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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

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.

Lessons From An Iguana

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“Courage is the most important of all the virtues because without courage, you can’t practice any other virtue consistently.” ― Maya Angelou

Imagine you are walking down the sidewalk, enjoying your day when all of a sudden something falls from a tree in front of you and lands on the ground. Then another. And yet another.

Once you regain your composure, you realize that what has fallen are green iguanas. Yes, iguanas. Some 6 inches long, others much longer. Seemingly dead. Falling from the trees. Just the thought of it makes me squirm.

This was the scenario that played out in South Florida during an unusual cold snap this year. People were finding iguanas lying flat on their backs all over the place. By swimming pools. On roads. On sidewalks. Under trees. Why? Because the temperatures dipped down into the 40’s. Too cold for these cold-blooded creatures to function. However, they were not dead, they were frozen. Paralyzed.

Cold-blooded animals take on the temperature of their surroundings. When it is warm, their blood is warm and they are very active. When it is cold, their blood is cold and they become sluggish. Evidently, when it is unusually cold, like it was during this cold snap in South Florida, they freeze. They become paralyzed. They can no longer function.

Warm-blooded animals (such as you and me), were created to keep the inside of our bodies at a constant temperature. This gives us the ability to function and remain active in most environments. In other words, the temperature of our surroundings, whether warm or cold, does not affect our ability to function. It will not paralyze us.

This strange occurrence, made me think of my Christian walk? Am I a “warm-blooded” or “cold-blooded” Christian? In other words… do my surroundings influence my behavior and beliefs? I know that sounds weird, but just hear me out.

Let’s say I characterize “warm” surroundings as places I am comfortable in my environment. I am surrounded by like-minded people and have the ability and freedom to be who I am in Christ. I can share my faith without fear of rejection or persecution. I live my life in the Truth with support and accountability. I am active and moving. In warm surroundings, both the “warm-blooded” Christian and the “cold-blooded” Christian would function perfectly fine.

Now, let’s think about “cold” surroundings as a place I feel alone in my belief. Intimidated by the majority. An outsider. Persecuted. Rejected. I am surrounded by people who are rejecting the Truth. Or at the very least, they are justifying their behavior with the argument of widely and newly accepted social or cultural norms.

In these cold surroundings, the “warm-blooded” Christian will continue to function well. Sharing the Truth with those around without fearing persecution. However, the “cold-blooded” Christian, will be fearful. They will not speak out. Potentially blend in with the crowd. Paralyzed.

This may be a silly analogy. But I really had to do some soul searching.

Do I keep faithful and follow the truth regardless of my surroundings? Do I block what is going on around me from influencing my behavior? Do I nurture my relationship with Christ and remain active and steadfast in my beliefs? (Warm-blooded)

Or do I allow the climate to influence my behavior and beliefs? As long as I am in a warm environment, I am active and comfortable, but once the environment is cold and negative, do I become paralyzed? Do I find it hard to share my faith? Do I even start to question the truth? Blend in with the crowd… Join in with inappropriate jokes? Participate in gossip? Justify behavior? (Cold-blooded)

I believe as Christians, if we aren’t careful, we can take on the temperature of our surroundings. When we are immersed in cold, negative climates, the Truth may start to become murky to us. We might begin to question what we believe and let the fear of rejection paralyze us. So it is important for us to protect ourselves by staying in the Word.

Peter reminds us, “But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander.” —1 Peter 3:15-16 (NIV)

We are called to remain steadfast in the Truth regardless of our surroundings.

A quick funny story I heard the other day… In Central America, iguana meat is a delicacy. And during this cold snap in Florida, a man (originally from Central America, now living in Florida) saw several iguanas on the ground and could not believe his good fortune. Thinking they were dead he scooped several up, put them in his back seat and headed home to cook them for dinner. Well, you guessed it. As the car warmed up their bodies, the iguanas came back to life. They started running all around in his car, nearly causing the man to crash!

Let me end with this… These “cold-blooded” iguanas almost met their demise because they took on the temperature of their surroundings and became paralyzed!

“Be strong. Take courage. Don’t be intimidated. Don’t give them a second thought because God, your God, is striding ahead of you. He’s right there with you. He won’t let you down; he won’t leave you.” Deuteronomy 31:6 The Message (MSG)

Sink or Float

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“Lean on me when you’re not strong and I’ll be your friend, I’ll help you carry on…” ~ song lyrics by Bill Withers

Physics. Not one of my favorite subjects. However, I do remember the “Sink or Float” experiment as a young child.

Do you remember? The teacher would have a clear bucket on the table filled with water and several different items sitting next to it. As she held each item up she would ask the class, “Will this sink or float?” We would give our prediction, then she would drop the object into the water and we would watch expectantly. Hoping that our guess was right.

Stone, sink. Cork, float. Marble, sink. Rubber ball, float. Coin, sink. Lego, float. We may not have fully understood at the time why buoyant objects float and dense objects sink. But what we did realize right away was that no matter how many times she dropped that same object into the water, it consistently did the same thing. If it floated the first time, it floated every other time. If it sank the first time, it sank every other time.

So is it possible to help a sinking object float? Well yes, of course. But one of two things must happen. The object cannot remain the same. Something about it MUST be changed.

1. We can change the shape of the object. We know if we take a metal pipe and drop it into the water, it will sink to the bottom. However, if we take that same pipe, hammer it out to a flat piece of metal and bend it into the shape of a boat, it will float. 

2. We can attach the object to something that does float. Every time we drop a marble into the water, it will sink. But what if we take that same marble and put it on a piece of foam? It will float. By attaching it to something else that will float, the marble is able to float.

OK, so much for the physics lesson.

My question to you is this… In the midst of today’s “social distancing” procedures and “stay at home” order, are you floating? Or are you sinking? We are all being affected. Unfortunately though, while some people are able to float others are sinking.

If you are currently floating (still have a job, able to pay your bills, enjoying time at home with your family, etc), you will probably continue to float. You may experience a little bit of water flowing over top of you at times, but most likely you will rise back up to the top and continue to float. “I will praise you, Lord, with all my heart; I will tell of all the wonderful things you have done.” ~ Psalm 9:1 (GNT)

If you are currently feeling like you are sinking (lost your job, isolated alone, lost a loved one, etc) there are actually ways to get you floating again. Just like the metal pipe and the marble, you can make a change and begin floating again.

1. Changing shape. Just breathe. Did you know that taking a very deep breath and completely filling your lungs with air will make the difference of whether a person will sink or float in water?  This changes the shape of your chest enough to make you float. Yes, that is all it takes… a deep breath and you will be able to float!

There may be many things in our life right now that are not in our control.  So let’s focus on what we can control (attitude, perspective, gratitude). Take a deep breath. Breathe in and let the Holy Spirit create a new shape in you. “This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Look! I am going to put breath into you and make you live again!” ~ Ezekiel 37:5 (NLT)

2. Attach yourself to something that floats. When someone is drowning in water, they can begin to float again if they reach out and hold on to the life preserver. You’ve got this! Reach out. Hold on. Jesus is your lifeline. Read the Scripture. Pray. “Rescue me, Lord, as you have promised; in your goodness save me from my troubles!” ~ Psalm 143:11 (GNT)

 Also, reach out and hold on to your friends who are “floating”. Ask and allow them to help. Right now, we all need to lean on one another. “Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way, you will fulfill the law of Christ.” ~ Galatians 6:2 (NIV)

These really are different times. We need more than ever to stand on the promises of God.  “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” ~ John 16:33 (NIV)

Breathe. Hold On … Float.