Life Feeling a Little Crazy?

We had two extra days off of school; the zipp-zoom and mush-rush of my house was amplified as all seven of us, plus the dog, stayed indoors trying to avoid the sub zero temperatures. Movies playing in the basement. Children chattering and squabbling over space on the couch. Dog barking at who knows what. Even our kitchen chairs seem to chime in with something to say. I marvel at the amount of noise and activity that is actually considered “normal” in my house. It is almost never quiet.

During that time, my parents offered to watch all of our kids one night at their house; instead of going “out” on a date, Jeremiah and I decided to stay “in”. We sat on the couch and got a bit lost in the unfamiliarity of the quiet. We have a beautiful home. We are blessed with five amazing children. But we are rarely blessed with stillness, silence. Maybe you can relate.

So, in the noise of the world, our house-holds, our lives, how can we ever find tranquility? Deadlines. Schedules. Responsibilities. How are we ever supposed to get all of this done and uncover serenity in this life? We need an answer… a quick one though because we don’t have time for a long one. The solution: time alone with God.

The Psalmist describes it as:  

I’m asking God for one thing,
    only one thing:
To live with Him in His house
    my whole life long.
I’ll contemplate His beauty;
    I’ll study at His feet.

 That’s the only quiet, secure place
    in a noisy world,
The perfect getaway,
    far from the buzz of traffic.

How do we do this? (Isn’t it concerning that we even have to ask this question?) The answer is simple. Unplug from everything for just a few minutes. Turn off the TV. Close down the phones, Facebook and Words With Friends. Find a place to be alone, close the door behind you and sit in the calm of God… and just listen. 

I know what you are thinking, “I can’t do that. I’m too busy.” Yes, it may feel as if it just might kill us. But it won’t! In fact, I can guarantee a few moments tapping in to the Ultimate Source will improve mood, productivity, creativity and even produce gratitude. This sacred time will carry us through everything else we need to “do” and replace the clatter of our lives with a peace only God can give.

Shall we do it? Let’s steal away & turn off the noise. 

Let’s rest for just a few moments with our Lord.

P.S. Obviously reading scripture & worship music can help too. But sometimes God speaks the loudest in the quietest moments! 

(Scripture: Psalm 27:4-5)

Let the Wind Get Behind You

The wind was whipping a light, white dusting of snow across the 2 lane highway on our way home from a quick trip to the grocery store. We have been trapped to the confines of the indoors with all of this brutal cold weather lately. Today the temperature is finally above freezing and my son chimes in with an idea.

“Mom, maybe we can go sledding today.”

“I don’t know. The temperature is warmer but that wind sure is blowing hard today.”

“That is the best part… It can help push us to go faster down the hill!”

My Prayer for You today: May the pendulum in your mind swing heavier to the side of positive thinking in all circumstances. May the Creator of the Universe reveal to you the possibilities and unexpected potential within everything that seems impossible to you today. May you never give up trying; don’t back down. May you allow the wind of God to get behind you and let it push you to limitless heights of every dream the Lord God has put on your heart to do! Go for it! Amen and amen.

Take Hold of Every Moment TODAY!

The letter is just sitting there in the blue USPS mailbox ready for pick up at 2 o’clock this afternoon. We drove through the little circle loop and dropped it in there last night. The severe cold weather complicated the simple task: we could not get our window to roll up. Furiously pushing the button on the door, the window would not roll up. We pulled over. Jeremiah got outside and pulled up on the small amount of glass poking out, at the same time I pushed the button. Struggling. Wrestling. The window would not budge. Needing to be somewhere on time, we had no choice but to carry on with the window open. We drove away feeling the bite from the cold rushing in on our skin from the open window. Why did we have to suffer? Why wouldn’t the window just roll up? We refused to give up; we wouldn’t stop pushing the button. Slowing it crept up. Little by little it finally… finally got to the top of the track and completely closed off. All of the passengers of the van burst with cheers of joy; we knew the agony of the inhuman temperatures no longer. We had a new sense of gratitude for the safety and provision of the warmth in the vehicle.

The letter sits in the blue USPS box.

My friend Jen had emailed me yesterday letting me know of a letter writing project she had been a part of this week. A dear friend of hers, named Sarah*, was battling pancreatic cancer and was in her final days. Sarah is a wife. Sarah is a mother of 2 teenage boys. Sarah was fighting for her life. The youth group had put together a gathering of letters to cheer Sarah on, to let her know she was not alone in her struggles. Jen put all of the colorful and heart-felt letters in a beautiful arrayed basket and would deliver them last night. I was immediately compelled to write a letter too. I would mail mine though, last night.

The letter sits in the blue USPS box and will not be opened by the hands it was intended for.

As I peer out at the closed window on my van this morning, my eyes have been dilated and my perspective has changed. The window incident seems almost ridiculous now. The simultaneous struggles taking place in my van and in Sarah’s home last night are not even comparable.  She had her own battle going on; wrestling and struggling to hold on, to beat the illness robbing her of her life, her breath. She lost her battle with cancer last night. I suddenly have a reality check; I am aware of the frailty of my humanness. The letter I wrote to her will be picked up today and delivered to her house but Sarah will never receive it. That’s ok. The purpose of the letter to encourage her has been annulled. She has fought the good fight. She has finished her race and was walked in to eternity in the comfort and warmth by the embrace of her Savior last night. She is now encompassed with true peace and is completely whole.

I do not pretend to understand the ways of God, the unfairness of true human suffering or why some battles are won and some are not. He alone is the Giver and Taker of life, and I trust He knows best. Whether we choose to follow God or not, we are never guaranteed tomorrow. May we each be gently reminded: Life is a gift, each day. May we grab hold of our loved ones. Hug them. Kiss them. Tell them all that they mean to us. May we have a new sense of gratitude for the safety and provision of just this moment. TODAY!  

 *Named has been changed for privacy of the family.

Want to Feel the Magic?

In a room full of squealing peers, I pull open the brown paper bag. We made it to the best part of the day: lunch. I reach in expecting to find the same old peanut butter and jelly sandwich and plain potato chips. Like long lost friends they are there. But I feel a scratch on the side of my hand to find something new, something not penciled in to the daily routine. I pull it out and discover the unforeseen treasure within my tiny hands. It is a note to say someone is thinking about me, signed with a pink heart just above the words “love, Mom”.  I immediate bask in the imaginary spotlight shining down on me as if I am the only person in the room. I feel special. I feel set apart. I feel loved.

The power of a hand written note can change...

doubting in to confidence, 

ordinary in to magical,

lonely in to loved. 

It is the small effort of one person to acknowledge love and belief in another person as if to say, “Yes, you are worth so much to me and I want you to know it.”

Would you consider sending a note to someone today? Scratch paper or stationary… just write it. Fold it up and give it, mail it or drop it off to a loved one. The power rests within your hands and a pen. Go for it… And watch the magic take shape!

A Choice to Make

Is there something standing in the way of you getting from where you are now to the point of living out your dream? 

Is there a pile of people, negative thoughts or just plain old doubt seeping in to your boots saying you can't do it?

Does letting life stay the way it is now sound safer, easier and less complicated?

OK. Fine. Stay there.

---------- OR ----------

Ditch the predictable and chase after your dream! Grab whatever tools you need, hold on tight, and scream at the top of your lungs while pushing through the muck and mire that is holding you back.

 

You will get drenched. 

You will get messy.

You will get tired. 

With all of the twists & turns, ups & downs  

along the way, you just may have the adventure of your life… and end up living out your dream!

I say… you GO FOR IT!!

Not Just a Game with Our Adopted Daughter

We sat in a hodge-podged circle around the living room, giggling and snickering about the adornment on our heads. We were each given a “head band” designed to fit snuggly around our head and to hold a card facing out. Everyone else in the group can read the card held up on your forehead and knows exactly “who you are”, except you. It’s a game of deduction, filled with lots of questioning, mental wrestling and guesses.

 My adopted daughter went first. We flipped over the salt timer as she promptly asked 2 questions and knew exactly who she was. “Am I the moon?” “Yes!” we all howled with enchantment at the speed and ease at which she had solved the riddle. Later on, after the game we had to confront her. Sadly, we concluded exactly how she had derived at her answer so quickly, so easily; it was not possible without some “extra” help. She lowered her eyes, resting her chin on her chest. She had peeked ahead of time and knew what the card said before the game had begun. When asked why she had cheated, she whispered her simple response, “I wanted to be good at it… I wanted to be like everybody else.”

I don’t condone cheating but I cannot fault her for her reasoning. I resonate with her

longing to be good at something,

longing to fit in,

and, more than anything,  

longing to be accepted and loved.

It is not just an adoption issue. This is the condition of the human heart. If you have a pulse, in some way or another you share in this hunger for fulfillment and the feeling of being complete.  Just check out any book store (Christian bookstores probably more than any other) with shelves lined with books about how to find purpose and fulfillment in life. Oh, if only it were as simple as pulling a card from a deck and sliding it in a slot on our foreheads to easily answer “who am I?”

Our lives are a pilgrimage to find these answers, for my daughter, for me, for all of us. Some find them easier and sooner than others. Some must travel and wander for years before discovering who they are and the value they hold. No matter where you are at in this expedition… my prayer is you will uncover a Savior that loves you, day by day, hour by hour, minute by minute! It is not with a job, position or a completed task that we will find purpose and meaning but through a relationship with our Heavenly Father. He is the beginning, middle and end of each one of our journeys.

And the answer to the question of “who are you?” You ARE His!

What can God do through letters?

Eight months ago I started a letter writing project I believe God had birthed in my heart. I have a little less than four months to go before I will have completed the initial project: one hand written letter of encouragement to a different person each day for one year, each with a scripture verse.

One day last week, I had a flashing negative thought: these letters are just a way of trying to gain human approval. The accusation surfaced in my mind, calling to question if sending these letters to people and saying nice or encouraging things was so they might like me. Learning from my husband’s example of not getting defensive but always looking for truth first, I asked myself if it was true. I did a heart check.

Motives:

First and foremost: to follow God’s leading in hopes to bring Him glory

Secondly: to “hearten”, meaning to incite others with courage or good cheer

Third: lots of practice writing

After personal reflection the negative thought holds no weight. To prove matters even more, when when I receive feedback today from someone I sent a letter to, I am even more certain this project has nothing to do with me and what I can get out of it but all about God and pointing people to their Him:

“Words alone cannot begin to express my heartfelt gratitude for your kind words I so desperately needed to hear and read the scripture you included in your note. I have recently renewed my faith in God and putting all of my trust in Him. During the past 4 years I’ve lost my mom, sister and recently my dad… difficult as it is, I know they are at peace with our Heavenly Father. I will pray for you daily as well as for your family. God is at the center of my life. Thank you and God bless.”  

I am overwhelmed at what God IS doing through this project!

To God alone be the glory for loving us, even through the feeble efforts of letter writing.

I love December, Not January

I love December. The anticipation and build up of Christmas makes each day feel special, exciting. The decorations and sparkles of the lights and festivities create such a sense of wonder and joy every day of the month! January does not offer us the same sentiment and meaning. January offers us a chance to set goals and better ourselves, a chance to nestle back in to our schedules and get life back in order. It offers cold weather and no holidays at all. I am scratching my head and wondering if there is anything I like about January at all.

Routine. Blah.

Typical.  Blah.

Same old, same old. Blah.

After a brief (well, maybe not too brief) pity party, I am brought back to my senses and realize God created January; so there must be some good in here somewhere. Looking for an answer, I crack open the Bible; I am always inspired by the miracles, the “impossible” made possible and the world changing events. I crave even more for those exciting and “big” occurrences in my own life. However, turning the pages, I am also reminded that even Jesus, the Son of God, had routine, standard parts of His life. We celebrate His birth and can read about him as a young boy teaching in the temple. He also had 3 years of ministry as an adult that literally changed the course of history for the entire world! But the in between parts are not mentioned, his 30 years of regular life after his birth, leading up to His time of ministry. What were those days like? Were they like ours? Boring. Familiar. Standards and deadlines. January. If Jesus had to experienced common life, we are drawn to believe that God has a purpose for these days as well, for all of us.

Is it hard to believe God has a part to play in the “everyday-ness”? Perhaps His role is even greater in the usual stuff than the unusual. "Normal" gives us an undeniable sense of just how AMAZING God is and how human we really are… and yet, God wants us to invite Him in to every part of our existence. He is our Heavenly Father that cares about the big details AND the little, humdrum duties of our lives. The typical days are just as much an invitation to confess our need for God and allow Him to reveal meaning and purpose in the day to day jobs: caring for our families and neighbors; serving our co-workers and church; working hard and living a life of excellence and diligence no matter the task at hand.

Now, I realize my heart longing for the BIG and the exciting is really longing for it in the form of God, Himself. In response, I invite January in… and celebrate it as an opportunity to discover my Lord again and again; I crave for Him to be in every element in all my days: in the thrilling and the run of the mill, in December and January!

God, come and be a part of every aspect of my life, for Your glory alone.