blessings

HE Knows My Name

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One of the best things about being back at Chick Fil A is the relationships I have with customers.  During my first employment there (2 1/2 years) I made so many friends who were regular customers.  We celebrated birthdays, anniversaries, grandchildren, graduations, and other happy occasions together.  They supported and prayed for me while I was on a mission trip to Nigeria, and when I had surgery.  And unfortunately, I have now even been to the funerals of some of them.

So as I have gotten reaquainted with old friends, I am also making new ones. However, I am 4 1/2 years older, and learning their names doesn’t come NEARLY as easy as it used to.  I had one of them finally slide up to the counter the other day and say, “by the way, my name is Melinda, not Miranda.  Just wanted you to know”.  Sigh.  At least they are patient with me and put up with my failing memory!

The other side of this is learning their particular wants/needs.  No coffee lid for this one, no pickles EVER for that one, etc.  I make a few mistakes here and there, but I am rewarded with awesome smiles and thank you’s when I get it right.  I love serving them, caring about what they want, and making it happen! And when I can’t, I try to be compassionate in saying no.

AND YET!  God, the creator of everything and owner of it all, reminded me that He loves me (John 3:16), knows my name (John 10:3), and knows my wants and needs..except!  He doesn’t have memory issues and does not make mistakes.  He rejoices when He can make my requests happen (Psalm 37:3), and He is there to comfort me when He can’t.  He delights in knowing me, and He is always there to celebrate the victories and milestones, and to walk with me through the dark valleys (Psalm 23:4).  What a blessing to know Him, and to live in the delight of having HIM know my name!

Beautifully Simple

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unnamed[1] (23) - CopyThe dogwood has always been a favorite of mine.  I love its pure white, and the elegance of its blossom.  At a time when all the colors of spring are out, it looks even more white than it would otherwise.  And of course there is also the legend of the dogwood tree being the tree that the cross of Jesus was made from.

I had an experience today with a customer that was equally simple and beautiful.  Early this morning an older man came into the store, and before I could greet him, he took a note out of his shirt pocket and handed it to me.  Now, in my previous employment (banking), that would never be a good sign!  But at Chick Fil A, I was willing to give him the benefit of the doubt.  I read the note, and was amazed.  It said:  Chicken biscuit.  To go.  Senior Coffee.  Thank you.

I looked up at him, and he was pointing to his ear, and shaking his head, and smiling.  In other words, he was deaf.  And because of that deafness, apparently he had never learned to talk. So he had a note. A small, handwritten, crumpled note that indicated he had used this before. I was so blessed by both the simplicity, and the humble attitude he had.  I would gladly have let him order everything on the menu and carried it out to his car.

God used this today to remind me that we can approach Him the same way.  We don’t have to use fancy words, or churchy expressions, or “thee” and “thou”.  We don’t have to come to Him with reasons for what we want/need, or anything else.  We can just simply ask for what we need, and remember to say thank you when we’re done.  After all, that’s what happened when Jesus met a leper (Matthew 8:1-3) and when a ruler approached him about raising his daughter from the dead (Matthew 9:18 & following).  They made their requests simple and from the heart, and Jesus had compassion on both of them.  Of course, God is not bound to honor every request we make, He has His will for each of us.  But He will ALWAYS listen, and we can ALWAYS ask…and He will NEVER judge us by words we use when we do.  To God be the Glory!

Pink Shoes and Ponytails!

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One of my favorite parts of being back at Chick Fil A is waiting on the children.  They are always so excited to be there, and you never know what they will say.  Today I had a delightful little girl, around 4 or 5, with these adorable sparkly pink shoes that lit up when she bounced, which was often.  She had a ponytail and a big pink bow on it.  Right after her I had more little girls with pink shoes, and I was surrounded by happy!

I started thinking about how children come in, and approach our counter, and us.  They are very proud to place their own orders, and they are filled with confidence that their order will be heard and filled.  If we don’t serve something – like the pancakes a little boy wanted today – then they are disappointed, but they move on and choose something else.  They have parents hovering nearby, and they know that if something goes wrong, the parent will help them out.  And they ALWAYS want dessert!

I wondered what would happen if I could translate their attitude to my walk with the Lord and especially my prayer life.  While I know prayer should be entered into with reverence, I wonder if sometimes I shouldn’t BOUNCE into God’s presence!  Either overjoyed with blessings, or excited to be there, but definitely with a heart full of joy.  And what if I always came with full confidence?  And with the expectation that my request would be heard and answered, or if the answer was “no”, that an acceptable answer would be made known?  What if I accepted “no” gracefully from the Lord, and then MOVED ON??  I could also try asking for dessert!  I am sure God doesn’t mind when I ask for things that I want sometimes, and not just what I need.

And the best part?  The Scripture says that when we can’t “order” our prayers, the Holy Spirit is interceding for us (Romans 8:26) just like those parents in the background. How awesome! May God help us all to not always be so serious, but to “enter His gates with thanksgiving” (Psalm 100:4) – and occasionally a bounce!

You’re Not Just Settling for that….Are You?

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It has barely been 24 hours since I announced in yesterday’s blog about my new job, and the comments have covered the whole range of available answers!  “Really, you want to work parttime??”  “Is that because you are afraid nothing was happening?”  “Isn’t it too soon to rule out other options?”  And my favorite, “Why are you settling for that?”

What fun!  While most people have been supportive and congratulating me, I have actually heard -either by text, phone, or in person – all of the above comments in some form or another.  We have become a society of outspoken people, and never more than when we think an opinion is wanted/welcomed.  And I am just as guilty of that as anyone else I know.

This is not the first time in my life that I have heard this – this “settling” for something.  As if something bigger, greater, and more wonderful was waiting just around the next corner.  Sometimes, I really did “settle” for something, and God did have other options available.

But as I get older, and hopefully wiser and more mature, I have come to realize something.  When someone asks “are you settling for ____________”, I can truthfully answer NO.  After all, if I have prayed for an answer, earnestly asked God to provide, and see Him working to answer that prayer, why then would I turn around and question Him about it?  Or why would I question another believer about their decision if I know the same is true about them?

When we use the phrase “settling for”, we are usually implying that what has been given, or an answer that has been received, is less than.  Why?  Is it a case of the grass is always greener?  Or is my faith less mature because I believe that I have received guidance from the Lord on something that may not meet other’s expectations and I proceed forward?

One of my favorite Bible stories is of the early Christians praying for Peter’s release from jail, and while they are praying God releases him. Peter goes to the house where they are praying, knocks on the door, and they’re like, “Quiet!  We’re in the middle of a prayer meeting here to get Peter released” (paraphrase mine, see Acts 12:5-16 for the whole story).

Isn’t that a riot?  And that’s what this post is about.  When God answers a prayer or need, rejoice and go with His answer!  So, YES, God has answered my unemployment prayer, and YES, the answer is parttime work, and YES He has other great things for me to do that I couldn’t do working fulltime!   It’s all about HIM, and HIS desire, and I am fine with that!

Obedience + Forgiveness = Blessings

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obedience 2[1]What an awesome lesson learned!  A couple of days ago I shared my experience with asking for forgiveness and how God used that in my life to restore a relationship and bring peace.  Today, I am announcing:  I HAVE A JOB!!

And I do not for a minute believe that is a coincidence.  Now, does everyone who is unemployed have unconfessed sin/need for forgiveness in their life?  Absolutely NOT.  There are all kinds of reasons for unemployment and I would not dare to presume to have some special “key” to fixing that.  Not at all.

But my struggle was with God shutting door after door for fulltime work anywhere in our community.  Slammed shut.  But there was one job I had left – voluntarily – and not in God’s timing, and the way I left was not pleasing to Him.  And I have always known that I had left some bad feelings on both sides unresolved.

AND YET!  God provided the opportunity for me to now go back, work for His glory, not my own, and rebuild some bridges that I tore down and have been a hindrance to His work in my life and my ministry for Him.  What a mighty God we serve!

He has also given me, again, the opportunity to work part time.  Yay!  Less money, but less stress.  Fewer benefits, but more time.  Less “prestige”, but more ministry.  What a mighty God we serve!

So, as the title says, I believe my obedience in seeking the forgiveness I needed to receive has directly resulted in this new opportunity.  Scripture is quite clear that as we forgive others, God forgives us (Colossians 3:13) AND that we are to go ask for forgiveness  (Matthew 5:23-24). I am a living testimony today that God is faithful to His Word, and that you have nothing to lose, and everything to gain!  Let’s go out there and pratice some obedience!

Two Lane Trouble!

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9e036ce4cce7f1daf056f5040063bdc2[1]I will preface this blog with two thoughts.  First, yes I do spend a LOT of time at Walmart.  Second, there is a bell that rings every Wednesday morning (lol!) for all senior adults to proceed to our local grocery store (which has Wednesday only bargains) and then to finish up at Walmart!

Now that you know those things, as I was in Walmart today, I headed toward the checkout only to find a near senior adult riot occurring.  There were only 2 “regular” checkout lanes open, but our Walmart now has “self check”…and those machines were almost totally unoccupied!  And the griping and complaining could be heard everywhere near the checkout – “I can’t believe they only have two checkouts open”  “This store doesn’t care about its customers” and “they must be cutting back again, since there are NO cashiers!”

Now I understand that seniors and technology do not always go together.  However, they were not the only people in line.  There were all ages represented, and each line was 10 deep. And when I went to the self checkout, it scanned all my groceries, let me use my coupons, and took my debit card..and I was out the door before about half of those in line.

How does that relate to anything?  Many believers are the same way!  They want to come on Sunday morning, occasionally on Sunday night or Wednesday night.  And then, they complain.  They complain about the service being too long.  They complain they are not cared about.  And, they are the first ones to say, “I just don’t feel like I am growing spiritually” or “something’s just wrong with my spiritual life”.

AND YET!  God never intended for us to “stand in line” all the time, waiting and complaining, and not receiving the “service” from Him that we need.  He is ALWAYS there.  Just like those self checkout lines, we can “speed up” our growth, our happiness, our contentment, and our usefulness – all we have to do is “self help” ourselves!  We can self help through the Bible, His written and inerrant Word, and through prayer.  There is never a line for either of those, you can just step right up, and receive.  And I have yet to see a local church, at least here anyway, that is so crowded that you cannot find a seat and “self help” yourself by becoming part of a local fellowship!

So, if our relationship with the Lord, seems lacking, or stale, or stalled, it may be time to look at our self help habits, and see what we are missing out on!

That’s How We Roll!

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unnamed[1] (17)This picture is of my favorite, favorite little guy, Anderson.  He is one of the best “and yet..God!” stories of my life.  His parents, Jamie & Candon, came to know the Lord late – after 12 years of living together, and two children ages 11 & 10 at the time.  After their salvation, they wanted to honor the Lord in all things, and they got married in July, 2012.  They had been told much earlier that they could never have any more children…..AND YET!!  Two months after the wedding, Candon was pregnant. This little guy was the glorious result, and after the shock wore off, they realized that God indeed blessed them with this miracle in response to their obedience. Anderson will be 2 next month, and although he has outgrown being my worship buddy in “big” church, he is still all mine on Sundays.

Candon sent me this picture the other day, telling me “this is how we roll at age 2!”  As you can see he  is watching TV, all snuggled up, pillow behind his head, favorite stuffed animal by his side, favorite blanket at his feet, and there’s a juice cup in there somewhere.  All the comforts of his life, and his Mom on standby if he needs anything else!  And that confident look on his face indicates he is seriously pleased with life and he has no worries.

Wouldn’t it be great if we lived our lives that way?  Not that God has promised us all the comforts of life.  To the contrary, He has promised us that there will be trials and suffering, and believing in Him will GUARANTEE that we will be hated and persecuted by the world, because they hated HIM.

But we can live victoriously!  We know, as they say, how it all turns out, and it all works out for good for those that love Him (Romans 8:28) that in all things we conquer (Romans 8:37), and that NOTHING can separate us from the love of Christ (Romans 8:38-39)!  So, while we can’t climb into laundry baskets anymore and expect to be waited on hand and foot, we can still adopt my little guy’s confident smile, and KNOW that we will be taken care of, and we win in the end!  Amen!

Rearranging is NOT Progress

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Yesterday in the Walmart parking lot I watched a very interesting thing happen.  I had just pulled in and something caught my eye in the row across from me.  A woman and a young boy were struggling to get something out of the car..and I mean struggling!  Not wanting to miss out on anything, I stayed put to watch.  They were finally able to get it out after about 10 minutes and it was a very large car seat.  Humongous. They took the carseat and threw it into the back side passenger seat on top of something else. Just then another woman approached with 2 -two-FULL buggies of stuff!  And they were going to that car!

I watched again as they began to put the bags in the trunk they had just emptied.  The first buggy full barely made it in there, and they began trying to stuff part of the 2nd buggy in there as well.  No go.  They finally opened the back passenger side door and began to cram bags in on top of the car seat…up to the ceiling of the car!  Then they stuffed the poor young boy on the other side, they got in, and took off.

So what’s the point of all this?  The point is that they had too much junk in their car to put in what they needed!  AND they thought that rearranging the junk was going to make a difference.

God spoke so clearly in that moment.  The junk in the car represents the junk in my life..all the things I need to throw out because they take up too much room.  The sin, the bad habits, etc.  The buggies represent all the good things, the blessings, the joy, and the peace that God wants to give me.  And I look at Him and say, “just a minute God and I will make room for those”..but all I do is rearrange my junk..not get rid of what is blocking the way! And I am not a bit more successful in creating room for the good things.

moral of this story is, I am going to start throwing out, not rearranging..so that God can work in me and add the good stuff!

What a Deal!

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ClearanceSign[1]Anyone that knows me well knows that this sign is all it takes to get my heart pumping, eyes focused and buggy rolling!  I am a shopper’s shopper, and refuse to buy anything full price.  And also anything “only” marked 50% off – after all, if 50% off is possible, then so is 75%!!  It is such a thing with me that there is a running joke in my family that if I had biological children (I have stepchildren) I would have named them Clearance and Sale.

So on my daily visit to Walmart today, I noticed buggies in the middle aisle and up front, loaded with stuff, and yep, they all said “Clearance”!  I quickly manuevered my way over there, through the hundreds of people (ok, maybe 10’s of people) and scoped it out.  And it was so sad.  Although there was everything from underwear and socks to fishing line and tire inflaters, it was really NOT clearance.  Most of it was marked down anywhere from $1-$5, and that is NOT clearance!  It is just Walmart’s way of making you THINK you got a bargain – when really, you could get some of those prices on any of their regular sales, or at other stores on sale.  But did that stop people from digging through, and loading up their buggies with those so-called deals?  Absolutely not.

There is a spiritual parallel here. So many times the world will throw stuff at us.  They will package it all pretty and nice, and even put a “sale” price on it.  As in, this will make you so cool – cigarettes, alcohol, clothes, etc – or this will make you the life of the party.  Or this – car, boat, perfume, etc – will make you important AND happy.  AND that there is very little cost to you…or at least a lot less (clearance) than you have heard.  Except that just like those “deals” today, you will find out that you have been ripped off.  What seemed like such a good thing really costs way more than you thought. and ususally there is a HUGE price to pay.

AND YET!  God does not treat us that way.  He offers the best thing of all – salvation – and it will fulfill its promises. He also offers it for FREE – not at a discount, but FREE.  And we are never shortchanged in that deal..it lasts for all eternity.  So as I left Walmart today, without any of those  items, I was thanking God for His free gift, and praising His name for my salvation!

The Gift of Time

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I have been unemployed now for exactly three weeks and two days, not by choice, and I always thought that would be a horrible thing.  I was wrong.  There are some down sides of course – lack of money being the major one.  But there are some surprising things that are actually beneficial!  I have been given this incredible gift of time…just marvelous, wonderful time to rest, regroup, and really decide what shape my life is in, and whether or not I like what I see.  I have this unique time to not have a schedule, not be always going and doing.

And the best part is that I have time with my family!  Robert has only been retired since October of last year, and we had not really been able to “celebrate” that together.  I have to tell you, he is still an awesome guy, and God has given us this opportunity to enjoy each other’s company fulltime.  My Mom and I have also spent a lot more time together – and since she is 74, that is really a gift!  I have learned more about what is going on in her life, and have been able to help her so much more than I have in a long time.

So yes, I am not being paid, and that is not fun.  Nor is the process of searching for a new job, and feeling like I am not fully contributing to our personal economy and/or society.  It is very humbling to be asked why you were let go, and to feel “less than” because of it.  AND YET!  God has a purpose in everything, and He is gracious to His children in all circumstances.  He also has good in everything, and I am blessed and encouraged every day because of that.  To Him be the glory!