"Are you early, late, or right on time?"

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On the back roads that take me to and from college to my family’s farm, there is a road called Early Road. It’s followed shortly by another road called Late Road.

I always laugh, partially because of my uncanny ability to always take “the late road” until I noticed there was a street sandwiched in the middle of Early and Late Roads. It’s called Daisy Payne Lane.

As I was driving past one day, I decided then and there that if I were blessed enough to have a little girl, I would name her Daisy Payne. I will pull her into my lap and whisper in her ear, “Daisy Payne, you are never too early and never too late. You are always right on time.”

Does that whisper sound familiar? God has a plan for you and even though the timing may sometimes seem off, God makes sure you will be right on time.So be sure to listen to life today for God whispering something special in your ear as you make a life, not just a living.

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"What’s your perspective?"

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When I was nearly a year old, I got overly curious and yanked an iron onto myself, resulting in a large area of my body covered in third degree burns. I was blessed and healed magnificently, leaving only a couple of barely noticeable scars on my chest and neck.

My mother hates seeing these scars, especially the one on my chest. She sees it as proof that she was a bad parent and spent a good portion of my life insisting that I cover it up. I, however, love that scar and the story behind it. The scar itself is shaped like the head of a dandelion or a starburst and is obviously unique to just me. I see that moment in time not as a mistake that my mother made, but rather as a learning experience for my toddler self that some things burn. I now have a tiny reminder that my mother loves me so much that she wants to protect me in every way possible.

Today, examine the scars in your life from a different perspective, remembering that those experiences have made you into the person that God needs you to be. And while you do, be sure to listen to your life.

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"Can you count all of your love?"

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Recently, I was having one of those days where nothing seemed to go right. I overslept and was late. I forgot to bring a book to class. I dropped a power drill on my foot. And as if all of that wasn’t bad enough, I spilled a drink all over my pants.

I was so frustrated with myself that I was close to tears. But then I decided to take a different approach from a crying episode. I wiped at my eyes and started counting all the people in my life who love me. Soon, I was dry-eyed and had filled my fingers and toes four times over. My heart swelled when I realized how blessed I am to have all of this love in my life.

If not today, some day soon, you’ll have a day like mine. A day when it all seems to boil over and gets to be way too much; more than you can handle. When that day comes, wipe your eyes and listen to life. Then take your shoes off because you’ll need your toes to count all of the love God sends you.

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"Do you always need the details or do you sometimes trust God?"

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When I was much younger, I would get fairly annoying around bedtime. Okay, to be honest, very annoying. You see, I hated the idea of going to sleep and missing anything that could be happening while I snoozed.

So, to push the limits of my bedtime, I would question my parents mercilessly about our plans for the next day. It wasn’t enough to know we were going grocery shopping, I wanted to know the exact list of food we needed!

Eventually, my parents would cut off my questions with the parental response of “We’ll see” and I would go to sleep, unhappy with the lack of an exact answer.

Like my parents, sometimes it seems that God loves to give a “we’ll see” answer to our questions as well. However, God’s “We’ll see” isn’t because the grocery list isn’t written yet. Instead it’s because God has the details already covered and wants us to grow in faith and trust. So listen to life today and don’t worry about needing the details. God has them taken care of.

So sleep well, okay?

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"Who has shaped your life?"

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I am blessed to have a beautiful younger sister who wasn’t roped into “Make Your Daughter Do Your Work” Week and doubly blessed that my parents wanted to have another child after putting up with me for four years. My dad has never mentioned exactly how important that girl is to me.

Her birthday falls around Christmas and, with the naiveté of a four-year-old, I thought she was my special gift from Santa Claus. She was my kid from the moment she was unwrapped. My mom and dad technically were the parents, but I became the second mother.

I infuriated her by talking my mother out of letting her go to certain movies, correct her on most everything so she could be the best, and soothe her when she faced problems that were more recent in my mind than my parents’.

I’ve become the person I am today because of her. I thank God for her.

So today, as you listen to your life, think about who God has blessed you with and how they’ve helped you become the person you are today. And let them know how special they are.

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