It Doesn’t Take A Professional

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“Do you realize what you’ve done?”, I asked my son Jonathan. His History class had just ended and we were on our way home talking about the class lesson. He shared with me that the students had been studying about religious persecution of the Jews throughout history; jealousy of the Jews because they could read and write, envy because they were financially successful. Some throughout history blame the Jews for Christ’s crucifixion even though the Romans were the ones who nailed and speared Him through. The class had been discussing who was actually to blame for Christ’s death. “We are all responsible for His death on the cross”, Jonathan spoke up. “Since Christ died for all sinners, all are responsible.”

“You just shared the Gospel with the whole class!”, I said.  The look on his face was priceless. He was amazed. He was simply taking part in the discussion sharing what he knew to be true through the Scriptures.

It doesn’t take a “professional soul winner” to share the Gospel.

It doesn’t take a seasoned “door knocker” or  Gospel tract distributor to give a testimony.

There were about sixteen others in the class that day who heard the Gospel in a few sentences. And within seconds, seeds were either planted or watered in veterans, teenagers, young adults, and a professor.

I call it the ‘Dandelion Effect’. I think of it when I share posts on my Facebook page and here on the blog. I compare it to blowing the seeds of a dandelion which the wind carries off in all directions and lands only who-knows-where. Anything and anywhere we share of the Gospel, of Christ’s love and forgiveness, is like God’s breath blowing the seeds to only-He-knows-where.

It was just a comment in class, but praise God, He can and will give the increase.

I. Corinthians 3:6-8, “I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase. So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase. Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one: and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labour.”

A Closer Look

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On Facebook and Instagram, I started tagging different posts with the tag #straygifts. A few weeks ago, I posted this quote, “Pleasure is spread through the earth in stray gifts to be claimed by whoever shall find.” -William Wordsworth, 1806. While a great quote, I questioned if anything was really a ‘stray gift’. These gifts throughout my day are things I notice that “just-so-happened” to be within arm’s reach. Something that stops me in my tracks to look a little closer at the details.  Are they there by accident or by Divine design? I’d like to think the latter. Here is a collage of just a few this week that caused me to stop and say, “I know that was you, God. Thanks.” For instance, out of a bag of wildflower seeds, only a few have done well. This collage is of the same plant within a week. I was stunned to see the flowers! I was curious to see what in the world this was going to look like. I felt as if God was drawing me outside whispering, “Look what I made for you!”. A friend of mine thought they might be four o’clock flowers.

Here is another collage I made with just some of the stray gifts in the last week. From left to right:

Top Row: (left to right) 1) Raindrops on roses (It rained!!), 2) Morning Glory vines winding their way up and around, 3) Puppy paws stepping through puddles (Did I mention it rained? It’s a big deal around here.)

Middle Row: 1) An ‘organized’ spider web which belongs to an orb weaver spider. An organized spider web, I was told, means that ‘a friendly spider lives here’. 2) Surprises in wildflowers

Bottom Row: 1) Something new growing with my marigolds. I have no idea what it is. A weed? A flower? I don’t know..but I like it. 2) Crepe Myrtles doing well in the heat 3) Sunbeams shining bright through front windows

 

 

Sometimes Life Isn’t Fair

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Sometimes a critic can cause us to lose courage, but we can choose a different way.

Sometimes man-made rules or unmerited expectations hinder our sense of self-worth (or confidence in who God says we are), but we can choose a different way.

Sometimes a seed of doubt planted in a passing comment grows deep and rooted as an oak tree, but we can choose a different way.

We can choose to see negative thoughts and opinions as fact and be held captive. Living in fear, hurt, or shame because we didn’t “measure up” leads us nowhere.

But we can choose a different way.

We can choose to be the complimenter.
We can choose to be the grace-giver.
We can choose to be the planter of seeds of love, joy, peace…

And be set free.

Sometimes life isn’t fair. But we can choose to be.

Alive, Effective, Capable

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“It hurts because the muscle is still weak,” the physician’s assistant said to my dad. We were together for a follow-up appointment to review my dad’s physical therapy progress after his shoulder surgery. The first thing he did when the PA asked him how he was doing was to show off the movement he had on his arm. Up, down, behind, to the side he moved his left arm. I found it comical because I knew what he was doing. He was trying to escape more therapy, more hard work, more discomfort. He has been in physical therapy for a few months now and is weary. Three days a week is hard on the body as exercises get more intense. I saw the look on my dad’s face as it was recommended that he continue just a little bit longer. Disappointment. He was told if he doesn’t strengthen that arm, he could lose all movement of it. He took the advice and made it to the physical therapy office to hand in the doctor’s request.  Albeit reluctantly.

My heart skipped a beat when I heard the PA’s words. A spiritual application came to mind as I thought about my recent thoughts/posts on thankfulness, faith, trust, confidence. When I lose faith and it hurts and I become deeply discouraged, my confidence-in-God’s-plan muscle needs a bit more work. When I feel continually disgruntled and dissatisfied and I hurt, my feeling-thankful-muscle requires more practice. I must put to use my faith when things seem unhinged. I must focus my heart to look for the good and the glory of what God is doing. I can tell God I’m fine and show off my strength with a brave face. Until the next test. That’s when I know just how much a specific muscle has weakened or strengthened.

God is actively working for our good even through the pain of it. We cannot let hope, faith, and thanksgiving die while there is still breath in us. My dad took the PA’s advice because he knew he would not be disciplined at home enough to do the necessary hard work because it’s tough, and it hurts. And he is deeply afraid of losing his arm’s movement. He knew he needed the aid of one more experienced to help him along this journey.

We are not alone in this pilgrimage. And when we feel we are, it is a lie from Satan because he is out to destroy and bury any hope we have in Christ. Christ says to the weary and burdened to come to Him. With experience and skill, He will aid and strengthen so that our walk with Him will be alive, effective, and capable.

“Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? hope in God: for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God.” Psalm 43:5

The Sky Isn’t Falling

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“It should be a great comfort to know that God still has His hands on the steering wheel of the universe.”

No matter who the President is of the United States of America, the sky isn’t falling. God knows exactly who is leading this country and He is still exactly on the throne.

No matter who your pastor, your leader, your boss is, God still is in control and can use others to teach us.

No matter which way the wind blows in politics, religion, health, life, God’s Word is the ultimate say and gives ultimate strength in time of need.

“In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” John 16:33b

The Confidence of Grace

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If I didn’t make the bed today or pick up dirty clothes up off the floor, my day still mattered.

If I didn’t clean house, cook a healthy meal, or wash a load of clothes, my day was not a waste.

When I think I am not good enough or I did not live up to perceived expectations, I need to see those feelings as Satan’s deception. Those days when I think I am doing the small and insignificant, that doesn’t mean God is not fulfilling His plan for my day. Maybe He wanted me to take it easy. Maybe I needed to be ‘backstage’ or on the sidelines.

God doesn’t intend for us to bully or belittle ourselves when things don’t go our way or the unexpected happens. Every day will not go as planned and it is on those days we need not be anxious convinced God is breathing down our necks. He is not. He is gracious, He is righteous, and He is merciful. Our sense of purpose should not be tied up in daily tasks but in the daily surrendering of our days, giving us freedom from guilt and the confidence of grace.

Gracious is the Lord, and righteous; yea, our God is merciful. Psalm 116:5

Begin Again

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“Failure is an event, not a person”. – W.D. Brown

If things do not go my way this week, I will not “beat” myself up and hinder myself from moving on.

If I did not lose that one pound or gain miles on my Fitbit, I will not let it hinder me from continuing on with healthier choices.

If I didn’t, if I forgot, if I couldn’t do …I will not label myself a “failure” but simply see it as an event on a day in my life that can be easily overcome. And begin again tomorrow.

God will still be good, His love will still be present, and I will still be able to say, “The LORD hath done great things for us, whereof we are glad”. Psalm 126:3

As Regular As a Heartbeat

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For sunny skies, for flowers growing, for life, I am grateful. For handwritten notes from friends, an herbal tea bag tucked in a card, for friends who care, I am grateful. For easy paths and hard paths, too, with lessons learned and strength gained, I am grateful.

“Gratitude to God should be as regular as our heartbeat “.

A heart doesn’t have to think about what to do next. It beats because it does what it was designed to do. I don’t always live grateful. It is my will vs God’s will. And when I let the seed of discontentment be sown in my heart, it doesn’t do what it was designed to do; to beat as one with His. One by one, each new thanks I give promotes rhythms of the heart which restore, renew, and revel in grace.

Stray Gifts

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Pleasure is spread through the earth in stray gifts to be claimed by whoever shall find.

William Wordsworth, 1806

I am always looking to capture something of beauty and after finding this quote about stray gifts, I have felt a different level of awareness of things that happen during the day. I use the term “stray gifts” often now when good things happen. I wonder, though, are there such things as “stray” gifts? Or are they put intentionally in my path and I am the stray? Because my thoughts ramble, my feet wander, does God put things in my day to cause me to stop in awe and reflect? Through God’s favor, I am given miracles every day. Do I notice? Am I looking for them? A handwritten note in the mail, a text from a friend sharing their stray gifts, a day when thunder rolls and rain comes to this desert land all count. The red-chested finches chirping at the bird feeder and bright orange mums returning for the third year in a row make for a brighter day. Morning Glory vines growing along the backyard wall that I didn’t plant are always welcomed. (I suspect a bird transported the seeds). Scents of honeysuckle, roses, and star jasmine on the breeze invite me to breathe a little deeper. Sunsets glowing red through back-of-the-house windows especially cause me to pause in the day. All these things and more I see, hear, touch, taste, and smell. These gifts are spread all over the place. When I stop and take note, I make time for God. And when I make time for God, I celebrate the time He designed for me to be with Him and to receive the gifts He placed in my path.

An Ounce of Discipline

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Proverbs 31:10, “Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies.”

Virtuous: honest, wholesome, devout, godly, courteous, gracious; upright. I would like to explore the topic of being virtuous a bit more in my Bible study and the characteristics that causes one to be called ‘virtuous’. I always feel a bit self-conscious in my writing because many times, my Bible studies do not have a ‘happy and light’ kind of feeling. Most times, I am lead to serious topics that lead to conviction and a heart-felt desire to live a more blameless life. Hard work, I know. And not too popular. Writing helps me sort things out and sharing helps me to hopefully reach out to anyone else who may be going through the same sorts of issues in life.

The first characteristic I came across was self-disciplined. There is nothing like diving in head first, right? A lot of unhappiness and distress is in the world due to failure to control tempers, appetites, urges, passions. How many times have I said, “I wish I had stopped myself…” from saying something ugly, doing something hastily? Too many times, I am afraid. I would think that we would want good sense to make right decisions, but what does that even mean? Habits make a monumental difference. And how do I create good habits and keep them? Well, like anything else in learning something; through practice. Practice can be mundane and a hard pill to swallow. But practice brings self-control. Self-control over what? Anger, acting first-thinking later, impatience with God, and other issues I may come across. I leave the door open willing for God to show me.

 He (or she) who is without self-discipline or self-control is broken and more susceptible to attack from Satan and all his tactics to take us down. Jesus says that if we have ‘faith as the grain of a mustard seed’, we could move mountains. I wonder if we had discipline as the weight of an ounce, what things could be accomplished for God’s glory.  In the grand scheme of things, discipline weighs merely ounces in comparison to the burden of regret. More on this subject in time to come….