SEEING THE EXTRAORDINARY

Month: August 2020

  • Today is Enough – GRIEF POST

    Grief is hard.  It just is.  Learning to live without the person you love makes life really difficult.  We don’t often know how it will look or what it will be like.  We also don’t want to find out.  The unknown, the upcoming can be frightening and overwhelming.  When life seems to turn everything upside down and there isn’t a right side up any longer, what do you do?  Where do you go?  What’s next?

    The answer may surprise you…nothing.  Nothing is what is next.  Sure, you have things to do.  There are still details to deal with.  There are papers to sign and things to file.  Your loved one’s clothes are probably still in the closet.  You need to eat and take care of yourself.  But what’s next is up to you…and it can be nothing for today.  In other words, you do not need to worry about how tomorrow looks.  You do not need to stress out about how you will make it without your loved one.  You do not need to focus on how you will move forward in your life.  You do not need to think about any of that.  When you are dealing with grief, you simply need to be.  You do not need to measure yourself against someone else that has lost someone.  You do not need to worry about those people who tell you how long it will take to get over someone.  You do not need to listen to those who want to overwhelm you with advice on where to go and what to do.  You are not required to do any of it.  You are grieving and that is, in itself, enough.  Nothing else is required.  You can free yourself from the normal chores.  Just simply be.  You need to grieve in your way and in your time.

    There is no magic prescription that will alleviate the pain.  There is no timeline that is guaranteed to make things better.  Things will not return to their previous normal.  Your life is forever changed.  And yet, the sun will rise tomorrow.  You will figure your way through the maze.  You will find your way through the journey of grief.  There are many people who can walk with you.  There are friends and family who can support you.  There are groups to help you realize you are not alone.  But ultimately, this is your journey.  The next step and the future ahead will be at your time and your pace.  So be gentle on yourself.  Today is enough.  It is okay to just grieve today.

    There is something I do want you to hear as you begin to travel your grief journey…You are not alone.  I say this often because we forget.  We get caught up and it seems so lonely.  But you are not alone.  You have support.  You are loved.  Beyond all of this (and most importantly), God is with you.  The One who created you, gave you life and breath, and watches over you has not left you.  And he is not about to leave you now.  You can rest in his presence.   You don’t need to do anything for his love.  He offers it because you are his child.  You do not have be presentable in his presence, he knows your heart.  He loves you as you are and will not leave you in your time of greatest need.

    I pray today that you feel his presence.  I pray you are wrapped tight in his love.  And I pray that you know that he will not leave you.  Be gentle, be loved, and just be.  Today’s grief is enough.

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  • Tune In – Devotion 106

    Do you remember having the radio that you had to turn the dial to tune into a station?  Some of you may still have it in your car or as a part of your alarm clock.  There isn’t anything digital about it.  It is all about skill and where you happen to be.  You can flip the dial quickly to get close to the frequency.  But if you really want to hear the station clearly, you had to slow down and very careful move the dial.  It was about getting it just right – too much to the left or right would result in annoying static.  But once you found the station – it was like a celebration and no one dare move it.  You were tuned in.

    I think that we don’t realize the majesty and glory of God around us because we are stuck in the static of life. We miss all that is around us because we see what we want to see.  We experience what we think is there.  We view the world from our perception.  So we are tuned into us rather than the Creator.  I wonder how much we really do miss because we are living in the static of our lives?

    Maybe it is time to slow down enough to fine tune the station.  What do you hear?  What do you smell and taste?  What do you experience in God’s beautiful and majestic creation that you pass by?  What is it that God is speaking to you or showing you?  When you tune in, you may find that this ‘station’ has the most peaceful feeling and is full of lovingkindness and mercy.  You might find God there – are you listening?  Try slowing down and turning the dial just a bit.

    Focus Scripture:

    Psalm 26:2-3

    2 Prove me, O Lord, and try me;
    test my heart and mind.
    3 For your steadfast love is before my eyes,
    and I walk in faithfulness to you.

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    Photos included in Devotions are captured by David Cain – The Cain Gallery.  Photos are available for sale by contacting The Cain Gallery

  • Just Love – Devotion 105

    Leo has a way of capturing our attention.  He loves to whine, which really is annoying.  But for him, it works.  If he whines enough, we will do whatever he is asking.  Most of the time, he just wants us to acknowledge he is there.  He doesn’t really want anything at all.  He has been trained to let us know when he needs to go out by ringing a bell.  That is great until he randomly rings the bell just to see if we will get up and come to the door.  He doesn’t want to go outside.  He just wants to see what we will do.  So you can imagine how much fun it is when he rings the bell and whines at the same time.  It can be a bit much.

    The thing about Leo is that he is so cute.  So you want to be mad for going to the door for the fifth time in a row – and all he wants is your attention.  He then goes and sits down on his end of the couch on his favorite blanket and just looks at you.  Any frustration you have seems to just melt away.

    You can see Leo has us wrapped.  He keeps everyone in check in the house to make sure he is the center of attention.  He gets special treatment because you cannot resist his love.  Leo doesn’t do anything but love us.  He doesn’t buy us presents.  He doesn’t bring any income into the household.  He simply just takes.  But the love he gives is priceless.

    Leo teaches me that love really does change things.  It doesn’t take money or gifts to show someone love.  Sometimes it is simply being present.  Sometimes simply knowing that my attention is valued is enough.  Knowing that when I have had a bad day, Leo is waiting with his tail wagging and his eyes of excitement can change everything.  What might this world look like if we simply loved, no strings attached?  Maybe that’s something to try today.

    Focus Scripture:

    1 Corinthians 13:4-7

    4 Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant 5 or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; 6 it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth. 7 It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

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    Photos included in Devotions are captured by David Cain – The Cain Gallery.  Photos are available for sale by contacting The Cain Gallery

  • After the Storm – Devotion 104

    There is something unique and unusual about the morning after a storm.  During the night, in the cover of the darkness, the winds roar and the winds pour.  There is nothing to do but rest and wait – and pray.  What will remain the next morning is yet to be seen.  As my side of the earth begins to slowly light up, there are the first few moments of investigation.  What happened?  What were the noises I heard when I could not see what was going on?  Did the tree snap?

    As there is illumination, there is also an eerie quiet.  Sure, creation still has its song.  The wind that remains is still swaying the trees.  But there is no storm raging.  There is a quiet that cannot quite be defined.  The anger of the earth has calmed, if just for a moment.  The most difficult has passed.  The clouds continue at speeds unknown – but all is moving on.  For now, there is peace.

    We encounter so many of our personal storms.  We seem to fight what we cannot see and struggle with things we cannot quite define.  It is as if we are struggling in the dark – just waiting for the morning to come.  When it does, things are not as they were.  Yet, there is an unusual peace.  It is a reminder that although there is unrest, God can and will bring a moment to breathe, a moment to simply rest in his peace.  Life will proceed.  Many things change, but we continue to move forward.  We are changed by the storm, if even in a small way.  We are shaped by knowing that God has brought us through yet another.  We are taught to hold on, the morning holds peace.  We begin to trust that the storm will not last forever.

    Whatever storm you may be facing in your life, I pray you can see the peace in the light of morning.  I pray you get a moment to breathe and be renewed.  May you see that God has not left you in the darkest hours but is preparing the light of day for you.  May you find hope in the rise of a new day.

    Focus Scripture:

    Psalm 97:11-12

    11 Light dawns for the righteous,
    and joy for the upright in heart.
    12 Rejoice in the Lord, O you righteous,
    and give thanks to his holy name!

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    Photos included in Devotions are captured by David Cain – The Cain Gallery.  Photos are available for sale by contacting The Cain Gallery

  • Little Surprises – Devotion 103

    Little surprises can bring the biggest smiles.  To know you are thought of and cared about means more than words can express.  It isn’t the big things that often make the most impact.  It is the small gestures in a day.

    For my daughter, Kelli, sunflowers can light up a room.  So anytime we see sunflowers, we make sure to point them out.  A friend sent her an arrangement with sunflowers in it.  They just seem to lift the mood of the whole house.  Yesterday, I went to pick up a bundle of sunflowers.  I thought it would perk up our dining room and also bring joy to Kelli.  While I was there, I picked up a second bundle.  I decided if it could help my house, it could help my office as well.  Why not?  Little surprises can bring big smiles.

    I am always amazed at the things that really make me the most excited.  I love it when someone has thought of me in simple ways.  A couple of days ago, I opened the fridge to a surprise (a good one).  Not only did I have fresh greens and lots of broccoli, but there was a container that had the word “VEGAN” on it.  Kelli had made fresh ranch dip and when she did, she made a special batch just for me.  She marked it so I would know which belonged to me.  It wasn’t something I asked for or expected.  It was just a little surprise that brought a big smile.

    It really comes down to spreading a little kindness in our day.  It is about finding small but meaningful ways to be kind to someone else.  It doesn’t take a lot of thought or effort.  It simply takes a few moments to think of others.  Kindness goes a long way – and it brings big smiles.  Maybe we try a little extra kindness today.

    Focus Scripture:

    Proverbs 21:21

    21 Whoever pursues righteousness and kindness
    will find life and honor.

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    Photos included in Devotions are captured by David Cain – The Cain Gallery.  Photos are available for sale by contacting The Cain Gallery

  • The Invitation

    There are advantages to being small.  When I was a kid, I was really little.  This didn’t pay off in sports, of course.  It didn’t really helped me attract the ladies.  It didn’t make me all that noticeable.  But it did make me really great at hide and go seek.  I guess you have to excel at whatever you can.  I could fit in the most unbelievable places because I was so short and thin.  It wasn’t really a big deal for me to wedge myself into a tight space and win the game.  So as long as I could hide, I was good.  I could stay there for a long time.

    Hide and seek is an interesting game, if we really think about it.  Someone tries to find another person or person(s) that is right in front of them.  Short of giggles or coughs, sneezes or other noises, a person could be right around the corner and no one know.  They are hidden in plain sight sometimes.  Eventually they are found or they stop hiding and just come out.  It gets boring when you hide and no one can find you after quite a while.  I think this childhood game can teach us something from the scripture today.  It is about seeking and finding…the invitation and answering the invitation.

    Isaiah 55:1-9

    Ho, everyone who thirsts,
    come to the waters;
    and you that have no money,
    come, buy and eat!
    Come, buy wine and milk
    without money and without price.
    2 Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread,
    and your labor for that which does not satisfy?
    Listen carefully to me, and eat what is good,
    and delight yourselves in rich food.
    3 Incline your ear, and come to me;
    listen, so that you may live.
    I will make with you an everlasting covenant,
    my steadfast, sure love for David.
    4 See, I made him a witness to the peoples,
    a leader and commander for the peoples.
    5 See, you shall call nations that you do not know,
    and nations that do not know you shall run to you,
    because of the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel,
    for he has glorified you.

    6 Seek the Lord while he may be found,
    call upon him while he is near;
    7 let the wicked forsake their way,
    and the unrighteous their thoughts;
    let them return to the Lord, that he may have mercy on them,
    and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.
    8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
    nor are your ways my ways, says the Lord.
    9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
    so are my ways higher than your ways
    and my thoughts than your thoughts.

    In this reading, Isaiah is talking to the remnant of Israel – those who are left after exile and all that has happened.  They are hungry for something…they are likely discouraged and distraught.  They need encouragement. They need a word from God that reminds them they are not forsaken, not forgotten.  They are not alone.  God speaks life to them with these words.

    Isaiah tells them to seek the Lord.  This is a command we hear more than once in the scriptures.  We are told…seek and you shall find…knock and it shall be opened…ask and you shall receive.  This idea of seeking is not new.  It is familiar.  To seek is active.  It is something we do.  I think the most interesting concept of seeking is that God is not hidden.  He is in plain sight.  Yet, we miss him all the time.  He is not playing hide and seek with us.  He is not hiding, waiting for us to come around the corner.  He is not crouched behind something waiting to come out and shout boo.  God is here.  God is with us.  God is in us and around us.  God is working through us.  God is here.  Yet, we miss him all the time.  I believe we miss him because we are not looking for him.  We miss what he is doing because we are not seeking him.  We may be busy with our own agendas.  We are living our lives so we do not see what he is up to.  We have our own plans and our own goals, so we miss that God is here.  We get in the way of seeing God.  He is not hidden, we just choose not to see.  We make the decision not to acknowledge his presence all around us.

    But the invitation is there.  The invitation to come and see is there.  We are not excluded.  Our sins, our shortcomings, our problems, our greed, our selfishness, our stubbornness may all be a hinderance – but God still offers the invitation.  An invitation means something.  An invitation means that someone wants us there.  They have thought of us for their event.  Our presence is being requested for something important, often quite significant.  There is something going on that someone thought we should be a part.  We are invited.  And over and over again, Isaiah repeats the invitation.  Come and see.  Come and experience.  Come and dine.  Come and be loved.  Come and find out all the God has for you.  Come and take your place at the table.  Come and listen to the goodness of God.

    This is a powerful invitation from the Creator.  It is an invitation to experience God.  We are not excluded.  When we accept the invitation, he cleans us up and gives us all we need to truly live an abundant life.  When we walk through the open door, he has a feast of joy waiting for us.  It is all right before us.

    Don’t misunderstand me, though.  This invitation is not about money or power or earthly gain.  This is an invitation from God.  He has plans that are good and abundant and filled with life.  But earthly treasures don’t mean anything to God.  He has much more important things awaiting.  So the invitation…the seeking…does not result in a bigger house or more money or monetary gain.  The invitation is to something so much more important.  The invitation is to a life of fulfillment by following God.  We are taken care of because we are seeking God.  We experience life in a whole new way because we are seeking and following him.

    The invitation has been issued.  God is right before us waiting for us.  Will you seek and will you follow?  The next move is up to you.  Choose wisely.

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  • Music – Devotion 102

    There is something about an orchestra – the blending of music into a melody that is remarkable.  Different instruments producing notes which come together in a chorus of majesty at the hands of those that are skilled and gifted to play.  If you enjoy the music, you can be transported to a different time and place.  To simply close your eyes and hear the proclamations is relaxing, motivating, and memorable.

    We don’t always get the opportunity to sit and hear the orchestra, though.  We may really enjoy sitting in the hall and taking it all in.  When it isn’t realistic to hear, I invite you to step outside early in the morning after a rain.  You will be surprised.  It is subtle at first.  You may not even recognize what you are walking into.  You may miss that you have walked into the ultimate concert hall.  There is music unlike any other being played.  It isn’t contained on a musical sheet.  It can’t be repeated by instruments or people.  It would be a feeble attempt if we even tried.

    This morning I sit and listen.  It is as if the birds, crickets, and other creatures have gathered together in my back yard to simply sing.  They sing with or without me.  They do not need an audience.  They play for an audience of one – God is the only one they need to play.  I am just a welcome guest that gets to hear by being in the right place at the right time.  There are calls and answers…there are echoes of the same song…there are highs and lows and everything in between.  It may be the most beautiful symphony I have ever heard.  But it takes full focus to hear it all.  Each musician plays her song with such gusto.  Each one has his instrument heard.  Yet, the combination of it all is majestic.  God’s symphony really is the best.

    Today, I invite you to hear.  Hear the chorus of God’s good creation.  Hear all he offers when you simply stop and truly listen.  May you be transported, if just for a moment, into the love of God through his creation.

    Focus Scripture:

    Genesis 8:17

    17 Bring out with you every living thing that is with you of all flesh—birds and animals and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth—so that they may abound on the earth, and be fruitful and multiply on the earth.”

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    Photos included in Devotions are captured by David Cain – The Cain Gallery.  Photos are available for sale by contacting The Cain Gallery

     

  • Giggle – Devotion 101

    I love to hear children giggle.  There is something infectious about their laughter.  I rarely laugh as much as I should as an adult and admire those that do.  When I hear the belly roll laughter, I can’t help but smile.  There is such joy about the tears running down your face when you laugh.  Today – I can’t help but think that God’s creation has a sense of humor too.

    Wendy does not do well with tree frogs.  They are her nemesis.  While I think they are cute and enjoyable, there is nothing the least bit attractive to her.  I see their skill to stick to most anything as quite a gift.  She sees this same skill as frightening and intimidating.  When it rains, we can really hear them outside our back door – the same door that Leo goes out to go to the bathroom.  They hang out by the back door and make noises – the noises frogs make.  I hear it as their song.  She hears them taunting her – laughing at her – daring her to come to the door to let Leo out so they can leap in.  I can’t help but giggle at the sounds.  I think it is even more funny now than ever.  Now when I hear their sounds, I giggle to myself hearing them call Wendy to open the door and let them have fun.  Creation definitely has a way of bringing a smile.

    I have a feeling we don’t smile enough – or laugh enough – or enjoy the good things enough.  We don’t laugh at the sounds of the frogs because we ignore the sounds.  We don’t think of the joys of children laughing because we are busy doing grown up things.  We don’t spend time seeking the goodness and joy in creation because it is hot or we are bored or whatever it is that keeps us from seeing the funny, the interesting, and laughing.

    Today, I hope you find some moments of joy.  I hope that you hear the laughter around you and you simply smile.  May you allow the goodness of God’s amazing creation speak joy to you today.

    Focus scripture:

    Psalm 37:3-4

    3 Trust in the Lord and do good;
    dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.
    4 Take delight in the Lord,
    and he will give you the desires of your heart.

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    Photos included in Devotions are captured by David Cain – The Cain Gallery.  Photos are available for sale by contacting The Cain Gallery