Discovering God's Treasures of Truth in the Every Day

What a pretty plant! She arrived close to Mother’s Day as a gift from my daughter and her husband. Her white petals were clearly defined and exquisite, giving her a stately elegance embossed in true beauty. The fine green stem struggled to hold the weight of the flowers, and was grateful for the stake that was next to her. Her petite stature told of secret dreams of wanting to be so much more.

As the heat of summer turned to crisp fall days, her petals started to fall… one at a time…. leaving her beauty a distant memory. She was left with just a few leaves and a barren stem.

However, I had visions of growth, of new blossoms, of a magnificence that she had yet to know. So I read… and read more… learning all about the orchid plant! As I discovered what the plant needed, I knew that she was not going to like what I had to do.

I gathered my supplies. This wasn’t going to be pretty. First of all, I needed to cut back the spike that had held the flowers, close to the leaves. Then, holding the plant securely, I held the plant upside down, and removed it from the safety of her pot. I then placed in her in a new larger pot, with nutrient rich soil, allowing her room to grow. She then was given a good watering.

Over the course of the next year, she needed to be moved around. She couldn’t get too comfortable. At one point, I placed her in a cold room and left her for awhile… and then brought her out into the warmth and sunlight of a sill. I turned her often. Some days she basked in the sun and other days she sat alone in the shadows. And I watched. She sent out air roots but no spikes. I watered and I waited. At times I let her dry out… and then I’d water her with extra fertilizer. And I continued to wait….

Then I saw it!! A new spike was coming out between a couple of the large green leaves. Slowly but surely, it grew heavenward, higher and higher. And then… the blossoms started to form…. Oh, so many of them! And then a second spike grew out of the first. More and more blossoms… promising breathtaking beauty. Quietly, they began to bloom. One at a time… as more and more blossoms burst forth in excitement.

Her quiet beauty hides a story of change, discomfort, hunger, thirst, uncertainty, pain, waiting, unknowns …. and trust.

Has your life, like mine, been through times of feeling like you’re being uprooted… but really God is just allowing you room to grow? Have you been through seasons of excruciating pain, where you’re wondering why…. but God is pruning you with love and wisdom, to allow for new growth? Have you been suffering through sleepless nights of uncertainty…. but God is calling you to let go and trust Him? Have you felt dry and drained as you pour into those around you…. but God is offering you His water, to satisfy your parched and thirsty soul? Have you felt the ache of rejection and aloneness… while God is preparing you for a deeper relationship with Himself?

Thousands of years ago, a prophet named Jeremiah struggled at times with God as well as his own personal weaknesses and failures. And yet, inspired by the Holy Spirit, he paints such a clear picture for us of God’s plan for our lives.

"But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord,
whose confidence is in Him.
They will be like a tree planted by the water
that sends out is roots by the stream.
It does not fear when heat comes;
its leaves are always green.
It has no worries in a year of drought
and never fails to bear fruit."
Jeremiah 17:7,8

Take a deep breath and relax… knowing that God loves you far too deeply to not be at work in your life. He calls us to trust. Completely. With abandon.

Then those around you will see the breathtaking work of God.

Chocolate or flowers? Flowers or chocolate? This is the universal question for guys every year, as Valentine’s Day approaches. Let me answer that for you.

Chocolate.

You’re welcome.

Let me explain. You see, we can come up with an excuse to buy flowers for the table pretty easily. It will brighten the table, restaurants have them, they won’t blow the budget, Susie always has fresh flowers in her house, God created them for us to enjoy, I’m supporting local florists… and on and on.

But for chocolate? It’s not quite that easy. Oh, we have excuses, trust me. But there’s still the guilt that takes away from that moment of joy as we indulge. However, if someone else buys the chocolate for us… that’s when the true bliss begins. It actually becomes a luscious obligation, to show appreciation for the gift. The more we eat of the substance, the deeper our appreciation.

Years ago, my husband was still thinking flowers. However, the kind and generous soul had learned that I enjoyed them better when they were a living house plant, which I could then add to my collection. So a beautiful arrangement arrived for me, complete with African violets, blooming their cheery faces up at me. Oh, how I hoped that I wouldn’t kill them! They looked so trusting.

So I watered…. and they continued to bloom. Perfect, velvety flowers. Purple, if I remember correctly. And I watered some more. What a green thumb I was developing. I should be working in a greenhouse or nursery.

Then one day… I reached out to feel those beautiful purple petals…. and they were artificial! My green heart plummeted as I realized why I had been so incredibly successful! No need to apply at the local nursery…

In your life and mine, what really counts, is not what we look like on the surface, but whether we have been given life, through Jesus Christ. We can blend in, look pretty, appear to have it all together, be resilient and have people admiring us… and yet not have growth, depth or life through a spiritual relationship with our Creator.

God has so much more for us. So much.

One day, as Jesus walked the dusty roads near the Mount of Olives, he stopped to teach the people about why He had come. He said to them, “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” John 10:10

He stands waiting… with a heart of love for you… longing for you to know what a full life is all about. A full life isn’t an easy life. I full life is one that is lived out by knowing Jesus personally, surrendering our will to His, allowing Him to direct us and trusting Him to carry us through the good times and the bad.

Don’t settle for the artificial instead of authentic….. the pseudo instead of the stunning …. the lifeless instead of the living.

Don’t settle.

Some of the best conversations in the world are with 3 and 4 year olds! Their innocence mixed with brutal honesty can leave the listener staggering under the weight of the message.

Three year old Christy and I were chatting after church one Sunday. The morning had been a busy one, and I just needed to catch up with her on how her time in Sunday school class had gone. I started out by asking who the helper was in her class that day.

Christy replied, “Oh, ya know… their was Aunt Sonia, and the lady that you have to touch her before she hears you.”

I just stared at my little girl in silence. I had just heard a powerful sermon… in one sentence. Christy had learned that the helper in her class, who was hearing impaired, would “hear” her if she touched her first. This alerted the woman to turn to look at the child, and then she could lip read what they were saying.

We have to touch them before they hear us.

Jesus showed us so perfectly how it’s done. As he walked the dusty roads of Galilee and Judea, He met the people right where they were, in their need…. touching them, healing them, feeding them, helping them, listening to them…. and then teaching them.

Sometimes we over complicate the simplicity that God calls us to. It was after Jesus had washed His disciples’ feet that He taught them about washing each other’s feet. They simply were ready to listen. He said, “I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.” John 13:15

If you have… brought a few cookies to your neighbor who’s been sick ….. stopped in the grocery store aisle to hear a lonely elderly shopper tell you their woes….. plowed a neighbor’s driveway on a snowy morning…. dropped a card in the mail to someone whose heart has been torn by grief…. called someone who has been going through a rough patch – just to cheer them up…. dropped off a coffee to a single mom, who’s struggling to see the light at the end of the tunnel…. dragged your weary body out of bed for the ninth time that night to check your child’s fever, praying it will break…. placed an arm around a friend, as their tears fell heavy on a grave… held the hand of a stranger who had no place to call ‘home’….

…. then you have touched them. Maybe now they’ll hear you.

The day was blistering hot. Even the slightest breeze was a rare moment that day. Now and then there were brief swirls of dust hovering over the farm. I stood outside our house, keeping a close eye on our oldest son.

It was lunch time, and little Daniel had other plans. He was pushing his big wheel tricycle down the gravel driveway, as fast as he could, away from our house. It made such a racket on the stones and ruts! I called and called his name, but he continued to get further and further away.

Great-grandma Verratti, whom we lovingly called “Gram”, was standing alongside the driveway, near the grass. As Daniel rolled past her, she called out to him, saying, “Daniel-boy, your mother is calling you.”

Daniel quickly replied, “Oh, I know. I can’t hear her!!”

Wherever you are, at this moment in time, in your relationship with God… has He been speaking to you? Has His voice been drowned out by the noise of your efforts to move in the direction of your choice, not His? Has your God, Who has infinite wisdom and love for you, been longing to show you His plans for amazing, but you’ve chosen to settle for your desires of mediocre, leaving you hungry?

God has more for you. So much more.

First, He wants to be your Father… your perfect, loving, compassionate Father. But He waits for you to ask. He says, “Whoever hears my word and believes Him who sent me has eternal life.” John 5:24

And then He has more. So much more.

What’s amazing is that when we are His child, He calls us His sheep and takes care of us like a Shepherd. He watches out for us and carries us when we are hurt. He knows what’s best for us. He never leaves us.

Sometimes, though, we can get so tuned in to the voices all around us, that we aren’t hearing the voice of the Shepherd. He’s speaking. We just aren’t listening. He says, “My sheep listen to my voice. I know them, and they follow me.” John 10:27

Is it possible that you want to hear from Him, but really aren’t sure that you’ll like what He has to say? God’s whispers to you will always reflect what He has already told us in His letter to us, the Bible. Yes, it may call you to turn around, stop what you are doing, walk away from destructive relationships, sacrifice things that seemed to carry value… and walk towards the One, Who waits with open, loving arms and incredible plans for your life… and so much more.

So. Much. More.

Although I have been blessed beyond measure to know many of my readers, I know that some of you don’t know me. I’m incredibly honored to have you joining me! A brief description of me would be…. a child of God, a wife of 43 years to my amazing husband Dan, mom of six loving kids, mom-in-law to six wonderful kids-in-law, grandma to 20 grandchildren, farm wife, nurse and a few other involvements to keep me out of trouble! Please, if you respond to my posts, tell me about yourself… I can’t wait to meet you!!

Sometimes, the only way to see where we’re going, is to look back.

As you and I embark on this journey together, I’m going to begin by laying out an old fashioned paper map, so that you can trace with me the steps that have brought me here. Some of the roads have been rough, with potholes and broken pavement while others have been smooth sailing, with gorgeous views. But it’s has taken both to bring me to where I am. This will be a slightly longer post than those in the future. Bear with me….

One of the greatest blessings of my life is that I was raised in a loving, God-centered and crazy, active home. My father’s job required extensive travel, which in turn demanded a lot of my mother… six children, moving every three years, and a husband with one foot in business and the other in church speaking engagements.

Then it happened. Dad called a family meeting and dropped the proverbial “bomb.” He, together with my mother had felt God calling him to leave his substantial salary position to go into full time church ministry, as a traveling speaker. This was not a paid position. No. This was a “Children, I know God will provide” position.

To a fourteen year old girl, this meant many things. It meant challenges and changes, loss of status, loss of security and loss of friends. However, as I struggled to regain my footing, and straining to see through the fog, I realized that I was embarking on a journey that would change my life forever. This would be a journey on which I would see, over and over again, a God who was much bigger and far more powerful than the stick-figure that I had drawn Him to be.

The first year was a maze of questions and answers, tears and celebrations, as I watched in slow-motion my parents knock out from under themselves every man-made financial and material support, and learn to relax in the arms of the One who was carrying them. I witnessed in a front row seat a battle being fought over my family between Satan and my God. We experienced extreme illnesses which were recovered from and empty kitchen cupboards and yet never went hungry.

The phone rang… Mom answered. After a brief conversation she turned to us children and explained. Company was coming for the weekend, arriving the following night for dinner. With a voice of confidence, she said to us, “Children, even though we have no food to serve them now, we will watch God provide.”

Mom prayed. And yes, God rolled up His sleeves and went to work.

We lived in one of the suburbs of Toronto, Canada. Friends of ours lived on a farm north of the city. They called to say that they had a frozen half of beef that a customer had failed to pick up and they didn’t have room in their freezer for it. “Could you take it off our hands?” My older brother was sent to pick up the meat. Thanks, Lord.

That evening, we went to our church prayer gathering, and came out afterward to find a fifty pound bag of potatoes leaning up against our car.

The following morning a neighbor called to see if we could use a half bushel of apples.

A friend stopped by with a loaf of bread.

By late afternoon, my mother had set the table with all of her best china and silverware. The doorbell rang. There stood a woman with a beautiful arrangement of flowers in her hands that she thought we might like on our table.

As my mother closed the door, she turned to us children and said, “Children, when the Lord sets the table, He does it right!”

As the years have come and gone, I have seen God continued to show up, revealing Himself as the loving and trust-worthy Friend that He promised to be. Whatever you are facing right now…. He promises to provide what you need. The Bible says, “My God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:19) If it’s potatoes…. He’s got this. If it’s strength to make it through another day… He’s got this. If it’s a matter of being totally confused as to what God is doing in your life or your family’s lives… He’s got this. But we have to let go and trust Him…. because it’s according to His riches, not ours.

Just let go…. ’cause when God sets the table, He does it right.

I am so ridiculously excited to be writing to you on my new blog, that I really don’t know what to say! Think, Ruth… think. What is it that you always wanted to say to anyone within ear shot? Hmm……. Got it.

Life has been, and continues to be, many things to many people. It can be brimming with both joy and grief… and, yes, at the same time. It can feel empty and useless or full of meaning. It can appear to be more than we can handle. Life can crush, ignite, empower, destroy, compel and bless.

As I have journeyed through my life, and continue to walk it out, God has taught me many lessons, often learned through just the every day stuff. Sometimes the pearls that I have gleaned have been through those living life around me and often it has been through reading His letter to me, the Bible.

No matter what life has brought your way, God has been loving you… infinitely.

You and I are going to take a walk together. I can’t wait. Grab a jacket. The seasons will change as we travel. I’ll be ready to go soon.

Stay tuned….

With love,

Ruth