Category: Biblical Wisdom

Sometimes the answers we seek to life’s troubles are in the Bible. Can I make a difference? Does God care? Am I good enough?Yes!

Lessons from an Owl Encounter

Posted on by Wendy
If I wasn’t paying close attention I may have missed the danger close by.

This week I’m looking after my parent’s dogs while they go on a cruise. Now, I never mind helping my parents out. Their little dogs are high maintenance, but sweet. However, being responsible for them for a week, makes me a nervous wreck because they are tiny and fragile.

My backyard is covered in giant hardwood trees. There are many squirrels and chipmunks that make their homes in and around those trees. Those of you who remember basic biology, will remember what a food chain is. Those little aforementioned rodents, are at the bottom.

There are much larger predators at the top, which puts those tiny little dogs in danger. Mama and Daddy adore those little dogs, so I take their safety very seriously and I have to be constantly at watch when I take them out to do their doggie business.

The very first afternoon I had them, I decided to run them out for their longest walk before the sun went down, thinking they would be safest at that time of day. We had just stepped off of the back deck area and onto the ground, when I spotted it.

A giant owl sat close by, watching us.

On the other side of the yard, sitting on a bird house, sat a very large owl. I froze. We stared at each other. I literally said to him, “You’re not supposed to be out this early.” I knew if he came for the little dogs, I would have very little chance of escape. A couple of minutes went by and he flew away with like a five foot wing span.

I breathed a sigh of relief as we finished our walk, but I constantly scanned the area, like I was some kind of soldier in a combat zone.

I thought about my owl encounter long after the little pups were safely back in the house.

As disheartening as it was to actually see him my very first day out with my little charges, it was a very effective reminder that I have to be vigilant while they are in my care. For them, danger lurks everywhere.

And as He often does, God used nature to speak to my heart as well. We have spiritual predators that are always lurking close by as well. There are things like anger, jealousy, resentment and ongoing pain that we carry around, that eat away at our souls. They leave gaping holes that allow bigger predators in that can really harm us.

As Christians, we are called not to walk in fear, but to be on guard. “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” 1 Peter 5:8

We are called to pray for strength, protection and wisdom. We are called not only to ask for forgiveness, but to give it to others as well. We are called to be vigilant with our souls.

An owl reminded me. Perhaps you needed reminding too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

We Are Known

Posted on by Wendy
The Creator of the universe knows us by name.

Since I work in the front office of an elementary school, one of my morning duties is to write tardy slips for the kiddos who arrive late. Sometimes there is no one at all who didn’t make it on time and sometimes the line stretches out to the door. There are some children that we see only once or twice over an entire year and there are some we see weekly.

We get to know those frequent tardies so well, that we don’t even ask their names or teacher’s names anymore. There was a little boy last year who was one of those frequent fliers. He was in the office once or twice a week. He was in kindergarten and this year he’s moved up to first grade.

I haven’t seen him much at all this year.

Yesterday, the tardy bell rang and I din’t see anyone coming in late. I sat down at my desk and got to work on my to-do list. A few minutes later, that little boy from last year, came walking into the office on my side of the counter.

I asked him in a stern voice with a smile if he was just getting there. He told me he was finishing breakfast. I asked him what took him so long and he launched into a long story. When I got out a tardy slip, I asked him his name, because it was one of those crazy mornings, and it had simply slipped my mind.

He told me his first name and I immediately remembered his last. But, his next words stayed with me all day. He asked me in an annoyed tone: “Why don’t you know my name?”

It was a fair question. I’d written it a dozen times. I did know his name; I had just momentarily forgotten it. I laughed and told him I was old and doing the best I could. He laughed at that and he headed off to class.

I thought about that little guy all day with a chuckle. I thought about how he boldly asked me why I didn’t know his name.

It made me think about and give thanks for our God who does always know our names, our God who never forgets us, who never gets overwhelmed, who never get old and never changes.

The Bible tells us, “For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made.” Psalm 138:13-14

In Luke 12:7, Jesus tells us the very hairs on our heads are numbered. That doesn’t point to a far away or distant God. That points to an active and involved God.

Yesterday, a little boy reminded me of how blessed we are to be known and loved by our Creator. Perhaps you needed reminding too!

Have an awesome day!

Wendy

Storm Reactions

Posted on by Wendy
God does some of His beast work in bad weather.

It rained all day here on Sunday. As I sat in my church worship service the rain steadily came down. It never let up. While our sermon was not about rain or storms, the incessant rain reminded me that God does some of His best work in bad weather.

We all know the story of the disciples in the boat in the storm. Quite a few of them were actually fishermen and fishermen don’t panic very easily over weather.

I remember one time as a child, being out in the ocean with my family, with my daddy at the wheel and a storm came up in the Gulf of Mexico. There were whitecaps all around us and thunder loudly crashing. I remember worrying that I might bounce out of the boat, but Daddy was a Navy man. He wasn’t concerned at all. He lead us safely back to the dock.

So, when professional fishermen were terrified in a storm, it must have been bad. Yet, Jesus was asleep. He wasn’t the least bit worried. He knew they would not sink because He had them. But, when they called on Him, He had compassion for them and He calmed the storm with three words. “Quiet! Be still!” Mark 4:39

Over a thousand years later in 1735, John Wesley was on a ship bound for America as a missionary. A horrible storm struck. A group of Moravian missionaries were in the middle of a worship service, the main sail was split in half and ocean water poured over the decks of the ship. The other passengers were screaming and in full panic.

But, the Moravians kept singing and praising God, even their children. Their faith left such and impression on Wesley that he visited one of their services a couple of years later and found his heart, “strangely warmed.”

He took that spark and along with his brother Charles, started the Methodist church.

God does some of His best work in the storms. Not only does He use them to grow our faith and trust in Him, but if we allow Him, like the Moravians, He can use our faith reactions in the storms to plant seeds and grow faith in others.

As our pastor pointed out yesterday, God is never surprised. He knows where we are going and He holds us in His hands, so we have a choice in how we will react to the storms. We can choose to panic like the disciples did or to have faith like the Moravians. Our choice can have far-reaching repercussions.

A rainy Sunday reminded me. Perhaps you needed reminding too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Tired of That Life

Posted on by Wendy
If you woke up today, it’s the perfect day for a new beginning.

Last week my teenage son had the flu. He spent two days on the couch. He just didn’t feel like doing much of anything, but sleeping. He even stayed in his pajamas both days. On the third day, he was feeling much better. He even put on real clothes. He was still on the couch for most of the day, but he was awake and vertical with no fever.

On the fourth day, he felt much better, but we were still out of school because of a snow day. After breakfast I asked him if he was going to settle in again on the couch. That’s where I had moved his computer and his drawing stuff earlier in the week. He looked at me and smiled and said, “No, I’m tired of that life.”

We laughed and I helped him move his stuff back upstairs to his work space. It’s a room where he picked the color. It’s a room where all of the things that inspire him are close by. It’s the space where he likes to work, create and play.

I chuckled about his comment several times during that day. I really couldn’t get it off of my mind. He had only been confined to the couch for a few days, but he wanted something different and took steps to make it happen.

I knew there was a life lesson somewhere in those words.

We are headed towards the end of January. How many of us were going to make some changes this year? Maybe it was losing weight or starting to exercise. Maybe it was eating better. Maybe it was looking for a new job. Maybe it was working on relationships or starting a new hobby. Maybe it was going to church or reading the Bible. It may have even been something like stopping drinking or getting help of some sort.

Whatever it may have been, how many of us at some time in our lives have reached the, “I’m tired of that life;” point? How often do we actually do something about it?

Thankfully, God doesn’t care what day it is on the calendar. He doesn’t care how long we have procrastinated or how many times we have failed. There’s not a day or date, that we can’t start over with Him. The Bile says: “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” Lamentations 3:22-23

Those words are beautiful reminders that if we woke up this morning, it’s not too late, for a fresh start, for a new beginning, or for that first unsteady step. Sometimes I need reminding. Perhaps you do too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Watching for Divine Intervention

Posted on by Wendy
God is always at work, whether we see Him or not.

I just finished doing a Bible study on the Book of Esther. It’s a short book packed with intrigue and action. It’s the kind of story Hollywood would love to tell. Although I never noticed it before, God is not mentioned in the entire story, yet Jewish historians made sure it made the Hebrew Bible.

Why would they do that?

There’s a lot of commentary on the reasons, but it seems to me that the truth is hard for any believer to miss.

The king at the time, got rid of his queen. He then, rounded up all of the young, unmarried local girls to find a replacement. Esther, a Jew, was one of the many, but the king just happened to choose her. Esther fasted several times throughout the book, something God often looked favorably upon. When the Haman was going to kill all of the Jews, Esther went before the king even though he didn’t call for her. This could have meant her death sentence, but he received her favorably. (Another coincidence?) He then offered her whatever she asked for.

Then, the king just happened to be unable to sleep one night and he just happened to ask for a book of history where he just happened to read and remember, that Esther’s uncle, a Jew, had saved his life.

Esther’s position in the palace, along with her humility towards God and the king, resulted in the deliverance of all of the Jews.

Hundreds of years later, did the Jews really need to have God mentioned to know that He provided that deliverance?

Perhaps we should ask ourselves the same questions today. What types of things have happened in the history of our own nation that could only have been Divine intervention?

What types of things have happened in our own personal history that could have only been attributed to God at work?

Things from that job offer, to spontaneous healing, to meeting our spouse, to that friend who knows us inside and out and loves us anyway, are those circumstances mere coincidences?

The believer knows that God is always at work whether humanity sees Him or not and certainly whether we acknowledge Him or not. The ancient Hebrews recognized that fact. Maybe we should be more watchful as well.

The Book of Esther reminded me. Perhaps you needed reminding too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Wearing the Cloak of Peace

Posted on by Wendy
“Be still and know that I am God.”

A little boy who was not feeling well, came into the school clinic last week. When our nurse took his temperature, she found that he was running a fairly high fever. His teacher went and retrieved his backpack and his parents were called to pick him up.

The nurse asked him if he wanted to lie down on the clinic cot and if he wanted a blanket. He didn’t miss a beat when he told her he had one in his backpack. Sure, enough he did. He pulled it out and covered up with it and slept peacefully until his daddy arrived.

The nurse had to physically wake him up.

I thought about that little guy long after he went home. I thought about how he had all he needed to be comfortable until his help came. I thought about how he remembered that he had it and how he wasn’t at all dismayed or worried about his circumstances. He had complete faith that all would be well.

I thought about how often we run into all kinds of problems in our lives, things that can steal our peace.

We have financial troubles and physical problems. We have relationship issues and marital problems. We have worries about our kids and problems at work. We sometimes even have troubles at church.

All of these worldly issues can lead to a load of worries if we allow them to. If we focus on those worries long enough, they can lead to physical issues like headaches, stomach problems, depression, anxiety, or even worse.

But, as Christians, we are called to walk a different path. We are called to clothe ourselves in the peace that comes from knowing Christ; just like that little guy’s blanket, from head to toe.

We are called to remember that there is a plan for us, and that we are loved, and that no matter what comes against us, God is with us. His ways are not our ways. He doesn’t simply react to what the world throws at us. He’s already there and planning for our defense, long before the first punch is delivered.

Jesus said, “I have told you these things, so that in me you will have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” John 16:33

On this side of eternity, we are constantly bombarded with peace stealers. The key is remembering to stay focused on the Peace Giver. A sick little boy reminded me. Perhaps you needed reminding too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Beyond Kindergarten Faith

Posted on by Wendy
How mature is your faith?

I work in the front office of an elementary school. The clinic is located right behind my desk, so there’s a fairly steady stream of visitors most days. There’s rarely anything particularly noteworthy, just things like bumps, bruises, sore throats and stomach aches.

But, a week or so ago, a little boy in kindergarten, came in crying. He was yelling, “I throwed up on the playground!” But, he wasn’t sad; he was furious. After he screamed it the third time, I had to turn my head, so he wouldn’t see me chuckle. I mean this child was completely outraged that he had been sick on the playground.

How dare his body treat him in such a way! Our sweet nurse calmed him down in minutes. As soon as he took a breath, he was fine. He was given something to drink. His mama was called and he went home. The next time I saw him, he was completely back to normal.

That little kindergartner’s outrage stayed on my mind long after his clinic visit. I guess it was an outward manifestation of how adults feel when bad things happen to us.

As Christians, when we get bad news or a bad diagnosis, what’s our first impulse? How do we tend to react? Do we immediately go to God in prayer and ask for strength and courage? Do we acknowledge to Him that we know He’s at work in all of our circumstances, not just the good ones? Does knowing He’s in charge give us a sense of peace no matter what we are facing?

Or….do we tend to shake our fists in outrage when when tragedy strikes? Do we question God? Do we ask why? Do we decide we have been abandoned? Do we find ourselves completely indignant that our lives aren’t filled with sunny days and perfection?

Is our faith mature enough to trust in God’s plan for our lives or do we have that kindergarten faith where we believe if we always do our part, bad things will never happen?

The Bible tells us that, “Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character hope.” Romans 5:3-4

Rejoicing in suffering is a difficult concept to grasp. I must confess that I’m more likely to react like that kindergartner in the face of tragedy.

Grace, gently reminds me that I am called to a deeper trust and obedience. Experience has taught me that God is always with me and His ways and plans are better than my own.

A kindergartner reminded me. Perhaps you needed reminding too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

The Search for Perfection

Posted on by Wendy
Perhaps we seek perfection because we are perfectly loved.

Last week, I wrote about how it was still unseasonably hot here in Georgia. It’s October and we were still in the eighties. Well, we had some rain move through and it was followed by a cold front. Last night, our temps dipped into the forties and today we topped out in the sixties.

It was a beautiful day. But, when I stepped outside to get the mail, I heard a little girl complain to her mama about how cold it was. I smiled to myself. It was very windy and the wind was cool. Personally I thought that the day would have been perfect if the wind would have stopped blowing.

Then I caught myself. I suppose we are wired to seek perfection because that’s where we came from. The Bible tells us that we are, “fearfully and wonderfully made.” We are made by a perfect Creator who sent us His perfect son to show us perfect love.

That’s a lot of perfection. But, we aren’t perfect. We are terribly flawed and we make lots of mistakes. However, we have this beautiful gift of grace because we are perfectly loved.

Isn’t it amazing how easily we forget that gift? We forget about that glimpse of perfection. Instead we search for perfection in the physical world. We look for or try to create the perfect job, perfect clothes, perfect friends and spouse, or plan the perfect vacation. We try to create the perfect body and the perfect house.

Some of us even expect the weather to be perfect or at least to meet our definition of it.

Yet, all of our attempts at perfection always fall short. We simply can’t achieve it on this side of Eternity. One day we will get to walk with Jesus in a place where we will never get sick, or grow old, where there will be no tears, hunger or heartache. We will get to experience true perfection forever.

We tend to forget that we are travelers here and not permanent residents and so we go about trying to create perfection here. It’s not until we learn to be still and acknowledge God and His plans that we can learn to be content. It’s not until we surrender our need to control and be perfect that we get to experience that perfect love.

And then we understand that what we have been given isn’t perfect, but it’s enough because we’re just passing through. A cool wind reminded me. Perhaps you needed reminding today.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Remembering to Seek Him

Posted on by Wendy
“Finally brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable-if anything is excellent or praiseworthy-think about such things.” Philippians 4:8

A couple of weeks ago, I had to run an errand for work. That errand took me through our tiny downtown where traffic backs up like it does in a huge metropolis. When I finally got my turn at the stoplight, a big eighteen wheeler was on the other side. Of course, I needed to go left.

I found myself seriously grumbling. Why was that truck there? Were those big trucks even supposed to be downtown? As my negative inner-dialogue continued, the driver of that truck flashed his lights, signaling me to go ahead and go.

I was immediately grateful and humbled at the same time. The one thing that I was grumbling about, made it possible for me to get where I was going.

I made a mental note to remember that everything happens for a reason and that God always has a plan.

Yesterday, I had a meeting right after work. As I got into my steaming hot car to drive home, I saw that my dashboard said it was 86 degrees. Now, I’m not someone who complains much about the heat. I loathe being cold. However, it’s mid-October and a little crisp, cool air, would be nice.

When I arrived at home and took my dogs outside, I was treated to a stunning display of blooming hibiscus plants on my porch. Those plants are tropical. They can’t survive the cold and if we were having normal fall weather, they wouldn’t be blooming. I would have missed the beauty.

I felt God really working on my heart. For a gal who considers herself optimistic by nature, I’d been awfully half-empty lately. I reasoned that it’s partly because all of the negative world events going on at the moment. It’s been fairly hard to find the light in all of the darkness.

Yet, the Light is still there. God still remains. God is still in control. God still has a plan. Whether it’s in global disaster, or bumper-to-bumper traffic, or stubborn weather, if we seek Him, we will find Him.

That’s a promise to all of His children. That promise gives me peace. Sometimes I need reminding, perhaps you do too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

A Call to Collective Prayer

Posted on by Wendy
Prayer may be the only thing than can deliver us.

Last week I sat with my eyes glued to my computer screen, scrolling through pictures of the devastation left in Texas by Hurricane Harvey. I mourned for the victims. I prayed for them and I was incredibly moved by all of the kindness and compassion that has poured out all over the country.

While our nation was reeling from that disaster, Hurricane Irma formed and she is even bigger and meaner than Harvey. She is also heading towards my state. My daughter’s college has cancelled classes for the rest of the week and asked the students who were able to, to evacuate.

While I looked at the pictures of the damage that Irma had already caused in the Caribbean, Hurricane Jose formed right behind her into another sizable hurricane.

While my eyes and thoughts were focused on the ocean, another story caught my attention. Several western states are on fire. There are National Parks that have been threatened. Homes have been lost and thousands of acres have been burned in fires that have been impossible to control. The states of Washington, Oregon, Montana and California are in flames.

As I contemplated all of the devastation and what it means, a Bible verse kept running through my head. “If my people who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and heal their land.” 2 Chronicles 7:14

It occurred to me that perhaps now more than ever, we need to be a nation of prayer. Instead of focusing on all that divides us, maybe we should focus on the God that unites us and has continuously blessed us since the very beginning.

We often talk about being one nation under God. Perhaps it’s time to get on our knees and humbly seek Him and His will. We know that nothing is impossible with God. Maybe we should truly live like we believe it. Prayer works.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂