Fountains of Life

Breathe

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By Cyndi

Job 33:4—The Spirit of God has made me; the breath of the Almighty gives me life.

There are times when life gets hectic and busyness fills my every moment; I forget the Spirit lives within me. 

There are times when circumstances around me are overwhelming and daunting where hope seems all but lost; I forget that God has made me in His image.

There are times when people fail and leaders fall while my shortcomings are more pronounced than ever; I forget that the Almighty upholds me. 

It is in these places — these uncomfortable, disheartening, and dislikable places — where the still small voice of my Father speaks one simple word to me: “breathe.”

Breathe —when I’m stressed and confused.

Breathe — when I’m surrounded by fear.

Breathe — when I’m stumbling for answers.

God has given me the breath of life. (Gen. 2:7)

Pause. Rest. Inhale.

Just breathe.

Separately Together

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By Cyndi

Recently I stepped through a side door at a church in the Dominican Republic and noticed these steps (see photos). It struck me as quite beautiful, all those pieces of tile — separate, yet together. Each one had its own color, shape, and texture, but when placed within the cement and form, it made  a functioning and colorful step. 

The step could have been made from solid plates of tile, whole and perfect, but there was something beautiful about the broken pieces put together.

It reminded me of how we operate as the body of Christ. Each separate, yet together. Each of us are broken in some ways, yet beautiful when closely bonded to others. 

God has a way of using our brokenness, our weaknesses, and our failures to be the very basis that bridges a gap between us and others. When we share experiences, we become a family; we find unity and understanding in the midst — and in spite — of our differences. 

We each have our own look, color, and texture that makes us unique, yet when we combine ourselves as one, we become a beautiful mosaic. We become a picture, a decoration, of God to this world to show off His power and glory. 

And His love.

It’s His love that is the cement which holds us together and makes us a doorstep whereby others may walk upon us on a path towards Him. 

Unity binds and includes, no matter what age, shape, or size. It spruces up the dull and mundane with colors and character, flavor and flare. It glues us together to function as one body, fitly joined together. (Eph. 2:21)

I don’t know which piece of tile I would be on this threshold — a big one, a small one — but it doesn’t matter. It’s the combination of all of them that makes this mosaic more than just a step, but a work of art — and a means to enter His sanctuary. 

Finding Connection

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By Cyndi

After we had prayed and closed our small group meeting the other night, someone said, “This is such a sweet group we have.” We all agreed. It is good for us to come together in unity. (Ps. 133:1) It’s a time where we can share our hearts and hopes as we study, discuss, and pray together. This is where we connect.

We were all created for connection. In Genesis we see where God gave Eve to be a help meet for Adam. (Gen. 2:18) And what I find more interesting is the first part of that verse — “it is not good that the man should be alone.”

Loneliness is considered a real threat to our health. From the Millennials to the elderly, loneliness can increase our mortality rate, cause inflammation in our bodies, and a host of other medical conditions like high blood pressure, heart disease, depression, just to name a few. Why? Because we were meant to be with other people. When we stay connected it actually improves our health and well-being.  

A couple of evenings ago I stepped outside and saw a flock of bicycles going by hooting and hollering, having fun. You could tell by all the commotion they were having a grand ol’ time just cruising around the neighborhood. I had to smile as it reminded me of the times when I was a kid and my neighbors and I used to bike around our neighborhood, up to the 7-Eleven to cash in bottles, racing to the end of the street, or jumping ramps in our dirt driveway. We used to have a blast together.

Being together—that’s the key. The Word calls us the body of Christ and each one of us is a part of it. (1 Cor. 12:27) So as a natural body is inter-connected and relies on each part to function, we, as Christians, should be interdependent on one another too. We need each other—for encouragement, strength, correction, support. 

And when we do connect, it’s sweet communion. Not that we have to be doing anything “spiritual,” but just spending time together. Eating together, sharing coffee time, walking, playing cards — anything! Connecting keeps us healthy and living longer. Oh, of course, there are some amazing spiritual benefits that happen too. But that would be a whole other article.  

Being Flexible

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Every January I like to seek the Lord for a specific word or phrase for that coming year. It’s like a slogan or motto to refer back to throughout the months whereby God reminds me of things He told me at the first of the year. For 2019 one of the words was “flexibility.” A good word, I had thought then; and as in most cases, the Lord was referring first to the natural, then the spiritual. 

As I have gotten older and am now in what I refer to as the “Fabulous Fifties,” I try to exercise regularly and have particularly been working on my mobility and agility over the last couple of years. I’ve gotten into the habit of stretching every morning, so being flexible has been a goal for my physical body.

But being flexible in the spiritual realm is a different matter entirely. And there’s nothing like having a storm to come along to test it. 

Yes, really—a real, physical storm. Hurricane Dorian, one of the longest living hurricanes ever in the Atlantic Ocean, passed by us here in Florida after wreaking havoc on the Bahamas. Fortunately we were only brushed by winds and rain in Jacksonville, however, my spiritual flexibility was left wanting as some travel plans required changing. 

For months we have been planning a pastors retreat in the Dominican Republic. Guess when that was supposed to be? Hurricane Dorian swept gently by the DR without much trouble, yet, as it hurled towards Florida we quickly surmised we would not be able to fly through the storm to get there and needed to safeguard our house instead. Postponement was necessary; the retreat was not going to happen that weekend. 

After contact was made, airline tickets changed, new dates set, and we settled in to ride out the storm, my heart filled with disappointment. Getting things prepared around the house was drowned with sadness (and a little anger too, to be honest). I had been looking forward to this pastors retreat for months! It was to be a culmination of working in the DR for the last few years, bringing pastors in from around the whole country! I could feel my inflexibility as I was left with no control of the situation. 

(Don’t you hate that—when you’re supposed to just roll with things, giving up whatever desires you have and going with the flow of God’s path? Oh, yeah, that’s called walking in the Spirit. I fail at that sometimes.) 

In John 16, Jesus speaks to the disciples about Him leaving them and some of what was forthcoming when He would be gone. This was not what the twelve thought was the plan. They were formulating and imagining their future in a whole other direction. I can empathize with the disciples in this situation as their flexibility was challenged too. As in many cases with them—feeding the five thousand, crossing a lake in a storm, Jesus’ crucifixion—walking with Jesus doesn’t always go the way you think it will.

When objects are inflexible and they require bending, either they break or they eventually bow. My attitude finally softened into submission after choosing to accept these changes and acknowledge Him in all my ways (Prov. 3:6). I flexed because I know Father God loves me and wants the best for me. I am His child. 

Knowing God is always good brought me back into rest and my sadness soon turned into excitement. Who knows all the reasons why (spiritually) this retreat got postponed, and does it really matter anyway? Not really. Now I just move forward by faith.

He loves me. Period. That enables me to be flexible.  

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(photo courtesy of NOAA)

Here’s another post along these same lines.

Where Does Security Come From?

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by Cyndi

I was reading an interesting book the other day and I paused when I ran across this quote:  

“When I admit I don’t know something, at that point, it enables me to find out and learn. The know-it-alls of this world are too busy trying not to feel insecure to open their minds to learn.”*

Maybe not the best grammatically written sentences, and perhaps they may be filled with a touch of judgement, but the truth within them stood out to me: we are either “learners” or “insecure.”

If we weren’t insecure we’d probably be willing to learn about anything. Now in today’s age we “google” everything; we can look up anything or anybody. And we do. However, what we don’t tend to look up are subjects in those areas we think we already know something. If we feel like we already know something, there’s no need to search for more. We’re “know-it-alls” as this writer put it. 

The learners always look for more to learn, ways to improve or do more efficiently. I believe these are those who want to go from “good to great.” And why wouldn’t you? Well, basically because of insecurity.

I used to be quite insecure about many things — computer skills, public speaking, any sort of ‘performance’ in front of people. Some topics I had a little skill or experience, but there were other areas where I just didn’t want to try because I thought I would fail. I didn’t see failing as an option, I saw it as rejection. But if you can’t fail, you can’t learn. I needed to let go of my insecurities.

How did I let go of my insecurities? Father’s love. The more I learned (and experienced) how much He loves me, accepts me, and doesn’t judge me, the more I’m willing to try. There is freedom to fail. No matter what the world may say about me, I’m still okay. I’m still loved.

Imagine a little crawling baby who pulls himself up on the coffee table for the first time and thinks about taking a step. What does the father do? He cheers him on, encouraging him to take a step. His tiny legs wobble as he attempts the feat. But what if he falls? (He probably will several times.) The father will smile and inspire him to keep trying until he’s eventually walking on his own. I believe Father God is just like this. He’s not afraid of my failings, so why should I be? It’s a part of learning and growing.

So when I use my Duolingo app to study Spanish and I loose all my hearts (life) on some of the lessons and have to quit, I don’t condemn myself. He doesn’t. I’m learning. When I can’t find something at the grocery store, I ask someone. I used to be too insecure to do that; I’d go through the whole place up and down every aisle and then leave if I couldn’t find it myself. I was ashamed I couldn’t figure it out on my own. Father never shames me.

There’s nothing wrong with not knowing something. (Double negative on purpose!) Father God is our security blanket. He is always with us. And I’m learning that not knowing something is a perfect opportunity to learn. Of course, I’m not perfectly secure in everything, and there are times when I need ministry to dig into why I’m struggling with being insecure in certain areas, but I try to keep moving forward. 

When I admit I don’t know something, it causes me to trust Father even more. If my security, approval, and love come from Him and no one else, I’m free to learn anything and not fear judgement.

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*Quote from Off the Grid by Capt. Mark J. Reinhardt