Knowing When to U-Turn

It looked like the perfect time to go. The guys loaded up their gear and prepared the boat for a trip out to sea. The water looked clear and calm. They had all their gear filled and ready. Everything was a go! They gave us their boat plan and we waved them off.
Usually when Daddy and the big boys go out on the boat, I plan something to do with the little two. We had decided to play at home this time. Only, to our surprise, the big boat pulled back into the dock. My first thoughts are always "What is wrong?!?" when plans suddenly change, so I ran out on the porch to see what was wrong...everything had seemed ready to go just a few minutes previous. Well, the waters were not as they seemed and were too rough, so they did a u-turn and came home. It's not what they wanted to do, but what they needed to do...and that was to wait.
I think of all the times God prepares us and gets us ready for something and we think it's Go Time and we rush out and go...only to discover the waters weren't quit ready enough. How many times do I too quickly say Yes to doing something, even if it is something God is preparing me for, and I have everything ready to go and yet the waters weren't ready yet? I had not waited to make sure everything was ready, even though I was. We get so easily wrapped up in ourselves thinking "I am ready and I can do this" only to find out it was not Go Time.
Wisdom and self-control u-turn us and brings us back home when we find ourselves headed into rough waters. Foolishness says, "I don't want to wait, I can do this anyway." The boys could have continued out into the rough waters. It would have been what they had prepared for and wanted, but it would not have been wise. They would have put themselves at risk, and possibly others. Instead, they used their discernment and made the wiser decision to return to refuge and wait for the waters to also be ready. They were prepared and ready, (and eager I might add), yet the waters were not.
Some lessons are learned the hard way, and they had previously had to learn this lesson the hard way. Thank God no one was hurt and all the guys returned home safely, but they took a gamble at being able to manage the high seas one afternoon. Swells began to come over the buoyed boat with 2 divers in the water and one left to Captain the boat. The Captain became terrified as the dark clouds rolled in with waves growing in strength and numbers knowing that there was no way to get to the guys below and warn them of the approaching storm. Neither could he leave and return to safety. When the divers surfaced, the swells and rains were so thick, they could not find the boat right away. That was frightening. At the same moment, all 3 people on the water were in fear and in danger, all because they thought they could handle it. A lesson learned the hard way. 
As we live on mission for God, may we always be prepared and ready to go out into the waters, and act wisely, discerning and exercising self-control to know when the right time to go is. May we never go out foolishly or selfishly, but wisely and timely. 

"And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ,  filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God." 

Philippines 1:9-11

God, we know that you are continually shaping us and preparing us to walk in obedience to the call you have placed in our lives. We pray for discernment of when we need to step out of the boat by faith and when we need to rest at the shore as you prepare the waters for our journey out. May we never allow our eagerness and zealous hearts to jump out ahead of Your divine appointment and cause us to miss it or make a mess of it. We acknowledge that Your ways are not our ways and we rest trusting in Your perfect timing in our lives. Holy Spirit, lead us to the path of peace and righteousness for Your Name's sake. May our foot steps along the journey lead us beside the still waters which You have prepared. Thank You for Your forgiveness and mercy when we forge ahead. And Lord, when we go, as we go, we pray a hedge of protection around us to keep us from storms that come quickly upon us. When we find the waves swelling above us, we ask for Your protection and refuge from being overcome. We trust You knowing that You have also prepared us for this and You are not caught by surprise. Holy Spirit, continually keep us focused on Christ's Way, in His perfect timing, to go where He leads, having faith and discernment that He is above all things and will lead us to the paths of righteousness and is working all things for His glory! Remind us to be wise and not foolish. Open our eyes to see when we are heading out into waters that aren't prepared yet, and give us self-control and wisdom to wait. May our zeal for You be gathered and prepared for the divine appointed time, not as we want, but as You need. We praise Your Great Name. We thank You for Your presence. We thank You for Your grace. We thank You for Your love over us. Be our Refuge, our Strength and our Leading, in everything, always. Amen.

" And David spoke to the LORD the words of this song on the day when the LORD delivered him from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul. 2 He said,  "The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, 3 my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold and my refuge, my savior; you save me from violence. 4 I call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised, and I am saved from my enemies. 5 "For the waves of death encompassed me, the torrents of destruction assailed me; 6 the cords of Sheol entangled me; the snares of death confronted me. 7 "In my distress I called upon the LORD; to my God I called. From his temple he heard my voice, and my cry came to his ears. 8 "Then the earth reeled and rocked; the foundations of the heavens trembled and quaked, because he was angry. 9 Smoke went up from his nostrils, and devouring fire from his mouth; glowing coals flamed forth from him. 10 He bowed the heavens and came down; thick darkness was under his feet. 11 He rode on a cherub and flew; he was seen on the wings of the wind. 12 He made darkness around him his canopy, thick clouds, a gathering of water. 13 Out of the brightness before him coals of fire flamed forth. 14The LORD thundered from heaven, and the Most High uttered his voice. 15 And he sent out arrows and scattered them; lightning, and routed them. 16 Then the channels of the sea were seen; the foundations of the world were laid bare, at the rebuke of the LORD, at the blast of the breath of his nostrils. 17 "He sent from on high, he took me; he drew me out of many waters. 18 He rescued me from my strong enemy, from those who hated me, for they were too mighty for me. 19 They confronted me in the day of my calamity, but the LORD was my support. 20 He brought me out into a broad place; he rescued me, because he delighted in me. 21 "The LORD dealt with me according to my righteousness; according to the cleanness of my hands he rewarded me. 22 For I have kept the ways of the LORD and have not wickedly departed from my God. 23 For all his rules were before me, and from his statutes I did not turn aside. 24 I was blameless before him, and I kept myself from guilt. 25 And the LORD has rewarded me according to my righteousness, according to my cleanness in his sight. 26 "With the merciful you show yourself merciful; with the blameless man you show yourself blameless; 27 with the purified you deal purely, and with the crooked you make yourself seem tortuous. 28 You save a humble people, but your eyes are on the haughty to bring them down. 29 For you are my lamp, O LORD, and my God lightens my darkness. 30 For by you I can run against a troop, and by my God I can leap over a wall. 31 This God--his way is perfect; the word of the LORD proves true; he is a shield for all those who take refuge in him. 32 "For who is God, but the LORD? And who is a rock, except our God? 33 This God is my strong refuge and has made my way blameless. 34 He made my feet like the feet of a deer and set me secure on the heights. 35 He trains my hands for war, so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze. 36 You have given me the shield of your salvation, and your gentleness made me great. 37 You gave a wide place for my steps under me, and my feet did not slip;" 2 Samuel 22

Please Wait...Warming Up!

Sunday I was needing to make some copies for the kiddos and I had just enough time to make them. Afterall, I only needed 8 small copies. I could do that in 15 minutes, for sure.

Trying to save time, I headed to the downstairs copier which I hardly ever use. I clicked the button and it displayed "Warming up" on the panel. Hurry, Hurry...only have a second to warm up, I've got to go!!  As it warmed up, I got my papers ready to go....but I could not find the by-pass tray for my card stock. Well, maybe it handles both types of paper through it's feeder. Nope!! Paper jam! I soooo didn't have time for THAT!

I quickly took care of the paper jam and ran upstairs to the use the copier I was familiar with and could almost work on with my eyes closed! Cardstock in the by pass tray, 8 copies please..."Please wait. Warming up..." What?!?! I HAVE been waiting and you should already be warmed up Mr Big Copy Machine!!! I was surely out of minutes now!! It was just 8 copies I needed!!!

Anger at the machine filled me, as if it was the machine's fault that it was doing what was necessary to get me what I needed. By this time, I was sure that my group had gathered and I was missing out on the prayer time, more anger but this time at myself for not just coming up here to begin with when I knew it would get the job done. I put my hands on the Big Copier and took a deep breath, angry yet knowing I was doing all I could. In that pause, I began to  feel the calmness and correction of the Holy Spirit in that moment. 

Peace be still. 

Do not sin in your anger. 

Wait on Me. 

Be patient. 

All things work together for good.

The copier had to have that warming up time to work properly. After what seemed like 300 minutes, the display changed to "Ready." At the push of the button, copies were made and my task was done, making it downstairs to the bowing of the heads for our prayer time. Gracious God.

How much more efficient would we be if we too had a "warming up" period. Each time we approached a decision or situation a display read, "Please wait. Warming up...." Wouldn't we benefit in our efficiency if we took the time to wait and warm up, waiting on God to say "Ready." 

I was reminded today of a few things:

* While trying new things can be good, there are some truths that we must stick to so we don't end up in a "jam."

* Be careful who you hold responsible for your thoughts. They are yours afterall.

* Take time to "warm up." There is a reason athletes warm up and stretch before they compete, so they don't get hurt. Take that time to pause, take a deep breath inhaling the wisdom of God into our mind and soul.

* Wait till HE says you're "Ready." We should neither rush ahead of God or drag behind.

Father God,

There is no one as long suffering as You. Your patience and endurance are infinite. To You, time has an eternal view but for us, it's ticking away. The older we get, the faster it seems to go. Until we find ourselves in Glory where there is no timeline, help us manage the time here on Earth efficiently, in our bodies that are wasting away. Help us to wait and not rush the tasks You have before us. In our "warming up" periods, we ask the Holy Spirit to give us self-control in the moments that seem to take longer than we want them to. Help us trust You and Your perfect timing for everything we face. Your ways are good. Your ways are right.
Thank You Gracious God for having the Way and the plan for everything we face today and forever. Help us learn the discipline of "warming up" in You. In Your Son's Eternally Faithful Name, we pray, amen.

Psalm 25

"To you, O LORD, I lift up my soul. 2 O my God, in You I trust; let me not be put to shame; let not my enemies exult over me. 3 Indeed, none who wait for You shall be put to shame; they shall be ashamed who are wantonly treacherous. 4 Make me to know Your ways, O LORD; teach me Your paths. 5 Lead me in Your truth and teach me, for You are the God of my salvation; for You I wait all the day long. 

6 Remember Your mercy, O LORD, and Your steadfast love, for they have been from of old. 7 Remember not the sins of my youth or my transgressions; according to Your steadfast love remember me, for the sake of Your goodness, O LORD! 8 Good and upright is the LORD; therefore He instructs sinners in the way. 9 He leads the humble in what is right, and teaches the humble His way. 10 All the paths of the LORD are steadfast love and faithfulness, for those who keep His covenant and His testimonies. 

11 For Your name's sake, O LORD, pardon my guilt, for it is great. 12 Who is the man who fears the LORD? Him will he instruct in the way that he should choose. 13 His soul shall abide in well-being, and his offspring shall inherit the land. 14The friendship of the LORD is for those who fear Him, and 

He makes known to them His covenant.

15 My eyes are ever toward the LORD, for He will pluck my feet out of the net. 16 Turn to me and be gracious to me, for I am lonely and afflicted. 17 The troubles of my heart are enlarged; bring me out of my distresses. 18 Consider my affliction and my trouble, and forgive all my sins. 19Consider how many are my foes, and with what violent hatred they hate me. 20 Oh, guard my soul, and deliver me! Let me not be put to shame, for I take refuge in You. 21 May integrity and uprightness preserve me, for I wait for You. 22 Redeem Israel, O God, out of all his troubles." 

OUCH!

OUCH is right!! Boy did that one hurt! And yes, that IS a black eye, not make-up! (I actually received a lot of compliments on how great I looked with my "new make-up!" lol) This was my very first black eye. As soon as I fell, I felt the pain swelling up in me...literally!! It hurt. It was obvious. My eye and cheek began to swell immediately eventhough upon the initial impact it was flesh colored. As days went by, the swelling and pain diffused and it began to look more normal and eventually did heal. The array of colors lasted longer than the pain, praise GOD!!!!

That was back in 2009. The picture below was taken just last week and guess what....injury to the face, again. Adjusting some handlebars on my daughter's bike popped me good. Nope, no black eye...it wasn't hard enough to even cause an uproar or change colors but it sure hurt! I am the only one that feels the pain and noticed the tiny bit of swelling it caused. As recent as yesterday, it was tender to apply my foundation over it. 

That's how it is with hurts. Some are obvious and while others go unnoticed to those around us. Everyone can see obvious injuries but many little injuries go unseen. There was just no way for me to hide that peacock of an eye I had. I could only attempt to camouflage it with make-up and hair. Today, no problem, just a little extra powder, hair parted off to the side and sunglasses...good to go!

This was a good reminder for me today:

People are hurting (including this smiling face sometimes) all around us. 
Be sensitive to the prompting of the Holy Spirit to interceed on their behalf through encouragement, prayer, help. Last week was a really tough week for me and a friend of mine walked up to me at church handing me a Panera Gift Card and said, "God put you on my heart this week and wanted me to encourage you." I cannot tell you what that meant to me. That my friend was being sensitive to the whispers of God. That she cared enough about me to follow thru. And that God cared enough and was saying "Yes Michele, I am here." 

Hurts come in all shapes and colors.
No hurt, betrayal, grief, pain, stress looks the same for one person, much less everyone. If God allows our pains as a testing of our faith, or a refining and pruning or maybe even a discipline, then in wisdom and faith, we can confidently cling to the hope that He is with us as we walk through the fire. There is a greater glory coming than this temporary suffering.

It takes time to heal.
I know, me too. We are hurt and we want to make the hurt stop asap!! However, if everything has purpose, then we cannot assume we are going to have a life of no pain. Our Lord who is perfect and blameless even endured suffering and pain. Not everything can be solved with a bandaid and a little oil. One time prayer may not be enough. We may have to uncover/reveal our hurt in order to process in a healthy way. We may have to get on our knees before the Lord day after day, week after week and maybe even year after year. Healing is a process as diverse as the colors in the spectrum. Until we finish that process till completion (whatever God has planned), it's going to be tender. But again, we can rest assured that He sees us, He is with us, healing is coming. Our ultimate healing and restoration will come in the throne-room of Heaven.

Action steps:
Give Grace. To yourself as you walk through the process of healing. To others who may have hidden hurts as they walk through their healing process.

Give. Just give whatever it is God tells you to give, to whomever God tells you to give, including to yourself. We can be our own worst sabotager. When you're not sure what to give, you can never go wrong with the gift of prayer!!


"Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us." Romans 5: 2-5

"Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and the late rains. You also, be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand. Do not grumble against one another, brothers, so that you may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing at the door." James 5:7-9

Thank You Lord God, my Healer, Redeemer, my Refuge, my Savior and Friend. Your touch quenches these dry bones. Restore us to Your glory. Forgive us Lord when we doubt Your plan and question Your promises. Deepen our faith and trust in You. We praise Your Name and we believe that we have healing and joy through the Blood that covers us and fills us. In Your Perfect and Faithful Name, amen.