Tag hope

One Word…Trickle

Monica Cane Leave a comment

Summers in the central valley are just plain hot.  Fortunately, today is expected to be a much cooler day—10 to 15 degrees cooler than it has been for the last month.   I’ll gladly take today’s 92 degrees before it spikes up again.  A few days ago when it was a lovely 105 degrees, I drove our golf cart over to a little spot in town that has a man-made fountain, with boulders and a few trees surrounding it.  This tiny slice of heaven is located near the freeway exit and across from Starbucks.  Even though it’s located near a busy area, I do get a sense of “getting away from it all” whenever I go there to sit on the stone bench and watch the two fountains do their thing.

Parking the little golf cart nearby, I walked toward the fountains, taking in the sound of rushing water and instantly felt a bit cooler and more relaxed.

In the middle of the two erupting fountains that were shooting water at least 15 feet in the air, I noticed a little trickle of water coming from one part of the rocks.  I’ve seen it before but never really zeroed in on it like I was this day.

Eyeing the little trickle, I glanced back and forth  between the large fountains and then back again to  the trickle and then felt inclined to speak my mind.

God, the large fountains gorgeously shooting water 15 plus feet in the air, making their bold statement is how I feel inside about my purpose in life. The bigger impact is what I thought you wanted of me, yet the reality is that you use me much more like the small trickle over and over, in little ways after a lot of hard work.   I’ve recognized the value of those small moments but if I’m honest, it’s been frustrating to have a big want with a small outcome.

Voicing my genuine thoughts to God, I looked at the trickle of water again.  Yes, it was small, but it actually was very beautiful, very relaxing and very much part of the overall design of the fountain.

On that day, speaking my truth, God revealed His. The trickle really does have just as much impact as the large gushing fountain, it is just a matter of timing, need, perspective.  In other words, God uses big gushes and little trickles at just the right time, for His purpose.  Both are part of His overall design.

One Word…Cups

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I have quite a few coffee cups in my kitchen cupboard that are meaningful to me.  So meaningful in fact, that everyone in my family knows that they are not allowed to use any of my cups without me getting just a little bit crazy.  Let me tell you about it.

There is my weekday cup that I fill with delicious hot coffee before starting work. This was given to me by a coworker-friend.  The cup says, “People Person” on it, which is a perfect description of me, so naturally, no one else in my family needs to use this cup.  

Then there is the cup I typically use on Saturday mornings.  My husband bought me this one and it says “Caffeine First, Talk Later.”  My husband clearly understands me so why would anyone else think to use this particular cup.  

I have a bright neon yellow cup that I use on occasion that someone gave me years ago.  This cup says, “Everyday is a Gift from God.”   I save this cup for when I’m really feeling down.  One sip from this bright, inspirational mug and my gloomy perspective can’t help but change.  Now that I think about it, I probably should let others use this one and be encouraged as well. But I’m not promising anything.

There is also my brown Cal State Fullerton cup that I drank from every day when my son first went away to college as a way to feel connected to him. I don’t drink from it as often now that he’s back at home but in case it hasn’t been established, it’s mine.

It was my son in fact, who kicked off this whole obsession with coffee cups when he was little. He picked out a cute ceramic cup with bright orange and blue flowers painted on it from the Dollar Store as a Christmas present.  To this day, this cup reminds me of the beauty of a child’s love. So does the “Best Mom Ever” cup I received from one of my daughter’s a few Christmases later.  

All these significant associations with my cups is why I am the only one who is allowed to drink from them. It seems simple enough, even though my family thinks I’m a little crazy.  

Today is Sunday. Sunday’s are a pick whichever cup you are feeling day.  As I scanned my cups in the cupboard, contemplating which cup would best fit my mood.  I knew exactly which one I needed to pick.   It is a 16 ounce, plain aqua colored cup that was given to me by a former boss who became a dear friend during our time of working together who has since passed away.   This is the cup I always tend to reach for when I’m feeling a bit vulnerable.  

Feelings of vulnerability hit me most when God seems to be stretching me and growing me in one area or another.  The last few days He has been giving me a good stretch and teaching more about myself.  It’s a good thing but it’s also hard.  Drinking from this large cup reminds me that I can sit with my uncomfortable feelings of vulnerability and trust that God will see me through to the other side.  He literally has done so every single stretching time. Still, I need to slow down and sip from a cup like this for a calm reassuring reminder.

I’m finding that cups are a bit like our heart and soul.  They can be big and beautiful or small and dainty.  Whatever the shape or size they can go from being completely empty one moment to being filled to the rim and even overflowing the next.  If not careful they can break but with a little effort they can also be beautifully repaired.  

Sometimes my heart and soul feels like a full cup of joy, other times it feels like an empty cup of sadness.  Regardless, God continues to show me that each cup has its place in my life and He is present for it all. 

Hustle. Oh how I can love that word.   I’ve been one to hustle for as long as I can remember. 

How about you?

Personally, I’m not the “climb the corporate ladder” type of hustler, I’m more of a “keep it moving, do good, and make a difference” kind of hustler. 

What about you?

In all my hustle over the years, particularly as a believer, my sincere desire has been to honor God through it all  But here is a question I have had to ask myself a lot lately. 

Am I really doing all this hustling for the glory of God or am I doing it for another reason?

I would like to  believe that I do all things for the glory of God, but I have noticed too many times that when I finish that great thing I felt God wanted me to do,  my joy about bringing Him glory can quickly fade into an anxious discontentment. Before I know it, I’m looking around for what’s next.   If I was truly doing all things for the glory of God, would I really be anxiously longing for the next hustle so soon? 

Have you ever felt that way, or is this just me?

This anxious discontentment happened so many times after completing something, that I finally got the courage to ask myself a hard question: Is it possible that I don’t feel quite enough without the hustle?  

The more I asked myself this question, the clearer the answer became.  For me, yes, it is absolutely possible to not feel enough without the hustle because I easily confuse my “do” with my “who.”   

Thankfully, asking hard questions and diving into God’s word can bring clear answers.   

Am I enough without the hustle?  Are you?

According to God, the answer is: One Thousand Percent, Yes! 

He gets us, ya know. We are His creation, His handiwork. There was no anxious hustle when He made us. He knew what He was doing with us then and He knows what He is doing with us now.  

We are enough without the hustle.

“For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” – Ephesians 2:10

One Word…Hustle

Monica Cane Leave a comment

One Word…Cornbread

Monica Cane Leave a comment

Is cornbread really a good choice for the word of the day? I mean as soon as you hear cornbread, you can’t help but have images of hot melted butter and drizzled honey flash through your mind, causing a bit of drool.  While that is a delightful image, that’s not actually why I chose cornbread for the word for today. It actually has to do with a person I recently learned about.

Cornbread, is actually the name of an artist.  His real name is Darryl McCray and he is credited as being one of the first graffiti artists from Philadelphia in the 1960’s. Cornbread is his tag name and as the story goes, Cornbread wrote his name, in block style on walls everywhere throughout the city of Philly in order to impress his crush, a young lady named Cynthia.   

I have no idea if he ever won the girl’s heart but expressing himself in such a creative fashion got me thinking.  We are all artists in our own way.  God created each and everyone of us with various gifts, talents, and passions.  We may or may not have been given the gift of painting on walls, but perhaps we have been given the gift of listening, or a warm smile that causes someone to feel safe, or maybe the gift of baking literal cornbread.  Whatever the gift is, you can be assured it is from God and it is for the distinct purpose of expressing His love and kindness to others.  Like our friend Cornbread, we are artists in our own way and we are gifted and called to share the beautiful art of God’s love everywhere we go.

God Gives Fresh Starts

Monica Cane 1 Comment

God, make a fresh start in me. Shape a Genesis week from the chaos of my life.—Psalms 51:10

I’m the type of person who likes consistency.  I like to make plans then implement them so I can maintain a steady flow to my daily routine.  Like a creature of habit I’ve developed a regular way of doing things.   For the most part, I use one of three favorite cups for my morning coffee, I sit on the same side of the sanctuary at church every week, I usually take the same route to work, or school and I like shopping at the same store to mention a few regularities.  Because of my need of consistency, I follow a specific pattern as a way to bring comfortable evenness to my life.

On the other hand, I am also very much the type of person who becomes easily bored with the very routines I implement.  The predictability of my life often causes an inner restlessness because while I like consistency, I also long for excitement and change.  Nothing too crazy or wild just a little something that reminds me I’m alive.

One might think it would be easy to balance these two opposing sides, but honestly, it’s not. Wanting to be stable and grounded while at the same time wanting variety and adventure and expecting others around me to understand how I’m feeling during these times even though I don’t, can stir up some heated frustration, causing me to feel like a bubbling volcano ready to blow until both sides of my nature is satisfied.

As expected, I’ve discovered I’m not alone in my feelings.  Many people want the security of an easy going, predictable life yet find themselves unsatisfied and in a whirlwind of chaos because their bored with their routine and long for change but don’t exactly know how to go about it.

King David understood this self-induced chaos in a different yet very similar way.  The King desired to live a secure, solid, obedient life before God, but he too at times became bored.  Although he sought direction from God on many matters throughout his life, at times, the matter of balancing his desire for stability verses adventurous change were left un-prayed for and lead him to follow paths that God never intended.

In Psalms 51, we find David confessing to God about one of these so-called paths.  David had become bored with the routine of his kingly-life and instead of seeking God for positive change; he took matters into his own hands and had an affair with Bathsheba.

Over time he recognized the consequences of his sin, and confessed the errors of his ways.  He then asked God to cleanse him and give him a fresh start, to take the mess he had made out of his life and to create something right and new in which God faithfully obliged.

God will always forgive a person who loses his way if they repent with a sincere heart but wouldn’t it be a whole lot easier if when the monotony of our daily routine builds up and we need some excitement that we ask God for a fresh change instead of taking matters in our own hands?

While our struggles with our dual nature of wanting stability and adventure doesn’t necessarily lead us to sin against God, it sure can cause chaos in our lives.  Often when we become frustrated and bored with our daily routine, we begin to take it out on those closest to us. We’re snappy, we’re irritated and some days, downright mean just because we feel like we are in a rut and we need change.

When boredom starts to creep into your life, stop what you are doing and ask God to refresh your spirit.  Ask Him for a new outlook, a personal adventure that is aligned with His will for your life.  Something that will add the spice you long for but will still bring the stability you desire.  God is the one who created both sides of our consistent and radical nature and he knows just how and when to put a fresh wind in our sails while at the same time keeping us on course, if only we ask.