Gifts; My Fridge Door

New Years is here and Christmas is over. But Christmas cards and letters from family and friends keep appearing in my mailbox. Often, stashed within these bundles of good cheer and blessing, there's a family picture. I like that. I take those pictures and stick them to my fridge.

This morning, while retrieving some milk for my tea, I looked at all those pictures; church family, biological family, "adopted" family, the children I used to care for, and other friends, and I rejoiced. How incredibly gracious and kind of God to give me so many people!

He knows that I need people and He has provided the perfect amount of varying individuals to challenge and encourage me where I am, right now. Some of them drive me nuts and some are like a glass of cold water on a hot day. Both are important so that I can grow in godliness.

Image result for pictures on fridge door

At the start of 2017, I met for a breakfast date with a dear friend who had a joyful face. Last night I ended the year with a couple who have become good friends. This past year has held incredible blessing, intense hurt, and possibly the biggest trial I have ever faced. There have been people walking with me through it all and I know my fridge door could never display all the characters in my story.

Though all these people are an immense blessing, I know I cannot ultimately depend on them. In reality, they point me to the God whose image they bear. This God is great, and He is able to accomplish all that must be done. He can sooth my heart in bitter trials and He knows my every delight.

He is faithful.

May the year before us grow us to love and trust Him more. May we point each other to our great King, who is worthy of all our allegiance and praise. And next year, may we all be able to say that we are holier and closer to our Maker than ever before.

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Body Image (1)

Contentedly situated in lawn chairs with our toes in the sand and the baby playing on a blanket at our feet, my friend and I watch her girls digging holes or running between the beach and the lake. Periodically, the girls run up to us to display the shells and rocks they've found. At one point, as the girls surround us, one of us adults comments on the baby being chubby (which she is, as a baby should be) after which one of the girls looks at me and says, "you're kind of chubby." She wasn't trying to be rude or smart, she was just being bluntly observant as children are. As I looked at I her and considered an answer, I thought of the baggage of body image that women have carried for generations, and I thought, I don't want her to carry this baggage too. I want better for her. I replied, "you know, being a little chubby is actually a good thing. Our bodies function better and it helps keep us warm." This deep lesson was probably lost on her as she s...

What Is Your Purpose?

A couple weeks ago, a young woman asked me, "what is your purpose?" it kind of threw me off. Ok, it really threw me off. It seemed a bit touché to say "to glorify God and enjoy Him forever" when she was looking for specifics. And I get why she's asking. My life does seem pretty random. Thirty-two years old, working on my BA, teaching music part time, working at a coffee shop part time, and living at least an hour from my closest family member. On paper it looks...well...it looks random. I get it. Kind of hard to pull a purpose out of the randomness. I was talking to the Lord about it because sometimes, even for myself, the person living this life, it's hard to find a specific purpose in the randomness. Sometimes I wonder, when I get to Heaven if I'm going to have anything to offer God, if while other people show up with their kids, I'm going to hold out empty hands and say "it's just me." I mean, if He wants soldiers to defeat spiri...

Back in Time

I pulled into the laneway of a home that I'm sure would have looked quaint if I could have seen it through all the trees. The sign by the road read "hanging baskets and railroad ties" and lo and behold that was just what I was looking for (I mean the railroad ties, not the hanging baskets). I parked close to the grass incase a buggy had to get by and slipped out of the red mini van. I didn't see anyone. That, however, does not mean that someone did not see me. I strolled over to look at the flowers to wait for someone to come out and see what the crazy girl with the pony-tail was doing on their property. A large dog, missing his right eye, managed to find me first and it was while I was petting this friendly, half blind, beast that the house seemed to spit out a young lady. She was wearing a long dress, an apron, and a head covering. She walked toward me with a smile and I recognized her from a singing I had gone to at the neighbors place a few months earlier. I ...

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