Learning Along The Way

Morning View

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This is the view out our front window at 7:00 AM.  The somewhat pixel-y photo was taken with my phone camera.  At the time, I was struck by the quality of the light and the abundance of the jasmine and geraniums in bloom outside.

Then as I looked again, I started to notice the items outside: the ladder, the bicycle flag, the galvanized planter, the arrangement of pots on the sill.  The ladder was really used to paint many walls over many years by my grandfather.  It was in his garage and after he went on to be with the Lord, I asked my Dad for it. He was worried that it was not sturdy enough; “Don’t you want a newer metal ladder?” No, I had a plan.  That was 15 years ago before garden art was trendy. I saw something else: a way to remember and honor my grandfather and create something of beauty. But I digress.

Each of those items outside has a story attached.  After my Mom passed away, my dear friend Melissa took care of our plants and pets for a time while we were away.  I came home to a lovely vignette of potted plants that she had potted and arranged to bless me.  That was 6 years ago.  The view still blesses me.

I am currently reading a book about seeing.  Not how we see like a science book but what we perceive as we see the everyday.  It’s called Windows of the Soul, by Ken Gire.  It was published in 1996.  Not a new book, but new to me.  As is his premise: the circumstances of life are never just about what you see.

Perspective is everything.  But shifting our perspective can be hard.  Sometimes it takes the eyes and perspective of another to help us see what is; to see the same circumstance from a different view.

There have been many who have helped me see differently.  I need that; seeing differently.  Through much adjusting and much practice my morning view takes in far more than what I see in front of me.  But that adjusting and practice has taken time and effort.  A new way of seeing is the result of long term investment.

Are you in need of a new view?  Invest in your growth and personal development.  Time, focus, prayer are all tools that you have access to right now.

The one thing that may be missing: an encouraging voice and another set of eyes.  A voice to cheer you on, to see what is without the perspective that may be holding you back from seeing all that there is about you.

You need a coach.

Pulling Back the Covers

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I love the beginning of a new day.  Really.

The one difficult step to get me going is pulling.back.the.covers.

If I don’t do that right away I will stay in the same place too long!

I see this photo as a picture of God pulling back the covers on the morning.

The theme of this week in my Lent devotional of Frugality: Less Spending/More Peace is like pulling back the covers.

What drives me to spend more than I know I should? What is guiding my actions in those times? What is consuming my thoughts?

When I actually commit to pulling back the covers I get right up and get going.

When I truly see what is behind my spending habits I am able to make conscious decisions with money.

It is a tool.  Not an idol.

What happens when you pull back the covers on these thoughts?

 

 

Blessings of Simplicity

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I just want to sigh.

This streamlined, simplified closet with the entire wardrobe color integrated and interchangeable, does my heart good.  Thanks to Staci Gerardi of November Sunflower for this peaceful image!

To me this image epitomizes simplicity.  And frugality.  Less is More.

The 3rd week of this Lenten season has focused on Simplicity: Less Stuff/More Freedom

This week I have been silent here.  Not because I haven’t had anything to write about.  I have been dealing with myself before God.

I hang on.  I struggle with letting go.  Stuff holds memories.  What happens to the memories if I let go of the stuff?

Having Stuff also represents other false selves: wealth, status, security.  Stuff can serve to insulate us from our inner life which might be too painful to deal with. Stuff can distract from relationships.

Stuff owns us; not the other way around.

SO this week I went through each cupboard, closet, drawer, shelf and bin removing stuff that no longer serves a purpose in my life.  Some landed in the trash, some went specifically to other people whom I thought might be blessed by an item, and most went to Mission Thrift, a local store I like to support.

There is so much more to do.  But I began the physical process.

Now about the spiritual process.  I faced fears I didn’t realize I had: what if I need that? What if we can’t financially replace that?  What if one of the kids wanted that? (least likely issue by the way!) What if by not having that item I forget? (I’m forgetting a lot more these days anyway…both wisdom and forgetfulness arrived with gray hair!)

I hear the Lord speaking to me in His Word: “Be anxious for nothing but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.  And the peace of God that passes all comprehension will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” (Phil. 4: 6-7)  And over a few more pages: “Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” (1 Thess. 5:16-18)

So I give away the fears, the stuff and give thanks to the One who originally provided the means to receive the stuff in the first place and Who knows my every real need and will provide for me all the Way until I see Him face to face.

Less Stuff/More Freedom

Amen and Amen

 

 

 

Less Really is More

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Yesterday I didn’t post, I experienced.

This week of Lent the focus has been the spiritual discipline of fasting. This discipline challenges me. I don’t remember a time when I truly fasted for spiritual reasons. I remember lots of attempts and just as many failures. Medical fasts yes, spiritual, no.

I think I was afraid. Not sure of what, but fear is something that I felt as I read the first entry in my Lenten devotional, Less is More. Maybe i feared failure again? As the week went on I faced the unknown fear head on; fasting differently each day ( one meal, a couple of days and then two meals). Thursday night I purposed to fast through until dinner Friday.

The devotional question on Friday was a contemplative one: How does fasting connect us with the life of God, the lives of others?

It’s a great question.

Being invited into the Life of the Trinity: Father, Son and Holy Spirit, is an invitation open to all Christ followers, but how much do I treasure the invitation? Am I so constantly busy that I can’t slow down enough to hear or see?

Yesterday I slowed. The day was fairly routine; I walked the dog, pulled weeds, did laundry, cleaned a portion of the house, did dishes. Nothing spectacular. But it was different. God was in it with me in a new way.

Every time I try to write what the day was like, words escape. Here’s one: Joy-filled. Peaceful. Good. Self-control. Yes, I experienced the Fruit of the Spirit in new ways. It was definitely worth it.

When hunger rumbled, I thought about Haiti. I thought about Sri Lanka. India. Inner city LA. The homeless in our community. Children around the world. My hunger was temporary; theirs often ending only when they see the Face of God.

This experience was blessed. I will endeavor a fast again.

What have been your experiences with fasting?

What Does the Mirror Show?

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I have inherited this beautiful mirror.  It is over 100 years old.  If you look closely you may notice the mirror itself has dark lines going across it horizontally; the silver on the back has worn off in places.

People have suggested I get a new mirror for the frame.  For some reason, I haven’t thought it necessary.

It reflects.

Isn’t that what a mirror is supposed to do?

As I look into it I imagine all the faces of family members that I have never met; wondering what they looked like,  what they were like.

What were the styles of their day?  What were the cares they wore?  Who was uppermost in their heart?

Lots of wondering. So I haven’t changed the glass.

As I consider why I haven’t changed the mirror I realize something else, something about this mirror that is similar to what I am experiencing in this season of Lent: the image is distorted.

I don’t see myself, my flaws, my bad habits, my petty annoyances or anything about me with any degree of accuracy while my mirror is distorting me.

But if I look long at the mirror of Scripture I see how much I need a makeover; to be made new by the work of the Holy Spirit.

This week of Lent is about doing without. Doing without the ways I hide from this work.  Doing without props that keep me hidden.

About fasting.  Less consumption/More compassion.

The mirror of Scripture has shown me my need for Christ.

As I look deeply, I don’t receive guilt or condemnation though. I receive compassion.  Forgiveness.  Grace.

What does the mirror you look at show you?

 

Return to Me

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I love this quote, this card.  It was given to me by a dear young friend who graciously said this “had my name on it”.

She sees me this way.  An honest person.

This season of Lent I am being confronted by my lack of honesty.

I face the easier things to confess and change and turn a blind eye to the deeper issues of my heart.

This early morning I saw a plea for me to get honest.  All the Way.

See if you can see it too:

“Yet even now, ” declares the Lord, “Return to Me with all your heart, and with fasting, weeping and mourning; and rend your heart and not your garments.”

I rend my garments when I make external changes that I see need to be made: changing my habits ‘to be healthier’, reading more, writing more, making time to be with people.

I do these things.

I.

Yet…

“even now, Return to Me with ALL YOUR HEART.”

With actions that demonstrate to Him my sincerity, my willingness to be humble and accept that I believe the lie that I am in charge of my life.

It’s not important what others think about me.  It’s important what God thinks about me.

“rend your heart and not your garments.”

Inward change is not my work.  My work is calling it like it is.

“Now return to the Lord your God, for He is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger, abounding in lovingkindness and relenting of evil.”

This is what I receive in return for admitting what is and agreeing with God about it all. Not a bad exchange, eh?

Return to Me.

He’s calling you too…

Living Without

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You may know people who are battling serious diseases whose source comes from the food they have been eating.

Celiac disease, Crohn’s disease, are two examples that come to mind.  Or you may know someone whose blood chemistry causes their doctor to say

“No more this, that or the other thing”.  Or you may know someone who lives with food allergies where ingesting a certain food is life threatening.

There has been quite an awareness raised about gluten and the connection to health problems such as: behavior in children, arthritis inflammation, digestive issues to name a few.

There is at least one magazine dedicated to recipes and information for those in the above categories.  It’s title? Living Without.

Ironically all this comes to mind along with a bigger idea of what it means to live without food.  The food that one needs to survive let alone thrive.

The media throws around statistics to get our attention but not often enough do we hear how many millions in our country are hungry.  When you think of starvation, be honest; images of developing countries with tin, cardboard and plywood walls come to mind..

This week of Lent is focused on the spiritual discipline of fasting.  I have been challenged to choose a meal daily, or one entire day, to fast.  Whatever my meal would cost could be put toward an agency who helps feed those without.  This sounds really awesome!

This challenges me. I can’t even write yet about the conviction I feel.

Do you fast?  What are your experiences?

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?


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