Being a DIY Underachiever.....or Not

Let’s be honest – we’d all like to be that husband/dad/man who can build or fix just about anything. And, in the female species, the gal who is incessantly on FB or Instagram touting their latest, successful DIY project. I’m Joanna Gaines in my dream world. My daughter and her husband amazed me when their DIY project at their townhome became a complete success. Go here to see the video! https://rvepiphany.com/f/building-a-courtyard

I put some DIY action to my dreams during quarantine – after all, there was plenty of time to DIY something – anything! Mind you – I am NOT Joanna Gaines in any way, but I am pleased with my meager efforts. I planted some perennials. Whoohoo! And, that empty Texas planter on my front porch now has some beautiful succulents added to it. It’s nice to see something growing in it. I tried cooking some new recipes and I have a freezer full to choose from! Does that score any points at all? I bought a ring light for all these Zoom meetings I attend – and set it up myself! I made a door wreath for Easter! I cut my hair and colored it. Hmm! Maybe I’m not a DIY want-to-be after all!

My latest projects include the facemasks I made for myself. Thanks to the internet for the “how-to’s”! AND, after a 36" x 24" outdoor wood hanging (left from the previous owners) became weather-worn and lost its hold to the bricks it was adhered to, I took some decals from my after-Christmas buys, stained the wall-hanging and whoa-la – my Christmas DIY project success! I was giving myself some kudos for my minuscule efforts.

I love the words “Joy to the World – the Lord is come”! What a wonderful reminder, right here still in precarious times and still six months from Christmas, that no matter the time of year – we can find joy right in the midst of it all – because our Lord came to bring us His peace and joy all the time.

Maybe you’d like to be a DIY kind-of-gal or guy, too! Take it from me – we don’t really have to feel the peer pressure because God made us all individually with abilities and creative “bents” – you know bent on gardening, bent on cooking, bent on reading, bent on creating, etc. I’m learning to celebrate anyone with those artistic and creative bents.

Maybe, instead of wishing for more talent, more-craftiness, being more creative and artistic, we should be grateful for who God made us to be right here, in this place. We can be grateful AND we can be determined to learn something new. We really have no excuses to wish and pine away because we’re not “all that and a bag of chips”. We can learn something new from a world of YouTube videos that show us just about any and everything we want to do. As a matter of fact, I was watching YouTube videos this week to find out the best bait to use, and how to use it, for catching trout in Red River, NM waters we’re headed to next month! No excuses! No wishing-upon-a-star! No defeatist attitude! We can start by saying “I can do ALL THINGS through Christ Who gives me strength!” (Philippians 4:13) That means WE CAN do ALL THINGS – because we’re BENT on being DIY people that can do all things through Him!

Since He's All-Sufficient, I Don't Have to Be

As an independent gal for almost ten years now, I like to call myself self-sufficient, self-supporting, self-reliant, self-sustaining. But, even as I type those words, they sound very “self”-minded! Lord knows – I want to be others minded – NOT self-minded. For example, when offered help out of my son’s big duly Ford F-350, I have been known to say “not yet” – as I slowly maneuver that 3 feet down out of the back seat by myself.

But, I did take hold of my grandson's hand when we were traversing the canyons and caverns of Reimer's Park. I'm no dummy! I really do know when I need to humble-up and admit when I need help. But, I loved it when I saw a tree branch that we could turn into a great walking stick to help me scale those boulders. Back to my independent self again! Oh, I get it! I, undoubtedly, will relent from my self-reliance the more mature I get. I'm already doing that when I get up in the morning and move slower than I once did. That's why I quickly get to my morning walk to get these body-parts moving and grooving.

I’m revisiting the times when my sweet mama had to depend on us more as she “matured”. She was super independent and only after she fell at age 94, did she submit. Then there’s my dear 97-year-old mother-in-law, who had been independent for years after dad passed away, but is now extremely dependent on her kids and her walker and even sometimes, her wheelchair. It came with great difficulty to relinquish her independence, but now she gladly allows us to help her out.

Funny how, in this independent mindset that we hold on to for so long, we become almost too good at being self-sufficient. I’m guilty as charged. Fortunately, there have been very few things that I couldn’t do myself, especially in this age of being able to google just about anything. DIY is my go-to in most instances and thank God for the internet that has been my bestie in so many occasions. In fact, last night I used Google to figure out how to fix the loose stitching on my sewing machine. And, whoa-la, it worked. Stitch – fixed!

Self-sufficiency might be an admirable quality to strive for, but now I'm thinking I need to guard myself against becoming too good at it. I’ll admit it – asking for help humbles me. Perhaps I need humbling – because this self-sufficiency almost crosses the line of being selfish in accepting the kindness of others and may even keep them from being blessed.

And, perhaps, our self-sufficiency keeps us from an intimate, close relationship with our Lord Who is the ALL-Sufficient One, "And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work" (2 Corinthians 9.8).

The All-Sufficiency of God means He is a God of infinite riches of wisdom, goodness, and power. And His “all-sufficiency” is available to His kids as a treasure chest of blessings. That means we can let go of our self-sufficiency and receive the all-encompassing sufficiency of our God.

Our Heavenly Father longs to have that close relationship with us. He wants us to ask Him for help. He wants to save us from a lot of the mistakes we'll make without His wisdom. It’s easy to rely on our own strength, our own ability, and our own wisdom — so much so that we no longer reach out to our Father and let Him in to help us. It’s so easy to start to leave Him out of our daily life, decisions and activities, and only run to Him when there’s a big crisis. Even in the thick of our daily challenges and struggles, God is right there to lay His gentle hand on our shoulder to say “Let Me help you with that.” He’s hoping we will let Him help. He never stops loving us or wanting that relationship with us, even when we feel like we should have it all together by now. I don’t like calling out for help to anyone, but I’m seeing that there are times when I must. In the same way, God is a mere call away when we call upon Him.

Psalm 91:15 “Call on me and I will answer you. I will be with you in trouble. I will deliver you and honor you.

The Old Wahoo to the Brand New

My sweet husband was a man of many skills and talents. His artistry and craftsmanship were recognized in the many homes, churches, and furniture he built with such attention to the details. He was a perfectionist. He was never satisfied with "good enough”. He was a Master Craftsman with a capital "C". He was also a woodcarver and could make such beauty out of a simple piece of wood.

Five years ago, I saw a woodcarver carving game boards. It reminded me of the round Wahoo board game my husband carved for our family when our kids were young. I don't remember what happened to that beautiful board, but I do remember the hours and hours of fun we had playing with it. I know that I wanted my grown children and their families to experience that fun game like we had. So, I had three Wahoo wood board games made and presented them as a special family Christmas gift for my three families: The Wallace's, The Wuerch's and The Anderson's (my godson’s family). The words pictured here are what I attached to each game board at Christmas of 2015. I seized moments that represented more than memories.....it represented today's joys and tomorrow's. It has blessed me, over the years, when each family sends me photos of their children playing the game. But, last week, while in Austin, the game was taken to a whole new level.

A welcome surprise came during quarantine. My grandson’s girlfriend’s family also play the game but with their new rules for strategizing – unlike the usual, only-win-by-luck game we played before. This photo explains the new rules of having partners and using two decks of cards instead of dice and playing as a single. Oh, what fun we had playing by the new rules and even more so, filling this heart of mine with all the sweet family time playing with the “old” and making it “brand new”.

There’s something to be said for making the old, brand new. Many of us really take off on DIY projects that make the old, brand new. My old piano bench was made new by adding an upholstered cushion to it. Outdoor furniture was made new by spraying on a new coat of paint. Homes are made new when we update them with fresh paint, adding more space or taking out walls to make larger rooms.

God is in the business of making the old, brand new, too! I love Bill and Gloria Gaither’s old song that went like this: “Something beautiful, something good / All my confusion He understood / All I had to offer Him was brokenness and strife / But He made something beautiful of my life.”

And those song lyrics tell my story of God’s amazing grace. When I asked Christ to forgive me of my “old girl” past of regret, mistakes, failures, sins – He forgave me and took it all and threw it into His Sea of Forgetfulness. “He will again have compassion on us, and will subdue our iniquities. You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea.” (Micah 7:19) My “old” became “new” – new outlook, new heart-look, new attitude, and new awareness of my need for Him every day. Like the new Wahoo game strategies, now my new life strategies – partner with His strategies and everyday is brand new in Him. Maybe you’d like to play our new Wahoo rules and new God’s ways, too!

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” (2 Corinthians 5:17)

No Thanks, I Can Do It Myself!

No Thanks, I Can Do It Myself!
Self-Sufficiency - self-supporting, self-reliant, self-sustaining,

"I’ve watched my dear 95-year-old mother-in-law, who has been quite independent for years, now be willing to let go of that self-sufficiency. Since she uses a walker, I offered to carry her purse and she’d reply “I can carry it myself!” Now, she let’s us carry it, and, recently, has even succumbed to allowing us to push her in a wheel chair when she leaves the house. It came with great difficulty to relinquish her independence, but now she gladly allows us to help her out.

Funny how, in this independent mindset that we hold on to for so long, we become almost TOO GOOD at being self-sufficient. I’m guilty as charged. Fortunately, there have been very few things that I couldn’t do myself, especially in this age of being able to google just about anything to DIY (do it yourself). In fact, I just had to use google to figure out how to put a spray tank together so I could spray some of my bushes for insects. Whoa la! Done!

Because of Dr. Google, I can tell my doctor what my health issue is even before he tells me. With google and other sources, I have become a master problem solver. Whenever I face difficulties that seem insurmountable, I stick with it until I find a solution. I am determined to find a way to manage difficulties without needing much help from others or being a burden to anyone else.

Typically, self-sufficiency would be considered an admirable quality to strive for, but now I'm thinking I need to guard myself against becoming too good at it. I don’t want to bother anyone else to have to help me. I feel like I should be capable and strong enough to make things happen and roll with the results without falling apart. I’ll admit it -- it’s been difficult to humble myself to ask for help or guidance, even when I need the support. But, I do have to call in help to pull down my attic stairs which are heavy, high and, clearly, are a hazard. I sure don't want my family to have to deal with a bruised, broken or lacerated Mom/Nana.

How well I remember the independence of my children and grandchildren when they were toddlers. They wanted to do everything themselves — except for when they didn’t want to do something, like clean up their toys or eat their veggies. I wanted to help them grow and I wanted to fix things and prevent difficulties for them. It's the plan to give them the tools they need to make wise choices so they can grow up to be self-sufficient. Sometimes that means letting them fall down so they can learn and grow from their own mistakes, even though we’d rather protect them from falling. Nevertheless, we are there to protect them even when they fall.

Our Heavenly Father longs to have that close relationship with us. He wants to help. He wants to save us from a lot of the mistakes we'll make without His wisdom. He wants us to be dependent on Him. It’s easy to rely on our own strength, our own ability, and our own wisdom — so much so that we no longer reach out to our Father and let Him in to help us. It’s so easy to start to leave Him out of our daily life, decisions and activities, and only run to Him when there’s a big crisis.

Even in the thick of our daily challenges and struggles, God is right there to lay His gentle hand on our shoulder to say “Let Me help you with that.” He’s hoping we will let Him help. He never stops loving us or wanting that relationship with us, even when we feel like we should have it all together by now. I don’t like calling out for help to anyone, but I’m seeing that there are times when I must. In the same way, God is a mere call away when we call upon Him.

Psalm 91:15 “Call on me and I will answer you. I will be with you in trouble. I will deliver you and honor you.”

By the way, I am delighted that I'm NOT so independent that I can yield to my children's wishes this weekend, when they're giving me my Mother's Day present in the form of power washing my patios, garage, driveways and windows. Yes, I'm still a "smart cookie"....I know when to DIY AND when to submit to the joys and blessings of motherhood -- and relinquish my self-sufficient spirit!

I'm Making My Declaration of DEPENDENCE

DEPENDENCE: depending on or relying on others for support
INDEPENDENCE: not depending on or relying on others

We live in a culture that teaches us that it is possible, and in fact preferable to be “INDEPENDENT”… free from responsibility, accountability, and from moral and Godly values. A Declaration of Dependence makes an inspired biblical-based case that the opposite is true. Today I'm making my own definitive declaration that I am in fact “DEPENDENT” on God for everything of real value…my personal, material, physical, and spiritual well being.

We start with dependency on our parents for our daily needs. But, deep inside is that “independent” spirit that starts to demand its own way. Just watch a two-year old be possessive of his stuff and say “MINE” or they pull their hand out of our grasp because they want to be INDEPENDENT of our hold on them. Where do they learn that? Surely, we parents don’t act that way or do we?

As we continue to mature, we become more independent. I grew up dependent on my parents and then on my husband and when he graduated to heaven, I became INDEPENDENT. I only had me to take care of me now. My survival instincts kicked in, with a “CAN DO” mentality. Some of my friends are in awe as I drive alone for hours to get to my next destination. My friend called me a few days ago and I was getting my car serviced for my next trip. She said, “Oh, my husband is doing that right now, too.” I laughed and said, “See, if my husband were still here, he’d be doing this for me too. Welcome to my world!"

I like to pay my own way, live in my own home, make my own decisions, rely on no outside help. And, I’ve learned that if I face an unexpected DIY challenge, I just go to my dear friend, Mr. Google, and I get all the help I need from him. Believe me, he is very worthy of my praise. I can’t begin to tell you how many challenges he has helped me solve.

INDEPENDENCE is a blessing when it comes to domination from another country (i.e. the reason for our Country's Declaration of INDEPENDENCE). But when our Country AND we start to be INDEPENDENT of God and our trust in Him, then "Hello, Trouble!" It is trouble and struggle when my heart’s attitude is “I can do ALL things through ME who can do anything on my own” instead of the attitude that is most desirable to God, “I can do all things through CHRIST Who gives me strength.” (Philippians 4:13). He wants us to be DEPENDENT on His all sufficiency. It’s what Jesus told His disciples: “Without Me you can do nothing” (John 15:5). The fact is, we should never outgrow our dependence and our trust in God, and daily we should be making our Declaration of Dependence on Him Who made us and holds us in the palms of His mighty hands.

I often feel closest to God during times of weakness because I come to depend on Him more. I have a yearning in my heart for Him to transform every nook and cranny of my life. I want Him to be my all-consuming thought, desire and passion. Isaiah 30:15 says “This is what the Almighty LORD, the Holy One of Israel, says: “You can be saved by returning to me. You can have rest. You can be strong by being quiet and by trusting Me.”

Maybe someone reading this today is in a world of confusion and you want to independently take care of the challenges you face. Then this post is for you. Maybe you're feeling physically and mentality spent -- completely exhausted. Could THIS message be heaven-sent to you today? Could God be urging you to STOP for just a while to declare "In God I Trust" and DEPEND on Him?

Let's make our Declaration of DEPENDENCE on God and His wisdom for our lives. I'm convinced that grabbing hold of His mighty hand and DEPENDING on Him, will lead us where we need to go and what we need to do. He's our good, good Father and surely, Father knows best!

Crying Out for "HELP" in a DIY World

“Do It Yourself” is the trend these days – in home remodeling, crafty home décor’, door wreaths, jewelry and so much more. We don’t need anyone else’s help – we can do it ourselves.

DIY applies also to the independence we declare when we are faced with personal challenges and we also want to handle it all by ourselves. We think we don’t need anyone’s help in getting through life. I plead guilty on that as I’ve become quite independent – not wanting to “bother” anyone with my “stuff”. After all, we don't want to add our "stuff" to theirs. But that’s not how God programmed us. He made us to need Him and others.

My post today was inspired by my pastor’s message yesterday. He talked about calling out for HELP. The fact is that we have such a do-it-your-self mindset that we never call out for help. We go to church, sing and praise and pray and ask God for help, but deep inside we could sure use a friend. On the inside we’re crying out for help, but on the outside, we are wearing masks that make us look like we don't have a care in the world.

I love St. Paul’s words in Philippians 4:13 “I can do ALL things through Christ Who strengthens me.” It sure sounds like he was a DIY-er can of kind of guy, but he always relied on Christ's strength. In verse 14, he also said to the Philippians “It was good of you to share in my troubles.” Obviously he cried out for help to his fellow believers.

My son, Larry, was in Southern California for a leadership summit last week and one gorgeous morning, they all went to the beach. The waves were magnificent, about 8 feet, which made for great surfing – for those who knew how. Larry’s friend, who is in great shape, but is a novice surfer, headed out to surf. The waves were fierce and he began to get pounded and his surf board that had been attached to his ankle by a cord, broke loose and his board got away from him. Usually a surfer’s board acts as a buoy to keep them afloat, but when those waves pounded him every 8 secs, he had only enough time to grab a breath and try to get out of them.

Soon he realized he didn’t have the strength to get out of the waves and he knew he was in trouble. The waves were so loud that he knew those on shore wouldn’t hear him. But, one of the times when he came up, he saw two guys sitting on a nearby pier, drinking coffee, looking down at him. They had no idea he was in trouble. He looked like a professional surfer. Everything seemed normal. They didn’t know he was in chaos. He started thinking he wasn’t going to make it.

Meanwhile, all the guys on the beach were talking and laughing and shooting videos, while he was fighting for his life, as yet another wave came and pounded him. It was then that he began to yell to the two men on the pier “HELP. I’m in trouble. I need help!” And, he yelled again. Immediately those guys heard him, dropped their coffee and ran for help. At that beach, they fire off a siren and all lifeguards come running and they were able to get him and pull him to shore. Thanks be to God!

The point of this post today is to impress upon you, my FB friends, that if you need help today, cry for help – not only to God, but to those closest to you. They don’t know you’re in trouble. They don’t know the chaos you are in. It's time to take off the mask and ask for help. From the beach, Larry’s buddy looked okay. From the pier, he looked like he was having a great time – and everything was alright. But he needed help.

And, there are those around us who need OUR help. It’s time we “loved our neighbor” as ourselves. It’s time we reached out to friends and family and asked the question “Are you okay? Is there anything I can do to help you? No surface answer accepted. No DIY mentality when it comes to reaching out for help and reaching out to others to help them.

Galatians 6:2 “HELP carry one another's burdens, and in this way you will obey the law of Christ.”