Category: Life

Where Greatness Lies

Published on by arecordofgraces

I Chronicles 16: 10-11, “Glory ye in his holy name: let the heart of them rejoice that seek the LORD. Seek the LORD and his strength, seek his face continually.”

The holidays are here along with the hustle and bustle, cleaning up after Thanksgiving leftovers, extra things on our to-do list, shopping, decorating for Christmas, and planning holiday activities. It is a lot to think about and we can quickly feel overwhelmed. We want the Christmas season to be great, but if we wear ourselves out by doing too much, we are left with no strength and are weary by the end of the holidays. Greatness in the season does not have to mean being strong for each and every activity that comes along. Strength lies in knowing when to say, “Yes” and what needs to be, “Not this year”. Either way, being able to rejoice in our hearts because we made the right decision is quite rewarding. The right use of strength is seeking God’s glory in everything.

Maybe you do have the time and energy to fit as many activities in as possible. But if you are in the camp of , “It’s been a rough year. I want to do a few fun things with family/friends/church, and the rest of the time watch Hallmark movies in my fuzzy socks and comfy pajamas sipping a peppermint mocha. I want to read a really good book tucked under a warm blanket…”, that is OK too. If you would love to have people over, but do not want complicated, homemade soup simmering in a crockpot all day and a loaf of homemade or bakery bread is one solution for a low stress get-together meal. Or invite your guests to bring their favorite ‘potluck’ dishes to share. Greatness can be found in the ordinary. After all, Jesus ministered to thousands with every-day fish and bread!

It is easy to get caught up in what everyone else is doing and feel pulled along. Peer pressure does not happen only with the young, but it also happens in our lives as busy adults. The right use of strength is doing what is best for your family, even if it means simplifying by doing less and even if it means a get-together over coffee after the holidays and hustle and bustle.  Whatever choice we decide to make, let’s seek the Lord’s wisdom first and do everything in honor of Him. Bringing glory to God will not happen if we feel overpowered by activity lists and lose the wonder and magnificence of the Christmas season. When we seek His strength, we preserve our own.  

“Greatness lies not in being strong, but in the right use of strength.”

I’m Learning

Published on by arecordofgraces

On the weekends, I try to make enough breakfast on Saturday to be Sunday morning breakfast as well. I double the recipe for waffles so that Sunday morning, all we need to do is cook sausage links and reheat the waffles. Last Saturday, I was on a time crunch because my dad and I had wanted to go to WalMart before the crazy traffic started. I asked my 22-year-old son to help finish making the waffles so I could shower and get dressed before breakfast. He was willing to help but had never manned a waffle iron before. I showed him about how much batter to put in the machine and told him to watch the light. I instructed that when the light clicked off, the waffle should be done. “Easy enough”, I thought, and left it to his available hands. After I showered, I called down to him from upstairs to check how he was doing. “I’m learning”, he replied. When I was dressed and ready, I walked in the kitchen to a mess on the kitchen counter. Batter was spilled as he had put too much batter in the waffle iron several times. Not only was it over the sides of the waffle iron, but also on the counter. However, he had successfully cooked all of the batter for waffles and had started working on cleaning up everything.

There was no complaining. He did not stress that he was making a mess. He simply stated that he was learning.

To Learn:  to gain or acquire knowledge of or skill in (something) by study, experience, or being taught; commit to memory; become aware of (something) by information or from observation

Learning is acquiring, studying, experiencing, memorizing, observing. It is a process. And the process is messy at times. Emotionally. Physically. Spiritually. I began to think about just life in general and what my response is to different situations that come my way. If you have taught children, you know we have to let go to let them learn.  Let them make a mess and figure things out under our watchful eyes. While we may show patience to children, it is difficult to be patient with ourselves. But God our Heavenly Father is ever watchful, ever patient, never leaving us to fend for ourselves. He gives us instructions in the Bible on how to live. He knows that making mistakes and learning we can trust Him is necessary. It is vital in learning to love, to forgive, to show grace to ourselves and to others. For the times we just cannot seem to ‘get it right’, “I’m learning” is a great point of view.

I am learning to show myself grace when I am tired and let the to-do list alone.

I am learning to accept help.

I am learning that perfectionism stifles.

I am learning that it is OK that our path in life has had many bends in the road and our journey does not look like anyone else’s.

I am learning that through grief, through disappointments, I will be OK as long as I take one breath at a time and trust God to get me through ‘this moment’.

I am learning my gifts, my strong attributes, my weaknesses, and it is a journey. I could scold myself thinking I should know all this already at my age. I have a choice between stressing over ‘not getting it right’ or making progress by acknowledging that as long as there is life, there is more to learn.

It is the end of the year and the new year will be here before we know it. Let’s not choose stress and guilt to be our anthem in 2019. Let’s pick up where we left off, clean up what needs to be cleaned up, and count the experiences in 2018 as a lesson learned.  Let’s choose life.

Life is learning. And learning is life.

Distracted Living Is Dangerous Living

Published on by arecordofgraces
We have a schedule for nearly everything in this day and age. We set alarms and reminders for when to wake up, when to start making dinner, when to take medicine, when we have appointments. But seeing the hand of God work in healing, in miracles, in faith coming to light is something that cannot be scheduled. We have to show up every day willing to be observant. “The masses will follow the leader who is the loudest”, I read once. God leads with a still small voice and the followers are few. We live in a distracted society and the rush of time dominates. Distracted living is dangerous living, I think, for when we are distracted, it is easy to miss the “God-moments” in a day and His prompting in the right direction. We want the big moments for the big testimony, yet the big moments are made up from a collection of all the beautiful things, the noble acts, and the sacred connections. If we miss the small moments every day, we will miss a lifetime. Every gift matters as it is God’s reminder that He is mindful of us. He visits us in the messy daily life loving us, teaching us, showing us how to live. To change from the hurry and worry mindset to halt and worship can take mere seconds if we choose. We are not forced to live open to grace. He gives us each the liberty to decide. Help me, Lord, to choose You.
*****
#straygifts update: Here is an all Chrysanthemum collage. I really did buy this many colors when they were on sale last month! That is, all except the top left corner. The red mums were the very first ones I bought a few years ago. I did not know much about perennials versus annuals, so when I noticed leaves coming back in the spring, it was quite a surprise for me. I have learned a few things since then and know that I love to see last year’s plants come back to life after a cold season.
*****
Pleasure is spread through the earth
in stray gifts to be claimed by whoever shall find. ~William Wordsworth, 1806

 

The Difference Between a Rut and a Grave

Published on by arecordofgraces2 Comments

“The difference between a rut and a grave is the distance.”

I heard the above quote while watching an old western with my dad a while back. Some of the old westerns have really good life lessons portrayed in them and this particular quote got me thinking. Sometimes we feel “stuck” in a rut which hinders progress in life.  We feel as if we cannot make one move forward or even backward. Most of the time, it takes a lot of hard work to get out of it. Add to that some creative thinking and clever solutions. But one thing is for certain, a rut is merely a temporary location for a season and not a permanent residence.

“Rut” (definition): a long deep track made by the repeated passage of the wheels of vehicles; a habit or pattern of behavior that has become dull and unproductive but is hard to change.

Whether the long deep tracks are set from repeated mistakes, or whether the habits I have created become unproductive for a grace-filled life, I need to recognize quickly that some changes need to be made:

✔️ When I feel stuck in a rut and am unsure of God’s direction, I will readjust my focus from what I cannot change to making one right decision at a time for things that I can. (And take note: Am I resting enough? Am I eating enough healthy foods? Am I praying/reading my Bible/ practicing thankfulness? These things matter to help with a ‘reset’.)

✔️ When I feel stuck in a rut of insecurity, I will remember that I am not alone. No one does everything perfectly, no matter how a life is portrayed on social media. I will not compare because it takes away from seeing the blessings that I have. (And take note: Do I spend too much time looking at other people’s lives on Facebook/Instagram/etc and not enough making things happen for myself?)

✔️ When I feel stuck in a rut and am surprised by life’s twists and turns, I will resolve to keep going, keep waking up to look for the stray gifts in life, keep showing up for my family, keep being useful in my community/church/relationships. (And take note: Am I willing to be flexible when God calls for a change? Am I too proud to ask for help? Am I too distracted by the way I think things should go and not letting God or someone else wiser lead?)

A rut is only temporary and needs time, patience, and a whole lot of God’s grace to make it through. In the old westerns, when a wagon was stuck in a wagon train, everyone worked together to get it unstuck. And sometimes, things had to be left behind because ‘stuff’ was too heavy to keep going productively.

God is still writing His love and sharing His redemption through our pages of life. He is still restoring, renewing, and giving grace after grace. When we feel stuck in a rut, we can be encouraged that it is merely a temporary location for a season and not a final resting place.

Psalm 34: 17-19, “The righteous cry, and the Lord heareth, and delivereth them out of all their troubles. The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit. Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the Lord delivereth him out of them all.”

 

Do Differently

Published on by arecordofgraces

If today did not go as planned and things just went awry, I can revise how I go about my day tomorrow.

If today I did not respond as kindly as I could have, tomorrow I can refine my emotions by praying first before reacting.

If today I was too hard on myself, I can reshape my thoughts from a place of guilt to the peace of grace.

“At any given point, you have the power to say, This is not how my story is going to end. Life doesn’t give you a do-over, but you can claim a makeover. Pick something to do differently.”-Tricia Lott Williford

Psalm 139: 16-18, “Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them. How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! how great is the sum of them. If I should count them, they are more in number than the sand: when I awake, I am still with thee.”

Setting Boundaries Is The Work of Grace

Published on by arecordofgraces

Identifying our strengths and weaknesses guide us when to say no and when to say yes to relationships and to ministry/work/life opportunities that are perfectly good, but not perfect for us. Trust the still small voice.

Unloading burdens not meant for us to carry directs our focus on what God wants us to do and not what others think we should do. No one individual can be the answer for everyone and everything. Evaluate what is your responsibility.

Recognizing when the draw to please people is greater than the desire to please God steers us away from a place of confusion to the peace of God’s perfect direction. Leave the anxiety and care at the seat of mercy.

Setting boundaries is the work of grace. It affects our energy, our joy, and our ability to feel confident through the redemption of Christ.

I. Corinthians 2:5, “…Your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.”

Leave the Safe Nest of Silence

Published on by arecordofgraces

It is easy to let discouragement crowd our peace of mind.  I believe that comparison is a huge contributing factor leading to discouragement. For someone like me who is creative, comparison plagues me and I want to stop writing, stop sharing, stop creating due to feeling vulnerable. At times, I want to take off the creative cloak and hide it in a corner. Sharing a bit of yourself is scary no matter what it is- something you created with your hands..a meal, a card, a blog post, a testimony on Facebook or anywhere else. What if it wasn’t enough? What if I didn’t say the right words? The “what if’s” rob us of the willingness to extend kindness, a gift, hospitality. It can become quite comfortable staying in the safe nest of silence. But if we stop sharing, stop caring, the world gets darker. And we have enough of that already.

If you encouraged someone and you feel it fell on deaf ears, try again. Someone out there needs a good word.

If you helped someone and you feel it was unappreciated, try again. Someone out there still needs a helping hand.

If you loved someone and you just don’t feel the love in return, try again. Someone out there is hurting and needs a caring soul.

Putting yourself “out there” can seem all too much some days. But today, let’s put on the shield of faith and not fear.  Let’s leave the safe nest of silence to share encouragement. Let’s put to use our hands, our love, and our kindness.  Someone out there is in need.

Ephesians 6:10, “…be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.”

 

 

 

Capture Moments Beautifully

Published on by arecordofgraces

“You don’t need a camera all the time– the soul, the heart, the eyes, and spirit and all your other senses capture moments beautifully, too.” -Terri Guillemets

Every day for the last several months, I have been looking for the stray gifts. A stray gift is something that I come across casually while going about my day. It could be a new flower in the yard, a kindness shown, the happy sounds in the home or in the distance; anything that causes me to stop to notice using any or all of my senses. Sometimes, there is more than one thing or concept I could share on social media, but I try to stick to just a few and savor the rest quietly. There is no possible way to capture with a camera everything I observe as beautiful or meaningful, so it is an exercise of the heart, really, to take note of new mercies every day. Here are some of this week’s camera-captured moments:

  1. Morning Glories now blooming on the side of the shed.
  2. Setting sun seen through wooden slats. Since having the wall built higher, we haven’t been able to see the full sunset from back-of-the-house-windows as before. The other night, I noticed a bright orange glow through the blinds and went to look. I caught the sunset at the right moment for this shot. It’s my favorite photo of the week.
  3. One day this rose was just a bud, the next, an open rose. It’s amazing what a difference a day can make.
  4. 50% chance of rain said my weather app. It was looking darker by the minute and I was hoping the rain would not pass by. It did rain a little and brought some cooler weather.
  5. I am waiting and watching for these trumpet vine flowers to bloom. Our yard is surrounded by rock wall and this vine is supposed to be able to cover it. I think the flowers will bloom in a scarlet color if I remember right. I see tiny little somethings growing on the ends, so I think this vine is going to make it.

 

Our Own Courage

Published on by arecordofgraces

“Every man has his own courage and is betrayed because he seeks in himself the courage of other persons.” ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Every person has their very own record of graces. Every page in our life’s story has sorrow and joy to different degrees. The same Author who wrote each of our stories has given us our very own time frame to heal, to rebuild, to see the hand of God through it all and the courage to keep turning the page to a new chapter, to a new season.

If you feel stuck on the same page in your life’s book, maybe you need more time than someone else. Your timeframe is yours and is precious time for God to be a loving Father, the guiding Shepherd. Give Him room on the pages of your heart to finish writing your testimony, to change the mourning into dancing, and to autograph it with His grace.

If you feel that you are not ‘moving on’ quick enough compared to what others in your situation are moving, maybe the quick route is not the path for you. Perhaps God wants to lead you to the still waters first to restore and refresh.

God gives every one of us the time and courage for our storyline to go from exhausted from sin, from bad decisions, from life’s blows to living encouraged. He extends enough time and courage to move from shattered to salvaged and useful for His glory. Every person has their short and long life-chapters and when we keep the focus that we all have the same Author who has His finger on the pulse and heartbeat of every individual, we can find through our life story our very own God-given courage written in red through Christ’s blood, signed and sealed by His grace.

Psalm 27:13-14, “I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord.”

What We Look For

Published on by arecordofgraces

“What we do see depends mainly on what we look for. … In the same field the farmer will notice the crop, the geologists the fossils, botanists the flowers, artists the colouring, sportsmen the cover for the game. Though we may all look at the same things, it does not all follow that we should see them.” ― John Lubbock, The Beauties of Nature and the Wonders of the World We Live In

Although John Lubbock was influenced by Charles Darwin and by his evolutionary worldview, I do like the quote. I love to see other posts on Facebook and Instagram of the different points of view from friends and family. People post what is important to them and what they notice, sometimes having a point of view I never thought of. Summer is a great time of year for people to post photos of their gardens and all things nature. This hunt for the “stray gifts” is a great way for me to record the graces…to see what I can see in a day in a different way. I get a lot of positive responses when I post these photos on social media. With so much heartache and trials I see, I would like to think that sharing a bit of beauty perhaps will make someone smile.  I may be having a bad day at times, but seeking out the day’s gifts helps me to at least take a moment outside of any problems I may be facing, to look for the good. Here are this week’s #straygifts.

  1. Red roses blooming among Morning Glories
  2. Stray gifts seen in moody blue skies
  3. It’s the Year-of-the-Morning Glories! Here is an old tub we made into a garden bed filled with vines. A few purple blooms have been spotted here and there.
  4. Birds chirping outside my kitchen window
  5. Front yard roses suffering a bit this summer, but still blooming.
  6. This was a mystery to me when it first started blooming. The seed came from a wildflower seed packet and the great unveiling showed a cheery sunflower. I like it so much, I want to plant some on purpose. I already have a spot picked out…now to figure out when is the best time to plant them.