Hydrangea Lessons

Posted on by Wendy
Faith comes from not knowing the outcome, but resolving to plant anyway.

I had one single hydrangea bloom this year. It was beautiful and I was thrilled to have it, but I have five hydrangea bushes that were covered in blooms last year, so this year’s crop has been disappointing. I had cut blooms in vases all over my house last year and in a season where  there was so much ugliness and a worldwide pandemic had us all at home, those blooms felt like daily well wishes from God.

Forces completely out of my hands reminded me that there was still beauty in the world.

Fast forward a year and I have one single bloom. I fed and watered those hydrangeas just like I did last year. We had a late frost, but I carefully covered them up with sheets for protection. I did my best, yet they didn’t bloom.

If you ever want a lesson in humility, nature is where you will find it. Our culture teaches us if we work hard and do our best, we will always succeed and we tend to buy that lie. Ask any farmer if their hard work guarantees good results. I imagine they will be the first to tell you that a lot of what happens to their crops and even their livestock, is out of their hands. It’s no wonder that the farmers I know are some of the most faithful people I have ever met.

Maybe that’s because faith comes from not knowing what the final outcome will be, but resolving to plant anyway.

We don’t tend to like those odds. We tend to prefer a sure thing and we sometimes even avoid anything that we think is not a sure thing. We convince ourselves that we truly control our destiny and we are devastated when something happens, (and it always will), to remind us we do not. That job loss, or illness, or divorce, shakes us to our core. How could something bad possibly happen when we did everything right?

The truth is, we live in a broken world and bad things happen even when we do our very best. That’s how it is on this side of eternity. But, when we keep our focus on Jesus and walk humbly with God, we are able to weather the storms much more easily, remembering that God loves us and there is a plan even when we can’t see it.

We learn to take life one day at a time, one step at a time and we continue to plant, knowing that the next season just may produce a bumper crop. A lone hydrangea reminded me that even though the outcome is out of my hands, I am called to plant anyway. Perhaps you needed reminding too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

 

 

 

Piper Lessons

Posted on by Wendy
I’ve always believed that dogs are some of God’s best work.

It’s been a tough week for our family; we had to say goodbye to our beloved family pet, Piper. She was a rescue and an absolute gift from God. We watched her go from a frightened, skinny heartworm positive, throw away, to a healthy and bossy ruler of our roost. She became our family mascot and her antics will forever be a part of our family lore.

When my kids were little and asked me if dogs go to heaven, I had to answer them with an honest. “I don’t know.” The Bible doesn’t address that particular topic. But, I do believe they are some of God’s best work and the love and joy that they bring to our lives are definitely blessings that could only come from Him. I wouldn’t at all be surprised to find dogs in heaven.

Witnessing a rescue dog go from feeling unloved and unwanted, to blossoming and knowing they are a part of the family, is a beautiful sight to behold. It’s a little like what happens to us when we decide to lean into Jesus and accept all of the love and grace available to us. We were once throw aways, stuck behind bars of some sort, either literally or figuratively, who become part of the Kingdom. We too, become beloved, like our sweet Piper, rescued.

I will forever be grateful for the lessons she taught us and the joy she brought us. She reminded us that love can turn up in the most unexpected of places and faces and that we should always be on the lookout for it. Perhaps you needed reminding too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

The Call to Be a Blessing

Posted on by Wendy
A lady working at a bakery reminded me we are never too busy to be kind.

Last Saturday was my son’s birthday. I got up that morning and had breakfast and a cup of coffee and ran out to the grocery store to get him a chocolate chip cookie cake. That’s what he always requests for his birthday and I wanted to be sure his cookie cake was waiting for him when he came downstairs.

When I arrived at the store, I couldn’t locate one. I approached the bakery counter and an older lady was working. I stood there for a few minutes waiting for her to acknowledge me. When she finally did and I told her that I would like for her to write “Happy Birthday,” on a cookie cake, she said, “ok,” and kept working.

I was a little confused as I just stood there.

She finally informed me that the three on display on the counter, were all they had. One was covered in butterflies and flowers. The second had so many icing rings that only a small spot remained in the middle (definitely not enough space for a birthday message.) The final one had green icing flowers and black rings of icing around the edge. I sighed and picked that last one up and handed it to her.

When I spelled out my son’s name for her, she replied, “How else would you spell it?”

Sincerely, surprised at her continued rudeness, I pasted on a smile and told her that I usually put his full name on his birthday cakes and that people often want to leave off one of the t’s. She had no further comment and went to work.

She was taking a while, so I just browsed the many baked goods while I waited, determined not to let her demeanor ruin my day. For all I knew, she was in the middle of a big order, or didn’t feel well, or had received some bad news.

At some point, she surprised me again, when she informed me that she was making a new one for me.

When she handed me the new cookie cake, with blue and white icing, she looked bewildered at the tears that swam in my eyes as I thanked her. I checked out as quickly as I could and all but ran to my car before the floodgates opened and tears streamed unchecked down my face.

The lady at the bakery had no way of knowing that this mama was struggling a little with her baby turning twenty and no longer being a teenager.

She couldn’t have known what a tough year my son had endured. He made the decision to transfer colleges right before Covid hit, so he spent a lot of last year at a new school where he knew no one, alone in his room. She had no way of knowing how I had prayed for him all year or how much hope I had for him in the coming year.

She couldn’t have possibly known that my husband’s dad had passed when he was nineteen or that my husband’s brother had also passed when his son was nineteen, or how that family history had weighed heavily on my heart this past year.

The lady at the bakery had no way of knowing how blessed I felt that Saturday morning or how her act of kindness made my heart run over with thanks. I thanked God all the way home with that cookie cake, for His mercy, for His blessing and for the love He has shown my family and I thanked Him for the woman at the bakery who had a change of heart and decided to be a blessing to me that day. I will truly never forget it and I pray I will be reminded to the same for someone I don’t know.

A busy worker at a bakery reminded me to always take time to bless others because we never know what a simple act of kindness can mean. Perhaps you needed reminding too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

 

Seeking God’s Water

Posted on by Wendy
God’s way is always the best way.

I was recently talking with my Daddy on the telephone and as Southerners tend to do, we ended up talking about the weather. We have had a dry spell over the past few weeks and we finally had a few much needed days of rain. I told him that I am always amazed at the results of rain.

I can meticulously water my plants and they will look ok, but just one good rain shower and they come alive. The color is more vibrant; they stand up straighter and they bloom or even produce fruit seemingly overnight.

Daddy just laughed and said, “Rain is God’s water.”

We chatted a while longer but, I thought about his comment long after we hung up. We often try to make situations in our lives work out the way we want them to. We spend lots of time planning and striving to do it our way and often we can make it work for a while, but when we ask for God’s direction and blessing first, and then wait on his will, things turn out much differently Like my plants after the rain, we go from striving and merely surviving to thriving.

But, we also have to remember that we will sometimes endure dry spells and even periods of drought. We sometimes pray for that spiritual water for so long that we wonder if it will ever come, yet if we remain faithful and wait on God, He always delivers.

We should always seek God’s water. It makes all the difference. A conversation with my Daddy reminded me. Perhaps you needed reminding too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

The Gift of the Pause

Posted on by Wendy
A simple pause can make all of the difference.

I was walking through campus on the way to my office one day last week, when I saw a man cutting the grass. It was early and he was up on a hill, a safe distance from me, but there was still some grass and dust flying around. As I got closer, he stopped his mowing. I smiled and mouthed, “thank-you.” He nodded and continued his mowing when I passed safely by.

I have to admit that he caught me completely by surprise. I work on a big campus. There is always lots of lawn work going on and lots of pedestrians walking around. I’ve no doubt that it would be very easy to get in a zone once he gets on a noisy lawnmower and tune out the world. It would be simple to focus on the task at hand, and who could blame him with so much work to do?

But, this man on this day, chose differently. He made it his business to look outside himself and his plans and pause to think about someone else. I thought about his unexpected act of kindness for the rest of the day.

We have become an incredibly self-focused society. We are busy. We have places to be and tasks to complete and it’s so easy to miss the many people who cross our paths daily when we leave ourselves so little space to breathe. Yet, most of us have multiple opportunities to make a difference to someone every single day simply by pausing and acknowledging their presence.

From the person who is checking us out at the grocery store, to the person on a scooter trying to reach something on a high shelf, to the child trying to get our attention during a favorite television show, eye contact and being present can make all of the difference to someone who may be struggling.

Make no mistake, we all struggle sometimes, maybe now more than ever.

The simple kindness of a pause by a complete stranger, reminded me to do the same. Sometimes I need reminding. Perhaps you do too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

 

Finding Joy in the Journey

Posted on by Wendy
Sometimes the shortest path isn’t always the best one.

I work at a large university and like all universities, parking is an issue. There’s just not enough of it.  I recently changed jobs at the university.

My last position was downtown. I was so excited to learn that I scored a spot in a lot right across the street from my building. It was so close! But, I quickly learned that being that close wasn’t necessarily a gift. The place where I had to cross the street was the spot where three streets converged. When I went to cross the street each morning, I had a long wait for the light to change. When it did change, almost as soon as I got in the crosswalk, the warning light began to blink and I had to rush to make it across before traffic began to move again.

It was a stressful start to each morning, no matter how short the distance was from my car to my desk.

When I accepted my new position, all of the lots next to my building were full. The closest parking spot for me was in a deck a fairly long way away. According to my Fitbit, it was right at 1,000 steps. I wasn’t super excited about the distance, but what I found was a delightful way to begin each day. The walk was though mature trees of all kinds. There were blooming flowers and chirping birds replaced the sounds of cars. A chipmunk or two ran across my path.

I quickly learned that the fastest way isn’t always the best way. There is beauty in the journey. That longer walk each morning helps me begin each day less stressed. It creates some space to be thankful and breathe. It reminds me to listen. It reminds me to watch for God and to enjoy the twists and turns along the path to where I am headed. Perhaps you needed reminding too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

A Prayer for Faith

Posted on by Wendy
Don’t miss a single blessing; there are so many!

A few days before a much anticipated celebratory weekend that included a trip to my parents’ house, a visit from my sister, a screening of my daughter’s film for her senior project, a low country boil to celebrate her college graduation, Mother’s Day and graduation, I discovered a lump that shouldn’t have been there.

There was a time in my life when I would likely have been devastated. I would have Googled every possible scenario and been unable to sleep. I would have probably spent lots of time begging God to make it go away. I would have sacrificed the blessings that God gifted me with by focusing on the unknown and not relying on my faith.

I did pray for intervention and healing, but I didn’t start there. This time I asked Jesus to give me peace remembering the verse,  “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” (John 14:27) I asked Jesus to help me stay focused on Him and not to allow my circumstances to steal my joy because I had so very much to be joyful about and I knew I would never again have those moments. I prayed that He would use whatever the outcome to glorify Him and then I prayed for healing.

Jesus answered my prayers. A deep peace settled over me. I had a wonderful weekend and celebrated to the fullest. I laughed a lot, ate great food, took lots of pictures and made memories that will stay with me forever. I felt nothing, but pure joy when I hugged my mama on Mother’s Day, and when my daughter unwrapped her graduation gifts and when she walked across the stage, officially becoming an adult.

I started a brand new job two days after graduation and I was still at peace when I met my new co-workers and settled into my new office. When the day came to get everything checked out, I met another woman in the waiting room and we discussed our faith and how we knew that everything would be ok, no matter the outcome. I knew that God had put her there.

Turned out, that the lump was nothing, completely benign and I said a prayer of thanks, not just for the outcome, but because of the peace that I felt during the entire ordeal and when I got into the car, the song, “I Will Praise You in the Storm,” was playing and I felt complete gratitude wash over me.

I was reminded that on this side of eternity, we will always have joy and pain mingled together. That’s a guarantee. What we decide to focus on, is up to us. Sometimes I need reminding. Perhaps you did too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

 

 

No Post Today

Posted on by Wendy

Last Saturday, my family had a celebration for my daughter’s college graduation. On Sunday, we celebrated Mother’s Day with my mom. On Monday, my daughter graduated and on Wednesday, I started a new job. I had a really blessed and busy week and very little quiet time to reflect and write, so I don’t have a post today. I hope you have a wonderful weekend and hope to meet back here next week.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Lessons from a Hummingbird

Posted on by Wendy
God’s promises don’t change simply because we can’t see the end from somewhere in the middle.

One morning last week, as I tiptoed into the kitchen to get my morning coffee, a little red dot at the window caught my eye and I found myself grinning as I thanked God for the good morning from Him. I had been praying that He would show Himself that morning. We had been through a couple of dark and stormy days and I had been cooped up in the house.

A couple of weeks earlier, I spotted a lone hummingbird in my yard. I love those little bossy birds and when I see the first one of the season, it becomes official in my mind, that summer, my very favorite time of the year, is coming. I quickly went inside, pulled out my feeder and made the sugar water concoction that they enjoy and then I waited.

A week passed with no visitors. I dumped it out and refilled it. Another week passed with no birds. The rains came. And then, out of the corner of my eye, early that morning, I spotted one with his ruby red throat, taking a sip. He flew away the minute he saw me, but it was too late, hope bloomed and joy filled my heart.

God had been listening all along as He always does. Even as I made the nectar and then had to dump it and make more, God was at work, planning. He rewarded my faithfulness even as I grumbled about it, even as I doubted. Did I really even see the first one? Maybe I was mistaken.

How often do we do doubt what we know we are called to do, when we don’t get any results from our work? Do we doubt the calling? Did I really hear God right? Sometimes I pray really hard about something and when I get the answer, I proceed, but then things get rough and I don’t feel blessings raining down and I question. Maybe you do too? Then, I will pray hard for even more validation and I am sometimes met with silence.

Yet, how I proceed from that point makes all the difference. Do I continue to trust God or do I put my trust in my current circumstances and act accordingly? If I am honest, I have done both. Looking back, I wonder how many blessings I missed out on when I decided to trust my own judgement that has been clouded simply by what I see before me. I allow myself to forget that I am confined to the here and now. God is not.

Thankfully, God is always willing to give me second chances. He is faithful even when I am not. His mercies are new every morning. That particular morning I was reminded. Perhaps you needed reminding too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

No Post Today

Posted on by Wendy

Due to an unbelievably hectic week, I don’t have a post today. I pray that you have a wonderful weekend and I hope to meet you back here next week.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂