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.

Happy St. Patrick’s Day

Posted on by Wendy
Patrick used familiar surroundings to share the Gospel.

Today is St. Patrick’s Day. I really like this holiday. There’s no pressure to buy anything. Everyone just wears green and celebrates our supposedly, Irish roots, while looking for leprechauns. But, St. Patrick’s Day has an interesting past which is actually God centered.

It’s all a little cloudy because it happened so long ago, somewhere between 400-600 A.D. Legend has it that Patrick was born to wealthy parents in England and was captured at some point in his mid teens by Irish raiders. He was taken to Ireland and sent off to be a slave tending sheep. (Isn’t it interesting that sheep were involved?)

He was very afraid and lonely and began praying all of the time. (Can you relate?)

After six years in captivity, God told him in a dream, it was time to go home and so he began walking. He walked nearly 200 miles before he was saved by friendly sailors. (Can you imagine walking 200 miles and not getting discouraged or giving up?)

While he was in Ireland, he learned their customs and language. It is said that some time after he returned home, an angel told him in a dream, to return to Ireland as a missionary and preach the Gospel to them. (I can’t imagine the wrestling that must have ensued.)

After studying for 15 years, Patrick obeyed God and returned to Ireland. The Irish were mostly pagan and Druid, but there were some Christians there. Since he knew their customs, he knew that the shamrock was a sacred plant to them. He used the three-leaf clover to explain the trinity to them.

He knew that they used fire to honor their gods so he used bonfires to celebrate Easter. He also used the sun which was a powerful Irish symbol, and superimposed it on the cross to create the Celtic cross.

Patrick would have never been able to communicate with the Irish in such an effective and powerful way if he hadn’t endured the six years in captivity there. (When times are the toughest, it’s hard to see God is building something amazing, but He often is.)

At the end of his life, Patrick had helped to start over 300 churches and baptized over 120,000 Irish people. He preached in Ireland for over forty years and died on March 17th.

He is credited with at least thirty-three miracles including many counts of healing as well as several resurrection stories. He is not credited for driving snakes out of Ireland. There never were any there, but he is credited in turning almost an entire nation to Christ.

Looks like he did actually drive a snake out.

Patrick’s story inspires me. Perhaps you needed some inspiration today.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

 

 

 

 

Walking by Faith

Posted on by Wendy
“For we walk by faith, not by sight.” 2 Corinthians 5:7

On Sunday morning, my hubby gently tapped me and informed me that we had missed springing forward for daylight savings time. We have never done that before, but interestingly enough, I wasn’t filled with the need to rush.

I had actually been dreaming about the song we were singing that morning in the choir. It was titled, “Walk by Faith,” and I could ‘t wait to sing it. We sing quite a few songs that really do nothing for revving up my soul, but Sunday’s did and I didn’t want to miss it.

On Sunday mornings, I give myself almost two hours to get ready. I like to sit down with a cup of coffee and breakfast and read a devotional. I like to play praise music as I get dressed. I like to take time to pray. I make it a point to try to prepare my heart for worship before I leave my house.

I learned this practice quite a few years back. I have often believed that for families of faith, Satan’s busiest time is Sunday mornings when we are trying to ready our families for church. When we are raising littles, Sunday mornings are often filled with rushing that ends up producing anxiety and frustration, which leads to raised voices and sometimes tears. The teen years can prove to be just as stressful. By the time we arrive at church we are so upset, we miss the entire message, the blessings, and the ability to bless others.

To combat the Sunday morning stress, I began getting up much earlier than I had to, so I could be open and ready for what God had to share.

So, as I awoke on Sunday, I was behind the proverbial eight ball. As I dashed for the shower, I couldn’t help but marvel that the song, “Walk by Faith,” kept running through my head. One of the lines in particular, was “we walk by faith and not by sight.”

I said a prayer. I acknowledged that the God who I worship, called the Universe into being. I acknowledged that the God I worship, fed five thousand people with a couple of fish and five loaves of bread. Surely, my God could get me to choir practice in a timely matter, while allowing me the peace to truly worship Him. I asked for His intervention.

My hubby had a cup of coffee waiting for me on the counter. I thanked God for that blessing as I calmly got ready. I ate a quick breakfast. I didn’t dawdle, but I didn’t rush either.

Practice is usually at 9:15, but that morning it had been pushed back to 9:00. After waking up an hour late, I walked into church right at 9:15 to find that they hadn’t even started. I wasn’t even late.

I had lived the anthem that morning. I had walked by faith and God delivered, but in the end, He always does.

Sometimes I need reminding. Perhaps you did too!

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Beating the Odds

Posted on by Wendy
Some things flourish against all odds.

I was working outside this weekend with my hubby. We finally got some rain last week, but I noticed that the ground was still cracked and rock hard. While I was holding up a board, a bright green sprout caught my eye. He patiently waited while I snapped some photos. After twenty years of marriage, he’s used to dealing with the fact that I’m easily distracted when I’m outdoors.

I really can’t help myself. I tend to see God’s fingerprints everywhere in Creation.

On this particular day, the green sprout stood proudly, despite the hard, inhospitable ground, almost as if in defiance. It was like it decided to grow against all odds and was thriving. I couldn’t help, but to be impressed by its perseverance. I thought about the little sprout for the rest of the day.

I thought about how God’s economy is so very different from ours. If we want something to grow, we water it and tend to it. We pamper it and hope. We can put endless hours into something and it may flourish or it might not. While we love to believe that hard work always produces results; sometimes it does not.

We live in a society where we have been taught that self-reliance is something we should strive for. We should be able to do everything completely on our own, by the sweat of our own brow.

The Bible teaches a different dynamic. The Bible teaches us to acknowledge first and foremost that we rely on God for everything and that every good thing comes from Him. Yes, we are called to work hard, but we are also called to know that He has a plan and that it often differs from our own. Obedience and faith teach us to be okay with that.

The Bible also teaches us the importance of community. We are called to help each other and work together. There are some things we simply cannot do alone. There are times when we need other believers to hold us up and to stand in the gaps for us.

There are times, when against all odds, something beautiful flourishes when it seems next to impossible, when on paper, there was just no way. If we dig a little bit, we often will find that there was prayer behind the miracle and many times a group of prayer warriors.

In those instances, we are reminded that nothing is impossible with God. A little green sprout reminded me. Perhaps you needed reminding too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

 

The Rewards of Seeking

Posted on by Wendy
“I love those who love me, and those who seek me find me.” Proverbs 8:17

I was taking a walk recently and praying. The day was beautiful and unseasonably warm for a winter day in Georgia. I had a lot on my mind and my heart was heavy. I often find that God communicates with me when I’m out in nature.

In the past, He has sent me a hawk. Once there were three smooth stones for me to find. Another time there was a lone penny. All of those items corresponded perfectly with the situation where I found myself.

So, I reluctantly, went for a walk and watched for God. What I really wanted to do, was to lie on the couch and eat cookies, but I went seeking.

I thanked God for the day and the many blessings He has showered me with and I poured out my heart, hoping for answers. I watched and waited expectantly as a lone buzzard soared above, yet seemed to follow along with me.

“Just great,” I thought. “I came looking for inspiration and all I see is death.”

Yet, almost as soon as I thought it, I could feel another voice. That voice reminded me that buzzards don’t kill anything. They just clear away what is already dead. They have a very important job. Without them, dead things would pile up and dead things can carry all types of diseases and harmful bacteria.

As I continued to walk, I thought about how often we carry around things from our past that cause us harm. What things do we need to let go of and allow Jesus to take them away. Maybe it’s constant worry and anxiety. Maybe it’s old anger or old wounds. It could be almost anything that burdens our souls. Sometimes these emotions had a useful place in our lives, but as time has passed, they are only piling up and hurting us.

The buzzard reminded me that Lent is the ideal time to ask ourselves what things we are carrying around that are dead weight. What are we allowing to come between us and true relationship with God, a relationship that means true peace?

As I contemplated that thought, I heard a hawk call loudly in the distance and once again, I was reminded that those who truly seek with open hearts, will find. Perhaps you needed reminding too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

A Call to Actively Seek

Posted on by Wendy
The same God who called the universe into being, called the tiniest of flowers into being too.

Albert Einstein once said, “There are only two ways to live your life. One, is though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is.”

Those are wise and deep words spoken by one of the most brilliant men who ever lived. It’s interesting to me that so often, Christians are criticized for our faith because we believe in what we can’t see, yet one of the smartest men who ever lived, believed in God and miracles.

Most of us will acknowledge the big miracles that we often find ourselves praying for, the healing, the deliverance, the redemption, but what about the smaller ones that we so often miss?

What about that friendship that helped us through a really rough time? Do we openly acknowledge that God was planting those seeds of friendship all along because He knew how important they would be down the road?

What about the stray dog or cat that just happens to cross our paths at the right time and ends up being a beloved member of the family who brings endless joy to our lives? Do we acknowledge that God actively put His creature in our path?

What about the job offer that comes out of the blue that feeds your family and your heart?

What about an unexpected call or encounter with an old friend that lifts your spirits?

Are all of those scenarios simply coincidence or is something Divine going on?

What if we all were to actively seek the everyday miracles in our daily lives? What if we were to ask God to show us where He is working, remembering that the God who called the universe into being, also called the daffodils into being.

It’s easy to see Him in the glory of a sunrise, but He’s also in the gentle butterfly. Our chaotic, busy lives, often leave little room for wonder or for seeking. We prefer a God who would speak to us in burning bush moments and huge gestures. He certainly can and sometimes He does.

But, if we honestly seek Him, knowing that He is involved in our lives, we can find Him in the quiet and in the small, making the active choice to live our lives as if everything is a miracle.

A quote from Albert Einstein reminded me. Perhaps you needed reminding too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

 

Keeping the Right Focus

Posted on by Wendy
When your focus is always right in front of you, you sometimes miss the beauty.

My hubby, my kids and I, have been working on remodeling our deck, since the summer. Being do-it-yourselfers, requires lots of time and patience. Getting any work done requires the weather to cooperate, as well as open schedules, which tend to be rare when you are raising teenagers.

But, lately, we have had spring weather in February, and we have been making loads of progress. Last weekend, we finally got to the point where we could nail new boards down. My hubby was on a roll and spent hours nailing. We worked on Saturday, until we ran out of daylight.

On Sunday morning, before church, he came in with a big smile and asked me if I had walked out on the new boards yet. I told him I had not. He told me it was like being in a tree house and that he hadn’t taken the time to notice and certainly not to appreciate, the scenery, because he had been working so hard and looking down at the nails, the entire time.

I joined him outside and I was impressed.

Looking up, completely changed the scenery.

I thought about our conversation all day long. I thought about how focused we can get on what we are working on. Sometimes it’s a project. Sometimes it’s a problem. Sometimes it’s a goal. Whatever it is, we can put all of our time and energy on getting finished and we miss the beauty along the way.

Sometimes that beauty is actual scenery. Sometimes that beauty is a relationship that needs our attention, whether we are busy are not. Sometimes that beauty is a gentle tap from God, who wants to show us something that we are missing.

Whatever the case may be, I think it’s always important to strive to keep what happens to be driving us at the moment, in some kind of perspective. It’s important to remember what is most important and what will still be important, long after whatever we are focused on, has passed.

A Sunday morning conversation with my hubby reminded me. Perhaps you needed reminding too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

 

Watching for His Suprises

Posted on by Wendy
Our faith walk is often full of surprises.

Last week, we were blessed with some delightfully warm weather for the end of January. I took full advantage of the mild weather and got outside as much as possible.

My favorite prayer time is when I am out in nature, surrounded by Creation. I also find that when I’m moving my body while I pray, I often become more alert. I can hear and see God more clearly. So, I went for a walk, hoping for some guidance, some answers, and a glimpse of His hand.

I was not disappointed. The weather alone, brought the first thanks to my lips. Then, there were birds singing and squirrels scampering. I even heard two hawks calling to each other. They often appear when I’m deep in prayer about something.

The stream that runs through my neighborhood has finally gotten full again and it made a loud rushing sound as I crossed over it.

I gave thanks for the ability to walk. I gave thanks for my sight and my hearing.

When I turned back on my street, I chuckled at some crows calling to each other and I wondered what mischief they were getting into. I waved at a neighbor and gave thanks for good neighbors.

These are all everyday blessings, the ones that we so often take for granted. They are also the ones we would dearly miss if they were taken away.

When I had almost reached my house, I thanked God for the everyday things and I thanked Him for giving me eyes to see the extraordinary in the ordinary.

And then, a large rooster crossed the road right in front of me. He was beautiful and incredibly out of place. I broke out in a huge grin. I had definitely not expected to see a rooster. He was not ordinary. I stopped and watched him cross. When he was safely on the other side of the road, he let out a very loud cock-a-doodle-doo!

At that point, I chuckled out loud and I looked heavenward and gave thanks for the surprise.

It’s sometimes easy to become very comfortable in our faith walk. We know that God provides for us in dozens of ways all throughout our day, but we forget that He’s full of surprises too.

That rooster was a surprise. As I was giving thanks for all of my daily blessings, God surprised me with something different.

As I thought about it later, I wondered if that’s perhaps the key to opening new doors. Maybe, we need to be thankful for all that we already have before we ask for or expect something different. Maybe, it’s when we give heartfelt thanks for the ordinary, that we are able to see the extraordinary.

One thing is certain; God is full of surprises and when we walk closely with Him and keep our eyes and ears open, there’s no telling what we might see or hear.

A rooster reminded me. Perhaps you needed reminding too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

 

The Comfort Zone Rut

Posted on by Wendy
When we say yes to Jesus, all kinds of beautiful things can occur.

As we plow into January, many of us are taking time to do a little self-reflection and try to address any ruts we may find ourselves. I’m a gal who loves a routine. I love my comfort zones. I mean, the name alone, has the word comfort in it. But, sometimes our comfort zone can become a rut.

A rut is something we may find ourselves in because we have done it for so long, we don’t necessarily know how to get out. Sometimes we don’t even want to get out.

There are times when we do things like eat the same exact meals week after week, that we don’t even realize that we have lost our passion for cooking or for tasting some of the really great foods God has blessed us with.

There are times when we have become comfortable sitting in front of the television night after night, kind of checking out, when we could be reading a good book, or meeting friends for dinner, or actually having a conversation with our families. We could even do something crazy like play a card game or a board game.

My mama actually inspired me right before Christmas. She took a trip to the Canadian Rockies. Now keep in mind, that this woman has always loathed the cold. When we had the rare snow day when I was growing up, she watched from a window inside the house. She’s always been more of a beach gal.

But, a friend of hers convinced her to go. She bought all of the necessary gear and she second-guessed herself all of the way. The trip was too close to Christmas and she had so much to do. What was she thinking?

But, ultimately, she went and she had a blast. She told me without a doubt, it was the prettiest place she had ever been in her entire life. Sure, it was cold, but it was well worth it. She was so thankful that she said yes, to a new adventure.

There are all types of comfort zones, ruts and adventures. Some adventure may take us some place far away and exotic and some may keep us closer to home. There are also spiritual adventures.

Spiritual adventures occur when we decide to open our hearts up to God’s calling for us. Is He calling you to read the Bible more regularly? Is He calling you to get involved in Christian community? Is He calling you to reach out to others in some way? Is He calling you to pick something up? Is He calling you to lay something down? He could be calling you to heal.

All of those spiritual endeavors can be a little scary. It would certainly be easier to stay right where we are. But, following Jesus was never meant to be the easy route. However, following Jesus was never meant to be boring either.

My mama’s trip reminded me that it’s good to take stock from time-to-time on where we are and where we would like to be. It reminded me to search for the beautiful at every opportunity and to not be afraid of adventure. Perhaps you needed reminding too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Basking in the Blessings

Posted on by Wendy
Being thankful is sometimes a challenge, but always a choice.

We recently had some very cold days here in Georgia. Some of our state even got blessed with copious amounts of snow. Unfortunately, in my little town, we just got a light dusting and some bitter cold, which I openly grumbled about.

This southern girl, is not a cold weather person and I found myself really longing for warmer days and an early spring. Yes, I am aware that it’s January and that winter is supposed to be cold, and that spring is a ways away, but still.

Then, out of the blue, the following week got a little warmer everyday. By the weekend, we were in the 70’s and on Saturday, I was outside all day, loving every minute of it.

It occurred to me, that a 70 degree day in January is a blessing and that I should not only give thanks for it, but take the time to enjoy it.

It also occurred to me that being thankful is really not in our nature and something we have to work at.

How often do we pray really hard for something? It could be for a job, or a promotion, or a relationship, or financial issues, or our health. How often do we get those prayers answered, but don’t live in a way that is thankful?

Yes, we may initially thank God, but do we live thankfully? We may have thanked God for that job, but do we jump out of bed every morning happy to go to work? We may have given thanks for the healing, but are we seizing every moment to live healthier and make the most of a second chance? We may have been given the ideal mate, but are we willing to pray for him/her daily? Are we loving that person in a manner that is pleasing to God?

We tend to ask for a lot. We also tend to focus on what we don’t have. But, how much have we been given? How many daily blessings are we taking for granted? There are blessings like plenty of food to eat and clean water. There are blessings like healthy children. There are blessings like a home to live in. There are just so many blessings.

For many of us, these daily comforts have become so common that we forget how blessed we are.

Before Jesus performed His miracle of feeding the 5,000, He gave thanks. He gave thanks before God provided. Perhaps we should take note.

Giving thanks is a conscious choice. Living thankfully is a conscious choice. While it can sometimes be a challenge when all seems to be going wrong, it’s a choice with beautiful consequence.

A 70 degree day in January reminded me. Perhaps you needed reminding too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

 

The Dream Lives On

Posted on by Wendy
This picture was snapped by a patron in line at Dutch Brothers Coffee.

Today, our country celebrates and reflects on the life and the message of civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. I had to read his, “I Have A Dream,” speech for an English 101 class as a freshman in college. I remember being incredibly moved by his words written some 25 years earlier.

I suppose messages worth remembering, like those based on unity, love and peace, have a timeless staying power. Humanity often finds itself in desperate need to hear them.

Since Dr. King was a man of God, I’m sure he was well aware that Jesus told His disciples that the two greatest commandments were to first, love God and then to love one another. I suspect that Dr. King knew that we can’t truly love one another without loving God first because Christian love is different from mere human love.

The ability to truly love others is a fruit of the Holy Spirit. We can only get that from loving God through Christ first.

I came across a story on my Facebook news feed that I found to be a perfect illustration of Dr. King’s dream and I felt led to share it today.

There were some employees at a coffee shop in Vancouver, Washington, who were doing their daily job. They were millennials. Most of us have encountered members of this group in retail establishments. They often have the slacker, completely self-absorbed reputation. This group proved to be different.

The owner of the shop instructed her employees to always take care of their customers.

In this case, a woman came through the drive-thru who was very upset. The guy at the window, went to the trouble to find out why. He had seen her before. She had been in before. She shared that she had just lost her 37-year old husband the night before.

The employees knew that they had to do something to help her. They gave her, her order for free and then they reached through the window and held her hand and prayed with her. The customer in the car behind them was so moved, she took a picture and posted it. It went viral.

As I write this, it has had over 65 million views.

When the employees were later interviewed, they said they had to do something, so they, “took the time and took her hand.”

How many people would have taken her money and let her drive on? How many people would have felt badly for her, but let her go anyway? How many people of faith would have actually reached out to her and touched her and prayed with her? How many people would have “taken the time and taken her hand?” How many people in the car behind would have snapped a picture of God’s love at work?

Clearly, the Holy Spirit was at work.

This is a beautiful story of faith at work all on its own. The fact that I saw it for the first time, the day before MLK day and that it shows people of different races praying together, is also the Holy Spirit at work. The story took place last March.

Dr. King had a dream of unity. He had a dream of us coming together despite our outward difference in skin color. Through Christ, we can achieve that and I’m happy to report that despite what we may have heard, Dr. King’s dream lives on.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂