During some seasons of life it seems like the storms of life chase us, right? No matter what you do, difficulties keep popping up left and right like a game of whac-a-mole. When these times happen, God always comforts me in the neatest ways. These last few months have been one stormy game of whac-a-mole, but without the cool tickets to turn in at the prize counter. Well, even though I haven’t gotten any prize tokens, God has given me the best gifts. On two particular tough days, God allowed me to brave these storms with the original storm chasers: bald eagles. As I was driving one swooped right in front of me and flew by the side of my car. On the other day, I looked up ahead of me and there it was gliding right above me.
Did you know that when other birds cower to the storm, the bald eagle flies right into it excitedly. God actually made them that way. Their wings hold firm as the winds keep coming. I’m learning that’s how he’s made us too. We can rise up as God says, just like the eagle. Storms will come, but I’m thankful for God’s reminders that we can weather those storms together. Don’t be afraid of the storm. Fly right in!
But those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.
Isaiah 40:31
Sunday, November 26, 2017
Tuesday, July 4, 2017
Schooled by Soap Scum
Sooooo I have a confession to make. It's been a year since I last cleaned my shower. I can hear your gasps from here. A year y'all. The place that is a respite for clean in our home, has become a filthy hot mess.
So it's out. Your girl Mel has another flaw. I hate, hate, hate cleaning the shower. Now that I have let the cat out of the bag, let me explain what happened while I was cleaning my shower the other day. You see I had to purchase the big guns of cleaning products because let me tell you, the amount of soap scum was ungodly and the mold-yes you read that right mold-was in full bloom. It was one huge soap scum and mold rave. Thankfully there were no black lights to point out all of the germs I wasn't able to see.
So this particular aforementioned cleaning product sprays on blue and when it's done breaking down all of the mold and soap scum it turns white. I mean it's glorious. Well, that is if you clean your shower once a week or even once a month like the general public. Let me explain. So, I sprayed on my cleaning product and jammed out to my music while magic happened before my eyes. That beautiful blue little by little turned white, and it was like a fresh fallen snow right there in my shower. Angels were among us. So, I took my trusty scrub sponge and began wiping away the white. I was so happy with myself because in my mind I thought of all the things I was going to do after I got this job that I absolutely hated done and out of the way. So there I am elbow deep in my fresh fallen snow when I notice it was still there. The mold and the soap scum were STILL there. I don't know what I expected. After all, it had been there for a year, did I really expect it to depart so easily? It was right then and there that God showed me that my heart is just like my shower. All that mold and soap scum didn't have to build up like it did. If I had taken care of it like I should have the cleaning wouldn't have been so intense.
My heart is the same way. So is yours. If unchecked, so many things can build layer after layer into, over and on our hearts. Unforgiveness. Envy. Anger. Greed. Selfishness. The more these things build up in my heart, the more my relationships with others suffer. When we take time to daily look into our hearts it will spare us so much grief relationally. We might not like it because we want to think of ourselves as "having it all together." It's so freeing to know that nobody is perfect. So, since that day in my not so clean shower, with my not so clean heart, I have started to take the time to check in with my heart. I'm not always good at it, but it's so nice to not have things get all filthy in there. It brings peace to so many areas of my life when I do. I ask God to show me what needs to be tended to and He does.
So the next time you're taking a shower, be sure to clean behind your ears, but also remember to lather up and take a minute on your heart.
Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.
Proverbs 4:23
So it's out. Your girl Mel has another flaw. I hate, hate, hate cleaning the shower. Now that I have let the cat out of the bag, let me explain what happened while I was cleaning my shower the other day. You see I had to purchase the big guns of cleaning products because let me tell you, the amount of soap scum was ungodly and the mold-yes you read that right mold-was in full bloom. It was one huge soap scum and mold rave. Thankfully there were no black lights to point out all of the germs I wasn't able to see.
So this particular aforementioned cleaning product sprays on blue and when it's done breaking down all of the mold and soap scum it turns white. I mean it's glorious. Well, that is if you clean your shower once a week or even once a month like the general public. Let me explain. So, I sprayed on my cleaning product and jammed out to my music while magic happened before my eyes. That beautiful blue little by little turned white, and it was like a fresh fallen snow right there in my shower. Angels were among us. So, I took my trusty scrub sponge and began wiping away the white. I was so happy with myself because in my mind I thought of all the things I was going to do after I got this job that I absolutely hated done and out of the way. So there I am elbow deep in my fresh fallen snow when I notice it was still there. The mold and the soap scum were STILL there. I don't know what I expected. After all, it had been there for a year, did I really expect it to depart so easily? It was right then and there that God showed me that my heart is just like my shower. All that mold and soap scum didn't have to build up like it did. If I had taken care of it like I should have the cleaning wouldn't have been so intense.
My heart is the same way. So is yours. If unchecked, so many things can build layer after layer into, over and on our hearts. Unforgiveness. Envy. Anger. Greed. Selfishness. The more these things build up in my heart, the more my relationships with others suffer. When we take time to daily look into our hearts it will spare us so much grief relationally. We might not like it because we want to think of ourselves as "having it all together." It's so freeing to know that nobody is perfect. So, since that day in my not so clean shower, with my not so clean heart, I have started to take the time to check in with my heart. I'm not always good at it, but it's so nice to not have things get all filthy in there. It brings peace to so many areas of my life when I do. I ask God to show me what needs to be tended to and He does.
So the next time you're taking a shower, be sure to clean behind your ears, but also remember to lather up and take a minute on your heart.
Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.
Proverbs 4:23
Wednesday, June 14, 2017
Father of Mine
Daddy issues. Have you got em? Me too. I joke about them with my friends and it seems that even if you had the best dad ever, you've still been blessed with at least one or two issues.
I could write a whole post, well maybe two or three about all of my daddy issues, but instead I want to talk to you about how great my daddy was in his very own way. You see, dad's come in all different packages. I always thought that I was given the wrong package. You know, like when you are holding a gift at Christmas and you shake it and are disappointed because it rattles and you know very well that the clothes you reaaallllyyyyy wanted to get for Christmas wouldn't have rattled. This can't be my present?! Can it?! Eh hem. Don't try to tell me you've never wished for a different present before.
So, like I was saying. All my life I was sure I got the wrong guy. I shied away from ever getting close with him or opening up to him because of these thoughts. It was only over the last few years that I realized God gave me a dad like him for a reason. The more I got to know my dad and look at him through wise eyes that weren't resentful, I got to see the qualities about him that were beautiful.
Adventurous
Maybe it was because he traveled all over the country, but dad always was up for an adventure. He loved going places and seeing new things. This lives inside my heart too.
Thoughtful
Dad always had a way of thinking about other people. He saw needs and always wanted to meet them. He loved to make people smile and could carry on a conversation with literally anyone. People say that I am just like him in this way.
Music Man
Dad never was able to learn an instrument formally, but music definitely moved his soul. He always had the radio turned up loud and his voice blended in just right. He loved his oldies music and because of him, so do I. Just like dad couldn't go very long without music, neither can I. It's always on in our house in one way or another.
I could list more things that I have discovered about my dad that make him my "meant to be" dad, but for now I just want to say thank you God for giving me my dad. Thank you, dad, for always providing for us and for helping me grow into the adventurous, thoughtful, musical Mel that I am today. You weren't the package that I thought I needed, but you ended up being just right for me. Happy Father's day in Heaven daddy-o.
I could write a whole post, well maybe two or three about all of my daddy issues, but instead I want to talk to you about how great my daddy was in his very own way. You see, dad's come in all different packages. I always thought that I was given the wrong package. You know, like when you are holding a gift at Christmas and you shake it and are disappointed because it rattles and you know very well that the clothes you reaaallllyyyyy wanted to get for Christmas wouldn't have rattled. This can't be my present?! Can it?! Eh hem. Don't try to tell me you've never wished for a different present before.
So, like I was saying. All my life I was sure I got the wrong guy. I shied away from ever getting close with him or opening up to him because of these thoughts. It was only over the last few years that I realized God gave me a dad like him for a reason. The more I got to know my dad and look at him through wise eyes that weren't resentful, I got to see the qualities about him that were beautiful.
Adventurous
Maybe it was because he traveled all over the country, but dad always was up for an adventure. He loved going places and seeing new things. This lives inside my heart too.
Thoughtful
Dad always had a way of thinking about other people. He saw needs and always wanted to meet them. He loved to make people smile and could carry on a conversation with literally anyone. People say that I am just like him in this way.
Music Man
Dad never was able to learn an instrument formally, but music definitely moved his soul. He always had the radio turned up loud and his voice blended in just right. He loved his oldies music and because of him, so do I. Just like dad couldn't go very long without music, neither can I. It's always on in our house in one way or another.
I could list more things that I have discovered about my dad that make him my "meant to be" dad, but for now I just want to say thank you God for giving me my dad. Thank you, dad, for always providing for us and for helping me grow into the adventurous, thoughtful, musical Mel that I am today. You weren't the package that I thought I needed, but you ended up being just right for me. Happy Father's day in Heaven daddy-o.
“If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.”
Friday, May 12, 2017
The Medicine with Two Feet
We are all familiar with the tv ads for up and coming medicines, am I right? You know the ones that almost always have someone riding a bicycle, walking a dog or standing looking over the ocean. I mean it's totally obvious that by taking that medicine you'll be transported out of your pain and into a beautifully beachy place, all the while becoming an avid dog lover. That's what draws us in though you know..... we get to the point where we just can't take it anymore and we want some sort of relief. Why not be lured in by clever advertising. What I find even more interesting is the fact that they throw in the fine print side effects of the medicine in the very last second talking 15,000 words a second. You don't really hear what they are saying and you don't have time to process what they are trying to say at all. Now I want to stop here and say I am in no way talking down taking medicines at all. It's just that one day while watching one of these commercials something hit me. Humans are like medicine.
Let me explain.
Isn't it cool that when we first meet someone and we click with them it's just like those pharmaceutical ads. The sand is fresh, it's summer time and amazingly the wind blows through our hair as we glide down the path on our bicycle built for two. Cue the music!
Yep. It's glorious!
But...well you knew there would be a but, right?
There is this tiny part of me deep down in my heart that aches for them to accept me and fill me up. It's in your heart too. I cozy up to someone and open my heart up to them. Everything goes so well until ...well....something doesn't. Simple as that. I am left disappointed.
There is this tiny part of me deep down in my heart that aches for them to accept me and fill me up. It's in your heart too. I cozy up to someone and open my heart up to them. Everything goes so well until ...well....something doesn't. Simple as that. I am left disappointed.
If I had only read the fine print. Yep. We've all got fine print that we should warn people about before they get on that bicycle with us.
You see we all have these things called personalities. We all have histories. We all have family systems. Each and every one of these things have added to our fine print over the years. My fine print might say...
sensitive, needs reassurance, moody when tired, clingy when left alone, thoughts can get jumbled, has difficulty letting go, easily anxious in the right circumstance..... and the list goes on.
When fine print comes to the surface of relationships it gets tricky. It's during these times when the make or break situations happen. Am I willing to hang onto the beachy places of a person even though this part of them comes to the surface and makes the ride with them less than smooth?
The answer is always yes.
Just like the medicines they advertise are most of the time side effect free, they are still required to let you know. And just like the relationships we have are usually side effect free, those fine print moments can happen. They will happen. We must recognize them and call them just that. And we all need to own our fine print. When you mess up, admit it. When you've been hurt by someone else's fine print, admit that too. Chances are they don't even know that their fine print was bubbling over and it will help them. I know it has helped me.
Take a chance on someone, but just don't expect them to be side effect free. After all, most things that are worth it aren't.
Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor:
If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up. Ecclesiastes 4: 9-10
Saturday, April 15, 2017
The Look-For Less
Have you ever seen those outfit side by sides in magazines where they show you how you can get the look- for less? I mean who doesn't want to save an extra buck?! I've come to realize that the only time you can truly get a look for less is in a magazine outfit side by side. Are you confused? Let me explain.
So often I look at what's going on in the world and wonder why certain things aren't falling into place in my own little world. I'll resist the urge to transform into Ariel and burst into song singing "Part of That Woooorrrllldd." That song is going to be in your head now. You're welcome!
Ok, ok I digresss... so I sleuth out the world and I notice...
They are out of debt already- but I just bought a Starbucks coffee off of my budget plan.
She ran a 5k, but I just ate 5k in Reese's PB eggs.
She's always got a smile on her face, while I grumble nonstop.
These are just a few examples, and though they are a bit exaggerated, I hope you can see my point. I am realizing, very slowly through a huge learning curve, that if I want a "look" or to reach a goal, etc. I can't get it by way of less. I think our society is being built on the fast track, instant gratification way of life. Yet, anything that is worth having, will always require more. More discipline, more time, more effort, more, more, more...
This comes with a twist though. This is the part of the post where you can imagine me screaming PLOT TWIST! You must do more, but also do less. That might mean less Starbucks, PB eggs and complaining. It might mean setting better boundaries with the people around you so you can reach those goals. It's hard not to be available to people 24/7 with the invention of smart phones. However, you don't have to be. Give yourself permission to not answer that email, text, or phone call right away. Be available to the moment. If you're anything like me, you wonder what people are doing, how they are, etc. Did you ever think to stop and check in with yourself like that? How are you? What are you doing? Reflect so that you can reach those goals. If people don't hear from you in the same capacity that they used to, you won't be forgotten and the moment you're in just might be remembered instead. No more shortcuts with our time. I can't be envious of someone who got out of debt by sticking to their budget. They did more than I did. Running a 5k won't happen magically. It requires more training. Now you can't forget about people all together you know. I'm just saying that using our time wisely will actually help us to be more for everyone when we are with them. Now go ahead and get that outfit look for less... and let it stop there.
Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time.
Colossians 4:5
Love you all!
So often I look at what's going on in the world and wonder why certain things aren't falling into place in my own little world. I'll resist the urge to transform into Ariel and burst into song singing "Part of That Woooorrrllldd." That song is going to be in your head now. You're welcome!
Ok, ok I digresss... so I sleuth out the world and I notice...
They are out of debt already- but I just bought a Starbucks coffee off of my budget plan.
She ran a 5k, but I just ate 5k in Reese's PB eggs.
She's always got a smile on her face, while I grumble nonstop.
These are just a few examples, and though they are a bit exaggerated, I hope you can see my point. I am realizing, very slowly through a huge learning curve, that if I want a "look" or to reach a goal, etc. I can't get it by way of less. I think our society is being built on the fast track, instant gratification way of life. Yet, anything that is worth having, will always require more. More discipline, more time, more effort, more, more, more...
This comes with a twist though. This is the part of the post where you can imagine me screaming PLOT TWIST! You must do more, but also do less. That might mean less Starbucks, PB eggs and complaining. It might mean setting better boundaries with the people around you so you can reach those goals. It's hard not to be available to people 24/7 with the invention of smart phones. However, you don't have to be. Give yourself permission to not answer that email, text, or phone call right away. Be available to the moment. If you're anything like me, you wonder what people are doing, how they are, etc. Did you ever think to stop and check in with yourself like that? How are you? What are you doing? Reflect so that you can reach those goals. If people don't hear from you in the same capacity that they used to, you won't be forgotten and the moment you're in just might be remembered instead. No more shortcuts with our time. I can't be envious of someone who got out of debt by sticking to their budget. They did more than I did. Running a 5k won't happen magically. It requires more training. Now you can't forget about people all together you know. I'm just saying that using our time wisely will actually help us to be more for everyone when we are with them. Now go ahead and get that outfit look for less... and let it stop there.
Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time.
Colossians 4:5
Love you all!
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