Why My Backyard Fence?

When I was a child, neighbors would visit with one another over their backyard fences. There would be a fence on either side and one in the back. These fences were not barriers to keep others out, but rather a means to define one's property. Sharing with a neighbor a smile or perhaps a story, or even a piece of pie was not uncommon. I love people and hope to bring joy and encouragement to my Friends and Neighbors over "MyBackyardFence." And, yes, I now live in the Oregon Outback. Beautiful place.

Tuesday, May 20, 2014

A Better Way or are you "Stuck"?

There are a couple of sayings that I like to use."Sumpim' bump your head?" and "Coulda had a V8!". Now I know there are a couple of words that may not exist but I feel that they definitely fit the bill in these instances. I often use  them on myself when I realize I didn't think of a better way of doing something. Example: Living in an RV you have to be creative with space. We have a sweet feline furkid who has to use one of those all-so-necessary litter boxes. Having to keep it out of the reach of our Chihuahua, it abides in the bathtub when no baths are in process. For most of the time we have had her, I have had it in the end of the tub where the drain is located. I would cover the drain with a towel or put a plastic bag over the drain to keep scattered litter from going down it. Even at that, litter will slip by the protection when little Furkid (Teva) decides to have some fun in the box and fling litter everywhere off her  paws. The other day, I was cleaning out the box and disinfecting when all of a sudden a thought went through my mind: "Why not put it at the other end of the tub? Switch places with the laundry basket! It would be much easier to keep litter out of the drain." Guess what? Duh! "Sumpim' bump your head?" "Coulda had a V8!" That might seem like a strange example to use but we all live where the rubber meets the road and life is full of circumstances of varying degrees of importance that demand our attention and decision making skills. Sometimes we really just don't think about there being a better or easier way. Sometimes we are a "victim" of generational habits... "That's the way my family has always done it". Or, we just plain don't "think" it through. We just do what we do. I want to get better at taking myself out of auto-pilot. Now, granted, a lot of decisions are not rocket science as they say. They don't necessarily take great effort to come to the conclusion that you've chosen the best way. When it comes  to decisions of the heart we generally take more time to consider all the ramifications. What about Spiritually? Have we done the same thing the same way for years because it is the way we "do" it. Do we think we are too old to do something different? Do we think we have all the right answers. I love this quote from Billheimer, "Present interpretation and fresh revelation are always needed for life with a LIVING God." Jesus said, "I am the WAY...'' John 14:6. Maybe we have been walking with the Lord since we were a child or maybe we have recently responded to his wonderful, amazing love. We can still get "stuck" and miss out on some "better way". God is a Living, Creative, Perfect, All-Wise, All-Knowing Spirit, John 4:24. I pray for him to have his way; free reign in my life to show me, in every circumstance of this battle we are in, a better way. He is the Leader of our Faith. We are protected, covered and have the ability to Overcome any obstacle if we seek His Way. I know that when I walked in my own way, I was pretty miserable and didn't realize I was walking in darkness. When Christ opened my eyes and my heart to his love and made me aware that there was a better way, I might not have used those same sayings I mentioned above, but I did say, "Why didn't I see this before?" Sometimes we don't see. Sometimes it is a divine appointment like Mary at the tomb  thinking she was talking to the gardener when she was inquiring about the whereabouts of the Body of Jesus. It took Jesus to speak and open her eyes to his identity. We can pray our eyes be open and our minds quickened to a "BETTER WAY". We can pray for those we love to see there is a better way. We can go beyond looking at others lives and thinking our way would be better for them and asking God to show  HIS way  to them. God had and has a better way for the world than what the world originally got itself into. God had and has a better  way than the enemy of our souls has to offer . John 10:10: "The thief comes to steal, kill and destroy, but I have come that they might have life and life more abundantly." I CHOOSE THE WAY OF LIFE!  Stop, look and listen and see if there be a BETTER WAY!