challenge

Mighty Mouse Faith

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This picture is one of my very good friends and her 12 year old son taken last year during football season.  Besides being one of myunnamed[1] (3) favorite pictures ever, it is also a tribute to great faith.  You see, Troy, her son, is on the small side of life.  He is almost 13 and yet he is a head shorter than his almost 12 year old sister.  He is also very small boned, and has a very hard time sometimes being accepted by and respected by his peers.

However, he has a passion for football.  Yes, that sport where generally the bigger and bulkier you are, the better.  Where guys his age are generally 6-10 inches taller than him, and at least 50 pounds, if not more.  Where bruises and bumps and battering are to be expected.  It was very hard for her to say yes to his playing..but he had such a desire, and the coach was willing to let him, so she couldn’t say no.

And you know what?  Halfway through the season, he was still on the team…and had earned the most envious nickname of “Mighty Mouse”!  The coach was amazed at his speed..and his ability to run in and out of the big bruisers without them having a chance of catching him!  He’s also lower to the ground, and it doesn’t hurt as much when he’s brought down!  He earned the respect of his team members and coaches by being fearless and by being able to work quickly to make a play happen.

That’s the kind of faith I want!  I want a spiritual life that reflects no fear.  I want to be able to face the big bruisers in my life – the scary things, the obstacles, the new things – with a ready heart.  I want to be able to take those bumps and falls in my walk with Jesus, and get right back up, ready to play again.  And I want to make big plays for our team –  the eternal one – the heavenly kingdom, to the praise and honor of our great God!  I want God to look at me and say, “I can count on her…she’s not afraid to step out and do _________”…whatever He needs me to do.

As it says in my life verse, “Be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours, but God’s” (2 Chronicles 20:15).  So next time you are facing something huge in your life, just remember this picture- and that our GOD is bigger than anything!

Diorama Living

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DSCN0498Robert, my hubby, retired back in October and has ben able to resume his favorite hobby, model car building.  It is therapy, relaxation and fun all wrapped into one, and he is very good at it.  This last model he bought a different case for it, one that included diorama pieces to go inside the model case with the car.

Dioramas are defined as “a model representing a scene with 3 dimensional figures, often in miniature”.  Sad to say in my childhood years and school projects, they very seldom represented an actual scene very well!  But in this model, there are extremely realistic pieces made of plastic that Robert glued to cardboard, etc and the resulting scene is amazing.  It looks completely real.

Just like this model, there are days that my spiritual life feels like a diorama.  I am in my usual places, doing my usual stuff, and saying all the right words.  I read my Bible and pray, smile at people, and go through my day looking totally normal.  Only I know the truth – that there’s very little “real” going on.  And I am not alone.  I see people every day who say they are ok but they aren’t.  I wait on customers who smile at their wildly energetic children, and yet their eyes say “i am SO tired of dealing with all this”.  I know of other people who look like the perfect couple, and their life is full of distrust and lost love.

There are times that we must do that in order to keep jobs and/or not be arrested for acting out on those feelings! Unfortunately, we have taken that habit of “hiding” into every part of our lives.  It can be very risky to be more real, less plastic.

AND YET!  God has called His people to be genuine, authentic examples of what life with Him is all about. We can’t do that if we pretend that we have everything under control and are always doing great.  So next time you feel the need to say “fine” when asked how you are doing, remember this picture.  And remember that people who really know you or see you every day will know when the “diorama” is on display!

No is Only a New Yes!

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Ok, yesterday I got the verdict from my unemployment hearing, and the answer was no…as in nope, you deserved to be fired, and you were, and we owe you no money.  That’s not actually what the letter said – it was all official and said I was disqualified…which is still a not so nice way of saying no!

My initial reaction was the above, along with the thought that my previous employer’s human resource department was sitting around celebrating.  It would also have been very nice to receive 4 weeks of unemployment, and it would have taken away the “sting” of giving 3 1/2 years to them with such an abrupt and untimely dismissal.

AND YET!  That no really means that I am done with my former employer, once and for all, and will now just see them in the rear view mirror of my life, fading away.  Yay!  Also I know that in spite of all the stress and pressure of that job, I would never have walked away from them, because of the salary and benefits that I thought I could not live without.  The job was killing me, but I was making huge money and couldn’t see past that – I thought I had to make that sacrifice.  God knew that, and so He forced me to leave!

AND YET!  For every no, there have been at least two “yes’s”.  Yes to having another job, parttime.  Yes to less blood pressure medicine.  Yes to more time to write.  Yes to a happy work environment, where I can directly impact people.  Yes to watching Him meet every financial need that I have.  Yes to a uniform that keeps me from the constant struggle of having enough work-worthy clothes.  Yes to more time for ministry.  Yes to having a testimony to share of God saying no to me, and thriving in spite of it!

So, if you are in the land of “no”…the place where it seems there will never be another yes…or the place where it seems like the whole world is against you, and you’re not sure about God…relax!  The Scripture is full of promises that God has made to His children, that He intends to keep!  Start looking out for those “yes’s”, and the “no’s” will fade away!  I am living proof of that!

Go Ahead – Make Their Day

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It can happen in an instant.  Someone is in your line, looking like one of any other faces, and then you notice….notice anything….notice SOMETHING!  It can be their shoes, their hair, their jewlery.  It can be a crisp bright blue shirt on a bisinessman, a necklace on a woman, or an awesome hair flip by a teenage guy!  All these things happened at work today, and I noticed and AND I said something to all 3 of them…a compliment to them.  And I got positive, wonderful smiles (the man), a quick thank you (the woman) and a second “just for me” filp (the teenager)!

It’s amazing, isn’t it??  All three of these were just so proud to be NOTICED!  In our techy world of #’s and plastic and self serve, we all enjoy being noticed.  Not made a big fuss over or anything, just acknowledged..that we are there, that we count, that we are still appreciated.  We want to know thst people still know how to talk to each other..and that we are worth talking to.

And why is that so important to us as Christians?  Because you can’t tell me about Jesus if you can’t even tell me good morning.  You can’t tell me there’s a God who wants to know me f you don’t believe I am worth eye contact. Is the picture becoming clearer?

God made each one of us in His image and unique.  Some of us are more unique than others, lol, but still! And if we are born again believers in Him then we are commanded to show His love to the world to attract others to Him.  We can’t do that if we aren’t paying attention to those around us.

So for Heaven’s sake – literally! – go ahead…make their day!  Notice people, compliment them and then watch their faces light up, and their hearts OPEN up to what God wants to say through you!

Can I Have An Order for your Name?

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OU_logo[1]Being back in the world of “quick service” (NOT fast food!) has been quite an adventure to say the least.  A lot of what I used to do there has not changed, but just enough has to keep me on my toes and/or totally missing the mark!

One of the new rules for me is to get a name for each order, especially during rush times, to help identify the customer when the food is ready.  After about an hour of purely hectic lunch time, I found myself asking my next customer, “Can I have an order for your name?”  I had evidently waited on one customer too many to keep up with, and it was hilarious.  We also have table markers for guests, and they are identified by color and what food is pictured on them.  I was handed a meal to take to a customer, and was told “red nuggets”.  All I heard was nuggets, to which I promptly told my co-worker, “There’s no nuggets on here!”  More laughter, this time from my co-workers!

But I realized something. Although I am still “new” at this process, and the faster I go right now, the more mistakes I make, my co-workers are very gentle and helpful in correcting those mistakes.  One day it will be second nature to me, but not right now.  God spoke to my heart about that, and I thought about what a perfect correlation there is to the church in this.

One major way the church is failing today is in taking care of new believers, and helping them grow into long-lasting relationships with Jesus.  We want to “hurry” them through the process, and make them mature instantly.  We rush them through things that we know how to do, and sometimes even place them in a teaching role, all before letting them train and learn.  Then when we leave them on their own, mistakes happen because they just don’t know!  But a lot of times as fellow church members we are not gentle or helpful.  We tend to be judgmental, and not take the responsibility for “bearing with each other in love”.  We don’t mean to be this way, but when things that are second nature to us – like daily Bible reading, prayer, and attending church – are not followed exactly or correctly by those new to the faith – we are shocked.

So, as I learn more about my job, and am trained, I am asking God to make me more aware of those around me, especially at church, and make sure I am DOING some training for them as well.  Disciples are made, not born, and I have a responsibility to help that process happen!

Getting Squeezed

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Now that I have returned to work at Chick Fil A, it was inevitable that I would become hooked on their newest product, the frosted lemonade…or as I call it YUMMMMM!!!  Seriously!  It is addictive to the maximum, and one reason that I love it is because it has no milkshake base- it’s just their vanilla softserve mixed with lemonade.  Oh. My. Word!  I finally managed to leave today without drinking one!

But this blog is not about how delicious it is.  It IS about the process that goes into making it.  Chick Fil A uses fresh lemons, not any powdered lemonade mix or such.  Today was my day to handle that process, and God spoke to my heart the whole time.  Those lemons are quite content in their little (heavy!!) box in the cooler, having a great time.  Then along comes an employee who drags them out, sprays them with water, washes all the dirt off and then…..gasp!……starts cutting them!  Those lemons never knew what was happening!  Before long, a lemon massacre has happened in the sink, and no lemon is spared.

The next step is even worse.  There is an electric juicer involved, wherein each lemon half is placed on a whirring knob, and then pressed down on.  And pressed is a polite word!  They are MASHED on the knob, and left on there until every last possible bit of juice is out of them.  The lemon seeds are cast aside by this machine, and scooped out later and thrown in the trash.  And then that lovely lemon juice is made into some of the most delicious, refreshing drinks.

Ok – so you know where I am going with this!  Born again believers are simply sinners who have been washed clean, and then they are ready for use.  But not the use most of us think of!  They are ready to be cut, and then squeezed, in order to be made into something delicious!  And along the way, the squeezing gets pretty intense, but that is in order to wring out every good thing, and to make sure all the seeds (sins) are gone! And like the lemons, there are times that the squeezing could stop – but then some of the good stuff would be sacrificed..the lemon wouldn’t be used to its fullest potential.

Now, I do not like the “squeezing” I receive sometimes – hardship, illness, frustration, financial distress.  But without it, I will never be the refreshing, beautiful, and helpful “lemonade” in God’s Kingdom!  So here’s my prayer for today – the next time I feel “squeezed”, I will remember what God can make of it, and I will try to endure till the end of the process!

June 31st

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When I worked for the bank, in the electronic banking support department, one of the most interesting parts of my job was reading the “contact us” email.  There were emails that make perfect sense, well worded, and straight to the point.  There were also emails that threatened, whined and complained…and I was supposed to come up with some reasonable answer to all of them.

However, there were some that were just downright hilarious, and were amazing in what they said.  One of my favorite ones was a sweet, sincere note..asking for help with their online statement.  It seems they had downloaded the statement, but they felt it was incomplete.  The email basically read “I am having problems with my statement.  When I download it I only get June 1-30 – and I can’t figure out why you cut off the 31st!”. Ok, if you haven’t caught on, June only has 30 days!  And I very politely replied to that effect.  But now when I have one of those days, just the thought “June 31st” can make the worst moment very bearable.

I believe God allows days like that for a very specific purpose.  One is to get us to quit taking ourselves and our immediate “worlds” so seriously…to get us to step back and say, “Really? Am I so worked up about this?”  God does want His children to laugh, and smile, and enjoy their lives…and we need to act like we have unending joy and peace in our lives.

Another reason is to make us humble.  We can be very impressed with ourselves sometimes, and we forget that we are just one step, one thought, one moment in the wrong cirumstances to start downhill towards some very ugly attitudes and habits!  And we just really DON’T impress anyone when we have a judgmental attitude.

And finally, I believe God gives us those days to say, “Look – I am in charge here, if you will just let me work.  And since you won’t always, I have to make you weak so that I can be strong.  In your weakness I shine…so here’s __________to help remind you whose power you need to be walking in!”

So, when a June 31st day happens to you, or maybe a June 31st week, stop.  And look around.  And pray. And ask God what He needs to do through you, or show you, that you aren’t picking up on.  And above all, LAUGH!  To Him be all the glory as we pursue this life as His children!

Do You Know Your Role?

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My stepson and his wife have recently moved to a country area near south Atlanta, and they are making a great effort at living off the land, and living economically, since they have their own business now as their sole income.  To help that process, they recently purchased 3 wild hogs, and plan on eating those hogs later this year.

Their two girls are will soon turn 12 and 10, so they are old enough to know that (1) these are dangerous animals and not pets and (2) they are not there forever – they will be food later!  So, when Robert and I visited recently, the girls were very excited to let me know that the hogs had been named.  I was a little worried, thinking they might have gotten too attached to them and there might be trouble down the road.  However, I fell out laughing when they told me their names – bacon (smallest hog), sausage (next bigger one), and pork chop (the largest one)  They had assigned those names based on the meat that would be provided!  So their understanding of the hogs role in their lives is firmly intact.  They are taken care of accordingly, fed accordingly, and they act like – well, hogs!

Which of course led to this thought.  Those hogs have a specific purpose.  They are being groomed for that purpose, and they are expected to grow fat enough to fulfill it.  On the other hand, they have no other REAL purpose.  They are not expected to run and play with the kids, clean the yard, or have chidren ride on them like the horses next door.

So how about me?  I wander through my days sometimes with no sense of accomplishment or purpose.  That would be ok if those days didn’t sometimes turn into weeks…I become so absorbed with the routine of living that there is no distinction between my life and any other person’s.

AND YET!  God did NOT create me for that!  He created us in HIS image, and then He saved and redeemed those of us who are born again, and now we are to live for ONE purpose – His glory!  Can you imagine how simple our lives would be if we just lived for that one thing alone?  It would take a lot of stress out, and it would also cause the heart of our God to rejoice.  So why not join me in a renewed quest to live for the ONE purpose we were created for?