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.

Seeking the Wonder

Posted on by Wendy
“After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper.” 1 Kings 19:12

A couple of weeks ago, I was driving to work. It was foggy out, but it was a normal day. There was nothing going on good or bad for me, but I was tired and I was running late. I prayed that God would show Himself to me in some small way.

Years earlier, I read a book called, “Wonderstruck,” by Margaret Feinberg. It was about rediscovering the wonder in her relationship with God. She prayed that God would show her a piece of the wonder He was capable of and He obliged.

That premise stuck with me, so from time-to-time, when I find myself in a spiritual doldrums of sorts or I feel that God is far away, I pray for God to show me His wonder. So, that morning, I said that prayer.

As I made the next right turn, I was greeted by a burst of sunshine. It was really hard to miss. I smiled and said a quick prayer of thanks as I whipped into a spot in the parking lot. I jumped out of my car and headed towards my building, I found myself looking over my shoulder to catch another glimpse of the wonder, as I kept walking. I was running late after all, but something deep inside urged me to stop.

So, I did. I stopped and I turned around. I took a deep breath and I took that beautiful light in. I said a heartfelt prayer of thanks. I even snapped a picture.

This time, when I turned around to walk to my building, my soul felt lighter and I didn’t feel like I was rushed. I felt truly thankful.

I thought about my morning encounter for the rest of the day. I thought about how often we ask God to intervene and how often He does and we miss it, because we are busy and distracted. I thought about how often He shows up in a whisper instead of a roar and again, we miss it because of all of the noise.

I was reminded of Elijah’s interaction with God in 1 Kings 19:11-13; “The Lord said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by. Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper.”

A morning sunrise reminded me not to miss God in the quiet. Perhaps you needed reminding too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

The Courage to Choose Restoration

Posted on by Wendy
The path to restoration takes courage.

I recently had a gum graft. I put it off for a long time, but my dentist finally told me my time was up. My gum recession had gotten to the point that I was going to eventually lose my tooth if there wasn’t an intervention. I reluctantly made an appointment with a periodontist. The procedure was successful, but there was a lot of scraping to prepare the tooth for the new skin and I went home with a bunch of stitches.

I was really sore the next day as expected, with a good deal of swelling and a huge purple bruise on my chin. As I was sitting on my porch, reading my daily devotion, feeling the morning breeze on my skin and listening to the birds singing, it occurred to me that restoration is rarely easy or comfortable and is always a decision that takes courage.

I was reminded of my Daddy’s knee replacement years before. He was in a lot of pain and walking with a limp, before he finally agreed to the surgery. His rehab was painful, but he always went and in the end, it was all worth it. He no longer limped and and the daily pain that he had resigned himself to live with, was gone. Nothing would have changed if he hadn’t had the courage to seek restoration.

Whether it’s something physical like a knee replacement that can restore normal movement and quality of life or something even harder like the decision to restore a broken relationship, restoration takes commitment and hard work. It also requires faith because the in between can be grueling. There are bruises and scars that take time and patience to allow them to heal.

God calls us to restoration in our hearts and souls with Him and with each other. But, sometimes the emotional and spiritual restoration can be more painful than the physical stuff. Scraping away years worth of baggage like anger, pain, guilt and bitterness that we have allowed to accumulate in our hearts, takes hard work and courage, but the results, the freedom, the joy and the life, that comes from restoration is worth every moment.

My recovery from a gum graft reminded me that it takes courage for restoration to be possible. Perhaps you needed reminding too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

 

Encouragement for the Journey

Posted on by Wendy
Be encouraged! The view in the end, will be worth every difficult step.

My family enjoys hiking together. We don’t love the same music or the same movies, but we do enjoy the gift of nature. When we decide we want to go somewhere, one of us will usually Google it, get a few reviews and some directions and off we go. This system usually works well for us.

There was a time when we didn’t pack any water and gave up before we got to our destination. There was another time when we unknowingly hiked into the edge of a giant forest fire. Needless to say, we made it back off of that mountain in record time! But, for the most part, our system works.

On a recent hike, when we finally found a place to park on the edge of a gravel road, we headed across a bridge where we saw other people going across. But, when we saw a sign for the Appalachian Trail, my hubby questioned if we were heading in the right direction. My son happened to have some very spotty phone reception and figured out that we were going the opposite way of the waterfall that we were seeking.

We  laughed as we turned around, but I’ll have to admit I felt a little frustrated. I like to plan our excursions a little better, but we had spent time debating what we wanted to do and we had ridden around lost with no cell service, before we actually found the turn off. Then we ended up going in the wrong direction.

Once we got on the right trail, the scenery was beautiful and we got into a rhythm when my foot hit a hard root. It was just a minor injury, but my big toe began to throb. The hike was taking longer than expected and I began to regret not bringing water along.

Just as I was thinking about grumbling, a woman passed by coming back down the trail with a big grin and she said, “The view is totally worth it.”

Those few words of encouragement were all I needed. I got my second wind and walked again, with purpose. She was right. The view was stunning.

I thought about that sweet lady long after our hike. I thought about how a few kind words made all of the difference and how we would have missed out on something truly amazing if we would have turned back. She didn’t have to say anything at all to us, but something led her to share.

The longer we live, the more trails we have walked. There’s wisdom that comes from living. We can choose to keep it to ourselves. We can choose to grab the megaphone of social media to tell others how they should be walking or we can choose to encourage the people who God puts in our path, to keep going, one step at a time, reminding them that the view in the end, is worth every difficult step and that God has a purpose for their journey.

God has a purpose for your journey too. Be encouraged. The view will be worth it. Sometimes I need reminding. Perhaps you do too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Appreciating the Waterfall Journey

Posted on by Wendy
It’s sometimes difficult to imagine what the end of our journey looks like when we are stuck in the middle.

My family recently went on a hike to a waterfall. It was beautiful and an easy walk and so it attracted many people. The viewing platform was full when we arrived so we went to the base of the falls. We had a a few minutes to take pictures and appreciate the beauty before we were joined by more people. We headed back to the platform to snap a few photos and again, in a few minutes, it was full.

We were a little disappointed. When we go to the woods, it’s to enjoy nature away from crowds not fight with people for a little space. To be fair, I’m sure the other people felt there, the same. It truly was a beautiful and I could see why folks were drawn to it. There’s a certain majesty found in both the sight and sound of water crashing into rocks below. Waterfalls are one of those places in Creation that tend to make us pause in awe at something so much bigger than ourselves.

But, as we stood on the platform for a few minutes, we noticed a couple at the top of the waterfall, a little off of the beaten path, so instead of heading back down, we decided to head up there. It was much quieter away from the crowds. It was an entirely new perspective at the top of the waterfall, yet still breathtaking.

I wondered what it was like a little further upstream. Was it still just as gorgeous and dramatic? I felt the nudge to check it out and so I walked a little further.

What I found was a little mountain stream. It was pretty and clear, but it wasn’t large or in any way special. There were parts where it was almost completely dammed up by a fallen tree or debris. If you were to look at this little stream at this point in its path, you would have no idea it was destined for greatness. If you stopped here and walked away, you would completely miss its awesome destiny.

The thought of the journey of that mountain stream stayed on my mind for days after we returned home. We all have the tendency to celebrate greatness. We like to focus on the finish line and we often compare the middle of our own journey to the finish lines of others, but no one’s awesome waterfall moment ever started there. Nope, that journey started long before. There were likely twist and turns and sometimes they may have even gotten almost completely stopped, but the waterfall moments are proof of what happens with faith and perseverance.

Sometimes the majesty that awaits is more than we can possibly imagine, but God can.

They remind us to to the same on our own journey at whatever point we may find ourselves. Sometimes I need reminding. Perhaps you do too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

 

 

 

 

Everyday Mountaintop Moments

Posted on by Wendy
How often does God protect us when we aren’t even aware?

My family recently hiked to a waterfall. It was a fairly long hike, but the waterfall was totally worth it. It was one of those thin places where you feel especially close to God, one of those places where you feel a deep sense of awe of Creation. We took a selfie together, but then we all went separate ways for a little bit. I sat on a huge boulder at the base just trying to soak it in.

I think I may have felt a little bit like Peter after the Transfiguration, not wanting to ever leave that mountain top. The crash of the water falling surrounded by huge old trees gave me a definite sense of peace that I was in no hurry to leave behind.

We almost didn’t take that hike. I really wanted to go kayaking,  but when we inquired, we learned that the river was moving very fast and that it wasn’t safe for inexperienced kayakers. We had kayaked before, but we were certainly not experienced and so we chose to hike.

I felt so grateful for that choice and felt reminded of the fact that when some doors close, others of equal value tend to open.

After we all took our photos, or explored a bit, or in my case, gave thanks, we started the climb back down. My hubby and son took the lead. My daughter and I chatted about how we were so glad we picked this hike and how different it would probably look with no leaves on the trees.

And then a snake crossing in front of my hubby and son caught my eye. My son and I yelled “snake” at almost the same time as my hubby almost put his foot down on top of a rattlesnake. We all jumped way back as the snake coiled into a strike position. We froze as it rattled.

My hubby couldn’t believe that he hadn’t seen it. I couldn’t believe that we had just walked through there on the way up. Had it been in the bushes then too? We stood there frozen, for what seemed like an eternity, although I’m sure it was only a few minutes. It finally uncoiled and finished crossing and disappeared into the bush.

We were a little quieter for the rest of the way, keeping our eyes peeled for more snakes. Thankfully, we didn’t see any.

I thought of that rattlesnake long after we were safely in the car. I thought about God’s everyday provision and protection for us that we so often miss. I thought about how we were celebrating my hubby’s birthday, a huge milestone that we weren’t sure he would make, due to family health history, but that God knew twenty years ago, when he gave us our son, not only would we get to celebrate that birthday, but that my son would save his daddy’s life that day.

I realized that although I was no longer on that mountaintop, I experienced a mountaintop moment. God was clearly very close.

A chance encounter with a rattlesnake reminded me that God is so much closer that we think, intervening and protecting in ways we can’t comprehend and that knowledge gave me a new sense of peace. Sometimes I need reminding. Perhaps you do too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Trusting the Path

Posted on by Wendy
Sometimes the roughest paths lead us to incredible destinations.

My family recently took a trip to the North Georgia Mountains. We have always enjoyed hiking together, so this time, I put my daughter in charge of finding us some trails. We settled on a couple of waterfalls and a swinging bridge which happened to be the longest one east of the Mississippi.

The trails she chose were part of the National Forest system. We had never hiked National Forest Trails, but were up for new adventure.

The first trail had a sign on the road that pointed us to a gravel road. We turned and drove a fairly short distance, but questioned ourselves the entire way. Was this gravel road the right path? We seemed to be in the middle of nowhere. Soon, we saw other cars parked and just a short hike later, we were delighted to find a beautiful waterfall. We were glad we stayed on the path even though it was rough.

The next day, we headed to the swinging bridge. Again, we saw the sign and again, we found ourselves on a gravel path, but this one was rougher and longer. It was five miles and we marveled at how long it seemed to take to travel such a short distance. I watched as my phone reported that we had only traveled a mile. I couldn’t recall ever taking so long to travel just a single mile.

This time, when our phone announced that we had arrived, there was only one car parked. Were we in the right place? A carved out sign pointed to a path to the bridge. The hike was longer than our first one, but we were so glad we did it. The bridge was was worth it and we took tons of pictures as we laughed at how much it moved as we walked across the rushing river below.

Our last planned hike was to another waterfall. This one was much taller than the first. This time, when we saw the sign to the gravel road, we didn’t question the path even though it was much rougher and longer than the first two and at some places, much narrower. There was a steep drop down to a stream on the passenger side. A couple of times, when when passed a car going the opposite direction, they would stop to let us by. When we arrived, there was no central place to park. We just had to find a spot that wouldn’t block the path for other travelers.

Our hike was much longer than the two before. When we began to wonder if we should have brought some water along, we passed by a couple heading back down. The woman smiled and told us that we were close and it was totally worth it. We appreciated the encouragement. When we got to the waterfall, we were all amazed at its majesty. We sat and stayed a while so glad that we kept going even when the path was long and rough.

I thought about our trip long after we returned home. I was reminded that sometimes the distance we have to go isn’t nearly as long as it feels like when the path is rough and we are often much closer than we think to what we are seeking. I was also reminded that the roughest journeys sometimes lead us to incredible destinations far beyond our own imagination. When we are walking in faith and Jesus points us to a path, staying on the path will always be worth it even when we doubt.

Sometimes I need reminding. Perhaps you do too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Hydrangea Lessons

Posted on by Wendy
Faith comes from not knowing the outcome, but resolving to plant anyway.

I had one single hydrangea bloom this year. It was beautiful and I was thrilled to have it, but I have five hydrangea bushes that were covered in blooms last year, so this year’s crop has been disappointing. I had cut blooms in vases all over my house last year and in a season where  there was so much ugliness and a worldwide pandemic had us all at home, those blooms felt like daily well wishes from God.

Forces completely out of my hands reminded me that there was still beauty in the world.

Fast forward a year and I have one single bloom. I fed and watered those hydrangeas just like I did last year. We had a late frost, but I carefully covered them up with sheets for protection. I did my best, yet they didn’t bloom.

If you ever want a lesson in humility, nature is where you will find it. Our culture teaches us if we work hard and do our best, we will always succeed and we tend to buy that lie. Ask any farmer if their hard work guarantees good results. I imagine they will be the first to tell you that a lot of what happens to their crops and even their livestock, is out of their hands. It’s no wonder that the farmers I know are some of the most faithful people I have ever met.

Maybe that’s because faith comes from not knowing what the final outcome will be, but resolving to plant anyway.

We don’t tend to like those odds. We tend to prefer a sure thing and we sometimes even avoid anything that we think is not a sure thing. We convince ourselves that we truly control our destiny and we are devastated when something happens, (and it always will), to remind us we do not. That job loss, or illness, or divorce, shakes us to our core. How could something bad possibly happen when we did everything right?

The truth is, we live in a broken world and bad things happen even when we do our very best. That’s how it is on this side of eternity. But, when we keep our focus on Jesus and walk humbly with God, we are able to weather the storms much more easily, remembering that God loves us and there is a plan even when we can’t see it.

We learn to take life one day at a time, one step at a time and we continue to plant, knowing that the next season just may produce a bumper crop. A lone hydrangea reminded me that even though the outcome is out of my hands, I am called to plant anyway. Perhaps you needed reminding too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

 

 

 

A Prayer for Faith

Posted on by Wendy
Don’t miss a single blessing; there are so many!

A few days before a much anticipated celebratory weekend that included a trip to my parents’ house, a visit from my sister, a screening of my daughter’s film for her senior project, a low country boil to celebrate her college graduation, Mother’s Day and graduation, I discovered a lump that shouldn’t have been there.

There was a time in my life when I would likely have been devastated. I would have Googled every possible scenario and been unable to sleep. I would have probably spent lots of time begging God to make it go away. I would have sacrificed the blessings that God gifted me with by focusing on the unknown and not relying on my faith.

I did pray for intervention and healing, but I didn’t start there. This time I asked Jesus to give me peace remembering the verse,  “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” (John 14:27) I asked Jesus to help me stay focused on Him and not to allow my circumstances to steal my joy because I had so very much to be joyful about and I knew I would never again have those moments. I prayed that He would use whatever the outcome to glorify Him and then I prayed for healing.

Jesus answered my prayers. A deep peace settled over me. I had a wonderful weekend and celebrated to the fullest. I laughed a lot, ate great food, took lots of pictures and made memories that will stay with me forever. I felt nothing, but pure joy when I hugged my mama on Mother’s Day, and when my daughter unwrapped her graduation gifts and when she walked across the stage, officially becoming an adult.

I started a brand new job two days after graduation and I was still at peace when I met my new co-workers and settled into my new office. When the day came to get everything checked out, I met another woman in the waiting room and we discussed our faith and how we knew that everything would be ok, no matter the outcome. I knew that God had put her there.

Turned out, that the lump was nothing, completely benign and I said a prayer of thanks, not just for the outcome, but because of the peace that I felt during the entire ordeal and when I got into the car, the song, “I Will Praise You in the Storm,” was playing and I felt complete gratitude wash over me.

I was reminded that on this side of eternity, we will always have joy and pain mingled together. That’s a guarantee. What we decide to focus on, is up to us. Sometimes I need reminding. Perhaps you did too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

 

 

Lessons from a Hummingbird

Posted on by Wendy
God’s promises don’t change simply because we can’t see the end from somewhere in the middle.

One morning last week, as I tiptoed into the kitchen to get my morning coffee, a little red dot at the window caught my eye and I found myself grinning as I thanked God for the good morning from Him. I had been praying that He would show Himself that morning. We had been through a couple of dark and stormy days and I had been cooped up in the house.

A couple of weeks earlier, I spotted a lone hummingbird in my yard. I love those little bossy birds and when I see the first one of the season, it becomes official in my mind, that summer, my very favorite time of the year, is coming. I quickly went inside, pulled out my feeder and made the sugar water concoction that they enjoy and then I waited.

A week passed with no visitors. I dumped it out and refilled it. Another week passed with no birds. The rains came. And then, out of the corner of my eye, early that morning, I spotted one with his ruby red throat, taking a sip. He flew away the minute he saw me, but it was too late, hope bloomed and joy filled my heart.

God had been listening all along as He always does. Even as I made the nectar and then had to dump it and make more, God was at work, planning. He rewarded my faithfulness even as I grumbled about it, even as I doubted. Did I really even see the first one? Maybe I was mistaken.

How often do we do doubt what we know we are called to do, when we don’t get any results from our work? Do we doubt the calling? Did I really hear God right? Sometimes I pray really hard about something and when I get the answer, I proceed, but then things get rough and I don’t feel blessings raining down and I question. Maybe you do too? Then, I will pray hard for even more validation and I am sometimes met with silence.

Yet, how I proceed from that point makes all the difference. Do I continue to trust God or do I put my trust in my current circumstances and act accordingly? If I am honest, I have done both. Looking back, I wonder how many blessings I missed out on when I decided to trust my own judgement that has been clouded simply by what I see before me. I allow myself to forget that I am confined to the here and now. God is not.

Thankfully, God is always willing to give me second chances. He is faithful even when I am not. His mercies are new every morning. That particular morning I was reminded. Perhaps you needed reminding too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Trusting the Process

Posted on by Wendy
We have to resist comparing our beginning to someone else’s finish line.Growth is a process.

My hubby and I are in the process of getting our house painted. It’s way past time and we have been putting it off. Who wants to spend money on paint? But, there are some window sills that have become bare over the years and they need protection, not to mention it’s just time for an update.

I contacted a painter and he came out and looked the place over. He told us that he really needed to pressure wash first to see what kind of shape everything was in under the grime. We agreed. The good news was the exterior was in really good shape and just a thorough cleaning made it look better, except for the front steps. When he pressure washed the front steps, layers of paint came off and they look terrible, yet it would have been a total waste of time and money just to paint over them as they were. The paint would have peeled right off.

I have worked from home the past week and I can see the rails and stairs from my window. As I was grimacing at how messy and unkept they look, I wondered what the people who see it from the street must think. Do they think we just don’t care about our home? Do they judge us by the current appearance not knowing that we have a work in progress? Do they think we are lazy?

As I was thinking those thoughts, I was reminded how quick we are to judge ourselves and others by how things look at the moment. It’s easy to look at ourselves in the messy beginning or even the middle and make a comparison to someone else’s finish line. From raising kids, to building marriages, to weight loss and even our faith walk. We are always tempted to look at someone else’s, “got it all together,” phase and think that we will never measure up. What we neglect to remember is that everyone started at ground zero at some point, everyone.

We also have to remember that when we let God work on us, He’s going to strip away the bad stuff first, just like that pressure washer did. He wants to wash away the things that will interfere with our walk with Him and that’s sometimes not pretty, yet it’s an important part of the process. In the end, we will end up brighter, stronger and better than ever, but we have to trust the process even the ugly beginnings.

My porch reminded me to be patient with the process. Perhaps you needed reminding too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂