Author: Wendy

Pick a Date and Time

Posted on by Wendy
Sometimes we have to intentionally create space for friendship.
Sometimes we have to intentionally create space for friendship.

I got a text last week from a dear friend of mind. She is one of those heart sisters who I met in church many years ago. Have you ever met someone who you just hit it off with immediately? It was like I had known her my whole life. We had the same high school experiences. We liked the same music. We had the same ideas about raising kids. We viewed life the same way. When she told me her husband was being transferred to Wisconsin, I was devastated. We promised to keep in touch.

We kept our promise for several years. We talked on the phone regularly. Her hubby brought her back here to celebrate her surprise 40th birthday party. When they moved again, this time to Raleigh, North Carolina, we went for a visit. We talked about getting together again. Life got busier and we talked less. We started playing phone tag more than talking. We became Facebook friends and we kept up that way.

But, last week, she had talked to a mutual friend of ours that made her think of me and she sent me a text that said: “I need some Wendy time. I want to catch up. What does your calendar look like this week?” I was thrilled. I missed her too. I texted her immediately and we set up a time and a contingency time. I got called into work on the original time, so we went with the contingency.

On Friday morning, my kids had the day off from school. I made a cup of coffee, went out to my porch and called my old friend. We talked for and hour-and-a-half and got caught up. It was fabulous. It was like it’s always been between us; we just picked right up. We promised not to go so long next time and to set up another date soon.

I thought about our conversation all weekend and the gift of friendship. Life is busy. It will likely always be busy. My parents are busier now since they have both retired, than they ever were before. So those of us still raising kids and all that entails and working too, can’t just hope that someday life will slow down. I don’t know that it ever really slows down. We just become a different kind of busy, which is okay. It’s good to be involved and busy.

But, maybe we should step back from time-to-time and reflect on the people who are special to us and make time to connect. If they are close by, then even if it’s every couple of months, try to set up coffee or lunch or dinner. If they are far away, set up a time to talk. Don’t settle for text, Facebook or phone tag. Make an appointment to talk and keep it.

There’s something about the human voice and its inflection and conversation that can never be truly communicated through e-mail, Facebook or text. Social media can be a great way to keep up, but to stay truly involved, we need to talk to one another, something that’s sadly lacking in many of today’s relationships.

Most of us have been blessed with beautiful friendships, but what we never have enough of, is time. I think that we need to intentionally create some space to keep up with those we hold dear. I think it honors our friendships and it honors God, who gave them to us. I don’t want to miss any of the blessings that come from friendship, by being too busy. I’m so glad she reached out. I’m going to really try and do better with keeping up. Care to join me?

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Our Obsession with Not Hurting Feelings

Posted on by Wendy
How far is too far in not offending others?
How far is too far in not offending others?

When I logged onto my computer today, a headline caught my eye. “Washington State School District Bans Swings.” I just had to click on the link and sure enough, a town in the state of Washington has decided that swing sets are too dangerous and they are phasing them out. The highest injuries come from a child getting hit when walking in front of a swing. That does hurt. I have had it happen to me and I vividly remember it. It was at a birthday party. It only happened once though. That was a life lesson well learned. I always gave those swings plenty of room after that incident and I still love to swing today. It feels like flying.

This is just one more school ban on kids’ activities in a list of many. Dodge ball has been banned in many districts because feelings can get hurt and I heard that tag had been banned somewhere the other day. My parents played these games and probably my grandparents. How emotionally damaging can they be?

We have become experts in protecting our children from danger both physically and emotionally, but at what cost? I remember kids having to stand in the corner, not to mention paddling. I even had one particularly creative teacher who dealt with classroom bickering by making the two students walk up and down the hall holding hands for the entire class period. It didn’t matter whether it was boy/girl or two boys or two girls. It was very effective. Trust me, you didn’t cross this woman. Could you imagine this happening today?

We have decided that our children should never get their feelings hurt by adults or other kids and that they should never be embarrassed in class, even if they didn’t do their homework or are disrespectful. Unfortunately, adults aren’t doing much better.

We have the little term not even heard of twenty years ago called, “political correctness.” We walk on eggshells around certain people not wanting to offend anyone. The land of free speech as guaranteed by our First Amendment, has become the land of fraidy cats. We are terrified of saying the wrong thing. They taught us in journalism school back in the eighties that the remedy to bad speech was always more speech, never silencing the offending party. That’s what dictatorships did. When did Americans become so thin-skinned? When did someone saying something that I disagreed with or that hurt my feelings, become hate speech?

However it happened, we are often afraid to speak our minds. So the out of control child at school, or in our neighborhood, or in our church, stays out of control. The co-worker who drives us insane with incessant rants does so unchecked. We can watch people we really care about make very bad decisions, but we don’t dare speak out, lest we be accused of judging.

King Solomon, one the of the wisest men who ever lived, wrote in Proverbs 12:1, “Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but he who hates correction is stupid.” Ouch! No one likes to get called out. Right? But, he says we are supposed to appreciate someone calling us out and not be angry at that person. That’s a tough thing to do. I’m guessing that’s supposed to go for our kids too.

Paul writes in Hebrews, “No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.” Interesting. I have found that to be true in my own life. When my mama made me return the Chicklets I took from Woolworth’s when I was five, I was embarrassed. I never stole anything else.

Perhaps our problem is the further we get away from God and His Word, the more common sense disappears. I suspect Satan loves the idea of humanity running around suing one another and people walking in fear of offending each other. And if kids never get their feelings hurt, can they learn empathy?

This swing set thing really got me to thinking. How much protection is too much? What exactly are we so afraid of? If it’s the disapproval of our fellow humans, it might be time to change our focus. What do you think? I’d love to hear from you.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Fearing God

Posted on by Wendy
Sometimes it's hard to reconcile the fear of God and loving God.
Sometimes it’s hard to reconcile the fear of God and loving God.

I recently reread the account of Moses’ birth for a Sunday School lesson I was putting together. I love it when I read stories that I’ve read many times before, that something different always pops out at me. This time it was the short account of the Hebrew midwives, Shiphrah and Puah. These women were called in before the king of Egypt and ordered to kill all male newborn Hebrew babies at birth. They could let the females live.

We don’t get any conversation about the order on the front end. We are just told, “The midwives, however, feared God and did not do what the king of Egypt had told them to do, they let the boys live.” Exodus 1:17  The king does call them in and question them and they tell him that the Hebrew women are vigorous and the babies are born before they can get there.

The text goes on to say that, “So God was kind to the midwives and the people increased and became even more numerous. And because the midwives feared God, he gave them families of their own.” Exodus 1:19-20

I would love to know what the conversation was like between these two women. Did they even consider Pharaoh’s order? Were they nervous about disobeying it? They definitely knew how brutal the Egyptians could be. We can only wonder about their thoughts, but we know what their actions were, disobedience to Pharaoh and obedience to God.

My entire life I’ve heard the term, “God-fearing,” used to describe strong Christian people or even nations. I’ve often had a hard time reconciling the fear part with our loving God. But, recently I read a blog with the quote, “Fear of the Lord means we don’t have to fear anything else.” Jim Thomas

When I think of that concept and look at those midwives, it becomes a lot clearer. Once we try to grasp the wonder and majesty of God who created the entire world, and sent His son to save us and the fact that He loves us, there’s a reverential awe and respect. It’s different from a terror fear. It’s kind of like when you observe a particularly violent lightning storm; it’s beautiful and frightening at the same time. The sheer power and possibility strikes us with awe and it’s kind of scary.

There is also a fear of what happens when we disobey. God has rules for us because He loves us and wants to keep us safe, much like we have rules for our own children. I don’t believe for a minute, that He sits up in Heaven with a smite button, but when we are disobedient there are almost always consequences of some kind.

Then finally, there’s a fear of separation from God. When we go our own way and don’t repent and pray and try to live in His will, we become separated. It’s a dark place to be, without hope. We can become fearful of everything from circumstances to people. Fear can overtake us.

When I think about it, the world quite a scary place at the moment. We have crazed terrorists who want to kill Christians. We have an Ebola outbreak in Africa that has made its way to the United States. Our politicians are corrupt. Our economy is a mess. The world tells us we have much to fear.

But, God offers a different view altogether. Proverbs 1:7 says that, “The fear of God is the beginning of knowledge.” In Acts 5:29, “Peter and the other apostles replied, ‘We must obey God rather than men.” The apostles in the Book of Acts were fearless and the Holy Spirit was all over the place. There were miracles everywhere.

Fearing God sets us free from all other fear because what we fear is of this world. He is not of this world. I think living fearlessly of worldly threats and strife sounds pretty good. What about you?

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

A Life that Points to God

Posted on by Wendy
There are many ways to live a life that points to God. How are you doing?
There are many ways to live a life that points to God. How are you doing?

One of my favorite children’s books is, “The Tale of Three Trees.” It’s a picture book that is derived from an old folktale and is retold by Angela Hunt. The story is about three little trees standing on a mountaintop and the dreams they had for their lives. One tree wanted to hold treasure. One wanted to be a strong ship to carry kings and one simply wanted to stand on that same mountaintop and grow as tall as possible, so that people would look at her, “raise their eyes to heaven and think of God.” She wanted to be the tallest tree in the world.

The years went by and the trees grew. One day, some men with axes came and cut each one down. The first was made into a feed box for smelly, dirty livestock. The second was made into a small fishing boat that carried nets full of stinky fish. The third was cut into plain old strong beams and left in the lumberyard.

More years went by and the trees had all but forgotten their dreams. Does this remind anyone of any adults you know? Then one night a newborn baby was placed in that feed box and that tree knew that it had held treasure after all, the greatest treasure ever.

The little boat was caught in a storm and it was full of people and a sleeping man. The tree that made it thought it would sink for sure, but the man woke up and said, “Peace” and the storm quieted immediately. The little tree knew he was in fact, carrying the King of all kings.

And when the third tree whose only dream was for people to look at her and see God, was snatched out of the woodpile and made into a cross, one Friday afternoon, she was devastated. Where had she gone wrong? All she had wanted to do in life was stand straight and tall and point to God. But, on Sunday morning, she knew. When Jesus was resurrected and the miracle and joy of Easter became known, she became a symbol of God’s love for the entire world. People would always look at her and think of God.

I just love that story on so many levels. I love that the little boat totally believed it was a goner until Jesus uttered one word, “Peace” There have been times in my life where I have felt like that little boat, like all was lost. Perhaps you have too? Sometimes the storms may seem impossible, but when we look to Jesus and let him whisper that one word, all can be well with our souls.

Most of all, I love that those trees had so many plans for their lives that they believed were perfect, but God’s plans were different and so much better. I can see so much of myself in this story. Can you? It’s those times when we think we have been completely derailed that grace seems to shine the brightest and the new plan is beyond our wildest expectations.

God’s hands were all in their story, just as His hands are in ours. The big difference is that the trees didn’t have a choice. We do. Are we willing to let God make us into something amazing or do we continue to do things our way? Are we living  lives that point to God? The choice is ours.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

 

Sharing Light

Posted on by Wendy
Ever notice how precious the light is when you are feeling lost?
Ever notice how precious the light is when you are feeling lost?

On a recent walk that I took, I couldn’t help but notice that the light was particularly stunning. Maybe it was because it was a perfect fall day or maybe it was because I was feeling really down. Since I’m normally a very happy and enthusiastic person, being down is quite tough on me.

But, I found unique and beautiful light in every photo I snapped that day. Even the shadows turned out to be cool and interesting. Now, I’m no photographer, but I do know that light is very important when taking photos. I also know that when I truly seek light, I usually find it and that day was no exception.

I find that light is very important in life as well. We all have the opportunity to be a light to someone who may be in a moment or even a season of darkness. From little e-mails or short texts to quick notes on Facebook. In the age of technology, it really doesn’t take a lot of effort to provide some light for a friend. I know for me, quick little notes of support mean the world and I have been blessed with lots of friends who generously send them.

I had someone tell me today that she had me on her mind all weekend. Have you ever had someone on your mind for no reason at all? I have found that there really is a reason and it’s usually good to touch base with that person. God has a way of interconnecting us with one another and so often we know just the right thing to say to that person on our minds.

We have to be careful to take quiet time and be in regular prayer so that we don’t miss an opportunity to reach out. When we get an urge to call or contact someone, who may need a little encouragement or perhaps an ear, we need to just do it. These are little acts of obedience that not only help us to help each other, but also allow us to grow closer to God and align with His will.

I find when I’m obedient with the small nudges, like sending someone a note or calling them, I start to feel more in tune with larger nudges and callings.

I suppose it’s like the parable of talents in Matthew 25. Two of the servants who were given talents or coins, who went and did something productive with them, were rewarded. “His master replied, ‘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 25:21

Don’t we all want to be the good and faithful servant? There are many ways to share faith, to share the love of God, to share the grace of Jesus. But, something super easy is to share some light. So next time you feel the urge, send the note or make the call. I’m trying to be really good at doing that, because the other day, when I was down, I felt the love and light of friends in a flood and it was awesome. God is good!

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Still Standing

Posted on by Wendy
There is nothing left of the house, but the chimney is still standing.
There is nothing left of the house, but the chimney is still standing.

I had a really hard day yesterday. My hubby and I had to make a really difficult, but necessary decision. I shared it with some of my heart sisters at church. Everyone who is a Christian is a brother or sister in Christ, but there are some of those people who share a very special place in my heart. I think of them as heart sisters. I can always be honest with them and share my true self. They don’t always expect a plastered on smile. They are the ones who hand me a tissue when I get teary.

They were supportive as I knew in my heart they would be and sad too. They are gifts from God. The really cool the thing about these women is that I don’t have to see them or talk to them often to feel the special bond I have with them. I would love to see them more, but it’s not required. It’s a friendship that has to be forged by our faith.

I never really gave the heart sisters bond that much thought before today. I love them. I love to see them. I’ve always felt close to them, but I never gave the why that much thought. We would probably have never even met each other if it hadn’t been for our church.

Later in the afternoon, my hubby and I decided to take a walk at the Botanical Gardens. I have always found that being out in nature is balm for a hurting soul. Creation is after all, God’s cathedral and it was a stunning day outside, one of those days that you want to give special thanks for, with low humidity, a light breeze and a deep blue sky. For some reason, our teenagers decided to join us. I’m smart enough to know that teens wanting to spend any time with their parents is also a gift from God.

Somehow, we got on a trail that we hadn’t been on before and an hour or so planned stroll, turned into a close  to three hour, seven mile walk. We did stop often to take pictures and enjoy the scenery, but towards the end, we wondered if we would have to camp out. We were exhausted and lost. Would the trail ever reach its destination?

Somewhere near the end, we ran upon this old chimney. It had once been part of a house. There was nothing left of the house. It was surrounded by trees and weeds and wilderness, but the chimney stood proudly, perfectly intact. I couldn’t help but snap a photo. It reminded me of the heart sisters bond.

It doesn’t really matter where we are or how often we see each other, the bond is strong and sturdy like the chimney. It still stands. I find that comforting. When relationships are forged by God, they will stand the test of time and the elements because they are blessed. Certain people are put in our spiritual lives for a reason only God knows, but I sure am thankful for them. The trail did eventually end as all trails and journeys do, and as usual, God had given me food for thought while I was out in nature, seeking Him. I suspect getting lost was part of His plan all along. I would have never seen the chimney otherwise.

Have you ever given much thought to heart sisters or brothers? I’ll bet if you do, some will come to mind. If they do, say a prayer of thanks; they are a special gift.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Are We There Yet?

Posted on by Wendy
God's majesty is present in every sunrise.
God’s majesty is present in every sunrise.

Anyone who has ever traveled with young children has heard the famous words, “Are we there yet?” Children are usually very impatient to get to where they are going. But, truthfully, aren’t we all? We can’t wait to grow up. We can’t wait to get married. We can’t wait to have kids. We can’t wait for our kids to get a little older and the list goes on and on.

I was just reading the Exodus account of God calling Moses to lead the Israelites to the Promised Land. They had been in Egypt for 430 years. The group that started from Joseph and his eleven brothers and their families had grown to 600 thousand men and that didn’t even take into account women and children. They had become slaves to the people who their ancestors had saved. The text says, “Eventually, a new king came to power in Egypt who knew nothing about Joseph or what he had done.” Exodus 1:8

The Egyptians may had forgotten about Joseph saving them with God’s special gifts, but God had not forgotten. He never forgets His people or His promises. He told Abraham centuries before that He would give them the land flowing with milk and honey. So, God calls Moses to lead them home, but first they have to get out of Egypt.

Imagine the Israelites’ wonder and surprise, when Moses tells them that God is going to lead them home. Here’s the part where I’m thinking He should just have them click their heels together like Dorothy in the, “Wizard of Oz.” Tell Pharaoh to let the people go and if he refuses, then just strike him down. I mean, God has that power. I’ll bet they too, had something easier and speedier in mind. Isn’t that our human nature?

Well, Moses tells Pharaoh to let the people go and he refuses and then he makes the Israelites work even harder. And God rains down ten plagues on the Egyptians. He turned the Nile to blood, sent frogs, flies, gnats and locusts. He killed cattle and sent hail and covered the land in pitch black for three days. He covered the Egyptians with boils, but Pharaoh would not relent. Then He killed all of the firstborn sons of the Egyptians and at last, Pharaoh chased them out. (at first)

But, I wonder what all of the Israelites were thinking when this was happening. Were they in complete awe of God’s power? Were they frightened? Were they growing in faith with each plague that missed them and got the Egyptians or were they just desperate to get home already?

While we can be completely fascinated with God’s awesome show of power in this story, these desperate, tired people just wanted to go home to a place where they were free to worship, a place that had been promised to them centuries before. I wonder about the Red Sea parting and the manna falling. They had to have been amazed at God’s glory, but they also had to have been anxious for a place to call home.

I wonder how often we miss small miracles all around us in our desperate quest to get to where we are going. How often to we miss God’s wonder and majesty? It’s so easy to get focused on some future goal or place that we miss the manna in our lives. God’s majesty is ever-present. In sunsets and sunrises in the flowers of spring and the leaves of fall in each first breath of a newborn baby, His fingerprints are there.

The God of Joseph and Moses is our God. His power is just as awesome as it was back in Moses’ day. He never changes. Let’s never forget who He is and what He does everyday. Let’s try to enjoy the ride and stop asking, “Are we there yet?”

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

The Danger of a Slow Leak

Posted on by Wendy
It's hard to believe that something so tiny can cause so much trouble.
It’s hard to believe that something so tiny can cause so much trouble.

I had just dropped my daughter off at school, when my cell phone rang. I mean, I wasn’t even out of the high school parking lot. I knew it was my daughter because she has her own ring tone. I quickly answered and she informed me that the girl riding in the car behind us told her that one of my back tires was almost flat. Fabulous!

I drove really slowly all the way home. I hadn’t had a shower yet. No way was I going to the tire place looking like I did. Now my mama is enjoying a little snicker as she reads this, because she has always refused to leave home without her makeup on, even if it meant getting up at 5:00 AM. I, alas, haven’t followed in her footsteps.

When I got home, it looked pretty low. I was really kicking myself at this point because I knew it looked low, like a week ago, but I kind of ignored it. I hadn’t had time to get to the tire place and the car was running just fine, so I put it out of my mind. Therein lies the danger of the slow leak. If you have a flat, you have to stop the car immediately and have it fixed, but the slow leak lets you keep driving, deflating a little bit at the time and putting you in danger. It may just be flat when you go to jump in when you are running late or worse, have an emergency. But, it also weakens the tire and sets you up for a blow out which can be catastrophic.

I know this, yet I drove on it anyway. Luckily, a teenager of all people, pointed out that I could wait no longer and I took it in. They fixed it. It was a tiny screw, but that tiny screw made me late to an appointment.

All day long, I pondered the dangers of slow leaks in our lives. They are just as dangerous as the one in the tire. When we get little leaks in our marriages or other relationships, we often ignore them because we are too busy. Like the tire, we know we should address the issue, but we don’t and they always get worse.

It’s the same way with health issues. We can know that something is wrong with us physically, but we ignore it. We just don’t have time to see a doctor or to make an effort to exercise or lose weight or eat better. But, in the history of leaking tires or relationships or serious physical issues, I’ve never heard of a leak spontaneously plugging itself. Nope, that job falls to us, the procrastinators.

Our spiritual lives are the same. We can know that we feel far from God, but ignore it. We can know that we need to be in serious prayer about something, but we don’t make the time. We can know that we should attend church regularly instead of a couple of times a month, but sleep in instead. We can know that the Bible is God’s word, but just can’t seem to make the time to read it. All of those things are slow leaks. They can be easily repaired early on or we can wait for a blowout.

Blowouts are scary and dangerous. They are often recoverable, but why take the chance? I’ve decided to be more vigilant about slow leaks in my tires and my life. Care to join me?

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

A Fine Christian Woman

Posted on by Wendy
Having others see Jesus in us is a lifelong pursuit.
Having others see Jesus in us is a lifelong pursuit.

I recently watched the movie, “The Blind Side.”  It came out in 2009, but I never saw it. I knew it was supposed to be a heartwarming movie based on a true story, with a happy ending. I love those kind of movies. The basic story is a wealthy, white family takes in a homeless African-American teenager, Michael, and help him learn to play football and get into college.

It’s a fabulous success story about what can happen when people are willing to help those in need and how when those in need, take the offered help and make their best effort to succeed, the sky is the limit. The family has been very blessed and have their children in a Christian school and seem very willing to give back.

All of that, made me teary and gave me the warm and fuzzies. The mom, Leigh Anne, was played by Sandra Bullock and she was a very strong Southern woman. She always wore a cross around her neck and seemed determined to do the right thing. But, the part that has stayed in my head, is her meeting with the Michael’s mother.

She had learned from a case worker that the woman had twelve children and was a crack addict. Michael was a ward of the state and there was no reason to even try to contact her. I’m sitting in my comfortable chair at this point, just thinking what trash this woman was. How could she have that many kids? How could she smoke crack and lose her kids? I’m thinking, she should just write her off.

She doesn’t. Leigh Anne looks for her and finds her in a very sketchy housing project. She just sits right down on her couch and begins talking to her, not condescendingly like I felt like she deserved. She told his mother that she wasn’t getting any money from the state for taking him in. She spoke to her with kindness and when she did, the woman’s defenses came down. She openly spoke of at first, not remembering Michael’s daddy’s name. Leigh Anne moved over onto the couch next to her and asked her if she wanted to see him. Here’s the two lines that have stayed with me.

“You are a fine Christian woman.” Leigh Anne answered, “I try to be.”

That scene and those words have weighed heavily on my mind. The character in the movie was a fine Christian woman. Even in Michael’s mother’s misery, she could see the face of Christ.  Lee Anne makes me ask myself how I’m doing. Do people look at me and see a fine Christian woman? Do they see Jesus? If they see him in me at church, that’s great. But, am I that woman at the grocery store or at Wal-Mart? How about when someone cuts me off in traffic? What about when someone is unkind to me or my family? What about when someone has made horrible decisions like the woman in the movie? Would I be willing to speak kindly to her?

It’s easy to do the right thing when things are going well or when people treat me kindly, but it’s much more difficult when people are unkind or when they have treated people I care about unkindly.

The Bible tells us that we should love one another because God loves us. He loves everyone, so we should too. That’s a tall order. I have to admit that I often fail miserably. Even so, I feel I should try. I believe that being a fine Christian woman is a goal worth shooting for. What do you think? I’d love to hear from you.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

 

Holes

Posted on by Wendy
This is a hole that chipmunks dug in our yard.
This is a hole that chipmunks dug in our yard.

We have a very wooded backyard. We have lots of oak trees and moss and rocks and very little grass. We like it that way. We kind of feel like we are in the mountains. Our yard is the home to a ton of birds and squirrels and chipmunks. Now chipmunks are notorious for digging holes and we try to fill them back in when we feel they pose a danger of someone stepping in them. But, chipmunks are relentless.

This hole, is at the very end of the walkway off of our deck. It’s right next to our house. As I was cutting okra and pulling a few figs yesterday, I noticed something shiny and black lying on the top of the chipmunk hole. As I went to investigate, I caught my breath; it was a snake, with only its head exposed. I have no idea how long the snake was in the hole, but I do know that I stepped around it several times that afternoon.

After I called my hubby to come check it out, it retreated further. I thought of that snake for the rest of the day and into the next. How big was it? When would it come out? Was it dangerous? My biggest question was, how long had it been there?

As many of my encounters with nature tend to do, this one made me begin to think about the possible holes in my spiritual life. How am I doing with the big three: prayer, Bible reading and worship? I think most of us can claim we do one or two well, but to really be able to put on the full Armor of God, we have to engage in all three. If we are lacking in one area, we leave a hole.

This is what finally came out of that hole.
This is what finally came out of that hole.

Bible reading seems to be where most people fail, but we can’t really get engaged with the Holy Spirit, if we don’t read God’s word. How can we develop wisdom and discernment? How do we know if a calling comes from God or somewhere else if we don’t know what He has to say about the matter.

We need the Holy Spirit to help us develop love, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, self-control and perseverance first in ourselves, and then to share with a badly hurting world. In the Armor of God, the Holy Spirit is the only offensive weapon. It’s a sword. It’s important.

Then there’s prayer. If we want to hear what God has to say, we have to listen intently. That means setting aside some quiet time daily to pray. Believe me, I know how hard that can be, but still very necessary.

Then there’s worship. In worship, we engage with other Christians in lifting up the name of God. The importance of worshiping the Creator of all on a regular basis, is also incredibly important to our spiritual life and spiritual safety. It creates a community that is vital to our spiritual growth.

When we pray about what areas need work, we can make an effort to fix them and plug any holes that we may have.

My hubby plugged the hole with a rock.
My hubby plugged the hole with a rock.

If we leave the holes uncovered, who knows what might move in? Chipmunks aren’t the only thing that is relentless. How do you do with spiritual holes?

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂