Category: trusting God

Trudging Up the Steep Hills

Lisa Preuett

Psalm 121:1 “I lift up my eyes to the hills, where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, maker of heaven and earth.”

It’s painful when you’re trudging up a steep hill. Every fiber of your leg muscles tighten. You feel as if you won’t make it to the top. Your calf muscles silently scream, “Please stop! We can’t go another step!” Instead of looking up ahead at how much farther I have to go, I look down at the ground and literally watch my feet, one step at a time.

There’s something invigorating about finally reaching the top of a steep hill. I finally look up from the ground and realize I’ve made it! Trudging up that hill caused my heart to almost pound out of my chest. My rapid breathing finally slows down. I let out a sigh of relief. Yes! The ground ahead of me begins to level out now. It’s smooth and I can see more of what’s up ahead.

But I take a moment and turn around.  Did I really just come all this way? I stand in awe of the beauty around me. Depending on the season, I might be looking at lush-green trees lining the path behind me, blue sky overhead. At other times I might be looking at autumn leaves splattered with bright orange-red colors. My absolute favorite view at the top of the hill is in winter. The snow-covered trees, glistening in the sparkling light of the sun. I breathe in the air and turn my head back in front of me.

I’ve had my share of steep hills in this life. Some of them I’d rather forget about. But I can undoubtedly say that there’s something invigorating about finally making it to the top. Those trials I thought for sure would kill my soul and squash my spirit. Yes, there are times my heart has nearly broken, fiercely pounding out of my chest. My flesh shouting, “I can’t go another step!” But when I came to the end of that challenge, my breathing slowed down. My tears and anguish turned into joyous breaths of praise. Praise to my Lord Jesus who walked beside me each step of the way.

Did I really just come all this way? I stood in awe of the beauty around me. Not physical surroundings, but the beauty of what God had done in me. The beauty of the strength He equipped me with. The beauty of his promise to never leave me or forsake me. My faith was strengthened. My hope was renewed. My love for Him was magnified. And this view was something I wouldn’t trade for anything.

READY? Where are you, dear friend? Are you gasping for breath, trudging up a steep hill? Do you feel you won’t make it to the top? Does your heart ache and you just want to stop? I encourage you to tightly grip the loving arms of Jesus. He is right beside you as you go up the hill. He is with you every step of the way. He can’t wait to show you the view at the top!

GET SET. Deuteronomy 31:6 “Be strong and courageous. Do not fear, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.”

GO! Lord Jesus, the hills of this life are hard. Sometimes I just want to give up. When I feel this way, please help me remember your truth. Help me cling to the fact that you are with me even though I can’t always see what’s up at the top. Thank you for your promise of being with me each step of the way. Amen

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Blessings to you!

Lisa Preuett 

 

When You Want to Hide

Lisa Preuett

Psalm 91:4  “He will cover you with His feathers and under His wings you will find refuge.”

Do you ever feel like hiding? You know what I mean, those moments when you feel you just can’t take anymore. Those moments when bad news sends you diving into your bed and you just want to pull the covers over your head. Those moments when fear grips you. Paralyzing you to where you can barely breathe. Those moments when you can’t fathom the circumstances you’re forced to walk through.

The thing with hiding is that where you choose to hide can make all the difference in the world. In today’s scripture, David exhorts us to take cover under the mighty wings of God’s refuge. He uses the imagery of a bird covering her chicks with feathers to convey a powerful picture of how God protects us when we feel the urge to hide.

A few weeks ago, my daughter and I were walking along a river. This river was occupied by multiple ducks! At one point we stopped to observe what would become the highlight of our day.

A momma duck was gliding along the water with five fuzzy ducklings trailing close behind. They came to a jagged rock, just inches above the water. The momma duck waddled up onto the top of the rock, patiently waiting for her babies to follow her. One-by-one, they waddled up onto that rock, running right under their momma’s feathers. These ducklings huddled together and basked in the refuge and provision of their momma. At one point when the momma spread her feathers out, you could barely see her babies underneath. A young girl walking with her parents squealed with delight as they noticed the ducks, “Look! A mother duck! Oh, it looks like her babies are playing hide-and-seek!”

What a perfect picture of how God patiently waits for us to run to Him for cover! Just like the momma duck spread her feathers, God longs to spread His protective wings over us when we need to hide.

He longs to cover us.

To shield us.

To console us.

To renew our weary souls.

But we can’t embrace His blessings and comfort if we aren’t close to Him. To be under His wings indicates we are very close.

Close enough to Him to where we feel his heartbeat.

Close enough to hear His gentle whisper.

Close enough to sense His presence.

In my story with the momma duck, I mentioned there were five ducklings. However, it was only four of them who followed her. One of them never made it up to the top of the rock. It kept looking up at momma and its siblings, yet it continued to anxiously swim around and around in circles. Sometimes it looked as if it would follow the same path momma had, but it aimlessly circled the rock over and over again. We yelled at this wandering duckling to get on the rock! “Come on! Your momma is waiting for you. You can do it!” Yet every time it got to the crevice in the rock that would lead it upward, it kept going its own way. The duckling’s siblings were safe under the protective feathers. Shielded in the shadow of strong wings. Close to the heartbeat of their momma. But this little one was missing out.

Where are you, dear friend? Are you plunging yourself under the protective feathers of your loving Father? Are you hiding in the shadow of His wings during your most needy moments? Are you like those ducklings, safely huddled together enjoying comfort and peace?

Or are you like the wandering duckling? Are you anxiously going in circles going nowhere? Maybe you know  the Father longingly waits for you, yet you keep going your own way.

Dear friend, I understand the urge to hide! I know it all too well. I remember days when I wanted to cover up my head, with no desire to see light again. Days when I hid in other things. Other people. But the times I have run into the arms of my Savior to hide, those are the times I’ve felt the power of His presence and the calm of His peace.

I urge you to find your place of hiding under the wings of God almighty. I challenge you to embrace His presence and His promises. I want to encourage you to simply be still and allow His peace to overcome any fear you may be feeling. Climb up on the rock of your refuge and be safe. Be where He wants you to be….under His wings.

Psalm 91:4  “He will cover you with His feathers and under His wings you will find refuge.”

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When Your Plans Are Interrupted

Lisa Preuett

Ever make plans to do something only to have those plans come to a screeching halt? You think you’re going to accomplish a desired task and then something happens, totally taking you in a different direction. Last week was crazy for us as it started out with my husband losing his job unexpectedly. (Read my post here for a fresh perspective of that day: (https://reststopforthesoul.com/2014/06/24/shocked-but-not-shaken)

The week continued in such a way, that every time I planned to do something, my plans were totally interrupted:

We’d planned to spend the day at the pool with our son and his girlfriend, but then their car broke down. Interruption!

Hurrying out the door, I’d planned to go for a long run in my neighborhood, but then the phone rang and it turned into a 30 minute conversation. Interruption!

I had a long overdue hair appointment, but the friend who does my hair had a family emergency come up and she had to cancel. Interruption!

We’d just put our boat in the lake Friday evening to join friends on their jet ski, but then it rained. Interruption!

It’s one thing if my plans are interrupted once in a while, but it’s another when it happens multiple times over the course of several days! There might be something God is trying to teach me. He has my attention. I’d better be listening.

God is certainly teaching me that I am not in control. It’s not wrong to plan things and organize the time He’s given us, but if I hold too tightly to MY plans, I’m setting myself up for disappointment. If I don’t look to Him when these interruptions occur, I’m bound to be upset. Frustrated.  Angry. Demanding.

I am NOT in control, but I serve a God who is. He sees the bigger picture. He has a higher plan. And He knows exactly what I need. And what I’ve seen over the course of these few days of constant interruptions is that other people are in the picture too. IT’S NOT ABOUT ME!

In each of the situations I mentioned above, I could label it an interruption. But when I genuinely pray to see things through God’s perspective and ask Him to show me how to respond, something amazing happens. What I label as interruptions, God sometimes calls interventions. Yes, I can see these events as opportunities when God intervenes and redirects my paths. He then intervenes in my heart and sometimes in the hearts of those around me.

Let me walk you through these interruptions again, but this time, view them through a different lens. God’s lens of interventions:

When the car broke down we couldn’t go to the pool, but over the course of the next several hours, my husband and son got to spend some quality time together under the hood of a car. One-on-one time that would not have happened at a swimming pool. We also got to witness God’s amazing power unfold through prayer. As we were making plans to have the car towed, it suddenly started up. Intervention!

When I was going out the door for a run and the phone rang, it was a family member I hadn’t talked to in a long time. She encouraged me during a much-needed time as I shared with her our situation with Jim’s sudden job loss. Intervention!

After I finally got to complete my run, a neighbor was pulling into her driveway at the exact time I was turning to go home. She was having a challenging morning and needed some encouragement and prayer. If the phone call hadn’t come when it did to delay my run, I would have missed the opportunity. Intervention!

When my hair appointment had to be cancelled, it freed up my day to spend more time with a friend who needed encouragement and allowed me some much-needed time to work on a project I’d been putting off. Intervention!

When we were on the lake and it started to rain, our friends who were riding their jet ski boarded our boat to take cover. I got to spend some quality time connecting with my friend. Time we wouldn’t have had if she’d been on the jet ski. Intervention!

How many times have I missed God’s blessing and overlooked His interventions because I was so absorbed in my own plans? How many times have I missed connecting with someone because I was too angry about my plans being interrupted? How many times have I focused on myself to the point I couldn’t see someone else in need? How many times have I demanded Why God? Instead of  whispering What now God?

And so I ask you the same questions, dear friend: Will you allow God to show you His way when your plans are interrupted? Will you allow God to show you His perspective when life doesn’t go as planned? It might be something as trivial as a cancelled hair appointment or it might be something more serious like a sudden job loss. Whatever it might be, I want to encourage you and challenge you to look for what God is trying to teach you in those moments. It might be something he wants to refine in you. Or He may be re-directing your path so you can connect with someone else.

It’s challenging to always respond the right way when our plans are interrupted! We won’t always get it right every time. But I’m so glad I serve a God who is gracious, patient and loving enough to keep giving me opportunities to see His interventions for what they are….and not as interruptions.

Proverbs 16:9 “A man’s mind plans his ways, but the Lord directs his steps.”

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Shocked, But Not Shaken

Lisa Preuett

Sometimes life is going smoothly and suddenly, out of nowhere,your cage is rattled. You’re caught off guard and have the wind knocked out of you. A phone call leaves you utterly shocked. This is what happened to our family yesterday. My husband’s job was eliminated. No warning. No red flags. Nothing.

“We’re downsizing. Sorry this has to happen, but it’s the direction we must take the company.”

And so that is how our morning started off. After realizing this really happened and we weren’t dreaming, we had to pull ourselves together and do what we most often do when a crisis comes our way: We cried out to God, our Faithful Father. Although our hearts ached and confusion swirled mindlessly, we took it all to the throne of God. This most certainly caught us off guard, but it was no surprise to Him. We have no idea what lies ahead, but He does. We don’t understand the reasons or the timing, but He has a purpose and His timing is sovereign.

My human, finite mind fills with questions: Why now God? Why did we not get any warning about this? Didn’t you lead our family to this job? Don’t you know how uncertain our economy is right now?

But He whispers to my heart ever so gently, “I’m in control. Trust me. Lean not on your own understanding. I’ve carried you through trials before and I’ll carry you through this one too.”

The scripture God is shouting loud and clear to me is this: Psalm 62:1-2 “My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from Him. He alone is my rock and my fortress, I will not be shaken.”

Our true security is in God alone. Period. Sure, He blesses us with people and things that help us rest, but our ultimate rest can only be found in Him. (Is my faith being challenged since the home page on my blog is entitled “Jesus…the Ultimate Rest Stop? Am I going to live out the words I type?)

True rest can’t be found in a job. True rest can’t be found in houses or cars. True rest can’t be found in the amount of our bank account. True rest can’t even be found in the humans who love us most. No, our only source of true rest can be found in God alone.

God alone is our rock. Anything else we attempt to call our rock will only crumble. It will shatter right before our eyes.

He alone is our fortress. A fortress is where you run when you need help. Where you run to when you are in a storm. Where you run to when things fall apart. I can honestly say that physically I can’t run fast, but I’m capable of sprinting like crazy to God my fortress. It’s the only place I can find refuge.

I will not be shaken. Yes, things in life will shake around us. The economy. The weather. Our marriages. Our children. Our own prideful choices. But without a doubt, our God almighty will never be shaken. And if He lives in us, then that means WE will not be shaken.

I can’t be certain of when and where my husband will get another job. But I can be certain that God is in control. He will carry us one step at a time. We will cling to the truth that although the ground we walk on is unstable and shaky, we will not be shaken as we hold tight to HIM.

So what is shaking around you, dear friend? What are you allowing to rattle your cage? Who or what is attempting to crack the foundation of your rock? Whatever it may be, join with me in prayer as we run together to God in the midst of our challenges, trials and times of uncertainty.

Psalm 62:1-2 “My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from Him. He alone is my rock and my fortress, I will not be shaken.”

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Are You on Empty?

Lisa Preuett

I’d just come out of Kroger and was ready to head home. The trunk was full of groceries. My heart full with excitement and joy. We were getting ready to go out on the lake with friends. Listening to the radio blasting with my favorite song, I glanced over to my left and noticed a black Jeep stopped in the middle of the parking lot.

An empty gas can was perched on top of it. Nobody was in the driver’s seat. When my eyes continued to look, I noticed a young woman sitting on the edge of a curb, just feet away from the stopped vehicle. Her head was buried in her hands. She appeared distraught, her body slumped over in defeat.

I pulled over towards her and put down my window. “Is someone coming to help you?” I asked her. When she replied with a desperate, “No”, I asked her if she needed some gas. She shared with me that she’d just left an abusive relationship. She was trying to get to her parents’ house. They were an hour away. Her boyfriend had taken her wallet in an attempt to get her to stay. This young woman had no money. She was stranded.

My heart full of compassion, I immediately realized God had allowed our paths to cross. I filled her empty gas can so she could get her Jeep to the gas pump. And then I offered to fill it up enough to get her to her destination. She humbly accepted.

With one hand she pumped gas, and with the other she wiped tears that would not stop flowing. She knew she was doing the right thing, yet her heart ached. She was torn. She repeatedly blurted, “This is so embarrassing; I’m so sorry to bother you.” Yet I took the opportunity to speak encouragement to her, sharing with her that God had rescued me from my past hurts. I assured her I’d pray for her safety. And for God to guide her in the days ahead.

Driving away from there, I followed through with my promise to pray for her. And as always, God spoke to my own heart through this incident. I wouldn’t have known this woman needed help if she hadn’t placed the empty gas can on top of her vehicle. If she’d remained in her vehicle, with her gas can in the back, nobody would’ve known she needed help. The empty gas can was like a white flag flying overhead shouting “I need help!”

When we are desperately hurting and at the end of our rope, we have two options: We can remain isolated from others, letting pride dictate our actions. We can keep our hurts inside and attempt to handle it ourselves. All the while whispering to ourselves, What will people think?

Or we can humbly ask for help. We can speak up and share our heart’s deepest hurts. What does that look like? It means we cry out in desperation to God and say Okay, I’m on empty. I need to be filled up. And then it may mean we call a trusted friend we can confide in. We humbly admit, I’m at my wit’s end and can’t do this alone. Just like the young woman who was stranded, we put out our empty gas can and ask for help.

So where are you,dear friend? Are you running on fumes, almost on empty? Is there an area of your life where you feel stranded and there seems to be no way out? If so, then I urge you to surrender.

Surrender to your pride.
Surrender to God’s grace.
Surrender to a fellow believer who can walk beside you.

It is only when we admit our emptiness that we can truly be filled. Just as I filled the young woman’s car up with gas, the empty places in your heart can be filled.

Filled with truth.
Filled with grace.
Filled with hope.

Or maybe you are filled up and need to be on the lookout for those who are empty. Believe me, if you look around close enough you will see them. They are there. Maybe they won’t be as obvious as an empty gas can on top of a vehicle in clear view, but if you look close enough you will see the signs:

Of desperation.
Of despair.
Of emptiness.

Either way, I encourage you to allow our Heavenly Father to fill you up if you’re on empty. Or to allow Him to use you in order to fill someone else up.

James 4:6 “God resists the proud, but he gives grace to the humble.”

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What’s Your Resume’ Look Like?

Lisa Preuett

Ever created a resume’? If you’ve ever stepped foot into the working world for any length of time, then I’m sure you’ve gone through the painstaking process of putting together a resume’. With such competition now days in the economy we live in, if you’re in desperate need of a job, your resume’ is crucial. It has to be top-notch. Almost perfect to get anyone’s attention.

You’re essentially selling yourself. And to do that, you’ve got to put the spotlight on any experience you’ve had in the most positive light possible. Time to show off your work experience and make it sound as if every job you’ve ever had was made just for you. After all, you’re trying to get an employer’s attention. You have to stand out. Above all the rest.

Are you going to include the job that lasted 2 weeks before you quit? Are you going to list the job where you got fired after messing up multiple times? What about the one where someone else took advantage of you, stepping all over you to get to the top of the corporate ladder?

And what about references? Yes, those are almost just as essential as your work experience. Do you include the boss who exasperated you into quitting? Do you include the co-worker whom you thought was your friend, betraying you and letting you down at your worst possible moment?

The resounding answer to ALL these questions is NO! Of course not. Who in their right mind would even think about including such information on their resume’? No employer would want anything to do with candidates such as these.

Thankfully, our Heavenly Father is not like the typical employer looking for the best of the best. No, He is much different from that. The type of resume’ He is after is the one who shows every area of their life…the good and the bad. The ugly. The messy. The stuff you wish nobody knew about you. The things you wish you could hide in a closet.

Your spiritual resume’ is more important than your work history. It’s what God uses for His glory. It’s what God uses for pointing others to Him. It’s the broken pieces He takes and turns them into something beautiful.

The highlights of my work history would look something like this:

Graduated with honors.
Full scholarship.
10 years teaching experience.
Private tutor.
Published author.

But you know what? If this is ALL I have to say about my life and my identity is wrapped solely around those things, then it doesn’t really matter. Paul calls these things “rubbish” (garbage)in light of the glorious things God has done through him. He had a stellar work history that topped everyone else in his field. But again, he says that none of these things were of any value compared to the riches of knowing Christ. His spiritual resume’ took precedence over everything else.

I’ll get really transparent here and share some of the highlights of my spiritual resume’:
First marriage ended in divorce.
Struggled with depression.
Single mom for six years.
Infertile for three years.
Difficult seasons of parenting.
Recovering control freak.
Daily struggles with pride and selfishness.

I’m sure a prospective employer would just love to hire me for the job if this is what I listed on my work history. Ha!

But praise God that He doesn’t look at my credentials to determine my worth. Praise God He doesn’t look at my work experience to determine if He can use me. He doesn’t call the equipped….He equips the called. As long as my eyes are on HIM, and as long as I am humbled before HIM, He can use anything from my past and present. He can use it ALL for His glory. The struggles I’ve overcome through His strength can encourage and comfort someone else. The difficult circumstances life has thrown at me can build character in me and make me more like Jesus. These are the things that connect me with others in the body of Christ who also have similar “highlights”.

So what does your spiritual resume’ look like? Have you even thought about it? Go ahead…start making a list.

The things that you think have broken you.
The things that have wounded you.
The things that have pierced your heart so deeply.
The things that have challenged you to no end.

Yes.

Those are the things He wants to use to bring glory to Him. Those are the things He loves to take that men may have meant for evil, but He can use for a greater purpose. If these things bring you to your knees in desperation and bring you closer to Him, then those are the highlights of your spiritual journey. He is smiling down on you and it’s almost as if He says, “Yes, I can use that.
Yes, I will bring glory through this. Yes, she is the perfect candidate for this task. Yes, he is the ideal person to serve the body of Christ.”

While I can’t assist you in writing the perfect resume’ of your work history, I can promise you a perfect God has His eye on you and wants to use whatever is in your past for His purpose and glory. As far as He is concerned, you’re hired. You’ve got the job!

Philippians 3:8 “What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ.

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Blessings to you!

Lisa Preuett

Time to Clean Out Your Clutter?

Lisa Preuett

With school out and more free time on my hands, I’m in the midst of cleaning out the clutter in my house. Outgrown and outdated clothing, broken toys,expired coupons, junk mail and items I don’t even recognize! And this is just the beginning of the stuff I’ve come across. As I attempt to go through each room, closet and drawer, I have to decide which category the item in question needs to go.

Trash it? Give it away? Move it to its proper place?

So I literally have three plastic bins in which these items will be tossed.

Trash: These are obvious and don’t take long to figure out. Something that’s broken, used up or never should have taken up residence in our house. Where did this come from? Why did we not throw this away sooner?

Give it away: This takes a bit more thought. Maybe the item is still of value but it doesn’t fit anyone in our household. Wrong size. Not our style. Someone can get some use out of this! Maybe a single mom in need of clothing for her growing children. A toy for a child who has nothing. I feel relieved as I bag these things up, knowing I’m getting rid of the clutter in my home but passing on something useful for someone else.

Put it where it belongs: These are the things simply out-of-place and need to be put back where they belong. This screwdriver doesn’t belong in the laundry room; it goes in the garage. This book needs to go back on the shelf instead of under the bed. Sometimes I laugh at where things end up and I think How did this get here?

Similarly, I often find myself going through a season where my mind is crowded with too much clutter. And I sense some junk growing in my heart. I can decide which category these things belong in. The thoughts, feelings and behaviors in question can be filtered through God’s perspective before I intentionally put them where they go.

Trash: These should be obvious to me, but unfortunately I’ve often held on to things for way too long that should have been trashed. Ugly thoughts. Prideful actions. Selfish behaviors. Yuck! Into the trash you go. These are the sins Christ died for. These are things destructive to my life. They should have no place in my heart or mind.

Give away: Sometimes I have those thoughts that need attention, but I shouldn’t dwell on them. Issues requiring concern aren’t destructive. But when the concern turns to worry or anxiety, it’s time to give it away. Who am I giving these thoughts to? God tells us to bring every thought captive to Him. To bring them straight to the throne of grace. The concerns about my child don’t go in the trash. The pain in my heart over a strained relationship doesn’t get thrown out. I give it to God. And sometimes He uses other people to help us carry our burdens.Maybe after I pour my heart out in prayer I should call a friend and ask for support.

Put in the proper place: Now this is where I really need wisdom and discernment! Some thoughts, attitudes and behaviors don’t need to be thrown out or given away. But they most certainly need to be prioritized…put in the right place in my life. Spending time with my friends is a blessing, but if I put it ahead of my relationship with my husband, it’s not in its proper place. Date nights with my husband are a top priority, yet if I focus more on this than my time with God, it’s not in its proper place. Posting on this blog is important to me, but if I ignore my daughter consistently while working on it, my calling as a mom is not in its proper place.

So, what about you dear friend? Is it time to clean out the clutter in your mind? Time to get rid of the junk in your heart? Is God calling you to a season of honestly looking at your priorities through His eyes? Toss the ugly stuff in the trash. Give away the concerns weighing you down. And put the blessings He’s lavished on you in their proper place.

Freedom washes over me as I watch the garbage truck take my trash out of sight. Peace comes to me when I drop off the bags of stuff at Goodwill. Confidence perks me up with everything in its proper place in an orderly home.

But none of these compare with the JOY I experience when I truly put God first in all I do. This happens one thought, attitude and behavior at a time.

2 Corinthians 10:5 “We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.”
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Blessings to you!

Lisa Preuett

Look at the Birds!

Lisa Preuett

We have a bird feeder in front of our dining room window. It’s amazing to stop and watch these creatures as they sit perched up high, eating to their heart’s desire. Once one bird discovers the feeder, it’s not too much longer before a whole crew shows up for the dinner party. Just when I fill up the feeder, it seems I’m filling it up again and again.

One day my daughter asked me, “Mom, what would the birds eat if we didn’t feed them?”

I assured her the birds would eat food in the wild without our help. God even tells us this in His word!

Matthew 6:26, “Look at the birds of the air. They do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your Heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?”

God most certainly created birds to display His awesome power and for our enjoyment. But I think He also created them to remind us of how much He will take care of us.

If birds could speak our human language, I wonder if we’d hear them say things like this:

“I wish I had a different flavor worm today!”

“Why does that blue jay have more than I do?”

“Hey everybody, let’s build a Sams Club to store up food for a whole year!”

“I’m so worried there won’t be any worms tomorrow, I might as well head back to my nest and just die.”

I don’t think we’d hear the birds utter anything like this at all. Their behavior seems to indicate the opposite.

Just listen to them chirp.

Listen to them sing.

Watch them bounce happily across the lawn.

They appear to be very content.

Why can’t I be more like these birds? Sometimes I make my life so complicated. Sometimes I bring undue stress on myself. Sometimes I worry about something tomorrow, zapping my joy for today.

What qualities do these birds possess that I want? Contentment… with life as it is. Trust… that their needs are always met.

God promises to take care of their needs. Their God-given menu consists of worms, insects, plants, berries and even weed seeds! But the fancy bird feeders are extra to them. The fancy bird feeders are like icing on the cake. The fancy bird feeders are equivalent to our wants…beyond our basic needs.

Oh how the truth of this convicts my heart. Why do I ever doubt God’s provision? Why do I worry about something that is not in my control? If God promises to take care of these simple birds, then how much more will He take care of me? We are eternal souls who get to live in the lavish love of our Heavenly Father! Of course He will take care of us. And He goes way beyond just meeting our basic needs. He often gives us an overflow so full we can hardly fathom it. He lets us perch on the never-ending flow of the fancy bird feeder. He gives us more than a basic “worm and insect” diet.

So where are you dear friend? Are you perched happily on the edge of your bird feeder? Or are you scrambling around on the ground worried about getting worms?

From here on out, anytime you see a bird, let it be a reminder to you that God will take care of your needs. And He will go way beyond that!

Matthew 6:26 ” “Look at the birds of the air. They do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your Heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?”

birds on feeder

One Day at a Time

Lisa Preuett

At the beginning of the school year, my daughter was given a packet of grammar lessons for the entire year. On each of the home school days, she is assigned one grammar lesson at a time. About halfway through the year I asked her to pull out the lesson for that specific day, but out of curiosity she pulled out the very LAST lesson in the back of the large envelope.

“I want to see what the last lesson of the year looks like, Mom!”

She was giggly as she quickly pulled it out, but her beautiful smile turned to pure horror, staring at the paper in front of her. With a look of panic on her face, she exclaimed,

“What is this? This looks so hard,Mom! How will I ever be able to do this if I don’t even understand the directions? I’ll never be able to do this kind of work!!”

I gently took the paper from her,placing it in the back of the folder where it belonged. I encouraged her by saying, “Sweetheart, you aren’t ready for that lesson yet. Don’t worry, by the time the end of the school year comes you will be prepared. Just focus on the lesson you’re given for each day.”

I heard the Holy Spirit whisper to my heart in that moment loud and clear!

You so often want to know what’s up ahead, Lisa. But you don’t need to worry about the things down the road. If I showed you NOW what is up ahead, you wouldn’t understand and you wouldn’t be ready. Trust me one day at a time. I will prepare you for what is coming.

Wow! After being still enough for the Holy Spirit to speak to me in that moment, these two scriptures came to my mind:

Psalm 119:105 “Your word is a lamp to my feet, a light to my path.”

Matthew 6:34 “Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow has enough trouble of its own.”

We are told that His word is a lamp unto our FEET. It sounds like to me that if the light we are given is for our feet, then that is only a few steps in front of us, not several miles. He only gives us enough light for one step at a time. If we try to get ahead of the light, no wonder we stumble and fall……because we are out of the light.

And no wonder Jesus says not to worry about tomorrow! His grace is sufficient for one day at a time. We are only to focus on whatever is in front of us for that specific day, not get worried about what is down the road.

If God had showed me a year ago some of the trials I’d be facing in this current season, I would’ve had a huge meltdown! I probably would’ve screamed, “You’ve got the wrong person, I’m out of here!”

My daughter was anxious about the last grammar lesson a few months ago. But you know what? She just completed it yesterday. I reminded her of the incident earlier in the year and she smiled. When she focused on the lesson for each day, over time she was being prepared for the next level. Worrying wouldn’t have accomplished anything at all.

So what is it for you? What in your future are you worried about?

How will I know what school is best for my kids?
What if  the test results show cancer?
What if we can’t pay our bills?
What if my marriage doesn’t improve?
How will I handle my child going off to college?

Whatever your situation may be dear friend, rest assured that God sees our path up ahead. He knows what is coming and He will prepare us ONE DAY AT A TIME. As much as we want to know what’s around the next corner, He wants us to rest in Him and receive the grace He’s given us for that day alone.

Psalm 119:105 “Your word is a lamp to my feet, a light to my path.”

Matthew 6:34 “Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow has enough trouble of its own.”

lens15319921_1289578573Thy_word_is_a_lamp_unto_m