Majesty and Beauty August 4, 2008

It had been a difficult week. Finances had been strectched and strained. The air conditioner in the van had gone out. Ben had a job or two that didn’t go quite right. We needed a day away. We needed more. But a day was what we had. It wasn’t too difficult getting all eight of us out the door. The car was a little too warm without the air conditioner, however it was still tolerable. The drive to the coast was beautiful. While weaving through wooded areas the car became cooler and the cares of the world were left behind.  

As the waves, crashed, and the wind whipped up all around us, the scene was gorgeous. The water was as blue as it could possibly be and the contrast of the white surges, splashing over the tops of the rocks was magnificent. We were hard pressed to find a spot with some shelter from the wind. We settled near by another family in a little alcove. We set up our camp near a large rock. 

I watched my children race to dip their toes into the water. I thanked God for a great drive and asked for his blessing to rest on each of them. Looking at my husband, I could see the lines in his forhead begin to decrease as he dug his feet into the sand while wrestling rocks around to build a wall. “Thank you Lord for this man who loves his family and blesses us with spiritual wisdom and leadership,” I continued to pray over him…   

My son came back to the blanket and noticed that there was some trash and something furry in the cleft of the rock we were up against. I thought, “Furry? That’s odd.” Then he continued to look harder and said “Mama, that looks like a skunk in there.” At first I thought he was being silly. But as I looked more intently, I realized he was right. I immediately sent him to tell his Dad. My husband checked out the situation, decided there was nothing to be alarmed about and said he thought the skunk was probably dead. I did not want to be near a skunk that may be sleeping or a skunk that may be dead. For a moment, I could feel myself wanting to totally freak out! I had to make a choice about how I was going to let this situation affect my day. My family and I chose to explore the rest of the area and the coastline rather than dwell on all the “what-ifs” about that skunk.

Watching the waves, hearing the roar of the ocean, watching my children play and seeing families run and smile and laugh together took my mind off the stinky little guy. As the day wore on we decided to pack up and head to a different beach to watch the sunset. We said goodbye to the skunk and thanked God that nothing came of that situation (I was sure that skunks are nocturnal and wondered if at sunset that little guy would come bolting out of the hole in the rock, spraying us for disturbing his sleep earlier in the day…).

As the night passed, we enjoyed the amazing beauty of the sunset. I loved seeing my husband run and play with our children, hiding in the high sea grasses of the sand dunes. As a mom,  I felt great joy, as I wife I felt great pleasure in my husbands love for our family. I was proud and full of joy and love…I was so blessed.

Later, I was reminded of the day and the correlation of stinky little surprises in our own lives. Here we were surrounded by beauty, and majesty…and I could have allowed a skunk (dead or alive) to alter the joy we were all experiencing that day. That little surprise had no bearing on the majesty of God’s creation and yet, I could sense my anxiety about those what-ifs.  

I thought about this in terms of tight financial times and other situations and surprises that appear in daily life. I could let those little surprises take over. If I do this, these situations seem to take on a life off their own and then they begin to seem larger than life. When this happens, I miss out on the bigger picture, and ultimately I miss out on the blessings that God has for me. If I focus on the potential problem, I give it too much value. I want to focus on what is going right. That little thing is nothing in the grand scheme of who God is as our Creator and King.

Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverence.  James 1:2

Wholesome? August 4, 2008

Wholesome. This word seems to be one that is seldom used in our culture today. Because we are not accustomed to hearing it in everyday speech, we may hear it and have thoughts of yesteryear.

Webster’s Encylopedic Unabridged Dictionary (1983) defines wholesome (adj.) 1. conducive to moral or general well-being; 2. conducive to bodily health; healthful; 3. suggestive of physical or moral health esp. in appearance.

I desire to see wholesome-ness in every facet of my life. I speak to my children about using wholesome talk with one another, about blessing others with our words. I encourage those around me, children and adults, to be careful about what we see and hear. To choose to think on things that are wholesome and lovely. To fill our lives with godliness, purity, holiness and a love for wholesome things.  I appreciate the connection in this defintion between moral and physical well being.  In the same way that I want my daily walk to be wholesome, I also want the food I choose to prepare for my family to be wholesome as well. I want my children to be nourished physically, spiritually and emotionally.

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable–if anything is excellent or praiseworthy–think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me–put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you. Philippians 4:8-9

Whatever we spend our time on will be reflected in our lives. My desire is that these attributes would be evident in every part of my life. In the way I choose to spend my time, in the words that I speak , in the love that I show and in the deepest part of who I am. 

May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer. Psalm 19:14

Lord, help me to always live in a manner worthy of my calling. Thank you for the high price You paid for me. I desire to be whole and to live a wholesome life. Thank you for Your grace Lord when I have fallen short. My heart is Yours.

We took a risk… August 4, 2008

My family and I have made big changes in the last year. We had known for some time that I should be giving up a job I had. This may seem silly to some. However, the security of the money I was able to make coupled with the security of a wonderful medical plan, dental plan and retirement plan seduced me into staying in this position. I could feel the grace lifting…and I could no longer confidently juggle all the different roles I needed to keep up with and still hang on to the peace that only God can give. I was bound more to the security of the “plans” and the “paycheck” than to the true security that comes from Christ alone. Besides, I had so much flexibility in my schedule, I was able to school my children at home and work and, and, and… I had a bazillion reasons as to why I could not quit my job. 

I remember one evening at church some missionaries were visiting and they had shared about risk and trust. Something changed for my husband and I that night. Simultaneously, we had the same conviction about me letting this job go, taking the risk and being available for my family without feeling divided. In that moment my husband and I were willing to take the risk and make whatever sacrifices necessary. 

 Trust in the Lord with all of your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight. Proverbs 3:5-6

At first, I felt complete elation. The stress and the busy-ness began to lift and I felt that genuine peace of God again. I had this sense that nothing in the world could hold back God’s ability to meet all of our needs. My husbands business was doing great and I felt a sense of security in that as well. It was when my husbands business  started slowing down due to the economy. I then started to worry. 

Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? 

And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lillies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. Matthew 6:26-29

I had moments of peace…moments of fear…moments of worry…moments of frustration… a few moments of peace again. It seemed like the moments of peace were mostly when things were going well with my husbands business. If we were able to make ends meet I felt peace. If things had to stretch out farther than I was comfortable with, I was in turmoil again. The times of joy and peace were becoming farther apart as frustration took up more space than I should have ever allowed. 

As I looked at God’s Word I knew that I was supposed to trust Him and His ways. I was quickly reminded that His ways were not my own, and that I need not worry about clothing and food because He has it all taken care of. Boy, is there a part of me that always wants to help God out in that! Or, help Him understand my concerns about keeping an excellent credit score. It was almost as if I wanted His Word to say, “In all of your ways acknowledge me and I will keep your credit score great!” Of course, that was not the case. 

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” Isaiah 55:8-9

I am currently reminding myself that God continues to be sovereign and although we are loving Him, serving Him and acknowledging Him in all our ways, we may not have everything happen in the order we expect it. I still have moments of doubt and worry. I am learning to trust Him more…more than the certainty of a paycheck or a healthcare plan. I know that my husband and I heard from the Lord that evening in church. As we walk out our convictions, it is not always easy. But it is always good.  

Is the risk worth it? You bet it is! Do I miss some of the comforts of having extra money? Most certainly. Would I do it all again? In a heartbeat!

Whole Foods Class August 4, 2008

Are you wanting more information about eating well, feeling well, increasing your energy, decreasing depression and anxiety and other unwanted symptoms? Come find out more about eating wholesome foods that will bring great benefit to your health and well-being. If you are located in the Rogue Valley of Southern Oregon, you are in the right place to join us. See the events section and send me an e-mail message and I will get back to you with further information.

Greetings! August 4, 2008

I am excited to be writing my first blog. This is quite a process! I have always been a lover of real books and of  personal relationships and discipleship. I must admit that I have had some hesitant feelings about starting a blog.  I am excited to make contact with new people and yet I wish I could sit down and share a cup of coffee or tea with a new friend. I wonder if I will miss the feeling of real paper between my fingers and the sound of friends voices in my ears? Okay, I am being a bit dramatic… As I mentioned earlier, setting up this blog has been quite a process and it may take me some time to get everything up and running. Please be patient with me as I continue to work. Feel free to contact me in the meantime. Thank you for visiting!