Stay On the Path

© Tammy Sanders

Lushness contrasted with the wooded walkway. To the naked eye, it was nothing more than a way to get from point A to point B. I saw something different. The green foliage intertwined with the worn walkway to create something beautiful. This reminded me of our journey through life. When it seems like our life is like a weathered plank, there is something around the corner to make it beautiful.

After Mama showed me the pictures, I noticed lights in several places. We are called to be a light to the world (Matthew 5:14). We all have places in our lives that are like that foliage. Some places are overgrown and messy, but when coupled with something to help you get through the mess, your life takes on a whole new meaning. Like the walkway, we need to make sure we are "walking" over the bad places in our lives. Don't get tangled up in unnecessary drama or stress. Stay on the path.

Persistence Means Something

Geology 5 © Sean Carpenter via freeimages.com

I am having trouble being content with where I am physically. I am doing far more than I was a year ago for sure.

"But I just want to get up (from my wheelchair) and start walking a lot. I want to get up and tell my body 'Let's go!' I said to Mama.

"You should be content with what you are doing now," she said.

I should be, but I know what I could be doing. I could be walking several days a week. I could be chasing my nephews around. I could be...

How many times do we let the "could be's" in life stop us from seeing and celebrating what we ARE already doing?

I am walking with my walker some.

I am sitting up more.

I am able to do some simple exercises.

I am working on my book.

I am helping more at church.

I am making progress. I am being consistent with doing all that I know to do. I know that at this stage in life it's not about how much I do, it's about continuously doing the little things. Even though it doesn't seem like a lot, every movement I make is making me stronger. I am getting more stable. 

As a friend recently said, "It's better to do a little bit consistently than to do a whole lot every once in awhile."

Persistence means something. It means you have stuck to your goals no matter what. The definition of persistence is firm or obstinate continuance in a course of action in spite of difficulty or opposition.


Continue on in your fight, friend! Those who don't give up ALWAYS win!

Transformation

Butterfly © toniambs via freeimages.com

I wrote this for The Celebration blog several years ago. It has been on my mind for a few weeks, so I decided to post it here. I am still being changed! Every day I become a little more like Jesus. I will never be perfect, but just to know that I don't have to stay broken and discouraged is so amazing!

Watching my mom flip through magazines gave me something to focus on as I completed the exercises in physical therapy. (This was several years ago.) Suddenly, she stopped on one page.

"Look at the stages of the butterfly. Maybe that would make a good post." I nodded and filed that away in my memory bank for later.

The butterfly begins as an egg. It doesn't look like much to begin with. Guess what? When we are babies, we have much to learn!

After a while the egg becomes a caterpillar. A caterpillar's main job is to eat. As young Christians, we, too, are hungry for the Word. The Word gives us life and promises that help us during our life.

In the next stage, the caterpillar gets wrapped in a waxy cocoon. Nature surrounds it with a covering as it matures. During this time of shelter, things happen. This reminds me of the times that we pray to God in our homes. There's no words being spoken from the pulpit, but it’s a conversation between you and God. Even you can't fully understand the work that God is doing in your heart. Now that Christians know what the Word is for, they begin to apply it in their lives. The Word breaks all of the things that have held us back, transforming us little by little into the image of Him.

The final stage is a beautiful butterfly, but it only happened because of a process. If the butterfly hadn't had to push and wiggle to get out of the cocoon, it never would have reached its true potential. Whether you realize it or not, we need people in our lives who are willing to push us when we need it. God specifically talks about the need to be softened and shaped by others in the Bible.

~ Jeremiah 18:3-4 “So I did as he told me and found the potter working at his wheel. But the jar he was making did not turn out as he had hoped, so he crushed it into a lump of clay again and started over.” (NLT)

We can have an exciting, loving, and fulfilling relationship with God if we go through the process of change!