and yet..God

I’m Not Supposed to Have That!

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I have one of the most interesting jobs now that I am back in customer service, and it never ceases to surprise, touch, and amaze me – especially when God uses those encounters to remind me of His truths and His ways.  The other day was no exception.  I had a customer come in with a biscuit in her hand, and she said, “Is this pork??”  I asked her for the biscuit, and she said that she had just been through the drive thru, and had to know if it was PORK.  I turned the biscuit over in my hand, and it clearly stated “sausage” on the front of it.  I replied, “Yes ma’am, this is pork.”

“I CAN’T have that!” she immediately yelled back, “it’s too much on there!” So I asked her if she ordered a sausage biscuit, thinking maybe we gave her the wrong one.  “Yes, I ordered sausage.”  And I said, “And you got sausage??”  At this point my supervisor came over and I explained that the lady did indeed order a sausage biscuit, and received a sausage biscuit – at which point the lady yelled again, “I ordered that, but I CAN’T have that much!  I’m not even supposed to HAVE pork!”

After we gave the customer a chicken biscuit instead and sent her out the door, we all spent a lot of time trying to figure out WHY she had ordered a sausage biscuit if she wasn’t supposed to have pork.  And then I remembered her stating at first, “there’s too much on here”.  So the bottom line was that she was trying to CHEAT, and have sausage, but NOT get in trouble by having too much.  As if it was ok to cheat just a little.

As I was shaking my head and laughing at her, God spoke to me loud and clear…LOUD and clear.  He reminded me that we are just like that with His commandments and desires for our lives!  He says “no”, and we say ok – but then the next time an issue comes up, we are like, “well, maybe just a little bit”.  Or “maybe just this once – what could that hurt?”  We hope that we can get by with a little cheating.

And you know what?  Sometimes it seems we do!  Sometimes God lets us get the sausage biscuit (our way) to teach us better..and we find ourselves, just like my customer, with WAY more than we bargained for!  And unlike my customer, we can say “I’m not supposed to do that/have that!” but God doesn’t always let us give it back!  Sometimes He lets us experience just where our desires can take us, and we can be overwhelmed by the result.

So, next time you are tempted to sideswipe, detour, or cheat on what God has told you, remember – He may give you just what you think you want, and you may be surprised!

A Shoe Story

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unnamed[1] (8)We’ve had an 11 year old with us this past week, and to say it has been amazing is an understatement!  Robert’s grandson has stayed with us while his older sister had to have back surgery, and we have re-learned a lot about the joys of having children around!  He is a carbon copy of his dad, and cute as a button, with incredible manners and grace.

As I left the house today, however, I saw these shoes and just stopped to take it in.  Our grandson is a neatnik – always has been – and is VERY particular about where his stuff is at all times.  But here they were, his outside shoes strategically beside PawPaw’s outside shoes…snuggled up together for any immediate needs that Robert might have for a helper!

God spoke to me SO vividly through this that it caught my breath and I grabbed my camera before I missed the opportunity.  Conner’s shoes represented in every way his love and devotion for Robert.  He wanted to be ready for anything Robert was going to do, he wanted to be anywhere Robert was going to be, and he was willing to relinquish his normal control over their location so that they could be where Robert’s were.

My heart jumped with joy as I realized that is what I too so desperately want!  Not in physical shoes, but with my spiritual ones!  And not with Robert, but with my Heavenly Father!  I want to be so in love with the Lord, and so devoted to Him, that if a picture were taken of my spiritual shoes it would look just like this!  I want to be ready to go, desiring to go, and ready to relinquish any control I think I may have over where those shoes are, so that I can be available at a moment’s notice to do His will!  And I want people to be able to see that I am that close!

Isn’t that an amazing thought?  Any idea where your shoes are today in comparison to your Father’s?  Where will they be tomorrow?  It is my desire and prayer that we can ALL look at this picture and changed our shoe locations!

NO substitutions!

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I had a fascinating discussion with a customer the other day that God used to answer a prayer.  The customer approached my register, ordered his meal and asked for lemonade to drink.  A few minutes later, he was back with the lemonade to complain.  “This doesn’t taste right..it’s sour.  Let me try the diet lemonade (made with Splenda) and see if it’s any sweeter.”  So I poured him a small bit of the diet in another cup, he tried it, and made an awful face, declaring, “this is too sour too!  Do you have any other kind?”

The answer, of course, was no.  We fresh squeeze our lemons, and the lemonade containers are clearly marked with their ingredients..either “lemons, water, sugar” or “water, lemons, Splenda”.  There is no prepackaged lemon stuff involved…its all from lemons just the way God made them!  So he went away with diet Coke in his hand.

After work, I was mulling over how ridiculous it was that he would turn down the real thing because he liked the fake better!  And then I realized..a struggle that I had been praying about in my own life was the same way!  I was asking God to bless what I wanted, that I really knew was not “the best” but was an acceptable (to me) 2nd choice..and I was just like my customer!  I almost insisted on the “fake” (my choice) instead of the “real”, His choice, if I was just willing to wait!

Lesson learned!  And next time YOU have a choice or decision, remember this story..and accept no substitutions!

Apologies @ $.42

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Being in customer service for a living has its ups and downs, but very few extremes either way.  Yesterday, however, was one of those.  I had a customer, who between a language barrier and a misunderstanding of her order, had a total meltdown in front of me while we were 5 deep in each line at lunch.  Finally with the help of two supervisors we were able to almost make her happy..but she was still very angry and would not even let us carry her order to her table.  Sigh.

About 30 minutes later, she approached my register and waited until I was free, and haltingly apologized and told me that she wanted to order one more thing.  So I rang up her order, took her money, and handed her the change..which she immediately waved away and said, “you keep!  I was ugly..you keep!”

She walked away while I stood there openmouthed and counted the change..it was $.42.  I thought about the fuss, my splitting headache, and the delay other customers experienced..and she was giving me $.42 to make up for it.  Now, i did appreciate the apology, especially since she didn’t have to.  Yet I was left feeling a little shortchanged in the whole process.

AND YET!  Just as I was feeling a little self-righteous about the whole thing, God stopped me in my tracks by this thought and this verse…Isaiah 64:6..which calls OUR righteousness in God’s eyes filthy rags.  In other words, any attempt on our part to apologize to God for ANY of our sin is just like that $.42…totally ineffective and a totally unrealistic of the impact of that sin!  I took a quick minute to express to my Savior once again the gratitude I have for His totally undeserved grace.  And I now have a permanent reminder for every time I feel self righteous..I’ll just remember forty-two cents!

No Looking Back!

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The past three weeks at work have been fascinating, hard, and hilarious at times.  The end of the school year brings SO many “extras” at work here.  There have been field days, field trips, contest winners, high school seniors leaving school early, honors day celebrations for the younger students, preschool graduations, you name it, we’ve had them at Chick!  And the sheer giddiness of a school year ending and summer beginning has captured the hearts of everyone, parents included.  It is a fun time and I have thoroughly enjoyed being part of it again.

However.  It is also a time, when the restaurant is crowded, to hear the inevitable phrases from those not involved – i.e. older than 30 – such as “I wish I could go back to that time” or “I wish I had enjoyed it more” or “it must be nice to feel/look/move that good”.  But that is the world’s view…not the Biblical one.  While all of us may wish we had better physical health, or hadn’t done some of the really dumb things we did in our pasts, we cannot look at the next generations and make that statement.  Because we see a narrow vision of them right now – the best one.  But the truth is  that they will have their own mistakes, fight their own battles, and face their own hurdles in this life.  They are just “fresh” right now, and not tested and tried, and while we should celebrate that for them, we should also thank the Lord that we do NOT have to repeat those years. I am grateful for the lessons I have learned, and grateful that the Lord has helped me remember them.

I have also heard the statement “I would go back if I could take with me what I know now”.  Um…no.  Because that just means we wouldn’t make the same mistakes, BUT!  We would just make new ones – because we are sinful people by nature, and we could never go back and be perfect.

So how should we approach this time?  Just the way the Apostle Paul did – “Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Jesus Christ.”  (Philippians 32:13-14)  May we all press on and live our lives to His glory!

A Thoughtful Gift

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My favorite 2 year old, Anderson, had his birthday party Saturday, and I was at the store trying to find just the right gift.  That may not sound like a big deal, but the toy/kid section is not where I spend a lot of time, and it can be intimidating.  Boy toys, riding toys, books, clothes….so much stuff!  And I was also trying to avoid buying anything that his family might be buying.  As I looked around, I first eliminated the “over my budget” category.  I also had the friendly box info to go buy, with recommended ages, battery info, and other details thankfully highlighted on the front of the package that helped me eliminate some more.

While making my choice, I tried to picture his face, and the look on it if he received some of them.  I wanted him to be delighted with his gift..and for it to become a favorite.  I also needed it to be safe and sturdy, so he wouldn’t get hurt and it would endure “boy treatment”!  It couldn’t be for a 1 year old, because he would be bored.  It couldn’t be for a 3-5 year old, because he wouldn’t know how to use it and it would frustrate him.  It didn’t need too many parts, because they would get lost, and it didn’t need to be too noisy because I love his parents!

Later that night, God reminded me that He answers our prayers and blesses us in much the same way.  As He listens to our prayers, He filters those requests.  He eliminates those that would harm us, frustrate us, and really won’t provide the joy that He wants us to have. He refuses those that are not in His will.  And He allows those that He knows will be a delight to us, and give us joy. Of course there are many other reasons for His answers and blessings, but I believe the process is the same.

If you are waiting on an answer, or have gotten a “no”, think about these verses – Luke 11:11-13 – and rejoice that our God loves us so much!  To Him be all the glory!

Brokenhearted Together

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We were a group of four yesterday when we entered the airport, and then suddenly we were once again just three.  We had been four for a solid week – Robert, me, Mom, and my sister – having a great time, laughing, catching up, and just enjoying each other.  And suddenly, a week had flown by and she had to go back to her husband and her life. It was a pretty gloomy ride back to the house, with each of us lost in our own sadness at seeing her go.

When we got home, Robert and I were supposed to go to an awesome wedding of two very special young people in our church.  We had been looking forward to it for a couple of months. And yet…we needed each other.  And Mom needed us.  We needed to be together and just hang out, to give each other the strength to face our first evening back together as “just us”.  So we did.  Frozen lemonades and ice cream, then a movie, then soup and cornbread later.  Nothing fancy, just love…and being together.

Which is exactly the way God intended life to be for all His children – together (Hebrews 10:24-25) .  Life is hard enough without the added stress and danger of doing it alone (Ecclesiastes 4:9-12).  Of course the Holy Spirit is with us always (John 14:16-17) but when sadness comes and hearts are broken, we need the physical comfort of each other as those who know and love Jesus, King of Kings.

The comfort of “together” provdies courage. It gave us the courage to  leave the airport yesterday, and my sister courage to go, knowing that we would have each other. It has given two friends recently the courage to leave gravesides and keep going as their church families surrounded them.  It is giving another friend at church courage to hear the words from her doctor last week that the diagnosis was wrong and she does have cancer after all.

Together in Jesus is the only cure for broken hearts. If you aren’t experiencing “together” on some level, make that change today, and watch our Heavenly Father bless you!

I Can Serve You Here

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imageWhen customers enter our ChickFilA, they are greeted and then we add, “I can serve you here” to indicate that our register is open.  As I take orders, fill drinks,and chat the conversation is surface stuff.  In a small city like ours, it is easy to assume that our customers live and/or work in our community, have ordinary lives with ordinary circumstances, and move on.  But when I really have time to listen, it is amazing what I hear.  Just today I served a woman and her daughter on their way to see the other daughter, who was having a baby and having complications, several teenagers who were stressing about their standardized tests today, a young man who was having a big job interview, and an 8 year old who is still in 1st grade because “I got held back”.  There was also a newly single mom whose husband just walked out on her, and a new mom of a new doctor in town who is still feeling lonely and missing her family back home terribly. All of these needed food, but they also needed a human touch and a listening ear.

I came away from today SO wishing that we had at least one “register” at every church where someone was standing there saying, “I can serve you here!”  When we go to church week after week, and see so many of the same people, it is very hard to stop and really listen to what is going on with each other.  We make a lot of assumptions about other people’s lives based on what we are experiencing, and in doing that we miss a lot of opportunities to connect with each other and minister.  And that is also, unfortunately, when we are the least like Jesus. He made it a point to look beyond the surface, and to meet the deepest needs of those He met. I want to be like that.  As the quote above says, I am one – and there is a lot that I can do to help those around me.  May we all begin to make that our goal!

Step Right Up!

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We are a society of people that know what we want – at least in the fast food world.  Here’s a couple of examples:  “I’d like a chicken biscuit, but on a bun.  Add pickles, and no butter on the bun.  Diet coke, light ice.”  Or another: ” Two sausage biscuits, sausage extra done, biscuit dark brown.  And a chicken burrito, minus peppers and onions, and oh yeah, in a bowl – don’t like the wrap”.  “Half sweet tea, half unsweet, splash of lemonade”. In other words, anything and everything is possible, within our menu, and we can cater to most people’s wishes. And most customers are not shy about asking – they are completely comfortable making their requests known, even if we can’t fulfill all of them.

I wish that I would always approach God that way in my prayer life.  There are times that I am free and confident when I pray, but…there are also times that I struggle.  When I have “regular menu” items – prayer requests for the sick, wisdom for an issue in my life, repentance of sin – I do rather well.  And I am usually assured that God is listening and will do His will concerning my petitions.

However, when it comes to “special request” items, I don’t have the same boldness that my customers do.  I believe there are times that God wants to use me in the BIG things, or times that He has laid a BIG idea or dream in my heart, and then I stutter and stammer trying to pray about those!  I mull it over, think of all the reasons that it might be silly, or me and not God, or reasons that He will probably say no.  I believe I do this at times out of fear – fear of what the request will require of me if He says yes!  Or fear of how a “yes” will cause me to move out of a comfort zone, and into the unknown.  Sometimes it’s a lack of faith in my own abilities and talents – like God would certainly choose someone else for that dream.

Whatever the cause, I want to stop.  I want to become more like those that I wait on every day, and step right up to the counter (throne) of grace and my Heavenly Father, and ask!  My prayer is that you would follow and watch Him change our world for His glory!

Which Ingredient Are You?

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We still subscribe to cable at our house, and for all the nerdiest reasons.  I can live without a lot that cable has to offer, but…NOT the History Channel, ESPN in all forms, National Geographic, Animal Planet…and our personal favorite, the FOOD Channel!  We love just about every reality show they come up with, and one of the best is Chopped.

For those of you not in the know, each round of Chopped features a basket with 4 mystery ingredients that each chef has to use in their dish in some form.  They don’t have to use a lot of it, but it has to be represented.  No matter how much of any ingredient they use, they don’t dare leave it as is – they have to “transform” or “repurpose” it.  If they are given a can of green beans, woe to those who just serve them with butter and salt…they had better be pureed, spiced, pickled…something that will make them stand out and not look anything like what they started out as.  If the chef doesn’t, the judges will be sure to point it out and their score will be lowered.

After spending today in church, worshipping and praising the Lord, and being challenged in my walk with Jesus, it occurred to me that Christianity works in a similar fashion.  God is so much more than a master chef on a TV show…but He does transform “ingredients” (us)!  He doesn’t come in and repair the old (add butter and salt) but He totally remakes us so that we no longer resemble the person we used to be- just like those pureed green beans.  We are transformed by His grace and mercy, and His plan (recipe) for winning the world to Himself includes using freshly created new people to do it!

So as we approach a new week, where we go back out into a bland, old and tired world, maybe we need to check our freshness and see what we are contributing to the recipe.  After all – the world is a very harsh judge, and they don’t miss an “unrenewed” ingredient either!  To God be the glory as He uses each one of us!