The Feather: A Symbol of High Honor

Yesterday, I was drawn again to all the geese that abound in my community. Not before the last couple of days did I notice so many of their feathers all around the grounds. I gathered enough molten feathers for a feather bouquet. My research found that Native American culture believes that all things possess an inherent virtue, power, and wisdom. For example, the feather signifies a connection between the Creator and the feather of the bird that lost it. It symbolizes trust, honor, strength, wisdom, power, and freedom. It is deeply revered.

My feather bouquet is symbolic to who I desire to be – a woman of trust, honor, strength, wisdom, power, and freedom. I also learned that Native American warriors were awarded a feather when they won a battle or were particularly brave in war. When a feather falls to the earth, it is believed to carry the bird's energy, and perceived as a gift from God.

No wonder I was drawn to pick up those feathers. They were a gift to me from the geese and God. I read that they shed their feathers because they are dead structures, like our hair or nails and are made of the same ingredient, the protein keratin. That means when they get damaged, they can’t heal themselves. They have to be replaced and that's called molt. Molt keeps birds in top flying condition. Timing is everything in molting so they avoid other periods of high energy demands, like nesting or migration. So, there you have it – my biology lesson on molting.

Timing is everything for us, too. What about this timing of stay-at-home and focusing more inward than outward? Are we in a time when God is causing our "dead feathers" to be replaced like the molting process when birds get a new look and so they will be in top flying condition?

Maybe we need that process to get rid of the old, broken, worn, damaged areas of our lives that cause old, broken, damaged thinking? Just as those geese don’t stubbornly hold on to their dead feathers, so we shouldn’t hold on to the unnecessary weights of negativity that have clung on way too long in our lives. I am so ready to move on to a new season from the old one that was filled with stinking thinking, poor self-image, mistakes made, regrets and disappointments to the new feathers that symbolize our connection between our Creator -- whereby our new feathers are those of trust, honor, strength, wisdom, power, and freedom.

Oh, how God longs to empower and strengthen us to be able to take flight from all those things that have held us earth-bound and weary. “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.” Isaiah 43:18,19

God longs to help us let go. All we have to do is go to Him in prayer and ask Him to shine His light on any thoughts, circumstances, habits or other “dead feathers” we might be clinging to. My prayer is that we let go of anything that would hinder a fresh relationship with God, with our family, with our brothers and sisters as children of God. I’m determined to “let go” and let God have His way in me. I’m looking for some new feathers! How about 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)

MY Mercies are New Every Morning

I wish that those words were my words. I mean MY mercies. I read this scripture: “The faithful love of the LORD never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is His faithfulness; His mercies are new every morning.” Lamentations 3:22-23. I know those words are so true. I know His faithful love, His fresh mercy each morning. But, then there’s ME! What about my love, my faithfulness, my mercy to others? I want MY faithful love, MY faithfulness and MY mercies for others to never end.

I’ll admit it. My love, faithfulness and mercies falter. Sometimes I’ll get bugged because there are no cashiers in all those cashier lines and I’m standing in a long line at the only one line that is open. Then there's the lawn sprinklers that are aimed at the street more than their lawn and my clean car gets hit. And, the McDonald's drive-thru leaves out the fork and napkin for my pancakes as I drive home from Tulsa and I have to use my fingers! Argh! Sometimes I’ll get aggravated at a driver who cuts in between me and another car and I almost hit him. And, then yesterday, the engine light came on my car again, after it was in the shop all day, the day before. I had to take it in again -- another day for not getting all my errands done. To top it off, I need MY mercies for me, who is oftentimes my biggest challenge. Oh that MY mercies were new every morning!

I sincerely desire to be like Jesus. He set the example for us in the love, faithfulness and mercy departments. Clearly, that’s why God set Him as our role model. He modeled how to do it. God daily invites us to come and sit with Him and His Word (His "how to" manual) to learn about His Son’s countless ways of never-ending love, faithfulness, and mercies.

Sometimes we’re overridden with guilt about our lack of performance. We turn down His invitation to meet Him at the watering (Living Water) well. Maybe you’re familiar with some of these thoughts: “It’s been so long since I’ve sat down with my Bible. I can’t remember the last time I prayed for more than a few hurried minutes. Who am I to ask God to speak to me?”

But how wrong to think those thoughts. God isn’t keeping a spiritual scorecard to see when we deserve the right to sit in His presence and feast on His Word. His invitation has nothing to do with our performance and everything to do with His mercies and desire to fill us with His wisdom and encouragement.

My heart is overwhelmed by the example that God gives to us. His mercies are unending. And He extends a fresh, grace-filled invitation for us to draw close to Him each and every morning. His eyes are brimming with hope that we’ll accept His invitation afresh today. He knows the more we lean in closer to Him, the more we’ll become like Him. That’s my prayer today.

Make me more like You, Jesus. Give me a heart that’s filled with love AND mercy, and make me more like You! A merciful heart like yours each and every morning. Lord, have MERCY!

Happy NEW Year -- NEW is the Word of the Day

I was checking in with Headquarters (God – my CEO) on what my assignment for 2018 would be, and the message I received was "Word of the Day”. My blogging began in 2010 and it started with daily posts that spoke of the faithfulness of God during our roller coaster ride that sure had its ups and downs in it. That was the year my Sweetheart battled Stage 4 Kidney Cancer until he received his "eternal" ticket to ride to his finish line, and go to his home sweet home. In any case, it was the NEW beginning of my blogging and daily posting on Facebook.

The next year, 2011, I asked God for my NEW “widow’s” assignment, still desiring to serve God in the best way I knew how, and I received the words ‘’This is your mandate – every day provide a positive, uplifting and encouraging message the first thing in the morning so that others will have those thoughts to hold onto in their new day.” So, here I am, starting my ninth year of blogging, and I still love greeting each new day with words that have the potential of altering the course of someone’s otherwise negative start or finish to their day. Since the beginning, I’ve received all kinds of encouraging comments from my friends and family – you know who you are! God bless you for being my cheerleaders! From that time to this – I’ve purposed to post before 6 a.m. every morning – only adjusting if I’m in a location that doesn’t permit easy access to Wifi. A few years later, 2015 to be exact – my assignment was to find a photo inspiration for each day and to write my post based on that photo.

Now – with 2018 ahead of me, the message I received from Headquarters, is what I’ll be doing – seeking God for 365 words for 365 days of 2018. I’m making a conscious choice to focus on ONE word for each day – and I hope and pray the words God gives me are THE WORDS that will encourage you and give you added fuel for your daily faith journey. This year starts with the word, “NEW”.

There is just something about the start of a NEW year -- with a NEW journal or a NEW calendar. It's a clean slate. There’s something in us that naturally draws us toward fresh beginnings. 2017 was a doozey of a year for many its end brings the hope of a NEW start. I’m sure God engineered us for do-overs – fresh starts. Why would I start this year with NEW? Because even God seems to think new starts are pretty sweet. Here are some of God's "NEW" words from His WORD (the Bible), to help us enter into 2018 with a NEW beginning.

~~~ GOD MAKES US NEW: "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a NEW creation: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become NEW." 2 Corinthians 5:17

~~~ GOD GIVES US NEW SONGS OF PRAISE. “He put a NEW song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God." Psalm 40:3

~~~ GOD MAKES NEW WAYS FOR US “I am doing a NEW thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.” Isaiah 43:19

~~~ GOD’S MERCIES ARE NEW EVERY MORNING. "The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; His mercies never come to an end; they are NEW every morning; great is your faithfulness." Lamentations 3:22-23

We have a NEW year to be the best versions of ourselves that we can possibly be; NEW potential for achieving our goals; NEW clean slate to start fresh to show ourselves and others that we are a finisher – not a quitter; New will to overcome; NEW desires to trust God in the sun and in the rain; NEW goals to break OLD habits. It's time to begin again with NEW expectations of great NEW adventures and blessings up ahead. But most importantly to write some NEW stories that leave a NEW legacy for those who are following us -- a legacy of "I can" and "I will"!!

I’ve already started on my NEW chapter. At the end of 2018....I'll glance back at the victories won and the many, many NEW doors that opened up for me to great NEW opportunities! Today, I close the door to the past, open the door to the future, I take a deep breath, step on through and start a NEW chapter of my life. How about you?

It's a New Dawn, a New Day, a New Life & I'm Feeling Good!

Okay, I admit it.....I AM a morning person. When I wake up, I don’t feel the need to pull the blanket over my head and long for just a few more minutes in bed. In fact, I don't even need an alarm clock -- mine is built-in -- usually, right on time between 6:00 am and 6:30 am. I like to get up, get my thermal mug of coffee, post my morning FB message, and enjoy a few precious quiet moments at the beginning of the day before the phone starts ringing and my daily responsibilities begin.

And, also, (most of the time) I start my day in a state of joy and happiness. I love the feel of a new day, with all the potential of new opportunities and moments to enjoy. I love Michael Buble's rendition of this song: “It’s a new dawn; It’s a new day; It’s a new life, for me, and I’m feeling good!”

Here's the Bible's take on that: "Because of the LORD’s great love, we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning;
great is Your faithfulness." Lamentations 3:22-23 These verses say it's possible to start each new day with a fresh beginning -- clean slate. God promises that His great love for us and unfailing compassion (or mercies, as some translations put it) are new every morning. So, whether we are a morning songbird, or a night owl, the point is that everyday is a brand new day with God. So, say: "Good-bye YESTERDAY, with all your mistakes and worries and fears, and good morning, TODAY, with the opportunity for NEW LIFE!"