No Big Deal

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.   Philippians 4:6

Yesterday my husband was mowing the grass. He was on the riding lawnmower making good time getting that straggly green stuff cut when out of nowhere there is a wheel in the yard. Now, said wheel was not currently attached to the lawnmower. Hmmm…looks like we have a problem. I have to say it isn’t all that unusual to have to stop mowing because something went wrong with our wonderful tractor. That is a weekly occurrence. This was a first though! It did make him pause and stare at the lawnmower with a surprised expression. Usually he is heading off to get one of the belts we keep as back-up, but instead he picked up the wheel and just stood there looking from it to the lawnmower.

I was curious…how was he going to respond to this set-back? He turns around, looks at me just as calm as can be and says, “No big deal. I don’t really need that.” If he had a surprised expression on his face, mine was of shock! No big deal? Does he not see the wheel that is now in his hand? He doesn’t need the wheel? I will tell you that I had nothing to say to that one. I was speechless and that can be a bit of a hard feat to accomplish. I was proud of my hubby! He didn’t get upset and he wasn’t going to let it stop him from accomplishing his goal of finishing the yard. I shrugged my shoulders and went back to what I was doing.

How often do we let a little bump in the road sour our moods, get everybody around us worked up, and keep us from reaching our goals? Also, when you look at something as no big deal, then the people around you will look at it as no big deal too. How many times do our children look to us to see our reaction before they respond to a situation? Our dogs will do that too. If it is storming and we ignore all those crazy noises while going about our business as usual, then they take their cue from us and do the same. My hubby’s action completely influenced my reaction.

I learned a valuable lesson yesterday. Bumps will come in all shapes and sizes, but it is how we navigate them that determines if we accomplish the final goal. Not only that, but it determines if everyone is still smiling at the end.

If something doesn’t go your way today, don’t be anxious.  Let God know what you are thankful for (it will remind you too) and ask for his help. Don’t just ask for help with the problem, but that you can keep the “no big deal” attitude!

Dealing with the Impossible

“‘If you can’?” said Jesus. “Everything is possible for one who believes.” Mark 9:23

Are you finding something in your life impossible today? I sure am. I’m dealing with the impossible…blogs. What is a blog? What am I supposed to write? I don’t even understand my cell phone so how am I going to write a blog? That’s on a computer. A computer is technology. I’m allergic to technology. Bad things happen when I add technology to my daily routine!

Now that I got that out of my system, it’s time to dig in and figure this all out. I need to look at the basics and not get overwhelmed by all that I don’t know. I know how to turn on a computer. Step 1 check! I know how to google instructions on how to set up a blog. Step 2 check! I’m really getting there and I’m not going to give up. One thing that can be said of me is that I’m a bit stubborn.

Do you get a nudge or push to do something from God, but think you can’t? We may be challenged to a task that doesn’t make sense to our way of thinking. We do the “If I can” but really mean “We will give up as soon as we face a roadblock.” When we start thinking something is impossible, it just might mean you’re on track with God. He often has a way of giving us “impossible” tasks.

Why does God give us the impossible to do? It shows His strength. Take this blog. I’m not a writer and I’m definitely not very good with technology. I’m not on social media and I don’t even text. Please don’t judge me…my boys shake their heads and laugh as it is! That is my point though. If I studied writing in college or loved social media, it would make sense for me to have a blog. It would be an extension of something I’m good at. If I got more than a couple people to read this, that could be based on my talent.

God likes the impossible though. He challenges us to try something we don’t think is possible and that we fear. If you can relate to me, He has succeeded! We’ll sure know that is God at work and not my talent. When I see the impossible, I need to remember His power is made perfect in our weakness. I sure know one of my weaknesses…technology! But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. 2 Corinthians 12:9

The point is, don’t get blogged, err, bogged down with what you don’t know, instead step out in faith when your challenge seems impossible. It’s ok to take new challenges one step at a time. I did. I got onto the computer and could celebrate that it didn’t freeze up on me! Hey, first step, remember?  If you are reading this and I got this posted, a miracle truly did occur!  So instead of looking at what you know and what you don’t know, look at Who you know.

I challenge you not to procrastinate the next time you feel God nudging (or pushing) you into an unknown area. He can take care of it. Remember…anything is possible if a person believes.

  • The impossible for us is the possible for God.
  • Don’t get bogged down-take situations one step at a time.
  • God’s power is made perfect in our weakness.