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Lois Flowers

What Happened When I Fell on the Bridge

by Lois Flowers
by Lois Flowers

Several weeks ago, while I was running on the paved trail by my house, my foot hit an unseen knot on the wooden bridge and I went flying—headfirst—onto the bridge.

I mostly landed on my left knee and the left side of my face and forehead, which resulted in some significant bruises and abrasions, along with a sizable goose egg above my left eye.

Several people on the trail stopped to see if I needed help. They urged me to call my doctor in case I had a concussion. One sweet lady even walked back to her house, returned with her car and drove me home.

This all could have been very embarrassing, but along with inheriting my dad’s propensity for falling, I also seemed to have inherited his tendency not to get embarrassed much.

I fell, but it was an accident. I looked bad, but so would anyone else who unexpectedly crash landed on his or her head on a wooden bridge.

Mostly, I was grateful. That nothing was damaged too badly, although it took a solid week for the painful abrasions on my knee to heel and several more weeks for the lump on my head to go away completely. That, after consulting with my doctor’s office and monitoring myself for neurological symptoms, it didn’t appear that I had a concussion.  That, even though the inside of my eye turned black several days later, I didn’t break my nose in the fall.

And also that there are still kind people in the world who stop to help a middle-aged woman sprawled out on a bridge.

We hear so much about all the hatred, outrage and angst that readily pours forth these days. It happens online, of course, but also in person—sometimes subtly, sometimes not.

But there’s still good in the world. There is.

And, as Samwise Gamgee tells Frodo in The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, “It’s worth fighting for.”

What that fight looks like in real life differs from person to person. But it starts with what we think about. What we read, listen to and watch.

We can focus on the bad—there’s certainly enough of that to keep us occupied for a good long while. Or, as we pray for God’s will to be done on earth as it is in heaven, we can turn our hearts, minds, eyes and ears toward things that are true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, commendable, morally excellent and praiseworthy. (Philippians 4:8)

I don’t care how much pressure anyone feels to keep up with all the latest things on social media and YouTube. The truth of the matter is, nobody can make us watch or read material that we don’t want to watch or read.

It’s up to us to choose well and wisely, every day. And if we fill our heads with good, there’s a pretty good chance that what flows from our mouths and lives also will be good.

It’s not easy, but it’s possible. Worth fighting for, even.

Some—perhaps many—of us are called to do more, to go farther, to dig deeper. To boldly speak up, to run for office, to stand firm in the public square or in the marketplace, to graciously take unpopular stands even when every aspect of our culture is going the opposite direction.

But we’re all called to fight on our knees, to keep our eyes fixed on Jesus (rather than our Instagram stats) as we shine the light of God’s love and truth in this crazy world.

There is good in the world, and it is worth fighting for.

Let’s fight together, shall we? And when we stumble and fall—as we all will eventually, one way or another—let’s help each other up. That might be the best way we can show a hurting world what real love looks like.

♥ Lois

When we stumble and fall—as we all will eventually—let’s help each other up. That might be the best way we can show a hurting world what real love looks like. Share on X We’re all called to fight on our knees, to keep our eyes fixed on Jesus (rather than our Instagram stats) as we shine the light of God’s love and truth in this crazy world. Share on X

P.S. I’m linking up this week with #tellhisstory, InstaEncouragements, Recharge Wednesday, Let’s Have Coffee, Inspire Me Monday, #HeartEncouragement and Grace & Truth.

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Share Four Somethings: June 2021

by Lois Flowers
by Lois Flowers

Every time I start one of these monthly posts, my first inclination is to go on about how fast the last four weeks have gone. It’s true, every time. Maybe even more so in the summer.

Here in Kansas, we’ve already had one heat wave, followed by a cooler spell. The rain came back last week, but more always makes me happy. (And all the other Midwestern gardeners said “amen.”)

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Parenting One Day at a Time

by Lois Flowers
by Lois Flowers

I was listening to the radio a few weeks ago when the deejay said her son had asked her to teach him to drive. My ears perked up, since I had been doing that very thing with my daughter Molly for the last year.

The announcer shared how she was having trouble wrapping her head around the fact that her son was actually old enough to learn how to drive. Then, as all good deejays do, she asked her listeners for advice about teaching your kids to drive.

A lady called in and offered, as best as I can remember, the following thoughts:

“When they drive away for the first time by themselves, you realize they are really in God’s care,” she said. “You are involved with everything up to that point, now they are on their own.”

I didn’t disagree with a single word the caller said. But if I had gotten through on the radio station’s phone line, I would have given the announcer different advice.

I would have told her to start every driving session by warming up in a large parking lot.

That’s what I did with both of my girls, in the early days of our practice drives. It was like stretching before exercise, and it was as much for me as it was for them.

Begin with the end in mind—one of Steve Covey’s seven habits of highly effective people—is a good parenting philosophy. Our end goal, always, should be to raise functional, kind, God-fearing kids who can think for themselves, take care of themselves, and yes—cook a few meals and do their own laundry.

But in the day-to-day, parenting is much more, well, day-to-day. If you start any big milestone adventure by thinking about how you’re going to feel at the end, it can be overwhelming.

After warming up in the parking lot, my young driver and I would venture out on the residential streets nearby. We’d move on to four-lane city streets, eventually got up to going 75 miles per hour on the interstate and finally, driving at night—in the rain.

The radio announcer hadn’t even started driving with her son yet, so she was a long way from sending him off to drive by himself. First things first, I’d tell her. Here a little, there a little and pretty soon (or 50 hours later, in my family’s case), both you and your son will have the confidence he needs to back out of the driveway by himself.

Before older daughter Lilly started driving, I had no intention of being very involved in teaching her to drive. Randy taught her the basics of operating a vehicle, but after that, I assumed she’d take driver’s ed at the high school (like I did) and then get her license.

With this, like everything else in life, I had to learn to hold my expectations and plans loosely.

Lilly ended up logging many of the state-required practice hours shuttling us to the nursing home to visit my mom. She took a much-abbreviated driver’s ed course at the local community college, instead of the month-long session at the high school.

Younger sister Molly, who also learned the basics from Randy, started her mom-sponsored driving lessons during the pandemic shutdown last spring. It was eerie out on the sparsely populated roads, but it was also ideal for teaching a new, very cautious driver.

Driver’s ed at the high school filled up before we got in, so she took shorter course at the community college too. By that time, she was the most experienced driver in the class.

Plans change; we adapt. Not always well or without resistance, but we do.

The key, I’ve been learning this past year, is to take one day at a time. For me, that means not worrying about tomorrow. Not that I have perfected this or anything, but I’m trying.

As Samwise Gamgee told Frodo in The Return of the King, “Come on. Let’s just make it down the hill for starters.”

Molly got her driver’s license a few weeks ago. She’s not driving into the city on the interstate by herself, but she is taking herself to work and to our local library.

She’s in God’s care, as the radio caller said. When she makes it to the bottom of our driveway, for starters, and wherever she goes from there.

• • •

Whether you’re a parent or not, I’d love to hear your thoughts about the challenge of beginning with the end in mind while also taking life one day at a time.

♥ Lois

If you start any milestone parenting adventure by thinking about how you’re going to feel at the end, it can be overwhelming. Share on X Plans change; we adapt. Not always well or without resistance, but we do. Share on X

P.S. I’m linking up this week with #tellhisstory, InstaEncouragements, Recharge Wednesday, Let’s Have Coffee, Inspire Me Monday and Grace & Truth.

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