When We Fear the Unfamiliar Path

The unfamiliar can often seem scary, but as people of faith, we ever walk alone.

I work in the front office of an elementary school. Because of where I sit, I get to encounter children from all grade levels and I hear amusing and sometimes inspiring, stories from them all day long. My favorite stories are very often from or about, our youngest students, the kindergarteners.

One of our custodians was buffing the floors out in the hall. The buffing machine is quite large and fairly noisy, but I never gave it much thought. Apparently, one of the kindergarteners did. She marched right up to that custodian, pointed to the machine and told him that she was afraid of it.

Since he’s one of the kindest men I have ever known, he took the time to calmly explain to her that he was just using it to clean the floors and there was nothing to be afraid of. I think she was satisfied because she went on her way.

I thought about that story long after he told it. I have always had a special heart for the kindergarteners at the beginning of each school year. Everything is new to them and they are all so small. heir backpacks are bigger than they are. It’s very easy to see how they can be completely overwhelmed at times.

But, haven’t we all been there? We’ve all been new in some unfamiliar place or situation. Maybe it was a new school, or a new job, or a new church, or even a new relationship of some sort. It could have been facing and then navigating, a serious illness or walking along side someone who we love, who was. It could have been a new chapter of some sort in our own unfolding story.

Like those kindergartners, we have all carried something around that’s bigger than we are and change is hard, no matter your age.

When we find ourselves in the unfamiliar, it’s easy to be gripped with fear. When that happens, we can shrink back and hide under the covers. We can ball up our fists and stomp our feet in anger at the unfairness of it all. We can allow ourselves to drown in sadness, wanting desperately to go back to what was.

But, as Christians, we have another option. We can go to God and cry out for help and mercy. We can pray for strength and courage. We can pray for healing and direction. We can pray for patience. We can pray for peace.

Quite often, the answers are not immediate, but we will get them because the more we lean into God, the more we learn to believe the absolute truth in Jesus’ words, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” John 16:33

Sometimes He even sends kindly people to point out that the loud scary thing we were afraid of, was nothing to fear after all. A kindergartener and a wise custodian, reminded me. Perhaps you needed reminding too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

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The Gift of Now

My dogs often remind me to be in the moment.

Last spring, I took a yoga class for the first time. I have practiced the poses before, but never actually attended a class. I found it fascinating. The entire focus was on being in the moment and learning to appreciate something most of us take for granted, breathing.

Sometimes we keep ourselves so busy, that we are never in the moment, always focusing on being a couple of steps ahead of where we are. It would never occur to us to think about our breathing. I thought about that class for most of the summer.

My dog reminded me when we were sitting on the porch together. She hits me with her foot when she wants me to pet her. I was checking my e-mail on my phone and she hit me with her foot. I tried asking her to give me a minute, but she was insistent. I remembered the class and I put the phone down.

She and I were both more content as we took in the sound and scenery around us without distraction and appreciated the present.

Later in the summer, when I was struck with a very painful case of shingles, I found myself drawn out to the porch again. Every movement brought about searing pain, even breathing. I definitely found myself in the present. It was all I could focus on.

As I sat there in the coolness of that Sunday morning, remaining very still, I found myself asking God what it was He wanted me to learn from my illness. Although it was excruciating, I knew it wouldn’t last long. My dog snuggled a little closer as if wanting to comfort me, this time not taking, but giving.

I think the answer was not taking a single breath for granted, because each one is a Divine gift. The Bible tells us, that God formed man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.

Breathing is important. Maybe we sometimes forget how important. Being in the moment is important. Learning to appreciate where we are and the people we are with right now, is also important because we may never pass this way again.

Learning to be still and honoring that truth, fills our heart and souls and honors our Maker.

A yoga class, my dog and a case of shingles, reminded me. Perhaps you needed reminding too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Categories: Building Christian Character, Choosing to See the Bright Side, Watching for God | Comments Off on The Gift of Now

Blueberry Lessons

Everyday I searched, hoping to find one more ripe one.

Every summer, I attempt to grow something that is edible. My backyard is mostly shade, so I’m very limited, but this year, I have a blueberry bush that was very happy in its spot and it made some serious blueberries. I had my doubts about how well it would do because it was covered in blooms very early in the season and I felt like it may have bloomed too early to actually make fruit.

I watered it and fed it anyway and hoped for the best.

I was rewarded with blueberries for several weeks and I was thrilled. Each day I would go outside with my bowl and search for the ones that were just the right color. It never ceased to amaze me that even though I would look carefully the first time, several trips around the bush would continue bless me with a few I had missed.

I was just as happy with those as I was with the first handful. It didn’t matter whether they were the first ones or the last ones. I treasured each one.

I marveled at how two berries could be side-by-side on the vine, yet one would ripen before the other one, even thought they received the same amount of sun and water. I also found that sometimes the berries on the bottom or on the inside of the bush would ripen before the ones on top, even though they received less sun.

There seemed to be no rhyme or reason as to why some were ready for harvest, but other ones weren’t. Everyday, I persistently looked for more, hoping they were ready.

One of the main reasons I love to try and grow things is that Jesus often reveals Himself to me in the process.

A little heart nudge reminded me that people, like blueberries, bloom and ripen at different rates on our faith journey. Some have the perfect amount of sunshine and rain. Some come close to drowning and get very little light at all, yet Jesus searches for us relentlessly wherever we are in the process.

He never gives up.

I was also reminded that sometimes we may feel that those around us appear to have little chance of bearing fruit, like I did with those early blooms, but we are called to water and care for them anyway.

We don’t get to decide when or how the fruit arrives. We are simply called to do our part and let faith do the rest. For nothing is impossible with God.

Some blueberries reminded me. Perhaps you needed reminding too.

Have an awesome day!
Wendy 🙂

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The Call to Hospitality

Sometimes we need reminding that a little hospitality can make a big difference.

A couple of months ago, we had some new neighbors move in down the street. I went out and bought the ingredients to bake them something to welcome them to the neighborhood. That’s what my neighbors did when we moved in and I have always remembered how nice it was to feel welcomed.

Because of their kindness extended to my family, I wanted to pass that on.

This is the deep south, so cooking is how we show our appreciation and respect for just about everything, from new babies, to someone being sick, to new neighbors, and even when someone passes away. Cooking for people is how we show hospitality.

The Bible even talks about hospitality. One of my favorite verses is 1 Peter 4:9, “Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling.”

It speaks to me because, I must admit, I sometimes grumble about cooking. It’s just not something I love to do. I do it, but I have been known to grumble about it.

After the moving truck left, I kept looking to see if my neighbors had moved in so I could bring them a treat, but they were never out in their yard and their garage door was always closed. At first, I thought maybe they hadn’t truly moved in yet. But, as time went by, I decided they probably just weren’t friendly folks. They went to work and came home, locked everything up tight and stayed indoors.

I convinced myself that they wouldn’t appreciate my hospitality.

Turns out I was wrong. A couple of weeks ago, I was coming back from a walk, and a car at that house, pulled to the end of the driveway. A woman got out and put something in the mailbox. I went up and introduced myself. She was very friendly. We chatted for a few minutes and I learned they had come from Pennsylvania.

When I told her we were going to bake them something to welcome them to the neighborhood, she seemed very surprised and touched. But, then I told her I couldn’t ever catch them at home because their garage door was always closed.

She told me they always keep their garage door closed even when they are at home. She thought everyone else did too.

Yikes! I had read that situation completely wrong. I just assumed, incorrectly, that they were unfriendly and didn’t want anyone knocking on their door because I held them to my preconceived notion.

I wonder how often I do that.

It’s hard to be the new kid on the block, any block. When we can do a little something to make people feel welcome to our street, our workplace, our school, our community, our family, or even our church, I think we are called to do that.

When we reach out and extend hospitality, like my neighbors did so many years ago, we encourage others to do the same. And couldn’t we all use a little more kindness these days?

A conversation with a new neighbor reminded to always remember the gift of hospitality no matter what our preconceived notions may be. Perhaps you needed reminding too.

Have an awesome day!
Wendy 🙂

Categories: Building Christian Character | 2 Comments

Copperhead Reminders

We sometimes become complacent and forget to be thankful for all of the blessings we have been given.

I was cooking dinner a couple of weeks ago, when my hubby approached me with his phone. He had a picture of a snake pulled up on it. He had just taken down the trash and found a small snake underneath it, he thought about killing it, but didn’t think it was poisonous, so he let it go.

But, after coming back into the house and finding pictures online, he knew it was definitely a Copperhead. They are poisonous and the little ones are supposed to be particularly dangerous because they don’t give a warning bite. They just release all of their venom when they strike.

We had a conversation with each other and our kids about being extra careful outside and not wearing flip flops or sandals in the yard. We talked about wearing closed toed shoes and watching carefully where we step. We talked about the importance of vigilance.

Over the next few days, every time I was out in the yard, whether picking blueberries or cutting hydrangeas, I was hyper-vigilant about where I walked. I didn’t zone out. I was constantly watching for the danger that may be lurking near.

At some point though, it occurred to me that I was in no more danger after the snake sighting than I was the day before. I was just no longer unaware.

Of course, I shouldn’t have been unaware to begin with. One of our dogs had been bitten by a Copperhead years before. She was thankfully okay, but it was in the fenced backyard. I had just chosen to become complacent. My hubby killed a really large one in our neighbor’s driveway.

How had I forgotten?

As the days went by, my fear of being bitten by a dangerous, ninja snake, every time I stepped out of my garage, morphed into a paying close attention stance. I stopped expecting danger at every turn, but didn’t walk around blissfully unaware either.

I was living in the moment, appreciating, but also respecting, my present circumstances. It turned out to be a gift because I began to truly appreciate the beauty around me.

I began to think about how tragedy or near tragedy, makes us take stock and really appreciate what we have, for a time. Sickness, loss or even death of someone we love, makes us savor and hold extra close, the many blessings we have been given. We become extra thankful, but life steps in and we get busy and we forget.

That Copperhead reminded me to live in thankfulness, perhaps you needed reminding too.

Have an awesome day!
Wendy 🙂

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Hydrangea Wisdom

We are all meant to bloom and contribute in our unique way.

A few years ago, I started a new job; at the end of that year, a sweet family gave me a hydrangea plant as a gift. I was so excited. I’ve always loved hydrangeas, but hadn’t really been able to grow them for a long time. I had a huge one at my last house, but when we moved, I just couldn’t make them grow even though I tried a variety of spots.

They either didn’t get enough sun or got too much sun and not enough water. I could only plant them in my backyard that’s fenced, because the herd of deer that resides in my neighborhood would eat them to the ground if they had the chance.

After trying numerous times, I gave up on hydrangeas. I just planted something else.

But, when I received one as a gift, I gave it another shot and it lived. It didn’t bloom, but it lived. The following year, they gave me a different variety and I planted it as well. It also lived. Once they gave me a third one and they all lived and I got a few blooms, I was inspired to buy one myself.

I put them all in raised beds and I watered them and fed them and waited. I was thrilled when I got a few blooms. It wasn’t what I hoped for, but at least I seemed to be on the right track.

Well, this year, three years after I started, my hydrangeas are bursting forth with blooms. They are the first thing I see when I drive up into my driveway. I have so many that I have been able to cut some to bring inside while still enjoying the ones outside. And to my delight, the ones I bring inside stay fresh and pretty for well over a week.

Each time I pass a vase of them, I stop and appreciate their beauty and I am reminded at how long it took for me to have them.

There was a decade of complete failure that caused me to give up completely, but then the kindness of someone else, encouraged me to try again. When I did, I didn’t get the blooms I wanted right away, but I got growth, so I kept trying and waiting patiently with hope and a little faith.

The combination proved to be enough.

Those hydrangeas remind me of our faith walk. Sometimes we and those around us, can get discouraged and sometimes give up completely. After years of disappointment, frustration and discouragement, we can decide that we will never bloom, yet God is always at work. He often sends someone to encourage us and remind us that it’s never too late to try again.

Sometimes we need to be encouraged and sometimes we are the one who encourages and we need to remember that both sides are vital to Kingdom work, because in the end, we are all meant to bloom and contribute in our own unique way.

Some hydrangea blooms reminded me. Perhaps you needed reminding too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Categories: Building Christian Character, Community, Trusting God, Watching for God | 4 Comments

Piper Lessons

Piper often misses out because she overestimates her size.

When I leave my house in the mornings, to go to work, I put a baby gate on the stairs. If I don’t, our big dog, Sandy, will go upstairs and scratch on my kids’ bedroom doors, until he wakes them up. I have no idea why he does that, but my teenagers do not appreciate being awakened before 7:00 A.M. on days they don’t have school, and so to keep peace among all of the living creatures in my home, I use the gate.

Interestingly enough, there’s usually a pretty large gap between the gate and the wall and our smaller dog, Piper, could easily squeeze through it if she chose too, but she doesn’t. One of her favorite things to do is to go back to bed, but she misses the opportunity because Piper thinks she’s much bigger than she really is.

She will sometimes growl at the bigger dog for no good reason. She seems totally unaware of their size difference. She will sit at the door on the porch indefinitely, waiting for someone to open the door a little wider for her although she could have easily walked through the opening that was already there.

On Piper, her overestimation of her size and the limitations she places on herself are comical. She’s such a silly dog.

But, I sometimes ask myself if I do any better. What opportunities do I pass up because I’m too old, or not qualified enough, or smart enough?

Sometimes God opens a door for us, just wide enough for us to step through. But, we don’t walk through it because we would prefer it to be wide open with a neon sign pointing the way and great fanfare leading us on.

More often than not, I have found that, that is simply not His way. When we take quiet time and pray, we are able to see the open doors around us and the different paths that become lit up. We become more comfortable stepping out into the spaces He provides instead of insisting on our own preferences of wide, bright, and loud.

We begin to understand that man’s ways and God’s ways have never been the same. “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” Isaiah 55:8-9

And when we see an opening, we aren’t afraid to take it. My dog, Piper, reminded me. Perhaps you needed reminding too.

Have an awesome day!
Wendy 🙂

Categories: Biblical Wisdom, Building Christian Character, Trusting God | 4 Comments

Binoculars Wisdom

When we slow down and listen, we are often surprised at the beauty we find.

At a recent visit to my parents’ house, I found myself in the kitchen. Daddy was there too and he instructed me to go to the end of the table and pick up the binoculars that were lying there.

I smiled as I did as I was instructed. My parents have recently installed new bird feeders and have been using different kinds of seed. They have been blessed with all kinds of different varieties of birds, so much so, that they keep a couple of sets of binoculars handy to get a closer look.

When I picked up the binoculars, Daddy instructed me to aim towards the pool. I did as I expected to see some exotic bird, but he surprised me when he asked if I could see the beautiful hibiscus bloom. I chuckled. It was not at all what I was expecting, but it was truly stunning.

Mama and Daddy had overwintered their hibiscus plants, nurturing them inside their home all winter long. Since they had moved them back outside, they had watered them and fed them and waited patiently for them to bloom and one of them finally had.

Daddy was like a new proud papa admiring the first bloom of the season.

I’ve often compared the wisdom of young children and older folks. Both groups seem to instinctively know that the simple things in life often provide the most beauty and joy. They allow things like new blossoms, birds, puppies and frogs, to delight them. Both walk a little slowly, allowing them to drink in their surroundings. Neither are always hurrying so much that they miss important stuff like listening to a loved one share a story.

They appreciate the details and the little miracles that many take for granted.

I thought about those binoculars and that blossom long after that day. I thought about how much beauty we are able to see when we simply stop and look closely. I thought about how God often surprises us with something completely different than we thought, when we simply obey Him, like I obeyed Daddy that morning.

“Pick them up and look in that direction.”

The bloom wasn’t at all what I expected, but it was beautiful.

I was reminded that many of us live in the in-between, hurrying stage of life. We aren’t children, but we aren’t older and wiser yet. On our quest to succeed and get everything done, we forget to look around. We forget to slow down. We forget to listen.

Yet, when we do, what we find is often stunning. Sometimes I need reminding. Perhaps you do too.

Have an awesome day!
Wendy 🙂

Categories: Building Christian Character, Watching for God | 2 Comments

Saying No to Fear

From across the pool, something completely harmless, appeared threatening.

Over the Memorial Day weekend, my family was blessed to spend the weekend with my parents. More specifically, we spent the weekend at their pool and with a record breaking heat wave, we were especially thankful.

My first day in the pool, I checked the skimmer carefully, like I always do. Anyone who has ever owned a pool, knows the importance of that task. On most days, a skimmer will have leaves and dead bugs in it. But, sometimes there are dangerous critters like snakes, that aren’t really trapped and can get back out into the pool.

After my skimmer check, I hit the water. I was floating along, minding my own business, when something in the skimmer, caught my eye. Something blue was hanging down behind the face of the skimmer. I couldn’t see it when I looked inside from outside the pool. It was only visible from the pool. It looked like the tail of something and I immediately reported it to my parents as I paddled a safe distance away.

My Daddy, the reliable slayer of unwelcome skimmer intruders, got on his knees on the scorching hot cement and attempted to investigate. He couldn’t see anything. I kept telling him he had to be in the pool to see it. He tried to splash the area,but it didn’t move. He finally informed me I would have to get closer to direct him to the interloper.

I reluctantly obeyed. I paddled over timidly, just waiting for a ten foot python to come coiling out of the skimmer. But, as I got closer, I realized it was something else entirely.

The intruder that had filled my heart with fear and had Daddy on his hands and knees, was a sliver of their new pool liner that hadn’t been cut closely enough.

At first, I was filled with relief and then I felt incredibly foolish. Daddy was a good sport about the ordeal and moved on to other projects he had to work on.

But, the skimmer incident stayed on my mind long after I got out of the pool. We have become a society obsessed with safety. From helmets, to seat belts, to car seats, to cell phones, to cameras on our front porches. We seem to live with a certain amount of fear on the edge of all we do.

What opportunities are we losing due to our safety obsession? What trips do we pass up? What job opportunities do we turn down? What dreams do we pack away? How many opportunities to serve God do we turn down because of fear?

Sure, a certain amount of fear is useful, but there’s a reason that the Bible tells us over and over to, “Fear not.” When we walk with Jesus, we are called to walk with courage, not with fear.

A pool skimmer reminded me. Perhaps you needed reminding too.

Have an awesome day!
Wendy 🙂

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Squeaky Hinge Reminders

Take time this summer to slow down and enjoy the ordinary.

Yesterday, I had a day off, the first in a much needed extra long weekend. I was exhausted from work life and personal life. My youngest just graduated from high school and while it was a wonderful celebration, it was emotionally draining as well.

We did pictures with grandparents and attended the ceremony. We went to dinner and opened gifts. The following day, we met with friends for more pictures and went to an arcade/restaurant with those friends and their parents for more celebrating. As I was walking around taking photos of him with his friends, I was reminded of birthday parties of the past when I did the same and I found myself fighting back tears.

I would have never believed when he was five, that I could love him even more at seventeen or that I would still consider photos with him and his friends just as precious as when they were little.

On Sunday, our church recognized him, presented him with a Bible and a gift card and prayed over him and I found myself tearing up yet again, feeling the love and support that surrounded him.

Yesterday, when I woke up, I tiptoed downstairs for a cup of coffee and some quiet time. I had had very little quiet in the past week. My mostly grown kids, were still sleeping and I gave a prayer of thanks that they were both home and safely tucked away. As I headed out to the porch to soak in the quiet cool morning, the hinges on the door, made their usual high pitched squeak.

I smiled as both dogs came running.

We’ve been in our house for fourteen years and that door has always squeaked loudly. I used to try to get my hubby to fix it, but I’ve grown used to it and these days it signals that the porch is open for business and by business, I mean sitting and visiting, resting and chatting, and enjoying Creation and each other.

The dogs went right to their preferred spots on the porch, like they always do this time of year, one right by my side and the other at my feet. On the weekends, my hubby joins us and the kids head straight out there when they wake up. We sometimes sit out there for hours talking and sharing stories, dreaming and remembering.

It’s an ordinary, yet extraordinary recognition of who we are, where we have been and where we are going. But, then life has taught me that the extraordinary is often found in the ordinary.

As summer officially kicks off this weekend, I’m going to try to slow down as much as possible and take in all of those ordinary moments, keeping in mind that in hindsight, those moments often become extraordinary. Some squeaky hinges reminded me. Perhaps you needed reminding too.

Have an awesome day!
Wendy 🙂

This summer, I’m blessed to have both of my kids at home. I’m not sure when that will happen again, so in order to enjoy every possible moment of family time, I’m going to only post on Fridays.

Categories: Trusting God, Watching for God | 1 Comment