Are You Oblivious?

The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands. ~ Psalm 19:1

Elijah's view

How is it we can be smack-dab in the middle of something beautiful and completely unaware? I'd been oblivious to God wooing me with His creation lately until others pointed it out.

Last weekend my daughter’s boyfriend, Elijah, came to visit. This Oregon boy has been to our home on the farm in South Carolina numerous times, but that afternoon he noticed something that, until then, had escaped my attention. “Wow!” he said as he looked over the expanse of our property. “This place is absolutely beautiful! I’ve never seen these trees with leaves on them before.” At first I was surprised by his comment. After all, this certainly wasn't his first time seeing our backyard. Then, I realized it was his first time seeing it in the spring, since he only just started coming around last fall.

I’d been busily preparing for a party all week, but for the first time stopped and looked up. He was right. We were surrounded by the bursting forth of spring in the lush foliage and beautiful blue sky whose sun was glinting off the lake below. I allowed myself to take it all in for a moment before advising him to enjoy it now, since the green would turn hard and brown when summer came. As soon as those sarcastic words escaped my lips I felt convicted. Why did I give a grave prediction instead of soaking up the flourishing attraction in my own backyard? 

Elijah's view 

I realized then how often I'd been looking down at my to-do list and inward toward negative thinking instead of looking up at the beauty and out towards the people around me. It’s amazing how daily demands and negative thoughts keep us from experiencing the potential joy around us.

Later that week, I’d ordered a pizza to be delivered to our home. When the doorbell rang, I ran to greet the girl holding our dinner and she immediately commented on our great view of the sunset from the front porch. I hadn’t noticed lately. But she was right. When I looked beyond her over the pasture, the sky was aglow as if God had taken His paintbrush and created a watercolor of pinks, reds and purples just for our delight. But I’d been missing out on this treat lately because the tyranny of the urgent had taken over my evenings.

Sunset view from our front porch

When we first built our home on the farm twelve years ago, a friend of mine commented every time she visited we needed to call it the Big Sky Farm. She loved taking in the allure of God’s handiwork we had planted ourselves right in the middle of. I guess those years have dulled my senses to our surroundings. But I’m intent on gazing at it with fresh eyes again. I want to see the country as I used to, in awe of the nature encircling me.

As I was having my prayer time this week, I looked out over the sun dancing across the waves of the lake and was overwhelmed. At that moment, basking in the beauty of His creation, I was blessed by the Holy Spirit because I’d taken the time to be still in His presence. The majesty of God is revealed everywhere if we’ll stop long enough to drink it in.

The view of the lake from my prayer spot

Have you been too busy lately to look up and delight yourself in the beauty of God’s handiwork? If so, stop now and take it all in. You may be surprised by joy!

The Secret to Friendship

Two are better than one because they have a good return for their work: if one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up!

 ~ Ecclesiastes 4: 9-10

Last weekend I had the privilege of going on a long overdue girls weekend with two of my best friends to Myrtle Beach. Me, Julie and Frieda walked on the beach with no makeup, played in the arcade with no makeup and went out to dinner every night-thankfully, with makeup. It was a freeing time away from the responsibilities of life.

     

The rest of our time we spent in conversation; long, uninterrupted conversation. We realized as we began reminiscing it had been over five years since we’d been out of town together. Five years! How had the time gotten away so quickly? As we talked about some of the wonderful and difficult moments we’d shared, almost twenty years of memories came tumbling back. We’ve seen each other through births, deaths, victories and frustrations, all the while doing our best to provide whatever the other needed. That’s what true friendship is all about.

But the glue that’s held our friendship together is our love for Christ and our pursuit to honor Him in our everyday lives. Whether at church, work, home or dealing with relationships, we’ve muddled the murky waters of religion and our expected roles, only to discover that’s not what it’s all about. It’s about love; loving God and loving others well.

     

These two precious women have brought me into a new understanding of what it is to accept others, be flexible and let it go. As I’ve mentioned before, I’m a recovering perfectionist, and Julie and Frieda have made sure I know things don’t always have to be perfect. It’s comical how God placed me, an oldest child, into a friendship with these women who are both the babies of their families. Incidentally, so is my husband. God knew I needed more of their influence in my life than vice versa. They’ve taught me to loosen up and enjoy living more, and I believe I’m a better person

for it.

Years ago, we’d dream about the fun adventures we would have together when our children didn’t require so much of our time. But now all of our kids are almost grown, we seem to have a harder time working our friendship into the calendar. But we’re not giving up. One day we’ll be old women laughing about the good old days, and they’ll probably be trying to convince me to jump out of an airplane. ;-)

     

Friendship is one of the greatest blessings God gives us to enjoy. We teach each other, lean on each other and cheer one another on. What an awesome gift to have as we make our way down the narrow path of our Christian walk. If you don't have a great friend in your life, ask God to provide one. That's what I did twenty years ago and I've never been the same since. Thank you, Julie and Frieda, for mentoring me, loving me and holding me up when my heart was heavy. I love you both!

Do you have a friend who’s helped you grow in your Christian walk? I’d love to hear about them. Better yet, let them know how much they mean to you!

Some Of The Best Advice I've Ever Gotten

Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom. ~  Psalm 90:12

Have you ever had someone give you advice and, after you took it, wondered why you didn’t think of it yourself? That’s what happened to me almost a decade ago as I wrestled with an intimidating decision concerning my part-time business as an Architectural Engineer. After graduating from college, I landed a job at an architectural firm and worked there for five years. It wasn’t, however, all that I’d dreamed it would be.

I’d gotten into the business because of my love for designing houses. But I learned shortly after my career began that drawing houses doesn’t usually pay the bills, so the firm had me working mostly on Bi-Lo grocery  

stores.

Now, I don’t have anything against Bi-Lo. In fact, I do most of my grocery shopping there. But drawing a big box with rows of shelving didn’t exactly fall under the category of designing the building of my dreams. So after five long years of working there, my sister-in-law and I took a leap of faith and opened our own floral and gift shop. Even though I wasn’t drawing houses, I was having a great time using my creativity to brighten people’s lives with arrangements and special gifts.

Although this was one of the most enjoyable things I’d ever done, the business took its toll on us, both physically and financially. Regretfully, we were forced to sell our shop five years later.

By that time John and I’d had our first child and it was great to be able to spend more time with her. But I still needed to earn a little income to help out with expenses, so I began drawing house plans on my little drawing board at home. It wasn’t steady work, but it gave me some spending money.

After about seven years of working on my own, I started taking on more jobs. Drawing them by hand was slow going, especially if there were many changes. I knew investing in a computer would make my work easier, but was intimidated by the cost. Finally, I realized I needed to choose between turning the page and closing the book (love that quote shared by Kim Landreth Rowe).

As I began investigating the cost of purchasing a new computer, along with the Autocad program and new office furniture, I started to panic. I would have to borrow the money for this career jump as well as taking weeks of classes to learn the new program. And to be perfectly honest, I was terrified I wasn’t smart enough to learn this new version. I’d worked on the computer almost 15 years ago, but I was in an office full of people who could help me if I had questions.

I fretted for months whether or not I should make such a large investment, not knowing if I’d be able to recoup my expenses. Having no idea what direction go, I decided to share my predicament with one of my best friends, Julie, who works in human resources. She’s practical in her assessment of career situations, so I trusted her wisdom.

After pouring out what I saw as an impossible decision, being that I couldn’t see the future and all, she gave me some of the best advice I’ve ever gotten. She reasoned that even though it would cost me time and money, knowledge is never wasted. So what if it took me two years to learn it, in two years I'd be two years older, so I might as well be two years smarter. Her logic made sense. So I gathered up my courage – as well as my bank loan - and made one of the best decisions of my career, buying the program, computer and furniture. I also enrolled in classes to learn this intimidating new way of drawing plans.

And you know what? I had fun. It wasn’t nearly as scary as I thought and I got to meet some nice people who were just as frightened about this endeavor as I was. My instructor was one of the best teachers I’ve ever had and even allowed me to call him anytime I was having problems with the program. I paid off my loan in about a year and actually enjoyed using the computer. I’m still using that program today and my workload is much more manageable.

I’ve learned my friend’s advice applies to more than my career, though. I can grow in any area of my life if I’m willing to face my fears and step out in faith. Anything from doing a Bible study, attending writing conferences and classes or learning how to crochet. What are you afraid of trying? So what are you waiting for? Time's a'wasting!

What could you do right now to help put you on your way to fulfilling something big -or little- in your life? I'd love to hear about it!

This Is A Test...

I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.  ~  John 12:24

Have you ever had one of those weeks when you feel like you’re being tested? When things don’t even come close to going as planned and disappointment, discouragement and even anger become your unwanted new best friend?

This has been one of those weeks for me. I’ve had several disappointments, hurts and downright difficult people to deal with.

Last weekend I came down with a severe infection and had to be quarantined to the couch for three days. Let me remind you that last weekend was Easter and I had plans. Plans I was looking forward to. But instead of seeing family, friends and everybodys’ new Easter outfit, I laid on the couch in misery and despair. I did scroll through Facebook a few times, but that only made things worse. It wasn’t fair that I couldn’t enjoy Easter. So I threw myself a little pity party.

The other day, my daughter, Elise, was supposed to come home to visit my aunt from New York who is staying with my parents for a few weeks. Elise texted me that morning and said she wasn’t going to be able to make it due to the numerous papers she had due. I know she couldn’t help it, but I was still disappointed. So I went to see my aunt by myself.

Then, the final exam came this morning as I read a nasty e-mail from a client, throwing me into a tailspin. I was so angry I wanted to blast back with an e-mail that would set him straight. So I called my husband and had a loud tirade about it with him.

These are all things I struggle to “go with the flow” in my life. I’m a first-born, type A, perfectionist, committed, I’m always right kind of person.  I not only don’t bend with my circumstances, I usually break when things don’t go my way. Ask my husband, the laid back baby of the family. He’s always telling me it’s no big deal if things don’t happen the way I expect. But it’s a big deal to me. Over the years, though, God has humbled me to the point I know I'm not really always right and things can't always be perfect.

But last Saturday as I lay there burning up with fever, I decided to just accept it. I’d already prayed for God to make me well and He didn’t. But he did provide a good doctor on call who knew enough to give me the right prescription. Even though I’d miss all of the Easter festivities, I knew things could be worse.

Just this morning as I was leaving the gym, I met a lady whose mother had passed away last Sunday. Although she declared there was no better day for her mother to meet Jesus than on resurrection Sunday, I could see her wince as she spoke. 

I still have my mother. What a way to put things in perspective.

Then yesterday while I was at Mom and Dad’s, I got to enjoy seeing my aunt and uncle as well as my brother and sister who came by to visit. We had a wonderful dinner together and I left there grateful for the fellowship I enjoy with a loving family.

And today, as I struggled to stop shaking from the anger broiling inside of me toward my client, I prayed and asked God how He wanted me to handle this. I felt led to call a level-headed good friend who works in human resources. She gave me the advice I needed; act like someone who is in control and don’t let him bring me down to his level. Boy, THAT was hard! But I didn’t overreact and handled the situation in a professional manner.

I mention all of this to say God is teaching me the world isn’t about me. It’s about Him, and how I represent Him to others. I can hold a grudge and become bitter, but that only makes Satan jump up and down with glee and he wins. When I picture that, my resolve grows. I don't want Satan to get a foothold in my life. 

It’s hard for me to die to the things I want to say or the plans I’ve made, but that’s exactly what God is asking me to do. He knows in order for me to be a fruitful Christian, I must learn to let the Holy Spirit take control. It’s not easy changing our natural personality into the person God has called us to be, but I know it’s worth the effort. I want Him to be pleased with how I handle those unexpected situations. And so, every day when I get out of bed, I need to remember to forget about my desires, pick up my cross and follow Him. After all, He’s the only One who knows the way.

Have you been experiencing any trials lately, making you feel as if you’re being tested?