Start the Right Way Before the Project Gets Underway

I was sitting silently, pondering what to write about today when a recent episode of the “Project Runway” fashion design television series popped into my mind. The weekly challenges usually begin in the same way: On-air mentor and co-producer Tim Gunn says, “Designers, you have thirty minutes to sketch your designs, and then we’re going to Mood [Fabrics]. Make it work!”  

I laugh because perhaps God is saying the same thing to me. I sit silently for a few minutes until an idea comes to me and I see how it might shape up… then I start writing and complete the thought.

Shouldn’t that be the blue print for our days, as well? Spend time with the Lord, getting inspiration and direction, and then plan the day ahead. The pack up your “sketchbooks”, get on with the day and “make it work”! It’s when we skip the sketching stage and don’t consult the One Who has designed all our days that we wander aimlessly through the hours available to us and end up with nothing finished or a creation far short of our potential.

The opportunity to be on the show is a huge gift to up-and-coming fashion designers… a chance to use the gifts they’ve been given to accomplish something truly extraordinary.

We start each day the same way – having been given gifts and the opportunity to use them. Consult with the Master first thing and have the only Judge whose opinion matters say, “Well done!” when He looks at your work at the end of your days.

“His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’” (Matthew 25:21 NIV)

(photo credit: Unsplash/BenIwara) 

 

A Trembling Treasure

She trembled from the moment I put her in the car till we got to the groomers' establishment. She was shaking in my arms as I handed her to the girl inside the building. And I wondered if she would quiver through the entirety of her “spa experience” until they placed her in my arms upon my return, her fur clean and soft, smelling so fresh.

I wonder if God wonders the same thing about us.

Esmee doesn’t need to fear. They know her by now at that place. They like her, they love on her, they treat her well. Yet somehow she hasn’t yet trusted that that will be her every time experience.

She hasn’t had an easy life. A puppy mill rescue, her early years were likely largely devoid of affection and human contact. She was four years old when I got her, yet was not potty-trained, leash-trained, nor did she even know how to navigate steps. Giving birth to puppies was the sum total of her life experience.

How her life has changed since then. I try to shower love and attention on her now, hoping the message will sink into her soul that she is now safely home.

And doesn’t God do the same to us? He rescues us from a life alone, apart from the knowledge of His care, and now showers us with love, grace, kindness, and mercy on the daily, hoping that eventually we will trust that this is our life now and there is no need to fear. And yet, we do.

It’s not lost on me that my dog resembles a little lamb; I even got her the day before Easter. There is simply no better life lesson for me than to pick up her trembling frame in my arms, than to remember that my loving Shepherd does the same to me.

“…Let the beloved of the Lord rest secure in him, for he shields him all day long, and the one the Lord loves rests between his shoulders.”  

 (Deuteronomy 33:12 NIV)

 

The Boy Scouts Have it Right: Be Prepared

“Be ready.”

How many times did I encounter those two words in my devotional time this morning? At least five or six.

The issue of preparedness has been on my mind a lot of late. Maybe it began when my brother landed in the hospital unexpectedly and was telling me that in the future he was going to have a bag already packed for such an emergency. In addition he’d have his passwords and crucial information in hardcopy form in case his electronics are uncharged or otherwise unavailable to give him the information he needs. I made a mental note to do the same.

Then Hurricane Helene headed in the direction of Florida’s gulf coast. The news was filled with warnings to people to prepare for the worst. Yet Florida is distant and my family there made necessary adjustments to their living situations that eased my mind. But it became personal when I checked the weather app on my phone first thing this morning and saw that locally we are under a High Wind Warning ourselves. When you live in a house surrounded by old trees, that is a concern. So was the reminder even yesterday on Facebook of the week years ago when high wind ravaged the power grid and so many were left without electricity for so long. For us it was just three days, but I vowed then to stock up on batteries and candles and such to be ready should it ever happen again.

Good intentions don’t count. Prepare today for trouble tomorrow, in every way – physically and spiritually, especially. The best weather forecaster in history has told us that trouble is on the way.

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

(John 16:33 NIV)

(photo credit: Unsplash/JinsooChoi) 

In Control of the Hole

I was out walking the dog by the side of the house and looked again at the hole punched in the siding when a tree fell in a recent windstorm. Again, I marveled that a hole six inches or less in diameter could create such a giant disparity in estimated repair costs between my insurance and the contractor… a disparity that extends to tens of thousands of dollars. Obviously, there is so much I can’t control about the situation.. from knowledge about the materials used to repair the damage and their actual availability…to the contractor’s motive in presenting the estimate he did… to the reputed stinginess of the insurance company in accepting, denying, or modifying the claim. It is truly a blessed relief to be able to put the entire situation in God’s hands and to resolve to be happy with whatever outcome He comes up with, knowing that it will work to my good, as He promised. 

As I walked by and looked up at the damage, a little bird suddenly poked its head out of the hole, hopped out, and flew away! I saw that it was a wren and remembered that the male of the species is always on the lookout for holes in trees or structures in which to build one of many “starter” nests for his mate to choose from and finish herself before incubating eggs. It made me smile to think that the wren found this hole in my house to perhaps be a suitable one for his! 

But there was more to it than just a feel-good moment… perhaps a message from God that He’s in charge of the situation and on the job, despite the length of time it is taking to get the work done. The line from a well-known hymn resonated in my mind: “His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me.” 

Funny that when my eye landed on that bird, I would “be still and know” that He knows all about my situation and has it all under control. 

“He says, ‘Be still, and know that I am God; I wil be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.’” 

(Psalm 46:10 NIV)

Joy in the Mail(box)

I get a little antsy once the 4^th of July is past.

I start to feel like the summertime I love (and didn’t it start just yesterday?) is already halfway over and zooming to a close! I get a little panicky, like I’m not enjoying it enough… wasting these precious days that will be behind us all too quickly!

And so what do I do but try to pack more enjoyment into each one, adding pressure and stress to days that are supposed to be restful and relaxing. Instead, I need to slow down, breathe deeply, and simply savor the moment I'm in.

I did that yesterday.

I was driving home from an appointment when I whizzed by the mailbox pictured above.

I happen to be partial to mailboxes surrounded by summertime flowers.

“Oh, that’s pretty,” I thought to myself as I flew by. Suddenly I decided that no, I was not going to miss that joy, placed by a loving Father especially for me by the side of the road! Rather, I was going to give that gift of beauty the attention it deserved. So I turned around, went back, and this time approached it slowly, finally coming to a full stop for a minute to capture the sight in my heart and on my phone. And then I finally moved on, giving thanks for country roads with little traffic as I did so!

And it hit me that that’s how I make the summertime last… not by rushing past the joy each day contains in a mad dash to try to pack more fun in, but rather to pack more joy in each moment of the day I’m in. When I give each one my full appreciation, I hold it fast for just a minute, stopping the passage of time briefly, making my summertime last. 

"This is the day which the Lord hath made; We will rejoice and be glad in it."

(Psalm 118:24 KJV) 

The Long Arms of God's Love

She sends me a text message every morning.

Friends for decades before we took a road trip to Florida together, that experience solidified our relationship, bringing it from the past to the present, and sealing it in laughter and love. Every day since we took that trip we’ve texted each other first thing in the morning. Usually nothing lengthy, our communication is normally just a quick word to let the other know that she is on our mind and in our heart, sent with prayers for a good day ahead filled with joy, love, and multiple cups of coffee.

Usually Mary reaches out to me first, a “ping” on my phone during my devotional time alerting me to the fact that her message has come in, and a smile hits my lips before I even check to see what she has to say. There is often a picture with the text, one that almost always includes a shot of a cup of coffee. She knows me well! We rarely (if ever!) miss a day.

But she’s not the only Best Friend who faithfully greets me at the start of each day.

This morning when I awoke I took my dog out to do her business first thing, and there, already waiting for me was God, extending His Love out to me in long arms of sunlight stretching through the trees to the ground, and putting a smile on my face and joy in my heart, without His even saying a word. The knowledge that He was already waiting in anticipation of our upcoming time together delighted me, and I hurried back in to get that first cup of coffee and drink deeply of His love as I looked into His Word, longing to hear His thoughts on the day ahead.

“The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”

(Lamentations 3:22-23 ESV)

Celebrating Freedom in June... ahead of July

Juneteenth was not a holiday that was commonly celebrated in the California culture I knew as a kid. It wasn’t until I moved to Texas in the early 1980’s that I ever heard anything about it, and that only because I saw people celebrating in force all around me there, and wondered what was going on. It’s interesting that it was only in the year before I moved there that Texas became the first state to declare the date a paid state holiday.

It is a celebration of the freedom of slaves, celebrated early on with prayer meetings and church-centered activities. Nowadays, family gatherings, community festivals and educational events mark the date. I especially loved reading that it was common to wear new clothes on that date, as a way to celebrate new-found freedom! How fun!

When I lived in Texas, it seemed that the holiday was celebrated primarily by Black Americans. Today that is not the case, as Americans of every race and color join in the festivities that honor the righting of a terrible wrong. And that is as it should be, because regardless of our cultural history, spiritually we have all been freed from slavery to sin by the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Every day, then, should be a spiritual “Juneteenth” celebration as we shake off our shackles and don the new clothes of the fruits of the Spirit, that we might walk in the newness of life for the rest of our days.

“Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.”

(Photo credit: Unsplash/VitaliiAbakumov)