December 26...the end or the beginning?

December 26. Many of us are taking a deep, relaxing breath because some of the craziness is over.

Four days ago, as I was bustling around attempting to cross items off my “must do” list, I heard a fellow shopping bustler say, “Well, in three days it will all be over!”

Over?

Her words made me scrunch my eyes and turn my head a bit in thought. You know what I mean.

Andy Williams has been telling us for weeks that this is the MOST wonderful time of the year. Kids jingle belling and everyone telling you “be of good cheer!” And yet the LIST often consumes us. Buy, wrap, bake, cook, clean…church stuff, family stuff…run run run.

Don’t misunderstand. I love Christmas. It is my favorite holiday. I love the decorations and songs and gatherings and presents.

More than all that, I love being reminded so often of the Savior’s birth.

I believe Christmas touches a tender place in each of us. Whether we have a relationship with Jesus or don’t much think about Him, whether we attend church weekly or only on Christmas Eve, Christmas reminds us of the JOY and HOPE of a baby’s birth. Even if we don’t acknowledge that, I believe it is pervasive and seeps into our hearts.

Have you also had a year when December was the most heart-breaking time of the year?

I have. More than once.

My head painted a picture of everyone else celebrating while I struggled and cried my way through the month.

The potential for joy is counterbalanced by the potential for sadness. Emotional physics, so to speak. There is no escaping it if you have reason for sorrow.

December 26. I woke up this morning with a Steven Curtis Chapman song in my head.

One of us is cryin' as our hopes and dreams are led away in chains
And we're left all alone
One of us is dyin' as our love is slowly lowered in the grave
Oh and we're left all alone

(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bpVxQGcDgng)

This song has encouraged cleansing tears and pulled me through some dark Decembers.

Consider these words:

But for all of us who journey through the dark abyss of loneliness
There comes a great announcement, WE ARE NEVER ALONE

For the maker of each heart that breaks, the giver of each breath we take
Has come to earth and given hope it's birth

In the midst of overwhelming lists or overwhelming pain, there is the Baby.

The Baby who is the author of joy and the answer for grief.

The Baby who is the inspiration for decorated trees and parties and presents and the best seasonal music.

The Baby who has relief for your troubles, even if you don’t believe in Him.

And with love that conquers loneliness, hope that fills all emptiness
He came to earth to show our worth

December 26. The festivities aren’t over, but I will use some of this day’s hours for work. That is true for most of us. Today or tomorrow or Monday, work and life go back to what they were.

Some folks will have their decorations put away before I complete this blog.

Some have been shopping for bargains since before dawn.

None of that changes the essence of the Season.

It’s the Baby.

The Baby who rejoices with those who are celebrating and holds firmly, speaks softly to those who have hurting hearts.

The Baby who stands ready to help each of us become the person we were created to be.

The Baby who is ever-present, magnificently loving, inexplicably merciful, always extending grace and favor, whether we recognize of acknowledge it.

December 26. Many of us are thankful the rush is over, happy for a relaxing weekend.

Some of us, however, are taking a breath that says, “I made it through the day.”

But for all of us who celebrate Christmas – believer or doubter, rejoicing or grieving – the promise this Baby brings is the gift for the next 364 days.

Our God is with us, Emmanuel
He's come to save us, Emmanuel and we will never face life alone
Now that God has made Himself known
As Father and Friend, with us through the end, Emmanuel…

December 26. A beginning, not an end.

So rejoice…REJOICE. Emmanuel has come.

Blessings to you.

BP

{Day 27} Yard work and ALLOWING myself to be pruned...

It was a wonderful day to do yard work.

I am grateful to have a lovely yard and the physical ability to maintain it. That is a huge blessing and I know it.

Yard work is a pleasant way for me to be in the sun, play in the dirt, enjoy having the dog running around me.

Spring clean-up is nice because it signals the beginning of nice weather. Summer maintenance is tolerable because the gardens look so nice when they are clean and weed-free.

October chores are different. Pruning, separating perennials, moving some plants inside...none of that says "FUN" to me.

Perhaps it is because the season is ending. Cutting the gardens down to nothing and knowing they will soon be covered with snow gives me no satisfaction. Necessary change of seasons blah blah. It still isn't fun.

That is the mindset I had when I headed out today.

Somewhere in the sun and clippings and barking, my perspective changed.

Certainly the clean, albeit bare, gardens look better than they did filled with brown leaves and dead stems.

So maybe I am like that too? No maybes about it. My heart and mind need to be pruned and reshaped and I feel better when it is done. I'm sure the people who share life with me feel the benefit as well. 

Unlike the plants, however, I often fight it, think it isn't necessary, or whine about the discomfort.

How about you?

Isn't it interesting that when plants are growing wild, we prune them to get the growth under control - and when plants aren't growing, we prune them to encourage new growth.

Pruning - the all-around cure.

It works the same way for me.

Sometimes I get out of control. My plans, thoughts, energies become scattered.

Pruning is necessary, lest I become like the vinca in my back flower garden - spreading in every direction but producing no flowers, growing in places I don't belong.

Sometimes I get lackadaisical, content with mediocrity...or worse, full of myself, counting on my own strength.

Pruning is necessary at other times, lest I become like my Wandering Jew - stems that hang down and look healthy, but are thin and nearly dead at the root.

How about you? Do you need pruning to stimulate or control?

I am diligent about weeding. It is one of my favorite activities when I am having a blank moment while writing. So imagine my surprise when today's pruning revealed weeds. Big ones that have been there for some time.

The past few years have been a period of tremendous pruning for me. I often ask God (or demand or scream about) what else I possibly need to give up or learn.

Then another branch comes off and I see a weed I didn’t know was there.

How about you? Do you learn more in hard times? Do you need to appreciate good times more? Yeah, most of us do.

I still don't like pruning. There are thorn pricks in two fingers and one thumb is sore because a hard stem shoved itself under the nail. OUCH.

But, at least I have a better perspective. Which is good because I have more to do.

And it seems likely God has more pruning to do on me. Seasonally, just like my flower gardens.

You too, maybe?

We will talk more tomorrow…

Thanks for reading.

BP :)

I am participating in Write 31 Days. Click here to read more about it and see the other amazing bloggers.

You can see earlier entries below this blog or in the sidebar under 2015.

Beth Painter is, among many other things, a writer and motivational speaker. You can follow her on Facebook on the “Think Big focus small” page.

Beth is available to speak to your group about how to make your dreams and desires come to life! 

{Day 23} Helping others BELIEVE

Day 23.

That's right - October 23. So quickly. 

We are already being bombarded by Christmas commercials and merchandise. UGH

Remember when you knew you would just DIE if you didn't get that toy, game, electronic gadget?

Remember when you knew you would just DIE if someone in the office gave you a gift and you didn't have one to give in return?

Remember when you knew you would just DIE if you didn't have the right clothes for the Christmas Dance, the Christmas office bash, the party at the wealthy church family's home?

Yeah, I remember too...silly thoughts

But here is what I know to be true: No matter where we live, we all pass people every single day who have desperate needs. We learn to look through people, to steel ourselves. Sometimes we tell ourselves they are lazy, comfortable in their "entitlements" and beyond help. 

And know this: behind every adult we scorn for not pulling his or her own weight, there are almost always kids.

Innocent kids. With no voice.

Maybe they don't attend your child's school. But they exist somewhere within your reach.

Do you really see them?

Do you have any idea how desperate life can be when one or both of your parents is a substance abuser, or a child abuser?

Do you ever stop to imagine how hard life is when your single-parent works two jobs, still can't put food on the table, and is never around just to be Mom or Dad?

Do you have any idea how much you wouldn't care about spelling or algebra when you didn't have a blanket on your bed, or a coat to wear, or breakfast?

No matter what your feelings about "entitlements" are, NO child deserves to have a lousy life.

Think about it.

What would happen if every one of us redirected 25% of our Christmas spending?

What if we choose not to buy for the relative who has everything?

What if we choose not to participate in Secret Santa, choose not to buy a co-worker another coffee mug or Starbucks gift card?

What if we choose to limit what our kids found under the tree (is it REALLY necessary to have every device Apple makes??) and, as a family, shopped for a kid who may not even get an apple.

You're right...some people spend their assistance money unwisely.

THAT ISN'T THE FAULT OF THEIR CHILDREN. Yes, I am yelling about that.

Kids need coats. They need decent clothes - more than one pair of jeans, more than 2 shirts. They need shoes that fit and don't have holes.

Mostly, they need to know someone - anyone - cares.

Are you foolish enough to not consider the societal impact of a kid with no coat, insufficient shoes, nothing but junk food?

Those kids become teenagers who learn how to take what they don't have. Those teenagers become adults lacking in education and job skills...and the cycle repeats.

Opportunities abound. Coat drives, mittens/gloves/hat trees, Angel trees with all the information you need - sizes, favorite color, coveted toy.

You won't need to look far. It won't be hard work...in fact, it may be the most fun you have during this Christmas season!

What if we all decided to be grateful, then be generous?

What if we teach our kids to understand how blessed they are, then SHOW them how to be generous?

What if you changed ONE kid's life? And your co-worker changed ONE kid's life? And your church changed 200 kids' lives?

What if we start a revolution of kindness and caring in our towns?  What if making one dream come true helps teach one kid to dream bigger?

You say, what if it doesn't matter?

But what if it does?

Will you join me?

I would love to hear your ideas!

We will talk again soon...

BP

{Day 21} An Open Letter to the Linnons

An Open Letter to the Linnons

Dear Brion and Erin,

You don’t know me, but I have been praying for you since last Saturday.

The blog writing I do each day has been difficult all week because this letter was rolling around in my head. Thoughts and prayers that just couldn’t find appropriate words.

The truth is, there are no appropriate words. Not now. Not from anyone.

I believe it is safe to say there are a few thousand people in the Butler area who would echo the following thoughts.

Many of us have never met either of you, but we have learned in the past week that our circle of friends crosses yours. There is certainly less than six degrees of separation. That is true of most people in Butler and it is one of the great things about living here. There is a sense of community that draws us together in a time of need.

Most of us don’t know how you feel. We can’t. You will understand when we say we are grateful for that. But we do wish we could help.

We live in a society that finds grief to be uncomfortable. We’re often not sure what to say or do. We may choose silence over saying the wrong thing. Or, from well-meaning but unknowing hearts, we may say something insensitive. Please understand all of it comes from a place of kindness.

One of the best and most difficult aspects of life is, simply, that it goes on.  The sun still comes up, the Earth still spins in orbit, most of us return to our routines. On days when the truth of that is overwhelming and you don’t want to take your head off the pillow, we pray you will think about the outpouring of love and respect for Ethan at school, at different sporting events, on social media.

It surely wasn’t unexpected – you already knew what a special young man he is.

You may, however, be surprised by how this wave of love has touched so many of us who don’t know you and never met Ethan. The influence he had will continue to ripple in the lives of everyone he touched, and everyone they touch. It is not an exaggeration to say you won’t fully know how Ethan changed this world until you see him again.

And we know that may feel like little consolation today, when life looks almost nothing like it did a week ago.

So we continue to pray. For both of you, for Connor, for Hannah and Nicole, for everyone who will miss the effervescent presence of Ethan Alexander Linnon. We pray you will take comfort in the promise of salvation and the assurance of eternity together. We pray you will feel God holding you close to Him and close to each other. We pray you will, even through tears, see Ethan every day in both expected and surprising ways.

And we ask God to remind us – in a few weeks or a few months – to lift you up again. And again.

Many of us don’t know you. Most of us can't know how you feel.

So we do what we can, which is send love and prayers. And we want you to know that #ButlerStrong is a sentiment we also share.

May God bless and comfort you.

I am participating in Write 31 Days. Click here to read more about it and see the other amazing bloggers.

You can see earlier entries below this blog or in the sidebar under 2015.

Beth Painter is, among many other things, a writer and motivational speaker. You can follow her on Facebook on the “Think Big focus small” page.

Beth is available to speak to your group about how to make your dreams and desires come to life! 

{Day 20} Feeding the wolves...

You have probably heard the Native American story about the two wolves battling inside each of us. One is angry, bitter, jealous. The other is loving, kind, generous. Upon hearing this story from his grandfather, a young boy asks which one lives.

Grandpa replies, “The one you feed.”

Last week we touched briefly on how we think about our desires, dreams and goals. But it is worth exploring further.

Our desires and dreams often have two wolves. One is believing, visualizing the dream as a reality. The other is focusing on the absence of it.

Which one do we feed?

Have you heard someone say, “I have been to five healing services, but I doubt I will ever be healthy again!”

Or, “I work so hard, but I will never get a raise!”

Or, “I could exercise two hours every day and I would still be fat!”

Or, “I will never be able to afford a new car or house!”

I don’t pretend to know the mind of our incredibly gracious God, but I have to wonder what He thinks about that?

When I hear it, I want to say, “Well, it seems you have decided which wolf to feed.”

You can be or do or have anything you focus on. And you get what you think about most, whether you want it or not.

Don’t underestimate the power of your focus and your thoughts.

Here is one of my favorite Bible passages…and one I use sometimes to pull myself back to a place of believing, of positive focus:

Is 43: 18-19

The Lord says, “Forget what happened before, and do not think about the past.
 Look at the new thing I am going to do.
 It is already happening. Don’t you see it?
 I will make a road in the desert and rivers in the dry land.

So will God refuse to grant prayer requests if we don’t believe.

Again, I don’t know the mind of God, but it is hard for me to imagine Him being punitive in that way.

But what if a lack of belief caused us to be unable to see the outcome of answered prayer?

Hmmmm…

Look at the new thing I am going to do.
It is already happening. Don’t you see it?

What do you see? Which wolf are you feeding?

We will talk more tomorrow…

Thanks for reading.

BP J

I am participating in Write 31 Days. Click here to read more about it and see the other amazing bloggers.

You can see earlier entries below this blog or in the sidebar under 2015.

Beth Painter is, among many other things, a writer and motivational speaker. You can follow her on Facebook on the “Think Big focus small” page.

Beth is available to speak to your group about how to make your dreams and desires come to life! 

{Day 19} The magic of Christmas and other things I believe...

The Christmas I was six years old, my mom asked what I wanted from Santa. I told her Santa already knew. I sat on his lap and told him, so there was no need to tell her.

She asked me several times, but my answer was always the same.

I don’t remember the outcome. If I didn’t find everything under the tree that year, it didn’t scar me enough to stick in my mind.

What I do know is that I had no doubt Santa would bring me what I wanted.

Kids believe they can be or do or have anything they want. I believed that as a kid. How about you?

Then we grew up. Some people say “wised” up.

Jesus didn’t think so.

When the disciples tried to chase the children away, Jesus scolded them. In fact, he said we would do well to emulate the simplicity, candor and innocence of children.

We learn not to believe, don’t we?

We stop believing in Santa, in God, in ourselves, in dreams, in miracles…

Sometimes people share a desire and we say, “HA! You must be dreaming!” as if that is crazy. Or we say, “Yeah well, you better hope for a miracle for your desire to happen!” as if it is impossible.

We teach each other not to believe or dream or expect anything out of the ordinary, don’t we?

How many times have you heard someone say, “I’ll believe I when I see it!” – then when they don’t see it, they say, “See, I was right!”

Here is the irony: the truth is, you will see it when you believe it.

Don’t believe me? Try these words…

Prov 23:7 For as he thinks in his heart, so he is.

John 11:40 Did I (Jesus) not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?

John 20:29 Jesus said, “So, you believe because you’ve seen with your own eyes. Even better blessings are in store for those who believe without seeing.”

How many times when we pray for our version of a miracle, do we REALLY believe it will happen? As in we are certain...we can SEE the miracle coming true? Which means we stop worrying that it won't come true?

And what is a miracle anyway? Someone being healed? Much needed money coming from an unknown source?

I call the Creator of the Universe God. You might choose another name or term. No matter what word you choose, consider this – God not only created the entire Universe and everything in it, He also holds every planet in place, in orbit, EVERY second of every day. He keeps the moon orbiting properly so the land isn’t swallowed up in a crazy tide. He orchestrates weather. He regenerates trees and plants.

Sometimes I remind myself of this. I say, “Beth, Have you LOOKED AROUND at our planet lately?? Have you held a baby or smelled puppy breath or considered the amount of food you put in your mouth with no thought of what happens to it?”

I don’t have to remind myself to breathe, or thump on my chest every minute to keep my heart going.

Making sure the sun comes up tomorrow is never on my to-do list.

I am looking out the window at the moon with no fear that it will fall on my house.

Have you thought lately about any of this amazing stuff?

And we think money for a refrigerator is a miracle? Or even someone being healed?

I understand why. We have convinced ourselves that miracles rarely happen anymore. We are so consumed with what we SEE that we don’t BELIEVE anything beyond the end of our noses.

And we are wrong…

You can be or do or have anything.

If you believe and focus.

John 11:40 Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?

Do you think that doesn’t apply to you? Do you think God doesn’t want you to soar?

I believe that if God has given you the passion to want to do something, then you can be 100% assured He will give you the ability as well. Wouldn’t anything less be cruel?

You can be or do or have anything.

Think about it.

Ask God yourself.

We will talk more about this tomorrow…

Thanks for reading.

BP J

I am participating in Write 31 Days. Click here to read more about it and see the other amazing bloggers.

You can see earlier entries below this blog or in the sidebar under 2015.

Beth Painter is, among many other things, a writer and motivational speaker. You can follow her on Facebook on the “Think Big focus small” page.

Beth is available to speak to your group about how to make your dreams and desires come to life! 

{Day 16} One that got away...

The day got away...I know you understand.

There is much more to say about our ability to be and do and have anything on which we focus. And we will do that on Day 17.

Whether you are reading this late Friday or early Saturday, let this thought roll around in your head.

I'm off to sleep well and start over in a few hours.

Thanks for reading.

BP J

I am participating in Write 31 Days. Click here to read more about it and see the other amazing bloggers.

You can see earlier entries below this blog or in the sidebar under 2015.

Beth Painter is, among many other things, a writer and motivational speaker. You can follow her on Facebook on the “Think Big focus small” page.

Beth is available to speak to your group about how to make your dreams and desires come to life! 

{Day 15} There can be miracles...

Many nights we've prayed with no proof anyone could hear

In our hearts a hopeful song we barely understood
Now we are not afraid although we know there's much to fearWe were moving mountains long before we knew we could…

When I was growing up, there were a few people I idolized. An Olympic athlete from Port Arthur, TX, a tennis player from Long Beach CA, a baseball player from Puerto Rico.

None were born into wealth. None had special privileges. Certainly each of them had talent – but so do many others.

So what made these folks great? All three of them had tremendous confidence in their abilities. It was the BELIEF that they could be the best in their respective sports.

Think about a desire you have. Maybe it is to lose weight. The desire itself isn’t good or bad. But how you think about it goes a long way in determining whether your desire is met.

For every desire, you can chose to focus on what you want, or focus on the lack of it.

You can look at fitness plans and gyms and decide if one is right for you. You can talk about the benefits of exercising and eating well. You can plan the vacation you will take when you reach a goal weight. You can start talking that way when you have only lost 5 pounds and keep talking that way until your goal is met.

 Or you can focus on how miserable you are being overweight. Talk about how you have been overweight for years, how everyone in your family is overweight and you probably won’t ever lose. Complain about how other people are so lucky to be thin and fit. Tell yourself you can't help but eat chocolate.

TRUTH: You can be or do or have anything you want, and you get what you focus on.

The challenge is we often focus not on our desire, but on the LACK of it. We talk about the lack, bemoan the lack, are envious of others who have what we want, speak words that indicate it is beyond our reach.

You see, wanting and believing are different. Saying you want to be healthy but constantly focusing on being overweight is futility.

Wanting gets you nowhere.

Believing takes you wherever you want to go.

Babe Didrickson believed that a girl from Texas could be an Olympic medal winner and the best professional golfer of her day.

Billie Jean King believed she could beat every other women’s professional player – and a couple men as well.

Roberto Clemente believed he was the best player in baseball. Sports writers in Pittsburgh called him “arrogant” because he never backed down from that belief.

Sure they each had skill. But a lot of girls in Texas can run fast. A lot of girls in California can play tennis. A lot of boys in Puerto Rico can play baseball.

What separated these three and other world class athletes is belief.

Believing and knowing and visualizing Olympic medals, golf championships, winning Wimbledon, being a World Series hero.

What do you see?

What do you believe?

Or are you simply wishing or wanting?

There can be miracles, when you believe

Though hope is frail, it's hard to kill
Who knows what miracles you can achieve
When you believe, somehow you will
You will when you believe 

We will talk more about this tomorrow…

Thanks for reading.

BP J

I am participating in Write 31 Days. Click here to read more about it and see the other amazing bloggers.

You can see earlier entries below this blog or in the sidebar under 2015.

Beth Painter is, among many other things, a writer and motivational speaker. You can follow her on Facebook on the “Think Big focus small” page.

Beth is available to speak to your group about how to make your dreams and desires come to life! 

{Day 14} Lessons from a young 'un

During this #write31Days challenge, I am learning to be open to inspiration from any direction.

Today, it was from Taylor, my Beachbody coach…and the daughter of a friend I met in high school. I could let that make me feel old, but age is just a state of mind, right?

In fact, as Taylor reminded me, much of life is a state of mind.

Which is kind of the point of ALLOWING.

You can be or do or have anything you want. Anything.

Anything you allow your mind to believe. Anything.

What’s that? You aren’t special enough? Not gifted? Too old/overweight/poor?

Hear these words:

Before I formed you in the womb I knew you [and approved of you as My chosen instrument], And before you were born I consecrated you [to Myself as My own]
Jer 1:5

That is the Creator of the Universe talking about approving of you and consecrating you for a purpose before you were born…don’t tell me you aren’t special.

The One who created me has given me a lot of desires. Some of them seem far-fetched to other people. But my life is, to the best of my ability each day, aligned with God. He is my source of strength and joy and the giver of every breath.

I don’t believe God, who loves me more than I can understand, gives me dreams and goals that are impossible.  I just don’t.

This isn't a magic formula. We aren't talking about drive-through dreams and goals that require nothing from me.

But I am capable of BIG things. So are you. And what might be BIG to me may not be something you would even want to do. That's what is so great about the dreams God gives each of us. 

Conceive. Believe. Achieve.  It isn’t just a catchy phrase. It is solid truth.

The steps from Conceive to Achieve may be many. They may be steep. They may push you in ways you didn't know you could be pushed. 

But you can do anything you BELIEVE you can do.

Tomorrow we will talk about some things we do to block our dreams.

But for now, Taylor and I want you to know this:

You can be or do or have anything you want. Anything.

Thanks for reading.

We will talk again tomorrow…

BP J

I am participating in Write 31 Days. Click here to read more about it and see the other amazing bloggers.

You can see earlier entries below this blog or in the sidebar under 2015.

Beth Painter is, among many other things, a writer and motivational speaker. You can follow her on Facebook on the “Think Big focus small” page.

Beth is available to speak to your group about how to make your dreams and desires come to life!