Embracing Change – LORA LEFTWICH.COM

The Art of Enjoying Different

It’s the day before Christmas Eve

And all through the house

I’ve a plan in the making

For me and my spouse…

Our stockings are hung

By the chimney with care

In hopes that whomever

Tries harder to care… to share… to love… to forgive … to accept…

Okay- so my poem reads a little differently than the one we usually hear this time of year. But that’s what I’m focusing on, accepting and enjoying “different.” Not just the kind of different that make my husband and me better together but the kind that set us apart too, reminding us of who we are individually and dare I say… who we’re not.

The Plan is to joyfully grasp and gravel with the idea of different and to accept those who see things differently and be accepted by the same token.

Sounds like a tall order, huh? Well, it is, both for a jolly ol’ saint dressed in red and white going chimney to chimney and for those of us striving to maintain Christmas cheer around festive tables of tradition. You know us; we often miss both the point and person of Christmas altogether until it’s too late and we’ve worked ourselves into a tizzy over unimportant details, or when we’ve lashed out (audibly and silently) at loved ones for their versions of different or when we’ve failed to accept what is and then rejected what isn’t. Like Christmas cookies, no two are exactly alike but if mixed with all the same delicious ingredients, even though the are different they taste the same, even the broken pieces!

The Art of Enjoying Different is to take one delicious bite at a time, accepting and appreciating each crumble for what it is.

Accept that this year is different… it is not the past; It’s the present. People, places and traditions change every single year.

Accept that my family is different … we’re neither the family next door, nor the one down the street nor the one on the other side of town. We’re us and we’re doing the best WE know how to do.

Accept that my narrative is different… my story belongs to me, and not to others and that is ok. It makes me who I am. As for the others, they have a story too …

I know I cannot go back and relive the awesome memories or awful mistakes of the past, nor can I go forward and live the expectations of the future, at least not yet. I cannot even go door to door photo-bombing the special moments of others or teleport myself into pretend movie sets and magazine photo ops. But I can be inspired:

By cleverly staged photos and well written stories played out in pixels on screens, both big and small, yet different from my own

By the real-life people and places with which I have the priceless privilege of being acquainted, though they are different.

By the life lessons we learn from doing life together and differently.

Yes, I can be inspired to grasp reality, yours and mine, with a gratitude for the unique experiences and expressions we each enjoy. I can gravel with the fact that there’s always a 20/20 hindsight moment in the making because of our differences. It’s in those moments that we have reason to pause and ponder our actions and reactions and whether or not to extend the very grace extended to us by Father Christmas Himself, Christ Jesus.

Speaking of Christ and Christmas-

I cannot celebrate Christmas without celebrating Christ at the table of Creation, where in the beginning He fashioned the most fabulous feast of all time in a perfect garden setting, the place where He first called us to come and dine.

I cannot celebrate Christmas without celebrating Christ at the table of the Cross, where in the middle of time as we know it, He fulfilled His plan to redeem the failures of mankind (especially mine) after we left His beautifully set table in the garden to sneak a bite of the forbidden fruit pie, the one never intended for our consumption.

I cannot celebrate Christmas without celebrating Christ at the table of our eternal Celebration, where He went to prepare an even better place for us to gather and be relieved of our earthly sufferings: our pain and our shame.

I’ve decided I think I like different. It tastes good, especially when eaten one sweet bite at a time chased by a glass of grace and gratitude.

How about you? Want to join me in embracing others in hopes that they will likewise embrace you back in the same manner?

Oh my! I feel a New Year’s resolution of a “different” kind emerging. (pun intended)

“Time Out!”

Last summer- my brother-in-law unexpectedly passed away leaving behind his wife and three children. In an instant their lives were changed and with just one parent left to carry the load of both, the manner in which their family operates is forever altered.

In February- my husband was involved in a skiing accident. With one awkward turn on the slopes our lives changed. Initially, he could neither stand nor walk nor perform the most basic of tasks. I, along with a few others, stepped in to do those things for him until he recovered.

Recently- friends received a phone call with news that they had been chosen as the adoptive parents of a precious baby girl. In an instant their fourteen year pursuit to become parents had ended and their hopes became a joyous reality. Yay!

“Time Outs” are those periods of time and circumstances in life that stop us in our tracks just before transforming our hearts and providing us with a renewed perspective of the future. Though we would never ask for such tests of our faith, they are effectual in assessing the inward genuineness of our outward professions and preparing us for the days to come. So what should we do when unexpected circumstances and fiery trials drop themselves squarely into the middle of our lives? For me, I’m still learning how to maneuver through the stages of each by accepting them for their future purposes and I’ve joined the i-culture as follows:

i-Stop to pray and ponder the steps necessary to move forward.

i-Swap what I thought I knew about my abilities for the reality regarding them.

i-Swallow (with knots in my throat) the circumstances I face and try to agree with God to be transformed in the days, weeks, months and years that follow. * This one is so much easier said than it is done.

i-Share what I have encountered because somehow with God’s help I know I will make it to the other side and I will gain a new perspective of the trial’s future purpose. God simply works all things together for good!

Throughout the ages God in His infinite grace has provided His children with the opportunity to grow in wisdom and knowledge as a result of their trials. When we learn to look back through the lenses of hindsight we become better acquainted with God’s perspective and are able to honor His name with praises no matter how hard the circumstances seem at the time. This is a tough saying. It means that we admit our trials, as painful as they can be sometimes, will generate worthy rewards and sacrifices of praise. Our “Time out” seasons will provide us with the perspective to one day look back in order to minister forward. The scriptures, along with our own experiences, help us learn to gain the strength we need to move forward.

Like my sister-in-law, Ruth and Naomi experienced a period of “time-out” marked by the deaths of their husbands and they journeyed together through widowhood void of the presence and partnership of their husbands (Ruth 1). God protected and cared for them both and brought them back to Naomi’s homeland where they encountered Boaz, the guardian-redeemer who married Ruth, restoring her and her mother-in-law, Naomi (Ruth 4).
Like my husband, the lame man experienced a “time-out” marked by a season of immobility and reliance upon others. When he encountered the healing touch of Jesus he was able to walk and care for himself and testify of Jesus’ healing power (John 5).
Like my friends who received that phone call, Hannah and Elkanah experienced a trial of barrenness (1 Samuel 1). Hannah uttered prayers and promises to God if only … because the wait for a child tends to stir up pledges we might not otherwise make. I know, I’ve uttered them. The wait opens our hearts and make us receptive to receiving children in other ways and for periods of time different from what we originally imagined.

COMMENT- How about you? What “time out” season in your life transformed you from the inside out and changed your past perspective into a future ministry?

Welcome Home

The tagline on my email signature reads, “Embrace Change-it expands your purpose, which broadens your perspective, and illuminates your path.” These words are much more than a creative tagline for my email, they’re my life!

After 20 + years of climbing proverbial ladders and transferring up and down the east coast, my husband and I decided to embrace yet one more change, a move back home. After all, we didn’t want any of our children growing up and deciding to stay in one of those far away states we had only temporarily populated.

First, we had a house to sell so we made all of the necessary repairs and improvements, those things we never got around to finishing and enjoying for ourselves. Seriously!

Next, we removed anything and everything that was reminiscent of the family who actually lived there (MINE) in order to stage an illusion,

“Welcome Home Family, this is your Perfect House” (NOT MINE).

Finally, when the house was staged and ready to go on the market we realized we really needed to take our family out of the mix. That perfect house was no longer a welcoming place for us to live so we packed up and traveled south where we indeed were welcomed home with open arms.

The plan was to stay with my parents for the summer while searching for a new house and waiting for the other to sell, but when the “Welcome Home … Perfect House” didn’t sell by end of summer, moving back home took on an entire new meaning.

We were feeling the impact of:

living fatherless,

living husbandless,

living homeless.

None of us had expected our visit to linger so long, eleven months to be exact. When my parents had graciously said, “welcome home,” they didn’t limit us, they waited out the season with us and it all worked out.

And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. Romans 8:28 (KJV)

During this time my mom and I had the privilege of ministering together,

My Pop recognized that my boys were missing their daddy and he began to fill their days with childhood stories as they studied history; homework help as they studied math and lunches when I needed a break.

My Dad took us to many breakfasts and we got to know him better than ever before.

A special bond formed between my grandmother and me,

and then between my grandmother and my younger boys.

My oldest son dated the girl of his dreams, now his wife,

and my daughter finished her degree.

And the list goes on and on… all treasured experiences and relationships distance had never before allowed.

We left the northeast in order to create an illusion, “Welcome Home … this is your Perfect House” for potential buyers. Ironically, the longer the inauthentic illusion remained on the market, the more we experienced an authentic “welcome home,” hospitality of another kind. It was an experience that trained our hearts and expanded our perspective.

Fast forward six years. The older two children are now grown and flown. But they too wanted to return home, and they came, and they lingered while looking for a new house.

Guess who got to expand her purpose when she uttered those familiar words, “welcome home?”

Guess who got to wait out a season of life together because her perspective had been broadened?

My previous experience illuminated my future path.

There’s another place where we’ll hear “welcome home” one day, but it’s not a temporary place or even a season of life to wait out together, it’s eternity.

And God… well, He’s still working all of our things together for good until that day when we’ll hear, “Welcome Home” one last time.

For now, “Embrace Change-it expands your purpose, which broadens your perspective, and illuminates your path.” Lora Leftwich

Fallow Ground

The first time I saw the quaint little 10 x 10 space off of my bedroom I immediately envisioned it as a special place where I would retreat to each morning and record my deepest thoughts, a place to pray my family through life’s most thrilling and difficult times and a place where I could write and grow in the grace and knowledge of my Heavenly Father.

So stunning it was with its soft blue-green walls, large picture windows and built-in bookcases that I was already imagining myself propped behind an exquisite ivory antique writing desk (my grandmother’s drop leaf table table that I would paint) listening to children’s voices through open windows as they played in the backyard below me.

In the opposite corner would be my prayer chair, a creamy white leather tufted slipper chair where I would wrestle to resolve my very purpose and existence. It was like the promised land, a place and a promise and it was mine for the taking.

But… Moving day came and went. I was consumed with unpacking boxes and settling into our new home, planning a graduation party and charting out a new school year. Somewhere in the midst of our first summer my perfect little room was repurposed. First it became a place to stash unclaimed items, and then it became my husband’s home office, and finally a messy little storage room. Over time, the idea of cleaning out the remnants of each became too overwhelming to begin again. Simply put my little room became my fallow ground.

Like me, the nation of Israel also had something wonderful laid out before them, it was THE promised land.

But~ They became so overwhelmed with the cares of this world that they neglected their blessing altogether and they repurposed both their promise and their land,Oh my!

Hosea reminded them how they could have gotten back on track, “Sow for yourselves righteousness; Reap in mercy; Break up your fallow ground, For it is time to seek the Lord, Till He comes and rains righteousness on you.” Hosea 10:12 (NKJV)

Fallow Ground is the uncultivated, unplanted, unsown and seedless places in life. Sometimes it’s a place like my quaint little unclaimed writing space.

Other times it’s a person such as the friend whom I haven’t reached out to for months, or has it been years?

Most often it’s a calling we set aside when life became too busy, when our plans changed or when we decided to run after something else instead.

Whatever the scenario, God reminds us break up our fallow ground while we have both time and opportunity. I do not wish be so caught up in the cares of the world that I miss being caught up in the cares of God so guess what I’m doing? I’m grabbing a shovel and digging in to break up fallow ground.

I have a place and I’m taking hold of it.

I have a people and I’m pursuing them.

I have a calling and I’m running after it.

How about you?

The Better Plan

It was the day after Christmas and we were heading out for one final holiday celebration. My husband asked if I had finished wrapping the gifts. I snapped at him and said, “No, but I shopped for them, purchased them and even put them in a bag for you so that YOU could finish wrapping them this morning!” Surprised by my outburst he asked, “Why are you treating me this way?” With tear filled eyes, I looked up and said, “I’m so sorry, I’m exhausted and utterly empty.”

Plan A

Rewind to the week after Thanksgiving. I had planned out four of the most glorious holiday weeks ever. The two younger boys were participating in a Dickens Caroling experience around the city; I had arranged for us to see Christmas lights by horse-drawn carriages; I had even planned a few Pinterest crafts for my grandson and a big family night complete with cookies, cocoa and decorating the Christmas tree. O WHAT FUN! The plan was grand, but the plan would change.

During week one, some of our staff came down with the flu which meant I was needed at the shop instead of the craft store. No worries, I could adjust the plan and combine a few things the following week. Like the first week though, the second was met with more illness and absences. “No worries,” I said, “we can still do this.” By the third week I was waning in holiday cheer because after all, hadn’t I taken off most of December? My husband was now off to Minnesota on a business trip and my boys on an adventure in the Midwest. We were still understaffed and I was now overwhelmed.

By the time everyone returned to work it was the week before Christmas and my tune had changed from a cheerful, “Joy to the World” to a sarcastic, “The Boys Are Back in Town.” Four weeks of holiday bliss had been reduced to four days and I was scrambling to pull off Christmas. No worries, right? Wrong!

Wrong because Christmas wasn’t mine to pull off, it was God’s and He accomplished it more than 2000 years ago.

Wrong because Plan A was not the plan. Plan B was; I just couldn’t see it even though it called out to me daily, “Helloooooo, this is the plan!”

Plan B

I’m ashamed to say it wasn’t until Christmas Eve that I saw Plan B for what it was, a blessing. The pastor spoke these words, “Sometimes in the midst of our busyness and frustrations, we tend to miss the blessings right in front of us.”

BOOM! My deafened ears were opened at once. God had me exactly where I needed to be, assisting during a time of illness and absence. Plan B was the blessing I had missed.

A “blessing” doesn’t always mean the circumstances are good, or that they will even change, it means that God will work them out and weave them together for eventual good.

I could work when others could not, what a blessing!
My family was able to travel as planned, what a blessing!
Our staff made a full recovery from the flu, what a blessing!

Plan B is the blessing-God’s perfect plan, the one one where he takes our present circumstances and works them together for eventual good. I have a new appreciation for “Plan B” because it’s just the thing I need to adjust my perspective. It calls on me to Be Still, Believe, and Bow Down.

BE STILL because He is God and I am not.

“Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations; I will be exalted in the earth!” Psalm 46:10 (ESV)

BELIEVE that He is Lord over all our best laid plans.

“Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand.” Proverbs 19:21 (ESV)

BOW DOWN in order to submit to the plans God has made.

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV)

Happy New Year!

A New Year, a new thing! – A new year is the perfect opportunity to establish something new or to begin again. That’s what I’m doing, starting something new, a blog.

A couple of years ago my husband and I were considering another new thing, moving from the comforts of a corporate world to the uncertainties of entrepreneurship, an idea we approached with prayerful trepidation. After all, who in their right mind gives up pursuing a regular paycheck and a 40 hour work week? Well, after a bit of soul searching, we did. We executed considerable research, calculated the risks, and found ourselves at a crossroads: to move forward or stay behind?

Up until that point my husband could see the new thing quite clearly but his poor wife, she could not. We became stuck hanging in the balances between “maybe,” and “no, not yet.” We remained there until a verse was spoken over me that promptly moved us forward. “Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and cut rivers in the desert.” Isaiah 43:19 (ESV) Seriously, have you ever heard a clearer word from the Lord than that? Those words held a message meant just for me, “Woman, get a move on it!”

We did, we got a move on it. The road was really tough, I shed some big tears and pitched even bigger tantrums along the way. The process took way longer than expected but when God does a new thing, He really does it up right. He makes a way in the wilderness and cuts rivers through the desert. In July of 2014 we entered the world of entrepreneurship and a year later we opened our first store. As I look back on the journey I realize it took releasing my grip on the familiar thing in order to grasp the future.

Now, what does starting a business have to do with starting a blog, everything, especially Isaiah 43:19!

Life happens, changes and all, and I write about it. I have found that God uses change to pour out His love, provision and direction upon our lives. He turns our fears, tears and tantrums into opportunities to trust Him.

Blogging was a fearful thing for me. It hosts an audience much larger than the familiar places I tend to write, but I did it. Initially I resisted but not for long because once again I was prompted to get a move on it when I read the same precious words as before but this time on a blog site.

“Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and cut rivers in the desert.” Isaiah 43:19 (ESV)

Guess what? I got a move on it, I launched a blog and you are reading my very first post.

From both of these experiences I learn a valuable lesson: I cannot hold on to two things at one time; In order to grasp the future, I must release the limits of the familiar.