Kelly Girl Thinks

The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. John 1:9

Are you able to agree with me about being sick and tired of winter? It’s so bad, right? If only we could see that sun again! Have you been able to keep your body energized, a smile on your face, and high hopes for the day? I’m so proud of you if you said, “Yes!”

I’m sorry to say that all the rest of you fall into my group. Let’s just let it out and own it. I’m sending you an imaginary balloon to hold, so here we go…we’ve dealt with sickness, dreary weather, no sunshine, miserable attitudes, and it’s even too cold for ice-cream! The animals seem to have disappeared too. It’s miserable, and I’m tired of it. Ok, you can let your balloon go now that the pity-party is over. Feel better?

I’m not quite done with mine, but almost. Let me give you a recap of my Monday. We had to be out the door by 7:30 because my youngest was getting braces put on. He was in no mood to put a smile on his face because he feared the process. It was a battle to get any happiness out of him. My hubby was packed up and getting ready to leave for work. He’d be gone for several days, so I knew I was on my own with the whole braces issue.

Now let’s talk about my oldest. My hubby and he were several hours away from Friday morning until Sunday night at an event out of state. They got home late fighting exhaustion, and my oldest was dealing with a cold. After he struggled to get going Monday morning, I told him to make sure he had all his school work to take with him because he’d be sitting for some hours after his own appointment while waiting for his brother.

When we made it to the orthodontist’s office, my oldest looked at me and informed me he forgot his math book. The book that I specifically said to make sure he had. Well, nothing we could do at that point except some extra literature. It was shortly after 8:00 in the morning; this didn’t bode well for the rest of the day!

The braces were on and my youngest was pleasantly surprised that they weren’t that big of a deal…yet. We stopped at the grocery store and a pharmacy on the way home to get some cold medicine. We got back to our humble abode and got everything put away. We had lunch before my oldest crashed for a short bit. The phone rang letting us know we were getting company. I warned them about the sickie in our house, but they were ok with that.

Our company left and my oldest wasn’t looking that great. All I kept thinking about was how we needed to do some more school! At this point my youngest was complaining that his teeth hurt, and my oldest was complaining about his stomach hurting. What? I didn’t have anything for a stomach issue, I was prepared for the cold. I realized then that school wasn’t going to be happening. So, I made my oldest get a bucket to keep near him. It’s a good thing I did too because he promptly lost everything that was in his stomach and then some!

After getting everything under control in the house, my pup had to go out. I didn’t notice anything wrong until I started coming back to the door. That’s when I noticed the bulb (that I just had my hubby replace that morning) on the landing under the light. I was a bit confused because the light was still shining! I picked it up to find that it apparently burst from the socket, leaving the inside behind. I’d never seen such a thing. Chalk it up to another crazy part of my day!

Now that I look back, I choose to believe it was God sending me a message. I needed to stop my moping about what’s going on in life and see that no matter what was blowing up around me, I could keep on shining. I was ashamed to admit that I hadn’t been shining too much lately.

You see, all we need is the inside to stay plugged into the electricity of God. All that outside stuff…the things that go wrong, the healthy body that feels like it left, the money that has dried up, the sunshine that’s not showing up, the attitudes all around us…that can’t take away our connection that keeps the light shining from inside us. Even if there are clouds, the sun is still shining above, and we need to trust the days will eventually become bright again, right?

I challenge you to stay connected to the true source of light and keep on shining when the outer covering is blowing up around you. Remember how my youngest feared the process? Don’t fear the process; learn from it. Become a stronger person because of it.

When we keep the inside light shining, it illuminates the things we missed because of the dark. Suddenly, I noticed the robins are all around again and all types of birds were outside singing away! There’s the first step telling me the days are going to get warmer and brighter. Reconnect if that’s what you need to do, then let everyone see that you still shine!

“So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. “Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” Luke 11:9-13

I used to often visit my great-aunt when she was no longer able to stay at home by herself. When I arrived, I’d have to press a button and wait for someone to let me in. Depending if someone was at the desk by the door, I could’ve been waiting outside for a while. That didn’t bother me at all except when I was shivering in the cold weather!

There was a double door policy. The first door had to be closed before they’d allow the second door to open (which was locked also). It wasn’t a favorite time of mine, but there wasn’t much of a wait in that little area before being admitted in the rest of the way. Unfortunately, it was when I was already inside that I’d start thinking about how I was dependent on someone else to allow my exit.

The worst times for me were when I got to the doors to leave, only to find nobody around. I could see the outside, but I was stuck on the inside. It made my chest tighten a little with a bit of anxiety. I was always so relieved when an employee came to let me out. One evening in particular I was there for quite a long time before I went searching for someone to help me out.

I didn’t like how I felt in that situation, so I imagine I wouldn’t do very well being locked in a small room. My sister thinks it’s great! She paid to have someone shut the door with no way out. She went to one of those mystery escape rooms where there are clues to help you reach a predetermined goal, and you have a limited amount of time to earn your freedom.

Many groups will even use these popular rooms as a team building exercise. It’s great fun to not just sit back and watch other people providing the entertainment, you’re immersed in the action yourself. My issue: you’re locked in! Actually, I was looking into this further and apparently there’s a button beside the door that allows you to leave whenever the need arises. I guess that’s really not so bad then.

I got to thinking about how I feel safe when I’m locked inside my house, but how would I feel if I couldn’t get out whenever I wanted? Then, I started contemplating if we ever lock ourselves into situations where it feels like we’re powerless to get out on our own. How many people would just stand there extending the imprisonment or go searching like I had to for help?

So many people believe they’re locked into situations that they can’t get out of. These can be from our own actions and guilt or someone else’s. When we do that, we’ve given our freedom to the devil. He’s holding the key because there isn’t anything that he likes more, and he certainly isn’t planning on releasing us any time soon. The good news is there’s a solution (our button) to get free.

If there’s something holding you captive today, I challenge you to ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened…the button!

Once that key is taken back from the devil, our anxiety can finally ease. Since we need to be dependent on someone for that to happen, I can’t think of a more trustworthy Someone I’d trust to open the door every time.

Our Father in heaven is ready to give the Holy Spirit to us for our escape! Are you ready for that freedom today?

Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many. 1 Corinthians 12:14

Excitement comes along when the beginning of the winter season takes place for me. It’s nice to see that snow! It’s great to curl up in those warm, snuggly blankets with a mug of hot chocolate. There’s more time for reflection and thinking, right? The guilt isn’t on you if you’re not working outside because it’s dark and cold out.

There gets to be a time when enough is enough! I start needing to see green and feel the sun on my face again. I want to slip flip flops onto my feet instead of big, bulky boots when I’m just taking the dog out to do his business. I begin to see the benefits of getting out and interacting with others even if I’m only thanking them for holding a door or nodding with a smile at those going past. When winter gets to this point, it feels like a mission from God to have the opportunity to get groceries instead of a chore!

There’s a phrase for the way I was feeling. It’s called cabin fever! Do you know what I’m talking about? The walls were closing in on me, things were starting to look bleak, and I was feeling trapped. If I didn’t get out of the house for a while, I knew it wasn’t going to be a good situation for me or my family. I could tell the boys were getting tired of the winter too because of all the bickering. Since they went camping last weekend, I figured it would cure them for a bit. I was wrong.

I was determined to stop the slump I was in and take some action last week. I got ready and headed out all by myself with no distractions and no bickering. I was probably three minutes into my journey and enjoying my escape while singing “Born Free” at the top of my lungs when an eagle gracefully flew right across my path. It was low enough that I could see the white on its tail and head but high enough that I remembered what it feels like to soar when you realize you’re on the right path. Yes, I was free indeed celebrating God’s grace on me!

Can you tell me who sings “Born Free”? It’s not one of the Christian artists I’ve talked about before; it’s Kid Rock. If you know who he is, what was the picture that went through your head? Did you see Kid Rock, the artist who puts out songs that can shock and make you dive for your computer to hit stop, or did you see Robert Ritchie, a person?

It’s easy for us to point out what we don’t like about somebody, but do we stop to find out what we can learn from that person? Do we judge so completely that we’d refuse to even have a conversation with them? I think this is one of the biggest disservices we can do to ourselves, let alone to another person. When we’re willing to have a conversation, are we going in ready to show them the error of their ways and to debate them, or are we going into the conversation with the intent to hear what they’re saying?

I challenge you to enter a conversation with someone who looks different than you or doesn’t have the same thoughts as you. Even though I don’t believe in everything Mr. Ritchie does or says, I listened to a fascinating interview with him that made me look at many of his views with lots of respect. There were parts that I fully agreed with him and he helped me look at things in a better way. We had many things in common and I liked him.

Every person has value. It isn’t about who’s right or who’s wrong, it’s about what YOU learn from it. Don’t get trapped in a type of cabin fever that has nothing to do with the weather and everything to do with a judgmental mind. When we yell it from that mountain high that we were born free (and will use that freedom not to be bound by small thinking), that’s when we soar with the eagles.

Today, let’s open our mind, rise higher, and stop this outrageous outlook that we can only converse with people just like us. Let’s recognize how important each person is. You just might be surprised what you have in common with someone and what you can learn from them. Remember that just as the body isn’t made up of only one part but of many, the world is the same with God’s children.

The LORD your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in his love he will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing.” Zephaniah 3:17

In the past, I used to watch for my boys’ buses to come down the road when the snow hit because I was remembering my bus rides. We had hit our share of mailboxes, gone in ditches, and even got stuck on a hill because we had no traction. One thing I have to say, we always made it home. It may not have been the way we were expecting or the time frame that was set, but we ended up getting to where we were supposed to be.

Do you ever feel like you’ll never get to where you’re supposed to be? You think you have the path to follow, but something keeps stopping you? I think this is when frustration and a spirit of quitting wants to come in. We don’t understand why things aren’t working out when we’re following all the steps and keeping our eyes ahead.

I know there’ve been times when I’ve felt like saying, “I’ve tried. I’ve given it my all. I must’ve had the wrong path. There are too many factors that don’t allow the vision any more. I need to let it go because all I’m feeling is frustration, and that isn’t what I should be feeling.” Have you ever felt that way? Sometimes I feel like there’s a rubber band attached to my waist. I move forward, but something is holding the other side.

When I used to work in an office that my great-uncle owned, there would be the occasional shenanigans that would take place…especially since the office consisted of all family members. Rubber bands were the favorite of a couple people. They weren’t necessarily used for office work either.

My uncle had a sense as to when that silent projectile would go flying. He would step out of his office in that dignified manner he had and say, “It’s all fun and games until someone gets hit in the eye.” Everyone would hear his wisdom and get back to work. The launch would be halted. It wasn’t the right time to fly.

I had to question if that rubber band around my waist would ever be launched. If it didn’t feel like it would be, I started to wonder if I should just except my life the way it was. It was a wonderful life, but I just had a vision that didn’t quite match the current circumstances.

Here’s a word that kept coming up to me…hope. Do you remember the verse to trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding? I thought that verse would go perfectly with my circumstances just the way it was, except I was hearing to hope in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. I wanted to find out what the difference between trust and hope is.

I learned that both trust and hope are optimistic. The dictionary says that trust is the firm belief in the reliability, truth, ability, or strength of someone or something. Hope is a feeling of expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen. It’s a feeling of trust. I strongly believe it’s important to have both. Hope would be worthless if we didn’t have the foundation of trust.

I put my trust in God. To me, that’s the most solid, unmoving foundation I could have. Hope isn’t as solid all the time in my mind. I struggle with that a little more. I trust God, but when things don’t seem to be moving forward, do I give up hope? When we give up hope, is that saying we don’t trust God enough?

Let’s go back to those buses. If we attempted to keep moving when it was stuck, we would’ve gotten stuck even more in the ditch. If we would’ve kept pushing to go when we were stuck on the hill, it would’ve put us into the woods instead of waiting for something to be put down for traction. It would’ve taken us even longer to get to our destination.

There are times that we can’t rush to our destination, but we trust that God will get us there. We can’t sit and say, “This is taking forever, we’re going to be stuck all night…or all year…or all our life.” We need to keep hoping that the next try is the one that God has for us.

Will you let disappointment overwhelm you or will you take the time to grow and learn during the period that feels you keep getting thrown back to your old life? That’s how we’ll be prepared for the destination. I trusted that I would get home eventually, but if I took all the stuff out of my backpack because I gave up hope that it would happen soon, I’d be the one extending the time on the bus when I arrived back home.

I challenge you to not give up hope. Let go of your past bus rides and hope for better today. If you do head back, use that time to grow and keep hoping because that rubber band that keeps flinging you back to where you were, will eventually launch you into where you need to be going!

But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.” 1 Samuel 16:7

I’m one of those people who can’t stand not to have their bed made in the morning. It’s usually the very first thing I do after getting up. This is one of those things like when a mom is cold, her child must wear a jacket. Even if my boys don’t see the purpose of making their beds because they’ll just be messing it up again, they still need to make them!

My hubby was helping me one day and decided to do something kind and make the bed. Now, this is when I’m supposed to be appreciative and keep my mouth shut. He made the bed…period. I’m telling you that I tried to keep my lips zipped, but I knew what he’d done.

He didn’t start with the sheets and work his way to the top. Nope, he just made it appear like the bed was ready for the day. How did I know? I recognized the signs from my boys’ beds. They think that if they make it look good on the outside, nobody will ever know the mess that’s going on inside. What my hubby and boys didn’t realize was that the mess tends to spill out when you’re not paying attention.

So, there I’m standing looking at the sheet and blanket trailing out the side and down across the floor A LOT. I believe my hubby caught me with my head tilted to one side looking at the “stuffing” bursting out because it couldn’t be contained. He may have started with the famous, “Whaaat?” But as he looked from my face to the bed clothes that were doing their best to escape our room, he kind of chuckled.

It was at that moment that I knew where my boys get it from. I looked at that hubby of mine and said, “I guarantee your youngest’s looks the same way underneath.” He followed me into that bedroom and when I revealed the masterpiece hidden beneath the comforter, he was in the process of a full out belly laugh.

Why do I worry so much about what’s under the covers? It isn’t about what people will think, it’s about what I must deal with at the end of the day. I don’t want to be crawling into a bed where I’m having a battle just to get covered up. I certainly don’t want to be uncomfortable because the fitted sheet is all bunched up under where I’m to sleep.

I admit the bed issue isn’t a big deal, but what’s underneath the top layer can be. When I was a teenager, we’d gotten a phone call in the winter that the neighbor had his snowmobile out. He told us to come up if we wanted to go on the tube he tied to the back of it. My friend and I didn’t have anything else happening, so we made our way up the hill.

We had lots of fun being drug around the field by the snowmobile. At one point, I fell off. Not a big deal since there was snow to cushion the fall…or so I thought. It wasn’t what was on the top, it was underneath that mattered. Everyone wanted to know if I was alright. I didn’t understand because people fall into the snow when playing all the time. What was the big deal?

Remember how I said we were in a field? Well, the field had been planted with corn which had been harvested, but the ground hadn’t been turned over. You probably know where I’m going with this. Underneath that fluffy white snow was chopped off corn stocks. The big deal was the blood dripping down my face! The problem was that my face was frozen, and I didn’t feel a thing.

Sometimes the danger isn’t what can be seen, it’s what’s underneath the surface. Do we ever try to be all put together, but are a hot mess on the inside? There’s danger in the cover-up.

If we’re always trying to make everything perfect on the outside but ignoring the heart, our hearts will get harder and harder. We’ll even delude ourselves and won’t feel what is happening because we’re too frozen on the inside. That’s when the mess will eventually spill out from under its cover. This is when people will see what we can’t feel.

We may be able to fool people for a while, but God sees what’s inside. We need to get our hidden mess straightened out with His help so that we don’t lose the ability to feel. Even when things look good on the outside, if the inside is a disaster, we can be everything from uncomfortable to dangerous.

I challenge you to not just worry about outside appearances, but take care of the heart today!

David also said to Solomon his son, “Be strong and courageous, and do the work. Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the LORD God, my God, is with you. He will not fail you or forsake you until all the work for the service of the temple of the LORD is finished. 1 Chronicles 28:20

Last week my pup had an exam scheduled with the vet. I received a letter telling me to bring a stool and urine sample with me. Alrighty then. The morning arrived, and I had a mission. Armed with containers, I was ready to complete my task whether the pup would appreciate it or not. I positioned myself to swoop in and catch whatever might come out, while trying to look natural so he didn’t suspect my motives of being a little closer to him than normal.

All seemed to be on track until he started going. As I made my move, my pup had a startled moment where he wasn’t too sure what world he landed in because my behavior was just not normal. All he knew was that I should cease and desist immediately. I was able to make my first collection, and we headed back to the house without him fully finishing what he set out to do.

A couple hours later, the pup rang the bell to let me know he had to go back out again. I grabbed another container and he sighed thinking not again…what has gotten into her? He wearily trudged down the yard casting glances my way as he made it to his area. He’d act like he was about to go, peek at me out of the corner of his eye, then stop what he was about to do. He did this several times before he decided to take his chances.

His eyes told me everything that was running through his mind. I came up with this monologue just for you. It went something like this: Seriously, what is wrong with you lady? I put up with a whole lot and let you do just about anything you want to me, but really? Why do you have to get all up in my business during the one time that is a bit private? Do you like it when I push open the door when you’re having your private moment in the bathroom? Nooo, but you think this is ok? Let’s just pretend this never happened. It’s embarrassing, and frankly, really uncomfortable. How about we keep this part of our relationship separate. You leave me to do my thing and all will be good.

What he didn’t realize was that I had to get into his business to keep him healthy. If I kept his grooming up, his behavior on track, but left his health go, he wouldn’t thrive. This got me thinking about when we allow God into our lives, and how He doesn’t just stay in certain areas. Nope, He gets all up in our business. Every area. No exceptions. These include the ones that we want to keep separate from Him…the ones that we’re uncomfortable with when He starts invading.

Even if we except God getting into certain areas and making changes, the people around us might not be comfortable with that because things aren’t going how they used to. We’re changing and that makes them reevaluate their private areas.  Many people can handle the storms of life hitting from the outside easier than the blasts from the inside.

My hubby was called into work a week ago due to a buildup of pressure in the water lines that caused some to burst inside the building. Something that really was a bit of a disaster was contained to minimal damage compared to what it could’ve been.

A few weeks before, they were dealing with flooding due to weather that went from the outside in. There was some joking going on to a guy that seems to accumulate his fair share of “junk” in his office. He was teased that the flood from the outside in couldn’t clean out all his stuff; it took a flood happening from the inside out to do it.

My hubby was just chuckling when he told me that, but that was huge in my mind. It made me realize that it isn’t always the stuff that hits us from the outside that creates change. Most times, it will take God on the inside clearing everything out because when it’s coming from the outside, we end up with more of a mess. However, when God starts blasting away that pressure that has accumulated in our lines is when we get free of the junk that we might be embarrassed that God would even see.

Just like I needed to get all up in my dog’s business to keep him healthy, God needs to get all up in our business to keep us healthy. It isn’t easy…it’s downright uncomfortable most times, but it’s for our own good. This is when we can show our courage be allowing the work to be done rather than running the other way, which I’m sure my pup wanted to do. He didn’t though, even when I just know some grumbling was happening in his mind.

I challenge you to take David’s advice to Solomon. Be strong and courageous, and do the work. Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the LORD God, my God, is with you. He will not fail you or forsake you until all the work for the service of the temple of the LORD is finished.

Aren’t our bodies now God’s temple? Isn’t that where He resides? Let Him into every uncomfortable area inside you today. It’ll be an adventure you won’t soon forget, and I guarantee the ending will be well worth the uncomfortable period!

Every valley shall be filled in, every mountain and hill made low. The crooked roads shall become straight, the rough ways smooth. Luke 3:5

On the last night of our trip in the fall, we were in no hurry to pack up. We wanted to keep that time as special as we could for as long as we could. We visited the beach that day where my oldest wanted to cast his line out just one more time…over and over again. It was like when he was young and wanted just one more cookie. Umm, maybe that was yesterday.

Anyhow, I couldn’t bring myself to head back to the house to pack after our time at the beach, so I suggested one more ice cream trip. There weren’t any complaints as everyone was excited for our detour. We normally don’t go for the milkshakes, but I think we might have found a new tradition before we leave!

When we did get back to the house, we decided we needed to eat those delicious clams and oysters just one more time after gazing at the beautiful full moon from the dock. Talk about procrastination! We packed up a few things but didn’t need to be in a rush to leave the next day, so we headed to bed. I woke up in the wee hours of the morning and couldn’t get back to sleep. It startled me when my hubby’s phone beeped at five o’clock in the morning.

I woke him up to ask him why his phone was making noises. He checked it out and it was a warning that we were to experience flooding due to super high tides from the full moon. I was concerned that we wouldn’t be able to leave the section of the island where we were staying if we didn’t get out of there before high tide. It was starting to come in as it was.

We rustled the boys up and everyone packed in record time. We all worked so well together to beat the flooding that I started contemplating why it always took us so long any other time. As the sun came up, I realized that the dock was already covered in water! We later learned if we hadn’t left when we did, we would’ve been stuck on the island because the road in and out flooded and closed.

On our last trip over the holidays, I looked out front to see the tide had come up so close to the house that it went over the drive leading to where we were staying. There was a marsh in front of us with the ocean beyond that. Behind us was a creek that had water coming in farther than I’ve ever seen due to another full moon and super high tides! For that bit of flooding we just stayed put until it receded, allowing for a clear drive again.

Since experiencing another full moon, I was thinking back to our experiences with the tides during our trips and the flooding that was caused. The roads didn’t disappear; they were there the whole time. They did get covered up by water making them invisible to us though. Isn’t that a little like our lives? Do you ever feel like the road that God has for you is invisible even if you really want to see it? Have you ever gotten a look only to have it disappear again?

There are times when we haven’t even found the road yet. There are times when we’ve seen the road but need to get a move on to take it while the opportunity is still there. Other times we just need to be patient and wait until the road clears. God makes our paths straight and will eventually show them to us, but it isn’t always so simple because they can get covered up by obstacles. We’ve all been there!

I challenge you to not get overwhelmed by all the roads in your life. I’m going to pray for patience (since I surely struggle with that on my own) and wisdom to make my roads visible and the supernatural knowledge on when to travel them. Will you do the same?

If you simply don’t want to travel the road because of fear, think of what Nathan Fillion said: “Saw a little girl touch a big bug and shout, ‘I conquered my fear! YES!’ and calmly walk away. I was inspired.” Be inspired too, and conquer your fear.

Let the full moon (God’s illumination) and high tide (God’s push) help you get moving.  If the road is already covered, keep looking forward to the obstacles receding and staying in joy with faith right where you are until the time comes to take that road.

For from him and through him and for him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen. Romans 11:36

I was doing a project today where I was given many random words, and I had to come up with synonyms and antonyms that go well with the word…sort of a word association game. I just went with the first thing that popped into my mind. I mean how do you really come up with an antonym to words like cow or window frame? Then, I was to group those words into categories of my choosing. I did this quickly with more of an abandon than a systematic approach.

I learned that no matter how hard we try, some things just aren’t meant to be stuffed into a category. We might fool ourselves into thinking we can, but it’s those things that aren’t nice and tidy that we learn from. Those that make us uncomfortable because we don’t fully understand them, allow us to grow the most. They may even seem insignificant compared to the other easily categorized and more important words that we can quickly put into our “all-important” groups. It’s easy to try to ignore and give no-mind to what we don’t understand, but then we end up missing the most significant lessons.

Mine was “zucchini” that just didn’t fit. I tried shoving it into a category, but it stood out to me with a spotlight on it. I even circled it and put a big old question mark beside it. There were so many words in my project (important words and words that excited me), but that’s the one that received my focus. It’s what I was called to “marinate” on even though it seemed so inconsequential.

I found something fascinating while researching the great “zucchini conundrum.” First off, I read that they’ll grow to be gargantuan, but this isn’t when the zucchini is at its best. They’re to be harvested when they’re still immature. I know this is hard to believe, but since I’m not a gardening genius, I checked with gardeningknowhow.com. They said that if you leave the fruit on too long, the seeds and rind harden, making it unpalatable. They become stringy on the inside with a tough exterior.

What a lesson! Does God pick us when we’re fully mature and when we’re ready for Him to? Nope! If He waited until we were ready, we’d be unpalatable to too many people. Our exterior would too tough for Him to use for His purposes. We get chosen when we’re still immature and palatable! I guess this is how we know it’s Him doing the work in us and not our own knowledge in work. He gets the glory and praise. We’re a vessel (usually an immature, broken one) that He works through, but He’s able to shape us.

I guess it isn’t a good idea to always have it in our head that we must reach a certain maturity before we can be used by God. I remember hearing that if we waited to have children until everything was perfect, we’d never have children because we’re never fully ready. If we wait to buy a house until everything is perfect, we’d never buy a house. This is the case about life. If we wait until we reach maturity to do the work God has in place for us to do, it’ll be too late.

This is where faith makes an appearance. We trust God to take us when we’re still immature to do what we can’t, and to work it all out for His glory. In what area do you feel inconsequential and unprepared to carry out instructions from God? Guess what…you don’t need to be perfect, you just need to be called.  Today, trust that He can use you as you are. Let God do the work, and you be the vessel.

See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are ever before me. Isaiah 49:16

I have a couple indoor palm plants that I’ve had to repot several times over the years because of how they’ve grown. I’ve put time into those plants and was concerned about leaving them without (what I felt) the necessary water to sustain them while we were gone. My hubby was adamant that they’d be fine and that I shouldn’t worry about them.

As we were coming home from our trip, I was thinking about my dead plants that would be waiting for my return. I really dreaded having to tell my hubby that I told him so. I did! When I walked in the door, I prepared myself by closing my eyes as tight as I could before peeking through a slit in order to assess the damage. Imagine my surprise when I saw a perfectly healthy plant in front of me!

I had the strangest thing happen to me within the last few days. I had different people telling me to look at my palms. What in the world were they talking about? No way was I getting into any type of palm reading…that kind of stuff I won’t go near. These were people who I really trust, so I knew there was something to what they were telling me.

When I turned my palms up, I visually thought about God having me in the palms of His hands. A protected feeling came over me when I realized I have nothing to fear. There’s only one way for me to be and that is victorious. Here’s where it really got good! Although my plants took frontstage in my mind lately, it didn’t dawn on me to reference those palms until a while after my conversation.

I started to get excited when I looked up palm in the dictionary. Merriam-Webster said that a leaf of the palm is a symbol of victory or rejoicing. Remember what I said about being victorious if God had me in the palms of His hands? I’m getting excited again just typing this! Ok, ok, ok…now look at the palms of your hands. I learned that the shape of a palm’s leaves is like fingers on a hand. Oooh, it’s all coming together now!

There’s a hard challenge coming your way. I challenge you to take your palms wherever you go. Ha! I guess that’s not so hard after all. Whenever you question your strength, your circumstances, your purpose, or your future, I want you to look at your palms! Remember that you’re engraved on the palms of God’s hands.

Next, notice those fingers coming out from your palms, and think about those plants. Think of Jesus riding along on a donkey with the people waving those palms and rejoicing. Start rejoicing because Jesus has come. Think about victory and having no fear because who’s holding you.

Are you getting as excited as me? Remember to look at those palms and shout, “VICTORY!” Actually, you might want to just shout that silently in your mind on occasion…like when in school, visiting your child’s classroom, sitting in a meeting, eating at a fancy restaurant…you know what I’m saying. Besides that, just go for it and startle your children or parents! They probably think you’re a little strange anyway.

Look at your palms and know victory today, tomorrow, and always!

For the water turns to ice as hard as rock, and the surface of the water freezes.  Job 38:30 (New Living Translation)

As we went south for Christmas, we took the weather along with us. The unusual cold and dreariness had us bundling up, but not keeping us from enjoying the much-anticipated trip! It all culminated in an ice storm and snow that left businesses shutdown and immobile vehicles abandoned along the sides of the roads. We extended our stay one more night so that we didn’t get caught driving in the predicted weather event.

We spent the day huddled in front of a crackling fire that was warm and cozy as we listened to the freezing rain pelt against the windows and the wind blow with mighty gusts outside the doors. It might not have been a day to explore the outdoors, but it sure was a day to curl up inside! After the electric went out, we decided to get some packing done using flashlights before we all snuggled in front of that fireplace to keep warm.

The vehicle was almost ready to go when the sun made its appearance in the morning. It was one of the most beautiful sights as I looked out the wall of windows toward the ocean. The colors of the sky were breathtaking, but the beauty didn’t end there. There was a layer of snow covering the sand and everything else that wasn’t covered by the snow was glistening with ice. The marsh grass was standing at attention without its usual sway because the blades were frozen solid!

I got my hubby’s attention to get a picture of what I was seeing. It was amazing! For the first few days I really wanted to see those photographs, but I realized there was a lesson for me during the wait. We can get stuck on a snapshot and forget the rest of the story. We can be frozen in time just as those blades of marsh grass were. Isn’t it just as dangerous for us to be frozen as it would be for all the wildlife if things stayed the same as they were in that picture?

I was reading about how just to survive, alligators were going into a hibernation-like process called brumation during that cold blast we experienced. Silly question…is this something that humans can experience? Are you going through a period of brumation, hibernation, torpor, or even dormancy? In other words, are you frozen due to your surroundings? Are you experiencing a period of sluggishness or inactivity because of a snapshot from one event?

In the picture my hubby took, that area is still frozen even though everything has actually thawed out by now. That’s the danger of looking at our lives from snapshots. We stay frozen…stuck. Some of those alligators were in water that became hard as stone. Our hearts get a little harder and feel like they’re freezing up when we keep focused on a particularly bad event. Our entire body kind of goes into brumation too!

I have something else for you to think about.  Are you looking at a snapshot of somebody else’s life that you’re allowing to freeze your actions?  Just remember Pastor Furtick’s wisdom when you begin to do that.  He said, “The reason we struggle with insecurity is because we compare our behind-the-scenes with everyone else’s highlight reel.”

The good news is the alligators are already back out sunning themselves.  We know that because there’s a video instead of only the snapshot. There’s more to the story for you too. Are you going to let the sun (God’s love and mercy) thaw you out if you’re suffering from your own type of brumation?

If God provided a way for the alligators, He’s already provided a way for you to not only survive, but thaw out from that frozen picture to see the story of amazing things that are still to come. It’s a good one too, so don’t miss it!