The Perfection Deception

Posted on February 27, 2019 by Wendy

The quest for perfection will always frustrate us on this side of Eternity.

Next Friday, the elementary school where I work, is having a book dress up day. It coincides with Dr. Seuss’s birthday. The different grade levels are picking book characters to dress up as and there will be a parade. Elementary schools still do some cool and fun activities because being a kiddo and learning is supposed to be fun.

Those of us older folks, who happen to work in the office, were encouraged to participate as well, which we of course, happily agreed to. Life is serious enough. We didn’t want to miss an opportunity to play along with the littles and who doesn’t love a parade?

After much discussion and combing Pinterest, we decided on 101 Dalmatians. It would be fairly easy to put together and we all knew the story well from our own childhood.

All I had to do was buy a plain white t-shirt and cover it in black spots. That’s a simple enough task. I got the shirt, put it in the washer and when it was dry, got ready to cover it in spots.

But, I had to decide whether to use a fabric marker or fabric paint. After several doodles on a different piece of fabric, I settled on the paint. Then I got started on the first spot. Was it too small? Was it a perfect circle? Where should the next spot go? Was it too close or too far away? Then there was the third. Was I making a weird pattern? Should they all be close to the same size?

After driving myself crazy for a little while, I picked up the book that I had since I was a kid, and was reminded that no two dalmatians look alike and that some had lots of spots and some had very few and the patterns were all over the place. Thank-you Walt Disney.

I knew this of course, but how had I forgotten? How had I allowed such a seemingly easy task, to cause me such unneeded stress?

I knew the answer: It’s the quest for perfection.

It’s a doomed quest that many of us needlessly saddle ourselves with, the perfect body, the perfect smile, the perfect hair, the perfect outfit, the perfect spouse, the perfect kids, the perfect job, the perfect church, the list is endless.

We sometimes forget that we are travelers here. Our permanent residence is in heaven where perfection lives because God is perfect, but on this side of Eternity, we are broken and nothing is perfect, although there are times when we will create all kinds of unneeded chaos trying to achieve it.

A dalmatian t-shirt reminded me that life here on planet earth is never perfect and trying to achieve perfection here will always wear us out. Sometimes I need reminding. Perhaps you do too!

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

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Seeing the Light in the Difficult Times

Posted on February 25, 2019 by Wendy

Sometimes when we are forced to be still, we hear and see things we would have otherwise missed.

Sunday morning I awakened by a throbbing migraine. I have had them since my freshman year in college. My mama has them. My granddaddy had them. Over the years, I’ve learned to feel one coming on and I can head it off by taking medication early, before it gets bad. After it gets bad, there isn’t much to do besides, sit in the darkness with an ice pack on my head.

Because of my learned coping strategies, it’s been a long time since one has really knocked me off of my feet, but this one was sneaky and it came during the night. I tossed and turned as it got worse and it wasn’t until it became more than I could stand, that I finally got up and took something.

Of course, it was too late at that point and I had to get an ice pack and go right back to bed. An hour later, I finally trudged into the kitchen for some coffee to continue the fight. It was a little better, but still there. I sat at the kitchen table in semi-darkness, lamenting the fact that I would miss church and probably the work out I had promised myself.

I knew very well that my day would be slowed down to a turtle crawl at best and a day on the sofa at worst.

As I began to drinking my second cup of coffee, I could hear nothing but silence and the ticking of a clock. The sky through my windows began to brighten and the sun came out. It had been raining for days, so my soul felt a little lighter. Then a deer walking the fence line caught my eye. I sat mesmerized watching her, wondering what had caught her attention.

If I hadn’t felt confined to the chair, I would have been up emptying the dishwasher.

I likely would have missed the sun breaking through the clouds and the deer.

A little while later, I went to let the dogs out and it felt like a cool spring morning. I grabbed a blanket and went out to the porch to sit and I could hear the creek behind our house. It doesn’t normally have enough water to make a gurgling sound, but the recent rains had given it a beautiful voice, one I would have missed if I hadn’t had the headache.

As I sat, bundled up in the cool morning air, I felt thankful and blessed, not for the migraine. No one is thankful for a migraine or any other sickness or crises in their lives. But, I was thankful that in the stillness I was able to see God. I was able to see beauty. I was able to find peace.

The Bible tells us over and over that we never walk alone and most believers know that it’s true on some level, but it’s often the darkest times when we are really reminded, when we can really feel and see that promise.

A migraine reminded me. Sometimes I need reminding. Perhaps you do too.

Have an awesome day!
Wendy 🙂

Categories: Biblical Wisdom, Building Christian Character, Choosing to See the Bright Side, Watching for God | Comments Off on Seeing the Light in the Difficult Times

Accessing Joy

Posted on February 22, 2019 by Wendy

Christian joy has never been dependent on our circumstances.

Yesterday, I knew early on, that it was going to be one of those days. I finished getting ready for work late. I didn’t have time for my morning devotional and as I went to get my wedding rings from my jewelry box, they weren’t there. I knew immediately where they were. I had put them in the pocket of my pants while I was cooking supper and left them there.

One might surmise that I have done this before…but, when I dashed to the hamper to retrieve them, I remembered that I had already put those clothes in the washer with plans to wash them after work and so I raced to the washer and dug through the laundry until I found them.

I jammed them on my finger and sprinted out the door. I knew I was setting myself up for a bad day. I intentionally get up in the mornings with ample time to read a devotion and some scripture, to have breakfast and drink some coffee. All my years traveling around the sun have taught me that I’m the best me, when I am not rushing and have prepared myself both physically and spiritually for whatever my day may hold.

But, yesterday everything was off. As I pulled out of my driveway into the cold incessant rain, I prayed for an extra measure of grace and that God would show me His face that day.

I wasn’t at work long before I had to rush out to a meeting, late again, but this time because I was talking to a mom who I felt truly needed a compassionate ear. The room was packed when I arrived and the meeting ran long, and we’ll just say it wasn’t a meeting where everyone learns they are getting a giant bonus.

I left the meeting trudging back into that steady, cold rain and after a work errand, headed back to my own desk. The day so far, had been just as I had anticipated. I prayed for an extra measure of peace.

When lunch rolled around, we had parents coming in to see their children and have lunch with them. Everyone who came in commented on the grim weather. And then one of our mentors arrived. She comes once a week and has lunch with one of our kiddos. She comes because she wants to give of her time and herself, and this particular mentor, comes because she loves Jesus.

She had bright smile and while she did comment about the weather, she said, “Ladies, we need to find the joy.” Then she left.

Her words stuck with me for the rest of the day, partially because I know where her joy comes from and partially because it was true and partially because she was an answer to my morning prayer.

Yes, this day, I had enough sense to see it.

I asked God to show Himself and He did. He sent a representative to remind me of His truth. Christian joy has never been determined by our circumstances, because it comes from somewhere much deeper, somewhere that is never dependent on worldly matters, because it doesn’t come from this world.

Because of someone’s encouraging words, my day did get brighter and I did reach deep and find that joy. I was so thankful she reminded me. Perhaps you needed reminding too.

Have an awesome day!
Wendy 🙂

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Appreciating the Blessings

Posted on February 20, 2019 by Wendy

Taking time to appreciate our blessings, is a way of giving thanks to the One who gave them to us.

One day late last week, the meteorologists in our area began to forecast rain and when I say rain, I mean they were talking five to seven inches of rain over the next week. Everyone at work grumbled at the news. Lots of people on Facebook grumbled. Georgia has had a very wet winter and it appeared the trend would continue.

Saturday morning started out cloudy, as expected, but as the day progressed, the sun came out and by 1:00 it was beautiful and sunny. I received a text from a friend telling me she was outside soaking up the sun and hoped I was doing the same.

I wasn’t doing the same. I had been running around doing errands and when I arrived home, I planned on taking a walk and then checking off my long to do list.

But, I was so tired. I hadn’t gotten enough sleep the week before and my deck looked really inviting. I decided to have lunch outside and then get busy. It was 70 degrees out there and I lingered after lunch. My hubby decided that it was a perfect day to cook on his smoker, so he did.

Then he brought some cushions out to put on our outdoor furniture. I decided to sit with him for a few minutes while he ate his lunch, then I would get busy.

One of my dogs jumped up and sat down beside me and she and I enjoyed the sun, for just a few more minutes.

But, then my son came out with his lunch, so I decided to sit with him while he ate, then I would get busy.

We chatted and laughed as the minutes kept ticking by and I don’t know when I have been so relaxed.

When my son decided to go back inside and my dog and I remained, an idea bubbled in my heart. When we know rain is coming and we are given the blessing of beautiful sunshine in advance, isn’t it wrong not to appreciate it?

I had been praying about being so tired and here was an opportunity to rest, was I really not going to take it? How many blessings do we miss while we are busy doing what we consider more important at the moment?

Let’s face it, our to do lists are never done. When we actually make it to the bottom, don’t we always start a new one? And will those lists have any significance at all in five years?

A sunny, warm day in February, with family and furry babies to share it with, is a gift. We should really take the time to enjoy what we have given and be thankful. Sometimes I need reminding. Perhaps you do too.

Have an awesome day!
Wendy 🙂

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Seeking Relationship

Posted on February 18, 2019 by Wendy

A good prayer life has to be about more than an endless list of requests.

A few weeks ago, a little boy in first grade, came into our office to see the nurse. She was with another student, so I asked him to sit in the chair outside of the clinic and wait until she was available. When he was seated, I turned back around and went back to work on my computer. I had a ton of stuff to catch up on that day and I was busy.

But, a couple of minutes later, the little boy said, “Ma’am, excuse me, ma’am,” I stopped typing and turned around to see what he needed. He said, “Do you know why I missed Thursday and Friday last week?”

I, of course, had no idea, but figured this was about to get interesting, so I asked him why he had been absent?

He grinned and excitedly told me he had been on an airplane for the first time and he had gotten to meet the pilot and see the cockpit. I asked him where he flew and he told me it was a country that started with a C. I later learned that he had been in the air for two hours and I asked him if it was possible he visited a state instead of country.

At this point, my coworker got involved. We pulled up a map of the United States and called out all of the states beginning with the letter C. We were having a ball with this kiddo. When the nurse called him in, he was reluctant to go. I’m not sure why he came in to begin with, bu he was enjoying the attention and we were enjoying talking with him.

He went on back to class, but I wondered for days afterward, where he went and I thought about how he didn’t think twice about interrupting me to tell me about his adventure. The confidence of young children always inspires me.

They seem to naturally believe in their hearts, that their stories matter.

The Bible tells us, “Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” Hebrews 4:16

Our stories matter to God, our adventures, our successes, our failures all matter. When we get it right it matters and when we get it wrong it matters too. That’s where grace comes in. But, we so often treat prayer as a laundry list of asking God for what we want.

What if we were more like that little boy, and just wanted to talk? What if we regularly shared our lives with the One who gave them to us to begin with? How much stronger would our faith lives be?

A little boy with an exciting tale reminded me that a good prayer life is about relationship, not about constant requests. Perhaps you needed reminding too.

Have an awesome day!
Wendy 🙂

Categories: Building Christian Character, Trusting God | 4 Comments

Shining the Light

Posted on February 15, 2019 by Wendy

Just an ordinary light can make an extraordinary difference to the darkness around us.

Our house backs up to some power lines, so for the almost fourteen years we have lived here, we have had this wonderful feeling of being more remote than we are. Nothing can be built under those lines, so we have tons of deer, rabbits, chipmunks, hawks and owls. Since there are no other houses, we have rarely used curtains on the backside of our house. When the sun goes down, it’s completely dark, or it was.

Our little town has become a hot bed of construction and some enterprising developer has built a brand new subdivision on the other side of those power lines. There are no houses yet, but there are street lights. There is one so bright that it’s almost blinding, shining through one of our bedroom windows at night.

My hubby and I recently took a little hike over there to check it out. I really just had to get a look at the ginormous light that had been erected. I reasoned that it must be like an airport search light or a light house beam or something extraordinary.

But, when we made our way through the tall weeds, briers and bushes, I could hardly believe what I saw. It was just an everyday, average, street light. It wasn’t especially tall and the paved streets over there, had plenty of them even though we could only see one.

After doing a little exploring, we headed home, but I couldn’t get that light out of my mind. It’s amazing how just one light can make such a huge impact on the world around it.

I read that some light houses can be seen up to 37 miles out at sea. There was a time when that was the only guidance that weary sailors had, to get them safely to shore. I’ve no doubt that those sailors could tell you all about the importance of light.

The concept of light is important to Christians as well. The term light, is used 232 times in the NIV version of the Bible. Scripture tells us God is light and Jesus told His disciples to let their light shine.

I think that concept can sometimes be a little daunting for us everyday folks. We wonder what difference one person can possibly make. Yet, the streetlight all the way through woods, that shines brightly through my window, reminds me that it doesn’t take much light at all, to shatter the darkness around us.

That streetlight reminded me that whatever light we have to give, will always be more than enough, because God has always been in the business of multiplication. Perhaps you needed reminding too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

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Faith, Hope and Love Remain

Posted on February 13, 2019 by Wendy

When we share faith when we feel prompted, there’s no end to the beautiful ripples we can help create.

One morning last week, when I finished my morning devotion, I checked my Facebook feed. I don’t know why. I rarely look at Facebook in the mornings. I simply don’t have the time. But, for some reason, I did.

At the very top, was a picture of a daily devotion that a friend of mine shared. She recently lost her mother to cancer and is in a period of deep mourning and profound loss. She has shared so many beautiful pictures on Facebook of her mother through the different stages of her life and has received many comments and I’m sure, countless prayers for her peace and healing.

She has shared that her mother was a person of deep faith and raised a daughter who shares in that faith and so on that morning, even in her despair, when she read something that really spoke to her in her sadness, she felt led to share it with others.

And on that morning, I saw it and downloaded it and sent it to my own daughter because I thought it would speak to her. It did and she thanked me.

Later at work, a friend of mine shared that her daughter had just received some bad news about an injury not healing as it should have and she was pretty devastated. I shared the devotion with my friend and she felt it would really help her daughter.

Later in the week, when I witnessed another friend who has been struggling with an ongoing family issue, show kindness when she really didn’t have to, I felt prompted to share the devotion with her as well. She’s kept such a great attitude, but I really felt like she could use some encouragement.

She texted back immediately, that she had really needed that and thanked me for sending it.

Even thought my friend’s sweet mama has gone home to be with Jesus, she’s still making all kinds of faith ripples because of the faith she instilled in her own child. We are all here for such a short time. What we do in that time depends entirely upon us. We can squander it on all kinds of things that will never matter once we are gone.

But, we can choose to spread the seeds of faith, hope and love and in the end, those are the only things that truly remain. I’m so very thankful she chose to share.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

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The Dangers of Untied Laces

Posted on February 11, 2019 by Wendy

Untied shoelaces can make us trip.

I work in an elementary school. My desk sits right in front of our clinic. As you might imagine, I see and hear lots of interesting and sometimes amusing, stories. One day last week, a little boy came into the clinic for some ice. He had tripped and banged his knee.

As the nurse was talking to him and getting his ice, she told him he needed to tie his shoelaces. He immediately informed her a little defiantly, that his untied shoestrings had nothing to do with him falling, that he had tripped over something completely different.

She calmly told him to tie his laces anyway, because she didn’t want him to return to the clinic with another injury. He tied them, although he wasn’t very happy about it.

After he left, we all had a little chuckle. I suppose just about everyone who works in an elementary school, reminds children on a regular basis, to tie their shoelaces. I know I do and I often just tie them myself.

But, I thought about that little boy and his shoelaces long after he left the clinic. I thought about how he knew they were a tripping hazard, which was why he was defensive. Why didn’t he just tie them? Those of us who are way past elementary school are aware of the tripping dangers of wayward shoelaces. I mean, you rarely see an adult walking around with untied laces.

Most of us can likely remember being told by adults when we were children, to tie our laces. Most of us probably thought those adults were just trying to aggravate us. We couldn’t see the wisdom that those adults had acquired.

But, while us grownups proudly walk around with our shoelaces tied, what other things do we do to trip ourselves up? We sometimes drive too fast and eat or drink too much. We can stay up too late. Doing those things can endanger our physical health, kind of like those untied shoelaces.

What about our spiritual health? If we really want to go to church on Sunday, staying out late on Saturday is probably not a good idea. If we want to read the Bible, opening it up while we’re watching a football game or the latest episode of our favorite television show is also probably not a good idea. There are certain types of media we can watch, or listen to or even participate in, that can interfere with our peace and hurt our souls. What about activities like gossip?

Unfortunately, the older we get the more rampant the tripping hazards can become, but just like those adults who reminded us to tie our shoes, if we pray and listen, we have the Holy Spirit who can remind us about the spiritual dangers we might need to avoid and we also have the support of our faith friends. It takes a village!

A little boy with untied shoelaces reminded me to be vigilant about spiritual safety. Perhaps you needed reminding too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

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Finding the Light

Posted on February 8, 2019 by Wendy

“This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you, God is light; in Him there is no darkness at all.” 1 John 1:5

A few weeks ago, I was getting dressed for church and I was listening to some praise and worship music. I usually prefer quiet when I’m getting ready for church, but this particular morning, I found a Pandora station and cranked it up.

When I was almost ready to turn it off, the song, “I Can Only Imagine,” by Mercy Me came on. I’ve always loved that song, because I find it to be so true. We have no idea how we will react when we get home to the other side.

Of course, my inner teenager came out and I sang to the top of my lungs like I thought I was Cary Carrie Underwood. You apparently never get too old for that. Praising God out loud, in private, lifted my spirits in an amazing way. I really struggle this time of year. It’s so cold and so dark and it’s been raining forever and it was once again, supposed to be another rainy Sunday.

But, as I sang and danced around, (try not to judge, King David danced for God) :), I no longer cared about the weather. I was just thankful to be alive and going to church.

When the song was coming to an end, there’s a line that says, “Will I stand in your glory or to my knees will I fall?” I hit my knees and when I did, I could see the sun peeking through the clouds, through my closed blinds and my heart overflowed.

I would never have seen it through those closed blinds if I hadn’t been on my knees. I stayed there awhile and prayed and felt a brand new peace.

I don’t often kneel to pray, but sometimes, when I’m particularly troubled, sad, or frustrated, I do. I don’t believe it’s by any means a requirement for our prayers to be heard or answered, but there’s something about being in that humble position that always makes me feel very close to God.

That morning, it just felt natural and I followed that nudge and was rewarded with a sliver of the sun and a promise that bright things were on the horizon and that He is still in control and still listening.

I attended church and went about my day, but I thought about that sliver of sun all day long. I was reminded that we can learn a lot when we are on our knees and what a beautiful thing hope is. Perhaps you needed reminding too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Here’s the song, in case you want to hear it!

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

A Call to Nature

Posted on February 6, 2019 by Wendy

When we get outside our own four walls, it’s hard to miss God.

Last week, a large part of our nation was slammed by the Polar Vortex which was essentially, some brutally cold weather. The news was full of stories of temperatures in the negative twenties and there were actually people who lost their lives. Here in the Deep South, it dipped into the twenties and for us, that’s really cold. We huddled inside under blankets, and wore big coats when we had to go out and grumbled a lot, but by Saturday, it was sunny in the high sixties.

My hubby and I had plenty to do on Saturday, but we both agreed we had to get outside and walk and soak up some sun. There was a time in my life when I wouldn’t have taken the time to do that. Taking a walk would have seemed like a frivolous waste of time when I had so much to do. But, time and age, have slowly changed my heart and mind on what is most important in life.

We went to our local botanical gardens and joined a slew of people who agreed with us. We had a hard time finding a parking spot.

It felt good to be outside. Our winter hasn’t really been that cold, but we have had so much rain since the fall, that we almost broke a record. Time in nature has become a bit of a scarcity. We met smiling face after smiling face, on that trail and I marveled at the age diversity of our fellow walkers.

There was a mama carrying a baby and walking with a preschooler. There were couples young and old. There were families. There were solitary walkers. There were some elderly people who I wouldn’t have thought would have braved the trail. Yet, they too, greeted us with a smile. There were runners. There were people who looked to be in perfect shape and those who looked like they were trying to get into perfect shape. Some sat down on benches by the river to rest or reflect.

I think I probably saw every stage of life, represented on that walk and no matter the stage, they all were seeking the same thing: to be outside, in nature and enjoy Creation. We worship a creative Heavenly Father, who has given us so much beauty, that we too often take for granted. We tend to gravitate towards the physical lists and tasks and neglect the spiritual ones that feed our souls and we suffer for it don’t we?

My nature walk reminded me that no matter our stage in life, we are called to participate, to get off the couch and get moving in whatever capacity we can and to be thankful for what we have been given, because when we give thanks, our eyes are opened to the many blessings we all have and miss.

Sometimes I need reminding. Perhaps you do too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

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