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Month: April 2020

Spending time with God

Spending time with God

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God is so brilliant. I use the word “brilliant” only because my vocabulary is inadequate to express what my heart wants to say. Even though this is a very chaotic time for us, God is bringing order out of all the chaos. 

I believe that minds are being renewed during this time. What I mean by that is, we are beginning to recognize what really is important. We are realizing that we don’t have to go full-speed all the time. That it’s okay to say no, and not have the world fall apart. That it’s okay if we don’t go to every program at church or school, and that our families will live if we take a weekend for ourselves every now and then. 

I know it may sound trite, but we really do need to make God our priority. He deserves to be first in our lives. We get angry with Him when it doesn’t seem like He puts us first, but we do that to Him all the time. We keep making our own plans…without consulting Him, and then when it doesn’t work out, we feel like He has let us down. We keep going when He clearly tells us to stop, and sometimes we even try to tell Him what He needs to do for us.

[OK, so I may have been just talking about myself back there…]

Seriously though, we should take advantage of this time to renew our relationship with our Father. To just get alone with Him, and talk to Him about everything. I know that some of us may find it hard to spend uninterrupted time with God…especially if we are shut in with a full house, or still working outside of the home. But when we do, God honors our sacrifice, and strengthens us for the journey ahead.

Until next time…

Be blessed

Changing World

Changing World

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One of the things I am noticing during this time of being shut in is that we are some fickle folks. For various reasons, people are not overjoyed at the thought of being shut in alone or even with family members. And I am not talking about those who may be in physical or mental harm. I am speaking of the ones who have prayed to have time off from work, or who wanted to have more time to do…well, nothing. For those folks I say…find a way to make the best of it. Because it will be over before you know it, and you will be wishing that you had spent more time enjoying it. 

For many, this has been a very productive time. Some are taking this time to work on new projects, organize closets, learn new skills, start new businesses or even spend uninterrupted time alone with God. Sadly, all of us are not having that same experience. So, we have work to do. That means we have to be more creative when reaching out to others. 

I have seen some really creative ideas for keeping in touch. Some of my friends and family members have started getting together online to throw birthday parties or game nights. I recently saw online that a group of people got together to drive by their pastor’s house to wave and blow their car horns to let him know how much they missed him. I saw a mother who got together with other family members to wish her daughter a happy birthday. And I even saw a group of police officers drive by with sirens blaring to give a little girl gifts for her birthday. I have seen pastors preaching from the back of trucks and people all over the world singing in worship to the Lord. How awesome is that! It is refreshing to see folks really stepping up for one another. From going to the grocery store for a neighbor to making phone calls to check in on folks. Our world will never be the same, and I don’t think that is necessarily a bad thing. 

Until next time…

Be blessed

A bright side

A bright side

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Our world right now is a little topsy turvy. Things that used to seem logical, now seem illogical. People who appeared to have all the answers are lost for words. And we all are feeling…different. Many of the things we had planned have mostly had to be cancelled or rescheduled, and it remains to be seen if anything we planned will happen at all this year.  And then God. 

He has a way of helping us look for a bright side.

Many of the things we thought were so important are not so important after all. Most of us never thought we would be dreaming about the day we could get back to work, or go to the laundromat, or even go outside without a mask. We just want to get back to what feels…normal. But what feels like the worst thing that could ever happen is actually teaching us to appreciate life more.

I know for me…maybe for the first time ever, I am learning to really be still. I am learning to not only hear God’s voice, but to hear my own. And I am learning to stop leaning on what is good to me, instead of leaning on what God wants for me. I sometimes think about things way too long, hoping to get confirmation; when all I need to do is trust what God is showing me. If nothing else comes of this “sheltering in place,” I have learned that there is always a bright side to every situation even when it doesn’t feel like it. We just have to look for it.

Until next time…

Be blessed

Stay focused

Stay focused

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When I am feeling down, my two cats, Bizzy and Jack always find a way to make me smile. One day, I was working at my computer, and I was having a hard time completing a task for work, and it was starting to get the best of me. I was sitting there feeling kind of useless, when my cat Bizzy meowed. When I looked at him, he quickly began moving towards me. 

At first, I didn’t pay it any attention, but then I noticed that as he was walking, he wasn’t looking to the left or to the right–just straight into my eyes. It was amazing. I couldn’t stop watching him, and for some reason, it hit my spirit in a way that made me feel all weepy inside. What I realized was that I wanted to be just like that when I look at God. I want to be able to keep my eyes on Him…no matter what. That even if the world were crumbling around me, my focus on God would not waiver. 

More than ever, our world needs something to hold onto right now. Our faith is being tested like never before. This Coronavirus is like nothing most of us have ever seen. There are so many updates, statistics, and warnings that it is overwhelming. I have spoken to people who are fearful of going out, and to some extent…of staying in. But, I am determined not to live my life in fear. So, in the midst of all of this uncertainty, God is answering my prayer by giving me the opportunity to be just like Bizzy, and keep my gaze fixed on Him.

Until next time…

Be blessed