The Call to Seek Like Mary

Posted on by Wendy
When we truly seek Jesus, we will find Him.

I’ve been participating in an online Bible study. We have been reading one chapter a day in the Gospel of John. One day last week, we got to chapter twenty. That’s the chapter where Mary Magdalene, Peter and John go to the tomb and find it empty. This is a very familiar passage to most Christians, but this time when I read it, Mary’s experience really stuck with me.

She was the first one to the tomb, the first to realize He wasn’t there. When she saw He wasn’t there, the text says she ran to tell Peter and John. In response to her news, they ran to the tomb. The scriptures say both disciples went inside and saw His grave clothes and they believed and then went back to where they were staying.

The two disciple simply went back to where they were staying? They saw that Jesus was gone and went home? Didn’t they have questions? Were they in shock? Was His absence just too much for them to deal with in that moment?

But, Mary stayed. Overcome with grief, she didn’t run from it. She stayed right there, right where she thought Jesus should be and cried. I picture her sobbing at this point. I know I would be, but her open honest show of grief resulted in a direct response from heaven.

“She looked inside the tomb again and found two angles there, they asked her, “Woman, why are you crying?” “They have taken my Lord away,” she said, “and I don’t know where they have put him.” John 20:13

Then she turned and stood face-to-face with the Risen Jesus, but did not recognize Him.

“Thinking he was the gardener, she said, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him.” John 20:15

I find this to be a bold statement for a grieving woman, alone at a tomb, but Mary was steadfast and fearless in her search for Jesus. She was willing to go get his body herself. Whatever it took, she would find Jesus.

And her stubborn faith was rewarded. When Jesus called her name, she knew it was Him and her mourning immediately became joy.

Mary’s story reminds me that we all will at some point, find ourselves grieving on this side of eternity and we have a choice how we will respond. We can deal with it by running from it, or pretending it doesn’t exist, or attempting to numb it by some chemical means, or we can seek Jesus and the peace that only He can give us.

When the world tells us that Jesus doesn’t care about us, if we remain stubborn and steadfast like Mary, He will show up and meet us right where we are, right in the middle of whatever we are dealing with and He will call our name.

Sometimes I need reminding. Perhaps you do too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

 

 

 

Lessons from a D

Posted on by Wendy
Lessons of mercy and grace can remain with us for an entire lifetime.

When I was in first grade, we began each day with a morning coloring assignment. It would be something like ducks and a pond. There were specific directions. We would have to color the baby ducks yellow, the mama duck white, the grass green and the pond blue. We were expected to follow them perfectly and to stay within the lines.

I was a rule follower and I usually did well on the morning assignments. I did struggle with staying within the lines, but that was mostly because I found coloring to be tedious and boring.

I always brought home good grades. I could tell it made my Mama happy and I did my best to do well.

One morning, the assignment was to color the dog brown. He was some type of terrier, sitting on his back two legs. He filled the entire page. The directions were to color him brown, which I did, easy peasy, but I decided the dog needed a collar. I had seen Lady & the Tramp. I knew what happened to dogs without collars.

My dogs at home had collars. This dog I was coloring wasn’t a stray; he was loved and so I colored him in a colorful collar.

I was shocked when the teacher returned it with a big, fat red D. She was unimpressed with my creativity. I hadn’t followed directions.

I was so ashamed and when I got into my Mama’s car with it at the end of the week; I shoved it under her seat, where it remained for a while. But, as mistakes that we hide from tend to do, it eventually came to light. My little sister discovered it and pulled it out and asked what it was in her loudest kindergarten voice.

I was caught. I knew Mama would be disappointed at my bad grade, but she said we would talk about it when we got home. It was a long ten mile ride.

When we got there, she looked closely at the picture and then she surprised me with a hug. First, she told me I shouldn’t ever hide anything from her, no matter how bad I thought it was and then she told me she really liked the picture and that the dog’s collar was beautiful. She appreciated my creativity and couldn’t believe that my teacher didn’t. Of course, I would give him a collar. Our dogs had collars.

I probably learned more that day from that D than every single paper I colored for the entire year.

I learned that while rules are important, legalism is bad. I learned to trust my creativity. I learned not to hide my mistakes from the people who love me and I got a beautiful picture of mercy and grace. Sometimes I need reminding that what I see as failure isn’t really failure at all. Perhaps you needed reminding too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Gray Hair Blessings

Posted on by Wendy
If you woke up today, make it count.

I have reached a point in my life where gray hairs are ongoing participants. There are no longer one or two that I can pull. They are everywhere. At the moment, I make regular appointments with my hairdresser, who is also a sweet friend of mine, to keep them covered. I have grown to prefer her artistry over the artistry of time.

I have often thought that I wouldn’t mind the gray so much if they didn’t come in standing straight up. I mean, seriously, they will fight any amount of product that I put on them to make them fall in line with the rest of my hair. They seem determined to demand my attention.

Recently, as I was praying while getting ready for work, a new one caught my attention. It was standing straight up, almost defying gravity and daring me to pull it, but as I zeroed in on it, I felt a little nudge in my heart asking me why it bothered me so much. It’s existence was simply proof of my time on earth.

When did getting older become so taboo?

In the Bible, the Book of Proverbs, (which happens to be one of the Books of Wisdom), tells us, “Gray hair is a crown of glory; it is gained in a righteous life.” Proverbs 16:31

The appearance of gray hair means that we have been blessed with a certain amount of longevity and I immediately thought of a friend of mine who was lost to ALS who didn’t have her first gray hair yet. What would she have given to live long enough to worry about something as trivial as gray hair?

As I continued down that thought path, it occurred to me that maybe they stand straight up because they are supposed to serve as a reminder of our limited time here on earth. Everyday that we wake up is a gift. Everyday we wake up is proof that God isn’t finished with us yet and we still have a mission on this side of eternity.

The gray serves as a reminder to make each day count. It also serves as a reminder that we have attained a certain amount of wisdom that comes from living. Are we sharing that wisdom? It seems like today’s world could definitely benefit from some wisdom, especially wisdom from long time Christ followers.

As I finished doing my hair, I felt a lot less annoyance over the gray. I don’t have to love them, but I can learn to appreciate their message. After all, I can always use reminders of my many blessings and that everyday should count. Perhaps you can too!

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

 

 

Oh Praise Him!

Posted on by Wendy

 

Last week, my daughter texted me that she had rearranged the furniture in our living room. It had been a super long week and I was exhausted. I began the week, staying up very late cheering for my alma mater in the national championship game, which they won, but that meant that the rest of the week was filled with deep fatigue.

Since I am a college advisor and it was the first week of the semester, it was an especially busy week, filled with constant email and an orientation that I was responsible for leading. Added to that, one of our cars was in the shop, so my family was carpooling.

Due to both fatigue and carpooling, I skipped my morning yoga and I missed out on my daily reflection and prayer time on my drive in. By the end of the week, I felt like I was walking in cement. I was physically and spiritually, running on empty and that is not a place I like to be.

So when I received that text from my daughter, I could have cared less about the furniture. I just longed to get in my bed and sleep for days. But, God was at work.

When Sunday came and everything was cancelled due to expected snow and ice, I settled in my chair which now faced the big picture window in the living room. (It used to be at its back.) It was nice being able to see out. It was gray and raining, but it was facing nature. We tuned into our favorite church service out of Savannah. The first song was an old hymn, “All Creatures of Our God and King.” I sang that song as a child growing up, so it was familiar, but they jazzed it up a bit and I sang along.

This particular hymn is all about creation praising it’s Creator. It even talks about the sun and moon praising God. When we got to the line “Praise, praise the Father, praise the Son, and praise, praise the Spirit three in one,” the first big fluffy snow flakes began to fall. My eyes filled with tears at their majesty. My hubby and I looked at each other and grinned. He jumped up and began videoing those gorgeous flakes.

Snow is a big deal in the deep south. We don’t see it often and when we do, we are always filled with wonder. When my hubby played the video back later, we could hear that hymn playing and I didn’t fail to miss the God wink.

Although the snow was hard to beat, the sermon was fabulous and out internet went down as soon as the pastor ended with prayer. We didn’t have it back until Monday.

I took the rest of the day and reflected, prayed and wrote. God knew about the week I had and He met me in my weakness. He prompted the furniture arrangement. The forecasters had no clue when the snow was coming, but God knew and at the very moment we were singing a hymn of praise, He showed Himself.

God is always working, most often, unseen and when I find myself in a hole, praise is always the way out. Because when I acknowledge His majesty, He tends to show up in the most amazing ways. Sometimes I need reminding. Perhaps you did too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

 

Epiphany Lessons

Posted on by Wendy
If we want to see more of Jesus, we need to stay close to Him like the servants did.

As I was driving to work yesterday, which happened to be Epiphany, I was bone tired. My week had started off with a power outage on the coldest night of the year so far and while everyone in surrounding neighborhoods got their power back, we went overnight without ours. We were incredibly blessed to have gas logs to keep us warm, but my first day back to work after the Christmas break began with a two minute cool shower and putting makeup on with the light of a flashlight.

I counted my many blessings all the way to work and thanked God that the situation was temporary.

But, as the week went on, one thing happened after another, with unexpected stress and projects and I began to think that 2022 was not starting out well at all.

Yesterday, before I left for work, I read in my daily devotional the story of Jesus turning water into wine found in John 2. I love that story for so many reasons, but this time, the focus was on verse 9 where it said that the headwaiter didn’t know where the wine came from, but the servants knew. The ones who were walking the closest to Jesus, the servants, knew that a miracle had happened.

The people at the wedding party were oblivious, but the servants knew.

So as I drove to work, on the day that we celebrate the Three Wise Men honoring and worshipping Jesus, I was utterly exhausted and not really looking forward to the rainy day that my weather app predicted was coming. I had tried so hard all week to be positive; I had so much to be thankful for, but I was struggling.

Then I turned onto to the last part of my trip and was greeted by a beautiful display in the sky. Even thought skies were cloudy, the sun found a way and I just had to smile as the words from my morning devotional ran through my head. I stopped and took the time to snap a photo. I’ve no doubt there was a scientific explanation for the display at the very moment that I was praying, but I knew.

I knew it was encouragement and a reminder that God has a plan, that I never walk alone and He always hears me.

Epiphany is about the truth of Christ being shared with all people. It’s about a group of foreign men following signs in the sky that led them to the newborn Messiah. Even thought they weren’t Jewish, even thought they had traveled far, they knew they should try to see Him and worship Him.

A sunrise on a cloudy morning reminded me to do the same. Perhaps you needed reminding too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Happy New Year!

Posted on by Wendy
May 2022 be a year filled with intentional living.

As I sit on the edge of a brand new year, I always find it meaningful to reflect on the year that is coming to a close. Sometimes it’s been such a good year, I hate to see it end and other times, I find myself sprinting to midnight, anxious to turn the page on the calendar for a brand new start.

But, the older I get, the better I get at remembering the many blessings of the past year. Even in the worst of times, there have always been more blessings than I can count and certainly more than I deserve. I am also reminded that as a Christ follower, January 1st is simply symbolic. Grace gives me a chance for a brand new start every single day that I wake up and a chance to do life better than the day before.

While I’m not big on resolutions, I do like the idea of focusing on a single word for the year. In the past, I have used thankful, to remind me that I have so very much to be thankful for. I’ve also used abundance, to remind me that I always have so much more than I need. I’ve used trust, to remind me that God loves me and He always has a plan. Last year it was transform, to remind me to not be afraid of change and to push me to do my part in changing what I wasn’t happy with.

Every year I settle on a word and then I write it in places where I will see it. It reminds me to be intentional. In the end, living with intention is always my goal.  New Year’s Eve just serves as a reminder. Perhaps you needed reminding too.

Happy New Year!

Wendy 🙂

The Call to be Light Bearers

Posted on by Wendy
We too, can offer light in dark places.

My family and I recently visited a Christmas light show. We chose our ticket time carefully because we wanted to be sure it was completely dark. Who wants to watch a light show in the daylight? We were not disappointed. Even though it was overcast and misting rain, the lights were spectacular against the dark night.

As we get ready to celebrate the birth of Christ, it makes perfect sense that it’s the darkest time of year. We have less daylight this time of year than any other time. In fact, December 21st is the longest night of the year. That darkness allows the lights shine even brighter.

As people of faith, we look towards the spiritual light that Christmas represents.

The prophet Isaiah said it this way, “The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the shadow of death a light has dawned.” Isaiah 9:2

In his Gospel, John wrote about Jesus, “In him was life and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.” John 1:4 and “The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world.”

While we all like to focus on Christmas being the most wonderful time of the year, I think it’s important to remember that it’s a really dark time for many people. We live in a broken world. There is sickness, death, loneliness and heartbreak on this side of eternity and for some, the Christmas season magnifies loss.

But, as people of faith we are called to be bearers of the true light of the season. Like the Christmas lights that we see everywhere, we are called to shine in the darkness. There are so many ways we can choose to act differently than the world expects us to.

We can give to charities or buy toys for the less fortunate. We can invite someone to a Christmas Eve service. We can let someone out ahead of us in traffic. We can offer a reassuring smile to the frazzled mama with the screaming toddler, at the grocery store or stop to chat with the elderly man at the hardware store. We can pay for the person behind us in the drive thru line or post kind encouraging words on social media. We can invite someone to share Christmas with our family.

In short, we can open our eyes and go out of our way to be the face of Jesus to a world so very desperate for a glimpse of Him.

A Christmas light show reminded me that people of faith are called to be a Christmas light show too. Sometimes I need reminding. Perhaps you did too.

Merry Christmas!

Wendy 🙂

Do Not Be Afraid

Posted on by Wendy
“Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged , for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious hand.” Isaiah 41:10

One of my family’s favorite Christmas movies is, “Home Alone.” We’ve seen it a dozen times, but we watch it every year and laugh like it’s the first time we have seen it. We watched it last week and found ourselves entertained as usual.

One of my favorite scenes takes place in a church. It’s Christmas Eve and a children’s choir is singing. Kevin knows that the two bad guys are coming to break into his house and possibly do him harm, but he has decided to fight and it’s as if he instinctively knows he needs to go spend some time in church first, to prepare for the fight.

While there, he runs into Marley, an old man he has been terrified of the entire movie. They talk, the old man and the child, and share some wisdom that each needs to hear. Marley tells Kevin he doesn’t need to be afraid of him, but Marley admits to Kevin that he is afraid to call his son because he doesn’t know how he will react. Kevin calls him out.

“No offense, aren’t you too old to be afraid?”

Marley replies, “You can be too old for a lot of things, but you’re never too old to be afraid.”

Kevin seems to accept that fact. They talk a few more minutes and Kevin heads home to defend his home and with Marley’s help, in the end, he comes away victorious.

Marley’s words in the church seem particularly pertinent this year. We are surrounded with so much uncertainty and fear; it’s almost palpable.

Yet, as people of faith we should note that the Christmas story reminds us at every turn that we are not to be afraid. In Luke 1:30, Gabriel tells Mary, “Do not be afraid, you have found favor with God.”

In Matthew 1:20, when Joseph is thinking of quietly divorcing Mary, an angel appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David , do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.”

Then in Luke2:8-11, we find the shepherds, minding their own business, watching their flocks and an angel appeared and they were terrified. “But the angel said to them. ‘Do not be afraid, I bring you good news that will cause joy for all people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.”

Marley was right. We are never too old to be afraid, but the story of Christmas reminds us not to be. God is with us, so it is well. Sometimes I need reminding. Perhaps you do too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Remembering the Reason for the Season

Posted on by Wendy
A gift from a neighbor tells the true story of Christmas.

On the day after Thanksgiving, we put up our family Christmas tree. At some point, among the Christmas decorations, my son found an Advent calendar I had saved. When we first moved into our house, my kiddos were 3 and 5 and the sweet lady who lived across the street, brought them an Advent calendar. I had no idea that it was the beginning of a tradition. She brought them a new one every year until they were in middle school.

My son pulled the calendar out and started going through the days, reading them aloud as he went while I continued to decorate the tree. Day one was the Bible. Day two was Joseph. On Day three when he said, “There’s Mary and Gabriel;” he got my attention. He continued and I listened although I didn’t let him know it, until he got all the way to the birth of the Baby Jesus.

I’ll have to admit that this mama’s heart and eyes were both full.

Even thought he’s twenty, there was something about hearing my child recite the true meaning of Christmas that filled me with joy.

I thought about it long after the tree was done. I thought about all of the players that go into faith building. I thought about our sweet neighbor who shared her faith in such a quiet, but incredibly meaningful way. I thought about his Sunday school teachers and the many Christmas pageants he participated in and the Christmas Eve candlelight services where we always sang Silent Night and I thought about the importance of telling the story we believe in.

The Christmas season is fun and meaningful in so many ways. There are parties and gifts, Christmas trees and lots of goodies and beautiful traditions that get handed down from generation to generation. While those are all good things,  as people of faith, we are called to remember the true meaning of Christmas and to share the story with others.

The truth is that Christmas is the story of a teenaged girl who said yes to God’s plan for her and her fiance who stood by her although he had every reason not to. That obedience changed the fate of all mankind. It’s the story of God’s provision for His people. It’s the story of the birth of hope. It’s the story of a God who loves His children so much that He decided to become one of us.

It’s a story worth telling over and over. An Advent calendar reminded me. Perhaps you needed reminding too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

 

 

The Christmas Cactus Testimony

Posted on by Wendy
The Christmas Cactus knows its job is to announce that Christmas is coming despite its circumstances.

About a week ago, I was delighted to find small, bright pink buds on my Christmas Cactus. I tend to it year round, but once a year, it rewards me with stunning tropical blooms. When I see the little buds, it’s like a little announcement from Creation itself that Jesus is coming. It makes no difference to that little plant what new viruses or variants are surging or what new political  chaos is raging.

It’s purpose in life is to announce that Christmas is coming and it does so with great enthusiasm.

Years ago, when I first got it, I planted it in a pretty white ceramic pot that thought suited it beautifully. Last week, my hubby accidently knocked it off the plant stand and it fell crashing floor. Once I realized that he was ok and I saw the shards of white all over the floor, I rushed to see what kind of damage was done to the plant. I was pleased to see very little damage to the plant itself, but the saucer part of the pot was mostly gone.

I didn’t dare repot it while it was covered in buds, fearing it would go into shock and not bloom, so I bought a plain, ugly, plastic saucer to put underneath it. It definitely wasn’t as pretty as before. I mean, the pot was toast. It made me a little sad to see it broken.

But, over the next few days, the buds got bigger and brighter. I found myself drawn to it one day after work. The plant it seemed, was blissfully unaware of the ugly saucer it was sitting in. It’s job was to announce the coming of Christ and it was happily doing its job despite the circumstances.

I’ll have to admit that I felt both inspired and humbled at its defiance.

How often do we allow our circumstances to hinder our worship and our mission? When life sends blows our way, how do we respond? When we lose a job, or a relationship falls apart or we get a bad diagnosis, do we stand tall like that cactus and continue to point others to Jesus or do we curl up in a ball and wait until the sun is once again shining and life is good to resume our worship?

Life on this side of eternity will always be a mix of both good and bad. A Christmas cactus reminded me while we have no control over our circumstances, we do have control over our response to them. Perhaps you needed reminding too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂