{Brew | Day 4 of 31}

I have thoroughly enjoyed being part of the Five Minute Friday writing community. So, I decided to join the 31 day writing challenge. If you aren’t familiar, Five Minute Friday means unplanned, unedited, straight-from-the-heart-to-the-paper writing. Yep, you write whatever comes out based on a prompt you're given - five minutes flat.

So…here’s to the Write 31 Days challenge,  five-minute Friday style! I'm all in, and I'm glad you stopped by. I hope at the end of the 31 days, I have a collection of posts that encourage you while at the same time stir something deep in your soul. At the very least, perhaps we can be reminded that we aren’t alone.  

Day 4 {BREW}.

Ready? Go.

What, now? Brew. The first thing that comes to this blocked mind is hot tea. It's not-so-good-tasting tap water, boiling hot, plus a tea bag . And, magic. Ok, it’s not really magic. But, as the tea steeps or brews, that not-so-good-tasting tap water, smells glorious and tastes divine. Y’all know how to make tea, I’m sure. So, I’m not telling you anything, but I do love the picture in my mind’s eye. Have you ever watched a cup of hot tea steep? No, just me then. It’s not instantaneous. You have to fully immerse the tea bag and let the hot water go to work. If you take it out too quickly, you have funny tasting water or, best-case, weak tasting tea. 

Could we draw a parallel to life with Jesus, life in the Spirit? Are we being changed from our old selves into mature Jesus-followers the longer we walk with Him? Do we immerse ourselves in the Word, in worship, in prayer, In His presence to the point that it transforms us? Oh, how I want to be that kind of girl. I want to be all about Jesus. I want everything I do to be for His glory. The beauty of it is that when we ask Him to go to work changing us, He will. With strong but gracious hands and an unyielding love, He make us new. He doesn’t want to leave us the same as found us. For that, I am thankful.

STOP.

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{Wardrobe | Day 3 of 31}

I have thoroughly enjoyed being part of the Five Minute Friday writing community. So, I decided to join the 31 day writing challenge. If you aren’t familiar, Five Minute Friday means unplanned, unedited, straight-from-the-heart-to-the-paper writing. Yep, you write whatever comes out based on a prompt you're given - five minutes flat.

So…here’s to the Write 31 Days challenge,  five-minute Friday style! I'm all in, and I'm glad you stopped by. I hope at the end of the 31 days, I have a collection of posts that encourage you while at the same time stir something deep in your soul. At the very least, perhaps we can be reminded that we aren’t alone.  

Day 3 {WARDROBE}.

Ready? Go.

Put on love. That’s how the apostle Paul says it in scripture. This bit of instruction comes just after he explains how we’re to clothe ourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. 

It matters what we’re putting on, how we wear the label Christian. Are you wearing it well? Some days, I miss the mark in at least one of these areas. But, over all these, Paul says, wear love. Let love be the overriding theme in all your dealings. Let love be the thing that compels you. Always. Above all.  It looks something like this for me.

Why do you strive to show compassion to others? Because, love.  

Why act with kindness? Because, love.  

Why walk in humility? Because, love.

Why worry with gentleness? Because, love.

Why practice patience? Because, love. 

Do I always get it right? Absolutely not. But, love covers those missteps and mess-ups when it’s the thing that motivates. May I make a distinction here? Love doesn’t do hoping to get something in return. That’s not love at all, that’s manipulation. Love does, because it can. Love does because, well, Jesus. 

God demonstrated lavish love for the world by sending Jesus to die for our sins while we were still sinners, before we believed in Him, before we loved Him back. And because He loved like that, we can love, too. We can put on love and wear it well so that people will know we belong to Jesus. Isn't that what this is all about? Yes, I'd say so.

STOP.

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{Paint | Day 2 of 31}

I have thoroughly enjoyed being part of the Five Minute Friday writing community. So, I decided to join the 31 day writing challenge. If you aren’t familiar, Five Minute Friday means unplanned, unedited, straight-from-the-heart-to-the-paper writing. Yep, you write whatever comes out based on a prompt you're given - five minutes flat.

So…here’s to the Write 31 Days challenge,  five-minute Friday style! I'm all in, and I'm glad you stopped by. I hope at the end of the 31 days, I have a collection of posts that encourage you while at the same time stir something deep in your soul. At the very least, perhaps we can be reminded that we aren’t alone.  

Day 2 {PAINT}.

Ready? Go.

I’m creative, but drawing and painting have never been my strength. A few days ago, I was drawing a vowel chart for our home school lesson, and my sweet, painfully honest,  four-year-old said, “Mommy, that’s a very bad ostrich and elephant.” My drawing was mildly recognizable, just not a good representation. That’s fair. If only I had access to painter. I would have gladly handed the job over. 

It reminds me of one of my favorite scriptures: "For we our God’s masterpiece. He created anew in Christ Jesus so we could do good things planned for us long ago.” I’m constantly telling my girls and reminding myself that God knows how to make us the very best version of ourselves. I love that.

The same God who’s painted the canvas of creation with breathtaking grandeur, calls you and me His masterpieces. I find a great deal of comfort and grace in that. On those days, when I’m feeling less than, He’s still working, carefully and meticulously creating something beautiful and breathtaking out of my life. And, He knows what He’s doing. Things get a bit messy, I suppose, when I grab my paintbrush and interfere with His work.  See, He knows what to do next because He knows what the finished product looks like. And guess what? He sees the finished product even now when He looks at us. He sees our potential. He sees breathtaking beauty. His masterpiece.

May I encourage you today, sweet friends? You are beloved by the Creator of the Universe. He is making something most beautiful from your life. Let Him paint.

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{Walk | Day 1 of 31}

I have thoroughly enjoyed being part of the Five Minute Friday writing community. So, I decided to join the 31 day writing challenge. If you aren’t familiar, Five Minute Friday means unplanned, unedited, straight-from-the-heart-to-the-paper writing. Yep, you write whatever comes out based on a prompt you're given - five minutes flat.

So…here’s to the Write 31 Days challenge,  five-minute Friday style! I'm all in, and I'm glad you stopped by. I hope at the end of the 31 days, I have a collection of posts that encourage you while at the same time stir something deep in your soul. At the very least, perhaps we can be reminded that we aren’t alone.  

Day 1 {WALK}.

Ready? Go.

Our pup, Ruby, is a dream. We love her to pieces. But, alas, she has overtaken one small area in our yard for, well . . . doing her business. Ahem. Our preschooler, who is four, loves to run in the back yard with Ruby. Sometimes, barefoot. And, if she happens to wander into the forbidden section of the yard, she comes back inside the house with a mess on the bottom of her foot. She’s learning where to run and where not to run. Thankfully. Because, I’m not so good with cleaning up the mess on the bottom of the foot. Not good at all.

It got me thinking. Don’t we sometimes do that as believers? We veer off path toward areas where we’re likely to step into a mess, and we just plow ahead, unaware. I’ve been there. Sometimes, it’s because I’m inviting the wrong counsel to speak into my situation. Yeah, there’s that. Psalm 1 talks about where we walk. Scripture admonishes here us not to walk in step with the wicked. It says we’re blessed when we don’t. The next verse explains what we should do instead — delight ourselves in the law of the Lord. Yes. 

When we seek counsel in and delight in God’s word, aren’t we less likely to step into a mess because of disobedience? Here’s the thing: there are only two directions in which to walk. We either walk in obedience or we don’t. Does that mean we always get it right? No way. But, when we cherish God’s word and hold it up as the standard for our lives, it changes the way we live. It changes the way we make decisions. It changes us. He. Changes. Us. Then, we find ourselves in step with Him, walking close behind Him, following with intention,  clinging to Him with all we've got. Because we learn that He is trustworthy. And, even more than that, He is always moving us in the direction of the Father.  That’s where I always want to be. 

Stop.

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{Five Minute Friday | Collect}

Yesterday was Five Minute Friday. That means unplanned, unedited, straight-from-the-heart-to-the-paper writing. Yep, you just write whatever comes out based on a word you're given. I'm a day late to the party, but I made it! If you have five minutes, you should give it a try!  Find out how here.

This week the prompt is {COLLECT}.

Ready? GO.

I came into my bedroom and found a pile of random papers, books, and pictures on the floor beside my bed. Sitting just off to the side was my ever-curious daughter playing with a few items that she chose when she rummaged through the drawer of my bedside table. She had a coin purse or pouch, a small notebook, an ink pen, and a satin ribbon. I sent her off with her treasures so I could clean up the mess. I did what anyone would do. I tried to shove it all back into the drawer. It barely fit. And, the drawer wouldn't close.

Somehow over the years, I collected all these things in the drawer that I didn't even know I had. As I sorted through it, I found some treasures. I also found lots of junk. I'm sure I started collecting things in the drawer with well-meaning intention. Eventually, I decided it was a good place to stuff cough drop wrappers and broken pencils. The good stuff buried among the not-so-good. I rarely opened the drawer far enough to see what was happening. I certainly couldn't see the good things buried in the mess. So, what was meant to be a collection of treasures turned into a collection of this and that. But, when I found those things in the drawer that I wanted, that I kept on purpose, well, you know . . .it's good for the soul to remember the sweet moments those treasures represented.

There have been seasons of my life that mirror the same thing that happened with that drawer. Days cluttered with dirty laundry, too many bills and not enough money, lost friendships, betrayal, heartache. The drawer of my heart and mind crammed full. God taught me a valuable lesson in those seasons. He showed me how to find and collect the life-giving moments in the midst of the mess. You know the kind. Those moments meant to be cherished. The ones where you find joy and hope. Contentment. Yes. And you can breathe. When you let Him show you how to do that, you learn to close the drawer in your heart and mind to the things that aren't so good and only collect and keep the things that matter. It makes a world of difference.

Scripture lays it out for us. I love how Eugene Peterson paraphrased it in The Message. 

"Summing it all up, friends, I’d say you’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse. Put into practice what you learned from me, what you heard and saw and realized. Do that, and God, who makes everything work together, will work you into his most excellent harmonies. "  Philippians 4: 8

Yes, do that.

STOP.