Tag: inspiration

How Do I Smell?

Smells, aroma,

We didn’t have to see the dead skunk on the side of the road to know it was there. The stench remained with us even after we’d passed by.

Another day we were walking along a sidewalk in an unfamiliar town when the mouth watering aroma of freshly baked bread drew us closer. Before we knew it our noses led us right to the bakery. Of course we had to go in and discover for ourselves if the taste was as good as the smell. It was!

These are two extreme examples, it I’m sure you get the message. Smells matter. Some, like the skunk make me want to get as far away as possible. Others, like fresh baking invite me closer.

This reminds me that I need to be aware that my attitude and the words I speak also have a distinctive smell.

When I display love and understanding, my life has a pleasing aroma to others. If, on the other hand, I exhibit anger, resentment, complaining and gossip, my stinky attitude will cause people to stay as far away from me as possible.

Even when faced with life’s challenges, I need to be aware of this and stop to ask myself, “How do I smell today.”

My Red Sea Experience

God, inspiration, miracles,
Bay of Fundy at low tide

I experienced one of the most profound moments of my life while on vacation this summer. My husband and I were at the Bay of Fundy and saw the bay full of water at high tide. At low tide we were able to walk amid the rocks and shells on the ocean floor.

This experience moved me to tears. At first I couldn’t understand why it was having such a deep impact on me.

The farther out I walked, the more I thought of the biblical story where God parted the waters of the Red Sea. The Israelites faced certain doom from the Egyptians pursuing them. God intervened and saved them by dividing the sea to enable them to cross on dry land. He then closed the waters, destroying their pursuers. First came trust in God to do the seemingly impossible, then came the miracle that saved them.

God, Inspiration, rescue
Bay of Fundy at high tide

Walking on the sand in this bay that was filled with water just a short time earlier, reminded me of the times God has done something miraculous and unexpected in my life. He may have saved me from self-destructive behaviour or other dangers, but I know when I come to Him in complete faith and trust, He will take care of me. He always has and always will.

The visit to the Bay of Fundy was a powerful reminder of my personal Red Sea experiences.

“And as for you, lift up your staff and extend your hand toward the sea and divide it, so that the Israelites may go through the middle of the sea on dry ground.” (Exodus 14:16 NET)

Added Delay

Inspiration, God, patience

My husband and I were driving on the busiest highway in Canada, the 401 in the Greater Toronto Area. Our GPS kept saying things like, “Seven minutes of delay have been added to your route” or “Twelve minutes of delay have been added to your route.”

We already knew it was busy, with six to nine lanes of traffic headed in the same direction! After an hour of this, stop and go was becoming commonplace. We joked that at this rate we might still be sitting there the next day.

Flo (as in ‘go with the flow’), our GPS was being very generous with the delays she kept giving us. We chose not to let these messages bother us. As long as we were moving forward, no matter how slowly, we knew we would eventually reach our destination. The timing may not be what we had hoped for, but we would get there.

Isn’t that the way of life? I encounter unexpected delays and am frustrated at my lack of progress. What I fail to appreciate is that I am still moving forward. Unlike the GPS, I have no idea how much time is being added to my journey. A delay doesn’t mean the end of the road. My goal may be just around the next corner, so one step at a time, I will keep moving.

 

Alternate Routes

Inspiration, God, guidanceDo you ever doubt where your GPS is taking you? My husband and I were in that situation recently. An incident on our route caused us to change direction. We wondered where it was taking us as we encountered twists and turns and seemed to be going in the wrong direction. It was so easy to get turned around and lose our way.

This was only one of several times we doubted where we were being taken. Sometimes the route took us off of the major highways and along bumpy side roads. We complained bitterly that this couldn’t be right. Where were the smooth roads we thought we’d be taking?

Farther on, we may discover why this was the case, while other times we were left wondering. What I do know is that we discovered some beautiful scenery on these roads less travelled. Things we would not have seen or experienced otherwise. Maybe that was reason enough.

Life is like that. Everything seems to be going along smoothly and then I have an unexpected detour. I find myself on a bumpy road and lose my sense of direction. Confused, I cry out to God, “Why is this happening? Where are you taking me?”

These are not the right questions. I know from experience the Lord is faithful. Everything I go through has a purpose. So, when I find myself thrown off course, the better question to ask is, “How can this be used to bring God glory?”

Yellow Brick Road

Inspiration, adventure, travel
Not the yellow brick road

On our travels this summer, my husband and I passed a street sign for Yellow Brick Road.  When I pointed it out, he asked if we should see where it led. I quickly assessed the distance we still needed to travel that day before saying, “No.”

My phone was charging so I wasn’t even able to take a picture of the sign.

For days afterward I was upset with myself. If I learned anything from the movie, The Wizard of Oz, it was to follow the yellow brick road!

I had the chance but didn’t take it. We were far from home and not going to be passing that way again so the opportunity was forever lost.

i wonder how many opportunities I’ve missed because I was focused on somewhere else I thought I needed to be. The only way I can create value in this is to be aware of and willing to follow the roads that are of interest to me. Who knows what adventures I may find?

Now I ask you to please do me a favour. If you are in the vicinity of Thunder Bay, Ontario and see the sign for Yellow Brick Road, please follow it and let me know where it took you.

 

Honouring Family Heritage

#inspiration, family, heritageI have a granddaughter who plays the snare drum in a Pipe and Drum band. It was a thrill to watch her playing as she marched in a local parade. Parents, siblings, grandparents, aunt, uncle and cousins all gathered along the parade route and cheered as she marched by in full Scottish attire.

My father would have loved this. He had a fondness for these bands. When I was a young girl, I was in a parade with my Brownie pack. My dad was given the task of taking photos. There may have been one or two of me but the majority were of the pipe and drum band! He would have been so proud to see a family member taking part in this activity. The only way it could have pleased him more would have been if she’d been playing the bagpipes!#inspiration, God, heritage, family

Another granddaughter does Highland dancing. We have watched her in various competitions over the past year. The intricate foot movements and the swirl of her kilt show her dedication to Scottish traditional dances.

My husband was born and raised in Scotland. If I trace my family history back several generations, I also come across Scottish ancestors. We appreciate the desire of these girls to honour their heritage.

It also reminds me that as a child of God, I should be involved in activities that reflect this heritage. Do I honour God by spending time with him? Do I follow his example of loving my neighbour? Am I generous with my time and resources?

God loved me enough to call me His child and make me a member of His family. As such, my actions should reflect this heritage.

See how very much our Father loves us, for he calls us his children, and that is what we are! (1 John 3:1 NLT)

You are members of God’s family. (Ephesians 2:19 NLT)

The Jay

#inspiration, nature, Jay, river
photo by Lynn J. Simpson

Today’s guest blogger is Lynn J Simpson

He sits perched on the floating branch fallen from one of the maple trees that line the river bank. I watch from my own perch, where I’ve come to be in a place where I often come, to slow a mind that has got caught up in its own whirl of thoughts like a river eddy.

But decisions and worries continue to swirl through my mind. Then I gaze at the Jay’s presence, see it’s still wings while it sits upon its perch. And my mind finally stills.

I watch and wait, light sounds of the river’s water and the rustling of tree branches above me, from winds unseen grace my senses.

My eyes follow the Jay as it takes it flight, flies from its perch that has become unsteady in the moving waters. The Jay flies up and up, finally resting in a Manitoba Maple tree’s branch that, I see, points west attached to a trunk that is sturdy and steady.

I rise from my own perch, steadying myself on the uneven turf with the help of reaching a hand against the sturdy tree that resides beside me.

I steady with the knowing that no matter when life seems as unstable as a branch on rushing river waters, I can find even ground again. I just need to take responsibility for my life and fly.

Lynn J Simpson is a writer who is rarely without camera in hand, capturing Breathing Spaces moments to share. She’s published two journals to help people create healthy mind-sets and is a Certified Professional Life Coach. A mom, a grandma, and explorer, Lynn loves to capture life’s journeys through writing and photography. You can find her at InspiringHopeInYou.com

 

Lessons for an On-Time Girl

#inspiration, #God, guidance, time
image from pixabay

Todays guest post is by Carolyn R. Wilker

Getting up in the morning seemed hard for me during high school years. The days often felt long—an hour bus ride beginning and end of the day, then farm chores or sibling care, and two hours of homework. My energy often flagged by the end of the week, and I could barely get out of bed.

Mom was up each morning to get our breakfast ready. My sisters and I only had to sit down and eat before catching the bus. Mom even set the kitchen clock five minutes fast. Enter a recurrent dream about missing the school bus, always near the end of summer.

In the dream, I’d be part way out our country lane, and the school bus would come. Usually the driver saw us coming, and he’d wait, but in the dream, the driver never saw us, and he’d go right by. I could never run fast enough.

One school morning, I hit the snooze button once too often and really did miss the bus. Dad would take me, but I’d have to wait until he was ready. He got me there in time, enough to grab books from my locker and get to my first class.
It took only once to realize how that extra ten minutes of sleep messed with my day. I had to make the effort to be up on time—that was my responsibility.

We can ask God for help, yet we need tomake an effort too. Solomon asked for direction to rule his kingdom (1 Kings 8); he still had to do the hard work to make it happen. In the same way, we can ask for guidance, then we must set our mind and body to the tasks before us.

Carolyn R. Wilker is an author, editor and storyteller from Ontario. Reading came easily in primary school, and she was hooked on books and words.https://www.carolynwilker.ca/

Putting it Together

#inspiration, puzzles, TetrisHave you ever played Tetris? This video game has various shaped tiles which descend on your screen and you need to manipulate them so they fit together. That’s a very simple explanation, but I’m sure many of you have played or know of this game.

I am a fan on hands-on rather than computer games so was pleased to find a wooden version of this puzzle.

My eleven-year-old grandson was happy to be the first to sit down with the challenge. Before long he had successfully completed the puzzle. I was impressed when twice more he fit random pieces together with the same positive result.

Each time he finished, the design of the coloured blocks was different. This gave me hope that since there was obviously more than one solution, I might be able to put it together as well.

Then the scene in front of me changed. Rather than going by instinct, my grandson studied the pieces and created intricate patterns. When he was left with one or two pieces that didn’t fit, he was confused and frustrated. The first few times had been so easy that he couldn’t understand what had gone wrong.
This boy is a thinker so started over again, carefully planning each piece of the puzzle. It still didn’t work. Unfortunately, this was repeated again and again, becoming more difficult each time.

The lesson I learned from watching him is not to over think a situation. My initial instincts are usually correct. When I constantly second guess myself I end up unable to complete even a simple task.

Paralysis by analysis never works out to my benefit.

Fires Burning

#inspiration, encouragement, #JesusI am drawn to campfires. Sometimes I roast marshmallows and other times I am content just to sit near and appreciate the beauty a fire has to offer. I like to watch the flames lick and dance and when they have burned down, I’m enthralled with the glow of the embers.

Our eleven-year-old grandson, Logan, also has a love of campfires. Unlike me, he is not content to sit idly beside one. Instead, he wants to tend the fire, turning over and rearranging the burning logs.

He joined us for a fire recently and, poker in hand enjoyed rearranging the burning pieces of wood. When the flames died down, he used his poker to break up the glowing embers and move them away from the rest of the fire.

It didn’t take long before the glow left these embers, making them look like lumps of coal. Logan commented on this and we told him to move the dark pieces of charred wood close to the larger ones still showing the red and orange of fire within. Pieces recently removed ignited quickly; ones that had grown cold took a little longer. Some needed to be completely surrounded by the pieces with fire still alive inside them. Eventually, all of them burned brightly again.

I have had experiences where the flame of passion for life has died down. Just as an ember removed from the fire grows cold, the same happened to me when I distanced myself from other believers. I discovered the colder I became, the longer it took to reignite my spark.

This is a good reminder to surround myself with positive, encouraging people. Together we can fan the flames of potential each of us carries. As followers of Jesus, we can be the spark that points others to His love and light.

(Jesus said) “For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.” (Matthew 18:20 NIV)

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