He's My Top Quality Excuse

This morning I saw the first signs of fall in the form of condensation on my car windshield. Of course, I knew fall was approaching because I have been in football mode for the past ten days. (Is it unnecessarily cruel to tell y’all that I have a WVU sideline pass for opening day?)  I looked down at my flip flop wearing feet and embraced the comfort of my favorite J Crew zip up jacket as I soaked up the last little bit of summer. Once in my car, I turned on my windshield wipers (and turned up my radio) to remove the perfect sheet of condensation that has formed overnight. As I started driving, the condensation came back. And twenty seconds later it was back again. It wasn’t until I had tried every different windshield wiper speed and every different thermostat setting that I realized the source of the condensation. The water was forming as a result of the top quality windshield washer fluid I had sprayed moments earlier. I’m a slowly transitioning adult (three weeks later I still feel cheated when my alarm goes off at 6:30) who has an extensive student loan repayment so I only choose top quality when it comes to toilet paper, ice cream, and hair flat irons.  Because I have an uncle who spoils his favorite 27 year old niece; I have six dollar windshield washer fluid in my car. I love his heart and generosity (he definitely inherited all of my pap’s greatest qualities) but I didn’t love the tiny water bubbles all over my windshield at nine o’clock this morning. The high quality insect repellant that was added to the washer fluid combined with the cool morning temperatures made my windshield resemble a piece of plastic wrap covered in Crisco. Luckily, I was able to adjust my dashboard temperature and fix the problem before I got on the interstate because it would have been quite difficult driving with a Crisco covered windshield at 75 miles per hour.

If I truly had Crisco on my windshield; I would have marched my little behind right back inside and been the first person ever to use the “I have lard on my windshield excuse” to her boss.  (Have I mentioned that I really miss my days of sleeping in and enjoying coffee until noon in my Pajamas?) And if my vision was truly dangerously impaired; I would have pulled over and waited for my windshield to be crystal clear. (Since I am now an adult I am trying to make better decisions) I didn’t even consider delaying my morning commute because I knew I would be able to adapt to my condensation dilemma.  But when Satan throws obstacles at us with the sole purpose of dangerously impairing our relationship with God; His motive is always to delay us.  The enemy preys on us and relentlessly throws obstacles and trials into our lives at the exact moment God is waiting to reward us for obediently following Him. Satan doesn’t attack us when we aren’t a threat to God’s kingdom but he most definitely attacks us when God is preparing to use us in mighty ways. He attacks us so we regress in our faith. He attacks us so we march our little behinds back inside and use the “Lord, this is much too difficult to bear excuse” to God . He attacks us because he can use even the tiniest delay in our obedience to cause great havoc in our lives. The enemy is sly friends. He doesn’t come at us with frugal attempts. He brings the high quality juice every time. He pours his top dollar deceitful ways into our hearts and minds and every time we squeeze some of it out; He blinds us. He causes us to see God through Crisco covered eyes which ultimately delays in work in and through us. The only way we can adjust to the enemy’s high quality attacks is to take a permanent stand against him. But we can’t stand alone friends. We must grab a hold of God and refuse to let go even when everything in our lives is anything but crystal clear. We must fervently serve Him and faithfully trust Him every day. God doesn’t have a favorite 27 year old child that He likes to spoil but He does give me top quality every time I call upon Him. His top quality always trumps Satan top quality friends.  Are you allowing Satan to delay what God desperately wants to bestow upon you? Or maybe you are adapting to the lies and deceitful ways of Satan during your current dilemma. If you adapt to his schemes; you will never experience the fullness of the abundant life God has for you.  If you accept his schemes; you will never fulfill the fullness of the obedience we are called to have as followers of Jesus Christ.  God is waiting to share His heart and His generosity. Let Him friends because the little water bubbles that will fill your life are drops of blessings falling from heaven.

Verse to remember:  Ecclesiastes 5:4-5 ⁴ When you make a vow to God, do not delay to fulfill it. He has no pleasure in fools; fulfill your vow. ⁵ It is better not to make a vow than to make one and not fulfill it.

Hebrews 10: 36-38 ³⁶ You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised. ³⁷ For, “In just a little while, he who is coming will come and will not delay.” ³⁸ And, But my righteous one will live by faith.  And I take no pleasure  in the one who shrinks back.”

Always On Time

Today, I became victim to the trap of my comfortable bed on a gloomy Monday morning.  My alarm went off at 6:30 this morning and I stumbled downstairs to put an end to the saliva shortage that was occurring inside my mouth. After filling my coffee mug with water; I headed back upstairs, convinced I could go back to sleep until 7:00. (I also convinced myself that I should have appreciated my lazy pool days much more than I actually did.) My extra morning cat nap only added to the extreme feeling of junk balls that existed when my first alarm sounded. The only cure to my junk balls was to do what I do every morning: drink a pot of coffee while spending time with Jesus. Unfortunately, I find it hard to do much else while I partake in my two favorite activities of all time. Because I spend half of my morning sitting on my bedroom floor enjoying the sensation of caffeine and the Holy Spirit; I tend to underestimate the time it actually takes to get to work. (A habit of driving 10 miles over the speed limit also plays a role in my decision making process.) Regardless of how long I spend enjoying His presence instead of entertaining reality; I always leave my house fully equipped for battle. Even if my hair is wet and my breakfast is in my hand.  As I was pulling out of my driveway this morning, my cell phone rang. My favorite high school teacher (and one of my life coaches) was calling to ask me about an injury her son received at his football game yesterday. As we were talking she said, “You have to be in the building at 9:00 and you are leaving now?” For the sake of preventing myself from receiving a life lecture on following the speed limit; I won’t reveal the time I left my house. But I will assure you all that when I walked into the building it was 8:57 AM. (It definitely paid to have friends in Valet Parking this morning)

I’m not making excuses for being a fast driver and I most definitely am not making excuses for enjoying Jesus (and my last bit of Dominican Republic coffee) in excess. I’ll even admit that I need to put on my big girl pants and say goodbye to sleeping in past 7:00 AM.  But Because of my coffee/Jesus addiction and because of my attempt (I’m definitely still in the beginner stages) to stay within five miles of the speed limit; I spent extra time today asking God to forgive my excuses for not trusting His timing. I can’t give you good advice on how to manage time effectively but I promise you that I can give you advice on how to strengthening your walk with the Lord. In order to become stronger in Him, we must trust Him with an unshakeable faith. Unfortunately, our faith gets tested and ultimately diminishes when we don’t see the benefits of our faith. It is easy to trust God when He is meeting all of our needs but what happens when He guides us into a valley? What happens when His plan requires us to wait on our blessing? Are we truly capable of enduring trials of the worst kind until He rewards us for our faith? Alone, we aren’t capable of enduring the valleys of our lives friends. But with the help of Jesus we can do ALL things. It is when we start doubting His promises and more importantly His power that we weaken our faith. When God is stretching our faith; Satan is also stretching our faith. God is saying, “If you just hold on; you’re help will be on the way.” Satan is saying, “Where is your God now? He certainly left you during your darkest hour.” God doesn’t leave us friends but He does test us to see where we put our faith. If our faith remains in Him; we won’t be expecting easy. We will be expecting God to sustain us while we wait for His perfect timing; while we wait for the rewards of trusting Him. If our faith remains in this world; we won’t be expecting His miracles. We will be expecting God to abandon us while we slowly crumble; while we experience the defeat that comes when we allow Satan to be victorious. We don’t always have to understand God’s timing to fully understand God. We don’t always need things to work out according to our will to be victorious. We don’t need anything accept to give our entire lives to a God who never underestimates the needs in our lives.

To some mature adults, arriving three minutes before work is considered late; to me it’s considered on time. To some mature Christians; God’s timing is considered late; to me God timing is always considered on time. I promise, one day I will fit the definition of adult but until then I will thank (and trust) the One who made me fantastically different from the rest of the adults in this world.  

Verse to remember: 2 Peter 3: 8-9  8 But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. ⁹ The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.

He Calls Me friend...I Call Him My Everything

When I officially began adulthood, the kind lady in Human Resources told me that I couldn’t get a staff parking pass because I was only working part time. However, she assured me that I could get a discounted rate because I was an employee of West Virginia University. Clearly she didn’t know that she was talking to a highly skilled parking ticket escape artist. My skills began two years ago when I absolutely refused to pay over three hundred dollars for a parking pass that only lasted nine months. Instead, I stretched the truth a wee bit to the parking attendant responsible for keeping students like me from parking in designated areas. I made friends with the valet staff that parked patient’s cars outside of the Health Science Center and the Mary Baab Cancer Center. And more importantly, I learned early on how to strategically place the one day parking pass under my dash board so the date couldn’t be seen from outside my car. (I have quite a collection of Health Science Center one day passes in my car) Friday morning, as I waited in the line of cars to receive a parking permit from the ticket booth that sat at the bottom of the hill; I hoped I wouldn’t be asked questions that would make me have to stretch the truth even further. (And I prayed that the woman I had seen 3 times already in a week wasn’t on to me.) When I approached the booth I was relieved to see a man behind the Plexiglas and as I rolled down my window; I was reunited with my favorite valet parking attendant. My friend Nick was now working in the ticket booth opposed to valet parking because of a blood clot in his leg. After a brief early morning chat (the line of cars behind me was now extremely long) he said, “I will see you Monday. Actually, knowing you I’ll see you all month.” As I drove off, I was laughing hysterically. I was laughing because my legacy as the student who tempted fate (and tempted the patrol officer who handed out twenty dollar parking tickets) by defying the parking system remained almost a year later. I was laughing because I knew my ritual of bringing doughnuts to the valet parking staff every month had just been reinstated. I was laughing because it truly does pay to have friends in high places.

I am almost certain that I may be the only person who considers the Health Science Center parking staff friends in high places. I am also certain that regardless of whether or not you ever become a parking ticket escape artist; you have a friend in a high place.  Yes friends, I am referring to my absolute best friend ever: Jesus. Can you honestly wrap your brain around the fact that Jesus calls us His friend? The King of Kings calls us His friend! Because we are His friend; He has our back. He is sitting on His throne waiting to show everyone in the world the power of His friendship. He is waiting to reward us for the relationship we have created with Him. If you allow Jesus to be your very best friend; He will meet your every need. He will silence all of your fears. He will make your darkest days brighter (He will make your best days brighter too). He will bring out the very best in you. He will be able to complete your every thought. He will understand you when the rest of the world seems to think you have finally lost your mind. (Maybe I am the only one whose friends think I am crazy at times) He will make sure to provide a miracle every time you wish you had an Earthly friend in a high place. There is no greater friendship than Jesus friends. He is all we truly need. He will never abandon us and we will always be at the center of His heart. Do you need a miracle in your life? Do you need to feel the embrace of a true friend? Or are you weary because you feel that Jesus has forgotten you in the mist of your darkest days? If you are, fall on your knees and call out to your best friend. Pour out your heart to Him and I promise you that before you stand up; He will satisfy every ounce of your being. He won’t have you laughing but He will have you saying, “The ritual of talking to God every day has been reinstated.” He will have you saying, “My legacy as a friend of Jesus will remain forever.” He will have you saying (and telling others), “it pays to have a friend in a high place.”

Verse to remember: John 15:12-17 ¹² My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. ¹³ Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. ¹⁴ You are my friends if you do what I command. ¹⁵ I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. ¹⁶ You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you. ¹⁷ This is my command: Love each other.

An Elevator Ride in the Sky

I spent the entire summer soaking up every last ounce of freedom before adulthood officially began (I also managed to soak up quite a bit of sun) but this week I have forcefully allowed the responsibilities of adulthood to soak back into my life. As if getting up before 7:00 AM isn’t enough punishment in and of itself; I spend part of my days inside the Health Science Center (HSC). The HSC will always remind me of the three long years I am fortunate enough to call physical therapy school. Even though I am no longer a student; I still feel the same emotions each time I walk through the main entrance. I still remember all of the reasons why this specific building will always bring about bitter sweet memories. Some of these bitter sweet memories resurfaced today as I walked onto the elevator to go to the basement of the HSC. Usually, I would take the stairs but you can’t get to the basement from the stairs so I had no choice but to get on the most unreliable elevator I have ever stepped foot on. I was fully prepared for the creaks and bangs that accompany the ride between floors. I was fully prepared to think good thoughts when other people took the elevator down one floor opposed to taking the stairs. I was even fully prepared to get stuck on the elevator for the better part of my afternoon. But I was prepared to find humor in my elevator ride and I most definitely wasn’t prepared for God to speak to me in such a brief period of time. First, the humor. I was the only person to get on the elevator from the eighth floor. I pushed the button marked B for basement but the light was burnt out. (Did I mention that the HSC has stellar elevators) Being a veteran of these elevators, I knew it was a delicacy if you actually came across an elevator button that lit up. And being the one who pushed the button; I knew the basement was on the lists of stops. The three individuals who entered the elevator after me (each from different floors) did not know the button marked B had already been pushed. So like trained robots, one by one, they entered the elevator and pushed the B button. Then they pushed it again because their aggressive (and borderline obsessive) button pushing skills didn’t yield a glowing light.

Now, God’s voice. Of course, I told each button pusher that the light was burned out and I assured them that we would all make it to the basement like one giant elevator family. As I was giving my explanation, I wasn’t paying attention to my words; I was paying attention to His words. His words that kept asking me, “What if they saw the light?” I instantly knew He wasn’t talking about the unreliable elevator button light: He was talking about His light. He was reminding me that for the past two weeks, I have been leaving Him behind when I venture out in the world of adulthood. (Or when I venture out at all) For the past few weeks, I have been in a spiritual slump friends. I have made excuses for my obedience. I have cut corners in my quiet time with God. I have replaced my faith with fear. I have accepted complacency opposed to victory. I have hidden the light of God that lives inside of me by allowing myself to live like the world lives opposed to living like He lives. As followers of God, we are called to a higher standard. We are commanded to live so that others who do not know Him are drawn to Him by the Jesus that lives inside of us. I couldn’t possibly draw others to Jesus during the spiritual slump I was in because nothing about my actions represented Jesus. To onlookers, I was a worn and drained adult (I use the term adult loosely) trying my best to fulfill all of my Earthly roles. To Jesus, I was a lost sheep who was trying my best to find satisfaction in a dried out pasture. To me, I was a tiny, tiny glimmer of light that still represented Jesus. He doesn’t deserve the bare minimal we can give Him; He deserves our best friends. He deserves for us to wake up each morning, put on our full armor, and face the day full of Him. He has entrusted each of us to carry out His work every single day. He doesn’t want any of His children to perish so He will use every opportunity possible to reach out to one of His lost sheep. He uses us to be His light. He uses us to shine brighter than those who do not know Him as their personal savior. He uses us to draw in those who are desperate for the miracle of Jesus to forever change their lives. He uses us to complete His perfect plan so others can experience eternity with Him one day. Do you radiate Jesus? Are complete strangers drawn to you because they see the Jesus inside of you? Ask yourself the question, “What if they saw the light?” Could the light of Jesus inside of you make days be brighter? Could you be used to put an end to the spiritual slumps of other simply by allowing Christ to radiate from you daily? The answer is yes friends. When we choose to allow God’s light to shine through us; we change lives. We illuminate the one who desires for everyone’s elevator ride to end in Heaven.

Verse to remember: John 1:1-15

My Personal Water Purification System

My favorite radio station, KLOVE has spent 2 days being the voice for a water purification system. I usually get annoyed when the deejays fill my driving commutes with talking opposed to music but I found myself especially interested in this topic due to my recent trip overseas. KLOVE was teaming up with Compassion (a partner of World Vision) asking listeners to give a onetime gift that would supply clean water to an entire family in Rwanda for the rest of their lives. As I listened to the testimonies of families that had already received the purification system; I began to cry. I’m not sure if my tears came out of compassion or sorrow but I do know that between sniffles; I thought of testimonies from families who had captured my heart a short time ago.  I have never been to Rwanda but I have recently been to a poverty stricken third world country where the water was unsafe to drink. For eight days, everything I had grown accustomed to regarding water no longer existed.  I brushed my teeth with bottled water. I flushed my toilet using a bucket and a reservoir of water that was filled with parasites. I showered with extreme caution so I wouldn’t get unwanted water in my mouth or up my nose. (I also showered with socks to avoid plantar warts) After every hand washing, I applied an excessive amount of hand sanitizer. And for safe, clean drinking water, I had two options: the 10 gallon pump we kept in our van or bottled water from our hotel that was only available at meals. I pray that you don’t take this as my personal, “please feel sorry for me moment” because that is not my intention. In fact, I didn’t want to leave the Dominican Republic and I am already planning my return trip. I am only sharing these specific details of my trip to emphasize the struggles individuals in other countries face every day regarding clean drinking water.

When I walked in my front door after spending eight days overseas, I was exhausted mentally, physically, and emotionally. (I was on overdrive spiritually). My body was screaming at me to collapse into my clean sheets but my mind was saying, “A hot shower is exactly what you need. (There was absolutely NO way I wouldn’t have clean sheets on my bed) After a short deliberation, my longing for clean safe, water won out. I was willing to prolong exhaustion a wee bit longer if it meant I could wash my face in the shower and brush my teeth with water from the sink.  Exhaustion doesn’t exist only when we push ourselves to the limits; it exists anytime we deprive ourselves of the living water that comes from Jesus. Jesus is our only true form of strength and He is the only one who can sustain us when we are physically, emotionally, and mentally drained. We don’t need water purifiers to experience the restoration that flows from His throne; we just need to take the lids off of our heads and allow Him to fill us up.  When we are at the lowest most exhausting periods of our lives it is so easy to pretend that everything we know about His living water no longer exists. We rely on our depleting reservoir when He wants to refill us daily. That’s the beauty of Jesus friends. When we are exhausted and want to collapse into our beds for days; He is saying, “My love is exactly what you need.” His love that is constantly flowing from Heaven; His love that satisfies every thirst we could possibly have. Do you want a lifetime supply of His waters? Do you want to permanently put an end to your drought? Are you thirsty for Jesus? If you are, it requires a onetime gift: the gift of salvation. Once you ask Him into your heart; you have a lifetime supply of His living waters. He wants to fill you up friends regardless of your level of exhaustion. He wants to take away all of your previous struggles and replace them with your own personal testimony of how He purified your life.

I have a picture in my head of how Rwanda might look today: each family who received a purification system will be reminded of the endless flow of water given specifically to them every time they turn on a faucet. I have a picture in my head of how heaven might look someday: Each person who received God’s salvation will be reminded of His endless flow of living water, given specifically to them, each time we turned on His faucet. 

Verse to remember: John 4: 14 but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”