God’s Love – Page 3 – View From My Shoes

Bueno – No Bueno – Mucho Bueno

With God often you are getting more than you asked

unnamed Today was one of those days. When lunch time approached there was no way I could face the cottage cheese and celery I had so thoughtfully packed this morning. Based on my current stress level, a steak quesadilla from Taco Bueno was what the doctor ordered. I had a few minutes before my next meeting so I quickly headed for my lunch therapy. I took advantage of the car ride to call my daughter in Denver. She is my witness. As I pulled up to the speaker, I ordered by steak quesadilla and continued forward. When arriving at the window, I dutifully paid my bill and drove back to the office. I wrapped up my conversation with my daughter and headed to my desk. After clearing a spot on my desk for lunch and opening the computer to prepare for a working lunch. It was at that moment, the first glance into the sack, when I realized I did not have my order. In the bag were two burrito shaped packages. I was highly disappointed and angry I hadn’t checked the bag earlier. I opened the first one and it was some type of bread similar to an fry bread smeared with refried beans and stuffed with taco meat, cheese, lettuce and tomatoes. It only took me seconds to devour the tasty surprise. The second package contained some kind of burrito. I tore it open before biting into it to see what my unordered gift might hold. It busted open revealing rice, beans, chicken, sour cream, tomatoes and even cilantro. All I requested was a simple quesadilla – meat, cheese, tortilla. While at first I was disappointed I didn’t get what I ordered. It only took a few tastes to see I received so much more. Pity the person that ordered burritos and got my quesadilla

I think this is often so true of our request to God. Currently 3 or our 5 children are on the hunt for purchasing their first home. Anyone who has been through this process remembers the emotional roller coaster. I have been reminiscing and comforting them by relaying memories of finding a house and praying day and night that the Lord would provide a way for us to get that house. When the offer wouldn’t be accepted or someone would offer more, I would be crushed that my prayers were not answered. However in time, God always provided a house that was so much more than the house I had chosen. It was more than meat and cheese. It was a house with lettuce tomatoes and sour cream.

When I was young and going to college, I prepared and prayed for a teaching job. All I ever wanted was to be a teacher. That was my life’s goal. However, God had such a more perfectly designed plan. While teaching is still my passion, God has taken me further in my career than I ever dreamed.

Closer to home, most recently my son and expecting daughter-in-law decided to move from a house only minutes away back to her home town 12 hours away. I have prayed many times that God would send something to change their minds and make them want to stay. Again, I was praying for meat and cheese when God probably has lettuce and tomatoes planned for them. I feel I may have been limiting them because of my selfishness.

As a child in Sunday school I learned to quote Isaiah 55:8-9, “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” says the Lord. “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts. I also memorized Ephesians 3:20, “Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think.” These scriptures are fundamental to how I was raised and taught as a child, but I so quickly forget them when I get focused on what I want and not on what God has planned.

Don’t fret over not getting meat and cheese when in time God will provide you with much more.

The Cleaning of the Vacuum Roller

Are you entangled in everyday life?

It all started as we were watching the Thunder game last night. I don’t know if it was exuberance or rage, but popcorn went flying across the floor. Enough so I had to drag out the vacuum cleaner. As I was sweeping, a rogue popcorn hull was just rattling around in the sweeper head refusing to move up into the canister. Thus causing me to do the unthinkable, turn the sweeper upside down to stick my hand in the sweeper head to remove the hull. Unfortunately, I found myself face to face with at least a year’s worth of thread, yarn and hair (oh the hair) wrapped around the vacuum roller. a forty-five minute task ensued. I began with a lone piece of yarn from a long ago kitchen rug. I just pulled on one end and it easily unwound. I then moved on to what had to be half a spool of yellow thread. It wasn’t so easy to remove. I resorted to the scissors. Finally I was down to just hair. Scissors proved to be unsuccessful ergo resorting to a razor blade. After quite some amount of work, the roller was freed.

Now keep in mind. The vacuum cleaner did nothing to cause this to happen. It was just doing its job sucking up debris from our carpets, yet still found itself wrapped up with shreds of waste. How true is this of our lives? At least mine. I get so caught up doing life, just living day to day, that I get wrapped up and entangled with all the meaningless details and distractions. I can get so wound up that I forget to focus on the purpose for which I was created. Maybe it is the pressures from work that you cannot leave at the office, but carry them home dragging around your ankle. Or could it be bills that seem to keep mounting up – not the bills from over spending that you created, but just the bills of living. Sometimes for me it is the time I spend on silly task like cleaning the vacuum roller instead of sitting with my family to watch the rest of the basketball game or the time I spend on FB and Candy Crush (true confession). I can get so wrapped up on daily tasks that nothing else seems to matter. There is a false sense of urgency that creates false priorities. They build up around me just like the hair on the vacuum roller and keep me from my quiet time, time I could spend ministering to others or time I could simply spend with my family.

Some of these entanglements are as easy to remove as the yarn from the kitchen rug. However, some are so deeply entrenched a razor blade is required for extraction. In Philippians 3:13 Paul talks about forgetting the past. Oh, and did he have a past. I think it would be safe to say, Paul was carrying around chains comparable to Ebeneezer Scrooge. Yet, he was able to drop them and move forward in a victorious life as designed by God. In verse 17-20 Paul calls us to join him and follow his example of living a life focused on Christ. He follows that with directions to take note of those that are focused on earthly things for they are headed for destruction.

How do we keep from getting wrapped up in the details of life? One thread at a time. Start small by making a commitment to drop one meaningless task for one task that God desires to be a priority in your life. I wish I could say I had this mastered. I’m probably the worst at putting God in second place to common house hold chores. In Luke 14-24, Jesus tells a parable of man who invited many to a supper, but the invitees had many excuses: plow the field, test oxen, be with a new wife. So, what did the master do? He sent his servant out to the highways and hedges to find guest that were willing to drop what they were doing and attend his dinner. As I was cleaning my vacuum roller last night, I realized I am often too wrapped up in my priorities to set them aside and focus on God’s priorities. I hope you don’t have to spend forty-five minutes looking at the underneath side of your sweeper to be reminded life should be lived for God’s purpose.

Why Shoes?

Trust that God has you prepared

I spent many hours thinking about what to call my blog, and I kept coming back to something that had to do with shoes. This could be because I absolutely love shoes or because once I get something in my head, I can’t think of anything else. Anyway, there are two reasons why shoes are so great. First, no matter how much weight you gain or lose, your shoes always fit. Second, a great pair of shoes can change an ordinary outfit into extraordinary.

The thing is every pair of shoes in my closet serves a different purpose. I have a pair I wear for exercise, a pair for casual jeans versus the pair for dressier jeans, and of course multiple pairs for work. I often think about my day and pick an outfit around the pair of shoes I need to wear that day. If I’m going to be on my feet all day visiting school sites, I need to wear more comfortable shoes. If my day will be spent sitting in meetings all day, it is the perfect day to pull out the killer heels.

However, it was just this last week, that I was caught unprepared and without the shoes I needed. According to the local weather guy, it was going to be a beautiful day with rain in the evening. I was going to be sitting in interviews all day, so out came a pair of stilettos that easily added four inches to my short stature. As the interviews were coming to a close, I received a text message asking me to come over to a school site for an unexpected meeting. I was glad to do this, unfortunately when approaching the doors to leave the school, I quickly noticed the rain had come in early, and I was parked at the furthest end of the parking lot. Trying to block some rain with the books in my hand, I headed out in the deluge. I tried to run at one point, but that was a complete joke and a sure way to break an ankle. What I needed was rain boots. What I had were shoes that created a genuine risk to my ability to stay upright. I actually at about the half-way point in the parking lot contemplated taking them off and going barefoot.

As I was drying off in the car, one thought lead to another and I was soon thinking about how wonderfully God always prepares us for the adventure, adversity or any circumstance we face. I thought of the many times I found myself in life situations that required hiking boots or full on combat boots, yet God made sure I was prepared for those times and had the shoes I needed to get through them.

One small example would be about the time my children were in high school and not so dependent upon me. I felt the need to reconnect with some friends that were in the same place in life. As young mothers, we were extremely close taking our daughters to gymnastics and dance together as well as sitting shoulder to shoulder through countless softball games. We now lived in three different areas of the metro, but easily available to meet for dinner. After the first dinner, it was decided our meetings should become a monthly event. Only God knew that after about 8 months of regular dinners and a rekindled friendship, I would begin down the path of care taker for a terminally ill spouse. It was these ladies who were by my side and carried me through this dark time in life.

Ephesians 2:10 ” For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.” Not only are we created by God, but He also intends good for our lives and He will prepare us to be all He desires. I know I could not serve in my role at work without the numerous mentors God placed in my life at an early age. I could not be a friend or confidante for others without the life experiences God has allowed me to experience. It is only because of the path we have walked and the shoes we have worn, that we can be who God desires us to be. Currently your life path may need steel-toed construction boots or you may be enjoying a comfy pair of rejuvenating beach sandals. Which ever it may be, love the path you are on and the shoes you are wearing. God has prepared your for this time.

In the morning, when you are picking out what shoes to wear, know that God has prepared you for what you will face on this day.