The Power of One

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IMG_0826It’s amazing what happens at my workplace sometimes, and how God uses that in my life.  Friday was an EXTREMELY busy day, and I was trying my best to keep up, smile, get things right, and pull through.  In spite of the busyness however, I was able to occasionally have moments to talk with my customers.  I chatted with an older couple as I filled their drinks and we discovered that we had ministry in common – he is a pastor, I was a pastor’s daughter and now am a pastor’s wife.  I had a great time helping them and they left smiling and happy.  As I waited on my next customer, the husband came back in and waited for me to finish, then brought his hand from behind his back and gave me this flower!  He said his wife wanted me to have it for “being so great to them”!

If you want to know what the power of one can do, I can tell you from that personal story.  Suddenly my world was a little bit brighter, my knees a little less painful, and the next at least 10 customers got EXTRAORDINARY service because of my happiness!

And not wanting the joy to be just mine, I took it back to the kitchen to someone who does a lot of the thankless things there, and showed it to her.  She was amazed that someone cared enough for ANY of us to do that, and she too was encouraged.  She told me when I left that afternoon that it had made her day, too.

So what’s the point of this?  It is this.  Tomorrow is another day….and for all of us, it’s another opportunity to encourage each other and share God’s love.  I’ll be at church tomorrow, looking for someone who just needs something small to lift them up and keep them going.  Wherever you are, I hope you do the same.

We as Christians sometimes get bogged down in all the evil in our world, and think there’s no point in trying because it’s all going downhill.  WRONG!  We see every day now that one terriorist with a bomb, or a gun, can make a HUGE impact – in all the wrong ways.  We need to start fighting back with what we have – the love of Jesus!  One hug, one smile, one kind word – can also make a HUGE impact – and all for His glory!

Little Moments, Big Gratitude

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One of my main goals spiritually is to grow in my gratitude for everything, especially in recognizing my blessings and giving GOD the credit for them, and no one else.  I especially want to grab those little moments – moments of pure pleasure and joy – and embrace them for the gifts they are – gifts from a loving Father who delights in surprising His children.

This morning was one of those.  I am off today and the morning was gorgeous – deep blue sky, and cool temperatures.  A God-given day to ride our motorcycle, and so we took advantage and went about 45 minutes to Valdosta to eat breakfast at Denny’s.  Yum!  My favorite breakfast place, ever.

After receiving our order, we blessed the food and dug in.  And then it happened.  As I cut into the fluffiest, most beautiful pancake stuffed with plump, juicy blueberries, I realized that I had everything I could ever wish for, right then, right there.  Did I have thousands of dollars in my bank?  No.  Did I suddenly lose those 20 pounds and have a gorgeous body?  No.  Was I eating filet mignon surrounded by the rich and famous?  No.  Did I drive up to Denny’s in the most expensive car available?  Again, no.

And yet!!  My God had so carefully arranged my morning to bless me!  Having a day off during the week.  Having the money to go out to eat, in spite of having my income cut in half.  Having a retired husband who had time to take me!  Having a beautiful day to ride, and a motorcycle to ride on.  And sitting beside the love of my life, who I am still crazy about after 32 years of marriage!  A perfect little moment in my life and a perfect opportunity to worship and praise the Lord for all His goodness to me.

And tomorrow?  Tomorrow I will be back in the land of cleaning tables, washing trays, taking orders, and sweeping rugs. And you know what?  Tomorrow will also be a wonderful day, because I have the opportunity to share how God blessed me today, and to try and “pass on” a blessing to someone else!  Little moments are ours for the realizing, and I pray that God continues to show us how to grab them, and then THANK Him for them!

Breath is a Gift!

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“It’s Your breath, in our lungs, and we pour out our praise, we pour out our praise…”  Song by All Your Sons and Daughters

It all began when we moved to the house I grew up in.  Sandy and I found each other because her family lived about half a mile from us and we went to the same school.  We became fast friends and had a blast.  Riding bikes, playing outside, dolls, you name it.  Together more than not, we navigated through elementary school, jr high, and then finally high school until my family moved away.  Then when my sister and I moved back two years later, we reconnected by working at the same job.  She was at my wedding, I at hers.  And then we both moved and lost touch.

Fast forward many years and we found each other again on our high school’s 30th reunion website..what a blast we had catching up!  And then came our 50th birthday year.  Mine was in January, hers in June.  I was having very mixed emotions about the whole 50 thing, and was not particularly excited.

And then came the news.  January 6th I found out that Sandy had gone to the hospital on the 1st of December, they found a brain anuerysm, operated, and Sandy died on Dec 15th.  No watning, no clue, nothing.  She had a headache one day and was gone 2 weeks later.

I was devastated.  I was not happy about turning 50, and Sandy had died at 49.  What a perspective changer.  I vowed frim that moment on to never complain about my age, and I haven’t. I still miss her, especially at Christmas when I pull out my ornaments and see hers..she gave me my very first one as a married lady.

I say all this to say remember.  When you are having a tough time, remember that it IS His breath in our lungs, and that while we have that gift, we need to say thank you..and pour out His praise to this world!

Sandy knew Jesus and was a child of His.  I will see her again.  But until then, i continue to live my life in her honor, and for His praise!

He’s SO Big!

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This week at work we had 4 classes of 3rd graders over 2 days come in for field trip tours of our ChickFilA and they were so much fun!  The kids got to see the kitchen, watch lemons being squeezed, chicken being cooked, etc.  Keith, a young guy in our kitchen, was working on Monday and he is 6’5″.  That is impressive to a lot of adults, but especially so to eight year olds, who kept saying, “He’s SO big!”  They couldn’t get over how tall he was and how easy it was for him to reach the top shelves.  Later, as our owner was showing them the ladders that we use to access the top shelves, because our shelves go floor to ceiling and are full of supplies, he explained ladder safety and showed them where we hung them.  Whereupon one little boy said, “You don’t need a ladder…you just need a Mr. Keith!”  The whole kitchen burst into laughter, and we joked about that story all day long.

There is a great spiritual lesson in this story.  When facing certain times of want or need in our spiritual walk with the Lord, we often try to use our own “ladders”.  We think if we just pray more (one rung), add some more Bible reading (another rung), attend church more (another rung), treat people better (another rung), etc, etc, we can reach new goals, or do more for Jesus, or bring to pass something that we desire.  The only problem is we are building that ladder with faulty materials – our own strength – and it is not very sturdy!  Also, like the ladder at work, ours can only do so much.  With Keith, you have movement, reaching, stretching, and thinking above and beyond what the ladder is capable of.

Guess what?  With God, we have WAY beyond also!  Our puny little efforts might get us a little way, but not far.  But with God, ALL things are possible.  Our “and yet!” God has all power, all authority, and all ability to create us, sustain us, and lift us up to newer and greater heights than we have ever been before.  Aren’t you glad that “He’s SO big”??  I am!

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!

Our Persistent God

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Throughout my life I have heard stories of God’s miraculous saving of people thought long gone, and have known a few of the families or been part of churches where it happened..but I had never experienced it on a personal level until now.

There has been a member of my immediate family who has spent a lifetime of running from the Lord..as fast and as far as he could.  That running included three broken marriages and three children, two of whom are grown and one who is elementary school now.  It also included other things that running does, like alcohol and drugs.  Family events came and went, sometimes with him and/or a wife or girlfriend or children, but most of the time not.  There were many years when most of us didnt even know where he was, or what shape he was in.  But GOD did!  And He never released my mom and others from praying for him.  But the years went on and no results.

AND YET!  God in His infinite patience and love NEVER gave up on my family member!  Long after I had grown up, married and entered ministry with so much activity and so many others to pray for that I forgot about him, God was still pursuing!  And finally this family member stopped….running away….and ran to God!

Now a perfect ending would be all is well, but of course consequences can be heavy.  While he is now a child of God, heaven bound and loving Jesus, real life is still there.  His dad is 81 and suffering with dementia and will never know that his son came home..and yet!  He and his dad will mert again heaven and spend eternity “catching up”!  My family member has also now been diagnosed with cancer..very serious..but we are praying for a merciful healing.  And there’s a whole lifetime of family moments and memories he missed.

AND YET!  God won!  Another member of my family will spend the rest of his life praising God, and bringing others to Him!  And that is hope worth sharing!

They Are Precious In His Sight

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10174985_10154140497620454_5344776850501140117_n[1] “Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed, and in Your book they were all written, 1477939_876743832387421_1127893204140839405_n[1]the days fashioned for me, when as yet there were none of them.”  Psalm 139:16

Today is a very special day for me.  And here’s the story of why.

In July, 2012, little Bennett Coleman (picture on the left) was born to my cousin and his wife.  Bennett, whose names means “little blessed one” was welcomed into his family with great joy, joining his older sister and brother.  On April 28, 2013, Anderson Eaton (picture on right) was born to his family with great joy also, joing his older brother and sister.  Bennett is the 10th grandson of my aunt and uncle, while Anderson is my “adopted” grandson.  Both were born into loving, Christian families who are seeking to raise their children in the ways of the Lord.

And in God’s timing, and his alone, Bennett left us a year ago today – on Anderson’s 1st birthday – April 28, 2014.  Bennett was diagnosed with cancer in December, 2013, and after a great fight went to live with Jesus.  In the words of his family, he is celebrating his first HEAVEN birthday today, while Anderson is celebrating his 2nd earthly birthday.

AND YET!  This story is not about sorrow and brokenness and death.  It IS a story about God’s sovereignty, and His plan.  Bennett’s parents have suffered through a year of grief and sorrow and pain – but also, as his mother Megan wrote, a year of watching God work through a very short life.  While Anderson continues his journey here, his parents and I have great hopes for how he will grow up to be a Godly young man and impact this world through his life.  While Bennett continues his eternal journey, his parents and I are seeing hundreds of thousands of lives touched and brought to Jesus because of his legacy here.

How could two little boys been born, and impacted their worlds with joy, and yet one of them be taken back to his home with Jesus?  The verse above is part of the answer.  God, and God alone, knows the span of our lives and what He is going to do with each one of us, whether here or in Heaven.  He is the author and creator of life and this world, and He alone has all the answers.  All we can know is that, like Paul said, to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord (2 Corinthians 5:6-8).  To Him be the glory forever and ever.

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!

Celebrating Home

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It’s been a wonderful week with my sister being here from St. Louis.  She only gets to come twice a year, and we try to make the most of every minute.  We have the best time catching up, and loving on each other, and then the time is up and she has to return to her family.  It is always bittersweet watching that plane rise in the air taking her home, while rejoicing that she got to come, and already anticipating her next trip.

There’s been sadness this week as well, in learning that I am losing yet another friend to cancer.  While she has been brave and courageous in her fight, unless she is given a miracle by the Lord, she will be healed in His presence in Heaven.  This is also a bittersweet parting.  Bitter for the family and friends that will have the loss, but sweet for Mary as she goes to live with Jesus with no pain or suffering.  And unlike my sister, there is no return trip for Mary – but there is the sweetness of knowing that we will see her again as we join her there one day.

Which brings me to this picture.  I took this last summer on a gorgeous afternoon, and I love everything about it – because it reminds me of our eternal home.  The brightness of that day, and the majesty of those clouds, all remind me that I am going to a place of beauty beyond description.  The shadows in those clouds remind me that there will be no shadows or darkness there, only light.  And the joy that I feel as I look at this picture is just a SMALL thing compared to what I will experience when I am there.  Best of all?  There will be no more parting!  No more separation for any reason, just an eternity to worship the Lord and praise His name together.

So, if you’re having a hard time getting through your day in this dark and dangerous world, look up, and know that one day we will celebrate being home!

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!