Refreshing Signs of Life

April 1, 2025 by Leave a Comment

Spring has officially sprung. Signs of life are everywhere—and oh, how refreshing that is!

When looking for signs of life, naturally we notice the big ones first. Grass turning green, weeds attempting their annual takeover of our lawns, and leaves as well as a variety of beautiful blossoms adding color once again to the landscape of our neighborhoods. In fact, we get giddy over green this time of year. And, of course, warmer temperatures beckon us out the door every chance we get. Oh yes, delicious spring is here.

If we look a little closer, other signs of life are stirring as well. Have you noticed birds beginning their nesting rituals? After gathering as much dried grass as they can hold in their beaks or finding the longest straw-like weeds they can maneuver through the air, they take flight to the perfect spot they’ve chosen for their coming chicks. Just one more wonder of nature. Just another sign of life.

But no matter the season, signs of life are always around us. Even in winter, we spot smoke rising from a neighbor’s chimney. Someone’s living and moving and breathing inside those four walls. We know someone’s home. We see the evidence.

Unfortunately, sometimes we can see no signs of life. A plant or tree we’ve tended goes brown. We watch for green that never comes. A momma bird faithfully sits on eggs week after week, finally giving up and abandoning her labor of love that never hatched. The ER doctor, desperate to give the waiting family good news, works feverishly to get a heartbeat and see his patient’s chest rise with renewed breath. But alas, no signs of life.

Beyond the signs of life we see in our physical world, what signs of life should we see across the spiritual landscape of our lives? What evidence of the life of Jesus can people see in us?

Can others tell by simply watching us that the Lord is at home in us? Do they see him living and moving in us? Are they able to witness compassion, unconditional love, and forgiveness when they look our way? Will they catch a whiff of joy or gentleness or peace when they draw near?

When others stop to consider us, may they always find evidence of Jesus living in us. No matter the season, may they always find signs of life. Signs of his life.

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” 2 Corinthians 5:17 NKJV

*How have you seen Jesus in someone lately?

*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.

*My photo

Filed Under: appearance, change, color, creation/creative/creator, faith, forgive, growth, hope, joy, kindness, life, love, miracle, nature, new thing, peace, poem, refresh, shine, signs, spring Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,

Let’s Cause Others to Rejoice

March 19, 2024 by Leave a Comment

“May those who fear you rejoice when they see me, for I have put my hope in your word.” Psalm 119:74 NIV

Do people rejoice when they see us coming? Does it make them happy to get to spend time with us?

If so, why? If you’re like me, it might be because you carry chocolate at all times. Ha! Hopefully, though, it’s something more meaningful than that. Maybe we always have a smile for others and freely share encouraging words. Or perhaps we’re good listeners. Think about yourself for a moment. Why do people rejoice when they see you?

On the other hand, if people don’t rejoice when they see us, why not? Could it be that we tend to have a negative attitude or are always criticizing others? Are they afraid we’ll slam them with a sarcastic remark or perhaps pass them by, treating them like they’re invisible?

None of us want to become a person that others dread interaction with or try to avoid. Instead I think we all hope to be someone that others are drawn to and want to be around. We all want to be liked.

The verse above from Psalm 119 holds one of the keys to being a source of joy for others. It tells us that if we put our hope in God, people may indeed rejoice when they see us.

This could be true for a variety of reasons. If we’re trusting in God and his Word, we may radiate a sense of peace and joy that naturally spills out onto others. We may have a reputation for honesty and dependability or inspire confidence and hope in others. We may have the wisdom of God’s Word stored up in our hearts, making us a welcome source of encouragement and advice.

I don’t know about you, but I want others to rejoice when they see me. I want others to see the love, the peace, the power, the wisdom, and the hope of God when they look at me. And the only way that can happen is to stay very close to him.

I bet you’d like others to see glimpses of the Lord in you as well. To be honest, we’ll fail at times, but that’s no reason not to try. Let’s surrender our hearts to him each day and let him fill us. Let’s cause others to rejoice when they see us coming!

How can we thank God enough for you in return for all the joy we have in the presence of our God because of you?” 1 Thessalonians 3:9 NIV

*What do you want others to see in you?

*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 Hannah Busing on Unsplash

Filed Under: blessing, cheer, encouragement, family, Friend, hope, joy, kindness, life, love, neighbor, peace, refresh, variety, wisdom Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Wedding Planning Advice: Give Yourself the Gift of Easy

September 5, 2023 by Leave a Comment

Mother of the Bride, if you’re like I was while in wedding planning mode, you’re all about saving a dollar or two (or ten!) every chance you get, right? Your mental calculator runs non-stop, causing you to continually feel the pressure of mounting expenses. You begin to look for every way you can to save a little money. But you know what? Sometimes it’s not worth it.

My first time around the MOB block, I decided we should forgo the pre-cut tulle circles we wanted to use for making the favors—little bags of chocolate candies tied with pretty ribbon. In an attempt to save some dollars, I decided we could cut our own circles of tulle.

Big mistake. At a time when both the bride and I had more to do than we had time, we had to push ourselves even more. Yes, believe it or not, the tulle circle-cutting fairies did not show up at nighttime to cut the circles for us.

My decision to cut costs ended up costing us in other ways—in time, in stress, and in weariness. The dollars saved were definitely not worth it.

Learn from my mistake, dear MOB. Carefully weigh all the costs before making more work for yourself or the bride. Sometimes the best thing you can do is give yourself the gift of easy.

*You might also like to read A Simple Wedding Expense Tip, Mothers of the Bride Need Prayer, and Gather Photos Early for Wedding Day Slide Show.

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

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

*Flickr photo by FutUnBeidl, Creative Commons License

Filed Under: advice, balance, bride, encouragement, Gift, giving, help, kindness, learn, life, money, Mother of the Bride, preparation, rest, simplify, stress, time, wedding, wisdom Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Mother of the Groom: Part of the Team

June 20, 2023 by Leave a Comment

Mother of the Bride, have you reached out yet to help the mother of the groom feel included in the wedding preparations? Remember, the wedding you’re helping your daughter plan is a very big deal to the mother of your little girl’s beloved too. This is a major milestone and celebration in the life of their family as well.

True, unless the groom’s family is helping in a significant way financially and thus in charge of certain aspects of the wedding, you and your daughter will take care of most of the wedding preparations. However, you can enlist the MOG’s help for certain things.

Here are a few ideas to help make the Mother of the Groom feel like she’s part of the team:

1) Ask her to be in charge of providing the card box/container to use on wedding day for any cards guests may bring.
2) Invite her to help decorate the church and/or reception venue the day before the wedding.
3) Ask if she can provide some needed items such as cake knife and server set (since one will be needed for the groom’s cake as well) or a champagne bucket.
4) If a problem arises with some aspect of the wedding prep, is there some way she might be able to help? If so, call on her.
5) Is there an errand she can run? For example, if you need to find multiple items of a certain component of the centerpieces, can she check to see if more of the items you need are available at the store in her location?

MOB, these are just a few possibilities for including the MOG. I’m sure you’ll be able to think of others. The important thing is to reach out, to make her feel included. The joy will be that much greater during wedding weekend if you’ve built a bond ahead of time. Don’t miss out on this special blessing!

*You might also like to read Kicking Off the In-Law Relationship.

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

*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.

*Flickr photo by Or Hiltch, Creative Commons License

Filed Under: advice, blessing, bride, encouragement, family, groom, help, kindness, Mother of the Bride, mother of the groom, preparation, team, wedding, wisdom Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Do It On the Basis of Love

September 6, 2022 by Leave a Comment

“. . . I prefer to appeal to you on the basis of love.” Philemon 9 NIV

Have you ever been asked to do something that the world might call crazy or naïve? Many times as believers we are called to do just that.

The apostle Paul’s words of appeal above come from a letter he wrote to his dear friend and fellow worker Philemon. Philemon’s slave Onesimus had apparently stolen from him or wronged him in some way and then run away. After that, Onesimus met Paul and became a Christian and was then ready to return to Philemon and make things right between them.

This is where Paul came in. He acted as an agent of reconciliation, appealing to Philemon to welcome Onesimus back as if he were welcoming Paul himself (read the short book of Philemon for the entire beautiful story told in just twenty-five verses.)

In other words, Paul said, if you love me, forgive and welcome him. More than that, the implication here is also an appeal to act out of love for Christ—to extend the love that Christ himself would extend.

I wonder if there are any situations in our lives right now where the Lord might be saying, “I appeal to you on the basis of love . . .” Has someone wronged us or someone we love? Or maybe a person noted for bad or even criminal behavior has recently come to know Christ. Many times our first reaction is to say, “Yeah, sure.”

But what would the Lord have us do? I think his message to us would be the same as the one Paul sent to Philemon so many years ago—if you love me, forgive and welcome him.

How can we do any less than offer forgiveness when the Lord has extended unconditional love and forgiveness to each of us? Let’s do what he wants us to do. And let’s do it on the basis of love.

“Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.” Colossians 3:13 NIV

*Who will you forgive on the basis of love today?

*The next issue of Life Notes, my quarterly inspirational newsletter with a giveaway in every regularly scheduled issue, will come out in early November. 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.

*Flickr photo by qthomasbower, Creative Commons License

Filed Under: behavior, challenge, enemy, fellowship, forgive, Friend, grace, kindness, life, love, mercy, unity, Word of God Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
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