Problem Solver

I spend at least five days a week solving problems. Sometimes the problems require a lot of research to figure out what went wrong and how to fix it. And when I am not sure how to solve the problem and I ask for help to figure it out. It usually helps to have someone else to bounce the problem off of to find a good solution. Most problems and/or mistakes are fixable, but sometimes the fix is difficult to figure out and messy to complete.

In everyday life I find myself asking for help from others to see something I have missed or am otherwise unaware of that can help solve the problem which I am pondering. Often I will stop and say a prayer to help calm my mind and relax a bit in order to figure it out. You see God knows that we all make mistakes and missteps and He is always there to listen to our cries for help. Now whether the problem I am solving is from a mistake or a glitch in a process, or something that is no longer viable in its current state, doesn’t matter, what matters is that a solution is found to make the future move more smoothly.

With any problem, big or small, I have found that spending time to say a short prayer for help has always made my problem solving better. Do I always get immediate results? No. A good example of that is with our property in the country. We have been trying to figure out where on the property to live and what to do with the dilapidated house that is there. After years of working on it we have finally figured it out and are moving forward. This problem has taken years to solve, but I believe it to be solved now and we are moving forward with a plan. Sometimes the solution will not come to me until the timing is right and a different perspective is seen. And that truly what has happened with this problem.

I truly believe this to be God’s providence. I believe that God guides those who love Him and follow His ways. I feel much comfort in knowing that there is Someone who sees all and knows all who can guide me.

I will instruct you and teach you in the way which you should go;

I will counsel you with My eye upon you.

Psalm 32:8 NASB

Solving problems is part of the human process of growing and learning. I am sure that each and everyone of you have had problems to solve, big and little. Please remember that God is there with you through the big and little problems you have to solve and He can guide and direct you through those tough times. I know He has done it for me and my family and He can for you too, if you trust Him. Solving problems in this life prepares us for our eternity with God in the next life, so let’s take the challenges that come our way and use them to become a better follower of Christ. I hope you enjoy your week and I will be back next week with more.

Is that a Caterpillar or a Porcupine?

I love my grandchildren. My two youngest grandsons love bugs. So when I am outside and I see a bug I try to get a good picture of it and send it to them. I love taking pictures of different bugs and watching their reactions. Yesterday I saw a caterpillar in the freshly mowed grass. I ran into the house got my phone and took two pictures and a video of it for them. I sent it to my daughter and got a reply. “The kids want to know if it’s a caterpillar or a porcupine?” Of course I replied back “kinda small for a porcupine”.

Now to you and I it is obvious that it is a caterpillar but to a very young mind they see the prickly looking things on the body, they wonder and ask questions. We may laugh that they weren’t sure of the difference because we know there is a difference in shape and size of the two creatures. But the more important thing is that they weren’t sure so they asked. I love the inquisitiveness of youth.

Have you ever come upon something you didn’t know what it was and just had to ask a question to figure it out? Sometimes this can go well and the person you ask will explain it to you and sometimes it all goes wrong and the person you ask just makes fun of you for not knowing. I have had both reactions and it makes me more guarded about who I ask questions. One thing I have learned over the years is that I can always ask a question of God and never get an answer that makes me feel stupid or unwelcome.

Jeremiah 33:3 (NIV)

‘Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.’

I take great comfort in this verse and I hope that you will too. Remember next time you are going through something you don’t understand you can always ask God. He will answer and guide you through.

Psalm 32:8 (NASB)

I will instruct you and teach you in the way which you should go; I will counsel you with My eye upon you.

I hope that you will enjoy your week and have a safe and happy Independence Day celebration this week. I will be spending time with family next week so I may not be able to write, but I will have more the week after.

Nurture Nature

I love the fruit of the garden. I know it is early but we are experiencing the growth of squash and can’t resist eating immediately. Wednesday night for supper we had our first taste of squash from the garden. This was yellow squash that my husband planted in mounds in our back yard. It was tasty.

I really enjoy the spring and summer with a garden because we get to eat the bounty of what we planted. We do a bit of nurture preparing the ground, planting the seeds, transplanting the seedlings, watering, weeding and protecting from pests and disease and then we get to eat the fruit of all that labor. It is amazing.

Genesis 2:15 (NASB)

Then the Lord God took the man and put him into the garden of Eden to cultivate it and keep it.

That nurture comes naturally for most mothers. We have children, we feed them, clothe them and give them all they need to grow into young adults and then let them go out on their own and hope that we may someday reap the benefits of all that effort by being able to say without reservation “That is my child”.  We enjoy the fruit that comes from our children and hope the rest of the world has opportunity to experience it also.

As a mother and grandmother I can tell you that I am very satisfied with the way my children have turned out so far. They have all gone different directions in life but all still love and respect their parents and siblings. They have kept the core values that were instilled in them as children and to me that is very important. Just like their parents they are a work in progress.

Proverbs 23:25 (NASB)

Let your father and your mother be glad, And let her rejoice who gave birth to you.

I believe God sees all of us as a work in progress and applauds our efforts to seek Him and His kingdom in our daily lives. He enjoys the fruit of His Spirit that comes from His children. He watches us bloom and enjoys the sweet aroma of our efforts, because he has nurtured us with His eye upon us and directs our steps.

Psalm 32:8(NASB)

I will instruct you and teach you in the way which you should go; I will counsel you with My eye upon you.

On this Mother’s day take some time to remember all those who have nurtured you especially your mother, and those whom you have nurtured. Remember that God gave us the ability to nurture. Happy Mother’s day, I’ll be back next week with more.

Walking the Dog

While watching two of my grandson’s last weekend we decided that Nemo needed to go out for a walk. I made sure both boys had shoes on and the youngest had a jacket. Then I got Nemo on his leash and gave the control of the leash to Jack, the three year old. Since Nemo is small and Jack is good at stuff I figured he could handle the job. Out the door we go, very slowly.

I have Rex’s hand and because he is only 17 months old our pace was slow. Jack walked ahead slightly but since Nemo is more interested in leaving his scent everywhere there was no problem of them getting too far ahead. As we walked we came to a part of the sidewalk that was full of branches and debris from a tree that was waiting for pickup. I stopped Jack and helped him shorten the leash so he could guide Nemo around the pile, because sometimes Nemo can’t see things like that and will walk into them. Jack did a great job staying with Nemo and getting him around the pile.

The next challenge was the end of the sidewalk and we would have to cross the alley. Both Jack and Nemo did very well with this and they went far out into the field for Nemo to leave his deposit. Jack was excited because our next stop would be where the horses live and he loves to see them. We walked carefully down the alley to the fence where the horses are. Jack and Rex both had fun looking at the horses and making noises at them. But Nemo just wanted to bark uncontrollably as if he could harm them. I had to intervene and calm him down.

Before moving further down the alley I explained to Jack that he would have to keep Nemo on a short leash and keep him on the far side of the alley away from the houses because there were dogs behind some of the fences and Nemo would run into the fences and hurt himself when he started biting at the fence. Jack looked at me held tight to the leash and moved forward, but Nemo started pulling hard and barking. I saw fear in Jack’s eyes like he didn’t think he could do it and I gently reached down and said, “What if I help you hold the leash?” The relief in his face was instant and we both held the leash the rest of the way down the alley.

After thinking about what happened on our walk I realized that it was a beautiful picture of what God does with us. He will give us a certain thing to do and he will instruct us along the way. Then when we start to doubt we can do it, He will gently put his hand out and help us to complete the job.

Psalm 32:8

I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with My eye.

Look around as you go through your day and understand that God is right with you guiding those who love Him and follow Him. Enjoy your week and I will be back next week with more.

 

Protection

Sitting at my desk on the phone with a customer on Thursday I began to smell something burning. Unable to leave the call I continued on as the smell got stronger and stronger. I figured a manager would be taking care of the situation because they usually do. The smell intensified but there was no sign of smoke in the immediate area, no fire alarm and the sprinklers were not engaged so I continued on with my call. Toward the end of the call I got an email that said someone had burned food in the microwave and they were trying to air the place out. When my lunch time came a friend and I decided that it would be better to eat outside. We took our lunches and went outside and enjoyed the beautiful weather and relaxed. We probably would not have enjoyed this time had it not been for the smell. So though I did not enjoy the smell I did enjoy the time outside relaxing with a friend.

At the end of the day all I really wanted to do was get home and remove the smell from my nose and clothes.  I wanted pure clean air. This reminded me stench of sin permeates our society. In the news and neighborhoods there are always crimes and sin. There are always warnings going out about new schemes to steal or perpetrate evil on others. I read about a recent scheme where the perpetrators target women in parking lots who are alone. They have a device that can pick up the frequency of the automatic locking mechanism of your car when you hit the button. Then when you are in the store or away they can get into your car and steal things or lie in wait until you come back for other evil purposes.

Being keenly aware of your surroundings and taking steps to insure your physical safety is wise. I find that having a strong relationship with God gives me the ability to cope with anything that happens. This doesn’t mean that I do not have weaknesses or ever fear. But I believe that staying in the presence of God as much as possible gives me an advantage in all situations and if I can calm myself and listen I will hear and know what to do. I believe God’s promise.

Psalm 32:8 (NKJV)

I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with My eye.

Another protective step I have taken is praying the Lord’s Prayer often. It has been called the model prayer and has more meaning than you can ever imagine. My challenge to you this week is to slowly and carefully pray this prayer understanding that Jesus is the author.  I believe you will come closer to God and enjoy His protection when you pray it with your whole heart.

Matthew 6:9a -13 (NKJV)

Our Father in heaven,
Hallowed be Your name.
¹⁰ Your kingdom come.
Your will be done
On earth as it is in heaven.
¹¹ Give us this day our daily bread.
¹² And forgive us our debts,
As we forgive our debtors.
¹³ And do not lead us into temptation,
But deliver us from the evil one.
For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

Enjoy your week and I will be back next week with more.

I Will Guide You With My Eye Upon You

Thursday September 4, 2014 I went to the dentist to begin the process for a permanent cap on a tooth that was hurting when I chewed with it. After returning from vacation I called the dentist and told him the pain had increased tremendously since he put the temporary cap on. He put me on antibiotics. The pain did not go away, it just got worse.

On Monday, shortly after I prayed that God would guide me through my day, my husband reminded me to call the dentist about my continuing pain. I was unable to call on Monday. On Tuesday, I prayed again for God to guide me, my husband reminded me again and I found time just before work to call the dentist. The person who answered the phone said she would call me back after discussing the situation with the dentist. I went into work.

I noticed on my phone I had missed the call from the dentist and had to coax myself to call because I was afraid of what they would say. As I calmed myself I heard God say again, “I will guide you with My eye upon you.”  The dentist’s news was grim in my mind. He wanted to do a root canal the next day before putting on the permanent cap. I told them I would call back after checking to see if I could get off work. With encouragement from my husband and the all clear from the job I scheduled the appointment.

I began to pray for the dentist and assistants because they would be the ones performing the root canal. I arrived at the dentist’s office and the numbing began. I tried to drown out the noises by closing my eyes and talking to God. Once again He kept repeating to me, “I will guide you with My eye upon you.” Ok, God I trust you. Every time there was pain I looked up toward God and said, “Ok God you said you would guide me, please guide the dentist.” After two hours in the dental chair I was finished.

The rest of the day went pretty well until the tooth came out of the effects of the numbing agent, then the pain was ridiculous. I took the pain medication prescribed, but it did not help. I was in crazy pain until around 2 in the morning. I prayed, “God help me sleep and take away this pain.”

By morning the throbbing pain was gone, replaced by a local sensitivity over the tooth. I went to work looking like a zombie. As I discussed my situation with a co-worker God gently prompted me to make a decision. I realized that I must go home before I became a danger on the road. So I left work and when safely at home I went back to bed and slept.

God’s guidance can come from many sources. Just as in my example the first guidance came through a loving husband and the confirmation through the same person. The comforting knowledge that God was with me in the dentist’s chair warmed my heart and let me relax for the procedure. God guided me through the pain and through the bad decision to go to work. Now my tooth is feeling better and I give glory to God for what he has accomplished on my behalf through a dental procedure. He stretched my faith and tested my trust but I believe I passed the test.

Enjoy your week and I will be back next week with more.

Safety in Obedience

Suddenly through the music she heard the screeching of brakes and honking of a car horn. But it was too late. The car swerved toward the curb but couldn’t veer far enough away to miss her.  May had been practicing her figure eight skating techniques in the middle of the street with her music playing in her ear buds. She wasn’t watching traffic because there usually wasn’t much on her street. Now in this moment of pain and fear she wished she had listened to her parent’s warnings. Maybe they did know more that her.  She had always thought them to be worry-warts and opted to disobey because the street offered a much better surface than the cracked driveway. She would forever regret not listening to them and now realized they were just trying to take care of her.

Though disappointed in her disobedience, her parents were more concerned about her health. They thought she understood that the limit was for her safety. Now they would suffer with her though her healing time and hope she would not be permanently physically and emotionally damaged from it. More than that they prayed she would learn to listen to authority.

God gives us limits in our lives also for our safety. He guides us with His eye upon us. Sometimes we don’t listen to His voice and suffer the consequences of our actions.

Psalm 32:8 (NASB)

I will instruct you and teach you in the way which you should go; I will counsel you with My eye upon you.

As I write I realized the responsibility that I have as a parent and it shows me that I would never desire to be God. I cannot fathom the vastness of his wisdom and the infinity of his supernatural ability. It is a humbling thing to realize that anytime I would say no to God I would be saying no to the only one who really knows what is going on and can direct my path.

It is easy to know your parent’s voice because they are physically with you. However sometimes it can seem difficult to know God’s voice. Setting aside time with God will help ensure you know His voice. Once you realize that He has your best interest at heart obeying will become easy.

Enjoy your week and I will be back next week with more.