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.

Lessons from Annie

Posted on by Wendy
A rainy morning with my dog reminded me to always be patient and thankful.

One morning last week, it began pouring rain. I was so happy to hear it beating on my roof. We have desperately needed it.

When I sat down to eat my breakfast, my dog Annie, started fussing at me. She’s a husky mix and extremely opinionated and vocal. Normally, as soon as I sit down to eat, she starts vocalizing and then she starts barking to let me know that she would like to go out immediately, if not sooner. She goes out first thing, but she likes to go out a second time and run around with our other pup.

On most days, I comply and get up and let her out, but that day when she started, I told her “no.” She of course, sassed right back and I told her it was raining outside and she couldn’t go out. This went on for a few minutes and she finally stopped and began chewing on the leg of a kitchen chair. I told her to stop and she sighed and put her head down, pouting.

I marveled at her persistence and her bad attitude. I mean, I give her what she wants almost all of the time. Couldn’t she be a little more patient and grateful?

Then I chuckled at myself. She’s only a dog. She didn’t understand that I was trying to keep her safe and truly had no idea all what I do for her on a regular basis, beginning with rescuing her from the pound. All she knew was she couldn’t get what she wanted at that moment. Then I felt convicted.

I could almost hear a voice asking if I was much different than Annie.

How often does God provide for me? He provides Every. Single. Day. First of all, He rescued me from a fate much worse than the pound. 

How often do I just simply take for granted that I woke up, that I am well, that I have family, that I have friends, and a home, and food to eat or that I have a job. The list of His provision, is endless.    

Yet, when I don’t get what I want the minute I ask, like Annie, how quickly and loudly do I complain? Do I ever stop to ask if there’s a reason? Do I ever even consider that a Divine “no” might in fact, be for my greater good? How patient and grateful am I?

A rainy day conversation with Annie reminded me to be thankful for God’s provision, for His limitless patience and for His fresh mercies that He doles out so freely every single day. Perhaps you needed reminding too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Fig Tree Wisdom

Fig Tree Wisdom

Posted on by Wendy
As long as we are able, we are called serve.

We have had a major heat wave lately. It’s been in the triple digits and it’s only June. It’s also been incredibly dry with no rain in the forecast anytime soon. At 8:00 last night, it was still 96 degrees. As I was trudging through my dusty yard and watering some of my parched plants, my eyes rested on my fig tree.

It was green and covered with tiny green figs and it seemed completely untouched by the heat. I couldn’t remember when I watered it last and yet it was flourishing.

That magnificent, hardy tree came from a a small cutting from my hubby’s granddaddy’s tree, delivered by a cousin, years ago. I remember when she brought it thinking that it was awfully small and I wondered if anything would ever come of it. We planted it and watered it and nothing happened for a long time. It lived, but it didn’t really grow much at all and it certainly didn’t produce any fruit.

But, we kept watering it and feeding it and eventually it took off and began growing, but produced only a few figs. We kept doing our part and one summer it was absolutely full of sweet juicy figs and it produced two batches, one in the summer and one in the fall. It was a wonderful surprise.

The tree has continued to get bigger every year and produces even more fruit than the year before. And now in this oppressive heat it’s thriving. As I was looking at the many figs and comparing it to my wilting hydrangeas I was amazed at its resilience and I wondered about the original tree.

How old was it? Was it still living? Had my hubby’s granddaddy loved that tree? Had it been fruitful? Did they enjoy its fruit during the summer. Did they make preserves to enjoy all year long? What inspired his cousin to bring us a cutting?

I will likely never know any of the answers to my questions, but I am thankful that at some point, someone planted a tree and at another time, it was shared with us.

I am especially thankful as I look at its present abundance, that although it didn’t grow or produce for a long time, we felt led to water it and feed it. It reminds me that I should be more persistent with the people in my life who don’t seem to respond to my watering and feeding.

The Bible says, “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” Galatians 6:9

That resilient, fruitful fig tree reminds me that we should never give up on praying for people, on being kind or on doing good. We are only called to do our part. God will do the rest in His time and His timing is always perfect. Sometimes I need reminding. Perhaps you do too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

 

 

Faith Like Grass

Posted on by Wendy
“The tiniest bit of faith can change everything.”

It was a dreary drive into work yesterday. The skies were gray and it was sprinkling rain. We have been having a dry spell and we really needed the rain so I tried to be thankful. But, as I hurried across the parking lot to my building, everything looked so gloomy that I was having a hard time staying positive.

About halfway across, my knee started aching and it caused me to look down and when I did, some green grass caught my eye. It was pushing up through the cracks in defiant contrast to the gloom. As I glanced around, there were more patches all over the lot. They made me smile.

I suspect that the people who are in charge of the maintenance of that lot, do not like that grass at all. They probably go to great lengths to get rid of it, yet against the odds, with sun and yes, enough rain, the grass finds a way to persevere.

That defiant grass stayed on my mind for the rest of the day. It reminded me of the faith that we so desperately need these days. Sometimes our circumstances seem so desperate that we believe our lives will never get better, but the tiniest bit of stubborn faith can make all the difference.

Jesus said, “You don’t have enough faith, I tell you the truth, if you had faith even as small as a mustard seed, you could say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there, and it would move. Nothing would be impossible.” Matthew 17:20

In case you wondered, mustard seeds are tiny.

That parking lot grass reminded me that no matter how dark and gloomy our days may seem, a little faith can beat all of the odds. Sometimes I need reminding.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

 

The Call to Listen

Posted on by Wendy
What would happen if we chose to listen more than we talk?

As I take my daily lunch walk through the college campus where I work, I am always amazed at the amount of people walking around with earbuds. It’s as though even, a short amount of time not listening to what we actively choose to listen to, has become unacceptable.

It’s the same when I go to the grocery store. People are either listening to their chosen media or talking on the phone, even at the check-out.

It seems as a society, that we want to have constant control over our senses. We want to work at home and not be bothered with the aggravation of co-workers. We want to see only the opinions that agree with our own in the news and on social media and will quickly unfollow anyone who has a different point of view and often choose to insult them in the process.

As much as we all complained about the isolation created by Covid, we have in many ways, created our own isolation bubbles. When someone dares to try to circumvent the carefully built walls of our own opinions, people become defensive and sometimes irate.

In a recent daily devotion, I came upon these verses: “My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires.” James 1:19-20  

They really hit home with me. Maybe all of the anger we see in the world around us is because we have intentionally stopped listening. We are really good at talking, but the listening part, not so much, so when we don’t feel like we are being heard, we just talk more and louder and that frustration feeds anger.

 What if we all were quick to listen and slow to speak? What would that look like? If we were listening more than talking, would we develop more empathy? Would we develop more patience? Would the rampant anger factor start to diminish? 

Maybe we would all learn a little something if we took out the earbuds and stopped scrolling and actually interacted and listened to the people who God has put in our paths. Maybe they are there for a reason. Maybe they have something to teach us. Maybe we have something to teach them.

If we don’t listen, we may never know. Sometimes I need reminding. Perhaps you do too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy

Having Enough Faith to Let Go

Posted on by Wendy
When we decide to let go and let God take the wheel, we better be prepared for excitement.

I am a planner by nature. I like to know what’s coming and have a bit of a handle on the future, but I suppose like everyone else, the last couple of years has changed that. Masks, lockdowns and constantly changing medical advice made me keenly aware that I could plan all that I wanted, but in the end, I had very little control over just about anything.

I spent my 50th birthday eating take-out with my family, but thankful that we were all well and together. It wasn’t what I would have planned, but one I will treasure all the same.

This past weekend, I celebrated my 52nd trip around the sun. My hubby and I decided to take a trip to Chattanooga and meet up with my daughter who recently moved to Nashville. To add to the fun, we decided to take our two dogs. We have never traveled with them before, but our daughter was really missing her dog.

I let her handle the details and at the last minute, our son was able to join us and what was originally a day trip with a hike, turned into an overnight trip with the two dogs and our two grown kids.

I didn’t plan the first detail; something pre-pandemic me would have never been okay with.

When the trail that we were going to hike was closed and we hadn’t had lunch yet, we ended up getting Chick-fil-A and eating it in the car and I couldn’t have been happier.

We took a family vote and ended up at Rock City, a touristy place with special family memories and we had a ball. It had been ten years since we visited. Our kids had been in elementary and middle school. We had just as much fun with grown up kids as we did back then and unbelievably, our completely unpredictable pups, behaved beautifully.

When we went to dinner at a place with a dog friendly deck, it wasn’t what I would have picked, but the food was delicious, and our pups behaved, although I felt like we had toddlers again.

When we returned to the car and tried to figure out where to go next, we saw the first round of fireworks explode into the air over the river. At first, we all grabbed our phones to try to find out what was going on, but I eventually rolled down my window and enjoyed a fabulous, 4th of July quality fireworks show.

As I later reflected on the many blessings of our trip, I was struck at how the best parts were completely unplanned. They were products of being open to something different that may have been better than what I could have possibly planned myself. It was a beautiful reminder of God’s plan for us. 

His plan is always infinitely better than we could ever plan for ourselves, even when it doesn’t seem that way. All I have to do is have some faith. Jesus said, the size of a mustard seed will do. Sometimes I need reminding. Perhaps you do too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

 

Love Remains

Posted on by Wendy
What we leave behind can bloom endlessly.

When I woke up on Easter morning and glanced out the window into my backyard, two yellow irises in full bloom, caught my eye and my heart filled with joy. Now, I know it’s not unusual for flowers to bloom in Georgia at Easter, but these were special.

The woman who wasn’t my grandmother by blood, but who God sent to be a grandmother to me, grew irises. Her name was Kittie. She was incredibly proud of them and each year she entered them into an iris show. She would fret some years that a late cold snap would kill them or that the show would be too early and her flowers weren’t ready yet, but one year one of her yellow ones called “Money,” won first place.

Kittie was absolutely ecstatic, giddy as a schoolgirl. I will always remember her joy that day.

Kittie went to live with Jesus years ago and after she passed, I asked her sweet sister for permission to dig up some irises out of her backyard. She readily agreed and I drug my patient hubby out in the heat, to dig them up. 

She grew all kinds, so we really had no idea what we were going to get. They didn’t bloom the first year that we planted them, but the next year, they bloomed just in time for my birthday and wouldn’t you know, they were the yellow ones! Money had bloomed and I felt like I had received a birthday wish straight from heaven.  

I’ve never had them bloom on Easter morning, but Kittie loved Easter. She always had a new dress and hat every year. My mind was filled with precious memories of her all day long.

While she is gone physically, her love and my memories remain just as fresh as they always were. 

A dear friend of mine lost her Daddy this past week. He lived to a ripe old age and was beloved by all who knew him. As I saw pictures of him all over Facebook shared by his children and grandchildren, I couldn’t help but to think of those irises and what they represent. While he is no longer here, the memories of him and the love he shared will forever be etched in the hearts and minds of his family and friends.

The love he left behind will be passed down from generation to generation. It too, will bloom indiscriminately and indefinitely just like those irises. Some irises reminded me that when we live our lives with open hearts and love the people in our paths, a part of us will always remain. Perhaps you needed reminding too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

The Relentless Pursuit of Jesus

Posted on by Wendy
When we pursue relentless faith, the miraculous can happen.

I recently heard a sermon about the four friends and the paralytic, found in Mark, Chapter 2. It’s a familiar story to most people raised in church. I have vivid memories of it playing out on the black flannel board at Sunday school. Quite honestly, I never gave it that much thought. Whenever we talked about Jesus, there were miracles. This one was one of the many.

I suppose that can happen when you get comfortable with the Gospel stories, which is why we need to celebrate Easter every year, to truly remember what exactly it is we believe. There’s nothing comfortable about the Gospels. The stories in them are lifechanging both for the people in them and for those of us who have the privilege of reading them and who really try to wrap our hearts and minds around the miraculous and bold love that God has for His children.

In the story of the paralytic, four friends decide to take their sick friend to Jesus. They are carrying him. He must have been dead weight, because it took four of them. The story doesn’t say how long the man had been paralyzed or how far the friends had carried him, but these friends were relentless. They were determined to get this man to Jesus.

They believed Jesus could heal him.

Interestingly, the text doesn’t tell us what the man believed.

When the house was too crowded to get him to Jesus, they carried him to the roof and dug a hole, relentless in their pursuit of getting their friend to Jesus. They lowered the mat in front of Jesus and here’s the part I can’t stop thinking about, “When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, ‘Son, your sins are forgiven.'” Mark 2:5

There were some religious people in the room who were thinking that Jesus didn’t have the power to forgive sins, but Jesus read their minds  and called them out. He then told the man still lying on his mat, “I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.” Mark 2:11

The man got up, took his mat and walked out.

It’s a familiar story, yet there’s a twist. The paralytic was made well because of his friends’ faith.

I wonder how long they had carried their friend around. How long had they hoped for healing?

I am reminded of the power of praying for healing for my own friends and family. Sometimes we pray and pray and we don’t see results. Sometimes the person we are praying for looks way too far gone for healing or redemption, but are they more far gone than a paralyzed man being carried on a mat by his friends?

The truth is no one is ever too far gone for the grace of Jesus. If they are still breathing, there is still hope and if we are still breathing, we are called to pray relentlessly because that’s how we bring people to the feet of Jesus.

A paralyzed man who was healed because his friends had relentless faith, reminded me to be relentless in prayer for the people in my life who need it. Perhaps you needed reminding too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

 

 

Songbird Ecouragement

Posted on by Wendy
The birds choose to sing regardless of their circumstances.

We had a loud thunderstorm one night this week. It was the second round of tornado producing storms that hit the South in just two days. It was around midnight when the thunder began booming. We have two dogs. One is afraid of thunder and he began pacing and whining and scratching to get out the door, which of course, woke up the other pup and she became restless as well.

The noise and the dogs had me up for good portion of the night before the storms finally passed and they were able to settle back down.

I was definitely dragging the next morning as I sat bleary eyed at my kitchen table, drinking my second cup of coffee, desperately wishing it was Friday instead of Thursday.

It was still dark outside and I was trying to focus on the daily devotion I was reading in silence, when I little bird chirped to the top of its lungs. I smiled to myself. I appreciated this early bird’s beacon to embrace the day ahead after such a rough night. After all, he had been outside in the midst of the storm for both rounds. He didn’t have the safety of a house to shelter him. Yet, he was ready to go forth and do his work whatever that may be, with a cheerful song.

It wasn’t but a minute or two, when a chorus of other birds joined him. 

At this point, I stopped reading and gave them my full attention. 

A symphony had begun and I wanted to take a moment to appreciate it.

I thought about those birds for the rest of the day. I thought about how every single one of them had been outside in that thunderstorm and how they chose to celebrate the new day together. They could have remained silent, shuffling around in the dark, wet morning, grumbling about their long night, telling each other stories about how they were almost blown out their nests or about the mess they had to clean up and I felt convicted. 

That’s exactly what I wanted to do. I was tired and grumpy and far from joyful as I sat in my warm dry home with electricity.

I especially, thought about the very first bird to sing. He was the one to get the others going in the right direction. His song led the way.

When I got to work, I sent a couple of emails and texts of encouragement to people who I thought might need it. It required very little effort on my part, but I wanted my song to lead the way. 

I got thankful replies from each one of them. The song of one lone bird in the darkness, reminded me that a single act of encouragement can sometimes be a lifeline to someone who might really need it. Perhaps you needed reminding too!

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 😊 

Answering the Call to Shine the Light

Posted on by Wendy
We all have the opportunity to share the light of Christ with those around us.

When I began working at my current job, I met a sweet lady on the maintenance staff. She came by my office and introduced herself and welcomed me aboard. I learned that she begins her workday every morning at 5:00 AM and I was touched by her kindness and happy attitude with that early start.

I’ve been working here for close to a year now and almost every day, she goes out of her way to say hello. There’s a quiet joy that radiates from her and I always look forward to our short chats.

Yesterday, when we were talking about some bad weather that thankfully, didn’t materialize for us, she said that she was praying on the way to work that it wouldn’t hit until she arrived safely.

I smiled and told her I had prayed about the weather that morning too.

I thought about our conversation after she left. I knew she was a Christian before she talked about prayer. How did I know? It’s the simple way she carries herself and the joy that she exudes. She never had to say a word. She didn’t have to quote scripture or tell me where she went to church. She just acts differently than other people.

She carries a light and walks the walk that we are all called to.

I was struck how she didn’t pray that we wouldn’t get the bad weather. She prayed for her safe passage.

I’ll have to admit that I don’t often pray for my safe passage. I pray for the storm to go away. But, what if God plans on using the storm to either teach me faith or others faith through me? Praying for God’s will over my own is not easy and if I’m honest, I fail more than I succeed, yet I am called to work towards that goal every morning when I wake up.

 Thankfully, His mercies are new every morning.

I often pray that others see God’s light through me and that He shows me Himself during my day. I don’t know why I am continually surprised when He comes through and teaches me a lesson in the process.

My sweet coworker reminded me to shine the light of Christ wherever I am and that our God doesn’t have to stop the storm in order to give us safe passage. Perhaps you needed reminding too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 😊 

God is Always at Work

Posted on by Wendy
Just because we can’t see evidence of growth, doesn’t mean it’s not happening.

One morning this week, I woke up to a cold, dreary, rainy day. The time had just changed over the weekend, so it was really dark out. I sat at my kitchen table eating my breakfast listening to the pouring rain, seriously wishing I didn’t have to go to work.

I drove to work more slowly than usual and then trudged to my building, wearing rainboots, a raincoat and carrying an umbrella. When I arrived at my office, I heard a buzz on my phone indicating a text message.

It was a message from a dear friend that read: “Good morning sweet friend. Enjoy your rainy day. It may not be the sunrise that we seek, but God has a plan for everyday and this one is just as beautiful as all other mornings.”

I smiled and said a prayer of thanks for her and then texted her back telling her she had no idea how much I needed to hear that. I marveled at the Holy Spirit at work in her, that prompted her to reach out and send a word of encouragement.

The next day was stunningly beautiful and warm, literally the perfect spring day. When I took a walk at lunch time, I couldn’t believe the difference. Of course, I know that we are talking about typical spring time weather, but it was hard to even dream of the beauty that I was witnessing during the ugly of the day before.

As I kept walking, I noticed all of the trees and shrubs bursting in bloom and thought about how that rainy day helped to feed those blooms. Those trees needed that rain.

Yes, my friend had been right, God did have a plan for that day, even if I couldn’t appreciate it at the time.

Then I came upon a very old tree without one bloom. To the casual observer, it looked dead, but it wasn’t. That tree was still dormant and hadn’t awaken yet. The fact that it wasn’t blooming didn’t mean that work and growth wasn’t going on beneath the roots and bark, even if there wasn’t outward growth to show it.  

God was at work on this tree just as He was on the ones already in full bloom. His timing for this tree was simply different, but no less intentional.

I thought about His timing as the day went on. I thought about how everyone loves beautiful warm, sunny, days surrounded by blooming thriving trees, and people, if we are honest, but we sometimes forget how much work goes on behind the scenes of that beauty. 

Make no mistake, God is always at work with a plan for every day, even when we can’t see it, in nature, in the people around us and in us. A text from a friend reminded me. Perhaps you needed reminding too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 😊