Brighten the Corner

Brighten the Corner

Phil4:11

Hello All ~

I’ve always loved to pretend. As a little girl, my friend Nancy and I used to dress up in long flowing dresses, put on a ladies trio record (Yes, I said a record. I know. I’m old!) and imagine we were performing on a huge stage. One of our favorite songs we’d “sing” went like this:

Do not wait until some deed of greatness you may do,

Do not wait to shed your light afar;

To the many duties ever near you now be true,

Brighten the corner where you are.

We would sing that catchy tune at the top of our lungs, complete with a hairbrush microphone and an ironing board for a piano!

I recently discovered the writer of that song to be a lady on the precipice of a promising career as a public speaker. Her name was Ina Mae Duley Ogdon from Toledo, Ohio. Just as the speaking requests were filling Ina’s mailbox, her father’s health took a turn for the worse. She took her invalid father into her home and cared for him, a responsibility she accepted cheerfully. But because of the new demands on her time, she had no energy left to pursue her speaking career. While people pondered her dilemma and wondered what she would do, Ina saw no predicament at all. From her perspective, turning down the speaking invitations was the simple solution, much to the dismay of her eager listeners.

People like Mrs. Ogdon inspire me. Somewhere she learned that greatness and joy does not come from a large audience or man’s applause. It comes from faithfully fulfilling the post in which God has chosen for you, no matter how obscure and thankless. I long to be a person who can say as Paul does in Philippians 4:11, “I have learned in whatsoever state I am to be content.”

Her life was not her own. She had obviously embraced the position God had given her. I’m sure today in Heaven, she has no regrets for her obedience! Maybe today you and I could concentrate on looking around us to brighten whatever corner we have been assigned.

…so do not sit and idly wish for wider new dimensions

Where you can put in practice your many good intentions

But at the spot God placed you, begin at once to do

Little things to brighten up the lives surrounding you!

Helen Steiner Rice

Hope & Glory! to You ~ Love

Rebecca

Go Figure

Go Figure…

Matthew 7:11

Good Day ~

This morning I did what I do most mornings. I headed out the door to say good morning to Herschel the wonder pup. But he wasn’t in his usual spots. Instantly my antenna went up. It’s not usually a good thing for him when I can’t find him. That means he’s probably not obeying and he’s about to experience a very unpleasant morning. Sure enough, just as I walk outside the garage door, I hear the little jingle of his collar prancing down the steps of the upstairs guest house; a place definitely off limits to the pooch. He loves to go up there when he’s filthy dirty and spy on the neighbors! Go figure. It infuriates me when sneaks up there. He makes a terrible mess. I still haven’t had the courage to tackle the mud bath disaster he created on his last escapade up there.

Instead of greeting my dog with a cheery song and a belly rub, my body tenses, my eyebrows furrow as I bellow out, “Herschel Walker! What are you doing up there. No, no, no! You know you’re not supposed to be up there.” Whether he actually understands why he is in trouble or not, he definitely gets the drift that I am not a happy camper. His initial happy little, “Oh, there you are!” look, turns into a “uh-oh… there you are” look, complete with droopy ears and a very still tail in the downward position.

I spank him, show him up the stairs and repeatedly say the phrase he is most familiar with at this stage in his young life, “No! No! No!”. Then I grab his collar and drag his big furry self into his kennel to reinforce my point.

All that to say, I hate doing that… I wanted the first words I spoke to him to be cheerful and playful, not stern and disciplinary. I felt bad for me and for him. He is a very affectionate dog and he would have enjoyed my playful banter with him. I usually find a way to give him a little special treat or at the least, he wags his tail a lot when I come to talk to him, but not this morning.

It sounds silly, but I couldn’t shake my disappointment in that scenario. He’s just a dog, but I hate that I had to punish him before I even got to say hello. I just wanted to be in sweet fellowship with him. Honestly, it was no sweat off my back that Herschel spent the morning in the kennel. I went about the rest of my routine without a hitch, but I felt sad because I wanted to give him some good things.

I began to think about God. I wonder how many times he feels disappointed that He can’t give me things He’s prepared for me because I won’t obey or listen or maybe worse, I’m not interested. I wonder how many things He must withhold from me to teach me. I love the verse in Matthew 7:11 that says, “If ye then being evil know how to give good things to your children, how much more shall the Father which is in Heaven give good gifts to them that ask Him?” Why do we think that God doesn’t want good for us? If I want good for my dog, how much more must He long for good for us! I sure don’t want my wrong choices to limit His goodness to me, do you?

Hope & Glory! to You ~ Love

Rebecca

My New Best Friend

My New Best Friend

Psalm 25:4&5

Hey All~

The other day I was flying…I mean driving down I-10 and of course I was in the fast lane. All was going well until I caught up to a slow car puttering along in the fast lane…did you hear me, I said, “puttering along in the fast lane.” I would have just gotten over into the other lane to pass him, but apparently all the other cars had the same idea. There was a stream of cars whizzing past him… and consequently past me. I kept thinking, “Does this guy (I’m sure it was a guy) not see all of these vehicles passing him on the right? Why is he not getting over?” Then we reached the top of a hill…

At the bottom of the hill I could see a nice man in a brown outfit and motor cycle with this hairdryer pointing at everyone coming over the top of the peak. As soon as we began to descend the hill the slowpoke driver kindly put on his blinker and moved over to the other lane. Ahem…oh. It dawned on me what he had been doing. Did I say he was a jerk? I meant he was my new best friend….and I was thankful!

I thought about the things in my life. Why is God doing that? Why won’t He fix this or remove that? What is taking Him so long? All He needs to do is…(you fill in the blank, cuz if you’re like me I’m sure you know!) Then one day we understand. We are so thankful God was willing to slow us down or make us upset or disappointed or frustrated for a little while. We see that all along He was protecting us from some unpleasant situations! Much like my new best friend – the slowpoke driver…So be encouraged today about the seeming delays in your life, you never know what’s waiting for you on the other side of that hill!

Psalm 25: 4&5 “Show me thy ways, O LORD, teach me thy paths. Lead me in thy truth, and teach me; for thou art the God of my salvation; on thee do I wait all the day long.”

By the way…I wasn’t going that fast.

Hope & Glory! to You ~ Love

Rebecca

Let 'er Blowwww!!!

Hey Gang ~

The other day I was on a stretch of my walk void of houses. It’s just a winding road at the back of my sub division. I love that stretch because it feels like I’m miles away from the hustle and bustle of life... and it’s pretty. On one side is lush grass lined with a dense patch of trees. The other side has that same lush grass with a 30-acre lake usually occupied by a flock of geese.

On the edge of the grass line near the road, I saw a cheery, little yellow flower. I felt it smiling at me as I passed. I knew no one had planted it there, so I began to think through how it got there. I suppose there could be other explanations, but immediately the wind came to my mind as the most logical answer. I was picturing the scene when a thought hit me about our lives.

Many times the winds of change blow through our lives, shaking things up. Sometimes people we don’t want to let go of are carried off to a different spot. Sometimes it’s us, or our circumstances that are rooted up from our norm. In the end, things are a bit rearranged. And if you’re like me, the natural tendency is to resist the change and resent the wind. But as I saw that bright delicate flower, I was thankful for the wind that dropped it there.

So when we start to feel that breeze hit our cheeks and our hair begins to wisp about – remember- it’s going to be OK. God knows right where we are and right where He wants you to be! “The LORD will perfect that which concerneth me: thy mercy, O LORD, endureth forever: forsake not the works of thine own hands.” Psalm 138:8. He’s not going to be forsaking us anytime in the near future! Never fear. His plan is perfect. He may just be using this wind to plant us in places that He wants us to bloom. So let’er blowwww!!!

Hope & Glory! to You ~ Love

Rebecca

The Power of One...plus 79,999

Hey Everybody ~

The power of one….plus 79,999 other barking Georgia Bulldog fans! (Yes, I said bark. It’s intimidating, I tell you…intimidating. ) That was me last weekend, cheering my best to root my team to victory. Here’s the crazy part...(No, barking is not the crazy part, silly!) Not one person I cheered for heard specifically what I said. In fact they probably couldn’t even hear me at all! But did that keep me from cheering? Is my name Rebecca? On 3^rd down, our defense doing jumping jacks to encourage the crowd to make some noise, I cheered so loud I almost blacked out for lack of air! I couldn’t let those boys down.

Lest you think me wacko, I’m aware of the fact that my cheering doesn’t change the noise factor in Stanford Stadium. If I don’t show up one week, I know the Georgia Nation is not in a state of depression whispering to each other, “Oh no, Rebecca’s not here. It’s just not going to be the same. She makes such a wonderful contribution to our crowd.” Uh…yea, I know that. So, if it doesn’t really matter, why do I insist on bellowing encouragement till my throat is parched and hoarse?

The answer is really quite simple; the privilege of participating, the awesomeness of being a part of something bigger than myself; the magnitude of seeing the power of one… plus one, plus one etc…That’s why I do it.

I needed that visual this weekend. I’ve been struggling with feelings of insignificance in the body of Christ. I desire to be used mightily by God, to make a huge impact in society. But I’ve been running into Reality lately. Recently I heard it knocking at my heart’s door. Reluctantly I peered out the peephole hoping to see, “Clever Claire”, “Blow Your Sox Off” and “Talented Tootsie” begging me to unite with them. Instead, I found, “Average Joe, Plain Jane and Nothing Fancy” smiling politely. They had come to invite me to join them in their efforts to impact the world for Christ. Seems I didn’t exactly qualify for the first group. Honestly I felt pretty bummed. I started to grasp the reality that I will not take the world by storm with my ingenious ideas or spellbound the masses with my communication skill. So…what to do now? Enter the scene at Stanford Stadium.

No one could single me out or praise me for my cheering abilities that day, but I didn’t care. Then it hit me like stage lights illuminating a dark set. It was just a privilege to be there! And so it is in ministry. Suddenly the view shifted from worrying about how many people I was affecting, to just being thankful for every opportunity I am given to share and minister. Wow. What a relief. What a new outlook. What a privilege to participate in ministry, no matter what role I play! What an awesome gift to be a part of something bigger than myself. What a breathtaking experience to witness the magnitude of the power of one… plus one, plus one…

I’m quite challenged by the story in Matthew 25 about the man that hid the one talent given to him. (Notice the guy acknowledged the talent belonged to the master – so the talents I’ve been given belong to the Master, not me) I don’t want to make the same mistake he made. I want to take every chance I’m afforded, just to be a part! Whatever my hand finds to do, I will do it with all my might. Yes, I will do it with all my might…ahhh…Go God!

Hope & Glory! To You ~ Love

Rebecca

Pleeeeazzzz!

Hi Dee Ho Girls ~
I had planned ahead. My clothes were ironed. My hair washed and my bed made. If I kept up this pace I’d make it to my appointment on time. Maybe not such a big deal to you, but being on time is an occasion to be celebrated in my life! Feeling pretty good about my progress I proceeded to the final step in the routine; getting dressed. I love pajamas too much to take them off any sooner than necessary, so I always save dressing till the end. Just as I was securing the last button on my shirt, the crazy thing slipped off and I heard it hit the dresser. Ah, nuts! I dropped to my knees realizing the button must be close by. I searched frantically, but couldn’t find it anywhere! I reluctantly abandoned my search to pick out another outfit. I made it to the appointment, but all day this nagging sensation to find that button plagued my subconscious. It was such a mystery to me. I knew it had to be there. It’s not like buttons can just get up and walk off, or hide away so they can get a kick out of watching you -all sprawled out on the floor looking for them.
It wasn’t until the next day that I was finally able to give ample time to the search and rescue operation. I had a plan to find the pesky thing and I would...even if it killed me. I grabbed another button, stood in the same spot and dropped it - causing it to hit the dresser – hoping it would lead me to where the other button was hiding. I know it kind of sounds like a smart plan, except I chose a fabric button, much bigger and less elusive than my delicate shell button. Once again I found myself face down, my rear end pointed high, searching...hopelessly. It was in this lovely position that I finally said, “God! I know you know where that wretched button is. You know and I know it has to be here somewhere. Pleeeeeazzzz...help me find it.”

~I need to interrupt this story to let you know that God and I have been having some interesting conversations lately.~
See, I know God loves me. I know He will perfect that which concerns me, but it feels like He’s turned His head
and is more interested in other people’s lives than mine. I know that’s not true, but I said that’s what it
feels like... Just that morning I had asked Him to please give me a new song. I have lots of songs
about me & Him, but they’re old...things from the past. I craved a new one - like
described in Psalm 98:1. OK back to the story....

As soon as those words fled my lips, I glanced up sideways and smack dab in the middle of the rug sat my new nemesis as plain as a lightening bug on a dark night!
Now... I can’t prove this, but there is NO WAY that thing had been there the whole time! It was less than a foot from where I’d been standing. I had scoured that floor duplicate times. Bottom line is this. Whether God blocked my eyes from seeing it (Can’t imagine how being it was in plain sight) or God literally shooed it out of obscurity - either way - God gave me a new song. Not the song I had been looking for – one with an “ahha” moment answering my questions - but a new song none the less. I still have the same frustrations, but today I know God has not turned His head. He’s not forgot about me! Good news – no matter what you feel – He’s not turned His head to you either. “Sing unto the Lord a new song for He has done marvelous things!” Do you have one? Why not ask God for one and see what happens
Hope & Glory! To You ~ Love

Rebecca

What! How did he know?

Hey Everyone ~
I’m supposed to be an actress, right? I should be able to transform myself into another character regardless of whether or not I agree with or like what that character embodies. Well…apparently I’m not a very good one – at least not in real life.

For several weeks now I’ve felt – how shall I say it – out of sorts, off kilter, like I’m pulling a loaded wagon down a dirt road…and it’s missing a wheel. I’m wearing a dress and my red heels, trying not to sweat and act like all is fine…really – see me laughing and smiling, haha! hee hee…

I thought everyone was buying it, until a guy doing some work @ my house says, “Ms Rebecca, are you a little stressed today?” His statement sent a jolt through my skin. What? How can he tell? Everyone else seemed to be buying it. How did he know?”

You know what? I don’t know how he knew. (I give him the perception award though! And he’s a guy on top of that!) But the point is – I was stressed and it was affecting my relationships.

Here is what I discovered. Although life has been a little hectic the last month, it’s really nothing compared to other times in my life. But there has been one huge difference – no Sabbath rest in several weeks. Oh yes, many great moments; mission trips, conferences, good Bible reading, long talks with friends and my husband, but no chunk of quality quiet with my God. And that, my friend, was my problem…well, and I desperately needed a nap!

You feeling stressed by any chance?! Maybe like me, you need to carve out several minutes to pour out your heart to the God of the universe. The One who makes the sun to shine and gravity to keep our feet on the ground; the One who makes sure there is enough oxygen in the air for all of us to take as many deep breathes as we want. The One who knows exactly when you sit and when you lie down, Who counts your hairs and loves your smile. I know I needed it. My circumstances haven’t really changed all that much, but my stress level has! “Casting all your cares upon Him for He cares for you”. Believe it baby, and rest!

Hope & Glory! To You ~ Love
Rebecca