The Blue Dress Ball

Today - a story!

Maria had just found the perfect dress at the new consignment store in town. It was more like a gown than a mere dress, but it was the perfect shade of blue and fit like a glove. She giggled with glee as she looked at herself in the mirror.

She had moved to town little more than a year ago and quickly fell in love with the enchantment that filled the views from Main Street. Everything from the architecture of the old homes to the manicured lawns made her feel like she’d moved to the set of a cozy old movie. Everyone seemed friendly and welcoming.

Being forced to move from her old place a thousand miles away, she felt like her life was over. But here she could reinvent herself.

“Could life here really be this perfect?” she asked herself every morning as the sun came through her bedroom window.

But she was challenged to become an accepted member of her new community within the first few months of living there in paradise.

When the posters went up inviting the whole town to the annual “Blue Dress Ball” she knew it would be the perfect opportunity to show these folks what she was made of and how she could creative she could be when helping out. Staring at the poster, she imagined designing decorations and showing off her charcuterie board magic to pitch in with the catering.

The first day the planning committee met, she found herself sitting in the middle of a room filled with women who already knew their role; women who made it clear that they had things all wrapped up before she even moved to town. The meeting was just a social event that aimed to bring grand attention to the ones who always made it a huge sensation.

Saddened, but not defeated, Maria eased into the idea of attending without being taxed by securing party perfection. What a novel idea. In her old town she was the one who pulled everything together, constantly overwhelmed and exhausted after each community event.

“This might be a good thing,” she mused to herself with a chuckle, knowing she’d soon become frustrated with the notion of not being needed.

She did her best to be available should someone ask for her help with something, but when the big day dawned, it turned out that she wasn’t needed at all.

“I’ll just enjoy myself and get to know everyone,” she concluded.

Entering the park that surrounded the town center pavilion, she marveled at the lights and decorations the women had contrived. It was truly beautiful. Half the town was already there by the time she waltzed up front smiling from ear to ear, ready to introduce herself to everyone she hadn’t yet met.

Before perusing the heavenly smelling delicacies on the beautifully adorned tables and before the music swept her off her feet, she realized that no one was smiling back at her. As a matter of fact, they all seemed to be scowling at her.

One pretty teenager sashayed past her and spoke quite loudly, to be heard over the music and to make sure she embarrassed the newcomer. She said, “It’s called the Blue Dress Ball” for a reason, ma’am.”

She tossed her curls over her shoulder and joined arms with her friends without missing a beat. They all laughed at her like she was a freak.

“My dress has blue on it!” she insisted to herself, trying to keep the smile from falling off her face.

Her smart dress was white with small blue flowers coming up from the hem. As she peered around at all the other women, she saw them lower their faces and shake their heads.

She quickly made her exit and ran home.

Sitting at her table in tears she promised she’d never speak to a single woman in this mean-spirited little town.

Then, no. She realized that wasn’t true. She’d have to speak to them. She lived there now. “What happened to the enchantment?” she whimpered.

She changed into her pajamas and into bed early, forcing her thoughts to avoid her feelings of humiliation.

Facing the townsfolk in the following days proved easier than she’d thought and before long, she began to feel like maybe she did belong there after all, noting that NEXT year, her dress for the ball would be completely blue.

Now she stared at the beautiful blue dress she’d found and bought before anyone else had a chance to snatch it up.

By the time the posters went up publicizing the ball this year, she was ready. She’d dropped her dress at the cleaners to make sure it was clean and pressed before the big night.

No, she didn’t get to help much this year either, but she pushed her way in where she could. Working from home didn’t give her the opportunities to make friends in the workplace. But she overzealously tried to find common ground with most every woman in the grocery store or the other shops on Main Street.

She was reluctantly invited to help put the posters up. “They don’t know what they’re missing,” she comforted herself. “I can do so much more, we could work together, my ideas would complement theirs, not challenge them. Maybe next year.”

This year, she would again try to enjoy being a mere participant, properly dressed this time!

The day before the ball she walked all the way to the dry cleaners, hoping to strike up conversation with anyone who looked her way. She wasn’t all that successful but talked the ears off the girl behind the counter at the cleaners.

When the girl retrieved the dress for her, she reached out with joy, knowing she’d fit in this year.

But the air left her lungs as she beheld her beautiful GREEN dress.

“How could this have happened?” she whispered to herself, trying to hide her panic.

She nodded at the girl and quickly left, clutching the dress close so no one would ask to see it. Not that anyone did.

She hurried home, forcing her tears to wait till she was behind closed doors.

She hung the dress in the hallway and stepped back to look at it again. She choked on her own spit. How had her beautiful blue gown turned green? Was this some cruel joke conjured up by someone who knew how embarrassed she’d been last year? She stared at it for at least ten minutes before she tossed it in the closet, letting it fall to the floor and slammed the door shut.

“The ball is tomorrow night. There’s no time to find something else that will work, surely every blue dress in town had been bought up by now,” she spoke down to herself. Even the few friends she’d made wouldn’t be able to help.

“It is what it is. I just won’t go,” she said with a stiff upper lip. “Maybe I’ll drive to the next town over and see a movie. By myself.”

After a deep breath and a promise to herself not to cry, she headed to the kitchen for ice cream.

A week later, disappointment still covering every place on her face, she was searching for a missing sneaker. “I live alone!” she muttered, “How can it not be with the other one?”

Crawling on her bedroom floor, she looked under the bed on both sides, then reached up to turn the knob on her closet door. Pulling it open, she grumbled a curse on herself if it wasn’t hiding somewhere in there.

Sitting crossed legged on the floor in front of the closet, her eyes wandered over to the new dress she’d refused to look at all week, still covered in the dry cleaners plastic.

Before she could even begin to search for her sneaker, her eyes widened and she gasped, holding her hands over her mouth.

In slow motion, she reached forward to grab at the dress.

The plastic wrap protecting it was – yellow!

How had she not seen that the day she picked it up?

She frantically ripped off the plastic to see that yes; her dress was still – blue.

She had no one to blame. She had no words to hurl at her own baffled brain. She felt tears gather in the corner of her eyes. She rocked back and forth for a few minutes, holding the dress to her chest. Then she wept.

 

What illusions are we falling for?

What color is the veil that hides God’s truth from us, keeping us from fulfilling His purposes in our lives?

What color veil has satan hung between our eyes and our reflection, hiding our beauty from us?

Our heavenly Father is the only One Who sees us as we truly are, because He sees the new creation we became when we first trusted in His Son.

I’m praying we begin to recognize the “protective plastic” that obscures truth and fools us into believing lies about ourselves AND lies about God, Himself.

 

Listening With Purpose

Listening. How well do we listen? Odds are, not as well as we think we do.

According to the all-knowing Mr. Google, “The average person hears and retains only about 25% to 50% of what is said during a spoken conversation.”

There are plenty of jokes about women complaining that men don’t listen, but do we do any better?

How many conversations have you “hanging on their every word”? Perhaps not that many.

In a normal day, you may listen to your friends chat about how bad things are at work, or about how their children or grandchildren are doing, most of whom you’ve never even met. Or they may take time to catch you up on their health conditions, their failing finances, or how hot it is, or how cold it is. I may bore you with details about the most recent plant I bought!

Many of those topics may not be at the top of your interests, so you’ll hear and retain even less. If we share a common interest, you may listen to me a little more attentively, unless you have something heavy weighing on your mind.

Even if I’m speaking with obvious passion, you may still be easily distracted by all that’s going on around us, wherever we are.

If I’m going to win your attention, I should probably ask you what’s going on in your world first, so that you can ‘let it go’ long enough to eventually hear what I want to tell you.

The key here will be me taking the time to pay attention and listen to what you have to say to me first.

Most of us are not patient people. If the drive-thru lane at our favorite coffee shop or fast-food restaurant takes more than a few minutes, most of us get antsy and may even complain out loud, even if we’re alone in the car. Please, don’t tell me I’m the only one.

No wonder the Lord tells us to, “Be still and know that I am God.” (Psalm 46:10)

How can we know God if our listening skills with Him are as pitiful as they are with our family and friends?

Maybe this is why we have so much turmoil and confusion in our lives. “God is not the author of confusion.” – 1 Corinthians 14:33

Today, how can we make time to quiet our hearts so that we can listen to God and hear what He wants to say to us?

Do we need to spill our guts first? No problem! He’ll listen intently and pay attention to everything we have to say, even though He already knows our thoughts before we think them.

“O Lord, You have searched me and known me.  You know my sitting down and my rising up; You understand my thought afar off. You comprehend my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways. For there is not a word on my tongue,
But behold, O Lord, You know it altogether.” - Psalm 139:1-4

He delights in hearing our voice!!!

“He also brought me out into a broad place; He delivered me because He delighted in me.” - 2 Samuel 22:19-20

“He also brought me out into a broad place; He delivered me because He delighted in me.” – Psalm 18:19

“He shall pray to God, and He will delight in him, He shall see His face with joy, For He restores to man His righteousness.” - Job 33:26

“As for the saints who are on the earth, “They are the excellent ones, in whom is all my delight.”” – Psalm 16:3

He takes great joy in us when we make the time to sit with Him and share what’s in our heart.

How can He can give us the desires of our hearts (show us what our hearts truly desire) if we don’t take the time to sit with Him – and delight ourselves in Him?

“Delight yourself also in the Lord, And He shall give you the desires of your heart.” – Psalm 37:4

Be still. Listen. Delight yourself in the Lord.

Selah. (This means to sit with this; ponder it; think on it.)

Love Handles

 

The Assist Grip or Grab Handle – that’s the proper name for the handle above the window you might grab onto while riding on the passenger side of the car when things get a little shaky.

Maybe you’re riding with a new driver, or traffic just got crazy or maybe it’s just become a habit, a convenient place to put your hand.

The internet had some more colorful nicknames for it, too. But you get the general idea that when you panic, that might be what you grab for.

While riding on a rollercoaster, you might grab at the lock bar that secures you in your seat.

When not feeling well, we might reach for a grab bar on the side of our shower.

While in the midst of various adventures in your lifetime, you’ve probably reached for something in hopes it would bring you a sense of security. You may have been safe all along, but grabbing onto something stable can generally make us feel more secure.

Stick with me here as I diverge briefly. If you’re as old as I am, you’ll recall that back in the 70s we had a term for the skin at your waist that didn’t bring you joy. Whether you could “pinch an inch” or “grab a slab” it was generously called your love handles. I’ve coined a new meaning for that phrase.

Getting back to the subject at hand, what do you reach out for when things go awry?

While no, I don’t envision God as a chubby guy, when I reach out to Him in prayer, (especially when my heart wants to panic about something) I grab for my “love handle” – that being the hand of God that connects me to His heart.

In a world that can appear to have no certainty it’s important to have something that can stabilize your heart.

Some reach for colorful metaphors (as Spock so cleverly put it), even shouting them out for the world to hear.

But some of us call on the God Who created us and placed us in this world – the God that already has the plan for our lives written out in a book, the God Who knows how it all ends. (Jeremiah 29:11 and Psalm 139)

Lifting my voice to the God of heaven connects me to the God Who now lives in my heart, I lay hold of that love handle that brings me peace and security, my ‘assist grip’ – my ‘grab handle’, or whatever YOU call it.

There’s an old phrase/song that comes to mind now, “He’s as close as the mention of His Name – Jesus.”

Prayer is conversation with God, it’s communion with His Holy Spirit, it’s a melding of our hearts. Of course, it brings us peace and stabilization, it centers our focus on the Problem Solver, instead of the problem itself.

When the road is rocky and the ride is bumpy, reach out for His hand.

When life feels good and right, snuggle into the palm of His hand and rest easy, my friend.

It’s become a convenient place to put my trust.

You remember the old song, sing it with me.

“Put your hand in the hand of the Man that stills the waters. Put your hand in the hand of the Man that calms the seas…..”

Love Handles - with care.

(Painting by Michele King, the Hands of God reaching my family.)

New Wine, Anyone?

 

“No one puts a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment; for the patch pulls away from the garment, and the tear is made worse. Nor do they put new wine into old wineskins, or else the wineskins break, the wine is spilled, and the wineskins are ruined. But they put new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved.” - Matthew 9: 16-17 KJV

This is Jesus talking, so it must be important. Right?

I recall thinking, “Okay, what is this supposed to mean? Why is this even in the Bible?”

Enter my friend, Kaye Lamkin. She was expounding on the Spirit of Might the other day. She understands the Bible on a level few will see, though it’s available to all of us. In the midst of her thoughts, she mentioned something that grabbed my attention like a hook snags in the unsuspecting mouth of a hungry fish. The powerful Fisher of men, Himself, was reeling me in.

I have friends who don’t yet know Jesus. Some may have professed to be a Christian at one point in their lives, but they simple consider Christianity another religion. They may even have read the Bible, but they don’t understand what they’ve read. If you don’t understand the Bible, it’s not your fault.

When we’re born into this world, we’re born into a body of flesh, with a carnal mind. We’ll keep living in that flesh until we leave this world, but that carnal mind cannot comprehend the things of God.

Is a carnal mind a bad thing? No. It simply means that our minds perceive what’s around us using only our five senses. If we can touch something, we know if it’s soft. If we can hear a song, we know whether we find it pleasant or not, etc.

Try as we may to understand God’s Word, we cannot comprehend His love letter to us until we have His Spirit living inside of us. The presence of His Spirit unfolds His Word.

“The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.” – 1 Corinthians 2:14 ESV

That’s the reason we need to be born again. When we turn our back on a sinful way of living and ask Jesus to come into our heart and clean us up, we can have eternal life with Him. Once we receive His Spirit (our choice), then we can BEGIN to understand His love for us. We do not instantly become perfect, but we are perfected in Him.

That’s what the Bible is all about, despite what may feel like a roundabout way of getting to that message.

In Romans 12:1-2, we read that God doesn’t want us to live our lives with the mere capabilities of our natural, carnal mind and the strength of our flesh. He wants to empower us with His power and might. He wants us to submit our bodies to Him, and to renew our minds by spending time with Him, and in His Word.

“I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” – Romans 12:1-2 ESV

The more we learn of His love for us, the more we’ll want that love, and the more we’ll pursue knowing Him intimately; for ourselves.

But what does this have to do with new wine and old wineskins?

God can’t pour His Spirit (new wine) into our old way of thinking (our old wineskin) so, at our invitation, He creates a NEW wineskin. We become an entirely new creation! One capable of containing His Spirit and receiving His love!

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” – 2 Corinthians 5:17 NKJV  

Simply put, without Jesus, we cannot become the temple of the Holy Spirit, He’s just too big – too much.

 

Rambling? Or Trusting the Process....

 

(Me, looking focused!)

I’ve been slacking, I apologize. Sometimes circumstances get in my way and I let them.

I’ve been incredibly tired lately and I’ve used it as an excuse not to do all the things I would normally do in a day. Some days I feel like I could sleep all day long and still want to crawl back into bed by 8:00pm.

But all my time hasn’t been downtime. I have been writing, just not blog posts.

It can be easy to let them slide, because, let’s face it, how many people actually read them anyway?

I’m 13 chapters into a new story, if I stick with it this time, it could really become a novel. Not like the ones I have tucked away in my laptop, but one I could actually finish and submit somewhere.

The challenge? It’s not my genre. Not at all. It’s a western – of all things. I don’t think I’ve ever read a western in my whole life. What makes me think I can write one?

Well, I’m doing what I always do when I write. I listen. And that’s just what I’m hearing right now.

I know, it’s very strange. Right? But then again – I can be a very strange sort of person in very many ways. So, why not?

I actively practice listening for the voice of God. But when I sit down to write, things just come together. Occasionally, they stick and I make something of it. Most of what I’ve written will never see the light of day.

Like right now. I’m rambling on paper (a computer screen, really,) hoping something will stick; that something will stand out to me and I can delete what feels useless.

But tonight, I’m feeling like my rambling isn’t coming out to be pointless.

What if?

What if God can use my ramblings?

What if everything I write looks like ramblings to God?

Yes, like most of you (I hope), I argue with myself. Please tell me you at least TALK with yourself.

If I argue the point that no one reads what I write, I could conclude – then why write at all?

If I argue that I’m writing for an audience of one, then I could concede that the one is worth it – even if I’m that one.

Usually when I write, I feel closer to God – not that my relationship with Him is about feelings. But they help. Sometimes. Can I trust them? Probably not. That’s why I don’t rely on them.

But when it feels like God is sitting here with me as I type out my next words, keeping company with the God of the universe can be a cozy thing and I enjoy it! That alone could be reason enough to keep writing. Peace.

No one else in the world has to read a thing I’m writing, but there are reasons for it.

Even if it’s simply introspection or self-assessing.

Even if I’m secretly feeling for the edges (of my existence).

Even if I haven’t completely figured it out. Grace.

So, I’ll write. Till my fingers don’t work anymore and my mouth can’t talk to text; I’ll write.

Read what you will. Ponder some of it. Toss out the rest. Share what you find meaningful.

I might not even see what makes sense to you, tucked in here like a treasure or a secret. Maybe there’s nothing here at all.

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.” – Proverbs 3:5

A traditional Christian stand-by. What are you doing with it?

Delay or Preparation

 

Often, I open my email box to find newsletters from various ministries and organizations. Today was no different. But it’s not that often that a newsletter hits me where it counts. Today’s uplifting messages came from Patricia Raybon, author of much, including the fabulous Annalee Spain mysteries. If you haven’t read them, I highly recommend them (here), and her upcoming book, The Sedalia Code (here).

 

She proposed a question I’m still chewing on, even after discussing it with my husband, Dave.

“What ‘delays’ in our lives might God be using as preparation?”

And, I might add, preparation for what, exactly?

We’ve been entertaining the idea of moving since Dave retired (the second time, six years ago). With two out of three children living in Tennessee, we presume that would be our destination. But we could be wrong.

The problem is, even though we both hear from God regularly, we’re not hearing a thing about this move.

I’ve heard it said that God answers our prayers with one of three answers: yes, no and not now.

We’ve been living under the assumption that the time isn’t right for a move, yet.

At our age, it will be an endeavor to move across the country. We don’t want to step out in faith and find out it was a wrong move. Moving will be expensive; we’re used to having the US Military move our belongings for us. We’re not rich, but we’re not poor – but we certainly don’t have money to waste on an expensive move if it’s not the RIGHT move.

What if?

What if we’re causing our own delays?

What if this is a season of preparation for what comes after the move, and we haven’t been preparing as we should?

What if we’re the ones dragging out the delay?

It’s felt like a season of rest. And we’re certainly in the Word of God more than ever before – but what if that’s not enough to be prepared for what’s to come?

Rather than furthering any delays, we’ve concluded that we’ll not only spend more time in the Word, but we’ll make sure it’s quality time. No more checking off a commitment for the day. It’s time to start chewing on the Word of God and making it a staple in our daily diets. There may be days when it doesn’t sit well in our bellies – but that’s just caused by lack of understanding and not seeing the whole picture.

In Matthew 18:19 Jesus tells us, “Again, I say unto you, that if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven.”

Dave and I make that minimum.

In Luke 11:10 He tells us, “For everyone that asks receives, and he that seeks finds; and to him that knocks it shall be opened.”

We can ask, see and knock together – in harmony and with unity.

And in James 1:5 we read, “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that gives to all men liberally, and upbraids not [meaning he won’t show disapproval or criticize or be disappointed that we asked]; and it shall be given him.”

Maybe we’ve been asking the wrong question(s).

Starting today, I’m asking for God’s wisdom for right now and not concerning myself with what’s to come unless He puts it on my heart.

We’ll continue to pray, read God’s Word and meditate upon it, and study out what the Scriptures mean – and what He’s saying to us through them in the here and now….. doing the prep work!

Are You Being Compelled?

 

Sometimes a thought occurs to me, seemingly out of the blue. I don’t think that’s how it happens. Long before the thoughts come to me, God planted the seeds that grew into revelation thoughts.

Decades ago, we lived in England when a royal wedding took place. Fergie and Andrew, the event of the year unfolded on our television set. Later that week we went to London to see the flowers at Westminster Abbey.

But what if by some chance, someone sent by the royals showed up at my door and handed me a royal invitation? I wouldn’t have had a thing to wear! But who would see me in the crowds anyways? I’d be there to participate in the celebrations in person! What if upon acceptance, the bearer of the invitation also presented me with a gown to wear, so I’d fit right in!?

Yes, I’d have gone. No hesitation. (I couldn’t have known how the marriage would turn out.)

Let me share a few verses of scripture with you here.

“But he said to him, “A man once gave a great banquet and invited many. And at the time for the banquet, he sent his servant to say to those who had been invited, ‘Come, for everything is now ready.’ But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said to him, ‘I have bought a field, and I must go out and see it. Please have me excused.’ And another said, ‘I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to examine them. Please have me excused.’ And another said, ‘I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.’ So, the servant came and reported these things to his master. Then the master of the house became angry and said to his servant, ‘Go out quickly to the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in the poor and crippled and blind and lame.’ And the servant said, ‘Sir, what you commanded has been done, and still there is room.’ And the master said to the servant, ‘Go out to the highways and hedges and compel people to come in, that my house may be filled.” – Luke 14:16-23 ESV

If you’re in God’s Word at all, I hope you’ve seen the invitation. God’s servants have come out into the highways and the hedges, seeking even the poor, the crippled and blind and lame and most unworthy among us, compelling us to come to God’s banquet.

Still, there is room.

If you haven’t accepted this royal invitation, know that you WILL fit in. Jesus has provided for you; every flaw and sin or trace of unworthiness is covered by His blood. He’s provided royal attire for you, as well – His very own Robe of Righteousness. He drapes it over you when you turn to accept His invitation and wraps His arms around you and weeps with joy that you’ve joined Him and welcomes you home.

“There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.” – Romans 8:1 KJV

“For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” – Romans 8:38-39 KJV

Welcome home.