Shaking Landings

Another great devotional, wow! Sometimes I think God is SCREAMING at me. To all my friends, my mom, family and husband that continually support my ideas and thoughts, hold on and get ready for the shaky landing ahead. 

“Shaky Landings”


Ginger Plowman
Author, Speaker for Proverbs 31 Ministries


Key Verse:

“The Lord is my light and my salvation—whom shall I fear?  The Lord is the stronghold of my life—of whom shall I be afraid?”  (Psalm 27:1)

Devotion:

Isn’t it funny how the personality traits that first attracted us to our husbands drive us crazy later?  Take my husband Jim, for instance.  He has always approached adventure with reckless abandon.  The fact that he enjoyed rappelling down steep mountains Australian style (upside down) and making 230 foot bungee jumps sent shivers of excitement and intrigue through my entire body, making him the most irresistible man I had ever met.  So I married him.

Thirteen years and two kids later, I was frying pork chops when Jim waltzed into the kitchen with that mischievous boy-have-I-got-an-idea-now look on his face.  The wild zeal in his eyes told me I needed to brace myself for what was coming next.

“I want to fly airplanes,” he grinned.  I wanted to cover my ears and chant, “I’m not going to listen to you. I’m not going to listen to you.”  But instead, I decided to be mature about it.

“Have you lost your mind?  Do you think I’m going to offer my blessing and seal my fate as a widow at the age of thirty-five?  If you do this, I’m never speaking to you again!”  (Stomp, stomp, stomp, slam). (This is probably opposite at my house...my poor hubby)

Two days and many prayers later, I boldly proclaimed (with one hand on my pajamaed hip and the other waving my toothbrush in the air), “Okay, if you want to do this it’s fine with me.  But let’s get one thing clear, buddy.  Neither I nor any of your offspring will ever get in that airplane with you!” (Hmm. I know he is reminded about the splash pads and my mother is thinking those dang clothes she is selling on my FB page right now! www.facebook.com/momandherskinnyjeans. Or my poor helpers that are wondering when will she just sit there)

Three months later, I was climbing into the back of the airplane. Jim kissed my cheek and promised, “You’re gonna love it.”  My excessive fear of heights, however, was screaming otherwise.  To make matters worse, Jim’s flight instructor announced, “Jim, today we’re going to work on your shaky landings.”

I leaned forward and lightly tapped the instructor’s shoulder. “Excuse me, what did you say?  For a second there I thought you said we were going to work on Jim’s shaky landings.”

The instructor chuckled at my anxiety as Jim began speaking some sort of numeric jargon into the microphone.  “Auburn traffic Skyhawk eight-niner-eight-four-seven departing runway three-six.”  But all I heard was, “Mayday!  Mayday! Mayday! We’re all going to die!”

With eyes tightly shut and sweat pouring from my otherwise calm demeanor, I decided the seat belt was not all it’s cracked up to be.  I assumed crash position.  I braced myself by pressing my feet against the back of the front seats and my palms flat on the ceiling of the plane (for when we rolled, of course).  I began confessing all of my sins as I begged for God’s mercy. I felt the plane lift off the runway.  Nothing happened.  Ten minutes later, I forced open one eye to see if I had arrived at the pearly gates. Nope, it wasn’t the pearly gates but it was something that took my breath away:  a thrilling and fantastic view of God’s creation.

Looking back, I realize that the way I protested going flying with Jim is the same way I often protest going somewhere God wants me to go.  When God first called me to speak and write on a national level, I wanted to cover my ears and chant, “I’m not going to listen to you. I’m not going to listen to you.”   I questioned, “Do You think I’m going to make a big fool out of myself by speaking in front of thousands of people all over the country?”

Two years later, I was speaking all over the country and being interviewed on national television and radio.  Was it against my will?  At first, you bet it was.  The fear and anxiety that plagued my heart every time I took the microphone threatened to choke out my obedience.  Then one day, I opened one eye and looked around.  I saw what God saw:  the beauty of His handiwork through an obedient life. This is my dream, I would love to travel and talk to people how to make their life easier and better. Help students find a college. Help schools revamp their College and Career programs. This is the ultimate goal. Watch out, I am on the look out for my tour bus again!

Do I experience shaky landings?  Yep.  However, I have found that even in disastrous situations, God still fulfills His purpose when I surrender to His will.

We must not wrap ourselves in a cocoon of fear and anxiety over what might happen if we move out of our comfort zones.  We must obey God’s calling on our lives.  We must step out in faith and allow Him to take the clumsy caterpillar and transform it into a beautiful butterfly.  He has a perfect plan for our lives that can only be fulfilled if we are willing to shed our cocoons and fly with Him.  In spite of the shaky landings, it’s worth the ride.


My prayer for today:

Lord, I know you have called me to serve you.  Help me to overcome the fears of this world and to cling tightly to you.  I trust that you have a plan for my life.  I know that if I trust you, follow you, and obey you, I can rest in the safety of your will.  Thank you for being my strength when I am weak and my refuge when I am scared.


Application steps:

Consider a time when you were afraid to obey God, but you did it anyway.  What were the results?  How was your faith strengthened?  If fear is holding you back in some way, seek God’s help in overcoming that fear and trusting him.  How can you act on overcoming fear in a certain situation?


Reflection points:

What fears hold you back from fully obeying God?

How can fear keep you from richly experiencing God’s hand in your life?

What steps are you taking to overcome your fears and trust God?


Power verses:

Proverbs 1:33 …but whoever listens to me will live in safety and be at ease, without fear of harm.  (NIV)

Proverbs 29:25, Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is kept safe.  (NIV)

1 John 4:18, There is no fear in love.  But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment.  The one who fears is not made perfect in love.

Isaiah 41:10 So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God.  I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.  (NIV)

Scared of rules no more!

This is my Mimi's (great grandmother) precious table. When I was growing up, it was in the "nice" living room and we were only allowed in there on Christmas. I am not sure who actually went in there any other time. This table originally had a big piece of glass on it (No, it is not on there now!) 

My kids love it. They call it their dancing table. No it doesn't match anything in my house so for now it will be our dancing and laughing table!

Oh my poor Mimi is turning in her grave for sure!

Scared of so many pictures

Are you like me? I have 1000's of pictures digitally but not many printed. So thank you Walgreens for saving me once again! Off to the printer I go!

Walgreen’s has a great photo offer right now!  Save $10 off $20+ photo orders through Saturday, February 11th using the code LESS10 at checkout.  There are select gifts you can choose to pick up in store FREE as well!  Not valid on: goosie cards, passport photos, or photo cd’s.

* Coupon code LESS10 valid for up to 5 uses per account thru February 11, 2012. Code must be entered at time of checkout to apply discount. Maximum discount of $10 with minimum order of $20. Discount does not apply to goosie cards, passport photos, photo cd’s, previous purchases, taxes or shipping charges. Orders must be placed by logged-in customer by February 11, 2012 at 11:59 p.m. Central Time to qualify. Cannot be combined with any other offer. Offer valid online only. Shipping costs may apply if in-store pickup is not available in your area.

Thanks you Deal Wise Mommy.net

Pin This

My mom always if you have a problem, the first step is to admit to it! Okay so I am addicted to www.pinterest.com and it looks like the rest of the world is too! Now how to figure out how to make it benefit my business life!

Scared of Forgetting People

I still have one of my great grandmother's Kleenexes in  a Ziploc bag so I can remember her smell. Today as I wore one of her shirts, I could remember her warm smile and her loving heart. Oh how I miss and love my Mimi. I wish you could just bottle up these things and keep them safe but in reality the only memory that can last forever is the one in my heart.  

Scared of Forgetting.

My kids do the cutest things. Now I sound like every other mom...of course,  my child is the first one to ever say or look that cute!! Heck, I have another blog that tracks their every movement. http://ourgreatestcatch.blogspot.com I also have about a million pictures of them doing everything from standing, crying, laughing. staring, reading, sitting on the toilet and sleeping. I also have hours upon hours of video. Yes I have a problem. Yet I do not want to forget one moment. They are all so unique and they all put a smile on my face and in my heart.

I found a few ideas of tracking their progress this new year. I will not lie, last year, I tried to take a picture every day. Taking a picture every day was not the problem, keep track of when I took a picture and then sharing it was the problem.  So then I found this...epic fail also due to note cards are easy for a toddler to resort for you.http://pinterest.com/pin/154459462189607400/  Then I thought about the a memory jar-http://pinterest.com/pin/154459462189649963/

As I was trying to make do,  I notice my grocery list pad would be the perfect fit. Somewhere on www.pinterest.com I had seen something similar but now for the life of me cannot find it. So I wanted to make something cute but no time for it now. I started out with a legal note pad, drew a line through the middle (I have 2 kids and did not want to play favorites), then on the far left side wrote down #1-31 and started tracking everything cute, adorable, funny thing my children say or do by the day. In reality it is just a one line sentence about my child for the day.
 What will I do with these? Of course, hoard them and embarrass them one day. But in the mean time, it helps me keep my sanity when J is throwing his 3 year old temper tantrum or my little C is practicing her high pitch scream in the car after a long day of work! This weekend I will work on my cute version for you to track your memories too. Until then, as long as I put it on paper and get it out of my clutter filled brain, I have accomplished another "Scared No More" Task.
Resolution #5: Put my thoughts on paper!

Scared of Slowing Down

I do everything fast. I talk fast. I walk fast. I type fast. I think fast.

Today imagine my surprise when I was driving home and looked down and noticed I had my shirt on backwards. Score one point for me today.

 I am guilty I need to start slowing down and paying attention to the details. I am still not sure why I am so afraid of slow or no movement but this is definitely something I want to find a balance for the new year. If nothing else for the sake of fashion!

Scared of the Repairs no more!

I cannot take all the credit. As long as I have google at my fingertips, I can almost figure out anything. Our freezer died on us on Tuesday. That evening, I went to look for a new one. After I picked myself off the ground and saw the prices from $1000 to $3000 for something similar to what I have now, I decided I must figure out what is wrong with our refrigerator!

Thanks to my hubby who is willing to try everything at least once, we started taking apart the frigerator. Charleigh also thought she could help. After many google searches and youtube videos, we concluded it was the starter relay switch on the compressor. You shake it and if it rattles, it is broke. How easy is that! 

One part later, one freezer working. 

Do not be afraid to google things like "freezer is not freezing, now what? , HELP me, my freezer is broke." The most amazing part is that someone else has already googled it before you, so just ask. 

Resolution #4: Never be afraid ask for help even if it is from www.google.com or www.youtube.com for visual learners!

Scared of the Scale?

The dreaded scale. I wonder if I stand with on my tiptoes, with no clothes on and hold my breath, will I be skinny according to my scale? 

I am horrible. I still make up excuses why the scale calculated my weight wrong. They include: 

1. It is at the end of the day and my body is carrying around all the weight.
2. The scale is not balanced. 
3. The battery is low so it doesn't read properly.
4. My shoes weigh 3 pounds. 
5. I am bloated. 
6. My clothes weigh 6 pounds. 
7. My three year old must of been playing with it again. 

The list goes on and on. For those of you who have followed me for a while, know that I weigh in on Wednesdays and then post everywhere how much I weigh. Yes toddlers have made me lose my mind. From September to November 15, I was having one Body by Vi Shake a day.

(More information at http:jcsquared.myvi.net) I also hit my magic number 149.6 I had reached my goal and then the holidays came and let's just say I have a sweet tooth. I love everything and anything covered in chocolate. Also working in education, I am spoiled with lots of homemade treats. How can you say no and waste so thank you gifts. Plus I love wine. Mesina Hof  Tribute to Beauty and Sangria are my first loves. So for the last 40 days, I have had food and ate like I would never eat again. 

I was pleasantly surprised that when I stepped on the scale, it was not too shabby. On Monday, I started my Body by Vi Shakes again and have a goal to hit 135. I never seen this number on the scale but it is a goal worth shooting for. P.S. I am 5'8" so you get some perspective.

UPDATE: 1/4/11: I weighed in at 151.6. Very impressed considering the amount of chocolate covered cherries and pie I ate over the last month!

Day 3: Resolution: Be able to step on the scale and not be afraid of what magic number shows up. 

Scared of the Bag No More

I have this bag that carries everything. Things I say I am going to do when I get home, check lists, calendars, galore of lip gloss, mail from school, mail from home and clips of articles that I find interesting. The only problem is the bag is neverending. I did not realize how bad this was until today. I was digging through it for god know whats and there is a pile of at least 20 Christmas cards that did not get sent. Yes NOT sent. Now please remember I am a southern girl with manners. You always send a card with pictures of your babies. Now I know why my mother in law thinks I do not like her-her card was in there. And now I apologize to all the others that didn't get their card. After much debate, my dear friend Jackie convinced me to go ahead and mail them. There's nothing like a little late holiday cheer. Plus my babies are so cute why wouldn't you keep a picture of them all year on your fridge. So today, I cleaned out the bag. NO more loose anything because I retired the bag. If it doesn't fit in my little notepad I carry around or purse, it doesn't go anywhere with me. So if you see me carrying a bag that looks like this-scream at me and shame me in public. Heck, I don't know why I carry it around anyways, it is not like I ever go through it when I get home anyways. Good bye bag!

Resolution #2: Do not have a junk bag that I carry around that really only serves as a weight to help me lose weight. 

Scared of the Shower No More

My shower makes me crazy. The scum on the glass makes it where I have no desire to clean any part of the bathroom. I have tried every gadget, cleaning product to make the scum disappear. Still nothing. I even asked Santa for a brand new shower door so I could start over. Nothing still.
So on my first day of tackling things that scare me, I tackled the shower. My three year old helped! We used a box of baking soda and DAWN. First we wiped the Baking Soda on the glass and the freely put the Dawn on the door. Next my three year old helped scrub the walls and I "reached high" as he would say.
Was it a complete success? No. Was it better than where I started? Yes.
If nothing else, I learned that a 3 year old makes cleaning more enjoyable!

New Year New Resolutions

This year, every day I plan to do one thing that scares me! Watch out world, I have a plan and that is half the battle!