A Hummingbird In The Dark

Our High School football game last night was awesome. We won, thanks to some amazing plays and a beautiful touchdown. The big guy with the ball (forgive my lack of technical terms) caught the thing in mid air and raced it from one end of the field clear to the other! There was a quick, collective gasp throughout the stadium, then people in the stands bolted to their feet with voices raised and hands waving; cheering and screaming! It was a beautiful thing. The music pounded excitement throughout, and I think even the opposition couldn’t help but be slightly amazed.

I thought about how incredible that kid must have felt having a couple thousand people on their feet cheering him on, having full confidence in what he was doing as he raced toward the end zone (aha – a real, live football term).

I wonder how he feels this morning as the memory of last night’s game replays again and again in his mind.

I think that sometimes we feel like a team of one when we’re in the middle of our game. The end zone seems so far off and out of reach. We’re certain no one sees our efforts or our sacrifice. They don’t know our anguish, our frustrations or our pain. And we definitely don’t hear the supportive crowd believing in us or understanding how desperately we desire to reach that goal.

But they’re there.

Like the football player, you, too must continue on. You have to keep going, believing, striving and running toward the end zone. Even when you’re out of breath and ready to give in, you can’t let exhaustion overpower you. You might be physically and mentally spent, but just when you begin to stumble, look to the stands and you’ll see them - the angels! And they’re on their feet cheering and calling your name!

"You can do it! We’re with you to the end!"

You’re in this game for a reason. You’re not watching from the sidelines. God put you in the game because with Him, you’ve already won.

As I write this post, the sun has not yet shed its light on the morning. It’s very early but something out the window catches my eye and there, just above my fuchsia plant is a tiny hummingbird. It’s nearly dark out, but she doesn’t care – she has work to do, so she flutters her wings and continues on – a team of one.

In the Darkest Places

My office phone rings and I reach across the desk to answer it. My husband, working around the house on his day off, is on the other end of the line out of breath and frustrated because he can’t find the machete.

“You’re always taking my tools,” he spouts. “You move them and you never put them back.”

“It should be on your work bench,” I stammer, then quickly try to remember where I saw it last.

“Oh, I know! It’s on the shelf of the barbecue beneath the cover. I remember seeing it there when I covered it during our last rain.”

Stomp, stomp, stomp to the barbecue and whoosh. Up with the cover…

“How in the world did you know that was there? I NEVER would have thought to look there,” he concedes.

“Actually, YOU left it there when you sliced up kindling wood for our fire pit, and YOU didn’t put it away!” I smile.

I’m so glad that God knows just where to find me. He sees me and somehow still manages to love me on my grumpiest of days when I’d love to pull the covers up over my head and hide out from the rest of the world…just for a little while. He finds me in the darkest of places and in the brightest, riding this roller coaster of life from one day to the next. There’s no hiding from the Lord. No place where I can’t be found. No valley too deep for Him to pluck me out and bring me to the light of His embrace.

He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. (Psalm 40:2) NIV

Encouraging Rejection?

Just when I’d settled myself into thinking I was in for a long wait to hear back from the book publisher to which I’ve submitted my middle-grade fiction query, I awake this morning to a very encouraging rejection, if there is such a thing.
Apparently, my writing showed strength and I was told I “would do well” if I could find a publisher accepting fiction these days! Woo-Hoo!
Of course, immediately following the few words of praise came the “I’m sorry….”
But that’s okay. I’m totally good with it when I think of how much worse it could have been.
I could have been sitting here for weeks or even months waiting for a response only to receive some photocopied, impersonal form rejection in the mail.
As a writer/wannabe book author, a few encouraging words from someone in the business goes a lloooonnnnnggggg way! I’m excited and motivated to finish, polish and submit only my best stuff not only because of these few precious words, but because this is what I’m supposed to do. I think God uses the encouragement from others to keep my fire lit and fuel my passion.
Being a writer is the dream that God won’t let me brush aside. He planted the seed many, many years ago, but it’s taken life experience and a growing relationship with Him to learn how to formulate my thoughts into something potentially God glorifying. He has been SO good to me, and sharing the light of His blessings through the written word is what I’ve been called to do.
Woo-Hoo! Write-On!

The LORD directs the steps of the godly.
He delights in every detail of their lives.
Though they stumble, they will never fall,
for the LORD holds them by the hand.
(Psalm 37:23-24) NLT

Speak To Your Mountain

Maybe you can’t see it with your eyes.

You feel it deep down, and that’s enough.

You can’t reach out and touch it, but it’s real.

You know it’s there.

It’s your mountain, and it’s cleverly disguised as worry,

fear, loneliness or self doubt; maybe even

anxiety, sadness or depression.

You may not recognize its face

but God knows it well.

He’s protected you from it before.

It may stand tall and intimidating

there in the shadows

but it’s going to be all right.

It’s your mountain, and it’s no match for God.

I’ve taken on the mountain before

and won because I wasn’t alone.

God was on my side.

He’s on yours too.

Don’t let it rob you of what God

has already given.

Speak it away with His Word

and put the mountain behind you

once and for all.

"I tell you the truth, if anyone says to this mountain, 'Go, throw yourself into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him.” (Mark 11:23) NIV

Leave a comment, if you’d like, so we can pray away your mountain together.

Pushing Square Wheels

I woke up this morning to one of “those” days; a morning packed with little annoyances and self-imposed pressures. The clock kept ticking, yet it seemed everyone moved about the house at a sleepy snail’s pace while my mental to-do list for the day ahead quickly filled to over flowing.

But…God is good! He has a wonderful, gentle way of getting through my thick head when no one else can. When I’m so caught up in my own agenda, He has a way of letting me know that it’s MY agenda that brings on ridiculous amounts of stress and anxiety. Why? Because it’s not in line with HIS plan!

Stress! A sure sign of misalignment. When I try to rely on my own know-how (which doesn’t get me far these days) and disregard the abundance that Jesus offers, it’s like pushing a square wheel up a muddy slope! It’s exhausting and fruitless.

There’s a reason why we sometimes spin our wheels – why we can’t seem to gain traction. We waste precious time trying to beat the clock and meet OUR own expected outcome when the Lord tells us to be still and know that He is God (Psalm 46:10).

It’s almost like He’s saying, “Hold on! You’re working against me – you’ve prayed about your situation and I’ve heard you, so let me take it from here. Let me show you the other path; the one much easier to tread. The special one I’ve layed out for only you.”

So, which path are you taking today?

“Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.” (Jeremiah 33:3) NIV

Spots On the Floor

I definitely have a busy weekend ahead of me. I’ve been sick, so you could say I’ve slipped a bit on the housework. Plus, thanks to our wet weather, I have about two weeks of muddy family mayhem tracked in through every door and all over my floors. Luckily, it’s all tile and only requires a mop and some muscle. But still, it’s a lot of tile and quite a lot of “mayhem”.

So, this morning I took a look around surveying the damage, and I couldn’t help but smile. In between all the little spills of apple juice, hot cocoa and parrot “mishap” are paw prints, both large and small. Sure signs that our yellow lab and mini-Dachshund have been brought in out of the rain to enjoy the warmth and love of being indoors. It was sort of like seeing tiny handprints smudged across the fridge when the kids were little – you want to complain, but also take a mental snapshot when you realize those tiny handprints will soon be the size of your own.

Then there was the occasional pumpkin seed; visible aftermath from last weekend’s birthday party for my daughter, and solid proof that high schoolers still enjoy a good, old-fashioned pumpkin decorating party completely void of gaming systems and all things electronic!

And there on the kitchen floor lay a small shred of onion skin right next to a shriveled half of macaroni. I quickly thanked the Lord for His provision and for allowing me to make the kids’ favorite casserole for dinner the other night.

I thanked Him again when I swept up the bits of tree bark and pine needles from the firewood that warms our house.

And over there by the door, the largest set of shoe prints; those of my husband who works so hard at a job he’s thankful to have so he can provide for the family he loves so much.

So I thank you, God for the spots on my floor - they represent a full, happy life. Thank you for showing me that life isn’t about the spots. It’s about being thankful for the living that goes into making the memories.

Give Your Tongue a Makeover

“Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.” (Ephesians 4:29) NIV

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if every little word that rolled off your tongue brought a smile to the Lord? Each day blessed you with rainbows and butterflies. Life would be pleasant and calm, free of stress and worry and crazy drivers AND you had children who always listened and minded your instruction…

Wake up! That’s not our world. You certainly don’t need me telling you that life is challenging and imperfect, but I do believe it’s possible to tame the tongue, so to speak and exercise a certain amount of control over our words as well as our motives behind them.

Have you thought about some of the things you’ve said that may be considered less than wholesome? I’m not just talking about profanity – what about negativity, criticism, judgmental comments or words spoken out of worry when you could be professing your faith in your living God instead. Is your faith in the One who still claims you as His own? Then speak it. Know in your heart of hearts that your hope lies with Him, and in Him, there is no need for worry or doubt. Believe me, I know how easy it is to enter into a conversation that contains nothing positive. It’s complaining or fidgeting or maybe even gossiping cleverly disguised as “sharing,” but who stands to benefit from such talk? Satan! Somehow, I can’t picture Jesus smiling at His children while they’re discussing another’s misfortune, bad decisions or immoral behavior.

In fact, just this morning I nearly started a conversation with someone, but then realized I’d only be spreading hurtful information I’d received, and there was absolutely nothing that could be considered God-glorifying by doing so. It would only prove to make the enemy happy.

So, I kept silent….this time!

Lord,

Help me to remember that you hear and record each word uttered from my mouth (“But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken.” Matthew 12:36 NIV). I ask that you be Lord over ALL I do and say that I may live a life and speak of life in a way that glorifies only You. Amen.