Lifestyle

Pulling Weeds

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I admit, I am not a gardener. I do not have a green thumb. And I am not one to spend days in a garden planting and weeding. As a matter of fact, I generally plant and weed in the early spring and expect the garden to remain in good shape throughout the summer.  

The other day, however, I spent 6 hours in just one garden area of my backyard weeding and mulching. Believe it or not, I had actually weeded this area in early spring. The problem was I had never covered it with mulch, leaving it to fend for itself.  A big mistake. Soil, sunlight and plenty of rain promotes growth. What grew were weeds. Wow, did they flourish! This caused the garden to look like chaos and choked out the the desirable plants.

I know that if I had covered this area in mulch and tended to it, it would have remained a beautiful area. A protective layer of mulch and a commitment to nurture this garden would have kept the weeds at bay.

What about the “weeds” in our life? You know, things like selfishness, worry, busyness, chasing wealth, trying to please others, gossip, hurt, insecurities, addictions, distractions and so many more.

The Merriam-Webster Dictionary describes a weed like this: a plant that is not valued where it is growing and is usually of vigorous growth. One that tends to overgrow or choke out more desirable plants.

We allow these types of weeds to spring up in our life (our garden) all the time. We ignore them, and they flourish. Eventually, they have us gripped so tight. Choking our joy. Creating chaos in our lives.  

We pull them. And everything is fine.

Or is it?

Have you ever pulled weeds only to see them grow back thicker the next time? Choking out the desirable plants, or in life…fruit of the spirit.

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” Galatians 5:22-23 (NIV)

Why do you suppose that is?

I have found that in my life, I can’t just pull the weeds and forget about them. I need to ask God to cover each situation I am dealing with, with grace and mercy. And I must commit to nurturing my garden, not neglect it. If I don’t, the weed will slowly find a way to creep back in and take over. That’s what weeds do.

How many times have you pulled “weeds” out of your life? Do you find yourself pulling the same ones over and over? Ask God to cover the situation in a protective layer of mulch, “grace and mercy”, and then be sure to nurture your garden.

Beautiful gardens do not grow naturally. Weeds do!

Pollen Produces New Blooms

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“Where flowers bloom, so does hope.” – Lady Bird Johnson

I don’t know about you, but I suffer terribly from pollen allergies in the spring! Because of that, this season is one of my most difficult each year. That nasty yellow layer of dust floating in the air and covering everything in sight can be so thick at times, that it is hard to tell the true color of some outdoor objects. 

There are weeks in April that I am on two, not one, but two different oral antihistamines, allergy eye drops and allergy nasal spray all at the same time. This usually helps give me some relief, but only for short periods of time. I am uncomfortable, annoyed and down right miserable with red, swollen, watery and extremely itchy eyes!

Being outside this time of year is a real struggle for me. Yet, that is exactly where I want to be! The weather is perfect. And as I’ve mentioned in previous blogs, my favorite form of exercise is walking outside. 

I had this idea the other morning when I left to walk, that if I wore sunglasses and a baseball cap and essentially walked with my head down, I would be able to stop the pollen from irritating my eyes. Nope. It didn’t work. I could not avoid the irritation of the pollen.

Finally I gave up trying to avoid the pollen. I stopped and looked up. What I saw was incredible. The street was lined with beautiful pink flowering trees. The culprit of the pollen! 

I realized then, had I continued looking down, trying to avoid the pollen, I would have missed the beautiful blooms.

It was then that I thought, “Although I am suffering through the irritation of the pollen now, I will be able to enjoy new blooms later!”

Wow. Isn’t that true. For it is the pollen that leads to the production of seeds that will create new plants to grow and bloom.

We all experience seasons of life that are uncomfortable and annoying. These circumstances and situations can be thought of as our “pollen”. They make us irritated and downright miserable. We lose out on a promotion at work. We are being emotionally drained in a relationship. We learn we have to move our family to a new town. An acquaintance/family member feels the need to always give unsolicited advice. We feel our morning or daily routine is full of chaos. And so on. 

We often can’t avoid the “pollen”. But we can bloom because of it.

For it is during this season of discomfort that we grow and learn. We learn to speak up for ourselves or figure out what we need to do to receive the next promotion (even if that means changing jobs). We learn to end toxic relationships and set limits on others. We learn to embrace the opportunity for new beginnings. We learn to protect our time. And we learn better ways to do things to create a less chaotic day. We learn. We grow. We bloom!

Look up. Turn your eyes to God.

“I will be like the dew to Israel. It will blossom like a lily. Like the cedar trees in Lebanon, its roots will be firm. The people will be like spreading branches. They will be like the beautiful olive trees. They will be like the sweet-smelling cedars in Lebanon.” Hosea 14:5-6 (International Children’s Bible)

Don’t allow this uncomfortable season of life to discourage you. Push through it and allow the “pollen” to help you grow and bloom.

Facing the Bullies

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“No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.” – Eleanor Roosevelt

Were you ever bullied as a child? The person the other children knew would not fight back? I think if we are honest with ourselves, all of us at one time or another have been on the receiving end of a bully. And if you were lucky, you had a friend in your corner who stood up for you. Defended you. Protected you. Appeared stronger than you.

I have two sisters. My sister Grace Ann is 11 months older than me. Yes, only 11 months. And my sister Micki is five years younger than me.

Since Grace Ann and I were so close in age, we were for the most part, treated like twins. Some people called us “Irish Twins”. We shared everything. A bedroom. Clothes. Secrets. Activities/clubs. We even shared the same friends.

The main difference in our personalities was that Grace Ann was not a conflict avoider. I was! I was never secure enough in who I was to stand up for myself. And because of this, I would generally let the bullies defeat me. That is… unless Grace Ann was around. I knew if she was there, she would face and defeat the bully for me. She defended and protected me. She was always in my corner.

The funny thing is, Grace Ann is one of the friendliest people I know. She certainly isn’t intimidating in any way, shape or form. People love her. And they always have. However, if she thought I was being treated unjustly, and not standing up for myself, she assumed the role of “Big Sister” (remember she is only 11 months older than me). And let me tell you, you didn’t want to be on the receiving end of that.

I could list time after time that she stood up for me. Faced my bullies. But there are two in particular that are forever etched in my brain.

One of those times happened as we stepped off of the elementary school bus in our neighborhood. A boy, my age at the time (probably 8 years old), came up behind me, jumped on my back and started hitting me in the back of the head. To this day, I do not know why! I was shocked. I didn’t even try to defend myself. Grace Ann immediately jumped into action. She threw her books down, pulled him off of my back, pushed him to the ground and gave him a good tongue lashing (at least that is how I remember it). That boy ran home and NEVER bothered me again. Grace Ann would not allow that bully to defeat me.

Another incident that was so devastating to me was when we were in High School. We both were on the rifle line of a Drum and Bugle Corps. This small group within the drum corps considered itself to be the elite part of the color guard. The members seemed to feel entitled to do whatever they wanted. One of those things was drugs. They tried to pressure us to take part and when we wouldn’t they shunned us. The problem is, it didn’t stop there for me. Since I was the youngest and the smallest (and wouldn’t stand up for myself), they often bullied me. They made sure to constantly tell me I wasn’t good enough to be a part of this elite group. And they did everything they could think of to try to make me fail or quit.

Their tactics worked. I felt insecure and intimidated. I would have quit in a heartbeat, but I was trapped. You see, my dad was the Director. So no matter what, I was “stuck” in this organization for a year! He had no idea this was going on, and I certainly was not going to tell him. 

What this group didn’t count on was that my sister, who was also younger than the rest of the members, would come to my defense. When she realized that I was being bullied, she came to the rescue. Grace Ann had my back. She was always in my corner. She confronted the entire group! Spoke (maybe yelled) her peace. And once again defended and protected me from the bullies that were defeating me.

As a child, it was a good feeling to know that Grace Ann was always in my corner. Defending me. Protecting me. When I was not strong enough to face the bullies, she was.

As adults, we still experience bullies in life that we don’t feel strong enough to handle by ourselves. These bullies may be people, circumstances, or illnesses. Broken relationships. Unemployment. Toxic environments. Disobedient children. Addiction. The question is, where do we turn for help? Who will stand up for us? Defend us? Protect us?

Quite simply, the answer is Jesus. He cares. He loves us. And He is strong in our greatest weakness.

“For the Lord your God is the one who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies to give you victory.” – Deuteronomy 20:4 (NIV)

And in Psalm 18:32 we are reminded, “He fills me with strength and protects me wherever I go.”

How awesome is it to know that we can rest in the safety of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! Our Defender. Our Protector.

Jesus is in our corner. Call upon His name. He will help you stand firm against the bullies in life.

So I ask.. If God is for us, who can stand against us?

Getting a “Nudge” to Move Forward

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“Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving.”

― Albert Einstein

As we wrap up the Christmas season and move into January, I am still waiting for a Christmas gift to arrive that I ordered on December 11. When I ordered it, the store said it would arrive by December 19th. Tracking information shows that they shipped it out immediately as promised.

Thanks to this digital age, I have been able to track its progress. USPS shows that it left Tennessee on December 12 and travelled to a USPS facility in Maryland where it arrived on December 20. Since then, the tracking information only states “In Transit”. It has not yet shown a departure from that Maryland facility.

When I talked with someone at the Post Office in that district, they assured me that it is not lost and will make its way here. Eventually.

My daughter sent me a TikTok video that explains the situation perfectly. It shows a conveyor belt at the post office. Packages are moving smoothly along the belt. Upward and forward. Heading toward their intended destination. That is, except for one. This one package, although on the belt, is not moving forward. Instead, it has lost traction and is flipping topsy-turvy backwards over and over and over again in the same spot as the belt continues to move underneath it. All of the other packages pass it by. I really think that video was taken of my package! It’s “In transit” alright. Just not moving forward.

My hope is that another package on the conveyor belt will eventually give it a little nudge helping it to regain the traction it needs. Only then, will it continue to move forward and truly be in-transit toward its final destination.

This made me think of how the year 2020 was for many of us. We set our goals, jumped on the conveyor belt of life and started moving forward. We were in-transit. Then, in March, COVID hit and everything changed. Many people lost jobs. Sadly, some lost loved ones. Everybody started feeling isolated and out of touch with others. Parents were overwhelmed as they worked from home while helping their children with remote learning. 

So many circumstances caused us to lose traction. Our lives were thrown into a topsy-turvy spin. Moving, just not forward.  All of us? No. Others continued to move forward, passing us by on the conveyor belt of life.

What does this mean for 2021 when many of our circumstances remain the same? How do we get the traction we need to not just move, but move forward? What “nudge” will get us moving in the right direction again?

Here are my thoughts:

Pray. Spend time with the Lord in prayer. Ask for guidance, wisdom and direction. And hold on to this promise: “I alone know the plans I have for you, plans to bring you prosperity and not disaster, plans to bring about the future you hope for.” ~ Jeremiah 29:11 (Good News Translation)

Let friends help. Many people have taken 2020 in stride and discovered how to navigate this new normal with grace. Ask them to share what has worked for them and what hasn’t. “People learn from one another, just as iron sharpens iron.” ~Proverbs 27:17 (Good News Translation)

Believe you can move forward. You are not alone. God is on your side! “I can do all this through him who gives me strength.” ~ Philippians 4:13 (New International Version)

Set achievable goals. Dream big, but be realistic. Then work toward achieving these goals. “But as for you, be strong and do not give up, for your work will be rewarded.” ~ 2 Chronicles 15:7 (New International Version)

Are you ready for your life to stop spinning in a topsy-turvy manner as you ride the conveyor belt of life into 2021? Is it time to get the nudge you need to move forward?

Let me close with this: “So, what does all this mean? If God has determined to stand with us, tell me, who then could ever stand against us?” ~Romans 8:31 (The Passion Translation)

Now repeat the scripture replacing the last part with “What circumstance then could ever stand against us?”

Thank you God for giving us the “nudge” we need to be in-transit moving forward again.

~Tracy Cooper

Follow the Leader

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“We could never learn to be brave and patient, if there were only joy in the world.” ~ Helen Keller

How many times did you play “Follow the Leader” when you were a child? Probably too many to count. One person got to be the leader, everybody else had to be the followers. If the leader walked like a duck, everybody walked like a duck. If the leader hopped like a bunny, everybody hopped like a bunny. You get the picture.

The other day, my friend Deb and I were out walking in the early morning. We took the same 3.5 mile loop that we have walked for years. The final leg goes through the woods down to the James River. As we were walking along the path, we were surprised to hear a “meow”.

We have seen squirrels, deer, chipmunks, skunks and other wildlife in the past, but never a cat in the woods. As we stopped to see where the sound was coming from, a tiny black fluffy kitten came running over to us. He could not have been more than a few weeks old. He was not shy at all. I bent over to pet the kitten only to see another little guy peek out from under the same tree. He would not come near us though.

Not sure what to do with these two kittens (neither of us are cat people), we continued or tried to continue walking. We figured we would call animal control when we got home. The little black kitten had a different idea. He was not going to wait around for his mom to come back and decided to follow us. Hopping along side of us weaving in and out of our legs.

Because we were tripping over him, we stopped. As we did, we heard another “meow”. Much to our surprise an entire litter was there. Eight more kittens came out from under the brush. We were surrounded.

Once the black kitten was back with all of his siblings, he stopped following us. Maybe the others convinced him he should be waiting for mama cat to return.

When I got home, I looked up information on “what to do when you find kittens in the wild”. The very first answer was to leave them be. There was a good chance the mother cat was only gone for a short time and would be returning.

This made me think of how often we play a game of Follow the Leader as adults. Whether we want to admit it or not, we are always following something or someone. Is it God we are following? Something else? Someone else?

Have you ever asked God for anything? Intervention in a situation, healing, direction. You pray about it, ask for direction, and wait. But when you think you’ve waited long enough and he hasn’t answered, you decide to take matters into your own hands.

I felt like that is what that kitten was doing the other day. His mama had left the home and he was tired of waiting. So he was ready to follow the first thing that came along.

We all know God can answer in various ways. The resounding YES! The devastating NO. Or even the “wait”. It is during the times of waiting that some of us find it hard to believe God is going to answer us. We take off following something, anything in desperation.

We follow our greed, putting ourselves into debt. We follow our pride, destroying relationships with friends and family. We follow the culture, justifying things we know aren’t right. Whatever it is that we choose to follow, we still come up empty. 

In Galatians 5:17, Paul reminds us, “For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please.”

If we choose to follow God and wait patiently for His answer, we will have the blessing of walking through every situation with the comfort and peace of knowing that God keeps his promises.

Who will you choose to follow today?

Side Note: As I wrote the rough draft of this blog, I couldn’t quite get it to flow. I decided not to work on it any more and to discard it. The very next morning when I sat down for my quiet time, I opened my devotional book. The title of that very day’s devotion was “Follow the Leader”. I knew then that I was to finish this blog post.