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.

A Lenten Call to Shine

Posted on by Wendy
We are called to bloom in every season.

This week was the official beginning of Lent for those who observe it. Lent is not Biblical, but has been observed in some form, in various churches, for over a thousand years. It’s meant to be a time of self-denial, but perhaps more importantly, a time of self-reflection.  

As I type this, we have been in an international pandemic for over two years now. Many of us feel like we have been in a never-ending phase of self-denial. Many have spent a lot of time in self-reflection and have made positive changes. Others have retreated to their homes, embracing the safety there, choosing to connect electronically. We want to work from home and worship from home. We have shunned people who aggravate us or who are different from us, but in the process, we have also shunned community. 

Inflation is out of control and simply shopping for groceries or filling the car up with gas, can make the hardiest soul a little squeamish. Just when we seemed to be emerging from the ongoing pandemic woes, Russia elected to start a war with its neighbors and created worldwide instability. 

As I was putting away laundry last week and prayerfully thinking about world turmoil in the context of Lent, I happened to see a large bloom on my Christmas Cactus that is apparently blissfully unaware that it’s March. It made me smile and as I drew closer, I was delighted to find tiny buds all over it. I felt like the Holy Spirit was sending a message. 

The miracle of Jesus’ birth is still just as beautiful and important in March as it was in December. His birth, life, death, and resurrection know no season, even though we try to fit them neatly on our calendars. They are all constant truth and therefore should be constant comfort to all who walk with Him and an ongoing reason to bloom and share that hope with others. 

We all wish that the dark days would finally be behind us, that Covid will be a thing of the past and that people could all just get along, but that is not for us to decide. 

Yet, we do have a decision to make in the midst of the darkness.  

We can choose to let the light of Christ shine through us, remembering that the darker the days are, the brighter our light is and perhaps this year, that’s the call of the Lenten season, the call to shine. 

A March blooming Christmas Cactus reminded me to bloom and shine regardless of the season. Perhaps you needed reminding too. 

Have an awesome day! 

Wendy 🙂

Seeking Shalom

Posted on by Wendy
We don’t have to know what lies ahead, because God does.

Every year around New Year’s, I pray about a new word to focus on in the coming year. This year the words peace and prayer kept coming up again and again. I figured the Holy Spirit was trying to teach me something, so I went with it. I wrote them on post its on my desk and in my journal. As I spent more time thinking about peace, I began to feel drawn to the concept of shalom.

As I studied more about the concept, I was fascinated. Shalom is the Hebrew word for peace, but it means much more than the Western concept of the absence of war or to wish someone a good day. Shalom means complete peace, harmony, wholeness, completeness, contentedness, prosperity, welfare and tranquility. Shalom is not partial. It’s not about circumstances. It’s about the whole.

As I began praying about moving towards shalom in my life, I was called to put into practical use.

In January, my Mama got sick and gave us quite a scare. In February, my annual bloodwork revealed some questionable results and I received a packet from the Department of Labor informing me that they were fighting an unemployment claim that I never filed. Yep, I had been a victim of some kind of identity theft.

I can’t say I was surprised. I’ve been on this faith journey long enough to know that if you pray for rain, you better get an umbrella. If you pray for extra peace in your life, especially complete peace, shalom, the peace that can only come from walking with Jesus, it would be foolish to expect smooth sailing. We can’t learn to swim if we don’t get wet.

There have been times in my life when the circumstances listed above, would have set me in a tailspin, but I found myself praying before panicking and meditating on shalom. I am happy to report that both mine and my Mama’s health are fine, so being emotionally distraught would have been for no reason. It would have been a complete waste of time, time that could have been better spent doing Kingdom Work.

Worrying wouldn’t have changed the outcome either way.

As I write this, my identity situation is not yet resolved, but I am reminded that Jesus warned us of troubles on this side of eternity. He said that we should be at peace anyway.

Having shalom is a daily intentional choice that begins with prayer and is strengthened with scripture. It’s a challenge, no doubt about it, but I think it’s a challenge worth pursuing. Perhaps you might like to try it too?

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 😀

The Call to Seek Like Mary

Posted on by Wendy
When we truly seek Jesus, we will find Him.

I’ve been participating in an online Bible study. We have been reading one chapter a day in the Gospel of John. One day last week, we got to chapter twenty. That’s the chapter where Mary Magdalene, Peter and John go to the tomb and find it empty. This is a very familiar passage to most Christians, but this time when I read it, Mary’s experience really stuck with me.

She was the first one to the tomb, the first to realize He wasn’t there. When she saw He wasn’t there, the text says she ran to tell Peter and John. In response to her news, they ran to the tomb. The scriptures say both disciples went inside and saw His grave clothes and they believed and then went back to where they were staying.

The two disciple simply went back to where they were staying? They saw that Jesus was gone and went home? Didn’t they have questions? Were they in shock? Was His absence just too much for them to deal with in that moment?

But, Mary stayed. Overcome with grief, she didn’t run from it. She stayed right there, right where she thought Jesus should be and cried. I picture her sobbing at this point. I know I would be, but her open honest show of grief resulted in a direct response from heaven.

“She looked inside the tomb again and found two angles there, they asked her, “Woman, why are you crying?” “They have taken my Lord away,” she said, “and I don’t know where they have put him.” John 20:13

Then she turned and stood face-to-face with the Risen Jesus, but did not recognize Him.

“Thinking he was the gardener, she said, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him.” John 20:15

I find this to be a bold statement for a grieving woman, alone at a tomb, but Mary was steadfast and fearless in her search for Jesus. She was willing to go get his body herself. Whatever it took, she would find Jesus.

And her stubborn faith was rewarded. When Jesus called her name, she knew it was Him and her mourning immediately became joy.

Mary’s story reminds me that we all will at some point, find ourselves grieving on this side of eternity and we have a choice how we will respond. We can deal with it by running from it, or pretending it doesn’t exist, or attempting to numb it by some chemical means, or we can seek Jesus and the peace that only He can give us.

When the world tells us that Jesus doesn’t care about us, if we remain stubborn and steadfast like Mary, He will show up and meet us right where we are, right in the middle of whatever we are dealing with and He will call our name.

Sometimes I need reminding. Perhaps you do too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

 

 

 

Lessons from a D

Posted on by Wendy
Lessons of mercy and grace can remain with us for an entire lifetime.

When I was in first grade, we began each day with a morning coloring assignment. It would be something like ducks and a pond. There were specific directions. We would have to color the baby ducks yellow, the mama duck white, the grass green and the pond blue. We were expected to follow them perfectly and to stay within the lines.

I was a rule follower and I usually did well on the morning assignments. I did struggle with staying within the lines, but that was mostly because I found coloring to be tedious and boring.

I always brought home good grades. I could tell it made my Mama happy and I did my best to do well.

One morning, the assignment was to color the dog brown. He was some type of terrier, sitting on his back two legs. He filled the entire page. The directions were to color him brown, which I did, easy peasy, but I decided the dog needed a collar. I had seen Lady & the Tramp. I knew what happened to dogs without collars.

My dogs at home had collars. This dog I was coloring wasn’t a stray; he was loved and so I colored him in a colorful collar.

I was shocked when the teacher returned it with a big, fat red D. She was unimpressed with my creativity. I hadn’t followed directions.

I was so ashamed and when I got into my Mama’s car with it at the end of the week; I shoved it under her seat, where it remained for a while. But, as mistakes that we hide from tend to do, it eventually came to light. My little sister discovered it and pulled it out and asked what it was in her loudest kindergarten voice.

I was caught. I knew Mama would be disappointed at my bad grade, but she said we would talk about it when we got home. It was a long ten mile ride.

When we got there, she looked closely at the picture and then she surprised me with a hug. First, she told me I shouldn’t ever hide anything from her, no matter how bad I thought it was and then she told me she really liked the picture and that the dog’s collar was beautiful. She appreciated my creativity and couldn’t believe that my teacher didn’t. Of course, I would give him a collar. Our dogs had collars.

I probably learned more that day from that D than every single paper I colored for the entire year.

I learned that while rules are important, legalism is bad. I learned to trust my creativity. I learned not to hide my mistakes from the people who love me and I got a beautiful picture of mercy and grace. Sometimes I need reminding that what I see as failure isn’t really failure at all. Perhaps you needed reminding too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Gray Hair Blessings

Posted on by Wendy
If you woke up today, make it count.

I have reached a point in my life where gray hairs are ongoing participants. There are no longer one or two that I can pull. They are everywhere. At the moment, I make regular appointments with my hairdresser, who is also a sweet friend of mine, to keep them covered. I have grown to prefer her artistry over the artistry of time.

I have often thought that I wouldn’t mind the gray so much if they didn’t come in standing straight up. I mean, seriously, they will fight any amount of product that I put on them to make them fall in line with the rest of my hair. They seem determined to demand my attention.

Recently, as I was praying while getting ready for work, a new one caught my attention. It was standing straight up, almost defying gravity and daring me to pull it, but as I zeroed in on it, I felt a little nudge in my heart asking me why it bothered me so much. It’s existence was simply proof of my time on earth.

When did getting older become so taboo?

In the Bible, the Book of Proverbs, (which happens to be one of the Books of Wisdom), tells us, “Gray hair is a crown of glory; it is gained in a righteous life.” Proverbs 16:31

The appearance of gray hair means that we have been blessed with a certain amount of longevity and I immediately thought of a friend of mine who was lost to ALS who didn’t have her first gray hair yet. What would she have given to live long enough to worry about something as trivial as gray hair?

As I continued down that thought path, it occurred to me that maybe they stand straight up because they are supposed to serve as a reminder of our limited time here on earth. Everyday that we wake up is a gift. Everyday we wake up is proof that God isn’t finished with us yet and we still have a mission on this side of eternity.

The gray serves as a reminder to make each day count. It also serves as a reminder that we have attained a certain amount of wisdom that comes from living. Are we sharing that wisdom? It seems like today’s world could definitely benefit from some wisdom, especially wisdom from long time Christ followers.

As I finished doing my hair, I felt a lot less annoyance over the gray. I don’t have to love them, but I can learn to appreciate their message. After all, I can always use reminders of my many blessings and that everyday should count. Perhaps you can too!

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

 

 

The Call to be Light Bearers

Posted on by Wendy
We too, can offer light in dark places.

My family and I recently visited a Christmas light show. We chose our ticket time carefully because we wanted to be sure it was completely dark. Who wants to watch a light show in the daylight? We were not disappointed. Even though it was overcast and misting rain, the lights were spectacular against the dark night.

As we get ready to celebrate the birth of Christ, it makes perfect sense that it’s the darkest time of year. We have less daylight this time of year than any other time. In fact, December 21st is the longest night of the year. That darkness allows the lights shine even brighter.

As people of faith, we look towards the spiritual light that Christmas represents.

The prophet Isaiah said it this way, “The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the shadow of death a light has dawned.” Isaiah 9:2

In his Gospel, John wrote about Jesus, “In him was life and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.” John 1:4 and “The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world.”

While we all like to focus on Christmas being the most wonderful time of the year, I think it’s important to remember that it’s a really dark time for many people. We live in a broken world. There is sickness, death, loneliness and heartbreak on this side of eternity and for some, the Christmas season magnifies loss.

But, as people of faith we are called to be bearers of the true light of the season. Like the Christmas lights that we see everywhere, we are called to shine in the darkness. There are so many ways we can choose to act differently than the world expects us to.

We can give to charities or buy toys for the less fortunate. We can invite someone to a Christmas Eve service. We can let someone out ahead of us in traffic. We can offer a reassuring smile to the frazzled mama with the screaming toddler, at the grocery store or stop to chat with the elderly man at the hardware store. We can pay for the person behind us in the drive thru line or post kind encouraging words on social media. We can invite someone to share Christmas with our family.

In short, we can open our eyes and go out of our way to be the face of Jesus to a world so very desperate for a glimpse of Him.

A Christmas light show reminded me that people of faith are called to be a Christmas light show too. Sometimes I need reminding. Perhaps you did too.

Merry Christmas!

Wendy 🙂

The Christmas Cactus Testimony

Posted on by Wendy
The Christmas Cactus knows its job is to announce that Christmas is coming despite its circumstances.

About a week ago, I was delighted to find small, bright pink buds on my Christmas Cactus. I tend to it year round, but once a year, it rewards me with stunning tropical blooms. When I see the little buds, it’s like a little announcement from Creation itself that Jesus is coming. It makes no difference to that little plant what new viruses or variants are surging or what new political  chaos is raging.

It’s purpose in life is to announce that Christmas is coming and it does so with great enthusiasm.

Years ago, when I first got it, I planted it in a pretty white ceramic pot that thought suited it beautifully. Last week, my hubby accidently knocked it off the plant stand and it fell crashing floor. Once I realized that he was ok and I saw the shards of white all over the floor, I rushed to see what kind of damage was done to the plant. I was pleased to see very little damage to the plant itself, but the saucer part of the pot was mostly gone.

I didn’t dare repot it while it was covered in buds, fearing it would go into shock and not bloom, so I bought a plain, ugly, plastic saucer to put underneath it. It definitely wasn’t as pretty as before. I mean, the pot was toast. It made me a little sad to see it broken.

But, over the next few days, the buds got bigger and brighter. I found myself drawn to it one day after work. The plant it seemed, was blissfully unaware of the ugly saucer it was sitting in. It’s job was to announce the coming of Christ and it was happily doing its job despite the circumstances.

I’ll have to admit that I felt both inspired and humbled at its defiance.

How often do we allow our circumstances to hinder our worship and our mission? When life sends blows our way, how do we respond? When we lose a job, or a relationship falls apart or we get a bad diagnosis, do we stand tall like that cactus and continue to point others to Jesus or do we curl up in a ball and wait until the sun is once again shining and life is good to resume our worship?

Life on this side of eternity will always be a mix of both good and bad. A Christmas cactus reminded me while we have no control over our circumstances, we do have control over our response to them. Perhaps you needed reminding too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

 

 

 

The Beauty of Connection

Posted on by Wendy
Sometimes the smallest gestures can foster connection.

My day job includes work as an academic advisor at a university. The students have to make an appointment with me before they can register for the next semester. I always give them the option to meet with me over zoom or in person in my office. Many of them choose zoom. After almost two years of the convenience of not having to actually go to meetings, they like the idea of meeting in their dorm room or apartment. It’s less awkward and it takes little to no effort on their part.

I think we have all been there.

They get the same information that the students who come to my office get, but they don’t get the connection. There’s something about meeting with people face-to-face that makes relationships more genuine.

I keep a bowl of Jolly Ranchers on my desk and I always offer the students one on their way out. It’s so fun to watch them smile and pick their favorite flavor. It’s an unexpected treat and I have never had anyone turn the candy down. In fact, I have had a few of them that stop in to say hello from time to time and I always offer them another one. They always accept.

It’s such a small thing, sharing a piece of candy, but after a pandemic that had people separated for so long, little gestures seem to go a long way. Connection goes a long way.

Those Jolly Ranchers got me to thinking about connection and church. I think maybe many of us have found ourselves still participating in virtual church. Year after year, Sunday after Sunday, we got up and got dressed and went to church and then a pandemic hit and everything went virtual. Don’t get me wrong, the ability to worship virtually was a gift, but now for many of us, it’s become convenient. It’s easier than getting up and getting dressed. It’s easier than leaving the house. It’s easier than dealing with people, but are we missing connection?

There’s something incredibly powerful when God’s people come together to worship Him. There’s connection with Him and with each other. If we actively sought connection both physically and spiritually and spent more time face-to-face instead of in cyberspace, what would our world look like?

We might be pleasantly surprised. A bowl of Jolly Ranchers reminded me that the beauty of connection is worth the work and inconvenience. Perhaps you needed reminding too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

A Reminder to Plant

Posted on by Wendy
We never know when we are planting seeds.

Last Sunday at church, right after we began singing our first praise song, a young family slipped in and sat in the pew in front of us. They had two young girls with them and they were clearly tired and frazzled.

The older of the two girls sat down beside her mama, but the younger one rolled around in the pew, much to her daddy’s dismay. He handed her a pen and his bulletin, but she wasn’t interested in singing or sitting  down. When the song ended and we were asked to greet one another I leaned over and asked her what she was going to be for Halloween. She grinned and said, “Supergirl.”

I smiled, remembering those days.

We sang more songs and she squirmed more. When it was time for the offering, I leaned over and handed her a visitor’s card that I had drawn a jack-o’-lantern on. She was delighted and ran over to show her daddy. Later, she left her seat and went up the aisle. Her parents were not amused and I’m sure they wished that had have been able to sit further towards the back. During our final song, the little girl gave me a picture she had drawn on the bulletin. I smiled and thanked her. She grinned proudly and then she went off to children’s church.

Her parents visibly relaxed.

I thought of that little girl during the entire service and how hard it can be to parent young children. I remembered the days of trying to get my own kids dressed and out the door for church. I remembered being stressed and annoyed and sometimes even questioning if taking them to church was worth the hassle. Were they learning anything at all?

Of course in hindsight, it was absolutely worth it. I will never regret taking our children to church even if some of those Sundays were complete chaos. I’m a big believer in planting seeds and there’s not much more fertile ground than the hearts of littles.

After we sang our last song, I went over to those young parents and said hello. I told them they were doing a great job. The mom seemed surprised. I told them that I remembered how hard it was to get little ones to church and I remembered the stress and the rushing. She nodded and agreed that it was hard. I assured them that these days will fly by and what they were doing  mattered. They seemed truly grateful to hear those few small words of encouragement.

As I look at my gift of art from a restless child, I am reminded that being a part of the Body of Christ is so much more than showing up to church, singing a few songs and leaving. It’s about seed planting. We all are given many opportunities to plant seeds. Will they be seeds of encouragement, kindness and affirmation or seeds that foster doubt and judgement, or will we decide not to plant anything at all and just stand by in silence?

A little girl reminded me that we all need to be in the seed planting business. Perhaps you needed reminding too.

Have an Awesome Day!

Wendy 🙂

 

Having Faith in Abundance

Posted on by Wendy
Annie reminds me that we need to trust in the abundance in God’s economy.

We recently adopted a pup from the pound. We saw her online and went to meet her and just had to have her. We named her Annie. When we first brought her home, we noticed her ribs were showing and we joked about how we are always good at fattening up our pets. When we fed her the first time, she ate like she hadn’t eaten in days. She wolfed her food down in no time flat and then she went after our other dogs’ food.

I figured it was her first time in a real home and it would take some time for her to trust that there will always be enough. I knew it would take some patience. It’s been a couple of weeks at this point and she still eats like every meal is her last. There are lots of treats and plenty of food, but she still doesn’t really believe in abundance.

There was a time in my life when I would have been frustrated with her lack of trust, but I have to admit that she reminds me a little of all of us on our faith walk. When we become Christ followers, we are given this unbelievable amount of grace. In fact it’s so abundant, we have a hard time accepting it.

We are given gifts and talents to further the kingdom and yet, we are reluctant to share them. Whether it’s financial gifts, the gift of our time, the gift of encouragement or even hospitality, we have been given countless gifts, but like Annie, we tend to be tight fisted with them. Living in this world, on this side of eternity, has made us believe in the principle of scarcity.

What we have to remember is that even though we live in this world, we are not of it. We are only travelers here. We are citizens of heaven and in God’s economy, there is no scarcity, only abundance.

Keeping that in mind, we are called to live not with fists held tight, but with hands wide open, open to receive blessings and open to give them back to a world around us that desperately needs them. We have to learn to trust abundance and believe there will always be enough.

It takes time. Building faith takes time and so, I am patient with Annie, because honestly, she reminds me of me and maybe she reminds you of you. Sometimes I need reminding. Perhaps you do too!

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂