Posted in Thoughts from Life

From the Middle

Posted on by Ann B. Hibbard

I got a chuckle the other day as I read some social media posts from a first-year homeschool mom. She really is doing well, it seems. She’s been able to process wisdom from more experienced homeschool parents, and she’s implementing that wisdom well. But, there were a few spots where I still wanted to say, “Bless your heart,” or “Oh, honey!” You know…those lovely Southern phrases we pull out when we just don’t know what else to say.

At the same time, though, I applaud her for openly sharing her learning journey. So often, we hear from the veterans only. Those who have such a wealth of experience to share. And their wisdom is so incredibly valuable! But it can also be like drinking from a fire hydrant, especially if it’s decades of experience being handed down to someone just getting started — someone who actually does need the time to develop before they can truly handle that full slate of resources.

I know I’ve been guilty of sharing advice with other people this way, whether in homeschooling or ministry or parenting or any other area where I have a smackerel of experience. It can be…a lot.

But there’s a space that rarely gets shared from. That space right in the middle. The place where we have passed the idealism of the original thought, idea, or inspiration, but we haven’t yet seen how it turns out. We don’t yet know if our attempts will actually work. We have no idea if the advice is sound. And, to be truly honest, we can often find ourselves pretty disillusioned and discouraged. Who wants to share any of that?

Honestly, I think we’re the wisest in that middle space. We’ve been hit with reality a few times, and it illuminates the flaws in our initial idealistic inspiration. We’re encountering the holes that need to be filled; we’re being stopped in our tracks by problems that need to be solved; we’re seeing ideas that need to be revisited and revised. We still have no idea what the outcome will be and what additional errors or useless actions we’ll process along the way. But we’re gaining the tools we need to evaluate each step of the journey. And we’re getting better at it as we go.

That’s a hard space to share, to be honest. It doesn’t sell books. It doesn’t “preach” or enable one to gain any sort of platform. It has no confirmation of validity.

Even so, it’s where the vast majority of us exist. Honestly, I was in “the middle” of homeschooling until the moment my youngest finished his last high school requirement. And even then, I didn’t really know if I’d succeeded in equipping all three of them well. Well into my “retirement,” I’m still processing what did and did not work — what I’d do differently if I began again armed with the knowledge I have now. (And I have no idea if the “different” would actually work better.)

Currently, I’m in the middle of figuring out what life looks like as a “retired” homeschool teacher who is floundering through multiple ill-fitting jobs and just trying to figure out what’s next. What does it mean to be the mom of adults? Am I building the relational skills I’ll need to possibly become a mother-in-law someday? How are we as a family handling the challenge of staying connected in a new and different way, building on the foundation we laid when we all lived under the same roof? How is my approach to employment now paving the way for what I’m supposed to do with the rest of my life?

The middle is squishy. It’s gray. It’s confusing. It’s uncertain.

Yet it is a place that needs to be shared. It is more important to talk about the middle than it is to rave about cool new ideas or share advice from places of success and completion. We need to see each other in the middle. We need to know how someone else is solving problems. Or filling holes, or revising ideas. Or restarting completely when it all falls apart.

It’s hard to share from the middle, but maybe that’s one of the things I need to be learning. Maybe that’s a space of vulnerability I need to be willing to express.

How about you? Are you in the middle on anything right now? How about we meet each other there and walk through the journey together? It might make the completion even more victorious!

Posted in Uncategorized

Thoughts of Fezzik

Posted on by Ann B. Hibbard

I’m thinking about Fezzik this morning.

Some of you will immediately picture the friendly giant. To provide some context for the rest of you, Fezzik is a character from the classic movie The Princess Bride. In fact, he’s the one character in the entire movie without an agenda of his own.

The princess bride herself, Buttercup, wants to be reunited with her true love. Westley wants to rescue Buttercup. (Can you guess who Buttercup’s true love is?)

There’s the cruel prince, Humperdinck, and his adviser Count Rugen, both of whom want to start a war with a rival country. And they’re willing to use anyone and everyone — in whatever way they please — to accomplish their goals.

For this purpose, they choose to use a hired mastermind, Vizzini, who has employed a sword master named Inigo Montoya (the only one with a last name, apparently) and the giant Fezzik as his “muscles.” Vizzini’s agenda is to be the smartest, most unbeatable mastermind in existence. Inigo? Well, he simply wants to avenge his father, a master swordsmith murdered by a six-fingered man.

Then there’s Fezzik. Fezzik is used by others for his massive size and strength. Which means he’s hired as a fighter. But at his core, Fezzik is simply moving through life, taking the jobs that will support him. And somehow, even though those jobs involve working for an egotistical mastermind or serving on Prince Humperdinck’s “brute squad,” Fezzik is nothing but kind-hearted. Everywhere he goes, he seeks to help, encourage, and lend deeper strength to all those around him.

So, why am I thinking of a character from a 40-year-old cult classic? Well, I was thinking this morning about what it means to be strong in my faith. To trust fully in the Rock of my salvation, leaning on Him and then allowing Him to work through me to provide comfort and strength to others. What does it mean for me, someone full of faults and prone to so many missteps, to be used by Almighty God for His purposes and His kingdom?

And I thought of Fezzik.

Not innocent. Not always finding himself in the best of circumstances. But always allowing the beauty of his kind heart to dominate how he treated other people. His employer, no matter how cruel or selfish or egotistical, couldn’t dim his kindness. He was as lighthearted in the presence of Vizzini as he was kind to his friend Inigo or to Buttercup — even when she was his captive. He was loyal. And, by nature, he used his strength to fuel his loyalty and kindness.

No matter where he was. No matter who he worked for. No matter what the task.

I would love to be known for making wise decisions and for being able to handle life with competence. But, in all honesty, if I’m following Jesus well, I’m not always going to be viewed as wise in the eyes of the people around me. Even others who are following Jesus may look askance at some of the choices I make.

But, if I am loving, joyful, peaceful, patient, kind, good, faithful, gentle, and full of self-control, I can’t go wrong. I will succeed in sharing the character of Christ with all those around me.

I love how God can use anything, even a fun fictional character, to remind me of what His Word says about being more like Jesus.

If you’ve seen the movie, you might recognize the cliffs above! This is a free photo by Leva K of the real-life Cliffs of Moher in Ireland, aka the infamous “cliffs of insanity.”

Posted in Tool Box

Small Group Tool Box: Parameters

Posted on by Ann B. Hibbard

A couple of weeks ago, I shared Part 1 of the Small Group Tool Box thoughts. I mentioned that even if you never intend to lead a small group, this is still a great tool box to have on hand. The first couple of tools are a good example of why this is true. Even if you never teach or lead, you can be an integral part of building the framework.

Let’s take a look at our first tool.

Parameters: The Questions to Ask

Any small group must start with parameters, what you want your small group to look like. It’s a bit like laying a foundation for a house or building; this tool provides a picture or framework for what you want your small group to look like. This tool is essentially a list of parameter-setting questions you’ll ask yourself each time you want to start (or help someone else start) a small group. The answers will change and may vary widely from one opportunity to the next, but, the questions themselves are very stable.

1. What will the focus of the small group be?

While some small group types can overlap, ultimately you need to pick one primary focus. Perhaps you’re discussing starting a Bible study. That’s the foundational parameter. From there you can decide if you’re going to just look at a book of the Bible or find some kind of guide to use. The same would be true if we chose a book club or a hobby group.

2. What will the group composition look like?

Will there be a limit to the group size, or is it open to as many as our interested? While the term is technically “small group,” the concept of small can vary widely.

You will also need to consider if there is any exclusivity to your group. Will it be open to anyone? A mixed group or gender based? Targeted at a certain age group or a certain demographic such as parents of little ones?

This question also encompasses whether your group will be open or closed. That simply means addressing how easily someone can join a group after it has started. For instance, in certain book clubs or Bible studies, it can be hard for someone to jump in after the group has started because they will lack necessary context. And some groups, like mentoring groups, are always closed by nature. There is no other way to truly accomplish the purpose of the group.

Other groups have sessions that are a little more open. While there are advantages to being involved the whole time, new members can still join halfway through and not feel lost.

3. What is the scheduling capacity?

Is it a weekly meeting? Bimonthly? Monthly? This is less about looking at a calendar for availability and more about knowing the capacity of whoever will actually be leading the group, whether yourself or someone else. The details — what day of the week or time of day — will come later. You need to determine early on, though, what general scheduling will allow maximum investment in this group.

This applies both to the ability to consistently dedicate time for the meeting itself, but it also relates to the ability to invest and prepare. It might be that you know you can easily handle having a weekly book club because you can definitely read and be prepared to discuss a chapter each week. (Unless, of course, you’re tempted to devour the whole book in three days; in that case, a chapter a week seems to be terribly cruelty!) When it comes to leading Bible study, however, you may be processing that you’re also responsible for Sunday school lessons or other such responsibilities. So, in order to devote good preparation time, you might want to meet every two weeks.

4. What will the duration of this particular group be?

Some groups naturally lend themselves to long duration. For instance, if you have a hobby or book club, you can rotate through projects and just keep going as long as you can continue to coordinate the scheduling. Members can come and go depending on their personally availability or interest in the hobby or book.

Other groups, however, need to have very definite start and end points. For mentoring groups, an end point is a very important necessity. It doesn’t mean it has to be a short length of time. Eighteen to twenty-four months is not an unusual duration for a mentoring group. But, there must be an end date and a point where the mentees are then pushed to the next step of mentoring others, even if it’s an in-between step of being a co-mentor with someone more experienced.

Any closed group, by nature, should have an end point. This provides opportunities for rotation, letting current members interact with new concepts or people while also allowing new people to participate in a new rotation of the closed group.

Posted in Faith Nuggets, Thoughts, Thoughts from Scripture

Going On

Posted on by Ann B. Hibbard

I’m burdened right now about the way so many churches are dying. And so many are not shining the light of Jesus well. In the process of filtering through old posts to see what to republish, I found this one that reminds me why our light is dwindling: we’re not “going on.” May that change! May we never be complacent in this time of ease, but may we be built up, may we go on, and may we once again see true increase as we celebrate people moving from death to life!

We’ve all heard the stories of the church growing dramatically. Sometimes the growth results from gospel being heard for the first time. Other growth comes in response to persecution. Still other growth begins when hearts that have been simply going through the motions are suddenly revived.

I love hearing – and experiencing – any such growth stories. But, my favorite stories remain the earliest ones. The biblical ones. Like this one:

So the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria enjoyed peace, being built up; and going on in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it continued to increase. Acts 9:31 NASB

Do you see the amazing information packed into this verse?

  1. The church enjoyed peace.

    This was really the first time of peace for the church. It started under mild persecution, as the Apostles were threatened by the Jewish leaders who thought their problems had ended when they got rid of Jesus. Surprise!

    For the most part, though, it seems as if the persecution relaxed a bit and preaching, teaching, meeting, and growing occurred without too many issues. But, if you’ve ever been in a growing church, you know there are other issues. Internal issues. Growing pains. We see a glimpse of these issues in the argument between the Hellenistic and Jewish widows. I have a feeling that was not the only growing pain.


    Then came the massive persecution at the hands of Saul following Stephen’s martyrdom. The believers were scattered, and the gospel spread.


    Only after Saul traveled that life-changing Damascus road did peace come.


  2. Being built up.

    Consider the beginning of the chapter. Saul was trying to tear down the church. Now, the threat from Saul is gone, and it seems like the rest of the Jews have lost their steam – or that they’re more focused on Saul than the whole church.

    So, what once was being torn down is now being built up. It is interesting to note that this verb refers not to something that the church was accomplishing on their own. They were not building themselves up, but were being built up. The action of the Lord Himself accomplished this growth. He’d established His church in challenge. Now He was growing His church in peace. He acted. They received.


  3. And going on.

    This is the one I really love. The church went on, acting on what they’d learned in the time of challenge.

    So often, we see the opposite in the lives of individual Christians and churches as a whole. We band together and lean on Christ in the challenge, but when the peace comes, we relax. We separate. We do not go on, persisting in the foundation established during the challenge. Instead, we act as if those foundational behaviors are only for the times of challenge, waiting for us to return to if the need arises. But the early church had no concept of that. Perhaps it was a side effect of being established in challenge. They knew nothing else. So, they continued in what they knew, and they “continued to increase” because of it.

We often discuss emulating the early church in order to be truly biblical in our methods. I think right here is the first place we need to look. We need to choose to go on “in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit,” no matter what our circumstances.

Then, my friends – oh, then! – let’s just hang on. Because the growth will truly be glorious!

Posted in Thoughts from Life

No Perfect Code

Posted on by Ann B. Hibbard

I love getting to learn new skills. One of the skills I’ve learned over the past decade or so has been a very rudimentary understanding of a couple of coding languages. I don’t know anywhere near enough to write more than a few very basic components of code. Nor do I know how to do any major troubleshooting if something is wrong. But, I know enough to make minor tweaks and updates to existing code or to solve very basic problems.

The nice thing about code is that problems can often be fixed by adding or removing one single character. Of course, that’s also the bad thing about code. If something’s wrong, it could be off by one single character, which can be tough to find.

Either way, though, it’s objective. It’s a logic problem. Creating code and solving problems might be a headache (okay, so no “might” to that — there’s always some form of headache when it comes to coding, it’s just a matter of how big the headache is), but it’s still formulaic.

How tempting is it to try to approach life that way? To believe that we can solve anything and everything if we can just find the right button to push?

And, in all honesty, we do approach life that way. Our self-help books and marketing show this to be true.
Follow these steps and you can write and sell your book.
Choose this path, and you can achieve your dream job.
Take these supplements or follow this plan and you can get healthy and skinny.
Do this with your children and they’ll turn out brilliant and successful and perfect.

If you would just do it my way using my tips and tricks and products, everything will be just perfect.

Except it won’t. Life doesn’t work that way. Life is not code. Life is subjective and messy, and what works perfectly in one situation doesn’t work in another.

On the one hand, I like that because it gives me freedom to say, “I’m glad that works for you, but it’s just not me.” On the other hand, though, I do wish I had a formula. I wish I could just insert the right code and have everything fall into place for my husband, my children, and myself. I wish I could just follow a plan and have everything work perfectly for our church. I wish I could just say the right words in prayer and have my prayer journal be filled with answers to prayer instead of requests that seem to stubbornly stay unanswered.

There’s no perfect code, and it’s annoying. There’s no perfect motivational trick, and it’s exhausting. There’s no way to fix things, and it’s heartbreaking.

But, there’s God. There is an all-powerful, perfect, just, righteous, and holy God who is also loving and intimate and close. There’s a God who is always constant and whose character doesn’t change, but whose character includes so much creativity that He doesn’t have to act the same way twice. He can keep us surprised. Keep us, by necessity, trusting in Him.

That trust is hard sometimes. Serving a God whose creativity is that big means we cannot predict, cannot solve, cannot logic our way through the circumstances of life because His ways are too big to fit into those boxes. That’s really the essence of trust, though. Giving up our right to the ability to figure out solutions on our own. To surrender to His ability instead.

To wait. To watch. To rest. To abide.

No, there’s no perfect code. And for someone who likes to logic and checklist their way through things, that can be hard.

But it’s also good. Because creative love is better, and the love of God is the greatest of all. I’ll trust in that.

Posted in Faith Nuggets, Thoughts, Thoughts from Scripture

Leading the Leaders

Posted on by Ann B. Hibbard

Lately I’ve been working through some thoughts about leadership that will eventually make their way into coherent form. But, the foundation of the thought is this: A major message blared to youth when I was growing up revolved around how important it was to be a leader instead of a follower. And I wondered about that even then — how can you have leaders with no followers? Followers will always outnumber leaders, but there is also wisdom to be had in following. That’s a portion of what this post, written well over a decade ago, addresses, and revisiting it is helping me as I hash out the fullness of my thoughts. So, I figured I’d reshare it today. Enjoy!

The reign of Hezekiah has always thrilled me. If I had to pick a favorite king of Judah, he would be the one. After generations of sinfulness and disobedience, Hezekiah decides to do it right.

He wastes no time beginning reforms.

In the first year of his reign, in the first month, he opened the doors of the house of the Lord and repaired them. He brought in the priests and the Levites and gathered them into the square on the east. Then he said to them, “Listen to me, O Levites. Consecrate yourselves now, and consecrate the house of the Lord, the God of your fathers, and carry the uncleanness out from the holy place. 2 Chronicles 29:3-5

Where It Starts

There is something I find interesting in this story. Hezekiah instructs the priests and Levites right here in the very beginning. Yet all through the reforms, a certain theme is repeated:

But the priests were too few, so that they were unable to skin all the burnt offerings; therefore their brothers the Levites helped them until the work was completed and until the other priests had consecrated themselves. For the Levites were more conscientious to consecrate themselves than the priests. 2 Chronicles 29:34

For the king and his princes and all the assembly in Jerusalem had decided to celebrate the Passover in the second month, 3 since they could not celebrate it at that time, because the priests had not consecrated themselves in sufficient numbers, nor had the people been gathered to Jerusalem. 2 Chronicles 30:3-4

Then they slaughtered the Passover lambs on the fourteenth of the second month. And the priests and Levites were ashamed of themselves, and consecrated themselves and brought burnt offerings to the house of the Lord. 2 Chronicles 30:15

For Hezekiah king of Judah had contributed to the assembly 1,000 bulls and 7,000 sheep, and the princes had contributed to the assembly 1,000 bulls and 10,000 sheep; and a large number of priests consecrated themselves. 2 Chronicles 30:24

Do you see the progression here?

– Hezekiah initiated.
– Some of the religious leaders responded, but not all.
– The people responded in greater numbers.
– The religious leaders slowly came around, feeling convicted because of the response of the people.

There are a couple of lessons to learn from this.

First, our positions mean something! Hezekiah should not have been the initiator. The people should not have been ahead of the priests and Levites. It was the job of the priests and Levites to instruct the king and be spiritual leaders for the people. They failed and then had to play catch-up when they should have been leading.

Fortunately, others stepped up! This leads directly to the second lesson.

Don’t wait for the “right” person to act! Leaders do not always lead as they should. Sometimes they get complacent. That does not give followers an excuse. Sometimes people must be willing to motivate their leaders to action.

You might not see yourself as a leader, and that’s okay. Not everyone is a leader. But, that doesn’t excuse you from action. If you are choosing to sit around and do nothing simply because your leaders are not acting, then you are living in sin. You share a measure of responsibility with your leaders. And you are capable of instigating a change!

The priests should have been the ones to direct the king and mobilize the Levites. The Levites should have been the ones to teach the people, stirring them to action. Instead, Hezekiah pushed the priests and Levites. Then he stirred the people to action. The Levites got a more decent start than the priests, but it was only the amazing responsiveness of the people that truly lit a fire under the sluggish priests. The ones who should have started everything were the last to respond.

Where will you and I fall? May we be the first!

Originally published July, 2014
Posted in Thoughts, Thoughts from Life

Not My Strength

Posted on by Ann B. Hibbard

I’ve started three different posts this morning, but none of them were posts that lend themselves toward quick completion. So, I’ll share them…later. For today, I found this thought from nearly eleven years ago. I have only guesses about what the task was that caused such issues back then, but I know I’ve experienced this struggle many times since then. And, honestly, I frequently need this reminder to not rely on my own strength. So, today I share these “old” but still relevant thoughts with you while the “fresh” thoughts continue to percolate and find their way to completion.

Do you have one of those areas? Of course you do. We all do. That thing that, whether we like it or not, we absolutely stink at!

Yet somehow, at some point, we find ourselves having to do that very thing.

I’ve dealt with that thing in ministry. I’ve dealt with it at work. In fact, I’ve got one of those things on my work plate right now. This week it has caused me to spend several hours plodding through a still unfinished task that should have been done in under an hour. Because it’s not my strength. Because I’m not good at it.

But guess what, my friends. Even those things need to be done. And sometimes we get to be the chosen ones. For some reason, the wonderfully gifted just can’t do it this time around. So, it falls to us.

So, we do it.

As frustrating as it can be to have to tackle things that do not fall within our strengths, I believe God has a very grand purpose when He puts the jobs before us.

First, we are reminded that the strength is His, not ours. Why, oh why, do we need that reminder? But we do, don’t we? We go through daily life and rely increasingly on our own strength. Oh, my friend, our strength is so small! Even in the areas of our giftings, our strength is so very limited. And the more we limit our activities to our “natural talents,” the more even those areas of talent become a struggle.

If God is not working through us, then we’re not working successfully. Period. And when we forget that reality, God has to remind us – usually by taking us outside our comfort zones and forcing us to rely on His strength again.

Second, we understand others better. If you are a natural when it comes to working with children, you might not understand my struggle with and aversion to being involved in children’s ministry. On the other hand, if you tell me that a simple sewing pattern looks like a foreign language to you, it will blow my mind. It’s just a pattern. It’s as clear as day. Right?

Just because a task is natural to me does not mean it will be to you, and vice versa. And that’s okay. It really is. Neither of us is deficient in any way. We are not faulty or incomplete.

We say that we know that to be true – we all readily agree that different people have different talents. But, often we forget to make that knowledge a part of our everyday understanding of people. We get irritable when someone else doesn’t “get” it. And God has to put a task before us that stretches us outside our strengths to remind us to be patient with others.

I often like to complain when a task outside my strengths is put before me. But, I should instead thank God for the opportunity to stretch myself and better appreciate those who typically do the task. (And believe me, I’m very appreciative this week!) May that become our faithful response!

Originally published November, 2015
Posted in Tool Box

Small Group Tool Box: Overview

Posted on by Ann B. Hibbard

Over the past few weeks, I’ve shared the idea of a tool box with you. How about I share one of my favorite personal tool boxes this week?

Many tool boxes are very personal. For instance, I have hobby tool boxes, but other people share the same hobby yet have very different tool boxes. So, I can share an example, but ultimately each person has to build their own hobby tool boxes.

Others, though, are rather universal, especially at the basic level. My tool box for building a small group is one of those more universal tool boxes because the same basic concepts work for almost any group you want to build, whether it’s a Bible study, book study, book club, hobby club, prayer group, support or mentoring group — anything. Obviously, there are specialized tools that you’ll add to the basics, but the foundational tool box is always going to be pretty much the same.

Now, let me stop you before you check out and say, “Oh, but I’ll never lead a small group!” That’s very true. You may not. But, there are many facets to putting together a solid small group, and leading or teaching it is only one small part! While a single individual can do it all, and often does, it’s even more amazing when several people put their talents, skills, gifts, and abilities together to make a small group happen well.

You may be one of those people whose participation is useful long before the small group ever actually meets for the first time! By getting to know the fullness of the small group tool box, you can more easily see how your expertise with one tool can help those who are more capable with the other tools.

Of course, you might, at some point, be stretched beyond your comfort zone and need to utilize all of the tools. So, getting to know them now will give you a head start!

So, what does a small group tool box include? Well, even though it’s a relatively simple tool box, explaining the components can get a bit, well, wordy. So, we’re going to break this down into multiple parts. Over the next few weeks, we’ll look at three primary tools and what they do. The three tools are Parameters, Preparation, and Presentation. (I even managed to get alliteration in there! Go me!)

Meanwhile, I’m curious…what would one of your favorite tool boxes be, and what would be in it?

Posted in Thoughts from Others, Thoughts from Scripture

Not Alone

Posted on by Ann B. Hibbard

Some mornings, I read and have to work pretty hard to process what I’ve read. I want to study and grow and learn, but some mornings I just have to make it my goal to get the information into my head and trust that the understanding will dawn eventually.

Other mornings, though, things just jump out at me. Sometimes a lot of things, sometimes a few. But, they literally leap off the page and catch me by surprise.

Then there are days when I’m distracted and struggling for most of the reading, but one little thing still grabs at me. Reading back through my journal, I discovered an entry about one of those days. It was the first day of a new year, but the week was about halfway through — and it had been a long week already. I was tired. My shoulders were stiff with tension. And my head was not really grasping the sense of a new beginning or fresh start of any sort. On days like that, an arbitrary date on a calendar declaring, “New Year!!!” doesn’t really offer a promise that things will be truly new or good or different.

So instead of feeling celebratory, I started the day a wee bit grouchy. And then I read these words:

The psalmist insists that no one anytime, anywhere, praises the Lord alone.

The sentence came from a commentary on the Psalms entitled The Psalms: Jesus’s Prayer Book by Douglas D. Webster. I’d been reading the four-book series all during the previous year as a companion to our church reading plan, which had spent the year working slowly and steadily through the Psalms. The plan ran over just a few days into the new year, and the reading on this particular morning was Psalm 148, a sweeping song of praise encompassing the whole of creation. In fact, it’s hard to read the psalm without thinking of God’s act of creation, especially since another devotional reading that morning centered on Genesis 1.

The whole set of readings offered a powerful reminder of praise, even speaking into my grouchy, tired, cranky morning. Even so, this one little quote took me off guard.

Why?

Because it made me realize that, so often, I choose to approach praise as if I’m alone. Just me trying to figure out how to praise God in the middle of the “whatever” of my life, even if I’m with others who are doing the same thing. We’ve made our relationship with God so personal that it has become individualistic. And that leaves us feeling alone.

But we’re not. Ever. Even if there wasn’t another person around with a heart to praise our Savior, Lord, and Creator, we still wouldn’t be alone because all of creation is constantly praising Him.

We never, ever praise alone.

Whether through the laughter of my family, the songs of a congregation, or the music of wind chimes as the breeze blows around them, praise is everywhere. And I’m a part of it.

I should know this. And, deep inside, I realize I do know it. But I hadn’t really been living the knowledge. Instead, I’d been complaining because I felt alone.

The most beautiful thing about the Spirit’s instruction and illumination of God’s Word is that we become nourished even when the circumstances don’t change. My week was still long. The challenges were still there. But the reminder shifted my focus, as is evident in my journal entry for the next day. How amazing to serve that kind of God.

And to know, we’re never alone.

Posted in Thoughts from Life

Jumble

Posted on by Ann B. Hibbard

My thoughts are all jumbled up today, and it’s honestly hard to sort them out. It’s like having the pieces of a dozen puzzles all mixed up together. Or that chaos that would ensue if the multiple cones of yarn in my craft bag were to become unrolled and all knotted together.

I have a lot of thoughts, but they’re all knotted and tangled and scrambled together, and it’s hard to even find a single place to start.

That’s how life is sometimes, isn’t it? Life doesn’t let us deal with one scenario at a time, neatly and cleanly. It mixes and jumbles them all in together. It blends them to the point where it can be hard to even see their distinction. And it’s not just the problematic portions of life. Sometimes, it’s hard to find the edges of the good as we try to push through the bad. And often we feel like the task is too big to even try.

But, try we must.

So, today I’m starting with my thoughts. I’m try to find an end that I can start tugging on to see where it goes. Is it attached to that over there? What happens if I pull at this knot over here?

And wouldn’t you know, pulling is working. They’re starting to unravel a bit. They’re starting to separate and allow me to see what’s worth keeping and what’s not. In fact, by the time you actually read this post, it will probably be several weeks down the road, because several of these thoughts I’m pulling on feel like thoughts I can complete today or this week or in the coming weeks.

When life is a jumble, it’s easy to just give in to being overwhelmed by the chaos. But if we can take a few minutes to focus on one knot at a time, to narrow our focus and solve one little thing that we can, sometimes the jumble begins to make sense. It might still be huge, but maybe it will look a little less overwhelming.

What one free end, one small knot, one little and solvable problem can you focus on today? May it help you see that the jumble of life isn’t so overwhelming after all.