Monday's Meaningful Moments

Today, we awoke on the first day of Spring Break

to cold weather and a dusting of snow!

 

What? 

Yep, that is how our day began.

 

I was on a mission to not let this forecast 'dampen' our day! 

We started our day with chocolate chip waffles

followed by the annual tradition of dyeing Easter eggs. 

As we colored the eggs, we began talking about the egg and how it symbolizes birth, and how when we dip our eggs into color and the eggs come out a new color, it is a great visual of how Jesus died for our sins and gave us a new life. 

As my daughter said best,

He took away our old life (dull and no color) and gave us a new life, vibrant and beautiful!

 

As we were making our eggs beautiful and having great conversation, I could feel the Lord's presence with us. 

It was nice to be still. 

There are so many everyday things that I miss because I don't take the time to really take them in. 

I have taken eggs out of this same kind of carton more times than I can count, and today was the first time I noticed the verse written on the inside of the carton!

 

The Lord is all around us,

we just have to take time to see His presence.

The angel of the Lord encamps all around those who fear Him, And delivers them. Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good

~Psalm 34:7-8

 

 

Thank you Lord for your gentle reminders

 of your ever presence, freeing us from the entanglement of sin and lovingly bringing us to a vibrant life with you!

Expect the Unexpected

Have you ever planned something special for someone? You become filled with excitement and anticipation. You start to imagine their reactions and envision every detail of the day. On top of the special something, add the 'surprise' element to the mix. The element of surprise is exciting in itself!



I am not just talking about BIG surprise birthday parties but also the simple things, as in a candlelight dinner waiting for your spouse upon arrival home from work, or the surprise weekend getaway, or even the surprise visit to the office to bring a treat.


Then...the day comes for the unveiling of your surprise. More often than not, the idea that you have conjured up in your head is not the actual sequence of events. Let's just play out a few 'hypothetical' situations-


1. Scene: You have surprised your spouse with a candlelight dinner.


a) Envisioned response: A delightful smile, an uplifting swinging hug, romantic music playing in the background, beautiful conversation during the incredibly delicious meal, followed by a gorgeous sunset.


b) Actual response: Spouse comes home with a migraine headache and nausea, is in no mood for the candlelight dinner, barely acknowledges you as he/she walks in the house, you burn the dinner, the kids are screaming, and you end up eating leftovers for dinner while your spouse sleeps off the headache.


2. Scene: You plan a surprise trip for you and your spouse to get away for the weekend.


a) Envisioned response: You and your spouse grab the bags as quickly as possible and head to the airport filled with excited conversation about the upcoming possibilities of the weekend. Your spouse can't stop thanking you for your effort and planning!


b) Actual response: Your spouse can not be out of town, has too much work to finish, and has an overlapping meeting with the trip. A quick phone call is made and the trip is cancelled. You are left unpacking the suitcases and cancelling the babysitting.


3. Scene: You surprise your spouse with a visit to the office with a special treat.


a) Envisioned response: You have perfect timing, your spouse is at the desk with a gap in the schedule, excited to see you and the kids, loves the treat and the cards the kids spent all day making. You and your family have a great visit!


b) Actual response: Your visit is in the middle of a meeting. Your child knocks over your spouse's drink into their lap. You leave abruptly.

In these type of situations and really any situation that does not go as you expect it to go, what is your response? Most of these situations might cause you to feel deflated, disappointed, dismayed, and disheartened. All these feelings would be a normal 'flesh' response.

However, what if you begin to change your mind set. Instead of seeing the absence of God and the presence of sin, you turn your attention to the presence of God, to see God at work at ALL times. God is at work whether or not you feel Him working. What if your response was an evidence of grace. Grace by definition is any observable attitude or action brought about by the presence of and empowered by the Holy Spirit dwelling in a believer. God, the Holy Spirit, is at work in all Christians at all times!

What if we adjusted our response to reflect grace in the unexpected, to rejoice, to lift one another up in our words and actions, to truly shine the light of Jesus.

Let's replay the situations:


1. Scene: You have surprised your spouse with a candlelight dinner.


a) Envisioned response: A delightful smile, an uplifting swinging hug, romantic music playing in the background, beautiful conversation during the incredibly delicious meal, followed by a gorgeous sunset.


b) Actual response: Spouse comes home with a migraine headache and nausea, is in no mood for the candlelight dinner, barely acknowledges you as he/she walks in the house, you burn the dinner, the kids are screaming, and you end up eating leftovers for dinner while your spouse sleeps off the headache.


c) Evidence of Grace: As your spouse comes home with a migraine and nausea, you realize he is in no mood for a candlelight dinner. The kids are screaming, so you take them outside to play so your husband can rest. While you are outside playing, the dinner burns which gives you a great excuse to have a picnic of leftovers with the kids outside while your spouse sleeps off the headache.


2. Scene: You plan a surprise trip for you and your spouse to get away for the weekend.


a) Envisioned response: You and your spouse grab the bags as quickly as possible and head to the airport filled with excited conversation about the upcoming possibilities of the weekend. Your spouse can't stop thanking you for your effort and planning!


b) Actual response: Your spouse can not be out of town, has too much work to finish, and has an overlapping meeting with the trip. A quick phone call is made and the trip is cancelled. You are left unpacking the suitcases and cancelling the babysitting.


c) Evidence of Grace: Your spouse can not be out of town, has too much work to finish and has an overlapping meeting with the trip. A quick phone call is made to a dear friend that you have not been able to spend time with and could not afford to take a trip otherwise. Your childcare is already arranged, so your spouse is able to get work done and you are able to have some much needed relaxation quality time with your friend.


3. Scene: You surprise your spouse with a visit to the office with a special treat.


a) Envisioned response: You have perfect timing, your spouse is at the desk with a gap in the schedule, excited to see you and the kids, loves the treat and the cards the kids spent all day making. You and your family have a great visit!


b) Actual response: Your visit is in the middle of a meeting. Your child knocks over your spouse's drink into their lap. You leave abruptly


c) Evidence of Grace: Your visit is in the middle of a meeting. Your child knocks over your spouse's drink into their lap. You smile and laugh- sometimes you just have to roll with the punches.

God orchestrates great plans,

not necessarily the way you want it

but EXACTLY the way He envisions it.

Step back and see His glory in it all.



Spiritual Gardening

Today I had the pleasure (not so much) of pulling weeds. I did not realize how bad it had gotten until I started the job and was 2 hours into it and still had ALOT of work to do. When I volunteered to help my husband knock out this project, I thought it would be quick and easy. I was proven wrong very quickly.


I pulled some weeds very easily. These were not rooted in the ground and were easy for me to pull out. While others were a bit difficult to pull out. These were rooted into the ground so far that I had to DIG them out! I made it through the front and side of my house and felt pretty good about how much I had accomplished. Then I got to the back yard and had my work cut out for me. At first glance, I thought to myself 'I just need to get someone else to do this'! Then as I started working, I had another great idea, 'you really can't see the weeds behind the hedges anyhow- so why bother'. Then of course I realized that if I didnt pull all of the weeds, they would spread and take over the whole flower bed. So, I rolled up my sleeves and pulled more than my share of weeds.

I got to the bank behind our retaining wall and honestly, I found weeds that were taller than me! (Dont laugh- I know it doesnt take much to be taller than me, but hey- we are talking weeds here, okay). These weeds were not going anywhere either! I had to laugh at myself because I pulled with ALL of my weight behind it, with all of my strength and nothing. Really? It cant be that hard to pull. Then I was even more determined to get it out, I got it out but it broke at the base. I thought, great- now it will just grow back and I will have to do this all over again. Not going to happen. I needed reinforcement! So, I got out the handy shovel and dug this huge weed out.

What weeds do you have in your life? What are you cultivating? What is getting in the way, distracting you from the Lord and the beauty He has laid out for you? Is it negativity, doubt, lack of faith, insecurity?  There are some 'weeds' that are easily removed from your life. There are others that we have neglected to pay attention to for a long time. These 'weeds' that we have just ignored, that maybe are hidden to others sight but keep rearing their ugly heads in life. These are the things that we need reinforcement to help us. . It is those deep rooted 'weeds' in our lives that if not pulled, will spread into other areas of our life. When we call on the Lord to help get rid of these deep rooted hindrances in our life, we are better equipped to handle the job.
Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind (Matthew 22:37) and He will give you all the strength you need.


At the end of this weed pulling project, I was dirty from my hands up to my elbows. I was so happy to get that project out of the way. I never want to see another weed again! The sad thing is....no matter how good of a job I did with pulling weeds today, there will be more, it is just a matter of time. Just like the weeds in your life, they will come back. You just have to be willing to roll up your sleeves, get reinforcement, and pull them out!

Lord Jesus, please help me to identify the weeds of my sinful nature and to get the shovel and dig out the root. Help me to allow Your law of sowing and reaping to take place in my life so it can become the garden of fruitfulness, filled with the fruits of the Spirit.  In due time, I will reap with shouts of joy.