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.

The Gifts of Light

Posted on by Wendy

Sunset
Perhaps we are made to crave light both physically and spiritually.

I recently started a new job where I work in a downtown in a small city. As in most downtown areas, there’s lots of pedestrian traffic. Most people, myself included, have to park our cars and walk to wherever we are going. It rained my first four days of work. Most people either carried an umbrella or huddled underneath a raincoat. No one made eye contact. People seemed to be looking down or zoning out as they trudged to wherever they were going.

Even inside the building where I work, the topic of rain randomly popped up in most people’s conversations. We all needed some light.

But, on Friday, the sun came out. The transformation was amazing. I actually took a walk during my lunch break.

There were tons of people out. Folks seemed to have a bounce in their step. I smiled and made eye contact with people and they smiled back. The sun seemed to have made all of the difference. Even on my drive home, people behaved a little better on the road. They were less aggressive and more patient.

On Saturday, I had errands to do and I was shocked at how many people were out. I live in a college town and the college is on spring break so I didn’t expect much traffic. When I grumbled to my hubby about it, he reminded me that it was the first warm sunny day we had in a while and people were more inclined to get out and get things done.

He was right of course. Errands that would have been complete drudgery in the rain, became no big deal in the pretty warm weather.

As I was sitting in church on Sunday and the sun was coming through the windows, a Biblical reminder popped into my head. In Genesis, God’s very first words in the Bible were, “Let there be light.”

It goes on to say, “God saw that the light was good.”

It got me to thinking that maybe we are drawn to the light because God created it and it’s good. It seems to effect our mood and even our actions. Maybe that’s by design.

John 1:4 talks about Jesus and says, “In him was the light of men.” This light is a light for our souls.

So, God designed us to physically and spiritually crave light and He has provided us with both.

After the sermon, as my hubby and I walked to our car and I could feel the warmth on my face and in my heart, I said a prayer of thanks for both.

A sunny Sunday reminded me that God loves us and knows what we need even before we do. But, then, He always has. Sometimes I need reminding. Perhaps you did too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Tree Wisdom

Posted on by Wendy
God can take the seemingly dead and useless and turn it into something spectacular.

I’m a big fan of trees. My yard is covered in them. I feel like I’ve learned a lot from them over the years. Being a lifelong Georgia girl, I grew up surrounded by pine trees. They are evergreen, but they aren’t very sturdy. A good ice storm will take them out like a bowling ball knocking down pins.

The trees that surround me these days are hardwoods, mostly oaks. They provide amazing shade in the summer and actually help keep our house cooler. In the fall, their leaves are so brilliantly colored, that they seem hand painted by God himself. They are horribly messy when they fall, covering our yard and filling up our gutters, but I’ve found over the years, that most of the beautiful things in life are messy.

Everything from puppies, to babies, to relationships, if they affect our hearts and souls, they tend to be messy, but oh so worth it.

I am also in awe of the fact that the mighty oak tree comes from a tiny acorn. When you hold one up next to the other, it doesn’t seem possible. Acorns remind me of the possibilities of dreaming big.

I recently learned a new lesson from some trees. Yes, I love them when they are green and when they are brilliantly colored. I can even appreciate them when they are bare in the winter. They remind me that we all go through seasons of dormancy, but deep roots along with the change of seasons, guarantee that we will again produce beauty.

But, what about dead trees? Do they have anything to teach?

Jekyll Island has a beach called Driftwood Beach, where hundreds of trees that have been uprooted by storms or other calamities, land on a particular point on the island. Once they are there, the sun bleaches them to almost white. You would think that there’s no way a bunch of dead trees would have anything to offer. much less become a tourist attraction.

But, the sun, the salt and the sea have made these trees into works of art. They each become individual sculptures of sorts. Tiny beach creatures make their homes in them. Tourists come from all over to see them. Children climb on them. People even get married with them as a backdrop.

God has taken something that man would deem lifeless and useless, put His hands on it and made it into something spectacular.

He does the same with us. We can put something tiny like an acorn, in His hands and He can create something mighty like an oak tree. He uses seasons in our lives to sometimes produce much beauty and shade like those leaves. Sometimes He leads us into a season of dormancy and yet other times, when we think it’s all over and we have nothing left to give, He creates the most unexpected, unique beauty of all, like those trees on Driftwood Beach and quite frankly, I stand amazed.

Some sun bleached trees reminded me of the limitless possibilities we have when we place our lives in God’s hands, no matter our age or stage in life. Perhaps you needed reminding too!

Have an awesome day!
Wendy 🙂

Finding God in All Kinds of Weather

Posted on by Wendy
God is with us during both good and bad weather.

Last week we had some wild weather in parts of Georgia. We went from sunny and mid sixties to rain, to tornadoes, to really cold, to a beautiful snowfall within a matter of days.

On the tornado warning day, we had our kiddos at the elementary school, where I work, in the halls and bathrooms for their safety. Thankfully, we didn’t receive any damage, but we were all talking about it over the next couple of days. My favorite teller at the bank told me they took shelter in the vault. It seemed that everywhere I went, someone had a story to tell of a near miss with the bad weather.

Then it turned bitter cold on Friday and a little snow was forecasted early Saturday morning. No accumulation was expected.

But, when that snow started coming down in the late morning, it was spectacular. Big fluffy flakes fell over a couple of hours and our yards were blanketed for a couple of hours or so. It didn’t stick or stick around just as forecasted, but it made for a quiet peaceful picture for a little while.

My Facebook feed was covered in photos of people out playing with their kids and making snowmen on the little bit of snow that we had. Snow is a big deal in Georgia. It just doesn’t happen very often here and when it does, the child in all of us seems to awaken and beg us to go out and play.

A few hours later, the snow was gone, but memories were made that I suspect, will last a lifetime.

I’ve thought of our weather a lot over the past few days. I’ve thought of the scary tornado warnings and I’ve thought of the glorious snowfall and how God was present in both.

He shielded us when the weather was rough and later He sent us a rare winter treat. There were blessings in both, but I wonder if we really were able to comprehend them fully. It’s really easy to see God in the beautiful parts of life like the rare snowfall, or in the birth of a new baby, or in a new job, or when our prayers are answered. When times are good, we feel blessed and we believe that God is good.

But, what about when life is stormy? When we weather serious storms or even tornadoes in life like illness, divorce or the death of a loved one, do we believe God is with us then too? Do we believe that He’s still good and sheltering us in some unseen way? Do we miss the blessings in the storms by only longing for the good times?

The truth is we all will travel through both sunshine and storms on our journey here and maybe even a little snow, but we are called to remember that God is present in all weather and in every season and that we never walk alone. If we truly seek Him, we will always find Him.

Some wild weather reminded me. Perhaps you needed reminding too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

The Amazing Light of Grace

Posted on by Wendy
Our scrapes and cracks can allow the light of Christ to shine through in beautiful ways.

A couple of months ago, I decided I wanted to make my own hand soap. I had read about all the chemicals in store bought soap and I wanted to give it a try. I went and bought some mason jars because I have been trying to use more glass than plastic. I painted a bunch of them with different kinds of paint and I put them to use holding the soap.

But, I made more than I needed and one was left unused. I don’t know why I didn’t pick that one, but I didn’t and so it sat on a shelf in the pantry.

Then I decided I wanted to make candles. I Googled it, read a bunch of articles, bought the supplies and talked my hubby into helping me and we made a batch. As I was searching for different vessels to use, I came upon the one left over from my soap making extravaganza.

I had painted it with latex paint and when it dried, I lightly sanded it. I don’t know why. I’m not particularly artistic or crafty. I just didn’t want it to look new or perfect, like it had just been purchased. I wanted it to look like it had been around a little while and had seen some action and use of some sort.

I took the jar and we poured the wax and waited for it to harden. The next day when I finally got to light it, I was delighted.

All of the sanded places in that jar allowed the light to seep through and the effect was beautiful. A perfectly painted, unscratched vessel would have never produced that kind of light.

I like to light that candle when I write. It reminds me of the beauty that can come from just traveling around the sun year after year. We may be born close to perfect, but every year that goes by causes scratches and cracks in our hearts and souls. Some come from our own bad decisions and some happen to us through no fault of our own. Sometimes we can even completely shatter and we wonder if we will ever be whole again, but we always have a choice on how to proceed.

We can remain shattered in the darkness or we can choose another way.

If we are people of faith, we can surrender all of the pain, anger, regrets and mistakes to Jesus and ask for forgiveness if we need it and redemption and He will help. He was a carpenter after all and He can rebuild even the most badly broken people. We won’t be the same. We won’t be unblemished. We will still carry the scrapes and cracks, but the beautiful thing about the light of grace is that it shines even more brilliantly through the cracks than it ever did before they were there.

Our past makes us who we are and no one is beyond redemption.

Isn’t grace amazing? A candle reminded me. Sometimes I need reminding. Perhaps you needed reminding too.

Have an awesome day!
Wendy 🙂

Shining the Light

Posted on by Wendy
“The light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it.” John 1:5

A few Sundays ago at church, for our praise song, we sang, “God of Wonders,” by Third Day. I really love that song. Phrases like, “the universe declares your majesty,” really resonate with this outdoorsy girl. When further into the song, it says, “Early in the morning I will celebrate the light and as I stumble in the darkness, I will call your name by night,” well, who hasn’t been on both ends of that spectrum?

You don’t have to live on planet earth very long to realize that we all walk in seasons of light as well as darkness. No one walks in only one or the other.

As the song was going and different members of the congregation had their hands raised in praise, a young child of maybe three or four, made her way up to the stage. She wasn’t a regular member. She was visiting with her grandfather, but she boldly went to the stage and raised her hands up for one of the singers to pick her up.

She obliged her and hugged her tightly and smiled and continued to sing. There was a collective, “awwww” that came from most of the congregation as the little girl remained content in the singer’s arms until the end of the song.

I thought about that moment long after the church service ended. I thought about the lyrics of that song that point to our holy majestic God. I thought about the music that drew a child closer to the musicians singing His praises. I’ve often thought that young children are possibly the closest people to Jesus’ heart because they love, trust and believe without fear. They don’t fear rejection. They don’t fear ridicule. They don’t doubt. When they sing, “Jesus Loves Me,” they believe it. Period. They don’t see a need to add a, “but” or “except for,” on the end. “The Bible tells me so,” is good enough for them.

But, besides being inspired by the little girl, I was also inspired by our trio of singers. What about their song drew her to them? As people of faith, perhaps we should ask ourselves what we are doing to draw others to Jesus? Do we act a certain way? Do we talk a certain way? Are we kind? Compassionate? Forgiving? How do we treat our spouses or our kids? How do we treat the waitress at the restaurant or the cashier at the grocery store who might not treat us very kindly? How do we react to the guy who cuts us off in traffic?

Are we light bearers in this sometimes dark world?

It’s probably never a bad idea to take stock on how we are doing. The wonderful news is that because of grace, we get a brand new chance every morning. A little girl and a praise song reminded me. Perhaps you needed reminding too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Tending Gently to Old Injuries

Posted on by Wendy
It truly is amazing how far a little grace can go.

Back in high school, I decided I wanted to run track. All my friends ran track and they all had so many fun stories. They got to check out early on many spring afternoons and I wanted in on the fun. The problem was, I wasn’t a runner. I hated to run with a purple passion. I had been a gymnast for quite a few years and later, a cheerleader, but never a runner.

However, a friend convinced me that the long jump could be for me. It wasn’t running. It was jumping. I reasoned that years of doing vault in gymnastics, made me a prime candidate. About the third practice, I injured a hamstring, severely. It hurt to walk or move much at all and jumping was definitely out. After resting it a few days and it was no better, I sadly gave up on my track dreams and that was a good thing because I didn’t think that hamstring would ever stop hurting. But, eventually it did.

I rarely think about my long jump failure, until that hamstring starts aggravating me and it still does. From time to time, it aches, either from running, (who knew I would end up liking a little bit of running?) or most recently, from a new yoga program. In the past, I would just ignore it an push through it, but as I’ve gotten older, I’ve learned the importance of listening to my aches and pains. When something hurts, it’s best to give it some rest and care, because the older you get, the harder it is to heal.

As I was putting some heat on it the other day, I began to think about some of the aches and pains that come from simply living and I found myself thinking about the heart ones as well. Just like our bodies sometimes have to deal with old injuries, our hearts sometimes carry old hurts.

Even the ones that have healed, sometimes leave scars and can ache. Old childhood traumas like rejection and anger or broken hearts and broken relationships later in life, leave their mark on us. Sometimes for seemingly no reason, something happens that triggers a painful memory or emotion. When that happens, we have two options, just like we do with the physical injuries.

We can ignore it and power through, pushing it all down and hoping that it doesn’t manifest itself later through some hurtful words or actions towards others, who did nothing to deserve them, or we can choose a different way.

We can choose to acknowledge old hurts either just to ourselves, or in prayer, or even to a trusted friend and then we can let them go. Because sometimes just the acknowledgement of the trials and battles we have survived, is enough to strengthen any weak spot and get us back on our way and if we need further help with healing, God is always willing to provide. We only have to ask.

It’s truly amazing how far a little grace can go.

An aching hamstring reminded me. Sometimes I need reminding. Perhaps you needed reminding too.

Have an awesome day!
Wendy 🙂

The Gift of Boldly Sharing

Posted on by Wendy
What would happen if we all boldly shared our gifts and talents?

I work in the front office of an elementary school. While I see a lot of people everyday, the high point of my day always comes from one of the kiddos who happen to come in for one reason or another. Yesterday did not disappoint.

A little boy came in to get some ice for an injury and while he was waiting for his turn in the clinic, we started chatting. I told him I liked his sweatshirt. It had Roblox on it, a game my son used to love to play when he was growing up. He was more than happy to talk about Roblox and I remembered that I had a picture of a group art project that my son had done in his college class. His team had built a dinosaur out of potatoes. I shared it with my little friend and he was as expected, enchanted.

He immediately shared with me that he was working on building a robot based on a television show in one of his classes. He told me that his project was 3D and made out of paper. I told him that he needed to let me know when with it was done because I wanted to come and see it. He said he would.

I chuckled about our conversation after he was gone. I had no doubt he was building something super creative and I couldn’t wait to see it. But, he surprised me. Right after the dismissal bell rang, he came into the office with a drawing of his robot. He had the name of it on the top. He had been so excited about our talk that he couldn’t wait to show me.

I was so flattered. It truly made my day. I thanked him and sent him on his way and I carefully packed his drawing and took it home with me. Later that night, as I looked it over again, it occurred to me how brave young children are with their gifts and talents. They know what they like to do and they do it. They don’t second guess themselves a dozen times.

They draw, build, paint, color, write, run, flip, pray and everything in between, with wide open hearts. They don’t care about judgement or criticism. They live creatively because they were meant to live creatively and they are happy to share. I think we grown ups could learn a thing or two from our younger counterparts.

What would our hearts and souls look like if we all boldly and openly shared our God given gifts and talents? What would our communities look like? What would our world look like?

A young friend reminded me of the gift we give others when we share our gifts. We have the opportunity to make someone’s day and sometimes maybe even change someone’s life. Sometimes I need reminding. Perhaps you do too.

Have an awesome day!
Wendy 🙂

The Power of Prayer

Posted on by Wendy
Although we are just travelers here, we never walk alone.

Right after Thanksgiving, my computer crashed. I mean crashed as in dead and never coming back. One minute it was on the internet and the next it was dead. After several stern lectures from my little brother about not keeping my hard drive backed up, he was able to salvage most of my files. I reluctantly ordered a new one on a Black Friday deal which didn’t arrive until the first week of January.

Meanwhile, on Black Friday, our family dog got really sick. She’s elderly, but still has a ton of spunk and we all adore her. It was touch and go for about a week and we weren’t sure if she would make it. It was kind of a surreal week for me. Everyone around me was talking about their Thanksgiving break and their Christmas plans and all I could think about was our dog. My hubby and I have become Empty Nesters this year and that little dog helps to fill a void. It turned out to be pancreatitis and she finally got better. We were so very thankful.

Things were looking up and my two college kids arrived safely home for Christmas. We were on the way to the lighting of our town Christmas tree when I got a call from a dear friend telling me she had breast cancer. I was shocked. We talked for a while. Her prognosis was good and her spirits were high, but it was hard to reconcile all of the celebration around that huge tree, all of the happiness, with that dark cloud of news.

The week before Christmas, a sweet friend at work learned that her young, very active, son, had a stroke and was asking for prayers. Once again, it seemed difficult to reconcile the joy of Christmas with the pain the people around me were experiencing. My heart went out to them as my prayers went up for them.

As God’s people, we know that the power of prayer can change situations as well as the heart of the one who prays. We know this because we have all been on both sides of prayer. We have prayed and been prayed for and we have all had our hearts broken.

Pain and joy live side by side on this side of eternity. As we travel through here, we will always be witnesses and recipients of both, but the good news is we never walk alone. A baby in a manger made sure of that. One day we will be in a place where there’s only joy.

Until then we should celebrate the good times and hold onto our faith in the bad times and find as many prayer warriors as we can to join us along the way. Those people are truly gifts.

This Christmas reminded me of the gift of our faith family. Perhaps you needed reminding too.

Happy New Year (a couple of weeks late!)
Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Focusing on the Beauty

Posted on by Wendy
Don’t allow life’s distractions to make you to miss the beauty.

Last Monday morning while I was driving to work, I was praying that God would show me His wonder in the week ahead. I often find that after a weekend of rest and relaxation, followed by a meaningful worship service on Sunday, that I promise myself that I will do and be better, the following week. I will have more energy, more patience, extend more grace and just be more at peace in general.

But, as I trudge to my car after work on Monday, my resolve is usually worn down and by Wednesday afternoon, I’m completely exhausted and it’s gone altogether. Maybe this happens to you too?

Last Monday morning as I was driving and praying, I was greeted by a stunning sunrise. The sky was a spectacular shade of pink and it took my breath away. I thanked God for showing it to me and I was a little sad to turn out of my neighborhood and lose sight of it, but I didn’t. After I turned, it appeared brightly in my rear view mirror.

As I continued on my journey to work, it was everywhere. It wasn’t always in front of me. It was sometimes to the side and sometimes behind me, but always beautiful and always close by. I found myself trying to keep it in my view for just a little while longer.

Here, in the midst of this season of Thanksgiving, I’m intentionally seeking things to be thankful for and while it was just a simple sunrise, it somehow gave me hope for the coming week. My spirit felt a little lighter as I gave thanks for another day here on earth, for a fresh start and a new beginning.

That sunrise was a gentle reminder that no matter my age or what season that I may find myself in, that God is not done with me. He still has plans for me. I know this because I woke up today and if you are reading this, He’s not done with you either.

It also reminded me that He is always close by, wherever I find myself on my journey, at every turn.

As I reluctantly parked my car and got out, I attempted to take a picture of it. It wasn’t nearly as brilliant as it had been earlier and I couldn’t get the power lines out of the photo. I was a little frustrated because I wanted to capture the moment so badly.

But, that’s when I felt the nudge, that little reminder to not be distracted from the beauty of the moment. We should never miss the wonder because of our focus on the distractions. Those power lines didn’t matter when I was focusing on the majesty of that sunrise.

A simple sunrise reminded me of God’s constant presence and of His grace that offers us a fresh start everyday. It also reminded me to focus on the blessings and not the distractions. Perhaps you needed reminding too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Giving Thanks for the Rain

Posted on by Wendy
Although rain is often inconvenient, it’s essential for growth.

I’ve been thinking about the rain a lot lately. We have been in months of drought with no end in sight. Everyone I work with has been diligently checking the weather hoping for a pop up storm. Even the tiniest chance of rain gives us hope, but the rain hasn’t come for a long time.

Then a couple of weeks ago, I went to an engagement party of the son of a dear friend. Most of the affair was planned outside. It began raining during the night. It rained buckets and it was cold. Plans were rearranged and the festivities were moved inside. It was a huge inconvenience.

After months of prayer, did we welcome the rain?

A week later, my hubby, my mama and I, attended a football game at our daughter’s college. We planned it a month ahead of time. The weather was supposed to be cloudy with a thirty percent chance of rain and mild. It poured for hours. We couldn’t even attend the game and the drive home was a miserable crawl.

This was the rain we had been praying for, but how did we feel about it when it ruined our game day plans?

My hubby was out of town for a few days for work this week and when I returned home from work the day he left, my garage door wouldn’t work. While not a huge deal, it began raining the next day.

I’ll have to admit that I wasn’t super happy to see it as I walked to my car in the dark rain at five in the morning holding a flashlight.

As I write this, the forecast for rain on Halloween is 100%. I’ve no doubt there are some stressed out mamas and daddies wondering what to do with their kiddos for trick-or-treat.

Like everyone else, they know we need the rain, but would likely prefer that it come at a more convenient time.

Most of us simply don’t like to be inconvenienced. Our culture has done a fabulous job at convincing that we should have everything we want the way we want it, when we want it.

But, God’s way is different and nature belongs to God.

Rain is important. The earth needs it to sustain life and to grow things.

The rain that falls in our personal lives is much the same. It often inconveniences us. It slows us down. It changes our plans, our priorities and often our perspective. Most importantly, it grows us.

We have to remember when we are in a period of growth and change that there’s usually rain involved. We need it to be transformed into something stronger and brighter. We need it to grow closer to Jesus on our journey here.

In the end, rain is life giving whether we welcome it or not. Sometimes I need reminding. Perhaps you do too.

Have an awesome day!
Wendy 🙂