itsawonderfilledlife

Archive for 2019

It’s Okay to be Ordinary

Posted in life, WONDER, tagged #itsokaytobeordinary, #itswhathedoesforus, #youreverydayordinarylife on November 10, 2019| 1 Comment »

Why would anyone want to be ordinary in a world of so many possibilities?

We are exposed to images of fame and wealth on the magazine covers every time we stand in the grocery store checkout. We turn on our television, our computer and are given glimpses of those who are known, whether in the arenas of sports, politics, entertainment or activism.

Sometimes I take this need for more, for better into my relationship with God. I think that I can (somehow) excel at being a follower of Christ. And I am not alone … for we have all been to funerals or read obituaries that make the person sound as though they had a unique and exemplary walk with our Lord.

But, our walk with God has little to do with what we offer him … for it is what he offers us that saves us … and it is what he does with our ordinary life that makes our life abundant.

This passage speaks so beautifully to our responsibility in our ordinary life (the Carole’s Notes in bold)

Romans 12 (MSG)

So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you

I’m speaking to you out of deep gratitude for all that God has given me, and especially as I have responsibilities in relation to you. Living then, as every one of you does, in pure grace, it’s important that you not misinterpret yourselves as people who are bringing this goodness to God. No, God brings it all to you. The only accurate way to understand ourselves is by what God is and by what he does for us, not by what we are and what we do for him.

In this way we are like the various parts of a human body. Each part gets its meaning from the body as a whole, not the other way around. The body we’re talking about is Christ’s body of chosen people. Each of us finds our meaning and function as a part of his body. But as a chopped-off finger or cut-off toe we wouldn’t amount to much, would we? So since we find ourselves fashioned into all these excellently formed and marvelously functioning parts in Christ’s body, let’s just go ahead and be what we were made to be, without enviously or pridefully comparing ourselves with each other, or trying to be something we aren’t.

If you preach, just preach God’s Message, nothing else; if you help, just help, don’t take over; if you teach, stick to your teaching; if you give encouraging guidance, be careful that you don’t get bossy; if you’re put in charge, don’t manipulate; if you’re called to give aid to people in distress, keep your eyes open and be quick to respond; if you work with the disadvantaged, don’t let yourself get irritated with them or depressed by them. Keep a smile on your face.

Love from the center of who you are; don’t fake it. Run for dear life from evil; hold on for dear life to good. Be good friends who love deeply; practice playing second fiddle.

Don’t burn out; keep yourselves fueled and aflame. Be alert servants of the Master, cheerfully expectant. Don’t quit in hard times; pray all the harder. Help needy Christians; be inventive in hospitality.

Bless your enemies; no cursing under your breath. Laugh with your happy friends when they’re happy; share tears when they’re down. Get along with each other; don’t be stuck-up. Make friends with nobodies; don’t be the great somebody.

Don’t hit back; discover beauty in everyone. If you’ve got it in you, get along with everybody. Don’t insist on getting even; that’s not for you to do. “I’ll do the judging,” says God. “I’ll take care of it.”

Our Scriptures tell us that if you see your enemy hungry, go buy that person lunch, or if he’s thirsty, get him a drink. Your generosity will surprise him with goodness. Don’t let evil get the best of you; get the best of evil by doing good.

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Hit on in the Garden

Posted in WONDER, tagged #hitoninthegarden, #microfiction on November 7, 2019| 2 Comments »

Today I am sharing a little story … micro fiction they call it.

It is a story I submitted a number of weeks ago to a micro fiction contest (I thought of it as an exercise … a workout). The participants were given a genre, a word, an action and twenty-four hours to write a 250 word story. It was such fun, a great challenge.

My genre was romantic comedy, my word was apologize and my action was getting bullied.

Here is Hit on in the Garden:

“Get your hands off my tomatoes!”

Greta was marching towards her plot in the garden, swinging a cane in the air. Harold looked in the direction of the booming female voice, approaching him with a menacing swagger and furrowed brow.

“Well? What do you have to say for yourself?”

“I … I am not a thief.”

“Well that is the most ridiculous thing I have heard. You sir, and I use that term loosely, have been caught red handed! Quite literally.”

Harold looked down to his hands, holding what was now crushed tomatoes in his hands.

“Well? What do you have to say for yourself?”

Harold looked up, meeting the determined stare of this woman accusing him of stealing tomatoes. Behind her glasses, she had piercing blue eyes, dramatic brows and lips that he immediately wanted to kiss. He couldn’t help himself, a smile began to form across his face.

“Are you mocking me?” Greta glared.

“No, I am in love with you.” Then he broke into laughter.

“You are stepping on my last nerve,” and with that Greta moved closer, swinging her cane at Harold.

Harold moved from side to side, to avoid the weapon.

“Mother! Are you bullying daddy again?”

Greta turned to see their daughter on the patio. When she turned back to Harold, she remembered him as her husband.

“Harold, what I have done?”

Harold moved toward Greta, reaching out to her, “no need to apologize, I love getting hit on by you.”

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Growing Dust

Posted in Walking with God, WONDER, tagged #bestill, #gatheringdust, #maryandmartha on November 5, 2019| Leave a Comment »

For the first time after months of late sprint to mid fall cooling by our ceiling fan, I had turned off our ceiling fan earlier in the day when I was reading and found the room chilly.

I looked up to it … still, silent and … oh my goodness! The dust caked on it like brown-grey fluffy edging.

Later I hauled out a cloth to clean the blades and fixture to see that this would be no quick dusting, but a major cleaning. After ten to fifteen minutes it was sparkling again, but I was mystified …

how did something that is in perpetual motion collect so much dust?

Apparently a moving fan is, quite literally, a dust magnet. The dust in the air (what we see as well as what is not visible to the eye) is charged, so is the ceiling fan, whose blades cut through the dust of the air, causing friction and the charged dust particles attract other dust particles, causing a build up of dust on the fan.

But, here’s what I was thinking …

There have been seasons in my life when I was living, day in and day out, like that ceiling fan. I was constantly in motion, never taking a break. I was working, volunteering, we had International students living with us, a big property to maintain, hubby was in a demanding job, all while our kids were in the midst of their busy teen years.

When I look back at those years, they are like a blur … it’s like my memory has been left in the dust.

Now that life is quieter, simpler, the demands are less and the activities I get involved with are ones that I first evaluate and even pray over before committing to. No doing out of guilt, only out of calling or responsibility. Our family is in a different season too, everyone more independent (at least they think so 😉 ).

I find myself, looking back, wanting to whisper to myself in those years of spinning circles …

slow down …
you’re gathering dust and it’s hindering your ability to see, it’s hindering your ability to function well, to appreciate what is truly important.

There will be seasons that demand that more of us … when the heat is on and we need to keep the fan spinning, but we need to choose to call a halt for a time, when the dust is building up and our beauty and function are hindered.

A story is told in the gospel of Luke (10:38-42), where Jesus and his disciples were invited into the home of two sisters. The one who invited them in went to work immediately to make a big dinner … but her sister sat at the feet of Jesus, listening as he spoke. After awhile the busy sister had a hissy fit and asked Jesus to tell her sister to help out with the meal.

But the Lord said to her, “My dear, you are worried and upset over all these details! There is only one thing worth being concerned about. She has discovered it, and it will not be taken away from her.”

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Marriage is Participation

Posted in The Hubby, WONDER, tagged #marriageisparticipation on November 3, 2019| 2 Comments »

I snapped the picture (above) from a large room overlooking the beach, with the sun low, and the sky lit up in spectacular color. I smiled as I walked into that room, not just because it was beautiful from my vantage point (through the window) but because I have been there before and I know that if I just step out the door, my senses would be rewarded with a sensory cornucopia that is unequaled.

What had started as following a blog turned into many months worth of marriage wisdom. That, in turn, resulted in our attending a marriage retreat, that just so happened to be at our favorite beach.

As I looked at that picture, I realized that our marriage can be similar to it.

The image was simply lovely to see, but, that is all it is … an image, a visual. I could be satisfied to just sit inside and look out at the beauty and I would be quite pleased. I could say I have seen Cannon Beach.

But, to experience Cannon Beach, I need to open the door, walk the beach, gaze at Haystack Rock, visit Bruce’s Candy Shop and the Haystack Bakery, enjoy a cone of Tillamook’s Marionberry ice cream …

I need to participate in all that is available …. I need to taste and see that the Lord is Good! (Psalm 34:8)

We can be married, be committed and still live our own, individual lives … our marriage can end up being just an image, a legality.

Or, we can open the door and participate fully in the relationship we have with our spouse … fully loving, fully cherishing each other as the gift that they are to us.

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The Dancing Bear

Posted in life, WONDER, tagged #justbreathe, #studentsteach, #thedancingbear on October 31, 2019| Leave a Comment »

I love my job as an educational assistant, I love seeing the students have those aha moments, those lightbulb moments when some bit of information just clicks in their brain and they get it … and they know it and you know it and a moment of mutual celebration is had …

because, for some, learning can be so hard.

and sometimes the teaching, the assisting can be so hard too.

In the work I get to do, it is so easy to get frustrated when a student’s light bulb is not flickering, when there are more uh oh than aha moments, when their academic discouragements have reached beyond their brain and into their very souls.

Recently I met a student. He entered our classroom life with the distractibility of a dog when a squirrel crosses it’s path, a body that moves constantly to the music of his mind, little verbal impulse control and a disdain for pencil to paper unlike any I have seen in sixteen years in this field.

Usually, such a student is discouraged, hates school, equates learning with failure, knows administration better than classroom teachers and their soul is irreparably crushed.

Not this dancing bear of a fourteen year old young man!

He entered our classroom moving to his own beat, with a relaxed saunter, a quick smile, a gentle heart … and his soul intact.

He seems to know that school is … just school,
it’s not the main stage event.

Now that knowledge may drive those of us who work with him rather batty, but … he has been a beautiful teacher to me, this year. It is as though God is using him to remind me to slow down, to take breaks, to allow unexpected interruptions from the subject at hand, to listen to the beat in my own mind, my heart.

Two verses, when put together, describe perfectly what I feel that God is saying to me through this gentle, distracted, ever-moving, thoughtful teenage boy:

“Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the battle is not yours, but God’s” (2 Chronicles 20:15) … for … “his way is perfect; The word of the Lord is proven; He is a shield to all who trust in Him.” (Psalms 18:30)

In those verses we are reminded to not let discouragements over battles that are in God’s hands get to us. That there is a plan, but it’s God’s plan, not ours. That he will protect us, if we would just trust him.

This student is not ‘my’ student, he is a child of God. I am required to help him learn, but not at the cost of a crushed soul.

So as I guide this young man through math, God is using him to guide me through gentle waters. It’s like the light bulb is flickering and I have had my aha moment.

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To the Single Mom

Posted in life, WONDER, tagged #tothesinglemom, #toughestjob, #youregonnamakeit, #yourenotalone on October 29, 2019| 1 Comment »

Being a mom is hard, being a mom to littles is exhausting, being a single mom to littles … I can’t even imagine. I really cannot imagine, for theirs are shoes I have never worn, never walked in.

I recently bumped into a sweet lady that I hadn’t seen is quite awhile. She was with her kiddos … in public … you know, where the pressure is on to be the social media perfect momma.

As we sat and reminisced, with kiddo-queries in the midst, she shared that she was now single … but I already knew. I knew, not because of a (so common, it seems) social media post, or because someone else had shared the news, but because God had whispered it into my heart, months before.

To that mom, that now single mom, who I bumped into, seemingly by chance (and any others out there, single dads too, who I don’t know) …

You’re gonna make it.

You are doing the toughest job there is and you are doing it with the handicap of doing it, day in and day out on your own …

but you are not alone.

Your heavenly father is at your side, silently overseeing you and your children. He is protecting and directing you, as you face each day. He never sleeps, but stays alert at your side, while you sleep, work, fulfil all of your parenting responsibilities, your financial responsibilities … all of it.

Don’t let discouragement and exhaustion and loneliness win …

“He Who created you, and He Who formed you: Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; you are Mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you, and through the rivers, they will not overwhelm you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned or scorched, nor will the flame kindle upon you.”
Isaiah 43:1-2

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Light the Way

Posted in Walking with God, women, WONDER, tagged #bethmoore, #focusontheprize, #letsmoveon, #lightoverdarkness, #lighttheway, #morethanconquerers, #weareallcalled, #wewillhavetrouble on October 27, 2019| 2 Comments »

This little light of mine …
I’m gonna let it shine …

My faith in the future of followers of Christ (of all genders) has been recently bouyed from an unexpected situation that initially brought darkness like a sucker punch to the gut.

So, a situation occurred where one Christian leader (who happens to be male) made a comment about another Christian leader (who happens to be female), that she should “go home”.

It was a sad, unfortunate, unnecessary and head shaking comment that made the souls of many mourn for the darkness that fell with the words.

In my mind, I kept hearing these Jesus words:

“In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” John 16:33

life as we know it is not fair … to expect anything else is to be living in a false reality
Jesus has already won the battle of good vs. evil, of love vs. hate, of joy vs. sadness, of light vs. darkness

We cannot forget …
life is not fair and
Jesus has won the battle

… then the responses began … responses of support for the woman (for all women), responses of a call to action, but also responses of a theme of victimization and hate.

My stomach lurched, my head shook, the darkness grew.

Christians were posting, and blogging, and preaching …
anger, and frustration, and defeatism, and victimization.

But …

Christ was not one to cry out poor me for the injustice he was experiencing, he was not a whiner, he was not a hater. When he was arrested and his follower Simon Peter retaliated and sliced the ear of a high priest … and how did Jesus respond?

“Jesus commanded Peter, “Put your sword away! Shall I not drink the cup the Father has given me?” (John 18:11)

Jesus went to the cross, because that is what he had to do to save the souls of his people … that was his calling, handed down by his own father.

And our calling is to follow in his footsteps … and guess what it’s gonna be messy, it’s going to hurt, we are going to be victimized, we are going to have trouble … that we are guaranteed in his word and in his practise.

BUT, we are also
more than conquers.

While other Christians have now spoken about the pointless words and of her gender-related victimization, she (the one who the comment was directed toward) has responded in confidence of her calling and in grace, remembering that our calling is to “honor God, (and) let’s move on.”

“The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overpowered it.” John 1:9

She just kept doing what she does, focusing on the goal, focusing on the calling, focusing on the prize … as is our example in Christ as women and men who follow his leadership.

“The enemy taunts us with whispers like, ‘You’ll never be free. You’ve tried a hundred times. You go back every time. You’re hopeless. You’re weak. You’re a failure. You don’t have what it takes.’ Every one of these statements about you is a lie if you are a believer in Christ. You do have what it takes. You have Jesus – the Way, the truth, and the Life. But you can’t just believe in Him to be free from your stronghold. You must believe Him. Believe He can do what He says He can do. Believe you can do what He says you can do. Believe He is who He says He is. And believe you are who He says you are.” (from Beth Moore’s book, Praying God’s Prayer).

Let it shine,
Let it shine,
Let it shine

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A Day to Celebrate

Posted in life, The Kids, WONDER, tagged #achildofgod, #adaytocelebrate, #areallivingsoul, #happybirthdaybabygirl on October 23, 2019| 4 Comments »

Every day that we awaken with inhaling the breath of life in a new day is worth celebrating. That breath (every breath) is a gift worthy of celebrating. Now when that breath comes on the day of one’s birth … it’s time for a party.

Today our family gets to celebrate our first born daughter, for today is her birthday.

As I think of who she was as a baby, a toddler, a child and who she is today, there are so many similarities. So, baby girl, let’s walk down memory lane …

As a very young child, you were always looking to see if we were looking at you, watching your actions and antics. You cared then and you care now how others see you. Perhaps this comes from that first born, people-pleasing personality. Perhaps it is an innate human need to hear someone say, “well done.”

From a very young age, you were a defender of the marginalized, from your preschool days of sticking up for a kid being excluded by others in a restaurant play area to working with street intrenched youth and women with addictions. You are one who cares for the “least of these.”

I remember the day I changed the curtains in your bedroom, when you were at preschool (you knew this story was coming). You were not happy, not comfortable with this change of decor. Appreciation of consistency, of ritual is part of who you have always been. This unique trait helps you in your work to train teen to be leaders … consistent leaders who do not change with the season, but who hold fast to foundational habits that grow integrity, trust and responsibility. You are like “a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither.”

Here’s the thing, baby girl … don’t forget that your value isn’t in perfection, or what you do for others, or consistency …

your value is who you are,
because you are
a real, living soul …
dreamed and created
in and by the God of your soul.

There is nothing to do, no one to do for, and no expectation of following a prescribed method that will increase or improve your value. You are and always have been a child of God.

“You are valuable because you exist. Not because of what you do, or what you have done, but simply because you are.” Max Lucado

Happy birthday, baby girl, we love you so very much and pray that this is the beginning of a great new year for you.

“For the Spirit of God has made me,
and the breath of the Almighty
gives me life.”
Job 33:4

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How Can I Keep From Singing

Posted in Walking with God, WONDER, tagged #asonginmyheart, #howcanikeepfromsinging, #lovedbytheking, #praisetotheking on October 21, 2019| Leave a Comment »

I awoke with a song in my heart …

and it played within me, drawing me into it’s persistent, whispered message until I couldn’t help but sing along.

When this happens, I ponder how it got there. What dream world had I emerged from that morning? What parts of life were being sifted in my mind overnight?

Was the song planted, with purpose, by my Father-God?

I cannot think it to have originated from any other.

As I allowed that song to continue to play, I absorbed it’s message to me. It is a message of praise to the king, but also of confirmation of the love that is available to us from the king of kings. When I ponder (or have it play in my mind and soul, on repeat) how amazing it is to be loved by the Creator of absolutely everything … how can I keep from singing?

How can I keep from shouting Your name
I know I am loved by the King
And it makes my heart want to sing

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To Know God, and to Make Him Known

Posted in FAMILY, Walking with God, WONDER, tagged #gowithgod, #toknowgodandtomakehimknown, #ywam on October 19, 2019| 8 Comments »

A mum cannot separate her adult son, travelling halfway across the world, from the little boy who stole her heart a million years ago (okay, so maybe more like twenty, but … you get my point).

Though I wrote this post days before his departure, I know that on Friday, as he walked through the departure gate, ticket boarding pass in hand, my heart was struggling to not leap from my chest. I know that, because, as I write, I am already feeling the lump form in my throat and the tears … they slide down my cheeks.

And today (Saturday) you will touch down … Down Under.

“I am so excited for you” (I am already missing you).

“How exciting that you get to go to New Zealand” (could you choose a location farther away?).

“This will be a life-changing trip” (you will come back changed).

“You will have so many great experiences” (you won’t be with us this Christmas).

“I am going to miss you” (I am going to miss you).

Through all of my selfish thoughts and feelings, though, I cannot look at my adult son and do anything but encourage him to go and have this experience. I prayed for opportunities like this one … opportunities to stretch him, to take him to far off places, opportunities …

to know God
and to make Him known.

That is what we hoped and prayed, for him, when he still was that little boy, manipulating my heart.

So, we stay here at home, while he does what we dreamed for that little boy … that he go his way. And in his going, he will come back again to share his discoveries and joys with us. Our role now, as parents to the adult son, is to support and encourage him.

Go with God, my boy-man son.

“So now go with the wind at your back
And the sun on your face
With a song in your heart
And the promise of grace
Go in peace and in truth
And let love lead your way
Go with God”
Carolyn Arends 1999

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