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.

Seeking Shalom

Posted on by Wendy
We don’t have to know what lies ahead, because God does.

Every year around New Year’s, I pray about a new word to focus on in the coming year. This year the words peace and prayer kept coming up again and again. I figured the Holy Spirit was trying to teach me something, so I went with it. I wrote them on post its on my desk and in my journal. As I spent more time thinking about peace, I began to feel drawn to the concept of shalom.

As I studied more about the concept, I was fascinated. Shalom is the Hebrew word for peace, but it means much more than the Western concept of the absence of war or to wish someone a good day. Shalom means complete peace, harmony, wholeness, completeness, contentedness, prosperity, welfare and tranquility. Shalom is not partial. It’s not about circumstances. It’s about the whole.

As I began praying about moving towards shalom in my life, I was called to put into practical use.

In January, my Mama got sick and gave us quite a scare. In February, my annual bloodwork revealed some questionable results and I received a packet from the Department of Labor informing me that they were fighting an unemployment claim that I never filed. Yep, I had been a victim of some kind of identity theft.

I can’t say I was surprised. I’ve been on this faith journey long enough to know that if you pray for rain, you better get an umbrella. If you pray for extra peace in your life, especially complete peace, shalom, the peace that can only come from walking with Jesus, it would be foolish to expect smooth sailing. We can’t learn to swim if we don’t get wet.

There have been times in my life when the circumstances listed above, would have set me in a tailspin, but I found myself praying before panicking and meditating on shalom. I am happy to report that both mine and my Mama’s health are fine, so being emotionally distraught would have been for no reason. It would have been a complete waste of time, time that could have been better spent doing Kingdom Work.

Worrying wouldn’t have changed the outcome either way.

As I write this, my identity situation is not yet resolved, but I am reminded that Jesus warned us of troubles on this side of eternity. He said that we should be at peace anyway.

Having shalom is a daily intentional choice that begins with prayer and is strengthened with scripture. It’s a challenge, no doubt about it, but I think it’s a challenge worth pursuing. Perhaps you might like to try it too?

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 😀

The Call to Seek Like Mary

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

I’ve been participating in an online Bible study. We have been reading one chapter a day in the Gospel of John. One day last week, we got to chapter twenty. That’s the chapter where Mary Magdalene, Peter and John go to the tomb and find it empty. This is a very familiar passage to most Christians, but this time when I read it, Mary’s experience really stuck with me.

She was the first one to the tomb, the first to realize He wasn’t there. When she saw He wasn’t there, the text says she ran to tell Peter and John. In response to her news, they ran to the tomb. The scriptures say both disciples went inside and saw His grave clothes and they believed and then went back to where they were staying.

The two disciple simply went back to where they were staying? They saw that Jesus was gone and went home? Didn’t they have questions? Were they in shock? Was His absence just too much for them to deal with in that moment?

But, Mary stayed. Overcome with grief, she didn’t run from it. She stayed right there, right where she thought Jesus should be and cried. I picture her sobbing at this point. I know I would be, but her open honest show of grief resulted in a direct response from heaven.

“She looked inside the tomb again and found two angles there, they asked her, “Woman, why are you crying?” “They have taken my Lord away,” she said, “and I don’t know where they have put him.” John 20:13

Then she turned and stood face-to-face with the Risen Jesus, but did not recognize Him.

“Thinking he was the gardener, she said, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him.” John 20:15

I find this to be a bold statement for a grieving woman, alone at a tomb, but Mary was steadfast and fearless in her search for Jesus. She was willing to go get his body herself. Whatever it took, she would find Jesus.

And her stubborn faith was rewarded. When Jesus called her name, she knew it was Him and her mourning immediately became joy.

Mary’s story reminds me that we all will at some point, find ourselves grieving on this side of eternity and we have a choice how we will respond. We can deal with it by running from it, or pretending it doesn’t exist, or attempting to numb it by some chemical means, or we can seek Jesus and the peace that only He can give us.

When the world tells us that Jesus doesn’t care about us, if we remain stubborn and steadfast like Mary, He will show up and meet us right where we are, right in the middle of whatever we are dealing with and He will call our name.

Sometimes I need reminding. Perhaps you do too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

 

 

 

Oh Praise Him!

Posted on by Wendy

 

Last week, my daughter texted me that she had rearranged the furniture in our living room. It had been a super long week and I was exhausted. I began the week, staying up very late cheering for my alma mater in the national championship game, which they won, but that meant that the rest of the week was filled with deep fatigue.

Since I am a college advisor and it was the first week of the semester, it was an especially busy week, filled with constant email and an orientation that I was responsible for leading. Added to that, one of our cars was in the shop, so my family was carpooling.

Due to both fatigue and carpooling, I skipped my morning yoga and I missed out on my daily reflection and prayer time on my drive in. By the end of the week, I felt like I was walking in cement. I was physically and spiritually, running on empty and that is not a place I like to be.

So when I received that text from my daughter, I could have cared less about the furniture. I just longed to get in my bed and sleep for days. But, God was at work.

When Sunday came and everything was cancelled due to expected snow and ice, I settled in my chair which now faced the big picture window in the living room. (It used to be at its back.) It was nice being able to see out. It was gray and raining, but it was facing nature. We tuned into our favorite church service out of Savannah. The first song was an old hymn, “All Creatures of Our God and King.” I sang that song as a child growing up, so it was familiar, but they jazzed it up a bit and I sang along.

This particular hymn is all about creation praising it’s Creator. It even talks about the sun and moon praising God. When we got to the line “Praise, praise the Father, praise the Son, and praise, praise the Spirit three in one,” the first big fluffy snow flakes began to fall. My eyes filled with tears at their majesty. My hubby and I looked at each other and grinned. He jumped up and began videoing those gorgeous flakes.

Snow is a big deal in the deep south. We don’t see it often and when we do, we are always filled with wonder. When my hubby played the video back later, we could hear that hymn playing and I didn’t fail to miss the God wink.

Although the snow was hard to beat, the sermon was fabulous and out internet went down as soon as the pastor ended with prayer. We didn’t have it back until Monday.

I took the rest of the day and reflected, prayed and wrote. God knew about the week I had and He met me in my weakness. He prompted the furniture arrangement. The forecasters had no clue when the snow was coming, but God knew and at the very moment we were singing a hymn of praise, He showed Himself.

God is always working, most often, unseen and when I find myself in a hole, praise is always the way out. Because when I acknowledge His majesty, He tends to show up in the most amazing ways. Sometimes I need reminding. Perhaps you did too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

 

Epiphany Lessons

Posted on by Wendy
If we want to see more of Jesus, we need to stay close to Him like the servants did.

As I was driving to work yesterday, which happened to be Epiphany, I was bone tired. My week had started off with a power outage on the coldest night of the year so far and while everyone in surrounding neighborhoods got their power back, we went overnight without ours. We were incredibly blessed to have gas logs to keep us warm, but my first day back to work after the Christmas break began with a two minute cool shower and putting makeup on with the light of a flashlight.

I counted my many blessings all the way to work and thanked God that the situation was temporary.

But, as the week went on, one thing happened after another, with unexpected stress and projects and I began to think that 2022 was not starting out well at all.

Yesterday, before I left for work, I read in my daily devotional the story of Jesus turning water into wine found in John 2. I love that story for so many reasons, but this time, the focus was on verse 9 where it said that the headwaiter didn’t know where the wine came from, but the servants knew. The ones who were walking the closest to Jesus, the servants, knew that a miracle had happened.

The people at the wedding party were oblivious, but the servants knew.

So as I drove to work, on the day that we celebrate the Three Wise Men honoring and worshipping Jesus, I was utterly exhausted and not really looking forward to the rainy day that my weather app predicted was coming. I had tried so hard all week to be positive; I had so much to be thankful for, but I was struggling.

Then I turned onto to the last part of my trip and was greeted by a beautiful display in the sky. Even thought skies were cloudy, the sun found a way and I just had to smile as the words from my morning devotional ran through my head. I stopped and took the time to snap a photo. I’ve no doubt there was a scientific explanation for the display at the very moment that I was praying, but I knew.

I knew it was encouragement and a reminder that God has a plan, that I never walk alone and He always hears me.

Epiphany is about the truth of Christ being shared with all people. It’s about a group of foreign men following signs in the sky that led them to the newborn Messiah. Even thought they weren’t Jewish, even thought they had traveled far, they knew they should try to see Him and worship Him.

A sunrise on a cloudy morning reminded me to do the same. Perhaps you needed reminding too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Called to Bear Witness

Posted on by Wendy
“The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” Psalm 34:18

Last week was a rough week for my family. We lost our 14 year old dog, Sandy to a stroke. I suspected that his time was growing short, but his passing still caught me by surprise. When my children were in school, he was my constant companion. When I worked from home for a year during Covid, he was always on his bed next to my desk. He had been a big part of my life for a long time.

I almost didn’t write a post this week because it’s just been a depressing week, but then my daily devotion changed my mind. I’m reading Acts and Paul was sharing what he knew about Jesus. The writer of that day’s devotion said, ” Like Paul, we are also called to bear witness to what we’ve seen. What have you seen today that speaks of God? What have you seen that you can share with others?”

I felt convicted.

While it had been a hard week, I was thankful for all of the years we had with Sandy. He literally showed up at our house and brought my family so much joy and I caught a glimpse of God.

This week, when we had to take him to the vet, one of my sweet co-workers texted me to see how I was doing and I saw God. The next day at work when another sweet co-worker emailed me and told me she had been praying for me, I saw God and when she came to my office just to give me a hug, I saw God again.

When our newest edition, Annie, met me at the door after work, wagging her tail, and bouncing up and down with pure puppy joy, I saw God once again and I was completely humbled by the fact that He knew a month ago, when we decided to adopt her, that Sandy was going to be passing. He knew our hearts would be broken and He knew she would bring us comfort.

As I was walking at work the next day, I couldn’t help but be in awe of fall the leaves on trees. The seasons are changing and we are entering into a season of Thanksgiving and even though I feel a little raw, I am thankful, thankful that God made dogs, thankful that He made Sandy, thankful that He sent us Annie and especially thankful for the friends and family that He has surrounded me with who regularly show His love and grace.

To answer the earlier question, even in a particularly painful week, I saw tons of examples of God’s presence and in the end, I felt called to share.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

A Reminder to Plant

Posted on by Wendy
We never know when we are planting seeds.

Last Sunday at church, right after we began singing our first praise song, a young family slipped in and sat in the pew in front of us. They had two young girls with them and they were clearly tired and frazzled.

The older of the two girls sat down beside her mama, but the younger one rolled around in the pew, much to her daddy’s dismay. He handed her a pen and his bulletin, but she wasn’t interested in singing or sitting  down. When the song ended and we were asked to greet one another I leaned over and asked her what she was going to be for Halloween. She grinned and said, “Supergirl.”

I smiled, remembering those days.

We sang more songs and she squirmed more. When it was time for the offering, I leaned over and handed her a visitor’s card that I had drawn a jack-o’-lantern on. She was delighted and ran over to show her daddy. Later, she left her seat and went up the aisle. Her parents were not amused and I’m sure they wished that had have been able to sit further towards the back. During our final song, the little girl gave me a picture she had drawn on the bulletin. I smiled and thanked her. She grinned proudly and then she went off to children’s church.

Her parents visibly relaxed.

I thought of that little girl during the entire service and how hard it can be to parent young children. I remembered the days of trying to get my own kids dressed and out the door for church. I remembered being stressed and annoyed and sometimes even questioning if taking them to church was worth the hassle. Were they learning anything at all?

Of course in hindsight, it was absolutely worth it. I will never regret taking our children to church even if some of those Sundays were complete chaos. I’m a big believer in planting seeds and there’s not much more fertile ground than the hearts of littles.

After we sang our last song, I went over to those young parents and said hello. I told them they were doing a great job. The mom seemed surprised. I told them that I remembered how hard it was to get little ones to church and I remembered the stress and the rushing. She nodded and agreed that it was hard. I assured them that these days will fly by and what they were doing  mattered. They seemed truly grateful to hear those few small words of encouragement.

As I look at my gift of art from a restless child, I am reminded that being a part of the Body of Christ is so much more than showing up to church, singing a few songs and leaving. It’s about seed planting. We all are given many opportunities to plant seeds. Will they be seeds of encouragement, kindness and affirmation or seeds that foster doubt and judgement, or will we decide not to plant anything at all and just stand by in silence?

A little girl reminded me that we all need to be in the seed planting business. Perhaps you needed reminding too.

Have an Awesome Day!

Wendy 🙂

 

Seeking the Wonder

Posted on by Wendy
“After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper.” 1 Kings 19:12

A couple of weeks ago, I was driving to work. It was foggy out, but it was a normal day. There was nothing going on good or bad for me, but I was tired and I was running late. I prayed that God would show Himself to me in some small way.

Years earlier, I read a book called, “Wonderstruck,” by Margaret Feinberg. It was about rediscovering the wonder in her relationship with God. She prayed that God would show her a piece of the wonder He was capable of and He obliged.

That premise stuck with me, so from time-to-time, when I find myself in a spiritual doldrums of sorts or I feel that God is far away, I pray for God to show me His wonder. So, that morning, I said that prayer.

As I made the next right turn, I was greeted by a burst of sunshine. It was really hard to miss. I smiled and said a quick prayer of thanks as I whipped into a spot in the parking lot. I jumped out of my car and headed towards my building, I found myself looking over my shoulder to catch another glimpse of the wonder, as I kept walking. I was running late after all, but something deep inside urged me to stop.

So, I did. I stopped and I turned around. I took a deep breath and I took that beautiful light in. I said a heartfelt prayer of thanks. I even snapped a picture.

This time, when I turned around to walk to my building, my soul felt lighter and I didn’t feel like I was rushed. I felt truly thankful.

I thought about my morning encounter for the rest of the day. I thought about how often we ask God to intervene and how often He does and we miss it, because we are busy and distracted. I thought about how often He shows up in a whisper instead of a roar and again, we miss it because of all of the noise.

I was reminded of Elijah’s interaction with God in 1 Kings 19:11-13; “The Lord said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by. Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper.”

A morning sunrise reminded me not to miss God in the quiet. Perhaps you needed reminding too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Appreciating the Waterfall Journey

Posted on by Wendy
It’s sometimes difficult to imagine what the end of our journey looks like when we are stuck in the middle.

My family recently went on a hike to a waterfall. It was beautiful and an easy walk and so it attracted many people. The viewing platform was full when we arrived so we went to the base of the falls. We had a a few minutes to take pictures and appreciate the beauty before we were joined by more people. We headed back to the platform to snap a few photos and again, in a few minutes, it was full.

We were a little disappointed. When we go to the woods, it’s to enjoy nature away from crowds not fight with people for a little space. To be fair, I’m sure the other people felt there, the same. It truly was a beautiful and I could see why folks were drawn to it. There’s a certain majesty found in both the sight and sound of water crashing into rocks below. Waterfalls are one of those places in Creation that tend to make us pause in awe at something so much bigger than ourselves.

But, as we stood on the platform for a few minutes, we noticed a couple at the top of the waterfall, a little off of the beaten path, so instead of heading back down, we decided to head up there. It was much quieter away from the crowds. It was an entirely new perspective at the top of the waterfall, yet still breathtaking.

I wondered what it was like a little further upstream. Was it still just as gorgeous and dramatic? I felt the nudge to check it out and so I walked a little further.

What I found was a little mountain stream. It was pretty and clear, but it wasn’t large or in any way special. There were parts where it was almost completely dammed up by a fallen tree or debris. If you were to look at this little stream at this point in its path, you would have no idea it was destined for greatness. If you stopped here and walked away, you would completely miss its awesome destiny.

The thought of the journey of that mountain stream stayed on my mind for days after we returned home. We all have the tendency to celebrate greatness. We like to focus on the finish line and we often compare the middle of our own journey to the finish lines of others, but no one’s awesome waterfall moment ever started there. Nope, that journey started long before. There were likely twist and turns and sometimes they may have even gotten almost completely stopped, but the waterfall moments are proof of what happens with faith and perseverance.

Sometimes the majesty that awaits is more than we can possibly imagine, but God can.

They remind us to to the same on our own journey at whatever point we may find ourselves. Sometimes I need reminding. Perhaps you do too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

 

 

 

 

Everyday Mountaintop Moments

Posted on by Wendy
How often does God protect us when we aren’t even aware?

My family recently hiked to a waterfall. It was a fairly long hike, but the waterfall was totally worth it. It was one of those thin places where you feel especially close to God, one of those places where you feel a deep sense of awe of Creation. We took a selfie together, but then we all went separate ways for a little bit. I sat on a huge boulder at the base just trying to soak it in.

I think I may have felt a little bit like Peter after the Transfiguration, not wanting to ever leave that mountain top. The crash of the water falling surrounded by huge old trees gave me a definite sense of peace that I was in no hurry to leave behind.

We almost didn’t take that hike. I really wanted to go kayaking,  but when we inquired, we learned that the river was moving very fast and that it wasn’t safe for inexperienced kayakers. We had kayaked before, but we were certainly not experienced and so we chose to hike.

I felt so grateful for that choice and felt reminded of the fact that when some doors close, others of equal value tend to open.

After we all took our photos, or explored a bit, or in my case, gave thanks, we started the climb back down. My hubby and son took the lead. My daughter and I chatted about how we were so glad we picked this hike and how different it would probably look with no leaves on the trees.

And then a snake crossing in front of my hubby and son caught my eye. My son and I yelled “snake” at almost the same time as my hubby almost put his foot down on top of a rattlesnake. We all jumped way back as the snake coiled into a strike position. We froze as it rattled.

My hubby couldn’t believe that he hadn’t seen it. I couldn’t believe that we had just walked through there on the way up. Had it been in the bushes then too? We stood there frozen, for what seemed like an eternity, although I’m sure it was only a few minutes. It finally uncoiled and finished crossing and disappeared into the bush.

We were a little quieter for the rest of the way, keeping our eyes peeled for more snakes. Thankfully, we didn’t see any.

I thought of that rattlesnake long after we were safely in the car. I thought about God’s everyday provision and protection for us that we so often miss. I thought about how we were celebrating my hubby’s birthday, a huge milestone that we weren’t sure he would make, due to family health history, but that God knew twenty years ago, when he gave us our son, not only would we get to celebrate that birthday, but that my son would save his daddy’s life that day.

I realized that although I was no longer on that mountaintop, I experienced a mountaintop moment. God was clearly very close.

A chance encounter with a rattlesnake reminded me that God is so much closer that we think, intervening and protecting in ways we can’t comprehend and that knowledge gave me a new sense of peace. Sometimes I need reminding. Perhaps you do too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Trusting the Path

Posted on by Wendy
Sometimes the roughest paths lead us to incredible destinations.

My family recently took a trip to the North Georgia Mountains. We have always enjoyed hiking together, so this time, I put my daughter in charge of finding us some trails. We settled on a couple of waterfalls and a swinging bridge which happened to be the longest one east of the Mississippi.

The trails she chose were part of the National Forest system. We had never hiked National Forest Trails, but were up for new adventure.

The first trail had a sign on the road that pointed us to a gravel road. We turned and drove a fairly short distance, but questioned ourselves the entire way. Was this gravel road the right path? We seemed to be in the middle of nowhere. Soon, we saw other cars parked and just a short hike later, we were delighted to find a beautiful waterfall. We were glad we stayed on the path even though it was rough.

The next day, we headed to the swinging bridge. Again, we saw the sign and again, we found ourselves on a gravel path, but this one was rougher and longer. It was five miles and we marveled at how long it seemed to take to travel such a short distance. I watched as my phone reported that we had only traveled a mile. I couldn’t recall ever taking so long to travel just a single mile.

This time, when our phone announced that we had arrived, there was only one car parked. Were we in the right place? A carved out sign pointed to a path to the bridge. The hike was longer than our first one, but we were so glad we did it. The bridge was was worth it and we took tons of pictures as we laughed at how much it moved as we walked across the rushing river below.

Our last planned hike was to another waterfall. This one was much taller than the first. This time, when we saw the sign to the gravel road, we didn’t question the path even though it was much rougher and longer than the first two and at some places, much narrower. There was a steep drop down to a stream on the passenger side. A couple of times, when when passed a car going the opposite direction, they would stop to let us by. When we arrived, there was no central place to park. We just had to find a spot that wouldn’t block the path for other travelers.

Our hike was much longer than the two before. When we began to wonder if we should have brought some water along, we passed by a couple heading back down. The woman smiled and told us that we were close and it was totally worth it. We appreciated the encouragement. When we got to the waterfall, we were all amazed at its majesty. We sat and stayed a while so glad that we kept going even when the path was long and rough.

I thought about our trip long after we returned home. I was reminded that sometimes the distance we have to go isn’t nearly as long as it feels like when the path is rough and we are often much closer than we think to what we are seeking. I was also reminded that the roughest journeys sometimes lead us to incredible destinations far beyond our own imagination. When we are walking in faith and Jesus points us to a path, staying on the path will always be worth it even when we doubt.

Sometimes I need reminding. Perhaps you do too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂