Winds of Change

It’s autumn.

The winds of change are blowing.

Girlfriends, have you been outside this week? Have you gone on a walk, worked in the yard, or just sat soaking in the sun? If not, I encourage you to open the door and go. Soon enough, we will be huddled inside, clothed in layers, snuggling under blankets, and totally avoiding the outdoor world. 

It’s autumn.

The winds of change are blowing.

I just returned from a walk without music, headphones, or even my cell phone for that matter. (Pause. Overcome your shock that my iphone parted from my body for a few minutes. Continue reading.) The flags are whipping on their poles. Leaves of the trees are whooshing and whispering secrets only angels understand. The gusts were blowing my hair all over my head, only to die down and leave my face hidden behind all the wild strands. I consciously breathed deeply and exhaled slowly, savoring the fresh fall air, sharing thoughts with God, and sensing the seasonal transition breaking through time.

It’s autumn.

The winds of change are blowing.

With every step around the neighborhood (carefully counted on my FitBit of course!), I felt God moving me away from a cherished past and toward an exciting, yet still unknown, future. Have you ever experienced God’s stirring in your body? Sometimes when I walk, I am forcing myself forward against the wind, wondering why I am even trying, or what is the point? At other times, the air is calm and still, and I don’t think at all. But today was different. The wind was at my back, and I almost felt like I was gliding over the newly blacktopped roads of our subdivision (which in reality would have been a good thing because now my shoes have black tar on the bottoms!) Today, the winds of change were blowing, propelling me in a different life direction, almost as if the wind and I were one, united in purpose and meaning. I sit here now, thinking, “ With whom did I really walk today? Was that whistling truly just the wind?”

It’s autumn.

The winds of change are blowing.

Girlfriends, I do not know where you are today, right now, in your life’s journey. Maybe you are fighting headstrong into hurricane force gales, holding on for dear life, wondering if you will make it through another minute, hour, or day? Perhaps you are caught up in the spiral of a tornado, spinning and screaming for someone to let you out? Maybe you are in a still, serene place with no wind at all, just savoring the peace and calm? Possible you are not relishing the calm, because you see a foreboding sky and wonder when the storm will start and how long will it last? Or maybe, like me, you have the winds of change at your back, forcing you onward whether you like it or not? Maybe, like Mary Poppins, you are “on the wind” with your umbrella at this very moment, about to land in a purposeful place that is desperately in need of your gifts and talents. 

Whatever your circumstances, my friends, one thing I know

for certain is that the Force behind every gust, breeze, or calm is our Father in Heaven, Who both created and controls the winds of our lives. I pray today that you put your hope and your trust in that invisible force, in that God you may not “see,” but Who, just like the wind, is present even when your eyes cannot perceive. Our Lord directs the winds of change for His purpose and His plan, and Girlfriends, you can fight it, or you can flow with it. You have a choice. I pray this week, take a walk with the Lord. Pray. Sense His presence. Ask His forgiveness. Receive it and be blessed. Feel His peace. And one day, you will enter His rest. Until then, enjoy every season of this life and glorify His Name.

It’s autumn.
The winds of change are blowing.

The Power of Undaunted Devotion

Girlfriends, Stand Up for Christ!

Image borrowed from http://wellwateredwoman.blogspot.com

So have no fear of them, for nothing is covered that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known. What I tell you in the dark, say in the light, and what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops. And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell. 

Matthew 10:26-28 (ESV)

Hello my sweet Girlfriends!

The weather outside may be frightful--frigid and freezing--but I am about to light you on fire with my passion for Christ. I hope that you are warmed by the love in my heart for you, but more so I pray that my concern for your eternity sparks a blaze that inspires you to action. We have an urgent need in this country for followers of Christ to unite and push back the assault upon our beliefs and life values.  I hear the whispering and the murmurs of injustice and prejudice against the Christian faith and its followers, but I do not see any marching feet or stalwart souls standing up for our Leader. Quit cowering, my lady friends, and come alive for what you know in your heart is right. Follow Christ and see where He leads!

I wrote the following reader response for my master's program this week. I am sharing it with you now because I truly believe we are under attack, sometimes overtly and sometimes covertly. The enemies of Christ are seeking and devouring, and I am not willing to be a victim nor allow my family and future generations either to fall prey to this evil. United we stand, or trust me, this nation will fall.

     “Both Christ and His cause were so compelling that they were followers regardless. This is the kind of followership to which we must aspire. And while most of us will never be called to follow to the shedding of our blood, or for that matter not even to ta measure of their sacrifice, it is still unconditional followership that Christ both demands and deserves.” Joseph Stowell, Following Christ, p.68.

     As Stowell says, I doubt I will ever know the level of commitment that requires the literal shedding of blood for Christ. I aspire to it, although I have no desire to actually bleed! I do wish to be in such deep communion with Christ that I would willingly do so if needed. I pray that my desire is of the right motive. I like that Stowell points out that the first followers of Christ were not above that temptation either. The tangible benefits of followership make the following much easier than the intangible or even futuristic blessings. But when we keep our eyes focused on the tangible and let go of the right reasons for following Christ, disaster and decay slowly creep in and take over.

     I find that in the United States we do not have that strong level of commitment to following Christ no matter the cost. We are very politically correct Christians, treading the waters of this world, trying to keep afloat, when in reality we are drowning ourselves in the sea of sin and submission. Stowell notes that the first followers of Christ were marginalized, maligned, and sometimes martyred. Yet, their persistence resulted in changing an entire Empire, forging a civilization based “upon Christ’s ways and reflect(ing) His justice and righteousness in its laws.” (69) Funny, but our nation supposedly began on these very same principles incorporated into our Constitution and our laws. Somehow, over the past 250+ years, our lack of commitment to following Christ has resulted in a very unrecognizable reflection in the mirror. It is not that we allowed people of varying faiths into America; rather, we bent over backwards to accept and accommodate them, sacrificing our own faith and principles in the process. Religious tolerance eroded our Christian religious identity and strength. 

     I do not know what the solution is except to recommit to a solid, strong, undeterred following of Christ no matter the cost. This fix is not instant nor easy.  If we are going to leave a country worth living in after we are gone, Christians are going to have to unite and start acting like true followers and not stragglers. My own children seek the Lord, but I still hear “oh Mom” when I take a strong stand against what I see as an affront on my values in Christ. I hope to provide for them a great example of unwavering dedication to the Lord by my life’s example. I find the hope, the promise, and the life in Christ so compelling that to do otherwise is to live an unfulfilled life toward a disastrous destiny.