Heather Holleman's Blog, page 194

Midweek Reset

I normally wait till Saturday to clean the whole house, prep meals, and prepare something extra special for dinner. But lately, it feels as if waiting a full seven days to reset the house isn’t working as well.

Things devolve into chaos by Wednesday. By Wednesday, we all want to order pizza and just stay in pajamas for the rest of the week. By Wednesday, it feels like we’re the kind of tired that Friday normally brings on. Everything feels messy and blah.

So we try the midweek reset–a quick cleaning of the house and a hearty, special meal (fish tacos)–to encourage us for the remainder of the week. With a freshened home, we gain a freshened spirit.

We can do this! We can make it to the weekend!

 

God Fulfills His Purpose for Us

This morning, I read the comforting words of Psalm 57:2. David writes from a physical position of despair and distress, but from a spiritual position of victory and assurance of God’s faithfulness to Him. He’s in a cave. He’s fearing death as Saul pursues him. Yet he writes this:

I cry out to God Most High, to God who fulfills His purpose for me.

Trusting that God will fulfill His purpose for His people brings comfort during times of confusion or fear. As I think of so many friends fearing a hurricane on this day, I pray for them that God will assure them of His purposes for them. As David continued to hide, then flee, from attack, he writes this in Psalm 59:9:

O my Strength, I watch for you. You, God, are my fortress, my loving God. God will go before me. . .

What wonderful promises to remember today.

When You Don’t Know the Way

Yesterday in church, I learned from a wise, praying man. He said this: “Jesus, when we don’t know the way to go, we know that You are the Way, the Truth, and the Life.” His quoting of John 14:6 made me think differently about times of confusion, indecision, or waiting. Jesus is the way we go. We go toward Him, our eyes fixed straight ahead.

Jesus is our plan, our direction, our focus. Jesus is the way we go. Whatever helps us move deeper into the life of Christ, into obedience, into worship, and into ministry—that is the way we go. We go that way because He is the way. 

I love thinking about Jesus as the way I’m going.

Staying Pliable

This morning I read in Robert Coleman’s book The Master Plan of Evangelism about the character trait of being pliable. In examining the type of people Jesus selected to follow him, we note most of all their pliable, teachable hearts. Jesus didn’t choose anyone from the Levitical priesthood, from among the scholarly, or even from the wealthiest families. He chose ordinary and often foolish men who nevertheless proved pliable. 

I looked up the word: it means easily molded, easily influenced, flexible, and ready to change. The opposite: rigid, inflexible, fixed, unmoving.

What would it mean to pray for a truly pliable heart that allows God to mold it freely and quickly? I consider how a pliable person—the one I want to become and stay—lives in humility with a desire to learn and change. This person also has the willingness to allow God to shape whatever He wants of our lives.

Pliable!

Remembering that Work Expands to Fill the Time You Give It

Every fresh semester, I’m so tempted to fill the entire weekend grading that first project students turn in. I want to get ahead! I’ll rest later! Let’s get to work! 

I know the truth: I can give my whole life to work. I can grade every day, all day, if I wished. The work will expand to fill the time I give it. But what if I set the same tested boundaries from last year, the ones where nobody works on the weekend? The one where, instead of our weekly work, we rest, prepare delicious meals, socialize, and prepare our home and souls for the week ahead?

Last year, the boundaries worked; life went smoothly, and every student received their graded papers within the week. I never fell behind. Instead, I looked forward to a weekend of rest, of Sabbath, of nourishment, and of connecting with people.

Show Transformation

As I help students write professional signature stories, I remember that all good stories show transformation. That’s what a story is. Something changes. Someone changes.

As I coach students applying to college, I remind them that essays show transformation. Who were you? What happened? How did you change?

I love asking students to think of what causes the most personal transformation. It’s not always trauma or loss, either. Encounters with beauty, sublime experiences in nature, and connections with characters in literature usher in as much transformation as the pain in our lives. We look to joy and disappointment in equal parts.

I also love thinking about times of change or transition when a person’s environment changes and it forces transformation somehow. Those stories intrigue me because I enjoy thinking about how physical locations influence identity. How would a landscape transform a person?

So we continue to mine our lives to look for evidence of what transformed us.

 

Just Keep Listening

The flair moment came on my morning commute as I listened to my new favorite radio station—a 70’s and 80’s music station. I love every song!

But as I turn out of my neighborhood, I find that the station plays a song I don’t love. It’s not what I want, but I know the likelihood of a great song coming soon is so high, so very likely, that I can’t turn to a new station. I know this deejay won’t let me down.

He never does.

It’s a strange little moment of waiting for a new song that I know is coming. It made me think of the goodness of the Lord and how He puts new songs in our hearts. Just wait! Keep listening here! The new song is coming. 

I drive on, singing.

On This Day, We Planted a Ginkgo Tree

My husband loves ginkgo trees. We both marvel at their golden color in autumn. I love their leaves that look like little fans.

When we lost our oak tree this year, we wondered what to plant in its place. Today, my husband planted this marvelous little tree.

It will grow at least a foot a year, maybe up to 50-80 feet one day. I’ll be long gone by then, but this tree will stay. Other people will view the beautiful autumn leaves and perhaps think how one day, someone must have planted this little tree.

Sweet Northern Town

It’s blazing hot today, and I receive notification from the school that the district will make accommodations for the high 90 degree temperatures. They’ll bus children to air conditioned locations. They’ll provide icy water. They’ll do everything they can to keep children cool.

We aren’t used to this heat. Many homes (and schools) don’t even have AC. Why would we? It’s a northern town! It’s not supposed to be that hot, ever.

But here we are. Hot.

It feels so wonderful to live in a beautiful town that does such things for overheated children.

All the Ways to Help You Sleep

As my friends and I age, we talk more and more about how to get a good night’s sleep. Since I’m in an academic community, I have more information than I need about sleeping. And since living with flair includes valuing a restful, full night’s sleep, I thought I’d pass on what I’m learning.

Cold. The average person sleeps best in a 66 degree room. I didn’t realize this!

Calm. Sleeping with pets that move in the night disturbs us more than we know. Keeping pets outside the room means you’ll sleep better.

Dark. This includes the light from cell phones.

Regular. People who establish a bedtime routine that’s the same every night tend to fall asleep faster.

Less caffeine. 

Here’s to a great night’s sleep!