What's a Picture Really Worth?

Is a picture really worth a thousand words? Oftentimes, I agree. You can see so much in the scenery, the eyes, or the events going on in a picture. Your imagination can run wild. However, There are two pictures in my mind today that are worth a lot to me but require very few words. These two pictures have nothing to do with each other and yet they do (to a degree). Let me explain.

Our 18 year old daughter graduated on Saturday. What a powerful event in any child's and parent's life. The girls were in green caps and gowns and the boys were in blue. As I scanned the green gowns looking for that familiar smile, hair or shoes, my heart was desperate to capture every moment. Time flies with your babies and I almost felt anxious wanting to slow the moment down. There she was! To most people she was just another "green gown" but to me, I saw Jesus. Now, before my daughter's head explodes if she reads this, I don't mean she IS Jesus. I mean I saw God's handprints all over her. Just like her artwork early on that she painted with her tiny handprints, I saw God's prints colorfully displayed on her. As I tried to hold my camera steady and tried to focus through tears, I attempted to take several shots as she walked by. All the pictures were blurry. I put the camera away and allowed my memory to take the picture.

That picture I now have, speaks only a few words that have filled my heart with peace today. "GOD IS GOOD". When I made choices that were bad, God was good. When Morgan's painful journey was bad, God was good. When the world says a child of divorce could end up bad, God is good. When my parenting is bad, God is good. God's goodness has me resting so much easier as a parent and yet has me challenged to try even harder. It is powerful stuff to invest and trust in faith for years and then to see it in front of you in an image of His goodness. Nahum 1:7 says "The Lord is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in Him."

My second picture is of a child I have never met. Ridley and I both got convicted about 2 years ago to adopt a child from Compassion International. Our son Harrison simply requested a boy since he was surrounded by girls in the family. As we plugged into the computer an age bracket and our gender request, 600 boys came up. I was blown away. I remember our family sitting in front of the computer trying to decide how we choose one boy out of the 600 needs. I decided we should find one with Josh's exact birthday. I felt it would be a cool way to help Harrison and Abby celebrate their baby brother's life that was ended so quickly.

When we punched in October 21, 2002, one little boy popped up. His name was Ermias Kindu from Ethiopia. Immediately he melted our hearts. As he filled our screen with his attempt to look his best, I immediately thought "THIS IS THE ONE". There was nothing more to say. We sat there silent for a while as if we were literally opening our hearts to him in that moment.

We have prayed for Ermias to be able to get a goat for his family, we have prayed for his shelter, his health and his mom and sister. We have received letters and pictures allowing us to know him even better. With Ridley and I both understanding the needs and stress of single parenting, we knew loving on this boy was also loving on his mom. I can't tell you how many times I think about and pray for this familiar little stranger, Ermias. I love him and have already been praying to meet him and his family one day.

We recently received a new picture of Ermias and it was the first time I have seen a hint of a smile. His surroundings confirmed that things were better for his family and he was being taken care of. His picture hangs by our family calendar. As I left the house today and zoomed past that calendar, Ermias caught my eye. The picture in my mind today is familiar. It still doesn't require a 1,000 words. Simply put....."GOD IS GOOD".

I Am Tired and I Can't Sleep

Yes, it is 3:45 a.m. Jesus is up to something and I am simply up. After tossing back and forth in the dark, I decided to get up. I occasionally make the journey in the dark to my office. I shut the french doors and dim the lights. This morning, I sat down at my desk piled with coupons that haven't been cut, projects that haven't been finished, and file folders that are fanned out like a hand in cards. I laughed and my conversation with God started like this, "Ok, you are Lord of all in my life so why don't you just take care of it and let me sleep." His response...."It isn't called quiet time just for the heck of it. I didn't have your undivided attention yesterday, Lisa."

I can remember a season where sleep rarely came. It was a by product of worry. My body needed a break and my brain was running 24/7. So of course I recognize the symptoms this morning. Immediately the verse floods my mind from Matthew 6:34 "Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." Easier said than done. I stopped and wondered if Jesus ever needed an antacid. As scenes of his life came to mind, I saw how He cared about little things but he didn't stress over petty things. I recalled the really big stuff that He faced and yet He didn't try to do it all on His own. He called out to his heavenly daddy.

I don't have to know what will happen tomorrow. I probably really don't want to know. As I think back again to my sleepless season and darker days, I can see those petty things I used to worry about and how He was all about the little details of each one of those. I remember the really big stuff that He took care of when I could barely breathe. The many times I worried that pain would scar my kids forever. Now, I see how He has used that pain to build character. The daughter that feared to dream and now will graduate on Saturday and start the next step of her dreams. A mom that thought "this is as good as it is going to get" and is now seeing that the best is yet to come.


He promises a lamp unto our feet, not a crystal ball into the future. Why is it so hard for us to rest in that and just believe that He really has it all? If He is really leading us, why are we resistant? Psalm 103:4 says "He....loads me with love and mercy." God's love covers all things in our life. All secrets. All hurts. All hours of evil and all minutes of worry. His love will cover every promise broken, every penny needed, every hurtful word spoken, and every disappointment. We simply need to choose to be covered up in His love and not covered up in worry.

So, one step at a time is enough. Now, I just need to squeeze in a pedicure so my toes look good in my cute shoes for the journey. I wonder where I am going to fit that in? Smile. Laugh. Breathe.

Commitment

Commitment seems to be a word that is spoken quite a bit nowadays, but used very little. I believe our intentions are good at the start, but our commitment fades just like our favorite t-shirt after being put through the wringer. Can I just say, it makes me sad? It makes me sad for my kids, my church, my friends, marriages....and the list goes on. What happened to being people of our word? I think, as a country, we need to get back to being people of our Word. God's Word says, "commit your way to the Lord" (Psalm 37:5) and "commit to the Lord whatever you do" (Proverbs 16:3).

So, what are we committing to? Things? Man? Our goals? Our ways? In both verses, the key is found in committing to the LORD. A lack of true commitment has birthed prenuptial agreements, divorce decrees, contracts, documentation, etc. We are living in a mindset of protecting ourselves in the event that something goes wrong. Doesn't that cause our perspective to be out of whack from the beginning?

Interestingly enough, the dictionary defines commitment as "a pledge, a promise or an obligation". When referenced to religion in the dictionary, it is also defined as involvement. Wow! None of these definitions include "to stick with something as long as you have the warm and fuzzies".

Let's look back in Psalm 37:5-7. After "commit your way to the Lord", it states "trust in Him and He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun. Be STILL before the Lord and WAIT patiently for Him." It does not say to quit or leave or give up. Go back to Proverbs 16:3-4 "Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and your plans will succeed. The Lord works out everything for His own ends." Not ours, but His.

Tough stuff but worth it. Too many times we quit before we really taste the sweetness of what God had planned. Everything worthwhile takes hard work. The Lord is worthwhile, I promise, so let's work hard on our commitments to Him.

What a Woman!!!!

While Ridley and I were driving home after a funeral home visit late yesterday, we continued to be amazed at the scenes out our windows. We were in the area where water had gone down, 5 days after flooding, but things were still covered. Where there was devastation, there were groups of people working. It really is hard for pictures or words to describe.

After about 50 "Wow's: and "Look at that", we rode in silence as we tried to process in our heart and minds what our eyes were seeing. I was surprised when my mom popped in my head. With Mother's Day this weekend, I began to think about how my mom has lived a life that is so much like what we are seeing in the Nashville area. She has always been about other people. You partner that with my dad's heart and you have one amazing couple! I would bet my dad has learned a lot of that from watching my mom all these years. They both impact people.

Gran, as she is best known, has been all about Philippians 2:4. "Let each of you look not only to your own interest, but also to the interest of others." As we passed the images of loving and helping yesterday, images were flashing in my head of how my mom as been loving that way for years. Not just the obvious things or the really big things, but the little and silent things. Of course when my brother and I were younger, there was the volunteering as room mother and the feeding of the 5,000 in the neighborhood. Looking back, she was awesome at loving us and our dad.

As an adult, I can look back and see her love towards the neighbors that were different. The outpouring to the new town we moved to every year. The one who cooked and loved on the sick. The one in the back of a church kitchen fixing food for Meals on Wheels. The wife that helped run my dad's new office and loved on his new employees. The one who has taken care of her mother in law for years. The Gran that has embraced my Abby and Harrison like she has loved on them for years. The mom that still sees all the good in her daughter and believes in her, after all the wrong choices. The list goes on and on.

Years ago, Franklin got hit with a tornado on Mother's Day and my parent's house was affected. I will never forget that day. The love my mom had poured out, came back to her that day as friends and strangers showed up to help. I think that is what sparked my thoughts of her yesterday.

The people here have rejuvenated me! The media and world want us to believe that it is every man for himself these days, but these last few days make me so proud to live here. I am even more proud to have a mom that has taught me to love unselfishly. She fits in great here and she would prefer it that way. She never wants any attention or praise for her big heart.

Thank you mom. I love you!

Jeopardy

Since my last entry, a lot has happened. Flooding in this area not only increases the work of the church but also the work of a realtor. People and homes are the focus of both of those parts of my life. I have always centered my real estate profession around the people with the house as a secondary focus. Some realtors can tend to focus on the material aspect of the industry and not the heart of the clients we represent.

Yesterday, I woke up and in my prayer time with Ridley I remember asking God to orchestrate the steps of my day. Mondays can be crazy for me. I woke up with the focus of devastation in our community, my kids home from school, and a closing I was supposed to have. My heart was immediately divided. That is the hardest part for me as a working mom and pastor's wife. Midway through the day, I forgot that I had already asked God to orchestrate my steps. I made several trips up and down the interstate and was on the phone all day trying to make my closing happen. When flooding occurs, you can't imagine the things that can pop up that affect a closing. I had two families with belongings on moving trucks that were counting on my closing happening.

As I made the 6th trip back down interstate, I heard myself playing Jeopardy with God. I quickly got wrapped up in what I wasn't able to do instead of what I was doing. I didn't understand how my running up and down the road was blessing anyone. My husband was wading through water to help victims of the storm and I felt my time was not being well spent. The game show began.....I was giving God all the answers and wanting Him to rewrite the questions. In turn, He was simply wanting me to be His answer without asking any questions.

At the end of the day, I had to work hard to correct my attitude. I believe God desires for each of us to be His answer in different ways. He doesn't need us to determine what that looks like. He just needs us to be willing. He is big enough to decide how we need to be used. Each one of us play an important part in what each day looks like. We can't get wrapped up in the comparison game. I may have been the only one that was meant to focus on those two families yesterday.

Today, I am not playing games with God. I am trusting that His plan is best and my obedience is worthwhile, regardless of what He ask me to do. I am not going to Press My Luck because I know the Price is Right!