They call me the frog lady.<\/p>\n
An expert on amphibians I\u2019m not. But it\u2019s a nickname I\u2019m proud of. Let me tell you why.<\/p>\n
Four years ago I was living in Florida when Hurricane Wilma tore through. The damage the storm caused to my church was so severe that we had to hold service and Sunday school classes in the fellowship hall.<\/p>\n
One muggy afternoon 80 of us crowded into the small hot room for class, and sat side by side on folding chairs. It wasn\u2019t very comfortable\u2026or inspiring.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow many of you know what the letters F.R.O.G. stand for?\u201d the Sunday school teacher asked.<\/p>\n
People shouted out lots of different answers. Where on earth is she going with this?<\/em> I wondered.<\/p>\n Then our teacher pointed heavenward. Perched atop her index finger was a bright green rubber frog with big googly eyes and spindly legs. It was about the cutest thing I\u2019d ever seen!<\/p>\n \u201cF.R.O.G. stands for Fully Rely on God, and that\u2019s what we need to do, especially now,\u201d she said. Everyone clapped. The message was just what we needed. <\/p>\n All at once, it hit me. Maybe other folks would be inspired by these frogs too.<\/em><\/p>\n With some help from the teacher, I ordered several dozen frogs. I wrote, \u201cF.R.O.G., Fully Rely on God,\u201d on small slips of paper, attached each one to a frog then tucked some into my purse. I figured I would hand them out to people who might need a lift.<\/p>\n But what if they thought I was crazy? What if they thought I was some kind of frog lady?<\/p>\n I tested the idea out first on my son, Joseph, a dentist, by mailing him a frog. He was concerned about relocating his business.<\/p>\n He loved the frog! \u201cI wear it in my lab-coat pocket every day,\u201d he told me. \u201cThat silly little face and knowing what it stands for always encourages me.\u201d<\/p>\n That gave me<\/em> encouragement too. Pulling into the gas station one afternoon, I couldn\u2019t help but notice the woman standing at the pump next to mine. She just seemed so sad about something.<\/p>\n I reached into my bag. \u201cI have something for you,\u201d I said, handing over a frog. \u201cI know it doesn\u2019t say much, but I think it says it all. It will bring you a blessing today.\u201d<\/p>\n She didn\u2019t say a word, just stared at the little green frog.<\/p>\n