Beside Still Waters

Sometimes what I look at as an inconvenience or a problem, God means for me to see it as a gift.

Today was a prime example of that. A winter storm blew through the area causing hazardous road conditions which meant many businesses did not open today.

Most schools were already closed in observance of President's Day, but teachers were still supposed to report to work. Government agencies and banks were already closed. However, the majority of businesses were planning to be open as usual. That meant a lot of parents had to find someone to watch the kids while they went to work. Instead, many people got an unexpected day off.

Rather than risk lives and property, officials warned people to stay home and stay safe until roads could be cleared. Many people heeded that advice.

So, families reconnected and played outdoors, watched movies together, or played games. Some worked from home, or rested, or caught up on chores at home because of these unexpected change in routine.

Psalm 23:1-3 reminds us about a shepherd who guides the sheep to rest. Without the guidance, the sheep may not take the time to rest.

The Lord is my shepherd;

I shall not want.

He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: 

he leadeth me beside the still waters.

He restoreth my soul: 

he leadeth me in the paths 

of righteousness for his name's sake.

Our Shepherd occasionally leads us to a place to rest, a place of still waters, so that he can restore us. Admittedly, we occasionally get too busy with life to rest. Sometimes it takes something big to get our attention . . .

a broken leg

a broken-down car

a job loss

an ice storm

. . . to get us to slow down, to rest, to (hopefully) reconnect with the Shepherd and listen for his voice. When the Shepherd says it's time to get up and move again, we can follow--hopefully refreshed and ready to serve. 

Sometimes what looks like a roadblock or a setback, is simply God giving us an opportunity to stop and rest. When we're asked to wait a little longer at the doctor's office it's easy to get irritated or upset. But, who knows, maybe God's giving me a chance to lower my blood pressure before seeing the doctor instead of raising it! 

Just like the ice which formed on the branches created something beautiful, sometimes the waiting, the delays, and setbacks can also create something beautiful: memories!

What We See Outside Our Window

I woke up this morning and looked outside my window to discover what appeared to be a heavy layer of frost on my car. After seeing reports of snow in the area I soon realized what I thought was frost was actually a very thin layer of snow. I made an assumption without knowing the facts. I did not go out and touch the snow. I had not listened to a weather report. I took in the situation and made a snap decision.


A short time later I noticed someone on a community Facebook page was complaining about the current state of weather. The chief complaint was that schools should be closed because outside her house was snow and ice. This woman's perception of the situation was skewed because there was snow and ice outside her window so she made the assumption that it must be the same way all over town. I do not know whether she had access to a television or if she had gone outside to look around and further assess the situation before making her decision. Maybe she just wanted a reason to keep her child home from school!

These two events got me to thinking about perception and misunderstandings. I was thinking how easy it was to make an assumption based only on what I saw outside my own window. From my perspective there was no problem outside that couldn't be taken care of with an ice scraper or a good dose of sunshine. I went on with my morning without giving it another thought until I was enlightened. Meanwhile, a few people around town were having accidents because of icy roads and schools were closing in a nearby county.

The Facebook woman made the wrong assumption when she saw snow and ice outside her window. Perhaps from her perspective closing schools and businesses was the only way to keep everyone safe. What she did not know was that sunshine was already taking care of some of the roadways and in just another hour there would be no more snow outside her own window. Hmmmm . . . Perspective.

It's so easy to make wrong assumptions about something or someone based on what we see "outside our window." There are times when we will have only the facts in front of us in which to make a decision and we come to a conclusion based on those facts. Sometimes our instincts will be right and sometimes we will be wrong. More than likely we're not seeing everything and taking in the landscape beyond our front door.

I guess it's much worse to make the wrong assumptions when it comes to relationships with our family, our friends, our coworkers. These myopic views outside our windows can put a wedge between two people.

For example: I see a headline on the news about a celebrity and make an immediate assumption based on the snappy headline. The truth is that I don't know enough about the celebrity or his situation to form an opinion. Or, someone reads something I wrote and misunderstands my intention because they can't see the gleam in my eye and the curl of my lip as I type something that I thought might be funny. Instead, that person becomes offended because they assumed I meant harm.

I've just been thinking about these things and how easy it is to be wrong. It's okay to admit that we're wrong sometimes because we ALL do it. We all make mistakes. I make mistakes. We live in a fallen world full of sin and where an Enemy who is always finding ways to help us mess up our relationships with each other. I guess if there is any point to this post today it's to remind me and you that what we see "outside our window" may not be the whole story. Withhold judgment, if possible, until more facts can be obtained. Our heavenly Father extends grace and mercy to us, so maybe it's a good idea to extend grace and mercy to others--along with forgiveness. And above all, pray for wisdom and guard the tongue.

The End of Another Year

This final week of December is filled with reflection on the past year and anticipation of a new year. The Christmas season is behind us and celebration plans for the new year are in full-swing. Facebook feeds are sprinkled with remembrances of the year. Television programs are doing year-end reviews and reminding us of the top stories of 2014.

photo courtesy of www.incourage.me

Reflection on the past is a good thing. During this past week I was reminded not of something that happened this year, but something that happened exactly three years ago on the 26th of December. In an effort to maintain some privacy I won't share the event on this blog, but I will say that a God-timed moment reminded me of how good He is.

Three years ago I made a decision to take a step out of my comfort zone. What happened after that decision set off a chain of events that, had I known what was coming, I might have opted to hibernate and leave well-enough alone! However, what happened was both wonderful and downright painful. For the record, my decision was morally neutral--neither right or wrong. But it did open me up to some new experiences which grew me up spiritually and emotionally.

This blog was birthed during those difficult days and I chronicled some of the ups and downs right here. Someone once asked me if I could go back and change things, would I do it? My answer then (in the midst of the difficulty) was no. And my answer now is still a resounding NO!


This God-timed moment a few days ago reminded me...

of my FREE WILL, given by God. God doesn't sit up in the sky moving me around like some chess piece on a game board. Sometimes my life would be easier for Him to make those moves for me, but He gives me a sound mind and sense to seek His will and make my own decisions. Whether my choices are good or bad, He still uses my choices to accomplish His will for my life. It's amazing what He can do! 
Genesis 50:20 "As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to preserve many people alive."


that God has a PLAN for me and it's a good one. I've written about this many times on this blog. Going back to the first point: no matter what I do it's not going to "mess up" my future because God already knows before I do what my choices will be. So even when my life looks messed up beyond belief, I can trust that God has everything all figured out. Will He "fix it" for me? Uh... well, not necessarily. It depends on the situation. I need to take responsibility for my choices and pay the price for whatever my part is in my current situation. But He will be there to walk through it with me. Anyway, God can redeem ANY situation if I seek Him.   
Jeremiah 29:11-14 "For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart. I will be found by you,’ declares the Lord, ‘and I will restore your fortunes and will gather you from all the nations and from all the places where I have driven you,’ declares the Lord, ‘and I will bring you back to the place from where I sent you into exile.’"


of God's merciful LOVE. Like any parent who loves a child regardless of their behavior, God loves me even more than that. His forgiveness is there when I seek it. God's mercy and blessings are there for me when I run to Him. 
Lamentations 3:22-23 "The Lord’s lovingkindnesses indeed never cease, For His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness."

WAITING on the Lord is never a waste of time. This is a big one! As someone who likes to keep busy, waiting on someone else is not easy for me! But, this is a lesson that the Lord wanted to teach me during this period. Over and over again God reminded me to Be Still and Know that He is God (Ps. 46:10). He wanted me to cease striving and stop trying to be independent. God wanted me to stop trying to be my own god. (gulp) Instead, God kept hammering home this point of "get to know ME and trust ME." It took a lot of time, but that lesson finally took hold. I finally learned to Be Still and to wait and to trust Him. I learned, as Psalm 37:4 said, to delight myself in the Lord and trust Him for the desires of my heart.

Psalm 37:4-7a "Delight yourself in the Lord; And He will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord, Trust also in Him, and He will do it. He will bring forth your righteousness as the light and your judgment as the noonday. Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him."

There were many, many lessons learned during these past three years. Waiting on God and trusting Him has been worth it. I've seen God do some amazing things! I expect there to be many new lessons to learn in the coming year as I continue to be His student, the daughter of a King, and His beloved. Here's a toast to the past and to the coming new year! 

 

Thankfulness. . . 'tis the season to share it

As we inch closer and closer to Thanksgiving, we are reminded that the season is more than just family get-togethers and meal-planning or the beginning of the Christmas shopping season. I enjoy reading posts on Facebook and blogs from people who share all the things for which they are thankful.

Today I sat in a church service with people who have been my family for more than 20 years. We've grown up together, laughed together, grieved and cried together, and worshiped together. Each year we take time near Thanksgiving to allow anyone who wishes to share an opportunity to publicly say what it is they are thankful for.

Oh give thanks to the Lord, for He is good,
For His lovingkindness is everlasting. 

Let the redeemed of the Lord say so.  

Psalm 107:1-2a

It's a sweet time to hear how God is working in the lives of others. It strengthens our faith to hear how God has provided during the year.

As I think back through this year, I am ever so grateful to see how God has worked in my own life and my family's life. At the beginning of this year I was part of a Bible study called "Believing God" by Beth Moore. It was no coincidence that I was deep into this study when I needed to believe God for some miracles in my own life and that of my family. My faith was stretched as I came to a point where I had no answers of my own and had to simply trust God to work things out. This quote from Streams in the Desert really illustrates this point well:

Remember, the very time for faith to work is when our sight begins to fail. And the greater the difficulties, the easier it is for faith to work, for as long as we can see certain natural solutions to our problems, we will not have faith. Faith never works as easily as when our natural prospects fail. George Mueller

As I came to the end of my own resources and natural solutions, I turned to God and asked Him to step in and take over. I have watched Him work in surprising and wonderful ways. 

Yes, I give thanks to the Lord, for He is good!