Can You See the Potential?

I've always had a love for antiques - not the glamorous, high end things you see come across the appraiser's table on Antiques Roadshow or the beautiful pieces that Sotheby's might have up for auction - but pieces that have some wear on them, some character. 

Recently a dear friend & I were driving down a country road and we passed a yard full of "treasures."  I made her stop and turn around.  She thought I was crazy!  And not many would blame her.  But I had spied it - on the back of a pickup truck in the yard was an old dresser.  Admittedly to her it didn't look like much so her diagnosis of me as crazy wasn't too far off.  But I saw it as something more.  To my friend it was an old piece of furniture that had been left out in the elements for far too long.  She saw that it had no knobs, chipping paint covered half of it and had been stripped off of the other half, the decorative pieces were missing, water spots were evident on the top, spiderwebs clung underneath...and she was right.  All of these things were true.  But I saw more.  I saw it as a beautiful, refinished piece with a dark stain.  I saw it with crystal drawer knobs, with all of the decorative pieces replaced (I later found them in the drawers!), I saw the beauty in the curved legs and the dovetail drawers.  And for $12 I couldn't resist it!  As crazy as my friend thought I was, she graciously helped me load the dresser into the back of her SUV and haul it home. 

My mother would tend to agree with my friend's analysis.  The dresser doesn't look like much to her either.  But my father can see beneath the chipped paint and missing pieces and see what I see.  Perhaps that's where I got it from; another trait inherited from my father...the ability to see something more.  Something better.  My father and I can see the potential in an old piece of furniture.  But can we see the potential in people?  I think my mother has us beat in this department!!

When we interact with people or meet someone new, how do we see them?  Do we see them as weathered and worn?  Do we see their blemishes and imperfections and label them unworthy of our time and effort?  Or do we see past that and see that they may have scars and spiderwebs but they just need someone to care; someone with concern enough to help them dust off the cobwebs, put on a new coat of paint and restore their lives into something more.  Do we see the potential in them?  Or do we leave them discarded on the side of the road where life has tossed them; hopeless and helpless with no future in sight.  What does God see? 

Question of the day:  Can you see the beauty in people or do you see the scars and blemishes?

My Roadside Treasure

It Not Broke!

My parents' youngest grandchild is my nephew Casey.  Just 3 months shy of his third birthday and with all of the other grandchildren ranging in ages from 12 - 20, he is the only small child in the family and he is definitely a bright spot in all of our lives.  Even though my son is 13, Casey always wants to see him when he comes to visit my parents.  He always has a great time with "Tutter."

A couple of weeks ago Casey came and spent the day with us.  My son pulled out some cars and trucks for him to play with.  Like most 3 year old little boys, he loves cars and trucks and will sit and play with them for hours.  Later during the day, I noticed him picking up each car and truck, shaking his head "no," and saying, "It not broke." 

Amused and confused at the same time, I just responded, "No Casey, it's not broken."  He repeated this over and over, with each car and truck.  I thought, "I'm going to buy that child some cars and trucks for Christmas.  All of his must be broken!"  I thought he was impressed with the fact that my son's collection wasn't full of missing wheels and broken parts. I didn't know how wrong I was!

Just last night Casey came back to visit us.  He immediately headed to my son's room, looking for the cars and trucks he had played with before.  And once again he would shake his head and say, "It not broke," as he held one in his hand.   At first I thought, "How funny! He's doing it again!  I've got to get that boy some new cars of his own."  Then it dawned on me.  These weren't just any cars and trucks he was playing with.  They were Transformers.  I watched as my son sat beside Casey on the porch and started to transform one of the vehicles.  He only got as far as the wheels when Casey said, "Don't broke it Tutter!" 

"Broke" to Casey meant the state of the car during the transformation process!!  My son has always been able to twist and turn and maneuver the cars and trucks with ease until they turn into whatever robot they are meant to be.  Casey has watched him do this before.  By saying, "It not broke," Casey was referring to the fact that the car wasn't in that transforming state; when it's no longer a car, but not yet a robot.  He viewed that state of change as the toy being "broke."  And I have to agree with him...in that in-between state, they do look like they've been broken! 

Aren't we the same way?  Don't we sometimes have to become "broken" before we allow God to transform us?  And although that in-between state is sometimes very ugly and we sometimes we may not look like much, isn't it a process we must go through?  A transformation state that must take place in order for us to reach the final product and become what we're supposed to be?  And can't you hear God saying, "You're not broken, I'm just not finished transforming you yet." 

Question of the day:  Have you undergone a transformation in your life?  Did you have to travel through a broken state to get there? 

Casey 

Are You Listening For The Beep?

Our dog Missi has been a treasure in our lives for 4 years now.  She's a wire haired terrier mix and just has the greatest little personality.  She looks like a lighter colored Benji and we all fell in love with her immediately when she came to us.  Her only fault was if we ever let her outside off the leash, she would take off.  Bolting for the road, the neighbors' yards, the woods...wherever her nosey little doggy nose would take her.  She just had to go see what life had to offer outside of her own backyard. 

Realizing that she wasn't getting enough exercise on the leash, but fearing for her safety at the same time, (our last dog wandered into the road and was hit by a passing car), we recently installed an underground fence in the backyard.  You've seen the ads - it works with the dog's collar and sends a slight startling shock if the dog crosses the fence line.  Despite my daughter's fears and tears at the thought of Missi getting "shocked, "  we installed the fence. 

Little white flags were put up all along the path of where the fence had been buried to serve as a guideline.  We started out the first few days with Missi still on the leash, just letting her get the feel for her boundaries.  Then the leash came off - and she got shocked.  And my daughter cried.  Even though the collar beeps a few feet away from the fence line, she would still ignore that warning and try to cross the boundary line.  And a few times more she did.  And a few times more she got shocked.  And a few times more my daughter cried.

But then, after just a few days, Missi began to acknowledge her boundaries.  We'd watch as she would ease up close to the line, hear the warning beep and immediately back off.  It wasn't long before she wouldn't even come close to those little white flags!  Missi is much happier now (and so is my daughter). She can do all of her favorite things - be outside, run around in circles, play ball, stick her nose up into the air when the wind blows, chase squirrels, torture the cat...all without being on a short leash and all without being away from the safety of home.

Missi's collar works for her just as God's love works for us.  He wants us to live a life that we love. A  line from Max Lucado's Cure for the Common Life; Living in Your Sweet Spot reads,  "Your Father is too gracious to assign you to a life of misery."  How sweet is that!?  God wants us to have the life we dream of (remember, He gave us those dreams), and He wants us to be able to do the things we love - within certain boundaries.  And when we cross that boundary line, don't we get shocked?  It may not be by a literal collar around our neck, but you can bet there's going to be pain.  And God is so gracious that He even gives us a "warning beep" just like Missi's collar.  It's called the Holy Spirit; our conscience.  We know when we're about to do something we shouldn't be doing.  The Holy Spirit will speak to us, will caution us, will give us a warning beep.  Yet instead of heeding that warning alarm and turning back into the yard where it's safe, sometimes we choose to ignore it and cross over the line anyway.  And we get shocked. 

I think what alot of people don't realize is that God's love for us - and the boundaries that He sets up for us and warns us about crossing - are for our own protection.  He knows what lies outside those boundaries.  He knows if we get out of the backyard we can get in trouble with the neighbors or worse - get into the road and get ran over.  Just like with Missi's underground fence, the boundaries God sets for us are for our own good.  Not because He wants to control us or confine us, but because He loves us and doesn't want to see us get hurt. 

Learning to live within the beautiful backyard God has created for us is sometimes a challenge.  Like with Missi, it takes time for us to learn to listen for the beep and back away.  Yet when we realize that within those boundaries is where life is the sweetest and the safest, we realize how great it is there.  You may not choose to chase after squirrels or torture the cat or stick your nose up into the wind, but you can definitely find your dream life - your sweet spot - even in your own backyard. 

"Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart." ~ Psalm 37:4 NIV



Question of the day:  Have you learned to live happily within your boundaries or are you still getting shocked?  Are you ignoring the warning beeps?        

Not What I Had Planned...

I had an entirely different topic in mind for today but as I sat down and turned on the computer just now, the printer started making noise like it was getting ready to print something.  I thought, "That's weird - the computer has been shut down all night, what could it be printing?"  Then I rushed to the assumption that it must be something that one of my kids had been trying to print last night & it had just gotten lost in printland. 

I was totally surprised - and in awe - of what came out.  A few weeks ago I started seriously considering pursuing something I've always wanted to do - a dream I've always had.  I began making preparations, started doing some research, gave it my all for a couple of days - and then chickened out.  Fear of rejection and failure stopped me in my tracks.  I know, I'm a wimp, a scaredy cat - I'll be the first to admit it. 

The dream project has still been in the back of my mind the last couple of weeks but I've just let fear push it onto the back burner of my brain.  Well, this morning before I got out of bed I was laying there talking to God and the pursuit of my dream came to mind again.  So I just said, "Okay God - just show me what you would have me to do with this crazy dream of mine.  If it's something I should pursue, You'll have to let me know." 

Okay this is where it gets good...remember the printer?  You'll never believe what it popped out.  A page of the research I had been doing several weeks ago!!  I KNOW - I couldn't believe it either!  And get this - when I was doing my research, I made lists in a notebook & saved many websites to my favorites - I didn't print anything out!!  And this was not just any page that printed, but a very specific page from a very specific site with very clear guidelines. 

I am completely blown away!!  Not only has God said, "Yes, Monica you need to chase that dream of yours,"  but He has even printed out the instructions for where & how I need to go about it!!  Isn't it awesome when you know that you know that you know that what you're doing or what you're about to pursue is the right thing for you?!  Talk about a Sweet Spot!!!

Question of the day:  Have you ever gotten such a blatant, direct answer from God?  How did it appear?

Daylilies in October

Just last week I had a little daylily pop up & bloom in my backyard.  It really surprised me since all of the others had quit blooming way back in the summer.  I'm not sure I've ever had one bloom this late before - I certainly don't remember one.  The first thought I had was to go ask my Granny if it was common for one to bloom this late.  Then I remembered - I couldn't go ask her.  Granny passed away in March. 

If you knew her, you knew how she loved her plants and flowers.  With no formal education in landscaping or horticulture, she knew the common and Latin names of hundreds of species, knew how much sun, shade, water and Miracle Grow each one needed.  She knew it all.  Her yards were always immaculate and if she wasn't able to be out working in them, she wasn't happy.  She was definitely in her element when in her greenhouse & in her flower beds.  It was a passion, a love, a need that ran deep within her veins. 

As I thought about that daylily and my Granny's life, I realized that she had found a way to do what she loved the most and to let God be known at the same time.  She was always expressing God's love by sharing and giving and doing for those around her.  I can remember being at her house as a small child when a friend or neighbor would stop by and I remember they never left without Granny having given them something.  Usually it was a flower or a plant.  Sometimes it was a jar of her famous crabapple jelly, or a beautiful treasure she had hand crocheted, or vegetables she and my grandfather had picked from the garden.  Regardless of the gift, she was always giving.  And we all reaped the benefits. 

Thanks to her, I had a new Easter dress each and every year - straight from her sewing room.  Thanks to her, I have a love of crabapple jelly today to which nothing can compare.  Thanks to her, I have beautiful hand made ornaments on my Christmas tree every year.  And thanks to her, I have a beautiful daylily bed along the back fence in my yard. 

After I remembered I couldn't go ask Granny if its common for a daylily to bloom in October, I realized the answer didn't really matter.  It was the lesson that mattered.  Through the daylily, God reminded me of my Granny, and reminded me of how she used her passions - sewing, making jelly, working in her greenhouse & flowerbeds - to share with others; a true expression of His love.  Lesson learned.  Granny was living in her Sweet Spot, and I can too!! 

Thanks Granny for reminding me how beautiful it is to share with others the talents with which God has blessed you.  And thanks for showing me how beautiful life can be when you're living it in your Sweet Spot.


Question of the day:  What lesson(s) have you learned from loved ones who are no longer with you?

Welcome to The Sweet Spot

Welcome to Life In My Sweet Spot...I sure appreciate your stopping by & hope you'll like what you find here.  I'm not sure where this will take me but I hope you'll come along for the ride.  It's likely to be a bumpy one seeing as how this whole blog thing is completely new and foreign to me.  But I think I'm a pretty quick study and can hopefully make some sense of it all before too long!  No doubt you'll see the site evolve as I learn new tools and apply them to this site.  My intention with the blog is just to share whatever is on my heart and mind for the day.  Some days I feel dumb as dirt -  so the blog will probably reflect that and you'll probably wonder why in the world you're reading!  But I hope you'll find enough days that offer you some insight, info, hope, encouragement, tips, ideas, etc. that will keep you coming back - and keep me encouraged.  I'd also like to end each post with a question, so please offer your feedback.  These will no doubt lead to future posts and topics with the hope that we can all learn from each other. 

Let me start by giving some explanation for my blog title.  I have recently been going through some obstacles in my life and have come to the realization that through every adversity, God provides opportunity.  He recently reminded me of a book I had read a couple of years ago - Max Lucado's Cure for the Common Life: Living in Your Sweet Spot.

It's a great guide for realizing the talents,interests, and passions God has given us and using and applying them in a way so that we can make Him known.  I remembered the book having a powerful statement but didn't feel that it applied to my life at the time I first read it.  Isn't it funny how God speaks to us to remind us of things we've seen or read or heard before at a time when they ARE applicable to our lives?!  This book came to mind again only last week & I realized God was telling me I needed to give it another read.  So I am.  And I'm realizing why God brought it back to mind.  Being reminded that He has a purpose for my life is exactly what I needed to hear right now!!  Learning to find that purpose and learning to live in that comfortable place will create a "sweet spot" in my life that I'm trusting will make me a better and happier mother, daughter, and friend. Loving my life (not just living it) is what God wants for me, and when I'm living life in the sweet spot He has created for me, I know I just can't go wrong! 

So look out Sweet Spot...here I come!!!

Question for the day:  Have you found your Sweet Spot?  Or do you know someone who has?  How can you tell?