What I Want To Do...

For what I am doing, I do not understand; for I am not practicing what I would like to do, but I am doing the very thing I hate. Romans 7: 15

I know I can’t be the only one who relates to this verse! I do not understand how I can know the good things I want to do, yet still keep doing the things I do not want to do. 

I’ve been thinking this week about leaving a mark.  A few days ago a storm rolled through our area.  It wasn’t severe. There was no hail or tornado warnings or anything like that, but there was a lot of lightning.  We were sitting in our living room when we heard a loud crack, but it had an unusual sizzle to it.  I jumped as the power immediately went out, and I told my husband, “That hit something!”

Turns out, it hit a tree just up the road on the edge of my parents’ yard.  And it definitely left a mark.  The tree top broke off and fell, but the most visible mark is where the bark was blown off.  There is a pale stripe all down the side of the tree. 

This is not the way I want to leave a mark in the world! And yet, I wonder if I haven’t done that at times with my words or actions.  I can think of instances where something I did or something I said – usually in a rash of anger – most likely left a raw and permanent mark behind on the recipient.  I am ashamed to say that the marks I have left have literally scarred others. 

But that is not the kind of mark I want to leave.  I would much rather leave a mark that reminds others of God’s goodness, a mark that encourages and builds up, a mark that creates a positive change.  I’ve been thinking about that this week.

I’ve shared before that I do a lot of walking on the gravel road where we live. My dad pointed out something to me once that I had never noticed myself.  He said that when someone comes down the road in their vehicle driving very slowly, the tracks they leave behind are much more prominent.  So when I come home after having just washed my vehicle, and I creep along to avoid the inevitable dust, the tracks I leave are more noticeable than when I drive a little faster.

I started paying attention to that a little more, and he is absolutely right.  I can even tell it in my rearview mirror.  When I drive slowly, I can very clearly see the tracks I’ve left behind.  Which, of course, has me thinking.  How many times have I blown through my day and failed to slow down enough with the people around me to make a mark?

I know this is not always true, but leaving a positive mark often takes time and intentionality. The people in my life who have left the biggest marks are the ones who spent a lot of time with me. They didn’t rush right past to get on with their day. They slowed down to listen and to speak truth into my life.

It’s a good reminder to me: slow down, pay attention to those around me, listen more, engage more, be available, and allow the Holy Spirit to guide me as I interact with others. And maybe I will leave the kind of positive, encouraging marks that I would want to leave.

Father God, forgive me for all the times I have blown right past the opportunities you have given me to leave a positive mark with someone else.  Remind me to slow down, and help me to be intentional about encouraging others as I go.  Transform my heart and mind to make them like yours.

Be Like a Dandelion?

Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. Romans 5:3-4

Is it weird to say I think I want to be like a dandelion?  I know most people look at the dandelion as the peskiest of weeds disturbing the beauty of their manicured lawns, but I have come to admire much about the dandelion.

First, their cheerful yellow blooms are attractive.  I enjoy seeing that bright pop of yellow amid the sea of green grass, and they really do catch your eye. Nothing is so beautiful to me as an offering of a handful of these yellow blooms in the fist of a child given to show love to someone else. It’s heart-warming to be on the receiving end of that exchange.

Once that yellow bloom has gone to seed, many people view the resulting puffball as an eyesore.  However, isn’t it amazing how many seeds it produces?  The dandelion has a very effective means of scattering seeds far and wide. As believers, we are called to scatter the seeds of our faith.  And like the dandelion, we are not to concern ourselves over where that seed lands or what it produces.  We should be faithful to share our faith as we go through our days, allowing God to do the rest.

But I think the most admirable trait of the dandelion is how resilient it is. I have flower beds across the front of our home that I try to tend each year.  Every spring, I spend a few hours cleaning out the beds for a new season.  I have to pull a lot of weeds, typically.  Some weeds are not difficult to pull out.  One tug or twist can uproot many weeds, especially if you get to them quickly after they’ve sprung up.  I have not found that to be true of the dandelion.  It seems to me like the dandelion must grow its taproot immediately!  The dandelions that have sprouted in my flowerbeds remain.  I pull the leaves and stems and as much of the root as I can get, but within a week or so, they are back.

I did a quick google search to learn a bit more about the dandelion’s root system.  The dandelion’s taproot typically reaches 6-18 inches deep, but it can grow as long as 10-15 feet! This strong taproot helps the plant endure even in drought conditions.  And the root is regenerative, as anyone like me who has tried to pull one out of a flower bed can attest.  Apparently, if you leave even one inch of the root in the ground, the plant can regrow.  No wonder I have trouble getting them out of my flowerbeds.

This is why I have come to admire the dandelion. This persistence that they have to grow no matter where they sprout is astounding.  Even when they sprout in the crack of a sidewalk or a hard, rocky ground, they seem to be invincible.  I want to be more like that. I want my faith to be as deeply rooted as the dandelion. 

How do we develop such a strongly rooted faith?  Time spent studying scripture is important as is time spent in prayer learning to share our hearts with God and also learning to hear His voice.  Spending time with other believers, worshipping together and encouraging one another is part of the recipe also.  But as Paul points out in Romans 5:3, suffering and trials are tools God uses to build perseverance and character in us. That’s not something most of us welcome. It’s definitely not something we ask for. But it is what drives our roots deep and helps those roots to grow.

Have you ever noticed that dandelions sometimes bloom at the end of a long stem that stands tall and other times they bloom very close to the ground? If they grow in our yard but get cut off by the lawnmower, it seems to me like they adapt and keep their blooms close to the ground until they are ready to seed.  The puffball of seeds always stands tall.  It’s almost like they know that lawnmower can be used to spread those seeds!  And of course, it does just that!  

So yeah, I want to be more like the dandelion.  I want to be a bright spot in the day for those I encounter, encouraging them and lifting their spirits.  And I want to be deeply rooted and firmly established in my faith, but also standing tall in the face of difficulty and adversity, knowing that even the things meant to harm me make me stronger and help me to share the truth of God’s great love.

Lord, help me to remember these lessons whenever I see a dandelion.  Help me to do my part to grow closer to You each day and become firmly rooted in You so that I can use every opportunity to show others your love and truth. 

Turn Your Head

The LORD came, stood there, and called as before, “Samuel, Samuel!” Samuel responded, “Speak, for your servant is listening.”  I Samuel 3:10

Hello again!  I can hardly believe it, but it has been five years since I posted a devotion here.  That’s a long time!  Honestly, I wasn’t sure I would ever start this up again.  I started doing this in August of 2018, when I was meeting weekly before our school day started with a group of teachers for a devotion and prayer time.  I used this blog to write a devotional thought each week for that group, which I shared with them (and anyone else who wanted to read it) through social media and email.

Then in 2020, during the COVID shut-down, my posts were suddenly blocked for somehow going against the community policies. I wasn’t allowed to share the link to my blog site anymore.  (And I still don’t really understand why!)  But I stopped writing the posts.  School was closed, so I couldn’t meet with my group weekly either.  I allowed myself to be pulled away to other things.

It’s funny, though, how those blocked posts popped up in my memories recently!  Why would a blocked post show up as a memory!? Well, I guess because God wanted me to see it and remember.  It’s weird, but God has been tugging at me to pick this up again.

I’ve missed writing these each week.  Although I know I was supposed to share them with others, they were also important in my spiritual life.  So I hope you will find these each week and that they might be a blessing to you as well, but even if no one else sees them, God uses this to speak to my heart.  And I need to hear from Him – which simply means I need to do a better job of listening to Him.

We are having a beautiful spring season right now.  The flowers are blooming profusely; the grass is green and vibrant; and the temperatures have been delightfully mild.  I do a lot of walking for exercise all year round, but I’ve really enjoyed getting outside for my walks lately because of this beautiful season. 

When I walk, sometimes the wind is blowing directly into my face.  It’s crazy how much noise that wind makes blowing past my ears.  It will completely block sounds from any other source - including approaching vehicles.  Our little gravel road where I walk is not a busy thoroughfare, but I have been startled a time or two when a vehicle came from behind me when the wind was blowing at me. Typically, you can hear the crunch of gravel and the motor noise long before a vehicle gets close.  However, in those moments with my face turned squarely into the wind, I could not hear those vehicles until they were right on me.

I have learned that when the wind is blowing right at me like this,  it is much safer to turn my head slightly to one side or the other.  Angling my ears like this prevents the overwhelming noise of the rushing wind from blocking out everything else.  I can hear the birds singing and the frogs peeping, the water gurgling through the little brook, and, most importantly, any approaching traffic.

When the memory of my blocked blog posts popped up, I went to my blogspot page and started reading.  I was reminded of so many little lessons God had whispered to me during the everyday moments of my life.  Little incidents and interactions that taught me something I needed to learn jumped out at me each week.  Scripture verses connected to them appeared in my daily readings, Sunday School lessons, and sermons.  

It occurred to me that I wasn’t hearing those little lessons each week anymore, but I know that it wasn’t because God had stopped speaking to me.  No, it was because I had stopped angling my ears toward Him.  The rushing wind of my busy schedule has been drowning out His voice.

So here I am again, writing out a little lesson God gave me and sharing it with anyone who might want to read it in hopes that they, too, might give God just a few moments where their ears are angled to Him.  I plan to write one post each week again, so long as God keeps giving me those lessons to share, and I pray that they will bless you also.  May we all learn to keep the ears of our hearts angled to God so that we can better hear His voice.

Father God, the rushing wind of our busy lives makes it hard to hear You at times.  Thank You for the way You speak Your Truth to our hearts, and thank You for patiently pursuing us even when we forget to listen.  Remind us to turn our ears toward You, to look for You, to listen for Your voice, all throughout our days.