Head in the Clouds

As I was driving the other morning, I noticed a little cloud cluster between me and the sun. The white fluffy clouds were just big enough to block the rays that would shine down on me. But the edges of the clouds were a beautiful golden glow because the sun simply could not be contained. Soon the clouds drifted away and the full radiance of the sun was blinding.

I started thinking about a few times in my life that clouds blocked my view of God. Sometimes they form like large billowy thunder clouds. Layer after layer of one thing and then another form a thick barrier between me and God's radiance. Conflict cracks like lightening bolts and I cringe as the thunder becomes deafening.

Other times the clouds create a gray overcast. There's no tumultuous storm, there's just a hazy indifference. These clouds usually show up when I haven't been in fellowship with God. I allow my schedule or priorities to slowly separate me from God's presence and the clouds roll in.

Regardless of what the clouds look like, the sun is still above them. When a dark storm rolls in, the sun doesn't run off and take shelter. No! It remains high in the sky whether we see it or not. That's the amazing thing about the sun, it remains constant regardless of our weather condition. Just like God. He is above our cloud cover, above our storm constantly loving us through the storm.

Do you have a situation in your life hanging like a cloud between you and God? Does it feel like a small cluster of clouds, a raging storm or completely overcast? Has it been awhile since you've seen the Son? Felt His warmth? God is above your storm and in His perfect timing He will break through the clouds with His radiant glory. Are you watching for Him?

Be blessed,

Jennifer

“Be exalted, O God, above the heavens; let your glory be over all the earth.” Psalm 57:5

Shoot for the Moon

Have you ever taken a chance, but didn't get what you were hoping for? Ever put yourself out there only to find that you weren't the right person for the task? I hope you can honestly say Yes because that means at least you've tried.  I recently submitted my new Bible study, One Size Fits All: How to Wear God's Word, to the Women of Faith writing contest. I've never entered a contest like that before and knew the odds of winning were just a bit better than the local lotto. I also didn't know if they would even accept a Bible study or if they were looking for something different. But I did know that it wouldn't hurt to try, so I took a shot.  I'm sorry to report that my study was not chosen to be a contest finalist. I'm disappointed, but not as much as I thought I'd be. Sure, I would have loved to have a book contract with a renowned publishing house. But I didn't walk away empty handed...  It gave me a goal. I used the contest's deadline dates to structure my time. I didn't just have an idea wandering around in my head anymore. I had the motivation I needed to create small goals so I could be completely finished by the final deadline date.  It gave me a focus. I don't know about you, but I can have ten different thoughts running through my mind at any given minute. I'll be working on the task at hand and then “something shiny” distracts me and next thing I know, I'm running down a rabbit trail. Knowing I had limited time to finish the book kept my mind engaged and increased my focus.  It gave me hope. How often do you dream about your life? I know so many people who don't have a dream. They used to, but somewhere along the way they lost hope and let it go. Finishing the study reignited the passion within me. I had lost touch with the reason why I started writing in the first place, to spread God's message of hope. God lays dreams in our hearts for a reason—to glorify Him. He has a hope and a calling for each one of us. We just have to believe that He can do it! I may not have been a finalist, but I certainly came away a winner! Hopefully my experience will be an encouragement to you. Is God prompting you to take a chance? Are you allowing yourself to dream? Or are you afraid you may fail? Please trust me as I say, allowing fear to keep you from your dreams is the biggest failure of all. Be blessed,

Jennifer

“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.” (Deuteronomy 31:6)

Rescued

My family has grown by four feet. This weekend we adopted a little dog from a local shelter. She's a beagle/chihuahua mix (or as we like to say, a bewahwah) named Chica.

The first night she was home, Chica lay sleeping on my lap. I wondered what kind of stories she would tell me if she could. What had she been through? How did she end up living in a cage?

• Rejected – pushed aside, or even sent away because someone thought she was lacking?
• Afraid – does fear cause her to cower down or lash out? What scares her the most?
• Alone – which is worse, being afraid of those around you or being completely on your own?

I guess when it comes down to it, we're all like Chica. We need to be rescued. We need to know that our perception doesn't have to be our reality. Our situation can change and we can be made better by it. We weren't meant to live in a cage, we were meant to live our lives to the full.

Our Rescuer, Father God, longs to set every last one of us free. He wants to release us from the bars that hold us and replace our fears and doubts with His love and strength.

• Chosen – God calls us each by name, longing to give us an eternal home.
• Victorious – In the battle of good vs evil, God has won! Through Him, we cannot be defeated.
• Loved – God loves us so much that He gives us His Holy Spirit so we will never be alone.

We welcome Chica into our family, hoping to share a lifetime of joy with her. God welcomes us into His family to share in His joy as well. Are you ready to be rescued?

Be blessed,

Jennifer

"We love because He first loved us." 1 John 4:19

Feel Good or Get Better?

“Do you want to feel good or actually get better?”

You've got to know the answer to that question BEFORE you lay down on the massage table. Your answer will determine what you experience for the next sixty minutes.

I'd waited four weeks for the day of my massage appointment to arrive. I couldn't wait to get a relaxing back rub to the sound of soothing music in a dimly lit room. Ahh … bliss!

So when Alicia, my massage therapist, asked me if I wanted to feel good or actually get better, I automatically said “I want to get better.” I mean, who doesn't want to be better? There's always room for improvement, right? I was a foolish, foolish girl.

The next hour was an exercise in restraint. You know, the don't-scream-out-in-pain, cry-like-a-little-girl, or pass-out-completely kind of restraint. There was no restraint shown by Alicia, however, as she attacked every pressure point on my body.

If I'd only said “just make me feel good” I could have wandered out of her office feeling like a limp noodle and made my way home for a mid-day nap. But since I said “make me better” I left feeling sore in muscles I didn't know I even had, longing only for the recommended epson salt bath.

We have the same choice when it comes to God's Word. Do we want to feel good or actually get better? How many times have we gone to Scripture just to get a warm and fuzzy word of encouragement? A word to help us through the task at hand? Don't get me wrong, God gives us His word to replenish our spirit and encourage us to keep going. It's our living water.

But then there are other messages, the one's that challenge our thinking and discipline our behavior. Those messages are tough to take, but they actually make us better. They don't tell us what we WANT to hear, they tell us what we NEED to hear.

Alicia could have just given me a light, gentle massage and ignored the underlying problem. Instead, she got to the root of the issue and caused the muscle to release the toxins that were causing me pain. Scripture releases toxins too. God's Word brings light to the dark areas of our hearts, forcing us to let go of the lies that have built up and hurt us.

What has Scripture been telling you lately? Are you just looking for the feel-good messages? Or are you allowing God to get to the root of some of your pain? Maybe it's time we ask ourselves the question, “Do I want to feel good or actually get better?”

Be blessed,

Jennifer

“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God my be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” 2 Timothy 3:16

Wait for it...

The traffic crawled as my friend, Liz, and I made our way home from a day of shopping. This particular highway was slow due to construction but was the most direct way home.

"Are you sure you don't want to take the back roads? This is taking forever!" Liz said, losing her patience.

" Nope, I know this seems slow but it will be worth it." I replied.

I was kind of surprised to hear myself say that. I'm the queen of "rabbit trails." I've been known to head for the back roads at the very first sign of traffic, but not today. Something in my spirit was telling me to be patient and the hold the course.

Within a mile, we passed through the bottleneck and the flow of traffic opened up. We were once again moving at the posted speed and arrived home before we expected. I couldn't help but wonder where I would have been had I taken the back roads instead. Sitting at a red light somewhere?

Have you ever gone out of your way to make something happen faster? Are you feeling stuck in a traffic jam right now? It can be just as frustrating to work twice as hard for the same result as it is to feel stuck in place. Either way, we end up losing our patience all because we wouldn't wait for it.

We may think we can do things faster by working harder, but at the end of the day, we're wrong (and tired). God's timing is perfect. When we don't see Him moving, we need to trust that He is clearing the path before us. In His timing, the bottleneck will clear and He will lead us on.

Be blessed,

Jennifer

"I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord." Psalm 27:13-14

Perspective

I normally write my blogs first thing in the morning. But the inspiration for this post struck me last night. Maybe you'll relate...

Here's what I was thinking:

You won't believe the night I've had!

- I had to drive my daughter to volleyball practice in the pouring rain.

- I waited over two hours while they ran drills and scrimmaged another team.

- I even typed up blog ideas on my husband's iPad just to kill time. (those are so awkward to type on)

But then God showed me:

You won't believe the night I had!

- My van ran perfectly all the way to Paige's volleyball practice. We traveled safe and sound.

- I got to watch her run drills and scrimmage another team. She gave her all for over two hours!

- I was even able to write out some blog ideas using my husband's iPad. (technology is amazing)

Every so often, we may need a little shift in perspective. We can get so caught up in the details of our everyday lives, that we fail to see the wonder in it. Some of our biggest burdens may actually be our greatest blessings.

Choosing to be blessed,

Jennifer

"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ." Ephesians 1:3

A Tale of Two Dogs

As I waited for the light to turn green, I caught a flash of something white in the corner of my eye. I looked to see a sprightly young Jack Russell terrier leaping up and down. Then he'd grab his bone and run around his yard aimlessly. Soon he was leaping again and chasing birds.

Meanwhile, an older hound dog with a silky tan coat was lounging in the sun. He was aware of the younger dog's antics, but didn't seem to care. The sun was warm and bright and this dog was making the most of his sunbathing opportunity. Watching the hound dog roll around to find the perfect tanning position made me laugh out loud.

The stark difference between the two dogs reminded me of a few people we know from the Bible—Mary and Martha. Luke 11 tells the story of Jesus and the disciples coming to dinner in Mary and Martha's home. Like the little terrier, Martha busied herself with several tasks at once. She was so busy preparing the meal, cleaning up, taking care of the details that she didn't slow down to focus on her honored guest. Mary, on the other hand, is like the hound dog. She chose not to help her sister, but instead she sat at the feet of Jesus and basked in His glory.

So which dog are you? Are you the young terrier, running around going from one thing to the next? Or are you the hound dog? Taking time to rest and bask in God's glory. I don't know about you, but I think it's time to unleash my inner hound dog...

Be blessed,

Jennifer

“Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.” (Luke 10:41-42)