Uncommonly Common

Recently, I have been re-reading My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers. I'm not sure if I've said this before, but it is one of those reads that you need to re-read, over and over again throughout your life. It is so packed full of Holy Spirit, gifted, insight that you cannot even hope to take even a portion of it in, in just one reading. How I wish my insight and thoughts would run that deep! A couple of days ago I read the following. I have been pondering it since then.

"We always know when Jesus is at work because He produces in the common place something that is inspiring."

At first I thought. "What?" Then I read it over a couple of times more. I began to ask myself. "What is something in life that I have found inspiring in the midst of the common, daily events of life?" It took me a little while to find something, and then like a waterfall it all came pouring down over me. The first thought that took over my mind, was that of a dew drops on a blade of grass.



Be sure to notice the reflections in the dew drops!

My husband and I own a little piece of property in the country. I love to drive out there, in the early morning and enjoy the dew sparking, on the grass, as the sun rises in the sky. It is a breathtaking sight. If you don't mind getting your sneakers wet, you can walk into the high grass and see dew drops on the individual blades of grass. If you don't mind getting all of you wet, you can look closer and see tiny reflections and rainbows in those shiny little drops of dew. It is amazing! Dew drops are common enough. They happen just about every morning, but looking closer you get a glimpse of the inspiring picture of the beauty of God's creation in that common, tiny droplet.

Don't you just want to be here sitting in an Adirondack chair, reading God's word,
wearing a soft polar fleece jacket and enjoying a mug of hot coffee?
What an inspiring way to start the day!

Well, then the waterfall happened. Ideas of the uncommonly common started pouring into my mind. What about morning? Morning happens...well... every morning. That may seem common, but really it can be pretty inspiring if you are up to view it. How about the sun shining? That happens regularly, but what happens when it reflects on a peaceful lake, or reflects on the bright hues of autumn leaves? What about babies? Commonly, they are born everyday, but each one is inspiringly different, equipped with his or her own character traits, quirks, likes and dislikes. How about a seed that has fallen to the ground, seemingly discarded from the branches of a tree. It's a common occurrence, but what about the tree that grows where the seed fell?

What about Jesus?

Jesus was born as a poor, common infant, to poor common people, in a poor common stable. He became common, to do the most inspiring, uncommon thing in all of history...dying for our sins. It seems to me that God enjoys hiding inspiring treasures in those things that seem very common to us.

I wonder....
How many inspiring treasures from God we miss, when we consider something common and not worth our time?  How many inspiring views have I missed? How many inspiring people have I overlooked? How many missed opportunities?

I have come to the conclusion that there is something uncommon about the common.

God works there. He sent His son to work there.
I want to work there too.

"And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten, from the Father, full of grace and truth." John 1:14






God's Got It



I am sitting here in the middle of a whirlwind of activity right now, that I did not plan.  Doesn't it seem, at times, that life is going on around you while you have little to no control over your circumstances? It is as if you are sitting in front of a large screen TV watching a story unfold, knowing all the time that God has His all powerful hand on the next twist and turn of the story. He knows how it is going to end. You know this in your head, but are you living like you believe it?

As much as I don't like feeling like I have no control over my circumstances, I have learned over time to sit back and rest in the knowledge that God's got it and I don't have to. There are several things that are going on at the moment that seem huge and not all that enjoyable. However, I do look forward with anticipation to see how God is going to work things out. His plan always surpasses anything that I can conjure up in my mind.

It's funny how we try to "play God", when we find ourselves being tossed about on the waves of life. I think on how I might work things out, of course to my own best personal benefit. I try and guess how He is going to handle my circumstances, even perhaps willing that He just might do as I suggested. How ludicrous of me! Then of course the phrase "God is God and I am not." runs through my mind, reminding me to rest in his arms peacefully knowing that whatever is coming next, He's got it.

So, today if you find yourself grasping for control of situations you didn't really ever have control over in the first place, sit back, relax and remember....God's Got It!

May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope.  2 Thessalonians 2:16

The "Perfect Day"

I have a friend who I share an affinity with for "perfect days". We have the same idea of what a "perfect day" looks like and all we have to say to each other is that it is a "perfect day" and we know what it means!  Before you take off in a direction I am not intending to go, let me define my idea the "perfect day".  See picture below.

Nuff said.....

A "perfect day" to me is one when the sun is shining, the sky is that beautiful indescribable blue, there are few white fluffy clouds placed here and there, and the temperature is between 70-75 degrees, with an occasional breeze, just for my enjoyment. The past two days in Cuba, New York have been perfect days! One thing that I now enjoy about "perfect days" is that even when I have to work I can still go outside. I am so grateful to the people and hands that have made this possible. The amazing picnic table pictured below is my "other desk".

My other desk...on the back porch.




Let me share with you the advent of my very first recognized "perfect day". It was August 29, 2001, my very first birthday celebrated without my mother, who had passed in October of the previous year. My mother and I always used to chuckle about how it "always" rained on my birthday, at least at some point during the day. Even the day I was born was a deluge per my mother. I remember one birthday in particular having no electricity because there had been bad storms all day. It wasn't anything terrible really, but as a child I remember always wishing for a sunny birthday-all day long.

That day in 2001, I was attending an informational insurance meeting for my husband's office. When I left that morning it was gray and foggy out. It matched my mood to some degree, as I was missing my annual 'good morning birthday call', from my mom. I drove through the fog to the meeting and of course since it was an informational insurance meeting, it was boring. The really amusing part came when they had a prize drawing of all the people registered in attendance at the meeting. I won the drawing! Cool on my birthday and everything!! You'll never guess what I won. Go ahead. Guess!

Yep....an umbrella! (with the insurance company's logo on it of course) Wow. I couldn't help thinking how appropriate that prize was. It was my birthday. It was going to rain at some point. My mother and I would have had a great laugh over that. That made me miss her more. Following the meeting I made my way out to the car with my new umbrella in hand. It wasn't until I was halfway home that I realized that it wasn't raining, at all. It didn't even look like it was going to rain. As a matter of fact, if I had to conjure up the most "perfect day" in my mind, that day was it. I pulled off along side the country road I was driving, rolled down the windows, turned off the ignition, and sat enjoying the beautiful day surrounding me. I couldn't stop the tears that were running down my face. I couldn't help but imagine (and yes I know the theology on this isn't the best) that my Mom went to God and told Him how very much I wanted a sunny birthday. It was a true gift from God, but I will always wonder if my Mom wasn't behind it. I still cry tears of joy just thinking of it. It was a beautiful "perfect day".  It never rained that day. Whenever I encounter a "perfect day" like today I can't help but feel like God is smiling down on me, and maybe my Mom too.

My Mom has been in the presences of her Savior for 13 years this year.......and not once since she has been gone has it rained on my birthday....not even part of the day. Perhaps it will rain on my birthday sometime again, but I am grateful for the blessing given me  that day so many years ago and so many since. I treasure every "perfect day" I have the privilege of experiencing. I pretty much like all of the days, but "perfect days"...well there just aren't words to describe what they do for my heart.

"Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart."

Psalm 37:4

That day God knew the desire of my heart and comforted me in the way I most needed.