Flat Tires and Life Lessons

I like to think of myself as a person who is always prepared, but the other day I found myself in a situation where I was completely out of my element. I got a phone call from my daughter saying,  "Mom can you come pick us up, we have a flat tire."   When I arrived on the scene, I found the other girl's mother trying to figure out how to work a portable air compressor.  She and I struggled a little and I'm sure if anyone was watching us they were probably cracking up, but after some hassle we finally got it hooked up. In just a few minutes the tire was re-inflated.  I was so impressed and even made the comment that I really needed to have something like that in my trunk in case I ever got in a jam.  Our final act before we departed and went our separate ways was to to check the air pressure, but she didn't have a pressure gauge.  I thought I had one, so I popped my trunk. I didn't have a pressure gauge, but I did have a flashlight doodad thingy that looked like it had multiple tools in it. After investigating a little further,  I discovered I did in fact have an air compressor in my car. It was that flashlight, doodad thingy, but I had no idea how to use it.  Troy teased me about it and said it had been in every car I've ever owned. All I have to say is, "Who knew???!!!"

Sometimes life is just like that flat tire. One minute everything is rolling along smoothly,  and the next minute we hit a bump and become deflated. That's why I'm so thankful God has given us a tool, to help us along this difficult path of life. The bible is filled with stories and guidance to help us in whatever situation we happen to be in at the time. As long as I have God's word, and as long as I read it and apply it to my life, I won't ever be without the tools I need.

Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke, and encourage-with great patience and careful instruction.  -2 Timothy 4:2

Because Goodbye Is Just Too Hard

I want to give you a glimpse into something I experienced last weekend. Picture this: A busy street corner with friends meeting to have lunch together.  Children giggling and playing games and strangers visiting, talking,  and laughing. Doesn't this appear to be a picture perfect scene?

But we must remember, everything in life is about perspective.  This scene actually played out at a soup kitchen. I was chaperoning some kids from my church who were helping to serve lunch. The people we met that day came from all walks of life. Many were homeless or struggling to put food on the table for their families. Some were old and some were very young but whatever was going on in their lives, one thing was certain. They were all there because they could get a free, good, hot meal. Everyone seemed to know one another and they were very happy to have the opportunity to visit and be together.  

Of all the people I met that day, there was one who stood out to me. She was a little girl who couldn't be older than eight or nine years old. It took me over an hour to connect with her. Finally after multiple attempts I found a way to break through her barrier. It turns out, we're both in second grade! Once we found something we had in common, she spent the next several hours stuck to me like glue.

As we bonded and she began to share a bit of her story with me, my heart felt the weight this little girl had experienced.  Her tales were not something I have experienced,  but her story is all too familiar to so many living in our society today.

When it was time for her to go, she jumped up and ran after her family,  who had already started walking down the street. and she never looked back. She didn't even say goodbye.  And while this devastated me, I know this is just how it had to be for her. Maybe she had already experienced too many goodbyes in her life or maybe she felt no attachment to me what so ever. Or maybe the goodbye was too hard for me, because I felt sad and helpless and I couldn't make things better for her.

But this entire story is told from my perspective.  Just because I felt sad certainly doesn't mean she did. Maybe she was content in her circumstances. Paul tells us in Philippians 4:11-12:

I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned to be content in any and every situation,  whether we'll fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or want. 

The first few times I volunteered my time to help people who didn't have food to eat or a place to lay their heads, I felt so helpless and overwhelmed because the needs around me were so great and I knew the little bit I was giving wasn't going to make a bit of difference.   But being with that little girl helped me realize that although  I cannot necessarily change the situation of those in need, I can love on them and give them my time. And just maybe that will give them some encouragement and hope and allow them to see Jesus in a fresh, new way. I don't know if I made a difference for that little girl, but she certainly made a difference for me. The sign below was posted on the fence outside, and I believe it sums up what God wants us to do as we walk this path of life.

What's in Your Pocket?

Last week my school had Fox in Socks Day to celebrate Dr. Seuss's birthday.  It is pretty exciting for elementary students to wear crazy socks to school, but when the teachers dress up too, it's just over the top exciting! One of my students commented to me as she entered the classroom and saw my crazy socks, “Well aren't you in a good mood this morning.” It was a funny remark coming from a second grader, but also a very wise remark as well. 

People pay attention to what you wear.  They pay attention to how you react to things. 

What we wear really does make a difference on how others perceive us. Do you remember the song from when you were little:

I've got something in my pocket that belongs across my face. 

 I keep it very close at hand in a most convenient place.  

I'm sure you couldn't guess it if you guessed a long, long while. 

So I'll take it out and put it on. It's a great big happy smile!

Proverbs 15:13 says:

 A happy heart makes the face cheerful, but heartache crushes the spirit.

So many people cross your path each and every day. We have the opportunity to bring joy to others by sharing a smile with them or maybe even an encouraging word. People can’t always see our socks, but they can see our smiles.  What will you portray to others today? 

Finding a Purpose in Packing

Thank goodness the precipitation falling today has been rain and not snow!  It looks like this will be the first time in three weeks we have been to school all five days! Do you know what one of my favorite parts of the snow days have been? Not having to pack lunches!  Packing lunches is one of my least favorite chores on the planet, so if it’s not necessary I certainly don’t want to go through the hassle of doing it.

But then I stop and think about one of the last conversations I ever had with my neighbor. 

She was terminally ill, and we both knew this particular visit was probably our last. After a while, I told her it was time for me to go because I had to go home and pack lunches for the next day.  I said it in a complaining kind of way though, because as I mentioned above, it is not my favorite chore. She jumped on me a little, in her loving, yet firm way, and told me never to take for granted the little things in life that I could do for others.  I came home and cried that night while I packed lunches as her wise words echoed in my soul. I was really going to miss my dear friend and all the life lessons she shared with me.

1 Corinthians 10:31 says:

So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.

My sweet neighbor taught me so much, but one of the most important lessons I learned from her is that life is short.  We are not guaranteed the next minute, so we shouldn't take things for granted. 

Every once in a while I still catch myself complaining about packing lunches, but every time I do, I think of Connie, and I thank God for the wisdom she shared with me. And then I continue on with the chore, only this time, I put a smile on my face.

Leftovers

How do you feel about leftovers?  My family can’t stand leftovers. Even if they love the dinner I made, they do not want to eat it again as a leftover.  I try to understand this, but for the life of me I cannot. I think leftovers are fabulous!  You can have a delicious meal all over again without going through all the hassle of cooking it and cleaning it all up. You can take the leftovers for lunch the next day and you won’t have to eat a nasty sandwich. What’s not to love?

                

I wonder how God feels about leftovers. I don’t think He likes them very much. Colossians 3:23 says:

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord and not for men.

Sometimes I think about that verse when I am really tired and don’t feel like doing my work (dishes, laundry, grading papers, cleaning, or whatever needs to be done at the time.) God blessed me with a wonderful family and a job I love, and I need to work hard because it honors God.  This applies to my time as well.  God wants me to always give Him my best, not my leftovers. 

So when my family asks me what’s for dinner, I will smile before I answer, because I know that I am going to reheat those leftovers with all of my heart!

Roast Beef in Heaven

Troy’s grandma Marie made the best roast beef ever.  She used to cook it for me on my birthday, which makes me smile when I think about it. About three years ago she told me how to make it, but my first attempt was a failure.  She knew I could not be trusted to make the beef alone, so she told me the next time I attempted to try her recipe, I should invite her over and she’d show me how do make it (the correct way!!!) Soon after my failed attempt, I bought another roast and stuck it in the freezer, but I never had the chance to invite her over.  She died a few weeks later.  The only thing I had left was the memory of those verbal directions she had given me. So I set out in a desperate attempt to get the recipe correct.

God’s word is like that.  He used to be here on earth telling others about God and teaching them how to enter the kingdom of heaven.  But then He ascended into heaven to sit at the right hand of God.  He will come back one day, but until He does, He left us with instructions on how we should live until He returns. Sometimes God’s instructions are hard to hear and difficult to follow. We may not get everything right on this journey called life, but if we stay in His word and follow God’s instructions as closely as we can, God will bless our efforts.  And then one day when we wake up in heaven, we will take the top off the roast beef pan and God will say, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”

 

Excuses

I have been training for a 10k race for two months.  The only problem is I have been doing this training only in my mind, which I don’t think really counts.  I started this training in January.  It took me the entire month to mentally prepare for my upcoming training season.  I was certain I’d be ready to increase my running in the month of February.  But then I got sick for a few weeks and had to take some time off.  As soon as I felt better, I planned on getting right back to my training.  But then the crazy winter weather struck and my running path has been icy and snow covered for three straight weeks.  I would have trained between the snow storms, but as you can imagine, that would have been much too dangerous because I could have fallen and hurt myself.  None of this is my fault really.  There is just nothing I could do to change the situation…

What if we lived our life always making excuses? What if we only did what we wanted, and never took care of our responsibilities?   What if every time a situation came up where someone was in need, we just made an excuse and didn't help them?  2 Peter 1:5-8 tells us the following:

For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge, and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and  to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love.  For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

That is quite a list of qualities, but I certainly don’t want to be ineffective and unproductive, especially in my knowledge for Christ.  So I’m going to try to focus and make every effort to add those things to my faith.

 And about that 10k training…As soon as the road clears, I’ll be lacing up my tennis shoes!

BFFELL=Friends Forever

Best Friends For Everlasting Life (BFFELL) is an acronym my daughter and one of her good friends invented. They coined the term when they were very young and they didn't know everlasting was really just one word and not two.  She said they thought about changing the ending to EL,  but ELL just rolled off the tongue better. I think they were smart to add the extra letter.  When it comes to friends, extras are always better and you can never have too many!

God knows we need friends. The bible tells us in Ecclesiastes 4:9-10:

Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work: if one falls down, his friend can help him up.  But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up!

In our lifetime, many different friends walk across our path. Some of these friends have been in our lives forever, which is a rare and beautiful gift.  Other friends grace us for just a short period of time, but they leave their footprints on our heart, which makes them a BFFELL.

Friends bring a joy to us we could never have imagined.  They teach us valuable lessons and they help us through difficult trials.  Friendship is a gift to treasure forever and for always.  Michael W. Smith put it best when he sang “Friends are friends forever, if the Lord’s the Lord of them…and a lifetime’s not too long to live as friends.” It makes me smile when I think about all the BFFELLs God has given me, and I am thankful for each and every one of them.