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.

Appreciating the Ordinary

Posted on by Wendy
Beautiful days, friends, and family are wonderful reasons to give thanks.
Beautiful days, friends, and family are wonderful reasons to give thanks.

As I was walking my parents’ dogs yesterday, in the incredibly beautiful weather that we have been blessed with recently, I found myself saying a prayer of thanks for my perfectly mundane day. I had gone for a haircut that morning, nothing like a little trim to add a little pep to a girl’s step. I had coffee and a two hour visit with a dear friend of mine and we got caught up. Finally, I ran to the grocery store.

I hadn’t really done much on my to-do list for the day, but I found myself with a profound sense of peace as I thanked God that I had hair to cut. Some people don’t, and money to pay for it. Some people don’t.

I thanked God for my friend. Some people don’t have any.

I thanked God for the ability to go and buy groceries. Some people can’t.

We all have great days, when we are on top of the world, like the day we got married, or the day we graduated from high school or college, or the day we held our first child. Those days are glorious days. We take photos to remember them and we sometimes replay them in our heads, moment by moment. Remembering them brings us joy.

We all have really bad days too, like the day we got fired, or the day we learned of a scary medical diagnosis, or the day we buried a loved one. Those days too, are often etched in our memories.

When times are good, we often find ourselves praying and giving thanks for our good fortunes or blessings.

When times are bad, we often find ourselves praying for healing, peace, strength or guidance.

But, when I think about my life and all of the great moments and all of the really bad, I’ll have to admit that most of my days are filled with the in-between stuff. Most of my days aren’t perfect and fabulous, but they aren’t painful and sad either.

Most of my days are filled with ordinary things like making breakfast for my kids, and doing the laundry, and sweeping floors, and watching television with my hubby. While those things seem so ordinary at first glance, a closer look reveals something else.

Ask someone who has lost a child what they would give to make breakfast for them again. Ask someone who has lost their home to a fire what they would give to be able to do laundry again. Ask someone who is homeless what they would give to have floors to sweep. Ask a recent widow what she would give to watch television with her husband one more time.

We often forget to give thanks for the everyday blessings we have, and most have of us have many, because they just seem so ordinary. We can sometimes take them for granted. But, I think a closer look shows that the ordinary is actually quite extraordinary.

That notion really hit me hard as I was walking those little dogs and giving thanks. I think I needed a reminder.

Maybe you did too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Finding God in the Chaos

Posted on by Wendy
When we seek Him, we will find Him.
When we seek Him, we will find Him.

Yesterday was a crazy morning at my house. I had to be at the school for a half-day assignment and I desperately wanted to write my post before I left for work. I like to write in the mornings. It’s quiet and I have the time and peace to reflect. I need quiet to write. I often find inspiration in nature, when I take walks or even outside my window. My desk is surrounded by big windows with lots of light.

Well, yesterday morning, my neighbors were having some trees removed from the yard. My dogs went crazy, barking at all of the trucks in the cul-de-sac. Every time they heard a strange noise, they would bark. I am also dog sitting for my parents’ little yappers, so the barking was in stereo.

After begging them and commanding them to stop barking, (yeah right!), I went through the house and pinned all of the curtains closed with clothes pins. They could no longer see the workmen. But, they could still hear, so they continued to bark. I turned on the radio for noise and chuckled a little at myself for having to work so hard to outsmart dogs.

But, at last, they settled down. But, where would I get my inspiration? My house was dark. I had no natural night coming in. The radio was blaring noise. Where would I find my quiet space? How could I hear God?

I’ll have to admit that I was a tad frustrated at this point. I mean, all I wanted to do is light my little light shine. Should it be so hard?

I escaped to my upstairs bathroom to do some yoga stretches and search for some peace. I have a large window in there.

I prayed for God to show Himself in my morning chaos and lo and behold, there He was in a bright pink impatien. I know those flowers are very common, but let me give you a little background. First of all, I didn’t plant any this year and when I did plant them in that planter, I always planted white ones. It’s Fall. It’s time for petunias and mums in orange, yellow and burgundy.

But, here, in mid-September, God gave me a bright pink impatient. I smiled as soon as it caught my eye. Where could I find God in the chaos? I found Him in the place where I got still and quiet and purposefully sought Him.

The Bible says, “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” Jeremiah 29:13

It’s easy to forget. We convince ourselves that we have to have the perfect time, or perfect place, or perfect circumstances, to seek God, to seek a real relationship. We can come up with some pretty good excuses for not seeking Him.

But, in the end, when we open our hearts and reach out, He’s always ready to reach back. Sometimes He will even send a flower.

I needed a reminder today. Maybe you did too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

 

Caterpillar Seasons

Posted on by Wendy
Caterpillars are dull and unremarkable, but we have to remember that it's just for a season.
Caterpillars are dull and unremarkable, but we know that it’s just for a season.

I have seen caterpillars everywhere lately. It seems like wherever I walk, I have to be careful not to step on one. My daughter even announced to me yesterday, that she had saved one that was crawling in the garage. That’s a huge step for her because she really hates worms. But, she knows that a caterpillar is much more than a worm and she has a special love for butterflies.

Don’t we all? Most butterflies are so beautiful that they look like God hand painted them. However, no butterfly was ever born a butterfly. Nope, they all start out as lowly, unremarkable worms, crawling around on the ground, completely unaware of the breathtaking potential that they carry within them.

I think we all are like caterpillars at one time or another, just slogging along in our drab and unremarkable way. Thankfully, Jesus can see the butterfly within, even when we can’t. He saw the butterfly in Peter even though he would deny him. He saw the butterfly in Mary Magdalene even though she was possessed by demons. He saw the butterfly in Levi, the lowly tax collector and he sees the butterfly in me and you.

When we take our focus off of ourselves and our own day-to-day trials and put it on Jesus, something amazing happens. We realize that we are loved, cherished and created for a purpose. We realize like the butterfly, that we are beautiful and one of a kind, because God made us and He doesn’t make mistakes.

Following Jesus, gives us wings.
Following Jesus, gives us wings.

When we stay focused on Jesus, we feel like we can fly and that all things are possible. But, sometimes we forget. Sometimes we get off track. We let our noisy world drown out the truth and we go back to being a caterpillar. But, here’s the beautiful truth about following Jesus: We can go back to being a butterfly if we choose to.

Jesus always welcomes us back with open arms and his transforming love will change us back into something beautiful.

If we ever find ourselves in a caterpillar season, we need to remember that Jesus wants more for us than we are willing to settle for and that we are loved beyond measure, even enough to die for. That’s how much we matter to him.

He wants us to put on those beautiful wings and fly around and share that truth with all of those caterpillars who desperately need to hear it. What do you say? Are you tired of crawling? Are you ready to fly? Jesus is waiting.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

 

 

Lessons from a Shingle

Posted on by Wendy
It's impossible for one shingle to keep out the rain on its own.
It’s impossible for one shingle to keep out the rain on its own.

I learned a fair amount about roofing on my Salkehatchie summer mission trip. I learned that shingles are heavy. I learned that you can’t walk on them when they get hot because it shortens the life of them. I learned to wear gloves when handling them because you will get pieces of fiberglass in your fingers that become painful later.

But, probably the most important lesson, was that a shingle only does its job when it is in unity with other shingles. There’s a black tar line that runs along the center of a shingle. It must line up with the ones on either side or the roof will eventually leak.

They have to work together to keep the inhabitants of the home warm and dry. If just one shingle is in the wrong place, the roof can leak. Leaks lead to all kinds of problems from mold, to wet ceilings, to eventual ceiling collapse, if the roof isn’t repaired.

I was reminded of the importance of shingles working together, at a team meeting at church last night. We are desperately trying to build communication between all of our church committees, so that we can all work together and grow together in unity, and avoid any leaks which happen when we get out of unity with each other and with God.

It’s a lot trickier with humanity than with shingles. Inanimate objects stay in a nice straight line once they are nailed down. But, people, well, we are all over the place. We are broken and we tend to take our focus off of God and place it on ourselves. That leads to all kinds of leaks and problems.

It has been said that churches are the most peaceful and wonderful places ever, until you put people in them. Yet, that’s what Jesus has called us to do. He’s called us to come together as a family and create a solid line, like those shingles, and call as many people as humanly possible, to join with us and build his kingdom.

Knowing that we have an enemy who would love to see us fail in our mission, has made all of our church members pray constantly for guidance and unity. We know that when you are in a war, you really should expect some resistance.

But, I wonder what our world would look like if all Christians came together and prayed for guidance and unity. What if we all used the Bible as our straight line and prayer as the nails, and joined together? I think we would be impenetrable to anything and everything that comes against us.

When the shingles are nailed together, the people in the house, stay dry during storms.
When the shingles are nailed together, the people in the house, stay dry during storms.

Maybe we could learn a lesson from shingles. Maybe it’s time for more unity among all Christians. If we all worked together, who knows what the outcome would be? I imagine it would be spectacular.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Rainbow Reflections

Posted on by Wendy
The rainbow represents God's powerful promise.
The rainbow represents God’s everlasting promise.

My mama texted me this picture of a rainbow that my sister took on her family vacation. I’ll have to admit that I found it stunning. It’s rare to see a complete rainbow extending in a full arc, even rarer to see the second one behind it. She also wrote that she was supplying some possibility photos for my blog. She has always been one of my loudest cheerleaders.

The next day, when I was scrolling through my Facebook feed, someone had taken a picture of another beautiful rainbow. Her caption was “the storm that came before it wasn’t nearly as lovely.” No kidding, I thought. Isn’t that always the case?

But, the two rainbow pics, back-to-back, made me feel like God wanted me to read the flood story, so I headed to Genesis.

There are so many fabulous examples of God’s love for His creation and of His mercy, in the account of the flood. Because one man, just one, was righteous, God saved him, his wife, his sons and their wives. Ever feel like what you do doesn’t matter? Ever wonder what’s the point of following God and trying to keep His Commandments when no one around you does?

God is watching. He knows. Noah’s salvation from the flood is a powerful testament to that.

God also gave Noah very specific instructions on how to build the ark. Noah followed them to the letter and he and all of his family, as well as all of the animals were saved due to his exact obedience. He didn’t ask God why He was flooding the earth, or decide to do it his own way, or decide that he would listen to parts of God’s instructions, but not all of them.

Just like Noah, God has given us a set of instructions to keep us safe from life’s floods. If we follow them, we too can be kept from disaster, but the key is that we’re not supposed to pick and choose. We’re supposed to be obedient, even when we don’t understand. I can’t imagine that Noah could even begin to fathom what was coming in his future, neither can we.

In Genesis 7:16, the Bible tells us that after Noah did what he was told, God shut him in. God wasn’t taking his freedom; He was keeping him safe. When God shuts doors behind us, He is doing the same. We shouldn’t try to pry them back open.

Most scholars believe that Noah and his family and all of those animals, were on the ark for a little over a year. Try to remember that the next time you are really struggling to wait on God’s timing. Chapter 8 tells us, “God remembered Noah.” God remembers us too.

When God finally told Noah and his family to come out, He blessed them. They had been obedient and steadfast and God made a covenant with them, and all of their descendants, and every living creature, and He gave them a sign.

“I have set my rainbow in the clouds and it will be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth. Whenever I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will remember my covenant between me and you and all living creatures of every kind. Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life.Whenever the rainbow appears in the cloud, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth.” Genesis 9:13-16

Can you imagine the awe that filled Noah and his family every time a rainbow appeared in the sky after the flood? It was a physical manifestation of God’s promise. It had to have been breathtaking. Reading Noah’s story reminds me of the wonder that Noah must have felt. It makes me pause and reflect and give thanks.

Maybe you needed a reminder too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Never Stop Praying

Posted on by Wendy
Sometimes we need a reminder.
Sometimes we need a reminder.

Yesterday, after I saw my kids off to school, I prayed that God would help them arrive safely. I always pray that prayer, since my daughter started driving. But, yesterday, as I sat down to read my daily devotion, I found myself praying that prayer again. I wasn’t sure why. I wasn’t stressed or worried that something was wrong; I just felt led to pray for their safety, so I did.

I went on about my business and finished my devotion and folded some laundry, when I received a text from my daughter.

“Crap” (Sorry y’all she’s a teenager!)

The next words had the hair standing up on the back of my neck. “I just saw a really bad wreck. Someone got t-boned at the 4 way stop.”

I caught my breath and asked her if she was parked. Yes, they were safely at school, but the car was right in front of her and had been pushed off into the ditch. She was wondering if she should have stopped.

I assured her that she had done the right thing. She knows no first aid and has been driving for less than a month. She did everyone a favor by moving on and not blocking the intersection. That intersection is very busy and I was sure someone had already dialed 911.

I immediately thanked God for the intervention with tears in my eyes. That car was just one car in front of my children and I had been lead to pray for them that morning. Coincidence? I don’t think so.

The Bible tells us to “Never stop praying.” 1 Thessalonians 5:17 We are supposed to be in constant contact with God through prayer. Whether times are good or bad, peaceful or turbulent, we are supposed to pray.

I find that the more time I spend praying, the more often people or situations pop into my mind. When that happens, I pray for them. That happened yesterday with my kids. That is the work of the Holy Spirit. He helps us pray when we don’t even know what to pray for and He intercedes.

Prayer helps and covers us all of the time in countless ways that we often are completely clueless about. We rarely know when someone may be praying for us and causing some type of intervention and we are all called to pray for each other.

But, yesterday was one of those special moments when I saw the immediate results of prayer and I could feel the presence of God protecting my family and quite frankly, it was just too good not to share.

Never stop praying. It truly works.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

 

 

Trusting the Director

Posted on by Wendy
If we listen to the Divine Director, we can be unstoppable.
If we listen to the Divine Director, we can be unstoppable.

I volunteered to help hand out marching band uniforms yesterday at my son’s high school. He’s a freshman so this was a first time for me. High school marching band meets throughout the day in sections. The first class of the day was drumline which includes all of percussion.

When the kids arrived for class, the band director spoke with them for a few minutes and then told them to get out their instruments. The noise and chaos (or so it seemed to me), that ensued, was close to deafening. Everyone was playing a different beat on a different instrument. I knew intellectually, that the director had been teaching band for years, but the noise, the noise….

What seemed like forever later, although in reality it was only a short time, the director took the podium. The room was silent. He gave some instructions and they played together. It was still incredibly loud, but it was music, with a beat. They were good. It made sense.

The next class was brass instruments. There were a lot more of them that in the drumline. The same thing happened. The director spoke with them for a few minutes and the noise began. Those tubas and trombones made every bit as much racket as the percussion group.

Once again, the band director took the podium, pin drop silence occurred first and then beautiful music. Towards the end of the class, I was tapping along and wanting to yell out a cheer with them. Who would have thought out of all that chaos, that beautiful music could be produced?

Well, everyone but me, I suspect. The band director knew and the band members knew too. It was the casual observer, the outsider, who didn’t know.

Later on that day, he would bring all of the rest of the groups together with the first two and have them march and play as a team. The result would be fabulous.

After I went home and took a couple of Advil, I pondered the workings of the marching band and how similar they are to the Christian Church.

To the outside observer, we often look like a mess. We run in different directions and are passionate about so many different callings and causes that it seems like we could never really come together and accomplish much of anything.

But, our Divine Director, changes everything. When He takes the podium and we listen to Him and follow His directions through the Bible, and through prayer, we become a Divine Marching Band of Christian Soldiers. We produce beautiful acts, beautiful music and we can change the world. We are a force to be reckoned with and we are unstoppable.

All we have to do is be willing to listen and follow. The results are nothing short of miraculous. Anyone feel like marching?

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Faith’s Blessings

Posted on by Wendy
We worship the God who created the universe. Is anything too had for Him?
We worship the God who created the universe. Is anything too hard for Him?

Last October, my family visited a new church, well, new to us. This church had been started fourteen years earlier by a core group of believers who were looking to worship together. They began as Independent Methodists and they met at a local school.

Over the years, they bought a building and then realizing they had no room to expand, sold it. They met at a local funeral home for a while and became part of the Wesleyan Denomination. They were always looking for something permanent, but were unable to find the space they could afford. There was an  empty church in a nearby town, but it was too expensive and needed a fair amount of renovation. That group of believers was adamant on staying together as a church.

The summer before my family visited, they were given thirty days notice to vacate where they had been worshiping. They had nowhere to go and could find no viable, rental space. Many newer members, abandoned ship for greener pastures. But, the core group, continued to pray and hold fast to what they felt they were called to do, worship together and stay together.

A garage-type space opened up, no rooms, no sheet rock, just walls. That core group of believers did what amounted to an Amish barn raising and created a space that would work. It was small, but it was theirs and they had a lease. They had some breathing room while they searched for something else.

My family visited that little store front space and we were immediately drawn in by how welcome we felt and the amount of love we felt there. We could feel God. We ended up joining.

In May, the leaders of the church were informed that the little church that they had looked at earlier, but found too expensive had dropped in price. They invited the entire congregation to take a look. While it was small, it sat on seven acres. We took a vote and everyone voted to purchase it.

Here’s where God got busy. We were told by our denomination, if we could raise $50,000 in six months, that they would match our funds. The entire idea seemed incredibly out of reach. Our church is very small, with less than 100 members, but a capital campaign was kicked off in July. Yesterday, 40 days later, we had surpassed our goal.

We were all in shock, although I don’t know why. We worship the God who can turn water into wine, the God who parted the Red Sea, the God who called the stars into being, the God who fed thousands of hungry people with a few fishes and loaves of bread, the God who sent us His son to save us. Is there anything He can’t do?

For fourteen years, this particular Body of Christ has remained obedient and faithful and they have waited on God and His timing even though all seemed lost at times. They stood fast and today, they were rewarded for their faith.

In October, we will move into a little white church on a hill that will have been completely renovated to welcome all who would come, to know Christ. While we are all giving stunned thanks for the amazing blessings which we have been given, we wait in wonder to see what God will do next.

Yesterday, we were all reminded of Gabriel’s famous words to Mary, “For nothing is impossible with God.” Luke 1:27

Maybe you needed reminding too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

He Calls Out

Posted on by Wendy
It's not the flower that makes the gardenia so special; it's the scent. It's not something we can touch or see, but sense.
It’s not the flower that makes the gardenia so special; it’s the scent. It’s not something we can touch or see, but sense.

On the first day of my summer mission trip, we were told to keep an eye out for something at the house we were working at, that we could bring back to our host church and share with the rest of our mission team. It could be anything, but it was supposed to be something of significance to us that represented something special about our week.

I heard the teens talking about it all week. Some of them had no trouble finding an object and some of them struggled to the very last minute. After we all shared communion together, we all went up one-by-one and shared our objects and our stories and left them on the altar.

It was a very moving ceremony and there wasn’t a dry eye in the sanctuary. Some of the teens were very nervous, but it was amazing to see how they supported one another in love and friendship after only a week together.

There were shingles, nails and all types of items that though they seemed insignificant at first glance, the accompanying story that linked them with God made them extraordinary. Of course, God has the power to do that in all of our lives. We can give Him the tiniest, everyday, anything and He can make it magnificent. We just have to be willing to give it.

When it was my turn to share, I went empty-handed. I didn’t have a physical object. I had plenty to share. I saw God at every turn that week, but not necessarily in the physical.

I have shared on my blog before that I pray when I walk in my neighborhood and quite often, when I am really struggling with an issue, God sends a hawk across my path. It has happened way too often for me to discount. I mean, it will fly right in front of me.

I have always reasoned that if God can call every animal on the planet to get on a boat two-by-two, He can certainly send hawks across my path. If He can make a donkey talk, He can send me a hawk. It’s a spiritual connection I have with Him.

A large part of my work on the trip was working on the roof. Roofing isn’t really that hard, but it’s very hot and very tedious. The entire week that I was on the roof, a hawk cried out close by. I mentioned it to my daughter, several times. I would smile and look at her and ask, “Do you hear it?” She would smile and nod.

I never saw the hawk that week. I only heard it, but I knew God was close. I could feel Him.

The second thing I shared was that there was a huge gardenia bush next to the house, the largest I had ever seen. Every time I passed by it, I got a whiff of its sweet scent and I found myself thanking God for planting it there. I couldn’t see Him, but I could sense Him. That gardenia bush could have been anywhere, but it wasn’t. It was right beside the house.

The entire experience reminded me that God calls out to us in so many ways. We can see Him and feel Him in the world around us if we seek Him. We don’t have to be able to hold these encounters in our hands; we only have to hold them in our hearts.

Perhaps you needed a reminder today to seek Him.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Seeing God at the DMV

Posted on by Wendy
God is everywhere. We just have to take the time to look for Him.
God is everywhere. We just have to take the time to look for Him.

I recently took my sixteen-year-old to get her driver’s license. My little town doesn’t have a DMV so we had to travel to a neighboring county.

After our arrival, we were filling out paper work, when a very large teenage boy walked in the door. I’m sure he played football for some lucky high school team because he looked like a linebacker. He was grinning from ear to ear and saying, “yes!” over and over in a loud whisper. He was making deep sighs of relief and actually broke into a happy dance.

This kid’s joy was infectious. I couldn’t help but smile at him and call across the room.

“Did you pass?”

“Yes!” he said, grinning wildly.

I gave him a thumbs up and he returned the gesture. My daughter, who was nervously waiting her turn, relaxed a little. It was impossible not to. This kid was so excited that it spilled over to all who sat in the room. I found myself saying a little prayer of thanks for getting to witness his utter joy.

As I thought of it later, I wondered what the world would be like if all Christians walked around with that kind of joy. We have so much to be joyful about. We have the best retirement plan ever made. We get to spend eternity in Heaven. Our biggest enemy has already been defeated. We have forgiveness and grace. We are loved beyond even our own understanding. Does it get any better than that?

But, we live on this side of Heaven and we get bogged down in the worldly. We sometimes forget. Sometimes we need a little reminder from a teen doing a happy dance, or snuggling puppies, or a babies’ tiny feet. Our world is full of reminders of God’s presence. We merely have to look for them. God shows us His handiwork at every turn if we pay attention.

After the happy teen left, an elderly lady came and sat behind us. She asked me where to get a number and we got to talking. She told us that she was 78 years old and I was amazed. Her face was remarkably unlined and she was incredibly spry.

She shared with us that she had five children, had been a foster mother, worked at Head Start and still volunteered several days a week. She said that was why she felt so young. She was also very active in her church. We talked about church and prayer and I told her we had been praying that my daughter would pass her driving test. She looked at my teen directly in the eyes and told her that she needed to be praying herself and not to rely on her mama. My daughter assured her that was the case. She left shortly after and wished us luck.

I pondered the conversation and marveled about seeing God everywhere. Who would have thought a woman would talk to my teen about prayer at the DMV? It settled her nerves. She passed her test. Did God put that teen boy there at that moment to help my daughter relax? Did God send that sweet lady? Who knows? Is it possible? Oh, yeah.

With God, all things are possible. (even at the DMV) Never stop looking.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂