A Cinderella Story

Hello, Lovely Friends!

It is another beautiful June morning here on the farm. We got a soaking rain a few days ago and the corn and beans have TAKEN OFF-you can almost hear them grow! I hope you are feeling calm and centered as you read this, ready to face the challenges of the day but also intentionally looking for all the blessings, too.

Just Dreaming….

Do you remember your dreams? Last night, I had the most fun in mine. I was back in high school and we were getting ready for our musical, Cinderella.  Sandra Nichols was our chorus teacher (in this dream, not in reality) and all of us were having so much fun working as a team. There was quite a bit of drama around decorating and lighting, but it all came together nicely.

I learned right before we were set to begin that I was supposed to play the part of Cinderella. I was amazingly calm about that news considering I have a voice range of about 3 notes, but the panic started to set in when I couldn’t find the right costume.

After much rummaging and stress and making a huge mess, we found the beautiful gold gown, but when I went to put it on, of course it didn’t fit. It was made for a high school girl’s waistline not a grammie of 6. Dang it!

Then I woke up.

I honestly have no idea why I dreamed this, but God works in mysterious ways and brought me to a lesson because of it. #heissogood

Cinderella has me thinking about wisdom.

Know Anyone With Wisdom?

There appears to be two kinds of wisdom: Godly wisdom and man’s or woman’s wisdom. You know which one is the best, right?

Me, too. But here is the question for myself and maybe for you, too, if you are willing to play along with me. Where do we turn for wisdom, really? Too often, I have a history of looking to other humans.

And that is not smart if you choose the wrong humans.

The Old Testament tells us the story of the kings of Israel. After King David died, (David was the second king, and as a boy killed Goliath with a sling and stone. You probably learned about him in VBS.) David’s son, Solomon took over. Solomon was the wisest man who ever lived because when given the opportunity by God to ask for ANYTHING, he asked for wisdom. Lots of it came from the school of hard knocks, but he recorded it and it is now scripture and available for us to read and learn from.

When Solomon’s son Rehoboam took over, things went south in a HURRY.  He was faced with a huge issue early on and went to two different groups of people for advice. The first was a group of older men and their advice was to serve the people kindly with words of encouragement. In that way, all parties could get what they desired.

Rehoboam ignored the advice of these older folks, and instead turned to his peer group- his friends. These young men suggested retaliation and threats of violence and heavier burdens.

This young king took the advice of those bozos and the result of it was Civil War and a divided kingdom that never truly recovered.

Actions have consequences that can last FOREVER.

He should have listened to his dad, Solomon.

Rehoboam didn’t, but we can.

Solomon tells us in Ecclesiastes 9: 17-18

“It is better to hear the soft-spoken words of a wise person than the rant of a tyrant in the company of fools. Wisdom is better than weapons of war, yet one wrongdoer can undo much good.”

In these unsettling times, where are you going for wisdom? This is such an IMPORTANT question.

Age doesn’t necessarily bring wisdom, that is FOR SURE. But I bet we all know some wise Godly people we can turn to in order to process all that is happening….to help us learn when to speak and when to hush up….to encourage us to take action and what action to take.

Scripture and prayer seem like appropriate places to turn….what an understatement!

Sticky Note Encouragement…

Maybe we could all write on sticky notes and place everywhere around us….

Treat others the way you want to be treated.

Love God and your neighbor as yourself.

Pause.

Do the next RIGHT thing.

 

Sometimes I wish our fairy godmothers would come make everything right, don’t you?

But we don’t live in a fairy tale or even a high school musical, so let’s grab the metaphorical hand of Jesus, pray for more fruit of the spirit and love the people right in front of us.

And turn off the news.

Need more encouragement? God and Designer Clothes