It Stayed Red!

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praise worthy--think about such things. Philippians 4:8 NIV

Driving my normal route and I was even making good time, when I hit traffic. It seemed strange to be so far back in line at this particular traffic light, but figured it should change momentarily. My daughter and I talked and we sat waiting.After a couple songs on the radio, we still sat.

"This is strange," I thought. "They must not be heavy enough to trigger the light." That's when the first car in line did it--they ran the red light. Several cars followed since the traffic in the other directions was clear. I don't know if the other cars followed because they trusted the light had changed and they just followed or if all of them intentionally ran the red light.

Well when I got up to my turn, I figured I'd wait because I wanted to do the right thing. Besides, I drive a 1 ton van, surely my vehicle was heavy enough to remind the light, "Hey, I need to change." The car next to me stayed also. So we sat and we sat and you guessed it we sat. The traffic cleared, and we still sat.

What were we supposed to do? I want to do the right thing, obeying the laws is the right thing. We waited through another song, plenty of time for the light to change. It didn't change, so cautiously as the traffic cleared I and the car beside me and behind me ran the red light! I didn't know what else to do, how long are you supposed to wait when the light doesn't appear to be working correctly.

I guess this where I needed to ask "What would Jesus do?" Would he have ran the red light? I don't know, since the traffic light didn't come around for 1,000s of years after he was here. I think maybe he would have helped the light change, and if it didn't gone on through.

To Fall Or Not to Fall

He fulfills the desire of those fear him; he hears their cry and saves them. Psalm 145:18 NIV

My foot was stuck, I knew I was going down. In the flash of a moment my entire day changed. The things I wanted to accomplish all changed as soon as my head met up with the door frame.

When I realized I was going down, there wasn't anything I could do about it. Except pray and hope for the best. The pain that has followed has been with me now for about a week. If only I could go back and prepare myself better.

Isn't there times when we look back, and wish we could have a chance to do over. Maybe a chance not to fall or fail, a chance to get it right the first time. It's from these falls and failures though, that we learn, grow, and hopefully change the way we do things.

As I look back, I know those hard times have been the times I've reached out for God. I've learn to depend on Him, and know that I can't stay in the light without Him.

So even though sometimes my plans change, I know that God is with me and will see me through. He helped me in the ER, by miraculously getting me in a room and helping me keep my focus during the CAT scan. I wish I didn't fall, but it was during this time that I realized how much I'm loved.

Um, Valentine's Day

Writing all those Valentine's, I couldn't wait to get to school and pass them out. Then later came the flower grams in high school, where you paid to have a flower delivered to your friend. Since my boyfriend went to another high school, I had one delivered to myself for him.

Oh the fun of Valentine's Day, it wasn't until I was all grown up that I heard the story of Saint Valentine. Anybody remember him, the day after all was named in honor of him and the day he died.

Valentine was a pastor and lived in the time of a king who decided that his men were to distracted when fighting if they were married. After all a wife and children at home are such a distraction to those fighting for the country. So this king decided to make marriage illegal.

Valentine on the other hand saw marriage as a blessing. After all, wouldn't a man fighting for his country be even better at defending it if he had a family to protect. So Valentine kept marrying people even if it meant him being arrested and put to death. Yeah, marriage between and a man and a woman was that important.

So while he was marrying a couple, he was arrested and imprisoned. Here he met the guard's daughter who was blind. She had tried all kinds of things to regain her sight, but couldn't until she believed in Jesus whom Valentine gladly told her about. Soon after her sight was restored. She was then forbidden to come and work at the jail. So Valentine sent her and many others letters of encouragement until the day he was killed. Yep, that date would be February 14th.

So Valentine's day is a little more than a sappy day to spend with your spouse. It's a day to remember someone having the courage to go against the government and do what he thought God called him too. He defended marriage and knew the importance of it.

I just hope I have the courage to do what God calls me too, even if I have to go against the crowd.

Rotten Wood

Looking out on the playground equipment and the fences, I could see the decaying wood. It's remarkable how long some of this wood had lasted, and yet some of the wood rots away quicker.
Why is that? It comes from the same source--a tree. It is sitting in the same yard, so it sees the same weather-sunshine and rain. It had all been pressure treated around the same time. So why the difference in how much it rotted away?
This has made me think, how different each of us are. Some of us are quicker to see our mistakes and how far away from the Lord we have come. Some of us are a little slower at realizing that the weather is effecting us. Others are in complete denial of ever doing anything wrong. And others are in complete ignorance of what they've done, and that it's causing them to decay.

Luckily though, we have a Savior who is willing to rebuild us no matter how rotted we have become. He'll come and replace the rotten wood with new wood and help us start fresh. He'll spruce us up and clean out the gunk. Rebuild your life.