Category: Watching for God

God is all around us. All we have to do is look for Him. If we seek Him, we will find Him at times in the most unlikely places.

God is in the Details

Posted on by Wendy
The same God who makes the sun rise and set is involved in the tiniest details in the lives of His children.

 

There is a church in my town that serves a free lunch to the community on Tuesdays. I like to volunteer there when I can. Working with other Christians to serve those in need, fills my soul in the same way it fills the bellies of those who come to eat. I always feel the presence of Jesus there and I have earnestly searched for His presence over the past year.

A few weeks ago, we were asked to bring in any warm items we might have, to donate, especially blankets and coats.

I went home and searched my closets. Many years ago, someone gave me a wearable blanket as a Christmas gift. I never really used it and I packed it away with my other winter items, like gloves and hats. It rarely gets very cold for long here in the deep south, so my winter items typically stay packed away in a plastic box for most of the year. I forgot about the wearable blanket and when we downsized and moved, I ended up putting it at the bottom of a cedar chest.

I have no idea why I kept it, when I donated so many other things, but I dug it out and washed it. It was in great condition because it had  rarely been used. I took it in to add to the pile of other donations.

This week was the week that the donations were to be given out. When one of the leaders asked if I would be willing to help hand them out, I hesitated. The need was great and we were only allowed to let each person take one item. I’m a bit of a softie by nature; I didn’t really think I was the best person for the task, but he was insistent, so I reluctantly agreed.

After helping sort the items in the back with another volunteer, we headed out with our stack of donations.  A third volunteer joined us. There were a lot of items, but they went fast. Everyone was orderly and so very thankful.

There was an elderly lady towards the end of the line and she chose a child’s blanket to wrap around her shoulders. She said she got chilly at her house. I knew that the item I donated was still in the back and I asked her if she would wait a moment. I went and got it and put it on her. Her face lit up with delight as she hugged me tightly. Her joy was contagious and I found myself fighting back tears.

Such a tiny gift on my part had meant so much.

As I reflected later on that day, I was in awe as always, at God’s hands in the tiniest of details of my life, from the fact that I kept the wearable blanket for no good reason to the moment that I was asked to help distribute donations which was totally out of my comfort zone, He had a plan to bless me.

A donated blanket and the joyous smile of a stranger reminded me that God is always working even in the tiniest of details. Sometimes I need reminding. Perhaps you do too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

 

 

The Thrill of Hope

Posted on by Wendy
The weary world rejoices!

 

I will happily admit that I love a Hallmark Christmas movie and I must not be alone, because every streaming service now has their own version of them. While I am fully aware that they are all fairly predictable. They typically take place in a small town that looks like a  Christmas snow globe. Neighbors are kind to one another. Families love each other and if their is some kind of rift, it all gets solved before the end of the movie. They always live happily ever after.

Sigh. What’s not to love?

Last Sunday at church, we lit the first candle of Advent, the Candle of Hope. There are a lot of hopes this time of year. Children hope for gifts from Santa. Parents hope to create perfect Christmas memories. Many families hope for some kind of peace and reconciliation among their people.

Humanity itself, hopes for a happily ever after and we tend to run after it in all the wrong places; that’s where the promise of Advent shines.

When Jesus entered our world, true hope was born, not the kind that we can hold temporarily in our hands, but hope for the eternal.  One night in Bethlehem, happily ever after was truly born. The eternal happily ever after is never marred by sickness, death, betrayal or any of the brokenness that lives on this side of eternity.

If the thought of Christmas feels dark to you this year, let me remind you that as Christians, we are travelers here. We may not get our happily ever after this year or even next year, but we will get a happily after and it will be beyond our wildest imagination. That baby in the manger guarantees it.

So, if you long for the perfection of a Christmas snow globe, but your reality looks more like a dumpster fire, be encouraged, you are loved beyond measure and brighter days are coming. The Candle of Hope reminded me that a Hallmark Christmas movie doesn’t even come close to the true happily ever after that belongs to those who place their hope in Jesus. Perhaps you needed reminding too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

The Power of a Single Bloom

Posted on by Wendy
A single act of kindness can make a big difference to someone who is suffering.

At the end of August, I planted zinnia seeds in several of my raised beds because it doesn’t really get cool in the Peach State until November and I thought it would be great to have some fresh fall colors. At first, it seemed like none of the seeds took root, which was surprising and a little frustrating  because I felt like I planted a lot of them.

Then, to my delight, I found that one in a deep wine color, had sprouted. I was a little disappointed that there was only one. What happened to all of those other seeds? I had become accustomed to having too many blossoms to count out in my garden and endless vases with a kaleidoscope of color all summer. I didn’t even have to put much effort into growing them.

As I examined it closely, I debated whether or not to cut it and bring it inside. In the end, a little nudge told me that I should and sensing there would be a lesson, I complied. I found a simple bottle to put it in and placed it on the counter.

Needless to say, that one single flower was stunning. Like much of Creation, it was a piece of art all on its own, one of those many daily gifts from God, that we rush by and miss in our daily busyness.

As I continued to marvel at it, I felt a reminder that when nothing is blooming in the world around us, one single bloom has the ability to brighten a dark space.

As someone, who has walked through the dark valley of grief this past year, I can attest to that truth. Each single act of kindness was a precious gift, from the meals that were organized, to the cards and phone calls, to every single text that let me know that someone was thinking about me and praying for me. I had a friend that sent me a journal because she knew I write to process things. I had a cousin who brought me a flat of pansies because growing things can soothe the soul. I had a friend who invited me to a Bible study about Heaven. One time, the sweet daughter of one of my lifelong friends, reached over and held my hand as tears were streaming down my face during a praise song at church.

These are just a few examples. There were so many more.

Losing someone we love is hard. Death is hard and messy and the pain that accompanies it makes us uncomfortable . We often don’t know what to say or do, so we choose to say or do nothing. I get it. I too, have been guilty of looking away when I didn’t have the words to say to someone who was suffering great loss. I didn’t think anything I could possibly do or say could make a difference.

I have learned this past year, that I was wrong. Every single simple act of kindness brought comfort to my aching heart and I am so very grateful for each and every one of them.  A single zinnia bloom reminded me that we all have the ability to be a blessing to someone who is suffering.  Sometimes I need reminding. Perhaps you do too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Magnolia Reminders

Posted on by Wendy
“And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin.  Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these.” Matthew 6:28-29

 

I have had the joy of working with some elementary student field trips at our local arboretum over the past couple of weeks. I love how children remind us to be in awe of the parts of life that have become mundane to us.

Children tend to be naturally curious and so they ask lots of questions, especially in new environments. I was standing with a class while they were waiting in line to use the restroom, when a little boy picked up a small red seed to ask me what it was. I explained to him that it was a magnolia seed an that the huge tree he was standing under, came from a small seed just like the one he was holding in his hand. He seemed very surprised.

When I found a picture of a magnolia flower on my phone to show him, he was even more surprised. I went on to explain to him that not only are magnolias beautiful, they also smell great.

I’ll have to admit, after reflecting on our conversation later that day, that I too, found myself in awe of how a giant magnolia tree with huge perfumed blossoms can come from one tiny red seed. The finished product looks nothing like its humble beginnings. Furthermore, after doing a little research, I learned that the hard wax coating on the red seed is broken down after it is eaten by an animal and after that process, the seed can grow into a mighty tree.

That’s a lot of moving parts, to create a tree. Yet, we have magnolia trees all over the South. As I looked at a magnolia tree in my own yard, I felt a reminder deep in my soul that if God goes to that much effort and detail for a tree, He certainly puts a lot more planning and effort in humanity

Psalm 139: 13-14 says, “For you created my inmost being;  you knit me together in my mother’s womb.  I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;  your works are wonderful,  I know that full well.”

Sometimes I think it’s easy to forget how precious we are to God, but thankfully we have scripture to remind us. Children can also serve as good reminders. Sometimes I need reminding. Perhaps you do too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

God is Always Working

Posted on by Wendy
From a distance, the pond looks like a still body of water.

I was recently out for a walk when I felt the nudge to stop and take a seat at a bench next to our pond. I resisted and continued with my walk. I was trying to get in my steps for the day. It had rained for an entire week and when it finally stopped, I felt a deep need to move. When I came back by the bench, I felt the nudge again. This time I stopped. A light breeze swept gently across the water as I soaked in the stillness and caught my breath.

It wasn’t long before I saw a big fish breaking the surface on the other side of the pond. A few minutes later, I saw some minnows swimming near the edge. I  heard frogs croaking and then I saw a turtle poke its head head up out of the water.

As I sat there, it occurred to me that when I rushed by a few minutes earlier and resisted the nudge to stop, the pond looked completely still. It wasn’t until I took the time to be still and observe, that I saw just a few of the many types of life that it nurtures. I know there are different kinds of turtles and fish in the pond, but I don’t often see them.

In fact, most of the work of living that goes on beneath the surface, is never seen by human eyes, yet I never question its existence.

The lesson was not lost on me. There are times on our faith journey when we wonder where God is. Why is He not answering our prayers? Why is He allowing continued suffering? Is He even listening?

While we may not get the answers to all of our questions on this side of eternity. We can rest assured that He is always listening, always close and always working. If we need a reminder, we can follow the gentle nudge from the Spirit that encourages us to be still, pray, and read His Word. The Bible tells us repeatedly not to be afraid, to be at peace and to be still and know that God is in control.

If we know in our hearts that He is writing our story, then we have to know He is always working, even when we can’t see Him. A visit to a pond reminded me. Perhaps you needed reminding too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

God is Not Done

Posted on by Wendy
As long as we are still breathing, God is still at work.

It’s getting towards the end of the summer growing season in my garden. I missed some important opportunities to prune just about everything, and then we had five days of rain followed by cloudy skies. Between bugs and blight, my zinnias are looking rough. I’m still getting some blooms, but not nearly as many and most of them have black spots on them.

I was out in the garden, harvesting what I could and deadheading the blooms that were spent or just in bad shape, when a beautiful butterfly caught my eye. It was busy working on the center of a pitiful flower. At least half of its petals were gone and those it still had were tinged in brown. If I hadn’t seen the butterfly on it, I would have definitely cut it and thrown it over the fence.

I marveled at how hard at work the butterfly was on the seemingly spent flower and I couldn’t help but snap a photo, then left it alone to do its work. I circled around the bed and when I got back to it, a bee was busy working on it. Needless to say, I left the flower right where it stood. It clearly still had worth to nature, even if I couldn’t see it.

I thought about that half-eaten flower for the rest of the afternoon. I thought about how quickly we are to attach worth to the people and things around us and even to ourselves, based on what we see. The Bible tells us that God sees with different eyes than we do.

But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” 1 Samuel 16:7

Friend, the truth is that if you woke up today, if you are reading these words, God is not done with you. You may feel like the half-eaten, tattered flower in my garden, but you are here and our God can still use you. Your unique journey matters, all bruises and scars included. Jesus understands. He too, has some scars.

A butterfly reminded me that we are never too far gone for God to use us. Perhaps you needed reminding too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Finding the Fruit in Wilderness Moments

Posted on by Wendy
Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. James 1:17

I was recently going through one of those times where God felt far away. I think of them as wilderness moments. Now, I’ve been walking with Jesus long enough to know that faith is not based on feelings. He is always close and always at work even when I can’t see Him or feel Him. Interestingly enough, a friend of mine called to check in and eventually, we got around to how I was feeling.

She was quick to reassure me that God was definitely working behind the scenes. She encouraged me to keep reading the Bible, keep praying and to lean into Jesus and always to expect big things. These were of course, truths that I knew but, I was so grateful for her call and her encouragement.

I took a walk and said a prayer of thanks for our friendship and marveled at God’s timing. She and I text regularly, but she just happened to call me when I was in a wilderness moment and really needed to hear some words of truth and encouragement. As I was walking, I found some wild  muscadines along my path. I stopped and picked up a couple and popped them into my mouth.

They were wonderfully sweet and transported me immediately back to my childhood when my sister and I would shake a muscadine vine that climbed a tree in our yard and gather the sweet grapes that dropped seemingly from the sky. I immediately looked up and saw the vine that was very high in a tree above. I smiled and thanked God for the surprise treat on my walk and then a Bible verse popped into my head.

“Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.” James 1:17

It was the ultimate reminder that every blessing comes from God, the God who is always close, the God who cares about our everyday ups and downs, the God who nudged a friend to call me and remind me of His love and the God who sent me some fruit simply because He could. There are days that I need reminding. Perhaps you do too,

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

 

Arrange the Flowers

Posted on by Wendy
The intricacy of the flowers can remind us that God is concerned about all of the details in our lives too.

This year when I planted my vegetable garden, I planted lots of zinnia seeds. I planted a couple of beds with only zinnias and then I added them randomly to the rest of the beds. I planted them because they attract pollinators and maybe more importantly, because they bring me joy.

Most mornings, when I pick the garden, I pick the flowers first. The vegetables may feed my body, but the flowers feed my soul. Their colors are so vibrant. Some are big and some are small, but they all serve as stunning evidence of God’s work and creativity in His creation.

One day last week, as I was having my morning coffee, I was feeling stressed. I had so many balls in the air and my mind was on a seemingly endless hamster wheel running in circles surrounding things I had no control over and couldn’t possibly fix. As I began to feel a bit overwhelmed, I said a silent prayer for peace.

Almost immediately, I felt a gentle nudge to “arrange the flowers.” I looked over at the jar of flowers I had picked from the garden the day before. I hadn’t had the time to do anything with them, so they just remained in the jar that I had placed them in when I picked them.

“Seriously?” I thought.

I had so much to consider and solve, plus, I had to be somewhere that morning and I was supposed to arrange flowers?

Now, I have been walking with Jesus for too long, to ignore a nudge from the Holy Spirit, so as mundane and trivial as it seemed at the moment, I complied.

Not surprisingly, I felt a peace almost immediately, as I examined and trimmed the first perfectly amazing stem. A couple Bible verses popped into my head: 27 “Consider how the wild flowers grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 28 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you—you of little faith!” Luke 12:27-28

When I looked up the verses, in Luke 12, the entire passage is a reminder for us not to worry. Jesus uses the beauty of flowers as part of His illustration of God’s love for His creation and His people and He used the same illustration for me, standing in my kitchen that morning.

I would love to tell you that I never worried again, from that moment forward, but that wouldn’t be true. What I can say is that when I prayed for some peace in a current situation and got quiet and listened, Jesus found a way to use something special to me to remind me that I am loved and He will provide as He always has. Perhaps you needed reminding too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Wisdom from the Waves

Posted on by Wendy
The waves never stop, but neither does God’s love for His people.

 

My daughter recently had the day off of work and she wanted to take a quick trip to check out a nearby beach.  Since she knows how much I love the ocean, she asked me if I would be willing to go. Spoiler alert: she knew I would say yes. I was more than happy to be a part of her coastal whim. We happily got up at 6:00 AM and made the three hour drive.

We were blessed with gorgeous weather and we spent the entire day basking in the sun, walking on the beach and playing in the waves.

I have always considered the beach to be one of those thin places, where my heart and soul feel close to God. A peace settles over me as I watch the waves roll endlessly in and out. The tide comes and goes at its own pace. It doesn’t matter what’s going on in the news or down the street or in my personal life. The ocean pauses for no one.

It’s been a few years since I have swam in the ocean, but when we waded in together to waist deep water, it was like a balm for my weary soul. The waves would gently pull me out and then I would try to catch one just at the right time, to ride towards the shore. Sometimes, I would jump too soon and not get anywhere. Sometimes, I would wait too late and get a face full of salt water. But, sometimes I would move at the perfect time and ride the wave almost completely back to the beach.

I don’t know how long we laughed and played in the ocean; I just know I was pleasantly exhausted when we finally drug ourselves out. I was reminded of playing in the ocean with my parents when I was a child and then playing with my own children when they were little, but this time, I felt like God was holding me close and smiling as I delighted in the wonder that He made.

As I thought about it later, it was almost a physical reminder of my spiritual walk. The ocean would pull me gently out, like God pulls me close, but then it would push me back to the shore, back to where people are, inviting me to share the experience with others who might need to hear about it.

Sometimes the waves are calm and easy and we can just float. Sometimes they are big and scary and we have to swim really hard. We might even get pushed under and have to fight for air, but if we keep our eyes on Jesus, we will always make it to the shore. Sometimes I need reminding. Perhaps you do too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Just Keep Growing

Posted on by Wendy
If we are breathing, we are called to keep growing.

 

Last year, we planted some cherry tomato plants that produced more tomatoes than we could ever eat. We gave tons away and froze even more. After we pulled them up at the end of the season, they reseeded and came back until the frost finally killed them, or so I thought.

This spring, I had two of those same plants come back in between cracks in the rocks in the garden.

I plan to put cement in those cracks, but since I hadn’t yet, I decided to leave them and see what would happened. My brother cut one of them completely down with a weed eater because he thought it was a weed.

It came back.

I  took a close look at it today. It was thriving, covered in blooms and fruit and a little garden spider has made her home in it. I found myself as I often do when I’m in the garden, in awe of God’s work.

Sometimes even when I am determined to make something grow, it doesn’t. I do research. I work on the soil. I fertilize it and water it, but sometimes despite my best efforts, some of the things I plant, fail to thrive.

And then I have instances like the cherry tomato, that is determined to produce fruit whether in good or bad soil, even without any fertilizer to encourage growth or without water from me. Even when all seemed lost in the winter time, they were still working underground, unseen by me, to make a comeback.

It’s as if those seeds are committed to survive and thrive no matter what.

I feel like there is a lesson here. Sometimes we find ourselves in seasons when we feel we have nothing left to give. We may even believe that our time of producing any sort of fruit has passed.

That cherry tomato reminds me that God is always at work. The Bible reassures me that nothing is impossible for Him even though current circumstances may look impossible, He can see what I can’t.

My job is to keep reaching for Him, reaching for the light and to keep growing. He will do the rest. The good fruit always comes from Him.

A determined cherry tomato plant reminded me to just keep growing. Perhaps you needed reminding too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂