His Eye is on the Sparrow- and Thankfully Flight Plans Too!

This week I'm in Dallas for a conference for my small business.  I arrived running on pure adrenaline and Jesus! What a trip!

*Disclaimer, this story is totally about first world problems, but I promise I will share what I have learned by the end!*

Because I am a frugal chic, I decided I would figure out how to make this trip happen in just a carry-on bag- that's a $50 savings.  Now this in itself was a major challenge as I'm a girl who likes her make-up bold and her hair big!!  I had carefully plotted and planned "travel size" of my favorite hair product and skin care regimen.  As I finished packing Sunday night I was VERY proud of my ability to squeeze 13 products into my TSA allotted quart size bag.  Before bed I hopped on the app for the airline I was flying and checked in to my flight.  As soon as I clicked the button, I was greeted with a pop-up screen informing me that there was a new baggage rule for the "class" I had chosen to fly (reference my above statement about being a frugal chic) where I was only allowed ONE personal item of briefcase, backpack, or purse size and I could NOT access the overhead bin for carry-on storage.  It went on to say that if I didn't check my bag I would also incur a $25 gate fee in addition to the regular baggage fee for not following the rule.  It was clearly marked this way on my boarding pass- there was no getting around it.  I was VERY frustrated and I'll admit I pouted a while which kept me up beyond my planned bedtime.  At 11:30 pm I set the alarm for 3:30 and quickly decided 4 hours of sleep would do fine.

At 1:45am I was awakened by phone tone alerting me that my 8:00am flight had been canceled.  I was shocked and frustrated.  I'm not a super frequent flyer- just once or twice a year- so this is not something I had encountered before and I wasn't sure what to do.  Immediately, I hopped out of bed and started searching for the customer service number of the airline.  I called at 1:55 am and the computer told me they were very busy and to please wait for the next available representative.  So began my adventure "on hold."  At 3:00am, while still on hold, I got a notification telling me I had been rebooked for a 5:05pm flight which now included a layover and would get me to Dallas at 11:44pm- an entire day late to my conference and missing out on lots of important things.  It did offer that if this flight didn't work I could call customer service to see what they could do... well I was a step ahead of that plan HAHA, I was already one hour in to my customer service wait.  At this point I was sick to my stomach from stress, exhausted from lack of sleep, and on the verge of tears.  I decided I needed to do something besides wait- so I began to pray through my stress that God would help them find me some way to work it out.  At first, I almost started pulling clothes from my bag that I was supposed to be wearing for the evening awards event that I was now missing, but... instead I decided to go ahead with my last minute suit case items.  I decided I was going to act in belief that things would work out. 

Finally, at 4:30am (after 2 1/2 hours on hold) the familiar recording changed to two quick rings followed by the chipper voice of the airline representative.  She apologized for my long wait time and asked how she could help me.  I remembered my parents' frequent line to us "You catch more flies with honey than you do vinegar." And so, I very kindly told her my flight had been canceled and the rebook really didn't work for me.  Would there be any possible way of searching for any other possible options to get me to Dallas earlier in the day?  I also mentioned that from my location there were two other major airports within the same driving distance as my original flight, and I was willing to change locations if that would help.  Immediately, she thanked me for being so kind to her.  She said that most people in my situation yell at her and blame her for the problems they are dealing with.  She said she was so appreciative that she was "going to take very good care" of me.  I told her I couldn't thank her enough for that.  She managed to find me a flight out of a different airport (one I was actually far more familiar with) for only 20 minutes later than my original flight, arriving only 10 minutes later than the original flight, AND she upgraded me so the "charge for your carry-on" issue from the night before was no longer a problem.  Holy cow!! What a blessing!!  I thanked her again and wished her to have an amazing day.  I got off the phone right in time to hop in the shower to leave on time, to get to my new flight, and have a smooth trip in the rest of the way.  I only had 2 hours of sleep, but an amazing reminder. 

As I stood in the shower I prayed that God would give that gracious lady some blessings today for her help, but it also hit me... He loves us so much that He even cares about the little insignificant things.  This wasn't any kind of life or death issue, it wasn't a matter of salvation, it was just about convenience and an event I was looking forward to.  If God cares enough to work out little details in our lives like that, why do I hesitate to trust Him at times with the big things?  If he has this little drama in the palm of His hand, then he DEFINITELY has ministry decisions, parenting struggles, work stress, and all my big worries covered too- if I will only trust Him.  Will it always work out as well as it did today? Nope!  But today I sure was thankful for the reminder that "His eye is on the sparrow, and I know he watches me."

"Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them.  Are you not much more valuable than they?" Matthew 6:26

(And boy was I grateful to see the faces of my girlfriends when I walked in to our hotel room after all the crazy!!)

The Power of Influence

Just the other day someone put a meme on my Facebook page that showed a picture of a baby boy and it said “Why is it so important for me to remember that cows say moo?” She commented something about wondering if this is what (a) feels like.  It made me giggle, but I also quickly had the thought to myself… “Well of course he knows why, he’s a cowman in training!”  My parents and sisters raise beef cattle for a living and (a) LOVES to be on the farm around the livestock.  He will tell us “do chores” and frantically starts “mooing” as soon as he sees the cows.  This makes sense to him because it is in his circle of influence.  That circle is something I often take for granted when I realize there are many other kids his age who are terrified of large farm animals or have no idea about them except the fact that the cow arbitrarily says “moo.”    He lives his life based on the influence we have surrounded him with and he is quite happy with that.

In the last week, I have had several reminders about the power of influence, and the importance of being intentional with my words and actions.  As we headed to church camp (A) and I had a conversation about the flavor of our attitudes throughout the week and the influence it would have on others.  We made a pact that even if the schedule was running frustratingly behind, the weather was crazy hot, or something wasn’t working as smoothly as we planned no matter what we were going to remain positive.  As leaders of a team, our attitude would influence the entire group.  I wish I could say we did this perfectly throughout the entire week, but that would be a lie.  More than once one of us would shoot the other the look that said “REMEMBER! Be positive!”  It was great to be accountable to someone else about my influence.  I was reminded again just last night when a little girl walked into my VBS classroom at church and said “Mrs. Sweeney!! You are going to be my 3^rd grade teacher this year! I didn’t know you worked HERE too!!”  I have to admit, I don’t always remember all the places little eyes are watching me, but what a great reminder she was.  At church, she heard me tell about how God changes people.  This school year she will walk into my public-school classroom daily where I will not be able to tell her about Jesus with my words, but she will be watching for Him every day in my tone, attitude, actions, and the way I love her and her classmates.  But since I am human, I already know she will also remember the days when I lose my patience, heave a sigh of frustration, or speak too sharply when I am tense.  I pray those days don’t come often.  Oh, the power of influence! 

During camp one of my lessons touched on Jesus’s words from the Sermon on the Mount where He reminds us,  “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden.¹⁵ Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. ¹⁶ In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” (Matthew 5:14-16 NIV)  I love how God works- every time I prepare a lesson to teach others it seems that really the person who learns the most is me. He gives me a topic to teach, but it is really the topic where I need to receive the lesson. I needed this reminder to let my light shine. You see, the interesting thing about light is that you don’t have to see the light bulb itself to see the light it gives off. This is also true when it comes to the power of influence. We may not even know that others can see us, or in what ways our words and actions may affect them. My constant prayer is that the light of Jesus shines through me, and that I am intentional in the way I use that influence to point to Him.

When it All Falls Apart

On a very rare occasion I feel like I have it all together.  Those times never seem to happen when I need them to however.

 As I sit here typing it is late night on Monday and we are at one of my favorite places on Earth- church camp.  Church camp is where I have so many favorite summer memories from my childhood, it is where I gave my life to Christ and was baptized, it is where I met my husband, and where we later fell for each other.  Camp is where we spent our college summers working, and newlywed weekends serving, and it is where we spend at least a week of our summer every year as well as numerous other events throughout the year.  Of all the ministry capacities we serve in, it is where (A) and I most love serving together, and (a) has been coming with us to camp events since he was literally 2 weeks old. 

Over time I have learned that one thing always happens right before we come to camp for a big event, and it is this- everything always falls apart.  One year a storm flooded the camp breaking a water line and leaving the facilities with no water the day right before the kids arrived.  We have had “camp team” injuries and family emergencies the week before camp, babies arrive before their due dates, computer issues, instrument issues, last minute work schedule changes, and communication wires crossed.  This year was no different.  We lost a major player with two weeks before camp, two days before camp a medical emergency changed one family’s plans, our continued saga of unplanned home repairs had a timeline change that stole a ton of our prep time, my deep freeze had a major meltdown (pun intended- but seriously…) the night before we left, campers travel arrangements fell through an hour before we were set to leave, and to top it all off it has been a full moon (ask any teacher what that can mean when you are planning an event involving 73 middle school students!) 

But I have also learned something about when everything falls apart…. I have learned that that is the time to celebrate.  Because when everything falls apart, that is when we are getting ready to see something big come together for the glory of God.  See Satan is a big, fat, jerk and I believe distraction and frustration are some of his greatest tools.  When I discover I am stressed out, unprepared, my plans are changed, and plan Z has fallen through I know he is just working overtime to attempt to stop what God has in store for us when we get to camp.  Through the frustrated tears in my eyes as I threw the last minute, last chance items in our car and stated my worries about the freezer for the 1,273,589^th time,  I turned to (A) Sunday morning and reminded him this was a good sign.  Everything feels like it is falling apart, so it must mean this week is coming together.

Amid the preparation weeks I had created the outlines for lessons I would be teaching, and made plans for verses I wanted to share. But when my last week of work time was shifted I was beyond stressed out because planned time had vanished, child care plans had changed, and sleep was beginning to look like a distant memory.    Then God gave me a gentle reminder… when it all falls apart, HE gets to put it together.  The words of my lesson are no longer my words, but His, because quite simply, He is the only place they could come from.  I have come to understand what Paul meant in 2 Corinthians 12 9-10 when he said “But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.  That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties.  For when I am weak, then I am strong. “ 

When it all falls apart, I am reminded just how weak I am in my humanity.  No amount of planning or preparation can change that.  And that is ok.  Because when I am weak, and stressed, and worried about how it is all going to come together- that is when I learn to trust most solidly on HIS strength, and HIS perfect plan.  And that plan is always way better and brings Him far more glory than anything I could have put together on my own.  Thank you Lord, for keeping me imperfect and weak, so that I can see YOU be perfect and strong.  

May I Never Take for Granted

I can’t lie, the last few weeks have been a little chaotic at our house.  A minor flood has turned into some major home repairs we were NOT planning on, an outdoor project we HAD planned on has moved on a very unexpected (and not well communicated) timeline, we have a toddler who is getting more adventurous every day (that’s my polite way of saying “has turned into a sneaky, climbing, somewhat-destructive ninja”), AND we are putting the finishing touches on a week of church camp we are in charge of next week.  Needless to say, I have been a little extra stressed out

However, with the 4^th of July approaching I happened to come across an article about the Declaration of Independence that was a gentle reminder to me of how much I take for granted, especially when I am stressed out.  The article noted that quite honestly, in signing the Declaration the 56 men who gave their signatures were committing an act of high treason toward the King of England, and this could certainly be punishable by a horrible death.  And yet, they did it anyway- because they believed in this new country they were founding, and they believed in the rights of the people to have “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”  My whole life I have enjoyed the 4^th of July with cook-outs, fireworks, days by the pool, and many years with cattle shows.  But I take for granted that we celebrate this day because our country’s founding fathers were willing to risk death to give me those rights.  It reminds me of another group of guys who risked a lot- the apostles as they began the Church.  What a risk to have to meet in secret, face jail time and other persecution, be disowned by their Jewish families, and yet, they did it anyway- because they believed in Jesus Christ and His love and power in their lives.  I take for granted that I can freely walk in to my weekly church service, holding the hand of my little boy, without fear of persecution or punishment. 

After those reminders, I started to look at the things that are stressing me out, and I will admit that I shed a few tears as I asked the Lord to…

Never let me take for granted the privilege I have to be replacing our HVAC system, because it means we live in a climate controlled house.  There are children living in Haiti who tonight will eat mud cookies and sleep on the streets because they have no house.

Never let me take for granted the friends we have who show up on a few minutes notice to help with a project we could never have accomplished on our own even if given adequate notice.  Those kinds of friends are worth more than their weight in gold.

Never let me take for granted the dirty food smears on my dress clothes in the shape of tiny hand prints.  There was a time we were unsure if there would ever be tiny hands in our home.

Never let me take for granted the busy toddler splashing in the toilet or licking his dogs’ tongues.  I have friends who would give anything for their child to be healthy enough to do such disgusting shenanigans. 

Never let me take for granted the piles of dirty laundry and dishes that plague my home.  It means we are fed and clothed beyond what we deserve.

Never let me take for granted the loud explosions of fireworks late at night.  They are a reminder of “the rocket’s red glare, the bombs bursting in air, gave proof through the night, that our flag was still there,” the fact that freedom wasn’t free, and yet people were willing to risk and pay the price.

Never let me take for granted the distracting noise of my husband’s favorite annoying TV shows in our living room.  It means I am blessed enough to share my life and home with a man who loves his family.  There are those who would love to have the noise of another in their home to drown out the loneliness.   

Never let me take for granted the time I spend writing lessons and tweaking schedules for church camp.  There will be children whose lives will be changed and hearts won to Jesus in those 6 days.

I may feel a little overwhelmed right now by our current situation, and I may be struggling to navigate some of it, but I pray that amid it all God will help me to never take for granted the blessings He has placed in my life.  That I may never take for granted that His grace is sufficient for me when I struggle and fall, and that His power is made perfect in my weakness.  (Check out 2 Corinthians 12:9)

Happy 4^th! Don’t take for granted the blessings around you today!

“Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.”

         James 1:17 (NIV)