Tag Archives: See

Usually~Five Minute Friday

4 Replies

“Faith shows the reality of what we hope for; it is the evidence of things we cannot see.” Hebrews 11:1 (NLT)

Recently, I visited my mom in Michigan. One evening as I sat at the kitchen table looking out the window, I had to do a double take. And even after that second glance my mind tried to convince me I wasn’t seeing what I thought I was. Featherless, blueish head. Round body with skinny legs and a full tail with the ability to fan out. You don’t usually expect to see a wild turkey in the middle of town but the evidence was there. It took me a bit to grasp what was within sight, but sure enough, a turkey family was meandering through the neighborhood headed our way.

As I think back on this, it reminds me of the disciples traveling in a boat across a stormy lake. 

“Immediately after this, Jesus insisted that the disciples get back into the boat
 and cross to the other side of the lake, while he sent the people home.
Meanwhile, the disciples were in trouble far away from land, for a strong wind had risen, and they were fighting heavy waves. About three o’clock in the morning Jesus came toward them, walking on the water. When the disciples saw him walking on the water, the were terrified. In their fear, they cried out, ‘It’s a ghost!’ But Jesus spoke to them at once.
‘Don’t be afraid,’ he said. ‘Take courage. I am here!’”
Matthew 14:22, 24-27 (NLT)

So, like me, the disciples could see something in the distance that caused them to do a double take and their minds tried to convince them they weren’t seeing what they thought they were. Because let’s face it, we don’t usually expect to see a Man walking on top of the water! And in a storm yet! The evidence was there, however they couldn’t wrap their minds around what was within their sight. Then Peter recognized Who was walking their way. Let’s hop back in the boat for a moment….

“Then Peter called to him, ‘Lord, if it’s really you, tell me to come to you, walking on the water.’ ‘Yes, come,’ Jesus said. So Peter went over the side of the boat and walked on the water toward Jesus. But when he saw the strong wind and the waves, he was terrified and began to sink. ‘Save me, Lord!’ he shouted. Jesus immediately reached out and grabbed him. ‘You have so little faith,’ Jesus said. Why did you doubt me?’ When they climbed back into the boat, the wind stopped. Then the disciples worshiped him.
‘You really are the Son of God!’ they exclaimed.”
Matthew 14:28-32 (NLT)

Listen to how The Message described what happened to Peter:

“Immediately Jesus reached for Peter and caught him.
‘O you of little faith. Why did you doubt and dance back and forth
between following Me and heeding fear:’”
Matthew 14:31(The Message)

Yikes! I don’t know about you, but I’ve done that dance many times. I’m pretty much an expert at it….and that’s not a good thing. Jesus is with us in our storms too. The problem can be though, we’re just too busy trying to figure out what to do on our own that we usually don’t see Him standing right there waiting for us to look to Him. And sure enough, when we recognize that He is Who He is, the waters don’t seem as rough as they had been.

No, we don’t usually expect to see turkeys in the middle of a college town and it was obvious those turkeys didn’t expect someone to be watching them; because once they spotted me standing in my mom’s kitchen window they scurried off in every direction looking for escape. I’m afraid that I have some of that turkey behavior in me, too. AND, I can also relate to the disciples in the boat. Maybe you can too. What’s the common denominator? Fear. I want to be more like the Peter who was willing to step out of the boat with his eyes set on Jesus, but far too often I’m more like sinking Peter. Remember the question Jesus asked in the Message translation? Why doubt and dance back and forth between Me and fear? I don’t know about you, but I do get so tired of doing that “Turkey Trot.”

“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 4:18

There are many times when we just can’t wrap our minds around what we see in this world. But what I’m learning is that, as we “fix our gaze” on the unseen One who is with us through every stormy (and sunny) day and who will never leave us, our “little faith” begins to grow. The evidence will be there….love, grace, forgiveness, peace, strength, and so much more. Our fears will become dimmer as we put our trust in what we see with our hearts instead of our eyes, living lives with a future with Jesus, clearly in our sights.

Say ~ Five Minute Friday

6 Replies

“All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is our merciful Father and the source of all comfort.He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us.” 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 (NLT)

It’s easy to see why, that with a quick glance, this bird is often mistakenly called a “red-headed” woodpecker. Not until you look at him from a different perspective, in this case seeing what’s underneath, can you understand why his actual name is a red-bellied woodpecker. I’m old enough to remember radio host Paul Harvey’s distinctively comforting voice saying, “And now you know the rest of the story.” Sometimes we have to look more carefully to truly see.

When I was in Sixth Grade my A’s and B’s became C’s and D’s. My teacher, whom I loved and wanted to please didn’t understand what was happening. I looked the same, but wasn’t the girl she knew. Before long my mom came to school and there in the quiet of my empty classroom, mom said what I couldn’t say. “My dad had unexpectedly walked out on our family.” Mrs. Mayer looked at me with tears in her eyes, came around her desk, and wrapped me in her arms while whispering how sorry she was that she didn’t know. She had seen what she thought was me but now could understand that it was what was underneath, my broken heart, that told the rest of my story.  

There are pivotal times in our lives and that was one of mine. That special teacher’s compassion for me in that moment and beyond, is one of the reasons I became a teacher myself.  Her care of me became the way I tried to always treat my own students. I never wanted to let my first impressions of them or their behavior mistakenly label them in one way or another. I wanted to know “the rest of their stories” too.

And isn’t that what we all really desire? How often when asked how we are, do we say, “fine” even though we’re not? We may be exhausted, scared, in pain, grieving, confused, lonely, barely keeping our heads above water but trying not to let it show. At quick glance it mistakingly appears we have it all together and let’s be honest; there’s a part of us that wants to keep it that way. And yet, we also long for someone to see us from a different perspective, to look underneath that protective “fine,” more carefully and truly see what we can’t say, that we’re broken. Those around us are longing for the same thing.

“There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”
John 15:13 (NLT)

Jesus was letting us know that as believers He considered us friends, and He did give His life for ours. I don’t know about you, but that’s something I can never imagine doing. What if we look at it another way though? Instead of a quick glance and taking “fine” at face value, what if we lay down our day to day life…our perceived business, our phones, our own agendas, the desire to control our free time (speaking to myself) so we have the opportunity to look more carefully to truly see. Spending time with one another offers us all the opportunity to see things from a different perspective, to see what’s underneath, and to say what maybe we couldn’t before.

It’s been 52 years since I sat in Mrs. Mayer’s classroom.  I wish I could talk with her today so I could say, “thank you.” Thank you for listening. Thank you for grieving with me. Thank you for caring. Thank you for taking the time to truly see me, broken as I was and literally changing my life. That’s the kind of friend, wife, mom, MiMi, Christian, that I want to be. How about you?

“Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other. When God’s people are in need, be ready to help them. Always be eager to practice hospitality. Be happy with those who are happy, and weep with those who weep.”
Romans 12:10,13,15 (NLT)

I have a little (or a lot) of time. Now that you know a little of mine, what’s the rest of YOUR story?

Joining others at http://www.fiveminutefriday.com as we write to the prompt, say. Click over to see what they have to say.

Day 18/31: Hands

Leave a reply

“And he placed his hands on their heads and blessed them before he left.” Matthew 19:15 (NLT)

Day 18: Hands #writetogether31days

She very delicately held the small, red spheres in her petite hands.  One by one she examined them carefully, rolling them gently between her thumb and finger. Then, as if they were treasured friends, she softly laid each one individually on the bottom of the bucket. 

Children have a special way of seeing the world. That was one of my favorite parts of teaching and of this time spent in the vines. Picking cherry tomatoes with my young grand-niece was a gift and seeing them through her eyes opened mine.

As I stood watching that sweet girl’s deliberate, unhurried way, I thought about how I’d have done the picking. Without really looking at them, I would have plucked those little things quickly off their stems, dropped them carelessly in the bucket, and moved on quickly to get the job done. Is that how you would have done it too?

As He often does, God prompted me to ponder something important through those curious, attentive, little hands: “What am I missing?” 

“One day some parents brought their children to Jesus so he could lay his hands on them and pray for them. But the disciples scolded the parents for bothering him. But Jesus said, ‘Let the children come to me. Don’t stop them! For the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to those who are like these children.’ ”
Matthew 19:13-14 (NLT)

Goodness, I can relate to those disciples! Can’t you just see them? Without really looking at those around them, they’d been picking their way through the crowd all day, moving people through the line to see Jesus. Then these parents show up with their children and the disciples just want to quickly finish up so, they try to send them all away. What were they missing? 

“About that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, ‘Who is greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven?’ Jesus called a little child to him and put the child among them. Then he said, ‘I tell you the truth, unless you turn from your sins and become like little children, you will never get into the Kingdom of Heaven.’”
Matthew 18:2-4 (NLT)

Just as God did with me, He was using a child to open the disciples eyes so they could really see and He wants the same for you, too. “Those who are like these children.” “Become like little children.” What are we missing?

Somehow when it’s been a minute since we were children ourselves, we tend to forget what it was like. Do you see what we, like the disciples can miss? I think this is what Jesus is teaching us. Lay all our adult stuff aside and simply believe. Then we will see things through the eyes of a child of God, loving others, looking for the joy, leading with a giving heart, and reveling in all the wonder of small, everyday things….like cherry tomatoes delicately held in our hands.

Day 27: Hidden

1 Reply

31 Days of Five Minute Friday Free Writes

“I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people.”

Day 27: Hidden

One of my favorite things to do while visiting my sister at her lake house is taking a pontoon ride. Cruising along the shore line I like looking at all the homes and the changes that have been made since my last trip. I can count on the “captain” of the boat to race through a flock of floating seagulls, who then scatter in every direction including dangerously, directly over my head, which of course is the point. I love the laughs, stories, and reminiscing that happen on those little voyages. 

On this summer’s boat ride there was even more to enjoy as the lake was full of wild life. We saw turtles sunning themselves on a rock, a blue heron poised in the tall grass, and ducks standing on their heads like Olympic gymnasts. Then, just as we turned into a small cove something caught my eye in the overgrowth on shore. Quickly asking to stop, the rest of my fellow passengers doubted my sighting, but confident I lifted my camera, focused in, and snapped the picture. What it revealed was that hidden behind leaves, stems, and sticks was a bird I’d never seen before, the Green Heron pictured here. My mom turned to me and said, “How did you ever see that?”

I can’t really explain it, but I’ve always been overly observant, taking in minute details around me. But since I’ve been looking at the world through a lens, it seems that sense has become enhanced and I see even more than I did before. A color, shape, texture, the light, the shadows, or something I can’t really define draws my attention and a picture forms in my mind.

Oh, if I could only see as clearly with my spiritual eyes! Unfortunately, the questions Jesus asked his disciples when things weren’t making sense to them could be asked of me too. Maybe you can relate.

“You have eyes-can’t you see? You have ears-can’t you hear?
Don’t you remember anything at all?”
Mark 8:18 (NLT)

Jesus wasn’t hidden from the twelve. They looked into the color of His eyes, knew the shape of His chin, the texture of His robe, and experienced the Light that overcomes the shadows. Something they couldn’t define drew their attention to Jesus and yet, they couldn’t see the whole picture of who He was and why He’d come.

Why is it, if you’re like me, that when life falls apart and doesn’t make sense it’s as if we become blinded by fear, worry, grief, anger, and so much more? We have eyes but cannot see. And we have a difficult time remembering what we know to be true about Jesus.

When things are challenging, I want to see. In the midst of storms, I want to see. Surrounded by doubters, I want to see. If my future seems uncertain, I want to see. But, how in the midst of the tangles of life, how can we ever see? That’s when we need to do exactly what the sightless men along the road Jesus was on did, cry out to Him to get our vision back.

“When Jesus heard them, he stopped and called, ‘What do you want me to do for you?’ ‘Lord,’ they said, ‘we want to see!’ Jesus felt sorry for them and touched their eyes. Instantly they could see! Then they followed him.”
Matthew 20:32-34 (NLT emphasis mine)

Capturing that unexpected photo has reminded me that Jesus isn’t hidden from me like a bird in the brush, or from you either. He is made known in God’s Word so that we can perceive every minute detail about Him. We’re assured about how much He loves us, promised that He is trustworthy, and that His plan for us is better than we could ever picture ourselves.

So, how can we have eyes that see? By focusing on the only One who will let us behold more than we have ever imagined. As we follow Jesus, what once seemed hidden, will one day be revealed and it will be something we’ve never seen before.

This is what the Scriptures mean when they say, ‘No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him.’”
1 Corinthians 2:9 (NLT)

Ordinary ~ Write 28 Days

8 Replies

 

“The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” Lamentations 3:22-23 (ESV)

Ordinary

“This is the day that the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.”
Psalm 118:24 (ESV)

Putting on my glasses helps me see better, but not as well as by putting on years. Age has offered me a new way to look at my days and it’s now clear to me that not one of them is ordinary!

Oh sure, I often do the same ole things, in the same ole ways, in the same ole places, but stop for a moment with me and think about it. There’s nothing ordinary about waking up to a new day, even if it is to the same things. Life teaches us through the years that instead, it’s an extravagant gift many don’t receive. Realizing this, now has me seeking the “extraordinary” in the midst of my “normal”.

Maybe like me, you’ve been through something that has opened your eyes to the truth that God places remarkable little things for us to find, even when the way is very dark. He puts them for us to notice in our “same ole” too, as reminders of His extravagant love. A smile, a letter, the unexpected beauty in nature (I love those), a parking spot, or even getting in the short check-out line at the store. They’re always there and the list is endless.

Recently, I heard a line in a song that said, “If you want to see the sunshine, you just have to open the blinds.” Here’s the thing, we can let ourselves walk around blinded by the idea that our lives are ordinary, or, we can open our eyes and look for the extraordinary in them. Will you join me in making it a goal to try and wake each morning as the Psalmist, rejoicing because God has given us another day? I’m learning it helps us to see more clearly God’s handiwork in all the little things He has just for us. And when we spot them? There’s only one thing to do: “Let us rejoice and be glad in it!”

Clear Vision

1 Reply

“But blessed are your eyes, because they see, and your ears, because they hear.” Matthew 13:16 (NLT)

Clear Vision

I don’t know how my glasses get so dirty! I’ll be going through my day, when all of the sudden I realize that my vision isn’t as clear as it had been. Taking off my glasses, I discover a coating of grimy, who knows what that is blurring my view and a good cleaning is needed. ⁣

⁣My glasses are a perfect reminder of how easy it is to go about our lives and suddenly notice that our own focus is clouded. We’ve been feeling our way, looking through a film of fear, a haze of hate, a glaze of grief, or any other residue we’ve clung to, and now, that’s all we can see. We need to regain clarity. ⁣

⁣“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! So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; but 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 (NLT)⁣

⁣I want to see clearly forever! How about you?⁣

This is Day 10 of the 10 Day Writing Prompt Challenge hosted by @fiveminutefriday Today’s prompt is: CLEAR #10daywritingchallenge #writingprompt #fmfparty #hopewriterlife #clear #Icanseeclearlynow #fixyourgazeonHim