Tag Archives: gods girlies

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This morning I pull your drawer and it barely  budges. It's packed tight with shirts that don't cover your belly when you stretch your arms above your head.

You've all three out grown last year's swimsuits. And to my oldest? Each morning when I give you the new day greeting I see that the amount of "legs" that hang off the edge of the bed has grown again overnight.

So much growing.


I'd wish for it to stop. Or even better, I would wish for a reverse in time; that we could go back to when a quick squeeze made things better -and scooping you up made you safe.

I treasure those times.

......Still there's a part of me that says, grow!

Grow taller. -Not just the kind of taller that calls for a shopping trip for new swim suits or shoes.

Grow to be a better friend,

A better listener

Grow to notice when someone is alone or down in the dumps

And encourage them

Grow to be a better learner

Realizing that school and church are places intended to enrich your life, not smother it (though the choice is yours).
Grow to be more independent, but in your growing, realize the value of friends and family who love you

-no matter what.

Grow in grace.

Your dad and I are growing right alongside you.

Grow to see beauty in strange things like sitting in silence, and even death.

The process won't always be pleasant for you, or for me.

In addition to those proud moments, when you jump and can touch the ceiling, there will be times when your growing causes pain for us both.
Ironically, the painful kind brings about the most wonder-full results.

Above all, grow to know how much God loves you.

You will never reach the heights intended using the world's measure stick.

Remember that.

Go on and grow.  And know that my heart would burst, were it not for its growing to make room to love you more- as I watch you each day.

I love you tiny and love you tall,

Mom

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To a weed:
I've seen some breath-taking flowers in my time; with soft petals vivid in sunny yellow or rich red. I've known flowers who made their presence known throughout a house, their fragrance bursting forth in commanding presence.

 But you?.......you're different, there's not much noteworthy about you.


  

In fact I've never taken much notice of you. Oh sure, I've grumbled when I walk into my yard and you've sprouted your unattractive head in my grass again.  I bend down and pull only to find you fight back, your roots firmly gripping the soil underneath. Honestly your stubborn presence can't help but be noticed.
 

 I saw you just this weekend underneath a picnic table.  You had found your way through the cool hard concrete, though the passageway was narrow. I know the journey through that crevice mustn't have been easy, but there you stood.
 

 You didn't speak to me through familiar beauty like flowers do. You were rather silent.  But I sensed your strength.
  You're not an object of desire to most and you're not known to serve some great purpose as does a rose.
   You do little more than point yourself to the one who created you.
  I think that's noble. Maybe you don't have a choice.  Maybe the fact that you don't have a choice is the reason you're so strong.
  Some days I don't feel pretty or purposeful.  You don't seem concerned with those things. Aside from what I have to offer, I forget that there's any other reason to stand, another reason to be.

 Any day before this weekend, before I'd gotten the chance to know you, I'd tell that you given the choice I'd rather be a flower than a weed.  But now I know that's not always so. Though thankful to be created with purpose and beauty, I'll take those days where I'm simply clothed in strength.

I'll be a weed.

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I don't like tests.  I avoid them when I can.  But in life we're faced with tests of all kinds like Spelling and Math tests. Some tests come as we face decisions.  We must decide how to respond to our sibling who's singing obnoxiously in our ear just to make us crazy. Whether to lie or be honest in a difficult situation is an example of a test.  Maybe most weighty on my mind, this week, would be the STAAR test.  (Just looking at all the capital letters makes me feel intimidated -STAAR!!!!.....it's scary).  I am giving the STAAR test this week. It brings back familiar test feelings.  Those feelings got me to thinking.

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Thoughts about Tests

First things first. Tests are only a small measure of performance.  Tests only measure specific things like your knowledge on certain skills on a given day like the threes on a multiplication timed-test. One test might measure your ability to do pull-ups with a belly full of the pizza you had at lunch. You may have a test on the playground which requires choosing if you will stand up for someone being mistreated or if you'll do nothing.

Tests don't ever fully measure who you are.

Let me say that again in case you weren't listening.

Tests don't ever fully measure who you are.

If they did, King David wouldn't measure up too well. He messed up big-time on a number of tests. I think it was his heart that God was concerned with. Don't be too hard on yourself when every test is not met with star-student/get-it-all-right- performance.

But being that this is a test you have to take and you're expected to do well, here are some tips to help you do your best:

Be prepared.  By the time you're faced with a test it's too late.  Either you have what it takes to ace it, or you can eeny, meeny, miny, moe your way to the answer.  Tests will come.  In school and in life, listen,....study,......read the book.

Eat breakfast. This advice comes from one who didn't eat breakfast and fell asleep one time taking an important test when she was a Junior in High School. Embarrassing.  Make it a healthy breakfast too.  An oatmeal cream pie isn't the same as oatmeal, though I wish it was.  Eat healthy.

Pray.  Pray for a clear mind; that you would be able to remember those things you've learned.  Pray for calm.  Pray that God will help you know that He is with you during this test (well, any test). He's the big deal.  Not this test.

Rest well. Know that tests sometimes bring about weird dreams....or nightmares. Thank goodness they're just dreams.

Weird dreams about tests are normal. I think...... Weird and normal probably shouldn't be in the same sentence.  But for me, I have weird dreams when I'm facing tests.  Just last night as I was getting ready for my test to give the STAAR without breaking one of the rules in the really, really thick book teachers have to study to give you the test, I dreamed that I had to microwave the test for it to be ready.  Anyway you can't do much about weird dreams.  I mainly wanted to tell you about mine so you wouldn't feel so strange if you dream that your STAAR test booklet grows fur and fangs and tries to eat you.

Don't stress out. Worry doesn't help; it makes the tests you face harder.  Either you will do well on the test, or you won't do as well you wanted to.   If you don't do well on a particular test, just expect lightning to come from out of nowhere and strike you.  Nah, not really.  So don't worry.  Pray, like I suggested earlier.

Here's a biggie!!

Tests are not final. Tests are given to inform.   I tested a Jiffy Hamburger Casserole recipe tonight.  It was awful.  So where do I go from here?  Maybe I look more closely at the recipe next time.  Maybe I switch things up a bit.  Maybe I try something new.

Abraham Lincoln wasn't successful at every thing he attempted. Neither was George Washington Carver.  Look them up. There were times they didn't achieve what they had worked hard for.  So they continued to work hard.  Test results are a starting mark. They tell you what you may need to do for better results next time. Don't sweat this.

Get on your mark, 

Get set.

get your No. 2 pencils

and get on with it. 

This.......is just a test.

P.S. Feel free to share your weird test dream.  Surely I'm not the only one.

 

 

 

 

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Jason had a small wedding to officiate today. Only the couple and their immediate family would be there.  I asked him if someone would be taking pictures.  He thought probably not.  So I did what I so naturally do; I inserted myself into the event.  Not even knowing the couple, I decided (all self-important-like) that I would save the day.  I asked Jason if I could tag along and offer to take their wedding pictures.

Pulling up to the church, I got out of the car ready to pour on some picture-taking love.  I was stopped dead in my tracks by a woman holding a camera with a professional-looking attachment that resembled a creature out of a sci-fi film.  I told Jason I could stay in the car realizing I had no purpose in being there; I hadn't been invited.

Fast forward to 2:00.

Jason and I found ourselves on a "Let's get everybody something new to wear for Easter" mission. After a few hours and a few shopping bags, everybody had something new and spiffy to wear; except me. Every dress was too short, too tight, too young-looking or dry clean only.  If there was a dress meant just for me, I wasn't finding it.  And so we went home with one person in the car suffering with a case of "poor me".

The way I see it, this is a give and take world. Not one to do all giving or taking only, I find it appropriate to have good balance.  I had planned that good balance today.  I was going to give at the wedding by taking pictures that would serve an unsuspecting couple.  I was later going to take home a new dress; I'd owe it to myself.

Give and take. I see myself doing just that in every day's story; a story in which I'm always a central character.  I'm "a friend in need or a friend indeed".

But it isn't always about me.

At the wedding, I found myself nothing more than a nameless girl in the audience. I wasn't there to give or take. I was there, simply,  to take-in.  I saw the mother and father of the bride holding hands; their age-old love for each other evident.  I watched the bride wipe tears as she repeated "I do".  And I listened to a story of how the marriage came to be; a story rich in love.

Leaving the mall, I found myself with a willingness to give-in. Old dress or new dress, flashy or dull, I'm not the main character on Sunday, or any day. I may find an opportunity to greet some visitors and certainly I'll sing praises.  There will most assuredly be someone there who warms my heart with a hug or a compliment. Most importantly, beneath my dull, old dress will be one who remembers

There's a time to give,

a time to take,

and a time to do little more

 than fade into the audience;

a grateful and unimportant bystander-

with a heart occupied by worship.

 

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In my last post, I was all chilled-out with my c'est la vie attitude.  Mistakes and messes, I said are often unavoidable and can be great opportunities to see God at work.  So roll with messy life, I told you and I told myself.

The same day I wrote "The Chill Proclamation",  Hayden got into his truck for the first time without me and without his dad.  I released control and let him go to Market Basket to get a few things, envisioning the worst. (I realize this admission makes me seem like a fruit loop to some of you.)  I smiled confidently as I followed him to his truck and placed my hands and face on the window, near willing myself to cling to the side of his truck like Spidey Woman.

My smile didn't match my feelings.

I knew deep down that it was the right thing to let him go.  He has his license.  It's time.  I have faith.  But that's the funny thing about faith; faith is trusting God with what happens.  Often what I really want faith to mean is that -what I want to happen will happen.

Certainly we need to listen to God so that we're making right decisions, but even the keenest ear won't make all the right ones.  Even more frightening, some good decisions can end with consequences that we don't like. We must place more importance on trusting God (no matter the circumstances) than our ability to make right decisions.

Our feeble feelings and faith can coexist.  I let Hayden go, despite worrying, knowing that God is in control.  In my days I find myself angry, frustrated and worried. I can still trust God even when my feelings shout in disagreement.

Faith and feelings don't have to match.

I remember being really angry with someone one time.  I had let my anger grow and get the best of me for a couple of months.  I remember a point where I prayed something like this:

"You know my feelings God,  I'm having a hard time changing them. I know you don't want me to feel this way.  So I'm going to obey you and trust you.  I'm going to trust that you will change my feelings because I can't."

 Of course he did.  It took a little time, but I found myself walking closer to him in the wait.

Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong.  1 Corinthians 16:13

My feelings are loud.  They tell me that life is uncertain.  My feelings try to dictate my actions and inform my beliefs.   But I know better. My feelings are from me.  Faith is from God.  I think he wins.

 

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Chocolate syrup is not a familiar item on my grocery list.  Because it's messy. I avoid purchasing messy food items. That being said, I've never been a fan of paint or arts and crafts either.  I know the outcome dealing with such items. 

But I bought chocolate syrup on Saturday.

I was feeling generous I guess.  My oldest daughter, Hallie, asked for it and my shopping companion and oldest, Hayden, reminded me to get it. Here I am this morning having spied, unsurprised, a stream and spatter of chocolate running down my white cabinets.  It's dried of course, because the culprit left it there.

The suspect was either unaware of the mess or was unable to deal with it. 

I knew it would happen.  I know it will happen again.  Even if I stop buying chocolate syrup for my kids' milk. Because there will be other messes.  That's what kids do; make messes.  It's what we do in our humanity.  We're a messy people. 

Last night our youngest's Bible Buddy group showed off their Bible skills at church.   Rylie, much like her dad is secure.  She boldly moved to the microphone as they recited the Old and New Testament.  She, and the rest of the group in sing-song , flew through the first twenty-two books with ease.  But then even though she knew the books backward and forward, Rylie got stuck in a "Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther, Job" loop. 

Her booming loop confused the entire group so much that the leader had the group start again at Genesis only to have the same hitch. They tried a third time with Rylie's voice only slightly softened.   Willing, she  messed up three times but was never shaken.  If that's not enough, after loudly botching the books, she volunteered to recite them again aloud and alone.

She was not only comfortable making a mess, but she allowed herself to be vulnerable in front of a crowd.  I admire that.  She knows she doesn't have it all together and she's fine with that.

I'm aspiring to be more like that; in fact the chocolate syrup is still stuck to my cabinet while I'm writing.

Hayden got his driver's license today. I'd tote him around forever to avoid fender benders or worse.  Everything in my nature tells me to shake in terror as we invite the opportunity for mistakes.

But no, I'm determined to be mindful of a few things about messes.

1.Even when we strive for perfection and prepare ourselves fully, messes are still made.  Sometimes mistakes are unavoidable.

2.Mistakes teach us more than our easily-achieved successes ever could.

3. Sometimes messes are a precursor to something more beautiful than "rightness" could have ever brought about.  It was our fallen-ness that led to the cross and resurrection, the most beautiful and glorious event to ever take place.

4.Though God is ever-present, it's in our messes that we look to Him.  And he is with us in power.

5.And thank goodness, Love keeps no record of wrongs......

The match to our mess is marvelous grace.  

 

 

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Words are important.  Words encourage, enlighten and inspire.  Yet there are moments when words aren't necessary.

I've been reminded as of late, that communication can be beautifully accomplished with lips sealed.

10 Sights for Sore Eyes:

1. Flowers at the airport- After spending a week in Seattle, my family was waiting for me at the airport along with a fresh bouquet of flowers.  In an instant, my exhaustion from the day's travel melted and was replaced with excitement.

2. Sticky S'more fingers- Marshmallowy fingers communicate sweet rest and are usually accompanied by companionship. Milk mustaches warm my soul too.

3. Hand holding and Hugs- Love seems to course without a word when hands are held and hugs are given.  Hand holding is automatic when I pick Rylie up from school every day.  I treasure it.

4. Full baby cheeks and tiny toes- I'm reminded of God's design, still fresh.

5. A Card in the Mail- Stephanie, a dear friend, sends me a card throughout the year.  I'm touched deeply every time BEFORE I open it.  The envelope with my name handwritten speaks love into my day.

6. Jason's Car in the Driveway- The sight of his car pulling into the driveway means that the day in its laboring sense is done, and that it's time for togetherness.

7. Mom and Dad (well, all of our family)- Miles have separated us.  Though we talk weekly, they're a sight for sore eyes when we're together.

8. Things that are beautiful, things that are grand and things you don't see everyday. So,........things.  Beautiful things remind me of God's handiwork.  Grand things humble me and remind me that God is big.  Things you don't see every day shake me from the trance which tells me that my days are full of sameness. The bagpipes in the picture are made from chair legs and who knows what else, and the bagpipe plays.  I think it's wonderful.

9. Budding Friendships and Old Friendships too.- Sitting on the sidelines at the Heritage Festival and watching Hayden and Hallie stroll with friends reminds me that God provides.  Them finding friends has been a prayer of mine; one that has been answered.

10. Carefree Moments- When my mind has stilled I see better; I see deeper.  In busy-ness I see boys throwing rocks.  In a carefree moment I see time shared, without worry. Carefree moments are a sight for sore, tired eyes. 

What's a sight for your sore eyes?

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I spent the past week in Seattle, Washington with my sister-n-law who's ill.  Time with her beautiful family on their turf made for an adventure with God written all over it.  Here are a few life lessons from the Pacific Northwest.

Being alone makes room for God. I don't like being alone.  I especially don't like traveling alone.  Wondering around in the airport, alone, makes me face myself in all my inadequacy.  What better companion than God; I hear him best when I'm alone. He helps me to see beyond myself.

 

The sun is always coming.  My nephew has a night-light that is timed.  It's a moon during the night hours.  And it turns into a sun in the morning.  Aidan went to bed each night with anticipation that the sun was coming; that's when he could get out of bed.  I saw him sitting on his bed one morning before the sun was "on".  Sitting cross-legged with his fists on his chin, he was hopeful.  He was sure,  The sun always comes.

  An empty plate is a happy plate. My sister-n-law and her husband are awesome parents (there should be a book with some of their tips).  The kids were encouraged to eat, because "an empty plate is a happy plate".  This is true for adults.  We clean our plates by meeting the demands of a busy schedule only to fill our plate again.  Find time to have an empty, happy plate.

 

 There's protection from the rain. I thought rain boots were mostly for decoration and puddle stomping.  But sometimes there's so much rain.  We need protection from it.  God is our covering.  Our bodies may be drenched by the rain, but our souls have protection.

There's super in the simple.  Find it.

 To borrow from Eponine of Les Mis, "Rain will make the flowers grow".

Used-up,  sometimes icky things, can be a part of a big beautiful masterpiece. My favorite part of sight-seeing happened to be the Gum Wall in Seattle.  Both horrible and beautiful.  Always have perspective to see the beauty.
  Love makes the world go 'round ...and it makes you go 'round the world........and back.  (Traveling across America seems that far). I'm thankful for a week of getting to love on and be loved by the Gatties.  I'm thankful to have returned to the love of my own "Burdens".

 

Thanks Seattle!

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7 Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. Luke 12:7

Most everybody has read this verse.   To think that God knows how many hairs are on my head tells me that he is a personal God; an omniscient God.

It's impressive.

I'll tell you something else that's impressive; the hair on the heads of the Burdens.  All five of us have been blessed.  We have hair to share.  I was doing laundry yesterday and spent much of my time removing hair that had become entwined in the fibers of our clean clothes.

What a monotonous job.  But the hair-picking made me realize just how remarkable God is.  When I think about God knowing the number of hairs on my head, I think of a single number.  God knows that I have.... say, 108,237 hairs on my head.

As I removed hair strand by strand from a sweater, I was struck by a simple fact.........

The number of hairs on my head CHANGES constantly.

The number of hairs on my head changes when I brush my hair.  I lose hair as I go about my day.  Silver strands sprout daily adding to my hair number.  I lose thousands of hairs with no awareness.  I notice every new gray.  And God is aware of it all.

And so it goes with life.

Life is full of change with its swinging moods.  You're on fire for God one minute and you've forsaken him the next.  Change is ever about; when you step on the scales and when you see your sixteen year old pull out of the driveway without you.

Know this.

God knows your troubles just like he knows your hair's number. He's ready for those curve balls bearing change and he tells us not to be afraid.  Change is constant, and like the shedding of our hair it's often unavoidable.

Life is full of change. It's impossible sometimes to keep up.

The number, that great mysterious number of hairs on our head changes,

 but our God of great grace does not.

 It is well for us that, amidst all the variableness of life, there is One whom change cannot affect; One whose heart can never alter, and on whose brow mutability can make no furrows. - Charles Spurgeon

 

 

 

 

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Peep, peep, peep- A God's Girlies Devotion

peeps- a sugary marshmallow treat found in stores around the holidays

peeps- friends

peep /verb/- to look through a small opening (dictionary.com)

You've probably looked through a peep hole.  Your door at home may have one.  When you look through it, your vision is limited.  You might be able to see the head of someone standing outside your door

if they're tall enough

and if they're standing right in front of the peep hole

But even if there's a face in plain sight of the peep hole, there are still many things you won't be able to see.  Name a few things.

We've established that a peep is seeing a small part of the picture through a tiny space, but you're also a peep.  A peep can also refer to a still-growing chick.  You, friends are peeps, and you have peep problems.

Think about whether you have encountered these situations:

You ask to spend the night with a new friend and your mom says no, but you really wanted to....

You don't get the part you want in a play or a dance recital or you don't make "the team".

A good friend starts to hang out with different girls and seems to think you no longer exist/ or a good friend talks about you behind your back. Maybe you feel like you have no friends.

You lose someone you love.

When something like one of these things happens you probably feel like your world has crumbled; like things just couldn't get any worse.  When I'm hurt I often forget there was a yesterday or that there will be a tomorrow.  We feel that way because we only see a small part of the picture........ (we can only peep).

Here are a couple of things to keep in mind:

1. Keep in mind that what you're seeing is a small piece of a picture/ or a snapshot. There's more than what you see. This is a picture of me and Jason's sister during my wedding.  Let your thoughts run wild for a moment.  From this snapshot, what does it appear is going on?  I was shocked when I first saw this picture.  It looks like a throw-down is about to happen.  A split second made it seem that things were going very wrong, but the second before and the second after this picture was taken would tell you that NOTHING was wrong. Sometimes things aren't as they seem.

2.Be patient. When things are going wrong, try and remember that things won't always be this way. The bible says, This too shall pass.  The mistake you make, or something awful that happens may be all you see through life's peep hole.  Give it time and you'll see something more.

3. Trust your parents

 and the one who sees everything.

For most everything tough you're going to go through, your mom has gone through something like it.  Listen to her.  She understands even if she doesn't speak your language or dress hip like you do.  The same goes for older Christian girls, aunts, grandmas and sweet church ladies. They've seen things you haven't seen yet. Talk to them.   And trust them!

Most important, God sees the big picture.  He sees yesterday and tomorrow.  Whereas we see through a peep hole, he sees the whole world and he sees into your heart.  He sees your pain......

And he'll see you through it!

 ..... never give up......... 17 For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! 18 So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever. 2 Corinthians 4:17-18

 

 

Questions for girls and moms.  Look at the above situations. 

 How could time help you to see the problem differently?  

How could someone older help you through a difficult situation?

How will God help you through your tough times?

Read the verses one more time.

What two things do the verses tell us about our troubles?

Which lasts longer, the troubles we see now or what is unseen?

What is it that we haven't yet seen?