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.

Peace Cannot Be Stolen

Posted on by Wendy
Peace from the Holy Spirit cannot be stolen.

Yesterday, I made a quick trip into Athens, to purchase a couple of Christmas gifts for two ladies who I have come to hold dear. I had been thinking about what I wanted to get them and then I had been given an unexpected gift card. I took it as a sign and I went on my little shopping trip.

As much as I dreaded the holiday traffic, it was unbelievably light and I was thankful for some time to pray. My morning had been hectic. I had to help my son get a cooking project together for his Spanish class. I didn’t have any time to read my daily devotion. I ran out the door and was a few minutes late for work.

My day turned out to be as busy as my morning was with zero downtime. As I drove along in the light traffic and the beautiful sunshine, I found myself praying. I also found myself asking God to show Himself.

When I arrived at the store, the items I bought cost almost exactly what my gift card was and there it was. God had given me an unexpected blessing and was allowing me to use it to bless others. I was basking in that revelation as I wound through the parking lot to head back home.

I patiently waited as one pedestrian after another, needed to cross in front of me. Every single one of them smiled at me and gave me a little wave for stopping for them. I felt a deep sense of peace.

As I continued through the parking lot, listening to Christmas music, I ended up in a fairly long line of cars, waiting to get back on the road. I was in no rush and I was enjoying the alone time.

Then I heard a blaring horn. Apparently, I hadn’t pulled up as far as I possibly could to the car in front of me and had partially blocked the entrance to a bank. I pulled up and the man who blew his horn, whipped in and gave me and incredibly angry look.

And then I remembered a conversation I had with our associate pastor one Sunday. I had a headache that day and I asked her to pray for me. She did. She put her hands on my aching head and said a beautiful healing prayer. She also told me she could feel my tension and her next words really stuck with me.

“Your peace cannot be taken from you because it’s given to you by the Holy Spirit. You only lose it when you willingly give it.”

How often do we allow the actions of other people to drive us crazy, make us angry, or bring us stress? A simple drive across town can make us see red if we allow it to. Then there are long days at work, hectic mornings, disagreements with our spouses or kids, financial issues, or health issues. All of those can be peace stealers, but they don’t have to be.

We have a choice. The Bible tells us to guard our hearts. Maybe we should guard our peace too, keeping in mind that we have an enemy who delights in taking it.

Remembering that it’s ours to give our to keep, well that changes everything. An angry man in traffic reminded me. Perhaps you needed reminding too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Daily Brushes With God

Posted on by Wendy
If we earnestly seek God, we will find Him. (photo creds go to my sweet mama!)

As I sat down at my keyboard, the day’s exhaustion set in. It hadn’t been a bad day or a particularly stressful one, but it had been busy and I was tired. Do you ever have days like that? Do you have days where nothing fabulous happened, but nothing tragic happened either and you’re grateful, but tired?

Do you ever have those days when you really want to go to bed at 7:00, but you know if you do, you will be up at like 4:00? Yesterday was one of those for me.

I sat at my keyboard and stared at the cursor and pondered what to write. What inspirational story could I share about a personal brush with God?

My dog walked in and put his head in my lap. There was something. Anyone who has ever loved a pet, can testify that they are a daily gift from God. The pleasure that comes from loving a pet can only come from our loving Creator.

I thought about the mamas and daddies at my school, who checked in all day long, wearing Santa hats and volunteering their time to help little ones have a wrapped gift to give to their parents for Christmas. Yep, that was another brush with God.

I thought about the grandmother who brought in a tray full of baked treats into the office, to thank all of us who interact daily with her grandchildren. A grandmother expressing thanks to those who care for her grandchildren was definitely a brush with God.

I thought about our school nurse and our counselor, buzzing around trying to get all of the Secret Santa gifts checked in and placed in the proper spot, so they can be delivered to children who may not otherwise get anything for Christmas, and I knew I had a brush with God.

I thought bout my hubby who happily delivered me and picked me up from work, because my car is in the shop. A happy marriage is a major brush with God.

I thought about my mama and her dozens of texts with me and my sister, attempting to plan the perfect Christmas. A loving family, is without a doubt, a brush with God.

I thought about our family dinner and our discussion about the day’s events and the two children that God has blessed me with and I felt another brush with God.

I realized as I continued to type, that I am never too weary to find God. All it takes is a little quiet time, an open heart and prayer. He has a way of popping up everywhere in the most ordinary places and when I find Him, I’m never too weary to share either. But, then again, He often has that effect on me. I just want to pass it on.

A long, tiring day reminded me. Perhaps you needed reminding too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Living In Divine Peace

Posted on by Wendy
Peace like a river comes from trusting God.

Last week, our Advent focus was supposed to be on peace. I thought about it. I prayed about it. I even wrote about it and then God gave me the opportunity to live it.

My car has had some sort of break issue going on, and last week, we got it into the shop. It turned out to be a fairly big issue that was covered under the extended warranty. We took it in very early on Wednesday morning, expecting to get it back that afternoon. Well, a one day repair, turned into three.

The entire week, I stayed calm and not really even frustrated. I chose to see it as a minor inconvenience. My hubby dropped me off at work and picked me up. My daughter drove herself and her brother to school, no biggie. I reasoned that there are many families who only have one car and I counted my blessings.

On Friday, we finally got my car back. My hubby was driving and was so impressed about how the brakes finally felt right, not spongy. (I hadn’t known there was a problem to begin with.) Our family ate dinner out Friday night and ran several errands.

On Saturday, my hubby and I went to Home Depot, and then did some Christmas shopping, and then went to Sam’s for a big grocery run. There was traffic everywhere. The roads were packed. On our way back home, with no notice, the brakes began acting weird; there was a burning smell; a warning light came on, on the dashboard as we turned out of the traffic and onto a much quieter street. Just as we coasted safely into a right turn lane, the brakes locked up completely.

My hubby and I looked at each other wide-eyed. The brake pedal was completely stiff. We had no brakes. I grabbed the manual to search for the meaning of the dashboard warning lights.

I found the message that accompanied the bright yellow triangle- shaped light and gulped. It read: “Warning- you CAN be KILLED or SERIOUSLY HURT if you don’t follow instructions.”

We collected our thoughts for a moment and called a tow truck to tow our car back to the mechanic. We then called our teenager, who came and loaded up a car full of groceries into her little bitty Civic.

Never once did I lose my peace. We were safe. Our groceries and Christmas gifts were safe.

As I thought about it later that day, I was also filled with a sense of gratitude and awe. Those brakes locked up at the perfect time and there’s no way that was a coincidence. Had it been 10 minutes earlier, we would have been in crazy traffic. We could have been seriously hurt or worse. Had it been the night before, we were also in bad traffic, but it was 27 degrees and my daughter was in the car with us so she couldn’t have rescued us or our groceries, from the side of the road.

It occurres to me that the peace that comes from knowing Jesus is tied very closely with trusting God and watching for Him, because He shows Himself all of the time. I’ve no doubt that He held us tightly in His hand on Saturday and delivered us safely back to our home. The peace that comes from that knowledge is priceless.

Whatever it is that we struggle with, God has under control. He’s always working and usually, if we look closely, we can see Him.

Some car trouble this weekend reminded me. Perhaps you needed reminding too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

December Reflections

Posted on by Wendy
Perhaps the best gift we can give this season is prayer.
Perhaps the best gift we can give this season is prayer.

Today is the first day of December. The Christmas season is well underway. I’m hearing Christmas songs playing on the radio. I’m seeing houses decorated with lights. I’m seeing cars, with trees strapped to the top. That always makes me smile.

I have seen a huge board outside our cafeteria, full of wishes of children for Christmas, in our Secret Santa program. There is everything from socks to bicycles on that board and all kinds of things in between. I saw many parents take an item at our Thanksgiving feast and then when an e-mail went out appealing for help with all that remained, I saw some of those same parents come and pick another item.

I have seen amazing generosity at the school I am blessed to work in. I have seen God at work in this season.

I have also seen an incredible amount of tragedy this season. Gatlinburg, Tennessee, is in ruins. A wild fire burned a huge portion of it. Many people lost their homes and some even lost their lives. But, I also saw the rain all Southerners had been desperately hoping and praying for that eventually helped to control those mountain fires.

I find it kind of interesting that while a good portion of the fires blazing in the Georgia, Tennessee and North Carolina mountains appear to be man-made; it took the power of God to finally get the best of them.

In my own little town, there have been two families who lost a father within a week of each other and another family who lost a daughter. When a co-worker came by my desk with a post it note to ask me to pray for one of those families, I could see God at work. When my pastor’s wife asked me to pray for another, I could see God at work and when a brand new Facebook friend, asked for prayers for the third family, I could again, see God at work.

We live in a broken world on this side of Heaven. There’s sickness, and death, and tragedy here. There are wild fires that sometimes burn out of control. But, there’s beauty here too, and generosity that sometimes brings me to tears. Sure, there’s plenty of hate, but there’s more love and love trumps hate every time.

As I think about the celebration of the birth of our Savior, I find myself wondering if this season isn’t perhaps a season that the enemy seeks to attack us the most. The birth of Christ was really the official beginning of Satan’s demise and since deception and destruction are his mantra, wouldn’t he use this time to target believers?

I feel a deep urge to pray in this season, to pray for the people of Tennessee, and the people who are struggling with sickness, and the people who are struggling financially, and for the people who are mourning.

I pray that those who feel lost and alone, will find the comforting arms of Jesus. Maybe this season, what our country needs more than anything, is some prayer warriors, people who are willing to stand in the gaps for people who are too weary to pray for themselves. It’s possible that in this moment in time, it’s our opportunity to, “Prepare the way of the Lord.”

Perhaps you would like to join me.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

That’s What Christians Do

Posted on by Wendy
The opportunity to bless others sometimes shows up in unexpected ways.
The opportunity to bless others sometimes shows up in unexpected ways.

I haven’t been spending much time on Facebook lately. The political barbs are still flying and quite frankly, I’m tired of hearing it. I have never believed that a man or a woman was the answer to our country’s problems. If we are putting our faith in humanity alone, we have missed the boat.

But, when I did take a moment to scroll through my feed last night, a post from GodVine caught my eye. The headline was about a grandma’s text sent to a wrong person, going viral.

Now, my sweet Mama loves to consider herself tech savvy and that sounded exactly like something she would do, so I stopped to read it.

Apparently, a grandma named Wanda, meant to text the details of her upcoming Thanksgiving dinner to her grandson, but texted a perfect stranger instead. The 17 -year-old stranger was a senior in high school, named Jamal. When he didn’t recognize her number, he asked who she was.

She replied, “your grandma.” He then asked for a picture, which she sent. He then sent her a selfie, expecting to end the conversation when she saw they clearly were not related, but he asked her if he was still invited.

I imagine he never expected to hear from her again.

But, she replied, “Of course he was invited, she would save him a plate because that’s what grandma’s do, feed everyone.”

The shocked teen posted screen shots of the conversation all over Twitter, saying, “Somebody’s grandma is coming in clutch this year!!” (which simply means, saving the day)

Wanda’s act of kindness has been re-tweeted 150,000 times. Jamal said, “With…all the racial comments going on, it’s kind of good to see there’s still good people out there.”

Wanda was surprised about all of the attention and she met Jamal and his family a couple of days later and officially invited them to Thanksgiving dinner. They accepted.

Tears streamed down my face as I read this story. These are the stories that we need to share. The call to love one another is strong and we are often given so many unexpected opportunities to show the love of Jesus to those who so desperately need to see it.

Abraham Lincoln attempted to use the Thanksgiving holiday during the Civil War, to unite the country and he issued a proclamation: “I do therefore invite my fellow citizens…..to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next, as a day of thanks and praise to our beneficient Father who dwelleth in the Heavens. I also recommend while offering up ascriptions justly due Him for such singular deliverances and blessings, they do also with humble pentinence for our nationwide perverseness and disobedience, commend to His tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife in which we are currently engaged, and fervently implore the interposition of the Almighty Hand to heal the wounds of this nation and to restore it as soon as may be consistent with the Divine to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquility and Union.”

It almost sounds like a prayer, a prayer we could surely pray over 150 years later. I think Abe would be equally proud of Wanda and Jamal. Agreeing to accept a kindness is every bit as much a testament to faith as extending the kindness is.

I pray this Thanksgiving, that we will seek more stories like Wanda and Jamal’s and share them. I pray that we will become willing participants in stories like theirs. I pray that we will take a cue from Wanda, and make it our mission to feed everyone, because that’s what Christians do.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

 

 

 

Seeking the Beauty

Posted on by Wendy
Let's seek and give thanks for the beauty placed in our lives.
Let’s seek  the beauty placed in our lives and then give thanks for it.

Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, “Never lose an opportunity of seeing anything that is beautiful, for Beauty is God’s handwriting.”

When I recently came across that quote, I couldn’t help but write it down. I remembered it when my mama and I had a telephone conversation about her upcoming visit to Canada. She’s going with a friend in December, but is now regretting the timing because December is so busy.

But, as we talked a little longer, she commented that it was a part of the world she had never seen before and she was looking forward to seeing it. I assured her that she would love it once she got there. She agreed.

After we hung up, I continued to think about our conversation. I thought about the beauty that fall always brings, the brilliant yellows, reds and oranges. I thought about how creative our God is to treat us to such a vibrant show every year.

He didn’t have to. He could have just let the leaves turn brown and fall off, but instead we are treated to a colorful show that even the makers at Crayola can’t match.

There’s so much beauty in Creation, from mountain tops, to the seashore, to the desert, from rivers and lakes to countless flowers and trees, not to mention the wildlife.

God loves beauty. We only have to go outside to see the evidence. Is it possible to truly feed our souls, we need to spend time in Creation? In the Bible, people didn’t live in high rises or stay inside for days on end watching television or playing on the internet.

Many were shepherds, farmers and fishermen. People often had to go outside to bring water into their houses. They walked in the streets to purchase things, not the shopping mall.

I think that the quest to seek beauty in the world around us, is a form of worship. It’s a form of thanksgiving to our loving and creative God. I think He is pleased when we stop and notice the beauty that we so often overlook.

A quote and a conversation reminded me to stop and soak up the beauty in this season. Let’s pause and take a breath. It won’t be long before the holidays kick in and we will be in a very busy season with a beauty all it’s own.

But, for now, let’s take a look around us and give thanks for the show. Perhaps you needed reminding today.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

He’s Always Working

Posted on by Wendy
May we never forget that God is always at work.
May we never forget that God is always at work.

Yesterday at church, a representative from Gideons International came and spoke. He’s a friend of our pastor’s and he comes every year. He always has an inspirational story to tell and this year was no different.

One evening in 1898, there were two traveling businessmen who were out on the road. He pointed out that back in that time, most business required lots of travel because there was no internet or e-mail. On this particular night, one of the men checked into a motel. Sometime later, another man came looking for a room, but was told there were none.

I’m sure he must have been frustrated and discouraged, away from home, weary from work and travel and nowhere to rest. Can you relate?

The person at the front desk asked the man if he was willing to share a room with another traveler who had checked in for the night. The man agreed.

Can you imagine a scenario like that these days? Can you imagine two perfect strangers agreeing to share a room for the evening? Can you imagine a motel employee even asking?

We got absolutely no back story on the conversation or emotions of those two men that evening. My writer’s mind races with the possibilities. Were they annoyed? Were they uncomfortable? Was the first man gracious? Was the second grateful? Were either the least bit frightened? Personally, sleeping in the room with a complete stranger would terrify me.

But, we do get some information, as it turns out, the important information. As the two men got ready for bed, they learned that they were both Christians, something that people at the time, must have been more open about. They decided to do their nightly devotion together and they both felt that God was calling them to do something more.

They prayed about it and Gideons International was eventually born from that chance meeting that evening. They felt strongly about getting God’s Word into the hands of as many people as possible and decided that hotels were a great start. They felt that once people actually read the Word, the Holy Spirit would be activated and lives would be transformed.

They spoke to different Christian groups and churches in the years to come about placing Bibles in various places. In 1908, some churches got behind funding the hotel idea. Between 1899 and 1971, a hundred million Bibles had been handed out or placed.

In 2015, they hit the two billion mark. Let’s pause a moment and let that number sink in.

Two strangers just happened to share a room together one evening. They just happened to pray together and they just happened to have a dream together of sharing God’s Word with as many people as possible.

They got to see some of that dream accomplished, but God kept on realizing that dream and in 116 years, two billion Bibles had been passed out to people on the street, to college campuses, prisons and to soldiers in the military. They were also placed in hotel rooms and hospitals, not only in this country, but around the world too.

I love this story because we get to see God at work. These men were not placed together by coincidence. It was part of God’s plan. He was at work then in the lives of those men. He is at work now in your life and in mine.

This story reminds me to not get frustrated and to keep my eyes open when life looks bleak. It reminds me to trust God. Perhaps you needed reminding too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Exactly What We Need

Posted on by Wendy
Sometimes hope shows up when we least expect it.
Sometimes hope shows up when we least expect it.

A couple of days ago, when I got home from work, I let my dogs out and took a few minutes to enjoy the quiet. I was the first one home so it was really quiet. I sat down for a minute and checked my Facebook feed. The first post I saw was a post about the upcoming election and how America is doomed.

So much for the peace. It seems like everyone on Facebook has something to say about the election and yet everyone is tired of hearing everyone talk about it. Do you see the pattern of chaos here?

I’m tired of hearing about it. I’m tired of thinking about it.

But, the very next thing that popped up on my feed was an article from the Christian Post and it was written by Max Lucado, one of my favorite authors. I took the time to read it.

It was like a breath of fresh air reminding me that it doesn’t matter who our president is, God is still sovereign. He is still in charge. He’s in charge today. He will be in charge on November 8th and He will be in charge on November 9th, too.

Lucado also listed Biblical kings who were not Godly people, but God used them just the same. He then backed it up with scripture. My favorite one was: “The king’s heart is like a stream of water directed by the Lord; he guides it wherever he pleases.” Proverbs 21:1

Yep, that one is from one of the books of wisdom.

As I took a deep breath and shared the post, I felt restored. Lucado didn’t tell me anything I didn’t already know, but God sent me those words at exactly the time I needed to read them. My peace was restored.

I was reminded that God is in control and for me to have any anxiety about the upcoming election, shows my doubts about His control. As I thought about it that evening, I was also reminded that God’s timing is so amazing. The Lucado post showing up right after one more election post, was no coincidence. He always gives us what we need when we need it.

The following morning, there was a note on my desk from my coworker. She had gone to the playground to search for a lost pedometer that a grandparent had called about. The note informed me that she didn’t find it, but she did find a quarter and she taped it to the note.

I laughed about it and shared it with Ivy before our morning prayer. We prayed for strength and peace and to see God and to be God for the people around us.

As the day began and people began to come into the office, one of the teachers came in who had been having a horrible morning. Her child had forgotten her snack and her lunch and they had a hard time getting out of the house, period. She was frazzled and she hadn’t eaten breakfast and was going to get a bag of chips, but was a quarter short.

And there it was, shining on my desk, taped to a note. Ivy and I smiled at each other as I handed the teacher the quarter that was meant for her. God knew the day before, what she would need that morning.

He always knows and He always provides. Whatever road you find yourself traveling on today, don’t lose faith. Hold onto hope. Watch for God. Wait for God. He’s in control and He will show up at exactly the right time with whatever it is you need.

A quarter taped to a note reminded me. Perhaps you needed reminding too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

The Blessings in the Uneventful

Posted on by Wendy
We don't have to look far to find blessings in the everyday.
We don’t have to look far to find blessings in the everyday.

As I sat down to write today’s post, I wasn’t sure what I would write. I had a blessedly uneventful weekend, with no children with an appendicitis. I bought groceries and cleaned my house. On Sunday, I returned my parents’ dogs to them and got to hear a little bit about their trip to Niagara Falls.

The quiet was restored to our house.

The heat had at long last broken and my hubby and I were able to sand and re-paint our porch rails where the paint had inexplicably peeled. Our daughter was lounging close by in her Eno hammock while we worked. The weather was picture perfect. The sun was out. There was a light breeze. If I were ordering my ideal weather, it would have been yesterday.

As I prayed about what I would write, as I sought out God to share in this space, I could almost feel the tapping, encouraging me to look around and then I saw it.

While our lives are so often captured in photos, in those big moments, like weddings, job offers, birthdays, special trips, or the birth of a child, it’s the everyday that shapes us the most. We spend most of our time there, contrary to what social media would have you believe.

It’s the doing the laundry, and buying the groceries, and cleaning our houses that allow us to embrace our blessings. Are we thankful for the money to buy groceries or the fact that we have plenty of food available? Are we thankful that we have clothes to wash and water to wash them with, or that we have a washing machine? Are we thankful for the people God has put in our lives that created all of that laundry? Are we thankful that we have homes to clean? There are many who don’t.

What about our people? Are we thankful for one more meal with them? Are we thankful when they are close by? Are we thankful for their health? Are we thankful for our own health?

As I thought about it, I had seen God in dozens of ways all weekend, with the many blessings He has bestowed on me and my family. I was reminded that while the mountaintop moments are wonderful, the daily stuff is just as good and I should be thankful for the everyday since that’s where I spend most of my time.

One day, I hope to hear Jesus say, “Well done good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!” Matthew 25:23

Being thankful and diligent with the everyday, is a way to be faithful to our God who has given us those blessings that we too often take for granted.

An uneventful weekend reminded me of my many blessings. Perhaps you needed reminding too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

 

 

Open the Eyes of My Heart

Posted on by Wendy
We can see God, if we are willing to look.
We can see God, if we are willing to look.

Last Sunday morning, our praise and worship team lead us in the song, “Open the Eyes of My Heart.” The song asks God to, “Open the eyes of my heart Lord, I want to see you.” It continues to a chorus of, “Holy, holy, holy, I want to see you.”

I love that song. I try to daily seek God in the everyday and share it here. So, that song is kind of like an anthem for me and when I sing it, I really mean it. As always when I ask God to show Himself, He does.

On Sunday, a young mom walked in, right past me, with her precious baby and there He was. It’s difficult not to see God in the miracle of a baby.

As our musical worship continued, I watched the woman who was sitting beside them look over and smile at the infant. I don’t know that I have ever seen that woman smile, yet every time she looked at the baby, she smiled. Yep, God was showing Himself.

At one point during the music, the baby began to fuss and his grandmother took him out for a few minutes. When she returned, she had him snugly wrapped in a blanket. When she walked back in, she stopped at my pew for a few seconds, so that I could see him.

I think my hubby thought it was a little strange, but I knew why. God was showing Himself, just as I had asked.

When we sing in church, it’s a form of worship. When we truly open our hearts and allow the words to wash over us, our song becomes a prayer and like any prayer, God answers us. He sometimes answers us in ways that only we can understand because He knows ours hearts that well.

The Bible tells us, “For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.” Psalm 139:13

Our lives are not by chance. Our circumstances are not by chance. We were planned with a purpose.

That baby in church, was planned with a purpose. His sweet face is a reminder to all of us that God is still at work, contrary to what the media would have you believe. He’s not done with us yet.

In the next few weeks, as God shows up in such a huge way in the brilliance of fall, I pray that as a nation, we all seek to see Him, that we all seek to do His will, that we all open our eyes and watch for Him.

He has a plan. He’s still in control. May we all remember.

A baby reminded me. Perhaps you needed reminding too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

I have included a link to the song, in case you would like to hear it.