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.

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.

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 🙂