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.

Piper Lessons

Posted on by Wendy
Piper's vet visit reminded me that we should trust God even when we don't understand.
Piper’s vet visit reminded me that we should trust God even when we don’t understand.

Last week, our dog Piper, was acting a little puny. I decided I should take her to the vet. He thought that she probably had an abscessed tooth. He prescribed an antibiotic and I set up a cleaning appointment for yesterday. There’s something that just seems wrong to me about paying to get a dog’s teeth cleaned. I mean, when I was growing up no one would have dreamed of getting their dog’s teeth cleaned. Did bones stop working?

Anyway, we got her from the pound a couple of years ago and she was missing some teeth then. So, yesterday morning, I couldn’t give her any breakfast because they have to put her to sleep to clean her teeth. The other dog got to eat. I don’t know when I have felt like such a heel as when she kept following me around wagging her tail. Where was her morning treat? Where was her breakfast?

I tried explaining it, but of course, she’s a dog. She didn’t get it. When I got her harness to put her in he car, she was excited, until we got to the vet.

Remember how I said I didn’t know when I had felt as badly as when I didn’t give her breakfast? Well, multiply it times ten when we got to the vet. She jumped up on me and when I squatted down on the floor beside her, she began to whine. This dog NEVER whines. I’ve never heard her make that sound. She was breaking my heart.

All I was trying to do was get her some medical attention to make her feel better and stay healthy. The vet visit was in her best interest. Why couldn’t she understand that? Didn’t she know I wasn’t abandoning her? Don’t I always come for her? Why didn’t she trust me?

I was pondering the entire heart wrenching ordeal on the way home. Of course she couldn’t understand because she’s a dog not a person. I found myself praying about doing what is best and not being understood or appreciated.

I began to get a tiny glimmer of how I think God feels when He is dealing with us and our best interests. Have you ever been in a situation where you think God has abandoned you? Have you ever felt like He didn’t care or He was allowing you to be mistreated in some way?

Are you ever able to look back on those circumstances and see how He was busy at work even though you didn’t see it? Perhaps that lost job or lost relationship was for the best? Perhaps that wrong turn, turned out to be the right way after all?

When our hearts belong to Jesus, we never walk alone. God is always with us and always working with our best interests at heart. Sometimes, like Piper, we just can’t see it or understand because we’re not God. But, unlike Piper, we can choose to trust. The God who sent his only son to save us, will never abandon us.

He has a plan even when all seems lost. Piper reminded me of that. Maybe you needed a reminder too. By the way, her teeth turned out just fine and she’s happy to be home.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Honeysuckle Moments

Posted on by Wendy
What God plants is always so much better than what we can accomplish on our own.
What God plants is always so much better than what we can accomplish on our own.

I think May might be my favorite time of the year. It’s the time of year I can walk out onto my porch barefoot and have a cup of coffee. It’s not too cold and it’s not too hot. I can listen to the birds create their symphony and I can smell the honeysuckle.

I have really noticed the glorious scent of the honeysuckle vines around my house the last couple of days. I’m not sure why. Maybe it’s stronger this year, but it smells fabulous. When my daughter joined me on the porch yesterday in her jammies and she mentioned how much she liked it too, we started talking about how much of it we have around the fence and trees near the house and about how much we love the scent.

Here’s the greatest thing about it; I didn’t plant it, not any of it. Not one little blossom came from any work I did.

I did plant some jasmine several years ago. Jasmine is famous in the South, for its sweet, intoxicating smell. It’s supposed to be easy to grow and it will cover unsightly fences. I bought it and watered it and hoped for the best. It did climb a pole. It also covered up a concrete pillar. It hasn’t bloomed even once.

The honeysuckle and jasmine comparison made me think about the things we plant and the things God plants. Sometimes we try our hardest to make something work that we think is best. Sometimes we can make it work, but sometimes we can’t. Sometimes, no matter how hard we try, there are things or circumstances we just can’t make succeed. They can be almost anything from jobs, to relationships, to business ideas. Some things simply were not meant to be, kind of like my jasmine.

Then, at other times, things work out just beautifully, with almost no effort of our own. There are times when things seem to fall into place almost magically. It’s almost as if every light we come to is green, and a project, or a relationship, or a new job just succeeds almost perfectly out of the blue. These are our honeysuckle moments.

These moments are nothing we did ourselves. They are gifts from a loving God. I think the key is to recognize them and give thanks. I think we probably have many more honeysuckle moments than we realize; I know I do. Those vines growing in my backyard reminded me in a beautiful way that I am loved and blessed in so many ways and that I should probably look a little closer at all I have been given.

Maybe you need a reminder too. What are your honeysuckle moments?

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Dandelion Faith

Posted on by Wendy
What do you see when you look at a dandelion?
What do you see when you look at a dandelion?

When children see a dandelion, they often see a wish for the making. They will blow on all of those little white seeds and make a wish. When adults see a dandelion, they often see a weed that must be killed at all costs. Beauty, I suppose, is in the eye of the beholder. The truth is, though, that we would usually all be better off if we looked at life through a child’s eyes.

Dandelions were actually prized until the 1800’s. People would pull grass out of their yards to make space for useful weeds. They are useful. All parts of them are edible except for the white seeds. They have vitamin A, C, K, potassium and calcium in them. They can also be dried and made into a tea. They can be used to make dyes and some cultures use them for medicinal purposes. Bees love them and use them to make honey.

Interestingly, when perfectly manicured lawns became the rage, dandelions became a pest to homeowners. People spend millions of dollars each year on herbicides to try to eradicate them. But, the dandelion is a formidable foe.

I think we might have some things to learn from this little weed. First of all, its roots can grow up to fifteen feet deep. Think about that for a moment. No wonder you can’t dig them up very easily. Most of them have about eighteen inch roots, but that’s still pretty deep. The other cool thing about their tap-root is that it’s very brittle and twisted, if you leave any of it at all behind, while digging it up, it will regenerate.

Then there’s the little white seeds. They can travel up to five miles away on the wind and create more dandelions. That’s a lot of dandelions from one original plant.

I have to wonder what our faith would look like if we took a lesson from the dandelion. What if we established deep roots through prayer, Bible reading and faith community? If our roots went deep enough, no adversity could snuff us out. If we came under attack, we would regenerate. The right root system would allow us to do that.

After establishing roots, we could feed many off of our bright yellow flowers. All kinds of people are attracted to bright and cheerful, just like the bees are attracted to dandelions. Just think of the sweet honey-like things that could come from our cheerful invitation to follow.

Then, of course, there are the white seed pods that spread everywhere with a little help from the wind or a whimsical child. There’s a lot of new life that can come from spreading our faith like that.

I think we can learn a lot from the dandelion. I don’t think I’ll look at them quite the same way anymore. Maybe you won’t either.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Obedience and Blessings

Posted on by Wendy
Obedience leads to beautiful blessings.
Obedience leads to beautiful blessings.

Last night our church improv group did a Sunday Night Live show. It was a variety show with short comedy skits and some music played in between. My family participated in one at Christmas time and we enjoyed it, but this one was an entire different story.

My hubby and kids worked together and wrote several of the skits for this one. We had a group of nine teenagers as well as adults. We had very few practices and many last-minute script changes. It was incredibly stressful. I found myself praying last week that God would calm my nerves and help me to see His plan through all of the chaos.

I had worked with young children and plays many times, but teens are an independent sort. Would they learn their lines? Would they even show up? Comedy is also a different animal than other plays. Would the show be funny?

Sunday morning came and one of our adult cast members had a fever. Would she be able to make the show?

Sunday afternoon everyone showed up on time. The rehearsal was horrible. We didn’t know our lines. We didn’t have the right props. We had technical difficulties. We all hoped to run through our show twice, but only had enough time to do it once.

Now I knew from every single play that I have ever worked with that a horrible rehearsal often leads to a beautiful performance. The other thing that we had going for us was that we had spent the past five months or so, learning to improvise, so when we flubbed our lines, we could often just work with each other. That’s what improv is.

But, probably the most awesome thing that God let me witness through the entire experience was a few minutes before the show started. The pastor wanted to round up the cast for a prayer, but when we went to find the kids, they were already joining hands for a group prayer of their own.

I was moved to tears. A group of teens pulling together on their own, to pray for a common goal is an awesome thing to witness. The adults joined the kids and one of the girls lead the prayer.

Of course, the show went beautifully. The audience laughed loudly at our shenanigans. The music was beautiful and the kids worked together like well oiled machinery.

God was there, just as I knew He would be. He was at work. He was at work as people laughed who desperately needed to laugh. He was at work as we all worked together. He was at work within the hearts of the teenagers who knew the importance of prayer. I’ve no doubt He was at work in countless other ways too.

As is usually the case, when I watch for God and I am obedient, even when it’s hard, He always shows Himself in unmistakable ways and I always end up feeling incredibly blessed. I’ll try to remember that the next time obedience seems hard.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Simply Saying Thanks

Posted on by Wendy
Taking time each day to look for all of the small gifts we have been given can lead to a thankful heart.
Taking time each day to look for all of the small gifts we have been given can lead to a thankful heart.

Have you ever had one of those days that was pretty close to perfect, where everything seemed to go right, every light in your path was green? I had a day like that yesterday. I was reminded of the television commercial that was out several years ago where it was a character named Bob’s day. He had a parking spot saved for him everywhere he went and their were literally signs on the road that said, “Yield to Bob.”

I have had a lot going on lately and have prayed a lot for answers and direction. It’s nothing super serious, but I have had some heavy conversations with God and I have patiently (most of the time), waited.

Yesterday was a really easy and laid back day with no chaos. It was beautiful outside and I was loving it. I went into CVS to pick up a few toiletry items for my family along with a prescription, and my bill was $52.00. I presented a few coupons and one was a 25% off card. The saleslady scanned them and was confused with what the cash register was reporting that I owed, so she called her manager who walked her through it. She told the cashier to hit the override button and my bill was .06. The stunned cashier smiled and asked if I would please pay in cash.

I obliged her and thanked her profusely. As I left the store, shaking my head, I climbed into my car and I thought about all of my prayers lately and at that moment, wasn’t really sure what to say. I had been given a great little surprise gift.

And then I knew what to say. I said a prayer of thanks.

I think that when I spend a lot of time praying about specific issues that I need to work out in one way or the other, I sometimes miss the little gifts that God sends me. That morning as I began my day with a walk, I prayed that God would show Himself to me. He did.

I’m glad I had the sense not only to recognize it, but to say thanks. I wonder how often I miss those everyday gifts because I’m so focused on something specific. Maybe you struggle with that too? God is ever-present in the lives of His children whether we recognize it or not.

We have an enemy who would love for us to believe that our prayers don’t matter and that we are alone. Those are lies.

Sometimes God’s presence is super subtle and sometimes it’s like a billboard, like yesterday was for me. Either way, He’s here and it brings great nourishment to our souls not only to remember that, but to acknowledge it and simply say thanks.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Get Growing

Posted on by Wendy
There's something profoundly spiritual about growing your own food.
There’s something profoundly spiritual about growing your own food.

This past weekend, I was struck by the gardening bug. My hubby and I, (mostly him), built raised beds last year, so I knew we would replant, but I hadn’t really been motivated yet. Plus, I was waiting to be sure that our cold winter was at last gone for good.

A visit to my parents’ house over spring break was especially motivating. My daddy had planted okra, cabbage, carrots, tomatoes, onions and squash. He even grew a few things from seed. He had also planted an apple tree and a peach tree. Looks like retirement has brought out his inner farmer. He showed off his new plantings like a proud new papa.

I have to say that I completely get it. There’s something profoundly spiritual about growing things, especially things we can eat. When I dig up dirt and add compost and fertilizer, I feel like I get to assist in the miracle of life. When I see earth worms in the soil, I say a little prayer of thanks. They have a job to do and their presence is good for my plants.

When I finally get to place the tiny plants in the prepared soil, I can see right away that I have accomplished something. What once seemed completely barren, is teeming with new growth. And the little green plants are just the beginning. The beauty of growing vegetables is that it takes very little time before the first blooms appear.

I love to go outside in the mornings with a cup of coffee and see what happened overnight. The growth is sometimes astounding. Sometimes, a bloom transforms into a tiny vegetable literally overnight. I feel like it’s a tiny miracle of sorts. I mean, I can’t make a tomato; can you?

Then, the amount of veggies that can come from one tiny plant, that was no more than a couple of inches tall, is also amazing, when you think about it.

Gardening, even very small-scale gardening, brings me closer to God. It reminds me of the miracle of life. It reminds me of the gift of food. It reminds me of His infinite abilities and blessings.

If you don’t normally grow veggies in the summer, I encourage you to at least try a patio tomato. It will grow easily in a pot on a porch or deck and it’s such a fast process to watch it go from tiny green plant to fruit. (I’m told that tomatoes are a fruit, which makes no sense to me.)

Once upon a time, when the vast majority of the people in our country grew their own food, we all knew that we had to rely on God to feed us. We knew we needed to depend on Him. I don’t think that reliance has changed even though we don’t readily recognize it anymore.

Gardening is just a beautiful reminder of His love and grace. Maybe it’s time to get growing.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

 

 

God is with Us

Posted on by Wendy
When you look at a dogwood bloom, what do you see?
When you look at a dogwood bloom, what do you see?

As I was taking a walk and praying, I kept watch for a hawk. A hawk often flies across my path when I’m deep into a conversation with God. It’s simply happened way too many times for me to discount it as a coincidence. I have a dear friend that said when she was going through a time of struggle when raising her kids, God sent her Carolina Wrens to sing to her. She told me that her family thought she was crazy, but I knew that it was truth.

But, today God didn’t send a hawk. Today, as I was walking and praying and asking God to show Himself, I looked down and there, among the weeds on the side of the road, were the purple blooms of a viola. I first saw one and then as I walked, there they were interspersed in the overgrowth. There’s no way a person planted them. But, nature had some how put them there.

I smiled as I continued to pray and thanked Him for the beauty among the overgrown chaos. I was reminded that there’s always beauty within chaos. In our darkest times, there’s always grace. There’s a friend who stands by us or an unexpected call from someone we haven’t heard from in a while. There’s a meal that shows up on our doorstep or an unexpected card or check in the mail. Sometimes a new friendship begins in those dark times.

To the Christian who actively seeks the face of God, He is everywhere. To the non-believer, He is nowhere. There are so many things in our lives that can be chalked up to mere coincidences, but faith teaches us a different way. Faith teaches us that God created all of the animals, so He could certainly send a hawk across my path or wrens to my friend’s window. He can make things grow where they really shouldn’t be growing.

God’s way of showing His love for us is infinite. We are the ones who seek to limit its scope with our own preconceived notions and misconceptions.

As my walk came to an end, I came across a dogwood tree. Legend has it that Jesus was crucified on a dogwood tree. They used to grow huge like oaks. Because the trees were distressed at being used for such a cruel purpose, Jesus promised they would never again be large and strong enough to construct a cross.The blooms are in the shape of a cross, with two long petals and two short ones, and the ends are tinged red for Christ’s blood.

While it’s not likely that the legend is true; every spring around Easter, they serve as a beautiful reminder of God’s love for us and Jesus’ sacrifice. God could have made those trees look anyway He pleased. The believer sees a cross.

As we draw ever closer to Easter and the glory of the resurrection, I would love to encourage you to get outside and bask in Creation. Look for God in our world and remember that not only did He create the beauty around us, He is still with us. Just take a look.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

 

The Face of Jesus

Posted on by Wendy
Who knows how far a simple act of kindness will go?
Who knows how far a simple act of kindness will go?

I was subbing at a local elementary school yesterday in fifth grade. I was giving a math test. All of the kids were deep in concentration, when a little girl walked up to my desk. She said, “Can I ask you a weird question?”

I hesitantly answered, “yes.” You never know what you’re going to get with children; so there was absolutely no way of knowing what the question would be. I braced myself as she asked, “Will you braid my hair?”

A deep sigh of relief came from the substitute teacher; she went on to say that there had been something in her hair and when she tried to pull it out, it messed up her braid. Her hair was hanging in her face as she was trying to do her test and it was distracting her.

Truthfully, I was honored that she would even ask, delighted that she felt that comfortable. I sub because I enjoy the kids. It took all of two minutes to braid her hair and put her at ease again. I told her that her hair was beautiful just like she was and her smile bloomed like the spring time. I was instantly reminded of my prayer earlier that morning.

I always pray before I work in the school that God will allow me to see the face of Jesus in someone and that I will be the face of Jesus for someone. I knew instantly, that my prayer had been answered. That seemingly insignificant act of kindness produced a brilliant smile that made me know I was in the presence of God.

I can’t say that I was really surprised, because I often see Jesus in children. I have always told my own kids that children are Jesus’ favorite people, which always makes them smile and stand a little taller.

The math test will soon be forgotten, but I pray that the little girl will remember the substitute teacher who braided her hair and that maybe someday she will be able to feel like she saw the face of Jesus in me.

It’s impossible to know how far-reaching our little acts of kindness can be or if they even go anywhere. But, what if they do make a huge difference for just one person? As Christians, shouldn’t we try to be the hands and feet and face of Christ at every opportunity? What if God sent that child at that moment?

What if He sends someone across my path tomorrow? What if He sends someone across yours? Will I be watching and looking? Will you?

As we journey closer to Easter, perhaps we should make an effort to look for Jesus more intentionally. Perhaps we should be more intentional about representing him to the world around us. We don’t have to do anything huge, but simply reach out a helping hand when the opportunity presents itself. Who knows what kind of difference we can make?

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

In Relentless Pursuit

Posted on by Wendy
What would our lives look like if we relentlessly pursued God with no fear?
What would our lives look like if we relentlessly pursued God with no fear?

Yesterday, my daughter had a tennis match. It was away. I loathe away matches. First of all, I am prone to getting lost. Secondly, once I make it there, few other parents from our team usually go and I have no one to sit with or talk to.

Well, yesterday I was prepared. I printed directions before I left the house and I had a very good idea of where I was going. To make my chances even better of not getting lost, I decided to go to the high school and follow the bus. There were three buses there, loading up three different sports teams. I asked my daughter which bus was hers and she told me.

When her team bus pulled out, I was right behind it. “Ha!” I said to no one in particular, I would not get lost this time. We headed to the stop sign and I was all set to make a left turn because I had my directions printed out right beside me. The bus turned right.

Uh, oh! Had I followed the wrong bus? I was concerned for a few miles, but then a girl from my daughter’s team turned around and waved at me. I was following the right bus, but where was it going?

When it went 50 miles per hour in a 35 zone, I said a prayer and stayed close. When it got on the loop and continued to change lanes, I stayed close. I followed more closely than I normally follow cars, but traffic got thick and I couldn’t lose the bus. At this point, I had no idea how to get to the school.

Somewhere on that hour plus drive, it struck me how relentless I was being about pursuing that bus. My child was on board and I stayed close like my life depended on it. I simply was completely unwilling to get separated.

Then I began to think about what my life would look like if I pursued God in the same relentless manner. What if I refused to become separated from Him at all costs? What if I was willing to go in a direction that I felt was completely wrong or at odds with my own printed out map? What if I was willing to trust that He would get me to the right destination at the right time if I just had enough faith? What if I just obeyed and went wherever He called?

What if all Christians felt that way?

We did end up getting to the school safely. It wasn’t the route I would have taken, but it got us there. I didn’t get lost. I am reminded that our Christian walk can be very much like that seemingly convoluted trip.

God knows where He’s going. He knows where He wants us to go. The question for us is simply, “Are we willing to follow even when the path doesn’t seem to make sense?” Our faith journey hangs on our answer to that question; because sticking close to Him and willingly following, is the only way we can get to His destination for us and His destination is infinitely better than anything we could even dream of.

Perhaps we should take this season of Lent and consider relentlessly following God.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

 

What Faith Can Do

Posted on by Wendy
Sometimes when we feel the most helpless, God shows up.
Sometimes when we feel the most helpless, God shows up.

My family suffered a tragedy last weekend. Our beloved minivan of fourteen years, died. It was just a car, but it was special. My children were still in car seats when we bought it. My son was only three months old. It was right after the 9/11 attacks and I remember proudly displaying a flag on the back window.

It was a mom mobile and I drove it happily. It seated seven and I regularly hauled that many kids in it. It’s been camping many times and on road trips and vacations. It carried my sister’s wedding dress to Florida along with my mom and dad and all of my mom’s stuff. We were super packed on that trip.

I remember when the kids were in preschool, they all fought to ride in it. It was the cool car. Most women my age, traded for something much hipper when their kids got older, but not me. I loved the minivan and always volunteered to drive whenever I was needed, which was often, from things like tennis matches to youth group trips, to my daughter’s first homecoming dance.

I knew it was getting old, and soon my oldest will be driving, but I wasn’t ready to downsize yet. Unfortunately, the decision was made for me.

I fought tears all weekend over the loss. Not only because we don’t really have the money to buy a new one, but because it symbolizes the end of an era. My kids are growing up and soon we won’t need the minivan, and I find that very bittersweet.

As always, God has His hands in all of this. There’s a man at church who I love to kid around with every Sunday. He is in management at a local car dealership and apparently has helped just about everyone in the congregation to find a car. When I spoke with him on Sunday and asked him for help and then told him that I really hated to ask for help, He simply said, “Why? That’s what I do.”

I was so humbled. This is community. When I shared with members of my Improv group that our van had died, a member of my small group immediately turned around and asked if we needed a car because his wife was out of town for the week. This is community.

When I confessed how silly I felt about being sentimental about the loss of the van, another member of my small group told me it wasn’t silly at all. This is community.

I was driving down the road after church, in my daughter’s car and I was scanning channels and praying for some peace. A song came on called, “What Faith Can Do,” by Kutless. I had never heard it, but it’s older. The words were, “Don’t you give up now. The sun will soon be shining. You gotta face the clouds to find the silver lining.” The words really struck me and soothed my soul.

As I slowed to stop at the red light, I could hardly believe the letters on the tag in front of me. “B LEVE” I whispered a prayer of thanks as tears ran down my cheeks. Not only had He provided me with a loving caring church community, He also let me know that He is always close and always listening. We just have to look.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

P.S. If you want to hear that song, I’ve attached a link.