How Time Flies

It's true....Time flies when you're having fun, and time flies the older you get! I always thought that meant the person saying it was too busy or making excuses why they didn't get something done, but I have found it to be true!! Here we are wrapping up March, and I still have a few random Christmas things that still haven't made it into the attic!!!! Wasn't I just in Florida??? Noooo, that was last summer! My, how time flies!!!!!

If you are a Believer, you understand the terms: sanctification, refining and pruning. They are all processes God works in us to shape us and grow us into the one He has designed us to be. It takes being moldable and not hardened to shape something. I think of my kids' Playdoh. It's such great fun to make anything you can imagine, any shape or size and even color (if you are allowed to blend the colors-heehee!!) But if you forget to put the lid back on correctly, the playdoh hardens and no longer is moldable. So sad, such a waste knowing it could have been avoided.

We must be pliable in the Creator's hands. Only in Heaven will be be the perfect creation He designed us to be. Meanwhile, we are in the process or season of change. It takes a journey of faith and trust to keep moving forward. It isn't always easy. We cannot learn how to endure if we don't have something to endure. We cannot learn patience if everything goes "according to the plan." We cannot understand compassion until we have nothing and someone offers help in our time of need. We cannot understand joy until we have felt deep gratitude or hope. We cannot understand being full, until we have been empty.

Just as in life, I believe as we mature in Christ, our seasons change quicker, at least I feel they do, and should. It took the Israelite people 40 years to make an 11 day journey!! The first time you do something, it seems to always take the longest amount of time, but the more you do it, the easier it gets, or at least the more familiar you are, therefore, the quicker the process should go. Right? I think it depends on our willingness to cooperate!! When we refuse to accept the instruction, when we try to do it our way, when we think about it and procrastinate...denial or refusal will always prevent us from moving forward quickly.

I have noticed in my walk with the Lord over the past year to be one of many seasons. It used to be loooong seasons with the Lord. I would work one one thing "wrong" with me for what seemed like forever and then I'd get it finally, then I would "practice" in it for a while, until God brought about the next pruning session. This past year however, it seems that there have been many prunings, one after another. One thing different is that what used to be seasons of love, hope and joy have become foundational parts of my soil. Circumstances don't change my joy in the Lord, for it is my strength. I can not and ought not to ever loose hope that He is there with a perfect plan, working all things out for His glory and my good. So it is no longer good and bad...it's working it out with joy and then resting in His goodness and peace...as He continues to prune a little more. It's a process with an eternal deadline. It doesn't mean I am a complete looser or that I am spiritually inadequate as Satan would have me believe...it means I am a work in progress towards His glory! It means He is near. It means He is actively working in my life. It means power of creation is creating something new in me! The old is moving out and the new is coming!!!

So, how do the seasons change quicker? Why do they change quicker? My only conclusion is that I am more in love than I was before, so I am ready and eager to please Him with all my heart, all my soul and all my might!! I have spent most of my life wishing I was someone I am not. I have become what may be a lifelong process now of finding my identity in Christ and not the world or my own. It is His approval alone that I desire. I don't care what I want to be or wish I could be. I only want to be what He created me to be so that I would be found pleasing in His eyes forevermore. Some things are harder to accept, of course, none of like all of us, we see the sin others don't, but God in His sweet timing, will prune it back, waiting for us to bloom even more brilliantly than the season before.

God, help me to be more pliable so there is less resistance to Your hand molding me. May there not be great lengths of time between the pruning and the blooming! Give me the grace and humble heart to see the areas of change needed and lite a fire within me to get it done. Lord God, I praise You for loving me enough to prune me, shape me and mold me into something greater than I am on my own. Cleanse me, You know my thoughts. Remove the hardened pieces which are dead and fill the area with newness and life. I know You live inside me and I pray for a pure dwelling place. You alone are worthy of all praise and honor. Anything good about me is only a reflection of You!
God, I pray I never resist You. My a day's journey not be years! I'm asking in Jesus Name, that Satan be bound from discouraging me, making me think I am less than I am, causing me to doubt Your promises, becoming lazy or insecure in Your Word. It is my desire to be fully Yours and serve You. I remember what You have spoken to me and I am thankful for Your recent reminders of Your goodness and faithfulness. Prune me and receive the glory each time I bloom for You!! Layer by layer, season to season, Your glory be seen. How the time flies. amen.

Lessons on the Slopes

 " For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:" Ecc 3:1

Our family has been graciously blessed to take a week of vacation in the mountains over the Spring Break week. And boy did we need a break!!! I feel like I am finally in a state of calmness that had escaped me the past several months. No one is telling me to "jump, I need you NOW!!" I am loving it. I can hear myself think in longer spans throughout the day and think through things without time constraint and distractions of daily demands flooding my thoughts.

Yesterday was an amazing day! There were several moments God "spoke to me." Each one could be a blog of their own, but I will do my best to highlight and allow God to fill in the blanks for you. Here are a few things He reminded me of:

1. There is more than one way.
We are all created so differently. Having 4 kids, I see it more clearly than I ever have before. Same parents, different people completely!! In our small unit of 6, 2 of us are "hit it head on" kind of people and you always know what they think because they have no problem letting you know. The other 4 are more reserved and cautious about their actions and words.
What was interesting is that though we taught them together, they not only learned differently but they did it differently, Each to their own. One took her "pizza wedge" all the way down straight down the slope while the other chose to zig-zag down. In the end, they both made it down, safely, with their own style...Head on and Gently done.
God did not create robots. You are unique! Let's cheer one another on to go as they are created to go. We all crash and burn sometimes, that's okay. Let's commit to remain faithful and diligent, spurring one another on to the end, in the name of Love.

2. If you want to learn, it will take time, energy, sacrifice and work.

This was my two little ones' (age 7 and 5) to ski. When we arrived, they could barely stand, looking much like Bambi standing for the first time!! It was great!!! Also, a great amount of work. My husband and I gave up our ski time to work with them, painfully at times, cheering, instructing, showing, catching them for hours. Within hours, we were cruising thru the Bunny Hill with ease and found ourselves ready for a longer run. We took them up their first ski lifts which they exited perfectly to my happy surprise, and took down the greens!! WOW!!! Shows you what happens when we come alongside eachother and work together for the common good. I am grateful that God has given me what I consider Hero's in the faith who have come alongside me. It took work and energy and sacrifice for me, but it was true for them also. It's not easy or without sacrifice when we walk thru a valley with someone. It is only God's grace that we can walk it without falling down or out. They are Hero's to me, not that they are super Bible Hero's, but because they allow God to use their hands and feet, in word and deed in the world (lost and saved alike). My growth as a Believer is just as much the "working out" I have done with the Lord as it is the sharpening I have received through others' love poured out on me through Him, cheering, instructing, showing, catching me.

3. When we take our mind off of our self, and focus on something or someone else, we are less likely to fall into temptation cuz we are not looking to satisfy our own thoughts, but another's.
Yes, I was a bit nervous getting back on the skis after MANY years being off of them. The first few runs I could have seen a snowflake make its full decent to the ground, I was going that slow!! LOL!!!! Thoughts of falling flooded my mind. I focused on every cautious turn I made. I was not enjoying this anxiety filled activity, except for when I stopped and enjoyed the views. Could I just please sit all day and only watch?!? Pleeeeease!!!! All I could hear was What if this or that...oh my! UNTIL I took my kids out on the slope.
All of a sudden my focus was on their turns, their enjoyment, their safety. My fear had been replaced with intercession. It was no longer about me and what I wanted. Before I knew it, I was having fun, soaking up their enjoyment. Reminds me of the scripture that says to share in each others joys and sorrows. Mama was having fun!! I wanted them to love it, succeed at it, have fun doing it! It was a pure joy to see the fruit of our labor and be blessed with sharing the victory!!! It was good to get out of my own head! Praying for God to make this so always.

3. Have FUN!!! Think outside the box.
 This was hilarious!! Corey and I were resting in the snow waiting on the big kids to return to our meeting spot and he asked if he could do a somersault...in the snow. I said No at first thinking, What a crazy idea, no way. You don't do that in the snow. But then I wondered, Really....why not!?! I know a "crazy" friend of mine who would be doing it if she was there. God has used her in many ways in my life and one of the ways is to push me outside of my "careful, conservative normal."

4.) The difference a day makes!!

One morning we woke up and snow was a thick blanket across the landscape. By afternoon, the sun had melted the driveway clear! The next morning was just as lovely eventhough no new snow had fallen. Although the snow made more work for us to get out the door and remain outside, all bundled up in layers, times 6 people, we were walking closets!! LOL It was worth it despite all the extra efforts. However, how easy it was later in the week as the snow melted away, to simply get dressed and throw on some shoes and head out the door for the day. It was a good reminder to me of something my counselor used to always have to remind me, This too shall pass. Ecclesiastes 3 reminds us there is a season and time for everything. Thankful for seasons physical and spiritual as they arrive and as they change.

Thank You Lord for teaching us through the seasons!!!! Each one has something of value, even if it is harder. May the exhausting days be met with Your grace. When the days are sunny, God help us to soak it all in. And may the cloudy days cause us to run under Your refuge. Rain or shine, You are faithful Lord God to bring the change of the season. Help us to remember it's about Your calendar, not ours. Keep us from putting You in a finite box which we can logically understand for You are immeasurable!!! And too Father God, never let Satan box us into one our self. May our eyes see Your beauty and grace in every single moment, regardless of the day. Amen!!!

" And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith." Galatians 6:9-10

Marking the Way for me to Follow

This week is Spring Break for the kids and we have dear friends who have graciously allowed us to spend time in their vacation home in the mountains. For us “City Folk”, it is just breathtaking every time we go. We LOVE the great outdoors. Unfortunately, we don’t know how to navigate it very well.

The day we arrived, snow sprinkled the landscape. We breathed a sign of relief that the roads were clear for the most part. Our greatest fear was driving a 2 wheel drive, not a 4 wheel drive into winter weathered roads. If we got caught somewhere in the 14 hour drive in snow, how would we make it through? Well, we made it! That first evening, we got all settled in gathering up 6 sets of ski gear for the morning’s trip out on the slopes. It was a glorious clear night. I always forget how absolutely gorgeous it is under the midnight skies. Like diamond-sand tossed high!

Vacation or not, my quiet times with the Lord have become very precious to me and I was actually especially excited to meet with Him over a cup of hot coffee on the porch as I watched Him call the sun to rise over the mountain range!!! I watched as the shadows casted by the moon, became shadows casted by the sun! Glorious and Mysterious!! My alarm went off and I jumped out of bed! It was time. But to my surprise, it was snowing! It obviously had been snowing ALL NIGHT!!! The snow laid a fresh blanket of glowing white powder as far as the eye could see. A different kind of sigh…how will we get out of here now? The home sits on a hillside that is nerve-wracking to navigate in the summer, much less iced and snowed over! The road was invisible to us.

Are we going to have to cancel our nearly $500 worth of non-refundable rentals and lift tickets due to the fact we can’t get there? Oh no. Not sure what to do, we called a friend and neighbor whom we have met on previous trips to give us instruction on whether or not we could make it out , and if so, how! He said, “Absolutely!! You MUST go. People wait for this kind of perfect skiing weather. It’s fresh powder!! You MUST go!! You can make it. I will show you how.”

Our friend and neighbor had no doubt we could do it, and was even willing to show us how. He had driven these roads for over 20 years and was willing to lead the way for us so that we could get to the other side. We were between panic and nervous as we loaded up the kids. The few patches of snow we drove over the day before made us nervous as our car lost traction and skated over the few patches. How in the world were we going to handle driving over freshly laid out snow that blanketed the landscape, our car?!? Trust the one with more knowledge and wisdom. Yep, we were completely trusting the opinion of someone who was wiser to the conditions. We trusted the fact that he had our best interest in mind and would not lead us astray. Should our tires lock up, or breaks fail, it was a loooooong slide down. We were fully aware of all the “what if’s.”

With a deep breath, we loaded the car and pulled out of the driveway. It was one of those times when you don’t want to look but you can’t help not to. Deep breath. Our fearless (and calm, I might add), leader gave us to two words of advice: 1.) Stay in my tracks and 2.) Don’t stop or you will lose traction and surely lose ground. I’m not sure if either of us were actually breathing as we followed him as the tires crunched through the ice. Once you make the decision to go, there was no turning around…literally!! Foot by foot, we successfully tracked in his tracks making it out to the level ground at the base of the hill. Whew!!! We DID do it! We made it!! Just like he said we would!!! He was right!!! Tears of pure JOY overcame tears of fear and I felt myself breathe once again, ahhhh.

We stayed in his tracks AND we didn’t stop! We made it to the slopes in one piece, grateful to be there, having gained an awesome day rather than a day of despair and loss. We gained everything by going! What memories! We trusted and were blessed. We became stronger that day. Our hope was met with gain. Our next trip down that hill was easier, because we had already conquered it! Confidence, hope, trust and faith overcame our fear, doubt and anxiety.

Isn’t this a perfect example of mentoring, and more importantly what Christ has done for us. He has been where we are going…He created the journey for us and will navigate it with us, patiently and joyfully leading us to the other side. He is wiser, all knowing. Cheering us on, He believes we can make it to the other side and He has showed us how. And because He is alive, we have Him to plow the road infront of us still today, leading us safely across the sometimes invisible terrain. Aren’t you glad you have a Friend in Jesus?!? I sure am.

Just as the physical seasons change, so do our spiritual seasons and the road ahead can sometimes become invisible before us. The comfort we have in order to keep moving forward, is to call upon the One Who is wiser, Who loves us and has our best interest in mind, and is familiar with the roads that take us to the other side of our hill. Our God is faithful. Our God is trustworthy. Our God is a God who creates and sustains the seasons. Will we choose to trust Him? Will we head His advice: 1.) Follow Me and 2.) Don’t stop!!

I can’t help but also think of the precious few that have said to me, “Michele, you can do this. You will make it to the other side just fine.” They have showed me how. Their wisdom fueled my hope. They kept me moving when I wanted to stop. Although it is without question that all of our hope and trust is in Christ alone, He does give us each other to encourage and counsel one another in Love’s Name. It is HIS love working through us that gives us the capacity to love others closer to Him. Because we love Him fully, we can love others fully. His love enables us to do great things!

His love comforts and conquerors our fears. Confidence in Him causes us to plow the road unseen, for ourselves and with another. When we finally conqueror the hill, it is with greater assurance that we will cross the next one with greater ease and confidence. When we love, we trust. When we trust, we conquer.

Father God, Great and Mighty are You. All the world is in Your hands. Even though the seasons change, You never do. Thank You Lord for Your faithfulness. Thank You for paving The Way for me to come directly to You. I trust You that You have and will continue to plow the way before me, blocking the fiery darts of Satan as he attempts to derail me of the path of righteousness. Thank You for provisions and power in Your name.

God, give me greater courage to not fear when the path You lead me to is invisible before me. May my faith be strengthened and my confidence increased to keep me moving, inch by inch, foot by foot, following Your lead. Lord, I surrender to You to use whatever amount of ability or gifts You have given to me to encourage and lead others closer to You. I know that if You lead, I will be okay. It is my heart’s desire to follow You, go where You lead and be an encourager to show other’s how to stay in Your tracks. Give me courage to lead with confidence in my ability to hear You clearly and trust You completely. Thank You Lord for sending such awesome leaders into my life. Help me to conqueror the next hill and return the favor and blessing for another. Amen!