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Life is about the journey not the destination! |
Due to a class reunion this past weekend, along with a weekend long slumber party with some of my favorite ladies on the planet, which included late hours and lots and lots of talking and laughter, I have no post today. I hope your Monday is fabulous.
Have an awesome day!
Wendy 🙂
Acorns can sprout if left unchecked.
I recently discovered a tiny oak tree growing in the gutters on my house. I was mortified. How could that happen? Clearly, we needed to clean our gutters, but the leaves haven’t dropped yet and we are surrounded by oak trees, so to clean them right now, would just be an exercise in futility. They will quickly refill.
There are acorns everywhere at the moment. We crunch them with our tires in the driveway and beneath our feet when we walk in the yard. They are small nuggets that don’t seem capable of much of anything, yet they are.
Under the right conditions, they can become a mighty oak tree and create wonderful shade or create all kinds of havoc, depending on your perspective.
As I pondered my gutter situation and how the sprouts seemed to have happened overnight, I had to admit that they didn’t. Those acorns had been in that gutter for a while, unseen but growing a little bigger with every passing day.
I was reminded how we can let unwanted things take root in our spiritual lives as well, if we aren’t careful. A little disagreement can grow into something huge if we don’t resolve it quickly. Hurt feelings can balloon into lasting anger if we don’t deal with them. Careless words can leave lasting damage if we aren’t willing to apologize or accept apologies.
All of those scenarios can seem so small in the moment, small like little acorns. Yet, if left alone, they can just keep growing, like acorns do and before long we have an something as big as an actual tree and eventually a mighty one.
Acorns have a purpose just like our hurt feelings and anger do, yet there’s a time and a place that’s ideal for both. The gutters of my house are clearly not an ideal place, neither is deep within our hearts and souls. My gutter sprout reminded me that not only do we need to clean our gutters frequently, we need to clean up our hearts and souls frequently as well.
There’s just not room to let the bad stuff take root. Perhaps you needed reminding today too.
Have an awesome day!
Wendy 🙂
How do we react when someone is unkind?
My pastor commented on Sunday, that sometimes when she looks out into the congregation and smiles, some of us actually smile back at her. I really took her words to heart because when I sing in the choir and survey the congregation, not everyone smiles. But, some people always smile and so I look for those people.
My hope has always been that when I sing, it comes across as a testimony of sorts or sometimes a prayer, and when I make a noise for God, I try to make it a joyful one. When people smile back at me, I feel like they are reflecting Jesus back at me. It’s a wonderful, soul filling phenomenon.
After the sermon today, I really began to reflect on how I can do a better job at reflecting Jesus back to a world that really needs Him right now. I feel like I do a decent job of returning a smile when someone gives me a smile. I’m always polite when people are polite to me.
But, how well do I do when they are rude? Human nature tells us to give back what we are given and that we shouldn’t take anything other than kindness and respect off of anybody. We certainly don’t want to be perceived as weak in any way. We are a nation of winners.
Yet, Jesus teaches a different path, a more difficult one to be sure, but He’s more concerned with our spiritual nature than our human nature. He knows that the spiritual lasts forever. The physical does not.
“Do to others as you would have them do to you.” Luke 6:31 Those are red letter words, directly from Jesus.
So we are called not to give back what we are given, but to reflect back what we would like to have been given. That’s a tall order. When people are unkind, we are called to return their actions with kindness. When people are rude, we are called to return their rudeness with politeness.
How do we want to be treated? That’s how we are called to treat others.
As difficult as that can be, sometimes we find that when we do that, the person we are encountering has nowhere to go. Something changes inside them and a breakthrough happens and sometimes it doesn’t. Thankfully we have a helper in the Holy Spirit who provides us with the fruits of perseverance and patience.
A sermon reminded me to remember who we are and who we represent. Perhaps you needed reminding too.
Have an awesome day!
Wendy 🙂
We should seek and hold onto joy whenever we can.
As the pictures of the devastation from Hurricane Michael keep rolling in, it seems to be the topic of everyone’s conversation. Part of it is because, Florida is our next door neighbor and so many of us in Georgia, have been to those places that were hit so hard.
We have so many memories of wonderful times spent there.
Personally, I have scanned the internet daily for a business in Panama City called Goofy Golf. It’s a putt-putt place that’s been there since the fifties. My parents took us to play putt-putt there every year on our family vacations. My mama’s parents took her to play there and I’ve taken my own kids to play there. Although it’s just a place, I desperately want it to have survived.
A few years ago, when the entire town of Gatlinburg, Tennessee was on fire, I frantically searched the internet, hoping that the chapel that my hubby and I got married in, was still standing. It wasn’t like our marriage would have no longer been valid if it burned, I just really wanted it to have survived.
When I think of the people who actually have homes in that area, that were there one minute and gone the next and the people who have severe storm damage, my heart breaks for them. As I have prayed for the folks on the Florida Panhandle the last few days, I’m reminded that our lives can drastically change in the blink of an eye.
As we go through our everyday lives, we can get so complacent, that we take it all for granted. It had been since the 1850’s that, that area had been hit by a hurricane of that magnitude. No one is even alive that would remember it, but I’ve no doubt that those people living back then, were just as devastated.
The aftermath of Hurricane Michael reminds me that we should soak up every moment we are given with the people we love and with those who love us. It reminds me to tell the people we love that we love them. It reminds me to seek and to hold on tightly to joy and to let anger and pain go. It reminds me that we should forgive easily and anger slowly. It reminds me that nothing on this side of Eternity is permanent, no matter how strong we may think it is.
Life is a gift. We should remember that every morning when we wake up. Sometimes I need reminding. Perhaps you do too.
Have an awesome day!
Wendy 🙂
I’m thankful for the warriors among us.
Wednesday night, we held our breath as Hurricane Michael headed our way. It had already decimated everything in its path in Florida and Georgia was next. We had seen alerts most of the day and were under a tornado watch until the wee hours of the morning.
I had felt uneasy all day long. The air outside just felt heavy somehow. My daughter was in South Georgia and my parents were in Middle Georgia and both areas were in the hurricane’s crosshairs and out of my reach.
I shouldn’t have been surprised when I got a message on Facebook from a family friend checking in with us and letting me know he was praying for us. He’s a warrior who became family on a mission trip a few years back and he always has a way of letting me know he’s praying for us especially when things feel particularly out of my control.
I immediately felt better.
A little while later, another friend who I met on that same trip, also a warrior who has become family, messaged me to let me know that he too, was praying for our family.
There was definitely some comfort, knowing we were being prayed for, when we didn’t even ask. There are certain situations when it becomes abundantly clear that prayer is the only answer. I was so grateful they had reached out to me. I had no doubt that they were following nudges from God.
It made me wonder if I should do a better job at letting people know that I’m praying for them. I think we can sometimes forget how powerful that spiritual connection can be. There are times when I feel called to pray for someone, but I rarely tell them.
Maybe they need to hear it. It certainly gave me some peace.
Thankfully we suffered no damage overnight, but the next morning, I still hadn’t heard from my daughter. I received a text from another warrior from that same mission trip to tell me she was praying for us and asking how we were. I thanked her and told her we were fine, but I hadn’t heard from my daughter. She reached out to her as well and I’ve no doubt, continued to pray.
It was a few hours later when she finally checked in. The weather had kept her awake, so she had slept in, but all was well.
I marveled all day at the power of prayer and the peace we can get from it. I stand amazed at the people who God puts in our paths for such a time as this. He always has a plan.
Sometimes I need reminding. Perhaps you do too.
Have an awesome day!
Wendy 🙂
“But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” Isaiah 40:31
I had the day off on Monday and I was determined to get outside and go for a walk. My regular cardio routine has become irregular at best, due to some painting projects, an injured tendon and quite frankly, the oppressive heat that has refused to let up.
As I sat at my kitchen table drinking my coffee, (Who in their right mind would take a morning walk before coffee?), I noticed how dark it was outside. I knew I should go as early as possible, because of the heat, but I just didn’t want to go out under an overcast sky.
Something nudged me to wait.
When the sun finally peeked through the clouds, and I went to get my running shoes, it was 9:00. I strapped my cell phone that I’ve been lugging around to record every step I take, securely around my arm. I knew I had probably waited too late, but I was determined to go anyway.
I was pleasantly surprised when I stepped outside. It was cooler than it had been the past few days and there was a breeze. I was thankful I had waited for the light and I was reminded that it’s always going to be warmer when we seek to walk in the light.
As I walked along, I found myself praying for some wonder, for God to show His presence. The past week had been a long one filled with bad news, not for me personally, but for some friends and extended family. I felt like my prayers had become a long list of cries for intervention and comfort. My heart felt heavy.
But, as I walked and felt the cool breeze on my face, I felt thankful, thankful to be alive and to be outside and away from a desk and as I was giving thanks, a hawk flew across my path and landed on a tree branch right in front of me. I stopped and wondered if it would remain there while I took a picture. I doubted it.
I never exercise with a phone. I find them cumbersome, but I had mine because of the step counting, work contest. I carefully took it off my arm, expecting it to fly away any minute. It didn’t. I tried to zoom and then I moved closer and walked to the other side of the tree to get a better shot. The hawk never moved. He kept his eyes on me, but stayed put until I finished and walked away.
I marveled at God’s faithfulness and His timing. If I would have gone earlier, I would have missed the encounter. If I wasn’t counting my steps, not only would I not have been able to get a picture, but I wouldn’t have been been amazed at the hawk’s patience with my photo attempts.
My heart was much lighter as I continued to give thanks. My circumstances hadn’t changed, but I had been reassured of His presence, His timing, His plan and most importantly, His love.
Perhaps you needed some reassurance today too.
Have an awesome day!
Wendy 🙂
Due to a house full of company this weekend, followed by a frenzy of activity that lasted all weekend, I don’t have a post today. I hope you have a wonderful Columbus Day!
Have an awesome day!
Wendy 🙂
Our faith can be as weak as straw or as strong as bricks and mortar.
Yesterday at the elementary school where I work, our first graders had a fairy tale ball. They had just finished their unit on fairy tales and to cap it off, they were told to dress as any fairy tale character of their choosing. Not surprisingly, there were lots of princesses, but there were also quite a few pigs from the, “Three Little Pigs,” and some wolves, and even the grandmother from “Little Red Riding Hood.” The “Wizard of Oz,” was also well represented.
Their creativity, was as always, inspiring. The possibilities and perspectives of the very young always inspire me. Later in the day, one of our teachers asked me if I remembered what her son wore the year before for his fairy tale ball. I didn’t, so she shared her pictures.
He had come as the houses in the, “Three Little Pigs.” In his mind, the most important character in the story, wasn’t a character at all. It was what the characters built, that spoke to him. Each house was represented on a side of a box that he wore.
I was fascinated and I thought about those pictures and his perspective long after the fairy tale ball was over.
As humans, it seems that what we tend to focus on is other humans, whether they are good or bad, or are for us or against us. But, the truth about all humanity is that it’s not permanent. We are only here for a short time before we move on to eternity, but the things we build can last a lot longer than we do, and the love and faith we pass down to the generations who come after us, can last indefinitely.
And when I think about it, “The Three Little Pigs,” has some deep lessons to teach us spiritually. When we are building our faith lives, it’s important to take time and care like the little pig who used the bricks, because we too, have a wolf character who comes after us from time to time, just because we are children of God.
It’s not a matter of if, but of when. If we haphazardly build our faith, like the little pig did with the straw and his house, it will easily collapse when an attack comes. But, if we take the time and pray, and read the Bible and spend time with other people of faith and build a brick house faith, it can withstand any kind of attack, just like the little pig with the brick house did and we can help shelter others too, just like the little pig did with his brothers.
The fairy tale ball reminded me of the importance of what we build while we are here. Perhaps you needed reminding too.
Have an awesome day!
Wendy 🙂
In the end it’s not how many steps we take, but where those steps take us, that matters most.
There’s a little contest going on at my school. It involves how many steps someone can take in a day. There are teams. The team with the most steps at the end of the contest wins. It’s pretty straightforward and it’s a fun way to encourage each other to move around more. There was a similar contest last year. I didn’t participate.
First of all, I don’t have one of those little step counter watches that everyone is wearing these days. I know they are super cool and trendy, but they remind me of 1980’s fashion and I’ve been there and done that. Secondly, I’m just not very competitive. I exercise because I have to to stay fit, not because I get great joy out of it and I’m certainly not going to devote entire weekends of running or swimming, so I can get a shirt.
But, this time, there was a team that was short and so I reluctantly agreed to participate. The tricky part is, I have to carry my cell phone everywhere I go if I want credit for my steps. My embarrassingly low numbers are evidence that I often leave it behind.
I’m sure by the time the contest is finished, I’ll be carrying it around as reliably as a mama kangaroo and her joey.
But, as I was lamenting about the situation the other day, it occurred to me that just because my steps don’t get recorded on my phone, doesn’t mean that I didn’t take them. Just because they don’t count in the contest, doesn’t mean that I’m not more aware of the need to move more.
We are currently living in a social media crazed, show me, world. We may go on the most spectacular vacation of our lives, but if there are no pictures posted, was it less spectacular?
As Christians, our faith calls us to something entirely different. The Bible even tells us, “But, when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.” Matthew 6:6
Our work contest reminds me that I probably need to be more physically active, and that’s a good thing, but it also reminds me that instead of counting my steps, I really need to focus on making my steps count. Perhaps you needed reminding too.
Have an awesome day!
Wendy 🙂
Sometimes your path may only be clear to you. Not everyone will understand your calling.
One Sunday, a few months back, when the time came for the choir to go to the front of the church and sing, my friend Linda, had to leave her grandson Malachi, in the pew with his mama, so she could sing. As soon as she left his side, he began to wail loudly. It was of no concern to him where his grandmother was going. All he knew was that she was leaving him.
But, when the music began and she joined her voice with the rest of the choir in worship, he quieted down. When the song was over, she returned to his side.
I thought about that incident long after that Sunday. So often, when God calls us to do something, those around us might not understand. They might not have the vision that we do, that like a church choir, we are joining in with others to produce something beautiful for God, something much bigger than we are alone.
I also reflected upon the fact that Linda didn’t turn and go back. She kept walking to where she was called, knowing that she needed to go. She knew that not only was Malachi completely safe with his sweet mama, but that he was about to witness why she left him for those few minutes.
When we choose to walk with Jesus, we are sometimes called to make difficult decisions. We can find ourselves called to a different job, or a different vocation altogether, or a different city, or sometimes even a different church.
Sometimes the people around us will cheer us on. Sometimes they won’t. Change is often hard for everyone involved and some people are going to react like little Malachi did that morning. But, when we are deep in prayer over our dilemmas and opportunities and we know we are going where we are called to be, our friends and loved ones will eventually see what we knew all along: God always has a plan and He was always working in the situation even when He was unseen.
Sometimes I need reminding. Perhaps you did too.
Have an awesome day!
Wendy 🙂