opportunities

August 13, 2022

Reflections on Feet

• A good foot rub relaxes body and soul
• We often take things we use daily for granted
• Comfort is bare feet on the cool grassy ground
• Bringers of good news are like sunshine after a cloudy day
• Be mindful of where you go and whom you walk with
• Travel brings new discoveries and renewed relationships
• Stand firmly for goodness and justice
• Consider possible consequences to avoid slipping
• Some paths are full of rocks, roots, and washouts
• Wisdom speaks from experience
• Heed words of wisdom to avoid stumbling
• It’s good to put your feet up and breathe after a busy day
• Walk through life seeing interruptions as positive opportunities
• Follow the feet of our Shepherd

–from “Reflections from the Everyday”
Charlotte-Anne Allen

November 13, 2021

Perspective

“Did that get it?” I squinted my eyes and turned my head to view the window I was cleaning, gaining a new perspective as the angle of light shifted. Rubbing out another smudge on the glass, I stepped back to check out my work. Looking good! No more streaks or dirt.

Isn’t life just like that too… especially in relationships with others?! Our feelings, emotions, and reactions are often wrapped up in our own perspective. We lash out or jump to conclusions… because of course that is what the other person was thinking or planning, right?! At least that is our own presumption. Unfortunately, I have found myself regretting my reactions and undergoing deep hurt or upset because I failed to consider where the other person was coming from, their thoughts or intents.

Considering things from the perspective of others brings a wealth of opportunities for positive experiences. Like the unseen dirt or smudges on glass, a shift in the way we see others and a desire to understand or extend some grace is needed. How often do we pause to reflect on the reactions or needs of others, to consider their past or present circumstances? How will looking at them from a different angle help exchange stress for compassion or lead to better understanding?

Perhaps Matthew and Luke had something of this in mind when they said, “Do to others as you would have them do to you.” * Don’t we all want to be understood and to be given some grace in those moments when things just aren’t going right? I sure appreciate it when someone recognizes why I may have had a certain reaction and I am encouraged when they offer support and understanding!

Perhaps the next time you are cleaning that window or mirror, when you notice a smudge on your glasses, or when you flip your windshield wipers on… you will pause to consider your own perspective in some current situation. May God, who knows the human heart, grant us peace and a better perspective.

* Matthew 7:12 & Luke 6:31
Charlotte-Anne Allen

February 9, 2019

One More Time!

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“One more time!” What thoughts that simple phrase conjures! The enthusiastic glee of a child in a game they are enjoying. The determined efforts of someone giving their last surge of energy. The tired thoughts of a worker nearing the end of a long shift. The culmination of repeated practice to perfect some skill or project.

One more and one more again. Just one more minute… until a job is completed, until it is time to begin, until we can relax, until we get some news. One more chance… to say needed words, to see a loved one, to say good-bye, to explain or to share.

Jesus was so faithful in his call to others, receiving all who came in faith and explaining once more to his disciples what it meant to follow him and what was to come. He persevered in prayer, “once more he went away and prayed the same thing.” * Paul wrote to the church of the Thessalonians saying, “We ought always to thank God for you, brothers and sisters, and rightly so, because your faith is growing more and more, and the love all of you have for one another is increasing.” …More faith and more love for each other! So many “mores” we read about in the Bible!

I’m thankful for my “mores,” for opportunities to be with others, for times of worship and learning, for quiet times, for growing years. And when the “mores” that I seek are no longer available, I am glad for the comfort of others, the joy in God, and the knowledge of “mores” to come. May God grant us hope, perseverance, and peace and may we seek Him in all our “mores.”

*Mark 14:39, 2 Thessalonians 1:3 NIV

March 25, 2018

Springtime Promise

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Brrr!! The calendar says springtime, but cold rain, sleet, and snow have been falling! Some people find the cold season invigorating. For me, those first buds and sprouts are a promise that warmer days are coming and with that promise comes anticipation. Even as the earth stirs as from sleep, I too stir… contemplating the year ahead and the winter past. It reminds me of some verses from a seldom read passage in the Song of Solomon, which my father loved: For lo, the winter is past. The rain is over and gone. The flowers appear on the earth. The time of singing has come, and the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land.

I look forward to new opportunities and growth, windows open wide to greet fresh air, and summer gardens and lawns. Even the responsibilities of work, church, and family seem more enjoyable. It is easier to turn loose of the “stuff” that tends to pile up during cold, lonely, or difficult seasons. When faced with challenging times, my mom would often say, “this too shall pass” … and she was right! Even as winter passes into springtime, so life moves on. Mom’s reminder and optimism was much appreciated, not that all would always turn out as wished but that we can be assured that God would get us through.

How my impatient or hurting self sometimes struggled to see that though. It is in more recent years that I have come to better experience the peace God provides for each day. Snow melts and sunshine warms! That’s why I love the springtime. Flowers appear. Singing comes. Life is renewed.

*Song of Solomon 2:11-12 (also known as the Song of Songs)