My Grilled Cheese Moment

Hi ladies, Marcy here : )  It's my pleasure to introduce you to a very special guest writer today... Michelle Wheeler is a wife, momma, small business owner, and my neighbor!  When Michelle told me about her "grilled cheese moment" a few weeks ago, I knew we just had to share it with all of you too!  Michelle was gracious enough to take some time and bring this post to you today...  

God often speaks to me through my children.  One day last winter will always stand out to me as what I like to call "my grilled cheese moment."  I had been worried about finances and wondering how God was going to work out all the details.  I was doing dishes and praying to God to just answer my prayers now.  I felt very impatient and began to plead with God in my head, wondering if He was listening. 

Just then my son came up to me and asked for something to eat.  I asked him if he'd like a grilled cheese.  He excitedly responded, "Yes!"  I love to show my love through my food that I prepare!  So I gathered some Havarti cheese, pumpernickel bread, Kerry gold butter, and even started to cut up some thin apple slices.  This was going to be the best grilled cheese he had ever had! 

My son, only being 2 at the time, saw the Havarti and demanded some cheese pronto.  I gave him a slice to hold him over as I prepared this decadent sandwich of love for him.  He couldn't wait and quickly came over, demanding more cheese.  I looked down at his precious face and said, "Son, if you could just wait... I have something much, much better!"

I looked up in shock, picturing God watching my reaction, realizing that God was talking to me right now.  If I could only just trust God and wait because much like I was doing for my own son, God was lovingly constructing my very own “grilled cheese”. 

I smiled and a peace passed over me as I realized for maybe the millionth time, God has not forgotten me and He never will.

Post by: Michelle Wheeler

One Little Word

We are one month into 2017 and for many it doesn’t seem to be fairing much better than 2016. Marcy said it beautifully in our last post, When All You Can Do Is Pray, about how unstable last year felt. As 2016 came to end I saw an abundance of posts on social media about how terrible 2016 was. Some were funny memes that gave me a little chuckle and others were more extreme. I thought to myself, “I don’t think I have ever heard (or seen) such a larger number of people agreeing about how terrible one single year was.”  It felt overwhelming to me. I found myself agreeing with all the Facebook posts.  But I know how easy it is for me to get caught up in the “hype” if I am not careful so I took a step back and decided to evaluate.

Much like Marcy, I saw hurt, illness, hardships and tragedy all around me. And it seemed like so much more than “usual”. I thought about my own life and remembered the number of transitions we experienced this past year and... Yeah, I can’t say it was fun. After processing the collective data, I could certainly see how so many of us were more than ready to say “Farewell!” to 2016. I think it can be easy to believe some lies as we look back on the tumultuous ending to 2016. And that can leave us feeling confused, upset and overwhelmed.

…“that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes.”  Ephesians 4:14 (ESV)

We don’t have to stay that way though! We serve a God who is unchanging, unwavering and faithful to the end! Let’s not be tossed by the waves but stand, anchored, as we keep moving forward.

As 2016 came to end, I felt God pulling me to withdraw from some things and out of that I got my one word for 2017. I am not a resolutions type girl, that carries too much pressure! A few years ago I learned about choosing one word for the year and I have adopted that practice each year since. I try to listen and follow where God is leading me on this (because again, it takes the pressure off). So I would like to share my word for this year with you!

My one word for 2017 is ABIDE. It comes from John chapter 15.  Abide means to stay, remain or wait. It makes me think of the words home and anchor. So as I tuck my one word in my heart (and write it down of course!) I look to 2017 with hope, peace and purpose.

I don’t know what your 2016 looked like, but I pray that you can look forward with hope! Maybe it means prayerfully choosing your own one little word or a verse from the Bible or even a song. But as we embark on 2017 we can use these things to keep coming back to, regaining focus and pressing on; using it as an anchor to withstand the waves that will come.

“I am the vine, you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” John 15:5 (NIV)

Share your one little word (#OLW) with us in the comments below! We'd love to hear what God has been speaking to you...

Post by: Jimmie Lee DiIanni