Clutter

Shopping for Christmas gifts tends to remind me how much stuff I already have.  And, that it's been a while since it was sorted and cleaned out.  I've noticed that, in addition to all of the clutter in my home, there tends to be a lot of untended clutter in other parts of my life too.

My days are sometimes filled with unimportant, even useless (can you say iphone games?!) activities that clutter up what could be a productive day.

My thoughts are frequently unfocused and tend to get cluttered up dwelling on things that are outside of my control or even, dare I say it, none of my business.

Even relationships can become cluttered with baggage from the past that was never sorted and cleaned out.

So how do I solve the problem of clutter?  I believe it is possible, piece by piece, to remove distractions so that I can think more clearly, perform more productively and even become a better listener to those around me.

Frequently, a helping hand from He-Hauls may be required to dispense with some of the bigger junk. And, occasionally, there may be times where you just have to throw in a grenade, duck for cover and start over from scratch. 

Radical? Yes.  But, out of the ashes, a new foundation can be laid; a foundation that is stronger because of its past trials.  In addition, inviting the Master Mover to park His truck outside, will allow me to daily remove the things that threaten to clutter up my life.  And, as He removes them, piece by piece, He will leave behind His uncluttered peace.

Bus Stop



Life is a little like riding the bus. 

We decide where we want to go, get on the right route and, eventually, arrive at our destination.  For example, say the Lord puts it on your heart to be a teacher.  You pick a college that has a great program in that field, sign up for classes and in four years you've reached your goal and can start sending out resumes.

Life can be like that.  Or, sometimes, not so much.

Sometimes, we miss our stop. 

So, what happens when you think you heard Him say one thing and it just doesn't happen?  Perhaps going to college never materialized because of financial challenges.  Or, you went to school, but changed majors to something else entirely.  Or maybe you even got off the bus early and dropped out of school before completing your goal.

In essence, you've missed your original stop. 

Have you missed this window of opportunity entirely?  Will the bus do another lap around the same route to give you another chance?  Or is there another opportunity just around the bend that's good too...just different?   Did you even hear Him correctly??

Or, is it possible, like in Narnia, that the signs look different down here?  You look around and see that you really are a teacher - teaching your own children at home, or maybe sharing words of wisdom with a friend, or even instructing your dog on how to be a decent member of society? 

One day I will be asking the Bus Driver these questions.  But, even though I may have missed some amazing things that He had for me at a previous stop, due to my own laziness, ignorance or willful disobedience, I know He works all things together for good. 

And, the next stop will be my best so far because He is the One driving me there.

The Elusive Fruit

There is nothing quite like sinking your teeth into  mealy fruit.  There's a lot of things better, but nothing quite like it. 

Having married a man who spent considerable time growing up in "apple country", I've been well versed on finding the perfect apple.  It must be slightly green by the stem, smooth to the touch, no pits in the skin and can only be found in the early to mid-fall.  The rest of the year, fruit is no longer fresh from the field but brought out periodically from cold storage.  Definitely not the same as fresh. 

You can tell when someone has found the perfect apple.  You hear the juicy crunch, and see the slow smile begin to creep across their face.  Pure pleasure and a brief break from the world. 


Finding time to truly rest can be just as daunting as seeking out that perfect apple.  There is a season for all things, including working and resting from that work.  I believe our amazing Creator has designed us to live from rest to rest.  

Our day, one revolution around our own axis, begins and ends with rest.  Our months go from a new moon rising and falling; and our year, a trip around the sun, begins on New Year's Day with a day of rest and ends on New Year's eve, with an evening of fun and, hopefully, reflection.  Rest to rest.

Only our week has nothing to revolve around.  It is strictly a God-created cycle especially made for us to know how to rest.  In His wisdom, He knew that we have the potential to run from thing to thing, never stopping for a break.  And so, He modeled it for us. 

But how do we rest when there's so much to be accomplished?  And for Him, no less??  And, when we do find the time, what are we supposed to do to be rested?  Does it mean sleeping in?  Playing with the kids?  Going golfing with the fellas?  What does it mean to truly rest? 

I believe finding the rest and refreshment we seek, is like digging in that apple bin.  We tune out the world for that moment; we are focused on something outside our usual activity and, in that quiet moment, the Lord can speak.  He can show us the perfect fruit.  It is then that He gives us rest, true rest, as a loving gift.  It is not something we find on our own, but as we take time away from our usual activities, time to pause and reflect, in that quiet space when our focus is on Him, He reveals it.

Crunch.  Ahhh....

What If...

Well, I can no longer say I never win anything. As of this week, I have now won two amazing prizes in my lifetime. One, a large leafy plant that threatens to one day become something huge enough for Rick Moranis to deal with, and two, a movie on DVD called simply What if...

 

It's a story about a man who is gently forced (is that an oxymoron?) to see what his life might have been like had he made a different choice at a major crossroads in his life. Kind of It's a Wonderful Life in reverse.

 

After watching it, the idea of “what if...” got me thinking.  What if I started thinking outside the box?

 

What if...learning a foreign language wasn't as hard as I thought? I've found that spending a mere 10 minutes a day 'gently forces' these new words into my subconscious until the new language starts to become intuitive.  This became apparent one day when I mispronounced "Chinco de Mayo" on the back of someone's t-shirt coming out of Costco.  It was then I knew my Italian letters and sounds had become second nature.

 

What if....everything I knew about healthy eating was wrong. Gary Taubes, a highly acclaimed scientific journalist, tackles this controversial topic in his exhaustive tome, Good Calories, Bad Calories, and, since reading said tome, I have made different decisions because he took the time to think outside the box.

 

What if....you could write a novel in thirty days? My daughter and her cousins are about to stretch their imaginations and find out.  I'm looking forward to reading them on December first!

What if... the extremely long, well-thought out and detailed email I wrote to my cousin regarding homeschooling that was subsequently lost when my computer went down unexpectedly, what if that was supposed to happen because Someone wanted me to say something different? 

 

What if...God really was bigger than my problems?

What if...He really does have a plan and purpose for my life?

What if...even though I don't understand why He's allowed certain trials and challenges in my life, He really does know best?

What if....because He unconditionally loves me, I can, after all, unconditionally trust Him...with everything.

Hurricane Season

 I know it's a real phenomenon, but what's up with hurricane season?  Six months out of every year there's a weather condition so bad that it destroys homes, businesses and even lives.  Every year!  And these people continue to live in these places?  It's kind of like saying, "Ok, everyone, just a reminder that Godzilla season is coming up, so be on the lookout for a large T-Rex-like creature roaming the countryside seeking to destroy everything in its path.  Oh, and be sure to stock up on food and supplies."

 I don't have to move to the Southeast to experience a hurricane.  I'm living in one right now.  From the car needing a new transmission, a dog requiring teeth removal, a son desperate for help with a long writing assignment for school, a daughter requesting advice on finding the perfect man, a husband traveling across the country for work, to starting a new company, filing tax forms, getting business licenses, serving at church at o'dark hundred, learning to paint in the hopes that one day it can be a potential source of income, all the while living with a chronic health condition that gives me less hours in the day to get things done than I'd like....whew.  Out of breath.  It's hard to breathe in a hurricane.

And I'm supposed to be the glue, the hub that my family revolves around; offering wisdom, comfort, and perspective.  How do I do that when everything is swirling around me so fast that it's hard to focus on any one thing?

Then I see it.  Blue sky, sunshine, light ahead.  The eye of the storm.  Fighting my way out of the swirling mass, I head to the center and look up.  And He's there waiting for me.  It's calm here, quiet, peaceful.  He offers me wisdom, gives me comfort, and puts everything in perspective. 

Finally, I get it.  He's the glue, the hub that everything revolves around.  And, while I can show others the way in, I'm not designed to be the center.  He is.  And as the hurricanes of life move through, I need to move with them, keeping a weather "eye" on Him.

iPhone Home

You've probably seen the ads.  A basic cell phone with really big numbers.  And NO extras.  This is what I told my husband that I wanted.  I don't want to text, surf the net, play games or take pictures.  I just want a BASIC phone that calls people.  Really, that's all I want. 

Then I saw the iphone for the first time.  It was elegant.  Intuitive.  Comfortable to hold and very easy to use.  In the twenty or so minutes I spent waiting for my husband to handle whatever business he had at the AT&T store, I was hooked. 

That was two years ago.  Now, as I prepare for my upgrade to the latest and greatest, I realize that I would be hard pressed to live without this amazing device.  I have been able to keep in better contact with friends I don't see very often by using Facebook.  I get periodic updates from my kids during their work/school day via text that they never would have called me about.  I have taken pictures I never would have captured since I'm forever leaving my camera at home.  And then, of course, there's Angry Birds....nuff said.

I realize that I make some pretty ridiculous demands of God too.  I give Him my list letting Him know exactly what I want..... and don't want.  Specifically.  I think He must be chuckling up there as He prepares to give me exactly what I need instead.  I may think I want simple or basic, but He, out of all of His vast storehouse of resources, wants to give me elegance.  I want to settle for easy; He wants to challenge me to try something new.  I want to focus on one thing; He wants to show me my potential.  

Staying in close connection with Him in that comfortable, intuitive relationship that I constantly seek is key to accepting all He has for me...whether blessing or challenge.  And that's a great reminder to "phone Home."

Thinner

The year I turned 15, my life was forever changed by a number.  A seemingly innocent question by a friend of mine about how much I weighed ripped off the rose-colored glasses of childhood.  Not only had it never occurred to me to weigh myself, it had also never crossed my mind to compare that number with everyone else.   And so began a thirty year battle with numbers - numbers on a scale, numbers on a measuring tape, numbers on a clothing tag.

Growing up as a dancer didn't help.  No bump or roll could be hidden in the leotards we wore to class.  Every Monday was a new diet to be tried and every Friday was the beginning of a weekend food bender.  Working out and studying diet books became my hobbies.  Everything revolved around getting thinner.

Amazingly, it's only been in the past few years that I've come to terms with who I am and how I'm made.  I'll never look like Angelina Jolie.  And, that's ok, because I'm finally discovering the power of true thinness.

In truth, I am just a clay jar sitting on the Potter's wheel.  But slowly, as He turns the wheel and works that clay, bit by bit, I become thinner.  The process is not easy, and is sometimes downright painful.  Over time, the clay softens in His skilled fingers. As I allow myself to be stretched and shaped, I become thinner and thinner until the once thick, heavy clay now appears almost transparent.  But the power isn't in my transparency; the power is only found inside the jar....filled with the pure gold of the Master Potter Himself. 

Pure gold that can now be seen because He has changed me. And made me thinner.