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.

Life’s Spider Lilies

Posted on by Wendy
You just never know what God may have planned.
You just never know what God may have planned.

These spider lilies that pop up every fall always make me smile. While the entire country goes pumpkin crazy and everything is geared around harvests, these brightly colored flowers show up out of nowhere, virtually overnight. While we look to decorate our homes with browns, oranges and golds, and the leaves on the trees begin to turn their kaleidoscope of color, these whimsical flowers that have the look of spring written all over them, make their presence known.

They are everywhere too. Just look around as you drive down the road. They are in yards and on the side of the road. They are so whimsical looking, you would think Dr. Seuss, himself designed them. But, he didn’t. Nope, a much more creative designer, created them.

As I was returning from a walk a few days ago, I just had to grab my camera to photograph them. I didn’t plant them, but here they were, just begging to be noticed. I have always thought that God’s fingerprints are the most evident in nature. The spider lily is a perfect example.

First of all, God creates beauty just because He can. He didn’t have to make these flowers so colorful and funky looking, but He did. That tells me that He loves beauty and art and color and appreciates whimsy. Maybe we should do the same. How often do we just take a moment to appreciate the sunrise or sunset or the shapes and colors of leaves and flowers. When was the last time you really checked out a chipmunk? They look like they have been hand painted. Their little stripes are in perfect lines.

Nature is full of God. If it’s been a while, take a little time and check it out. Seek Him out in His creation. I’ll bet you will be surprised how He shows Himself. The Bible tells us that, “I love those who love me, and those who seek me find me.” Proverbs 8:17  Why not give it a try?

The second truth these awesome flowers remind me of is that whatever we have planned, God’s plan may be different. While we are looking towards autumn where the leaves that fall are beautiful, but dying, out pops something new and different. We may not have planned for it or planted it and we may not know how we feel about it, but there it is, all the same. The question then becomes, how do we proceed?

I think the spider lily is a beautiful reminder that God’s plan for us can be different, exciting, unexpected and beautiful all at the same time. It may be a bright coral and fuchsia mix  when the rest of the world’s is brown and orange. That’s okay, because nature also teaches us that God loves variety.

So, I challenge you to go forth today and appreciate some part of nature that you may have overlooked recently and embrace your life’s spider lilies, whatever they may be. God made them just for you.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Small Changes Can Create Beautiful Results

Posted on by Wendy
If you change position, you might change your perspective.
Small changes can create beautiful results.

We had a homecoming celebration at our church yesterday and the guest preacher who is now a district superintendent, used to be the senior pastor. So, it was a homecoming of sorts, for him too. He made the comment that he saw many familiar faces and many new ones as well. He went on to say that many people were sitting in the same exact pew that they were sitting in back in 1998. That comment, of course, drew laughter as it was intended to, but that got me to thinking about things like, sitting in the same place for over a decade.

We regular churchgoers have a tendency to do that. We stake out a spot and sit there Sunday after Sunday. If we are honest, we get annoyed if we walk in late and find someone else in our spot. Do we feel that we own that particular spot? Would the message be different at some other location in the church?

One of our dear church family members, sat with our family a few months back, because his wife was out of town. He sits very near the back and we sit very near the front. He made the comment that it was an entire new experience sitting that close to the front. He also went on to say that he was pretty sure that he would never convince his wife to change pews. They have been members close to thirty years, so I can’t say that I was surprised.

Today, we had three church services combined into one. Where everyone would sit, was completely thrown up into the air, but apparently some folks were able to find their same 1998, spot.

What is it about people that make us dig into where we feel comfortable and refuse to move? There are those who welcome change and every new challenge that comes along, but many of us seem to be happy right where we are, thank-you very much.

We have evidence of this in Biblical times. The Israelites were willing to go back to Egypt as slaves instead of trusting God to feed them. They also were unable to trust God to conquer the people already in the Promised Land and had to wander in the wilderness for forty years.

Once we get comfortable somewhere, good or bad, we seem very hesitant to change the status quo. So, we stay in the job we hate or in a church that doesn’t feed us. We don’t try to make our relationships better. We put off that diet or exercising, for another day. We settle for less.

Why? Maybe we are afraid of the unknown. Even when something is bad, at least we know what it is. Maybe we aren’t trusting God to help us to make better choices and changes. How do we know we can trust Him? Reading and trying to understand the Bible is a great start. God loves His people and seeks a relationship with them. He is delighted when we seek Him and He will light our way and guide us.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m not big on change simply for the sake of change. There are some things in everyone’s lives that work beautifully, just the way they are. Those things are blessings and we should give thanks for them. But, if there are things that aren’t working well, we shouldn’t be afraid to change them.

We have to trust God and know that even making small changes sometimes changes our entire perspective on life and that’s a good thing. So, look around; if you feel stuck or stagnant in some area of your life, pray about it. It may be time for a change. Who knows, the new view may be spectacular.

How do you do with change? I’d love to hear from you.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Walking in the Rain

Posted on by Wendy
Faith tells us that the sun is there even when we can't see it.
Faith tells us that the sun is there even when we can’t see it.

It was a terribly dreary day here yesterday, one of those days where it won’t rain, but the air is wet. There was a little drizzle here and there, but that was it, just all around gloomy. Today, started off with  some fog, but the fog and clouds quickly burned off and the sun began to shine. As I began my walk today, I was thanking God for the sunshine and I noticed there were still some clouds around, but nothing very ominous.

As I was praying about some chaos and uncertainty that I have been dealing with lately, it began to rain. It was really bizarre. There were some big fat drops and then a very slow, but steady drizzle. The clouds were fluffy and white. I couldn’t figure out how it was even raining. I continued on my walk as I pondered the, literally, out of the blue sky, rain. I kept my eyes focused on the sun and never lost my stride.

Whether to keep walking forward or turn back seemed like a no-brainer as long as I could see the sun shining. It dawned on me that our faith walk is much like my physical walk. We get on the path with Jesus and things go smoothly. Sometimes there’s not a cloud in the sky. Sometimes there’s thunder and lightning and we spend a lot of time on our knees praying for the storms to pass.

Then there are other times when life seems to be going just perfectly and we get rain from out of nowhere. Those are possibly the hardest times, because they are unexpected. At least with thunderstorms, we usually get some warning. It’s when the skies are cloudless, that we get caught off guard. But, as long as we keep our focus trained on God, we can whether those showers too.

On my return walk, some clouds had moved in and obscured the sun. I could still see it, but it wasn’t as bright. That reminded me of the importance of growing our faith during the sunny quiet times. Even when we can’t see the sun, we know it’s there. When times are tough and we sometimes can’t feel the presence of God, faith tells us He’s still there. Faith teaches us that He’s working hard and loving us and that He has a plan for us even when we can’t feel it or see it. It’s no different from knowing that the sun is still there even when I can’t feel its warmth on my face.

Life, like the weather, is incredibly unpredictable, but our faith acts as an ever-present sun, helping us grow and lighting our way, no matter how dark or wet it gets. The Bible says, “This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all.” 1 John 1:5

It doesn’t say we will never be surrounded by darkness, but it does say He is light, so if we stay focused on God, then we never have to remain in the dark and I find that to be very comforting.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Choosing to Honor God With Our Unique Gifts

Posted on by Wendy
When we chose to use our unique gifts and talents, we honor God.
When we choose to use our unique gifts and talents, we honor God.

I recently had the opportunity to watch the Robin Williams film, “Dead Poet’s Society.” I saw it when it was first released, but that was back in 1989, so I had forgotten what a fabulous movie it was. It takes place at a very prestigious, all boys boarding school in 1959. They do everything by the book, so to speak and everyone does just as they are told. No one would ever dare question the people who are in charge.

Robin Williams plays a teacher who graduated from this school, but he has the heart of a poet and wants to encourage the boys to follow their dreams. All mayhem breaks loose and I could probably come up with at least five posts on this movie. I highly recommend it. But, there was one particular scene that I can’t get out of my mind.

He takes his senior literature class outside to the courtyard, an act in itself that raised the eyebrows of the administrators. Why in the world would you leave the classroom? He picks three boys out of the group and tells them simply to walk around. Just walk. They have no idea what he’s up to, but they comply. At first, they walk at their own stride and pace, but it doesn’t take long before they are in a line, marching to the same tempo, in the same exact stride. “There it is.” Robin Williams says.

He goes on to say that they shouldn’t do everything everyone else does, but should find their own way. What a stunning truth from a simple exercise. We are born as individuals with individual talents, but it doesn’t take long for us to want the same clothes and hair as everyone else. As teens, we strive to fit in and as adults, we often don’t fare much better.

From weddings to houses to cars to jobs, we like to be just like the proverbial Joneses. But, here’s the thing, if we believe that we are “fearfully and wonderfully made,” and the Bible says we are, do we believe that God is in the assembly line business? No, I believe God made each of us differently with different strengths and talents, but somewhere along the way, we usually “fall into the society step,” just like those boys in the movie, and we hide or even forget that which makes us different, that little thing that used to make us light up.

If you were to search deep inside your soul and ask yourself if you could do anything what would it be? Would you have an immediate answer? If yes, then maybe it’s time to pray about getting in touch with using your unique dream or talent to serve God in some way. If not, maybe it’s time to pray that God will remind you of what it is, or help you uncover it.

It doesn’t have to be some over the top dream of moving to Paris to paint. It could be something very simple like teaching someone to cook or to put up vegetables. I really believe that God wants us to use our unique talents He gifted us with to serve in some way and when we do, we are really able to tap into a contentment and joy that we can’t find in other ways. I don’t think our amazing creative God wants us to settle for hum-drum.

I think He wants us to honor Him with all that we have and when we do, we are keeping our own pace and walking our own stride and it’s a beautiful thing!

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

More Lessons From Camping

Posted on by Wendy
Sometimes when we attempt to build community, we are rewarded with something awesome.
Sometimes when we attempt to build community, we are rewarded with something awesome.

On my recent camping adventure, we had all circled up around the camp fire ring. All of the tents had been taken down and the cars and bus had been packed. Our youth pastor, had given everyone the instructions to find an object that represented something that was special to them about the weekend. The adults participated too.

It was really kind of interesting as everyone shared something, that most everyone came back to either community or water. One of the men stood up with a clear plastic cup of water. He said the cup represented community and the water represented the rain that sometimes falls on community. To demonstrate, he walked around the circle and sprinkled drops on all of us. He went onto say that sometimes rain falls in our lives and we don’t understand why; sometimes it’s light rain and sometimes it pours. But, we can be sure that God has His hand in it and as a community, we have to pull together to get through it. One day we will understand.

How profound. Our church community has really been struggling and what a beautiful concrete picture, he presented for the kids and honestly, even more so, for the adults.

When my own hubby stood up, he had two items, one was an old can he found and one was a small yellow bunch of flowers that one of the high schoolers had given him. The can represented God’s creation and learning to really appreciate it. He encouraged all of our technology addicted kids to get out in it more and appreciate it, and to leave it better than they found it.

The next part really took my breath away. He hates to talk in a group, but he held up the bunch of flowers and told the group that the bunch represented community. He took one and said you never think of one flower as much, but a bunch is eye-catching. They grow together in a bunch and they make the most impact in a bunch, just like community. He drew a round of applause as he sat down.

I made a mental note to ask him about his reflection later. It was just so unlike him.

Later that night, as we were sitting around our own dinner table, our family was taking turns sharing what we liked best about the weekend. We all had different stories. The kids talked about their highs and lows. We all felt like it was our favorite youth trip so far, and then my hubby shared something with us.

He told us that he had picked up the can and had rehearsed in his head what he would say, when the high schooler handed him the bunch of flowers. When he asked her what he was supposed to do with them, she told him she didn’t know. He said that when it was his turn to speak, that he had come up with something about the beauty of flowers, but when he began to speak, something completely different came out.

The kids and I were silent for a moment and I admit that I had chills. The Holy Spirit was clearly at work. The Bible tells us in Corinthians 2:13, “When we tell you these things, we do not use words that come from human wisdom. Instead, we speak words given to us by the Spirit, using the Spirit’s words to explain spiritual truths.”

We had spent that weekend trying to build community among our youth and among the parents and, the Holy Spirit was clearly behind our success. Community is so important to Christians of all ages in all stages of their journey. When we reach out to try to build it, we are often rewarded with something beautiful and sometimes when we talk with each other about our experiences, we can actually see some of the Divine behind the scenes. I have to tell you, it’s pretty awesome!

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Happy Birthday Graceful Gaines!

Posted on by Wendy
Happy 1st Birthday Graceful Gaines!
Happy 1st Birthday Graceful Gaines!

Today is a huge day for me. It’s the one year anniversary of Graceful Gaines. For one year now, I have posted Monday through Friday my thoughts and reflections as I seek more of God in my life. I want to thank you all for reading and for the many positive comments you have given me here and on Facebook and through phone calls and in person. Every share, every note has meant the world to this fledgling writer.

I have always wanted to be a writer and I put that little dream on the back burner for a long time and then I felt an awakening of sorts, and that God was nudging me to write. I didn’t really know anything about blogging so I did a little research. He prompted me to start off with a small online Bible Study that was only open to the people I invited. I really enjoyed it and had a good response. There were times as I sat at my keyboard, that I knew the words were not mine, but came from the Holy Spirit. It was an awesome feeling. It wasn’t until about six months later that I felt in my heart, it was really time to proceed.

As I made the plans to get started, I had to come up with a name. I was praying about it and had bounced around a dozen or so ideas on paper. Then one day, right after I dropped my daughter off at school, the name came to me. When I did a search, I knew it didn’t exist already, because I felt as if God whispered it in my ear.

My premise for writing was simple. Watch for God in the world around me and share what I see and learn. It’s been such an amazing ride. As I seek God, He always gives me something to share. When I feel myself grappling with faith issues, I share them here because I think others may be struggling with the same. Isn’t that what community is supposed to be about? I have learned so much while writing in this space and you have shared so much and caused me to think harder and dig deeper.

I have a neat little program that shows how many people from different countries have read my words. People from 56 different countries have visited this site and some of the countries are not even Christian countries. People from places like Saudi Arabia, Egypt and United Arab Emirates have read encouraging words about Jesus. My simple words have been read around the world and that thought moves me to tears.

Here is a map of all the countries in the world who have someone who have visited Graceful Gaines.
Here is a map of all the countries in the world who have someone living there who has visited Graceful Gaines.

God has been so faithful to me as I try to share my story intertwined with His and the response has amazed me. Thank-you from the bottom of my heart for reading. Thanks for all of your encouragement and your comments. I pray that I can continue to encourage you and provide you with food for thought for another year. This journey has truly been a dream come true for me. Thanks so much for helping me make that happen.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

 

Stops and Starts

Posted on by Wendy
Sometimes if we want to hear God and experience the fruits of the Holy Spirit, we have to be obedient to God's gentle nudging.
Sometimes if we want to hear God and experience the fruits of the Holy Spirit, we have to be obedient to God’s gentle nudging.

When I was planning on exercising in the middle of last week, it had been a few days. I was completely off any sort of schedule and was itching to get outside and sweat a little. When I walk, I walk briskly and sometimes jog between mailboxes for good measure. My path is right at two miles and that works beautifully for me. I have no desire to train for a marathon, triathlon or iron man, thank-you very much. I just want to stay in decent shape.

I kept having this nudge to bring my camera along. I didn’t want to bring my camera because it’s kind of big and I have to hold onto it in one hand and I can’t get a good rhythm going when I’m holding it. Furthermore, if I’m going to stop and take pictures along the way, that too, requires stopping.

However, I had really been in prayer about my blog posts. I had felt kind of empty over the past couple of weeks and had been praying for inspiration. God often inspires me through the things I see on my walks. As I write this, taking my camera, really seems like a no-brainer. But, at the time, I struggled with it. I wanted to keep my rhythm and my time and therein lies the rub right?

Me, my, and mine are perhaps three of the most dangerous words to our journey with God. Think about it. How many times does it come down to our own will for our lives versus His will? I call myself trying to be obedient and trying to listen for His voice. I lament when He won’t give me those burning bush moments with specific instructions. Yet, here I was, with a very easy request to follow. “Take your camera.”

I wonder how many prayers we think go unanswered, really are answered. We just think God is not listening and responding because He doesn’t do it in the way that we would like for Him to. How many times do we miss the answers because we aren’t obedient to gentle and quiet nudging.

I finally gave in that day and was rewarded richly for my obedience. I felt like I saw God everywhere I looked and I snapped photo after photo. There were many post ideas that came out of that simple nudging. I have already shared a few with you and have had more comments than ever about how you were touched by the message.

My obedience to such a simple nudge had the Holy Spirit flowing. Perhaps if we would like to experience more of the fruits of the Spirit, like love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control, we need to be obedient to those gentle promptings that we know in our heart come from God.

Perhaps we need to be willing to walk to His rhythm and not our own, realizing that stopping and starting, is part of the journey, whether we like it or not. It’s not about racing to the finish. It’s about learning to listen for His voice and appreciating the trip.

How do you do with stops and starts? I’d love to hear from you.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

 

We Only Have to Do What We are Called to Do

Posted on by Wendy
This bee never questions its calling. It simply works hard at pollinating.
This bee never questions its calling. It simply works hard at pollinating.

I have had so many wonderful conversations with God this summer while tending my garden. One of them was the fact that in a garden there are many insects. They are all different, but they all have an important job. This little bee was very busy pollinating my squash blooms. It doesn’t seem like much, yet I would have no squash without the bee. I watched that bee for a little while and it went from bloom to bloom. It never seemed to tire and it never stopped to question its existence.

This ladybug is always at work too. She rids my tender plants of pests that will harm them.
This ladybug is always at work too. She rids my tender plants of pests that will harm them.

I photographed this ladybug on my okra plants. Ladybugs are good insects that eat the bad ones who would harm my plants and keep them from producing. The ladybug flies from plant to plant eating the bad bugs. She’s like a little super hero. God even provided her with an awesome little red and black uniform.

This spider moves to wherever the pests are.
This spider moves to wherever the pests are.

Then there is the garden spider. I confess that I am a reformed spider hater. They have always creeped me out. But, when this one appeared, I knew she had a reason to be there, so I left her undisturbed, even when she was blocking a tomato that was ready to be picked. But, I learned something about spiders this summer, they move their webs to where the bugs are. If I had a tomato or a squash with a hole in it that had drawn bugs to it, the spider would be close by. She moved around to get her job done, kind of like the ladybug. She still kind of scares me and I always look for her before I pick anything, but she has a job to do and she’s getting it done.

My hubby and I used to watch the news every morning on a television in our kitchen. When our cable provider decided that every television in the house would require a box to work, we had to get rid of the kitchen television. We switched to music and its been fun and freeing. However, we have been completely out of the world news loop.

We have known that Israel has been under attack and we have been praying for the safety of the people in the Jewish country. We haven’t known the details, but we know in our hearts that Israel will always be under attack until Jesus comes back.

I have just learned some of the horrific details of the Christians under attack in Iraq and I have been moved to tears. I have been praying for their safety and for world intervention. Then there’s the Ebola virus that is sweeping through Africa. I spent the entire day yesterday questioning the purpose of the simple words that I share here about my truthfully, bountiful life and God’s presence in it. I felt guilty for living in complete safety with abundance. Shouldn’t I be doing more?

I prayed a lot about it and this morning, God brought me back to my garden pictures. All of the little insects are doing what they are called to do. I haven’t been called to Africa to fight Ebola or to the foreign mission field. I haven’t been called to physically render aid to our persecuted brothers and sisters in Iraq and Israel fighting for their lives. For the moment, I have been called to write about God’s existence in the world around me and to share it with others.

Just by doing what I am called to do, makes me a success in God’s eyes. If I can make just one person seek more of God in their lives, I feel successful in my own eyes. Your calling is different than mine. No two will be exactly alike. No one knows why God calls us to do different things, but faith leads to obedience and that’s truly all He asks of us.

We are all important pieces of God’s plan, in His eyes. Feeling insignificant doesn’t come from Him. So, I will do on this day what I am called to do and share with you. What are you called to do? Let’s get to it!

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Taking Time to Bask in God’s Creation

Posted on by Wendy
I caught this guy basking in the sun on the deck outside my window.
I caught this guy basking in the sun on the deck outside my window.

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.

That little squirrel turned around and was sunning his back.
That little squirrel turned around and was sunning his back!

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 🙂

You Are an Original

Posted on by Wendy
This mimosa tree growing among stately old live oaks made me smile.
This mimosa tree growing among stately old live oaks made me smile.

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.

It reminded me of an illustration in a Dr. Seuss book.
It reminded me of an illustration in a Dr. Seuss book.

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 🙂