Learning Along The Way

How do you handle…

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I have been allowing too many distractions to sidetrack me from using my time “wisely”. (A purely subjective term!) I like routine but I’m not married to it as my husband says. But lately I have had more challenges from distractions and I need help!

I want to set aside time to write more. In this season of life I have the margin to actually do this. Yet I find more and more “opportunities” to do things for others, or the need to connect with friends, or even clean the bathrooms instead of sitting down to the keyboard and writing!

How do you handle distractions? What strategies do you have for saying “No” to things that come your way that sidetrack you from your routine? What do you do to get back on track?
I would seriously love your input!

We Need Reminding

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“We are also praying that we will be able to live well this life of uncertainty that we have been asked to walk.”

This is a quote from Aaron and Holly McCrae whose daughter Kate is battling a rare form of brain cancer. Their journey has been both heart wrenching and heart warming as they have shared with others all that Kate and their family are going through.

I have been a behind the scenes pray-er during this season God has them in; I have not met them. Good news is, in God’s economy knowing someone personally is not a prerequisite for ministering to them through prayer.

We need reminding though. We get so caught up in our lives and circle of influence that we lose sight of how vast God’s perspective is. We need reminding that the needs of others far out weigh our own. We need to lift our eyes to the hills to see where our hope comes from.

So this is your reminder today. Check out the link, pray for Kate and the McCrae family and others who you may be aware of who have needs greater than your own. Join in with God’s perspective on the world. It is an eyes wide open journey for sure!

“I Dwell in Possibilities”

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Fascinating quote, “I dwell in possibilities”. I think a road from somewhere to I don’t know where gives a visual expression to Dickinson’s quote. What is happening in your life right now that a picture like this is appealing? Or is it discouraging because you want to go somewhere but don’t sense possibilities? Where are you heading?

These and questions like them are the undercurrent that may bubble up for you every once in awhile. They are worth your time to consider. What if the season that you are in right now is nearing an end? What is next for you? Or perhaps the season you are in is very difficult and you want it to end! What are the possibilities around the bend?

Engage with me… let’s get in the conversation!

Emerson Inspiration

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Cleaning out files and organizing clutter are two things I avoid regularly. Tonight I am alone and decided to tackle my desk files. One file titled “Summer Fun” had a collection of ideas for activities to do with my sons when they were 10 and 3 (they are now 21 and 15 to give you an idea of how much I avoid cleaning out files!). Included in the file was a quote that I had typed and printed. It was worth it then and it’s worth sharing now. Plus this gives me a distraction from the pile of files on my desk!

“To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty, to find the best in others; to leave the world a little better whether by a healthy child, a garden patch, or a redeemed social condition; to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is the meaning of success.” Ralph Waldo Emerson

So by these standards, how is your success rating?

Surprised By God

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Monday I met a friend for coffee at the local Peet’s coffee shop. The seating was typically busy but we were able to snag a table just as another couple of gals were leaving. She and I sat there enjoying the ambiance and talking a mile a minute about kids, the recent high school dance that our freshmen sons attended, her birthday, you name it.

One of the other patrons seated nearby got up and packed up his things. As he started to pass our table he tapped me on the shoulder and told me he felt he was supposed to give me this piece of paper. He handed me a folded sheet of notebook paper. He looked rather tentative as he handed it to me. I opened it glancing to the last two sentences of the handwritten page. In a lovely manuscript were the words: “You are blessed AND a wonderful blessing. You reflect the Beauty of the Lord. I looked up at him and smiled. I thanked him for taking the time to write these words of encouragement and to risk giving them to me a stranger. He smiled broadly and said “I knew I was to give you this letter!” I told him that it is an encouragement to me just to see someone obey the leading of the Holy Spirit.

Now I don’t recall a spiritual statement in the 45 minutes that we had been sitting there (which is a sad testimony in and of itself!) and I had never seen that man before. I was stunned into silence as he walked away. I handed my friend the letter and she read the following aloud:

“You are a woman of stability yet there are times you think your stability has made you rigid and unfeeling. This is not true. You are a woman of great compassion, generosity and sensitivity. There is much fruitfulness in your life- you are surrounded by it don’t lose sight of it.

Your children- you feel you’ve done your best and that is true but there is more. Your prayers are powerful and will be continually used to shape, mold and protect their lives.

There are some hidden things you would like to do- to accomplish deep down- don’t count them out- pursue those dreams- brush aside the thoughts that you are egotistical, prideful- they are dreams that are heavenly given.

There is much more ahead of you- continued and expanding fruitfulness.

There is a gift of wisdom- it is the lifelong emulation of other women you’ve known and others you’ve read about.

Through your graciousness it will have lifelong & life changing effects on others.

You are blessed AND a wonderful blessing. You reflect the Beauty of the Lord.”

You might think that this is a pretty neutral letter and could apply to anyone, except for the facts that the three issues addressed, stability, children and dreams have been issues that I have been agonizing over in my times with the Lord. Knowing those details made me all the more aware that these were words specifically for me.

Why do I share them with you? So many reasons bubble up in my mind but one for sure is that you would know that God is personally interested in your life! He desires your time and cares about you! He really does know and have plans for you!

You may be the vessel to encourage a stranger. Don’t neglect the prompting of the still small voice.

You may be the one who needs the encouragement. Keep your eyes and ears tuned into God; He is at work! That encouragement may come in the most out of the box way.

Be fervent in your prayers. God’s timing is not ours, but it is perfect! Never early, never late but right on time!

I would love to hear your thoughts about this experience, or even better to hear how God has surprised you.

New Year, New Decade, Not so New Goals

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The new year is three days old and I have heard and read countless references to resolutions, inspirations to lose weight and the challenges for both the coming year and the new decade. All of them can be a little daunting that’s certain, but I have decided on a way around being overwhelmed! Rather than making a long list of new resolves to tax my brain to remember, I am going to focus on one overarching goal.

Be my best self possible.

You’ve heard “be yourself, you’re the only one qualified” or the Army’s slogan “be all that you can be” so my goal is not so new. But it feels a little less like a to do list that I may mess up on right away! Instead it feels like a good “to be” which I have learned is exactly what I am supposed “to do” is to simply BE.

So as this year gets going and you are thinking about things you want to add or subtract, share them please! I would love to be inspired by what you are up to and I’d love to know what you are learning to add or subtract!

Who are Weary and Heavy Laden

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It’s been too long since my last post. But it is time to break the silence.

I feel a little like a story told of Mahatma Gandhi. A young mother came to him seeking help with her son. She asked him simply if he could tell the boy to stop eating sugar, that it was bad for him. Gandhi pondered her request for a moment and asked her to come back in three weeks with her son. The mother thought this an odd request but did as the wise teacher had told her to do. When the time had passed she returned with her son to hear what the wise teacher would say to her son. Gandhi simply said to the boy, “do not eat sugar it is bad for your health.” The mother was confused and asked him, “Why did we wait three weeks to hear you say such a simple statement?” Gandhi replied, “ I could not speak a truth that I was not practicing myself. I had to learn to live without sugar before I could tell your son to live without sugar.”

 

The next part of my post comes out of what I had to learn; I needed to practice before I had wisdom to share. We know we live very busy, full lives. Some of you are working in and outside your homes, caring for children, caring for aging parents, dealing with unemployment or the potential for unemployment. How can we continue on the paths of the incredibly busy lives we have without crashing and burning out? Stated simply: We can’t keep going at the pace we are without disaster.

 

That’s a pretty bleak assessment I realize but hear me out. There are things that can be done to avoid disaster, but you have to be intentional about your choices and actions. If you have already looked at life and seen there are no changes that can be made to lighten the current load then the next step is to look back at the road map and see where your rest stops are.

 

That may be a strange analogy but if you can imagine your life as a journey and you are traveling on a superhighway, going at a fast pace with little or no stops, you know you are going to get road weary and need a break. That’s what the rest stops are for. Don’t just keep going, stop and take a much-needed break.

highway traffic

Jesus is calling to us while we are rushing along with all the burdens of the family calendar and needs on our shoulders. He is standing quietly as the road sign we speed past saying, “Stop in here. I will take your burdens and give you a much needed break.” Problem is, we keep driving and say to ourselves, “I don’t have time to stop! There is so much to do! Time is short! These things need to get done!” With this mindset we are headed for disaster.

 

Our rest stops need to happen. They need to be regular and frequent. We are fools to think we can go long periods of time without refreshment and relief. We suffer unnecessarily because we think we can travel a little bit farther without a break.

 

Enough for now. Think about your current circumstances. When was the last time you really took a break?


All

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Come to Me, all…

Who is included in this All?

Have you ever thought about this statement?

If all means all then I am in there and so are you. And so are these children in Sri Lanka. And the people in Africa, Asia, Europe, North and South America…you get the point.

All.

Not fixed up, cleaned up or saved and sanctified.

Does this challenge you?

Come to Me, all….

Unforced yet Intentional

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Somehow today is the right day to tell you a little more about me, so you understand where I am coming from when I present these big ideas like Unforced Rhythms of Grace! So please bear with me on a brief walk through memory lane….. I promise I will get to the blog post title eventually!

I don’t know about you, but I was raised with quite a hodge podge of faith traditions. My grandparents on my dad’s side were old school Methodists; deacon, adult Sunday school teachers, major donors to the church (found out at their passings). My grandparents on my mom’s side were Southern Baptist–grampa not liking to go regularly, gramma wanting to be there when the doors were open. My parents, in my early years (up to jr. high school age) were good at getting us to the Methodist church 3 out of 4 Sundays.

It seems like about once a month I spent the night with my mom’s parents and would go to church with them. I heard there the emphasis on “hell fire and damnation” which definitely put the FEAR of God in me as a youngster! The message I heard at the Methodist Church was the emphasis on service to those in need: soup kitchen, donations, making things to send to missionaries. If you are reading for what’s missing in my upbringing it was GRACE.

Fast forward past the wandering years of my youth and young adult years (which thankfully the Lord has forgiven and forgotten and I want to forget!) to a woman who came to faith in Christ at 23; hungering for grace and to know Him fully. I did what I hope every new believer does: bought a study Bible, got into Bible study and involved in a church. Grew like crazy!

Zoom to the present, 29 years of life later, covering many change points full of joys and losses as life on this earth holds. Still wanting to fully know the Lord. Still wanting to fully get grace. Have been learning a lot along the Way, which is why I started this blog last April. So this is my very abbreviated testimony to let you know a bit about me why I want to explore with you what Jesus has been doing in our lives, and to discover what is really important to Him. Here it is:

Relationship. Unforced yet Intentional Relationship. With Him first and with others.

He was asked what the greatest commandment was. He said, “love God, love others.” Relationship.

He told us how to deal with being overwhelmed: “Come to Me…”

Jesus didn’t demand that we relate to Him. He invites us to relate to Him. But how do we, in 24/7 flesh and bones bodies, relate to an unseen Being?

Uniquely. He knows you perfectly. You have individual ways you respond to the world around you. You may be someone who loves to read. Or you may be someone who loves to garden. Or someone who loves to run. Or you may be surrounded by young children daily. My point is, Jesus wants us to come to Him in the middle of what we do during our daily life. He wants to be involved in our comings and goings, in our folding the laundry or washing dishes. In bathing the children and putting them to bed. Whatever fills our days, the Lord wants to relate with us there. He will not force us to talk with Him (that’s prayer) but in order for us to experience fully His presence with us we have to be intentional in acknowledging His presence, inviting Him to be with us in what we are doing.

Come to Me….

The Unforced Rhythms of Grace

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Yesterday I asked the question, “How do we develop our inner and outer life so that the two can become one?” It won’t happen over night that is certain. Habits of mind, habits of action need to be changed to reflect an intentional awareness that we move in and toward.

My life is too busy. Full of doing. They are good things mind you, but full of busy-ness. What am I aware of? Weariness. Longing. Wanting to step out of the fast pace and into a slower rhythm. What is wrong? The margins in my day are too narrow. I need more margin and a slower rhythm.
“Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me–watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.” (Jesus: as paraphrased by Eugene Peterson in The Message)
I literally breathed more slowly when I finished reading this passage from Matthew 11 this morning. I want to learn the unforced rhythms of grace, don’t you? Next week I want to explore what Jesus has in mind for us; how do we walk along the Way with him in this culture? in this nano-second measuring era? in the busy-ness of everyday life?
Join me?

Follow Me…

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