The Ultimate Encourager

 Do you know what I love about most animated children’s movies?  

The main characters are often friends with animals. 

We are a society that LOVES our pets.  We talk to our pets and treat them like our friends and family. 

These fictional animals usually talk back, hold conversations and develop precious friendships with the main characters, just like we wish our own pets could. Snow White, Cinderella, Ariel, and so many more heroes and heroines were encouraged throughout their journeys by their funny animal friends. 

Summer 2024, I thought I was just like one of those characters.  Though the animals did not talk to me (Trust me. I tried), they just showed up daily during a very unsettled time in my life. It did not matter where I was in the country, the animals would show up to brighten my day.  The fact the animals did not have a healthy sense of fear when I was close by was both delightful and perplexing.   I tried explaining to two little fawns who often played close to me when I was on the patio, they were going to need to learn to be a little more careful out in the world beyond the backyard. However, they ignored me and just kept frolicking around. 

I did not notice the anomaly at first. A bright red cardinal sat itself on a branch I could almost touch. A butterfly landed on the armrest of the lawn chair where I was sitting. When the local bunnies, a groundhog and many other beautiful birds joined the local deer in visiting me, I realized something special was happening. Even when I was on a business trip I came close to exotic birds, walked under a huge eagles nest with the eagle in it and hung out with the turtles who seemed to want to say hello. 

It was such a gift that summer. I really needed to be encouraged to not give way to fear. .

God saw my stress tears as I cried out to Him to work out our circumstances. 

“Yet the LORD longs to be gracious to you; therefore He will rise up to show you compassion.

For the LORD  is a God of justice. 

Blessed are all who wait for Him!”  (Isaiah 30:18)

The waiting part is the challenge.  

However….. 

God is the Ultimate Encourager!

He loves us and knows exactly what will uplift and delight us while we wait.  

For me, it was the animals. My friend, Shannon, sees coins right in front of her whenever she needs to know God is near.  She calls them her “pennies  from heaven”. God places change for her to find in just the right places at just the right times. Even when traveling internationally this summer, she found coins along her journey to remind her she is loved and God cares for her. 

The Father of compassion knows exactly how to encourage you in ways no human is able. Isaiah 30:18 says he “LONGS” to show you compassion. 

None of the people who wanted to help me during my waiting period could possibly put so many animals in my path. Shannon’s family or friends could never drop coins in the right spot at the right time to remind her God was near.

He longs to encourage you, too. 

The strangest part of my summer filled with animal friends is once everything went from chaotic to settled, they stopped showing up. I even started hiking and none of my summer friends have shown up to greet me.  They were a divine gift for a challenging season. 

My Friend, everyone of us goes through “unsettled” times. The Creator of the entire universe wants to help you through those times. 

“My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth”. Psalm 121:2

Be on the lookout. God’s love is in the details personally for you.

Never Forget the Truth…. 

You are deeply loved by the Creator who longs to be your Encourager and Friend. 

Just ask Him. 💕💕

Do Not Fear the Frogs

 Do Not Fear the Frog

How do you feel about frogs? 

Most of us just don’t. I have no feelings about amphibians. 

However, there was a short season of a few months while living in Florida, when I’m pretty sure a gang of frogs was trying to get me. 

I had just moved into a condo with a coworker. We both had our own bedroom, bathroom and balcony on the second floor of the condo. 

The first frog appeared on the screen of the sliding door of my balcony late one night when I was reading. I think he was The Intimidator. How did he even get up there?  I quickly shut the glass slider and shut the curtains. 

No one wants a frog watching them sleep. 

A few days later, a second frog was on the same screen door when I got home from work. He was The Caser.   He had to be casing the place for a break-in. This one seemed to be bigger and had his creepy, little webbed frog hand on the metal part of the screen near the lock. 

Over a week later, I met The Burglar. I had been lulled into a false sense of security since I had not seen a frog for a while and assumed it was a fluke to have two looking in at me. 

On The Burglar’s day, I was ready for work early and decided to sit on my balcony before the sun came up. 

Then it happened!!! 

The screen must have been slightly ajar. When I started to open the sliding glass door, an even bigger frog jumped right into my bedroom (at least in my mind it seemed bigger).  

Now what???!!!

 I struggled to decide if I should close the door in case there were others out there waiting to pounce

How do you get rid of a frog?! 

I was never one of those toad or frog catching kind of girls! 

I grabbed a book and tried to swoosh it back out to the balcony.  

INSTEAD, he jumped right toward the opposite corner of the room and ended up in my bathroom. I quickly shut the door and made it a jail cell for him until I could call for backup. 

A friend of mine who referred to himself as a country-boy was the perfect person to remove this creature. He came over and helped me after work. When we opened the bathroom door, the frog was just calmly attached to my mirror. My friend gently took the creature off the mirror, down the stairs and then set him free. 

Here is where I roll my eyes. 

My friend did not understand. That frog was definitely trying to get me. 

At this point, you might think the small gang of regular size frogs were finished harassing me. 

Well, nooooo. 

I’m pretty sure they called in The Enforcer. 

A few weeks later, while running to my car in a torrential downpour, I spotted it. The biggest frog I had ever seen. He parked himself right on the driver’s side window of my car.

Not the front windshield….. The driver’s door window!

If you lay your hand flat and spread your fingers, the frog was just a little bigger than that!!!!

I quickly evaluated the importance of picking my friend up like I had promised. 

I decided it was important. So, I made a B-Line for the passenger side of the car. I quickly jumped into that side, crawled over the center console and started the car. I refused to look at the T-Rex of a frog on my window. I could sense him in my peripheral view.  Soon, the car was on US Highway 1. I reached speeds over 50 MPH and hoped he would be gone by the time I arrived at my destination. 

What if he wasn’t gone?

What if he refused to let me out of the car?

Would the police or firefighters help me if I pulled into a station? 

Thankfully, the frog was gone when I reached my friend. I do not know when he fell off or if he jumped. 

I think his gang learned not to mess with me. 

They left me alone once their biggest guy actually went missing. 

My problem was solved. I eventually forgot about the Frog Gang that had once tormented me. 

Wouldn’t It be nice if we could all so easily forget about the other things that have caused us fear?

I find it easy to fall into fear over the possibility of something happening to my spouse or my children. There is sometimes fear over not having enough money or over failing at something I view as important.  The news media is able to stir up a lot of fear for most of us. 

What about the fear of frogs. LOL It is called ranidaphobia. I actually do not think I have that. I can be near them. But I do not want them jumping on me. 

However, “ophidiophobia”..... I’m kind of on the edge with that one. It is fear of snakes. The reptile exhibit at the zoo is fine. But, seeing snakes in the wild???? Noooo Thank you!

Most of us have experienced some type of trauma(s) in our lives. 

Deaths/grief, cancer, sickness, a car crash and/or etc. 

A few years ago, I found myself almost frozen with certain fears. I do not want to downplay the effects of this type of fear. It took prayer, counsel and regular “self-talk” to heal from these fears. By “self talk” I mean actual 3 x 5 cards of Truths I needed to have nearby. These are Truths I have since memorized. 

However, many of our fears are not reasonable.  

We can call it “concern”, “worry”, or “anxiety”.  Yet, at the core, it is fear. 

The human condition leads us to it. Sometimes we understand why we have certain fears. Other times, our minds basically lie to us and make us think 

-The local neighborhood frogs have banded together to get us. 

This is why God told us many, many times in the Bible “Do not be afraid”.  He knows us. 

He wants you and me to remember these things every single day -  

• He is your protector. 

• He sees you. 

• He loves you. 

• You are never out of His sight or His care. 

• He loves your family members and friends even more than you do. 

• He loves you more than you can even imagine. 

He does not want you to be afraid. 

Psalm 121 is a great chapter when you are struggling with fear. 

Verse 5 says, “The LORD himself watches over you! The LORD stands beside you as your protective shade.”

Verse 7 says, “The LORD keeps you from all harm and watches over your life.” 

NEVER FORGET THE TRUTH: 

You are loved and protected by the One and only All-Powerful God.