Light Bulbs

I love when a spiritual light bulb turns on in my brain.

This has probably been staring me in the face for decades. But I just recently went, “Ohhhh! I see!”

Cooler still, the revelation came as a direct answer to a prayer.

I’ve always grappled with faith verses deeds. I know I need to do right, but if I don’t there’s grace. I’m supposed to obey, but striving to do anything outside of grace is the opposite of faith. God loves me no matter what, but what I do will be brought before Him at the Judgment Seat. Sin is sin. But Jesus offers grace. We can’t ignore sin, but we’re not supposed to judge. Yikes! I get so mixed up, and then end up with wrong impressions.

All I’ve known for sure is that Jesus’ blood atones for my sin.

It’s not a bad bottom line.

But even though Jesus’ blood washes away my sin, what do I do with that tendency left over in me to sin again? The sin is gone, but I’m a sinner.

I’ve coped with tactics such as guilt, avoidance, apathy, striving, do-overs, being too hard on myself, being too easy on myself… Salvation I grasp, sanctification is more of a mystery.

The light bulb went on while reading a spiritual growth devotional called “The Green Papers” by Miles J. Stanford. I’ve been learning a lot from his gathering of the philosophies and theologies of many giants of the Faith, most of it so far confirming to me that I must lean heavily… no, solely… on God’s grace.

But today, I read the chapter on “Identification,” which is where my answer came from in the form of a quote from Watchman Nee. Here’s the quote:

Our sins were dealt with by the blood, we ourselves are dealt with by the cross. The blood procures our pardon, the cross procures deliverance from what we are in Adam. The blood can wash away my sins, but it cannot wash away my old man: I need the cross to crucify me – the sinner.

The problem with the fall of humanity, the depravity of man, is not only that we sin (verb, action), but also that we are sinners (noun, object).

Embracing grace to atone for our sins is one thing, a very, very important thing.

Embracing the cross to kill our flesh, the part of us that is desirous of sinning, is another very, very important thing.

Thank You, Jesus, for carrying my sin away, as far as the east is from the west.

And thank You, too, for making possible the death of the old flesh that enslaved me to the sinful life.

I love that discovering God’s truths is a life-long journey. I’ll never “arrive” at full knowledge of Him because I’m so small and He’s so big. Even in Heaven, I think, I’ll have an eternity to explore the depths and heights of my Creator. But it sure is fun to see those light bulbs illuminate my path.

Hope your week is full of such inspiring and encouraging Light!

(photos by photobucket.com)

Up

Ever get to the end of your rope?

I seem to be at the end of mine much more than I am at the beginning of it.

Dangling over a precipice of uncertainty, I struggle and flail and fear and worry.

But then, one of two things happens.

Sometimes, God tells me to stand up.

What? I’m hanging over a ledge here!

But He just smiles and says, put your feet down.

Low and behold, there’s solid ground within inches of my toes. Sort of like someone who can’t swim fearing they are drowning, only to discover that if they stand, the water merely reaches their ankles.

In those cases, I’m not really in as much peril as I thought.

Other times, God tells me to look up.

And when I do, His hand is there outstretched to help me back to the top of the ledge. I might have been in peril, but He didn’t let me dangle for long, and He sure didn’t let me fall.

I promised a true story about trusting God. So, here it is. You may find it unbelievable, that I’m changing details to sell a story, or maybe you’ll shrug it off as insignificant or coincidental. But for me, it changed my universe, deepened my faith, and made me feel God’s arms actually giving me a hug.

Lately, I’ve felt like that mountain climber whose foot has slipped and I’m dangling at the end of my rope. Although I can’t share specifics, it has to do with my Daniel’s job. He’s been searching for a new one while enduring quite the firestorm every day. Not only not fun, but not healthy. In fact, it’s been so stressful for him that one night last week, we were both up much of the night with his excruciating migraine.

As I mentioned on Wednesday, though, I’m a wait and see kind of person. And my Daniel is the more persistent type. So we’ve been handling this tight spot in two polar opposite ways.

A ray of hope burst through last week, actually the day after the terrible migraine night, and my Daniel got a phone interview sort of out of the blue. It went well, and that got him excited and thinking and planning and hoping. The interviewer said she’d make her decision and get back to him on Friday, two days after they spoke.

This was something we both decided we really wanted and looked forward to the determining call.

In the midst of the wanting and hoping, we prayed, “God Your will be done.”

Well…

Friday came and went with no call.

That sent us into what I call “Iffin Land.” That means we address every possible “what if” scenario our little pea brains can conceive.

Being the wait and see kind of person that I am, I don’t like to go to Iffin Land very often. Sometimes, but not often.

My Daniel’s motivations and personality being opposite of mine, it helps him to think through all the possibilities, in this case, of why this lady didn’t call back when she had predicted that she would.

The desperation of his current job, though, exasperated our stay in Iffin Land, and by Monday we were both on pins and needles.

Well, Monday at work happened to be a particularly violet firestorm. To put it plainly, my Daniel was dangling from the end of his rope.

Here’s the setting… that Monday, I’m waiting in the lobby of his work for him to be done with a certain event. We can go home for the night when it’s completed. It’s past 6 p.m. already. He has a minute to chat with me, so the topic of conversation is, of course, this elusive call. Insisting he doesn’t care what the answer is as long as he can just know what it is, he asks what I think about calling to find out. Being the wait and see kind of person, I immediately deflect that suggestion even though I know and want my Daniel to have his answer and to gain some peace.

He debates, I counter, he gives another “what if” and finally, at the end of my rope, I exclaim, “I’m trying to get you to let this go! Just put it in the God box and move on. If we get the call, we get the call.”

Right away, he says, “I have to go take care of this group,” and retreats.

I sink into a chair to brood.

Great. Now he’s mad. I should have kept my mouth shut. I know we don’t deal with these things in the same way.

On and on I argue and fear and worry…

And try to pray.

God, I can’t handle this tension any more. He needs peace. I need peace. I know You hear us. Please help us.

This goes on nearly 45 minutes! Now I’m tired, hungry, impatient, angry, feeling guilty – pretty much ready to explode.

My Daniel comes back and sits down. “So I want to finish our conversation.”

He proceeds to tell me that he left so abruptly because he knew I was right (gotta love my man who tells me that when he recognizes it!). So he went into the back of an auditorium in the middle of showing The Expendables, and prayed, specifically putting this matter of the call into God’s hands, expressing his trust in God to do His perfect will, and basically giving up his anxiety and hopes and control.

No lying, as soon as the words left his mouth, his phone rang.

He was offered the job.

We are moving to Montana.

J

Do you feel like you’re at the end of your rope?

Stop flailing in mid air for a second and listen hard…

Is God telling you to stand up or look up?

Either way, I promise, He’s got you covered.

Have a great weekend, Dry Ground friends! Thanks for stopping by today!

(photos by photobucket.com)

In God We Trust

Lately, amid a few tight spots, I’ve pondered the bottom line of navigating life.

Each person captains their ship differently, according to personality, experience, resource, relationships.

I’m more of a wait and see kind of person.

My Daniel is more the persistent type, the pro-active guy.

We all know worriers, bull-dozers, pragmatics, bean-counters, dreamers, discontents… as many people as there are on this planet, that’s how many combinations of captains exist.

Sometimes I wonder… should I be more aggressive? Other times… shouldn’t my Daniel be more patient? Yes, probably, to both of those.

The thing is, no matter what your disposition, there is a common bottom line for us all that will guide us through murky and clear waters alike. And that is trusting God.

Cliché? No. Impossible? No. Impractical? No. Useless? No.

Trusting God applies to every situation, every decision, every personality, every crisis, every joy… everything.

Lonely? Trust God.

Scared? Trust God.

Sick? Trust God.

Hurting? Trust God.

Abandoned? Trust God.

Jilted? Trust God.

Betrayed? Trust God.

Waiting? Trust God.

Confused? Trust God.

Searching? Trust God.

In need? Trust God.

Ashamed? Trust God.

How about happy? Trust God.

Prospering? Trust God.

Growing? Trust God.

The bottom line to everything will always be to trust God.

By all means, socialize if you’re lonely, go to the doctor if you’re sick, ask questions if you’re confused.

But our hearts don’t beat purely for science’s or chance’s sake. Each one is a gift from God.

If that be the case (and it is), how can we not trust His timing, healing, provision, protection?

Maybe we worry because we don’t believe that God loves us enough to be so intimately involved in each of our lives?

Well… He does. Again, our every heartbeat proves it.

But more than that, Jesus proved it when He gave up His heartbeats for us.

I’m not trying to be over-dramatic. On the contrary, my intent is to simplify.

Just… trust God.

Here… maybe I’m not getting it out right today. This song speaks to what I’m feeling. I hope you listen, read along with the lyrics, and are encouraged! Happy Wednesday!

Oh, and stay tuned – coming soon a true story of God’s love, perfect timing, and trust-worthiness. I hope you’ll stop by Dry Ground on Friday!

Enjoy Addison Road!

The Divine is in the Details

I love spending an afternoon at the zoo.

To me, animals and birds and reptiles display the creative genius of God in a unique, limitless, mind-blowing way.

Recently on one such afternoon, I opened up my senses to revel in this creativity, and it resulted in an unforgettable day.

The St. Louis zoo has a stingray exhibit at the moment, at which you can feed and touch the stingrays. I spent a good half hour, elbow-deep in salt water, letting my fingers glide across the slick, silky backs of dozens of stingrays as they swam by. What beautiful creatures!

Later on, I heard barking, like a dog, but just a little more throaty. I followed the sound to find four sea lions swimming repetitive patterns in their pool. I soon found out why the one was making so much noise – dinner time. The keeper entered the exhibit with two gigantic buckets of fish. As if on cue, the four animals took their places, one of them several yards distant, facing away from the employee. Another one swam in circles. Yet another took the steps right at the guy’s feet, stretching his neck like a begging pet. They each got their whole fish in turn. The one facing away listened for the splash of the fish in the water and then caught it out, like a game. The one begging sometimes was denied a fish until he took a step back. It was so cool to watch their personalities.

This zoo also has a penguin house. It surprised me to find that the exhibit had no barriers. I mean, if I wanted to break the rules, I could have reached over the glass and touched the penguins swimming in the icy water. Another sat on a fake rock right above the entrance on the edge of their man-made habitat. We asked the volunteer why he stayed up there and didn’t try to get out of his perimeters, and she said that with such good eyesight, the little guy knew how high up he was and would never attempt an escape. Plus, they aren’t that fond of people! That made me laugh.

Oh, I saw a bear sloth for the first time. Didn’t even know those existed. It looked like a black bear, but his coat hung about him all shaggy and long. The first thing I thought of when I saw it was the Despicable Me trailer when the little girl got a carnival prize and exclaims, “It’s so FLUFFY!!!”

My favorite place to find God’s creative attention to detail is in the aviary – the bird house. Some don’t hide their unique characteristics, like a hornbill with its titanic square beak, or the notable toucan with his flashy beak and distinct coloring. Some, though, look plain or unimpressive, but underneath the coat of visible all-black feathers lies a streak of the most crimson red you’ve ever imagined.

I guess what I’m trying to say with my zoo narrative is that we live in an amazing world. Maybe it isn’t animals that grab your attention – maybe it’s flowers or rocks or sunsets or oceans or people or a host of other creations. But the point is, the evidence of God’s touch is everywhere. If we open our eyes and ears and activate our other senses to the details around us, we have the opportunity to experience Him in a new way.

From the car one night on the way home from a dinner with friends, I watched a lightening storm that blew me away. It started out as heat lightening, turned into several jagged vertical strikes, proceeded into sizzling fingers of electricity traversing the sky, and culminated in a combination of all three lighting up the various layers of clouds. And I couldn’t help but thank God for the special show, a display of His power and grace.

This week, I encourage you to find the Divine, to find God, in the details!

While finishing a short story this week, I listened to many songs, but this is one of two that inspired me through the 35 page journey. I hope you listen to it, enjoy it, (the lyrics are pretty clear, but click here if you need to see them) and realize the expanse of God's love for you!

Have a great weekend, Dry Ground friends!

Sound of Silence

I’m sitting in the lobby of a business, waiting for my Daniel, taking advantage of the free WiFi in the meantime.

Since music is essential in my writing process, I stick ear buds in to listen to the specific playlists that I’ve constructed.

Yet, besides the music pulsing against my eardrums, I also hear the soundtracks pounding out of the lobby’s hidden sound system.

Yes, I could turn up my iTunes, but too loud just produces a buzzing headache.

Then, I also hear snippets of conversations from people walking close by, and every once in a while a service person from this place of business speaks to me.

Oh, and my right ear bud is on the fritz, so it’s sizzling against a dying wire connection.

All of that, plus my thoughts volleying in my head makes it difficult, to say the least, to concentrate on anything.

It seems life is full of noise these days. I was at the mall last weekend, and a digital poster case that not only moves and flashes and dances, spoke to me as I passed. Just what we need – more noise.

Everything vying for our attentions shouts simultaneously creating one noisy ruckus! It drowns out life, makes me numb.

That’s why I like to hike – on remote trails far beyond the sounds of civilization – away from whirring traffic or humming electrical lines even.

I don’t get to do that very often. I mean, a desert island would be ideal, but it's a luxury!

So… where can I go for some peace and quiet??

A sanctuary is an important place to find because there we can hear the peaceful whisper of the Holy Spirit.

Sometimes it can be as simple as turning off the television, or the radio in the car, or our cell phones to off. Other times, we have to search it out. I don’t often take the time to do that, and end up paying for it with discontent, exhaustion, irritability.

I think I’ll work on that this week – search out the quiet.

Because while music and conversation and dialogue can all be inspiring, the sound of silence makes way for the Voice of my Creator, the source of all inspiration.

Do you have a quiet space? What do you do to shut out the noise of modern living?

Hope you’re having a peaceful Wednesday! Be blessed!

(photos by photobucket.com)

Champion

I just watched Eat, Pray, Love, a film starring Julia Roberts new out this weekend.

Since this is not a movie review, I won’t bore you with details.

I’m drawing (some might say out of context) not a direct quote because I don’t remember it exactly, but more a theme from the “Pray” part of the character’s journey. Liz, the writer of the biographical book of the same name, experiences her spiritual awakening in an ashram in India, the answer to her life’s problems coming in this phrase: forgive yourself.

I have a big problem with that.

While it is important to forgive yourself in order to function in good psychological health, the act in and of itself does nothing to save the soul.

If it did, then we’d have no need of God, or more, Jesus.

This is about more than beliefs. This is about reality.

The truth of the matter is that sin is not just a word to represent a bad feeling. And it is much more than bad behavior.

Sin is a blot, an actual stain that mars and damages our spirit, soul and body. It sticks crazier than super glue, it devours like a flesh-eating virus, it kills. No medicine, remedy, positive attitude, incantation or ceremony reverses or eliminates the effects of sin. Nothing you do, least of which is forgive yourself, will help.

You sin, you die. Simple as that.

Unfortunately, many don’t want to believe such stark truth. From a worldly perspective, that seems unfair, illogical, too devastating. We don’t want to see our depravity or entertain hopelessness. And in many cases, we don’t want to give up the sin that kills us.

So, is God unfair? He’s the one with a problem with sin, right? If He’d just look the other way, all would be okay. Wouldn’t it?

Oh, no. Not at all.

Had He looked the other way, we’d all perish! God is not killing us. Sin is. God wants to heal us of that sin, give us life. And the only way of doing that is for someone else to die instead of us.

That’s Jesus.

Since Jesus took into Himself that which kills us, God can offer us forgiveness.

Accepting God’s gift of forgiveness through Jesus’ sacrifice is our only hope. His forgiveness touches the inner most hidden places of our pasts, our motivations, our sickness, and truly sets us free.

Nothing we can do ourselves remotely compares. In fact, everything we do ourselves just leaves us dying.

God is not the bad guy. He is the eternal Lover who displays so much passion for you that He rescues us at great cost to Himself, despite our resistance and outright rebellion.

Reading Psalm 106 recently, I was touched by God’s heart for His beloved. It describes again Israel’s story, their coy relationship to a perfect Lover, how they cheated on Him, ignored Him, refused to trust in His love. Verse 20 says: They traded their glorious God for a statue of a grass-eating bull…

What a sad description in the midst of a love story.

This Psalm also details the emotional reactions of God toward His unfaithful bride (how Israel is described, fyi). He’s mad, hurt, jealous, devastated, ready to wipe them off the face of the earth. Their adulterous behavior cuts Him, the God of the Universe, to the quick.

Aside from it killing us, that’s what sin does to God’s heart. Breaks it.

Even in brokenness, though, tenderness spills out. Verse 43 says: Again and again He rescued them… And in 45: He remembered His covenant with them and relented because of His unfailing love.

If anything about the covenant God offers us is unfair, it is that He endures so much heartache from His wandering beloved.

It pains me to watch movies like Eat, Pray, Love because a lot of people are in the same boat Liz found herself and are seeking for, she actually admits this, peace. Hurting people (that would be all of us at one point or another) need the unfailing love of a Power much greater than ourselves to experience that peace.

At one point in the movie, the very non-No Country for Old Men, sexy and sensitive Javier Bardem playing Phillipe tells Liz (Julia Roberts), “You don’t need a man. You need a champion.” I love that line. Not only is it true in our earthly lives, but it is true in an eternal sense as well. And forgiving yourself does not gain you that champion. Our incredibly loving and monumentally merciful God is our champion because He’s forgiven us, if we will only choose Him.

No wonder Psalm 106 starts out like this:

Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good!

His faithful love endures forever.

Who can list the glorious miracles of the Lord?

Who can ever praise Him enough?

Indeed.

Have a blessed week, Dry Ground friends!

(photos by photobucket.com)

Jammin' Juice

Been rocking out to this song while writing this week. Wanted to share. This one gets me going, an energizing picture of the powerful movement of God. I live in expectation. Hope you do too!

What have you been jamming to this week?

Have an inspired weekend, Dry Ground friends!

God's Promises

A lot of life seems to be about waiting. And waiting sometimes feels like a form of suffering. God’s word says in Romans (5:3-5), that suffering leads to perseverance, that produces character, that births hope.

There we hover… in the hope… our faith getting a workout.

Yet, the culmination of the above mentioned verse says: hope does not disappoint.

In other words, God keeps His promises, which in turn means, He answers our prayers.

T.D. Jakes said in his Easter sermon this past April that hope is good, but we need a harvest.

God knows that. And He’s good for it.

Sometimes, I settle for the limbo – the state of hovering hope – and stop expecting the answer, the harvest.

Each step found in the verses above is important. We must endure the suffering to gain the perseverance. We must apply perseverance to display character. Exercising character allows us to enjoy the hope.

But don’t stop there. The hope is for a reason too - the answer!

Yes, yes, I know, the answer could be ‘no.’ Fine.

But we serve a Father God Who will not give us a stone when we ask for a loaf of bread, or a snake if we ask for a fish. (Matt. 7:8-10)

I read Psalm 105 this morning, and God highlighted this for me.

As many of them do, this psalm tells the history of the Israelites as a reminder of God’s faithfulness.

The first thing I noticed is in verse 8: He [God] always stands by His covenant- (ital. mine)

I don’t know about you, but if I really believe that, what a comfort it is!

Secondly, there is a section in Psalm 105 about Joseph. (Read Joe’s story in Gen. 37-50) Here’s a quick summary: The next to youngest brother in a clan of twelve has a dream and tells his siblings that one day they will bow to him. Jealous and incensed, his brothers sell him into slavery and tell his father that he died. The slave caravan goes to Egypt where Joseph is sold, put to work, falsely accused of rape and imprisoned. Eventually, after even more hardships and unfair circumstances, Pharaoh lets him out of jail and places him in charge of pretty much everything, so that when there’s a famine back home and his brothers come looking for food in Egypt, they, without recognizing him, bow down to him. Dream fulfilled.

So this Psalm also summarized Joseph’s life, but relays it from God’s perspective.

It says that Joseph, though sold as a slave, was sent to Egypt. Though chained, the time came for his dreams to be fulfilled. That the meantime was God’s test of Joseph’s character! And once he was set free, he was free indeed. He became his own boss.

This story assures us that God keeps His promises, no matter what the wait-time looks or feels like. He has an appointed time for our dreams to be fulfilled. And when that happens, it’s always better than we ever imagined.

What answers to prayers are you waiting for? Hold fast. God’s good for it.

Be blessed, Dry Ground friends! Thanks for spending some time with me today!

(photos by photobucket.com)

You Light Up My Life

When writer’s block hits, I want to pull my hair out. I get fussy and depressed and snarky, desperate for inspiration to pour back into me.

I suffered from this earlier today while preparing to write Dry Ground. Despite exploring various methods to jumpstart the creative juices, not unlike repeated attempts to rip cord a lawn mower low on gasoline, I sat in the hotel lobby with my forehead in my palms. I may have been growling a little bit too.

The root of the problem lay in the fact that I was bored.

I don’t get bored often. I’m an only child with an overactive (usually) imagination who loves to watch movies, read books as well as make up stories of my own – I can handle alone time just fine.

Still, after a while… like, a few days… I crave a shake up in the old routine. And when that doesn’t happen, I end up pounding my head against a wall.

But my Daniel works long hours at a new(ish) job in a new location no where near anyone I know, except for my best good friend who just moved to Alaska – so I’ve been alone a lot lately. (Not complaining, just setting the scene – diagnosing my writer’s block…)

ANWAY, I’m sitting there gripping multiple strands of my hair, close to giving a good yank, when all of a sudden…

My Daniel walks into the lobby, three hours earlier than expected.

I sat up, perked up, felt my face light up, like somebody had lit a fire under me.

“Are you here for good?” I spouted, which meant I wanted to know if this was a break and he had to go back or if he was home for the night.

Home for the night, and ready to take me out to dinner – just the routine buster I needed.

I couldn’t believe how thrilled and relieved I was that he’d come home early. Seeing my Love walk through that door, seeing his face, changed my entire countenance on a dime. I’m so thankful that after fifteen years of marriage, my Daniel still lights me up.

And… it got me thinking.

What if it had been Jesus walking through that door?

First of all, would I be prepared to see my Perfect Lover? Or would He catch me distracted with my own pursuits?

And then, would I thrill to see Him? Like I did when my earthly mate surprised me?

As time flies, it’s easy to forget the face of our Savior. Maybe that’s because now we see through a glass darkly.

One day, though, we’ll see Him face to face. What a day that will be - when the routine of this life is eternally interrupted by Jesus striding through the fabric between dimensions to whisk me away in a twinkling of an eye on the best “date” I’ve ever had.

In the meantime, I pray I let Him light up my life.

I hope that’s your prayer too.

Happy Monday, Dry Ground friends!

(photos by photobucket.com)

How Wide and Long and High and Deep

Do you know how much God loves you?

A writer friend of mine directed me to a verse this week:

My lover spoke and said to me, “Arise, my darling, my beautiful one, and come with me.” Song of Solomon 2:10

So much tenderness and affection from the Holiest of Holies – I bask in it and marvel at His grace.

Then, this song crossed my path. I hope it warms and encourages you as it has me.

Happy Friday! This weekend, live like your loved.

To Throw in the Towel... or Not?

Are you carrying a heavy burden?
Are you exhausted?
Do you feel defeated?
Do think you’re at the end of your rope?

Even if you’ve seen this, it’s SO worth the six minutes. Please watch… and be encouraged!



Are you giving God your best? Can He count on you?

See you Friday, Dry Ground Friends!

It's Always Too Early To Throw a Fit

Ever jump to conclusions?

Funny how quick the mind is to see a certain perspective based on feelings, past experiences, and pre-conceived notions. Other factors make our launch platform a little springier as well – physical exhaustion or pain, hunger, hormonal imbalances, impatience – the list could go on.

Most people are 100% more reactionary than I am. For a lot of reasons, I have trouble wearing my heart on my sleeve, going off the handle or telling what I really think. I’m a classic wallflower when it comes to emotions. I’ve already noted here on Dry Ground, I don’t like to cry, or even admit to crying, at movies. I mean, you’re talking to the girl who didn’t shed a tear at her wedding! It’s not that I don’t care, of course, I just don’t communicate feelings unless I’m sitting in front of a piece of paper with a pen in hand.

So when I do have a tangible, observable reaction to anything, something’s up.

Often, it involves jumping to a conclusion.

This could also be defined as listening to the wrong voice, believing a lie, tunnel vision, or not waiting long enough to get the whole story.

I had an episode like this recently, the one I mentioned Friday about lamenting the course of my entire life. Although I worked through it and made decisions to buck up and not quit, I discovered an even greater lesson as facts unfurled.

The Lord showed me specifically that He has me exactly where He wants me doing exactly what He wants me to. He showed me that no matter how I feel, He’s working in and through me, accomplishing exactly what He wants to.

I wish I could share more details, but I can’t. What I can say is that the exact thing I thought I had failed at had made someone’s day.

Obviously, I had thrown my fit way too early.

I was too concerned about how successful I thought my life was going instead of “seeking first His kingdom,” glorifying God and letting Him determine my worth.

You never know how your faithfulness, talents, smile, hard work or encouraging words minister to people. Sometimes you get to find out, like I did this past weekend. Either way, people are what’s important, not personal score cards. If you’ve put a smile on someone’s face today, then I’d say that you’ve had a successful day.

So… no matter what happens, even if it appears traumatic and devastating, don’t expend energy on that fit, don’t jump to a faulty conclusion, trust that God is working through all things for your good and the good of others, accomplishing His will. Wait and see what He does. You’ll be amazed, humbled, grateful and released from the stress listening to the wrong voice causes.

Happy Monday, Dry Ground friends! Be Blessed!

(photos by photobucket.com)