Surprise!

I’m not sure who was more surprised—him or me, but I just had to laugh. I had just finished my breakfast and taken my dishes into the kitchen. I put the dishes in the dishwasher, walked back to the dining room, and stopped short. There was a piece of food on the floor near the chair I’d been sitting in. “Huh? I don’t remember a piece of food there. That’s weird.”

I bent down to pick it up and it hopped. “What in the world?” I said. Food doesn’t hop. My eyes widened and I jerked my head back. I bent down to take a closer look. Gray with a dark gray spot on its back, it was a toad!

Why is there a toad in my house? “When did you get in here? HOW did you get in here?” I shook my head. I bent down to pick him up, take him outside, and set him free.

He hopped under the table, afraid of me. I’d gotten a paper towel from the kitchen to wrap him in to get him outside. I figured it was big enough to cover him from both sides so he wouldn’t escape, but I couldn’t reach him now. I stooped to get under the table. He heard me and jumped further. I peered under the sofa, and spotted him just on the other side. Paper towel in hand, I walked around the couch and bent over. After two more tries, I succeeded. I’d caught him. I covered him from both sides so he couldn’t escape.

He tried to jump out of my grasp, but I had him this time. I went outside and released him on the deck but he didn’t move. I wondered if I’d hurt him when I picked him up or when I carried him, but soon enough he hopped forward and away he went. He must have just been scared.

That’s the 3^rd time I’ve had a wild animal in my house here. Read about the other times with a bird here and here. I at least know where the birds came from and how they got in, but I have no idea how that a toad managed to come in.

It reminds me of how I can get into the strangest of places or situations at times. Places where I don’t belong but have adapted to. When someone sees me and tries to help get me back where I need to be I may try to escape. Just like that little toad, I’ve gotten used to where I am and change is scary, especially if I don’t initiate it

.

Eventually, and it may take quite a bit of time, I may decide to relax a bit and see where it takes me. Usually, it’s to a better place. It can take some time to adjust to it, but with time, (sometimes longer than I’d like) I see the benefits outweigh the costs. 

How about you? When have you been in a place where you needed help but had to trust someone in order to get it?  Share it here.

Surprise visitor!



 

A bird on the dining room chair?  Inside the house?   Yep, that what I came home to Monday after a meeting that took me away from the house for about two hours. 

In my dining room, I have a window seat under 4 windows that jut out to the side of the house. 

Under the left most window sits a bird feeder where chickadees, cardinals, finches, and titmice regularly visit me and we enjoy each other’s company.  I’ve found out the hard way that if anything touches it, the feeder  falls to the ground spilling all the food. I have to stand on a ladder to put it back up on a brick that holds it there. It’s a pain.  So when I open that window, I pull the screen down to just above the birdfeeder so as not to knock it off. 

It was beautiful outside the other day so I let the soothing, cool breeze in by opening all the windows.  When I got home from an appointment that afternoon, I was greeted by a purple finch
 

that sat perched on top of a dining chair (straight ahead in the picture above), looking out the window, trying to figure out how to get back outside.  Whether he’d been there two minutes or two hours, I don’t know.  He'd started on the birdfeeder outside like the one in the picture, but he hopped inside and the next thing he knew he was lost in the house and didn't know what to do.

You’ve got to be kidding me, I thought to myself. After I stopped laughing, unable to believe my eyes, I opened the back door, hoping he’d fly out easily.  He didn’t move.

I went over to the window and he flew up into the curtain, afraid of me.  I felt bad for him but was able to coax him down, eventually. “I’m not gonna hurt you”, I said. “I want to help you.” I said. After a couple tries, when I put my finger under his feet he stayed there. I brought my hand down very slowly, opened the screen, and set him free. 

It made me think.  The poor guy had stepped in the house and when he realized he didn’t want to be there, he didn’t know how to get back outside.  He could see where he wanted to go and that it wasn’t far, but didn't know how to get there. 

He couldn’t get outside without my help. But he had to trust I wouldn’t hurt him first.  Tough call, but he had no other choice if he was going to get outside again. So he relaxed a tad and sat on my finger long enough for me to let him out.

Have you ever been like that little bird?  In a situation where you’re stuck, and don’t know what to do? God always has our best interests in mind and wants to get us where we need to be. We have to trust him first, then relax and let Him point us in the right direction. 

 

 



 

 



 

 

Emmanuel--God is With You

"God is with you.” Christians know this is true, that God is with us because He’s everywhere.  But sometimes we fail to personalize it. “God is with you” means he is with YOU, personally, individually, everywhere you go. And he always will be.  He tells us in Joshua 1:5, “I will never leave you or forsake you.”  David also penned these thoughts  toward God in Psalm 139

Where can I go from Your Spirit?
Or where can I flee from Your presence?

If I ascend to heaven, You are there;
If I make my bed in the depths, behold, You are there.

If I take the wings of the dawn,
If I dwell in the remotest part of the sea,
Even there Your hand will lead me,
And Your right hand will lay hold of me. (Psalm 139:7-10 NASB)

 



It’s easy for us to think God has let us go, that he’s abandoned us when life beats us down. There are times we feel pummeled over and over whether it’s finances, health problems, difficult family relationships, or any host of other hardships we encounter in life. We have to hold onto what’s true. Our circumstances ARE real, they DO matter, and we CAN’T just ignore them.  But, the key is we don’t have to handle it alone. 

God puts people in our lives to walk alongside us. People who will walk alongside us, encourage us, pray for us, and help keep us on the right path toward our goals.

How have you seen God’s presence in your life?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Obedience School

If you love me, obey my commandments. John 14:15

Our six-month-old puppy has a strong will. He’s a naturally happy, people-loving dog, but he has a mind of his own. While that’s not necessarily bad, it can get him into trouble. So we found ourselves at obedience school with him.

During the first two weeks of class, we focused on basic commands like sit and stay. But in week three, we learned what I saw as one of his most significant needs—the necessity of paying attention to us. We learned how to teach this important concept. Once he was sitting in front of us, we held his leash up straight so his gaze was focused on us. When he looked away, I was taught to give the leash a slight tug. If he continued to ignore me, I increased the force to bring his focus back to me.

The purpose of this lesson was two-fold. First, it taught the dog who his leader was and that he needed to do what he was told—even if he didn’t want to. The second reason was protection. His owner can see more than he can and can spot unseen dangers, like a car coming down the road, or an unfriendly dog. If he focuses on his owner and pays attention, he’ll be safe. If not, he risks getting hurt. Whether he’s distracted by other stimuli, or simply chooses to be stubborn, he increases his risk of harm.

I realized the same is true in my life. I’m like the puppy who’s still learning what to do in each situation. I can’t see everything around the corner or ahead of me, but I have a Heavenly Father who can. He sees the big picture. He is the Master who loves me and has my best interests in mind. So I need to trust him and follow his lead. As long as I do, He’ll keep me safe. But I have to pay attention.

Be obedient and focus on Him.

Ellen Andersen, a native of California, moved to Greenville, SC nine years ago. She is a member of the Upstate Fellowship of Christian Writers and An Author World in Greenville, SC. She serves as a Stephen Minister at her church and is involved in a women’s Bible study. She is working on a memoir detailing how God used unforeseen circumstances in her life to change her focus so she could minister to others to whom she could not otherwise relate.

Total Trust in Your Master

I trust in God’s unfailing love forever and ever. Psalm 52:8

Tommy lies on his back here asking for a tummy rub, which he loves.  It makes him completely relax, as if he’s in “doggie heaven.” 

But he’s also 100% vulnerable here.  His neck, chest, and stomach are completely exposed and could be attacked, resulting in severe wounds, or even death. Because he trusts us, and knows we love and care for him, that doesn’t even cross his mind. 

Do you trust God?  Most Christians automatically answer “Yes” or “Of course.” But do you really trust Him? Are you willing to do whatever he says, even if it means stepping outside your comfort zone into the unknown?  These questions challenge me, but sometimes God arranges my life to stretch me and make my faith grow.  Can anybody else relate?

Drawing Us Back

                                                                                                                                                                                           

We know that suffering produces perseverance, perseverance character, and character hope. And hope does not disappoint us because Christ has poured out His love to us through the Holy Spirit.

Romans 5:3-5

In an instant I was dependent for everything. I was accustomed to being independent and working full-time. Work was intense, so I devoted all my time and energy to it. As a result, I put my relationship with God on the back burner, turning to Him only when I needed something.

Until everything changed.

I had a stroke. I’d always been self-sufficient and it was a real struggle to suddenly need help for 

everything. Dependence, in my eyes, was a weakness and I couldn’t accept this as my reality.

“Why did you let this happen, God?” I cried.

It took time, but I realized sometimes God allows problems and setbacks in our lives for reasons we don’t understand. For me, it was a physical battle. I needed to learn my weakness was in the failure to depend on Christ…my stubbornness to manage alone.

I could question God, ask why He would let this happen, or I could trust Him to do what’s best for me—even when I couldn’t see the purpose. Grappling with why He’d allowed this, yet trusting in His promise to never leave or forsake me was critical to maintain spiritual strength in the midst of life’s trials. He kept His promise and never left me.

These days I pray more, nurturing my relationship with Him. And, though it takes me time to surrender to His ways, His will, and His timing, the process brings me closer to Him. Even if the circumstances don’t change, I do. I relax as His peace enters my life.

Sometimes His purpose is simply to draw me back to Him.

If you’re facing trouble or hardship, call out to Him. He’ll be there.