thoughts by Mike Woodard Archives - Page 6 of 6

Published October 23, 2011

Lessons from a 3 Year Old – Seeing the Miraculous!

It was not their first baby, so as the parents of 3 and a half year old twin boys, they felt everything was on course for the birth of their next child. As it became evident that full labor was upon them, they loaded up the boys, packed bags and head to the sitter’s house then on to the hospital.

The situation became urgent when the water broke on the way to the sitter’s. Speeding, they got pulled over by the police. The male officer was caught off guard when the husband explained that his wife’s water broke, but the officer’s partner, a woman, immediately understood and sent the family on their way. Stopping at the sitter’s was no longer an option. At the hospital in the birthing suite, while the doctors and nurses dealt with the imminent arrival of their sister, the boys watched TV. During the labor, one of her boys turned to his mom and said, “Mom, ssssshhhh! We’re trying to watch TV!”

I’m sure there are times when I, like that 3 year old, miss the fact that God is doing the miraculous because I’m too distracted or out of touch with God. Not only do I miss out on something really cool, but I can also be a little annoyed with God for inconveniencing me! Like Elisha’s servant, I need to have my eyes opened to what God is really doing around me.

“When the servant of the man of God got up and went out early the next morning, an army with horses and chariots had surrounded the city. “Oh no, my lord! What shall we do?” the servant asked. 16 “Don’t be afraid,” the prophet answered. “Those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” 17 And Elisha prayed, “Open his eyes, LORD, so that he may see.” Then the LORD opened the servant’s eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.” – 2 Kings 6:15-17 (NIV)

My prayer… “God, help me not to be distracted today. Open my eyes to what you are doing, to the miraculous.”

You can comment on this devotional online at:
https://thoughts-about-god.com/blog/2011/10/23/mw_seeing-the-miraculous/
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Short Thoughts for Cell Phones – God-daily.com

Thoughts by All Thoughts by Men thoughts by Mike Woodard

Published September 2, 2011

Lessons Learned from a Three Year Old: Stuck inside the Computer

by Mike Woodard

Our grandson came over with his parents for dinner. After dinner, his auntie turned on her computer to make a Skype call to her husband, who works on an ocean-going yacht. Our grandson watched this whole process, and was excited when he saw his uncle on the screen, talking to him. In jest, his uncle said that he was stuck inside the computer and couldn’t get out!

Our grandson became upset and wanted someone to get his uncle out of the computer, rescuing him from his prison inside the computer. As adults, we laughed at the absurdity of someone being trapped inside a computer. We reassured our grandson that his uncle was not really in the computer.

This made me wonder, “How many times do I get all upset and worried about something that I do not understand?” God works in ways that are confusing to me, as well. Like my grandson, I can become even angry because no one is doing anything and I feel helpless.

Trust in a loving God reassures me when seemingly impossible problems face me. In my limited knowledge, I might also panic about things that I cannot change or fix, but trusting God through these times when it seems that God is not doing anything about the situation. I may never understand why God allows certain crises in my life and in the lives of those I love, but I can know that He has a perfect plan.

God’s Word says that “All things work together for good, for those who love God and are called by Him to fulfill His purposes.” (Romans 8:28)

You can comment on this devotional online at:
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Short Thoughts for Cell Phones – God-daily.com

Thoughts by All Thoughts by Men thoughts by Mike Woodard

Published August 9, 2011

Aligning Yourself to the Right Life Markers

By Mike Woodard

I was on my way home. The airport below was covered in a dense fog. As the pilot of the plane began his descent, all of a sudden, he pulled up and aborted his landing attempt. In order to explain what had happened, he came on the PA system and announced that he was going to begin his landing procedure again. At the last minute, he had not been sure whether he was lining up with runway markers or street lights! I still wonder if he was serious in his explanation…

In the foggy patches of life, sometimes I wonder if I’m lining up my life with the right markers! It would have been tragic if the plane had landed on a city street or highway by mistake. In the same way, I think it would be equally disconcerting if I come to the end of my life and realize that I have aligned myself with the wrong values and goals.

I once heard someone say that there are only 2 eternal things that matter, God and people, and that the best plan for life is to align with these, in terms of investing time and energy. Where is your life headed, to an airport at the end of a runway, or onto a highway where there is oncoming traffic? Are you investing in the right things, being guided by the best markers that will bring you to a desired destination? How is your life lining up?

Paul, in his letter to the Corinthians says, “So we fix our eyes not on what’s seen, but on what is unseen since what is seen is temporary but what is unseen is eternal.” (1 Corinthians 4:18)

You can comment on this devotional online at:
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Thoughts by All Thoughts by Men thoughts by Mike Woodard

Published July 9, 2011

Lessons Learned From a Four Year Old: Comfort

by Mike Woodard

My grandson came over last weekend. He was not having a good day! Tears were rolling down his cheeks. I acknowledged how he was feeling by saying, “It does not look like you are having a good day, so come and sit with me.” He climbed into my lap and sat quietly. After a few minutes, he got up and went happily on his way. Comfort seemingly had come in the quiet moments of sitting on my lap.

As I thought about how simply my grandson’s angst was resolved, it made me ask myself, “How and when do I feel comforted?” Comfort could come from lots of different places, some positive and others negative. Some sources are family, friends and even from material things. It could also come from a bottle, a pill or some form of physical satisfaction like food or sex. These can takes your mind off the source of your bad day, comfort or deaden a deeper pain. But they are all temporary…

Ultimate and lasting comfort comes only from knowing that you are loved, from a Source that is limitless, eternal and unchanging. God is the ultimate Source of true comfort. Have you sat on His lap today?

Isaiah 40:11 says, “He (God) tends his flock like a Shepherd; He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to His heart; He gently leads those that have young.”

You can comment on this devotional online at:
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Short Thoughts for Cell Phones – God-daily.com

Thoughts by All Thoughts by Men thoughts by Mike Woodard

Published July 2, 2010

Imitation: (Lessons from a Two Year Old)

by Mike Woodard

I was lying on the floor looking at a newspaper. My grandson, beaming with an irresistible smile, came over and laid next to me. He said nothing but looked up at me and then at the news paper, up at me a second time and at the newspaper.

In perfect imitation, he put his little finger to his lips and then to the corner of the department store ads as he began flipping the pages as I had been doing with the newspaper. I was tickled with his imitation but also with the pure joy he seemed to have in the process. He can’t read and was not really interested in the ads but was interested in doing what I was doing. Wow, was that fun to see. I will never read the Ephesians 5:1 again without this image coming to mind…

“Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children…” Just before this command Paul says, “Be kind to one another, tender hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.” Ephesians 4:32

What does it mean to imitate God? First of all, it means taking the time “to lie next to God” and “observe Him” Daniel 11:32 says, “the people who know their God display strength and take action.” This word “know” means more than just observation, though. It carries the idea of intimacy and closeness, as a man “knows” a woman.

We get to know God in at least two ways. First, we have his Word. Some would say we only know about God from the study of His Word. That can be true if we stop there. The second step is action. True knowledge of God means being intimately aware and involved in the principles we see in God’s word and by faith taking action that mimics God’s action toward us.

My grandson may not have understood why I was doing what I was doing but he did want to imitate me. Sometimes we may not really understand why we should do what God has said but in doing it we do begin to understand as we experience God’s faithfulness, wisdom and love.

Today and each day spend some time with God in his Word. Then think about how to joyfully imitate God/Jesus in your world. I’m sure God will be pleased…

Someone has sad, “Imitation is the best compliment.”

You can comment on this devotional online at:
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Thoughts by All Thoughts by Men thoughts by Mike Woodard

Published March 26, 2010

Lesson from a Lost Child

by Mike Woodard

Years ago I was driving home and saw a small boy riding a tricycle on a busy street. He looked about three years old. There did not seem to be an adult in sight. I quickly pulled over. I approached him and asked his name. His name was Daniel. He was not afraid of me or cars!

“Daniel, tricycles were made to be on sidewalks. Roads are for cars.” He seemed to agree with my logic, so he allowed me to quickly help him and his tricycle onto the side walk.

Once safely on the sidewalk, I asked, “Daniel where do you live?” Of course, a three year old does not know his address or phone number! All I could get out of him was, “This way.” This was long before cell phones, and I did not want to leave him alone so we walked.

Daniel had nice clothes and looked as if someone definitely taken good care of him. I was sure someone loved this little guy and would be looking for him soon.

It must have been 15-20 minutes before a frantic searcher arrived on the scene. They were relieved and thankful. Daniel went blissfully home. The little adventurer had no idea of the danger in which he had put himself.

Daniel was in danger because three year olds are not supposed to be doing life on their own!! As humbling as it might sound, ‘m convinced that, in a way, we are all like Daniel. We were never intended to go through life on our own. God loves us and seeks to guide us through the dangers of life.

Besides needing someone to keep us safe from physical danger, we have a spiritual core that will never be satisfied by earthly things. Blaise Pascal the French physicist and mathematician once said, “There is a God shaped vacuum in the heart of every man which cannot be filled by any created thing, but only by God, the Creator, made known through Jesus.”

King David of old understood this truth when he stated:

“O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you, in a dry and weary land where there is no water.” Psalms 63:1

Are you doing life without God? Are you feeling the God shaped vacuum and needing someone to come alongside you, to get you off the street and back onto the sidewalk where your needs can be safely met?

http://www.thoughts-about-god.com/meditating/kk_god_provides.html

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Thoughts by All Thoughts by Men thoughts by Mike Woodard

Published March 7, 2010

Lessons from a Three Year Old: Blue Blanket

by Mike Woodard

One day I was home sick with a really bad cold/flu combination that would not let me just push through to go to work. I was lying on the couch. Our grandson wanted me to play. I explained that I was not feeling good and needed to rest.

A few minutes later, just as I was slipping off to sleep, he came up to me and put his BLUE BLANKET over me. This was not just any blanket. This was his special blanket that goes everywhere with him. (If it cannot be found at bed time or in sad moments, it is a major crisis.) The fact he was willing to loan me his blue blanket was a gesture of something special.Â He did not say, â€œI love you,â€ or â€œI trust you with my blanket;â€ but he cared for me with a simple, sacrificial act.

It made me reflect on what I hold as precious and what Iâ€™m willing to give to God. This blue blanket ranks really high on the list of precious things for my grandson. I was reminded that God is perfect in his love for me. I can and must trust him with any and all my precious things.

I wonder if we can bless God as we are willing to give to him in simple acts of love and obedience? Was this blanket big enough to cover me? No but at that moment it was the best blanket in the world!! It blessed me. It made me feel valued, cared for and loved.

The Bible indicates that we can bless God through giving generously from the heart in
2 Corinthians. 9:6-8 (NIV):
6Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. 7Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 8And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.

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Thoughts by All Thoughts by Men thoughts by Mike Woodard

Published February 11, 2010

Finishing Well

by Mike Woodard

The Winter Olympics will soon come to BC. Any event like the Olympics is filled with people who line up and start competing with an intensity and energy that is admired by millions, but the prize only goes to the one who finishes well ahead of the others.

A race is the test of oneâ€™s depth of training and self-discipline and a measure of oneâ€™s strength and endurance which has been built up during many months and sometimes years of preparation. Even without the Olympics to motivate us to train, life can bring its own set of challenges that require a discipline and motivation that makes us dig deep within.

There are at least 4 attributes that are needed in order to compete well: vision, discipline, adaptability and personal satisfaction. Vision is sometimes defined as a mental picture of the desired future. The more specific the vision is, the greater the potential benefit of that vision toward success will be.

I had the desire to run a marathon.Â It was a great vision, but not really helpful, in terms accomplishing my desire until I set a date, picked a race, and set a time goal for pacing myself.Â Only then did my vision begin to become a reality.

Once my vision was more defined, it moved me to action, I began to train in a focused way and to talk about what I was going to do, which provided a sense of accountability to follow through on my vision.Â The discipline that I imposed on myself in training for a marathon also began to impact other areas of my life, causing me to be more focused in setting goals and implementing them.Â Iâ€™m convinced that a true vision will result in focused goals and self discipline towards those goals.

Adaptability and personal satisfaction come as by-products of the vision and its implementation.Â Itâ€™s surprising how the will to accomplish something causes one to adapt accordingly, and the ultimate satisfaction of seeing the vision â€œin processâ€ and becoming a reality can help with the rough or challenging moments along the way.

Sometimes people become overwhelmed with the task of creating and implementing a vision because they feel the need to have an ultimate vision for their life.Â Itâ€™s actually easier to start with â€œbaby stepsâ€:Â pick an area of life and get a mental picture of a desired future in that area.Â This could be in the area of oneâ€™s physical, intellectual, financial, professional, spiritual or relational sphere.

Vision is created twice. The first creation is the mental picture, the shaping of vision which is like the general form of clay in a potterâ€™s hand.Â The second creation is defining it so that it can be lived out in a physical reality, taking specific, small steps toward the vision becoming reality.Â Both are important.

Stephen Covey in his book, Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, calls this, â€œBeginning with the End in Mind.â€Â What is your desired future?Â Take the time to think and dream before rushing headlong into goal setting and implementation.

King Solomon said, â€œWithout a vision, the people perish.â€ He must have understood some very fundamental about the human spirit. Each of us longs to for change and a better future. Solomon in all his wealth, position and power realized that the future was realized beyond physical.
What is your vision for 2010? Does that desire go beyond simply the physical aspects of life?

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Thoughts by All Thoughts by Men thoughts by Mike Woodard

Published April 26, 2009

Gardening with a Two Year Old

by Mike Woodard

This spring our grandson was visiting on a nice sunny day so the two of us went to the back yard to do some clean up. The task would have gone faster without the help of a two year old but for the delight of being together I invited him to join me.

I learned two lessons from a two year old child’s perspective that day. In the middle of the afternoon it started to snow, one of those spring squalls that produce large flakes of snow. Domonic turned to me with a big smile and said, “Me chase snow!” He proceeded to run, turning in circles, laughing all the time while attempting to catch the snow flakes. His joy was infectious! The lesson I learned in watching him was that we need to enjoy the moments that God gives.

The second lesson Domonic taught me had to do with his wanting to help meÂ In the clean up process we filled several baskets with debris. I started to carry the first one away when Domonic said, “Me help.”? I really did not need his help but I let him take hold of the basket. He didn’t really have the strength to help, but I let him do it even though I had to slow down. It gave him great pleasure to help his Papa!

I began to think about how God views us. I do not claim to be a theologian, but I am convinced that God does not really need our help. The fact that God invites us to join him in his work is because he delights in the relationship with us and knows we will be satisfied in that partnership with him. In my desire to help God, I am very much like a two year old trying to help his Papa.

So the lessons from a two year old that I learned that day were to enjoy each moment God gives, even though there is a task to be done, and to understand that God desires and delights in our relationship with him.

For you make me glad by your deeds, O LORD;
I sing for joy at the works of your hands.

How great are your works, O LORD,
how profound your thoughts! Psalm 92:4-5 (NIV)

I call on you, O God, for you will answer me;
give ear to me and hear my prayer.

Show the wonder of your great love,
you who save by your right hand
those who take refuge in you from their foes.

Keep me as the apple of your eye;
hide me in the shadow of your wings. Psalm 17:6-8 (NIV)

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Thoughts by All Thoughts by Men thoughts by Mike Woodard

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