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Lois Flowers

Share Four Somethings: Thanksgiving Edition

by Lois Flowers
by Lois Flowers

Inside: This holiday week seems like a good time to revisit this blogging tradition. But instead of focusing on the usual categories, I’m sharing four things I’m thankful for this year.~

I used to write a Share Four Somethings post every month, but last fall, I missed an installment. One month turned into two, and two somehow turned into more than a year.

To be specific, the last time I participated in Jenn’s Share Four Somethings linkup was August 2024.

I’m not even going to ask where all the time went. But the week of Thanksgiving seems like a good time to revisit this tradition, with a twist. Instead of going with the usual categories, I’m going to share four things I’m thankful for this year. Starting with …

God’s Goodness in My Life

Eight months ago today, I was hit by a car when I was riding my bike. As I’ve shared before, I have no recollection of this accident or the days immediately thereafter. I spent 19 days in the hospital after suffering a traumatic brain injury, neck fractures and a badly broken leg, among other things.

Every month, I can look back four weeks and notice ways that I am better. I can look back to the days I don’t remember and see how far I’ve come.

I think about the people around me who served as God’s hands and feet to me—my husband, daughters, neighbors, sisters, friends near and far. As well as the friends and family members around the globe who prayed for me.

My road to recovery has been long, but God has been faithful every step of the way. I’m so very grateful for His promises, protection and provision.

Online Grocery Shopping

Speaking of God’s provision, the ability to order groceries online and have them brought to my car at the store has been a huge blessing this year. I had never done this before my accident, but it’s been so convenient and helpful—for family members when I wasn’t getting around very well, and now for me.

The online shoppers aren’t as particular as I am when it comes to picking out produce, but that’s the only downside as far as I’m concerned.

I actually like shopping for food, so I don’t expect to keep ordering my groceries online forever. For this season, though, this service has been a gift.

A New Form of Exercise

After being hampered by ice, snow and freezing temperatures last winter, I was planning to get a stationary recumbent bike this fall so I could still exercise during inclement weather. Those plans came to fruition a little earlier than expected—I bought the equipment in July and have been using it in my basement ever since.

At times, I do miss riding my bike on the trail near my home. I enjoyed seeing deer and cardinals, as well as interacting with other people on the path.

Mostly, though, I appreciate the convenience of going downstairs to ride whenever I want to, rain or shine.

The Great British Baking Show

Sometime in the last year, Randy and I started watching The Great British Baking Show again. To date, we have watched (or rewatched, as the case may be) every single season, including the earliest ones before the PBS episodes.

We’ve even indulged in spinoffs like The Great American Baking Show and The Great British Baking Show: Holidays. Our favorite—hands down—is the British version with the regular home bakers from throughout the United Kingdom.

We love their accents, not to mention their ability to assemble puff pastry, create amazing scenes out of bread dough and withstand the scrutiny of the judges week after week.

One More Thing

I’m also grateful for those of you who have subscribed to my new monthly newsletter, Courage Dear Heart. If you filled out the form in the last several weeks and haven’t received anything yet, the confirmation email probably went to your junk or spam folder.

If you can’t find it there, please subscribe again and check those folders for the opt-in message. Be sure to add the newsletter’s email address to your safe list so you don’t miss anything else. Thanks for your patience; I’m so sorry for all the hassle!

If you haven’t had a chance to sign up for the newsletter yet, you can do so here:

Click Here to Subscribe

As my way of saying thanks, you’ll receive a free copy of my 7-day devotional, Faith, Fear, and the God Who Goes Before Us.

• • •

Now it’s your turn. Do you shop for groceries online or watch The Great British Baking Show? How has God revealed His goodness in your life this year? Please share in the comments. And have a very happy Thanksgiving!

♥ Lois

This year, God has been faithful every step of the way. I’m so very grateful for His promises, protection and provision. Share on X

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

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Thankful for an Unexpected New Routine

by Lois Flowers
by Lois Flowers

Inside: You never know when something you once hated will become a huge blessing. Here’s an ironic example from my life. ~

Around 11 a.m. every day, I open my fridge, remove a carton of SunSweet prunes, and load five of them into a pottery bowl my daughter Molly bought in Northern Ireland.

Many of my routines were disrupted after my biking accident more than seven months ago. This one, however, is new.

It’s also surprising and unexpected.

Long Story Short …

My digestive system took a hit after the accident, leg surgery and 19 days of hospitalization. Keeping things moving was an uncomfortable challenge, let’s just say.

Once home, I tried everything to rectify the situation—except prunes.

I have always hated prunes, you see. In any form. Whole, pitted, juiced, whatever. I despised the taste and couldn’t stomach the thought of eating or drinking them.

Desperate Times

But desperate times call for desperate measures. One day Randy brought some organic prune juice home from the grocery store, and I started drinking it.

I couldn’t stand the taste, but I appreciated the result.

Somewhere along the way, someone suggested I try eating prunes instead. Though I resisted initially, the cost of the fancy prune juice prompted me to buy my first carton of prunes.

Oh, the Irony

Around this time, in late May, I also started noticing my taste and smell were diminished. It wasn’t a complete loss, thank goodness, but it was a delayed response to the traumatic brain injury I suffered in the bike accident.

Ironically, I could still taste prunes, and they didn’t taste so bad after all.

Almost six months later, I’m still eating prunes every day. Oddly enough, I now actually look forward to this late-morning snack.

Taste and See

My daughter might say this is because I’m old. But I would disagree.

It seems the scorned has become the blessing. It has happened before, in other areas of my life. (Perhaps you have experienced this too?)

I used to hate prunes and prune juice. Now I’m very thankful for them.

Taste and see that the Lord is good has been a recurring theme in my life this year. And sometimes, the venue for His goodness is prunes.

• • •

Has the scorned ever become the blessing in your life? Or, on a lighter note, how do you feel about prunes? Please share in the comments.

• • •

No Post Here Next Week

Next week, I’ll be sending out the second issue of my subscriber-only, email newsletter, Courage, Dear Heart. The newsletter replaces my third blog post of each month.

If you’ve already subscribed, I’m so grateful. If you haven’t gotten around to it yet, I’d love for you to sign up today so you don’t miss anything. As my way of saying thanks, you will receive a seven-day devotional called Faith, Fear, and the God Who Goes Before Us once you sign up.

Click Here to Subscribe

♥ Lois

It seems the scorned has become the blessing in my life. Perhaps you have experienced this too? Share on X Taste and see that the Lord is good has been a recurring theme this year. And sometimes, the venue for His goodness is prunes. Share on X

P.S. I’m linking up this week with InstaEncouragements, Let’s Have Coffee and Grace & Truth.

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Trusting in a God Who is the Definition of Trustworthy

by Lois Flowers
by Lois Flowers

Inside: If we don’t put our confidence in God because He answers our prayers the way we want, then why do we trust Him?

Perhaps you’ve heard a popular worship song about trusting God. The one I’m thinking of has a catchy tune with a good message overall, but the bridge stops me every time I hear it.

Here’s a paraphrase: “I prayed earnestly and God answered my prayer, which is why I trust Him.”

To me, those lyrics imply cause and effect. I prayed, God answered (presumably how I wanted), so I trust Him.

Why Trust God?

But what if we pray and God doesn’t seem to answer, or the answer isn’t what we want? Why would we trust Him then?

These questions prompted me to think about my own life.

Why do I trust God? Not how, which would obviously be very imperfectly. But why?

I was raised in a solidly Christian home and wasn’t taught or given the impression that following Jesus would exempt me from hardship. In fact, now that I think about it, any trust in God that I’ve developed as an adult has come mostly through struggles and difficult seasons.

Perfectly Trustworthy

I know you’re not supposed to use the word you are defining in a definition, but when it comes to trust, God is the definition. He is perfect in every way, to paraphrase another familiar worship song, which means He is perfectly trustworthy.

This is clear when we consider other aspects of His character. For example, in an article on the Desiring God website, author Trillia Newbell explains that we can trust God because He is sovereign, wise and loving.

“God doesn’t do anything in his sovereign will that isn’t both wise and loving,” she writes. “If God is for you, who can be against you? We don’t trust God simply because someone tells us to. We trust God because he is God. He is holy and awesome and righteous in every way. We can trust God because we don’t serve a God who is only sovereign and wise. He is also infinitely loving.”

A Biblical Command

We do trust God because the Bible tells us to, of course. Isaiah 26:3-4 puts it plainly: “Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord God is an everlasting rock.”

Proverbs 3:5-6 offers more guidance: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.”

This passage doesn’t imply everything will always go well for us if we trust God. Rather, it assures us that He will show us the path of life when we follow His ways instead of our own plans and wisdom.

Well-placed Confidence

Our confidence is in Him, not in ourselves or anything else. As Psalm 20:7 says, “Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.”

Psalm 91:2 adds, “I will say to the Lord, ‘My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.’”

My birthday is tomorrow, and in all my almost 55 years, I’d be hard pressed to think of another 12-month period when I have been more grateful that I can say this too.

• • •

What does trusting God mean to you? Please share in the comments.

♥ Lois

When it comes to trust, God is the definition. He is perfect in every way, which means He is perfectly trustworthy. Share on X The Bible doesn’t imply everything will always go well for us if we trust God. Rather, it assures us that He will show us the path of life when we follow His ways instead of our own. Share on X

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

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When You Long to Know the Reason for Your Struggle

by Lois Flowers
by Lois Flowers

Inside: If the life lessons from a tough season aren’t immediately obvious, don’t lose heart. God has a purpose, and waiting is often part of the process. ~

What is God trying to teach me through this?

Raise your hand if you’ve ever asked yourself this question. Keep it up if you found the inquiry to be unhelpful, perhaps even counterproductive.

I’ve been there, desperately wanting to know God’s long-term purposes for me in a season designed for rest, healing and patience development. It’s hard to wait and trust, that’s for sure.

Beyond That …

The question also makes God seem like a novice instructor who doesn’t really know the best way to get through to His struggling student.

Nothing could be further from the truth. This is the God who created each one of us, after all. He knows how we are formed. He wired us together. He’s numbered our days and the hairs on our heads.

With our heavenly Father, there is no try. He knows how we learn best, and He knows how best to teach us.

What’s the Point?

Plus, maybe God trying to teach us something isn’t even the point of our trials. Not all the time, anyway.

We want to know the reason for our struggle because we think that would make it easier to bear. But what if we can’t know, at least not immediately?

If we feel like some lesson that we’re missing is what’s keeping us from a full recovery, it just puts more pressure on us. To get it. To know what might be unknowable at the time. To learn the right thing fast enough.

As if we are in control of anything.

No Extra Credit

God doesn’t hand us a syllabus after we break our leg that outlines the lessons He expects us to learn while we’re doing our physical therapy exercises at home. That would be nice, but that’s not how it works.

We don’t get grades for how we respond to trials. There’s no extra credit, no pass-fail, no curve.

Instead, we need to remember that whatever we’re going through is part of a process. Yes, we will likely learn things as a result of this. Other people will probably learn things too.

God has a purpose. There will be helpful outcomes. There will be growth. But these things take time.

In the Waiting

Maybe it’s a developmental thing. If so, the waiting is often part of the process, just like the struggle.

It’s always beneficial to pray for guidance and direction, to ask God to shine a loving spotlight on our character, attitude and behavior in case there are areas we need to work on. But if the “lessons” aren’t obvious, we shouldn’t think we are doing something wrong.

We may have a-ha experiences in the wilderness, in the thick of the battle or in the valley of the shadow, but we also may not notice growth until we’re looking at a season in the rearview mirror. Or until we experience something similar later on and suddenly see that we are not responding how we once did.

Remember This

There’s nothing wrong with asking, “What is God trying to teach me?” But if that question starts to frustrate you like it has me, remember this.

God knows what we need, and in His sovereignty, He lovingly provides it. Life is one big continuing education session—we’re never really done until God calls us home.

Until then, His goal is not to get us through the trial and back in shape. As much as we might prefer it, He’s not looking to get us back on our feet and on our way.

His overarching desire—through all the ups and downs of life—is for us to become more like Him.

• • •

In Case You Missed It

I sent out the first issue of my subscriber-only, email newsletter, Courage, Dear Heart, last week. Going forward, the newsletter will replace my third blog post of each month.

I’m so thankful for those of you who have subscribed. If you’re not on the list yet, I’d love for you to sign up today. As my way of saying thanks, you will receive a seven-day devotional called Faith, Fear, and the God Who Goes Before Us once you subscribe.

Click Here to Subscribe

♥ Lois

God has a purpose. There will be helpful outcomes. There will be growth. But these things take time. Share on X Life is one big continuing education session—we’re never really done until God calls us home. Share on X

P.S. I’m linking up this week with InstaEncouragements, Let’s Have Coffee and Grace & Truth.

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What Happens When We Remember Who’s Really in Control

by Lois Flowers
by Lois Flowers

Inside: When we believe we’re in charge, we often grasp our agendas, micromanage and fear the future. Thinking differently brings freedom and peace.~

“You’re responsible, but you’re not in control.”

I once heard a pastor say these words when introducing a series on the book of Daniel. At the time, I was helping my parents in a rapidly declining stage of their lives. And I can’t think of a better way to describe my role than that.

I was in charge of handling their affairs and keeping a close eye on their care. But when it came to the perplexing health problems they were both experiencing, there wasn’t a whole lot I could do.

I was responsible, but I wasn’t in control.

Many Applications

This doesn’t just pertain to assisting aging parents, of course. It applies to all of life—rearing children, taking care of our bodies, serving as citizens and employees, managing our households, nurturing relationships, doing ministry work and everything in between.

We’re responsible, but we’re not in control.

Here’s what often happens when we forget this truth. When we think we’re in control, we desire to have control or we fear losing control, we tend to micromanage. We roll out our own solutions without waiting for the right answer to present itself. We set our expectations on certain outcomes. We grasp tightly to our agendas and schedules. We fear the future and dread the unknown.

This is no way to operate, I can assure you. It’s stressful, anxiety inducing and frustrating, for us and the people around us.

On the Other Hand …

When we remember that we’re responsible but it’s God who is in control, we’re free to do what we need to do without agonizing over every little detail.

We engage the process. We advocate for our loved ones, young and old. We offer opinions and ask about possible solutions. We change our plans when something comes up. We pray for specific miracles (and sometimes ask others to join us).

Through it all—and especially when we have no idea what to do next—we pray for God’s will, not ours. We pray for wisdom.

And we pray that the sovereign Lord of the universe would direct our steps as only He can do, that He would strengthen our legs for the path that He has laid out for us, and that He would give us courage to walk on that path wherever it leads.

• • •

No Post Here Next Week

Next week, I plan to send out the first issue of my subscriber-only, email newsletter, Courage, Dear Heart. The newsletter will replace my third blog post of each month.

If you’re already on the list, I’m so grateful. If you’re not, subscribe today so you don’t miss anything. As my way of saying thanks, you will receive a seven-day devotional called Faith, Fear, and the God Who Goes Before Us once you sign up.

Click Here to Subscribe

♥ Lois

We’re responsible, but we’re not in control. Share on X When we remember that we’re responsible but it’s God who is in control, we’re free to do what we need to do without agonizing over every little detail. Share on X

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

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3 Helpful Questions to Ask When You’ve Been Blindsided

by Lois Flowers
by Lois Flowers

Inside: In the middle of an uncertain, unsettling season, these thoughts kept me grounded and focused on the present. I hope they do the same for you. ~

Earlier this year, my young adult daughter was preparing to launch out on her own. At one point, she experienced a setback that seemed insurmountable to her.

It wasn’t, of course. In the moment, though, I shared a few questions I hoped would help her push through until the issue was resolved.

Weeks later, as I faced my own unexpected season full of uncertainty and unsettled feelings, those questions came back to me. I don’t know if my daughter found them useful, but they kept me grounded and focused on the present. They still are, in fact. And I’m sharing them today because I think they may do the same for you.

1. What is the Truth about the Situation?

When we’re facing something hard, it’s easy to let the untrue or unknown dominate our thoughts.

Everyone else is …

Why can’t I just …

When am I ever going to …

Sound familiar? Rather overgeneralizing or assuming the worst, talk to yourself instead of listening to yourself. Don’t dwell on worst-case scenarios; speak the truth about the situation as you know currently know it.

If you don’t have all the facts, put your response on hold until you have more information. Take your eyes off the outcome you hope for and fix them on Jesus and your present reality. I’m still learning to do this, but it does help.

2. What Are You Thankful for in This Situation?

Notice I didn’t say, “What are you thankful for?” It’s always good to give thanks for obvious blessings, but in this case, I encourage you to look for blessings in your current, unexpected and perhaps unfortunate circumstances.

This isn’t just my advice, of course. First Thessalonians 5:16-18 puts it bluntly, “Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” (emphasis added).

What could this look like in real life? Thanking God for friends who are praying for you or providing meals for your family. Being grateful you are stronger or more resilient—physically, emotionally or spiritually—than you were the last time you experienced a crisis. Perhaps even giving thanks that you can demonstrate the fruit of the Spirit to the people with whom you are interacting—maybe even the very ones who caused your situation.

3. What is the Next Step?

This may involve taking some kind of action relating to your problem, or it may be as simple as waiting for an answer to a request for more information. It might seem strange to think of waiting as a next step, but it often is.

That said, if you’re in holding pattern, the next step could be doing the dishes, baking banana bread, having coffee with a friend or taking a walk. Engaging in such tasks is productive, for starters. But it can also take your mind off the untrue thoughts I mentioned earlier, especially if you have an encouraging podcast or worship music playing in the background.

My daughter’s situation resolved fairly quickly, while my own unexpected scenario has involved months of recovery. Turns out I needed my advice more than she did.

• • •

Do any of these steps resonate with you? How do you push through when the unexpected hits? Please share in the comments.

• • •

In Case You Missed It

I’m starting a subscriber-only email newsletter called Courage, Dear Heart. If you’re already on the list, I’m so grateful. If you’re not, and you could use an extra dose of soul-level encouragement each month, I would love for you to subscribe.

As my way of saying thanks, you will receive a seven-day devotional called Faith, Fear, and the God Who Goes Before Us once you sign up.

Click Here to Subscribe

The newsletter will replace my third blog post each month. l hope to send out the first edition on Oct. 21.

♥ Lois

When you're in a holding pattern, take your eyes off the outcome you hope for and fix them on Jesus and your present reality. Share on X It might seem strange to think of waiting as a next step, but it often is. Share on X

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

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