Trees

I was lost. Really lost. Well, maybe not really and truly lost, but lost enough.
I mean, I did have a GPS in my car, after all. But, I was off the beaten path.

I had decided to hop in the car and just “go.” I woke up with a restless spirit and wanted to see where the road would take me.

I found myself lost and thrilled.

A low, one lane bridge over a river; trees growing from the riverbed. Roots reaching down deep, not wavering, stalwart and strong.

These trees have been through droughts and floods.
Seasons of time have passed and yet here they are.
Unmoved.

Jeremiah 17:8 talks about people being like trees planted by the water; having no fear.

Psalms 1:3 tells us of the people who are like trees planted by the streams and what ever they do prospers.

I sang when I saw these trees! I shouted!
My spirit was lifted and I rejoiced!
These trees were magnificent and strong – I want to be a tree of righteousness!

Bloom where you are planted.
Grow strong.
Let your fruit show your faith!

H - E - L - P

I yelled as loud as I could.  To the top of my lungs.  Feeling it down in my toes.

 "H E L P ! ! !"

No one heard me.  I was alone in the house.  I was being overwhelmed with waves of, well, everything. I felt as if I were drowning and there were no other people around to see me going under.  I yelled it again, even louder this time.

 "HELP! I need help here!"  

I put my head down into my hands and pressed the heel of my palms into my eyes so hard, I began to see those colored, swirling lights.  I took a deep breath.  I looked at my checkbook again.  Nope, the numbers were still the same.  

I was a single mom, with two teenagers.  One about to enter college.  I had a sick mother who lived three hundred miles away that I drove to see as often as I could.  I was working two sometimes three jobs.  Still there were months were there were more days than money.  I needed help.  

I opened my Bible, l was going to pray over my checkbook and my children's future.  I had done this before, this was not some pop-up inspiration that was going to be an instant miracle.  I knew this.  But, I knew, right then, I needed help and my help came from the Lord and His word.

Isaiah 41:10

So do not fear, for I am with you;
    do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you;
    I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

I decided my fear of being overwhelmed was going to leave.  I was being lifted up by the hand of God.  He was holding me as a father does their child.  No miracle cure for my checkbook, but a comfort, a peace that let me know,

"Susan, I'm here.  I've not let go.  You can do this thing.  
You can make this work.  I will be here, you are not alone."

I scanned down a bit further.  The words seemed to dance in front of my eyes.  Maybe from tears, maybe for joy, but they danced.  

Isaiah 41:13

For I am the Lord your God
    who takes hold of your right hand
and says to you, Do not fear;
    I will help you.

He promised! He was going to help me! 

Peace surrounded me that day at my little table.  I paid my bills that day, not shoving them aside in fear.  I trusted that things would be better.  I knew I was not alone. I had help.  

My fear of not being enough, of not doing enough, of not having enough overwhelmed me that day so long ago.  It has tried to visit me again on other occasions.  Sometimes I have forgotten and opened the door.  Then I am reminded of  His promise - I Am Not Alone.   

You are not alone, you have the same help and safety.  

His promises are there for us all.  

What makes a family?

Is it because you share DNA with other people?  Because you are related by blood?

I know many people who have a family and do not share any genetic markers that would make them a biological family.  They didn’t find each other when the “child” was a child, they were older, in their teens or mid-twenties.  However, this did not make the “parent” any less of a parent because they did not raise them, in fact, it usually makes them closer.

Throughout my life, I watched my mother take in other “children” and treat them just as her own.  Sometimes these “brothers and sisters” would live with us, other times they were just close by.  To my mother, they were hers; her children, her babies.  She introduced them as such and when they got older and had children of their own, she was grandma.  This is how I was taught about family.

My mother had wanted a house filled with children, she had six miscarriages (that I know of) and only two children.  One of the scriptures she always quoted to me was Psalms 37:4-5,  

 “Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.

Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him and he will do this:”

If there is one thing that anyone would say about my mother, it would be she took delight in trusting in Jesus.  She wanted many children, and she was given more than she dreamed. Her family grew, and her heart was filled.  Trust can be a delight when there is love. 

If I can leave you with anything today, remember this:  

Delight my friends, trust the Lord.  Watch and see His mighty works.

When do you pray?

 “I thank my God every time I remember you.” Philippians 1:3

I have not ever been a get down on my knees, by the side of my bed, prayer time person.  I had my children when I was pretty young, if I knelt down with my eyes closed, that gave them an opportunity to create some new experiment in the bathroom sink.  Out of necessity, I became a pray with my eyes open, open and continual dialog with God, prayer time person.  My best prayers have been in traffic and the shower.

When someone crosses my mind, I say a prayer for them.  I don’t think twice, I just pray.  I may be in the grocery store, in line at the DMV, or heading into a client’s office.  Their name floats across my brain and my immediate response is “Jesus thank you for ____, bless them and keep them in your hand today.”

Life is filled with busy schedules, our days become hectic and finding a dedicated time to pray is sometimes impossible.  It can be so easy to slip past prayer time to help create the diorama for the science fair or bake cookies for the bake sale at church.

Instead of “making time” to pray, why not be in continual prayer?  Every breath becomes a prayer, keep and open dialog with Jesus all day long.

“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

We do not know what our days hold, each one a mystery and filled with unexpected events.  Especially if you have children.  Every breath a prayer should be our constant state.

Pray without ceasing, just like breathing.

This principle became even more important to me as my children got older.  Letting go, allowing them to learn on their own, stretching their wings and giving some more independence.  This made my breathing more heavy and my prayers more fervent.

When we find a challenge, such as parenting, our prayers get taken to the next level.  Having a constant and open dialog is as necessary as oxygen.

When you remember me, pray for me.  I will pray for you as well.
I will most likely be in my car, in traffic.

Shifting Sands and Solid Rock

Have you ever been to a place that was so gorgeous that you just stood with your mouth wide open? Yeah, me too. 

You just can’t help it.  You see the opulence, the colors, the spectacular vista...it is all too much.  Standing there with your jaw on the ground is all you can do.  

One of the places that fits this category for me is Snow Canyon, Utah.  I was there in late April.  It was snowing of course, but it was jut the “baby’ snow, nothing big.  

Mists were swirling through the air.  I just kept saying, “Oh my gosh look at that!” and pointing and elbowing my friend.  You would have thought I had never seen something like that before - I hadn’t, not really.

What makes this canyon so special is not the myriad of movies that have been filmed here, nor the people who have inhabited this area for thousands of years but it is the fact that these rocks are actually petrified sand dunes. 

This is truly the handiwork of God. 

This area has a long dormant volcano, obsidian (lava rocks) abound here, the red rocks are frozen in time. They are no longer shifting sands, but solid rock. 

Even the shifting sands become a firm foundation when we give Jesus control.

The next time you sing: “On Christ the solid rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand...” think of these sand dunes that were petrified and became solid rock.  

Thank you Jesus for your beauty and for providing a
safe place for us to stand in this ever-changing world!

And, "YOU, LORD, IN THE BEGINNING LAID THE FOUNDATION OF THE EARTH, AND THE HEAVENS ARE THE WORKS OF YOUR HANDS; Hebrews 1:10

Today Is Not Always The Day

When I get excited about something, I'm a leap, then look kind of girl. Despite some of the mistakes from my past, I don't seem to grasp this concept of planning, looking, and then leaping. I'm usually am still writing the list while diving in the fray.

In our hearts we carry these dreams, these hopes of accomplishment, these callings we want to carry out.  We want so badly to move forward, to act, to create, but there is a mountain of laundry and a cyclone of office memos that seem to be blocking our path.

Not everything in our lives is a "Today" thing. 

Today, meaning, things that should be taken care of "today" Oh you may think it is, it may feel as if it is, even the mail you receive tells you to "Act Today!"

Every single day, we have "today" stuff. Our spouse (or lack of), kids, pets, dry cleaners, car wash, drugstore and all this before some of us get to our other job, you know, the one with the paycheck. These are "today" things.

You may want to jump into the middle of something because you are excited. Trust me, I live this every day, I know this feeling well.  There is this thing called "process". Its prep time, learning, refining, getting our heart ready. Some days I wish there were a fast forward on prep time.

Fear Not!  Those dreams, desires, hopes and callings don't just die; they will live inside of you, waiting for the right Today.

No, not everything is a today thing. Many things clamor for the top of the today list. Today things will be done on the appropriate today with the open door.

Make your "to-do list", line up chores and errands. Schedule the carpools and sleepovers, plot the family dinner nights, night out with friends. Then, set a prep time. Take a class, read a book, start a blog, something that sets the stage. Something that helps you prepare for the right today.

If something residing deep inside your heart gets moved from this today to the next today, it's OK. The right today is on the horizon, you just need to be ready. A bright sun will always announce today's arrival and closer to your today.

"For there is a time for everything and a season for every activity under the heavens." Ecclesiastes 3:1 NIV

Never Let Go

I had always said God had to get me flat on my back to get me to listen.  Sometimes it’s hard to distinguish His voice from the chorus in our brains.  I just didn’t know that God would take me so literal.

You see, my past few years have been filled with depression and panic.  I found every day a struggle.  I questioned everything, including my faith.  Then to add fuel to that already burning funeral pyre, I was downsized.  A forty-something, unemployed woman, recovering from the darkness called depression.  Where was I to go?  The church of course.  I was going to help prepare for the children’s Christmas program.

The stage was set, everything was all done and we were ready for Christmas!  I was very proud of our efforts.  I went to quickly grab my shoes so everyone could get the full effect.  That is when it happened.  I stepped out into thin air, then did my best ballerina spin and promptly landed, without any pomp or ceremony, on the sanctuary platform.  I heard a scream and realized it was mine, then I remembered the crunching sound.  

After my pride had taken its fair share of blows, it was found that I had broken not one but both feet, broke one ankle and severely sprained the other.  I was literally flat on my back.  I was to be fairly immobile for the next four months.  There was nowhere to run, and distractions were pretty much always out of reach.

On New Year’s Eve, I was alone, or so I thought.  I received a text from a friend with the usual New Year cheer, at the end she referenced an old hymn. The moment I read that simple text, I was immediately transported to a church service long ago.  It was one of those services where even the small children could feel the movement of the Lord.  I heard my mother’s voice so clear, singing that hymn.  I felt His presence on the couch with my feet in casts. Love and hope coursed through me.  The words began to flow, making me smile:

“Time is filled with swift transition,

Naught of earth unmoved can stand,

Build your hopes on things eternal,

Hold to God’s unchanging hand.”

My heart soared! My circumstances did not matter.  

There was more than this, I was never letting go of God’s unchanging hand.

Faith, Hope, Love & Red High Heels? You Know It!

I'm sure you are looking at this page and wondering what red high heels have to do with faith, hope and love.  Let me tell you , they have quite a bit to do with them.  

In I Corinthians chapter 13 we are told by the Apostle that "...these three remain, faith, hope and love...".  

Faith moves us to act.  

Hope gives us courage that our actions with be positively received.  

Love encompasses us all.  

As it says it the scripture, "...the greatest of these is love."

Those items alone should carry us through any situation.  Any situation.

Sometimes while deciding to act in faith, hoping it will be a positive outcome and loving everyone involved, we need a visual boost.  THAT is where red high heels come in.

To me, slipping on a pair of red shoes, especially heels, can change my entire attitude.  I know, I know...I shouldn't attribute such power to an inanimate object, but it really works.

Remember, love protects, hopes, and perceives (verse 7).  Love is all-encompassing.  Love covers us all.

And those red high heels? Girl, we ALL look good in those too!