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The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside still waters.
He restores my soul;
He leads me in paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil; for You are with me;
Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
You anoint my head with oil; my cup runs over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. –Psalm 23 (Modern English Version)

I love my talks with my grandma, and we can easily end up chatting for over an hour when I call her. I was on the phone the other day when she told me something happened that I had to hear. Uh oh, what did she do?

Let me start by explaining how the little church in her neighborhood was a bit like a second home. It was where I was baptized and where I was married. It was even the first stop on the way home with our lab puppy. It was a place where I could always find a family member or two or twenty! If Grandma wasn’t home, we’d head to the church to see if she was there.

I remember all the Bible Schools and Kids’ Night Out evenings…attending and helping. I remember washing dishes in the kitchen and scraping food from the floor after potlucks. I can’t forget polishing those pews and kneeling with my grandma at the front of the church when we finished cleaning to say a heartfelt prayer.

So when Grandma’s story started out with her being at church, it didn’t surprise me one bit. What did surprise me was that she found something that had been there for years that she’d never come across before.

She told me that she was walking down the aisle in the sanctuary when beside their old pew (you know what I’m talking about…if your rear has resided in the same pew for a while, it becomes yours) was a bookmark. She stopped and picked it up. It had a picture of the shepherd boy David. She turned it over and there was her little boy’s handwriting along with his name.

Her son, my uncle, had passed away when he was just ten years old from cystic fibrosis. This would have been well over forty years ago when she lost her baseball loving Webelo Scout. How could there possibly have been anything left in that church that she wouldn’t have already found?

There was no doubt in my mind that God had planned that present from before that sweet boy was taking from this home here on earth. Grandma was amazed and grateful. God surely orchestrated that whole thing. She said that she knew I’d appreciate her story and she was right.

As I was thinking about this wonderful testimony of God’s love shining on Grandma, it made me think of something my mom told me many years ago. Her brother was often in the hospital because of the cystic fibrosis, and he had a young doctor that came to care a great deal about him. When my uncle lost his fight and went to be with the Lord, my grandpa got word of that doctor wanting to give up his calling because of losing his patient.

In the midst of his grief, my grandpa, the strong man that he was, went to speak to that doctor to keep him from giving up on his calling. I sit here imagining what that conversation was like. My guess is he let him know how important the work that God put inside him was. What a shame it would be to waste the gift he was given. He probably expressed his gratitude to him and maybe even shared a few tears letting him know how even though he wasn’t able to save his son, he made the journey a little easier. It wouldn’t surprise me if he made sure the doctor knew that even though Grandpa’s son couldn’t be with them right then, The Son could be.

Although we have all kinds of medicine and technology, God’s time is God’s time. We simply aren’t God…that doesn’t make us failures, it makes us human. There’ll be times when things happen that hurt and don’t make sense.  This is when we’re carried by the Lord.  Only faith allows us to get through to the other side without being detained or set on the wrong course.

When something doesn’t turn out the way we think it should, we can face devastation and doubt. We’d do anything in order to keep that pain away, including giving up what God has called us to do. We think it would be easier to avoid the hard times.

I believe there is someone who needs to hear this. I’m asking you…what if my grandpa let grief take over and not have given a thought to the doctor? It seems like he’d have that right. What if that doctor stopped practicing medicine and missed out on all the children God had lined up for him to help? What if my grandma let bitterness take over and quit going to church, missing out on the comfort God is still dishing out today?

I don’t know about you, but I’d rather look back and say, “What if I wouldn’t have kept going?” That’s so much better than looking back and saying, “What if I would’ve kept going?”

We may not have complete control in what will happen in this life, but as long as there is breath in our bodies, I believe God will still work through us. It’s not too late to get through to the other side. Don’t let the pain that happened yesterday or even eighty years ago stop you.

What is a bookmark? It’s an item that allows us to keep our place. Our place is following God, using our gifts no matter how hard it gets, and never being so lost in grief that we can’t hear another’s call.

Who was on that bookmark left as a gift for my grandma? David. The one who wrote Psalm 23. I heard someone say that this Psalm pretty much sums up the whole Bible. I think it’s so important for us to have this comfort, hope, support, strength, refreshment and protection that Psalm 23 provides.

I challenge you to memorize and immerse yourself in the promises that are held in this Psalm of David.  Don’t give up to avoid pain; you’ll be giving up way more than you realize.

 

“You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot. Matthew 5:13

I don’t know about yours, but our living room is hardly ever used when somebody drops by our house. Our dining room and kitchen are one big room, and that’s where you’ll find everybody. They’re either hanging out at the island or sitting at our table. It’s comfy too because now we have nice, soft seats! We actually use desk chairs because it’s perfect for the boys doing school. They aren’t big and bulky, they’re adjustable, and they’re in a bright, fun color.

If it’s just my dad over before an evening in the woods, he’ll usually lounge at the island while I’m doing my wifely duty of pretending to look busy in the kitchen. My hubby and boys tend to enjoy the great entertainment of watching me get out my little broom to clean up the crumbs or dirt that was tracked in during the day. The comments fly as I roll my eyes and ignore them.

My dad finally asked, “What are you sweeping?” When I told him, he looked at me doubtfully and I watched him search for the supposed pile I told him I had going. I don’t think he really believed me until I presented it to him after I was finished. I explained how it drives me nuts feeling stuff on the bottom of my bare feet. Of course, my son’s solution was not to walk around in bare feet.

Seeing Dad’s grin, I knew I was in trouble. He informed the boys that if they wanted to really drive me crazy, all they’d have to do is take a little salt every once in a while and sprinkle a bit out onto the floor. Really? This is what he’s teaching his grandchildren! He’s my dad, shouldn’t he have my back? Instead, he’s giving ideas on how to make me nuts when I’m in bare feet! That wonderful hubby of mine thought sea salt would be even better. Thanks guys.

Did you know that not only the disciples were considered the salt of the earth, but so are we? It would drive me nuts trampling on salt in my kitchen, but how much worse would it be to think we were no longer good for anything but to be thrown down and trampled on? Are we like salt who’s doing God’s work to preserve the earth or are we just riding the tide of hate that I’ve been seeing?

With everything on the news, listening to people in the stores, and all the terrible ways we talk to one another, I don’t see us preserving like salt always did. I see a time when immaturity is taking over in our adults and being passed on to our children. Instead of preserving dignity, we want to be the first to cut down to get our point across. That doesn’t preserve dignity and doesn’t show the value of feelings and opinions in other people. It doesn’t nurture respect. It grows hate.

It made me angry when I had just read about all the hate and bad things that were happening in the United States and around the world, then heard my boys battling about petty things. I started thinking about if I ever see people trying to be the salt of the earth anymore. The answer surprised me because I often see it in those same boys who were battling. When my youngest looks at me and says, “Mom, you’re awesome!” I see him seasoning and preserving our relationship. When my oldest puts a supportive hand on my shoulder or asks if I need a hug, there it is again! I catch them doing it with each other too.

The problem is that we tend to get caught at our worst and stop being effective in showing the love of God. What can you do today to season life with love instead of adding a few more shakes of hate into a world that has too much of it as it is? Preserve today so you don’t get thrown out and trampled on tomorrow!

 

My glory will not fade; the bow will be ever new in my hand.’ Job 29:20

The time has come when I’m unable to carry on an intelligent conversation with my guys. Their attention is gone and they’ve reverted back to grunts, thinking I can translate that into real words. When the boys’ attention should be on their studies, their thoughts are in the woods. It’s archery season.

My hubby was away with the boys for two weekends in a row and was travelling for work during the week in-between. He was home one night out of ten and I think I was starting to miss him. It was a little too quiet without the umm…background noise while he slept, it was a little too cold without my personal foot warmer, and it was getting a little too boring without having as much of my hobby to do…laundry. So when he pulled in from his latest trip, I flung open the door with excitement to only be met with little hand motions shushing me before I even welcomed him home! There were buck fighting in his food plot that he was trying to watch. Yep, archery season.

As my guys were getting ready to go into the woods today, it made me think back to another archery season quite a few years ago when I was pregnant with my second son. I had been having contractions throughout the day, but told my hubby that it was fine for him to head to the woods that evening. I preferred to have his attention on the situation when we did go to the hospital, not him thinking about what he was missing in the woods.

When he got back in the house after dark, my contractions were about five minutes apart and pretty strong. I tried to tell him, but he was so focused on telling me what was in the woods (he became quite articulate all of a sudden) that he wasn’t paying attention to the fact I was standing there doubled over trying to get a breath. Ok, I’m exaggerating, but not by much!

After getting his attention by a flying, plastic cup…empty and not near him mind you. Also, not my proudest moment! I startled him enough that he actually stopped going on about what was in the woods to look at me. “Is something wrong?” asked my intelligent hubby as I’m breathing through the contraction.

Not being sarcastic at all, I said, “Nah, just about to have a baby.” Since the contractions did spread out a bit when I sat down, I figured that I’d wait to see what happened. Within a couple hours I thought we’d better give the hospital a call to head in since we lived about an hour away. I think the nurse must’ve been an archery hunter too because her mind seemed to be elsewhere…the woods maybe? She told me that I was having false labor pains and I should just go to bed and forget about it.

Probably around 11:00 that night when I stood up, they were coming pretty closely together. The thing was, I wasn’t in terrible pain at all. I just would breathe through them and that was that. I feel mighty blessed after I’ve heard some horror stories. I called the hospital back and they told me to come in and they’d check me.

When we dropped off my oldest at my cousin’s house, the contractions were about one to two minutes apart. I was still fine though and having normal conversations. I was even able to “help” my hubby drive, reminding him to go slow because of the deer running. That’s all we needed…to hit a deer! We got about ten minutes from the hospital when I informed him he had my blessing to just get me to the hospital as quick as he could.

Twenty minutes after we pulled into the hospital parking lot, I had a baby boy in my arms. Needless to say, the doctor never had time to get to the hospital and the nurses had to deliver my little boy. They had to work through their fear, and trust me they had some. Paper was flying as they were just trying to get an IV in me before the baby came. I could hear them reassuring each other that they could do this! They did a fantastic job too…not that they had any other choice. They couldn’t simply wait for the doctor to get there.

There are times that we might not realize we’re able to do something, but God gives us His supernatural power at just the moment we need it. Those nurses weren’t expecting to deliver a baby that night, but they were able to do it. That still makes me extremely grateful!

Can you imagine if I would’ve waited any longer for fear of going into that hospital and looking silly because I wasn’t actually in labor? Heaven forbid, my hubby would’ve been delivering that baby here at home. We can’t wait until it’s too late because of fear.

If we’re in God’s will, we just have to believe that the glory won’t fade. His glory and the grace He gives us! When we don’t feel strong enough, we can trust that He’s constantly renewing our strength. He might get you to a point that forces you to do what you fear, but He’ll be with you seeing you through each step of the way…renewing your strength.

Today starts a day of no more fear! Realize where your strength comes from. You have it. Once you accept it, there isn’t any more reason for fear. Don’t be afraid and waste one more second in something that is used by the devil himself.

Step out in confidence! Be like the nurses and remind yourself that you can do this. I dare you to have no more fear and an abundance of confidence in the Lord.  Don’t wait until it’s too late and you never got to experience the accomplishments that God has waiting for you!

 

“This month is to be for you the first month, the first month of your year. Exodus 12:2

When we had our first son, our yellow lab was a year old. He took to the baby right away and had a new best friend! From pretty much that first day, where my son was, you’d find the dog too. I don’t have a ton of pictures of only my oldest because that dog tended to photobomb his fair share.

That dog would let my kids do whatever they wanted to him. If they were dressing up, he was dressing up. I remember shaking my head as the dog sat there with a construction hat on and goggles like it was absolutely normal for him to be wearing them. I’d often have to remind my children that he was not a step stool, but it was hard to reinforce that when the dog let them use him to get their little bodies up on the couch. Life sure became exciting for my dog when the boys came into the picture!

As I was walking down the road the other day, it really had me thinking of that old dog. I was noticing how the leaves were changing and starting to fall down. It took me back to the year when we were raking leaves at the Barbie House (it was a blue and pink rental) with our oldest son. We’d get them all in a pile and the fun would start! I swear that dog had a big, silly grin on his face, while my son giggled nonstop.

Anyhow, there I was walking down the road having flashbacks to that great time when it hit me that my giggling little boy who would put his arm around a dog that was taller than him, is now taller than me. He doesn’t really jump in leaves anymore! Now instead of raking, we get the lawn mower out or a leaf blower.  Times change.

Kids grow up and move on to different activities, but autumn happens every single year where I live. We watch the leaves turn colors and let go of the trees in order for a new season to take place. So even though we have the consistency of our seasons, they go through the patterns of change too.

Have you ever noticed those oak trees where it’s January and the leaves are still holding on? They turn pretty ugly while it seems they’re pleading not to move on to the next chapter. They’re all brown and withered at that point. Have you noticed how leaves are brighter, more intense, and vibrant during that season just before they’re ready to let go of the old?

Listen, don’t be a brown and withered leaf! Be that bright, intense, and vibrant leaf. Don’t be afraid of change and moving on into a new chapter in life. When we cling so tightly to what used to be, we start looking pretty withered up and sad.

Think about it this way…we all start out as a bud, and then we flourish into a strong green leaf. As we mature in whatever area we’ve been evolving, we’re at our brightest and most intense color with our vibrancy shimmering off us. When we get to that point, God isn’t ready for us to stay stagnant and just hang out there. It’s time for a new season. Others will come in and start their cycle, but we need to vacate the premises!

There’s a next level where we need to bud and work our way through. Only one level in a video game would seem silly, right? How crazy would it be that when we reach the top of the first level, we’re done. That would be pretty pitiful…we need to move on to the next level! Just like there are many levels in a video game, there are many levels in life. Yes, we’re starting at the beginning of the next level, but it’s a level higher than we were before.

I know that I’ve already gone through different levels and seasons, but I know “the best” is not behind me. Yes, I might look back feeling some loss every now and then, but I know that this life is short and I’m going to go through as many levels as God has prepared for me. Uh-uh, that brown, withered look isn’t for me!

I can look back at all the blessings and memories of my old dog and hold tight to the memories of my boys as little ones, but I need to cherish the time I have with my new pup and celebrate the phase of life my boys are in now. I need to enjoy this season where I’m at because before I know it, it’ll be time to start a new phase. I’m not getting older, I’m getting more vibrant! I think I’ll inform my hubby of that tonight.

What about you? Are you holding on to a season in your life when instead, you should’ve gotten excited about the next level? Are you starting to wither where you’re at? If you are, let go! Move up to the next level and enjoy it…stop being where you aren’t growing!  Let this be the first month of your year.

 

When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law. Matthew 7:28-29

It’s been crazy around here. My guys have been going in different directions for almost two weeks, and I’ve been trying to keep up! This past weekend my hubby and oldest went to leadership training, and my youngest decided he wanted to have a friend over. I told him to make the plans and I’d go along with them.

Talk about energy! My house was buzzing with it for sure. Was it just from the two boys? No way! When that energy was shooting off of them, my pup thought the energy should be shooting off him too. All I kept thinking about was how to keep the food coming from the kitchen while corralling the pup. Normally, I’d just tell him to lie down and go about my business, but the temptation to join in the fun left his self-control in a different state. It sure wasn’t in the one we live in!

The crate became my biggest helper over the weekend. When I couldn’t be in two places at once, off the pup went to his crate. I also knew that he needed a leash on so that I’d have better control when he was out and about. You see, I was learning to harness that energy so it was focused on me.

I knew the next day it was necessary to get the pup for a walk. Since my hubby was gone, the boys were just going to have to come with me. I just wasn’t sure how we were all going to walk in close proximity to each other without the pup going into a bouncy, bonkers state. Even though the energy was still high from the boys, there was a control to it for everyone. I was putting their minds to use, giving their physical bodies exercise, and keeping them engaged.

We came to an area that has a little electrical station with some transformers. As we were walking past, there was quite an audible hum that was taking place. I began thinking about how all that electric was flowing and being sent out through those lines. They were able to bring about such great things to so many people because the energy was being controlled and had a purpose.

That’s exactly what I was seeing on my walk with the boys and the pup. All the energy was very controlled because there was a purpose. The pup who couldn’t even look at my son’s friend without turning into a bouncy, brainless mess, was walking right beside him following directions better than ever. What a fantastic walk!

Just like the power that was coming from those electric lines, I imagine that it was similar with Jesus. There was such power within Him that people could hear the buzz surrounding Him. Actually, we know that they could feel the power that was coming from Him!

When we have the Holy Spirit inside of us, don’t you want the amazing power to be so strong that you start buzzing?  Ok, that would be a little weird, but you know what I mean! We can’t allow our own ways to stop the flow of power that is being sent out from us. We want people around us to feel it!

I challenge you to focus on what’s inside you today. Don’t allow the energy you used to have become a thing of the past…it’s actually getting stronger as you get older! Don’t permit your human aches and pains to cover up all that power that’s living inside of you. Crate yourself until you can focus that energy.

Remember, the pup wouldn’t let the energy surrounding him be for nothing.  He wanted it to shoot off him too! Let your Holy-Spirit-energy come out like Jesus did when the crowds were amazed at His teachings, so that we can start being contagious and share God with everyone. Buzz with electricity today!

 

Out of his fullness we have all received grace in place of grace already given.  John 1:16

When I stopped to pay attention to what all I’ve seen this past weekend, I realized something big was at work here. There were many lessons packed into the few days my guys were away. I told you about the P day, but I didn’t tell you about the police that I encountered too. Nope, he didn’t cart me off to jail, but I do think he was checking me out. I might have seemed a little suspicious as I was just standing at the end of my road. I was studying a purple flower. What can I say? I was in learning mode this weekend! He must’ve found me harmless (or not) because he didn’t stop (maybe because he was afraid it would require extra paperwork) as I waved to him as he went by.

Talk about symbolism! Ok, let me back up. I was nearing the end of the road when a hawk took off from a tree. It showed me it’s complete underside as it gracefully soared off. This made me think of a dog exposing its vulnerable underbelly. I got two things out of this. The first was being vulnerable, and the second was grace.

Shortly after, a van turned onto my road. There was lettering on the side that explained what company the van was with. Part of the logo contained the word supply in it. This morning I was thinking how this all fit together and I realized there was still more to it. Let me continue.

As I turned to head back down my road, I saw a purple flower along the side that I decided to study. I heard a vehicle pass my road and backup. Umm…I have to say that I nearly pulled my mace out at that point because nobody backs up in that area. That could’ve been pretty dangerous for the driver…and for me too! I wondered if they saw me as a vulnerable woman in the middle of nowhere. I knew that couldn’t be because I had my ferocious dog with me.

I decided it was time to be very aware so that I would know how to respond. To my surprise, it was a police car! Well this was a new one for me. During all my walks, I don’t think the police have ever been on my road. On a busy day, there are maybe five vehicles I even see! I gave him a wave as he passed by and went back to my flower study. He may or may not have been shaking his head. I just thought that if he wanted my pup to commiserate with, I’d be glad to let them shake their heads together. Getting back on track, the police represents protection!

In that very short span of time, I had vulnerable and grace from the hawk. I had supply from the van. I had protection from the police car. What was I being told? I think I broke the code! When we’re vulnerable, we need to remember God’s grace that has already been given to us. It hasn’t been given to us once, it’s continuously being poured out onto us; therefore, our supply is never ending. It’s a protection over us for all situations and at all times. That was my take on the whole scene that unfolded before me on Friday.

Have you taken time to find your own messages that have been planted right before you? Feel free to use my message if it’ll help you today! Remember…when vulnerable, you have grace, supply, and protection.

 

He determines the number of the stars and calls them each by name.  Psalm 147:4

I remember when we were considering homeschooling the boys. There was such a fear that they wouldn’t receive the education that we wanted them to have. We were afraid it would somehow mess them up for life! We were concerned how it would affect them socially. We were actually quite arrogant to think we had that kind of power!

I have to say that amidst all the negatives, God put people in our path who supported the idea of homeschooling. We had a few people who were actually in the public education system. They were incredibly positive, and gave me the confirmation that we were making the right decision for us.

You see, we left the school on very good terms. We were thankful for the wonderful education with the fantastic teachers that they had received so far. They had friends and enjoyed their school. We weren’t pulling them out under negative issues. We were moving them toward new opportunities.

At the time all of this was happening, we were making acquaintances that turned more into family relationships! We didn’t even realize that many of them had homeschooled or were filled with amazing advice that God seemed to want us to hear. Little did I know that He was choosing a group of people who could be trusted to give Godly council, support us in all situations (even when that included telling us we were wrong), and who were incredibly trustworthy and kind.

Some of my dearest friends and those I’ll confide in before anyone else live in different countries from me…even on different continents as me! It’s amazing to think how I can have people all around me, and God chooses to match me up with those who are so very far away.

Those dear friends and I are different in so many ways. We live differently, look differently, speak differently, and are all different ages. Yet, we are closer than family. How can that be? There is only one way to describe it…God. The One who knows best.

Just taking a look at how He worked, made me realize just how big He is and how He’s involved in all the details of our lives in order for us to succeed. We can be separated from friends by so many miles that I can’t even imagine traveling, yet there’s His presence on all sides of the world.  He’s taking care of everybody and seeing to every person’s needs all at once!

Don’t fall into the trap of judgement that people sometimes will. I used to hear that children who are homeschooled are  socially awkward. They just don’t know that many times, they’re actually able to communicate with all different people from all different cultures and in all age groups because they aren’t limited to being with only one age every day.

I challenge you to do what I’m going to do today. Remember how big our God is. There may be a reason you’ve been put into contact with that person who might seem unlikely to be your friend.  There may be a reason that God is arranging you to meet others who are different than you. If he even decides to match you up with someone who’s rude and judgmental, maybe He wants you to show them a different way.

My oldest is still learning from his retired third grade teacher…they’re pen pals! I’m learning every day from my friends. I even wonder if I would’ve stayed strong in homeschooling and in life if I hadn’t embraced the wonderful people who God put in my path.

Yes, there may be differences between us and the people we meet, but I found out there’s usually even more similarities.  God already has a plan figured out and the people in place to get you through all situation gracefully and calmly. He has people lined up to bring you great joy just for knowing them. Now it’s your choice if you’re going to believe it or not.

Faith. Just use it.

 

One of those listening was a woman from the city of Thyatira named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth. She was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul’s message. Acts 16:14

I went on a search today for purple and found power, protection, promise, and perspective. I learned that performance didn’t have to do with where we already are, but on where we’re going and who is leading. Don’t check out on me right now because I’m going somewhere with this…I think. I know that it can be downright petrifying when I get into my philosophical mode, but I think this is going to be something that someone needs to hear. Is it you? Are you paying attention to my P usage?

As I was getting ready to leave the house on my purple search, I couldn’t imagine where I was going to find that color on my normal walk. Green and brown tend to be the overwhelming colors I usually see. I had to wear a purple shirt so that I wouldn’t be able to say that I didn’t see purple! “Oh ye of little faith,” I thought as I stepped outside to see one single purple petunia. It was blooming in a planter hidden behind an evergreen. It was so beautiful because it’s not supposed to be there. It was from last year…not possible, right? I hadn’t even left the porch!

I had my notebook and pen ready to start writing what I saw and learned from my keen observations. Sorry to tell you, but I got about three pages of notes…get ready for a long post today. I’m just kidding, I’m going to try to stick with the purple theme here. I did see flowers that I never noticed before. They made me realize that there could be several bunched together in beautiful display, yet I really found power in that single flower that bloomed by itself, in an area that was unexpected.

The next thing I noticed was a Guardian sign showing my neighbor’s house was protected. It was comprised of purple stripes! How did I never see that before? Now purple makes me think of protection. It dawned on me how I could boast my own Guardian sign. My King Jesus, the one who had the purple robe on before being crucified, is my protector and promise keeper in all things. Without keeping my perspective on Him, my perception makes me think all kinds of crazy thoughts. He keeps my mind clear.

Just to solidify my lesson on protection, there was a purple rubber glove on the side of the road reminding me how they are worn to protect us from the unwanted. It also taught me that we have to keep our protection with us at all times or it won’t protect us at all. When we dispose of these things that covers us with protection, we lose that wonderful gift and open ourselves up to harm.

I felt a strong urge to read a book about Lydia, the seller of purple, by Tessa Afshar. I’m about half-way through it, and it is teaching me quite a bit about perspective in life. In the book, Lydia deals with fear, but people keep showing up in her life who help her on the amazing journey ahead of her. She has every reason to be bitter and angry, yet God doesn’t allow it. He has bigger plans for her. How God prepares us for His plan in our life! The question is: are we going to accept the manna, or complain about what we don’t have YET?

Am I going to learn from my lesson in purple so that I can give the best possible performance in this life? Am I going to deal in purple? What about you? I’m sure if you take a few minutes, you can look up all kinds of meanings about purple, but I didn’t want that list in front of me. I wanted to see what God would show me.

I challenge you to put on something purple today (not too dark now) and be reminded that you are part of royalty. Be that single flower that stands out! What will you see that God is using in order to prepare you for your peak performance in this life? Open your heart and respond like Lydia!

 

Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. 2 Corinthians 4:16

I remember the screams, the crying, the pain, and the fear that filled our vehicle after the accident took place. So quickly life can change. One moment you’re riding along down the road having fun, and the next you’re covered in blood. Through those moments of confusion and shock an angel was there to help. A nurse was placed in the exact right spot, at the precise time to help. My human angel…God provides.

You see, I was doing something I never should’ve done. I was standing on the seat of a moving vehicle, and that vehicle was going down the highway. Safety features like seatbelts didn’t seem so important until after the accident happened. I was young, and seatbelts didn’t have the same respect as they do today. This was an age where it wasn’t even considered wrong to ride in the bed of a pickup truck.

The nurse was there with me immediately to apply pressure on a cut I received from falling and hitting my face on an open ashtray. It just missed my eye…God provides. I was little and don’t remember many details, but I remember being held, I remember the pressure from the cloth, and I remember the lights of the ambulance. The words of calmness from those there to help, gave me an assurance that everything would be fine.

I don’t remember before the accident, or even standing on that seat. I don’t even remember anything after the ambulance ride. I very rarely think about that day unless my scar has chosen to stand out just a little extra as I’m applying makeup.

The lesson learned has never left me though. A seatbelt is always worn in the vehicle and we’ve always followed laws concerning baby seats, booster seats, and seatbelts. We’ve followed the suggestions of having children ride in the backseat until a certain age or weight too.  I’m also aware of how quickly something can go wrong while driving.

I’m seeing all the pain and awful things happening in the world. All the hurricanes we’ve been experiencing lately have caused great havoc to so many people, and I was wondering how to stay positive while so many are facing such devastation and loss. Is it even ok?

I see all the natural disasters, all the terrorism, all the crime, all the political turmoil, all the diseases, all the drugs, and all the pain families are going through. It seems callous to just go about life like nothing is happening outside my own, personal world. Yet, if we can’t be positive and have hope, who will help lift those who are feeling it slip away?

After coming across a quote about pain, it helped me have a new perspective on the things we go through in life. Kenji Miyazawa may not have had the same beliefs that I have, but this quote of his is something that I can learn from. He said, “We must embrace pain and burn it as fuel for our journey.”

I know that bad things happen to all people…both believers and nonbelievers. Some experiences are worse than others, but if you’ve lived, you’ve experienced pain. Pain changes all of us. We can’t just pretend it’s not there.

What we can do, is decide if that pain will change us for the worse or the better. Are we going to search for ways that God is still providing for us while going through the pain? Are we going to be able to use that pain to learn from and make positive changes?

I may still have that scar, but the fuel it provided is much more important and lasting, than the memory of the accident. It provided me with the fuel to be on a safer journey with my children.

I may still be getting rid of the symptoms due to a crazy bug bite, but God is using it to teach me empathy on this journey of life. He is using it to teach me the importance of slowing down and not getting focused on those things that isn’t in His will. He’s teaching me the importance of faith through all things. He’s teaching me how absolutely important it is to stay in peace during stressful times.  He’s teaching me I can do things in spite of the symptoms I’m facing.

I wouldn’t have learned these lessons as quickly and profoundly if I didn’t go through the pain in order to have the fuel for the rest of my journey. I learn from the pain, but I can’t let it paralyze my life because it’s so easy to take pain that we’ve gone through and want to go into a protective shell or even turn bitter.

When I want to have my children hide in the house to protect them from ticks, I can recognize how illogical and unrealistic that is. I now know the dangers, and can use that knowledge to better protect my children. Get the bug spray and check for ticks!

What pain are you allowing to continually hurt you, instead of fueling you for this journey of life? Try to find your angels that God provides amid your pain. Be renewed in faith by knowing that God is not leaving you to deal with your situation on your own. He will hurt right along with you, but then He will use this to fuel you for a mission that will make a positive difference in this world.

Pain will happen in different stages during your life.  Will you allow it to paralyze you, or use it as fuel in your journey?  Whatever you’ve gone through or you’re going through look for God, look for a bright spot, and look for your human angels.  Also, be the bright spot…that human angel for someone else who is in the painful spot right now.

You’re life isn’t over, it’s just getting started!

 

for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose. Philippians 2:13

My boys were doing an experiment today where they each had to make an aluminum foil boat and see at what point their boats would start to sink after adding pennies. After the experiment, they needed to evaluate the results in order to improve the boats to make them better the second time. They reflected back on what they believed worked and what went wrong. Then, they went back to the drawing board.

On their second try, one of my sons saw total failure. His boat sank before he got the first penny into it! How did that happen when he got several in the first time? Since he didn’t have anything to compare the first boat to, he didn’t really know what was making it work. When he did the second experiment, he was seeing the differences that would cause one design to work over the other. What really helped was looking at even more designs and their results.

From the first to the last experiment, they had a deeper understanding of how to make things better and were able to come up with better solutions. You see, the boys were quick to make their first boats without a whole lot of thought going into them, but as soon as they received more information, they slowed down and were able to discover ways that led them closer to success. They used their previous knowledge before putting a new plan into place.

I found that as adults, we’re often afraid to try something that might fail, but kids are much more willing to take that chance in order to reach success. We’re more likely to stay at the starting line instead of getting more insight with each journey we’re on.

We ask God why He gives us a certain problem when we don’t have all the answers or even the ability to come up with the answers. I believe He’s trying to get us to understand that although we don’t have the solutions, He does. He can see clearly enough for both of us. He wants to partner with us so that we’re never on our own again.

Don’t you think we need to understand that if we never go through the journey to solve a problem, we’ll never have experience to start out further ahead of where we are now? We’ll constantly be like my boys making those first boats…completely in the dark.

If we don’t ever try or go through something, there will never be any results to evaluate.  The second time or third time will never be better because we’ll still be stuck at square one.  The third boat that my son made was able to hold ALL the pennies plus a bag of nickels.  Talk about success!

Those boys now have new insights on problem solving from their experiment, so they’ll be starting ahead of where they did today the next time they face a new challenge.

Don’t you want to be growing in wisdom? How will you do that if you haven’t learned anything on the way? It’s on the rough journeys where we learn and grow. My boys don’t learn as much with the easy problems as they do the hard ones. We’re the same way. The more we struggle, the easier the next challenge is.

Why are we so fearful of the struggle? We have a partner much more knowledgeable than us. He has the answers when we don’t. We don’t want to remain ignorant and not have any wisdom! That means we need to take a chance and not see problems happening to us, but see challenges that are happening for us. We’re getting wisdom and new insights!

I challenge you to accept that partnership, let God work in you, and allow Him to fulfill his good purpose. Let that dare be the one that floats your boat today!