detour

God is radically changing me.


This morning on my way to the gym, willing my car to warm up,  I saw someone walking in my direction on the sidewalk. In the dark. In minus four degree windchill. I took a second look as I passed the pedestrian, and it was a young African American girl, maybe fifteen or so. Um, no, I thought. No one should be out walking now. At the exact same time that I passed her I was adjusting my rear view mirror and it snapped off the windshield. Nice.


I drove around the block hanging onto my dangling mirror in search of the girl. Where in the world would she be walking this early in the morning, in the dark, in this cold? I spied her crossing the street and rolled down my window. "Good morning!", I said cheerfully so as not to startle her. Through a series of questions I came to find that she was on her way to the high school, which was two miles from the place where I stopped. My heart dropped. I asked if I could give her a ride and she said yes.


We introduced ourselves and I apologized for my dangling mirror. I came to find out that she was walking to the bus only about a block away that would transport her to school. Her name is Futi but she goes by Sondra. I was intrigued and knew I was supposed to take her to school rather than just drop her at the bus.


Sondra moved here from New Mexico six months ago with her mother who needed a job. Her family is originally from Tanzania, Africa, but she was born in the U.S. She told me she has an older sister in college, and of her own plans to finish high school and hopefully land in New York for college.


We chatted a little about Africa...I have two friends who recently adopted children from there, but still I know very little about the continent. Sondra said there are many problems there (in Africa) including how people hurt each other, but that it is a good place.Her tone was warm and reminiscent. I asked about her father and she explained to me that her mom was his second wife and since he couldn't pay the tax on his seven children (I'm assuming...five with his first wife, two with her mom), he divorced her mom. She's only made one friend at school since moving here: but she's from the Congo and speaks French so they practice English together, which we both agreed is a tough language to learn.


She told me thank you and goodbye when I dropped her off. The minute my wheels left the parking lot, I began to weep. I have no idea what life is like outside of my comfortable little warm fuzzy life. I have a warm house, food in the pantry, three amazing kids whose tummies never go hungry, a devoted husband who is working his tail off to support us while living out his ministry dream, amazing friends, and every amenity that I could ever want or need to live this way.


I took a girl to school today and it only cost me ten extra minutes on the treadmill. There isn't much I am doing that actually costs me something. Which is another reason I am being changed. I need to give more and get less. (Stay tuned for future posts regarding this subject. You won't be disappointed.)


I love finding analogies in daily life that God uses to school me about eternal things. That dang(ling) mirror was no exception. The lesson came to me so quietly but firmly: Leave the past behind. Stop looking in the rearview. Don't care so much about what others think. You need to look forward to the things God has for you. Look for the detours He has set up for you and go for it.


I'm thankful for my detour this morning. I'm going to be looking for more of these. And I hope to run into Sondra again soon. I have much more I'd love to share with her.

"Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind, and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus." Philippians 3:13-14


"

Battles Won

What a beautiful day for a race! Waking up to 55 degrees and not having to wear gloves, tights and a hat was an absolute dream for this tired-of-cold-dark-mornings runner. Prayer #1: answered. With all the runners this year, it took my pace group 8:45 minutes to even get to the start line. Luckily we were microchipped. It was elbow to elbow for most of the race, and I was thinking what a good girl I was for following the rules and not wearing headphones while several rule-breakers ran to their tunes. I've always had trouble keeping my blood sugar even during long runs but this time I ate a clif blok every two miles or so. It worked! Prayer #2: answered. The bike path was extremely packed with people so that slowed me down. I won't forget running that path with Jen 6 years ago and waving at our lovely husbands on their bikes on the highway, in the pouring rain. The dreaded hill came at mile 9, but I asked for perseverance. Prayer #3: answered. Miles 11 and 12 proved extremely difficult for me as my low ab and low back took on extreme cramping-the crippling kind. A running couple came upon me about that time and said, "we've been watching you the whole way. you can do it!". I nearly cried on the spot. "Lord, get me to the finish line. I just want to make it!". I crossed the finish in 2:17:30. Two and a half minutes faster than my goal this year. Prayers #4 and 5: Answered! The Lord watched over me and was with me for every stride, even when I wanted to lay down on the street it hurt so bad. And yes, I too cried at the finish; tears of joy, tears of mental battles won, tears of physical pain, tears of strained faith. I'm so glad for the faithful God I serve. He is the best running partner I could ever ask for.

Thought for the day...as I battle burn out from many weeks of training....

"But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus' sake, so that his life may be revealed in our mortal body. So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you." II Cor 4:7-12

Two weeks to go until the Half. I can do all things through Him who gives me strength!

a new year

Having a quiet time in Maui is like sitting in a masterpiece of art created only by a God who knows true beauty, while the sound and scent of his creativity and glory swirl around with every brushstroke.

What a privilege to know my Creator this personally! He cares about me enough to meet me wherever I am, no matter what the current state of my heart. I love that about Him! I relish in the truth that He will never leave me or forsake me.

So, in this new year, no matter the trials and fears that I face, my God is big enough. He loves His children, He has a plan, and He will not let us be snatched out of His hand! Praise Him for that!

Season of hope

The seasons are changing. What happened to my lovely crimson maple leaves? They are but icy wet mulch on my front lawn now. So many people are talking about change recently. Rarely does a day go by that I don't hear or read that word in relation to weather, government, culture; you name it. I read a verse this morning that gripped me so.

"May the God of your hope so fill you with all joy and peace in believing [through the experience of your faith] that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound and be overflowing (bubbling over) with hope." Romans 15:13 Amplified

I have hope in a Savior who brings real change. The question now is this: am I so enveloped in that hope that it spills out onto those around me? Wow! What a picture.

.

Gratitude in the chaos

I finally join the ranks of those who post their thoughts upon this site for all to see. Sometimes I feel as though I'm writing a book about my life inside my head. So why not post some of these thoughts, I asked myself?

Today is about sippy cups. My kitchen cabinet is being overtaken by the small plastic hydration vessels and I wonder if I will ever see my china and glasses again. Sometimes I feel like throwing them all out because of the chaos they bring to my cabinet. The lids, the plungers (that are supposed to keep the cups from spilling), and the various colors of plastics truly spill off the shelf-much to my chagrin. I try so hard to keep them organized! Then, a still small voice reminds me that I have so much to be thankful for. Including the reasons for owning these chaos cups: my two little blessings, Grace and Samuel. For them, I am overwhelmingly grateful. I'm wading through the chaos in my life as a mom of two young children and seeing just how much I need to enjoy the moments that God has so graciously given me during this busy season of my life.

Enjoy the chaos friends.