Category: Building Christian Character

As Christians, people should be able to look at us and see Christ. People should be able to see who we serve in the way we act.

Seeking Relationship

Posted on by Wendy
A good prayer life has to be about more than an endless list of requests.

A few weeks ago, a little boy in first grade, came into our office to see the nurse. She was with another student, so I asked him to sit in the chair outside of the clinic and wait until she was available. When he was seated, I turned back around and went back to work on my computer. I had a ton of stuff to catch up on that day and I was busy.

But, a couple of minutes later, the little boy said, “Ma’am, excuse me, ma’am,” I stopped typing and turned around to see what he needed. He said, “Do you know why I missed Thursday and Friday last week?”

I, of course, had no idea, but figured this was about to get interesting, so I asked him why he had been absent?

He grinned and excitedly told me he had been on an airplane for the first time and he had gotten to meet the pilot and see the cockpit. I asked him where he flew and he told me it was a country that started with a C. I later learned that he had been in the air for two hours and I asked him if it was possible he visited a state instead of country.

At this point, my coworker got involved. We pulled up a map of the United States and called out all of the states beginning with the letter C. We were having a ball with this kiddo. When the nurse called him in, he was reluctant to go. I’m not sure why he came in to begin with, bu he was enjoying the attention and we were enjoying talking with him.

He went on back to class, but I wondered for days afterward, where he went and I thought about how he didn’t think twice about interrupting me to tell me about his adventure. The confidence of young children always inspires me.

They seem to naturally believe in their hearts, that their stories matter.

The Bible tells us, “Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” Hebrews 4:16

Our stories matter to God, our adventures, our successes, our failures all matter. When we get it right it matters and when we get it wrong it matters too. That’s where grace comes in. But, we so often treat prayer as a laundry list of asking God for what we want.

What if we were more like that little boy, and just wanted to talk? What if we regularly shared our lives with the One who gave them to us to begin with? How much stronger would our faith lives be?

A little boy with an exciting tale reminded me that a good prayer life is about relationship, not about constant requests. Perhaps you needed reminding too.

Have an awesome day!
Wendy 🙂

Shining the Light

Posted on by Wendy
Just an ordinary light can make an extraordinary difference to the darkness around us.

Our house backs up to some power lines, so for the almost fourteen years we have lived here, we have had this wonderful feeling of being more remote than we are. Nothing can be built under those lines, so we have tons of deer, rabbits, chipmunks, hawks and owls. Since there are no other houses, we have rarely used curtains on the backside of our house. When the sun goes down, it’s completely dark, or it was.

Our little town has become a hot bed of construction and some enterprising developer has built a brand new subdivision on the other side of those power lines. There are no houses yet, but there are street lights. There is one so bright that it’s almost blinding, shining through one of our bedroom windows at night.

My hubby and I recently took a little hike over there to check it out. I really just had to get a look at the ginormous light that had been erected. I reasoned that it must be like an airport search light or a light house beam or something extraordinary.

But, when we made our way through the tall weeds, briers and bushes, I could hardly believe what I saw. It was just an everyday, average, street light. It wasn’t especially tall and the paved streets over there, had plenty of them even though we could only see one.

After doing a little exploring, we headed home, but I couldn’t get that light out of my mind. It’s amazing how just one light can make such a huge impact on the world around it.

I read that some light houses can be seen up to 37 miles out at sea. There was a time when that was the only guidance that weary sailors had, to get them safely to shore. I’ve no doubt that those sailors could tell you all about the importance of light.

The concept of light is important to Christians as well. The term light, is used 232 times in the NIV version of the Bible. Scripture tells us God is light and Jesus told His disciples to let their light shine.

I think that concept can sometimes be a little daunting for us everyday folks. We wonder what difference one person can possibly make. Yet, the streetlight all the way through woods, that shines brightly through my window, reminds me that it doesn’t take much light at all, to shatter the darkness around us.

That streetlight reminded me that whatever light we have to give, will always be more than enough, because God has always been in the business of multiplication. Perhaps you needed reminding too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Faith, Hope and Love Remain

Posted on by Wendy
When we share faith when we feel prompted, there’s no end to the beautiful ripples we can help create.

One morning last week, when I finished my morning devotion, I checked my Facebook feed. I don’t know why. I rarely look at Facebook in the mornings. I simply don’t have the time. But, for some reason, I did.

At the very top, was a picture of a daily devotion that a friend of mine shared. She recently lost her mother to cancer and is in a period of deep mourning and profound loss. She has shared so many beautiful pictures on Facebook of her mother through the different stages of her life and has received many comments and I’m sure, countless prayers for her peace and healing.

She has shared that her mother was a person of deep faith and raised a daughter who shares in that faith and so on that morning, even in her despair, when she read something that really spoke to her in her sadness, she felt led to share it with others.

And on that morning, I saw it and downloaded it and sent it to my own daughter because I thought it would speak to her. It did and she thanked me.

Later at work, a friend of mine shared that her daughter had just received some bad news about an injury not healing as it should have and she was pretty devastated. I shared the devotion with my friend and she felt it would really help her daughter.

Later in the week, when I witnessed another friend who has been struggling with an ongoing family issue, show kindness when she really didn’t have to, I felt prompted to share the devotion with her as well. She’s kept such a great attitude, but I really felt like she could use some encouragement.

She texted back immediately, that she had really needed that and thanked me for sending it.

Even thought my friend’s sweet mama has gone home to be with Jesus, she’s still making all kinds of faith ripples because of the faith she instilled in her own child. We are all here for such a short time. What we do in that time depends entirely upon us. We can squander it on all kinds of things that will never matter once we are gone.

But, we can choose to spread the seeds of faith, hope and love and in the end, those are the only things that truly remain. I’m so very thankful she chose to share.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

The Dangers of Untied Laces

Posted on by Wendy
Untied shoelaces can make us trip.

I work in an elementary school. My desk sits right in front of our clinic. As you might imagine, I see and hear lots of interesting and sometimes amusing, stories. One day last week, a little boy came into the clinic for some ice. He had tripped and banged his knee.

As the nurse was talking to him and getting his ice, she told him he needed to tie his shoelaces. He immediately informed her a little defiantly, that his untied shoestrings had nothing to do with him falling, that he had tripped over something completely different.

She calmly told him to tie his laces anyway, because she didn’t want him to return to the clinic with another injury. He tied them, although he wasn’t very happy about it.

After he left, we all had a little chuckle. I suppose just about everyone who works in an elementary school, reminds children on a regular basis, to tie their shoelaces. I know I do and I often just tie them myself.

But, I thought about that little boy and his shoelaces long after he left the clinic. I thought about how he knew they were a tripping hazard, which was why he was defensive. Why didn’t he just tie them? Those of us who are way past elementary school are aware of the tripping dangers of wayward shoelaces. I mean, you rarely see an adult walking around with untied laces.

Most of us can likely remember being told by adults when we were children, to tie our laces. Most of us probably thought those adults were just trying to aggravate us. We couldn’t see the wisdom that those adults had acquired.

But, while us grownups proudly walk around with our shoelaces tied, what other things do we do to trip ourselves up? We sometimes drive too fast and eat or drink too much. We can stay up too late. Doing those things can endanger our physical health, kind of like those untied shoelaces.

What about our spiritual health? If we really want to go to church on Sunday, staying out late on Saturday is probably not a good idea. If we want to read the Bible, opening it up while we’re watching a football game or the latest episode of our favorite television show is also probably not a good idea. There are certain types of media we can watch, or listen to or even participate in, that can interfere with our peace and hurt our souls. What about activities like gossip?

Unfortunately, the older we get the more rampant the tripping hazards can become, but just like those adults who reminded us to tie our shoes, if we pray and listen, we have the Holy Spirit who can remind us about the spiritual dangers we might need to avoid and we also have the support of our faith friends. It takes a village!

A little boy with untied shoelaces reminded me to be vigilant about spiritual safety. Perhaps you needed reminding too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Finding the Light

Posted on by Wendy
“This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you, God is light; in Him there is no darkness at all.” 1 John 1:5

A few weeks ago, I was getting dressed for church and I was listening to some praise and worship music. I usually prefer quiet when I’m getting ready for church, but this particular morning, I found a Pandora station and cranked it up.

When I was almost ready to turn it off, the song, “I Can Only Imagine,” by Mercy Me came on. I’ve always loved that song, because I find it to be so true. We have no idea how we will react when we get home to the other side.

Of course, my inner teenager came out and I sang to the top of my lungs like I thought I was Cary Carrie Underwood. You apparently never get too old for that. Praising God out loud, in private, lifted my spirits in an amazing way. I really struggle this time of year. It’s so cold and so dark and it’s been raining forever and it was once again, supposed to be another rainy Sunday.

But, as I sang and danced around, (try not to judge, King David danced for God) :), I no longer cared about the weather. I was just thankful to be alive and going to church.

When the song was coming to an end, there’s a line that says, “Will I stand in your glory or to my knees will I fall?” I hit my knees and when I did, I could see the sun peeking through the clouds, through my closed blinds and my heart overflowed.

I would never have seen it through those closed blinds if I hadn’t been on my knees. I stayed there awhile and prayed and felt a brand new peace.

I don’t often kneel to pray, but sometimes, when I’m particularly troubled, sad, or frustrated, I do. I don’t believe it’s by any means a requirement for our prayers to be heard or answered, but there’s something about being in that humble position that always makes me feel very close to God.

That morning, it just felt natural and I followed that nudge and was rewarded with a sliver of the sun and a promise that bright things were on the horizon and that He is still in control and still listening.

I attended church and went about my day, but I thought about that sliver of sun all day long. I was reminded that we can learn a lot when we are on our knees and what a beautiful thing hope is. Perhaps you needed reminding too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Here’s the song, in case you want to hear it!

A Call to Nature

Posted on by Wendy
When we get outside our own four walls, it’s hard to miss God.

Last week, a large part of our nation was slammed by the Polar Vortex which was essentially, some brutally cold weather. The news was full of stories of temperatures in the negative twenties and there were actually people who lost their lives. Here in the Deep South, it dipped into the twenties and for us, that’s really cold. We huddled inside under blankets, and wore big coats when we had to go out and grumbled a lot, but by Saturday, it was sunny in the high sixties.

My hubby and I had plenty to do on Saturday, but we both agreed we had to get outside and walk and soak up some sun. There was a time in my life when I wouldn’t have taken the time to do that. Taking a walk would have seemed like a frivolous waste of time when I had so much to do. But, time and age, have slowly changed my heart and mind on what is most important in life.

We went to our local botanical gardens and joined a slew of people who agreed with us. We had a hard time finding a parking spot.

It felt good to be outside. Our winter hasn’t really been that cold, but we have had so much rain since the fall, that we almost broke a record. Time in nature has become a bit of a scarcity. We met smiling face after smiling face, on that trail and I marveled at the age diversity of our fellow walkers.

There was a mama carrying a baby and walking with a preschooler. There were couples young and old. There were families. There were solitary walkers. There were some elderly people who I wouldn’t have thought would have braved the trail. Yet, they too, greeted us with a smile. There were runners. There were people who looked to be in perfect shape and those who looked like they were trying to get into perfect shape. Some sat down on benches by the river to rest or reflect.

I think I probably saw every stage of life, represented on that walk and no matter the stage, they all were seeking the same thing: to be outside, in nature and enjoy Creation. We worship a creative Heavenly Father, who has given us so much beauty, that we too often take for granted. We tend to gravitate towards the physical lists and tasks and neglect the spiritual ones that feed our souls and we suffer for it don’t we?

My nature walk reminded me that no matter our stage in life, we are called to participate, to get off the couch and get moving in whatever capacity we can and to be thankful for what we have been given, because when we give thanks, our eyes are opened to the many blessings we all have and miss.

Sometimes I need reminding. Perhaps you do too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Seeking the Light

Posted on by Wendy
Christmas is coming!

As I sit typing this post, it’s pitch black dark outside and really cold. It’s supposed to drop into the twenties tonight. I feel exhausted from a busy day. My body feels like it could be close to midnight, yet it’s barely 7:00.

I am reminded of a conversation I had with a dear old friend at church on Sunday. I hadn’t seen him in a while and we were catching up. He has recently retired and I told him I had been praying for him. He thanked me and asked me to keep praying. He told me he was keeping busy, but really struggled this time of year with the dark, and lately, rainy days. I nodded in agreement and assured him I would.

Tonight, sitting at my keyboard, I agree with him. I much prefer to write in the daylight with sun shining brightly through my windows. It’s so easy to see God, in the chirping birds and blooming flowers, or even in the fall foliage.

It’s sometimes much harder to find Him in the darkness.

There’s actually something called Seasonal Affective Disorder, where people become moody and depressed during seasons with less light. Our physical bodies and minds instinctively crave the light.

I find it beautifully symbolic that the days grow shorter and shorter, the closer we get to Christmas. It’s as if the earth itself is groaning for the light that we are readying our hearts to celebrate. On December 21st, we experience the shortest day of the year and after that, the days begin to lengthen little by little.

Then, just three days after that longest night of the year On December 24th, we celebrate the light from heaven that came to earth to change the fate of mankind forever. Thanks to that baby, we never have to walk in spiritual darkness again.

Maybe it’s just a coincidence that it was also three days between that dark Friday and the glory of Easter morning…

As I ponder these coincidences and the power, goodness, and timing of God, I glance over at my dogs who are always at my side when I write. They don’t carry watches around and they don’t seem to care whether the sun is shining or it’s the dark of night. They like to be near me.

I smile as I’m reminded that we worship a God who is also by our side, rain or shine, day or night. He likes for us to be near Him. When we search for Him we will always find Him even in the darkest of circumstances. After all, He is the light.

So, let’s all take a deep hopeful breath and remember that the darkness never wins. Christmas is coming soon. Hallelujah!

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Growing in Faith

Posted on by Wendy
Faith teaches us that we have nothing to fear.

Yesterday, a little girl came into the school clinic. Her mouth was bleeding and she was a little panicked. Our nurse had stepped out, so I did a little triage. I asked her if she had lost a tooth and she said no. I gave her a cup of water to rinse her mouth out, so I could get a clearer look.

She rinsed and I took a look. There was a baby tooth that was the source of the bleeding. I asked her if it was loose and she told me that it started bleeding when she bit into an apple. All of the pieces fell together and I assured her that all was well, that her tooth was bleeding because it would soon come out and that she didn’t need to worry.

She looked like she wasn’t sure she believed me, but she took a tissue with her and went back to lunch.

It wasn’t long before she came back in grinning, with a tiny tooth in her hand. This time the nurse was in the clinic, but she stopped by my desk to show me. We talked about the tooth fairy coming to visit. She got a bag from the nurse to keep it in and she was on her way, much happier than she had been when she came in the first time.

I thought about that little girl on my drive home. I thought about how she panicked when she saw blood and how she wasn’t so sure that I knew what I was talking about. How could something bad like blood in her mouth, mean something good was about to happen?

Sure, I knew what was coming, because I’m older and I’ve been there, but how often have I panicked myself, when something was different than I thought it should be?

Things that we consider bad, happen to us all of the time, the job we didn’t get, that we wanted so badly, the relationship that didn’t work, even thought we gave it all we had, that no, that we wanted so desperately to be a yes, can all seem devastating at the time.

Yet, the passage of time, coupled with age, allows us to look back and more often than not, see all those “bad,” things were actually good and led us to a better place, or a better situation, or even better people.

The longer we walk with God, the more we come to realize there’s always a plan and that He’s always in control. There’s a peace that comes from knowing and believing that since He’s got it, we simply don’t need to worry about what comes next.

We’re really no different than the little girl and her tooth. We don’t have to panic because something good is in the works. We call that faith.

Sometimes I need reminding. Perhaps you do too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

The Candle of Hope

Posted on by Wendy
Our hope in Christmas is so much more that anything we can buy or create ourselves.

Yesterday at church, we celebrated the first Sunday of Advent, which marks the beginning of the period when we expectantly wait for the birth of Christ. Every Sunday until Christmas, someone will light a new candle and read some Scripture and then say a prayer. The Church takes the opportunity to prepare our hearts for Christmas.

As Christians, Advent reminds us to prepare for Christmas in a different way than the secular world prepares. It’s a thoughtful time of reflection that doesn’t require us to spend any money or to do any physical running around at all. I remember when my children were little and we were asked to light a candle, we would talk it over several times before we actually did it and everyone was a little nervous.

Yesterday, a sweet couple had been asked to light the first candle of the season. I always admire how polished they are each Sunday. They usually look like they stepped out of a clothing advertisement. After the husband read, the wife went to light the candle and the lighter didn’t light. After several attempts, she looked up at the congregation and told us they had practiced. The pastor stepped in and she couldn’t light it either and she finally passed it to the husband who had no better luck.

There was some laughter in the congregation at that point. But, then another parishioner handed the wife a different lighter and she lit the candle. The entire congregation erupted in cheers and clapping. The husband then said a prayer and they returned to their seats.

Although I’m sure that couple would have never chosen to have their technical difficulties, I ended up thinking about the Advent lighting much longer than I usually do.

I thought about how we often lose the meaning of the season when we are intent on creating the perfect Christmas. We live in a broken world. Our children or other loved ones, sometimes get sick at Christmas, or the turkey turns out dry, or the picture perfect cake didn’t turn out like we hoped, or finances are strained, or relationships are strained.

Perfection does not exist on this side of Eternity no matter what our friends at Pinterest or Facebook would like for us to believe. We will often fall short of the world’s ideal picture because sometimes no matter what our preparation was, the lighter just won’t light.

As Christians, Advent calls us to remember that we are in this world, but not of it and when we struggle and overcome, Heaven cheers for us, just like our congregation did for that couple. We are preparing for the One who overcame it all.

The first candle lit in Advent was for Hope. Our hope is something so much better than anything we could buy or create ourselves, this Christmas season. An advent candle mishap, reminded me. Perhaps you needed reminding too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Celebrating Anne

Posted on by Wendy
The love and kindness we share, remain long after we are gone.

The Sunday before Thanksgiving, I attended a funeral. It was for one of the most influential women in my faith walk. Her name was Anne. She came in every Sunday morning, when I was a child, carrying a black flannel board and little cut out paper characters to introduce a new Bible story.

She began each Sunday morning with songs, that are forever etched into my heart. One of her daughters would play the piano and we would sing, “This Little Light of Mine,” or “Jesus Loves Me,” or “Deep and Wide,” or “Zacchaeus Was a Wee Little Man,” or “Joy, Joy, Joy, Down in My Heart,” (she would always pause during that one and ask us where and we would loudly sing it back.”

She taught kindergarten and she happily used her gifts, week after week, and year after year, to teach Sunday School as well as Vacation Bible School. I don’t think she ever had to be asked, she just did.

She taught me and my sister, and there’s no telling how many other children over the years, about the Bible giants. I have vivid memories of Jonah and the Whale, Noah, Joseph, Moses, Paul and of course Jesus, and countless others, marching across that black felt board.

She laid a foundation that would one day encourage me to dig deeper and learn more about God’s Word. She was a seed planter.

There was another lady in that tiny country church, who was also as influential for me as Anne was and she went home years ago to be with Jesus. She was definitely a Martha. As I was praying for comfort for Anne’s family, God reminded me that my sweet Anne was a Mary, spending countless hours at the feet of Jesus and then sharing what she learned with everyone around her in the kindest, gentlest way possible.

My daily devotion two days later just happened to be about those two sisters and I was reminded how both are needed to do Kingdom work. My personal faith walk was influenced by women with both of those gifts and I learned so much from them both.

From one, I was encouraged to plan and direct Vacation Bible School for almost ten years. From the other, I was encouraged to dig into the Bible and write about and share Jesus with others.

As I stood at Anne’s graveside, the day was spectacularly beautiful. The sky was a brilliant blue and the temperature had risen to close to seventy. It was as if nature was rejoicing that she had moved onto a better place, out of the sickness and pain where she had been.

I’ve no doubt, heaven was rejoicing at the addition of a new saint and I’m sure she heard the words: “Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful in a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!” Matthew 25:21

Remembering Anne reminded me that we should keep planting and using our gifts, whatever they may be. We just never know what might take root. Perhaps you needed reminding too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂