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How many times do I have to tell you…? Sound like echoes from your mother or father? How about your heavenly father? Well, don’t know about you, but God still has to remind me of some things over and over. Recently (and for the fifth time), I was locked out of my own website. Frustrated and angry, I slammed close my computer, got up, and paced the floor wondering if my computer problems would ever cease. After my husband and I battled numerous health issues for a year, the tech problems that kept piling on, were adding insult to injury. “I just don’t get it Lord!” shot out of my mouth. Be thankful whispered back. I stopped short, with realization hitting hard. I hadn‘t remembered to “praise God in all things (I Thess. 5:18).” Never mind He’d taught me that lesson many times before, I hadn’t taken my own advice, or as they say, practiced what I’d preached to audiences. It hit me with a stinging blow. I couldn’t believe I’d forgotten to be grateful in the bad—again.

I’ve often heard people say: “Satan must be really worried about the work you’re doing for God, and that’s why you are having so many troubles.” I wasn’t buying that. Then again, I couldn’t help thinking it was technology demons that were snacking on every aspect of my life. Of course, I knew annoying technology problems weren’t unusual, but ours had been a relentless barrage of issues—computer malware (4 experts to fix), loss of all my photos, and now I was locked out of my own website. AGAIN! Then there’s the other kind of tech problems we’d had— a broken ice maker (needed for icing husband’s post-surgery & my painful arthritic big toe). Oh, and did I mention not having cable TV or Wi Fi service for a month as we recovered and couldn’t do much else? I was going bananas. And the cherry on top came when I’d tried to print 100 copies of our Christmas letter and without internet, the printer had shut down. I’d been forced to make photocopies of a less than perfect version. 

Now, three weeks later and into the new year, tech problems were still plaguing us, so another cable guy was coming to fix the TV/Wifi problem. And that’s when it finally dawned on me— I hadn’t thanked God for our recent problems. So, I bowed my head the morning of this next appointment and thanked God for all of them (including the cable and internet issues). Then I prayed: “Lord, if there is something you want us to do or say to be a light to this next cable guy, use us for your purposes.”

You’ll never guess what happened next.

That afternoon, when the cable guy arrived, both my husband and I sensed something was a little off with him. We calmly explained what the problem was, then let him get to work. A short while later he proudly announced he’d figured out what the cause was and had fixed it. I suggested we go into our home office to be sure the internet service was working now too. Sure enough, all seemed to be operating again. Then, as if proving it, the printer suddenly kicked-in and started printing out the 100 copies I’d initiated three weeks earlier. Talk about timing.

“Guess you’ll just have to make 50 new friends.” Cable guy joked and we all laughed. 

“Here,” I said, handing one of the letters to him, “this one’s for you!”

He began reading then asked: “Did you write this?”

“Yes. It was our Christmas letter.” I told him with a smile.

He read a little further then asked: “Where do you go to church? I’ve been looking for one.”

We told him. Then, to our amazement, he started telling us about his struggles, what he was going through and how God had been working in his life. “I finally realized that I needed to let God be in charge,” he admitted, “because I don’t got it!” 

We listened graciously, then I told him about the prayer I’d made for him that very morning.

“This was a divine appointment!” He declared with a broadening smile.

“Yes. It truly was.” I agreed. Needless-to-say, I was giddy with joy at how God had used gratefulness in the midst of our troubles to minister to someone else in the middle of theirs. (Not to mention our TV and internet service was restored). Another lesson well learned. Hopefully God won’t have to remind me again to Praise Him in “All things.”

It’s easy to thank God for the good things that happen, but not so easy when everything seems to be going wrong. Yet, more and more I’ve come to realize that being grateful in ALL THINGS, gives wings to God’s blessings and purposes. Do you have a “thankful in the bad” story? Tell me about it in the comments on this blog page. 

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Have you ever wondered if God has a sense of humor? I believe He does. Solomon once wrote: “A merry heart makes a cheerful countenance,” (Proverbs 15:13). I’ve always loved a good joke and with this current environment of Covid and political stress we can all use a little comic relief. 

Thinking back, I remember one time when God revealed His sense of humor to me. It was a surprising moment that I wrote about in my book “Fresh Eyes: Seeing God in the Unexpected,” and happened on my way out of church one Sunday morning. Just minutes before, I’d been ruminating on the size of the congregation at our new place of worship. Having just transitioned from a small church to one with an attendance in the thousands had been quite an adjustment for me. The throngs of people that morning overwhelmed me with a sense of insignificance, even loneliness. Despite God’s clear leading to this new community of believers, my struggle with the mass of people that day, evoked an examining conversation with God. I told Him: I really love it here, but I just don’t know if I can get used to all these people. That was the moment when I heard Him say (not audibly), Then, what are you going to do when you get to heaven?  “Oh!” I declared, looking upward, and laughing at God’s unexpected and humorous response. I knew, then, that He would carry me through this rough patch. And shortly after, I did find great fellowship there.

Not too many years later, God delivered another funny moment but this time the joke wasn’t on me. We had begun seeing a new chiropractor who was a fun guy with a fondness for Hawaii and all things tropical. His office décor along with the Hawaiian shirts he always wore, made that clear the minute you entered his practice. After learning he had a Christian up-bringing, yet didn’t attend a church, I invited him to visit ours. To my surprise, he walked into our church’s service one Sunday morning. I barely recognized him as he strolled in wearing a nice suit and tie. I watched as he slid into a row of seats with shocking surprise quickly spreading across his face— practically everyone else was dressed in Hawaiian style clothing. Ironically the day he’d chosen to attend was the one and only time that had been dubbed “Aloha Sunday.” I’m not so sure he found it as funny as I did, but I could barely stop laughing. For me it was another example of Genesis 21:6 (NKJ), “God has made me laugh.” Have a short humorous story you’d like to share? I’d love to hear it in the comments.

I awoke this morning to a cloudy day. Our So. Cal. town had finally gotten some much needed rain and while I was glad for it, the gloomy mood it set was anything but bright. Pondering what to have for breakfast and needing a lift before the darkness could settle in led to a favorite first from my early childhood—peanut butter on toast. “Why, I wondered do tastes and smells linger in our memories and sometimes comfort us?”

Having this yummy treat meant generously spreading a lightly toasted piece of bread with peanut butter, preferably chunky, folding it in half and dipping it into a hot cup of sweetened and creamed coffee. It was a breakfast I’d learned the morning of my very first sleepover with my first girlfriend, JoAnne Freeman. I was only 3 or 4 years old, living in Georgia, and it was my first taste of coffee, (though heavily blended with milk and sugar) and my first taste of “chunky” peanut butter. Now, to this day, it has been my go-to breakfast for a quick pick me up and it always makes me think of my first friend—JoAnne, though I’ve long forgotten many other friends along life’s way. 

Studies I’ve read reveal that the part of the brain that stores memories is in very close proximity to the portion of our brain that recognizes taste and smell. That’s why losing your sense of smell and taste is one symptom that often occurs alongside memory loss as an early sign of dementia. But, aside from the physical reasons for those associations, I believe that our creator designed our brain that way for our comfort and help in time of trouble or sorrow. The taste and smell of good food that triggers early memories also takes us back to those good times and in turn, that encourages our heart. Maybe that’s why I still remember my first friend’s name and think about her every time I have a toasted peanut butter sandwich.  

The good Lord often used food and drink to help us remember events, especially important firsts of His integral relationship with us. Just take a quick look at stories like the Exodus when God provided Manna and quail to feed the hungry Israelites on their journey away from slavery in Egypt. Or the time right before Jesus was arrested and crucified when he used the Passover wine and bread as an iconic symbol to remind us of His sweet sacrifice. It was a moment in history, marked in our memories by food and drink, that tied the Old Covenant of the Jewish people to the New Covenant for all people—the past to the future. It was a comforting reminder of God’s love that would be stirred up over, and over again, through taste and smell as an evidential testimony that brings us comfort and affirmation of His love. He knew it was a powerful means of making a memory stick with us for thousands of generations— and it wasn’t even sticky peanut butter that did it. 

And speaking of firsts, I hope you got a chance to watch my first Zoom interview (posted right before this). Do you have a favorite holiday beverage or food memory? Hmmm, maybe when you watch my interview, you should have a cup of your favorite beverage as you watch. Then let me know if something in it sticks with you. 

Have you ever had a weird disappearance of something that finally re-appears somewhere else?

A recent tweet by the popular author and speaker Beth Moore, reminded me of one of those times. She was talking about a time when she got dressed in the dark, early before daylight, and later realized she had someone else’s pants on. It was reminiscent of something that happened to me about 40 years ago. A pair of my slacks had been missing for several weeks. I’d tried several times to locate them in my closet to no avail. Then one day, while hanging some newly laundered clothes, I discovered my missing slacks hanging in my husband’s closet. “There you are!” I exclaimed, holding them up with surprised delight as my little daughter stood nearby.   

About a week later while talking to a friend regarding the latest trends in clothing, my daughter happily exclaimed to my friend: “Sometimes my daddy wears my mommy’s pants.” Laughing with hearty embarrassment, I realized that my little girl had assumed my husband was wearing my pants simply because they were hanging in his closet. 

Naturally it’s easy to excuse a small child for incorrect assumptions, but should we be as quick to dismiss our own errant misconceptions as we sort through all the trials of life or the information and misinformation that bombards us daily?

More importantly, when it comes to wisdom and truth, who wears the pants in your family? Who has the best perspective on the truth in this upside-down culture of today? To start with, I learned early on in my marriage, to let the Good Lord (and my husband, Larry) wear the pants of wisdom in our family. We’ve both learned to let God give us His grand perspective on both the big things and everyday decisions. 

Recently while on vacation, the beautiful floor-to-ceiling windows where we stayed provided a view of a peaceful marina, allowing us to enjoy a unique and grand perspective. This peaceful and expansive view of both the harbor and the ocean just beyond it, came after a tumultuous year of Covid 19 restrictions, trials and medical issues for both my husband and I. So, we were ready for some respite. This blessing of beautiful rest and a gorgeous view allowed us to be still and know that God loves us. It displayed how generously He often pours out His blessings on us—blessings that are well beyond what we can imagine or deserve. 

We continued to marvel at the beautiful view and how awesome our great God is. Even more, we were reminded that only God has the bigger picture of what this world is coming to and therefore we must continue to seek His wisdom and leading in everything. I also considered how making assumptions or judgements about issues in our world, based on the limited view we hear or see on TV or social media, can be deceptive. It’s easy to misconstrue truth on those limited views. Sometimes it’s what is left out of view that matters most. We all need to get a broader perspective by looking at other news networks, or should I say other “closets” of information, rather than the same ones you continue to look at hoping to find the pants to wear for that day.

Mostly, we need to go to God’s Word, and a prayer closet, to put on the wise pants of God’s leading and His perspective to guide us in life choices and moral decisions.

Have you ever had something happen that gave you a new perspective on things? Leave a comment and tell me about it!

My iPhone lit up with a call from a friend who I’d recently re-connected with. I listened as she bubbled over with excitement and a proposal for me. Somehow it seemed to relate to something my mind had been ruminating on for a few weeks.

Recently I’d heard someone say “you can’t erase crayon.” Since then, and much like the medium itself, a thought I had wouldn’t erase from my mind. I kept thinking about how it was a good metaphor for things that get embedded into our hearts—good things and not so good things, colorful things and dark terrible things that never seem to go away. Especially the things that can be colored onto a young child’s heart. As an artist, of course, I also thought about throwing a few strokes of crayon onto a painting.

Knowing something about the properties of crayon, I knew it would have to be placed on the canvas early in the process to work. I also knew that after it was on the canvas (or paper), any other medium like oil paint, pastel or watercolor would be repelled by its waxiness. Then I thought about how life is so like that at times. We may have some new colorful and joyful thing currently happening in our life, but the waxy injuries of some experiences stubbornly resist going away—refuse to be covered up or erased. No, they continue to bleed through even the brightest spots.

Many people struggle for years from emotional and physical pain inflicted when they were very young. Some of the pain continues to plague their hearts and lives, resisting to fully embrace the good when it does come their way. Thankfully my life has mostly been beautiful and blessed, so, why was I still thinking about this paradox three weeks later? Why was a gal like me, (one with a relatively easy life compared to so many), still thinking about not being able to erase crayon? More importantly, was God placing it in my heart for His good purposes?  I wondered.

Then that call came in. She said I’d come to her mind as someone who might be interested in teaching an art class to some struggling young women at a transitional home. Little did she know, I’d been seeking God’s leading to find a ministry where I could use my maturity as a Christian woman as well as my talents, to minister to young women. I also thought about how painting takes me to a different emotional place of peace and beauty.

Bingo! There it was—the metaphor. I was being given the opportunity to teach art to women who had lots of waxy, hurtful experiences that were hard to erase from their life. Those painful strokes on the canvas of their hearts had led them into tough trials and struggles they were still dealing with.

God was leading me to a new way of painting beauty into the life of others. He was going to let me help these dear ladies find a beautiful way to erase crayon. And I pray that this article has brought beautiful color to your day and helped erase your own waxy memories. Please let me know, through your comments on this page, if this spoke to your heart in an affirming, healing, or painful way, that I might pray for you.

Iris Carignan