Trust

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.

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

Sin Chases Us

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“For you will certainly carry out God’s purpose, however you act, but it makes a difference to you whether you serve like Judas or like John.” ― C.S. Lewis

My husband Kurt and I travel up and down the east coast a lot. Our family is stretched out from upstate New York to sunny south Florida. In order to visit, we make the long drive in both directions.

This summer we were traveling on I-95 headed north when a small black sports car passed us. I didn’t think much about it until I looked at the license plate. I don’t remember which state it was from, but I do remember what it said. It had the letters S I N. A little black sports car with a license plate that said SIN sped right passed us!

I have no idea who this person was, or why he chose that for his plate. What I do know is that after he passed us, he landed behind a church bus for a little while. Isn’t that ironic?! SIN was following a church bus. 

This got me thinking. I looked at this scenario two different ways. SIN was chasing the church AND the church blocked SIN. Let me explain…

SIN is chasing the church – As Christians, we are part of the church, the body of Christ. Satan is trying his best to drag us down. He wants nothing more than to get in the way of our relationship with God. He chases behind us looking for a chance to pounce. Tempting us with many different things and filling our mind with lies…you are not good enough, you are going to fail, you will never be forgiven, God does not love you, your past is unredeemable, you are not qualified, you are ugly, you are __________(fill in the blank), and so on.

AND

The church is blocking SIN – As Christians, we are part of the church, the body of Christ. We encourage one another in the TRUTH. We know that God is truth. God is love. God is forgiveness. Do we fall short of the glory of God? Yes. Every single day. But we stand together, as one body, knowing that God does not give up on us. Instead, He forgives us. He encourages us. He equips us to turn from sin and do better. God loves us with an unimaginable, unfathomable love. As the body of Christ, we stand firm in the knowledge that God is for us, not against us!

As the car sped off, I watched SIN easily and quickly weave in and out of traffic. Many people probably didn’t even notice it. Just like that car, how often does sin try to weave in and out of our daily life? We don’t notice it as it weaves itself in as gossip, gluttony, anger, lust, laziness. Or it fills our mind with lies, doubts and fear.

We can’t stop sin from chasing us, but as we put on the armor of God daily, we are equipped to block it. Ephesians 6:10-11 says, “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.” And in verses 14-18, “Stand firm then with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.”

Put on the armor of God and fix your eyes on Jesus. Block the devil from whispering lies in your ear. Stand firm in the Truth.

Walking in the Warmth of the Sun

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“If there is no struggle, there is no progress.” ~Frederick Douglass

Anybody who knows me, knows that my preferred form of exercise is walking. I love to walk outside early in the morning. Often before the sun is even up. This is great in the spring, summer and fall months. But when the winter rolls in, it is impossible for me to get myself up early to walk. I will not go outside in the cold darkness. I find it unbearable.

I haven’t really had to worry about that the past several years, as Kurt and I have been blessed to spend our winters in South Africa. And because January, February, and March is summer in South Africa, I have been able to carry on with my morning walking routine.

This year, however, I made the decision not to return to South Africa. This means I will have to figure out how to deal with the winter months. I can assure you I will not get out of bed in the dark and cold of morning to go for a walk. Does that mean walking is off the table for the winter? Will I allow the dark, cold mornings to take away my joy of walking?

No. You see, what I have noticed is that regardless of the cold temperatures, if I just hang in there and wait until the sun comes out, what is unbearable in the dark becomes bearable in the light. Once the sun hits my face, a warmth comes over me that I cannot feel in the dark.

There are times in our life that feel cold and dark. Bad results from a health test. Turmoil in a relationship. Termination from a job. Financial crisis. A wayward child. Death of a loved one. So many things can leave us feeling scared, lost, sad. It can be a cold, dark place. One that is unbearable to us.

The good news is, the sun always rises! Just hang in there and wait. Then bask in its warm rays… A verse of scripture. Kind words from a friend. An unexpected phone call. New opportunities. A warm day in the middle of winter.

Does this mean all of our problems will go away? No. But it does mean we don’t have to walk in darkness. In John 8:12, Jesus says “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”  In other words, those who walk in the light have a presence of God inside of them.

Can you feel it now? The warmth of the Light.