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December 9 2022

A Season of Light – It Has Made ALL The Difference

It has been a long time since we sat together and chatted. For a while, it was more because I did not have anything new to share and then later, because I had so much to share, I could not find a place to start.

But today I find myself right here, at the table, ready for a chat with you…….

This morning I stood in my kitchen and realized my Easter/Thanksgiving/Christmas cactus is blooming. I am never sure which type it is because it blooms at the oddest times.

For some reason it really caught my attention. I stood still……admiring its colour and the fascinating shape of its bloom. Had I ever stopped and looked closely at it before? I cannot say with certainty that I have or have not, but this morning it struck me just how beautiful it is.

Two full blooms and I see another one starting. Usually, I am lucky to get one bloom.

“It is in the direct light,” I thought absentmindedly, “that has made the difference.”

In the light

That has made the difference

Why was it so much more captivating today?

The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death, upon them a light has shined. Isaiah 9:2

When I read this verse from Isaiah, I often wonder how these people, the ones who walked in darkness, felt when the light shined upon them? Were they grateful for what they could now see? Afraid of what the light revealed? In awe of all that they had missed while in the darkness? Did it alter the way they saw things? Did “dark things” bother them less when bathed in light and “things in the light” cause them to pause more often?

The last 3 plus months have been a time of great challenges in our home. A lot of appointments and tests, a lot of waiting, leading to an unexpected and unwelcome diagnosis for my husband. Followed by more tests, appointments, waiting, chemo treatments, side effects, long days and even longer nights.

Some days I have felt like “those who walked in darkness”.

If I were to be completely honest, there is something about the darkness that can cause us to burrow in deep, covered securely by its weight and its ability to obscure how and what we see. There is, oddly enough, a comfort in the dark, weight of it.

Early on in this recent journey, I was reminded of John 8:12 “Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.””

As I thought on that verse, reminded that as a follower of Jesus, I am not one that walks in the darkness, but one who walks in the light, I wondered…in this moment, in this particular situation, did the light that was shining on me change things? Did I feel grateful for what I could now see walking in this light? Was I afraid of what the light was revealing or might reveal? Was I in awe of all that I had missed when I walked in the darkness? Was this reminder of the light I walk in, altering the way I would see things? Did the “dark things” in my life and in this journey bother me less when bathed in the light and the did the “things in the light” cause me to pause more often?

My captivation with this cactus this morning, blooming in the direct light that made the difference caused something to shift within me.

I remembered that walking in the light of Jesus always makes the difference.

Walking in the light of Jesus impacts my perspective (my capacity to view things in their true relations or relative importance). (https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/perspective)

Despite the challenges, the uncertainties, the fear, the concern and worry for what is and what might be, when I choose to remember that as a follower of Jesus, I walk in the light, not in the darkness, things change.

I KNOW that I feel more grateful for what I can see when walking in this light – God’s truth.

I am LEARNING not to be afraid of what the light reveals about me, about others, about situations – because the light always leads to God’s truth.

I AM in awe of all that I miss when I walked in the darkness – once you know the truth you don’t want to go back.

This light I walk in, DOES alter the way I see things – “the truth will set you (me) free” (John 8:32).

The “dark things” in my life and in this journey bother me less when BATHED IN THE LIGHT – it doesn’t make it go away or always make it easier but it grants a peace that “passes all understanding” (Philippians 4:7) – the truth reminds me – in the end we win – “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.” (Romans 8:18).

Walking in the light changes my perspective and DOES cause me to pause more often, to see the beauty in the little, basic, and everyday things – truth shows you what is really important.

This is a season of lights. Christmas tree lights; lights decorating houses, doors and outdoor trees; flickering candles. All meant to represent the coming of the Light of the World, the Lord Jesus.

The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death, upon them a light has shined. Isaiah 9:2

Those people that walked in darkness, what light was it that shined on them? Just a few verses later we read:

For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end, upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, to order it and establish it with judgment and justice from that time forward, even forever. Isaiah 9:6-7

This Child is the light – the light that shined in the darkness of the people who previously had walked in darkness. The Christ Child, born at Christmas to give His life for us at Easter that we may walk with Him, in His light, eternally.

This morning’s captivation with the blooming cactus, in the direct light, that made all the difference, was a necessary reminder of the light that I am to walk in everyday. A reminder that I am not to get bogged down or comfortable in the weight of the dark, but that I am to be captivated by that which I can see – God’s truth – when I walk in His light. Regardless of what the situation I am in, looks or feels like –“for we walk by faith, not by sight”. (2 Corinthians 5:7).

Does that mean it will always be easy, work out the way we want it to, or feel comfortable?

No, it doesn’t.

But it does mean that I will walk in truth and peace and that my “enlightened” perspective will allow me to see the beauty in the little, basic, and everyday things that are really important in the whole scheme of things.

In the light

It has made ALL the difference

Category: Life, Moments | 3 Comments

June 12 2022

Shifting Gears – Who’s Strength Are You Moving In?

I will lift up my eyes to the hills—from whence comes my help? My help comes from the LORD, Who made heaven and earth. Psalm 121:1-2

How is it two months since we last chatted? It is an interesting writing season – although the thoughts come fast and furious, the release to share them is happening a lot less often. There are seasons like that – when what God give you, is really more for you than for others. He is a gracious Father and He knows what we need and when we need it.

Last time we talked about learning to let go when seasons change. That has been a hard lesson for me – so I have been sitting with that one a lot lately. I would love to hear how you are doing with learning to let go. It is always nice to share with others; it helps us to feel less alone in our journey. What we are learning could also be the lesson someone else is waiting on. Feel free to share in the comment section below.

The weather has been wonderful of late – I love the spring, as the days get progressively longer and warmer and I feel more like being outside and less like hibernating inside. Now it is almost summer, and last night it was still bright after 9pm. This makes me very happy.

For the last few weeks, I have been biking with my husband – we started with 10 kms and are now up to 20 kms. I love biking. The wind in your face, the speed. What I have not always liked about biking are the hills. Hills are hard. And I am competitive. Therefore, if my husband does the hill without getting off the bike and walking up, I want to do the hill without getting off the bike and walking up (even though he bikes A LOT more than I do).

The first few days we biked, I was determined to make all those hills – they were pretty gradual ones, but I still had to work hard to build up speed before the hill and then make a fast run at it to have any chance of getting to the top in one piece. It was exhilarating but exhausting.

My husband pointed out that I was not shifting my gears. Now, in my defence, my old bike had terrible gears that practically threw me off the bike when I shifted. Because of that, I never got in the habit of using them. My husband pointed out that the bike I am using now has nice smooth gears that shift easily and he showed me how to shift into the lower gear when going uphill.

Because I am in a season, where I am also trying to do new things – even though change is scary and difficult (even when you know it is good for you) – the next day when we biked I tried out the gears. What a difference!

The next day when we were biking, I was happily shifting gears all over the place – and feeling pretty good about my new skills. Still, there were more lessons to be learned. As we were approaching the last gradual hill on the way back (about 17 kms in), I was peddling fast to build up speed before the hill, expending a lot of energy, when I heard God say, “You don’t need to run the hill, just shift the gear down and maintain your normal speed.”

Now, you may think it was odd for God to be giving me direction about how to use my gears (although He does speak to us in the little everyday things), but He had a bigger lesson for me.

I slowed down my fast pace and shifted the gear as I hit the bottom of the hill. To my surprise, He was completely right! I made the hill with energy to spare at the top. YEAH!

As we continued on, God spoke clearly, “you have been running the hills fast and furiously, expending so much energy, doing it all in your own strength when all you had to do was use the gears – that is what they are there for”.

While I was still processing that, He continued, “you have been doing the same in your life, all of your life – running the hills fast and furiously, expending so much energy, doing it all in your own strength – but I have given you the Holy Spirit –the gears for your everyday life –use what I have given you. You do not need to do it in your own strength – know how to access and use the power you have within you – the power I have given you. In your strength you can get to the top of the hill, exhausted, discouraged, maybe even disillusioned. When you use your gears and go in the power of the Holy Spirit, wait and see where I will take you, in my strength, not yours.”

WOW!

Pause for a minute and let that sink in.

Did that hit you as it hit me when I heard it?

Did it hit you as it has hit me every day since?

If not, then maybe you need to sit with it a little longer.

After a few days, we went beyond the 8km mark one way and hit the BIG hill. It is a winding, back and forth, very tall and steep hill. Remember the competitive me. My husband graciously offered to walk up the hill with me (even though I knew he could do it without getting off the bike). I said to him, “can you bike up the hill?” He said yes and I said, “Well I am going to give it a try.” This time I did not run the hill, I maintained my speed, used the gears the way they are meant to be used and I made that hill on the first try! YEAH!

More importantly, in the last few weeks, as God continues to remind me that I do not need to do everything (anything) in my own strength, I am learning to access the power of the Holy Spirit that is within me. Do I get it right every time? No. I am learning. Is it always easy? No. Nevertheless, I will never learn unless I choose to surrender, submit, and lean into the strength of the Father.

We were never meant to be independent and self-sufficient. We were meant to live in relationship with an almighty and powerful God and in community with one another.

Whose strength are you moving in today?

Are you ready to shift gears?

As always, it is so wonderful to chat with you. Drop a comment below and let me know how you are doing. I would love to hear from you!

Until next time,

Remember,

you are valuable,

you are loved,

where you are,

just as you are!

Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths. Proverbs 3:5,6

Category: Life, Moments, Nature | 3 Comments

March 10 2022

Living In The ‘What If’

But You, O LORD, are a shield for me, my glory and the One who lifts up my head.

Psalm 3:3

Well, it has been almost 2 months since we last chatted. I had hoped to pop on sooner and share, but to be quite honest; I really did not feel like I had anything pressing to talk about. The last time we were together, we talked about the word “expectation” and I asked, “What have you done for YOU lately?” I don’t know about you, but I am still working on being intentional about self- care; making that a priority in my life. Not necessarily, the bubble bath and chocolates kind of self-care, but more the saying “yes” only to those things I know I need to be doing right now and getting my walk three or more times a week, type of self-care. How are you doing with that?

Today I want to ask you, “Are you living in the ‘what if’?”

This week in counselling, as we were looking at some of my writing homework, my counselor pointed out a series of ‘what if’ statements, one after the other. She told me we needed to deal with these ‘what ifs’ because each one indicated a fear.

Let’s pause here for a just a minute and let that sink in.

Why do we need to pause?

Because even though she and I took the time and walked through the process in the evening, identified the lies and fears, renounced those lies and fears and asked Jesus for the truth to proclaim in place of those lies and fears – the full force of what she said to me did not really hit me until I was out walking the next afternoon.

On lap three of four around the pond in the park, I heard Jesus say to me, “You are living in the ‘what if’.” I paused for a minute on the pathway and repeated it to myself. “I am living in the ‘what if’”.

It was at that point that I got it, really got it. Because there is a big difference between intellectually working through a few ‘what ifs’ on a piece of paper and having the truth hit your heart and spirit hard enough to cause you to pause.

In that moment, I realized, I have been living in the ‘what if’ for a very long time.

Are you living in the ‘what if’?

What exactly is the ‘what if’?

Think about our conversations in the run of the day, or even just our self-talk. How many times do we use the phrase ‘what if’? What if I make a mistake, what if I lose my job, what if people think my kids are not well behaved, what if I do not get the job, what if I don’t have enough money, what if my house looks messy, what if I am not doing a good job, what if they don’t like me, what if there is a war, what if I get COVID, what if the grocery stores continue to have empty shelves, what if the car breaks down, what if the traffic is bad, what if my alarm does not go off and I am late, what if what if, what if, what if?

Think about the thoughts that keep us moving fast during the day and keep us awake at night. Do any of them start with ‘what if’?

If any of this sounds familiar, then you may be living in the ‘what if’.

Why is the ‘what if’ a problem?

The ‘what if’ is not the issue; the problem is what it is covering up- what we do not see or choose not to see.

The “what if” proceeds the fear and the fear is based on a lie.

When we are living in the ‘what if’, we are living life from a place of fear and a life built on lies.

What a set up for failure.

As I finished lap three around the pond and moved onto lap four, I pondered the fear and the lie.

As I walked, I thought, for me, the fear is not even that everything that can go wrong will go wrong, but that when it does go wrong I will not have the tools or resources I need or be equipped to deal with it.

By the end of lap four, I realized the lie that feeds the fear, is that I am not enough.

Take a minute and think about the fear that proceeds your ‘what if’.

Now, be brave, and go a bit deeper? What is the lie that is feeding that fear?

Do you want the good news now?

As I finished lap 4 around the pond and headed back to the car, I still had a tall set of stairs to climb. That was just enough time to hear Jesus one more time.

“I not only have the Truth, I am the Truth.”

I paused and sat on the bench half way up the steps. I hesitated for a moment then I asked, “What is the Truth.”

“You are Mine and I live in you, I am more than enough and so, regardless of your ‘what ifs’, you are already enough in Me.”

What truth do you need to hear today from the One who not only has the truth, but even more importantly, IS the Truth?

Take a few laps around the pond, pause on the tall set of steps and sit on the bench for a moment or two if you need too. If you are open, He will speak His truth to you as well.

Maybe your ‘what if’ sounds more like, ‘I wish I could’, ‘if only’, ‘when will’.

I suspect anytime we are living outside of the moment that we are presently in, we are living somewhere that precedes the fear, the fear that is fueled by a lie.

Sitting on that bench, in the last few moments of a very productive walk, I took the time to renounce the lie that I am not enough and to proclaim the truth that I am enough in Jesus. Then, I asked Jesus to guide and direct my steps and to continue to work with me to renew my mind, because I am done living in the ‘what if’.

What about you? Are you ready to give up life in the ‘what if’?

Jesus has you.

Perhaps this is the self-care you need for today. Taking the time to let Jesus show you the fear and the lie and taking the time to nail them to the cross and proclaim the truth Jesus is in your life and has for your life.

You’ve got this!

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.

And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

Romans 2:1-2

Category: Life | 6 Comments