Running into Spider Webs

If you've read the previous blog, you know that Amy Jo and I didn't make our run together this morning. However, I decided to get out and run anyway. I knew I wouldn't have time for three miles, but I figured even half of that would be better than nothing.

I turned on my music and started my brisk walk to the subdivision across the street. The sun was beating down on my back, and it felt so good to be working up a sweat. I felt like I was on a good path. While adjusting to a new schedule of working full-time, my pattern of running three or four times a week had been interrupted. This was a new day, a new week, and I was getting back on track.

I started jogging, and suddenly, something caught me right across the face! The thread of a spider web stuck to my lip as I sputtered and spit, trying to grab the invisible string. I finally broke free and glanced around, hoping I didn't have any spectators.

As I continued on my run, I couldn't help but apply this spider web incident to my life. So many times, just when I think I'm on the right path--ready for a new day--Satan throws a spider web in my path. Its invisible threads bind me and keep me flailing as I try desperately to break free. These traps always seem to appear at the most inopportune times...times when I feel like I finally have it all together. I guess that's why God tells us to be prepared. In I Peter 5, we are warned that the devil is looking for people he can devour.


"Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world." (I Peter 5:8-9)

As Christians, we need to realize that there will never be a time when we "arrive" and no longer struggle with sin or shame or life's issues. As long as we live in this broken and fallen world, we will have struggles. Satan will continue to throw fiery darts our way. But God's word also tells us how to withstand the "spider webs" thrown in our path. Ephesians 6 gives us instructions for putting on the armor of God.

"Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God." (Eph. 6:10-17)

So...for me, this morning, that silly little spider web gave me a new outlook on life. There are traps all around me. Many times they are invisble. Sometimes they even appear to be good. I need to make sure that I am constantly prepared to stand against them, and the only way to do that is to be sure I am grounded in God's word.

Before I run tomorrow, I will be spending some time reading my Bible. It may not keep me from running into a spider web, but perhaps it will help me to run through one without sputtering like a fool. :-)

Sleepy Sisters

I need to start this blog by confessing that I stood my sister up this morning. We had planned our run all day yesterday. Now...keep in mind that Amy Jo really likes her sleep. On the days that she doesn't have to be at work until 9:30, she typically sleeps until 9:00. (She amazes me with her ability to shower and just walk out the door. I guess that's the blessing of straight hair that doesn't dry into a big Christmas tree on top of your head.)

So, anyway, we had planned to meet at my place to run around 7:30 this morning. I told her she better have Ben (her husband) wake her up so she didn't oversleep. She assured me that she would be up.
I awoke with a start this morning when I saw that the sun was up. In that fuzzy haze before I was fully aware of the day and what I needed to do, I thought I was late for something. When I saw that it was only 6:00, I remembered that I didn't need to be up for another hour. I snuggled back under the covers thinking that I would just snooze until Amy Jo got to my place. I woke up a few times over the next couple hours only to close my eyes again, thinking how nice it was that I could actually sleep in. When 8:00 rolled around, I noticed that Amy had sent me a text around 7:30 telling me that she would be at my place soon. I got up and replied to her text. I dressed and went outside, waiting in the driveway for Amy to arrive. That's when I got the text that said she had already been to my house and saw me sleeping so soundly that she didn't want to wake me. :-)

Now, THAT is a sweet sister. Knowing that my days of sleeping past 6 AM are pretty much over, she chose to let me sleep...even though she had crawled out of her cozy bed and driven to my house prepared to run. I felt horrible, but she assured me that she didn't mind going back home to crawl in bed for another hour.

Maybe we'll try again tomorrow. :-)

Reaching Up...

I was watching something on TV the other day--I can't even remember if it was a commercial or a show--and all I remember was seeing a mother hug her grown son. She stood on her toes, reached up, and wrapped her arms around his neck. In that instant I envisioned my own sons as grown men and tears filled my eyes.

I remember the day that I become a mother so vividly. I remember looking at Hunter's tiny features and wondering what he would look like as a little boy. What would his voice sound like? Would he be tall? Would he be a good athlete? Would he like to sing? I stared at him proudly as his tiny nostrils flared, and I thought, His "little boy days" are so far away.

As that image from the TV replays in my mind, I think about Hunter. He informed me the other day that he will be a pre-teen on his next brithday, since he'll be ten years old. The "little boy days" have come and gone. Where have the last ten years gone? And what am I doing to insure that my kids have good memories of their childhood?

I fear that I have failed terribly most days. As I yell at Jayden for the orange juice spill, I worry that these are the memories he'll carry with him. When I ignore Mason's request to help me cook dinner because I'm in a hurry to finish, I'm afraid that denial will be burned in his mind. When Kyla asks to sleep in my bed and I tell her no, I'm afraid she won't remember the times I've said yes. When Hunter asks me to play kickball and I'm too busy editing pictures, I fear that he'll only have memories of me sitting in front of the computer.

Since I've started working full-time, I've felt so torn. There are only a few hours each night to spend with my babies before bedtime, and my to-do lists are always so long. Many times I choose my list over quality time with my kids, but I'm praying that God will work a miracle in me! I don't want that day to sneak up on me...you know...the day where I have to reach up to hug my babies instead of reaching down. I want to get plenty of hugs while they still have to reach up to me. I'm praying that God will remind me every day of how precious these days are, because I don't want to miss a thing!

Seasons...

"To everything there is a season, A time for every purpose under heaven..." Ecclesiastes 3:1

Today must be a blogging-kind-of-day, because here I sit, once again, with words in my heart that long to escape by way of my head. So, my mind wanders and my fingers fly across the keys on my laptop as I contemplate seasons tonight.

Seasons. What comes to mind when you hear that word? Do you imagine cold, harsh winters with a blanket of snow on the ground? Or maybe you picture the flowers peeking through the green grass as spring unfolds before you. Perhaps the crisp, fall air comes to mind, with leaves gently falling to the ground in a golden rainbow of earthly colors. For those of us who live in the south, maybe the humid days of summer are remembered when we hear this word.

It doesn't matter which season you think about when you hear this word. What matters is that you recognize that with each season comes a change. A change in temparature, a change in color, a change in scenery, a change in smells.

For some reason, we, as humans, don't like change. We want to follow the same routine day after day, week after week, month after month, and year after year. But God has not made us for this! His own word declares that there is a season for everything. A time to laugh and a time to cry. A time to love and a time to hate. A time to mourn and a time to dance. So why do we fight change so much?

God has used circumstances in my life recently to teach me a little bit about seasons. I had been looking for a job, hoping to find the perfect one that would fit into my school schedule and still allow me to be available for my kids as much as possible. When the absolutely perfect job fell in my lap, I suddenly wasn't so sure I wanted to make that change. After all, I've been a stay-at-home mom for almost 10 years! How would I handle not being able to pick up my kids after school? And what about field trips? What about my morning coffee with my best friend?

These were all things that wouldn't be a part of my new season of life. And honestly, I spent some time mourning the season that was ending. I took a day to pray about the job (or to be more accurate, I cried about the job), and then decided that since I didn't have a choice, I was going to EMBRACE the new season that stood before me. Rather than looking back and wishing for the fresh breeze and colorful buds of spring, I'm going to throw my hands in the air, look toward the sky, spin around, and feel the heat of the summer sun beat down on my face. I'm going to turn and run toward this change with a song in my heart.

God is teaching me that change is usually hard...but it's not always a bad thing. So let's remember this: It's okay to mourn the end of a season, but then we need to get up and dance our way into the next season that God has set before us!

Brand New Endings...

"Though no one can go back and make a brand new start, anyone can start from now and make a brand new ending." ~Anonymous

This quote has made me ponder today. I'm at a point in my life where I never thought I would end up. You know...you dream of a beautiful wedding, a few kids, a cute house with a yard. But one day you wake up to a new reality. You find yourself as a single mom of four beautiful children, trying to finish college, work full-time, and pay off mounds of debt. It would be so easy to ask, "Why?" but instead, I'm trying to ask "Why not?"

What if my life HAD gone exactly as I planned? What if I woke up every day to a reality like the ones we see on TV? The things I've faced in the last several years have made me stronger...made me who I am today. So why would I question the things that are stretching me and making me lean on my Savior? We all tend to complain when faced with trials but God's Word tells us to do otherwise.

"My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing." James 1:2-4

So, from now on I will do my best to be joyful...even in the trials. I'm trying to remember that God sees the big picture, while I only see a little piece of the puzzle, and He is using these trials to make me perfect and complete. I can't go back and make a brand new start. But God has showered me with the grace and mercy I need to start right now and make a brand new ending. How can I complain in light of that? :-)