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.

It’s What You Leave Behind

Posted on by Wendy
"It's not what you take when you leave this world behind you" Randy Travis
“It’s not what you take when you leave this world behind you; it’s what you leave behind you when you go.” Randy Travis

When the sun came up yesterday morning, I was delighted to see that my yellow irises were blooming. They even have a name, Money. They bloom every year right around my birthday and they are like a birthday wish from heaven.

My maternal grandmother died the month before I was born and so I never got to know her. As time went on, my granddaddy had a companion and her name was Kittie. She became a grandmother to me.

Long after Grandaddy died, we celebrated birthdays and Christmas with her. When I went away to college, she and I exchanged letters once every couple of weeks. We continued that practice until she was placed in a nursing home in her eighties. She was very special to me and I know that God placed her in my life.

She loved irises and grew different types. She entered them into a yearly contest. Sometimes she would complain that they bloomed too soon or that a late frost would mar them, but the yellow ones called, Money, were her favorites. They often won her a ribbon.

After she went home to be with Jesus, her house sat vacant and was set to be torn down. I called her sister and asked if it would be okay if I went and dug up some of her beloved irises. She gave me her blessing and so my hubby and I went and dug up the bulbs.

We planted them in a patch around a tree so I could see them from my kitchen window. They didn’t bloom the first year and then I found a little cat statue with angel wings and placed it in the bed. Kittie loved cats. I could vividly remember her teeheehee, giggle, when I put it there. The next year I was blessed with blooms along with beautiful memories of her.

Now, every year right around my birthday, those blooms pop out. They stand straight and tall as if they are pointing to heaven. They remind me of the importance of those who walk with us along our journey. They remind me that sometimes family doesn’t come to us through blood, but through God’s special blessings. They remind me of a beautiful soul who isn’t here physically anymore, yet her memory remains.

They remind me that life is short and that we need to make our moments count. They remind me of the Randy Travis song, Three Wooden Crosses. “I guess it’s not what you take when you leave this world behind you; it’s what you leave behind you when you go.”

That’s easy to forget sometimes in our constant rush, but sometimes it’s good to be reminded. Sometimes it’s good to stop and ask ourselves, “What will we leave behind when we go?” A different kind of Money reminded me today. Perhaps you need reminding too. Let’s make this day count.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Moving Towards Something Better

Posted on by Wendy
Sometimes God wants us to firmly close the door on our current path before He opens another one.
Sometimes God wants us to firmly close the door on our current path before He opens another one.

I’m currently following along with an online Bible study on the website #shereadstruth. It’s about the life of Moses and his part in the deliverance of the Israelites. One day last week, I read the passage, in Exodus, chapter five, where Moses asked Pharaoh to let the people go and not only did he refuse, he made their work more difficult.

They already had to make bricks, but now they were forced to find their own straw, yet do the same amount of work. Of course, they couldn’t keep up and then they were punished for it. The Israelites, in turn, got very angry at Moses for causing their newest misery.

I’ve always wondered why God would allow that to happen. They were already slaves. He was sending Moses to lead them out. Why didn’t He intervene, when Pharaoh decided to make a bad situation worse?

The writer for that day’s post pointed out that slavery had become the norm for the Israelites. She said that although it was a miserable way of life, they had become comfortable with it. God wanted to make it truly unbearable for them before He led them to something new.

Her point has swirled around in my mind for several days. I always love those Facebook quotes that say things like, “When God closes a door, don’t try to go back through it.” They always speak to me.

I know I have definitely been in situations where some aspect of my life was miserable, but the misery that I knew at the time, was what I had become used to. I was perfectly willing to stay in my misery instead of closing the door and starting on a new path. The unknown was scary.

Have you ever found yourself in a similar situation?

I have also found that when I really began to earnestly pray about my miserable situation, that things often did seem to get worse before they got better.

Was that perhaps because God wanted me, like the Israelites, to embrace the fact that He had a better plan and that my own circumstances at that moment, could never again be an option? Was it because He wanted me to accept with all of my heart, that when He closed that door, that I was to leave it locked for good?

Have you ever experienced this phenomenon?

I have always believed that God has a plan. I have also not always sought His will as I made decisions. Those decisions sometimes created a mess for me. Yet, our faithful Father, was always there to lead me out, at times more quickly than others.

These days, I bathe my major decisions in lots of prayer and regular Bible reading. I would like to think I’m getting better at listening.

The account of God getting ready to lead the Israelites out of bondage and towards the Promised Land reminded me of God’s faithfulness even when we can’t see it in the moment. I sometimes need reminding. Perhaps you do too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

 

The Ultimate Sanitizer

Posted on by Wendy
No one is exempt from the redeeming powers of grace.
No one is exempt from the redeeming powers of grace.

One day when I was subbing at a local elementary school, a little boy in my fourth grade class, approached me with a panic-stricken look on his face. He was a sweet child who was always polite and followed directions. The students were in the process of working on a social studies project which required them to use Sharpie markers.

When I asked him what was wrong, he told me in a trembling voice that he had accidentally gotten Sharpie on his desk. He assured me that it was an accident, but he was clearly terrified of getting into trouble.

I told him not to worry, that hand sanitizer, which is a part of every elementary classroom, would take it right off. I could tell that he wanted to believe me, but he didn’t, not completely anyway.

So, I showed him. I took the bottle of sanitizer and squirted it on the desk and voila! It came right off with a paper towel, just as I had promised. You should have seen the relief on his face as he thanked me several times. He was thrilled and there was a bounce back in his step.

I thought about that incident for several days afterwards. The boy obviously had doubts, that I could clean up his mistake, even though I had assured him I could.

It’s kind of like that with the concept of grace for many of us, isn’t it?

Jesus died for us so that we could be forgiven. He died for us so that we could be redeemed. He died for us so that we could approach the throne with confidence.

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

We’re all sinners. We all make mistakes. We all fall short. The problem is that sometimes we decide to think that our particular sins are in Sharpie, while everyone else’s are in pencil or even worse, we sometimes feel that our own sins are in pencil and someone else’s are in Sharpie.

But, grace was never intended for a select few, no matter what we may have been told along the way and there is no sin exempt from the forgiveness granted to us by the cross. We also don’t have to scrub our fingers to the bone to remove that sin and earn that forgiveness. In fact, we can’t.

All we have to do is repent and ask Jesus to forgive us and He will. Just like I wiped that desk clean for that little boy, He will wipe our slate clean and give us a fresh new start, no matter the type of ink we used. He’s the ultimate Sanitizer.

That little boy’s mistake reminded me. Perhaps you needed reminding too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Even When You Can’t See Him

Posted on by Wendy
"Let us not become weary of doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest is we do not give up." Galatians 6:9
“Let us not become weary of doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest is we do not give up.” Galatians 6:9

A couple of days ago, I sat down at my kitchen table and had a pity party. I had just returned from the doctor’s office after a breathing treatment and armed with an antibiotic. My week-long cold had turned into bronchitis and I was sick and tired of feeling sick and tired.

My sweet hubby, bless his heart, was trying to fix me something for lunch even though I had no appetite. When he sat down and joined me, the tears began to fall. Nothing was going right. Why wasn’t God answering my prayers? Weren’t we doing all of the right things? Why were all of my plans failing?

Now, my hubby has spent close to twenty years living with me. He didn’t intervene. He just sat there quietly listening and let me wallow. He didn’t have any answers. He didn’t offer any, but he also didn’t try to make me feel better. I suspect he knew that while I was at a low point, my own faith would help me find the light.

We talked for a little while and he went back to work.

It’s interesting how God can work through our people, those who we hold dear. I didn’t really need for him to point out all of our blessings; I knew they were there. I was just in a dark place at the moment. My hubby knew through his own faith, that he couldn’t get me out, but he knew who could and so he just listened.

I found myself asking God all that day where He was and why I couldn’t feel Him or see Him at the moment. My faith told me He was there, but like a child, I wanted proof.

The next morning, I awoke super early. I couldn’t sleep for some reason, but I felt better. The antibiotic was working. I had the entire day to myself with nothing on the schedule, so I asked God for a quiet day, one where I could seek Him and hear Him.

I did some Yoga as I prayed, in front of a window. It was the first day I could breathe deeply in a week. I kept noticing the wind moving in the trees and I had my answer.

We can’t see the wind, but its power and ability is evident in the world around us. It moves the trees and cools the earth. It makes wind chimes create beautiful music. It can also be quite destructive. Just because we can’t see it, doesn’t make it real and present.

As I was pondering that thought, my eye was drawn to a bush that comes back every year. I have no idea what it is. I didn’t plant it, but it’s beautiful and hardy and comes back on its own. It reminded me that while I do have work to do, God is working too, on things and plans of beauty that I can’t even fathom.

My part is to simply trust and be patient. I felt incredibly encouraged.

Sometimes I need reminding. Perhaps you do too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Who We Think We Are

Posted on by Wendy
God was at work in Moses' life for decades before He spoke to him in the burning bush.
God was at work in Moses’ life for decades before He spoke to him in the burning bush.

I’m following along with an online Bible study on Moses. We all know his story at least the high points. He’s the guy who survived the Nile River in a floating basket. He’s the guy who got to talk to God in a burning bush. He’s the guy who took on Pharaoh and won. He’s the guy who held out his staff and God parted the Red Sea. He was the ultimate Chuck Norris of his time. He seems practically bullet proof, right?

But, a closer reading of the Scripture, shows a more human side to Moses, one most of us can probably relate to on some level.

The Book of Acts tells us that Moses was at the tender age of 40, when he saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew and was so moved by it that he killed the Egyptian. Exodus tells us that the next day he saw two Hebrews fighting each other and when he called them out, one said, “Who made you ruler and judge over us?” Exodus 2:14a

Moses took that accusation to heart and fled to the desert. He met a woman there and married her. He went to work in the family business tending sheep. They had a son. Moses was content. Life was good. Egypt and the troubles of his people the Hebrews was long forgotten, a thing of the past.

According to Act 7:30, another forty years went by.

Then, out of the blue, God appeared to Moses in a  burning bush. I suspect that Moses thought Egypt was a part of his past. He had tried on his own, to intervene for the Hebrews and they hadn’t in his opinion, seemed very grateful or open to his assistance. I wonder how often he thought about the “who made you?” comment.

But, the thing is, it wasn’t out of the blue. God had been at work the entire forty years, at work in Moses and at work in Egypt. Whether Moses could see it or not, was irrelevant. Can you relate?

So, Moses approaches the burning bush in shock and awe I imagine, and when God tells him He wants him to lead His people out of Egypt, what does Moses say? “Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?” Exodus 3:11b

Who am I? Can you relate to that statement? I know I can.

Who am I to lead a Bible study? I don’t really know the Bible myself. Who am I to teach a Sunday School Class? Who am I to go on a mission trip? Who am I to….?

But, the truth is, it didn’t matter who Moses was. The only thing that mattered was in verse twelve when God said, “I will be with you.”

It didn’t matter who Moses was or thought he was. The only thing that mattered was who God was and is.

And so it is with us today. Whatever we are called to do that we feel unworthy or incapable of doing, if God is with us, we will succeed. Failure is not an option for Him.

And don’t forget, it’s never too late to answer the call. Moses was eighty.

Sometimes I need reminding. Perhaps you do too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Spreading the Fragrance of Christ

Posted on by Wendy
Don't be fooled by these little, unassuming blooms. Their scent is incredible.
Don’t be fooled by these little, unassuming blooms. Their scent is incredible.

I recently visited my parents. They have a huge yard and a ton of really beautiful things were blooming, but my daddy couldn’t stop talking about the tea olive bush. When he pointed it out, I was unimpressed. With all of the bright, showy things blooming, it wasn’t much to look at.

But, he just couldn’t stop talking about its smell. I reluctantly gave it a sniff. My mind was immediately changed. He was right. Those tiny, unassuming flowers were intoxicating and I just couldn’t get enough. Every time I walked by it, I could catch their glorious scent. How had I missed it before?

I was reminded of an incident as a teen involving a plant and my parents. They had this ugly plant called a Night Blooming Cereus, that sat in the corner of our family room, but they tended it lovingly. It only bloomed in the dead of night, once a year and they often missed it. Yet, they still cared for it.

My daddy often went on about the fragrance it gave off and said that he could tell the minute he walked into the room, that it had bloomed.

Well, one magical evening, it bloomed while we were all awake and you would have thought that my mama had just given birth. She must have taken twenty pictures of it.

As a teen, I didn't get it, but now I totally do.
As a teen, I didn’t get it, but now I totally do.

I had a friend over that evening and we laughed and thought my mama was nuts. We really didn’t get her excitement. But, some twenty plus years later, I do.

Just like that tea olive in the front yard, there’s way more to this seemingly unassuming plant than meets the eye. With nurture and love, it produces a beautiful bloom and an intoxicating scent. Those who don’t pay close attention will miss it.

I wonder how many blessings I have let pass me by, because I didn’t take a closer look. I wonder how many people I could have helped bloom if I had have been more persistent in prayer and with nurture. I wonder how many people have a beautiful scent to share if I were to lean in a little closer.

I wonder if I give off an inviting fragrance for Christ. When people lean in a little closer to me, are they pleasantly surprised? What about you? What kind of scent are you giving off?

The Bible tells us, “But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him.” 2 Corinthians 2:14

That tea olive reminded me to not only lean in a little closer to those around me, but to also ask myself how I’m doing spreading the fragrance of the knowledge of Him. Perhaps you needed reminding too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

 

 

Soul Wellness

Posted on by Wendy
Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. 1Thessalonians 5:16-18
Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

My kids just had a week off from school for spring break and being a mama who wants to soak up every minute possible of these fleeting years of them at home, I happily took the week off with them.

The first part of the week was fabulous. We went down to visit the grandparents. My hubby and I visited a college with my daughter. My daddy took my son fishing. On Sunday, my mama joined us for a long hike along the river, followed by ice cream downtown.

We spent a couple of days out by their pool  basking in the warm, beautiful spring weather.

My hard to please sixteen-year-old, even commented about how relaxing her spring break was and how much she was enjoying it. I was feeling incredibly thankful and blessed. In my mind, there’s nothing more precious than time spent with family in the beautiful outdoors.

Then, Tuesday night, I started feeling bad. By Wednesday, I had a full-blown cough and a pounding headache. To top it off, the weather turned cold. After driving home, I didn’t want to do much more than sit in a chair and nap.

Even so, I still felt thankful for the first part of the week. My family really needed that break.

But, as I got ready for bed Saturday night still feeling crummy, a little voice reminded me to be thankful for the second half too.

While on the surface there didn’t seem much to be thankful for when I felt so bad, I was reminded that I normally feel great, wasn’t I thankful for my normal state of health? What about the little wonders of ibuprofen and cough medicine? Wasn’t I thankful for some relief of my symptoms? What about the fact, that the best thing to do when you are sick, is to drink and rest? Did I have any idea how fortunate I was to be able to simply walk to the sink and fill a glass with clean water? Over half of the world can’t. I also had definitely had the luxury of resting.

And what about my hubby who happily made dinner when I was not feeling up to it?

By the time I actually climbed into bed, I felt an incredible amount of peace and believe it or not, joy. Although, I still felt physically unwell, I was reminded that all was well with my soul.

And that’s a truth that I often lose sight of in this ever turbulent world. Our circumstances, things like health, and finances, and relationships, can change in the blink of an eye. But, when we build our foundation on Jesus and our hearts belong to Him, then no matter what, all is well with our souls.

And that is always worth giving thanks for. Sometimes I need reminding. Perhaps you do too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Seeking and Finding

Posted on by Wendy
Those who truly seek Him, can still find Him.
Those who truly seek Him, can still find Him.

I recently read the resurrection account in John where Mary Magdalene was searching for Jesus. In John’s account, she is the very first one to the tomb and the first to see the stone was rolled away. She frantically ran to find Peter and John to tell them what had happened.

Then they ran to the tomb to see for themselves. The men checked out the empty tomb and went home. Mary stayed and cried. She turned around and glanced back inside and saw two angels sitting there and still continued to sob. They asked her why she was crying.

Now, most people who see angels are filled with fear; not Mary. She had been in mourning for three days and at this point, she must have been inconsolable. Why didn’t she ask the angels where Jesus was or who they were? Wasn’t she curious? They are messengers from God. They probably would have told her. But, she didn’t ask. She told them why she was crying and turned around to go.

Now, here’s the really interesting part. She then stood face to face with Jesus and He asked her why she was crying. She proceeded to tell Him and He said one word to her. “Mary” He called her by name and she knew.

Mary was so frantically looking for Jesus in the place where she thought that He should be, that she missed Him where He was.

Let’s ponder that concept for a moment. How often do we miss encounters with Jesus because He’s not where we “think” He should be?

The Bible tells us we may see Him in the face the hungry, or the thirsty, or the stranger, or the sick. In fact, we should probably look for Him wherever there are people in great need, which is quite often not at church, or places that are clean and shiny. The Savior born in a manger, never chose to live in a palace. He chose to live among the common people.

He also chose to hang out with some questionable characters and shared the truth with them. What does that say to us? Where should we seek to serve Him?

Most of us have also at one time or another, found ourselves like Mary, frantically searching for Jesus, wondering where He has gone. We wonder why He doesn’t answer our prayers or reach out to us. We may even miss angels in our lives pointing the way and in our own self-absorbed, panic, we rush right past Him.

But, if we can force ourselves to be still, He will call our name, just as He said Mary’s name. He is here. He is reaching out. We only need to still our minds and hearts and listen.

He still has important things to say.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

No Small Parts in Kingdom Building

Posted on by Wendy
It takes many small things coming together, to make a flower grow and bloom.
It takes many small things coming together, to make a flower grow and bloom.

My daughter was recently asked to be the stage manager in her high school’s production of “High School Musical.” She is really interested in the behind the scenes of the entertainment industry, so she enthusiastically agreed.

When I told her that her daddy and I wanted to come and see the show, she couldn’t understand why. She asked me if I understood that she would be backstage at all times and that we wouldn’t see her. I told her that I understood, but that I also knew that her doing her part in the play would help to make it a success even if I couldn’t see her.

She still couldn’t understand why we would want to come. When I told my mama about the production, she wanted to come too. My daughter once again, couldn’t understand why. But, my mama knew just as I did, that the behind the scenes stuff can make or break a production and that my daughter’s part mattered.

The activities that go on behind the scenes can help make a performance flawless or complete chaos.

The Bible is full of those nameless characters that did their seemingly small part, but made a huge difference in the outcome. We have no idea the name of the innkeeper who offered Mary and Joseph his stable, to shelter the Baby Jesus. We have no idea who the shepherds were who just happened to be doing their jobs when angels visited them to tell them the news of Jesus’s birth. We have no idea who the man was who willingly gave his donkey for Jesus to ride on, thus fulfilling prophecy.

What about the servants at the wedding at Cana who did exactly what Jesus instructed and got to witness His first miracle? What about the friends who cut open a roof and lowered their paralyzed friend down to see Jesus, who then healed him because of their faith?

There are countless, nameless people who played what must have seemed a small, insignificant part in the life of Jesus, that actually made a big difference. Some of them unknowingly fulfilled prophecy. Some of them helped others grow their faith. All of them had a part to play whether big or small and all of them mattered to God.

And so it is with us today. Every part we play in helping others to know Jesus, matters. It can be a prayer, an invitation to church, teaching a class, sharing a pin on Pinterest, or a blog post that touched our hearts somehow. Our actions and efforts to love our neighbor matter.

We all get to play a part in building the Kingdom.

My stage manager reminded me of that. Perhaps you needed reminding too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Easter is a Way of Life

Posted on by Wendy
For Christians, it's always Easter.
For Christians, it’s always Easter.

Yesterday was Easter Sunday. It’s the holiest of holy days for Christians. It’s who we are and what we stand for. After a very gloomy, cloudy Good Friday and a wet and cloudy Saturday, I was hoping for a gorgeous, sunny Easter. But, alas, I woke up to more cloudy weather.

I knew the weather report called for rain, but I figured those guys are just guessing about half of the time.

When I opened the door to let my dogs out, I was pleasantly surprised. The sky might not have been celebrating Easter, but the birds were. They seemed to be engaged in their own symphony of praise.

When I went to get my cup of coffee, I pondered about the women going to the tomb on that first Easter morning. It was just before dawn, so probably kind of dark and gloomy like my weather happened to be at the moment.

Right outside my kitchen window, something caught my eye. It was a white iris that seemingly sprung up with a few others overnight. It was such a deep contrast to the dreariness that surrounded it. The damp gray weather, made it pop. I just had to grab my camera and take a closer look.

The delicate perfection reminded me that grace is always available.
The delicate perfection reminded me that grace is always available, if we only ask.

I was greeted by six irises standing straight and tall, almost as if they were saluting heaven in the only way they knew how. No, the sky wasn’t sunny and beautiful, but the earth was celebrating Easter anyway and so did I.

Those irises reminded me of the many blessings that we miss along the way when we are intently searching for a specific blessing. I wanted sunshine, but I didn’t get it. God sent me something even more beautiful. I might have missed it, if I wasn’t looking with an open heart.

Those irises reminded me that grace is always available to us if we only ask. That’s the miracle of Easter. They reminded me that Easter is not a day on the calendar. Easter is everyday for those of us who believe. Those irises reminded me that Easter should be a state of mind a daily, lifelong celebration of the truths that we are loved, treasured, and redeemed, and that God wins.

Those irises also reminded me that we can stand tall and point to heaven no matter our current circumstances. I thanked God for the reminders. Maybe you needed reminding too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂