The Year I Learned to Fly

 It has been quite sometime since I have written a post.  I really miss writing and pouring my words out.  Life has been insanely busy and through all the "stuff" that happens as a part of having a family, raising kids, working, and being back in school, I have not had a time to just write.

I love the transitive verb definition that Webster has for the word fly "to journey over or through by flying" and "to flee or escape from".  I have always loved words and knowing what they mean and what they mean in other contexts.  I remember as a child reading the dictionary with my mom just for fun because I wanted to learn more words. Back to the word fly, a journey. I have always said that life is a journey and there are people, places, and things that will always be apart of our journey. BUT on the other hand, there are people, places, and things that are only a stepping stone in our journey.  This year has been just that for me.  My journey has taken lots of twists and turns, but through it all, I found my wings and I learned how to FLY!

How did I learn to fly? Well, that is where we begin. I don't talk about my dad much and I really have not talked about his death much, but we all process and grieve in our own ways.  My dad in January of this year.  I had a range of emotions: angry, happy, sad.  I truly didn't know how to feel.  I decided that I would write a eulogy for my dad.  I was very strategic about what and how I wrote my eulogy.  I wanted to be honest about my dad but I was not in the mode of slamming my dad: 

"...As I say my final goodbye, know that the anger you imparted will always be with me. But instead of a shriveled flower deprived of sunshine and love, I stand firm like an oak tree, my deep roots keep my family foundation strong, while my branches and leaves protect my daughter from life's thunderstorms..."

My life with my dad was no where perfect and I had to learn and grow and make sure that I did better.  My dad taught me a few things: 1. What not to do 2. How to be strong  3. How to fly.

After my dad's funeral, I was walking the hallways at work and I stopped at a bulletin board covered in butterflies and I saw me. I saw myself as a butterfly set free and LEARNING how to fly. 

During all of this, I was taking a Master's Class that was stretching me as a writer, teacher, and person.  I had to complete a Self-Portrait Anthology and through that I learned a lot about me.  I will share this project later.  Through this class, death of my dad, dealing with my own sickness, and realizing that I was worth more than I was getting as a classroom teacher, I FOUND MY WINGS AND I LEARNED TO FLY! I learned that I am a strong person, I was worth more than what I was doing, and that I can do anything that I put my mind to. 

I have learned that when given the chance I can achieve great things.  My wings are here and I can fly and I am no longer chained down in a cage. 

Self-Portrait Anthology

Here is to my Journey, and hopefully helping others fly too!

Britt

The Journey Not Yet Done

Life is a journey.

We are not promised today nor tomorrow.  Each day that we wake up is a gift.  Each day that we see the sunrise and the sunset is a gift.  We never know when we will take our last breathe or say one last I love you to the ones we love. 

In Psalm 139:14,16 "I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.  Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be."

Our children are God's that he has given to us as gift,  for us to take care of on this earth.  

Silas Irvin Hatcher was God's gift to my brother.  Silas came into this world with many challenges to overcome.  His journey on this earth was never an easy one.  He has been to many doctors, been through many tests,  and faced many ups and downs.  He celebrated his first Thanksgiving and Christmas with his family and has always been surrounded by love and prayers.  

Silas never lacked people to pray for him and care about him.  In the desperate pleas of our prayers, we prayed that God provide healing to Silas.  

Never did we imagine the healing that he would receive.

This morning, Silas was fully healed.  Silas is now hearing, seeing, walking, and dancing with our Lord. His sweet little self is in the presence of our Lord.  How amazing is that?!?!

While we grieve the loss of a son, brother, nephew, grandson, and cousin, we rejoice that he is healed and no longer suffering.  

We don't understand why his time on this earth was so short or what God's purpose for his life was.  Silas' journey is not yet done.  We don't know what the impact of the loss of Silas will be. We know that his journey on earth is complete, but his journey in heaven has just begun.  

Silas is now in the presence of our Lord and we can rest in peace in that.  We are deeply saddened by the loss of Silas, but we rest in assurance that we will see him again.    

Isaiah 41:10 "So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed for I am your God.  I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous hand."

I will in a Minute Mommy

"I will in a minute Mommy!"  That is what Reagan said to me as I was folding the laundry this morning.  I had folded some of her clothes and I had called to her to come get them and put them away.  Her response was, "I will in a minute Mommy."  She was not being rude or unkind when she said  that to me, she was just letting me know that she was going to but she didn't want to stop playing to do it. 

She didn't want to stop what she was doing, to do what she was told.  My mom told me as I got older, that she learned the most about God by being a parent.  And now as a mom, I get it.  (Thanks mom!) 

As I stood there waiting on Reagan to come get the laundry, it made me think....is this what God does to us? He calls us by name, asking us to listen to Him? 

God calls us by name to follow him, part of that is putting him first.  As a mom I find it difficult sometimes to put God first in the mornings.  I look at him and say, "I will in a minute God", "I need to do this first", "I have to have my coffee", "I don't have the time right now" and the list can go on.  Just like Reagan told me she would in a minute, how often do we tell God "in a minute"? I do this all too often.

God wants us to put Him first in the mornings and listen to him.  God does not want us to look at him and say God I will in a minute.   God wants us to say, "yes,  I will".   When we give God our first, we are blessed.  Proverbs 16:20 "Whoever gives heed to instruction prospers, and blessed is the one who trusts in the LORD."  

Just like I gave Reagan a simple instruction, God gives us one...Put me first!  That's all he wants us to do!  Imagine the blessings that will come down upon our lives and our families when we listen and put God first and not last in our lives! 

Live Blessed! 

Britt

Mommy, It was About a Snake!

The other morning I was getting ready for work and Reagan came up to me because she had a bad dream.  "Mommy, I had a bad dream."  I responded, "Honey, what was your dream about?"  She proceeded to tell me that she had a bad dream about a snake.   

As my daughter was telling me about her dream, I caught myself kinda of chuckling (without her seeing).  In my mind it was so silly.  It is just a snake.  In my daughter's world, this was a big deal.

I didn't want her to think that I didn't care that she had a bad dream, I wanted her to know that I care.  I bent down and told her that it was just a dream and that she had nothing to worry about.  I gave her a hug and a kiss and we kept going with our day.  

Just as I comforted my daughter, that is what God does for us.   Proverbs 18:10 says "The name of the LORD is a fortified tower; the righteous run to it and are safe."  God is our strong tower, he is there when we need comforted.  How often do we run to him though?  

I would be lying if I said that I run to Him every time I needed comfort.  We tend to run to other people, food, drinking, social media, etc.  Where do you fall in those list of things?  God is the one that we need to be running to, but we don't.  Why don't we?   He is our Father, he is the one who cares the most about us.  Yet, we choose not to.  Why do we choose that?   

I have found that in my own life it is because I am embarrassed and I am worried about feeling like a failure in front of God.  But he knows everything, so why should I be?

Just like Reagan came to me with her bad dream to be comforted, we need to run to our Heavenly Father when we need to be comforted. Take a moment to think about what or whom that you run to when you need to be comforted.  Is it God or something/someone else? 

But God I Really Don't Want To...

"But Mom....I don't want to."   Oh, how I remember saying that as a child.  My mom would ask me to do something and I would complain about doing it.  Of course in the end, I did what I was told.

I find myself often complaining to God.  "But God I really don't want to do this" "God this is too difficult".  The list can go on and on.  When I was young my mom would often remind me of Philippians 2:14-15 "Do everything without complaining and arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.  Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky."

Yes, I find myself still complaining about things to this day.  Learning not to complain about something is very difficult.

Just today, I had to withdraw from one of my college classes putting off my graduation another semester.  I have been wrestling with this for a few weeks now, the idea of not graduating this year and having to withdraw from this class.  I often found myself complaining to God about it.  "Why God, I've worked so hard" "But God, I really don't want to", you get the idea.  I really, really, really did not want to withdraw from this class, and I struggled and inwardly complained to God as I clicked the submit button this morning to withdraw.  As soon as it was done, this overwhelming flood of emotions came over me.

God hears us when we complain and he hates it.  Numbers 11:1 "Now the people complained about their hardships in the hearing of the Lord, and when He heard them His anger was aroused. "  Yikes!! Here I was complaining about having to drop this class, asking God why me.  And here I read that God hates complaining and he his anger burns when we complain.  Well, it is safe to say that I was convicted when I read this.

When hardships arise in my life, like having to withdraw from my class, I fond myself complaining to God about it and I all too quickly forget that in this life I am to expect hardships and adversity.

God has a purpose for each of the hardships that we face in life.  His purpose is that in those moments we draw closer to him and that we will continue to let His light shine through us and that others will see that and we can lead by example.  By God's grace he will carry us through the adversity that we face in our lives.

So, as believers if we know that we are going to face hardships and adversity in life, why do we still complain about it?  We are human.  It is easy to complain about the hard things in life, but when we do complain about those things, we are forfeiting the grace of God that could be ours.

When we complain about our lives, we are clinging to the idol of a perfect life, and we are basically throwing God's grace out the door.  By choosing not to cling to God and His strength we are choosing not to live with true joy in our lives.

Is complaining easy to do? Yes!  Is NOT complaining easy to do? NO!  Do I wish that life was easy and I did not have to make all these big decisions? Yes.

The hardships and adversity that I face in life are there to draw me closer to my Maker, and honestly, why should I complain about that?

As I continue with life and I catch myself saying "But God I really don't want to..." I need to stop and remind myself that God has something BIG and amazing planned for my life, and this is just the path that He is choosing to take me there.

As I sit here thinking about not graduating this year, yes, it is still upsetting, but I know that I need not complain about it because God has a plan for me.

" 'For I know that 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

Here I Go Forgiving....AGAIN

A few years ago I was contacted by a friend of mine from Middle School via Facebook.  I was shocked because I had not spoken to him in years.  In his message to me he apologized to me for not standing up for me when I was being picked on in Middle School.  You can imagine my shock when i received this message.  At first I didn't know what to say.  Of course I forgave him.

It is sometimes easy to forgive people when it has been so long since the offense had happened.  In this case for me, it was easier to forgive.  But, it is not always that easy to forgive.  

As a child when I brothers and I would fight my mom would make us say sorry and forgive each other.  I remember saying apologizing and forgiving and then under my breath say that I didn't mean it.  I know now why my mom made us do that.  She wanted us to not only learn how to forgive each other, but by forgiving each other we are being obedient to God. 

Ephesians 4:32 "Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you."

The basis for believers forgiving each other is the fact that we ourselves have been forgiven by God.

When someone comes seeking your forgiveness, you have the obligation to grant forgiveness and extend mercy--even if the person has sinned against you repeatedly and regardless of the sin.  Your forgiveness of other is a prerequisite for your receiving God's forgiveness.   God DOES forgive us!

We forgive others if we don't want to disobey God and break our fellowship with Him. The Lord doesn't direct evil against us, though He may chose to allow us to go through a trial resulting from our own sinful choices or from the sinfulness of the world we live in.  

Another aspect of forgiving is forgiving ourselves.  We have to be willing to forgive ourselves.  Through forgiving ourselves, we open the door for God's glory and it provides a place for our own growth.  

Love it best ingredient for forgiveness.  Often the person wounded must forgive with an act of the will, giving time for working through feeling, and experiencing healing.  This is not always easy and it can take time.  

Forgiveness comes with the removal of past offenses from the mind, meditation on God's Word, giving our hurts over to God, praying for the offender (I know this is not always easy), and serving as a willing channel of God's grace.  Revenge is NOT an option because God has promised that He will take care of judgement. 

Meaningful forgiveness demands planning and thought.  Forgiveness is the willingness to search for new solutions.  We must be concerned with seeking forgiveness only for our wrong.  We have to remember that a forgiving attitude does not excuse self, defend self, or accuse others.  

Forgiveness is something that takes time.  It is not something that we can master over night, but with the help and the guidance of Christ, it is something that we can become better at doing. 

Seeking forgiveness frees you to receive God's mercy.  Showing mercy by a forgiving spirit brings blessings from God and gratitude from the one forgiven.  A forgiving spirit brings good to yourself and to others.

Britt Hatcher

Grace and Humility

As I began my Quiet Time (QT) this morning, God had impressed upon my heart grace.  Ah, I love talking about grace, it is one of my most favorite things.  I think that I enjoy it as much as I do because of the amount of grace that God has given me.

Over the past couple years, I have had circumstances that God has poured out His grace upon my life.  While being shown the amount of grace that I have been given, I sometimes stop and look at my life to see where I am showing grace to others.  Yikes!  I am embarrassed to say that sometimes I don't do that, but I am human and I make mistakes.

Ephesians 2:8-9 "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this is not from yourselves, it is a gift of God, not by works, so that no one can boast."  I love that God has chosen to give this to us as a gift.  What a sweet and precious gift we are given.

As we are given this gift of grace by Christ, how often are we giving grace to others?  I am not saying that we need to let people take advantage of us, I am saying that just as Christ has shown us grace, we need to show grace to others.  What a great example that we have to follow!

So, how does humility fit into all of this?  James 4:6 "But he gives us more grace.  That is why Scripture says: "God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble."  Grace is given to us as a gift, but humility is something that takes work.  God gives us grace in our lives when we need it the most.  Being humble in those situations when he does pour out grace, is a good thing because God chose to give us grace.

Humility is a personal quality of dependence on God and respect for others.  And I will be the first to tell you that this is not always easy.  I have had situations in my life where God has absolutely humbled me, and I am so grateful for those times.

Humility does not comes easily, it can take time to achieve.   But, we have the greatest example of all, Christ!  

Philippians 2:8 "And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to death--even death on a cross."  Wow, I have to stop and think, am I willing to humble myself like that?  .

Christ has given us the ultimate example of humility, grace, and sacrificial love for others.  His life provides so many examples of these.  As believers we need to take heed and humble ourselves.

James 4:10 "Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up."  We need to humble ourselves before God and man.  Humility does not come from ourselves, but instead from Christ.  As we practice being humble and showing grace, imagine the blessings that we will receive from Christ.



Britt Hatcher