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‪Ever feel like you are treading water as fast as you can?!? Your hands and feet splash against life’s current. You feel the flood around your ears. All the while you’re repeating to yourself,  “Don’t drown … don’t drown … don’t drown … ”

There are seasons in life when the overwhelm of circumstances and the extreme busyness created by them bring me to the point of wanting to crawl back into bed and hide under the covers until the storm ends. Of course, I know that is completely unrealistic, but sometimes I want to do exactly that. These times, of course, are the exception. Or, are they?

We live in a whirl of hurry! Our culture is obsessed with filling our calendars from moment to moment. No gaps. No spaces. No margins!

For real time proof of this, take a peek at your own calendar. With your job your calendar is probably filled with the tasks of each day, client meetings, staff meetings, etc. Add in personal appointments, and if you have a family, you probably have several things each week calendared in for your family’s activities. Included in your calendar is church attendance and associated activities, as well as time with extended family, gatherings with friends, and … While we are at it, we cannot forget activities planned by others on our behalf that, as we consider them, our guilt meter begins to climb and we attempt to splice in an acceptable amount of time to participate, and … You see my point.  It is tiring just thinking about it.

As we consider our calendars we must ask ourselves: Have we scheduled laid back family time? What about just me and my spouse? Reading my Bible? Prayer? Contemplation? Solitude?

When our calendars have entries on every line, we find ourselves constantly hurrying to get to the next event. Even when the events are things we enjoy and with people we love, we find ourselves exhausted or harried upon arrival. Why? Because we had to run from the last thing to get to this thing and are already thinking of when we need to leave to get to the next thing.

The vortex of hurriedness sucks us in & tosses us about without mercy.‬ If you have ever been caught in that funnel, you will understand this truth: Hurry is a time siphon, life drainer, a sieve of peace. There is no substitute for deliberate action. Slow, deliberate, decisive, purposeful action brings peace and saves more time than rushing ever will.

In our flurry of hurry we tend to do things without tending to details. We might omit a vital note in a report, neglect to make a phone call that may help “seal the deal” we are working, or forget to attend an important luncheon or event. Hurriedness itself becomes a distraction and can create awkwardness in our interactions because our conversations become choppy as we glance away repeatedly to check our watch or survey the door to see if our next appointment has arrived.

In my family, with young children we had a full schedule yet did not live in a hurry. Then came middle school when life seemed to merge from the meandering cowpath onto the raceway!

During those days of early motherhood, a friend was relaying a memorable incident of hurriedness in her family. They were scurrying out the door to attend an event when her younger daughter, about four years of age, cried out with agonized disdain, “Mommy, are we in a hurry, AGAIN?!?” My friend’s heart sank as she had to answer in the affirmative, “Yes, we are.”

The Bible teaches us to live thoughtfully and with intention.  We are taught in Proverbs 19:2, “The one who acts hastily makes poor choices.” Some versions say when we hurry our steps we err, we make mistakes, we sin.  Hurriedness leads us into error.

As the seasons transition from winter to spring and frigid temperatures are exchanged for warmth and new life, it seems a beautiful opportunity for us to leave behind the season of Hurry–never to revisit.

May we slow ourselves, seek the wisdom of the Lord and be intentional in all our actions and activities.

WINNING this WINS-DAY!!  How about YOU??

There is no video today because the day has been jam packed with appointments and meetings.  Just to give you a sample of the day: I worked on upgrades we are making for supporting our church music ministry, I performed website upgrades and marketing efforts as a board member of a community foundation,  met with an advisory board as we worked toward the creation of a tremendous new mentoring program for teen students in our area, worked on a multi-church women’s ministry project, and enjoyed lunch with a dear friend. Then, there was the rest of the day!

In fact, this entire week has had its share of many successes, sized in small, medium and large!  For that, I am immensely thankful!

Now, I don’t want to mislead by sounding as though I did all these things today, and many others throughout the week, and life is just sailing smoothly along with nothing rocking my boat, because that is not my reality nor is it realistic on any level.

Anything worth doing is going to bring its own set of challenges in order to be accomplished. So the questions to be answered are         1) What are we doing? 2) What is the value of what we are doing?    3) Why are we doing it? 4) Have we identified the end goal and are we taking the necessary steps to accomplish it?

When we are seeking God’s Kingdom and His righteousness to be manifest in our own lives and serving His Kingdom by pouring ourselves into our work for the purpose of God’s glory and honor, He promises to provide all we need and to crown our efforts with success. (Matthew 6; Proverbs 3:5-6)

Tonight, at the end of this highly productive day, I will dwell on these promises and rest in this truth:

Do you not know?
Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary,
and his understanding no one can fathom.
He gives strength to the weary
and increases the power of the weak.
Even youths grow tired and weary,
and young men stumble and fall;
but those who hope in the Lord
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint.                                                         Isaiah 40:28-31

May your day and your week be FILLED with WINS in CHRIST and may each night hold REST for you to be RENEWED in HIM!

Incredibly, today my Granny would have been 115 years of age! She lived to be 92, then went to Heaven.

My Granny had a second grade education. She had to leave school at the age of eight years. From that time until she married, at the tender age of fifteen years, she raised, farmed, picked, slaughtered, prepared and cooked the food for her “Papa” (a Civil War veteran), their family, and all the sawmill hands.

She and my Grandpa had 10 babies, six of whom survived. They lived the realities of “The Grapes of Wrath” when they packed all their possessions and moved from Oklahoma to California during the dust bowl days.

My mother was 4 years old when they trekked across the southwestern region of the United States settling in the Oildale area of California.  For a while they made their home in a box car. They were migrant farm hands until Grandpa was hired by an oil company and Granny found steady work in a canning factory.

Throughout the miles and in all the trials their family endured, Granny just kept going.

I began this tribute by stating at age 92, Granny went to Heaven. How can I make such a confident declaration? Not because of all the good things she did in the midst of her circumstances–which were many–but because she knew Jesus.

She found Jesus as a young woman and determined in her heart she would introduce her family to Jesus and do all she could so her family would also know Him. She would have her family in church at every opportunity because she desired that each of her children would find, experience, and know the precious peace in Jesus Christ she had come to know amidst the tribulations of life.

As one of her many granddaughters, I can attest we never left her home without having a time of prayer with her and Grandpa. We each took a spot by a chair in the living room and knelt to pray; each praying for God’s protection over the travelers and other known needs.

Everything in Granny’s life was obviously not perfect but she trusted the One True and Living God and His perfect goodness to get her through each situation. My Granny’s faith in God enabled and empowered her to do what she did and to endure to the end.

It is a joy for me that I can rest in the knowledge that I will see her again. She left a legacy of trusting in the Lord for everything.

Like my Granny’s life, God has a plan for each of us He determined long ago.  Knowing this brings a set of questions to be answered. Have we chosen to take our place in His Kingdom? Have we determined to walk with the Lord throughout this life and all the circumstances that present themselves? Are we leaving a legacy of faith, trust and joy in the Lord? Is the legacy we are leaving leading others toward God and into His Kingdom?

“God saved you by his special favor when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so that we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.” Ephesians 2:8-10 NLT

My Granny’s reward is she is now with our Lord, living eternally with Him, never having to experience again any lack, loss, or tears of sorrow, grief or sadness. Now and forever, she has complete joy!

May I walk out my life in a way that leaves a legacy of glistening love and sparkling joy found only in the Kingdom of God through Christ Jesus.

One thing, only one

What is the one thing I desire most of all?  It’s worth asking the question.  What is the one thing I am most passionate about in this life?

Many of us would say our spouse or family.  These are the most meaningful and powerful relationships and have the most profound affect upon us.

Many might say their passion is their work or career, or bettering the world by serving in the community or in the political arena. Others would say their one thing is their favorite pastime or hobby. Still, others might believe their pursuit of being physically fit to the ultimate degree possible for them is their greatest passion.

But really, these are all on the outside.  They are part of the story of our life as an individual, but they are not us.  So, let’s cut through the surface and look to the very depths of our being, the essence of who we are, our spirit.  In your spirit, what is the one thing you desire more than any other pursuit?

Yes, it is a deep question and deep questions require more thorough consideration.  So allow yourself the time and energy to be fully engaged in contemplation about it.

What is the one thing I desire in life that drives everything else I do?

For me, because I have considered and meditated on this thought many times, I can confidently answer the question.

Here is my definitive answer:

I desire to know God more today than I knew Him yesterday and anticipate knowing Him even better tomorrow.  I desire to know His Word better today than I did yesterday and anticipate knowing it better tomorrow. I desire to serve God better today than I did yesterday and anticipate serving Him better tomorrow.  I desire to dwell in His presence so I experience His marvelous and magnificent presence all the time.

Believe me when I say this.  If you ever experience the presence of the Lord, you will never be satisfied with anything less.

My daily prayer is charged with the desire to know my God, the Creator of the Universe, the Creator of me!  My quest is to abide in the presence of God Almighty! My yearning is for the Word of God to illuminate my path and that as I follow that path, I am led by Jesus, the Light of the World, into God’s presence so I may dwell where He dwells.

One thing I have asked from the LORD, that I shall seek: That I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, To behold the beauty of the LORD And to meditate in His temple.(Psalm 27:4 NASB)

Because I have entrusted the entirety of who I am and my life’s existence to God through Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit’s presence abides within me.  Recognizing God’s presence and allowing Him to lead me is the key.

May my heart seek after the Lord, all day, every day. May my eyes be opened to the reality of my spirit in relationship to His. He is my one thing.

I don’t often do this but recently I made a weighty decision about something of personal significance in my life and suddenly, approximately three weeks later, I began to question that decision. At first subtle, nagging thoughts would creep into my daily activity. Within about two days, I was in full throttle concern I had made the wrong decision.

My thoughts ignited into a flaming frenzy! I could not quit thinking about my poor decision-making skills. My mind was playing the Olympic championship for the gold medal of second guessing this seemingly catastrophic and irreversible decision. Exhaustion!

The questions.  Oh, the questions!  “Was this the right thing to do?” “Did you truly understand God’s direction to go for it?” “ Did you ensure this was the best decision in pursuit of your ultimate goal in this area?”

Then came the accusations, “This was not the right thing to do.”  “God did not okay this for your life.” “You have far too many obligations to care for to pursue such a thing.” “Sure, you know how do this but what a ninny you are for thinking you have time. Look at your calendar.”

All this followed by more accusatory questioning. “Who do you think you are to pursue this?” “Why do you think this is good for you right now?” “You do have too many other things you should be taking care of.” “Besides all that, you’re not good enough … “ “You’re not smart enough…” “You’re not ready …” “You’re not this…” “You’re not that … “  “You’re not …”

I wanted to scream at my thoughts, “STOP IT!”

Such confusion! I had to seek the Lord to end this struggle.

My normal routine is to get up around 5:15 a.m. and pray. About 7:00 a.m. my husband and I have coffee, devotion and prayer together. That next morning I outdid my norm and got up and 4:45 a.m. I HAD to get the answer!

I went to my place of prayer. There, my old strategically placed prayer chair awaited my arrival.  Kneeling with a heavy, grieving heart, worship rolled out celebrating the essence of God, aware of my own unworthiness–if not for the blood of Jesus–to empty myself before Him. Praise poured as I celebrated His promise of our confidence He is listening and will answer when we seek His will. I implored Him to help me know His will in this situation, to understand what I needed to do. My cries emerged from the depths of my being to Him a few days in a row. Yet, the second guessing continued.

Our God is NOT the author of confusion but of peace (1 Cor 14:33 NASB) and God has not given us a spirit of fearfulness, but one of power, love, and sound judgment. (2 Tim 1:7 HCSB) I was trusting Him for the answer to rid myself of this confusion.

After prayer on the third day, Mike and I had our routine time of devotion and prayer. Then, Mike left for the day to work on a consulting job. I took the opportunity of quietness to search the Word.

My regular Bible reading had taken me to a particular study and this day I did not believe that was where I was to focus my energy.  Instead, I felt compelled to read from the Psalms. (In full transparency, I had the same thought the day before, got sidetracked by another issue and did not have the opportunity to go back and add the Psalms to my reading.) Today was different. I HAD to do it!

With pen in hand, I opened my Bible. I did not have a particular direction of which Psalm to read, so I thought, I will start with Psalm 1 and proceed from that point. On the page, I had a couple things marked from previous studies and chose to ignore them so the words would be fresh, and began reading. Verse three seemingly lifted off the page and said, “…which yields its fruit in its season…” There, next to that line I had marked and noted my confirmation regarding this decision only one month, almost to the day, prior.

There it was! GOD REMEMBERED and reminded me HE had already told me what the decision was to be! The voice of question was the accusing enemy attempting to instill defeat into my soul. But GOD …

GOD said “NO, Leah, you are NOT defeated! You, Leah, have VICTORY in ME!”

WINS-DAY is a BIG win for me this week because I got to begin and end today KNOWING GOD’s peace!

Let GOD show YOU where HE is giving YOU VICTORY!