encouragement

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!

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!

Positive Air

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My hubby has a wonderfully wacky sense of humor, as this photo shows!  A few years ago I had to start using CPAP at night 100_1061because I was snoring “loud enough to wake the neigbors!” and I was basically spending my nights trying to breathe, instead of sleeping.  This is also known as sleep apnea, and it can lead to being forced to sleep in a separate bedroom from your hubby, and oh yeah, a shortened life.

For you who don’t know, CPAP actually stands for Continuous Positive Air Pressure,and the process basically ensures that you have a continual airflow all night, keeping you from snoring (the non-medical explanation).  And of course since Robert thought I looked hilarious with it on, he wanted to make sure my stuffed animals did not feel left out!  He left this for me to find one day after he left for work, and it very much made my day.

So I began to think about what would happen if we all had CPAP.  No, not the machine….but continual positive “air” around us. It is a scientifically proven fact that children thrive in a positive atmosphere, and the best teachers try to make that happen.  But in today’s world, it is very hard to hear as adults about the positive. As a matter of fact, we have even taken that very word and made it negative – as in, “I’m positive that won’t work out”!

Science has also proven that being positive brings great health benefits to the person practicing it.  And in my particular job, it is “commanded” that I be positive to my customers and to my co-workers…it is just simply expected.  That doesn’t mean I live in denial of those customers that may try my patience and all my goodwill..that’s just not going to happen sometimes after the third “oh wait I also need….” as I retype their order again.

However, overriding all this is that the Bible has a lot to say about being positive in a negative world.  Proverbs 15:13 says, “A merry heart makes a cheerful countenance”, and Proverbs 16:24 also says that pleasant words are sweet to the soul (paraphrase mine).  So, let’s practice some CPAP in our worlds – and when it’s tough to do, remember I Corinthians 5:57 “Thanks be to God who gives us the victory…!”

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!

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!

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?

Shining in the Dark

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DSCN0198I was very blessed to get this picture last fall when I was driving home from church one night.  I love the light breaking through the darkness, refusing to be swallowed up, and shining on.

I always think of this Scripture “Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father which is in Heaven.”  (Matthew 5:16). Our world today in general is a very dark place.  It seems every day that there is new wickedness, new brutality, and new evidence of man’s fallen state, and very little of the victory of God and His people.  It is so easy to watch a 30 minute nightly news cast, and think, “what’s the purpose?”  And sad to say, this is very true of Christians as well.  I have heard this more lately than not, “even so, Lord Jesus, come!”  Or “I am SO ready for the Lord to come back and take us home!”  As if there are no more victories to be had, no more sinners to be saved,and no more good to be done on Earth.

AND YET!!  Our God says that WE have the victory, and we are more than overcomers, and WE are the ones He has chosen to use to penetrate the darkness of this world! What gives us the right to give up, if we have the most powerful source in the world – the Lord – working on our behalf??

Look at this picture again.  What is the predominant color?  Black/dark gray.  But what is the color you notice first?  The light!  And why is the light so striking?  Because it’s surrounded by dark!  That’s the way God’s people – you and me – need to be especially now.  We need to look the darkness in the face, and say, “You will not drown out my light – in fact, you will just emphasize it!  We need to remember that God expects us to share that light, and work to bring as many people as possible to Him – because the Scripture also reminds us that He is not willing that any should perish, and that His longsuffering towards us is because He wants to give as many as possible an opportunity to know Him.

So, the next time you notice you are surrounded by darkness, remember – that’s your time, and God’s, to really show off His love and let others see Jesus in you!  Remember – we have the rest of eternity to live in His light – so what’s a little darkness now?

Chipmunk Lessons

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100_0881

Peanut shell is right in front of this chipmunk

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This chipmunk has stripped the peanut of everything and is chowing down!

These little guys are some of my favoirtes! Robert and I have been to Estes Park, CO several times – on our honeymoon, a few years later with the kids, and on our 25th wedding anniversary motorcycle trip.  One of the highlights is going to a mountain top by trolley car lift and feeding the chipmunks there.  Going up, watching scenery change all around me, never fails to overwhelm me with the power of our Creator God.

Once on top, the gift store has bags of peanuts to feed the chipmunks.  After getting the bags, it’s a short walk out the deck to get down where the chipmunks are.  We would settle in, put a peanut in our hands and wait.  Soon, one chipmunk would arrive, snatch the unshelled peanut and run off a little way to eat it.  As we stayed totally still and quiet, all that could be heard around us was the munch and crunch!  In a few minutes, that chipmunk would come back, and then other chipmunks would join him, and as they got braver, they would take the peanut, and eat in front of us.

Now, the chipmunks had no idea who we were, or what we wanted.  Hundreds of people every day take that ride and feed them.  We could have been cold blooded “killers”, out to have chipmunk stew for supper.  We could have put poison on those peanuts, and they would have died. All they knew is that we had peanuts in our hands, and we looked innocent enough!  We looked right, sounded right, and offered food that tasted awesome.  And that was all they cared about.

Thinking about church tomorrow (it’s Saturday night), and the Christian radio that I listen to, and the books that I read, it occurred to me – how many times am I like that chipmunk?  Do I obey the Scripture that says to test everything I see and hear as to whether it is true to God’s Word (I John 4:1)?  Or do I take it at face value and believe that because it looks good, sounds good, and feels good, then it must BE good?

God has called us to be responsible in what we believe and live by, and to determine if we are following the one true God and not just someone offering us “food” that may lead to our ruin.  May He help us to be that kind of believer!