It's All About Perspective

Continuing on with my animal-sitting here in Austin, I was taking the 2,000 lb longhorn, Vamanos, his morning meal, consisting of huge grain pellets and lots of hay. He is usually standing at the fence waiting or at least comes trotting if he is a distance away. Yesterday, no sign of Vamanos. I clanged the gate with the chain. Nada. I hollered and yelled for him. Nada. Suddenly, I became alarmed. NEVER had he not shown up for his mealtime. I, cautiously, walked inside the fence and went down a path that leads to a thick treed area, but then Mother Wisdom warned me about getting too far from the gate so I could make a quick exit if he shows up. He seems like a gentle giant, but my good instincts tell me he sees "red" when he sees me!

In a distance, I saw what looked to be horns and a carcass in the field. My heart was beating a mile a minute. I imagined wild animals had attacked him and eaten him up. As I walked closer, I was greatly relieved that it was the remains of a fallen tree looking exactly like what my imagination was telling me. After breathing a sigh of relief, I made my way back to the gate and called some more. I started pondering "Who can I call to go into that pasture and treed area to see if he is okay or hurt or sick?" I thought, "I'll give it an hour (it was 7 am) and then I'll go back and see if he showed up. As I was walking away, meandering up the hill, was Vamanos. I probably had awakened him from one of those mornings deep periods of sleep.

Of course, I would find a post for today out of that morning ordeal. My perspective was imagining the worst possible scenario and my vision saw it just that. Not until I got closer to the false scenario, did I change my perspective.

How many times do we imagine the worst possible thing to happen in our lives instead of getting a reality check? We hear the weather reports and rather than turning to the Creator of the weather, we succumb to fear and anxiety. We come up against some tough times financially, and we see ourselves going bankrupt instead of turning to He Who owns the cattle on a thousand hills (gotta' keep up with my farm analogy). We see a light at the end of the tunnel but it's a train coming to take us out instead of the Light of the World turning things around for us.

Even though our perspective might be skewed and we may not see things clearly, just hold on. Time will pass and we will see it as clearly as God had planned all along. It will be like seeing with new eyes. Seeing things through His planned perspective. ‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’ {Jeremiah 29:11}

When we let our own limited perspective get in our way, we miss God in the midst. When we dwell on the outcome, we miss what is happening now. He is right there with us. He knows the way. He has the plan all figured out and He knows how it will all come together.

Just as Vamanos came sauntering up for his breakfast instead of being eaten alive as my perspective had made me think.....God will saunter or stroll along for a while, and in His perfectly set time.....we will see Him clearly and we will see the BIG PICTURE He planned all along.

The First Day of the Rest of My Life....My New Adventure Begins!!!

My first full day as a Texan -- well, I've always been a Texan -- born here in Dallas, a few decades ago ;-), but after 3+ decades in Oklahoma, adapting to "Ohhh-Kla-ho-ma, where the wind comes sweeping down the plains", and the wonderful people and places of that great state, I get a fresh start in Texas. How awesome is that?

With my sweet children's love, guidance and encouragement, I'll not be looking for a place of my own until after the first of the year, so my first stop-over is here in Frisco where my kids made such a sweet space for me -- new carpet and decor in my bedroom, and my Austin kids have the same thing awaiting me. No doubt, I am loved.

An awesome "sign" that I was home, was sleeping for 8 solid hours my first night -- the first 8-hours of sleep in months and months. Four to six hours is typically my rest for the night. I woke so refreshed and purposed to get my running routine back in gear, so, first thing, as I was heading out, I stopped off in Staci's office and there before me were these precious items (pictured here) that took my thoughts to my Sweetheart -- it was another "sign" -- he's still with me -- his hammer that he used in his carpentry work, his chalice and paten for communion, his baseball glove and an airplane that reminded me of his love of flying. Though this is the first day of the rest of my life.....it is also a day that I get to treasure the best parts of my past.

After my slight pause to send kisses to heaven, I headed out for my 3-mile run. Taking my phone with me -- just in case I lost my way (lots of new streets and trails here in my daughter's community), I was able to capture the welcome of some Christmas friends...the snowmen, Rudolph, reindeer and penquin, and the reminder of what this season is really all about....the 3 Wise Men. Then quick reminders of where I'm at.....Texas and Cowboy Country! LOL!

Sweet first day, first sights, first run, first FALL! What??? Yes, while I was relishing the sights and sounds of this FIRST DAY....I failed to keep my eyes on the sidewalk with uneven pavement. My foot caught the next section, and BAM, I went down in an amazing array of SPLAT......along with my phone crashing with me on it's face. Cracked phone screen, bloody and scraped knee, elbow and hands. WHAT? How could that happen on a morning filled with such sweet awe and wonder? My serendipitous day suddenly went sour! Right? NOT...on your life! I brushed myself off, finished my run (a little slower than I started), came home and cleaned myself up, and headed to church......where He Who made this "First Day of the Rest of My Life", welcomed me. I recognized Him in the faces of those who attended with me and in the music and in the Word that was spoken. What better place to go to turn a sour day back into a great day!

Yes, we all make plans for the perfect life.....or maybe not even perfect, but good. Then, along comes a bump in the road or a flat tire, or a disagreement with someone dear and life takes a turn SOUTH! We have a choice during those times. We can look for all the things that are WRONG.....or be thankful for all the things in our lives that are RIGHT. Gratitude makes the difference. I was grateful that I was not more seriously injured. I needed a new phone anyway, so that cracked screen guaranteed I'd be getting a new one. I had a home to go home to where I was encouraged. Bottom line....this First Day of the Rest of My Life.....was amazing.....and I'm still here to tell it! I'm excited to see what the Second Day of the Rest of My Life will look like! I'm expecting it to be incredible because God told me so....Jeremiah 29:11 "“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

That's Gotta Hurt!

This photo came up on our timeline a couple of days ago, and many have commented about it. It doesn't take much for my daughter and I to find something hilarious in the midst of a routine day. We posed for this photo at a Pumpkin Patch and of course Staci would caption it "Hmm....that's gotta hurt!" LOL! Good news, it's just a straw scarecrow so it's really not hurting, but what about us? Have you said those words "It hurts so much." Maybe we were actually hurting physically, emotionally, financially, spiritually or some other way. We can share our sad or painfuly story and someone just might say, "That's gotta hurt".

But what if those "gotta hurt" times are part of the Master Plan -- just the "set up" for the "punch line" that is on its way in our lives? I loved hearing Michael Jr. (a Christian comedian who, is hailed as one of today’s most gifted comedians) tell about his "hurting" to living-life-large story. . Michael Jr. got his start when George Wallace took him to the legendary Comedy & Magic Club. The club is the home of Jay Leno and “The Tonight Show” staff. The club’s owner slipped the unknown comic, Michael Jr., onstage to perform. A week later, he was performing at the “Just for Laughs” comedy festival in Montreal where he became the first comedian to ever appear live via satellite on “The Tonight Show.” That performance catapulted Michael’s career. He explained that for years he'd been practicing for this moment. Then one day.....he was ready for the BIG TIME.

He explained that as a kid, he and his friend made a pact to help each other stop cursing. They would punch each other in the chest as hard as they could if they heard each other cursing. "THAT'S GOTTA' HURT!" That made him stop cursing because it hurt too much. And way back then....he was already practicing the "set up" for his "clean" comedy act that would open doors in his future.

He went on to talk about "the things from our past" -- some of those hurtful things -- the bad relationship, dysfunctional family, the divorce, the illness, the loss of a loved one -- are those very things that God uses to catapult us. So we practice and practice and then it's GAME TIME! Our gift will make room for us. A comedian sets up his story or joke, and then a shift happens that goes the opposite direction and that's when the punch line happens. That punch line MAKES the joke. It makes everything make sense. The "That's Gotta' Hurt" times, as well as "Atta Boy!" times -- God uses it all for good......"the punch line".

God is working in our lives. There's some incredible set-ups coming. We must keep practicing right where we are. Practice makes perfect. When that door opens, we'll be able to walk right into the destiny and purpose God planned for us all along.

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11