7 Quick Takes (Volume 40)

1) Right now I'm sitting in my upstairs porch which is like sitting in a big tree house, leaves and tree branches surrounding, listening to the rain fall gently, a window open, allowing cool great-smelling air to waft in as day begins. Mmmmmm. . .

And I'm actually thankful God woke me up at 5:AM to experience it. SOOO soothing.

2) I've been thinking a lot about peace and contentment and rest this week. At some point I have to wonder if all my thinking is taking up too much time!

All my stressing about getting my work done is making me an irritable, strung out mom. Yuck. I think I need to trust God more to order my days, to direct the moments. I can't continue in the tense manner of this week.

In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps.
Proverbs 16:9

Thanks for your gentle advice, friends. I have mulled it over lots. May I hold loosely to my plans for each day and trust God to multiply my efforts.

3) I had a great day with my youngest on a little shopping excursion this week. She "got to" help me pick out a new swimsuit. I brought her in the fitting rooms to get her opinion and she cracked me up. She didn't want to see her mother in all her glory, if you know what I mean, and had to turn her head when any actual flesh may appear. When I absentmindedly stripped down before her eyes were shielded I heard, "Hello, children in the room" as she turned her back.

This is the same child who was traumatized seeing real live boobies in the locker room at our local YMCA one day. "It made me feel weird, Mom," she said through tears.

Do you see why I've been dragging my feet about having the sex talk with her? She's still so innocent. Is it possible for a ten-year-old to have an aneurysm? I can see her hyperventilating now.

4) I'm having a really good friend week, spending lots of quality time with people I love. Of course this is contributing to the "I'm not getting anything done" feeling. Yeah, I know you want to slap me. It reminds me of a blog post I read yesterday from Big Mama who was complaining to her husband about her busy week, much of which included swimming outings. His response to her was, “Wow, I feel bad for you with all your pool obligations. Your life is really hard.”

Yes, I'm fully aware I clog myself with all my socializing and I've recognized my need for better balance (gasp, did I really use that word?) in this area. But I have really great friends, people!

5) Last night I was so thankful to have taken the time with a friend. I thought about cancelling, feeling overwhelmed with everything I need to get done in the next week, but I'm so glad I didn't! We spent several hours sitting outside, summer breezes blowing all around us, eating cheesecake, drinking lattes and enjoying meaningful conversation until we realized all the stores around us had closed. To be known and understood and freely able to express your heart no matter how irrational and whacked and self-centered your feelings may be is a tremendous gift I never take for granted. I am blessed to know people who let me be who I am and somehow still like me. See why I have a hard time balancing my social time?

Thanks for a wonderful evening, my friend (you know who you are). Our time together was absolutely healing for me.

6) Today's the big day I go to the 20th reunion of former students of mine. I've debated some about what to wear, what makes me look the thinnest or accentuates the black, not the gray in my hair, ya da, ya da, ya da. I realize I'll have more fun (and probably look better) if I just assume I'm fine and have a confident countenance about me. Now, will I be able to do that? I hope so. We'll see. Tune in next week.

7) I've had some really good food experiences lately. I've been thoroughly enjoying my food! My husband even laughed at me as I went on and on about a fabulous dinner we had at a restaurant in KC last week. And last night's cheesecake--white chocolate raspberry mousse--MMM, MMM, MMM, PERFECT!

It would make my dad proud to see me enjoying it so much. He was a great lover of food who often said, "It's a shame a person has to get full."

That's it for me this rainy Friday feels-so-good morning, friends. Happy Independence Day! Catch more Quick Takes at Conversion Diary.

Is Contentment the Key?

I've been frustrated this week. Demands on my time feel suffocating, yet when someone innocently asks what I did today, I have nothing monumental to say and feel stupid. The day and a half of solitude and productivity I had last week were a tease. At home reality hits and I'm left feeling tense. I don't know how to fit everything in. And it makes me crazy trying.

I don't think God wants us to live this way. So what can I do?

In an e-mail exchange with a friend who's WAY busier than me, she said, "Acceptance is key. I really have to accept the craziness of every day instead of trying to wish it away."

Can that really work?

And then I read this post by Susie Larson which seemed to say the same thing. Contentment brings peace, order, calm.

Maybe I've been trying too hard. Maybe I need to be content with my life and trust God to direct each day. Am I thinking too much about it, stressing over things I shouldn't?

Help me out here, friends. How do you find peace and contentment amid the busyness of every day?

May the favor of the Lord our God rest upon us; establish the work of our hands for us--yes, establish the work of our hands.

Psalm 90:17

Trusting Him with our Pain

We’re not necessarily
doubting
that God will do the best for us;
we are wondering how
painful
the best will turn out to be.

C.S. Lewis

Before I was even a Christian, I understood God required a lot of His people. I wasn't one of those impulsive converts who goes forward at a revival meeting. I was a slow percolator, weighing whether I had it in me to do this Jesus thing. I figured if I got serious about God, it might involve me being poor or living in Africa or becoming a nun or having to be perfect, none of which I found appealing in the least.

Eventually I decided I had to take the risk. I would never be all I could be without the touch of the Creator. I knew I couldn't figure life out on my own. I needed help. I needed to rely on someone better than me. I needed a Savior.

Because I took my time on the decision, once it was made I was whole hog, completely devoted. I prayed, fully believing every prayer would come to pass, and in the early days many did. I suppose God wanted to establish a track record for the tough times ahead. He wanted me to know He could be relied on, trusted. But once He'd proven Himself faithful, He started answering prayers differently. I got some "wait"s and a few painful "no"s.

But I trusted God. I knew He had my best interests at heart. So I kept praying, believing God could do the impossible. He did, answering my most fervent prayer, my desire for a man who saw and loved all of me, not just my exterior. God's answer, my dear husband, towered over my expectations. I was blessed, humbled and utterly in awe of His provision (still am, btw, my husband will always be my big miracle).

Then came the big whammy. God game me a resounding NO to a prayer I had prayed desperately for DECADES. It shook me to the core and rattled my faith like never before. Why had I prayed so long only for this? How could this NO possibly honor God? Did my years of faithful prayers matter at all?

I started on a new, scary faith walk. I didn't doubt God COULD help me. I doubted that He WOULD. But something important happened in this painful time. I learned God is God. He is not there for my entreaties, to make my life cushy and problem free. He is there for my best and that may hurt, probably WILL hurt. But if I can trust Him to make the best of me, can't I trust Him to help me through the pain too?

Isn't this what faith is, trusting though we don't know the outcome, blindly saying, "Okay, God, whatever. Get me through it"? Though God does not have to prove Himself, He has. He knows best. On the other side of my most painful experiences, I can see how He has molded me into something better. Was it fun? Not on your life. Would I want to do it again? No way. Did it make me better? You know it.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;

Proverbs 3:5

Can God be trusted, even with our pain? Let all God's people say, "AMEN!"

Visit Jennifer and Scraps and Snippets for more takes on this quote.

Learning from Michael

Somewhere in the cavernous dumping grounds I call my basement, there is a Thriller cassette, but I wouldn't say I'm a huge Michael Jackson fan. I've watched his strange transformation over the years with sympathy really, feeling sorry for the pressure he's endured which shaped his bizarre behavior. His was not a normal life.

No matter what you think of him, you have to give the guy credit for being an amazing artist. Eccentric? Yes. Tormented? Yes. Odd? Yes. Gifted? Absolutely YES!

I've watched some of the coverage surrounding his death and am continually impressed with the way the guy could sing as a child. His evolving dance moves were stunning. His ability to meld the singing and dancing together flawlessly was remarkable. There is no denying he was special.

And I am reminded of Jesus' words: "From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked."

Much was given to Michael Jackson, requiring so much of him. His tremendous talent evoked the interest of Satan, who took every opportunity to plague the guy. I imagine his days full of taunting voices, like walking down a prison hallway, with toothless grins of grimy, crazy people reaching out through the bars for him. No wonder he struggled.

Where was God? I can't imagine God gifting someone like that without making Himself seen. There had to be glimpses of Him before Michael's eyes, didn't there? Were the forces of evil that appealing, convincing Michael he didn't need a loving God? Or were they completely distracting?

Honestly, my heart hurts for Michael Jackson and the countless other artists, musicians, actors and writers, who have succumbed to the weight of their astounding abilities. The power of Satan is strong, my friends, so strong.

What does it mean for us? Each of us is uniquely created. We may not be Michael Jackson, but we are equipped with specific gifts. What happens to us if we listen to the tempting voices to do it our own way and ignore God's leading and direction? Will we slowly become tormented souls whose creative brilliance never reaches its full potential as God intended?

It makes me shudder. I don't want to fall prey to the devil's schemes. What about you?



Jesus' words quoted from Luke 12:48.

Photo credit: manfrys

7 Quick Takes (Volume 39)

1) Don't faint or hyperventilate on me. I know you're not going to believe it, but I accomplished something major last weekend--ONE CLOSET CLEANED!!

2) My daughter actually pulled out her old tankini when her bikini was wet and dirty from the day before. She even sounded so nonchalant about the whole deal, like why wouldn't she take it? Wow, do you have any idea how hard it was to bite my tongue on that one?! I had so many one-liners to wing at her, but kept my cool and said nothing. You better believe the "I told you so"s were flinging all over in my head. It's harder to be smug when you have to be mute about it.

3) My journal was missing for a little over a week and though it may sound weird, I felt out of sorts the whole time. My journal is a place I work out the junk sitting in my head. It's where I leave my anxiety, where I record scripture that touches me (even when I don't know why) and my very best way to communicate with God. I didn't felt like I connected with God very well while it was missing. I know I could have used other paper, but I didn't want my thoughts and prayers scattered all over the messy way they already exist in my head. I need the order of one book at a time.

Am I strange?

4) Proof that I am, indeed, an introvert--I spent hours alone in a hotel room this week and it was heaven, I tell you, HEAVEN! I wanted to sigh every five minutes! Aaahhh. . .the quiet never got old.

5) Are you the kind of person who goes into things with big expectations or small ones? Are you usually disappointed or surprised? I'm trying to tame mine down. I think I'd enjoy life more.

Do you think it has anything to do with your natural disposition? Are you an optimist or pessimist, a glass half full or half empty, a dreamer or a realist? I'm the type who wants to believe the impossible can happen. Does that set me up for disappointment?

6) Talk about feeling old! I received an invitation to a 20 year class reunion of some former STUDENTS of mine! In my defense, I must tell you it was my first job out of college, but still, yikes! Should I feel better or worse seeing those kids balding, gray and with smile lines? My bigger fear? What will they think of me?

7) The hubby and I have been out of town the past few days and will come home tonight. Sigh. I could've used at least one more day.


Well, friends, I hope your weekend is spiffy. Hook up with other Quick Take people on Conversion Diary.

Steps to Connection: Take a Risk

She's obviously upset. My heart wants to ask, but my head says I don't know her that well. Will she take offense? Does she want to be left alone? Will she think I'm butting in? Or does she need a friend? What if I say the wrong thing? It would be easy to ignore her, to assume she wouldn't want me to interfere. But what if no one responds? Does she walk away feeling unimportant, unnoticed, unloved?

It's a tough call, uncomfortable and sometimes heart-pounding, because it's risky. What do I say? How will it be taken? What good can I do when I don't really know her?

But part of connecting with others is showing empathy and though everything in me screams to look the other way, if I am committed to building relationships, I can't. For me, my soft side usually wins out in these sorts of situations. My heart can't take seeing someone suffer, so I take a deep breath, feel my pulse throbbing in my throat, and ask.

I find the good responses FAR outweigh the bad. Most of the time people appreciate someone caring enough to ask. They don't expect magic words to solve their problems. A sincere hug may be comfort enough. Knowing someone noticed may be all a person needs to feel loved. Often a new relationship begins as well.

Once I did what felt risky with a woman from Bible study, the whole time feeling as though my heart were going to pop out of my chest. But taking that risk began a wonderful relationship for me. The woman became a dear friend who encourages and challenges me, who makes me better than I was before. I hate to imagine what I would have missed out on had I stayed safe that day. It was SO worth the initial anxiety and discomfort. SO worth it.

I know it's not easy. Believe me, I know. But won't you try it for yourself? What wonderful relationship is ready to bloom for you if you're willing take a risk?



More Steps to Connection:
Understand All Have Insecurities
Vulnerability
Time
Availability
Expectations
Be Yourself

Rain Blessings

It's raining again. And though it's so dark, the drops falling outside my window soothe. In the storms of life, our anxieties build, our worries form an enveloping darkness. It's hard to see past the clouds. So where are the soothing raindrops?

They come in the form of words.

Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you; he rises to show you compassion . .

Peace begins to sprinkle.

So do not fear, for I am with you. . .

For I know the plans I have for you. . .plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

His words fall softly.

Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail. . .

The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.

Their gentle rhythm soothes.

For I am the Lord, your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you.

The rain washes, freshens, provides growth.

And I am thankful for the storm.


Scripture references:
Isaiah 30:18
Isaiah 41:10
Jeremiah 29:11
Lamentations 3:22
Deuteronomy 31:8