Category: Watching for God

It’s been a gloomy past few days here. We have really needed the rain, but followed by the much needed rain, were a couple of days of gray and gloomy skies. This southern girl can testify that I would not do well in the states of Washington of Oregon. I simply require more sunshine to be happy. I guess God planted me here for a reason.

As I was taking my walk this morning, I didn’t even mind the humidity that accompanied the sunshine, I was greeted by birds and butterflies and a deer, also enjoying the morning. A little bluebird landed very near me as I was thanking God for this gorgeous summer day.

Our summer break is rapidly winding down here and school starts back in two short weeks. My kids and their friends are already feeling the stress as it inevitably comes up in their conversations with each other. The parents are no different as we ask one another about different teachers and classes. The schools continue to guard the kids’ schedules with the zeal of Fort Knox, further heightening the discomfort.

We are in a bit of a limbo, not wanting summer to end, but knowing a new school year is upon us. We must go out and buy school supplies, which my kids dread at this point and honestly, so do I. I love the freedom of summer and I worry about a new year at school as much as they do. I feel their stress.

But, as I was walking this morning and enjoying this gorgeous day, I could almost feel God whispering to me. “I’ve got this.” Of course He does and worrying does not come from Him. I know this deep in my bones, but I often forget. When I do, and I pray about it, He always gently shows me in His way.

Today, it came in the form of this squirrel sunning on my deck. He was stretched completely out, without a care in the world, basking in the sunshine. I called my son in to take a look. He loves that kind of thing. God spoke to me through him too.

I called into the den, where he was watching television, “Hey, when you get a minute, come in here; I have something to show you.”

He came in, armed with his iPhone and replied, “I always have a minute.” He was delighted and snapped a photo. Then he called me back to the window.

The little squirrel had turned around and was sunning his back, truly enjoying the sunshine. My son’s words along with this little squirrel really hit home with me.

First of all, God always has a minute for us. He is always there for any prayers we have, no matter how inconsequential they may seem. If something concerns us, we should take it to Him.

Secondly, we should take some cues from nature and rejoice in the day before us. Bask in creation and stop worrying so much. Let this squirrel be a reminder!

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

On a recent trip to Hilton Head, my family was biking along, and this mimosa tree caught my eye. It was growing among magnificent old live oaks and a palmetto tree. (never was sure why they are palm trees in Florida, but palmettos in South Carolina). It was almost comical growing there. It reminded me of a Dr. Seuss book with its fluffy pink blooms in the middle of all of the greens and browns.

I have always been in awe of God’s creativity and I try to embrace the fact that He loves variety too. We are all created differently, yet in His image. Try to explain that one to teenagers.

Human beings seem to be born with the innate desire to get approval from our peers. We want to fit in and be like everyone else. We also have the inborn desire to be the best at everything. We can make just about anything into a competition. With kids it’s often sports, but it’s also who has the highest grade or who can read the most books? Who took the best summer vacation? Who can draw the best picture?

It starts with children, but it’s most often fueled by adults who are no better than our kids when it comes to competing.

But here’s the thing, God created us all to be unique with unique personalities and talents to be used to serve Him. We were created to live right now, right where we are, not twenty years ago, or fifty years from now. Each one of us was planned well in advance, by a God who does not make mistakes.

And guess what else; He sometimes creates beauty simply for His enjoyment. I was taking a walk recently and a tiny purple flower was growing in a bunch of tall grass all by itself. It caught my eye. I wondered briefly what it was doing there and then I found myself saying a prayer of thanks to God for planting it.

God seems to enjoy placing the beautiful and unique in the most unexpected places. We see this all of the time in nature. We accept it. Why would we think that humanity would be any different? What if we learned to embrace what makes us different and ask God how to use it?

My daughter has a close-knit group of friends who I adore. I am thankful everyday that she has chosen her friends wisely up to this point. While these girls are alike in many ways, they are also different, and of course, that’s what they would change about themselves. At every opportunity, I try to point out to them as well as my own children, that their differences make them special and don’t we all want to be special?

I can never stress enough to the kids that cross my path or to parents, that each child is special to God. Whether an athlete or an artist, a straight A student or a C student, funny or serious, quirky or straight-laced; each child is made with a plan that only God knows, but it’s a good plan and it will lead to an abundant life. Our job as adults is to nurture those kids and encourage them at every turn to use their unique gifts.

Come to think of it, we should do the same with the adults in our lives as well as ourselves. So, if you are a mimosa growing among graceful Spanish moss dripping oak trees, stand up a little straighter and own it. We are all different. You just have the ability to show it on the outside and when you embrace it, I think you make God smile.

Don’t we all smile when someone compliments our work? What do you think? I’d love to hear from you.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

We recently decided that it was time to give my son a set of keys to our house. He hasn’t really needed any before now. I pick him up from school. But, this summer there have been a few times when he was at a neighbor’s house and needed to get into our house, but couldn’t.

When I told him that we wanted to give him house keys, you should have seen the look on his face. I mean it was like Christmas had come early. He bugged me for days about getting them. At last, we made a trip to Lowe’s and they have this nifty machine where you can pick out your color and everything. He was delighted.

Next he had to get a cool key chain (or two), complete with an LED light and a Lego character. He couldn’t wait to get home and try them on both doors. When he used them the first time, he was just as pumped.

Human beings love keys. Even babies love keys. Most of them have a plastic set. When someone has done something spectacular, they are sometimes given a key to the city where they live.

What is it about keys that make us walk a little taller? Maybe it’s when someone gives you a key to something, be it a house, a car or a business, they are saying, “I trust you with something I consider precious.”  They are saying that they consider us responsible and worthy and that makes us feel good.

Jesus is our key to the Kingdom of Heaven. When we realize and accept that he is the son of God and appreciate the sacrifice he made for us, we have a key to Heaven’s Gates. Are we giddy about it? Are we excited or has that enormous truth become old news?

I use a key to get into my house everyday. It’s no big deal now; but when I was handed that key by a realtor, when the house was brand new, it was worth its weight in gold to me. It represented dreams and aspirations and my family’s future. I was as excited that day as my son was when he got his keys.

Most of us can remember when we truly, “got” Jesus. It was an overwhelming feeling to try to grasp all of that love, grace and forgiveness. It was the time we received our key. Because of our key, we can pray anytime. We can visit God anytime. We don’t have to wait for someone to open the door to the church on Sunday. We can access God 24/7.

That’s something to get excited about. That’s something that still makes me smile and stand up a little taller. It’s the most perfect, beautiful gift we will ever receive. My son’s keys were a gentle reminder not to let my key to eternity become run of the mill. Maybe it was a reminder for you too. What do you think?

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

On a recent trip to Savannah, my family was taking a break from the oppressive heat, in the shade of Forsyth Park. I was walking around and snapping photos of the famous fountain, while my hubby and kids found a bench. Just as I went to join them, a man approached us and asked us where we were from.

Honestly, we were a little hesitant to talk to him. I mean, who was this guy? Was he going to ask us for money or try to rob us?  He introduced himself as the “Ambassador of Love” and told us that the college kids in town had named him the Gullah-Man. He told us to check him out on You Tube. He handed me and my daughter a flower each and told us that each one was made of a single piece of grass. (like a reed) He told us to have a nice visit and walked away.

After he left, I marveled at the artistry. It truly was amazing. The delicate twists and turns made a beautiful, perfect rose. I did check him out on You Tube when I got home and I have to say I’m really embarrassed that I didn’t take the time to really visit with him.

He calls himself an edu-tainer and teaches a little bit about the Gullah culture. The Gullah people are the descendants of the freed slaves from the South Carolina Lowcountry and the Savannah area. Because they were relatively remote from the rest of the South, they have kept a lot of the African culture, from food, to crafts to story telling and language.

In his story, he tells of a boy who wants to become a master at making flowers. His family tells him to become a master, you have to use your hands, ears and mind. They tell him he can dream, but he must practice too and pray because all gifts come from God. As he tells the story, his eyes are closed the entire time and when he is done, he produces the perfect rose.

What amazing advice. Notice, he doesn’t say to use your mouth. We tend to talk way too much; when we really should be listening. He says to dream, but we have to practice. Isn’t that the truth? How can we ever make our dreams come true if we don’t work towards accomplishing them?

Then he says to pray because all gifts come from God. I mean, this guy gives the most beautiful sermon in four minutes flat.

He ends by saying that he is the Gullah Man and he is fighting the War on Terrorism by showing that we are living, laughing and loving in America. We are not living in terror.

There is another clip where he says that he is spreading love and showing that God exists and he goes out everyday and receives blessings from all of the people he meets.

I kept the two roses that he gave me. I placed them on my desk where I can see them when I sit down to write. I feel blessed to have them. They are a reminder to me that God gives us many dreams. They remind me that every single person has the opportunity to make a difference every single day, in their own unique way, and that is a beautiful thing. What will you do today to make a small difference in the world around you? I’d love to hear from you.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

When I was visiting my parents’ house recently, I took a short walk up their driveway. Grass had begun to push its way through the asphalt. It was an interesting picture, so I went and got my camera. What do you see, when you examine this photo? I see life finding a way, against what looks like, impossible odds.

It occurred to me how often we try to tame nature. We pave roads and are annoyed when grass pushes through. We try to build houses on the beach or on the sides of cliffs and are surprised when they are swept away. We put swimming pools in gator country and are shocked to find an alligator in our swimming pool.

Nature seems determined to claim what was hers. We fight it, but in the end, we usually lose.

When I really think about it, it’s the same relationship mankind has always had with God. We need Him, but we want to tame Him or use Him to suit our own purposes. We only pray when we want something. We only quote the parts of the Bible that suit us. We only go to church when we feel desperate. We are self-focused.

But even so, God loves us. When you ever really try to wrap your brain around it, it’s truly amazing. The only tiny glimpse we get of this love, is our love for our own children, and that’s just a glimpse. The unconditional love that God feels for us began before we were born, before we were even conceived.

He loved us so much that he sent his son to redeem us. As a parent, that’s still a  mind-boggling concept for me. But, that’s the kind of love God has for us. It’s an all out, over the top, relentless love. It truly is amazing.

We can run from it, like Jonah did, but He pursues us. He wants us and loves us warts and all and in the end, just like nature, just like the grass in the driveway, love will find a way.

“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil, but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.” 1 Corinthians 13:4-7

That’s the kind of love God has for us. Like the photo above, when we see nothing but ugly asphalt, God sees possibility and opportunity. He sees life and He wants to give us the abundance we can only get through relationship with Him. Aren’t we lucky?

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

 

 

My family and I took a recent day trip to the city of Savannah. I lived there once upon a time, but that’s been close to twenty years ago. We wandered around River Street like tourists and then we hit the squares. My son was particularly interested in the bench where Tom Hanks sat in the filming of “Forest Gump.”

It was a hundred degrees in the shade that day, and we were thirsty, tired, and sweating profusely. This magnolia was wilting fast. Needless to say, I had two very cranky teens at this point, who had begun sniping at each other. You know how it is with siblings; when the going gets tough, they turn on each other.

Like a beautiful oasis, this church popped into site. It is a gorgeous church. It’s called the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist. Like most everything else in Savannah, it has a history. The original church was started in the late 1700’s by immigrants fleeing from France and Haiti. In 1835, a brick church was built. It sustained hurricane damage in 1850 and was repaired. The original structure seated a thousand people.

The congregation moved and built a new structure in 1873. It burned in 1898 and was re-built immediately. The first mass in the new building was held, fittingly, 0n December 24, 1899. And now, over a hundred years later, it stands like a beacon on the streets of Savannah.

My teens stopped arguing with each other when they saw it. My son wondered if we could go inside. We saw some people coming out, so we ventured in.

We were met with the cool blast of air conditioning. I can’t tell you how refreshing that was at that particular moment. But, isn’t that always the case when we encounter God after a long journey? Leaning into Him feels so restful and refreshing.

The beauty of the cathedral was breathtaking.

There was mostly silence, even from my crowd, and the people who were speaking were whispering. There were people praying and people lighting candles. There was a quiet reverence for the majesty that stood before us and the One who people come to worship there, week after week.

The sense of peace and quiet inside was almost tangible. My kids sat down in a pew with their dad, silently. I thought of all of the people who had worshiped there over the past hundred years and of the ones before, who worshiped together before they had this incredible building.

Now I know that God is everywhere and we can hold a worship service in the grocery store parking lot. But, there’s something awe-inspiring and deeply spiritual about old, ornate churches. There’s something about the quiet respect that used to be required in God’s house when I was growing up. There’s something special about buildings and congregations that have stood the test of time. I wasn’t the only one who could feel it. The quiet from all who were there, was proof.

We reluctantly left and entered back into the outdoor furnace, thankful and refreshed. We were glad we stopped. My teens even spoke more kindly to each other. (for a little while)

I think that’s how we are supposed to feel when we leave church; awe inspired and refreshed, eager to carry our light into the world. We definitely felt that way on that day. I pray that people feel that way when they leave my home church.

What do you think about spiritual places? I’d love to hear from you.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂