Tag Peace

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

Pure Worship

Monica Cane 2 Comments

A spirit of pure worship doesn’t usually flow from me with the sound of music the way it does for others.  Many lovers of God lose themselves completely in faith-filled lyrics and in instruments of praise. But not me.

Sometimes it comes across as a distracting noise for me.  Not every time, but most times.  Witnessing from a distance the intimate connection that transpires for others when a piano key tings or guitar strings vibrate has caused me question my worship.  What is wrong with me, am I defective? 

Scribbling in my journal one afternoon, feeling exceptionally content, it hit me.  Music may not bring out pure worship in me, but let me sit down to jot a line or two of inspiration, or grab a paint brush and produce expressive  art across a blank canvas, or use my hands to sprinkle glitter on glue and suddenly my spirit, my inner being, instantaneously connects with God.

Should my artistic expression come out exceptionally hideous it would not matter.  There is simply something about a quiet creative moment that draws me close to my Creator.  I sense His presence and feel the warmth of His Face shining upon me in a very real way.   Sensing His presence in those moments, causes my very soul to respond in the way that many others do with music–pure worship.

“God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.” – John 4:24