A New Year, A New You

As 2011 draws to a close, many of us are thinking about the approaching year in terms of how do we make 2012 better than 2011. Most of us have experienced many challenges and obstacles in the current year that we don’t want to take into the new year.

Say amen if you agree with me.

But if we’re to be totally honest, 2011 wasn’t all bad. Every day wasn’t a bad day. And there were some happy moments mingled in with those not so happy moments that stand out in our minds. For just as many things that went wrong this year, there were probably also somethings that went right.

I think a better way for us to approach the coming year, is not in declaring and making another new year’s resolution about making one year better than another. Lets face it, most of those resolutions will be discarded January 2nd and forgotten altogether before the end of the first week.

But perhaps a better way to approach the coming year is to to recognize, review, and recycle.

Recognize that the person most responsible for your life is you.   

 For I recognize my rebellion;
 it haunts me day and night.
      Against you, and you alone, have I sinned; I have done what is evil in your sight.              (Psalm 51:3-4a)                                      

Instead of looking to our right or our left, and pointing a finger at someone else, its a better use of our time to look within ourselves. By doing this we can recognize those things and areas in our lives that we need to take responsibility for. A new year, starts with a new look at you.

          Review the past year.    

             Review the past for me, 
                                         let us argue the matter together;  (Isaiah 43:26)      

Its been said that we can’t know where we’re going unless we know where we’ve been. There’s a lot of truth in that. Reviewing the past helps us to avoid the same mistakes and pitfalls in our future. The hope of a new year isn’t just about starting over, but its about being able to start anew right where we are. And thats best accomplished by learning from where we’ve already been.

Recycle.

A popular trend in today’s culture is recycling. We recycle those things that have been discarded and disqualified from their original purposes. No longer seeing the value or use in them, we sometimes throw away things that still have life in them. Things that simply need a new use. Recycling these things not only gives them a new use, but a totally new purpose as well.

³⁴ But David said to Saul, “Your servant has been keeping his father’s sheep. When a lion or a bear came and carried off a sheep from the flock, ³⁵ I went after it, struck it and rescued the sheep from its mouth. When it turned on me, I seized it by its hair, struck it and killed it. ³⁶ Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, because he has defied the armies of the living God.  (1 Samuel 17:34-36)

Perhaps 2011 may not been the greatest of years for you. You’ve suffered one setback after another. Encountered more than your share of challenges, and more doors than you care to admit may have been closed in your face. And you’re hoping that 2012 will be just the new start you need.

Let me conclude this blog post with some good news.

The Greatest Recycler of all times is God. And just as He took an insignificant shepherd boy and made him a giant slayer and eventually king over His chosen people, He can also recycle the events and experiences of your life to add new meaning and purpose in your life.

As we close out 2011, my message to you is simple. Recognize God for who He is and allow Him to help you take responsibility for your life. Review all He has already done for you and allow Him to help you learn from your past. And allow Him to Recycle your life to bring you new meaning and purpose.

What a great way to start a new year, a new you.

Happy New Year Everyone!

Lessons Within a Lesson

A couple of months or so ago I attended a special Women’s Fellowship workshop at my church. We had food, fun and fellowship, all of which were great ingredients that added to our good time in the spirit of sisterhood.

If your church doesn’t have such a small group for women to gather, consider starting one. Women truly do need each other, not just on our christian journey, but also for the journey that comes with uniquely being a woman.

But I digress.

So where was I? Oh yes. I’d attended this wonderful workshop with women both in and outside of my church family. One segment of the workshop involved each of us making a Bucket List.

How fun right?

We had to write down 3 things that we had always wanted to do. Many women shared their travel plans, weight loss plans, desires for their families, education, you name it and it probably made many of our lists.

There were many things I could have thought to put on my list. I’d love to travel to exotic places and write that great american novel. But I really didn’t have to think long about it, because at the top of my list was one thing.

To learn to drive.

I’d never really shared this desire with anyone before, let alone a room full of people. In fact, most of my life I have spent explaining why I didn’t drive . And though I’ve given many excuses and explanations to both myself and others, the truth was I really didn’t know why myself.

As I got older, a few tried and failed to teach me to drive.  I even paid for driving school lessons once. But I stopped taking the class after a teacher yelled at me and I lost my confidence.

So I never learned to drive.

So after years of explaining to others why I didn’t drive, I simply avoided the subject all together. But on this particular morning, basking in the warmth of sisterhood and surrounded by those who’d bravely shared their heart’s desires, I took the plunge and admitted to both my sisters and myself that I wanted to learn to drive.

Immediately I was the recipient of support and encouragement like I’d never known before. That moment alone was well worth my attendance that morning. It was a great moment to be me. And in the midst of all that womanly camaraderie, one of my sisters in my church even offered to teach me to drive.

 The workshop moved on to other segments and at its close, we all walked away with that warm, fuzzy feeling within our hearts that comes only from having been a part of something wonderful.

And mentally I crossed off my goal of driving off my bucket list. After all, I’d made the confession, gained a teacher, shared some sisterly fun.  Mission accomplished.

So imagine my surprise a few days later when I got a call from my brave volunteer. She set up a date and time for our first lesson. And so our lessons began.

I’d love to tell you that I took to our lessons like a fish to water, but such is not my story. I was probably more like a fish caught in a net. I was looking for a way out.

After all, who was I to think I could drive at my age? I’d remained a non-driver all these years, why change things now? Being a passenger in a car wasn’t so bad, was it?

Its been a couple of months now and still my brave volunteer remains committed to our lessons each week. In spite of her own family and work commitments, she takes the time each week to include our lessons in her busy schedule.

My fears? They’re still very much present. But along with our driving lessons, I’m also learning another lesson. It’s not the absence of fear that makes us courageous or successful in our endeavors. But rather, sometimes its in the presence of fear that we are given the courage to find our faith.

And faith without works? Well we know what the bible says about that. So I’ve got some work to do. Becoming a driver isn’t going to happen because I wished it so.

I’ll keep you posted on the driving lessons and how we’re progressing. But I’ll also be sure to share the lessons within my lessons. Becoming a driver is my goal, but learning the lessons that will get me there, that’s the journey.

The Journey

Jour·ney   [jur-nee]: passage or progress from one stage to another

Have you ever looked at your life and compared it to others, and found that yours seemed incredibly dull and boring in comparison? Ever felt as if everyone else was living and enjoying success after success, while it seemed as if you had caught a terrible case of stage fright? Or that your life lacked substance or purpose, as if you were mindlessly drifting without a road let alone a road map?

 I think if many of us were honest,(and let’s be honest we need to be honest with ourselves right?), we’d probably answer yes to these questions or at least be able to relate to them on some level. I know I can.

I named this blog The Journey because I’d finally woken up to the realization that life wasn’t a contest with winners and losers. Nor was it a race to be pursued in the hopes of winning some elusive reward or trophy. Nor was it was it a stage where the most successful actors bowed victoriously before their adoring and applauding audiences.

But rather my eyes began to open to the understanding that life was a journey. And a journey isn’t something you pursue, but rather it is something you experience. And that’s what life is, a continual flow of life experiences. And it is the lessons we learn and the wisdom we walk away with from those experiences that add not only to our lives, but to the lives of those who journey with us.

And somewhere within the past year, I’d forgotten that. I got a little caught up in comparing my life, my dreams, my hopes to those I saw as more successful in life than I. For a breath in time, I forgot to simply breathe and be the me I was created to be. To not worry so much about the life others were leading, but to focus on the life I was called to live, to experience.

Ever been there?

Well, my memory is getting better now. Thanks for asking. And for those who have inspired and encouraged me to pick up my heart’s pen once again and share the lessons and wisdom of my life journey, this blog is for you.

Our paths may not cross in our day-to-day lives, but I’d be happy if once again you chose to let our paths and hearts cross in this little blog world of mine. Together we can experience, share and live out our life’s journey not to acquire applause, but to acquire wisdom and understanding that we can pass to those traveling with us.

Join the Journey.

Impossible Possibilities

 Nothing is impossible for God.

Luke 1:37 (CEV)

 As children we are taught to blend the lines of reality and make-believe. In the playgrounds of our young minds, we are encouraged to explore the enchanted and frolic with the forgotten. On wings of once upon a time, we’re carried from the possible to the impossible in a blink of an eye.

But as we begin to script our own stories and fill in the lines of our lives, somehow that changes.

 But imagine if you will, if long ago a young girl had been unwilling to accept the impossible as being possible. Imagine if she had refused to exchange the known for the unknown. Imagine if instead of being ready to be used by God, she’d refused the message sent by Him. Imagine if God’s chosen, had chosen not to believe on Him.

 What problem do you face today? What impossible thing looms before you? What threatens your faith?

 With God not only are all things possible, but with Him, nothing is impossible.

 Prayer: Father God, help us to keep eyes of faith on you that we might believe You for all things. Help us to look not at those things that loom before us, but rather help us to look to You who lives in us. And help us oh Lord to reflect your light in the world that others might come to know the possibility of your salvation and the impossibility of ever being separated from your love. In Jesus’ Name I pray.

 Amen.

A Ready Writer

    My heart overflows with a good theme;
         I address my verses to the King;
         My tongue is the pen of a ready writer (Psalm 45:1)

 

Happy New Year!

The ball has dropped, the confetti has been cleaned up, and the celebrations marking the entrance of a new year have now passed. Our new year has begun, and for most of us we’ve pushed the holidays and celebrations behind us as we have returned to the business of day-to-day living.

But in an attempt to make this year different, I didn’t make any new year’s resolutions or set very many goals. Usually by Jan. 2 I’ve forgotten them anyway or realized I set my aims too high and gave up before I even began.

But this year instead of looking inward to who I was and basing my goals and expectations for the year on that, I looked in another direction. I looked upward.

To God.

No I didn’t have this great epiphany or some new revelation. God did not audibly speak to me and move heaven and earth that I might glimpse into my future. He didn’t give me a great vision or set a bush on fire. Instead He gave me a word.

Real.

Okay, I know it’s not an exciting word or even a very eloquent sounding one. Its a pretty commonly used word and I’d wager that most of us probably use it many times a day without giving it much thought.

So what was I supposed to do with it?

Well the first thing I did was to look up its meaning in the dictionary. And I saw words like true, authentic, sincere, honest used in its meaning. Simple words certainly, but words that spoke of value and worth.

But although these words stirred something within me,  still my question remained. What was I supposed to do with this word? How was it suppose to help me get this new focus for my new year? 

And then as God so often does, He answered me.  Actually He did me one better. He gave me a visual example.

Sitting in church one sunday morning, I was preparing to listen to the morning sermon. I pulled out my notebook, my bible and poised my pen ready to take my sermon notes.

Yes I’m a note taker in church. It’s not only a way for me to hear the words and lessons emphasised by my pastor, but it’s a way for God to speak to my heart and help me to hear the specific message He has for me.

So with my pen poised and at the ready, I noticed my young cousin sitting next to me fidgeting. She looked bored. She was scribbling and drawing on some notepaper of her own, but I could see that she needed something to do. So I whispered to her that if she took some notes from the sermon and was able to tell me later what the pastor preached about, I’d get her a treat after church.

She jumped on the assignment with gusto and before I knew it she was writing away on her paper. Satisfied that she was occupied, I turned my attention back to the pastor and listened as he and God wove a specific message with my name all over it.

After benediction, my young cousin turned to me and said, “Look”. She showed me several pages of notes that she’d taken of the sermon. And as I looked through her notes, I realized that she’d written down almost word for word many of the things the pastor had mentioned in his sermon.

Talk about thorough! Her notes made mine look like child’s play. In the span of a sermon, her attentive ears had missed almost nothing.

Many might argue that her motive and attentiveness came from knowing she’d be rewarded. Others might say it came from her desire to have something useful to do during service. But whatever the motive, the outcome spoke to me about the very word God had already given me.

Real.

Her attentiveness to the pastor’s words reminded me of the attentiveness I need to have for God’s words.

Her word for word thoroughness reminded me of the same thoroughness  I need to have in listening when God speaks to me.

Her ready pen and willingness to be used during the service reminded me of the willing spirit I need to be used by God.

And to do any of these things I need to first have a real relationship with Him.

Real wasn’t just a word God wanted me to use in reference to my character or self-worth. Nor was it just a word He wanted me to use in reference to how I wanted to focus on my new year. But rather I believe it was His way of bringing me back to what matters most.

A real relationship with Him.

So in taking my young cousin’s example to heart, my pen stands at the ready. Ready to be used by Him and for Him as He leads me through this journey called life. And its my hope that you’ll journey with us and together we can learn the beauty and benefits in having a real relationship with Him.

Who knew such a small word could pack so much meaning within it? Somehow I think God knew.

 

Honeysuckle Nights

I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
       your works are wonderful, I know that full well. Psalm 139:14

I will never be accused of being called a Gardener.

Whereas there are those born with green thumbs and under their attentive care, they can coast even the most reluctant plant to grow, I am not one of them. My thumb is brown and if ever someone could kill a cactus, well it would be me.

Its not that I don’t like plants or enjoy the natural beauty that flowers automatically lend to any environment, but its just that I don’t really enjoy the work and care that goes into helping them to grow and stay healthy. Sad, but true. And although I know I could improve the outside decor of my home by adding plants and flowers to bring character and charm to my yard, in spite of my good intentions, it never seems to happen.

But tonight as I sat on my porch, I caught a whiff of the most aromatic fragrance that had ever tantalized my nose and it caused my mind to move in a new direction not just for my yard, but for my life.

The scent that caught my attention was the unmistakable scent of honeysuckle. To me there’s  no sweeter scent to enjoy on a cool summer night than that of honeysuckle as it rides the evening wind and becomes one with the night air. Glorious indeed!

But as I thought about the honeysuckle lying in thick vines along my back fence, I couldn’t help but also think about the many weeds and overgrown brush that also resides in my backyard. I keep telling myself I’m going to hire someone to remove all of the weeds and overgrown brush around my house, but somehow it keeps moving further and further down on my to-do list of projects for the house and it never gets done. 

 In the meantime, the weeds continue to grow at an alarming rate and unfortunately they also outnumber anything of beauty that would dare to grow around my yard.

And I realized that not only are these weeds growing fast and overtaking the yard and house, but they were also doing some other damage. For as long as I allowed them to continue to grow, and be the yard bullies that they are, they will continue to steal from and deprive much needed space and nutrients for the honeysuckle and other things that were planted to add beauty to the world around them.

Allowed to continue to grow, they’ll continue to disguise themselves as harmless plants or even small trees or bushes. They will continue to invade space that was not intended for them. Like silent thieves little by little,  they will continue to steal what does not belong to them as though they had a right to grow there.

And as I reflected on the weeds in my yard, my mind turned to the weeds in my life. Those things that cover up or hide those things God created in me meant to add something to the world around me. Those things that threaten to overtake my creativity or silence my creative voice. Those silent weeds that little by little and over time have invaded spaces in my life that God never intended them to occupy.

And so sitting in my moment with God, enjoying my honeysuckle scented night, together God and I identified some of my weeds. And unlike the weeds in my yard that I have allowed to grow and thrive, I don’t plan to let these weeds get pushed down on my life’s to-do list for another moment.

But armed with my faith and the other tools God has handed me, I plan to start weeding out the weeds of my life so that like the honeysuckle, I too might lend myself to the world as a thing of creative beauty. For I am fearfully and wonderfully made. And God never intended for anything, weed or person to overshadow who He created me to be.

I may never be a gardener or enjoy outside yard work, this is true. But perhaps as I turn to the true Gardener of my own life, and allow Him access to those weed filled areas of my life, I will become inspired to do the same with my yard and the world around me.

The Trees

I like trees because they seem more resigned to the way they have to live than other things do.  ~Willa Cather 1913

The other morning while enjoying a quiet moment on my porch, I happened to take notice of the two rather large trees that stand in my front yard. Exactly what kind of trees they are, I’m not sure as I am not an expert on trees or their names.

But as I sat looking at these two trees, I began to notice things about them I’d not taken note of before.  Like for instance how just a few months ago both trees had been leafless and by all appearances dead to the world.  Yet now they stood covered in leaf after leaf of the most vibrant shade of green one could ever imagine. Their limbs were once again strong and a place of refuge for birds and squirrels alike and anything else that had need of it.

No matter the conditions they stood in such as rain, snow, heat, or cold they stood none the less still as trees. They endured situation after situation always the same. As trees.

And on that quiet morning as I sat looking out at those two trees, I learned something so simple, I almost missed it. Those two trees weren’t trying to become trees, they were simply being who they already were. They were being what they were created to be.

Trees.

No matter what the season, they still stood as trees. No matter their condition nor circumstances, they still stood as trees. No matter what they looked like on the outside, they still stood as trees. No matter what they were surrounded by, they still stood as trees. No matter that I didn’t know their tree names, they still stood as trees.

Nothing disqualified them for being what they were. No season, no circumstance nor appearances. They were created to be trees, and they stayed true to that always.

That morning two ordinary, nameless trees taught me something I needed to know. For in being what they were created to be, they silently gave me permission to do the same.

Grateful

This morning as I stepped up on the bus to begin my morning commute into work, the driver welcomed me aboard and asked how I was doing.

“Good,” I replied.

While taking my seat, I made eye contact with another passenger and she too inquired after my well being. And again I heard myself reply, “Good.”

But as I settled into my seat, a small voice asked “Are you really good?”  Both times my response had been automatic. Without much thought I had responded as I had many times before. After all these people were strangers to me, surely they wouldn’t want to hear how I was really feeling.

Would they?

And whenever I asked that same question of someone, “How you doing?”, do I really stop to wait for their response or do I assume that they too are “good” and move on even before their response has left their lips?

But as the bus pulled into downtown where I work, I saw something that helped me to realize just how “good” I wasn’t.

He lay on the ground covered up in an old, thin blanket. The boots that covered his feet had come from better days and his toes protested as they were greeted by the morning wind. Beneath his head an old duffel bag served as his pillow, and lying beside him laid brown plastic bags that no doubt held his life’s possessions. Oblivious to the traffic and people passing by, he slept on his bed of concrete with the contentment of a well fed baby.

And I realized that there by the grace of God go I. For how easily it could have been me lying there.

It was through no goodness of my own thay my blessings weren’t hidden in plastic bags, but they were too many to count. It was not because I had been so good that goodness had been shown to me. And it wasn’t good that should tell those who ask how I was doing.

On my way into the building where I worked, I was welcomed by a fellow co-worker who greeted me with a warm “Good morning, how are you?”

Without hesistation I replied, “Grateful.”

A Master’s Heart

Since I was a youngster I’ve loved dogs.

Big dogs, little dogs, young dogs, old dogs, cute fluffly dogs, cute hairless dogs . I love them all. Dogs truly do have a special place within my heart, and I’ve been blessed to have shared both my heart and home with some truly amazing dogs. 

As a pet owner I’ve learned a lot over the years. Things like responsibiity,  patience, how to love something outside of my own selfish needs. The list goes on and on. And every now and then God even uses them to teach me those lessons that could only come from the heart of a true Master.

Take the other morning for example.

Libby, my feisty,  hyperactive terrier mix wanted to play. The fact that I was getting ready for work and probably had little or no time to stop and play, never entered her mind. In her world its always a good time to play.

Laying one of her most prized squeeky toys at my feet,  she anxiously waited with tail wagging and eyes dancing for me to throw it. Being a little impatient with her, I quickly told her “Not now Libby”, and continued preparing for my day.

But Libby not to be outdone, tried again. Again she laid her toy at my feet.  And again I told her, “Not now Libby”, with more than a little irritation in my voice.

But Libby still not to be out done by my attitude, tried again. Again she laid her toy at my feet, and waited for me to begin our morning game of fetch. And this time as I looked into her pleading brown eyes, I saw something that I almost missed in my haste to rush into my day.

Picking up Libby’s toy, I tossed it for her to fetch. Glad to finally have my attention, she was only too happy to oblige. We played for only a few minutes, but it was all that was needed. Actually, it was all that she had really wanted to begin with.

She hadn’t wanted to monopolize all my time, she had only wanted to share in it for a few minutes before I left to begin my day. She just wanted to be with her master.

Just a few quick tosses of her toy and she was satisfied. And if the truth be told, so was I. For in stopping to play with her for those few moments, it caused me to pause and slow down, and enjoy a few simple, quiet moments before I stepped out into the day. 

And it made me realize something else too.

Just like Libby needed to be with her master for a little while, so did I. Just as she bought her most prizes possession to me as her master, so I should bring my best before my Master and spend a few moments in His presence. Not asking anything of Him, not seeking to gain something. not to monopolize His time with who I was, but to enjoy just being in His presence, enjoying who He is.

Funny how it took a ten pound ball of energy to remind me to not be so busy jumping into my day, that I forget to spend time with the One who made that day possible.

Its at times like this that I’m grateful God gave me a heart for dogs. For in having a dog lover’s heart, I also see my own Master’s heart for me.

             

Morning Gatherings and Everyday Miracles

This morning while traveling into work, the morning sky so captivated my attention that it simply took my breath away.

Winter here in Indiana means night lingers a lot longer than the day does, so I wasn’t suprised to see the sky still dark at an hour that normally would have been much lighter. But as I saw glimpses of light seeping through the darkness, I knew that daylight wasn’t too far off.

But it was the clouds that most captivated my attention.  Single clouds and clusters alike were moving in one accord as though they were of one mind. I watched them as they gathered at an invisible skyline. It was as though they stood waiting for an unseen guest.

I also watched in amazement as a flock of geese flying in a perfect V formation raced to join the clouds. It was as if heaven had called a morning meeting to give last minute instructions before everyone and everything took their perspective positions and places for the day.

And then I saw it.

In a blaze of the warmest hues of red that I’d ever seen, I watched as it began it’s climb above the earth. In no particular hurry, it slowly flooded the sky with breath taking shades of color that not even the most skilled artist could duplicate. At one point in it’s ascent, I could have sworn it paused just to make sure that all eyes were on it. Not in a selfish, self serving way, but in a way that spoke of unimaginable blesssings and promises.

As I sat taking in that majestic splendor, I felt as if anything was possible.

And when at last it sat, this awaited guest of the morning sky, and took it’s rightful place upon that throne room sky, I felt as if I was in the presence of royalty.  For in that moment nothing moved, nothing mattered. And I realized what an incredible gift I’d just been given.

At that morning gathering I was graced with seeing the miracle of a sunset that blessed me for my entire day. Like those clouds and geese, I too I had been given an unexpected blessing to start my day.

Now I know to some folks, theres nothing spectacular or exceptional about watching a sunrise or sunset for that matter. But as we move towards the New Year, let me encourage us all to purpose in our hearts to take a moment for our “sunrises” and small miracles that surround us everyday. Its so easy to let those moments go unnoticed and unacknowledged in our haste to get on with the business of living.

But within those precious moments are unimaginable gifts that can serve to bless us for a lifetime.