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.

Advent Kindness

Posted on by Wendy
Sometimes the simplest kindness can inspire others to do the same.

Yesterday was a really busy day at the school where I work. It was our annual Thanksgiving Feast celebration and we had close to a thousand people signed up to come and eat. There were people checking in and out all day long with very little down time.

On top of that, it had been a long week. It had rained all week long, pouring rain, and we had flash flood watches and river flooding watches. I hadn’t seen the sun in days. By Thursday, I really just longed to be home on my couch, underneath a blanket.

On that previous Sunday, when we returned from church, there had been a gift leaning up against my garage door. It was an Advent Calendar with a big Santa Clause on it. I knew immediately who it was from, but I wondered how it got there.

An elderly widow lived across the street from us from the time we bought our house until last summer, when she announced to us she was moving into a retirement community. She had shared with that me she was lonely and she was ready to move. She told me with a twinkle in her eye that she had heard that place was just like living in a sorority house. I was so sad to see her go, but really happy for her.

She bought my kids Advent Calendars our very first Christmas in our new home and continued every year well into their teenage years. I hadn’t thought much about this year until I saw it and the card she included brought tears to my eyes. She said she thought my son might enjoy one last Advent Calendar before he went off to college.

Her thoughtfulness and kindness really touched my heart and I gave thanks for her influence on my childrens’ lives. She certainly didn’t have to be so kind to them, but she always was. She was an inspiration to me and I prayed that God would show me opportunities to show kindness to others when I didn’t have to.

Yesterday, at the end of the day, I walked down to a classroom to get some kiddos to check out. The office was packed and there were some classes in transition and I was grateful for the escape. I walked purposefully to my destination holding a radio in my hand and after I found the teacher, I headed back.

But, as I headed towards the office, a kindergartener stopped me. She was at the water fountain trying to fill her water bottle. She asked me if I could loosen the top for her. That Advent Calendar blazed across my mind as a teacher came down the hall and offered to help her. I smiled, put the walkie underneath my arm and told her that was okay, I loosened the top and handed it back to her. The little girl beamed and thanked me as she walked back to the fountain.

God has often spoken to me through children. I think they are sometimes beacons for Jesus. It didn’t occur to the little girl that I was tired, or in a hurry, or that I had something in my hand. She was thirsty and she needed assistance, so she asked and I was given the opportunity that I had prayed for.

I was humbled and thankful. A little girl and an Advent Calendar reminded me that as we travel through Thanksgiving and head towards Advent that our aching world is filled with opportunities to be kind, and that if we prayerfully keep watch, God will show us the way. Perhaps you needed reminding too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Prayers for Peace

Posted on by Wendy
When peace seems out of reach, prayer is the answer.

When this is published, it will be the day before election day. I am bone tired of hearing about it as I’m sure you probably are as well. Unfortunately, the Peach State, which happens to be where I’ve been a lifelong resident, has become the focus of the entire country.

Normally, no one cares about who our governor is, but not this year. This year millions and millions of dollars have been poured into our state to influence our election, by folks who don’t even live here. I wonder how many hungry kids could have been fed with that money, or how many veterans could have received much needed benefits, or how many struggling citizens could have received job training?

I can’t turn on the television, or the radio, or scroll through my Facebook page without someone giving their two cents worth about this election. At this point, is there seriously anyone who is on the fence about their vote, yet the barrage on weary Georgians continues.

My hubby and I were discussing it on the way to church and I told him if I could crawl into a cave somewhere and sleep for the next few days, I would. He agreed.

But, our pastor addressed the issue at church and she had a better solution. She acknowledged the negativity and the weariness and she reminded us that ultimately, whatever the outcome, God is in control and she recommended a prayer to deal with all of the negativity. Though it was familiar to me, I hadn’t prayed it in quite a while.

But, as we prayed is as a church, I felt some peace seeping into my weary soul. It’s the prayer of St. Francis:

“Lord, make me an instrument of your peace. Where there is hatred, let me sow love. Where there is injury, pardon, where there is doubt, faith, where there is despair, hope, where there is darkness, light, and where there is sadness, joy. O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled, as to console; to be understood, as to understand; to be loved as to love. For it is in giving that we receive; it is in pardoning that we are pardoned; and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.”

As a people of God, this election is a huge opportunity to pray for our nation as well as our individual states. May we ask for God’s continued guidance and grace and that His will be done. The Bible tells us that He hears all of our prayers. Let’s choose to remember that.

Have an awesome day!
Wendy 🙂

Laying the Burdens Down

Posted on by Wendy
Sometimes the unnecessary burdens we carry around, can really pile up.

We have just finished a contest at work, where we count and record our daily steps. We are in teams of four and the winning team will be announced today. I can’t even begin to explain how grateful I am that it’s over. I was not pressured in any way, to participate, but for some reason, I joined a team at the last minute.

I don’t own a pedometer or one of those watches that track every move you make, so I downloaded an app on my phone to record my steps. Looks like there really is an app for everything.

I learned early on, that I wasn’t making nearly as many steps as many of the other people in the contest and worst of all, I usually had the lowest number on my team and so, I made sure, I carried my phone with me all of the time. If I got up to make a copy, I took the phone. If I delivered something to a classroom, I took the phone. If I went to the bathroom, I took the phone. When I got home in the afternoon and did laundry, I carried the phone up and down the stairs and I lamented if it needed to be charged, because I couldn’t count my steps.

I was completely aware that the contest was just for fun and my teammates never once, said anything about my few steps, but I put the pressure on myself.

When Monday morning arrived and I realized that I could put my phone on my desk for the day and leave it there, I felt a rush of sweet freedom. For the next couple of days, I truly felt like I had laid a burden down and while I chuckled at myself at the absurdity of my feelings of newfound freedom, it got me to thinking about what else I might need to lay down.

What other unnecessary burdens am I currently carrying that might be weighing down my soul? We can carry things like unresolved anger or pain, or guilt and shame over past mistakes, or the illusion that we can control the world around us. We can even carry things like constant, nagging worry over things we have no control over.

Like that pesky cell phone I couldn’t put down, we can carry those things every step of the way, everyday, in the morning, in the evening, at home, at work, never putting them down.

But, Jesus calls us to a different path. “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30

Jesus calls us to lay down our baggage and trust Him. We don’t need it and we can truly be free once we do. A contest reminded me. Perhaps you needed reminding too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Grandparent Grace

Posted on by Wendy
Perhaps some of the purest love we will ever witness is between a grandparent and a grandchild.

A few days ago, a young couple walked into the school office where I work, carrying a precious little baby. They had just arrived in town and wanted to surprise the baby’s grandmother. Well, we all got in on it. We helped them get checked in and kept watch for her. We had them step over to the side out of sight, until we asked her to come into the office.

I don’t know when I have seen such pure joy as the joy I saw on her face. She squealed with excitement as she took her grand baby in her arms and alternated between holding her close and then pulling her away so she could look at her.

There were tears in her eyes and in mine too. She then took her granddaughter to show her other babies, who happen to be second graders who she loves like they are hers.

I replayed that scene in my head over the next couple of days. I have always thought that God gives mamas a taste of His love for us through our children, but when I witness the love a grandmama has for her grandchildren, it really takes it up a notch.

It’s hard to wrap my brain around the concept that God loves us even more than we love our children and grandchildren. It’s truly more than I can fathom, yet I know it’s true and I was so grateful I got to witness that love firsthand the other day. My heart felt truly blessed.

Then yesterday, another coworker came into the office with her phone. She said she had something to show us that she had been desperate to share. On her phone, was an ultrasound picture of a tiny fetus. Her daughter was expecting and she was over the moon.

Here again, was a grandmother who was completely in love with a child who was yet to be born, a child who hasn’t even take her first breath, but is already treasured. I was once again reminded of God’s love for 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; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.” Psalm 139:13-14

There’s so much negativity in our world right now, so much anger and so much hate. We can sometimes wonder where God is. Rest assured, He’s still here. If you need proof, find a grandparent and ask them about their grandchild.

Sometimes I need reminding. Perhaps you did too.

Have an awesome day!
Wendy 🙂

Acorn Wisdom

Posted on by Wendy
Acorns can sprout if left unchecked.

I recently discovered a tiny oak tree growing in the gutters on my house. I was mortified. How could that happen? Clearly, we needed to clean our gutters, but the leaves haven’t dropped yet and we are surrounded by oak trees, so to clean them right now, would just be an exercise in futility. They will quickly refill.

There are acorns everywhere at the moment. We crunch them with our tires in the driveway and beneath our feet when we walk in the yard. They are small nuggets that don’t seem capable of much of anything, yet they are.

Under the right conditions, they can become a mighty oak tree and create wonderful shade or create all kinds of havoc, depending on your perspective.

As I pondered my gutter situation and how the sprouts seemed to have happened overnight, I had to admit that they didn’t. Those acorns had been in that gutter for a while, unseen but growing a little bigger with every passing day.

I was reminded how we can let unwanted things take root in our spiritual lives as well, if we aren’t careful. A little disagreement can grow into something huge if we don’t resolve it quickly. Hurt feelings can balloon into lasting anger if we don’t deal with them. Careless words can leave lasting damage if we aren’t willing to apologize or accept apologies.

All of those scenarios can seem so small in the moment, small like little acorns. Yet, if left alone, they can just keep growing, like acorns do and before long we have an something as big as an actual tree and eventually a mighty one.

Acorns have a purpose just like our hurt feelings and anger do, yet there’s a time and a place that’s ideal for both. The gutters of my house are clearly not an ideal place, neither is deep within our hearts and souls. My gutter sprout reminded me that not only do we need to clean our gutters frequently, we need to clean up our hearts and souls frequently as well.

There’s just not room to let the bad stuff take root. Perhaps you needed reminding today too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Reflecting Jesus

Posted on by Wendy
How do we react when someone is unkind?

My pastor commented on Sunday, that sometimes when she looks out into the congregation and smiles, some of us actually smile back at her. I really took her words to heart because when I sing in the choir and survey the congregation, not everyone smiles. But, some people always smile and so I look for those people.

My hope has always been that when I sing, it comes across as a testimony of sorts or sometimes a prayer, and when I make a noise for God, I try to make it a joyful one. When people smile back at me, I feel like they are reflecting Jesus back at me. It’s a wonderful, soul filling phenomenon.

After the sermon today, I really began to reflect on how I can do a better job at reflecting Jesus back to a world that really needs Him right now. I feel like I do a decent job of returning a smile when someone gives me a smile. I’m always polite when people are polite to me.

But, how well do I do when they are rude? Human nature tells us to give back what we are given and that we shouldn’t take anything other than kindness and respect off of anybody. We certainly don’t want to be perceived as weak in any way. We are a nation of winners.

Yet, Jesus teaches a different path, a more difficult one to be sure, but He’s more concerned with our spiritual nature than our human nature. He knows that the spiritual lasts forever. The physical does not.

“Do to others as you would have them do to you.” Luke 6:31 Those are red letter words, directly from Jesus.

So we are called not to give back what we are given, but to reflect back what we would like to have been given. That’s a tall order. When people are unkind, we are called to return their actions with kindness. When people are rude, we are called to return their rudeness with politeness.

How do we want to be treated? That’s how we are called to treat others.

As difficult as that can be, sometimes we find that when we do that, the person we are encountering has nowhere to go. Something changes inside them and a breakthrough happens and sometimes it doesn’t. Thankfully we have a helper in the Holy Spirit who provides us with the fruits of perseverance and patience.

A sermon reminded me to remember who we are and who we represent. Perhaps you needed reminding too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Hurricane Reflections

Posted on by Wendy
We should seek and hold onto joy whenever we can.

As the pictures of the devastation from Hurricane Michael keep rolling in, it seems to be the topic of everyone’s conversation. Part of it is because, Florida is our next door neighbor and so many of us in Georgia, have been to those places that were hit so hard.

We have so many memories of wonderful times spent there.

Personally, I have scanned the internet daily for a business in Panama City called Goofy Golf. It’s a putt-putt place that’s been there since the fifties. My parents took us to play putt-putt there every year on our family vacations. My mama’s parents took her to play there and I’ve taken my own kids to play there. Although it’s just a place, I desperately want it to have survived.

A few years ago, when the entire town of Gatlinburg, Tennessee was on fire, I frantically searched the internet, hoping that the chapel that my hubby and I got married in, was still standing. It wasn’t like our marriage would have no longer been valid if it burned, I just really wanted it to have survived.

When I think of the people who actually have homes in that area, that were there one minute and gone the next and the people who have severe storm damage, my heart breaks for them. As I have prayed for the folks on the Florida Panhandle the last few days, I’m reminded that our lives can drastically change in the blink of an eye.

As we go through our everyday lives, we can get so complacent, that we take it all for granted. It had been since the 1850’s that, that area had been hit by a hurricane of that magnitude. No one is even alive that would remember it, but I’ve no doubt that those people living back then, were just as devastated.

The aftermath of Hurricane Michael reminds me that we should soak up every moment we are given with the people we love and with those who love us. It reminds me to tell the people we love that we love them. It reminds me to seek and to hold on tightly to joy and to let anger and pain go. It reminds me that we should forgive easily and anger slowly. It reminds me that nothing on this side of Eternity is permanent, no matter how strong we may think it is.

Life is a gift. We should remember that every morning when we wake up. Sometimes I need reminding. Perhaps you do too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Warriors Among Us

Posted on by Wendy
I’m thankful for the warriors among us.

Wednesday night, we held our breath as Hurricane Michael headed our way. It had already decimated everything in its path in Florida and Georgia was next. We had seen alerts most of the day and were under a tornado watch until the wee hours of the morning.

I had felt uneasy all day long. The air outside just felt heavy somehow. My daughter was in South Georgia and my parents were in Middle Georgia and both areas were in the hurricane’s crosshairs and out of my reach.

I shouldn’t have been surprised when I got a message on Facebook from a family friend checking in with us and letting me know he was praying for us. He’s a warrior who became family on a mission trip a few years back and he always has a way of letting me know he’s praying for us especially when things feel particularly out of my control.

I immediately felt better.

A little while later, another friend who I met on that same trip, also a warrior who has become family, messaged me to let me know that he too, was praying for our family.

There was definitely some comfort, knowing we were being prayed for, when we didn’t even ask. There are certain situations when it becomes abundantly clear that prayer is the only answer. I was so grateful they had reached out to me. I had no doubt that they were following nudges from God.

It made me wonder if I should do a better job at letting people know that I’m praying for them. I think we can sometimes forget how powerful that spiritual connection can be. There are times when I feel called to pray for someone, but I rarely tell them.

Maybe they need to hear it. It certainly gave me some peace.

Thankfully we suffered no damage overnight, but the next morning, I still hadn’t heard from my daughter. I received a text from another warrior from that same mission trip to tell me she was praying for us and asking how we were. I thanked her and told her we were fine, but I hadn’t heard from my daughter. She reached out to her as well and I’ve no doubt, continued to pray.

It was a few hours later when she finally checked in. The weather had kept her awake, so she had slept in, but all was well.

I marveled all day at the power of prayer and the peace we can get from it. I stand amazed at the people who God puts in our paths for such a time as this. He always has a plan.

Sometimes I need reminding. Perhaps you do too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Blessed Reassurance

Posted on by Wendy
“But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” Isaiah 40:31

I had the day off on Monday and I was determined to get outside and go for a walk. My regular cardio routine has become irregular at best, due to some painting projects, an injured tendon and quite frankly, the oppressive heat that has refused to let up.

As I sat at my kitchen table drinking my coffee, (Who in their right mind would take a morning walk before coffee?), I noticed how dark it was outside. I knew I should go as early as possible, because of the heat, but I just didn’t want to go out under an overcast sky.

Something nudged me to wait.

When the sun finally peeked through the clouds, and I went to get my running shoes, it was 9:00. I strapped my cell phone that I’ve been lugging around to record every step I take, securely around my arm. I knew I had probably waited too late, but I was determined to go anyway.

I was pleasantly surprised when I stepped outside. It was cooler than it had been the past few days and there was a breeze. I was thankful I had waited for the light and I was reminded that it’s always going to be warmer when we seek to walk in the light.

As I walked along, I found myself praying for some wonder, for God to show His presence. The past week had been a long one filled with bad news, not for me personally, but for some friends and extended family. I felt like my prayers had become a long list of cries for intervention and comfort. My heart felt heavy.

But, as I walked and felt the cool breeze on my face, I felt thankful, thankful to be alive and to be outside and away from a desk and as I was giving thanks, a hawk flew across my path and landed on a tree branch right in front of me. I stopped and wondered if it would remain there while I took a picture. I doubted it.

I never exercise with a phone. I find them cumbersome, but I had mine because of the step counting, work contest. I carefully took it off my arm, expecting it to fly away any minute. It didn’t. I tried to zoom and then I moved closer and walked to the other side of the tree to get a better shot. The hawk never moved. He kept his eyes on me, but stayed put until I finished and walked away.

I marveled at God’s faithfulness and His timing. If I would have gone earlier, I would have missed the encounter. If I wasn’t counting my steps, not only would I not have been able to get a picture, but I wouldn’t have been been amazed at the hawk’s patience with my photo attempts.

My heart was much lighter as I continued to give thanks. My circumstances hadn’t changed, but I had been reassured of His presence, His timing, His plan and most importantly, His love.

Perhaps you needed some reassurance today too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Brick House Faith

Posted on by Wendy
Our faith can be as weak as straw or as strong as bricks and mortar.

Yesterday at the elementary school where I work, our first graders had a fairy tale ball. They had just finished their unit on fairy tales and to cap it off, they were told to dress as any fairy tale character of their choosing. Not surprisingly, there were lots of princesses, but there were also quite a few pigs from the, “Three Little Pigs,” and some wolves, and even the grandmother from “Little Red Riding Hood.” The “Wizard of Oz,” was also well represented.

Their creativity, was as always, inspiring. The possibilities and perspectives of the very young always inspire me. Later in the day, one of our teachers asked me if I remembered what her son wore the year before for his fairy tale ball. I didn’t, so she shared her pictures.

He had come as the houses in the, “Three Little Pigs.” In his mind, the most important character in the story, wasn’t a character at all. It was what the characters built, that spoke to him. Each house was represented on a side of a box that he wore.

I was fascinated and I thought about those pictures and his perspective long after the fairy tale ball was over.

As humans, it seems that what we tend to focus on is other humans, whether they are good or bad, or are for us or against us. But, the truth about all humanity is that it’s not permanent. We are only here for a short time before we move on to eternity, but the things we build can last a lot longer than we do, and the love and faith we pass down to the generations who come after us, can last indefinitely.

And when I think about it, “The Three Little Pigs,” has some deep lessons to teach us spiritually. When we are building our faith lives, it’s important to take time and care like the little pig who used the bricks, because we too, have a wolf character who comes after us from time to time, just because we are children of God.

It’s not a matter of if, but of when. If we haphazardly build our faith, like the little pig did with the straw and his house, it will easily collapse when an attack comes. But, if we take the time and pray, and read the Bible and spend time with other people of faith and build a brick house faith, it can withstand any kind of attack, just like the little pig with the brick house did and we can help shelter others too, just like the little pig did with his brothers.

The fairy tale ball reminded me of the importance of what we build while we are here. Perhaps you needed reminding too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂