Tag Archives: Relationships

Going Through the Motions

by Lydia Floren

Greeting cards are a part of our family’s birthday tradition. As a “good husband,” Andrew knows this. And since he is not a homemade card kind of guy, every year he faithfully buys me, and gives me, a few cards – most funny, and, at least one is serious.

One year, I was particularly touched by the sweet sentiment in the “serious” card he gave me.

“Oh, Honey! That is beautiful. Thank you!” With a tear in my eye, I glanced up at him.

He had this blank look on his face. And, I got a little suspicious.

“Did you read it?” I asked. (His signature was at the bottom, so it would seem like a natural assumption that he had.)

His expression turned sheepish.

“Really? You gave me a card, but you didn’t even read it?”

“Well I glanced at it. It looked like something you would like.”

At first I was hurt. And then, I burst out laughing.

The next year, when I opened “the mushy birthday card” not only was his signature at the bottom, but there was a little “p.s.” afterwards:

“Yes, I read it.”

How often do we glance at God’s word, but don’t take the time to really read it? Or, we say a perfunctory prayer, but our minds are wandering elsewhere? When we do, we aren’t fooling anyone but ourselves. And, we miss out. Our relationship with God is the most important relationship in the world. If we truly believe that, committing our full attention every day to a verse or two in the Bible – and listening to what He might be saying to us through it – is time well spent.

Have you been going through the motions of spending time with God? If so, don’t miss out another day. Take some time. Give Him your undivided attention. It will bless your socks off. Do it regularly, and it will change your life.

“You have the words of eternal life.” John 6:68

“For they deliberately overlook this fact, that the heavens existed long ago, and
the earth was formed out of water and through water by the word of God.” 2 Peter 3:5

“Your word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path.” Psalm 119:105

Breathing In God’s Presence

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Breathing In God’s Presence: Breathe Series, Part 2

by Lydia Floren

I eat fast. Too fast. I’ve mentioned this before 😊. When I eat quickly, I do so for one reason: so that I will no longer feel hungry. I get that. But in order to “experience” a meal (as I think most foodies must do) I’ve learned it is important to slow down. When I do, I can appreciate the tastes that cross my palate, the combination of flavors and textures. And eating slowly gives me the opportunity to enjoy my dinner companions. I have found that when I “dine” like this, the whole experience – delicious and delightful – becomes imprinted in my memory. So, whenever I think about it, it brings a smile to my face.

That is what meditating on God’s word is.

Meditating?

I know, I know. I’m just like you. When I think of meditation, I envision eyes closed, legs crossed, elbows on knees, fingers touching, humming to new-age music. But Christian meditation is far different. It is not emptying the mind but filling it with the truth – and the Presence – of the One God.

When we focus on one or two verses, or even one or two words from the Bible we are able savor the truth offered to us. For example, a few years ago my friend Debra was going through a very difficult time. She told me later that these nine words were her lifeline: “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.”

Here are links to some other examples of meditation:

Meditation

Polishing

Christian meditation involves spending some time in solitude and silence, thinking about just a few verses, or part of one verse. When we do this, we experience God’s presence and taste His fruit. And that experience lingers in our memory. Every time it comes to mind, it lifts our hearts and makes us smile.

So take time every day to partake of the rich meal God has set before you. Take a bite, and then another. Relish the food and the conversation. Enjoy the company of The Most Amazing Person in the Universe, the one who knows you best and loves you most.

“My cup overflows.” Psalm 23

Opening Doors

by Lydia Floren

It is easy to drift away from spending quality time with God. Some mornings, it seems I just go through the motions of spending time with God – present in body, but not always in spirit. We all do that sometimes, don’t we, especially when caffeine is in short supply or the baby has an ear infection? But when that time with Him get shortchanged, day after day, it isn’t long before we just stop meeting with Him altogether. From there, at least for me, things go downhill pretty quickly. Peace, hope, patience gradually diminish. Hurry and worry claim front and center. And joy? Well joy becomes a distant memory.

Open up, ancient gates! Open up, ancient doors, and let the King of glory enter. Psalm 24:7

Psalm 24:7-8 reminds me that nothing is more important – or more strategic – than letting the God of the universe into my heart, and truly connecting with Him.

Who is the King of glory? The LORD, strong and mighty; the LORD, invincible in battle. Psalm 24:8

Think about it: we have the most powerful being, the VIP of the universe waiting for us, wanting to connect with us every day. To give us insight and wisdom and encouragement before we head out into the field of battle. And, to fill our hearts with peace and joy.

Wouldn’t we do well to make that time with Him our highest priority?

May we always throw open the door of our hearts to the living God.

Tasting God’s Kindness

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by Lydia Floren

“…if you have tasted the kindness of the Lord.” 1 Peter 2:3

I eat fast. Really fast. My husband, Andrew, does too. Often when we are out to dinner, and the waitress breezes by to ask, “How are the first few bites tasting?”, Andrew is reaching for his wallet and I am asking for a “to go” box. Those of you who have shared a meal with us are nodding and smiling, aren’t you?

In our defense, we come by this food-shoveling habit honestly. It was a survival skill we each developed during our medical training. Here’s a typical scenario of dinner as a resident-on-call:

After multiple visits to the ER, two admissions and a crisis in the ICU, our four-to-five-member on-call team, finally catches a break. Uniformed in scrubs and stethescopes, we head down to the cafeteria, to stack our trays with the free hospital food. After settling into orange vinyl seats and tasting the first few bites, a beep-beep-beep sounds. And then, another one joins in. As everyone reaches for their pagers, an announcement drones overhead: “Code Blue, 4^th floor, west wing… code blue, 4^th floor, west wing.” Collectively we groan, and then grab our gear and rush upstairs to see about the emergency. Often – no, usually – by the time we make it back down to the basement to try to salvage the remainder of our cold meal, we find the cafeteria is dark, its doors bolted shut. Sigh. Another night of vending machine supper.

In residency, it became clear that you’d better eat fast, or you may not get to eat at all. Food wasn’t to be savored, just consumed, because the main point of eating was not enjoyment, but sustenance. Enjoying the taste of food was a luxury one could not afford, with such an unpredictable schedule.

Andrew and I have learned over the years that normal people don’t gulp or shovel. Normal people take their time, and actually seem to enjoy the taste of their food. They savor. They actually enjoy what they are eating. When I eat dinner with these folks, I find that I appreciate the flavor of my food more than I ever would on my own.

1 Peter talks about tasting the kindness of the Lord.

I love that word picture, because in order to taste something, you have to slow down and pay attention to what you are eating. Don’t we find ourselves rushing through life, consuming the blessings God gives us, but never taking time to savor them? In order to taste God’s kindness, we have to be willing to let go of our tendency to hurry, and embrace a more leisurely, thoughtful approach to life. Let’s face it: most of our rushing around is not because of life or death emergencies. It is primarily caused by an accumulation of commitments or desires – some important, some not so important.

So today, choose to not simply consume God’s kindnesses without really appreciating them. Instead, choose to taste God’s kindness. Take the time to notice the many wonderful ways He has, and is now, blessing you. Savor His loving presence always with you and within you. Enjoy!

10,000 Words – Paris

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Andrew and I celebrated our 30th with a trip to Paris.

Sacre Couer, as seen from Musee D’Orsay

Eiffel at night, shadowed by a cross

Hall of Mirrors, Versailles

Notre Dame

From the top of Notre Dame

Swans at Versailles gardens

King’s Gardens, Versailles, at dusk

Bridges at night

Our lock of love

All photos by Lydia Floren

God’s Gift to the World

“Oh, she thinks she’s God’s gift to the world.”

Have you ever heard someone say that? Or said it yourself? I know I have. When I have made that snarky comment, I really mean, “She is soooo conceited. She is totally self-focused. She only cares about what matters to her. She never thinks about anyone but herself.”

HMMM. “Self-focused”? “Always thinking about herself”? Sounds a lot like me sometimes, especially when I am having a pity party. (BTW, my pity party may have many invitees, but only one person will show up: me!)

God’s gift to the world.
In my prayers this morning, I learned to see that phrase, “God’s gift to the world,” in a whole different light. I was sharing my discouragement and discontent with God, (OK complaining ☺ He is such a patient listener!) and then I felt Him telling me:

“You are my blessing to the world. To the people you touch, the lives you reach. You alone can touch and reach people in your own unique way.”

Huh.

You know, when you look at it like that, every person is God’s gift to the world. We are each unique creations. No one can love someone else exactly like we can. And no one else will have the encounters we have this day. Because we will never pass this way again.

Each person is unique, and each moment is unique.

Each encounter is an opportunity to love someone in our own unique way.

You, my dear friend, are God’s gift to the world. So today, have a blast blessing those around you in your own unique way!

Enjoy who you are. Love the person in front of you. Live in the abundance of God’s love.

I will give thanks to you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Psalm 139:14

Prepping for Success

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by Lydia Floren

It is always soul-enriching, being with God. Why do I wait? What could possibly give me more life than spending time in His presence? Having those moments that soak into my soul?

Nothing.

Prepping for success

How can we be prepping for success? How do we minimize distractions first thing in the morning, and optimize our chances of success, in this all important meeting with The Person Who Loves Us Most? Here are a few thoughts that have helped me:

1. Restrict my daily “To Do” list to 5 items. I only allow 5 things on my to do list every day, and #1 is “Be loved by God, and listen.“

2. Plan and Prepare the night before:

Straighten up the night before, especially the area where I have my prayer/time with God.
Make this area inviting—soothing, peaceful. Pictures, flowers, music at the ready.
Get coffee set up to go automatically.
Have my journal/Bible/materials set out.
Go to bed on time, and set my alarm.

2. Keep a running task list handy. When things I need to do, or ideas I have, start crowding my mind, I can write them down and get them out of my head.

3. Continue reviewing my priorities and goals, so other things don’t creep into my life and
rob me of the most important things.

What do you do to stay focused in your daily meeting with God? Please share! I would love to hear from you!

A Recurring Struggle

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by Lydia Floren

It happened again. I got distracted, and pretty soon two hours had passed and I still hadn’t spent any time alone with God. Once again, I let other things keep me from meeting Him at the first of my day: an unfinished project, a messy house, calls to make, emails to answer. It is a recurring struggle.

I am not alone in this recurring struggle.

C.S. Lewis wrote in Mere Christianity,

“The real problem of the Christian life comes where people do not usually look for it. It comes the very moment you wake up each morning. All your wishes and hopes for the day rush at you like wild animals. And the first job each morning consists simply in shoving that all back; in listening to that other voice, taking that other point of view, letting that other larger, stronger, quieter life come flowing in and so on, all day. Standing back from all your natural fussing and fretting; coming in out of the wind.

“We can only do it for moments at first. But from those moments the new sort of life will be spreading through our system, because now we are letting Him work at the right part of us. It is the difference between paint, which is merely laid on the surface, and a dye or stain which soaks right through.”
Wow. Moments of “letting that other, larger, stronger quieter life come flowing in.” . Moments of joy, of peace, of finding perspective, of talking to my best friend. The more I have of these, the more I hunger for them.

Everything really does fall into place once I take the time to really connect with God, soaking in His love and presence.

Worth the effort, I think.

What are your thoughts?

Someone

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Morning Joy

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God gave me a beautiful gift this morning, as I was driving down the interstate.

It was 6:30 a.m., and I was in a hurry – it was going to be a long day. As I rounded the final bend before my exit, a spectacular vista met my eyes: a pink/purple dawn spread out over a distant blue ridge, which was draped in wispy clouds. It reminded me of the Smoky Mountains – of home.

“Quick, get out the camera and snap a picture!”, I told myself. No. Not a good idea at 70 mph. Just enjoy. Soak in the beauty of the moment (and try to keep an eye on the road)!

That sunrise was a gift at the beginning of a difficult day. It was as if God was saying,

“I am here. All is well. Enjoy.”

He says that to me a lot, actually. In all kinds of ways. Too many times, I don’t see. Or I see, but I don’t stop to give thanks. (I’m a slow learner.)

You know, on those days that I do notice God’s ever-abundant gifts, and choose to thank Him, something wonderful happens. JOY settles over me like mist on a mountain.

In Your presence is fullness of joy! Psalm 16:11