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.

Prison Promises

Posted on by Wendy
Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance, perseverance, character; and character hope. Romans 5:3-4
Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance, perseverance, character; and character hope. Romans 5:3-4

Yesterday, I read the account of Joseph in prison, found in Genesis 41 and 42 and although I’ve read it many times previously, his story really spoke to me. Joseph had done absolutely nothing to wind up in prison. Yet, there he sat. He had been a faithful servant to Potiphar and had remained faithful to God. He actually got thrown into prison for doing the right thing.

I always have a hard time accepting that life sometimes turns out like that.

While he was in prison, the Bible says the “Lord was with him and showed him kindness.” God didn’t spring him, but He was with him.

That must have been hard to take at times. He went from being the favorite son, to being sold into slavery, to prison. I have to wonder if Joseph ever felt like God abandoned him. God did grant him favor in the eyes of the prison warden, which I’m sure was huge. I can’t imagine an Egyptian prison being much of a picnic. But, as great a gift as the favor was, I wonder if Joseph could see it at the time. Sure, he could see it later, but could he see it while he was living it?

How many times have we found ourselves in some dark prison like place? Things like sickness, divorce, job loss, depression, and addiction, are all examples of prisons with invisible bars. Sometimes we wonder if our lives will ever change or if God even cares.

For Joseph, he thought he saw his deliverance, when the Pharaoh’s cupbearer and baker joined him in prison. They had displeased Pharaoh in some way. They both had dreams and Joseph interpreted them, being very careful to give the glory to God, even then. He asked them to please remember him when they got out. They promised and promptly forgot.

Joseph waited for two more long years. The Bible doesn’t tell us whether or not he felt desperate or had lost hope. I doubt he felt very loved or content where he was.

But, then Pharaoh had a dream that no one could interpret and the cupbearer finally remembered Joseph and just like that, he was summoned. He shaved and got cleaned up and told Pharaoh that he could not interpret the dreams, but God could. He then told him what they meant. Again, after all he had been through, he gave all of the glory to God.

Pharaoh was so impressed that he put Joseph in charge of all of Egypt, second only to Pharaoh, himself

Now, if you were just tuning into this story, you might think what a lucky duck, that some Hebrew prisoner was, who went from rags to riches overnight. Sometimes life seems like that.

But, we know the entire story. Joseph suffered for a long time, while God was at work.

I’m sure he must have felt abandoned, frustrated and forgotten at times and then he got his hopes up that he would be free and they were dashed. But, God was with him and He was at work, lining up all kinds of future events, like seven years of prosperity and famine for Egypt and the eventual salvation of the fledgling Hebrew nation.

God was with Joseph and He was at work. He is with us too, when we are in our prisons. He hears our prayers. He’s listening. We just have to draw close to Him and know that like Joseph’s story, He’s at work in your story and mine.

Sometimes I need reminding. Perhaps you do too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Cone Wisdom

Posted on by Wendy
Though cumbersome and frustrating, the cone keeps him safe.
Though cumbersome and frustrating, the cone keeps him safe.

Our dog, Sandy, had surgery a couple of days ago. He had a couple of hopefully, benign tumors removed. He has stitches and so our veterinarian sent him home with a surgical collar, otherwise known as the dreaded cone.

He’s downright pitiful in it. It’s bulky. He runs into the walls and has a hard time taking the stairs. He’s depressed and I think he’s even embarrassed. I suspect, though I can’t prove it, that our other dog makes fun of him when we’re not looking.

It’s almost painful to watch how awkward he is walking around in it.

But, he can eat with it on, and he can drink water, and he has no trouble begging from the table with it on. He can even run around outside and do his business.

And here’s the most important thing about the dreaded cone: It keeps him safe while he heals. He had surgery a few years back and the young veterinarian in charge for the day, decided he didn’t need a cone. It was a Friday. Sandy promptly ripped out his stitches over the weekend. We had to take him back and have them redone and the more experienced veterinarian, sent him home with a cone.

If Sandy is allowed to chew on his stitches, which is his tendency, he will injure himself. He can cause an infection. He will take longer to heal. So, those of us who love him and know what’s best for him, have put that cone around his head to protect him.

Keep in mind, from his standpoint, he wants it gone. He’s uncomfortable and frustrated. I know that it’s only for a week or so, but as far as he’s concerned, it’s his new normal and he doesn’t like it. Of course, he was perfectly happy with the tumors staying where they were too. They weren’t bothering him. Why should they go?

The veterinarian felt like the tumors could be dangerous down the road, so he removed them.

As I’ve watched my sweet dog stumble around, kind of dazed and confused, I have really wished I could explain it all to him. I’d like to tell him how much I love him and that I’m just trying to keep him as healthy as possible.

When I think about it, I feel like God often reacts to us, his children, in the same way.

There are times when He removes things from our lives, things that can cause us harm, but that we don’t necessarily see as harmful. Then, He sometimes puts up road blocks in our paths to keep us from trying to fix things ourselves, like Sandy gnawing on his stitches.

We sometimes find ourselves stuck in one place. We can’t go forward and we can’t go backward, but instead of giving into stress and frustration, perhaps we should acknowledge that just maybe, we have been brought to a place of healing and when we are rested and healed, God will unblock the path.

Sandy’s cone reminds me that healing takes some time. It also reminds me that we often don’t know what’s best for us, but just like I can trust my vet for Sandy’s care, we can trust God for ours.

Perhaps today, you needed reminding too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

The Wind is Blowing

Posted on by Wendy
The wind is blowing.
The wind is blowing.

I have been reading along with an online Bible study called #shereadstruth. We are currently journeying through Genesis, which never ceases to cast forth something new and different for me to ponder, every time I read it. This time I was reading the account of Noah, when something new presented itself for me to think about.

Noah and his family and all of those animals were on the ark for around 370 days, give or take. Now I’m sure in the beginning, as the rain came pelting down and the ark began to float, they probably felt thankful and blessed.

But, the human heart is often fickle. God never told them how long they would be on the ark. He just told them to get on it. We have had a lot of rain here in Georgia over the past few months. There have been days that we wondered if it would ever stop. It rained on Noah for forty days and nights, non-stop.

I wonder how thankful they felt after 40 days. Then the rain finally stopped. Perhaps they wondered if at last they could breathe fresh air again and walk on dry land or run and jump. The rain may have stopped, but they had a long wait ahead. For over three hundred more days, they floated for a period that I suspect seemed aimless and endless.

Have you ever felt like you were drifting endlessly? Have you ever wondered if you would ever feel like your feet were on solid ground? Have you ever wondered if you would feel the warmth of the sun or the freedom to run freely again?

Well, take heart. I’m sure Noah and his family must have felt downright hopeless and forgotten at times, too. But, this story is about a man who loved and obeyed God, and God provided, as He always provides for His children.

“But God remembered Noah and all the wild animals and the livestock that were with him on the ark, and he sent a wind over the earth, and the waters receded.” Genesis 8:1

Keep in mind, that while that wind was blowing and the waters were receding that Noah and his family were still locked away in the ark. God was at work, but they couldn’t see it. I am reminded that He is at work in our lives too, in the darkness, in the hopelessness, even when we can’t see it.

Lastly, the first thing Noah did was to offer a burnt sacrifice to God. In our world of instant gratification, it’s a stunning picture of Noah’s love for God that after 370 days sealed aboard an ark with all of those animals, the first thing he did was to give thanks for their deliverance. Noah remembered to be thankful.

Noah’s story reminds me to always remember that God is always at work even if it’s like the wind and we can’t see it. His story also reminds me to give thanks for the many blessings that we have been given, even if they were what we believe to be a long time coming. God’s timing is always perfect.

Perhaps you needed reminding too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

 

The Spirituality of Thanksgiving

Posted on by Wendy
Sometimes we have to let go in order to draw closer to God.
Sometimes we have to let go in order to draw closer to God.

As I was doing dishes this morning, I looked out my window and saw leaves falling down like rain. There were literally hundreds of them. With Thanksgiving a little over a week away, the leaves made me think about letting go of things that not only don’t matter in the long run, but also letting go of things that keep us from being thankful.

Every year, the retailers rush from Halloween to Christmas and try to skip over Thanksgiving. The holiday doesn’t make them much money. But, it’s a uniquely American holiday, where we take time out to be thankful for all that we have.

It seems to me that to truly ready our hearts for the gift of the Christ Child, that we really shouldn’t skip the step of humbly giving thanks to God, not only for our personal blessings, but for being who He is.

That brings me back to those falling leaves. Every year, the trees shed all of those leaves that they needed and used during the spring and summer. They don’t need them in the winter and they beautifully let them go.

As we prepare ourselves for Thanksgiving, are we like the trees, blissfully letting go of things that stand in the way of our being thankful, or are we holding tightly with both hands?

Things like anger, resentment, pride, or guilt and shame over past actions, have to be let go like all of those leaves, in order for us to draw close to God. It doesn’t matter whether the things we are holding onto with a white knuckled grip, were done by us or done to us, if we want to walk with Jesus, we have to let them go.

The Bible tells us to give thanks in all circumstances which can be incredibly difficult when our lives are going badly, but when we give thanks, we are thanking God for who He is and for His love for us, knowing that circumstances will eventually change. When we give thanks, we acknowledge that His plan is better than our own, although it’s impossible for us to understand sometimes.

The falling leaves remind us to let go of all that stands between us and Him. We don’t need all of that negativity. All we need is Him.

The leaves that have been allowed to fall, can turn into a rich fertilizer for things to grow in the future. They remind us that God can use all of our baggage to grow us too, if we allow it, if we let go.

God reminded me this morning of the importance of Thanksgiving. I was reminded not to fast forward to Christmas, but to bask in the moment of letting go and giving thanks. Perhaps you needed a reminder too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Be Patient and Let God Work

Posted on by Wendy
We all have the opportunity to glorify God with our choices.
We all have the opportunity to glorify God with our choices.

I recently came across a story just too good not to share. While everyone seems to be focusing on the demise of American culture and labeling our society as “Godless,” I keep finding story after story of Christians rallying around each other, that bring me hope.

Interestingly, once again, this story of hope takes place on a football field.

A young man named Luke Keller had seen some hard times. His father left. His grandmother died and his grandfather was jailed. He had lost all hope and he decided on his way home from school, that it might be time to end his life.

He went to mow the lawn, hoping it might get his mind off of his suicidal thoughts. It didn’t. In desperation, he finally decided to call out to a God that he had never believed in. Isn’t that how it goes for many of us? We wait until we hit hard rock bottom before we cry out for help.

Luke said, “God, if you are real and you are what people say you are, then tell me something, because today I’m going to end my life. I need to know if you are real.”

He heard  voice that said, “I want you to follow me.”

Luke needed to be sure. Here again, it amazes me at how often we question God. The supernatural alarms us. We like to check and double-check. But, our loving Father is ever patient with us, especially the young ones.

Luke said, “God I feel like I heard you, but will you please say it one more time so I know I’m not crazy?”

What do you think God did? Did He strike him down for his disbelief? Nope. He obliged and repeated, “I want you to follow me.”

Luke dropped to his knees and began crying. He had been through a year of counseling and after that day, not one more suicidal thought entered his mind.

Luke just happened to be a high school football player and he decided to drop to his knee and point to the sky to thank God when he made a touchdown. He said he was living for God and wanted to glorify Him with every victory he was given. This act was apparently not a problem until his team made the playoffs.

There was a referee who told him he was celebrating when he knelt and pointed and that if he did it again, he would be thrown out of the game. He was crushed. He was only trying to glorify God.

At half-time, Luke’s little sister got a note to him that said, “Be patient and let God work.” She was allowing God to use her too.

On his next touch down, he didn’t kneel and point to God. He simply walked back to the sidelines, shoulders slumped, until he looked at the stands. Around 7,000 fans had all dropped to their knees and pointed to the sky.

You see, we always have a choice. We can be like Luke and seek to glorify God in all that we do. If we make that choice, we have to have faith that God will intervene for us, if the road gets rough.

It really doesn’t matter whether we are on the field, or in the stands, or even the little sister. We all have a part to play.

What is yours?

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

 

Lessons from the Art Room

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Lessons from the art room
Lessons from the art room

Last week, for three days, I was a substitute teacher in art, for grades third through fifth. As always, being in the art room was an interesting experience. I had subbed in there before, but not for three days. Three days spent doing anything, can give you a new perspective.

Their assignment was simple. They were supposed to create either a pumpkin, leaf, or funky turkey to help decorate their school for the Thanksgiving Feast. They had some examples to look at, but they were given a white sheet of paper, the size of their choice, and a pencil. After drawing, and then tracing in Sharpie, they could color in any way or design they saw fit. The turkeys could be dressed in any crazy costume that the kids could dream up.

After three days, I noticed a pattern. The third graders were super excited about the assignment. They gleefully took paper and got busy. My challenge with them was to get them to keep drawing and stop sharing their creations with their friends. They were also very encouraging to each other. I witnessed a lot of kindness.

The fourth grade, just one year older, tended to play it safe. They tended to choose the pumpkin more than anything. They would sometimes trace a perfectly round circle and they tended to simply color it orange. They were more self-conscious  about their art. There wasn’t as much sharing.

The fifth grade had two distinct groups. There were those who loved art and knew they were good at it and those felt they had an hour to kill. The ones who loved art and creating, always went for the turkeys. They dressed them in a wide array of outfits, from Bulldog jerseys to pearls and earrings. There were fat ones and thin ones. The ones who enjoyed creating were focused solely on their creation. They didn’t seem to care much what the other kids were drawing.

It was the ones who didn’t feel like they were, “good at it,” who seemed to spend the most time looking at what their peers were creating.

As I thought about the art classes, they seemed like a perfect example of people in general, and our creativity as well. When we are young, we feel like there is nothing we can’t do.

When was the last time you attended a high school graduation? That valedictorian gives his/her speech and those graduates believe there is nothing out of their reach. But, as the invisible door silently closes on high school and life begins, dreams and aspirations tend to get lost.

Life happens. Like those fifth graders, we begin to compare ourselves to everyone else in big, and sometimes dream destructive, ways. Our dreams get lost, forgotten or put away. Some were meant to die, but some were planted by our creative Creator.

Once life happens and we have a spouse, kids, and a mortgage, we feel it’s too late. But, the bottom line is that it’s simply never too late to chase a dream. If God is behind it, it can happen at any stage of the game.

But, how do we know if it’s from Him? We have to pray a lot and spend a lot of quiet time listening. Perhaps the most important step is spending time in His Word. He would never have us pursue something contrary to scripture. It’s also really helpful to have some other Christian friends to bounce ideas off of.

Once we do all of that and that nudge is still there and that dream that we’ve locked away for so long is still calling to us, it may be time to take a leap of faith.

Stop comparing and worrying, like the fifth graders, just jump. Don’t play it safe like the fourth graders. If God has called you to it, you are in for a wild ride. What are you waiting for?

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Boundless Borderless God

Posted on by Wendy
The God who created the universe is not bound by human understanding.
The God who created the universe, is not bound by human understanding.

I was recently having a conversation with a friend of mine about a book study she is doing at her church. It’s supposed to be about, “Experiencing God.” She was super excited about the class because she’s fairly new to the faith and she’s found that a lot of the, “studies” that she has participated in are fluff.

She was hoping to get down to some serious discussion about actually experiencing God, which involves way more than getting dressed up and attending church for a couple of hours on Sunday. She was quite disheartened to find that her new study began with a video that basically listed all of the ways that you can’t experience God.

Now I’m sure that the guy who wrote the book and created the video are way more educated than I am. Perhaps that’s the problem.

I’m really not sure how anyone can tell you how you can and can’t experience God. When I pointed out to her that God made a donkey talk, and showed up in a bush, and sent ravens to feed Elijah and that I felt like He could communicate with us in any way He sees fit, she said that the group’s answer to that was, that was in the Old Testament.

Um, hold the phone. If we believe that God never changes and that He’s all powerful, do we honestly believe that He is bound by any constructs that humanity can come up with? My friend said her group said, since we now have the Holy Spirit, that God no longer communicates in the same way as He did in the Old Testament.

But, didn’t the Holy Spirit come to help us and counsel us? He didn’t come to bind God in any way.

I told her that I felt like that one of the most dangerous pitfalls of modern day Christianity is that we have become like the Pharisees. We know all of the rules and can recite many of the verses, but we miss the majesty of God, the mystery of God.

We can’t explain it; so we don’t talk about it. There was a book that came out several years ago called, “Heaven is for Real.” Do we discount that boy’s story because we don’t understand it? What about all of those people with near death experiences who see a light? We can’t explain that either. Are all of those people making it up?

God is boundless and borderless. We couldn’t possibly fathom all that He is capable of with our small human minds. We can and should read the Bible to learn about His character and how He has acted in the past. We have to know that He would never instruct us to do something that is contrary to scripture. We also have to keep in mind that we have an enemy who would.

But, other than that, the Creator of the earth and sky, the One who calls the stars by name, the One who created me and you and numbers the hair on our heads, well His powers are limitless. I think we should always remember that.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Surviving the Switchbacks

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Don't get discouraged. The view from the top is stunning.
Don’t get discouraged. The view from the top is stunning.

I love to hike and this is my favorite time of year for it. There air is cooler and the leaves are turning. One thing I’ve learned over the years is that some of the most beautiful views require a fair amount of effort to enjoy. Some of the most beautiful scenery God ever created is on the top of a mountain or looking over the top of a waterfall.

But, there’s a catch. To really appreciate all of the glory that nature has to offer, you have to start at the bottom and hike to the top. Sometimes the trail is a gentle walk with very few obstacles. Sometimes you can reach the top in no time.

Sometimes, however, the trail is covered with exposed roots and you have to watch your footing or you will fall. Then there are the trails with the dreaded switchbacks. There are some trails that are way too steep to go straight up, so someone along the way, created a more even system to reach the top. Unfortunately, they are quite tedious.

You walk awhile going in one direction then you get to the end and you are pointed back in the direction you just came from, but a little bit closer to the top than before. I have walked a series of switchbacks before where I felt like I had very close kinship with those hamsters in their little mazes. I wondered if I would ever each the top.

But, I had to keep walking. At some point, I realized I had come way too far to turn back. I was ever so sure that the summit was just around the corner and I resolved to keep going. I did stop for a water break at times. Sometimes you just have to rest and catch your breath.

But, when I reached the top, well, the sheer beauty made me feel closer to God. But, isn’t that always the case when we travel towards some kind of destination that seems out of our reach?

We begin with some kind of game plan or map and we get started. Sometimes we get to where we are going quickly. But, sometimes the road is long and the path is twisted. Sometimes we only take what feels like the tiniest of baby steps and we truly believe we are getting nowhere.

But, if we are following God, we may just be in a series of switchbacks, which means we are getting there, but at a slower, safer pace. Sometimes we need to take a break on our journey and take a little rest. We can pray for continued strength and guidance.

Wherever you are today in your journey, rest if you need to, but then, get up and keep going, even if you feel very weary or even discouraged, because in the end, if you are following Him, you will reach the top and the view is stunning.

 

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Crossing Our Jordan

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When God calls us, He wants us to go all in.
When God calls us, He wants us to go all in.

A couple of nights ago, my hubby and I attended our small group get-together from church. We are watching a video about different places in the Holy Land that appear in the Bible. The narrator then ties them in to our modern life.

This time our video was about the Jordan River which appears several times in the Bible. The narrator explained that the Jordan flowed extremely quickly in Biblical days. It has now been dammed up to help supply water for the nation of Israel, but it used to flow fast and at times was very deep.

In the Book of Joshua, we find Joshua getting ready to at long last, lead the Israelites to the Promised Land. They had been wandering in the desert for forty years as punishment for doubting that God could deliver them. An entire generation had died.

But, in that time, God continued to feed them everyday. He provided for them in their time of wandering. Even in His anger, He didn’t abandon them. That is the nature of our God.

But, the moment of truth had arrived. God had told Joshua the time had come to cross over the Jordan River and into the Promised Land. The Jordan stood between their old lives of being lost and wandering and their new lives of what God had promised them.

But, I learned in the video, that the problem was that the Jordan was at flood stage. It was very deep and fast. The priests who were carrying the Ark of the Covenant, were commanded to walk into the Jordan. This wasn’t an easy, gentle slope. There was no wading in or dipping their proverbial toes in. If they were going to trust God, they had to go all in.

The story took on a little deeper meaning for me. Anyone can gradually wade into something, but taking the plunge is an entirely different matter. Thankfully, they didn’t hesitate. They plunged in and God stopped the water from flowing upstream.

Just like with the Red Sea, a generation earlier, He parted the waters, and the Israelites walked through on dry land. But, to get their miracle, just as Moses did with the Red Sea, God expected them to step out in faith.

God wasn’t interested in baby steps. He wanted fearless faith and when He got it, wow! He came through in a huge, miraculous way.

I’ve thought a lot about Joshua and the Jordan since I saw that video. What does the Biblical account have to do with us?

We all would love to see God move in big ways, but time after time in the Bible, we see that we have to step out in faith first, and quite often take a plunge, not wade in timidly. Fearless faith requires trust and obedience, two things that we often struggle with.

In the modern Western world, we like to plan everything and have contingencies. Jumping in without a backup is kind of frowned upon.

But, when God calls us, He says we should jump anyway, no matter how deep our Jordan may be. We should all remember, that we worship the God who stopped the Jordan at its source. He can always do it again.

What are you being called to do today? Take a leap and watch. Your Promised Land may be waiting on the other side.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

The Seemingly Insignificant

Posted on by Wendy
Building an authentic relationship with God requires praying about everything, not just the really big things.
Building an authentic relationship with God requires praying about everything, not just the really big things.

A lot gets said about not comparing ourselves to other people. We have no idea what other people have been through to get where they are. We are all God’s own unique creation and we should be focused on Him not them. Can I get an Amen?

When we think about comparing ourselves with other people, we normally think about people who we think have more and better anything, or everything, than we do. But, what about the flip side?

Sometimes I find myself grappling with a seemingly insignificant issue like one of my kids not passing algebra. It upsets me to see my child struggle, trying hard and still not passing. But, then I sometimes have a nagging feeling that says things like, “How dare you be concerned about something so trivial. There are children starving to death in this world, or at least your child is healthy; there are children dying of cancer, or, or, or.”

When I buy into that, I’m still comparing myself to others. That little nagging feeling doesn’t come from God because it separates me from Him. It makes me feel like my problems are too insignificant to take to Him. It makes me feel ashamed for not feeling thankful for all of the blessings that I have been given.

God doesn’t want us to feel badly about our emotions.

God wants true, authentic relationship with us. He doesn’t want us to just come to Him with a smile plastered on our faces and read off an automated list of the things we are thankful for. Yes, we are supposed to be thankful and live with thankful hearts, but we are human. We have bad days. We have everyday struggles. We get our feelings hurt.

God wants to hear about that stuff too. He knows our hearts anyway; to really grow our faith, we have to be honest with Him when we pray and if we are honestly worried or anxious about something, it doesn’t matter whether it seems insignificant to anyone else. We need to feel free to pray about it.

Can we expect God to answer a prayer if we’re not willing to share it with Him?

I’m reminded of an old hymn from my childhood that says it perfectly, “What a friend we have in Jesus, all our sins and griefs to bear! What a privilege to carry everything to God in prayer! O what peace we often forfeit, O what needless pain we bear, all because we do not carry everything to God in prayer.”

I sometimes write to remind myself. Maybe you needed a reminder too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂