercials and they weigh heavily on my soul.

I suppose our society as a whole has become that way. We are big avoiders of what troubles us or makes us uncomfortable and the pharmaceutical companies are more than happy to help us stay numb.

But, perhaps there are some stories that we need to hear. Perhaps they should trouble our hearts and souls. If we don’t remember the Holocaust, then we forget to honor all of those lives that were lost and we forget about the atrocities that humanity is capable of. If we forget, then we will allow it to happen again.

My pastor recently said that there are Christian churches who are refusing to place crosses in their sanctuaries and they never preach about the crucifixion. They find that it’s kind of depressing and people don’t go to church to leave depressed. He also said that many churches had done away with Good Friday services because the attendance was so low. Easter services on the other hand, were bursting at the seams.

I was kind of stunned. There’s no way around the fact that the crucifixion of Christ is probably the darkest moment in all of human history. It’s ugly and brutal. The pain and suffering involved can almost be too much to consider, but as Christians, we have to consider it.

The entire life of Jesus pointed to that ugly and brutal cross and he willingly went there and died. Isn’t refusing to remember and reflect on that an insult to the Son of God who did it for each one of us? How can Easter and the resurrection mean nearly as much if we don’t take the journey to Calvary?

If we allow ourselves to gloss over that huge sacrifice, can we feel truly redeemed by it?

Don’t get me wrong, I am a look on the bright side kind of gal and I avoid sad movies and stories at all cost. But, there are some stories that must be told, even horribly dark ones. It seems to me that there could be only one force in the world that would want us to forget the crucifixion or the Holocaust, for that matter. That force would have to be God’s enemy as well as the enemy of His people.

During the season of Lent, perhaps we should take a good long look at the cross and all it symbolizes. It can be painful and uncomfortable, but it’s important and make no mistake, in the end God wins.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Leaves and Gnome Doors

Posted on by Wendy
This little gnome door reminds me of the things that matter most.
This little gnome door reminds me of the things that matter most.

Last weekend my hubby and I decided it was time to do some spring raking. We always put that particular chore off because we have dozens of hardwoods that produce thousands of leaves, maybe even millions. Some people rake their leaves as they fall, not us, we wait until the spring. I read somewhere that leaving them in place is good for the grass. It sounds reasonable.

We finally got going and got into a groove. Hubby and I were in the front and our son was raking in the back. We had about half of the front yard done, when my son approached his dad with a picture on his phone. It was a gnome door he found somewhere on the internet. He wanted to make one for one of our trees. He had found the perfect spot to put one in our backyard.

Now my sweet husband has a fascination for gnomes. Who knows why? Can you guess what he did?

He put down the rake. He and my son gathered up wood. Some kind of power tools were involved and at some point, I smelled spray paint.

I continued the yard work, solo, for a good while longer before I called it an afternoon. But, I chuckled to myself the entire time. I live with a bunch of right-brained, creative people. I have learned that when they get inspired, for whatever reason, it’s best to let them go with my blessing.

There was a time when I would have been upset that we didn’t get the leaves raked. We had work to do. It wasn’t time to play. Didn’t we owe it to our neighbors to have our lawn raked? What would people say?

But, years of prayer and acceptance and simply traveling around the sun enough times, have taught me that the creative things are the things that matter most. The father and son time matters way more than raking leaves ever could.

I seriously doubt there is any more creative field in the entire world than the imagination of a child. When God entrusted this child to me and all of his gifts, didn’t He also expect me and my husband to nurture his gifts?

Father and son spent several hours on the gnome door and moss was added for a walkway and it turned out beautifully. I halfway expected a gnome to come walking out. My son couldn’t wait to show me and I couldn’t wait to take pictures.

The leaves still litter the front yard. But, I can see the little gnome door from my kitchen sink when I do dishes. I can see it from the kitchen table. I can see it from my bathroom window when I’m upstairs and it makes me smile. It reminds me of the things that matter and the things that don’t. It reminds me to treasure my loved ones as well as their gifts. It reminds me to be intentional.

I learned a lot from that little gnome door. Maybe you can too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

What Faith Can Do

Posted on by Wendy
Sometimes when we feel the most helpless, God shows up.
Sometimes when we feel the most helpless, God shows up.

My family suffered a tragedy last weekend. Our beloved minivan of fourteen years, died. It was just a car, but it was special. My children were still in car seats when we bought it. My son was only three months old. It was right after the 9/11 attacks and I remember proudly displaying a flag on the back window.

It was a mom mobile and I drove it happily. It seated seven and I regularly hauled that many kids in it. It’s been camping many times and on road trips and vacations. It carried my sister’s wedding dress to Florida along with my mom and dad and all of my mom’s stuff. We were super packed on that trip.

I remember when the kids were in preschool, they all fought to ride in it. It was the cool car. Most women my age, traded for something much hipper when their kids got older, but not me. I loved the minivan and always volunteered to drive whenever I was needed, which was often, from things like tennis matches to youth group trips, to my daughter’s first homecoming dance.

I knew it was getting old, and soon my oldest will be driving, but I wasn’t ready to downsize yet. Unfortunately, the decision was made for me.

I fought tears all weekend over the loss. Not only because we don’t really have the money to buy a new one, but because it symbolizes the end of an era. My kids are growing up and soon we won’t need the minivan, and I find that very bittersweet.

As always, God has His hands in all of this. There’s a man at church who I love to kid around with every Sunday. He is in management at a local car dealership and apparently has helped just about everyone in the congregation to find a car. When I spoke with him on Sunday and asked him for help and then told him that I really hated to ask for help, He simply said, “Why? That’s what I do.”

I was so humbled. This is community. When I shared with members of my Improv group that our van had died, a member of my small group immediately turned around and asked if we needed a car because his wife was out of town for the week. This is community.

When I confessed how silly I felt about being sentimental about the loss of the van, another member of my small group told me it wasn’t silly at all. This is community.

I was driving down the road after church, in my daughter’s car and I was scanning channels and praying for some peace. A song came on called, “What Faith Can Do,” by Kutless. I had never heard it, but it’s older. The words were, “Don’t you give up now. The sun will soon be shining. You gotta face the clouds to find the silver lining.” The words really struck me and soothed my soul.

As I slowed to stop at the red light, I could hardly believe the letters on the tag in front of me. “B LEVE” I whispered a prayer of thanks as tears ran down my cheeks. Not only had He provided me with a loving caring church community, He also let me know that He is always close and always listening. We just have to look.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

P.S. If you want to hear that song, I’ve attached a link.

Have You Tried Watering It?

Posted on by Wendy
This plant is about to burst into bloom. With a little nurture, you can too.
This plant is about to burst into bloom. With a little nurture, you can too.

I took a walk yesterday, it seemed like overnight, the earth woke up. There are so many things in bloom. I suppose all of the rain we have been complaining about really did have a good purpose. Isn’t it funny how life works out that way? As I was walking and appreciating the beauty and thanking God for the gorgeous day, I came across a forsythia bush, that brought back a memory.

The forsythia bush is bright yellow and sometimes called yellow bells. They bloom in the spring. We had two big ones at our last house. One day many years ago, my mother-in-law and her companion, Bill were visiting. I was complaining that our yellow bells weren’t blooming well at all.

Now, Bill, was one of the sweetest natured, quietest men that you would ever meet. He was a retired principal and he loved to grow things. He always had a huge garden every summer. He leaned over and asked me if I had tried watering them.

I was kind of stunned. What a simple question, right? I mean, plants need water to grow and I watered the plants in pots at the house, but not the bushes. I grew up on over a hundred acres with a well. We didn’t really water much because the well might run dry. We had pear trees, plum trees, apple trees and scuppernongs among other things. They either made it or they didn’t. We didn’t coddle anything much.

But, when Bill and I were talking, we were in a deep drought and had been for quite a while. Why hadn’t I thought of watering the yellow bells? I admitted to him that I had not. He kind of smiled and told me that might help them bloom. He was right of course. He put some water on them while he was there and they did bloom soon after.

Seeing the yellow bells today reminded me of that sweet, wise man and of that conversation. They were blooming because of all of the rain. All living things require water to thrive. What else in our lives do we need to water to make them bloom? What areas of our lives have we allowed to fall into drought?

When I think about it, all relationships require some effort to keep them blooming. From friendships, to marriages, to families, to our spiritual relationship with God. Over time, if we don’t give them care and nurture, water, so to speak, they will not only stop blooming; they can eventually die.

The same goes for goals and dreams we may have. If we don’t devote any time to them, they can die too and some of them are likely meant to produce beautiful fruit.

Lent seems like an ideal time to consider the areas in our lives that may need watering. Who knows, by Easter, we may have more blooms than we know what to do with. What do you need to water?

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Sufficient Grace

Posted on by Wendy
A great reminder as we journey through the season of Lent.
A great reminder as we journey through the season of Lent.

While Lent is supposed to be a time of reflection and drawing closer to God, it’s also a season of repentance. We don’t like to think about repentance much or about sin. It’s often easy to pick out the sins of others, but our own sometimes seem to escape our notice.

One thing I consistently find when talking to parents of all ages and stages is that they carry around guilt regarding their children. They regret a wide variety of decisions they made while raising their kids. They carry guilt over things like their kids’ education, or not being more involved in their lives, to getting a divorce.

The truth is, there’s no way that any parent will always make the right decisions. Parents are humans. Humans are flawed and broken and we make mistakes. But, we can also be forgiven.

When we repent and ask God for forgiveness, we are forgiven because of the blood of Jesus. He shed it for all people and for all sin, period. As Christians, we sometimes need to ask ourselves, if we really believe that. If we do, then we cannot carry around unresolved guilt. When we do, we are really saying to Jesus that his sacrifice didn’t count. We are saying that everyone else’s sins can be forgiven, but our sins are special and especially dark.

Does that concept sound ridiculous? Hopefully, it does, but a lot of people are carrying guilt and shame needlessly. When we lay our burdens, even guilt, at the foot of the cross, we must leave them there. If we truly believe in the power of Jesus, we cannot pick them back up.

We also need to remember that we have an enemy that loves for us to carry around anything that causes us pain. Anything that separates us from God is a victory for him. Guilt that we have repented of, that we have placed at the foot of the cross, is no longer our burden to bear, even if Satan whispers in our ear a different message. We aren’t to listen to him.

Jesus said, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” 2 Corinthians 9b

Lent may be the ideal time to ask ourselves if we believe that. If we do, then we have to repent of any guilt that we stubbornly cling to for whatever reason. It’s not God’s way or in His plan for us. How can we serve Him with our whole heart if we allow darkness to abide within our heart? Unresolved guilt is darkness.

Maybe we should take a little time during this season to honestly let go of burdens that have been forgiven long ago and if we need forgiveness, then all we have to do is ask. Letting go of the bad stuff that we can’t change is actually about trust and obedience. How are you doing with those two things?

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Come Thirsty

Posted on by Wendy
We should never be afraid to come to church thirsty
We should never be afraid to come to church thirsty

I have read several articles lately about how people aren’t comfortable going to church when they don’t feel like they have it all together. They are hesitant to go when they feel sad or depressed. They decide not to go when they are upset or angry. Sometimes they decide not to go because they are wrestling with God in some way.

Unfortunately, it’s when we are struggling that we need God the most. It’s when we need to worship the most. When we are really hurting or feel the most desperate is when we can probably benefit the most from taking our focus off of ourselves and placing it squarely on God.

When we are barely keeping our heads above water, is when Christian community is supposed to step in and throw us a life ring. We are called to remind each other of the love of Jesus. Jesus, himself, said, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor-sick people do. I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners and need to repent.” Luke 5:31-32

I think that speaks to two groups who equally need to feel and share in love and grace. Sometimes we are struggling through no fault of our own. We live in a broken world and bad things happen. We suffer losses, or we get sick, or we feel short on faith. We are soul-sick in some way and we shouldn’t wait until we heal to go to church. Church can help us heal; so we should feel comfortable coming thirsty or empty.

The second group I feel like Jesus is addressing is those people who have made some bad decisions and they need to repent and ask forgiveness, which, let’s face it, if we are honest, should be most of us, on a regular basis. However, sometimes, people feel like they have messed up big time and church is no place for them.

Jesus says repeatedly in the Gospels, that this attitude is wrong. He came to save everyone, not just the righteous or the people who have it together. He came to redeem all sinners and he can redeem any situation, whether we created it or not, but we have to be willing to give it to him. He will not wrestle us for it.

As we journey through Lent, maybe we should consider our church attendance. Why do we go? Why do we not go? Do we attend when we are feeling our worst? Do we believe that all of our sins, not just some of them can be forgiven? Do we believe that our lives are worth something and redeemable? Jesus does and so should we.

We should never be afraid to come thirsty.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂