Faces

Do you ever have one of those moments where you are so blown away by the One who holds life in His hands. One of those moments where life simply stands still, and all around you you see snapshots of His greatness and majesty, goodness and grace.Today I had one of those moments. A moment where I could do nothing but laugh as the tears fell down my face and marvel at the love of the One of who has called my name and promised to never leave me. Sometimes you may find yourself in a place where you are unsure. Unsure of His love, unsure of His goodness. Unsure of this life and how you will ever make it through. And then, when you absolutely need it the most, you see a sparkle, a snapshot, a declaration that He is true and real and good. Sometimes we may think that we have to wait and see God in some great, solemn, majestic way. And yet, God is all around and He reveals Himself in so many ways. And today, I saw it in faces. In the face of friends who show up at my families door step with pizzas, saying "Have dinner on us."  In the face of the one who has captured my heart and is soon going to become my husband. In the face of a fourteen year old girl who's life is drastically changed in a day, and yet still smiles. In the face of a a little boy who drives you crazy all day with his constant chatter and then melts your heart when he asks for a hug before he goes to bed. God is there. He is real. He is good. And you know what, He desires the best for you and He will fulfill that. He's not going to leave you hanging, He always comes through. So, look for the snapshots, see Him in the faces all around you. Loose yourself in the moment. Laugh, cry, dance, dream and never forget.

"In the midst of our lives, we must find the magic that makes our souls soar." --Unknown

Stars

Stars are magical don't you think. As the dark approaches, they begin to sneak out one by one until they just spill across the velvety night skies like sparkling diamonds. They twinkle, they dance, and occasionally they shoot across the sky leaving a glittering trail. And that trail is like a tantalizing arrow drawing you into a wish, a dream or maybe an adventure. As kids we understood the beauty of the stars and sang with simple innocence, "Twinkle, Twinkle, little star. How I wonder what you are." Don't ever loose that wonder. I still love to go out on a cool summer evening and marvel at the skies. There is just something peaceful about loosing yourself in the beautiful greatness of something so much bigger then yourself. So go ahead, make a wish.

Psalm 147:4
"He counts the stars and calls them all by name."

"There wouldn't be a sky full of stars if we were all meant to wish on the same one." --Frances Clark

Pinwheels

One of the silly little things in life that make me smile are pinwheels. There is just something so simple, happy and delightful about a pinwheel dancing in the breeze. In fact, I have a pinwheel with all the colors of the rainbow sitting on my windowsill. I love to lay on my bed in the evening and watch it spin like crazy as the stars start to sneak out one by one. I was thinking about this the other day and the thought occurred to me that life is sometimes like a pinwheel. Occasionally the winds blow and it feels as though I might be spinning out of control. And yet, no matter how dizzy I may get, I don't have to fear. Why is this you ask, it's because I know that I am grounded in the One who will never let me go. Yes, sometimes the winds will kick up and they may even turn into a storm. But He's not going to let me go. And the beautiful thing is, that it is often during these times of spinning that beauty shines through. A pinwheel is beautiful when it is still, but when it begins to spin the colors merge and whirl and a whole new beauty shines forth. And it is our choice whether or not we are going to allow ourselves to see that beauty. We could choose to have an attitude of fear and doubt and spend our time fearing that we are going to spin ourselves out. Or, we can choose to laugh our heads off, throw our hands in the air, feel the breeze on our faces and know completely that God has it all under control . That is when the beauty truly begins to shine.

"Be inspired with the belief that life is a great and noble calling; not a mean and groveling thing that we are to shuffle through as we can, but an elevated and lofty destiny." --William E Gladstone

Psalm 31:14-15a

"But I am trusting in you, O Lord, saying, 'You are my God!' My future is in your hands."

The silver lining

So I was thinking the other day about clouds that have silver linings. And this of course made me think about all the different types of silver linings out there...
* Without storms, we would never have rainbows.
*Ridiculously hot days just make ice cream taste that much better.
*Maybe you burnt the cake, but that means you can eat the frosting by the spoonful.
* Mud puddles may be inconvenient but then you can wear your mud boots.
*You walk into a road sign and have to get 3 stitches in your head(Yep, I've been there) but then you have a great story to tell.
*You stained your favorite shirt, then pull out the tie-dye
*The winds may be kicking up, but just put up your sails and enjoy the ride.
         These are just the silver linings that I've come up with. Look around you, the sun is peaking through the clouds if only you look.


"Miracles happen to those who believe in them." --Bernhard Berenson 


"A man is happy so long as he chooses to be happy." --Alexander Solzhenitsyn

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Close your eyes and think back to when you were a kid. After a long grueling day in the 4th grade what did you do? As soon as the bus pulled up in front of your house, you ran across the front yard, up the porch steps, through the front door and into the kitchen.  You then proceeded to drop your backpack, full of important and heavy fourth grade kinds of things, onto the kitchen floor. And there was your mom standing at the counter with a plate of hot, gooey, chocolate chip cookies. You climbed up on the stool, took a deep breath and began to relax as the soothing sounds, sights, and smells of your mom, the kitchen and the cookies swirled around you. Your mom was the absolute best because she could instantly tell if you had a bad day or a good day. She new when to say something and when to just sit with you and share a cookie. In the kitchen, on that stool you were safe to share your day and truly be yourself. Once you were there, you began to forget about how heavy that backpack was, the bullies on the playground, and the D you got on your spelling test. In the kitchen, life just slowed down and no matter how much homework there was to do, you knew it was okay to take some time for your mom and a cookie... You know what, though you may not be in fourth grade anymore and your backpack is a little heavier these days, there is still a place as safe as your mom's kitchen. We have a Heavenly Father who longs to spend time with us. He so wants to take some time just to sit with you. He knows if you've had a good sort of day or a bad sort of day. He knows about the bullies on the playground, and the D on the spelling test. And, He so desires for us to come to Him, drop the backpack, climb on the stool and share a cookie with Him. You don't always have to have something to say either. He just likes to sit with you. And believe me, when you take time out of your day to sit in the kitchen with the One who loves you more than you will ever know, you will find that the weight of the world that you seem to be carrying around will become more manageable. Because when your with Him, you will realize that, no matter what, He's always there for you. So, today I challenge you to walk into the kitchen, drop the backpack and have a cookie.


Psalm 27:8
"My heart has heard you say, 'Come and talk with Me.' And my heart responds, 'Lord, I am coming.'"

"Think what a better world it would be if we all, the whole world, had cookies and milk about three o'clock every day and then  lay down on our blankets for a nap."--Barbara Jordan

Shoes

This week I got a new pair of shoes. And these are not just any shoes, they are red and yellow high tops... It really doesn't get much better than that. And the really exciting thing about these shoes is that I am going to say "I Do" in them. Yep, I'm wearing red tennies to my wedding. But, I don't plan on wearing them just for the one day and then putting them somewhere in the back of the closet to collect dust. I plan on living life in those shoes. I'm going to run, jump, dance and skip in them. Because, shoes are meant to be worn in and worn out. Meant to get us from here to there. Meant to take us on grand adventures. As I was thinking about my new shoes yesterday, I realized that God has given us a pair of shoes to wear too. It says in Ephesians that we are supposed to shod our feet with the Gospel of Peace. I think that this verse means that we are to take the peace of the Good News to the world. But then I realized something. God is the god of peace and He brings peace to every part of our lives if we allow Him in. How often do we find ourselves unsettled and lacking peace in our lives, because we are holding God at a slight distance because we are afraid, or doubt that He is big enough to take care of us. God gave us a pair of shoes when we came to Him. They are the shoes of peace, and it was never His intention for us to wear them for one day and then put them into the back of the closet. He gave us those shoes to live life in. To run, jump, skip and dance. They are a gift to us, to wear in and wear out. To get us from here to there. To go on grand Adventures in. So, next time you feel doubts or unrest, think about where you put your shoes. They are God's gift to you, are you wearing them?

Ephesians 6:15
"For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared."