Heavenly Windows

   It was a beautiful day on the beach. Well, what the mid-westerners consider a beach that is, cold Lake Michigan.  The lake was so calming and stunning. I could tell that this was going to be one of the last summer days before fall permanently settled in. The beach is such a good place to rest and think. I was so excited to make this trip and to be able to take a day off to read and pray.

  As the sun began to set a big group of thick grey clouds settled in and blocked the sunset. I was so disappointed. I was really looking forward to seeing the sun set over the lake. The chilly wind was starting to gently blow. I wrapped myself in my beach towel and dug my feet deeper into the sand. The sand was also getting colder and it softly tickled my feet. It was still beautiful even though I could not see the actual sun set. The clouds started to turn a soft pink, which beautifully contrasted with the grey sky. I was just enjoying being at the lake; feeling the sand between my toes, the chilly wind tangling my hair and the relaxing sound of the waves was a lullaby for my heart. I looked up and all the sudden some of the clouds moved. It was like God was opening a window into the clouds so I could just see a little of the sunset. It was beautiful. I could see just enough of the sunset to enjoy it. Wow! Our God is such a creative God. In that moment the Lord spoke to me in such a wonderful way. He said my daughter this is a heavenly window. If you look for them in your life you will find them. So many times He just gives me a glace into his Kingdome. He does not reveal His whole plan just enough for today.

  I have been thinking a lot about what heavenly windows looks like in a day-to-day basis. What if we would add hope to the equation. What if we would hope and activity look for heavenly windows daily? I think that it would really change my outlook on life and on difficult situations if I would hope for God to reveal himself through these “heavenly windows”. May I encourage you to look for heavenly windows in your day-to-day life. Would the Lord fill you with hope as you seek His Kingdome thought the heavenly windows He has placed in your life today.

New North

Many times in life I have an idea just “pop” into my head. Sometime they are super random like how I can mix and match and make a new outfit using cloths that I have used for years, or how I could change a recipe so it is faster to make, or how I can arrange my schedule so I can accomplish “all” the things on my to-do list. But sometime theses ideas have a more spiritual nature. Recently, I was having my teatime with Jesus (i.e. Morning Devotion – however now that I am a night nurse often this takes place at 5 pm after trying to sleep during the day) and I had a really simple idea pop into my head after reading Genesis 12. But first let me give you some of the history of why this simple truth was so good for me to be reminded of.

Before going to college I had many people say and write to me that college was going to be the season of my life where God was going to revel “The Land” that He was calling me to. Many people encouraged me with the story of Abraham and how Abraham left the land he was living in to go to a new land (Genesis 12). Part of me could really identify with this as I was leaving the country I had loved and grown up in for a new country I had not lived in. So, naturally I thought that this meant that by the end of college I was going to know what physical location God was calling me to.

 However, during college whenever I would pray, ponder or ask God where “my land” was going to be I always felt like He said WAIT.  This was really hard because I thought that the whole reason for college was to prepare me for “the Land” not to just WAIT for it!

How can I wait? I need to do! That is who I am. I do! I do not like to wait! But over and over again I felt like I needed to surrender my plans and just wait. Of course I needed to still write my papers, study and be diligent in the academic side of life, but it was in the spiritual side of my life that I had to learn to wait and to be ok with waiting. I had to find peace and joy in waiting.

I learned so much during this season and truly grew closer to the heart of the Lord. But sooner than I wanted I was walking across the stage wearing a cap and gown and cute red high heals with poked-dot black tights. I was given a piece of paper that said I had finished college. Most people use their diploma as part of their map to direct them to their next route. However, when I walked off that stage even thought I had a big smile in my face I still did not know where I was going let alone which way was North on my map.

So after lots of prayer I moved in with my Aunt and her wonderful family. My big plan was for this to be only a very temporary placement. I thought to myself 3 months tops! By then I will have a job and I will know where my “new land” will be.

Well, 3 months turned into 11 months. I was still asking the Lord to show me “the land” He had for me and to prepare my heart for it. I was earnestly looking and seeking with all my heart and mind to do His will and to find “my land” where He would use me.

 As time passed I was getting discouraged because I was not finding a job. I had believe that I would live the simple American dream formula: job + hard work = purpose (i.e.  “my land”).  Even though discouragement set in at the same time I somehow felt alive. I grew so much in my dependence on the Lord because I was not finding a job. I thought that a job would be my compass when really I had to just really on Jesus. I needed to wait for him to give me my map coordinates. I had to re-evaluate why I was putting my worth in a job when really my value needs to be simply in the Lord.

I then had a friend reach out to me and tell me that her hospital was hiring. I applied out of a sense of obligation and responsibility more than anything else. This hospital was out of state and I did not think that it was going to work out.  So many doors would have to open for this to even be a possibility. Well, the Lord specializes in impossible!  Here I am in a new state with that new job and loving it.

So, I know that by this time you are probably asking, “Maribeth, What was your big revelation at teatime?” Well, it was simply this. I was looking too hard for “the land”. When really something bigger was there the whole time. As a Christian I will be in “my land” when I am at my ultimate destination. However, that will not happen until I am in heaven. For now I am on this wonderful journey. But I must confess that I accidently stumbled onto this much more valuable treasure. On this journey I am to actively be a part of a community, wherever the Lord directs me. I am to love the other travelers that I meet along the way. It is not some big revelation or calling it is just a “new” way of seeing my reality and using my compass. I need to find ways to serve and enjoy the route that the Lord has given me today. While letting Him be my TRUE NORTH and trusting that He will reveal the map coordinates that He wants for my life in His perfect timing until I reach “my land” which is in reality “His land”. So for now I am just enjoying the journey.

Tree of Transitions

It is almost November, the leaves are starting to turn and sing as they hit the ground. It is a beautiful time of the year. Today is particularly warm and I am loving sitting outside and reading. It is this beautiful change of seasons that makes me reflect about the transition that has happened in the last few months. I have gone through a lot of change and I am preparing my heart for more change in the coming weeks. I am in transition! I feel like every transition of my life is marked with the sadness of losing my summer leaves, yet the blessing of adding a new branch to my life tree.

For those of us who are in the TCK world, transition is a bittersweet word.  Part of our existence depends on transition. We “need” to be able to move and change. We get so excited about the opportunity of our life radically changing. It is part of who we are.  But the other part of us realizes with transition comes the “bad word,” good-bye. Because of all the transition we have had, we feel the hurt when having to say good-bye again. We have had to learn to be literally up-rooted in the middle of winter and transplanted and expected to thrive in another tundra. I am not much of a plant person, but I know that trees do not grown in the winter. Yet, because of the grace and love of God, we survive and somehow do grow despite the lack of ideal circumstances. However, if you were to honestly ask me, I would not trade this life style for anything in the world. It has caused me to grow and have stronger roots, every day more dependent on the true source of life.

I recently had a job interview out of state. When the phone rang and I was offered the interview, my heart was torn. I was excited about this professional opportunity and the chance to be near one of my dear college friends. But, I was also torn by the potential of having to leave my friends and family. I have been living in the same location for almost 10 months and have really tried hard to put down roots and grow close to people. I scheduled the interview, knowing that if this was what the Lord wanted for my life, He would make it happen, since it was so out in left field. I was trusting the Lord in a totally new way. He knows what my “life tree” needs.

The morning of the interview the Lord gave me this verse “Blessed are those whose strength is in you, who have set their hearts on pilgrimage” Psalm 84:5. This verse really helped me understand that ultimately my path is the Lord's, that He is the one who knows what He has for me. Long story short, I got the job. I am excited to see what the Lord is doing. I am excited for this new stage of life, adding a zip code to my collection. But at the same time I am sad that I need to leave the comfy “garden” I have been in.

So, here I am watching the beautiful golden crisp leaves dance as they gracefully fall to the ground. I am remembering all that God has done and is doing. I know that part of this transition will probably surprise me, part of it will be easier than I expect and I know that part of it will be heartbreaking, but I am truly excited for this next step and for what the Lord has for me.  I know that even though it might feel like I am losing some leaves, I am also going to be able to add a new branch. God is the head gardener and who knows exactly what we need and when we need it.

Broken Lock...

It was a beautiful day. The sun was out, it felt warm and the sky had a special clearness. The breeze was fresh and felt good against my hair as I biked . It felt good to be “free” and to just enjoy the day. I had woken up that morning planning to take a bike ride. After a few really stressful events, I needed to be outside and pray as I rode. I have found that biking is a great way for me to connect with God. I find myself always wanting/needing to do things so if I am physically moving it is easier for my brain to stay on task and pray. After riding around for exercise purposes, I rode to a coffee house to meet my friend. I parked and locked my bike at a bike stand at a bike shop close to the coffee house. I met up with my friend. We had a lovely time sitting outside while drinking chai and really encouraging one another. We are each going through some challenging situations. (I know you will probably read this blog dear friend so thanks for being so AWSOME J )

After our wonderful time we gave each other big hugs and we each went on our way. I walked back to my bike and started turning the numbers in the lock to unlock my bike. I used the correct combination but the lock would not move. I knelt down so I could really try to use all my strength but still nothing. I looked at the code and I was sure it was correct. I tried a third time nothing. I tried a fourth time and it was still not giving in at all.

In the middle of the frustration I happened to look up and saw that I was by the bike shop. I walked in and asked if someone could help me. The man behind the counter hardly looked up at me. He was really concentrated on the bike that he was fixing. He pushed back his glasses that had started to slide off his nose and gave me some WD40 to put on the lock to loosen it. I walked back out and generously sprayed WD40 all around the combination part and moved all the numbers back and forth so this “magic spray” would get in and help my desperate self. I turned the numbers back to the code and hoped that this would work. However, it did not. It was still not moving at all. I tried a few more times but still nothing. I finally admitted defeated and walked back in the bike shop and asked the bike repair man to please help me!

To my surprise the bike shop owner was up for the challenge. He sprayed more WD40 and tried with all his force but nothing happened… I started to realize that I had two options, leave my bike in the bike rack forever or ask the kind bike shop owner if he knew how to cut the cable. To my amazement he had all the tools available to do this. I was sad that this meant that I was going to have to get another lock for my bike but the shop owner was kind of enjoying sawing the cord to set my bike free. After a few minutes I had a chain sawed in half but a bike I could ride. I thanked the kind bike owner for all his help and pedaled away. I noticed that the car parked a few feet away had a couple in it and they were smiling. I am glad that I was able to be a live circus for them!

On the way home I thought about what had happened and realized how so many times my life is like my bike. I would not have the potential for fulfilling my purpose in life if it was not for the power of the blood of Jesus on the cross that broke all the chains that had me tied down. It is only for his purpose that I live. I can use my time and gifts to go wherever he wants me to go and to love and encourage the people He puts in my path! J  

“Vintage Neighbors?"

All of the sudden the car stopped. I was driving and even though I had my foot on the accelerator and was pushing down, the car was suddenly slowing down. Fortunately, no one was behind me, so I used the little power that the car had left and tried to pull off the road the best I could. I was driving my grandmother's car, as she was to tired. I had gone up to visit her for her birthday and we had run some errands and gone out for a drive. I think it must be a “generational thing” but my grandmother loves to go for drives. She just loves us to just drive her around. I do not know why but she finds it so relaxing to just drive around. Where I only drive to get myself from point A to point B.

As the car came to a complete stop, she asked what was going on. I said “I do not know, the car just stopped.” I tried to turn the key but the engine just would not start. We switched places and she tried but the engine did not move at all. I felt horrible. I was trying to help my grandmother and bring her some joy for her birthday and our car had just “died” in the middle of the road. We managed to find her roadside assistance number and she called them. I was just enjoying the warm day sitting in the warm sun. My grandmother was freaking out but for some reason I knew that it was all going to work out. The Lord gave me lots of peace in the moment. I looked outside and saw some people starting to cross the street towards us. I did not dawn on me that they were coming to help until they asked us if we needed help. I had seen them but did not think that they would stop. I got out of the car as my Grandma was still on hold.

If I was to describe this couple I would say that they looked like they listened to country music and occasionally enjoyed a cold beer . The husband had on jeans, cowboy boots, an old shirt that has the sleeves cut off in a rugged fashion (this allowed all his arm tattoos to be exposed) and last but not least a well used sun dyed cowboy hat. The wife also had on jeans with holes (not the “fashionable” one you buy at Nordstrom for $100 but the wear and tear type of holes) and a pale blue scrub top that had different paint color stains on it in an asymmetrical fashion. She had on a hat with a big cross with large rhinestones. They were so kind and asked if they could help push our car to the driveway that was behind us. We agreed this would be a good idea. Another neighbor who was driving up the street also stopped when he saw us pushing. We all managed to get the car out of the way.

My grandma was finally able to reach the town truck and he was going to come in an hour. However, the problem was how were we going to get back home from the mechanic. As my Grandma asked me this the “wife” said “I can take her to get her car.” We all agreed that this would be the best decision. She pulled her car up and off we went. I must admit that their was a moment when I was like “Maribeth, this is really not a good ideas.” My mother's voice was suddenly in my head from when I was a child saying “never get into the car with a stranger.” For all I knew this women was a stranger. But I felt like I had no other option but to trust her; unless I wanted to walk home (which would have probably taken an hour. I could have done it, but I knew my grandmother would not be able to). I said a quick prayer of protection and I clicked my seat belt. We had a really nice conversation on our way to my grandma's house. I got my car and we all met up again at the side of the road. The tow truck still had not arrived. The friendly couple said that if we needed anything we could just ring their doorbell. We thanked them for all their help and waited in my grandmother’s car as their house was just a few yards away.

After 45 minutes of sitting in the car, the tow truck came.  I  got into my car with my grandma and drove, following the tow truck to the mechanic. Since it was a Friday the mechanic said that he was not going to be able to look at the car until Monday. So after we explained what had happened, I took grandma to the store so she could get some things she needed since she was not going to have a car for a few day. We then arrived safely at her house after this crazy adventure, I was glad that I was able to be with Grandma during this time and that she was not alone. I drove back home that night. I called her the following Monday afternoon and she was happy to report that her car was fixed and at her house. I was glad that all things considered it was an “easy” fix.

As I was driving back home I had a few hours to reflect on what had happened. The truth is that we have lost the notion in our culture of being neighborly. We hardly ever see our neighbors or help them for that matter. But the truth is that it is so important to bring this “vintage” idea back to our culture.  I have many times heard lots of older people talk about how some of their closest friends where their neighbors. However, I feel like in current times this idea is the exception not the rule. Many times it is just the simple things that neighbors would do for each other. I was challenged by the goodness of this couple to really take seriously the idea of being neighborly and going out of our way to help each other out as much as we can. Hope that this blog challenges you to be more of a “vintage” neighbor.

Dirty Heart

You are probably thinking at this point, “ok MB we get the dirty reference…maybe you should move on.”  I know that it might be cliché, but God is really speaking to me through this analogy. So please bear with me J  This is another blog from my mission trip to El Salvador.

“Once again the assembly line was put together. This time we knew how to make meals for the homeless and our spirits where high. We all laughed and talked as we put together the meals. This time we made 200 meals. Little did we know what the Lord was going to do that night.

We once again all loaded up in the truck. I, for some reason, sat between my uncle and the girls' basketball coach. Needless to say it was a Maribeth sandwich. But I felt safe. I knew that as the truck took all the sharp turns I was not going to fly out by any stretch of the imagination. The missionary's mentality is that they feed everyone. Homeless, prostitutes, gang members, etc. I really like this approach because Jesus would not discriminate so why should we.

Our first stop had around 40 people; many of them women with small children. My heart was torn at such a sight. After feeding them we drove on and stopped to feed a prostitute. My uncle reached out to give her the bag of food and said “Jesus te ama” “Jesus loves you.” She abruptly stopped, turned around, astonished at such a declaration. She looked at us with a confused look. Her face was pale and her dark eyes looked lifeless. You could tell that years of lies, darkness and lust did not add up to a man saying in a polite and respectful way that Jesus loved her. My uncle, being the gentleman he is, repeated his previous statement. She still looked at us with such unbelief and tangled thoughts.  Our prayer that night was that if this was the first time someone told her that she was loved by Jesus, she would be able to find a way out of prostitution and into God’s arms.  

We keep on driving and stopped and fed three other prostitutes. When they came up to the truck my heart went out to them. I wanted to hug them and tell them that Jesus loved them with a love that does not want to take off their clothes but wanted to clothe them in righteousness. The truck started up and I was not situated in my spot. I instinctively leaned into my uncle, I knew that he had my back and that He would do anything to keep me safe. At that moment I realized that these girls probably never felt any of the caring love that I was feeling. I wanted to tell them how they need to put their hope in Jesus.

Our world is full of people with dirty hearts that do not have the light of Jesus. It is because of these dirty sinful hearts that prostitution exists. It is so important that we start to bring hope and life into the hearts of people around us. Our world needs Jesus. It is that simple. Would we be motivated to get out and start to share of the love, forgiveness and hope that only Jesus and His cross can give? Might these “dirty hearts” be transformed with righteousness by the power of the Holy Spirit?

If you want to find out more about the work being done in El Salvador visit http://allblessingswest.blogspot.com Thanks!