Seeing Beyond the Pebbles

"This way Levi," I called.  "Let's keep walking."

"C'mon buddy," Josh said.

Levi stayed bent over on the path, picking up little pebbles and trying to hold as many as he could fit in his hand.

I looked around; we'd barely made it onto the path and had a little ways to go to make it into the gardens.  We'd stopped at a historic house on our way home from a photoshoot so Levi could stretch and run around.  The old house is nestled amidst trees and beautiful gardens, right on the edge of a river.  A gorgeous, quiet nook away from the busyness of town.

"Levi," I said walking towards him.  "Let's go so we can see the water fountain and all the pretty flowers."

But he was content to plop himself down on the path and play with pebbles, not noticing anyone or anything else.

I stood there thinking, and without taking the analogy too far I wondered -- how often do I stop myself short?  Levi had no idea that there was more fun to be had if he kept walking.  He was too focused on the pebbles in front of him.  When we walked him into the gardens and he saw the water fountain, he lit up even more and had a blast exploring.  So much so that we had a hard time getting him to leave!

There have been countless times in my life where I've been so focused and consumed on one particular thing that I don't see the rest of what God's doing, or the other things He wants me to see.  He's so patient and faithful to help me see things when I'm ready, but I wonder how many things I've missed out on because I'm too consumed with what's in front of me.

We can't go back and relive things, and dwelling on what could've been won't help either.  The only thing we can influence is how we look at things to come.  As I watched Levi and saw how thrilled he was with the pebbles, I thought of even the times I'm thrilled with certain situations or life happenings and how wonderful they are.  And could there be more?

Ultimately that's up to God to decide and show us.  We can pray that He will give us eyes to see what He wants us to see, when He wants us to see it.  We can pray that we'll see the bigger picture and all the rest He has in store -- we can pray that we'll see these things sooner than later, and have hearts and attitudes to handle them well.

Wouldn't it be awesome to see more of His blessings and His gifts -- sooner?  He knows what timing is best, and we need to trust that.  Yet there are certainly times we block our own sight whether we realize it or not; those are the times I pray will change.

In my own life, I pray that I'd be humbled and full of thanksgiving and peace.  We see life much more clearly when we're aware of our humble position before such a wonderful, mighty God.  I pray He helps me see more readily His glory and workings!

A Worthwhile Wait

I'm not really one to celebrate big on Valentine's Day.  One day in the year to celebrate love?  I mean, shouldn't love be celebrated a little more often than that?  I'm slightly kidding; a day dedicated to expressing love isn't a bad idea. 

This year, I got to thinking about the holiday a bit more.  Over the past couple years of marriage I've learned a lot -- patience, trust, how to be romantic (not so natural for me), servanthood...  Originally I was going to share some thoughts about communication and asking each other questions, but there's something else I'd like to share instead.

Love is worth the wait.

Thinking back to my years in high school and afterwards, I so desperately wanted a long-term boyfriend.  I was pretty impatient!  I always kept an eye out wherever I went -- maybe I'd meet my husband in class, or at a coffee shop, or even at church.  Maybe he was the one sitting a few seats over; what if he was the one who stopped for gas next to me?  It seemed silly, but I knew anything was possible and therefore there were no limits to how it could play out.

As I looked and looked, I reminded myself to pray and seek God's leading.  Every relationship is so different, and the methods of dating/courting/getting to know each other vary so much -- God leads how He does and our job is to be attentive and obedient.  Day after day I prayed that I would see what He wanted me to see, who He wanted me to see.

We got married young, I suppose, but it felt like I'd waited forever.  (And truth be told, I did wait years for Josh specifically.  That's a story for another time.)  So many times I questioned why I was waiting, why I was holding out to find someone who met certain characteristics.  Was I being too rigid?  Was I missing out when I didn't need to be?  I prayed and prayed, frustrated yet wanting to be solely led by God.

When Josh and I started getting to know each other, I realized I had been waiting for him.  He was the one whose character met what I'd prayed for -- and he was even more than that.

I could've pursued other relationships and made other choices.  I think finding "the one" is a myth that we do no good seeking after.  But I believe that while maintaining standards and consistently praying can mean waiting, that wait is worthwhile.

God knows from the start whether or not we'll get married.  He also knows who we'll marry, if we do.  Your story will look different than mine and the next reader's, and that's okay.  In fact, it's beautiful that way.  There's no secret formula or special path to take; we wait on God's direction and follow where He leads.  He will guide us and bring us right to where is best for us as we humbly and sincerely seek Him.

Josh and I didn't meet in a coffee shop or at church; we met in a totally unconventional way, and had a pretty unconventional friendship and dating relationship.  It wasn't at all what I'd imagined.  But we each trusted God to lead it, and He brought us together in marriage. 

What's your story?  Your history with your spouse? 

God orchestrates love stories in ways only He can.  And when we look back and see how He brought us together with our spouse, or how He has created joy and life out of a deadbeat marriage -- we can see that love is truly worth waiting for.

Pruning More

"You know how loaded with baby peaches our trees were?" my Mom asked as we were walking between rows of fruit trees at a local farm.  My parents' trees were full of tiny peaches waiting to ripen.

"Yeah," I said.  "Why?"

"I filled two buckets -- like full to the brim -- with little peaches yesterday."

"You WHAT?  You took them off?"

"I know," she laughed, "I wasn't going to but then I read that when the trees get full like that you need to take some fruit out."

I kind of stared at her, trying to figure out why anyone would take precious fruit off a finally-bearing tree.

Last year there were no peaches, and it was a big disappointment.  A few years ago the two trees had produced loads of amazingly juicy, flavorful peaches and we'd been hoping to have a similar crop the following years.  But, so far not so good.  And now Mom took off two buckets full of potentially-delicious peaches.

When fruit trees grow big and their branches expand and multiply, it's beneficial to prune them back and remove some of the branches.  That much made sense; my parents had removed branches and honed in on the sturdy, productive ones to help the tree continue to grow.

Turns out when there are too many baby peaches on a peach tree some need to be taken out -- enough so that there are about six inches between peaches.  This allows the tree to focus its energy on the remaining fruit and not be spread too thin.

With fewer peaches to nourish, the tree can produce beautiful, juicy, flavorful peaches instead of a bunch of watery ones.  Take away some seemingly good ones and you get a much better yield.

“I (Jesus) am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser.  Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit."  John 15:1-2

When we think of pruning we often think of cutting off branches, pairing down to some main ones.  We don't always think about further pruning the parts that stay (unless you're a farmer, then this concept isn't lost on you!).  Removing fruit from the branches that remain seems counter intuitive; why take away fruit that could have a chance to mature and become good?

I wonder how often we overlook God's pruning process in our own lives.  It's not something that's always front-and-center in our minds, and it doesn't necessarily need to be -- but maybe we miss some of His leading in that regard.

There are times we see the big things He wants to get rid of or re-prioritize; a ministry we should let go of or move in a different direction, weekly appointments that have run their course and are free to come to an end, etc.  But what about the smaller things, the things that seem even more beneficial and fruitful?  The things that we can't fathom getting rid of or re-prioritizing, because they bless others immensely and seem to have a great impact?

It's not for me to determine for you; it's something to handle carefully, prayerfully.  God gives many good things and our lives can be filled with good fruit, which is wonderful.  I encourage you to spend some time praying about the fruit in your life and asking for His guidance and wisdom.

Maybe it all stays for this season, or maybe something needs to end or be passed on to someone else.  Even when it looks like there's an abundance of fruit that we desperately want to see into harvest -- maybe we cut back and thin out.  Keeping our hands open and not clinging too tightly to even the good things allows for more fruit to be borne and matured.

***

The True Vine

15 “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. 2 Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away;[a] and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit. 3 You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. 4 Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.

5 “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. 6 If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. 7 If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will[b] ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. 8 By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.

Love and Joy Perfected

9 “As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love. 10 If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love.

11 “These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full. 12 This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends. 14 You are My friends if you do whatever I command you. 15 No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you. 16 You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you. 17 These things I command you, that you love one another."

John 15:1-17, taken from BibleGateway.com.

The Strength of My Life

The little one woke up early, getting grumpy quickly.

A grocery run had to be made, which meant a car ride for a quick nap.

We zoomed around the store, dodging people and waiting for countless others who figured standing in the middle of isles was best.

He slipped and fell in the parking lot, scuffing knees and bringing tears.

Fought and fought to get back in the carseat, yelled and threw toys on the way home.

We found activities for the rest of the morning, me desperately trying to keep him busy and out of trouble.

Lunchtime came and I spun in circles trying to spread peanut butter and not step on him attached to my leg.  The messy lunch, messy cleanup, little one who just wanted to help...

Finally, naptime.

But it was a screamfest, so I spent an hour putting him down instead of getting ready for our guest that evening.

My to-do list was long and dinner needed to be prepped.  The house was a mess; Mondays are my cleaning days.

When he finally went down I snuck out and looked at the clock -- 1:00pm.  And he'd be up soon enough and then we'd have company at 4:00.  I held my head on the counter and prayed.  Somehow, Lord, please help me be efficient even though I'm spinning in circles.  Please, Lord, help me finish the things that are necessary and let go of whatever else.

I sat down to make the stuffed shells.  Well, actually not; I stood at the kitchen table and an hour later wished I'd sat.  What I thought would be an easy process ended up taking much, much longer than I'd anticipated.  It was frustrating and I was interrupted -- even with the little one asleep.

My legs, feet, back, everything hurt.  The business work and other tasks I'd planned to get done got moved to the next day on my calendar.

Quickly I scrubbed the toilet and cleaned the sink; dusted, shook out the rugs, swept the floor.

Levi got up, had a snack, Josh came home, and our guest arrived.  It was a nice visit with good conversation and plenty of baby kicks in my belly.  Sitting back on the couch felt lovely.

After dinner and a quick bath for Levi, Josh pushed me into the bedroom and said I wasn't to come out for 30 minutes.  I agreed, relieved.

I fell down on the bed and opened my Bible:

"The Lord is my light and my salvation;

Whom shall I fear?

The Lord is the strength of my life;

Of whom shall I be afraid?"

Psalm 27:1 (emphasis mine)

The Lord is the strength of my life.  How true that is, and how it took on a deeper meaning as I lay there exhausted.

I remembered my prayers earlier, tired and not sure if things were going to get done.  I thought of all my days of motherhood, the journey that depletes physically and mentally and emotionally.  But the Lord gives strength.

He gives strength when we can't go any further, when we're at our limit and don't see how we can take any more.

It's supernatural, it really is.  We ask and He gives; He gives abundantly, one step at a time, and we keep going.  He gives us rest, sometimes when we least expect it -- like Josh sending me to the bedroom for some alone time.  And He refreshes and restores even in the exhaustion.

He is good, friends!