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.

Honoring the Greatest Two Commandments

Posted on by Wendy
The azaleas reminded me that God has a plan and is not surprised by this pandemic or anything else.

I don’t usually post on Mondays, but today I felt led to. I am astounded at how quickly our world is changing. Every 24 hours the news is a little more grim. What weeks ago, was a virus called Covid-19, that I had never heard of, in an area of China I had never even heard of, has now crossed our borders. At this writing, 46 states, including mine, and the District of Columbia all have reported cases.

Unfortunately, panic has ensued. There’s not a drop of hand sanitizer to be found anywhere and for some bizarre reason, toilet paper has become scarce.

We have been told not to panic. Some 80 percent of people will clear it with no problems if infected. But, the remaining 20 percent will get very sick or die. Our government has asked us to stay at home if possible, for two weeks. Schools and colleges have been cancelled. People have been asked to work from home if at all possible.

Yet, it seems to me, that most everyone seems to believe that they are included in that 80 percent, even though the twenty percent includes anyone over 60, which is over 60.7 million, anyone with underlying health conditions like diabetes and emphysema and people who are obese, which is 70 million, not to mention anyone on chemotherapy. That’s a lot of at risk people.

Last week at my office, the question that arose over and over from my younger co-workers was if any of us older folks remembered a time this surreal. The answer most often repeated was the days after 911. Those of us who lived through that dark time remember it well. The difference is that we all came together, even Congress (for a time, if you can believe that). We reached out to our neighbors. We were all Americans and we shared concern for one another.

Our nation turned back to God and the churches were full, for a time.

I also have vivid memories of the Ebola outbreak in 2014. I even wrote about it. With a 50 percent death rate for all exposed, it was terrifying. I remember asking my readers to pray and a scripture came to mind.

“If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.” 2 Chronicles 7:14

Our nation once again, turned back to God, for a time.

The Ebola outbreak was halted. I’ve no doubt that was due to Divine intervention.

As I was walking today and I observed that the earth was coming back to life, bursting forth in bloom, I was reminded that God is not surprised by any of this. He’s at work and He expects us to be as well. First of all, we all need to pray for intervention and we need to remember that we are not now nor have we ever been in control of our lives.

We need to acknowledge Who is.

Then perhaps we should ask ourselves how we can help that 20 percent. Can we deliver groceries or meds to them, so they can stay at home? Can we call them on the phone so they don’t feel so isolated? Can we stay at home as much as possible ourselves to avoid becoming carriers?

How can we effectively “Love our neighbor?”

Jesus said that the greatest commandment was, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself.” Matthew 22:37-39

Panic has never solved anything. The Bible repeatedly tells us not to fear, but apathy isn’t the way to go either. Maybe we could all dig deep and reach for empathy and remember that God is in control. Those of us who belong to Him need not fear.

Our most recent global crises reminded me. Perhaps you needed reminding too.

Have an awesome day!
Wendy 🙂

The Gifts of Light

Posted on by Wendy

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Tree Wisdom

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Have an awesome day!
Wendy 🙂

Finding God in All Kinds of Weather

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

The Amazing Light of Grace

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Have an awesome day!
Wendy 🙂

Shining the Light

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Are we light bearers in this sometimes dark world?

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

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Tending Gently to Old Injuries

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Have an awesome day!
Wendy 🙂

Craving Christmas

Posted on by Wendy
Maybe all of the early decorating is because we are craving the peace, joy and hope that Christmas promises.

As I write this post, Thanksgiving is a week away. Every year, I try to take time out in November to intentionally be more thankful. I try to start each morning with a prayer of thanks for the many blessings I have been given. I make every effort not to rush ahead to Christmas, although it has always been my favorite holiday.

This year, however, I have noticed that people have decorated earlier than ever before. There were people sharing pictures of their Christmas decorations on social media, the day after Halloween. I’ve even read about debates on talk shows about how early too early is for Christmas decorations.

While I chuckle at the discussion, I mean seriously, who cares when your neighbor decides to decorate for Christmas?, I began to witness more and more early decorations on my day-to-day travels and a theory began to form. When a sweet friend at work asked me early last week, if I thought it was too early for her to decorate, I shared it with her.

Our country is really divided at the moment. Politics seem to dominate all that we do. There’s an impeachment trial in process and friends, neighbors and even some families, aren’t even speaking to each other over it. Despite our booming economy, the homeless population has exploded. The stock market is still doing well, but folks in general, don’t seem to feel very secure or thankful.

Perhaps, all of this early decorating is due to the fact that we are all craving Christmas and what it really means. Perhaps, we are craving hope and joy and peace. It’s the time of year that tends to bring the best out in us. It’s the time of year when we are willing to choose kindness. We will carefully shop and fill up shoe boxes to send to children around the world, who we will never meet, to share the Gospel. It’s the time of year when we will pull tags off of a bulletin board or a department store angel tree and buy just the right gift for a stranger in need. It’s the time of year when we will scrounge around our pockets to find money to put in a red kettle out in front of a store.

It’s the time of year when we revisit the manger where hope was born.

My friend agreed that I was probably on to something. She’s seen it too. I suspect we all have.

Later in the week, as I was getting ready for work and feeling a little down myself, about the state of our world, I tested my theory and pulled up a Christian Contemporary Channel on my phone. The first song was, “O Holy Night,” a thrill of hope, the weary world rejoices, and I knew I was right. My entire spirit was lifted.

The next song, by Casting Crowns, really said it all. It’s called, “Somewhere In Your Silent Night.” I’ve shared it here, if you want to test my theory. We all need Christmas, maybe this year more than ever. The good news is that it’s coming. Perhaps you needed reminding.

Have an awesome day!
Wendy:)

Focusing on the Beauty

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Giving Thanks for the Rain

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

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

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

After months of prayer, did we welcome the rain?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Have an awesome day!
Wendy 🙂