Month: January 2018

When the Mountain is Tall

Posted on by Paula

I was excited to help with “Field Day” at the elementary school where my son, Christopher taught. Field Day gave me a chance to see and interact with almost all of the students there. It also gave me a chance to work with some of the local high school football players volunteering to lead groups of children through each activity.

Christopher and I were assigned the inflatable obstacle course. Halfway through the course was a “giant mountain” that the children had to climb. After reaching the top, they would slide down the other side.

The football players stood at the beginning of the inflatable to tell the students when they could start through the course. Christopher stood outside the middle to supervise the kids as they climbed the mountain. Sometimes I would stand opposite Christopher. Other times I stood at the end of the inflatable to keep the students from falling off the end if they got crazy sliding down.

At one point, I was waiting at the end a really long time, but no one was coming down the slide. I walked around to the side of the mountain to see what was going on. My heart was touched when I saw my son encouraging a little boy and gently helping him climb as the other children cheered.

I was very impressed with the football players. They were serious about their job and did wonderfully with the students. The young men were outside in the hot sun all day long helping group after group. I heard no complaints.

Although all of the players were amazing, there was one who really made an impression on me. He and his partner had already brought a couple of groups through. However, with this particular group of children, I found him up inside the middle of the course before we began. I asked him why he was there. He looked down at me and said, “Well these kids are really little. They’re going to need help making it over this mountain. I don’t think all of them can do it on their own.”

I will never forget one little boy who was really struggling. The high school student was so patient with him and wouldn’t let him give up. He told the little boy where to step and grab, but the little boy just couldn’t reach the top. Finally, the high school student climbed up to the top, grabbed the little boy’s hand and pulled. The little boy was finally at the top of the mountain, but once he was there, he was afraid to slide down. I cheered him on at the bottom and promised to keep him safe, but he was too scared to move. The high school student spoke to him a while, and then together they slid safely to the bottom.

My heart melted once again as this high school student encouraged and aided the younger students. Over and over, he and my son helped the little ones climb the mountain so that they could slide over the top.

That’s how it is in life. Isn’t it? Sometimes the mountain we face seems too tall. Sometimes we lack confidence and need someone to encourage us and cheer us on.  Sometimes we’re too weak and need someone to help lift us up. Sometimes we’re scared and need someone to climb with us. Then there are the times when we are the confident ones. We are the strong ones. We are the courageous ones who can help those who are struggling.

We’re in this together. We must stay attentive to the world around us and be ready to lend a hand to those who are struggling. Likewise, we can’t let ourselves be too ashamed to accept help when we’re in need ourselves. The mountains don’t seem as tall when we help each other climb.

Whiter Than Snow

Posted on by Paula

I used to love snow as a child. My excitement would surface with the sight of the first snowflake, and I would watch and wait with the happy anticipation that school would be canceled the next day. Snow days meant building snowmen, sledding, participating in snowball fights, sliding around on the ice, creating snow angels, making snow ice cream and then drinking hot chocolate with marshmallows when Mom called me back inside. Those were happy days.

As a young adult, I became a mother and watched my own kids have fun doing all the same things that I had done as a child. I loved it at first. However, as the kids grew older, and I became busier, I got tired of the mess that came with the snow. After years of wiping up the wet floors and washing and drying loads of wet and muddy coats, snow pants and clothing, “playing in the snow” didn’t seem that fun to me anymore.

I have grown to dread winter more and more with every passing year. I still detest the mess it makes on my floor. I don’t like when my kids have to drive 70-100 miles on slick roads to get to college. And now that I’m older, my body just can’t tolerate the frigid wind and freezing temperatures anymore. While I used to get excited at the first snow flake of the season, I now get cranky at the mention of the “s” word.

I dread it. I detest it. I complain about it. Yet, as much as I hate to admit this, something strange and unexpected happens to my grumpy attitude when I look outside my window and see that first big snowfall of the year. As I survey my surroundings, the world seems so quiet and still. Surprisingly, I experience a feeling of peace. I forget about the impending mess, the danger of the icy roads and even the chill in my frozen, old bones. The depressing brown landscape and the weeds that had overtaken the yard by the end of summer are hidden beneath the glittery white blanket. Everything is fresh and white. It reminds me of something David wrote,

Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. (Psalm 51:7)

By the grace of God and the blood of Jesus, we can be washed whiter than snow, no matter what we’ve done. You see, God created everything, and He created man in His image. All was good until we humans sinned by deciding to do things our way instead of God’s. (Adam and Eve ate from the tree that God told them not to eat from). God is holy, and sin separates us from God. The penalty for sin is death; all sinners are doomed. The wonderful news is that God sent His Son, Jesus, to provide a way for us to be made right with God again. Jesus became God in the flesh, lived here on earth and was tempted in every way just like we are, but Jesus never gave in to those temptations. He lived a perfect life without sin so that He could take the death penalty for us. He died on the cross in our place and rose from the dead, conquering sin and death. If we accept His gift of salvation and commit our lives to following Him, our slate is wiped clean. We can stand before God because we have accepted the gift of salvation through Jesus, and that is great news.

So sometimes, I suppose the snow can be a good thing as it draws me into the stillness of the world and causes me to reflect on what Jesus has done for me. It is a humble reminder in my grouchiness that I was bought with a price and that the power of his cleansing blood washes me whiter than snow.

Consider the Consequences

Posted on by Paula

How could it cause that much harm? It was just a piece of fruit. God told Adam he would die if he ate it, but Satan entered the scene.

Eve had been warned about the fruit, but the serpent questioned if God really said what he had. The serpent told her that they wouldn’t really die as God said but that their eyes would be opened so that they would become like God, knowing the knowledge of good and evil.

“So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate. Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths. And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden.” ~Genesis 3:6-8 ESV

They knew they had done wrong, and they were ashamed. They hid from God, but God called out to them. When he questioned them, Adam blamed Eve, and Eve blamed the snake.

Even though God extended his grace and covered their shame and nakedness with animal skins, there were consequences for their sin. Their innocence was gone, their relationship with God was damaged and their relationship with each other changed as well. Furthermore, Eve would experience pain in child birth. She would also desire her husband, but Adam would rule over her. God cursed the ground to produce thorns and thistles so that Adam would have to work hard for food.  Adam and Eve were also banished from the beautiful garden so that they couldn’t eat of the tree of life. Instead they would experience death and return to the dust from which they came.

Adam and Eve’s sin affected more than just themselves. Because the door to sin had been opened, Adam and Eve’s son Cain would later kill their other son Abel out of jealousy and anger. No one would experience walking with God in the perfect garden; everyone would experience sorrow, hardship, temptation, sin and its consequences.

We all have temptations, but no one can make us sin. We have the choice of whether we will turn away from our temptations or whether we will give into those desires and fall into sin. All it takes is one look, one taste, one drink, one hit, one touch, one try, one time… and everything begins to fall apart.

We don’t always consider all of the consequences before giving in to our sinful desires. Our selfishness doesn’t allow us to think of all the people that our choices could affect—our spouse, our children, our grandchildren, our parents, our friends, our students… We don’t realize the magnitude of hurt or hardship that our actions will inflict upon others. We see, we desire, we partake and we suffer the consequences—guilt, shame, pain, damaged relationships, loss of trust, custody battles, divorce, financial loss, job termination, addiction, depression…brokenness… for us, for those we love, for future generations.

Through Jesus, we can always experience God’s forgiveness, mercy and grace. However, the consequences may remain and may affect other people as well. When you are faced with temptation, consider the consequences not only for yourself but for others. Giving into temptation isn’t worth it. You will feel shame and regret.

“No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.” ~1 Corinthians 10:13 NIV

Normal is Just a Dryer Setting

Posted on by Paula
Photo credit to Abigail Barr

A dear friend who knows me well gave me a new mug for Christmas. It sports the perfect shade of pink along with a saying quite relevant to my current season of life, “around here, NORMAL is just a DRYER SETTING.”

The last couple of months have been full of activity. I am thankful for every minute of November and December and was sad to see the holidays end. However, when the new year rolled in, I found myself both excited to embark on some new adventures and also anxious to slip into a “NORMAL” routine … whatever “NORMAL” means.

I have been chasing after “NORMAL” for quite some time. This desire went hand-in-hand with my quest for “the B word” (BALANCE). After journaling about this issue for nearly 15 years, I finally decided in January 2017 that it was time to get serious; I was sick of my mess. My goal was to get my life in order by the time I turn 50. I only have a few months to go and am still not there, but I feel like I have made some pretty great progress.

Over the past year, I have learned a lot about myself and the way I manage my time. Looking back over last year’s plan, I can see which strategies helped, which strategies are no longer necessary and which strategies I need to exert more discipline in so that success can be achieved.

I’ve started 2018 out as determined as ever to find BALANCE and to decide what “NORMAL” is. I have a new pink planner with gold sparkles which is sure to inspire and to guard against failure. I am also motivated by some dreams I hope to achieve this year, but in order to make those dreams become realities, I have to find TIME to accomplish them.

So, here I go, anticipating this to be a great year. I have written down my list of non-negotiables (things I must do on a regular basis)—study the Bible, pray, exercise, work at the office, blog, journal, manage the house in various ways, rest and sleep. I made a schedule with my non-negotiables so that I can also find time to work on those dreams I have.

I’ve set several goals this year. I’ll continue working on time management and self-control while finding time to work on my dreams. I’ll be spending more time in prayer and continuing to be flexible and willing to change my plans as God opens my eyes to opportunities to join in what he’s doing. I’ll keep striving to find better balance between work and rest, between self and others and between spending time with people and working on projects to help people.

I will not beat myself up when my life cannot adhere to my paper schedule. Rather I will find contentment, if I can become steadfast in keeping my focus on Jesus, staying yoked to him, being unified with his Spirit and bringing glory to God by pointing others to him through Jesus. That is the “NORMAL” I hope for in 2018.

Confessions of a Princess

Posted on by Paula

Our New Year’s Eve company had left, and I went to bed shortly after ringing in the New Year. As I reflected on all of the blessings I had received in 2017, my thoughts started shifting to what might lie ahead in 2018.

With the busyness of the holidays coming to an end, I was ready to clean up the mess, get into a new rhythm and start fresh again. A lot of great ideas about new projects had recently come to mind, and I needed to figure out how to fit those in. I also needed to do a little heart check to see what changes God might want me to make in my life as I continue my journey with him. As eager and excited as I was to get started on a plan of action, I knew that my body needed rest. I quickly slipped into deep and peaceful sleep.

I awoke to my oldest son asking two questions. “Can I borrow your car keys?” and “How can water be rushing out of the middle of the road?” Now, I am one of those people who are pretty slow to rise in the morning. You know, the kind that can hit the snooze button every 10 minutes for an hour and quickly fall back asleep in between. When I finally coax my feet down to the floor, I seem to wander around doing who knows what and am not ready to converse with anyone until I’ve had at least a half a pot of coffee and a pretty long pep talk from God.

However, the thought of water rushing out of the middle of the street caused me to jump out of bed lightning fast and bolt into action. Outside my bedroom window, I could see the water gushing, some sort of digging truck and a big dump truck; I knew my water supply was going to be cut off shortly. That’s when it all became “every Princess for herself!” Don’t mind that besides my husband who jumped out of bed as well, there were three sleeping children in the house who had no clue of the ensuing inconvenience.

What do I need? “Bathroom! No. Coffee!” I quickly started the coffee and ran to the bathroom to start filling the tub. I was for a brief moment nice enough to urge my husband to go shower in the boys’ bathroom upstairs, before I also started filling pitchers, pots and the kitchen sink with water and making all the necessary preparations that were routine for times when I had the luxury of knowing the water supply would be shut off.

My husband was already finished with his shower when I had finished filling everything I could think of on the main level of the house. When I found out he hadn’t filled the upstairs tub after showering, I commanded he go “Do it now!” This was a state of emergency for a Princess like me!

He reluctantly went upstairs only to find that the water had already been shut off…. We had one tub of water for flushing, and I had not yet had my royal bath. When my husband, whose shower was on the chilly side, saw the full tub of water I had drawn, he questioned if I had run the tub full of hot water rather than cold. I replied that it was “warm” since I had been planning to bathe. I felt a tad guilty inside because it was warmer than “warm,” but Princesses really cannot tolerate cold water, even on the warmest days, which this sub-zero morning was not, and it truly wasn’t as hot as I normally deemed necessary.

With one tub of water, and the water off, a decision had to be made. Do I use the clean water for hand-washing and flushing or do I take my “warm” bath. Of course, I did what any Princess would do…. I decided to take my bath and use the dirty bath water for flushing. Clean water would eventually cycle through.

When I emerged from my morning pampering for another hot cup of coffee, I was greeted by the sad eyes of my daughter who asked if the water had been shut off. Next in line was my son who had to be at work in less than two hours.

I looked out the window again. It appeared that the job would still be taking quite a long time. My husband’s estimate was another four hours. Again, I felt I had been a “tiny bit” selfish to have put myself first but at the same time, I was thankful that I was not in their predicament.

I did find a place for them to shower, my son did make it to work on time, the last child in the house slept like a baby until the work outside was completed, and clean water did eventually cycle through the “royal throne.” However, as the “state of emergency” came to an end, this Princess started to feel more than a “tiny bit” of shame.

I would like to twist the truth about my motivation for action in this story around and say that I was doing the selfless, responsible thing by getting myself cleaned up first so that I could drive my other family members to a destination to shower. However, that is not the case. The real story is that when I saw what was happening outside my window, the only thing that I was thinking of was the Princess. I didn’t check the calendar to see if anyone needed to go to work. I didn’t think about the chilly water temperature that my husband might be experiencing as I drew my “warm” bath. My first thoughts weren’t even about the poor men outside my window who had to get up early on New Year’s Day to endure freezing temperatures to fix the water leak and ensure that I could have clean, running water. Nope. Everything I did when I got up was for me, the Princess.

Even though it all worked out, I realized that one thing I need to work on this year is becoming the princess that God wants me to be. I really am a princess; I belong to a royal family. I belong to the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, the Prince of Peace, but rather than act like the spoiled Princess who seems to surface when there is a “state of emergency,” I am called to something different. I’m called to live the life described in Philippians 2:5-11….

You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross. Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor and gave him the name above all other names, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue declare that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (NLT)

Since my New Year’s Day didn’t start out quite the way I had planned, and since my whole morning was “dedicated” to “managing my kingdom in the state of emergency that had ensued,” I didn’t really have time to figure out my “plan of action for 2018.” So, I will be working on that more with God this week. One thing I do know has to happen in that plan is that I need to become the kind of princess that the King of Kings called me to be. The wonderful news is that I will not have to figure that out all by myself. I will continue into 2018 clinging to the promise that the Apostle Paul wrote in Philippians 1:6 (NLT),

And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.