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 the Beauty

Posted on by Wendy
Let's seek and give thanks for the beauty placed in our lives.
Let’s seek  the beauty placed in our lives and then give thanks for it.

Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, “Never lose an opportunity of seeing anything that is beautiful, for Beauty is God’s handwriting.”

When I recently came across that quote, I couldn’t help but write it down. I remembered it when my mama and I had a telephone conversation about her upcoming visit to Canada. She’s going with a friend in December, but is now regretting the timing because December is so busy.

But, as we talked a little longer, she commented that it was a part of the world she had never seen before and she was looking forward to seeing it. I assured her that she would love it once she got there. She agreed.

After we hung up, I continued to think about our conversation. I thought about the beauty that fall always brings, the brilliant yellows, reds and oranges. I thought about how creative our God is to treat us to such a vibrant show every year.

He didn’t have to. He could have just let the leaves turn brown and fall off, but instead we are treated to a colorful show that even the makers at Crayola can’t match.

There’s so much beauty in Creation, from mountain tops, to the seashore, to the desert, from rivers and lakes to countless flowers and trees, not to mention the wildlife.

God loves beauty. We only have to go outside to see the evidence. Is it possible to truly feed our souls, we need to spend time in Creation? In the Bible, people didn’t live in high rises or stay inside for days on end watching television or playing on the internet.

Many were shepherds, farmers and fishermen. People often had to go outside to bring water into their houses. They walked in the streets to purchase things, not the shopping mall.

I think that the quest to seek beauty in the world around us, is a form of worship. It’s a form of thanksgiving to our loving and creative God. I think He is pleased when we stop and notice the beauty that we so often overlook.

A quote and a conversation reminded me to stop and soak up the beauty in this season. Let’s pause and take a breath. It won’t be long before the holidays kick in and we will be in a very busy season with a beauty all it’s own.

But, for now, let’s take a look around us and give thanks for the show. Perhaps you needed reminding today.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Remembering the Saints

Posted on by Wendy
Today we remember the people who have helped light our way.
Today we remember the people who have helped light our way.

If you look on most calendars, you will see that today is All Saints’ Day. It doesn’t get nearly the hype of Halloween. There are no costumes or candy involved. Many Protestants don’t think about this day as anything special. It’s often seen as a Roman Catholic holiday.

To be a saint in the Roman Catholic church, there are many hoops to jump through, one of them being death. Another one is that they had to be involved in some type of miracle. Those things are not something that most everyday Christians give much thought to.

The United Methodist Church holds a ceremony in local congregations, to celebrate All Saints’ Day, on the first Sunday in November. A candle is lit in memory of church members who have passed away the previous year.

While these are all beautiful ways to honor the faithful in our lives who have gone home to heaven, the Bible defines saints a little differently. In the New Testament, saints are never deceased. They are living people who have dedicated themselves to the worship and service of the one true God as revealed through Jesus.

Those who were dedicated to the teachings of Christ, are referred to as saints in, Matthew, Acts and Revelation. Paul calls people saints in six of his letters addressed to the churches he ministered to or visited.

When we think of saints in those terms, living people who are dedicated to the teachings of Christ and who dedicate themselves to worship and service to the one true God, the concept of All Saints’ Day, changes tremendously.

I can probably name five saints, right off of the top of my head, who God has blessed me with. What about you?

We have all had people who have helped us along our faith journey. Some may be parents or grandparents, or other relatives. Some may be Sunday School teachers or youth group leaders. Some may be neighbors or co-workers. God sends us people from all walks of life, in many different situations, in many different seasons, to help light our way and grow our faith.

The one thing these people all have in common, is that they shine the light of Christ so brightly that we can’t miss it. They shine it so brightly that it lights our path that has sometimes become dark. They shine it so brightly, that we are drawn to it and to Jesus, who it comes from.

I am taking today to give thanks for the many saints who have helped me along my journey, whether they are still here on earth or at home with Jesus. I’m also taking today to pray that God helps me be a saint to those He places in my life.

Perhaps you would like to join me.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Courageous Faith

Posted on by Wendy
Courageous faith can change lives.
Courageous faith can change lives.

In my current Bible study, I’m reading the book of Joshua. It’s one of those Old Testament books full of action and easy to teach to the VBS crowd and the teens. There are lots of miracles in it.

What caught my attention this time, was the very first chapter, where God is about to have Joshua lead the Isrealites to the Promised Land. At last, after forty years of wandering, there is light at the end of the tunnel. In verse six, God tells Joshua to be courageous and then in verse seven, He tells him to be very courageous and reminds him to obey the law.

Then in verse nine God says, “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”

Three times God tells Joshua to be courageous, seems like He was trying to make a point.

Skip ahead to chapter two and we find Rahab the prostitute. That’s her title at this point in the story, but Rahab has decided to stop living in fear and to make a change. Rahab tells the Israelite spies that her people’s “courage has failed,” and “their hearts are melting in fear,” because “the Lord your God is God in heaven above and on the earth below.” Joshua 2:11b

Rahab decided that she knew who the real God was and she decided to help His Israelite spies and then she boldly asked them to save not only her, but her entire family. They agreed.

When Jericho fell, the Israelites kept their promise to Rahab, the way God always keeps His promises to those who are faithful.

Think about that for a moment. One woman, and not even a revered woman, a prostitute, found the courage to acknowledge God and put her faith in Him and because of her courage, her entire family was saved.

Rahab went on to have a son named Boaz. Boaz married Ruth and they had a son named Obed, who had a son named Jesse, who had a son named David, yes that David, King David. So, yes, Rahab is in the lineage of Jesus, not too bad for a prostitute who decided to change her ways.

Rahab’s decision to choose God, secured her place in history. She chose courage and not fear. She chose faith.

I find some parallels with Rahab’s time in history and our own. There’s so much fear right now. As Rahab put it, there are hearts that are melting in fear, fear of the election, fear of terrorism, fear of violence, lots of fear.

I see it on the news everyday. I see it on Facebook everyday. The Book of Joshua reminds us that God’s people are not to live in fear. Joshua was told to be courageous and have faith. Rahab chose to be courageous and have faith.

Their faith not only got them through very dark times, it also lead to much brighter times ahead. Perhaps there’s some wisdom in their story for all of us.

Maybe we all need a little more courageous faith these days.

A morning Bible study reminded me. Perhaps you needed reminding too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Shining Through the Rain

Posted on by Wendy
We can always choose to let our light shine.
We can always choose to let our light shine.

As Halloween draws near, it makes me think of the years when my kids were little and we went trick-or-treating. My neighborhood is very hilly and spread out, so another neighbor and I got together and organized a hay ride for the neighborhood kids. It was a huge success and became a tradition that we carried on for the next five years.

The parents enjoyed it as much as the kids because they got to ride along too. The neighbors enjoyed it because they got to hand out candy to several very large groups and then they were done for the evening. The kids loved it because they got a ton of candy.

One year, the weather forecast called for rain. The parents were concerned. Would the annual hay ride go on if it rained? But, that wasn’t what concerned the kids. The kids wanted to wear and be seen in their costumes. Raincoats would cover them up.

Many of them had taken a lot of time to put together that perfect outfit and whether they were zombies or princesses, they wanted to show off each unique outfit. My own two children were no exception.

I couldn’t stop the rain from coming, but I could do something to help them celebrate their creativity and stay dry. I went to Walmart and I bought every clear poncho they had. Luckily, they weren’t but a dollar. When I returned home, I assured my nervous kids that all would be well.

The evening started out dry and we loaded up the trailers and headed out. Eventually, it started to rain and as the kids began to complain about their evening being cut short, I reached into a bag and pulled out clear ponchos. I wish I could have captured the delight on their little faces when they realized that they could stay dry and show off their costumes.

The Halloween hay ride continued and everyone had a ball.

I always find myself thinking about that Halloween this time of year and I remember the life lesson I learned from it. There are so many things in life we simply cannot control. The weather is definitely one of them. Sometimes it’s going to rain. Sometimes it’s going to be dark. Sometimes it’s going to be loud.

While we can’t control those things, we can control how we react. Do we stay indoors and miss out? Do we go out but cover up our creativity and who we are? Do we just cower in the corner? We can do all of those things or we can choose another way.

We can get out there anyway. We can find creative ways to let our light shine even thought it’s dark, even thought it’s rainy, even thought it’s scary. We are each uniquely made and we aren’t meant to cower. We were meant to be creative and courageous, remembering that all things are possible with God and I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

As Christians, it’s up to us to bring some light into the darkness. When we walk with Jesus, we never walk alone.

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

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Admitting to Being Snackless

Posted on by Wendy
When we admit our need for Jesus, He will provide.
When we admit our need for Jesus, He will provide.

When you work in the office at an elementary school, you begin to notice that there are some kids who are frequent flyers. Some are in the clinic all of the time. Some have regular discipline issues. Some are never sure how they are going home for the day.

One of those kids was in the office yesterday. He has good days and bad days. He struggles. He has a tough back story. But, he knows that the staff at our school cheers for him on his good days, the days when he gets it right.

Yesterday, he came into the office with a smile on his face, something that’s kind of rare for him, and announced matter-of-factly, that he was snackless. We keep snacks in the clinic for the kids that can’t bring one from home. We chuckled at his terminology as we ushered him into the clinic to claim a snack.

Our nurse proclaimed rather loudly to him how happy she was to see his smile as she got him a snack. He thanked her and headed back to class.

I thought about that little boy for the rest of the afternoon. I thought about how everyday is a struggle for him to get it right, to make the right choices, to see the bright side. I thought about how even though he has spent a fair amount of time in trouble, he knew that he would be welcomed when he was in need. He knew he would receive if he only asked.

Haven’t we all been there? Haven’t we found ourselves making the wrong choices? Haven’t we found ourselves with the inability to find the good in the place we find ourselves? Haven’t we found ourselves so far down that we wonder if we can ever climb back out?

I know I have. But, I have also found myself in situations where if I was willing to look outside of the darkness, I could see others cheering me on, praying that I would get it right. I have found myself so far off of the right path, that I wondered if I would ever make it back. But, I did.

When I admitted my need for Jesus, He willingly stepped in and provided. Just like that little boy came in and announced that he was snackless and we reached out to him, Jesus reaches out to us and gives us what we need. I think heaven cheers for us when we admit our need, when we get it right, just like our staff at school cheers for that little boy.

The Bible says, “In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” Luke 15:10

We’ve all been lost. We’ve all been snackless. When we admit our need, Jesus will find us and feed us.

A little boy reminded me. Perhaps you needed reminding too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

 

Roof Lessons

Posted on by Wendy
Just like a roof protects a house, our spiritual coverings protect our hearts.
Just like a roof protects a house, our spiritual coverings protect our hearts.

Last week, I got a message from my friend Amy, who is the director of the Two Rivers Salkehatchie mission camp that my family attends in the summer. I’m always happy to hear from her and anyone else from that camp. She wanted to check with me on some dates for next summer. It’s only October and she’s already at work planning next summer’s projects.

Amy, along with all of the people at Two Rivers, have become family to my family. We talk about them often. We are better people when we work side by side with them helping people who cannot help themselves. Even though we only see them physically, once a year, they have become part of our village.

We are prayer partners with each other. We are warriors for each other. We work together on the physical and the spiritual. We are all aware that our faith requires us to do both.

One of the many lessons I have learned from working on Salkehatchie houses is the importance of roofs. We talk a lot about foundations in our faith and they are very important. A house with a solid foundation can withstand just about anything that gets thrown at it.

Christians with good foundations are equally as strong. When we are rooted in God’s Word and our hearts belong to Jesus, we can weather any storm.

But, we also need to consider our roofs. When a roof springs a leak, it allows water to come in that causes all types of damage and destruction along with other things like mold and rot.

As Christians, we too, have to watch our spiritual coverings, our spiritual roofs. What are we allowing to seep in that may cause damage? If we aren’t covering ourselves with prayer, if we aren’t covering ourselves with scripture, if we aren’t covering ourselves with strong Christian community, we may be allowing small leaks to form.

When we aren’t careful, we can find ourselves doing things like giving in to anger over the trivial, or choosing to be hurt instead of letting offhand comments go, or choosing to believe lies about ourselves or others, whispered to us by our enemy. We can become active in gossip and tearing others down. We can become jealous of other people’s success.

Those are all leaks that over time, can cause some serious damage. They can cause a type of mold to grow in our hearts. When we keep our spiritual roofs in good shape, the bad stuff just rolls off. It has no place to seep in.

Working on roofs at Two Rivers has taught me a lot more than just how to use a nail gun. It’s taught me the importance of staying spiritually covered as well.

A Facebook message from a friend reminded me. Perhaps you needed reminding too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

 

Fall Reflections

Posted on by Wendy
God's amazing artsitry
God’s amazing artistry

Even thought it’s late October here in Georgia, most of our leaves are stubbornly hanging onto the trees. Most of them in my yard are still green too, but as I look around, I have begun to notice that there are many on the ground as well. But, the ones on the ground are brown. It’s like they went from green to brown without turning the brilliant color that they always do. They skipped the beautiful part.

As I was scrolling through some pictures the other day, the one above caught my eye. I really love that picture. The brightly colored leaves reflecting in the water, capture some of God’s greatest creativity. Because of the way light works, we get to see the brilliance twice, once looking directly at the trees and then again in the reflection.

My sweet mama took that photo and felt inspired to send it to me. I was so glad she did.

As I was enjoying that photo and feeling a little cheated that my trees don’t look like that this year, I was reminded that there are likely several reasons for that. For one, Georgia has had record high temperatures this fall. It’s been regularly in the eighties. It doesn’t feel like fall. Then there’s the fact that we are in extreme drought. I’m no tree expert, but I suspect that the lack of rain, may have something to so with the leaf color.

But, the fact is, we are still in the season of fall. Even though it’s hot and dry, even though it doesn’t feel like fall, or look like fall, it’s still fall. The leaves will eventually drop and it will turn colder. Thanksgiving is on the way despite the way the landscape looks at the moment.

Haven’t we all found ourselves in a dry season like this one? Haven’t we all found ourselves longing for some cool and refreshing air? Haven’t we found ourselves longing for some beauty and color when everything seemed drab and brown?

Even in those dry times, if we look back carefully, we can see that God was at work even when it didn’t feel like it at the time. Those times can serve as a reminder to us when we find ourselves there again, that God is in fact at work in the background. Even though our skies may not be emblazoned with beauty, there are still glimpses of hope if we are willing to actively seek it.

The Bible tells us that: “God is light and in him there is no darkness at all.” 1 John 1:5b

The brilliance of those leaves reflected in the pond, comes from the light provided by the sun, the light created by God. The picture reminds me that even in seasons of drought, seasons of beauty are always on the way. This journey on this side of heaven will always be filled with both.

If we find ourselves in a time of drought this fall, we can hold onto the hope that Thanksgiving and reasons to give thanks, are still on the horizon, even when we can’t feel them or see them. That’s called faith. God is at work and we never walk alone.

A photograph reminded me. Perhaps you needed reminding too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

 

 

 

Focusing on the Good

Posted on by Wendy
Focusing on the good is a choice.
Focusing on the good is a choice.

Due to the fact that my son waited to the last minute to write a paper for his lit class and the fact that my brother was unable to install Word on his computer a few weeks back, I was unable to use my computer last night. I don’t really have a post today. But, as irritated as I was with him, I reminded myself that in a couple of years, he won’t even live at home anymore. My time with him is flying.

In the big scheme of things, not having use of my computer for the evening is really not a big deal. Getting angry over trivial matters is a waste of my emotional resources. The older I get, the more I have come to realize that most of the things that drive us crazy in life and eat up so much of our emotional energy, are in fact, trivial.

So, I leave you today with one of my favorite scriptures: “Finally, brothers and sisters, 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

That’s great advice from Paul, advice I think we can all use. There’s a lot of really negative stuff going on, but there always has been. Chaos and evil are not new and it’s rather presumptuous of us to believe that we ware somehow living in the darkest moments of history. We have all been chosen to live at this time, in this moment, for a reason.

Let us remember there’s a lot of good stuff too. May God touch our hearts and turn them all to the light, the light of Christ. When we have that light, the world is a brighter place. Perhaps you needed reminding today.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

 

Exactly What We Need

Posted on by Wendy
Sometimes hope shows up when we least expect it.
Sometimes hope shows up when we least expect it.

A couple of days ago, when I got home from work, I let my dogs out and took a few minutes to enjoy the quiet. I was the first one home so it was really quiet. I sat down for a minute and checked my Facebook feed. The first post I saw was a post about the upcoming election and how America is doomed.

So much for the peace. It seems like everyone on Facebook has something to say about the election and yet everyone is tired of hearing everyone talk about it. Do you see the pattern of chaos here?

I’m tired of hearing about it. I’m tired of thinking about it.

But, the very next thing that popped up on my feed was an article from the Christian Post and it was written by Max Lucado, one of my favorite authors. I took the time to read it.

It was like a breath of fresh air reminding me that it doesn’t matter who our president is, God is still sovereign. He is still in charge. He’s in charge today. He will be in charge on November 8th and He will be in charge on November 9th, too.

Lucado also listed Biblical kings who were not Godly people, but God used them just the same. He then backed it up with scripture. My favorite one was: “The king’s heart is like a stream of water directed by the Lord; he guides it wherever he pleases.” Proverbs 21:1

Yep, that one is from one of the books of wisdom.

As I took a deep breath and shared the post, I felt restored. Lucado didn’t tell me anything I didn’t already know, but God sent me those words at exactly the time I needed to read them. My peace was restored.

I was reminded that God is in control and for me to have any anxiety about the upcoming election, shows my doubts about His control. As I thought about it that evening, I was also reminded that God’s timing is so amazing. The Lucado post showing up right after one more election post, was no coincidence. He always gives us what we need when we need it.

The following morning, there was a note on my desk from my coworker. She had gone to the playground to search for a lost pedometer that a grandparent had called about. The note informed me that she didn’t find it, but she did find a quarter and she taped it to the note.

I laughed about it and shared it with Ivy before our morning prayer. We prayed for strength and peace and to see God and to be God for the people around us.

As the day began and people began to come into the office, one of the teachers came in who had been having a horrible morning. Her child had forgotten her snack and her lunch and they had a hard time getting out of the house, period. She was frazzled and she hadn’t eaten breakfast and was going to get a bag of chips, but was a quarter short.

And there it was, shining on my desk, taped to a note. Ivy and I smiled at each other as I handed the teacher the quarter that was meant for her. God knew the day before, what she would need that morning.

He always knows and He always provides. Whatever road you find yourself traveling on today, don’t lose faith. Hold onto hope. Watch for God. Wait for God. He’s in control and He will show up at exactly the right time with whatever it is you need.

A quarter taped to a note reminded me. Perhaps you needed reminding too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

We Are Not God

Posted on by Wendy
Dogs can't understand why humans do what we do because they are not humans.
Dogs can’t understand why humans do what we do because they are not humans.

We have two dogs at our house, Piper and Sandy. I love them both dearly. They are around eight and ten years old we think. They both came to us as full grown strays. They arrived at different stages in our lives with very different personalities. One is large and one is smaller. One is male and one is female. One has long hair and one has short hair.

I love them differently, but equally, because they are different, but they don’t always accept that fact. They tend to get jealous of one another and jockey for my affection. I can’t really explain my feelings for them to them because they are dogs.

Sandy has seemed to had some stiffness in his joints lately, so we bought him some glucosamine tablets. They are chewable and we give him one every morning. They seem to keep more comfortable. He’s able to run up and down the stairs more easily. He needs them.

Piper doesn’t need them. She’s smaller and younger and her joints are fine. But, when Piper sees us give Sandy a tablet, she thinks it’s a treat and she gets jealous. In her eyes, he’s getting something special that she’s not getting. I can’t explain it to her because she’s a dog.

My Piper and Sandy situation has really weighed on my mind over the past few days. I wonder if that’s how God sometimes feels about us. He loves us as equally, but we are different, so He shows us in different ways. We often don’t understand because we are not God. We are humans.

He also gives us different things at different times because it’s something we need at the time. To those of us looking at someone else’s blessings, we can perceive that, that person always gets more or better than we do and we get jealous. We may wonder why we don’t get those extra blessings. In our focus on other people and their gifts, we can lose sight of the fact that we may appear the same way to others looking at us.

Either way, we often don’t understand because we are not God. We are human.

The Bible tells us, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” Isaiah 55:8-9

We forget though, don’t we? We think we know best. We think we know what we need more than God does. We become jealous like Piper is of Sandy’s glucosamine tablets.

But, when we lean into scripture, the Holy Spirit will whisper in our ears that we are loved. We are treasured and our Heavenly Father knows exactly what we need. Not only that, but He will provide it at exactly the right time. Learning to believe that is called faith and it’s something we can all use a little more of these days.

We are not God. My dogs reminded me. Perhaps you needed reminding too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂