Your Testimony

Posted on by Wendy
We sometimes forget how beautiful and freeing grace can be.
We sometimes forget how beautiful and freeing grace can be.

I have a dear friend who has spent the past year and a half, wrestling with God. She was raised Catholic, but had lapsed for the most part. Her son, had friends who invited him to the Baptist church. He really loved it and kept telling her how much he was learning about the Bible. She decided to attend.

She also loved it, but had no intention of joining. Jesus had a different plan and repeatedly put on her heart that she needed to join. The thing was that they wouldn’t accept her Catholic baptism. They wanted her to profess her faith as an adult and be dunked. She wrestled with Jesus for a long time about it.

She told me that he kept telling her that she needed to be baptized. I told her if that was the case, she better get baptized. I asked her if it ever occurred to her, that if she would be obedient, that she could stop wrestling. She smiled and shook her head.

She and her son were both baptized last Sunday. She asked me if I knew what all joining the church entailed. I told her she had been baptized. Now, she and her son would simply stand in front of the congregation and publicly say they wanted to join. Then she asked me about her testimony. She said that word kept coming up and wasn’t really sure what it meant.

I told her that it’s simply your story. How exactly did you find your way to Jesus? What sorts of detours did you take along the way?

She considers her past quite checkered and has had a lot of regrets. When we have talked about it before, I reminded her that there are no degrees of sin. It’s all the same in God’s eyes and it’s all bad. Her sins are no worse than anyone else’s. That kind of thought comes from Satan, not Jesus.

But, that day, after her baptism, when we were talking about the concept of testimony, her story had changed. She said she was happy to share her past if it would help others. Then she intently looked at me and said, “I mean, I have no reason to be ashamed, right?”

I can’t tell you the joy I felt at her words. She really had, “gotten it.” She truly understood and embraced grace. I told her, “no.” She had no reason to be ashamed. Jesus had washed all of the past away. She was forgiven and loved.

That’s the beautiful freeing power of grace. So many of us lifelong Christians forget the freedom that comes from knowing Jesus. We are forgiven. We are loved. Jesus doesn’t care about our baggage. We have work to do.

And as far as your testimony, she nailed it. If you can help somebody on their faith journey with it, by all means share, but that should be the only reason you feel the need to bring up your past mistakes. Jesus has moved on and we should too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Teaching Trust

Posted on by Wendy
Whenever I try to teach my kids to trust in God's plan, He always intervenes.
Whenever I try to teach my kids to trust in God’s plan, He always intervenes.

My kids started back to school today after a fabulous summer break. They were not happy. My son spent his last day of sweet summer with friends in the neighborhood, riding bikes and enjoying the outdoors. My daughter met some friends at a pool and then we added a few more and they convened in our basement to talk about the perils of school and how they dreaded it.

I had to run a quick errand to pick up some drum sticks for my son when my daughter called panicked. While she wasn’t happy about going back to school, she had what she considered, the perfect schedule. She had friends in every class and lunch with three of her besties. The girls had all checked the Power School app one more time and she discovered that her schedule had been changed. She had been taken out of math and put into chemistry. This also changed her lunch period.

It had been less than twenty-four hours since we attended the school open house and someone had changed her schedule. This may seem like a very minor issue, and to adults, it is, but to a high school sophomore, it was huge. She asked me to e-mail her adviser and I reminded her that I was driving. I suggested that she e-mail him.

She hates to deal with authority. She would much rather avoid conflict at all cost. Reluctantly, she agreed. I said a prayer for her at this point. I could feel God’s hand in this situation. She e-mailed her adviser and he e-mailed her right back. He was very kind and told her that he didn’t change her schedule, that one of the administrators did, probably to balance class size. He promised to look into it.

She worried all evening. I asked her if she had prayed about it and she said yes. Then I asked her if it ever occurred to her that God had a plan for her, that perhaps she was supposed to meet some new people in the chemistry class. There would be upperclassmen in there as well. I reminded her that when she got put into a group on her mission trip without her friends, she had the time of her life and was thrilled that she ended up where she did. She wasn’t convinced.

She went on to bed and this morning, she was surprisingly calm. I reminded her that life is full of curve balls and that everyone at some point in life, had something changed against their wishes. She e-mailed her adviser again and he asked her to speak to one of the assistant principals. She was super nervous about that, but she had also found a friend in the new class, a girl from church, a girl from our small group class last year. She decided that either way, things would be fine.

Teaching my teens to trust God is one of the most difficult tasks around. When the seemingly minutiae in life is a huge deal, it’s hard to show them that there is in fact, a bigger plan and that God has their best in mind. I find myself praying a lot about wisdom and the ability to show them the truth.

The thing is, when I pray about teaching them trust, God always comes through. After all, He wants them to learn about trusting Him too. I know that God doesn’t work like a genie and the answer to some prayers is no, but the fact that we talked about praying about it, and the fact that she dealt with her adviser herself and the fact that she decided it would be okay either way, had God’s fingerprints all over it.

In the end, she texted me that she was able to keep math and I said a prayer of thanks to the God who loves my children more than I do, as hard as that is for me to understand.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Jesus Take the Wheel

Posted on by Wendy
Jesus take the wheel, should probably be our go to answer for all of life's issues.
Jesus take the wheel, should probably be our go to answer for all of life’s issues.

My fifteen-year-old daughter has been driving for right at a week now. It has been a white-knuckle experience. It’s not that she’s a bad driver; it’s that she’s a new driver and very inexperienced. I promised myself that I would not be a yeller when my kids started driving. I remember feeling like my mama was always screaming when I was newly behind the wheel.

I am sorry to say I have broken that promise and I’m sure as my mama is reading this, she is laughing out loud. I am also sure that she’s looking at the screen and saying out loud, “My daddy always said that you don’t pay for your raising until you have your own.” As usual, Granddaddy was right.

As we were traveling to guitar lessons yesterday, we approached a yellow light. I told her to slow down. She kept her speed. It turned red. I told her to stop. She gunned it. At this point, I was screaming. She slammed on brakes, stopping us in the cross walk. She started crying. The guy on the bike crossing the street was cussing and glaring at us. I am sure if I were ever going to have a stress related heart attack, that would have been the moment.

When we finally arrived at guitar, she was still sniffling. I was shaking, (close to shock I think), when Ms. Vanda, her guitar teacher, came to the door calling out how proud she was the my daughter had received her learner’s permit. When we described what had happened, she had a few stories of her own about her son and her own experiences while learning to drive. She attributed her surviving them to the “hand of God.”

She told my daughter that she had worked on the perfect song for them to play; “Jesus Take the Wheel,” by Carrie Underwood. Perfect.

As I sat on her couch working to regain my composure and thanking God for keeping us safe, it occurred to me that we all have those driving stories. I’ll bet you can think of a few of your own. Almost every adult I know drives, which means at some point, they had to learn. But, rarely do I hear a fatal story involving a student driver. It has to be the “hand of God.”

When I pray that God will grow my faith, I should know by now, that I have to fasten my seat belt. Growth is rarely painless. But, let me tell you, if you want to really trust God, get in the passenger seat of a teen driver. He is definitely clearing your path and keeping you safe.

But, the deeper reality is that we are never really in control. We can make choices, but in the end, the big stuff, like our health and whether we keep our jobs or if we will return home safely from work everyday, that’s out of our hands. Riding with a student driver is a concrete reminder that we all should be saying, “Jesus take the wheel,” and stop panicking and worrying so much. That’s easier said than done, believe me; I know, but it really is the only way to find peace in the turbulent world we live in.

I know I’ll be saying those words very regularly over the next year. Maybe you would like to join me.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Here’s to New Beginnings

Posted on by Wendy
What will you do today to celebrate the first day of the rest of your life?
What will you do today to celebrate the first day of the rest of your life?

I attended a retirement celebration for my Daddy on Saturday. I have to say that it really was a treat. Is was a rather informal affair. An invitation went out over the internet inviting all who worked with him or had worked with him to meet at a bar-b-cue restaurant in Macon. We were happy to drive down and participate.

What I wasn’t prepared for were the sixty plus people who showed up to bid him farewell. The sheer number made me incredibly proud of him. Then there were the gifts and presentations. There were more than a few people who shed some tears. My heart swelled with love for him as grown men dabbed at their eyes.

Most all of them commented on how much they would miss his smile. He worked there for eighteen years. I think to be remembered for his smile is a really awesome testament to him.

The evening wound down and we went back to my parents’ house. When we were sitting at the pool the next day, Daddy came walking out in his swim suit. I was pretty shocked. He works on keeping the pool perfect for swimming all of the time, but he rarely swims. He’s always too busy. He has worked his entire life and relaxing has never been something he is good at.

Imagine my surprise when he grabbed a float and tossed it in the pool. When he got in and got on it I was speechless. (a fairly rare occurrence for me)  Of course, I had to get the camera and snap some shots. When I finished, I told my mom how shocked I was.

She leaned over and told me, “I told him when he got up this morning that today was the first day of the rest of his life, that he better get up and start enjoying it and that he needed to put on his suit and come out to the pool.”

Those were wise words to be sure. We have all heard them before; but that doesn’t make them any less true. Everyday that we wake up and get out of bed is the first day of the rest of our lives. It’s a brand new chance to eat better, exercise, be a better spouse, be a better friend, call an old friend, spend more time with family, read the Bible or talk to God.

Every morning when we wake up, we have concrete proof that God is not finished with us yet. We have work to do and dreams to pursue.

New beginnings can be scary. We are starting a new school year this week. New jobs can be scary or new relationships. New chapters can be scary. But they can be exciting too and they can be fun.

Daddy’s zest for the first day of the rest of his life has inspired me to play more and smile more and not to be afraid to take the plunge, whatever that may be. The Bible tells us there is a time for everything.

I challenge you to say a prayer and find what your time is today and jump in. There’s no time like the present.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Tossing Out the Bad

Posted on by Wendy
I discovered this squash on my daily garden check. It had to be thrown in the trash.
I discovered this squash on my daily garden check. It had to be thrown in the trash.

I check on my little garden everyday. There are usually a few tomatoes and okra to be harvested and sometimes some squash. Yesterday, I discovered this unfortunate squash. Something had burrowed into it and it was rotting rather quickly. I hate to throw out something that I have taken the time to nurture and grow.

But, if I leave something rotting, hanging on the vine next to healthy fruit and vegetables, it will draw more pests, putting my entire little crop in danger. That little squash stayed in my thoughts and made me think about how our lives can have similar issues.

We can be cruising along, minding our own business, when something unexpected happens to us. A person or a situation can make us angry,  hurt our feelings or make us jealous. Often, these feelings are fleeting and only upset us for a very short time. But, sometimes, we allow these feelings to take root in our hearts.

When we allow things like anger, jealousy and hurt feelings to take root, they begin to take on a life of their own. They grow and get bigger. They fester. They begin to poison the good things in our lives. Feelings of contentment, thankfulness and forgiveness begin to take a backseat, while the negativity continues to grow.

As we focus on the negative, we attract more pests, and all of the good gets overshadowed by the bad. There is no room for the Holy Spirit within all of that negativity because we shut down and can no longer hear him. There is no room for things like love, joy and peace which are the Spirit’s fruits.

We can allow that one slight, whether big or small,  to take over our entire being. The good news is that we can take precautions.

The good news is we have a guide-book to help us navigate life’s sometimes bumpy, roads. The Bible has a ton of advice on dealing with life’s curve balls. Philippians 4:8 says, “And now dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.”

I have always loved that verse. It helps to remind us to focus on the good, not the bad.

Psalm 37:8 says, “Stop being angry! Turn from your rage. Do not lose your temper- it only leads to harm.”

We are told here that we do have a choice whether to turn towards or away from anger.

Ephesians 4:26-27 tells us, “And, don’t sin by letting anger control you. Don’t let the sun go down while you are still angry, for anger gives a foothold to the devil.”

Here again, we have a choice about how we deal with our emotions. Sure, we are going to get angry and we will likely get our feelings hurt from time to time, if we choose to live among other humans. We may find ourselves with some jealousy over someone else’s accomplishments. These are normal feelings, but they are only feelings. When we acknowledge them honestly in prayer, we can activate the Holy Spirit’s presence in our lives and toss them in the trash where they belong, like that little squash.

Then, we can live in peace with joy. I think that is something worth striving for. What about you?

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

The Beauty of Ugly Tomatoes

Posted on by Wendy
I'll bet you wouldn't choose this tomato in a grocery store.
I’ll bet you wouldn’t choose this tomato in a grocery store.

When I go to the grocery store and look for produce, I look for the shiniest apples that are perfectly formed. I do the same with tomatoes and all other produce that I purchase. Now I know that they have been sprayed and waxed to sell, but to reach for the perfect is my first instinct.

The only problem is, perfection on the outside is often not a great indicator of what is on the inside. My Uncle Eddie is a connoisseur of tomatoes. All my life I have heard him telling stories of stopping at vegetable stands all over Florida and asking if the tomatoes were “hot-house.” He rarely believed them when they said no, and always made the vendor cut one and let him taste it. He always said that tasting it was the only way to really tell. Tasting it was the only way to get to the truth.

I never really understood why, until I grew my own. Growers can use greenhouses to grow tomatoes year round. They can look perfect. You can’t tell them from the ones you grow in your own backyard, but the catch is, they have very little flavor. They look great, but taste bad. Isn’t taste the reason that you buy any produce?

My fifteen-year-old daughter was recently talking about a girl in her school that everyone thinks is pretty. I told her that I agreed; the girl was definitely pretty. But, then she called me out. “She talks about everyone behind their backs; she says one thing and does another and she cusses all of the time. I just can’t see past that. To me, the way she acts, makes her unattractive.”

Mommy got schooled!

I have always said that God talks to me through my own children as well as all children I come in contact with. Sometimes my teenagers have wisdom to share. I’m so glad she picked up on, that what is on the inside counts. I have tried to teach that little truth for years and here she was teaching me.

It’s easy to judge people and fruit by the outside package. Movies, magazines and television are more than happy to encourage us to do that. But, the little tomato from my garden reminds me that it is important to look deeper. I suppose people are not much different than hot-house tomatoes. It’s great that they are gorgeous and perfect on the outside, but when it comes to friends, we really want what’s on the inside.

Things like integrity, honesty, loyalty and kindness matter so much more than perfect hair and teeth or the fact that they are always dressed like they stepped out of a magazine.

The Bible tells us that we are all made in God’s image. God looks at the heart of a person, not the outside. Maybe we should really make the same effort. Those people who show some wear and tear on the outside may have chosen to focus on growing what’s inside them. Those people who wear dated clothes may be giving their money to worthier causes than fashion. Perhaps those people who live in run down houses are focusing their energies elsewhere or maybe they are focusing on simply surviving.

We all have a story to tell. We all have a piece to contribute to God’s giant puzzle. My little tomato is a great reminder to seek out people that I might not normally seek. They may be full of experiences and wisdom to share that I would have missed had I just gone by what I see on the outside.

I don’t need hot-house people in my life. I need the genuine. Don’t we all?

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Seeing Past the Messy

Posted on by Wendy
These tomatoes had some dirt on them from the garden, but God made dirt!
These tomatoes had some dirt on them from the garden, but God made dirt!

I was piddling in the garden this morning and I picked some tomatoes and a couple of pieces of okra and knocked on the kitchen door and handed them to my son. I asked him to put them on the counter. As he took them he replied, “But, they are dirty.”

I chuckled as I answered, “Of course, they are dirty; they came from the dirt.”

He shook his head and did as he was asked.

As I returned to the backyard, I pondered our brief encounter. We are programmed from a very young age that dirt and mess are not good. We then turn around and pass that same mentality to our kids.

But, when you really think about it, some of the things that produce the biggest mess, bring us the greatest joy. I have delighted in growing my own vegetables. I feel the presence of God when I watch a bud turn into a flower and then into an actual edible vegetable. It’s dirty though. I have to keep a pair of shoes by the door or I will track dirt in from the outside. The veggies often have dirt on them. There are bugs too, good and bad.

But, frying okra that I grew myself? It’s an amazing feeling.

Pets are another example of the constantly messy, but totally worth it. Our dogs have to be bathed and brushed. They shed constantly and the house has to be vacuumed several times a week and there are still hairballs. But, there’s nothing like waking up in the morning to a wagging tail or coming home to these amazing creatures that seem to think I am the greatest human being ever made. What a gift!

Is the mess worth it? Oh, yes!

The media has programmed us to believe that our houses should look like the ones on television or in magazines, perfection. We can also be lead to believe that our relationships should look that way too. But, relationships, like the garden, are messy. People are messy.

When we really allow ourselves to love another human being, it’s messy. There are times when our feelings will get hurt. There are times when we no longer “feel the love.” That is where faith comes in.

If some of my tomatoes get worms, I don’t dig up the entire plant. I simply remove the injured fruit and search for the worms. Those suckers are good at hiding too.

When my dog has some type of accident on the floor, I clean it up. Yes, it’s disgusting. Yes, I may fuss at him. But, I’m certainly not going to take him to the pound and be done with him.

Human relationships are messy. There’s no way around it. It’s true that getting your feelings hurt and your heart broken is painful. But, is loving each other worth it? You bet. So much so, that it made the red-letter words in the Bible.

“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” Jesus  (John 13:34-35)

I don’t think I can top that.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Lessons from the Church Parking Lot

Posted on by Wendy
While giving driving lessons in the parking lot, I contemplated the lessons we can learn inside the church.
While giving driving lessons in the parking lot, I contemplated the lessons we can learn inside the church.

My hubby and I recently took our fifteen-year-old daughter to our church parking lot to let her drive her car. She had only been behind the wheel one other time and it was time to get her learner’s permit. Before we let her get on the open highway, we thought it might be a good idea to get in a little practice.

There wasn’t a soul there, so she was free to learn how much pressure to put on the gas and brakes without giving us all whiplash. She got a little practice in going in reverse and using the blinkers. She parked it in one of the many empty spaces. Then she started driving around the church, I pointed out the lines on the pavement and told her she was supposed to keep the car between the lines. With a little practice, she was able to. (Thankfully!)

My hubby commented that people come to our church all of the time to do the same thing. I told him that one of her friends had practiced there too. He said that he often saw people on Fridays, when he cuts grass there, pulling into the parking lot, looking around and changing drivers. They are looking for a good safe place to practice.

The thought occurred to me how going inside the church provides us with safety as well. When we are traveling on our life’s journey, we need a lot of instruction and practice. We need a guide-book. God has provided us with one. The Bible has all kinds of answers and wisdom to deal with life’s crossroads. Attending church can help us decipher it.

We also need the instructions from more experienced Christians. I wouldn’t let a sixteen-year-old teach my fifteen-year-old how to drive. She needs someone with more experience. Church offers the unique opportunity to be around other Christians in various stages of their faith walk. All can offer valid encouragement and advice, but those who have been on the journey the longest, are those who I seek when I really need wisdom.

The church community can also help us to keep it between the lines. Life can get tricky and we can find ourselves in areas of gray. As you know, crossing the lines on the road can be dangerous or even deadly. The lines on our life’s journey can be the same. When we have good friends within our church community, we can counsel each other when the lines get blurred. The Bible tells us, “He who walks with the wise, grows wise, but a companion of fools suffers harm.” Proverbs 13:20

Sometimes we can find ourselves out in the parking lot. We may be hesitant to go in for a million reasons ranging from something in our past to fear of being embarrassed or judged. We need to remember that what goes on inside the church is soothing balm to weary souls, no matter what your story is. Let’s get out of the parking lot and into the church and be sure to drag any stragglers along too.

It’s cool and comforting on the inside and God is waiting with open arms, just thrilled that you stopped by.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Praying for Discernment

Posted on by Wendy

 

After months of praying and searching the perfect car presented itself.
After months of praying and searching the perfect car presented itself.

The older I get, the more I find myself praying that God will help me with discernment. When I was younger, I would pray that God would let this be the right job or this guy be the right one. Now, I find myself praying that God will give me the wisdom to make the right choices, or for discernment.

This takes a fair amount of patience most of the time. When hubby and I decided we needed a bigger house, we prayed about it and we looked around for about a year. It was really comical at the time; when we would look at a house and kind of like it, it would go under contract the next day, even if it had been on the market for months. God was at work.

When our realtor finally showed us the house we are living in, we knew immediately that we had found it. It had been on the market for over a year and had been marked down a few times. As I sit in this house that I love so much, some nine years later, I know that it was meant for us. Prayer and patience landed us here and trust that God had His best plan for us in motion.

For a little over a year now, I have been praying that we could find the right used car for my daughter this summer. We were on a very tight budget and we wanted something reliable, with good gas mileage and low miles. We weren’t asking much, right? Keeping in mind that nothing is impossible with God, I continued to pray. I combed the internet for hours at the time.

When something looked promising, I would pray that God would let us know if it wasn’t the right car. There were times when I knew I had found it and almost immediately, it sold. I never got discouraged. I kept in mind that He had a plan. We drove to Atlanta to look at a car that we thought was perfect for us, only to find that it had been wrecked and was not at all what was advertised.

My daughter’s birthday got closer and tensions began to rise. I remembered Joyce Meyer saying one time that God always provided for her family. He didn’t do it until the last minute because that’s what builds faith. I held that truth close.

A few days before her birthday, the right car presented itself. As we made plans to go and see it, I found myself once again praying that if it wasn’t the right car, to please let us know, if there was something wrong with it, to please give us discernment to see it or to let it be sold before we got there.

Turns out, in the nick of time, that the car I had prayed for turned up. It had everything on my prayer list and my daughter and hubby liked it. After driving it home, my hubby was even more confident.

And me? I was thankful that I had prayed for discernment. I pray for it more often in my life, as a mom and as a Christian. We are faced with tough decisions almost daily. Which is right and which is wrong? The Bible tells us that we can pray for wisdom and receive it. James 1:5

I think discernment goes hand-in-hand with wisdom. I think God wants us to make good choices. What father doesn’t? If we pray about the choices before us with an open heart, the answers will eventually come. It often takes perseverance and patience, but hey, aren’t we supposed to be working on those too?

What do you think about wisdom and discernment? I’d love to hear from you.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Praying Parents

Posted on by Wendy
There is an undeniable force that comes from praying parents.
There is an undeniable force that comes from praying parents.

I received a text in June from one of my daughter’s best friends. She wanted to know what I thought about her planning a surprise birthday party for my daughter at the end of July. I asked her what she had in mind. She said something simple, so I told her I thought it was a great idea. She was thrilled.

Let me give you a little background here. When we moved into our neighborhood, my daughter was in kindergarten. My son had a friend down the street. I prayed for years that a family with good strong values would move in with a daughter her age and that they would grow a strong friendship.

In fourth grade, that prayer was answered. My daughter and April became the best of friends.

One of my strongest prayers for both of my children has been that they will build strong, solid friendships. I think friendship is such a blessing. I stumbled upon a photo of my senior prom the other day of me and my four best friends from high school. It still warms my heart. I still love those girls.

My daughter and April have four other friends that they hang out with most of the time. Two of them went on a mission trip this summer with my daughter. All of them go to church. They are good for each other and good to each other. They have their ups and downs the way teen girls will, but they are never mean-spirited or disrespectful to one another.

So, yesterday, April asked my daughter if she could stop by her house because she wanted to give her something for her birthday. Our family stopped and made an excuse to go in with her. Her five best friends jumped out and said, “surprise!” My daughter was floored. She had no idea.

They all spent the night at our house. I have always made them welcome here. I think having a chance to hang out as a group helps to grow friendship. My mom felt the same way, so much so, that she put in a swimming pool. They stayed up half of the night talking and giggling like teenagers do.

When everyone was gone, my daughter and I had a chance to talk about it all. At first she felt overwhelmed by the gesture. But, then it dawned on her how blessed she is to have friends who love her and how blessed she is to have found these girls.

She’s learning the beauty of community. One of the girls broke up with her long time boyfriend this summer. The others rallied around her. One of the girls got a boyfriend for the first time. They have listened to her talk endlessly about him. They have supported each other. They are growing up.

As a mother, this is a powerful force to behold, this blooming friendship between these girls. I pray that God will continue to bless them and grow them to serve Him. Watching them together makes me give thanks for the beautiful friendships that I have been blessed with and I am reminded of the power of praying parents.

God is always listening. We need to make sure that we are talking.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂