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.

A New Perspective

Posted on by Wendy
Sometimes little detours can change our perspective.
Sometimes little detours can change our perspective.

My hubby went with our pastor and another gentleman, this week to meet with a man to discuss a summer mission trip. The small church we are attending, hasn’t had a huge interest in mission projects and with a staff of one and no one to head them up, they haven’t been a priority. When I sent our pastor an e-mail inquiring about the possibility of a youth summer mission trip, he replied that they had been praying about it for some time, but hadn’t had anyone willing to be in charge of it. He went one to ask the question, “I wonder where we would find such a person?”

I laughed out loud as I read it. I shared on another post recently, that I had been praying the prayer, “use me.” So far, it’s put me in a Christmas Cantata and in the church choir. Now, I’m looking into summer mission trips. I find it kind of interesting up to this point, that God hasn’t plugged me in doing anything that I already know how to do, but that’s usually what it’s like when you decide to walk with Jesus.

Of course, I roped my hubby in. He may not be praying the, “use me” prayer, but he’s getting used too. Thankfully, he doesn’t mind. I couldn’t make the trip on Monday, so he went. Turns out, there had been a total mis-communication, because we were very clear about staying within the United Sates to do mission work and preferably in the Southeast. We feel there are plenty of people right here who desperately need the help of the Christian community.

The man they met with had only done mission work outside of the country. He shared with them some of what he had done. He told the men that one of the trips he went on was ten thousand dollars per person, for the airfare and ten people went. As my husband was telling me this, I interrupted him saying something like, “Why didn’t they just send the people there, a hundred grand? I mean, what a waste of money to fly!”

He told me he thought the same thing, but he listened. Oops! That’s what I should be doing too. The man shared that while they did some physical work there, they also ran a Vacation Bible School program. The children and parents there had never seen anything like it. And the most touching part of all, was that they couldn’t believe that there were people out there who cared enough about their tiny poverty-stricken village, to fly around the world and tell them and show them about the love of Jesus,

I have to admit, I never thought of it that way. On the other side of the coin, the man they spoke with is looking for an opportunity to do something here in the United States, but he hasn’t found the opportunity, so he wrote down all of our men’s information.

In the end, I think we all got a new perspective. I still hope to take the teenagers as well as some adults, on a summer mission trip here at home. My daughter’s experience in South Carolina last year, on her first mission trip, was truly life changing. But, I’m going to look at these out of country youth trips in a different way too. I’ll definitely pray for the financial success of those attempting to go and I’ll contribute if I can. Who knows? I may go on one myself one day.

I think in the end, that little meeting this week, that seemed like a detour, may have been exactly what God had planned all along. He’s always full of surprises.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

P.S. If you are doing the Thanksgiving challenge, you should be on number 19 today! 🙂

Being Thankful is a Form of Worship

Posted on by Wendy
This little creek is beautiful in the fall.
This little creek is beautiful in the fall.

I had a million things to do that day. I had toilets to scrub and floors to vacuum. Still, I could feel God beckoning me outdoors. There was a cold front moving in and the temperatures were expected to drop drastically over the following days.

I had been planning to take some fall leaf photos, but I had planned to take them over the weekend. However, I knew if it was really cold, I would not likely go outside. I’m a Southern girl to the bone and if it’s less than sixty degrees outside, it’s too cold. But, this day, it was still in the seventies outside.

I finally turned off the vacuum cleaner and pushed it to the side and grabbed my camera. I’ve really been working hard on listening to God’s call and obeying it. I’ll admit, when I get busy or focused on doing something, it gets harder to hear and even harder to obey. But, I did.

As usual, I was rewarded for any act of obedience. My neighborhood is breathtaking this time of year. As much as I love the spring, fall runs a close race in the beauty of God’s creativity. When I go out with a camera to specifically look for the beauty, I’m so amazed at what I see. I’m also kind of ashamed at what I miss and take for granted in my daily rush.

You just can't appreciate the color of a single leaf from a car.
You just can’t appreciate the color of a single leaf from inside a car.

The beauty of a single leaf just can’t be appreciated from inside a car. I don’t really appreciate it when I’m taking a brisk walk or running either. No, there’s something about taking a camera and looking for the beauty, seeking out the beauty in the world around us. I felt like I could feel God whispering into my heart, “look at my Creation and appreciate it.” And I did and I do, I just sometimes forget to slow down and look.

God could have made leaves just turn brown and die and fall off, but instead, fall provides us with such a beautiful array of color. I think appreciating that creativity is an act of worship. I think remembering to thank God for the beauty is an act of worship. I think slowing down is an act of worship.

This season of fall passes quickly. In another month, the leaves will all be gone. The branches will be bare. It will be cold and the days will be long and dark. It won’t be long until we are all shivering and anxiously awaiting spring.

But, for now, maybe we could take a moment and really drink in the beauty of fall, the beauty that God has created in our lives, in this season, at this very moment and give thanks. While we are giving thanks for the beauty in nature, maybe we could look around and give thanks for all of the beauty in our lives at this very moment. I think maybe, that’s worship in it’s purest form.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

 

Clearing Away the Underbrush

Posted on by Wendy
Sometimes Creation takes my breath away.
Sometimes Creation takes my breath away.

My parents have a pond behind their house. I think it’s been there longer than the house has. My maternal grandmother was an avid fisherman and the pond was her baby. My siblings and I spent a fair amount of time there as kids. My brother actually did a lot of fishing there. But, over time, we grew up and moved out. Daddy was still working full-time and the pond had become very overgrown.

I tried to take my own kids fishing there over spring break a couple of years back and they couldn’t fish at all from the bank. They had to go out in the boat which is at least as old as I am, so that in itself, was a risky proposition.

But, recently, Daddy retired. He and Mama decided that they would like to enjoy the pond. They had someone come and clear the underbrush and they installed a dock. Now, they go down there almost everyday and bask in the creation that God has blessed them with. Daddy has also been doing a lot of fishing, so much so that he took my son for the first time in October.

They had quite a bountiful catch.
They had quite a bountiful catch.

A thirteen-year-old boy, fishing with his granddaddy, is a memory that’s hard to beat. My son will treasure that day for the rest of his life. I’m so thankful when my children have those kinds of experiences.

But, the pond is not new. It’s been there for close to fifty years now. What has changed? They cleared out the underbrush and made it a priority. My parents took something that had been neglected and overgrown over time and cleared off the scrub trees, and removed weeds taking it over from one end. They removed the obstacles that kept them from enjoying it.

Then they added a place, a dock, where they could sit and enjoy it and they are making enjoying it a priority.

How many things do we have in our lives like that pond? How many gifts have we been given that we have neglected because we are too busy? They can be physical things like our yards, or a pond or a porch or even a sunny room in our homes. They can also be pets that we could spend time walking. They can be friendships that we have let go. They can be marital relationships that we have taken for granted or a bicycle sitting and gathering dust in the garage.

We all have things and people in our lives that we tend to take for granted when life gets busy and hectic. We allow underbrush to grow up around things and people who should be a priority. We allow underbrush to grow up around our relationship with God too. That’s our nature. But, when I think about that pond and the total transformation that took place from clearing out underbrush and just adding a space to sit, I am reminded that we never have to look very far to see beauty and blessings.

Maybe it’s a good idea for us all to look around and see what needs clearing out and figure out a way  to clear it and then create a space to sit and enjoy it. Who knows what memories we can make by doing so?

How are you doing with life’s underbrush? Feel free to share.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Comfort When We Hit Rock Bottom

Posted on by Wendy
When life is the darkest, God comforts us.
When life is the darkest, God comforts us.

2 Corinthians 1:4, has come across my path three times in the past week. I read it in two different blogs and then it showed up in my Facebook news feed. I knew God was trying to communicate something to me, but I wasn’t sure what, so I prayed and waited.

My hubby and I met our pastor for coffee and he was talking with us about all of the pain in the world around us and how very important he felt that prayer was in stemming the tide. He then shared with us that he was going to meet with a woman the next day who was going through a terrible divorce. She was very hurt and angry and he asked us to pray that God would give him the wisdom to say the right words to comfort her and that He would give her heart the ability to hear them.

I prayed for the meeting the next day and that verse kept popping into my mind. ” He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us.” 2 Corinthians 1:4

I found myself sending him an e-mail telling him that I too, had been divorced and although it had been close to twenty years ago, it was very definitely rock bottom for me. I told him it was a very dark and painful time and I sometimes wondered if I would survive it. But, even in all of that darkness, there was redemption and grace and forgiveness and hope.

In a moment of despair, in a terrible thunderstorm which seemed to mirror my own life at the time, I found my way back to God. Right after that storm, I wrote my first piece on encouragement. The encouragement had come from God and I had to put it on paper to share later. It would be many years before I was writing encouragement daily, but that little piece was a start that lead to other little pieces along the way. It was a beginning to a lifelong journey of watching for God in the world around me.

So, I found myself telling my pastor to please feel free to give this woman my phone number if he thought she might like to have coffee and talk. It wasn’t because I had any particular desire to share the mistakes of my past with a stranger, but it was because in my darkest moments, God comforted me and began something new in me. He can do the same for this woman and he can do the same for you.

It’s the paying it forward of spirituality. He comforts us so we can comfort others. He shows us forgiveness and grace and expects us to do the same. He offers hope. When times are the darkest, He holds us the closest and when we come out on the other side, a little stronger, and a little braver, He wants us to show others the same kind of love, His love.

Maybe we should keep our eyes open for opportunities to offer comfort to others who find themselves in situations that we have personally experienced. I think that would make God proud.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Are You Ready?

Posted on by Wendy
Are you prepared for whatever changes life brings?
Are you prepared for whatever changes life brings?

Fall weather in Georgia is anything, but predictable. I was huddling under a blanket at a football game on Friday night and then I was sweating buckets on Sunday afternoon on a walk I took, wishing I had a bottle of water. This volatility of the weather is nothing new to me. It could be anywhere from the forties to the eighties on any given day in the fall. It’s always best to be prepared with water and a jacket and maybe even a blanket and an umbrella.

But, as I was pondering the weather during my walk, it made me think about life. It’s really a lot like the weather, very unpredictable. The skies can turn from sunny to stormy in the blink of an eye in our financial lives, our relationships and our health. When we are prepared, we can weather the storms. Have we saved money? Have we talked with our spouses about the importance of staying committed to our marriages? Do we have a good support system from family and friends? Have we been vigilant about our health, through watching what we eat, exercising and getting check ups. Do we have a good doctor before we get sick? If we are prepared, we can usually get through the storms much more easily.

What about being prepared for storms in our spiritual lives? How do we react spiritually when life deals us a blow? Do we know how to turn to God in prayer when we are shaken? Is He like a daddy to us or a distant uncle? Do we know how to listen for His voice and look for His comfort? If we have been working on walking with God when times are good, then when times are bad, we can lean in close. It’s harder to really lean on someone who we have kept at a distance.

The Bible is also a fabulous source of comfort and hope when times are tough. If we have been reading it and studying it along the way, we know where to look when we really need some encouragement. God desires to help us; but He will only extend a hand. He will not force us to trust or love Him. Christianity doesn’t work that way.

What if today was our last day on earth? Does the thought frighten us or fill us with dread or are we okay with that, knowing the end here is simply the beginning of eternity?

We are not meant to live in fear. We are meant to live in love and joy. We are meant to have courage and peace in all circumstances, knowing that whatever happens, if our heart belongs to Jesus, we are covered. God has a plan for each and every one of us and knowing that, we are to start each day with a peace that can only come from an intimate relationship with Him. He will be our blanket, umbrella, raincoat, jacket, bottle of water and anything else we need in rough weather. All we have to do is follow His ways and we will always be prepared for anything and everything.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Use Me

Posted on by Wendy
Try asking God to, "use me," when you pray and see what happens. Expect to be surprised.
Try asking God to, “use me,” when you pray and see what happens. Expect to be surprised!

I recently received a text from a friend of mine that read, “Hi, wanted to tell you something. I was looking for an old e-mail, but instead I landed on one that explained Daniel 8, the angel. You are being used. Have a good day.” Of course I couldn’t resist. My reply was, “By whom?” Her answer was, “God.”

I smiled as I read it. We had been talking about angels in the Bible the day before and the Book of Daniel, and she had been given some answers she was seeking.

The phrase, “being used,” has a negative connotation for most of us. We don’t like to be used. People can use us for our money or our status or our connections. We can’t even buy used cars anymore. They are pre-owned.

But, our relationship with God should be different. We are supposed to want Him to use us in whatever way He deems appropriate. That can be an uncomfortable concept because we don’t like to give up control, (or the control we believe we have over our lives.)

I found myself pondering the concept over the past week and I decided to try it out in prayer. I have been asking God to “use me.” I have had no idea what that may look like until yesterday.

My family has been visiting a small church. On our first visit, a woman approached me and told me she could tell I was a singer. I laughed and told her I used to sing in church all of the time while I was growing up. It’s been over twenty years since I sang up in front of a church. I have been busy serving other places and no one ever asked. She told me I should think about singing with the choir.

Yesterday after church, a different lady approached me and asked me if I would like to sing in their Christmas Cantata. I told her I might, and she told me when practice was.

At this point, I’ll have to admit I was kind of stunned. I began my faith walk singing in church. I have since been involved in teaching Sunday school and working on Christmas plays and helping to coordinate Vacation Bible School. I have been an organizer and a planner. I prayed for a week for God to use me and to guide me where He wanted me. I have now been asked to sing twice.

It certainly was not what I expected. It’s so very different from what I have been doing, but you never know what you are going to get, when you intentionally decide to listen and obey the will of God. So, I’ll sing in the Christmas Cantata and I’m sure I will be incredibly blessed, the way I always am when I practice obedience. The journey is never dull.

And today, I have a challenge for you. Try the “use me,” prayer over the next few weeks. You may be surprised at where God leads you. I would love to hear about it.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Can You Feel God?

Posted on by Wendy
Seek and you will find.
Seek and you will find.

My family visited a church last Sunday. It was small. I know small isn’t cool these days. The mega-church is where it’s at. But, my hubby and I are traditionalists. We like small. We realized long ago that we kind of swim upstream where society is concerned. We also decided that we are okay with it. I spoke with the pastor at length, before we visited. After that sweet man, gave me over an hour of his time, he simply said to me, “Come and visit. Either you will feel God here or you won’t.”

Wow, such simple words, yet so profound. There are a hundred different ways to worship. Some people like a rocking service with a complete band. Others prefer kneeling and tradition and quiet. Some feel it’s very important to take communion every Sunday. Some have to have a cup of coffee in their hand while others would never allow food or drink in their sanctuary.

The Bible doesn’t give many specific instructions on the right way to worship. The point is we are there to worship God, our Creator, the Creator of the universe. Personally, I don’t believe that the specifics matter that much. But, that pastor’s words stuck in my head for two weeks before we visited. “When we attend worship, can we feel God?”

In the end, that seems to me to be the only question that matters. As Christians, we don’t worship a far away, absentee landlord, God. We worship a living, breathing God who is very involved in our lives. We worship a God who sent His son to die for us. We worship a God who sent the Holy Spirit to inspire men to write a guidebook called the Bible to instruct us and tell us how to live and grow in spiritual maturity, a book that keeps us safe.

Our God doesn’t strike us down for making mistakes. Our God doesn’t instruct other Christians to strike us down for making mistakes either. Although, there are religions out there who do. Our God is a God of love. The word love appears in the Bible 551 times in the NIV.

So, the question, “Can you feel God?” is a huge question. Feeling God where we worship is of utmost importance, but as I thought about it, I wondered about feeling God in other areas of our lives. Do we feel God when we pray, or in our relationships? What about when we are making decisions? Can we feel God at the family dinner table?

I have found myself pondering this question for a couple of weeks. I think it may be one that we should all ponder. The Bible tells us, “Keep on asking and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking and the door will be opened to you.” Matthew 7:7

I take this to mean if we seek God, then we will find Him. Can we feel God in our lives? If the answer is, “no,” then maybe it’s time to do some seeking. Can we feel God where we worship? That may be a hard question, but one that needs to be asked. If the answer is “no,” then we maybe need to ask why and do some soul searching.

As for us, in the little church we visited, the answer is a resounding “yes!” and it was awesome!

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

It’s All About Focus

Posted on by Wendy
My son spent Saturday morning making a plastic bag dispenser instead of packing.
My son spent Saturday morning making a plastic bag dispenser instead of packing.

I was running around last Saturday trying frantically to get packed and get ready to haul eight teenagers in two cars first to my parents’ house, and then to a concert. My son, one of the teens, wasn’t attending the concert. He was going fishing with his Granddaddy. But, he still had to get his things packed and loaded into the car. He wasn’t the least bit interested in the task I had given him.

I went into my laundry room and he had every plastic grocery bag I had, pulled out onto the floor and was folding them. I took a deep breath and asked him what he was doing. He told me he needed an empty Clorox Wipes canister. He wouldn’t tell me why. When I asked him if he had his things packed, he told me that it wouldn’t take long to finish what he was working on.

Now, knowing my son like I do, I could have argued with him and ordered him to go and pack. However, he’s a very creative, task oriented sort, and I knew we would all be happier if I just let him finish. I found a canister that was close enough to empty. He then wanted to know if he could use my laptop because he needed to print something. I relented and went upstairs to finish my own packing and getting ready to go.

Twenty minutes or so later, he proudly produced his contraption. He had placed all of the bags neatly in it, eliminating all of the chaos in the laundry room. He had a label on it and even a name to contact when they ran out. (his of course) It even had a handle so that it would hang from the cabinet door. He tried to explain to me how to refill it, but then he told me I could just let him know when I needed a refill.

I smiled at him. It really was a cool little gizmo. I thanked him and asked him to please go and pack his things. He happily complied. On his way out the door, I told him that although his invention was great, it could have waited until he got packed. It didn’t have to be done right this minute. He simply replied, “But, then that would have been all I could think about. I needed to get it done, so I could do something else.”

Ahhh, words of wisdom from a thirteen-year-old. More and more studies have shown that the human brain is terrible at multitasking. When we do more than one thing at once, nothing gets done well. I suspect this goes for our spiritual lives too. we can’t read the Bible and listen to music. We can’t really, intentionally pray while checking Facebook or e-mail or listening to anything. We can’t really worship while playing on our phones.

To do anything well, we have to focus on that one thing. We don’t like to focus on one thing. It makes us feel less productive. The many distractions we put into our lives, think: social media and cell phones have caused us to be a society with collective ADD. The Bible tells us to, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations. I will be exalted in the earth.” Psalm 46:10

Be still. When was the last time you were really still? Can you remember? I get it. It’s very difficult to be still. There’s just so much to do. I find myself reading the Bible while I’m eating lunch or praying while I’m driving. It’s not that there’s anything wrong with doing that; it’s just that if I want to get the best connection possible with God, (and I do), I need to focus only on reading the Bible at the moment or sit still some place quiet and pray. I think it’s about focus, God focus.

As usual, my son taught me something when I was least expecting it, but I’m used to God using my kids to communicate with me, when I have the sense to watch for it. I’m really going to try to stop multitasking so much and be still more.

What do you think?

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

 

A Life that Points to God

Posted on by Wendy
There are many ways to live a life that points to God. How are you doing?
There are many ways to live a life that points to God. How are you doing?

One of my favorite children’s books is, “The Tale of Three Trees.” It’s a picture book that is derived from an old folktale and is retold by Angela Hunt. The story is about three little trees standing on a mountaintop and the dreams they had for their lives. One tree wanted to hold treasure. One wanted to be a strong ship to carry kings and one simply wanted to stand on that same mountaintop and grow as tall as possible, so that people would look at her, “raise their eyes to heaven and think of God.” She wanted to be the tallest tree in the world.

The years went by and the trees grew. One day, some men with axes came and cut each one down. The first was made into a feed box for smelly, dirty livestock. The second was made into a small fishing boat that carried nets full of stinky fish. The third was cut into plain old strong beams and left in the lumberyard.

More years went by and the trees had all but forgotten their dreams. Does this remind anyone of any adults you know? Then one night a newborn baby was placed in that feed box and that tree knew that it had held treasure after all, the greatest treasure ever.

The little boat was caught in a storm and it was full of people and a sleeping man. The tree that made it thought it would sink for sure, but the man woke up and said, “Peace” and the storm quieted immediately. The little tree knew he was in fact, carrying the King of all kings.

And when the third tree whose only dream was for people to look at her and see God, was snatched out of the woodpile and made into a cross, one Friday afternoon, she was devastated. Where had she gone wrong? All she had wanted to do in life was stand straight and tall and point to God. But, on Sunday morning, she knew. When Jesus was resurrected and the miracle and joy of Easter became known, she became a symbol of God’s love for the entire world. People would always look at her and think of God.

I just love that story on so many levels. I love that the little boat totally believed it was a goner until Jesus uttered one word, “Peace” There have been times in my life where I have felt like that little boat, like all was lost. Perhaps you have too? Sometimes the storms may seem impossible, but when we look to Jesus and let him whisper that one word, all can be well with our souls.

Most of all, I love that those trees had so many plans for their lives that they believed were perfect, but God’s plans were different and so much better. I can see so much of myself in this story. Can you? It’s those times when we think we have been completely derailed that grace seems to shine the brightest and the new plan is beyond our wildest expectations.

God’s hands were all in their story, just as His hands are in ours. The big difference is that the trees didn’t have a choice. We do. Are we willing to let God make us into something amazing or do we continue to do things our way? Are we living  lives that point to God? The choice is ours.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

 

Sharing Light

Posted on by Wendy
Ever notice how precious the light is when you are feeling lost?
Ever notice how precious the light is when you are feeling lost?

On a recent walk that I took, I couldn’t help but notice that the light was particularly stunning. Maybe it was because it was a perfect fall day or maybe it was because I was feeling really down. Since I’m normally a very happy and enthusiastic person, being down is quite tough on me.

But, I found unique and beautiful light in every photo I snapped that day. Even the shadows turned out to be cool and interesting. Now, I’m no photographer, but I do know that light is very important when taking photos. I also know that when I truly seek light, I usually find it and that day was no exception.

I find that light is very important in life as well. We all have the opportunity to be a light to someone who may be in a moment or even a season of darkness. From little e-mails or short texts to quick notes on Facebook. In the age of technology, it really doesn’t take a lot of effort to provide some light for a friend. I know for me, quick little notes of support mean the world and I have been blessed with lots of friends who generously send them.

I had someone tell me today that she had me on her mind all weekend. Have you ever had someone on your mind for no reason at all? I have found that there really is a reason and it’s usually good to touch base with that person. God has a way of interconnecting us with one another and so often we know just the right thing to say to that person on our minds.

We have to be careful to take quiet time and be in regular prayer so that we don’t miss an opportunity to reach out. When we get an urge to call or contact someone, who may need a little encouragement or perhaps an ear, we need to just do it. These are little acts of obedience that not only help us to help each other, but also allow us to grow closer to God and align with His will.

I find when I’m obedient with the small nudges, like sending someone a note or calling them, I start to feel more in tune with larger nudges and callings.

I suppose it’s like the parable of talents in Matthew 25. Two of the servants who were given talents or coins, who went and did something productive with them, were rewarded. “His master replied, ‘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 25:21

Don’t we all want to be the good and faithful servant? There are many ways to share faith, to share the love of God, to share the grace of Jesus. But, something super easy is to share some light. So next time you feel the urge, send the note or make the call. I’m trying to be really good at doing that, because the other day, when I was down, I felt the love and light of friends in a flood and it was awesome. God is good!

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂