Reach Out

Not so long ago, I found myself feeling out of sorts with a new acquaintance. I hadn't heard from her and the deadline for the event we were working on had come and gone. It was her turn to step into the conversation, but she was silent. My mind began racing with all sorts of ideas about what had gone wrong. But thank goodness the Lord helped me quickly move beyond that and urged me to make a move and touch base with her. I did. I sent her an email and left her a phone message to which she responded with these words, "Thank you for reaching out to me." Those 7 words made a big impression on me as I began to ponder how often I might have missed the opportunity to reach out to someone. Maybe there's an opportunity for you today. Why not reach out?

Ashes...

I have a vivid memories from my childhood in the Mississippi Delta of the sight and smell of ashes, of looking  out across open fields and seeing flames and smoke in the distance, of running my bare hand over the hood of a car and picking-up ash.  My father and other farmers in the area would once a year burn their fields to clear the remainder of the old crop and destroy any weeds or seeds.  It was an economical and efficient way to prepare the ground for new growth.  

What if ashes meant for us preparation for something new?    What if ashes meant that we were ready to burn, to get rid of the old junk in our lives, so we could begin fresh?  What if ashes were a sign that we were getting ready for our Lord to claim new ground?

Encourage

Only eight years old, his head was bent low over the paper as he struggled with the numbers. Some things came easy. Some things did not. This was one of those things. I worked quietly in the room, waiting, when with a soft voice and eyes blinking back tears he said, "I just need a little encouragement." Encouragement? Don't we all need a little encouragement? How do you encourage someone? With patience. With kind words. With an affirming presence. With a shift in expectations. With God's help. Let's let the scripture be our guide, Encourage one another and build each other up. (I Thessalonians 5:11)

Make that Call

When the page turned on the calendar we could count on his call. The slow drawl would drift over the phone line, "I just wanted to give y'all a chance to wish me a happy birthday." My father and stepmother would chuckle and sing the familiar song. It became a routine. Something they knew to expect each and every year. They asked him once why he couldn't wait for them to call. And he had an answer, "I just decided I could either sit around and feel sorry for myself or I could pick up the phone and call folks...And you know, it's a funny thing. It makes me happy."

In truth it's a God thing. "Two are better than one....If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up." (Ecclesiastes 4:9-10, NIV) God doesn't want us to live our lives in isolation. Go ahead. Why not make that call?

Wait

Do you ever wonder if God has you on the radar?  Consider this,"One of the chief

needs in our waiting upon God, one of the deepest secrets of its blessedness and

blessing, is a quiet, confident persuasion that it is not in vain.  Have courage

and believe that God will hear and help.  We are waiting on a God who could never

disappoint His people."  (by Andrew Murray in Waiting on God)

Do the Next Thing

Life can be overwhelming. Work, home, health and well being can sometimes present us with more than we can realistically manage in a day or even a season. I've always been inspired by Elisabeth Elliott's story. She recounts how when her husband Jim, a missionary, and several of his colleagues were murdered in South America that she didn't know where to begin. But God infused her heart with God's love and gave her direction through a poem her mother had taught her entitled "Do the Next Thing." So Elisabeth, confident that Christ would show her the way, simply began where she was with the smallest of tasks - feed the baby, prepare the next meal, write a letter. And in time, by God's grace, she moved from despair to hope.


Perhaps, this post finds you in deeper waters than you would prefer. Why not take a breath, give thanks and let God lead you to do the next thing?