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.

Muffin Grace

Posted on by Wendy
Sometimes God shows Himself in the ordinary.
Sometimes God shows Himself in the ordinary.

Yesterday morning, I had a really hard time getting out of bed. I just felt exhausted. I’m not sure why. I went to bed at a decent hour. I slept well. I had no physical complaints, but I was so very tired.

Our awesome nurse is back at work and I again, look forward to spending our morning quiet time together and starting our day with a quick prayer. Yesterday morning as we prayed together, I asked God for the same thing that I had asked for all morning. I asked that He let us be a light to others who desperately need it and to please let us see Him in those around us.

I am sometimes much more aware of my everyday dependence on grace than others. Yesterday, I was acutely aware that it was going to be a seriously long day if God didn’t intervene in some way.

Right after the bell rang, a little girl came into the office carrying a couple of bags. This wasn’t unusual. I work in the office of an elementary school. Kids are in and out of there all of the time.

But, yesterday morning, the little girl who came in the office, told me and my co-worker that her mom had sent us muffins to apologize. We were stunned.

The day before, there had been a mix up with the little girl’s transportation which happens fairly often at elementary schools. Notes don’t get delivered. Children don’t go where they are supposed to. That day, the parent had misunderstood the availability of an after school program. A simple phone call had straightened it out.

Parents are often upset about transportation snafus. Apologies are fairly rare.

Yesterday morning, this precious little girl came in, all smiles, with muffins and orange juice from her mom, to apologize to us for the mix up. We thanked her graciously and told her to thank her mom for the gifts and to assure her they were completely unnecessary.

When she left, my co-worker told me in the fourteen years she had been doing her job, she had never seen anything like it.

As I went to my desk, with my blueberry muffin and my bottle of orange juice, I thanked God for showing Himself, as He always does when I desperately and humbly seek Him and I realized that I would in fact, make it through the day after all.

The Bible tells us, “I love those who love me, and those who diligently seek me will find me.” Proverbs 8:17

I would like to challenge you and encourage you to do just that. You might just find yourself wonderfully surprised. It’s so important to remember to seek God in the ordinary.

A little girl and a blueberry muffin reminded me. Perhaps you needed reminding too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

The Calming of Creation

Posted on by Wendy
It's difficult not to feel the presence of God when observing a waterfall.
It’s difficult not to feel the power of God when observing a waterfall.

On Saturday morning, as I sipped my coffee on my porch, I basked in the cool morning air. I knew it was supposed to be in the 90’s again, but at that moment, it was pure bliss. An idea was forming in my head as my family all came and joined me. I wanted to go hiking.

My daughter had planted the seed earlier in the week, but I had kind of dismissed it.

Saturdays, these days, include laundry, cleaning house and grocery shopping. There’s not a lot of extra time. Besides, it was going to be hot on Saturday. Fall may have appeared on the calendar, but no one had informed nature. If I didn’t get my chores done on Saturday. When would I get them done?

But, as I sat there in the coolness, I felt the nudge to get out of the house. Our family loves hiking together. We enjoy Creation together. It brings us closer together and it brings us closer to God.

As I tossed out the idea, we got on our phones to find a place close by that we hadn’t been to before. We found one and threw on our clothes, took the top down on the Jeep and hit the road.

It was a gorgeous day and we played the radio and sang together. We drove a long time, and got lost, but the day was beautiful and no one seemed to mind. After several turn arounds, we finally arrived at the trail head.

The sun had been really hot out on the highway and I questioned myself a couple of times along the way, about the wisdom of hiking in the heat. But, the temperature was much cooler in the mountains and there was shade everywhere. As we passed by one friendly hiker after another, I was glad we had come.

It’s always interesting how differently people act when they are in nature. I don’t think we crossed paths with one person who didn’t smile and speak to us. It’s almost like people are more naturally relaxed when they are in the presence of the wonder of Creation.

Our trail was around five miles up and back and paralleled a noisy creek for almost the entire hike. We saw several nice waterfalls, but we got to hear the splashing water constantly. It was very soothing for some tired souls.

My hubby and daughter got ahead of my son and I, several times. He and I often hang back when we go exploring, and take pictures and try to soak up every single detail.

At around 5:00, we headed back to the car, starving, all regretting the decision to skip lunch because we had a late breakfast. We had the best meal ever at Zaxby’s along with great conversation.

Saturday’s hike reminded me that time with family is precious. It reminded me that whenever I get stressed and overwhelmed, getting outside, away from man-made distractions and into the Creation of God, is usually the best choice. It reminded me that most of the stuff on my to-do list can wait and that when I truly seek God in the midst of my daily chaos, He never disappoints.

Perhaps you needed reminding too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

The Courage to Grow

Posted on by Wendy
God can do amazing things with people who are broken.
God can do amazing things with people who are broken.

Last summer, I decided it was time to re-pot my aloe plant. It’s not a very pretty plant, but it’s special to me for a couple of reasons. First of all, it’s a natural healer. I break off a piece and use it’s juices to heal burns and scrapes.

It reminds me that our power and our gifts come from the inside not the outside. It also reminds me that there are some things that are much more powerful when they are broken than when they are perfectly put together.

Secondly, that plant belonged to my mother-in-law who passed away ten years ago. When I found it in her laundry room window, it was yellow. It hadn’t been watered in a very long time and I wasn’t sure if I could nurse it back to health.

But, that washed out yellow, plant called to me. I often feel led to nurture all types of living things that have been injured or neglected, and I felt the need to take the plant. I also felt that in a way, it kind of helped her live on here, although she had gone home to be with Jesus.

It took some time, some new fertile soil, some water, and some attention, but that plant turned green again and thrived. As is often the case with living things that grow, it needed more space, and the time had come to re-pot it again.

I got a pot and some new soil and when I went to re-pot it, a good sized piece broke off and fell to the ground. I could have thrown it away, but I just couldn’t. It was healthy and green. I felt that I needed to give it a chance.

I didn’t have another pot, so I gently planted it in the ground of an already established bed. I had no idea whether or not it would grow. I’ve never planted an aloe plant in the ground, but I reasoned that it was in the cactus family and Georgia is very desert-like in the summer.

I am happy to report that the little sprout is thriving in its new spot. It has taken root. It’s green and standing up straight.

As I was watering it the other day, I was reminded that just like that broken piece of aloe, we sometimes find ourselves broken. We sometimes wonder if we will survive the break.

But, if we reach out for Jesus, God will take us and re-plant us in His fertile soil. It may look different from the place we came from. It may even be scary. Growth is often scary. It’s usually much more comfortable to stay in the crowded pot.

But, we are called for much more than status quo. Faith teaches us to trust even when we can’t possibly know the outcome and when we do, beautiful, surprising things can happen.

An aloe plant reminded me. Perhaps you needed reminding too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Not A Fight Against Flesh and Blood

Posted on by Wendy
Never stop praying.
Never stop praying.

Last Friday, I shared a little bit of my friend Ivy’s story which included her ALS diagnosis. I shared that she is a woman of faith. I shared that she is a prayer partner of mine. I asked for prayers for her healing.

I felt led to share how the Holy Spirit showed up.

I normally average anywhere from 100 to 150 views each day on gracefulgaines. My top number last month was 332. I always pray that Jesus will meet me at my keyboard to try to share His grace and His presence in some tangible way which may encourage others to do the same.

After spending time in prayer with Ivy, who is loved by the many people who have known her over the years, last week, I felt a clear calling to ask for prayer for her healing here in this space.

As usual, when we earnestly seek God, we find Him.

As of this writing, and it changes every time I check, 2,087 people have read the post, “Fighting for Ivy.” That’s over two thousand prayer warriors lining up to do battle for her, to intervene for her, to ask for Divine intervention for her healing.

Not only that, there are people in nine other countries besides the United States who have seen the post too. It seems we have begun a worldwide prayer chain here.

Joyce Meyer once said, “If you do what you can do, God will do what you cannot.”

We forget that sometimes. Don’t we? It’s our human tendency to figure it out ourselves or to fix it ourselves. We often go to prayer as a last resort. We forget the power that Christians wield in prayer.

We also have a tendency to forget that we fight a spiritual war on a daily basis.

Paul tells all believers in Ephesians 6:10-18: …”For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” He then tells us to put on the full armor of God; one of the parts is the “shield of faith.”

Doesn’t our faith teach us the importance of prayer?

Paul ends in verse eighteen by writing, “Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.”

Paul reminds us to be persistent in prayer. Ivy’s situation is a reminder not only of the power of prayer, but also our call to use it, not only when tragedy strikes, but persistently.

We have a lot of evil going on in our world right now. Are Christians praying like we should? Are we doing all that we can, spiritually?

Perhaps this is an Esther moment for all Christians. Perhaps now, on this day, at this time, we are called to pray and to pray persistently, for repentance for our country and for a return to God. He is still in control.

A prayer request for Ivy reminded me. Perhaps you needed reminding too. Keep praying for her and for each other.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Cradled in Prayer

Posted on by Wendy
A Sunday morning trip to the emergency room was an opportunity to Jesus at every turn.
A Sunday morning trip to the emergency room, was an opportunity to see Jesus at every turn.

On Sunday morning, my seventeen year old daughter, came downstairs saying she wasn’t feeling well. She said her stomach had been hurting all night. Her face was covered in sweat and then she dropped to her knees at the trash can.

My hubby immediately suspected appendicitis and said we needed to go to the emergency room. I wasn’t convinced. She was obviously sick, but there are a lot of stomach bugs going around. She said she was feeling much better, but he was insistent and having had a ruptured appendix many years before, I trusted his judgement.

We brushed our teeth and put on some clothes and headed to the emergency room. There are two hospitals in our area and both are good, but one is Catholic and very open about Jesus, so that was our choice. There’s something about a hospital that has a cross hanging in every room, that I find comforting. As my daughter would later say, “Jesus was in every room I went into.”

Indeed He was.

We were treated with great kindness from everyone who crossed our paths, from the registrar, to nurses, to our doctor, to our radiologist, to the nice lady who took out the trash, and every single kindness extended to us, went noticed by this mama.

When we got the appendicitis diagnosis and were told she would need surgery, I posted a picture on Facebook and asked for prayers. We had the first prayers sent up on our behalf within minutes. Within the hour, my phone had buzzed 25 times with people offering up prayers for my daughter and each one made me a little stronger.

Our pastor arrived and he talked with her and prayed over her and the minute he finished, the surgeon walked in.

In a day that could have been filled with fear and anxiety, I literally felt like we were being cradled in prayer. All day long, into the evening the prayer notifications continued. I heard from childhood friends, high school friends, family, my daughter’s former teachers, coworkers, my church family, our Salkehatchie family and other members of my faith family.

Each time, the message was something short and simple like, “prayers for her,” or “prayers going up.”

That’s all it took to bring peace to my soul.

For all of its negativity and for all of the political rants and ugliness that can plague it, Facebook became a holy place for me last weekend, a place where the light of Christ shone like a beacon. On reflection, I realize it can always be that way, if we choose to make it so.

The surgery went perfectly. Her appendix had not ruptured. The surgeon told us it took him like twenty minutes. We went home that night.

It’s been a few days and my daughter is on the mend. In the end, I had 90 comments and probably 85 specifically said they were praying for her.

I sincerely cannot remember a time when I have felt so blessed. When bad things happen, it’s so easy to ask where God is. I have often written that He’s always here, always with us, if we take the time to seek Him with open hearts.

Last Sunday, He was everywhere, in every face of our health care workers, on every crucifix, with every buzz of my phone. I have difficulty finding the words to express my gratitude to all of those prayer warriors who intervened for us. All I can say is my cup runneth over.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Giving Thanks for the Shade and the Breezes

Posted on by Wendy
Even during the hottest times, we can find shade and breezes.
Even during the hottest times, we can find shade and breezes.

My daughter and I have begun exercising together. We walk with a little running, several times a week. For years, I’ve tried to get her to exercise, just because it’s a great stress reliever, but she was never very interested. For whatever reason, this year, her senior year, she has decided to listen to her mama.

Maybe she’s getting wiser? (LOL)

We always begin our walks with a lot of talk, but as we work harder and breathe harder, we talk less. Yet, even though we don’t talk as much, we really enjoy walking together. It doesn’t take spoken words for each of us to know that we support each other.

A few days ago, we were walking and there was a nice breeze when we started. A little while into our walk, the breeze died and my daughter commented on how the heat was like walking into a wall, but as we walked a little further down the road, we hit some shade and when we hit the shade, we could run.

We never ran when the sun was beating down us. We walked during those segments.

Then there were the breezes that would encourage us to keep going. We reminded each other of the breezes we encountered on our mission trip last summer that allowed us to keep working in the all consuming heat.

I thought about that walk and our talk in the days that followed.

I thought about how those who we hold most dear don’t even have to share words with us to make us feel loved and encouraged. Just being near them is often enough.

I thought about life’s journey and how there are shady times when we can run and run, and we don’t even feel tired. But, there are also times when we can barely put one foot in front of the other, and we feel the sun ruthlessly beating down on us. If it weren’t for the breezes, we couldn’t keep going at all.

But, God is so faithful in sending those breezes in so many different forms. They can be a call from a friend, running into someone who can offer us guidance, prayers sent up on our behalf, being at the right place at the right time, discovering a brand new passion for something we enjoy, or reviving an old one, our church community, or a new job.

The breezes are anything and everything that God sends our way to lighten our load a little and give us hope. If we are vigilant, we can always find them and feel them, even when we feel we are in a desert kind of heat.

We need to remember that there are times on our journey to walk, and there are times to run. There are even times to rest, but most importantly, as children of God, we never walk alone.

A walk with my daughter reminded me. Perhaps you needed reminding too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Faith in the Messy

Posted on by Wendy
When we yield to God, it's amazing where He shows up.
When we yield to God, it’s amazing where He shows up.

I was driving down the road yesterday after dropping my son off at marching band practice. I was annoyed that the band director didn’t cancel it. I mean seriously, the skies were dark. The thunder was rumbling and the radar showed storms heading our way. But, no, practice was on. Sigh.

I was on the way to the pharmacy to pick up a couple of prescriptions, stuck in our ever worsening traffic situation in our little Mayberryesque town, wondering what I would write about for today’s post, when a rainbow caught my attention.

It was faint, but definitely there. All of a sudden, sitting through two cycles at the same stop light, wasn’t annoying. Being stopped, gave me the opportunity to snap a photo. I figured I could edit it when I got home.

Computers make it easy to crop out all the not so pretty stuff, we don’t like. With the help of the right software, we can make any picture look perfect.

I said a prayer of thanks on my ride home. I thanked God for showing Himself in the monotony of the traffic, in the tedious times like doing errands, and in the times when the skies look positively frightening.

I worked out in my mind how I would write encouraging words about how that rainbow reminded me God is always with us, in times that are mundane, and in times that are exciting, when skies are blue and life is grand, and when times are dark and scary.

And I planned to produce the perfect rainbow picture that I snapped while stuck in traffic. But, like they say, a picture is sometimes worth a thousand words.

When I reviewed the pictures, the yield sign caught my eye. The yield sign reminded me that the true path to the peace that passeth understanding is to yield our hearts to Jesus. I felt like that ugly, ordinary, yield sign, spoke God’s truth as much as the rainbow did.

And the power lines and the building, represented the busy life that most of us lead. It’s not always picture perfect. It’s sometimes messy and unattractive, yet through it all, just like the rainbow in the distance, God’s love for us still shines through.

If I would have cropped out the unappealing parts of the picture, I would have cut out an important part of the story and it’s probably a part someone needed to read.

Everyone’s life is a struggle sometimes despite what people would like for you to believe on social media. No one has the perfect family, or marriage, or job, or friends, or house. I know this because I know that perfection does not exist on this side of heaven.

The rainbow right there in the middle of the messy, reminded me that Jesus came to earth to become one of us and He walks with us through the good and the bad. His death and resurrection mean we will one day live in perfection, and that truth makes life beautiful no matter where we may find ourselves at any particular moment.

Sometimes I need reminding. Perhaps you did too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Seeing the Hand of God

Posted on by Wendy
After experiencing God's power in a huge way, we were rewarded with this sunset.
After experiencing God’s power in a huge way, we were rewarded with this sunset.

Today’s post picks up where yesterday’s left off. My family and I had just left Walmart and we were traveling home on Loop 10 at fifty-five or so, miles per hour. My hubby and I were discussing with our kids the ability, and the call, to extend kindness to others when we can, whoever that person may be, when our conversation was stopped in its tracks.

A car traveling in the opposite direction, ran off of the road, over-corrected and rolled in mid-air (a complete flip), and landed on its tires, facing the opposite way, in the median. The driver and her passenger in the backseat, were securely fastened in their seats. No one was ejected.

Since we were traveling in the opposite direction, and noted that drivers on the other side of the road were stopping, I called 911, with a lump in my throat and tears in my eyes.

There was no one traveling on her side of the roadway when she flew across. Mere, seconds later, several cars came flying by. If she would have made the same mistake seconds later, it may have resulted in serious injuries for her and her passenger, as well as several other drivers traveling on that roadway. It may have even cost them their lives.

That road is notoriously busy and the traffic moves rapidly. What if an eighteen-wheeler had been driving by? What if she had landed back in the road going the opposite direction; she would have had a head on collision. What if she would have ended up on our side? What if the car had landed on its roof; the occupants would have been crushed.

All of these scenarios raced through my mind as I drew the only conclusion that I could. My family and I had just witnessed the Hand of God at work.

There were a hundred reasons why those people should have been seriously injured, but they weren’t. There were many scenarios where other people should have been injured, but they weren’t.

I couldn’t stop thinking about it for the rest of the day. I am still in awe as I write about it.

My teen daughter often tells me that her friends struggle with their faith because the can’t “see” God. I am amazed that we had just left Walmart and were discussing with our kids, being the face of Jesus, to a world that desperately needs it, when God showed up and showed us His mighty hand.

He’s here with us everyday. We probably miss His handiwork more often than not, but sometimes He shows up in huge ways that are impossible to miss. And it’s in those moments that I am reminded that the God we worship, called the stars into being, and parted the Red Sea, and tumbled the Walls of Jericho with a horn blast, and helped a child slay a giant, when an army could not.

There is nothing that is impossible for Him or for those of us who put our faith in Him. Last weekend He sent me a mighty reminder. Perhaps you needed reminding too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Too Good Not to Share

Posted on by Wendy
It only takes a spark.
It only takes a spark.

My daily prayer is for God to show Himself to me in a way that I can share with others and hopefully, inspire them on their faith walk. One of my favorite Bible verses is: “Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.” 1 Thessalonians 5:11

There are some days, however, when God is hard to see and hear and I sometimes find myself wondering if I will spend hours staring at a blinking cursor with nothing to write. Do you ever have days like that? Do you ever wonder if He’s really near or if He’s really listening?

But, God is always faithful to those who seek Him, even when we insist on doubting.

At the end of my day yesterday, when I was getting ready to go home, one of our teachers came in and was chatting with some of our office staff. They were talking about never knowing when they should help someone who claims to need help. There are so many people out there who are scammers.

Quite honestly, I was only half-way listening. I think this is a struggle that most people have, when to doubt and when to trust, but then the conversation grabbed my interest.

The teacher was giving an account of the story her priest had told the Sunday before.

He had been at a gas station when a woman approached him for money. Said she had a long drive and no gas. He said he was skeptical at first, but there was something desperate in the woman’s eyes that made him want to help her.

He looked at her car and it was full of children.

He told her he wouldn’t give her cash, but that he would pay to fill her car up. He went into the store to pay for her gas and since he was one of eleven children himself, he bought her a bunch of snacks for the road for her kids and two more gas cards.

He told the grateful woman that he wished he could do more, but that was all he had. (After all, priests don’t make much money.)

The woman went on her way and he went back to the rectory.

When he arrived, there was an envelope lying on his desk containing the exact amount of money that he had given the desperate woman, apparently donated by some new parishioner.

Do you have chills yet? Is your heart warmed?

I thought about that priest and the choice he made long after I left work.

I was reminded that God is always there for those who seek Him. The Holy Spirit guides us to give and share when we should. Perhaps we should spend less of our time worrying about being cheated and more of our time listening to the nudges of the Spirit.

That’s what that priest did and look at what his faithful obedience produced, a story that was just too good not to share. Hopefully, you will feel the same.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

 

Walking in Faith

Posted on by Wendy
The light of Christ changes everything.
“For we live by faith, not by sight.” 2 Corinthians 5:7

I was recently praying as I was getting ready for my day. I was in my bedroom and it was quiet. I had so many things on my mind, so many people and circumstances to pray for. I felt certain I was missing some of them.

I had been praying about our current political scene in this country. I had been praying about the recent violence involving police. I had been praying about people who I hold close who are battling sickness as well as other emotional issues. I had been praying about a new chapter in my own life.

My heart was a little heavy and I briefly wondered if I had met my prayer quota for the day. Was God getting all of this? Did I need to back up and repeat?

Of course, I know that is not how God works. The Bible says He knows what I need before I even ask it, but at that moment, the world around me from my little space to globally, seemed to me, to be in great need of His guidance and intervention.

As I finished my prayer, I went to the windows and opened my blinds for the day. The sun was bright and flooded the room with light and tiny rainbows dotted my ceilings and walls. The scene took my breath away. I grinned as I grabbed my cell phone to snap a few shots that don’t even begin to do justice to the moment.

Within minutes, they were gone, but the message was received. Yes, He was listening. Yes, He is in control. No, my list of prayers is never too much for Him. I looked heavenward and whispered, “thank-you.”

Now, those of you out there who may be the Doubting Debbie types, I am fully aware that the sun was reflecting off of something in my bedroom that acted as a prism. I am well aware that it wasn’t some kind of miracle. But, the fact that I just happened to open my blinds at the same exact time I said, “Amen,” and at that precise moment, the sun just happened to hit the right spot at the right time to produce those little rainbows…..

That, my friends is faith. I know that God was letting me know that He was listening. The amazing thing is that when I seek Him with my whole heart, in a quiet place, He always has a way of showing Himself, if I am diligent about looking.

There are so many Bible verses that pop into my mind here: “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.” Matthew 7:7 or “This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in Him there is no darkness at all.” 1 John 1:5  or maybe, “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.” Hebrews 11:1

They all point to the Amazing God who we worship. They all point to Jesus. God is always listening to our prayers. Perhaps you needed reminding today.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂