Author: mrsmonarch

My name is Ledonna Scalf.  I am a wife, a mother, a daughter, a friend. I am an encourager, a writer, an editor and a Daughter of the Most High. I am a caterpillar in the process of transforming. I'm ordinary.....and yet, Extraordinary! My passion is teaching women how to embrace each season of life with joyous expectation. If you like what you see here, I would be thrilled to share these life changing concepts with your church group or ladies organization.  Join me----And let's earn our beautiful wings together! www.BuiltToBeAButterfly.com

A Life Well Lived

Posted on by mrsmonarch

Today as I was having my morning coffee and watching the squirrels rob my bird feeders, I was startled by a loud “Thud” at my sliding glass doors. I looked out the door and was grieved to see this beautiful young cardinal flopping around on the patio below. 

Birds have hit the glass before. Usually, they sit –stunned— for a few seconds, gather their composure, and fly away unscathed. But … not this time. This sweet little girl had clearly hit too hard… too fast… or in a way which did damage beyond what my eyes could visibly see.

I ran outside, gently scooped her up and tried to assess the damage. Her little body went limp in my hands. She was still breathing but there was absolutely nothing I could do to “fix” her. So, I did the only thing I could think to do. I sat down on the steps of the patio and gently ran my fingers across her soft feathers while I told her how beautiful she was.

I kept hoping that the situation wasn’t as dire as it seemed—- that she’d ‘wake up’, gather her strength and flutter away, the way I’d seen so many other birds do. But that didn’t happen this time. After a few minutes, she sighed her last breath and was gone.

Her body was warm; a stark difference from the frigid morning air which surrounded us. I continued to hold her for a few minutes, stroking her feathers and appreciating the intricate details of her body. She had been strong enough to live and fly during a Missouri winter. Yet looking at her lifeless little body, it was clear that she was also shockingly fragile. One wrong move and her life had been cut short.

So many encouraging analogies have come from my garden. But today, instead of joy, it brought a tinge of sadness. It brought an unwelcome admonition; a reminder of how harsh and fragile life can be. It smacked me in the face — I am mortal. I am limited —both in the days of my life AND in the power I hold. Most things are outside of my control, regardless of how desperately I wish that were different. I can’t fix everything. In fact, I can’t even “fix” most things.

But you know what? In spite of my humanity and all my many short comings, I can choose to remain kind. I can choose to remain empathetic. I can choose to offer a helping hand where it’s needed. I can choose to provide both comfort and kindness where it’s needed. And in spite of how fragile and short life is, those choices can make me— or any of us, for that matter— incredibly powerful!

It might not feel like much during a moment of sadness— but being impactful is my definition of a life well lived. What about you?

 

Until Next Time,

 

A New Season

Posted on by mrsmonarch

Dear friend,

Fall is upon us.  This morning, as I sit from my office spot, coffee in hand, and look out over the garden, I am in awe of the beauty of the world around me. Green, gold, and crimson leaves flutter through the air and litter the yard. A family of squirrels has been busy gathering nuts while our dog Pearl goes crazy from their intrusion. My beloved hummingbird friends are visiting the feeders for the final time as they begin their journey south. One of them hovered at the window for a few seconds, as if thanking me for my generosity before bidding me farewell. Yes, I have been enjoying my days; relishing in the excitement of the changes that are coming!

Then it hit me. There were so many years in my life when I could not enjoy Fall. Though the changing colors were stunning— I was simply too wrapped up in the dread of winter to enjoy what Fall had to offer. I had to force myself to take a deep breath and then, slowly release it. Ah! That was the old me; the way I used to think— and that me is gone! Like the baby caterpillar I have talked so much about, I am changing; growing; becoming…

What a relief there is to be able to see a new season of life arrive and be joyous about it instead of fearful! Goodness, it’s taken me a lifetime to get here! Oh my Friend, I want to share the feeling; I long for others to experience it, too— but the words elude me.

The seasons aren’t the only things that are changing! This year, instead of watching it all unfold as a spectator, I am choosing to join in and make a number of changes myself! My beloved BuiltToBeAButterfly site will be among the many things in my life to receive an update. Old material is being removed; new posts, sharing fresh perspectives, will eventually be added to replace them. It is time to also consider bringing BuiltToBeAButterfly  back to social media, too, I guess— though I’ve been avoiding that as long as I can.  🙂  Keep your eyes posted!

So many of you have emailed me with kind remarks and sweet notes this past year or two. I can’t tell you how much your words have strengthened me! Courage in the face of tremendous change is not my strong suit! But your snippets of encouragement have kept me motivated to finish the good work God put me here to do. I am really excited to see what He has planned for this new—and very different—season of life.

And next—drum roll please— I am thrilled to announce that my two most recent projects—the book Lessons From My Garden, and a 30-day coordinating study guide which parallels the book, are currently in the final stages of development. I know—I told y’all that I was working on this set several years back. But, life happened and time sort of slipped away from me. All that procrastinating is behind now, though! They should both be available on Amazon in the next four to six weeks! Woo-Hoo! 

Of course, life is more fun when we can share it with friends! Please make sure you share this site, and like and follow us once we return to social media. Meanwhile, I will post updates here! Keep me in your prayers! There is still a lot of hard work to be done before I can inch across the finish line!

Until Next Time!

 

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Standing in the Gap

Posted on by mrsmonarch

Dear Ones,

This was first published on my website Nov.11, 2021. As I was looking through old material, this one jumped out at me. It seemed to be screaming to be resent. I don’t normally do that, but I’m being prodded intently so— this one’s for YOU. The dearly loved child of the Most High who is struggling to find her purpose and strength today.  Much love, ~Ledonna

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This is Pearl, aka “Good Baby”. She is the “other woman” in my husband’s life. 😉

He claims she is some special breed of dog called a “Staffordshire Terrier”…

Hmmph. But ***I*** call her a “Holy Terror”! LOL.

Every morning, this dog stands at the back door… literally SHAKING like she’s undergoing detox… waiting, not-so-patiently, for my husband to open the door and let her go on her morning run.

The reason she is so anxious to get out the door is that there is the cutest little chipmunk who lives under a giant forsythia bush by the driveway. This adorable little fella spends the majority of his morning running back and forth from his burrow under that bush, across our driveway, under a storage shed, into the great beyond—and back!

I have no idea why he didn’t just make his home closer to what ever it is he fetches each morning… But whatever the reason, he faithfully makes a journey of about 150′— each way— every single morning and again—just about dusk every afternoon.

His journey is perilous!!! He instinctively knows that dog is out there, waiting for him so he wisely breaks the journey up in to short segments, like the swat teams do in movies when they are trying to avoid detection from the bad guys. He runs from the bush, to my car and waits while he catches his breath. If the coast looks clear, a few seconds later, he will dart out from under the car and head to the storage shed on the other side of the driveway.

Pearl either knows his routine or she can smell him from inside the house! The second that door flings open, she goes flying outside, tail wagging, ears flapping and nose to the ground in a frantic but systematic search to flush him out. There have been days when she has only missed him by inches!! I’ve watched this scenario unfold so many times from the porch.

Of course, I’m always cheering for the chipmunk! (Yes, I’m on “his” side— even tho the little rascal wrecks havoc on the flower bulbs I plant each year.)

Maybe it’s because most days I feel like that little chipmunk!! LOL. I relate to him! I know first hand what it’s like to be going about life; list in hand— rushing through my day, gathering supplies, feeding my family, taking care of business. And I also know what it feels like to have the enemy hot on my tail, chasing me around, waiting for me to make one wrong move so he can devour me!!

Yep! I get it! That’s undoubtedly why I always cheer for the little chipmunk! 🙂 I see him scurrying around—minding his own business and doing his thing— and then, I see this 100 pound hound dog come out of no where, in hot pursuit, with nothing on her mind but his demise. And for me? That experience immediately registers as a spiritual analogy! That’s just how I roll!! LOL. As I watch this scenario unfold every day, I see myself and my own struggles. I see myself trying to just stay ALIVE— while the devil is hot on my tail, doing everything he can to take me down.

PLEASE tell me I’m not the only one who can relate to this???! 😉

I mean… I’m sorry. Forgive me. It’s not that I WANT you to feel like this!! I just don’t want to be the ONLY one who feels like this!!

But I’ll be honest. I feel this way—more often than not. And because so many of you have come out and been openly transparent right back, I know a lot of you feel this way, too.

I can’t really help the chipmunk. Well… that’s not true. I have started cracking the back door and shouting, “RUN LITTLE CHIPMUNK!!! RUN!” before my husband lets the dog out each morning!! HAHAHA!! (Seriously­– I DO THAT!) It doesn’t enable the little chipmunk to run any faster, but it does at least give him a 10 second head start, and some days, that has been the difference between life and death for him. I’m pretty confident he’s grateful!

Okay, so that works for a silly chipmunk. But what can we believers do, as we experience our own set of frantic close calls with the enemy?

Well—for starters, we can commit to be the “Gate-Keepers” and “Watchmen on the Wall” for one another! An Intercessor! Kind of like I am doing when I crack the door open and make that announcement just prior to letting the dog out.

We need to be reminding one another to stay alert and to be diligent because the enemy is real and he IS out there—looking for an opportunity to take us down.

The Word of God puts it this way:

“Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.” (-Ephesians 6:18 NLT)

“Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. Stand firm against him, and be strong in your faith. Remember that your family of believers all over the world is going through the same kind of suffering you are.” (1 Peter 5:8-9 NLT)

Friends— did you catch that? Both verses clearly tell us that we aren’t going through anything unique. The hurts, challenges, difficulties, fears, stumbling blocks, insurmountable looking situations that you’re facing?? Believers all over the world are struggling in similar ways. And we are told to be earnestly and persistently praying for them!!

Our Heavenly Father wouldn’t tell us to do something unless it was important! My friends, I have become convinced that there are days when our personal prayers are the ONLY thing standing in the gap between a struggling loved one and Satan himself!

I was prodded to read through Ezekiel 22. The chapter shares Yahweh Almighty’s frustration with the sins of Jerusalem. It’s hard to read that chapter and not recognize my own country’s terrible sins— but the really tough part came when I got to verses 29 and 30.

“I looked for someone who might rebuild the wall of righteousness that guards the land. I searched for someone … so I wouldn’t have to destroy the land, but I FOUND NO ONE.” (Eze 22:30 NLT)

Guys—that broke me! I mean… it reduced me to heaping, sobbing tears! The thought that the Almighty God—KING OF THE UNIVERSE—would care enough to stop what He was doing and search for someone—-ANY ONE— who would stand in the gap for others——-and not just those who are having a “hard time”— but for those who were facing utter and complete destruction—– and He could find NO ONE who would answer the call????!

Something happened in me. Something… snapped! I can’t really explain it. But suddenly, I didn’t feel beaten down; exhausted; over whelmed; or “too busy”. The thought that He was searching for someone—any one— who was willing to DO something… and realizing that the people He was searching for would actually have made a difference…. and STILL no one could be found??! whew…..

It’s made me cry out, “PICK ME, Father! I’LL DO IT!! I’LL STAND UP!! I will encourage others! I will warn others! I will pray, plead, beg and cry out for others!! I WANT YOUR HEART! Your passion! I want Your LOVE for others that will propel me to pray on an entirely new level than anything I’ve experienced before!! YES DADDY!! I will write… and ask for You to set the hearts of your people on FIRE so that they will be provoked to stand up, TOO! Yes, Father! I WILL STAND!”

So… HERE I AM!!! Using everything I have— including a lame analogy about an ol’ hound dog chasing a stupid chipmunk— to provoke you to STAND!!! It’s what YHWH Almighty wants His children to do!

“Share each other’s burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ.” Galatians 6:2

How do we “share each other’s burdens”? We start by saying, “Yes Father! I WILL STAND! I will stand in the gap and pray for others so that the thick fog they are living in will lift and they will have a chance of finding you!”

If you’re weak, tired, fearful, lonely? STAND UP!! Throw off the selfishness; the self-pity and despair and come to terms with the reality that a dying world needs your faithful prayers!! Decide (that means CHOOSE!) to Stand in the Gap!

If you’re beaten down, frustrated, angry at the way things in this world are going? STAND UP and say “YES FATHER!! I WILL STAND IN THE GAP! I ask for You to take all of my agony and do something useful with it!! Help me, Father so I can pray with passion, energy and useful determination! Yes God! I will Stand!”

Friends— if you are 80 years old, holding on to your oxygen tank, barely able to stand on your own two feet without help— you can still answer this call and cry out, “FATHER I WILL STAND— Spiritually, I will stand! I will pray with great faith and fervor! I will commit to making a difference!! I WILL STAND IN THE GAP AND FIGHT FOR MY FAMILY… FOR OTHER BELIEVERS AROUND THE WORLD… AND FOR THE LOST AND DYING WHO CURRENTLY HAVE NO HOPE!!”

Being a prayer-warring intercessor really can change the course of eternity, folks! And it all starts with saying, “Yes Father! I will STAND!”

Until Next Time,