Of God and Gardening...

My Mom forwarded me an email with this story:

A successful business man was growing old and knew it was time to choose a successor to take over the business. Instead of choosing one of his Directors or his children, he decided to do something different. He called all the young executives in his company together.

He said, "It is time for me to step down and choose the next CEO. I have decided to choose one of you. "The young executives were shocked, but the boss continued. "I am going to give each one of you a SEED today - one very special SEED. I want you to plant the seed, water it, and come back here one year from today with what you have grown from the seed I have given you. I will then judge the plants that you bring, and the one I choose will be the next CEO."

One man, named Jim, was there that day and he, like the others, received a seed. He went home and excitedly, told his wife the story. She helped him get a pot, soil and compost and he planted the seed. Everyday, he would water it and watch to see if it had grown. After about three weeks, some of the other executives began to talk about their seeds and the plants that were beginning to grow.

Jim kept checking his seed, but nothing ever grew.

Three weeks, four weeks, five weeks went by, still nothing.

By now, others were talking about their plants, but Jim didn't have a plant and he felt like a failure.

Six months went by -- still nothing in Jim's pot. He just knew he had killed his seed. Everyone else had trees and tall plants, but he had nothing. Jim didn't say anything to his colleagues, however, he just kept watering and fertilizing the soil - He so wanted the seed to grow.

A year finally went by and all the young executives of the company brought their plants to the CEO for inspection.

Jim told his wife that he wasn't going to take an empty pot. But she asked him to be honest about what happened. Jim felt sick to his stomach, it was going to be the most embarrassing moment of his life, but he knew his wife was right. He took his empty pot to the board room. When Jim arrived, he was amazed at the variety of plants grown by the other executives. They were beautiful -- in all shapes and sizes. Jim put his empty pot on the floor and many of his colleagues laughed, a few felt sorry for him!

When the CEO arrived, he surveyed the room and greeted his young executives.

Jim just tried to hide in the back. "My, what great plants, trees and flowers you have grown," said the CEO. "Today one of you will be appointed the next CEO!"

All of a sudden, the CEO spotted Jim at the back of the room with his empty pot. He ordered the Financial Director to bring him to the front. Jim was terrified. He thought, "The CEO knows I'm a failure! Maybe he will have me fired!"

When Jim got to the front, the CEO asked him what had happened to his seed - Jim told him the story.

The CEO asked everyone to sit down except Jim. He looked at Jim, and then announced to the young executives, "Behold your next Chief Executive Officer! His name is Jim!" Jim couldn't believe it. Jim couldn't even grow his seed.

"How could he be the new CEO?" the others said.

Then the CEO said, "One year ago today, I gave everyone in this room a seed. I told you to take the seed, plant it, water it,and bring it back to me today. But I gave you all boiled seeds; they were dead - it was not possible for them to grow.

All of you, except Jim, have brought me trees and plants and flowers. When you found that the seed would not grow, you substituted another seed for the one I gave you. Jim was the only one with the courage and honesty to bring me a pot with my seed in it. Therefore, he is the one who will be the new Chief Executive Officer!"

How often have we done something wrong and wanted desperately to hide the mistake? How often have we felt like Jim - head hanging in shame - thinking that we have screwed up beyond help? How often have we BEEN the other executives...? -- Trying to hide our mistakes and pretend we haven't messed up?

Unfortunately, while you can fool the world for a while... you can't hide from God.

That's part of what being omnipotent, omnipresent, and omniscient means...!

Whoever said "honestly is the best policy" is definitely referring to Jim. Honesty can be embarrassing, shaming, and hard, but it is what God expects from us. Off all the commandments God gave, LYING was one of the "Big 10."

Do not steal. Do not lie. Do not deceive one another.
Leviticus 19:11

Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life. Put away perversity from your mouth; keep corrupt talk far from your lips. Let your eyes look straight ahead, fix your gaze directly before you. Make level paths for your feet and take only ways that are firm Do not swerve to the right or the left; keep your foot from evil.
Proverbs 4:23-27

The LORD detests lying lips, but he delights in men who are truthful.
Proverbs 12:22

Courage and honesty is rewarded. If you plant honesty, you will reap trust. If you plant humility, you will reap greatness. And if you plant hard work, you will reap success.

And those plants will thrive.

I Found God In A Rock...

Remember the movie, Forrest Gump? The love of Forrest's life was Jenny - a neighbor girl who drifted in and out of his life over the course of the movie. At one point, she returns to Alabama, and, on a walk with Forrest, stops by her childhood home. This is a home in which she suffered major abuse from her own father - and as all of those reminders bubble up in her mind, she starts grabbing rocks and throwing them over and over at the house... breaking windows, denting siding, etc. until she is physically exhausted.

Watching her, Forrest remarks, "Sometimes, there just aren't enough rocks."



Some people I have met have had trials in their lives that have "sucked beyond the telling of it..." (my favorite quote from Buffy...) Things in their past or present that have just made their life so hard that they are suffering from anxiety and depression, It would be SO nice to just be able to grab all the rocks they can, and T H R O W them as hard as they can to vanquish the demons that have plagued them.


But as in the movie, on your own, there just aren't enough rocks to take care of it.

My sister-in-law, Stephany is very wise. She and her husband lost their daughter, Julia, after just 6 days of life due to a chromosomal abnormality that was infused into each and every gene and chromosome in Julia's body. It has been over 3 years since Julia's death. Since then, they have struggled with infertility, employment issues, and numerous family issues. Any ONE of these elements could have turned either of them into a bitter or angry person. 3 years later, their circumstances have not changed... their daughter is still buried, economic hardships still linger from past employment struggles, family members and their neuroses still plague them.

HOWEVER... their attitudes HAVE changed...

They are not bitter... or angry... or holed up in the fetal position underneath Julia's crib. They live. They laugh. They have sad moments, sure - but they are not letting their circumstances ruin their lives. In fact, Stephany, herself, has said that they went from wailing "WHY ME, LORD?!!!" to wondering in awe, "Why ME, Lord?!" - not an angry cry for justice... but a query as to how in the world was God able to take such tragic events and enfuse them with the strength, wisdom, and fortitude to deal with everything?! God, alone, can grant you strength and peace - something that a whole wheelbarrow of rocks cannot do.


One of my kids' favorite Bible tales is the story of David and Goliath.

Goliath, a Philistine champion, is ENORMOUS - the biggest man the Israelite soldiers have ever seen. Standing nearly 9 feet tall can wearing 200 pounds of hearty chain link mail, he towers over any soldier who wishes a challenge.... especially over the young shepherd, David, who is armed only with a homemade slingshot and some rocks. David refuses to let his circumstances dictate his faith - he believes that God will empower him to best Goliath - and God does not let him down. In this case, only ONE rock was enough... ONE rock, powered by God was all that was needed.


The start of a new year is when people tend to make their New Year's Resolutions. Mark Twain once said, "New Year's is the accepted time to make your regular annual good resolutions. Next week you can begin paving hell with them as usual." Most of us manage to keep our resolution for a few days (hours?) at best -then we toss them away when we realize that we aren't quite ready to commit to that particular self-improvement. But what if your resolution is to stop trying to change the circumstances around you - and to alter your attitude from the inside-out. Stop trying to FIX other people and let God work WITHIN you to change your reactions, your perceptions, your heart.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart

and lean not on your own understanding;

in all your ways acknowledge him,

and he will make your paths straight.

(Proverbs 3:5-6)

The change with worth the effort... I promise.

May your 2010 be filled with knowledge, peace, and contentment,

:) Mags

I Found God in a Happy Meal...

Those of you with small kids know how obsessive children can be with collecting the McDonald's Happy Meal toys - depending one what is being offered, my kids start begging to go day-after-day so that they can get ALL of the various toys in a particular set.

Right now, the Happy Meals contain toys from Night in the Museum 2, and when we went through the drive-thru last week, my 5-year-old was crazy-hopeful that his lunch would contain the cowboy on the squirrel and that his older brother would get General Custer on the motorcycle. The odds of getting exactly what you want are slim... sometimes we can finagle a trade to a more desireable toy, but often we're just stuck with a bunch of duplicates that end up in the next garage sale. But it's still fun to hope and see what we get, anyway.

On this particular day, with my son reciting over and over again "motorcycle - squirrel" in the back seat, we had a bit of good fortune. When we peeked inside the Happy Meals, Luke got the squirrel AND Jack got the motorcycle - EXACTLY what they had wanted (with absolutely no prodding or requesting from Mom!). Luke was stupified - "How did they KNOW, Mom?!!" he squealed on the way home. "Did they read our MINDS?!!"

At home, we said grace, but before Luke ate, he told me that he also needed to say a "thank you" prayer to God. He folded his hands and prayed, "Thank you God for picking out just the right toys today at McDonalds!"

Is that cute, or what?! :)

What I love best is that Luke gave thanks to God for his good fortune. Usually, it is only in our weakest times that we reach out to God. But, Luke served as a reminder that you can honor God with the good things too. He's not just there as Savior to help us fix our messes - but also as a Friend who wants to celebrate our little victories as well.

This Monday, I had one of the best mornings in a long time. Both kids were in VBS at our friend's church which meant I did not have to volunteer. I went shopping at Kohls: BY MYSELF for two whole hours. While shopping, I found a replacement pair of "perfect" sandals - exactly like the pair I have completely worn out - and there was exactly ONE pair left in my size. I found the lone "Go Michigan" T-shirt among a sea of Buckeye shirts... AND the shirt was exactly my husband's size. Plus, I actually fit into clothes TWO SIZES SMALLER!!! than I did last summer!

I can't remember the last shopping trip where I was actually smiling to myself the whole time, and as I walked to my car, I offered a grateful THANKS! to God for this wonderful morning.

When was your last little victory? Sometimes, they are few and far between.... so it's important to give thanks for them!!

You turned my wailing into dancing; you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy, that my heart may sing to you and not be silent. O LORD my God, I will give you thanks forever.

Psalm 30:11-12 (NIV)

Here's wishing you a perfect morning really soon!
♥Mags

I Found God In A Quilt...

Got this great inspiration email from Gran-Roberta (my-step-grandma-in-law):

Quilt of Holes

As I faced my Maker at the last judgment, I knelt before the Lord along with all the other souls.

Before each of us laid our lives like the squares of a quilt in many piles; an angel sat before each of us sewing our quilt squares together into a tapestry that is our life.

But as my angel took each piece of cloth off the pile, I noticed how ragged and empty each of my squares was. They were filled with giant holes. Each square was labeled with a part of my life that had been difficult, the challenges and temptations I was faced with in every day life. I saw hardships that I endured, which were the largest holes of all.

I glanced around me. Nobody else had such squares. Other than a tiny hole here and there, the other tapestries were filled with rich color and the
bright hues of worldly fortune. I gazed upon my own life and was disheartened.

My angel was sewing the ragged pieces of cloth together, threadbare and empty, like binding air.
Finally the time came when each life was to be displayed, held up to the light, the scrutiny of truth. The others rose; each in turn, holding up their tapestries. So filled their lives had been. My angel looked upon me, and nodded for me to rise.

My gaze dropped to the ground in shame. I hadn't had all the earthly fortunes. I had love in my life, and laughter. But there had also been trials of illness, and wealth, and false accusations that took from me my
world, as I knew it. I had to start over many times. I often struggled with the temptation to quit, only to somehow muster the strength to pick up and begin again. I spent many nights on my knees in prayer, asking for help and guidance in my life. I had often been held up to ridicule, which I endured painfully, each time offering it up to the Father in hopes that I would not melt within my skin beneath the judgmental gaze of those who unfairly judged me.

And now, I had to face the truth. My life was what it was, and I had to accept it for what it was.

I rose and slowly lifted the combined squares of my life to the light.

An awe-filled gasp filled the air. I gazed around at the others who stared at me with wide eyes.

Then, I looked upon the tapestry before me. Light flooded the many holes, creating an image, the face of Christ. Then our Lord stood before me, with warmth and love in His eyes. He said, "Every time you gave over your life to Me, it became My life, My hardships, and My struggles. Each point of light in your life is when you stepped aside and let Me shine through, until there was more of Me than there was of you."

May all our quilts be threadbare and worn, allowing Christ to shine through!

God determines who walks into your life ... it's up to you to decide who you let walk away, who you let stay, and who you refuse to let go.'

When there is nothing left but God...

that is when you find out that God is all you need.

Everyday Places Link Added To Footprints Site... aka "I Found God In Humility..."

After linking to the Mary Stevenson Footprints site in the last post, I took a moment to surf their site and learned a lot more about the famous poem... its origins and the four authors who claim authorship to it. It's a rather interesting set of circumstances; you ought to stop by their site as well. Anyway, while I was there, I submitted this blog to their Links page... and I found out this week that it was accepted! *pause to jump up and down in praise... Whoo-Hoo!*

I know it's small... but I was so thrilled to have someone "official" like this blog enough to "recommend" it on their Links list. Maybe they'll take anyone who asks, but I prefer to think they are highly discriminatory on where they will refer their site traffic...! :)



And the thrill I feel to have the link "published" somewhere else... and the yearning to share the news with anyone who will listen reminded me of part of a passage I read once in Matthew 6:1 & 4:

Be especially careful when you are trying to be good so that you don't make a performance out of it....Just do it—quietly and unobtrusively. That is the way your God, who conceived you in love, working behind the scenes, helps you out.

It's the "do it - quietly and unobtrusively" that gets me everytime!! :( In Gary Chapman's book, The Five Love Languages, I'd be the one who needs "Words of Affirmation" the most. Maybe it's from being that "kick-me-kid" in elementary school.... Maybe it's a need to be an attention-hog... Who knows?! I do know that I was the one who needed my name listed clearly on the Honor Roll (not just the A on my report card), who needed my name in the "credits" for my submissions to the yearbook, who wanted that recognition for accomplishments. I've heard of people who drop off a dinner "anonymously" for a family in need or a friend having a hard time. Sadly, I'm not sure I could ever do that...! I'd be happy to drop off the dinner... but I'd need to add a note saying "thinking of you... From MAGGIE BUCKLEY!" *sigh*

Philippians 2:3 says "Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves."

In light of the blog add, I'm hoping to separate "selfish ambition" from "honest praise to God for inspiring me to write this blog and getting it noticed and read by other people on the .Net and not just my friends!" :)

But I think there is a difference between "pride in your work" from "pride in oneself." I am so proud of this blog and hope it touches everyday, ordinary people who are looking for answers on their own Christian journey, B U T, I know that my best writing comes when I am truly inspired by God. When I have listened closely and written the stories He wants me to share, those have been the best posts! Yet, there have been many-a-post where I started off on my own tangent... only to delete it after I realized that I wasn't making any sense!

Proverbs 29:23 says Pride lands you flat on your face; humility prepares you for honors. Yet, already, I AM honored... honored to write this blog... and honored to share it with you.

Have a great day,

:) Mags

Of course, old habits die hard.. so feel free to throw the needy, affirmation girl a bone and leave a comment on the blog! :)