Category: Trusting God

Sometimes life seems upside-down. When we draw closer to God, we begin to learn and trust that He has a plan for us and we can let go of many of life’s anxieties knowing that He has our best interest at heart.

Turtle Wisdom

Posted on by Wendy
We sometimes forget we are in His hands.

Early this summer, I was taking a walk and encountered a little box turtle crossing the road. It was really close to the grass, but I took my foot and gently nudged it to safety.

I reasoned that it didn’t really matter how close it was to the grass, if a car came flying by, it would have been crushed.

However, the little turtle did not appreciate my assistance. It immediately pulled up into its shell. As I continued with my walk, I thought about how it had no idea I was helping. It just knew something huge, moved it. It was afraid.

I hadn’t thought too much about the little turtle until my son came home last week and told me a similar story. He had actually pulled his car over and picked up a box turtle and moved it out of harm’s way. This particular turtle, actually hissed at him before pulling into its shell.

It wasn’t very thankful either.

I’ve thought a lot about those little turtles over the past few days. I’ve no doubt, in their minds, they were simply going the way they wanted to go and minding their own business. They were completely oblivious to the dangers of the cars flying by them.

But, just because they were unaware of the danger, didn’t make it any less real.

If I’m honest, I can admit that I have a lot in common with those turtles. There have been times in my life when I wanted to go where I wanted to go, when I wanted to go there. I liked choosing my own path and just like the one that hissed, I didn’t like to be knocked off of my chosen path. I often didn’t take interference too graciously.

Thankfully, God is always forgiving and good to me whether I’ve been thankful at the time, or not. God’s goodness is not dependent on my reactions. He has time and time again, saved me in spite of me.

With age, and hopefully, wisdom, I’ve learned that He always has a plan and I’ve come to accept that it’s often different than mine. I’ve come to understand that there are sometimes dangers that I’m unaware of, but I trust that God knows about them and has my best interest in mind.

Faith is a lifelong process and like the little turtles, I sometimes still want to pull into my shell when I’m bumped off of my path, but my trust is stronger these days. Now, I can usually appreciate the scenery of the detour. The view is often amazing.

A couple of turtles reminded me to trust God’s plan. Perhaps you needed reminding too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

The Restoration Business

Posted on by Wendy
In God’s hands, we are never past redemption.

This summer I spent a lot of time refinishing furniture for my daughter’s first college apartment. I have to admit, I had a blast.

There’s something amazingly therapeutic about taking something old, ugly, and seemingly past its prime, and turning it into something pretty and useful again. Old furniture tends to have a certain character about it, that you just can’t buy new at the store.

The simple years of existence, give it something unique, not to mention, it’s made much better than the newer stuff is.

I sailed through sanding and spray painting an old metal bed that belonged to my grandparents and then I moved on to cherry end tables that had belonged to my parents in a formal living room. Next, my attention went to an old wooden desk and chair.

I sanded some and primed a lot. Most of the paint I used, I already had from previous projects. Several times, I even mixed my own, with no clue what I was doing except creating a color I liked. Each piece came together better than I had hoped and I couldn’t wait to see all of my little tapestry of furniture woven together for the final product.

Then we pulled out the old dresser we were planning on using. It had been stuck in the very back of our under deck storage, for years. Unfortunately, some rats had set up shop. It was a mess and it smelled awful. I got out some bleach and went to work and even put the water hose to it, just to clean it.

Honestly, I wasn’t even sure it could be saved. But, my hubby felt differently. After a thorough cleaning and lots of sunshine, he cut the bottoms of the drawers out and replaced them with new ones. I sanded, primed and painted and it looked much better.

But, the mirror was black and blotchy from age. I couldn’t fix that.

My hubby had an idea. we replaced the mirror with a memo board, so our daughter could pin up pictures. Instead of looking at herself, she would see photos of fun times with people who love her the most. For a college student, this was a much better option than a mirror. It came together beautifully.

The entire furniture experience reminded me of God’s never ending love for us. There are times when we all feel out of date, past our prime and even useless. But, God is never done with us.

He’s always in the restoration and redemption business. He can take even the most damaged among us and make us new and useful for His purposes. And just like that old mirror, when we put our lives in His hands, He can create something even better than what was original. All we need is a little faith.

Sometimes I need reminding. Perhaps you do too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Celebrating Controlled Chaos

Posted on by Wendy
Being a mama is often messy, but most pursuits worth doing, usually are.

We moved our daughter out of her dorm and home for the summer, just over a week ago. It was so exciting to get her back home. After unpacking, and folding, and rearranging, there was still no good place for a lot of the things that she moved home, so they ended up stacked as neatly as possible, in a corner of our dining room.

As I passed by the controlled chaos yesterday, I found myself chuckling.

We are getting ready to celebrate Mother’s Day and contrary to what the Hallmark commercials and Pinterest would like for us to believe, there’s nothing tidy, organized, or perfect, about being a mama.

The moment a woman learns that she is pregnant, life is no longer tidy and becomes very unpredictable. From the kind of pregnancy she has, to the length of labor, to the moment the baby arrives, life becomes controlled chaos.

There are sleepless nights, and potty training, and sometimes monsters underneath the bed. Then there’s someone who’s mean to your child at school. When we think we finally might have a handle on things, there’s middle school and hormones, followed too quickly, by dating and driving.

It’s often motherhood that shows us a tangible need for faith in our lives because we come to truly understand that nothing is really under our control. And when we wrap our brains around our need for God, we then feel a deep need to pass that faith on to the children He put in our care.

We understand that our children also need to have faith to weather the chaos that will inevitably occur in their lives.

This Mother’s Day, I’m so thankful that my daughter is back home. The boxes in the corner remind me that it’s temporary. At some point, both of my children will be grown and gone and my corners can perfectly ordered.

Until then, I’m embracing the chaos. Some boxes reminded me. Perhaps you needed reminding too. Happy Mother’s Day.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Enjoying the Roller Coaster

Posted on by Wendy
There’s a freedom and fearlessness that comes from letting go.

When I was growing up, my sweet mama would take us to Six Flags every single summer. We would get there when the gates opened and we would stay until they closed. It was a long day, but she took us every year.

As I got a little older, I couldn’t wait to ride the roller coasters. I would walk up to the measuring spot and stand up as tall as I possibly could. I remember being disappointed when I wasn’t tall enough to ride. Then finally one summer I was.

I was tall enough to ride one of the smaller coasters, but not the biggest one, the Scream Machine. I wanted to ride that coaster so badly. The next year, my mama’s friend who had little ones, joined us on our Six Flags trip and I was finally tall enough. Mama’s friend reluctantly agreed to ride with me.

It was so much fun. I held on for dear life as we raced up and down the hills.

I later learned from a friend, that the Scream Machine was even more fun, when you raised your arms above your head instead of holding on tightly to the bar. You actually came out of your seat, but you were still safely strapped in.

Once I learned that trick, roller coasters were never the same and I just loved to ride all different kinds. I was fearless.

As I was sitting and thinking about another birthday coming up, and reflecting on this past year, it occurred to me that life really is like a roller coaster. There are ups and downs. Sometimes it’s really rough and sometimes it’s smooth. There are times when you wonder if you will ever reach the top of the hill and there are times when you wonder if things will ever slow down. There are even times when you find yourself completely upside down or find yourself afraid of running off the track entirely.

There are all kinds of ways to handle the coaster of life. We can hold on for dear life, white knuckling it, holding our breath and waiting for the situation to calm down and coast to a stop, dreading the next hill. We can even convince ourselves that we can control the ride when we do that.

But, there’s another way. We can raise our arms in surrender and enjoy the ride, knowing that we have no control over the hills or twists and turns, but God does. There’s a freedom that comes from surrendering control and a fearlessness as well.

A birthday and a childhood memory reminded me. Perhaps you needed reminding too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Embracing Every Season

Posted on by Wendy
There’s beauty in every season of the journey.

Yesterday, the former assistant principal of the school where I work, popped in for a visit. She is now the principal of a different school and she was on spring break. She looked fabulous. Her hair was different. Her eyes had a sparkle. The change for her was clearly a good one.

It seems that change has been in the air this spring. We have five teachers retiring and quite a few others leaving, but all for wonderful reasons. One is moving to be closer to family and spend more time with a new baby. One has a baby on the way and wants to stay home with him or her. Our cafeteria manager is leaving because she’s going to run the cafeteria at a brand new school.

While it’s sad to see so many people that I have come to hold dear, move on to their next chapter, it’s impossible for me not to be excited for them too. They are all following dreams of some sort and embracing a new season.

Last year was my first year working full time in seventeen years. I walked into a group of people who embraced me with open arms even thought the person I was replacing had been loved by them. She had chosen to start a new chapter too.

I share my office space with two other people and one of them is the school nurse. Last year, I was blessed to get to know and to become friends with, our nurse Ivy. She had been diagnosed with ALS, but was determined to keep working. We prayed together every morning and my other coworker and I, worked hard to help her keep working. It was a heartbreaking year, watching her grow a little weaker everyday to a devastating disease that she eventually succumbed to. But, my friend Ivy knew Jesus and I’ve no doubt she’s running marathons on two strong legs in heaven.

I learned so many new things and lessons last year, but perhaps the most important one, was finding the beauty in and embracing every single season I find myself in, whether it’s a hard one or an easy one. There are daily blessings showered upon us on every leg of our journey and when we cling too tightly to where we are and refuse to move ahead, then we are missing some breathtaking new scenery as well as new adventures.

I’ve been a lifelong hater of change. It’s taken me a long time to learn that when we let go of our need to control and learn to trust that God has a plan, we can live in an indescribable state of peace. I’m learning the beauty of letting go and enjoying the ride and to cheer on others as they do the same.

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

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Peace Plant Reminders

Posted on by Wendy
“Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink.” John 8:37

As I walked by my son’s studio space, a wilted plant caught my eye. Uhoh, I thought, I forgot to water it and it looked like it was beyond salvation. However, this particular plant, is a Peace Plant. It’s what I like to think of as a little over dramatic. When it gets thirsty, it droops like it’s dead, but a good dose of water perks it right back up.

I ran and got it some water and then I went about my business. I haven’t always known that Peace Plants behave this way when they don’t get the water they need. The first time it did that, I thought it was dead for sure. It was a call to my mama that assured me it would be fine. She told me it was simply its way of letting me know it needed water.

That Peace Plant reminded me of how our hearts and souls can get sometimes when conditions have become less than hospitable. When we go too long without the right amount of spiritual nourishment, we can wilt like the little plant. When we stop praying, when we neglect reading the Bible, when we stop attending worship service or when we stop spending time with other Christians who can build us up, we can develop a spiritual wilt of sorts.

To the casual onlooker, we can look beyond repair. But, there’s nothing casual about God and His relationship with His children. He knows that we are never beyond repair and that when we reach for Him all things are possible.

So, He sends His water in various ways, a call from a from a friend, an unexpected card or e-mail, a random Facebook post, an impromptu walk out in nature, a song that tugs at our hearts, or an invitation to church, could all be examples of His way of reaching out to us and reviving the spiritual wilt.

If we allow Him to, He will remind us that we are loved and we are never beyond repair, no matter how far we may have strayed or how dry and desolate our lives may feel.

“Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow within them.” John 8:38

When I passed by the little plant the next day, it had perked back up and was ready to take on the world. It reminded me that the same can be true for us if we reach for the right water. Sometimes I need reminding. Perhaps you do too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Azalea Inspiration

Posted on by Wendy
Late bloomers are no less spectacular than the early ones.

Last weekend, we were blessed with gorgeous weather on Saturday. I went out for a walk, not only for exercise, but also to bask in the warmth. There were so many beautiful trees and shrubs blooming in my neighborhood, that I wish I had a camera.

One thing that I kept noticing, was that while many of the azaleas were finished blooming, the ones in the shade of the trees, were going strong. They were just getting started. As I came back to my own house, I could see that my huge pink azaleas that had been beautiful just a few weeks earlier, had turned brown.

It always makes me a little sad every year, when they go from beautiful to brown. Their time had passed. But, then I glimpsed my azaleas that were underneath the oak trees. They were vibrant.

I thought about those azaleas all afternoon and into the evening. I thought about how in nature, different plants bloom at different times. Sometimes it has to do with the season. Sometimes it’s dependent on the amount of water and sunlight they are getting, and sometimes it simply has to do with where they are planted.

The azaleas in the shade bloom just as spectacularly as the ones in the direct sun; they just do it later. The late bloomers are just as beautiful and significant as the early bloomers.

The azaleas remind me that people are similar. We rarely bloom at the same time. Some of us hit our sweet spot very early and some of us don’t find it until much later in life as a second act. But, either way, we all have the opportunity to bloom and share something beautiful with the world.

The azaleas also remind me that sometimes we bloom and contribute and feel very much on track for a season and other times we are just barely hanging on. Yet with patience and perseverance, we can come back to a season of blooming, just like they do every single year.

If you woke up today, God is not done with you. He still has things to teach you and you still have beauty to share. It doesn’t matter how young or old you are, or what season you may find yourself in, or even where you have been planted. The possibilities are endless when we allow God to grow us.

Some azaleas reminded me. Perhaps you needed reminding too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

The Pollen Principle

Posted on by Wendy
The messy pollen has a purpose.

Yesterday, when I walked out on my porch to let my dogs out, I once again grumbled to myself about the thick coat of pollen that covers everything this time of year. You can literally wipe it off of any surface and within a few minutes, there’s another thin layer.

More than once, I have attempted to do a thorough cleaning of my porch before the pollen is done flying and more than once, I have found myself incredibly frustrated. While I might have been ready to move on to the next season, nature was not. It still had work to do.

The yellow pollen that makes such a mess is from pine trees. They produce lots and lots of pollen to ensure that all of their seeds get fertilized and that their species survives. There’s an actual reason for the mess.

It doesn’t matter how much I sweep my porch or wash my car, the pollen will fly until it’s time for the next season. Nature does not run on my time table.

Consequently, it doesn’t matter how much I complain about it either. Pine pollen is part of living in the deep south.

As I think about the pollen, I think there may be a lesson in the mess. I think we have all had times in our lives when the pollen seems to keep flying. As soon as we clean ourselves off, we find ourselves and our world covered again in a mess of some sort. We desperately want to move onto the next season because we are just plain weary of the mess.

Most of us have wondered things like: will the baby ever sleep through the night, or will the toddler ever be potty trained, or will the morning sickness ever stop, or will the puppy ever be house trained, or will I ever finish school, or if the sadness will ever ease, or if a broken heart will ever mend?

The list of the different messes that we find ourselves in on this side of eternity, is close to endless. But, like the pine pollen, many of what we consider at the time, to be frustrating messes have a purpose. Many of them are simply a phase along the journey. Many of them are ensuring our growth.

When we look back upon them, many of them end with some beautiful blooms and a season of calm. The Bible tells us that there is a season for everything. When you think about it, that has to include the pollen times.

That thought gives me a little more patience and hope. Maybe you needed some today too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

There’s Beauty in the Story

Posted on by Wendy
There’s beauty in every chapter of your story.

Last weekend, I took a walk. I was thrilled that it was at last warm enough to get outside and walk. I was not disappointed. The trees, bushes and flowers, in my neighborhood had burst into life and there was color everywhere.

On my way back home, my new neighbor was pushing her child in a swing. I commented on the design of the swing and how it looked like a lot of fun. We chatted a few minutes. Her oldest daughter is getting ready to start pre-kindergarten and we talked about the area schools.

After a little while, her little girl grew impatient and so I directed my conversation to her. I asked her if she had an Easter dress and if she was going to any egg hunts. She was and she happily told me about them.

When I said goodbye and went home, I marveled at how quickly the time had passed. When we moved into our house, my kids were four and six. Our next-door-neighbors were empty-nesters. Now I have a sixteen-year-old and a college freshman. Those empty-nesters retired to the lake and a young family moved in.

We are no longer that young family.

But, as fun as Easter dresses and egg hunts were, I have to say, that I’m enjoying this chapter too. My daughter is coming home from college for Easter and she’s bringing a friend. We went Easter dress shopping while she was home for spring break and it was much easier than it was when she was little. We had a lot of fun.

I can simply buy a new shirt for my son for Easter; his presence isn’t even required.

We will attend church together and we will go out to eat and actually enjoy the conversation. I find it exciting to see the young adults that my babies have grown into.

Sure, I sometimes miss having littles, but I’m embracing this chapter too. I’ve come to learn that when we walk with Jesus on our journey here, there’s grace and beauty in every chapter. The best is never behind us because we don’t even get to the best on this side of Eternity.

Everyday that I wake up means God is not finished with me yet. There are fresh assignments and adventures, and new ways to learn and grow.

A conversation with a young mommy reminded me that every chapter matters because the Divine Author isn’t finished writing my story. Perhaps you needed reminding too!

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Never Count God Out

Posted on by Wendy
“But with God all things are possible.” Matthew 19:26

We were recently discussing the Book of Exodus in my Sunday School class. We were at the part where Moses went to Pharaoh and told him to let God’s people go. Pharaoh refused. He probably knew of the God of the Israelites, but the Egyptians had many gods.

He counted their God out.

It turned out to be a huge mistake on his part. There were plagues and death and God showed up for His people in a huge way. Pharaoh did in fact, let the Israelites go.

A few day’s later, I was reading a daily devotion on Esther. It pointed out that God is not even mentioned in the book and there was evil everywhere. Yet, God was at work for His people even when they couldn’t see Him. The evil Haman, counted God and His love for His people, out, just as Pharaoh had generations before.

It turned out to be a huge mistake that ended up costing him his life.

Last weekend, I came across an article on a new movie called, “I Can Only Imagine,” that made me think of both Moses and Esther.

The movie is based on the song of the same name, by the Christian group, Mercy Me. When it was released, it became the most played contemporary Christian song of all time.

The movie is about a boy who grows up with an abusive father. But, it’s about the redemption that comes from knowing God. It’s core is the premise that God can redeem any situation for good. There really are no exceptions.

The critics hated it. Metacritic gave it 27 out of 100. Rotten Tomatoes critics gave it 5.7 out of 10 or 63%. It was expected to make between $2 and $4 million on its opening weekend.

Once again, they counted God out. Once again, it was a mistake.

After making $6.2 million on its first day, estimates were increased to $14 million. It ended up making $17.1 million opening weekend. The average reviewers, (people who went and saw the movie) on Rotten Tomatoes, gave it a 4.8 out of 5, of or 96%. The film received a rare A+ Cinema Score.

As I read the story, I just had to smile. An independent film company made a film that tells the story of hope and forgiveness that glorifies God. The mainstream media critics snubbed it. But, people came out in droves to see it.

Why? How could the “people in the know,” be wrong?

They counted God out.

It frankly comes as no surprise to me that people are thirsting for a story of hope and redemption. Don’t we all need that in our lives?

The success of, “I Can Only Imagine,” is a tangible reminder that all things are possible with God and we should never count Him out. Perhaps you needed reminding today.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂