Pressing On—Rain or Shine

April 15, 2025 by Leave a Comment

I admit it. I’d rather be out running around on a sunshiny day than dodging puddles and trying to keep my glasses spot-free on a dreary, rainy day. I’ve been known to avoid water rides at theme parks too. I guess I just don’t like getting wet.

But while I may stay holed up singing rain, rain, go away, I’ve noticed that our feathered friends don’t let a few showers get them down or sway them from their tasks.

As long as the weather is not severe and even though they may get a little wet-for-the-wear, I still see birds out and about, singing and faithfully taking care of business—flying, looking for food, eating, working, and patrolling their territory among other things. Yes, they continue on.

Could the same be said for us when the showers of life come raining down? Do we continue on or do we easily get discouraged and pull back or even pout and give up?

Let’s consider some things that might discourage us from pressing on with our work, our personal growth and goals, or our walk of faith.

The answers might be different for you, but for me as a writer, I’ve been tempted to give up when I experience rejection or when the things I must do to compete in the industry overwhelm me. I’ve also gotten derailed by the distractions and demands of life, burn-out, lack of support, and weariness or other physical problems. Just like anyone else, I’ve gone through periods of discouragement.

As I consider these culprits of discouragement to my writing life, I see that some of these same factors also hamper me in my personal and spiritual pursuits. It’s hard to stay enthused when I don’t feel well or when too many demands clamor for my attention or when I feel alone. On the spiritual front, I’m also impacted by feelings of failure when I sin or when the enemy uses ongoing tactics to defeat me. I bet you experience some of these same kind of struggles.

Will we let circumstances or setbacks dampen our enthusiasm and keep us holed up singing rain, rain go away, or will we faithfully continue taking care of business? Let’s not be afraid to get wet. Let’s press on—rain or shine.

“But as for you, be strong and do not give up, for your work will be rewarded.” 2 Chronicles 15:7 NIV

*What do you do to battle discouragement?

*The next issue of Life Notes, my quarterly inspirational newsletter with a giveaway in every regularly scheduled issue, will come out in early May. Sign-up is FREE! *Temporary problem with Life Notes sign-up. To sign up, just contact me.

*For info about my book Mother of the Bride and also my Wedding Inspiration cards, check out my Books/My Work page.

Photo by Willian Justen de Vasconcellos on Unsplash

Filed Under: challenge, determination, discouragement, enemy, faith, faithfulness, fighter, goal, growth, life, perseverance, rain, shower, temptation, trial, work, writing Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Learning and Growing: Developing An Eye

February 18, 2025 by 2 Comments

One winter morning over a decade ago, I discovered something exciting. I was doing it! I was developing an eye for taking better photos!

How could I tell? Certain hallmark signs were there. I’d been spotting good light or noticing great vantage points. I’d been focusing on color but noticing backgrounds and striving for centered shots. I was giving attention to detail. (Notice the morning light and winter trees behind the icicles in the shot I took above that day? I didn’t even realize how cool that would look until after I took the picture. I was concentrating mainly on the icicles and got a shot with a bokeh effect before I even knew what that was!)

It’s important to note that developing an eye doesn’t happen by accident—in photography or other endeavors. By that winter, I’d invested time in taking lots of shots. I had endured the dross before the gold. And of course in the process, I had ended up with a lot more dross than gold.

At the same time, though, I’d benefited in several ways from taking time out for wonder while taking a host of photos. Not only was I becoming more adept at capturing better pictures, but I’d been energized by my new pursuit and had also grown more appreciative of the beautiful world God’s given us.

The concept of developing an eye certainly carries over into other areas of our lives as well. Consider the spiritual realm. Do we notice spiritual applications to things that we see or experience in our everyday lives? (Writing blog posts has helped me develop an awareness for this.) Do we spot God at work in people or situations or can we see him in the background? Do we notice when people are hurting or in need but also pick up on their joys?

If we don’t feel like we’re actively developing a spiritual eye, we can take steps to remedy that. Remember, developing an eye doesn’t happen by accident.

We need to invest time—time in learning to think in spiritual ways. We do this as we read, study, and meditate on God’s Word and as we talk with him. Talking with others about spiritual truths will also spur us on in our growth. And when we notice hurts or joys of others and interrupt our lives to share in what they’re going through, we’ll continue to develop that eye for spiritual things.

So what do you say? Let’s be people who continue to develop and grow in our lives, whether it be in our walk with the Lord or the pursuit of our interests and skills. Let’s continue to develop an eye!

“Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation,” 1 Peter 2:2 NIV

*What interest or skill are you developing an eye for?

*The new issue of Life Notes, my quarterly inspirational newsletter with a giveaway in every regularly scheduled issue, came out earlier this month. It’s not too late to receive it. Sign-up is free! Temporary problem with Life Notes sign-up. To sign up, just contact me.

*For info about my book Mother of the Bride and also my Wedding Inspiration cards, check out my Books/My Work page.

*My photo

Filed Under: accident, advice, change, color, creation/creative/creator, determination, focus, growth, learn, life, light, perseverance, photo fun, preparation, signs, success, talent, time, victory, vision, winter Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

A Prayer for Finishing Strong

May 7, 2024 by Leave a Comment

Do you know someone trying to finish a project or reach a goal? Maybe a family member just about to graduate from high school or college or trying to complete an advanced degree? Or perhaps some of your teacher friends are trying to hang in there the last few weeks of the school year.

You may even be in the trying-to-finish category yourself right now. I know I am. The manuscript for my Christmas devotional book is due to the publisher on August 1 so I’m in the last stages of writing, editing, and polishing it. I’ve had several challenges to overcome in getting this far, and I need to keep pressing on until the job is complete and I’ve done the best I can do.

Those who are trying to finish a race right now probably need some encouragement and moral support, don’t they?

Join me, won’t you, in a prayer for all who are trying to finish strong:

Dear Lord, you are a finisher. You came to earth with a task to do and you completed it. You are also busy completing the good works you began in each of us. Help us, Lord, as we push on to finish the tasks you’ve set before us.

Help us to not grow weary or distracted or discouraged. Please grant us the energy, the drive, and the skill needed to finish strong. And help us remember, Lord, to offer thanks and give you glory as we cross our finish lines. We need you, Lord, and can’t do it without you. Thank you for your help!

“As the time approached for him to be taken up to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem.” Luke 9:51 NIV

*Are you trying to finish strong right now? May our prayers encourage you today!

*The current issue of Life Notes, my quarterly inspirational newsletter with a giveaway in every regularly scheduled issue, came out last week. It’s not too late to receive it. Sign-up is FREE. *Temporary problem with Life Notes sign-up. To sign up, just contact me.

*For info about my book Mother of the Bride and also my Wedding Inspiration cards, check out my Books/My Work page.

*Flickr photo by Loco Races, Creative Commons License

Filed Under: Above and Beyond, challenge, determination, encouragement, fighter, finish, focus, goal, life, perseverance, prayer, strength, success, victory Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,

A Time to Abandon Plans and Move On

June 20, 2023 by 2 Comments

Remember how I told you in May about the robin I saw several years ago who stayed focused and built her nest in spite of my interloping presence? Unfortunately, the story didn’t end there. Something went wrong a few weeks later.

I’m not sure what happened. She faithfully sat on her eggs during the height of that summer’s heat wave. She watched over her nest and tongue-lashed other birds who came too close. When she wasn’t in the nest, she never seemed far away or gone for long.

When we left for vacation, I wondered if the sound of baby birds would greet us on our return. But it didn’t—no cheep-cheep-cheeps could be heard. No little upturned beaks gaped wide for a meal from momma.

Instead, momma bird was there, still faithfully sitting on the nest, still panting through the heat. I was glad I’d be on hand for the hatching. Glad I’d get to witness the birth of new life.

But one morning a few days after our return, the momma bird wasn’t in her nest. I thought it odd but not too unusual. When I checked that evening, again she was gone.

The next day the empty nest met me once more as I made my rounds. Now I feared something was indeed wrong. No sight of the momma bird in the days that followed confirmed my suspicions. The nest had been abandoned.

What would cause such a faithful and focused momma to walk away—or fly away, as in this case? More than likely, something happened to the eggs. Maybe some sort of predator got them, but I also wonder if the unrelenting heat we had that summer was the culprit. What a disappointment—for the momma bird and for me as well.

Poor momma bird. If the problem was the heat, I wonder how long past the normal time she waited, hoping to see her babies pecking their way out into the world. I wonder how many hot days she soldiered through, doing all in her power to succeed. I wonder how she knew it was time to move on.

Some of us have had plans and projects that didn’t work out. A few of us may be in the midst of one right now. We’ve worked faithfully and done all we know to do. We’ve kept trying and we’ve waited—and then waited some more.

We finally reach a point when we know it’s over, when we know it’s time to move on. Our hearts, heavy with the disappointment of an unfulfilled dream, sometimes want to cling to the pain and nurse our wounds. And that’s okay for a time. But like the momma bird, we need to abandon the dashed plans and move forward to what life has to offer now.

We’ll certainly learn from the experience and grow stronger, but for now—for today—it’s time to lift our eyes to the future and fly away.

“I lift my eyes to the mountains—where does my help come from? My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth.” Psalm 121:1-2 NIV

*Have you ever had to fly away from one of your hopes or dreams? Did a future blessing await you?

*The next issue of Life Notes, my quarterly inspirational newsletter with a giveaway in every regularly scheduled issue, will come out in early August. Sign-up is FREE. *Temporary problem with Life Notes sign-up. To sign up, just contact me.

*For info about my book Mother of the Bride check out my Books/My Work page.

*My photo

Filed Under: action, challenge, change, determination, disappointment, disaster, dream, faithfulness, goal, growth, learn, life, nature, new thing, perseverance, preparation, strength, summer, work Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Focus Helps Us Finish

May 2, 2023 by Leave a Comment

Focus. A word that most of us need to say to ourselves time and again, right? As a writer, I have to remind myself to focus repeatedly in order to stay on task with my main projects. And that rings true for most projects and goals we have in life.

I witnessed the perfect example of staying focused several years ago. I got to watch a bird build a nest one morning. The photo above is of that very bird at work.

I had taken my camera outside, hoping to spot a photo-worthy sight. I wasn’t disappointed. I spied a robin building her nest in a neighbor’s tree. Lucky for me, it was on a lower branch that overhangs our yard.

As the bird worked steadily, I approached more and more closely, unable to believe how close she actually let me get. It was almost as if she had blinders on. Nothing distracted her from the all-important task at hand.

She even seemed to work in rhythm. She flew to the ground, seeking out the next twig or blade of dried grass to include in her newest home, and then with her latest find grasped safely in her beak, she’d fly back up to her nest-in-progress and place it just so, tamping it down and forming it to her specifications. If she gave my interloping presence any thought, she didn’t let it show. She just worked on.

The qualities that enabled my feathered example to finish her project will help me complete my work as a writer as well. Steady work, ignoring distractions, finding a rhythm that works, using the best materials, skilled craftsmanship, and perseverance will all work together to help me create written works that can touch the lives of others. You may not be a writer, but I’m sure these same qualities help you complete your work successfully as well.

Focus. A quality we need day in and day out. Next time we get distracted or feel tempted to give up on our projects or dreams, let’s remember my little mentor with wings. Let’s keep working on too!

“Now finish the work, so that your eager willingness to do it may be matched by your completion of it, according to your means.” 2 Corinthians 8:11 NIV

*Where do you need focus in your life right now?

*The current issue of Life Notes, my quarterly inspirational newsletter with a giveaway in every regularly scheduled issue, came out today. It’s not too late to receive it. Sign-up is FREE. *Temporary problem with Life Notes sign-up. To sign up, just contact me.

*For info about my book Mother of the Bride and also my Wedding Inspiration cards, check out my Books/My Work page.

*My photo

Filed Under: action, behavior, determination, dream, encouragement, faithfulness, focus, goal, learn, life, nature, perseverance, photo fun, preparation, wisdom, work, writing Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
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