May the true story of Easter transform our hearts and souls into the people we are called to be.

I have been seeing a lot of butterflies lately which is not unusual for spring time, but I have seen them enough to make a mental note. Then my mom sent a picture of one and I knew I was supposed to be paying attention.

I love the timeline of a butterfly. It starts off as a caterpillar, just a worm really, crawling around and looking for something to eat. You would have to make an effort to find most of them because they simply blend and if you did find one, you wouldn’t give it a second glance. You certainly wouldn’t be interested in a photo.

Then it wraps itself in a cocoon which is even a lowlier state than the caterpillar was. To the casual observer who knows no better, you would assume that it is dead. Why would you think otherwise? The business of transforming is often not pretty or fast. It takes time, patience and faith, something we often find ourselves short on, but nature has a way of reminding us to walk more closely with God and to align ourselves with His timing.

Easter weekend begins with Good Friday and the remembrance of the crucifixion. It’s certainly not pretty. It’s horrible, painful and bloody and necessary for salvation. We simply can’t get to Easter morning without going through Good Friday. Butterflies are not born as butterflies. They are transformed from what they were into something spectacular.

I am always tempted to skip over Good Friday. It’s hard. I can’t imagine what the people who truly loved Jesus must have thought on that Friday or the Saturday that followed. To them, all was lost. Saturday was probably as hard as Friday was, but God had a plan and on Sunday morning, the earth and all of its inhabitants were forever changed.

True redemption and grace were born when the disciples found an empty tomb. Jesus was not there because He was not dead and His resurrection has the power to transform us all. As we celebrate this Easter, may we feel the weight of Good Friday along with the joy of Easter and become the transformed people that Easter calls us to be. We may be born as caterpillars, but God wants us to be butterflies.

Happy Easter! He is risen!

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

“New seasons of life are often birthed in the midst of a storm.” Beth Warner

This past week has been a rough one for me. I will never completely understand how one solitary hour can create such havoc in my life. Last weekend we sprang our clocks forward sacrificing one hour of sleep, but gaining an hour of daylight.

I always look forward to the time change and what it represents. It’s like an official proclamation of spring. I love the longer days even though it takes me about a week to completely adjust to the change. Even though I always find myself tired and dragging, my fatigue is usually offset by longer days with more sunshine.

This year, the time change was followed by days of rain. It was dark outside as I sat at my kitchen table before work and it was cold, gray and pouring down rain on my way home. There were no walks after work. There was no extra daylight, just longer days that were dark and dreary.

On Thursday, when I headed to work, not only was it raining, but there was talk of severe weather. I was definitely already riding on the struggle bus as I trudged across the street, but when I got to my building and reached into the pocket of my raincoat to grab my mask, it was gone.

“Just great!” I grumbled.

I knew there was probably a spare in my purse, but my hands were full and it was raining. I pulled my jacket over my mouth and nose and darted in, hoping no one would see me and once again, cursing Covid. When I got to my desk, I was able to dig out a mask, which was a good thing because I suppose I wouldn’t have been able to go to the restroom all day without one.

As I sat there, waiting for my computer to boot up, frustrated, annoyed and quite frankly, overwhelmed, I received a notification from Facebook. Now, I have no idea why Facebook seems to randomly let me know when different people have posted, and I often ignore the buzzing phone, but a gentle nudge told me to take a look, so I did.

Beth, a friend of mine who is a farmer, and makes it her mission to see God in every place and every circumstance, had posted a picture of a chicken on a fence under the same dreary skies I was experiencing and grumbling about. Yet, she saw something different.

Her caption was, “Watching the skies, listening for the howling winds, ducking the rainstorms, praying against tornadoes…Springtime is not just about pretty blossoms, newborn lambs and balmy weather. New seasons of life are often birthed in the midst of a storm.”

She was right of course and her wise words sank deep into my weary soul. I sat there for a moment, thinking of all the forces that were in play for me to see that post at exactly that time and I was overwhelmed by the goodness of God, so much so that I felt led to share.

A social media post from a friend reminded me that new beginnings often come from stormy seasons. Perhaps you needed reminding too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 😊

We could learn a lot about hope from nature.

One day last week as I parked my car at work, I felt weariness set in. It was cold and gray out. As I got out and put my gloves on, I grabbed my umbrella because we were expecting rain again, I sighed. I trudged up the hill and waited for the light to change, so I could cross  the street to get to my office. After playing real life Frogger, I’ll have to admit, I felt both my conviction and resolve to be a light to others that I made a mere hour earlier, fading fast.

Maybe I am the only person who struggles with this? I sit at my cozy kitchen table in the quiet of the morning with a cup of coffee and read a devotional. I write down Bible verses. I pray. I resolve to go out into the world and be the light of Christ to others. I resolve to be at peace and not let the petty annoyances of life affect me. I resolve to remember that God has a plan and to stay focused on Him.

Then I walk out my door out into the world. It’s cold outside. Someone cuts me off in traffic. It’s raining out and my feet get wet. The wind blows hard and my resolve and conviction tend to get blown away.

But, as I walked a few more steps, I was greeted by a planter box full of budding daffodils and I had to stop for a minute. It was amazing how they stood in such stark contrast against the gray skies and the loud traffic. It was almost as if they defiantly chose to offer hope even though there was no visible reason for them to, at least to the human eye. It was as if they knew something that I didn’t, but isn’t that always the way with God’s creation?

I smiled and felt my peace and resolve return as I headed inside.

I thought about those budding flowers for the rest of the day and about hope they represented. They were determined to bloom despite the circumstances. As people of faith, aren’t we called to do the same?

Some budding daffodils reminded me to stand up straight and point the people living in this dark world to Jesus with the power of hope, no matter what circumstances we may find ourselves in. Sometimes I need reminding. Perhaps you do too.

Have awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

The timing of the sunrise text was no coincidence.

One morning, late, last week, I was running a little late, getting ready for work. It was my first week back in the office after recovering from being sick and I was exhausted. I was also feeling a little discouraged about the movie, Groundhog Day, feel, my life had recently taken on.

The news was the same everyday. The pandemic was still raging on. We were were still wearing masks and socially distancing at almost a year in. Our nation was still divided even after the election. I felt both physically and mentally exhausted. Maybe you can relate?

Before I went downstairs, I prayed that God would reveal some truth and offer some hope through His word, in my daily devotions and that He would allow me to feel His presence. I know He’s always working and I know He’s always close by, but this morning, I prayed for reassurance.

I was not disappointed.

The first devotion I read, centered in on Esther and her being exactly where she was at exactly when she was for a reason, for such a time as this. I felt encouraged.  Could this same concept apply to me? Didn’t Esther and I worship the same God?

I already felt better when I navigated to my next reading. This one focused on the prophet Elisha found in 2 Kings. Elisha’s servant is trembling because to the physical eye, they were surrounded by enemies on all sides. There was no escape. Elisha reassured him that, “there were more with us than with them.” But the servant was not convinced. All he could see was the enemy. So, Elisha prayed that God would let the servant see what Elisha knew to be true. God in His goodness, answered his prayer and it was revealed that the hills were filled with horses and chariots of fire. An unseen angel army was protecting them.

As I pondered the faithfulness of God in sending not one, but two messages of encouragement, I received a text from a friend. It read, “The sunrise is absolutely stunning.”

As I got up and walked to the front of my house to take a look, the majesty took my breath away. I went outside in the cold and snapped some photos and sent it to two other people.

When I went back to the same window, just a few minutes later, the moment had past. Of course, the sun was still there, but the brilliance and the color was only there at that moment when my friend felt prompted to text me about it. I was both humbled and amazed at God’s timing.

As I reflected on the meaning of it all on my drive into work, I was reminded that I too, am here at this time in this place for a reason, because God has a plan for me even though at times, it looks like Groundhog Day. I was also reminded that because I am His, there are many more with me than against me. And the timing of that sunrise? There are no coincidences with God. That too, was carefully planned.

Sometimes I need reminding. Perhaps you do too?

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

He says, “Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted on the earth.” Psalm 46:10

On most mornings, I eat my breakfast and read several devotionals. I drink my coffee and write down my thoughts. I pray. My kitchen table faces a group of windows and lately, it’s been really dark out in the mornings. But, one particular day, as I was grumbling to myself about the darkness, I felt a nudge to turn off the lights above the table.

So, I did.

I was pleasantly surprised to find that when I turned off the man-made light, I could see God’s. It wasn’t bright sunshine, but it wasn’t darkness either. It was a little message of hope of the day to come. As I sat there praying, I thanked God for showing me the light and the more I gave thanks, the brighter it became.

For the rest of the week, I did the same. I would read my devotional and then turn off the lights and God met me there every morning. When I actively sought His light, I found it.

The first chapter in Genesis tells us that God created the heavens and the earth and right after, in verse three, He said, “let there be light.” And there was light and He saw that it was good. I have always been encouraged that right after He created the heavens and the earth, He created light. He didn’t need the light. He created it for us. He knew we needed it and He gave it to us.

In the same vein, whenever I find myself stumbling in the darkness and I actively seek His light, He always provides it in some way. On that particular morning, He showed me the same light He has been providing since the beginning of time, reminding me that He is timeless, ever present and always providing, even when I am too busy or distracted to see it.

In this noisy, angry world that we find ourselves living in at the moment, He reminded me in the quiet of the dawning day to, “Be still and know that I am God.” Then He showed me the same the next day and the day after. Sometimes I need reminding. Perhaps you do too. May I suggest a sunrise?

Have an awesome day!
Wendy 🙂