Is there really such a thing as God wanting too much?  I don’t know about you but sometimes I sure feel that way!  It feels like as soon as I get one spiritual wrinkle smoothed out, He fluffs the fabric and then there’s another wrinkle!  Then my good sense takes over and I realized it’s not a matter of God wanting too much, but rather it’s me not wanting to give something to Him.  
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This one little verse from Matthew’s Gospel is a doozie isn’t it! More than once I’ve read it and thought…really God…sometimes doing things your way is NOT easy or light.  Sometimes it’s really, really hard and I just don’t know if I’m getting it right.  I don’t know about you but I can get a little stressed out sometimes trying to do everything he asks me to do!

I’ve had these thoughts sitting on my heart a lot lately and the other day I turned on the TV to check the weather and I stumbled across an episode of Little House on the Prairie.  In this particular episode Pa was busy hooking up the horses to plow the field.  As Pa hitched up the horses he put a yoke around each of their necks.  As the horses began the difficult work ahead the yoke and harness made it much easier for them.  They stayed together and were able to keep the same pace and work together as one stronger unit.  That was it…I finally got it.  Jesus’ yoke is a double; one for me and one for him.  I don’t have to do the work by myself, that was never his plan at all.  His yoke is easy and his burden is light because he’s stronger than me so he will always take the lead, pick up the slack and do the heavy part. 

Being a disciple is not always easy but it's not a solo job.  Sometimes he does ask a lot of us so the next time I feel like the burden is too heavy or too hard, I’m going to think about that episode of Little House on the Prairie and remember that I don’t have to do the work alone. The next time I’m stuck in the middle of a tough decision or temptation instead of trying to worm my way out of it alone I’ll remember to put my head down and walk closely with Jesus asking him to pull ahead a little harder because I’m feeling weak.  I’ll also remember we’re connected, just like Pa’s horses so I know he’ll always be right there beside me. 

A Seed To Plant: Think about a burden you are trying to bear and then imagine being hitched to Jesus like Pa’s horses.  Just sit there for a few minutes and imagine charging ahead and pulling that burden with the help of Jesus right beside you doing the heavy stuff.

Blessings on your day!

​Growing up, Sunday was a great day.  Mom and Dad made sure it was a day we slowed down.  It was often the day we would take a drive and go visit my grandmas or play games at the kitchen table.  Winter Sundays were great but spring, summer and fall Sundays often involved a relaxing activity that I hated…fishing!  Everyone in the family except me loved to go, so not wanting to spoil anyone’s fun, I never said anything but man I hated it when it was a fishing Sunday.  To me, it was completely anti-social, totally uneventful and absolutely boring!  You couldn’t talk or you’d scare the fish away, the hook began and ended with something wiggly and gross and if I actually ever sat still enough to catch something, the great prize was eating it.  Since I don’t like fish, even the prize wasn’t a good deal.  The only Sunday fishing trip I ever really enjoyed was the one where I convinced my mom that some boys at school told me Chocolate Chip Cookies were great fish bait.  I told her that if I used those as bait, nobody would have to help me or listen to me complain about spearing a poor, little, slimy worm with a hook.  It was a great day.  I left my empty hook in the water all afternoon while I lay in the summer sun slowly nibbling on my two cookies and then announcing at the end of the afternoon that those boys had no idea what they were talking about!  Any good fisherman will tell you, it’s all about the bait.

I love this verse from Mark’s gospel even if it does remind me of fishing Sundays.  These words Jesus spoke two thousand years ago were not just meant for the disciples; they were for us in this place and this time as well.  It’s one of those verses we read and think…oh no…he’s not talking to me!  I’m not qualified to preach the Gospel or evangelize and lead others to the Lord.  That’s for religiously smart, holy people who know lots of stuff about faith and the bible.  If that’s what we’re thinking, then we’re making a big mistake.  Sharing the good news of Jesus’ love and mercy is a job that belongs to each of us.  After all he’s done for us, he’s asking us to be willing to publicly “show him a little love!”

The most important part of this verse is the phrase “and I will make you”.  Those five little words take all the pressure off us.  He's saying very clearly that he will give us what we need to do what he’s asking us to do. If we follow, he will arrange the situation and circumstances perfectly. He isn’t asking us to convert a continent or preach an eloquent sermon to thousands, he’s just asking us to take him with us wherever we go and share him with others.  If you’ve ever asked someone to “put in a good word for you” then you understand what he’s asking.  He’s asking us to make the introduction and he’s so amazing, he’ll even point out the folks he’d like us to introduce him to if we agree to follow and help him make a difference in people’s lives.

If we agree to let him make us fishers of men the best part is the bait!  The bait he’s asking us to use as we “fish for men” is love.  It isn’t knowledge or power or strength.  We don’t have to buy any equipment or supplies; he’s given us everything we need to do this work.  He has loved us abundantly and if we share that love with others, hearts will be changed, lives will be changed, and the world will be changed.  This is one fishing trip I can get excited about!  The request is clear so pick up your pole, spend some time in prayer so you can load up on his love and then take that bait and tell a true fish story about the things you’ve seen him do when people grabbed onto the bait and let him change their life.

A Seed To Plant: Take this  verse to prayer with you this week and ask the Father to show you where to take some of his famous bait!

Blessings on your day!

​The healing story of the crippled woman is a powerful example of the compassion and power of Jesus, but it might be easy to skip past it not finding much relevance…but then again after some prayer, we might come to realize it’s pretty darn relevant!
Being bent and crippled obviously had a huge impact on the way this woman lived her life.  Imagine being unable to stretch tall and take a deep breath.  I can imagine her gaze was downcast most of the time and the frustration was simmering constantly.  Maybe we have times when we feel that same way. Then along comes Jesus and in a flash, she’s released from the grip that held her body hostage and she’s free to do all the things she couldn’t.  So, what about the relevant part?  For some reason the story made me think about the things that cripple us every day.  The things that can skew our freedom and our ability to stand tall and be free, those things that hold a grip that slowly cripples us and bends us away from the peace and joy the Father has planned for us.  These things can be pretty subtle…until they aren’t. 
Fear…it’s easy to look at the unjust, evil, and dishonest things in our world and feel anxious and afraid.  It’s not always easy to remember that God truly does have a brilliant plan and all he requires is our trust.
Substances…whether its alcohol, drugs or extra comfort food, the things we take, drink or eat to dull the craziness or quiet the noise can be crippling.  We can get stuck here trying to be someone we think the world wants us to be instead of who we were created to be.
Social media…we allow it to set the standards, lay the benchmarks and weigh in on everything from our appearance to our parenting, finances and relationships.  The constant comparison and conformity is crippling us slowly.
Shopping…we’re constantly scrolling for that perfect gift, outfit, décor or product that will make us happy and noticed.
Time…we have plenty, but we don’t use it well.  We scroll, binge watch and busy ourselves to the point of feeling overwhelmed.
Jealousy, Anger and Judgmental thinking…when we see everything as a contest and look only with human eyes we are blinded to the beauty and mercy of God’s perspective.
Fierce Independence…it’s NOT all on us!  We weren’t meant to carry the burdens of the world; we were created to be totally and utterly dependent on the Father who in his mighty goodness has the perfect plan for each of us.
 
All of these things can be like a spirit pulling us away from the Lord and the time he wants to occupy in our days. Whatever it might be that’s bending or crippling us, the result can be the same as it was for the woman in the Gospel.  Jesus…he’s ready to swoop in and heal us in just the same way.  We have to invite him into those places that are binding us and preventing us from feeling the complete freedom that comes from trusting the Lord with every detail of our life.
 
A Seed To Plant:  What are some of the things that bind or cripple you…take it to the Lord in prayer this week and ask for his healing just like the woman in the story.
 
Blessings on your day!

​October is the month we are called to “respect life”.  We are reminded during this beautiful month to think about life in all its ages and stages and realize each of us is a precious child of God. Many of us are very passionate about protecting the unborn and we will fight like mama bears if we find out someone is mistreating the elderly.  Those are causes we pray and fight for in many ways but what about respecting the life we are surrounded by every day.  How are we at respecting our neighbors and co-workers and those folks who annoy us?  October is a call to think about the way we respect ALL life.   As we head into the last weeks of October, I’d like to challenge you to do four simple things to respect the people around you because a little more respect is good for everyone.

Each of us was created in the Image and Likeness of God which means when God made us, he put a little piece of himself in our heart so  he is always a part of us.  If we realize God is a part of everyone we meet, and all his children are precious, we realize when we disrespect or hurt someone we are also offending the Creator so here are four things we can do to respect each other.

K - Know that each and every person was created and is precious to the Creator.  Saying or doing hurtful things to others hurts the Creator.

I - Invite and include others.  We love to get invited to parties and weddings and celebrations but   inviting others to sit with us, eat with us, pray with us or spend time with us makes them feel noticed and valued.

N - Notice the people around you.  Notice if someone is sad or lonely or hurting. We weren’t made to be alone in this world, we were made for community, and we all need to know we matter, so be on the lookout for the people who need a little friendship.

D - Decide to show everyone the mercy and love Jesus did.  We decide dozens of things every morning why not add this important decision to the list.

When we put all four of these actions in motion, our hearts will change.  We were created for life and good.  When we hurt or disrespect others we aren’t choosing life.  Life is full of enough difficulties and frustrations; we should be about the business of making life a little easier for those we share our days with. The lesson is simple but sometimes simple can really do the trick!

A Seed To Plan:  Pick one of the four ideas and put it in motion today.​

Blessings on your day!

​I remember asking some little kids one day what they thought God looked like.  One little boy said he supposed God would look old and tired with wrinkles like his grandpa.  I asked him why he thought God would look tired and he said, “Well wouldn’t you be tired it you made the whole world in 6 days?”    Another student thought God would look beautiful like a flower and still a third thought God would look like a fancy king.  Next, I asked them where they thought they might see God. The standard answer was, “in heaven”. Then that one little voice said, “I think we can see Him everywhere, but we have to look with our heart.”  As I was tearing up and reveling in her deep and faithful insight, I was quickly snapped to reality by one of the boys who loudly said, “That’s not right, your eyes are in your head not your heart.” Ahh, life with little kids…gotta love it! 
 
I came across this verse from Psalms a few weeks ago and it reminded me of that discussion with the kids about where God is found. If we are supposed to seek His face always, I suppose we’d better know where to look!  It’s easy to seek the face of God in the obvious, like creation, babies and children. I have no problem seeing and feeling him when I’m with my grandkids and I have a new understanding of just what Jesus meant when He said, “Let the little children come to me.”  It’s a bit more of a challenge however to seek His face in the unpleasant, the unfair, and the unlikable. 

Seeking God’s face doesn’t just apply to people…we need to seek His face in situations and experiences. Sure, we recognize God in the events that are happy and joyful like weddings and celebrations but we need to know He is present in the sad and difficult and sorrowful events as well. His love, presence and inviting spirit are there even if we recognize no apparent good in the situation.  We are reminded not only to seek Him but to praise and thank Him in all situations.  That’s easy to say until we’re smack dab in the middle of ugly and we have to spit out the words, “God, I’m seeking you in this mess and I thank you for these circumstances…even though they STINK!”  Sometimes uttering those words can taste like vinegar in our mouth but if we repeat them again and again, we can begin to see His face and feel His presence guiding and teaching and blessing us.  
 
We like things to be simple and easy and happy and when they aren’t, we tend to think God has left us all alone.  Our purpose in seeking God shouldn’t be to make us “feel good”, the purpose is to build us up for the Kingdom and a life spent with Him. Very often the things we need to learn can only be taught when life isn’t all neat and tidy and happy.  But make no mistake…God is there…just waiting for us to seek Him so He can take us by the hand and begin the next lesson!  
 
A seed to plant:  Write the words, “God I trust you, God I love you, God I will be faithful and seek your face” on a notecard and read it again and again when you’re in a situation where it’s hard to seek His face.

Blessings on your day!

One of the many things I miss now that the Wohlfert house is so quiet is practice.  For more than a decade and a half there was always some kind of practice going on.  It didn’t matter if it was reading, math facts, band, sports or even target practice for hunting season, it seemed like somebody was always practicing something.  There is nothing more humbling than a good hard practice at whatever it is you are trying to get better at.  The problem was nobody really enjoyed practice except me.  I loved seeing my kids work hard, sweat, be frustrated and eventually trade in frustration for sheer determination.  Practice is good for you no matter what it’s for but human nature leads us to desire perfection or success without the work. 
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Stop for a minute and think of something you need to practice.  A little tricky wasn’t it!  If you had a hard time coming up with something to practice, I’ve got just the thing.  I was reading in a prayer book the other day and came across a fabulous one liner that was too good to keep to myself.  This simple thought is so power packed it’s going to make for a very short post today.  Before you read it though, I want you to think for another minute about three things you’ve been frustrated about recently.  If my guess is correct at least two of the things that frustrated, you involved another person.  So much of our negative energy stems from a reaction or comment or behavior from another person that doesn’t line up with our personal expectations or desires.  In the spirit of being frustrated with others and tugging along the negative energy that goes with it; here is that great thought I promised.  We all need to practice the art of self-forgetfulness! Pope John Paul II.
 
Holy cow…how’s that for a showstopper!  I think maybe we spend so much time worrying and fussing about how other people see, value, appreciate and honor us that we lose track of the only desire we should be motivated by, pleasing God.  If I were to forget my own desires and comforts more often, I think I would certainly have more time for faithfulness.  If I stopped worrying about who saw me do what or who noticed this or that I wouldn’t have anything to be disappointed about when others didn’t register the “wonder and awe” I thought, I deserved.  I don’t’ know about you, but I think I just found my new thing to practice… thinking about the Father more and myself less.  The art of self-forgetfulness isn’t something our culture promotes but since when does our culture promote things that will get us to heaven?  I think I’m gonna go with JPII on this one and get my “self-forgetfulness” in motion, how about you…are you up for some tough practice?
 
A Seed To Plant:  This week when you feel frustrated, stop and ask yourself if you are practicing the art of self-forgetfulness.  Get ready for some good hard practice!

Blessings on your day!

Considering Sunday’s tragedy here in Michigan along with many others across the country recently, I wrote this piece to help families navigate the bad news together.  It has appeared in Faith Catholic Magazine and on the Catholic Mom website, but I also wanted to share it here because it seems we aren’t going to run out of bad things to challenge our trust, test our faith and crinkle up our joy!
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God is our refuge and our strength, an ever-present help in distress.  Psalm 46:2
Technology has a way of zooming world events right into our lap at warp speed and the front row seat we seem to have isn’t always the best seat in the house especially when the news is frightening and discouraging so this month, we offer some ideas for navigating tough news and events with our kids.
Be The Town Crier: When the news is tough, it’s always better coming from someone who is loved and trusted.  Delivering tough news should come in five steps. First, pray to the Holy Spirit before you speak, asking for wisdom and guidance. Second, give the facts in an age-appropriate way.  Base vocabulary on age and maturity, for example someone was shot vs someone was hurt.  Third, answer the questions; as many as you can, as truthfully as you can and I don’t know, or I don’t understand it are good answers. Fourth, call out God’s promises; he is good, he will protect, he will guide, he is powerful and mighty, he is trustworthy.  Fifth, PRAY! Pray for the hurting and those who love the hurting and those who will help the hurting.
Use The Anchors:  The anchor steadies the ship, and God is our anchor in the storms of life.  Two powerful parts of that anchor are HOPE and TUST.  We hope in him, and we trust him because we know God is unchanging, God is compassionate, and God is merciful.  Talk about times when your family trusted God in tough times and he steadied, blessed and guided you.
It’s Not Random: God is not random, and he makes himself known in both good and bad situations. Only he is aware of the good that will come from unspeakably difficult situations. Lean on scripture and past experiences to illustrate his faithfulness.  Imagine how things would have changed if Joseph’s brothers hadn’t sold him into slavery to the Egyptians. It’s our job to trust and hope in his plan, it’s not our job to approve or understand it all.
The Big Pair; Truthfulness & Faithfulness: In a world of misinformation, we need to seek the truth.  If they are old enough, teach your kids how to search for it from reliable, trustworthy sources and allow them to ask questions and form ideas and opinions.  Navigate the news through a biblical and faithful lens.  Allow them to look up the places and people on a map to add to their knowledge and perspective.  The presence of evil in the world is age old and including this truth in your conversation with older kids is important to grow in understanding of the mighty works of God.  Evil works in the dark; misinformation, despair, fear and panic and these things are not of God.  It is a tough conversation but so necessary to understand the truth about the Father and his love for us.
That Helpless Feeling: Bad news and tragedy can leave us feeling helpless so tackling this feeling can bring peace.  Find out what agencies or groups are on the ground helping and see how you might assist them.  Taking kids to Mass or to church to light a candle or pray a rosary can create a feeling of helpfulness.  Contacting a Religious Order that accepts prayer requests or inviting friends to pray together will highlight our privilege and responsibility to be intercessory prayers and help us teach our children that we have to lift our eyes to the Father and trust.
 
A Seed To Plant:  Gather as a family and share a grace or blessing and pray together for peace and healing and the protection of St. Michael the Archangel.
 

​Do you ever feel like you are at war with yourself?  You try to do the right things and live up to the expectations but some days it just feels like you fall short…I hope that’s not just me!  I had a lousy day; one of those look under every rock of your life and not really like what you see kind of days.  I suppose it’s good to take an honest inventory of your life from time to time but sometimes it’s painful to be honest with yourself.  What I came to discover is that I’m probably like everybody else with some good qualities and some not so stellar ones too.  As I was thinking about this “battle with self”, I remembered a Gospel story about two sisters who had a battle right in front of Jesus.  I could relate so perfectly to this story and the constant struggle to do the right thing for the right reason.  As I re-read this Gospel, I realized that I can be both sisters; Martha and Mary.

This epic sister conflict reveals the perfect model for our lives as faithful servants!  It’s easy to read this Gospel and take sides, but the truth of the matter is we all have an inner Martha and an inner Mary.  It’s also easy to read this Gospel and make Martha out to be the “bad guy” sister.  Really, can you imagine having the guts to whine to Jesus about cooking and serving!  In Martha’s defense, the most important guest of all time was in the living room and there sat the chief helper star struck, completely shirking all sense of responsibility and duty, I’m not gonna lie, I think I would have been a bit irritated myself.

As a Disciple of Christ our vocation includes the Martha stuff like cooking, cleaning and serving.  It also includes the Mary stuff like devotion, attentiveness and focus on the better part.  This Gospel should inspire us to be a balance of both sisters.  We need to realize that when the cooking and serving are done as a prayerful offering to God, it is a powerful form of prayer and devotion.  We also need to realize our Mary moments of complete and uninterrupted prayer have to be carved into our daily schedule.   I need to read this Gospel several times and balance my Mary and Martha! I need to read this Gospel several times to realize my battle is normal and as long as I keep plugging along trying to do the right thing and keep it all in balance, God will notice, and thank goodness he rewards us for attempts and not just perfection!

A Seed To Plant:  How can I make my Martha tasks like cooking and serving more of a prayerful offering instead of complaining about it and feeling unappreciated? How can I be more attentive and focused on Jesus like Mary? How can I find balance and have patience with myself?​

Blessings on your day!

We seem to have been swirling in a sea of sorrow, division and hurt the past week.  Words are so powerful and that power has been wielded for good and for bad.  Our newsfeeds and podcasts and news reports have been spewing enough controversy and contradiction to make our heads spin and then slipped quietly into the Mass readings the other day we prayed Psalm 28 and it was as if God said…shhhhh…you are my people, and I am your strength…shhhh.  Personally, I needed to hear that shush from the Father because it gave me permission to turn off the noise and quietly rest in HIM!

Nearly every time I have heard the name Charlie Kirk (a name I didn’t know before last Wednesday) this past week it has been used in combination with the word BOLD.  On some level each and every one of us is called to be bold in our faith but we aren’t called to do it in the same way.   On Monday, Catholics remembered the seven sorrows of Mary, and it was a whisper to my heart.  As I sat in Mass Monday and contemplated the burdens Mary endured it occurred to me that those closest and most committed to Jesus always seem to make huge sacrifices…even his own mother.  I wonder if the greatest way to be bold in our faith is to love bigger and not necessarily talk bigger.

The question I’ve been wrestling with is, how boldly do I love the Lord?  As I’ve puddled that through my brain for a few days I hear my moms’ words echoing that familiar phrase, “Actions speak louder than words!”  I do a lot of “loving” things for the Lord, but do I do them for everyone or just the people who agree with me, think like me or won’t be controversial?  I’ve asked myself again and again if my love is bold enough to push past the point of sacrifice, sorrow or embarrassment?  Do I love till it hurts and leaves me vulnerable or ridiculed or do I stop right on the edge of comfortable? Woof…that kind of love is hard isn’t it!  I think the craziness that’s unfolded before us lately shows just how much this kind of bold love is lacking.

I need to sit with some truth for a while.  The truth is I can’t control anything, not people’s thoughts or words or opinions or perceptions.  The only think I have any control over is my relationship with the Father and if that is really as important to me as I say it is, I have to take a good long prayerful look at how far I’ll go to protect it, nurture it, abide in it, obey it and be changed by it.  The planet doesn’t need my opinions, it doesn’t need my professions of faith, it needs to see God’s love and the only way I’m truly capable of that is to shush up, rely on his strength and ask him for the grace to love boldly without fear.  I think that’s probably the kind of task that will keep us so busy we won’t notice the noise of the world because we’ll be listening too hard for the voice of the Father…seems like a good idea to me…who’s with me?

A Seed To Plant:  Pray this week with the question, Lord how can I love you boldly?
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Blessings on your day!

​These few words are golden!  The simple truth of this line is that WE are the light and even when we don’t feel very shiny or glowing, we absolutely are in the eyes of The Father.  We were given His light when we were created, and we were tasked with letting that light shine during our Baptism.  

Often, we think we can only shine our light if we can be really sparkly.  There are times when we come across someone whose light seems like a blow torch, and we are more like a little birthday candle and it’s easy to shrink away and conceal ourselves and feel insignificant.  This is exactly what the evil one wants us to do.  The truth is, God has given each and every one of us a different way to love and serve.  The light he’s asking us to shine is HIM, not us.  He wants us to showcase HIS love, mercy and might; not our own.  There is no such thing as a light that’s too small or plain.  This line from Luke’s Gospel encourages us to trust Him to point us to the places that need His light and he promises to send us with exactly the perfect wattage to show him to those who need to see.

When we think about the pockets of darkness in our world today we can shine His light forth in the way we love and serve others, in our attempts to do the right thing and in our ability to trust and hope in his promises.  Letting him shine through us can be a powerful weapon against the darkness that creeps in to extinguish the power of His light.  Which of these three ways can you ask the Lord to help you let His light shine more powerfully?

A Seed To Plant:  Pray this little prayer each morning.  Oh Lord of Light, give me the grace to grow in humility so that I may let YOUR light truly shine through and pierce the darkness.  Keep me ever mindful or your guidance as you point me to those who need the hope and promise of your light, and Lord, keep me ever grounded in my pursuits to bring glory to You.  Amen

​Blessings on your day!

​I know I’m a few days early but…Happy Labor Day.  Sometimes our view of this upcoming holiday, which signals the end of summer and the beginning of football season and all things pumpkin spice, is narrow and limited to a Monday off work but I’d like us to think bigger.  I’m sitting on my front porch typing and watching the sun come up and I’m so very thankful!  So thankful to be sitting on my porch drinking coffee watching God paint in the sky; thankful for work that I love; thankful to enjoy the simple pleasures of life that work has allowed me and thankful for the jobs my children have.  Wherever you find yourself celebrating this weekend, there are three things I’d like us all to ponder and pray about for a few minutes.

First, pray in thanksgiving for the work we do.  Whether we make a little or a lot, whether we love our jobs or not, today is a good day to be thankful for a chance to use our gifts and make a little money to support those we love.

Second, pray for those who don’t get today off.  Some folks, like the farmers who feed us or nurses, doctors, firefighters and so many others who don’t get a day off.  If you know one, thank them!  If I think about all the folks going to work today, they are probably going off to a job to serve those of us who don’t have to go to work today. Thank you, God, for them!

Third, pray for those who are unemployed or underemployed.  The stress, the worry, the disappointment they feel can be overwhelming.  Let’s pray for single parents working two or three jobs trying to make ends meet.  Let’s pray for those who, for a dozen different reasons we don’t know anything about, make up the ranks of the working poor.  Let’s take their struggles to prayer.

There you have it…your tasks for the holiday!  Happy Labor Day!

A Seed To Plant: Do the assignment above!​

Blessings on your day!

One sunny afternoon a gentleman stopped his car in a Connecticut neighborhood to check out a garage sale.  He found a lovely bowl and purchased it for around thirty dollars.  As he chatted with the lady behind the cash box he found out it had been a wedding gift to her grandparents.  She used it to serve Cheetos to her teenage kids and their friends and various snacks to party guests.  After he got it home and looked more closely, he noted the unique painting and design, so he curiously sent a picture of it to a friend who worked at a prestigious auction house.  The friend confirmed that the piece used to serve Cheetos was long ago commissioned by the Emperor during the Ming Dynasty as a gift. How it ever made its way to Connecticut to become a snack vessel is a mystery, but the bowl was estimated at nearly one million dollars.  The story made me realize how many times great treasures are hidden in plain sight.
 
Pondering this story, two questions came to mind the first question was if someone visited my house and asked to see my most valuable treasure, what would I show them? The second was, would they see it as a valuable treasure?  I thought about my mom’s china, the grandfather clock my father-in-law made and our wedding rings but then realized those probably weren’t amazing treasures to the world.  I kept thinking and as I walked through the house to put some laundry away I noticed the crucifix and realized that HIS presence in my home and my heart was the greatest treasure of all.  The next thing I noticed were a pair of Dave’s socks and a collection of books and toy tractors the grandkids didn’t get quite tucked away in the right spot and I began to realize I am surrounded by treasure, but I often take it for granted as if it were hidden away.
 
I thought about the lady that sold her Cheeto bowl for a teeny speck of its worth and wondered how she’d feel about it all?  Would she feel angry, foolish or cheated?  I wonder if she would see with the Father’s eyes and find the hidden treasure in the memory of all those hungry teenagers that ate snacks in her living room from that bowl?  Would she recall all the people she served, or would she be sad she missed an opportunity to make a fortune? I wonder how her life would have changed if she had known the true value of that bowl?  When we look with worldly eyes, we’ll never see the whole story clearly.
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I’m absolutely certain I don’t have any million-dollar bowls in my cupboards but I’m on a mission to notice all the treasures I do have.  I’m also absolutely certain there have been times I’ve let treasures from the Father go unnoticed and unappreciated like the ladies Cheeto bowl.  Hearing this story made me realize I needed to launch a treasure hunt of my own.  I’ll bet at some point the lady thought, “I wish someone would have told me it was valuable?”  Today is a great day to ask the Father to point out our valuable treasures hidden in plain sight.  Today is a great day to see the valuable things surrounding us through his eyes and not our own.  He might help us know that the laundry pile means we have a house with people we love who work and play hard; that’s a treasure.  The grocery shopping and cooking remind us that God blessed and trusted us with the love and care of some of his children; that’s a treasure.  The breadcrumbs, dirty socks, fingerprints in the dusty furniture and the empty glass in the living room are all signs that we are surrounded by people we love…people who need us to love them back and that is certainly a treasure. Lord, open my eyes, adjust my perspective and lead me to my treasure so I know where my heart should be.
 
A Seed To Plant:  Make a list of your treasures!
 
Blessings on your day!

​We’re at the point in August when things are about to shift.  Many readers are at a parenting crossroad, and many are reflecting about being there not so long ago.  Social media is about to blow up with posts about taking kids off to college and starting Kindergarten or the last year of high school, this verse just rings in my mind and echoes in my heart.  It reminds me that our kids were designed to grow up not live in our basement until they were 30.  Our kids were meant to learn, grow, travel and live.  They are going to meet people and make friends; some will shape their character and some will test it.  They are going to make great decisions steeped in the love and wisdom we’ve slathered them with, and they will most likely make some not-so-great decisions and those will be where the real learning takes place.  Independence is a great thing until we watch our kids creep away from us and use it!  I’ve always heard people talk about growing pains, but I didn't expect parents to be the ones who suffered from them the most! 
 
I may not be sending my own kids off to school this month or opening up a classroom, but I’ve been thinking about it a lot.  Our oldest grandson will start preschool soon and I was awake thinking about that the other night.  As I started to pray for parents and students and teachers everywhere and my mind just raced with thoughts so I got up and wrote down some things I think Jesus would like us to remember as we send kids and grandkids off to school. Think of it like a little note from Him…sort of like the ones you might stick in your child’s lunch box.

 *Your child is mine…I love them more than you and I will care for them today and every day  after.
*I parted a sea, I can make sure your child has someone to play with at recess.
*I put a piece of me inside them, just ask me to help it shine through them.
*Being mine is far more important than being on the team or the homecoming float so help them keep their priorities straight.
*The more time you spend in worry, the less time you spend in trust.
*I always know what’s best…it isn’t always easiest but it’s best because best is getting to heaven and only I know that path for your child.
*My plans for them far exceed yours…let me do my work and just pray for your child to cooperate.
*Tell them you love them but make sure they know I love them even more.
*Truth trumps popularity every single time so demand honesty.
*You can’t pass the test unless you do the lessons…and some lessons are really hard…let them do the work, especially when the lesson is hard.
*Trust me, thank me; when things are easy and when they are hard; don’t worry, I’m a very reliable Father!
*Pray for them and pray with them, speak my name together and often.
*My love isn’t attached to being first, best, beautiful, popular or perfect so please don’t let your love be either.
*It’s not your job to constantly rescue and save your child, one particular Friday my Father watched me suffer through something really awful that turned out pretty awesome!  I knew he was there but he didn’t do it for me.
*Everything in life isn't easy...but everything isn't hard either; know that I'm there loving you through it all.
*If your child needs someone; I'll always get there first, teach them my call sign...JESUS COME!

A Seed To Plant: Write this verse on a post it and stick it somewhere you’ll see it when you worry then pick a couple things from the list that hit your heart or that might touch someone you know who is worried about a child and ask the Father to help you put it in motion.​

Blessings on your day and on your Children’s backpack wherever they may be taking it this fall!

It was one of those mornings!  I was rushing and had some frazzle sitting on my shoulders and instead of taking a second to invite Him into the feelings, I charged ahead like a bull in a china shop!  I’ve been hyper focused on nutrition for a couple of years and feeling frustrated with my results…or lack thereof so I had made a smoothie meticulously measured and mixed.  I was fretting a little about the few extra frozen berries that slipped out of the bag into my blender thinking it was going to mess up my smoothie macros, but I couldn’t reach into the blender and grab them out, so I just kept going.  Right after I poured it from the blender to my cup and rinsed out the blender, I grabbed it, turned to get my purse and then it happened!  The lidless cup slipped right out of my hand and crashed to the floor sending a giant splatter of smoothie all over the cabinet doors, floor, rug, bar stools and even splattered into the floor vent.  My bare feet were covered in raspberry and blackberry seeds as I stood in a pool of pale pink liquid.  I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry so I just started scrubbing all the while realizing there was a lesson or two spilled all over my kitchen along with the smoothie.

Lesson 1: Be patient and trust!  Whether it’s the Lord’s work or a nutrition plan, if we’re putting in the prayer and the work, we have to trust the process and not rush it or try to carve things into our vision.

Lesson 2:  God is bigger and mightier than some extra berries.  Did I seriously think that little mistake would send all the hard work crashing into flames?  He showed me what he thought of my “perfect” smoothie and as I scrubbed the kitchen, I was reminded perfection is a Godly characteristic not a human one.

Lesson 3: Eyes Up!!!  Too often I focus on my own planning and strength, thinking it’s my job to muscle my way to success and progress.  When I shift my eyes up, I am reminded he is using my frustrations to teach me patience, trust and healing. 

Lesson 4: Slow down and do it right.  There is no shortcut to heaven.  There is also no shortcut to cleaning up spilled smoothie.  I started out with a paper towel, but the sticky goo required proper equipment and getting down on my knees (always helpful when things get messy) ready to take things seriously.

Lesson 5: Splatter patterns are sort of a wonder to notice.  I couldn’t believe how far and how high ten ounces of liquid could travel.  I realized I should be so quick to be fascinated by the way his love and grace and fanciness spread into splendid patterns all around us every single day.

Lesson 6: The work doesn’t do itself.  I had no time to procrastinate, or I would have been late for a dentist appointment and there was nobody home to clean it for me.  I didn’t have anyone to blame, and I certainly couldn’t leave the mess, so I had no choice but to jump in and get busy.  Sometimes I run circles around a problem before I just jump in, call on his help and get movin through the messes of everyday life.

Lesson 7: He fills the cracks.  As I was scrubbing the floor vent, I couldn’t believe how much goo had seeped its way into those little, teeny cracks and crevices.  I laughed and decided I needed to pray for him to seep into my heart like smoothie in a floor vent.

It was without a doubt one big mess, but it was also a beautiful chance to see God teaching me about his timing, his perfection, his grace and his invitation to trust and surrender to a love sweeter than any smoothie.
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A Seed To Plant: Which of the super seven smoothie lessons hit your heart?  Take it to prayer this week and if you’re brave enough, carefully take a smoothie too.
 
Blessings on your day!
 
 
 
 

​These words from St. Paul to the Romans grabbed my attention this morning.  Anyone who has ever been in a delivery room while a baby makes its way into the world can relate in a very personal way to that line.  As I was pondering those words, I was looking at pictures taken from our family vacation last weekend.  I thought about my children and my grandchildren, and I marveled at the beauty those labor pains produce and asked God to show me why this verse jumped out and struck me so deeply; and He did!

Like many of you, I remember vividly and happily the day I got married.  I remember Fr. Hasenkamp slowly and clearly saying the vows each of us were to repeat.  I remember being so excited and nervous I was afraid I would get lost in my own thoughts and say the wrong thing.  I remember promising to love and honor Dave and I remember the part about accepting children lovingly and raising them up in the faith.  I thought about all the people with little ones who had made the same promises I had.  You’d think since we all spoke the same promises, we’d be really good at helping each other honor them…but sometimes we’re not. As I was looking at vacation pictures of my five (soon to be six) grandbabies and their parents I was overwhelmed by the thought that raising kids can be tough and I want them to have the support they need to be amazing, faith filled parents who raise amazing humans. The truth is, I want that for every parent…our world needs that. After spending a whole weekend with the people I love most in this world, I’m so incredibly grateful for the gift of motherhood and grandmotherhood…I had absolutely no idea how much I could love the little people I get to call my grandbabies or how proud I could be of their parents.  All of this makes me realize we need to re-think the way we see and lift up other parents and grandparents.

I get troubled when we turn the wrong things into a competition.  We’ve all been the parent of the child who does something that makes us proud and, in all honesty, we’ve probably all been the parent of the child who does the opposite.  I wish we weren’t so quick to judge other parents when the child falls into group two.  Let’s face it, labor was hard but sometimes it doesn’t even compare to how hard raising kids can be.  My babies were the size of toddlers when they were born; they all apparently adored me so much they never wanted to exit the womb, and sleeping through the night was definitely not a “thing” with the Three Little Wohlferts.  They all walked, talked, whined and had epic diaper disasters at different stages and times and it seemed someone always had advice on what I wasn’t doing right.  We need to give ourselves and our kids and our grandkids a break and realize they are all amazing in their own way and with love, in God’s time, they will be exactly who God created them to be.  Our goal is to raise our kids up in faith and help them get to heaven and quite frankly I think we could all use a little help with that big job now and again. What if we said something kind to the lady in the grocery store with the screaming toddler instead of raising our eyebrows and assuming she doesn’t know how to discipline her child.  What if we entertained the notion that the fussy baby and the grumpy dad sitting in the same waiting room were sleep deprived, going through a tough time or flat out having a bad day.  And just maybe that 9-year-old having a melt down at the movie theater has some real struggles and truly didn’t come to ruin your day. 

Making assumptions doesn’t help us raise our kids…judging doesn’t help us get our kids to heaven.  The labor pains weren’t supposed to be the easiest part! Each family, each child, each parent is on a journey we know nothing about.  No one ever said the world needed more competition and comparison!   God has an amazing plan for each of us…even the smallest, wiggliest, fussiest, loudest, quietest little person and their frustrated, sleep deprived, proud, loving mammas and daddies.  I came across a neat little story that just kind of drove this whole scripture home.  It’s a story about a dog and an elephant and the genius of the Loving Father who can do whatever he wants in the time frame he chooses.  

The story goes like this.  An elephant and a dog became pregnant at the same time. Three months down the line the dog gave birth to six puppies. Six months later the dog was pregnant again, and nine months on it gave birth to another dozen puppies. The pattern continued. On the eighteenth month the dog approached the elephant questioning, "Are you sure that you are pregnant? We became pregnant on the same date, I have given birth three times to a dozen puppies, and they are now grown to become big dogs, yet you are still pregnant. What’s going on?". The elephant replied, "There is something I want you to understand. What I am carrying is not a puppy but an elephant. I only give birth to one in two years. When my baby hits the ground, the earth feels it. When my baby crosses the road, human beings stop and watch in admiration, what I carry draws attention. So, what I'm carrying is mighty and great.". Don't lose faith when you see others receive answers to their prayers. Don't be envious of others’ testimony. If you haven't received your own blessings, don't despair. Say to yourself "My time is coming, and when it hits the surface of the earth, people shall yield in admiration." 

I think it would be a good idea to yield in admiration a little more often!  If the dog had continued to compare and judge, he might have missed the amazing.

A Seed To Plant: Do one small thing to support a parent!

Blessings on your day!

It hurts my heart when someone I care about is knee deep in something awful.  I always want to jump in and try to fix it without realizing our sufferings and struggles are really gifts from the Father.  They sure aren’t the gifts we’d choose but they have a purpose, nonetheless and that’s a truth that tastes like vinegar for sure! Today I was driving on a gorgeous sunny summer day praying a Rosary for several folks I know who are struggling.  As I got to the third sorrowful mystery, the crowning with thorns, I realized the folks I was praying for each had their own crown of thorns to wear.  As I kept driving, I remembered the story of the presentation of Jesus in the temple and Simeon’s words to Mary, “and a sword will pierce your heart”.  I realized there are so many folks making their way through long tough days with swords and thorns.

Our thorns and swords can look so different.  Sometimes they take the form of grief, sickness, financial crisis, loneliness or mental illness.  Often, they leave wounds we don’t see like infertility, disappointment, deep emotional hurt and betrayal. Make no mistake, they all leave a mark!  When I got home, I decided to go to Scripture and find out how Jesus and Mary responded to their pain at these two precise moments in time.  As Jesus was being mocked and humiliated during the “crowning” Scripture notes that he said nothing.  After Simeon’s troubling words to Mary, The Gospel of Luke records no immediate verbal response but instead says, “But Mary kept all these sayings, pondering them in her heart.”  They responded with trust, surrender and a focus on God.  I just sat with that for a bit and realized these two stories were meant to show us the way…and for us, it’s a long journey.  No matter what thorns or swords are leaving their mark  in this season of your life here are some thoughts to help with the battle on our journey to accept suffering like Jesus and Mary.

*Eyes Up:  Mary “pondered in her heart” our peace and strength will come from keeping our eyes on the Father.  He goes before us, he lifts us up, he knows the purpose.  When all we see is our pain; our thorns and swords, if you will, then we loose sight of the Father.
*Remember: God is faithful, and he desires only good for his children.  The good he desires for us isn’t always easy or pleasant or understandable, but those thorns and swords pave the way to heaven.
*Read The Instructions: Scripture is a huge collection of God’s faithfulness and mercy sprinkled among hundreds of stories of humans who suffer and struggle.  He triumphs over evil, peril and suffering again and again.  Scripture is a love story of God and his people, and it gives us wisdom, inspiration, mentors and lessons too many to mention.  Just remember, he writes the stories, and they don’t always follow our plot.
*Three P’s: No thorn or sword is survived without the three P’s.  Prayer, partners and patience. We don’t pray as intentionally, frequently or honestly when all is well.  The tough seasons are the ones that draw us to our knees, and everything is better when we’re there.  We have to ask others to pray with and for us too.  God’s timing is perfect, and he absolutely has perfect knowledge of your limits and his grace so be patient and know he is leading you even when you feel all alone.
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If you or someone you know is in a season of thorns and swords, I hope these words offer some peaceful balm for the hurt.  The big request of the Father isn’t “Lord when will this be over”? but rather “Lord, would you walk closer to me and help me feel your grace while I look for all the ways you’re working in this pain?”
 
A Seed To Plant: Who needs your prayers right now and how could this post be helpful?  Ask the Lord to show you how he wants to use these words in your life.

Blessings on your day!
 
 
 

​What are some of the things in this life that you can just count on?  Many things in life are fluid but there certainly are things that always stay the same; it gets light in the morning, little kid giggles evaporate a bad mood, and snakes scare the snot out of me are a few of my constants!  We can count on lots of things and one of those “sure things” I find great comfort in is the never-ending mercy of Jesus.  He will always love us and forgive us…his mercy is so much bigger than our sin; no two ways about it.  We all love that thought but there is a little something that goes with his mercy that we sometimes breeze by; repentance.

Repentance isn’t a word we toss around over coffee or a cocktail too often but it’s sure an important word.  The definition of repentance is “sincere regret or remorse”.  It can make us a little uncomfortable because in order to repent, we have to really stop and process what we’ve done wrong and that’s really NO fun at all.  We do everything fast, including this step of the forgiveness process.  Sometimes the word regret is used jokingly, like when we refer to wearing a half a can of Aqua Net hair spray on our hair in the 80’s or shoulder pads that made us look like we were headed for a tryout with the Detroit Lions in our teal green rayon dress.   But when we’re talking about regret, repentance and the mercy of Jesus, it takes on a whole new meaning.

I love fresh flowers and, in my kitchen, and in my classroom, you would often find a bouquet of flowers in the prayer corner.  At school, they were arranged in a pretty glass vase that I’ve had for a long time.  I remember once at the end of the day one of the middle lovelies accidentally hit the vase of flowers with his backpack.  He set it back up on the shelf and we moved on like nothing happened. The next morning the flowers looked a little wilted so I got a pitcher to add water to the vase, and I was shocked when the water came pouring out of the vase as fast as I could pour it in.  It seemed that there was a big chunk missing from the back of the vase, so the water just went right from the top through the hole in the back.  I laughed and found the piece of glass under the edge of the carpet. I remembered this story recently as I sent my kitchen vase crashing to the floor and with that memory I realized broken  vases have a lesson to teach.

Mercy is like the water I was pouring from the pitcher.  It comes without measure, without end and without cost.  Jesus just loves us so much he showers us with his mercy endlessly.  We are like that vase with the missing chunk.  I could have stood there and poured water all day, but it would have done the flowers no good because they were not prepared to hold on to and receive the benefits of the water as long as they were in that broken vase.  In order for that water to be nourishing and life-giving, it had to have a vessel ready to receive it.  When we sin, and are in need of the Fathers mercy, we have to be ready to receive it in order to be blessed by its life-giving benefits.  If we don’t repent, we can’t fully receive mercy.  If we demand the Fathers mercy but don’t express regret or sorrow and a desire to change, we can’t experience the mercy that helps us  grow in holiness.  It took time, energy and money to purchase all the different flowers that I put in those vases; I sure didn’t want them to wither and die without trying to care for them.  Jesus feels the same way about us times a million!  I had to get my container right.  It took time and I got hurt when I cut my finger on the jagged glass, but it was worth it when I saw those flowers perked up and restored to their original beauty.  Truly repenting about our sinfulness can be uncomfortable and sometimes even painful but it’s the only way to prepare our hearts to receive.  I hope you’ll find a few quiet minutes this week to get your container right so you can receive the life-giving mercy of Jesus.

A Seed To Plant:  Ask the Father to help you make a list of the things in your life that require repentance on your part.  After you’ve prayed about that list, ask him to show you how to prepare your heart to fully receive his mercy.​

Blessings on your day!
 

I was walking through the living room with a load of laundry the other night and paused to see a hunting show Dave was watching.  A small group of men were following a guide through brush and up inclines and through tall grass in pursuit of some kind of wild game.  The guide led the way whacking out a path with a machete.  All along the way the guide was pointing out the dangers and beauty of the trip and it really made me stop and think.  The men following the guide had no idea where they were or where they were headed.  They were unfamiliar with the path and had only a mental vision of the destination.  They were fully dependent on the guide to lead them to the bounty or prize of the day.
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I couldn’t get that show out of my mind for several days.  All I could keep thinking about was how dreadful the whole adventure seemed to me.  As the guide pointed out snakes and beehives the size of Volkswagens and loose gravel near cliff edges, I know for certain I would have turned around within the first few hundred yards and gone back to the camp to drink coffee. 

On my next pass through the living room, I noticed that the guide had indeed led the hunters to a beautiful clearing with a breathtaking view and exactly the game they had been in search of.  After an adventurous hike filled with peaks, valleys, danger, delight and blind faith, they got exactly what they were hoping for.  I walked out of the living thinking there was probably a lesson.

I have been blessed to share a rough journey with a few friends this summer.  Each of these beautiful, strong women has faced fierce battles of different kinds.  I’ve laughed, cried and prayed with and for these friends as they picked themselves up and trudged on after each setback.  I’ve been inspired by their courage and faith and then it dawned on me; their lives were a little like the hunting show Dave was watching.  Isn’t life like that sometimes; tough, dangerous and tricky to maneuver.  The wrong turn can lead to more difficulty and forging off in an unknown direction without a guide would certainly not end well.

God is an awful lot like that hunting guide.  He’s always ahead clearing a path and offering direction and warning.  Even in the thick of it all, the only thing he asks is that we stay close and follow his lead so he can guide and protect us on our way to a destination far more beautiful than we could ever imagine.  Just like the guide on the TV show, nobody was forced to follow but it sure made sense to do so.  I had to ask myself what kind of follower I am. As I think back on that show, I see so many places in my life where I felt like I was stuck in thick brush and he led me through it every time and led me to a place greater than I had imagined.  I suppose the next time I get stuck I’ll remember this image of God as my guide and trust and follow a little more easily.

A Seed To Plant:  Are there some adventures going on in your life that you need to invite God to lead you through?​

Blessings on your day!

​Time is a funny thing, isn’t it.  It seems we spend minutes and energy lamenting how fast it passes  but yet using it poorly. There have been plenty of times I open my computer to check e-mail and then realize I’ve been online for 30 minutes and haven’t even opened my gmail.  I’ve heard the phrase “Time is a thief” several times lately and it has made me think about what I do with my time.
This month I’ve had the great blessings of meeting up with family and dear friends in Virginia and Kansas and I have loved every second of it.  Some of these folks I haven’t seen if years and my temptation as I walked into those gatherings was to think, aww, I only have two hours and I really need so much more time to catch up but as I was hugging a cousin I hadn’t seen in five years I was overwhelmed with the thought of enjoying the two hours I had and not the hours I didn’t have.  Truth is, for some things in life, there just won’t ever be enough time so it requires a shift in perspective.  Yes, time might be a thief, but we are the ones who open and close the door to the thief.  Kids grow too fast, things change constantly, the past is often fancied up in our mind as it passes by but the here and now…the today…that’s where the important work needs to be done. As I stood in five different Kansas and Missouri driveways yesterday, I realized I could watch my clock and be sad about how fast the visits few by or I could fully engage in the people and conversation we could cram into a precious window of time.
As I sit in an airport waiting to board a delayed flight, I’m wondering how this whole time well spent idea relates to spiritual life.  The first thing that came to mind was the silly thought that we’re too busy to pray every day.  Life gets too full to focus fully on our discipleship and we promise God that we’ll spend some time tomorrow or next week or after X, Y or Z is finished.  Sometimes we postpone improvements to our spiritual life thinking we need to get everything organized and planned first when God just wants us to jump in and give him some minutes right in the middle of our messy, nutty days.  I’m pretty sure he treasures the minutes we give him instead of counting and focusing on the minutes we should have spent with him.  Sometimes we are too preoccupied with all the stuff we cram into a day, and we worry about how busy we are, so we lose our way and forget to ask the Father to manage our time.  Time is too precious to waste, but we all do it.  As I was typing this post I came across a phrase that made me realize how God was working so maybe these are words for your heart too.  “Is the way you lived and spent your time last week the way you want to be remembered?  How much time did your faith cost you?”  Thank goodness for new weeks to count our blessings and ask him to adjust our perspective and help us spend our time well.
A Seed To Plant: Pray about how you spend your time and pray with the words at the end of the post.
Blessings on your day!

​I read a story the other day about a young man who sheepishly approached an older gentleman asking for parts to repair his food truck.  He was hesitant to ask because the older gentleman also owned a food truck, and not just any food truck but one of the most popular BBQ food trucks in the area.  The older gentleman asked the young man what kind of food truck he had and as he kicked in the dirt a little, he hesitantly answered “BBQ, just like you.”  The man laughed, gave the young man the parts he needed and then offered him some advice about how to make his business grow and succeed.  Much to the young mans surprise, the guy even gave him one of his famous recipes.  The young man thanked him sincerely and began to walk away.  He made it halfway to his car then he turned around and said, “I just have to know why you did it?  I’m the competition and you just did so much to help me and I gotta know why?”  With a big smile the older man told him that he served a Mighty God who had more than plenty of graces and blessings to go around.  He went on to explain that one of the greatest ailments in our world today is greedy competition.  We forget our mission on earth is to help each other…help them with their health, their success, their family, their happiness and ultimately to help them get to heaven.  With a wink, he said  “I can’t possibly feed everyone who wants to eat good BBQ myself so I’m helpin you take care of God’s hungry children too.”  He asked him if he knew his friend Jesus because getting to know him is the best help imaginable.  He’s the one who makes sure graces and blessings never run dry and there is never a moments competition for them.

If we stop and think about all the silly things in a day, we make comparisons about and all the minutes we spend evaluating and processing it seems pretty ridiculous.  Maybe it’s human nature to wonder how we stack up in the eyes of our kids, our parents, our friends or our neighbors but the older gentleman in the story is right, God has plenty of grace and blessing to go around whether we’re the best or the 32nd best at something.  God isn’t gonna love me more and give me more grace if my kids are the best behaved in church or get the top grades in school.  Social media likes and shares don’t bestow more grace in my day.  God could care less if my hair is cute, my lawn is spiffy, my thighs are slim, or my cinnamon rolls are blue ribbon quality and always delivered thoughtfully to a neighbor in need.  I think some days he’s up there slathering us with grace just because we got out of bed, fed the kids and threw up our hair with a bread twisty!  We don’t have to be the best anything, but we are supposed to help someone work toward their best.  We’re supposed to lift each other up not be rivals.  

I had a mom tell me once that she always pulled into the morning drop off lane at school with hair, makeup and a great shirt and it seemed to make her one of the “fancy moms”.  What the others didn’t know was that most mornings she was wearing sweats, pj pants, running shorts and occasionally just her underwear with her long fancy shirts, blazers and sweaters.  She admitted playing the game for months until one day her son tripped and fell and smashed his science project.  As he lay crying on the sidewalk she instinctively jumped out of her SUV and ran to comfort him wearing her fancy top and a pair of her husbands boxers.  She said it was one of the moms who had pj pants and a bread twisty hair tie who ran to her aid and gave her a trench coat and a hand with her son’s project.  She admitted through tears, that was the day she learned what kind of woman she wanted to be…the kind that helped others rather than competing with them…the kind who wasn’t afraid to look like life was hard some days and just showing up was worthy of blessings and grace.

Discipleship is tough work folks and it’s best done with help.  Jesus started with twelve but that was the only time there was a limited number!  Let’s help each other do the important work of spreading the word and love of Christ…we’re not fighting for “disciple of the year” and God will give us all the grace we need to grow in holiness but I think he might give extra on the days  we help another along on their journey to him rather than trying to shove them out of the way to get his attention.

A Seed To Plant:  Where do you struggle with comparison?  Take that to prayer and ask God to help you swap that for a spirit of peace and glimpse at yourself through his eyes.  Then begin each day asking him to point out anyone who might need your help this day.​

Blessings on your day!