Never grow tired of doing good.

Posted on by Wendy

I was able to visit with my parents last weekend. I haven’t seen them since the summer, so I was really looking forward to the visit. After dinner, we lingered around the table as we often do and caught each other up on the recent happenings in our lives. My daddy, like most southern men, is a gifted storyteller, so when he launched into one of his tales, I had no idea what was coming.

He was heading home from work a couple of weeks earlier and came upon a horrible car accident. He stopped his truck, turned on the emergency flashers and got out to see if he could help. There was a SUV and a small Honda involved. He had actually seen the Honda a few minutes earlier. There was a man in the driver’s seat of the Honda who wasn’t moving. His window was shattered and Dad reached in to check his pulse. He was deceased. The woman from the other car told him there was someone else in the car. Dad had her sit on the curb and went to check. Sure enough, there was a child in the passenger seat. His foot was hung on something and he was in silent shock. Dad dialed 911.

The following happened in minutes. A man appeared and asked if he could help. Dad told him yes, that he needed to turn traffic around in one direction. This was a very busy, well-traveled street; if someone came barreling down the highway, these cars could be hit again before he could get the child out. A second man appeared asking if he needed help and dad asked him to stop traffic in the other direction. These civilian men literally helped to create a safety zone so that this child could be rescued. They turned all types of vehicles around including a bus.

When Dad was able to get to the child, the window was jammed and the boy couldn’t get it down. A third stranger appeared asking if he could help. Dad told him they had to get the window out and get the child’s foot loose so they could get him out. He tried to pull the window out of the door frame and it miraculously came out in one piece. At this point in the story, my dad stopped. He was a mechanic for many years; car windows don’t come out in one piece. They shatter. If it had shattered, the child would have been covered in glass. It didn’t. It came out in one piece. The man standing beside him reached into the car and freed the child’s foot and Dad was able to lift him out safely. A fire truck arrived shortly after followed by the police.

After it was all over, Dad was plagued with the thoughts that always follow a tragedy. If he would have been five minutes earlier, he would have missed the entire scene. If  he would have been two minutes earlier, he would have been in the accident. Who were these men who came out of nowhere at exactly the right moment to help in this rescue? Why did the window come out like it did? The answer to all of these questions is of course, God’s timing. All of these pieces didn’t simply come together by chance.  Dad and the other men, were there in that place at that moment for that purpose. “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works which God prepared in advance for us to do.” Ephesians 2:10 NIV Notice, God prepared in advance. And as for the window, we know, nothing is impossible with God.

As Christians, we are supposed to do good as often as we can. The Bible tells us, “Let us not become weary of doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” Galatians 6:9  God is all around us. His footprints are everywhere. I wanted to share Dad’s story because I think we need to hear more about regular people doing good. As I’ve said before, with God’s help, one person can make a difference. What good can you do today?

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Anger management

Posted on by Wendy

There’s a  lot of anger swirling around at the moment. Our government has shut down and we are about to hit the debt ceiling again. Real people are not getting paid and have either been furloughed or are working for free. The legislative branch and the executive branch of our government are acting like a bunch of kids in different gangs (picture Spanky and Alfalfa from Our Gang not the Hell’s Angels). Every time I turn on the news, or check Facebook or the internet the volume has been turned up. Americans are angry and we have a right to be.

Anger is a God-given emotion and there is nothing wrong with it in its place. There’s something called righteous anger and that’s the type of anger that we feel when we or someone we care about,  have been lied to or stolen from or mistreated. This is the anger that most of us are feeling right now and while it may be justified, we really need to be careful. The Bible tells us in Ephesians 4:26-27, “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.”

Uhoh, that verse mentioned the devil. Modern Christians don’t like to talk about Satan much which is unfortunate because the silence has allowed him to run wild. When I Googled “Satan in the Bible,” 183 verses appeared. That’s an awful lot of writing in the scripture for us to ignore it. I think there may be a misconception about Satan among Christians. We are saved; we are believers; so Satan is no longer a threat to us. Therein lies the rub. I heard Joyce Meyer once say that Satan knows that he can’t win the Christian soul, so he doesn’t try for it. He wreaks havoc among Christians by distracting them from doing what they are called to do.

This really spoke to me. Satan has been called the great deceiver. Do you remember what he said to Eve in the garden? He asked Eve, “Did God really say…?” He made her question God’s command. He is referred to in the scripture  as a thief, a liar and the deceiver of the whole world. What does this have to do with anger? While there is nothing wrong with anger in itself; when we become consumed with it, it controls us. Once it controls us, it can lead to hate which is the opposite of the fruit of the spirit, love. When we allow ourselves to be controlled by anger, we open our hearts up to the darkness and deceit that come from our enemy. We begin to demonize the person or people that we are angry with and not the act. We can find ourselves on a slippery slope.

So what can we do? Are we not allowed to be angry with our leaders who we feel are not representing us properly? Of course we are allowed to be angry, but what do we do with it? First, we need to pray for our leaders on both sides. Pray that God will convict them to do the right thing. Pray that they will turn their hearts to God and do his will. Pray this prayer often, not just once. Then write a letter to your congressman or send an e-mail. Sign petitions if you feel lead to do so. But after we have prayed, after we have done what we can, we need to “let go and let God” and turn down the rhetoric and get back to doing the good work we have been called to do.

In other words, we need to put our eyes back on Christ and away from the evils of this world. “Don’t let evil conquer you, but conquer evil by doing good.” Romans 12:21. I realize that this is much easier said than done, but I really think we need to try because there’s no way anything good can come out of all of this anger and hate that is swirling around. Let’s remember that God is in control and that he has a plan. Let’s start praying about this. Will you join me?

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

God’s Never Ending Optimism

Posted on by Wendy

IMG_3744

I have always been a glass half full kind of girl. I don’t know why. It’s just my nature. My hubby is not someone who I would consider optimistic. He claims to be a realist. Which one of us is right? Research has shown that people who are optimistic  have better levels of cholesterol, stronger immune systems, lower risk of heart attack and stroke and they live longer. Conversely, Harvard research has shown that ongoing negative states like anxiety, depression, anger and hostility are bad for cardiovascular health.

What does the Bible say about optimism? While it doesn’t use the word specifically, I think God shows his optimism for humanity over and over in the Bible. Take a look at David. The fate of all of Israel rested on a teenage boy and his ability to use a slingshot. Check out Jonah. Yes, we all remember he was swallowed by a giant fish because he wouldn’t do what God told him to do, but do you remember why he didn’t want to go? It wasn’t because of fear for his personal safety like we might expect. In Jonah 4:2, he says: “Didn’t I say before I left home that you would do this Lord? That is why I ran away to Tarshish! I knew that you are a merciful and compassionate God, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love. You are eager to turn back from destroying people.” Jonah ran because he was fearful that the people of Ninevah would repent and be saved when they heard God’s message. God’s optimism for the wicked people of a Ninevah had him send a prophet. God’s optimism paid off. All of the people repented and were saved.

What about Joshua and Caleb? They were the only two out of twelve who were sent to explore the Promised Land who came back with a good report. Ten of the men caused the Israelites to believe them instead of Joshua and Caleb and rebel against God and it cost them 40 years in the dessert. But, did God strike down everyone? No, he was optimistic that Joshua could lead the people in the future and lead he did. He proved to be a fabulous leader for the people of Israel and he was instrumental in claiming the land God had promised.

Then of course, there is Jesus. Would Jesus have willingly died for us a horrible death on the cross if he wasn’t optimistic that we would someday accept him for who he is and love him? Grace in itself is optimistic. I think I get to win this round with my sweet hubby. I believe God has set the stage for us to be optimistic. Will we accept his challenge? Check out the glass again at the top of the page. Is it half full or half empty? What can you do today that is optimistic?

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

From Bulb to Bloom

Posted on by Wendy

Fall is bulb planting season. It’s the time to plant bulbs and the time to divide them. I love planting bulbs. When I look at them, they are just formless blobs. There’s nothing pretty or promising about them. They are really downright ugly, but then the miraculous happens. Ugly little blobs planted in the fall turn into gorgeous spring flowers. I would have a hard time believing it, if I hadn’t seen it before.

Doesn't look like much.
Doesn’t look like much.

I think Jesus sees us that way. He doesn’t see the bulb; he sees the flower. He’s not concerned with what our faith walk  looks like right now. He knows the potential even if we don’t. He can see the blooms that come from the bulb and he knows that bulbs bloom over and over again, season after season.

One of my favorite examples of this is Peter. I love Peter. He was a hot head and he was always running his mouth, but Jesus knew what he would become. When Jesus met Peter, his name was Simon. He was the first disciple to proclaim Jesus as the Messiah. Right after this, Jesus renamed him Petra which means the rock. In Matthew 16:18 Jesus says that “upon this rock I will build my church.”  Now Jesus loved nicknames and liked to kid around with the disciples. He called James and John the sons of thunder. Did Peter think he was kidding around? Did the other disciples think he was kidding around? Were they scratching their heads thinking that Jesus had to be joking? This guy was a rock?

We really don’t get anymore insight from the text about what everyone was thinking. Peter goes on to fall asleep at Gethsemane when Jesus asked him, John and James to keep watch with him. Then of course there’s the famous denial. Jesus tells Peter he will deny him three times before the cock crows. Peter assures Jesus that he would never deny him. But he does.  At this point, it looks like Jesus may have been wrong about Peter, but thankfully Jesus is never wrong.

After the resurrection, Jesus forgives Peter and after the ascension, Peter becomes a force for  Christ to be reckoned with. Peter is there praying with the other believers at Pentecost when the Holy Spirit arrives on the scene and then he is close to unstoppable. He comes out of the room where all of the believers were hiding in fear and preaches to the crowd about repentance and forgiveness and adds 3,000 new believers to the church that day. (I guess it was the first mega church.) He goes on to heal people in the name of Christ. He boldly testifies at the council about Jesus. Peter becomes fearless in the spread of Christianity and an important leader in the new church. Peter is the one who takes the message to the people who weren’t Jewish, the Gentiles.  He is imprisoned at one point and an angel comes and breaks him out of prison. He becomes the rock, just like Jesus predicted.

Peter’s story gives me reassurance. It lets me know that Jesus doesn’t really care where I have been and isn’t too concerned with what I look like right now. What he does care about is where I’m going and what I can be and he’s willing to take my hand and lead the way. I may be a bulb now, but I’m on my way to becoming a blooming flower. Care to join me?

It's hard to believe they came from a brown blob!
It’s hard to believe they came from a brown blob!

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

A holy time out

Posted on by Wendy

Did your parents ever give you a time out? Did you ever give your kids a time out? Although we often use it for various reasons to control a child’s behavior, the original idea behind a time out was to remove a child from a situation where he/she was acting out and allow them a few minutes to regain control of themselves. Even today, when my teenager has had a sleepover where there was little sleeping (remember those days?), I usually have her spend some time in her room alone, resting and getting herself back together. I know other moms who do the same.

What about adults? Can we or should we use a time out? Think about the last time you were truly frustrated with your spouse, your boss, your kids, a friend (you fill in the blank). When tensions start to run high and the volume gets raised and you find yourself getting angry, is it ever really constructive to continue? Don’t we usually do better if we take some kind of break and gather our thoughts before we say something we will regret later? We can always apologize for things said in the heat of the moment, but we can never really take them back once they are out there. A cleansing deep breath always does wonders.

I think God knows that humans need to rest. I think he knows we are often apt to let our passions run away with us. These include passions for work, sports, social media, the people in our lives and any other thing we allow to consume us. That’s why he gave us the Sabbath, a kind of holy time out.

God rested after creation. He created for six days and then he rested. Genesis 2:3 says, “God blessed the seventh day and made it holy because he rested from the work of creating he had done.” He thought the day of rest was so important, it made the Ten Commandments. When the Israelites were in the desert, they weren’t even allowed to gather manna on the Sabbath.

I was recently watching an Andy Griffith re-run and was reminded that for many years, modern-day Christians observed the Sabbath. Andy, Aunt Bea and Opie were sitting on the front porch visiting with neighbors. There was nothing else for them to do. Everything was closed. I remember everything being closed on Sundays. I remember it being inconvenient. Ah, inconvenience, that’s not a word we like at all in our modern living. Like toddlers, we want it all and we want it now.

There are a few large businesses who have bucked the Sunday trend. Chic-fil-A has never been opened on Sundays even if they were forced to leave the mall over it. Hobby Lobby has a sign on the door saying they are closed on Sundays so their employees can spend time with their families. These organizations seem to do just fine without operating on Sundays even if it does cause some inconvenience to customers.

What about us as individuals? How do we do with Sabbath rest? I’m not talking about going to church on Sundays. Yes, we are supposed to do that, but what about the rest part? What about the time out? I confess, I do laundry and ironing on Sundays. I have to get ready for the week ahead. There ere even sporting events on Sundays which never was the case twenty years ago. I often go grocery shopping on Sundays. Many times Sunday turns out to be a running day from early church to bed time, but should it be? Could I change that?

I read a great book this summer called Wonder Struck, by Margaret Feinberg and she had a chapter called the Wonder of the Sabbath. She talked about how it took a lot of planning ahead, like lunch and dinner in the crock pot, but she was able to find a lot of peace in observing a day of rest. I know we are busy. Taking an entire day of rest while trying to raise kids seems next to impossible, but maybe I could start with an hour. Maybe I could take that hour and read the Bible or an inspirational book and have a cup of coffee out on the porch alone. Maybe I could take that time to talk to God or to write in a prayer journal. Maybe  I could cook dinner ahead. Maybe I could iron ahead. Taking a little time to rest shouldn’t be impossible especially since God says it’s necessary. Maybe I should take some steps to make this a priority.

I’m going to spend some time praying about this one. I think I could use a holy time out. What about you? How do you observe the Sabbath?

Have an awesome day!

Wendy  🙂

Children and dogs

Posted on by Wendy

I was watching the morning news today and it showed a short clip of a little boy with Down’s Syndrome and a yellow labrador retriever. The story was the little boy didn’t like to be touched. He wasn’t big on physical contact. The dog would touch him with his foot and the little boy would back up. The dog gently, but diligently kept at it until the boy relented and leaned into him and gave him a hug. I’m a sucker for YouTube and I couldn’t help myself; I went and got my laptop so I could see the full video. It was one of the most innocent, beautiful pictures I have ever seen of  God’s love. I have shared a link.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JA8VJh0UJtg

The first thing that jumped into my mind is that Jesus loves children. I have always told my own kids that children are his favorite. They are the most innocent and the most open minded. They are most likely to believe and accept faith at face value. Jesus said “Let the children come to me. Don’t stop them! For the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to those who are like these children.” And he placed his hands on their heads and blessed them before he left. Matthew 19:14-15 NLT Need I say more?

The second thing that sprang to my mind is that our relationship with Jesus is a lot like this lab and this little boy. He’s gentle, but relentless in his pursuit of us. He wants a lifelong relationship and he’s not willing to take no for an answer. He can’t get enough of us. He’s wants to run and play and sit and contemplate. He wants to hold our hands and lean in for a hug. He wants to stand by us in the good times and the bad. He will be our faithful friend as well as our fearless protector and we will never encounter more loyalty in any relationship. All we have to do is ask.

This short video has had 10 million hits, 10 million. Think about that number for a minute. That’s more than the entire population of the state of Georgia. What does the viral success of this video tell us? I think it says that we are longing for more beauty in our lives. We are longing for more gentleness, patience, kindness, and faithfulness . We are longing for a happy ending. What we are longing for, is more Jesus.

Guess what? I have great news. All we have to do is open our hearts and ask and we can have all of the above for eternity. Check out the clip and then say a prayer of thanks to our heavenly father for children and dogs. They really do represent some of God’s best work.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Faithful Friends

Posted on by Wendy

The text read, “Please say a prayer for me. Unspoken…I know I need a prayer warrior right now. Thank you.” That was it. I had no further details. It came from a friend of mine with a really stressful, busy job who never texts me during the day. Of course, I was in a place where I could immediately give my full attention to her request for prayer. (and no, I don’t believe for a moment that was a coincidence; I have come to believe there are no coincidences where God is involved) I found myself praying for her when I had a quiet moment all through that day. I still don’t know what her specific need was and it really doesn’t matter. She asked for prayer at that moment and I prayed for her.

That seems like an awfully simple way to help someone doesn’t it? The Bible has a fabulous story about how Jesus recognizes and rewards the faith of friends. In Mark 2:2-5, Jesus is talking to a group of people which as was most often the case when he was speaking, had turned into a huge crowd. The house was literally packed and no other people could get inside. There were four men carrying a fifth man on a mat who was paralyzed. They had brought him to see Jesus because they believed he could heal him. The room was so packed that they dug a hole in the roof and lowered him through it. These guys were determined to see Jesus that day no matter what.

Try picturing this scene, wall to wall people, the son of God is speaking. There is a whole menagerie of humanity there from everyday town folk to teachers of religious law, likely ranging from the most educated to the least. All of a sudden, a hole is cut in the roof above where Jesus is standing and man is lowered through it who can’t walk. I picture Jesus stopping and looking up and silence following as they lower this man to the floor. The text says they lowered the mat right in front of Jesus. What does Jesus say? Is he shocked? Is he outraged at being interrupted ? Nope. The scripture says, “Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the paralyzed man, “My child your sins are forgiven.” Further down in verse 11, he says, “Stand up, pick up your mat and go home.”  The man does exactly that.

Jesus performed many miracles while he was on earth. I think he healed people because he loved people, all people. But, what makes this particular miracle unique, is he saw the faith of the man’s friends and rewarded him because of their faith. The story tells us nothing about the paralyzed man’s faith. This is really comforting when I think about the times I have asked for prayer from friends. I got another text last week from another friend who I asked to pray for me. It simply said, “I hope spirit week is going okay, prayers for my sweet CC and her momma too. Hugs.” I shared on Monday’s blog how I felt God’s hand all over me last weekend. Was it perhaps due to the prayers of a friend in addition to my own?

I will probably not get the answer to that one this side of heaven and that’s okay. But, I’m really starting to see the value of these prayer texts. Whether they are asking for prayer from me or letting me know they are praying for me, they allow me to feel closer to Jesus and we know from the friends story in the Gospel of  Mark that Jesus clearly values the faith of friends. I’m going to try to be more diligent about letting friends know I am praying for them. Text seems the perfect way to do it. Using technology for Jesus is just one more way to throw a pebble and watch the waves.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

 

All Things are Possible with God

Posted on by Wendy
Faith, the size of a mustard seed can move mountains.
Faith, the size of a mustard seed can move mountains.

I am currently reading through Genesis with a friend of mine. We touch base every few days through e-mail and share our thoughts and questions. We both were being nudged into some kind of Bible study and had been unable to find one that worked with our schedules. We just decided to make it happen. As two busy moms, our system is working out beautifully.

I was reading through the Abraham and Sarah story when a verse jumped out at me. Abraham was visited by three strangers. There is much debate on who they actually were. Some Bible versions say at least two were angels. The NIV says one may have been the Lord. Abraham refers to one as the Lord. They have come to visit Abraham and tell him his wife who is 90 years old, will have a child. Sarah doesn’t believe it and actually laughs. Here’s the verse: “Is there anything too hard for the Lord? I will return about this time next year and Sarah will have a son.” Genesis 18:14  Sarah does in fact, have a son. I remembered reading a very similar verse in the New Testament.

The second scripture that I was reminded of is also a birth story. A young unmarried girl named Mary, is visited by the angel Gabriel and told she will have a son. When she asks how that can be possible, the angel replies : “For nothing is impossible with God.” Matthew 19:26  Of course, this came true when Mary gave birth to Jesus just as the angel said.

Then in Matthew 19:26, “Jesus looked at them intently and said, “Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But with God everything is possible.” Jesus himself is telling us all things are possible with God.

Let’s think about this for a minute. We have an Old Testament verse and two Gospel verses. The words come from the Lord, an angel and Jesus. They are: nothing is impossible for God and all things are possible with God. Read that sentence again. As Christians, knowing that, we should be able to strike out into the world and do all we are called to do, no worries or anxiety whatsoever, right?

It’s not quite that simple. Our human side seems to always struggle with our spiritual side. Whether we are called to do something really big like go out in the missionary field or start a church or something smaller like attend church every Sunday, read the Bible everyday, start a Bible study or start a blog, we have a million excuses why we can’t. We don’t have enough time or enough money or enough knowledge or enough patience or enough…. (You fill in the blank here) We tell ourselves it’s just not possible right now.

But and here’s the big but, “All things are possible with God.” I think the biggest reason we don’t do what we are called to do is fear, fear that we will look silly, fear that we will fail, fear that we may have to be uncomfortable or just un-named fear. I think that’s okay. I think God totally understands our inability to grasp His complex plan for this thing we call life. I think He understands and He loves us anyway. Mary asked how Gabriel’s message could be possible. Sarah laughed when she heard she would have a baby. Did God strike them down for questioning? No, He reassured them and followed through on His promises.

What have you been called to do today or lately? Have you been feeling some kind of nudge to “do something” you don’t normally do? If so, say a prayer and go forth remembering, “Nothing is impossible with God.”

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Watching for God

Posted on by Wendy

It was a crazy, exciting, anxiety filled weekend at my house. My 14 year old freshman was preparing to attend her first homecoming dance along with 14 (or so, depending on the day), of her friends. These girls didn’t have dates, but decided to go together as a large group. There were other groups who went as friends as well. I find this to be a really cool trend among these kids; back when I was in high school, if you didn’t have a date, you didn’t get to go. Sometimes traditions change for the better.

We bought her dress over a month prior to the big event and had shoes and alterations done well in advance. Still, my daughter was very anxious. Would anyone ask her to dance? Was her dress as pretty as everyone else’s? How would she do her hair and make-up? While these are normal teenage anxieties, I found myself overwhelmed with my own. Would all of these girls be kind to one another (teenage girls sometimes aren’t). Would we have enough cars to drive all of these girls to the places they needed to go? Would the restaurant be able to handle such a large reservation on a UGA game day? There ended up being twenty kids.

I took a walk and prayed for God’s hand to be on the evening ahead. I prayed that he would touch all of the girls’ hearts and help them to be kind to others and each other. I prayed that he would give them courage to stand up for what is right. I prayed for everyone’s safety and I prayed that they would have a night filled with fun.

The evening went off without a hitch. The girls all got ready at one house and we heard lots of laughter from upstairs. Then we caravaned to a little farm with a pond and got some beautiful pictures, some of the entire group and some individuals and some in smaller groups.  After that, three of us drove to a restaurant where they had dinner reservations and no, the reservation was not a problem. When I arrived at the restaurant, I realized I left my purse at the house where the girls got dressed. I prayed I wouldn’t get stopped by the police. I didn’t mind a ticket at this point, but I was on a mission to get these girls safely to the dance. The girls finished dinner and we were on our way.

We arrived without incident and I felt a little sigh of relief. I dropped them all out and told them I would return in a couple of hours and take them to another girl’s house so they could have a bonfire and spend the night. I retrieved my purse, went home for a little while and returned to the high school. The girls all came out laughing and with great stories. They had a blast. There had been an incident earlier in the evening with inappropriate dancing and quite a few kids left in protest to the administrations’ rules, but these girls stayed together and made some fun memories. I drove them on the last leg of our evening’s journey and helped them unpack their things. I bid them all goodnight, hugged my daughter and headed home.

It was 11:30 when I got home and I was exhausted. I slept in on Sunday and a friend brought her home. She had a great evening. They stayed up late watching movies and talking. She had great memories of her first dance. I was so thankful. I prayed little prayers of thanks all day long for God’s loving hand on the situation. My husband and I, went out later that afternoon to get groceries. We smelled coolant coming from the engine. We turned around and went home to check it out. The van was leaking coolant and was low on oil; it may have an oil leak too.

The hair stood up on the back of my neck and my eyes filled with tears as I thanked God once again for his hand on the events of the evening before. I had driven a van full of girls all over town, in traffic, then late at night. I drove home alone after the final drop off and not once did I have any indication that there was anything going on with my car. If the car would have stalled on the way to the dance, those girls would have been heartbroken, but it didn’t. I had prayed for God’s favor on the evening for the girls almost non-stop and he delivered as he so often does, in ways I couldn’t even begin to imagine.

I won’t know until sometime tomorrow what kind of repairs my van will require, but I will never forget the gratitude that I felt at the very moment I realized that so often when I pray blessings for someone else, God answers with blessings on me. I am just so thrilled that I had my eyes open wide enough to see it.  I could have missed it being upset about the repairs that we will have to pay for, but not this time. This time I saw the blessing because this time I was really looking. How about you? Do you look for the blessings in every situation? How do you watch for God?

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

The Beautiful Power of Friendship

Posted on by Wendy

 

Pansies add a lot of winter color even though they are only around for a season.
Pansies add a lot of winter color even though they are only around for a season.

I believe that friendship is truly a gift from God and all friendships are beautiful in their own unique way. Even those that only bloom for a season can add fabulous color and beauty to our lives in the moment. Even Jesus, surrounded himself with friends. He really liked being around people and although he had many friends, he had a few besties too. Peter, John and James were the only three who got to witness the transfiguration.

I was recently reading the Daniel story. Remember him from Sunday school? You know, the lion’s den guy? He also had three friends, Shadrach, Meschach and Abednego. They were the guys who were thrown into the fiery furnace. There was a crazy king who had a bad dream and not only did he want the dream interpreted, he wanted someone to tell him what his dream was as well. Of course, no one could do this, so he was going to have all of the astrologers, magicians and wise men in his kingdom killed. This also included Daniel and friends. Daniel, first asked the king for a little time and then he asked his three friends to pray that God would reveal the answer to him. They prayed and guess what happened? God answered them and revealed the truth to Daniel. The king was happy and told Daniel he could leave the palace and rule over all of Babylon. Did Daniel take the offer? Nope. He asked the king to put his three friends in charge and he remained in the palace. Daniel put his friends before himself. This is also a fantastic example of how asking friends to pray for us works.

In a later story in the Book of Daniel,  Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego are told if they don’t bow down to a golden statue, they will be thrown into a fiery furnace. They all stood together and refused. How do you think the story would have ended if one of them caved? They all stood together. There’s great power in friends who will stand shoulder to shoulder with you in the face of adversity. There are probably few things here on earth that are more powerful. They all got thrown into the furnace, but survived without a hair singed on their heads. The scripture says their clothes didn’t even smell like smoke. Keep in mind, the fire was so hot, that the officials who threw them were burned up.

The fabulous thing about friendship is that it can be beautiful and unbelievably powerful and strong at the same time. There are many examples of friendship throughout the Bible. It is definitely a gift from God and something to be treasured no matter how long it may last. Today, I’m going to say a special thanks for the many blessings of friendship I have been given. Will you join me?

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂