Month: July 2023

Today is my last Wednesday at Bowles Rice, a place were I’ve taken up space for the last 30-few years. You see it’s time for me to transition to a new chapter, a new season in my life. I’m super excited about the opportunity I’ve been given to quit my day job so to speak (Tony says I’m a quitter since I’m not old enough to be called a retiree — I’m down with that!) and dedicate myself to my other full-time job of wife, mother, laundry lady, housekeeper, sous chef, lawn mower, horse mother, flock tender, chief cook and bottle washer, and grandmother to-be to Baby Boy Wright. We are some busy people.

Although I’m doing something I never thought I’d do, counting down the days (Can I get a woohoo?!?!), it is a little bittersweet. You see I’ve been blessed (truly) to go to work each day with people I love so much. People I’ve been honored to encourage and people who have carried me. People God put in my life for a reason, a season and a second. Our life here is but a blink. It seems only yesterday I was starting my career as a wide-eyed-22-year-old-know-it-all-single-girl and in a flash I’m humbly packing up my desk, hopefully a little wiser for the years, and expecting my first grandchild — did I mention it’s a boy? But, of course, we’re told how quickly time goes by, aren’t we? King David wrote:

Such beautiful, beautiful, thought provoking words. King David encourages us to live in the moments of life. He says life is but a breath (our next one depends on God), spend your time wisely (think about what we’re doing – does it really matter?) and remember what is most important of all, trusting in the Lord our God (our only Hope). The Gospel is all rolled up in these verses.

Just as our seasons change from winter to spring to summer to fall, so do you lives. We have specific roles in each of our seasons of life, but only one purpose – to glorify God. Sometimes we get that messed up, don’t we? I don’t know about you, but sometimes, unfortunately, I’m much better at living to glorify Beth than God. Only for what Beth wants. Super selfish. Completely forgetting, or remembering and completely ignoring that my sole purpose for opening my eyes this morning, for taking my next breath, is to honor my Creator.

I sometimes work frantically to fill the eternity hole in my heart, which can only be filled by Him, with every other thing in life — work, house, cars, animals, travel, money, friends, family, toys, noise, busyness — all things in and of themselves not bad, but all things that can be used to fill the eternity hole, replacing the only thing that can actually fill the eternity hole, Jesus.

King Solomon helps give us a little perspective:

These times, they are a changing. My under heaven is going to look a little different in the days to come, but my eternity will not. All my hope is in Jesus. What does your under heaven look like? What does your eternity look like? What do you put your hope in?

Above all else, guard your heart, for it affects everything you do.  Proverbs 4:23

Well, obviously, that’s not the only thing we need to guard.  We must also guard our gardens!  Clearly, our hearts are the most important things we must guard, as the scriptures say as a mirror reflects a man’s face, a man’s heart reflects the man.  Ouch!  But, gardens rank up there pretty high in the guarding group.

Gardens are important, we need them for a couple of reasons.  The obvious reason is because we need to eat.  Sure, we could pick up some tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, squash, and other produce from the market, but there really is something super cool about tending a garden whether it be a flower garden or food for your table.  Those things we grow ourselves look more beautiful and taste much better.

But what happens when an unwelcome guest shows up in our gardens?  We’ve had one of those guests in our garden at least three times this year.  I know this because this is the number of times that Tony has replanted.  Before each replant, we have to add more protection.

As we were adding one more layer to our fencing the other night, I kept thinking about the lengths we’re going to to protect our garden, as well we should.  It’s an irksome battle against wild kingdom.  Looking at the chicken wire, colored strings, whirly gigs and sparkly decorations that move in the breeze, all saying KEEP OUT, I thought to myself, goodness, just how high are we going to have to make this fence in order to keep our unwanted guest out?

As I stand there pondering, trying to conjure up other defenses, the thought struck me that those layers of protection served two purposes – to keep something in and to keep something out — to protect something inside the fence and to keep something destructive outside the fence. Hmmm…

Should I not also do the same for my heart? Do you see the parallel?  Things in our lives can penetrate our hearts and destroy them – the consequences of poor choices by ourselves or others – the pride of thinking we can do all things through us who strengthens ourselves – allowing those things of the world to enter into our hearts and take root – compromising on the little things – opening the gate just a crack to only have it slammed wide open to the flood of destruction.  You get what I mean, right?  As I look at the garden, I think goodness, if I guarded my heart the way I’m guarding the garden, what would my life look like?  If I added some of the protections and defenses to my heart that have been added to the garden, would my life look different?  I think most definitely.

We live in such a deceptive world.  The evil one prowls about looking for someone to devour.  He has a special eye for those who have a heart for the Lord.  Why so?  Because those who belong to the Lord have something that satan wants – a heart for God.  The evil one is not seeking those who don’t believe or follow Christ – he already has their hearts.  The evil one is seeking to turn hearts for God to himself.  If we are not guarding our hearts, in broad daylight and hushed nightlight, he will leap our barriers and devour our hearts.  Yikes!

The evil one is quite wily.  Just like I felt sorry for our unwanted guest and wasn’t too concerned about her hanging around more and more frequently after all she had babies to feed, satan preys on our emotions as well with the things of this world.  Loving people will obviously feel compassion for a self-destructing world, but it doesn’t mean that we let down the guards on our hearts.  We must lean in to God and allow the Holy Spirit to fuel us with strength.  We must put on the full armor of God – the first two pieces are the study belt of truth – we must know the truth – and the body armor of God’s righteousness – the body armor is the barrier that protects our hearts!

We must use the resources the Lord gave us – chicken wire, colored strings, whirly gigs and sparkly decorations – the Word of God, Prayer, the Holy Spirit, Christian friends, and a Biblical Church family.  All these things will keep out those things that are destructive to our hearts.  We are not to go it alone, we must use all the defenses the Lord provided to us in this battle for our hearts.

But the Lord is faithful; he will make you strong and guard you from the evil one.  2 Thessalonians 3:3

Think a little today about your heart. What’s the condition of the fence around it? Is it keeping out evil or does it need to be fortified?

May the Lord bring you into an ever deeper understanding of the love of God and the endurance that comes from Christ. 2 Thessalonians 3:5

All you can do is all you can do, and I’m doing all that I can.

Chase Outlaw, Bull Rider

We were watching bull riding one night on television and after an unsuccessful ride, Chase Outlaw (no kidding, that’s his name, how cool is that?) was interviewed.  Of course, they asked these meaningless questions in a roundabout way.  Like, why didn’t you stay on – because I fell off?  How did you fall off – I didn’t stay on?  Will you do better next time – if I don’t fall off and I stay on.  You know what I’m talking about.  Chase Outlaw had only one answer for the announcer, which he said with a little frustration – All you can do is all you can do, and I’m doing all that I can.  I love it!  He answered their roundabout silly questions with a roundabout seemingly silly answer, but was it really? 

I think a lot of us in this world feel that same way – All I can do is all I can do, and I’m doing all that I can!!  We too may say it with a high pitched voice and a little frustration.  But, I think we’ve got it backwards.  It seems there’s this constant barrage.  The world is constantly asking for more, isn’t it?  Our churches are asking for more doers.  Support this cause. Advocate for this group. Fight for justice for this.  Our employers are asking for more doers.  Add this to your list.  Do this, do that.  Another deadline. Our families are asking for more doers. I need. I need. I need.

Let heaven fill your thoughts.  Do not think only about things down here on earth.

Colossians 3:2

Our churches, our employers, our families, our clubs are all important and all have a right to ask us to-do.  And there are many more important social justice, political, civic and community groups vying and clamoring for our attention.  But sometimes, I think we lose perspective.  When we lose perspective we forget the purpose, we get it backwards.  And sometimes we even forget why we’re doing what we’re doing and who we’re doing it for.  When we lose perspective we too may say – all you can do is all you can do and I’m doing all that I can – at a sqweaky pitch.

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. 

It is the Lord Christ you are serving.

Colossians 3:23-24

Ah!!!!!  Our hearts.  That’s always where it starts.  Not a soft heart – anyone can have that.  Not a good heart – anyone can have that.  Not a nice heart – anyone can have that.  Not a heart for people – anyone can have that.  But, a heart for Jesus – everyone can have that.  Having  a heart for Jesus will impact our churches, our employers, our families, our communities. It’s a heart issue.  But, it cannot be done backwards.  Jesus must come first.  Being doers in our churches, for our employers, for our families, for our communities, for social justice, in our serving, must be an out growth of our heart for Christ.  Our doing cannot be a way to Jesus, it’s a result of Jesus!!  Being committed to Jesus, having a relationship with Jesus, serving Jesus is where it must start.  If not, it’s church for church sake; employers for employers sake; families for families sake; communities for communities sake; it is social justice for social justice sake; when it should be for Jesus’ sake.  True social justice cannot be taught.  If it doesn’t start with Jesus, it’s just a good people thing, not a God people thing.  It’s just doing for doing.

Our purpose is to please God, not people.

He is the one who examines the motives of our hearts.

1 Thessalonians 2:4

If we keep our focus on Him, if we keep perspective, we will be busy, but our attitude may not be — all you can do is all you can do, and I’m doing all that I can!

Jesus, all for Jesus

All I am and have and ever hope to be.

All my ambitions, hopes and plans

I surrender these into your hands.

For it’s only in your will that I am free

Jesus, all for Jesus.

I’ve been doing a little self analysis, you know, pondering, trying to figure out what makes me tick, or why I do some of the things I do. It’s a life long process, but when something makes me go hmmm, I try to dig into the hmmms.

A few weeks ago I had my gallbladder removed. That’s a hmmm in itself. If we don’t need a gallbladder to live, why do we have one? Another hmmm for me was that I went into the hospital and less than four hours later I left having had a robot take pics of my innards, and with one less organ than I was born with. Another hmmm, that organ was sucked out on a Wednesday and I went back to work on a Monday.

But here’s the thing that really made me go hmmm. Two days after this procedure, it seems like cheating to even call it surgery, I took a walk to start getting back into the groove. Albeit a short walk, I had to start somewhere to get back to my miles a day. Tony walked with me as I went 20 yards down the road. I said to him that I was going to have to start trying to walk upright because I was kind of protecting my belly, and he said “you always walk looking down.” Out of all the hmmms in this story, that’s the big hmmm. Of course I humphed and denied it, I’m not a bent over walker, I’m just a bolder walker. You know, a girl on a mission.

But, you know what happens once someone says something like that to you, you’re then super self-conscious about it. So, I’ve been taking stock of my walking, and… he’s right. I walk looking down almost constantly. I don’t stand up straight, I lead with my head and plow forward, shoulders rounded, tilted forward. I notice that I do this on my outdoor walks, down the hall at work, making my way to the other side of the Wal-Mart store, etc. Now I know why my mom always used to tap (smack) me on the back and say “put your shoulders up.” This never made sense to me, who wants to walk around with their shoulders touching their ears, but I knew what she meant. Stand up straight.

This very wordy lead in is to say that I’ve been examining my posture lately. You know, our posture says so much about us. Now I’m no posture expert and I even hesitated writing this knowing I just might be reminded of it. But our outer appearance says so much about our inward feelings, doesn’t it? Our posture determines whether or not we are approachable, wounded, afraid, hurt, bold, etc. I know, it sounds funny, but how we stand does make a difference, in more ways than one.

I’ve been thinking about it. Who would want to approach me if they can only see the top of my head? Or, who would want to approach me if they have to run to keep up with me? It’s really made me think (overthink) about my posture. I’m now consciously trying to stand up straight (whatever that is), relax my shoulders (so I don’t look so uptight), roll my shoulders back (so I don’t look like I need protection), and lift my chin (so I don’t lead with my head or look like a turtle). All of these adjustments cause me to slow down a fraction and adjust my gaze upward. That’s the hmmm.

My posture can reflect where my gaze is centered, on me or on Him. If I’m looking at my belly button and charging forward, I cannot look to the heavens from whence my help comes from. If I’m looking down, my eyes only see me, I’m only looking at myself, most likely my feet and where I’m going to place them next. But, if I’m standing straight and my gaze is lifted upward, I won’t see where I’m going, I will see where He’s leading me. Hmmm.

I lift my eyes to you O God, enthroned in heaven. Psalm 123:1

We cannot look up if we’re looking down…physically or spiritually.

Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in His wonderful face, and the things of earth will grow strangely dim, in the light of His glory and grace. Amen.