Wildflower Writes

It's Good Friday. I've always struggled with that title. When do we say a day is good when someone dies? I know the answer. I know Good Friday marks the day Jesus died on the cross, taking on the sins of the world to die with Him. But right now I'm considering the moment he washes the feet of his betrayer. The time he spends praying in agony, anticipating the torture he will endure. His best friends deserting Him. Being accused of countless lies, and choosing to remain silent. The angry faces of men and women shouting "Crucify!" knowing it was for these souls He would choose to die. The agonizing scourging before being mocked and spit upon by soldiers. The rough wood on His torn flesh as he struggles to carry His cross uphill. Being placed on display, naked, before His own mother. Offering hope to a thief even as He struggles to breathe. Finally, completing the work He came to earth to do and breathing His last. Could anything but supernatural love spur this...

I was wrapping up my daily "run" (more walking than...) and the breeze blowing through the shade trees lining the street was delicious. Now, if I had just stood outside and felt the wind blowing on my face, it would be pleasant, but not the highlight of my morning. It took the effort... the exertion... the sweat dripping from my brow... to truly appreciate the breeze caressing my face. I think life is like that sometimes. Food is never more tasty than when you've gone without food. A kind word is never more appreciated than when you feel beaten up. Not everything in our lives is good, but good can be found in everything.

" It's Friday, but Sunday's coming ." This phrase comes from the sermon of an African American Baptist preacher, S.M. Lockridge, who rubbed shoulders with Martin Luther King, Jr. and Billy Graham. The gist of the sermon was, like Good Friday, when believers watched their Savior go through torture and death, it felt like everything they lived for was gone. All their dreams for salvation died, as Jesus breathed His last. Sometimes we get to those points in our lives of utter dark ness and despair. We don't know where to turn or what to do next, and we would give anything to escape the pain. But Sunday's coming. In God's timing, Jesus returned to earth to comfort and instruct His believers, and give them hope for the future. In His timing, your blackest, darkest times will see the glow of a new horizon, It's hard to have faith in the waiting, but God has proven over and over that He is faithful. He loves you and He will see you through to Sunday. ...

Hello, my name is Carrie. I'm a procrastinator. It's more of a bad habit than an addiction. I'm trying to be more responsible about my projects and plan my time wisely, but sometimes, I just don't wanna. Especially if it's time consuming or hard. There are worse things to procrastinate about than a household project. Sometimes we put off getting in touch with family members, or making important decisions. If you're putting off telling people in your life how much they mean to you, or deciding what career path to pursue or a million other life altering actions... Just do it. Don't procrastinate anymore.

Yes, I said Joy in Snow. I don't mean watching little "snowflakes that stay on my nose and eyelashes." I mean snow. Snow that dumps in piles and on sidewalks and driveways and streets and icy winds that cut through my heaviest coats. Snow. It's not just that I intensely dislike cold weather. Snow is scary when I have to drive somewhere and the road is slick and I can't see well (partly because I refuse to take the time to clear off my car). Snow is tedious when I have to put on shoes just to take the garbage out. Snow is a pain when I spend an hour shoveling it only to look out the window the next morning to see no evidence of aforesaid shoveling. There are chores, situations, relationships, etc., that seem tedious and overwhelming. No matter how much snow I shovel, or laundry I launder, or dishes I clean, or worksheets I copy, or blogs I write... there's always more to be done. I get frustrated because I have so many new and creative things I want to tr...

Sometimes, I think I know how my life is supposed to go. I think of Micah 6:8 , "And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God." Follow the rules, keep my nose clean, and God will bless me, right? It's hard enough for me keep my commitments, be a good steward, and maintain good relationships with my family members, let alone anything else God might call me to. According to Joyce Meyer , there's supposed to be more to it than that. God calls us to new challenges, new levels of growth on a regular basis. And every time He does, Satan comes right at us to put obstacles in our path. So, if I'm coasting, I'm right where Satan wants me. I'm not a threat to His work. And that doesn't sit right with me. I'm not saying bring it on. I just know I need to open myself up to what God is calling me to do in this New Year. And like the Jesus said in his Sermon on the Mount, "Blessed are the po...

When I returned from an appointment yesterday, I was amazed to see that the sun had melted most of the snow and ice off my windows, even though the windchill was in the teens. The sun is an amazing thing- providing light, heat, day, seasons... and I have a special relationship with that glowing orb in the sky. About 8 years ago I was diagnosed with seasonal depression, or winter blues. It's a real thing. When that sun disappears for days or weeks behind heavy clouds, and the sky is a dull gray all the time, I get down. I have a physiological need for light to maintain my sanity. When the sun finally reappears after a long hiatus, I notice right away. I greet my old friend, and I'm filled with joy. Everything (literally and figuratively) seems brighter, more real somehow. A sense of hope is restored; winter is not forever. Light can represent goodness, truth, righteousness, hope. 1 John 1:5&7 says that "God is light...If we walk in the light, as He is in the l...