From the Bleachers...

If someone asked me to weigh out the pros and cons of my daily commute, I would have to say that the pros greatly outweigh the cons. Yes, the traffic can get overwhelming and frustrating. Some days the amount of time I spend on the road seems a bit ridiculous. And the wear and tear and mileage I put on my car is quite depressing. (But that's why I purchased a Honda!)


But even with all of that, I have the blessing of seeing the amazing sunrises, and the time spent in my car is a perfect opportunity to reflect on life and some of the lessons that go along with it. A few weeks ago I was flooded with thoughts and emotions in regards to a Saturday afternoon in the bleachers at my son's game.


More often than not, I seem to get so caught up in the "moments" that I miss the message that God is more than likely trying to teach me...


Nick had a game against their biggest rival and greatest threat in the league, Sutter. Who I have personal "issues" with and would have liked nothing more than for River Valley to beat the heck out of them. Unfortunately, that didn't happen and RV suffered its first and only loss of the season.


I knew that Nick wouldn't see much playing time that weekend. It is the first year he's played football, and even though he's a big kid, he lacks the experience. But he IS learning! Anyway, our friends Heather and Bob came to the game to support the Junior Falcons and Heather had Bob all up to speed so that he knew to look for the #67 on the field.


As we wheeled him up to the bleachers, I was impressed with the instant willingness some of the fans displayed. Although it would have been a lot easier to carry Bob up the steps and collapse the wheelchair, two men each grabbed an end and carried him up while he was sitting in it. This was quite the sight...and then I felt bad for not being smarter with the strategy. Then we discovered an actual wheelchair lift at the end of the bleachers, so we really felt stupid! :)


The entire game, Bob was shouting out random chants: "Hi Nick!" (while waving), "Go Nick! Run!!!" "Get the ball, Nick. RUN!!!" "You can do it Nick!" The best part was listening to him cheer while Nick was standing on the sidelines. It was the cutest thing in the world. Nick's new #1 fan! Heather even bought Bob a River Valley t-shirt which he proudly displayed!


Picture this... someone sitting in the stands, cheering for you with all their heart. Shouting encouragement even when you're idly standing on the sidelines. Yet Nick couldn't hear Bob's little 3 year old voice over the other fans and cheerleaders.


...Can you imagine our God standing high above us while we go through our daily routines, proudly wearing a t-shirt that signifies we're on the same team, and shouting, "Go! Run!! You can do it!!!" ...even on those days we don't feel like we're seeing much game time, or on the days when we feel so "alone" with no support or encouragement? Crazy concept, isn't it? And maybe even a little hard to grasp? Some days we can't hear Him...and how easy it is to "forget" that He's still there.

Enter in the second lesson that God used little Bob to teach me that weekend.


It was time for him to take some of his pain medicine, and he wanted absolutely nothing to do with it, and I DO mean NOTHING! He squirmed around so much that I thought he was going to slide right off the bleachers! Bucking his head, lips squeezed together as tight as they could possibly be. We tried bribery, but you could have offered him a year's pass to Disneyland and he wouldn't have opened his mouth to take that pill! (I quickly remembered the days of cold medicine and fighting those battles with my own kid!) After about ten minutes (I may be exaggerating a little) Heather was able to all but force it in his mouth but he was NOT happy about it, at all.

I can't even begin to count the number of times in which I have been so strong-willed that in certain situations, no matter how "good" for me it was, I would not have anything to do with someone else's advice. Many times it was my way and there was nothing anyone could say or do to me that would change my mind. Why? Is it our will, our pride, fear of becoming hurt more than we already have been?


...Don't you think that we wiggle around and argue with God about "what's best" more often than we should? He lays it all out for us throughout Scripture, in black and white yet we seem to find every excuse imaginable to justify our own reasoning, which is usually irrational and sometimes even unhealthy.


And then there came lesson #3 which almost brings me to tears just thinking about it. Little Bob recently had a cast removed from his wounded leg a few days prior to the game. I had seen the scar the day he had the cast removed but he must have forgotten about that because as soon as his mommy reached down to "adjust" the bandage he began wiggling all over again. He did not want his scar exposed for anyone around to see. He looked at me with his little finger pointed in my face and very adamantly said, "Turn around...look the other way. You can't see this." I tried to remind him that I had already seen it, which was a really stupid remark to say to a three year old with an attitude! :)

I have grown to love this little guy. Everything about him...especially his cute little attitude! But I, too know what it's like to have physical, visual, and emotional scars and blemishes that are blatantly obvious and cause tremendous insecurities.


God knows about them, too. Yet He looks at them and loves us in spite of them. Why? Because He can showcase His redemptive healing and power. He doesn't want them to go away and we shouldn't either because they are there for a reason. To serve as reminders of the wounds that are healed. The remnants of scars will always tell stories and we should always remember the blessings behind them.

My Monday "Work-Day" Surprise

So I was sitting at my desk yesterday, on the phone when one of my co-workers stood over my desk with this antsy look on his face. We made eye contact and communicated via hand gestures. He wanted to know if I had my camera. I ended the phone call and he said that as he was leaving for deliveries he noticed this falcon perched on the fence eyeing some prey. I grabbed my camera, more or less to amuse him but ended up being awestruck at what I witnessed. Here was this bird, sitting on a fence preparing for battle.

He jumped off the fence and began sifting through this shrub. After a few brief seconds he had chased whatever it was out and was headed straight toward where I was standing.

He looped back around and landed on top of another post but didn't lose sight of his intended lunch...

I glanced down at the sidewalk and almost cried. Here was this poor little bird, and not just any bird, but a cute little gold finch. It was obvious he had wounded him. I expressed myself with my friend Nate, telling him how awful I thought all of this was. His comeback was, "It's all a part of nature. This is like "National Geographic" in Del Paso Heights!" I know it's all a part of "nature" but why couldn't he be after a sparrow, or a blackbird? Why choose one of the most beautiful birds to attack? Thankfully, the little guy scurried under another shrub with his wounded wing. (At least that's what I'm telling myself because I surely didn't stick around long enough to witness the end of the story...)

On my way home from work today, I couldn't stop thinking about this whole ordeal. And then, this thought occurred to me.

How many times does Satan prey on the wounded? The ones that are hurting, weak, broken, vulnerable, lonely, and lost... The ones that don't know there are people standing on the sidelines who know about the hope, and the rescue. The ones that silently whisper, "Run...you can do it. Fight back. There's a way out!" But don't speak.

How many times have you been the gold finch? Thinking that the end is near. You have met your demise, that it's only a matter of moments before Satan attacks, and you just don't have the energy to fight back... And sadly, sometimes, you don't feel as if anyone is standing in your corner to encourage you...to help you...to care for you.

And how may times have you been the one on the sidelines. Knowing...but not reacting?

I should have walked up and punched that falcon in the beak. I should have walked over to the helpless little finch, picked it up and carried it to safety. But I didn't. Why?

Is Satan bigger than our God? Um...hardly.

I've been digging into the Old Testament the past few weeks which is something that has always been a challenge for me! I think (for me anyway) it's a difficult thing to read about God's anger. But there are some GREAT pieces of Scripture in the Old Testament and I am so disappointed in myself for not being disciplined enough to have the opportunity to discover it prior to now!

Exodus 23:22 says "I will fight all who fight against you." How can you NOT be encouraged by that?! Another one that really got me fired up was this one taken from 2 Chronicles 13:12. "Don't fight against the Lord, the God of your ancestors, because you won't succeed." That is GREAT stuff!!! I should have shouted that out to the falcon yesterday! :)

And we all know about the story between David and Goliath. Goliath was a Philistine that was feared by practically everyone and anyone. No one would stand up to him. Scratch that...no one that wanted to live would dare stand up to him. He was over nine feet tall for crying out loud!!!

Enter in David...the youngest of eight children and a shepherd. Inexperienced. Yet his response was "Don't give up hope. I'm ready to go and fight this Philistine." (1 Samuel 17:32 The Message)

...Don't give up hope. He was telling the people that were too afraid to take on this guy and fight for their honor, "I've got your back...this one is mine."

"You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the Armies of Israel, whom you have defiled. This day the Lord will hand you over to me, and I'll strike you down and cut off your head. ...All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves; for the battle is the Lord's, and he will give all of you into our hands." (1 Samuel 17:45-47)

Why can't we step up and display hearts like David's? Why is it so difficult for us to take a stand for the One who took a stand for us?

I don't know...these were just the thoughts that consumed me on my drive home from work. Something for me to ponder...

Better than Before!

You know...just when you think your weekends can't get any better, God blesses you with the unimaginable!

I never get the opportunity to sleep in. And when I do have the opportunity, my personal alarm clock is set at nothing later than 7. When my eyes opened on Saturday, it was 10 am!

Nick had one of his two toughest league games, and they walked away winning 21-6 and are now 6-0 on the season!

My "Caramel Apple Sugar Babies Posse" sent me a text on Friday night, letting me know that they were located...so I went and bought the store out, literally! I now have as many boxes as there are months in a year! :)

And today...well today was amazing! It started out in the nursery this morning at church...

Bob and his "Catherine."

This looks like a headlock, but really, it was a hug!


And from there, we went out to the property of some friends of mine. Getting to walk around the property was great, but having the opportunity to spend some time with those you look up to and admire is the true blessing. I am so fortunate to have the privilege to know this family, and to know their hearts. And I look forward to the moments when I can just sit down and talk with them...today was absolutely incredible!