I Didn't Eat It

Yesterday morning I handed off Aiden to Avery for 30 seconds so I could use the bathroom.  He immediately pitched a fit and carried on the whole time even though she was talking to him, Ok, Bud, ok.  When I picked him back up and said, Aiden you don't need to cry like that when your sisters are holding you...they love you.  Avery said, That's ok Mom (as if she didn't want me "scolding" him).  Mom, he had a booger on his nose......I didn't eat it, I just wiped it off.  Thank God for little blessings and ewww!

Later that night I was bringing the girls home from their Rainbows program at church.  I always ask what their lesson was about and Avery usually pauses and says, God.  I seem to remember giving the same answer when I was little...very safe. 

She paused extra long and said, Jesus and some sick people.  Hmmm...I guess that narrows it down a little...better than "God".  Ok, I said, did the sick people go see Jesus or did Jesus go see them?  Ummm...there were ten sick guys.  Bingo, I think.  So, did all of the men tell Jesus "thank you" for healing them?  Ummmm....one guy went to say "good-bye" to Jesus, the others were at church or somewhere.

Well hey, its progress!

And as he entered into a certain village, there met him ten men that were lepers, which stood afar off: And they lifted up their voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.

And when he saw them, he said unto them, Go shew yourselves unto the priests. And it came to pass, that, as they went, they were cleansed.

And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God, And fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan. A

nd Jesus answering said, Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine? There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger. And he said unto him, Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole.

Luke 17:12-19

Goodwill and Favor

As I came up the stairs this morning to get Aiden out of his crib, this is what greeted me. Both girls were wearing shorts for a hat and were clomping around in my heels. As a bonus, Amanda was singing to the "CD player" around her neck.

Much later, they thought Aiden should get in on the action, too. And so it begins...poor little guy isn't even three months old yet. BUT, he stood his ground...NO tutus!

Shaun and Avery left this morning to go help his grandfather. He almost never takes my car, but did today. Well, look what fell right where my car would have been, but thankfully was not. I was just reading this morning in Psalm 86 and verse 17 stayed with me.

Show me a sign of [Your evident] goodwill and favor...

I prayed that I would be more aware of God's goodwill and blessings toward me, because I know it's constantly in action and I miss so many things. This one was easy though! Thankful for the "little"ways He takes care of us.

Perspective

Perspective is the ability to stand between yesterday and tomorrow and understand how today fits in. It requires looking beyond the moment with a view toward the whole life.

How very much moms need perspective! When we drop everything to hold our babies while they are sick, when we disregard the clutter to read to our toddlers, when we make ourselves an available 'home base' from which maturing children can go out to explore--we need to know that we are investing in tomorrow by making wise choices today.

How are we spending our time today? Are our choices on this Tuesday going to make a difference in the lives of our children next Tuesday or even four Tuesdays from now?

Resist the urge to let a clean house take precedence over a tickle-war. Don't let a to-do list replace a heart-to-heart talk. Take a daily peek at how today fits in between yesterday and tomorrow.

It is hard for me to "take time" and deviate from my own agenda and to-do list. One of the things I like about having a newborn around is that I am forced to slow down. Sitting down every two hours to nurse is time-consuming, not to mention all of the other things that go along with a baby. One of the first things to come off my priority list was yard work, IF you can call watering a couple pots of flowers and pulling a few weeds in two tiny beds "yard work".

I have so much room to improve in this area and I daily ask God to order my days and be the Lord of my time. Sometimes that means there are dishes in the sink and little girl clothes on the floor, but I'm learning to see the big picture and realize there will be a day when I can have a pristine house and a to-do list that gets done without someone asking for a drink of water or to read them a story. And hopefully I'll be able to say that some of the time I chose wisely and let the mess sit through just one more story or snuggle time.

"Meaningless! Meaningless!" says the Teacher, "Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless." What does man gain from all his labor at which he toils under the sun?...All things are wearisome, more than one can say...What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.

Ecclesiastes 1: 2-3,-9

God's Magnificence

Monday evening we got a thunderstorm with very hard rain, just as it was time to go my doctor appointment (with the kids). But totally worth it...when we got home, this was the view from our front porch. The girls had never seen a real-life rainbow before and they were just giddy and full of questions. Avery was right beside me snapping pictures, too.

Every time I read the Noah's Ark story to the kids, I just get stuck on the part where Noah and his family were on one boat with ALL of the animals, x2. How could they even stand it after the first 24 hours?? The logistics of it is just mind-boggling. I guess jumping ship was not a better option, but I have a feeling Noah's wife at least considered it a time or two.

One of the reasons our witness to God's reality is minimal is that our understanding of God's reality is minimal. In the name of quick and relevant impact we minimize the very greatness that would be his renown. Without this, we will not boldly and graciously reassert his rightful place in all of life.

What we need is a big picture of a great God who is utterly committed to joyfully demonstrating his greatness in doing us good. That is, we need to see the majesty of God and know the splendor of God overflowing toward us with exuberant omnipotence. It is not enough to believe that God is big and strong and fearsome--which he is. We must experience this magnificence as the explosion of God's uncontainable zeal to satisfy his creatures by showing them himself.

-John Piper

Avery learns Psalm 23

We haven't made any decisions with what we will do when it comes time for school, but I imagine homeschooling would be a lot of fun because Avery soaks up learning just about anything with much enthusiasm. We started working on this a week ago, so she and her cousin can say it together at their great-grandmother's memorial service.

His Mercies Are New

Everyday...His mercies never come to an end. They are new every morning. Lamentations 3:22-23

I stand in great need of His mercies and I am deeply grateful a fresh portion is waiting for me every morning. To be sure, I used up every bit yesterday...I'm sure we've all had those days.

Yeah, it was a bit of a hard day and I fell asleep thinking I was an inadequate wife, mother, employee, friend, and any other role I fill. But this morning God so gently reminded me that He's got a stack of new mercies waiting for me and that He loves me with an unfailing love.

That's enough to take my breath away...

Remembering...

I had the luxury of waking up today without a weigh in my heart and a dreaded realization of what the date was. I was deeply affected by the attacks on 9/11 like every other American, but not directly.


My prayers today are with the families who are left behind. We are thrown so many numbers and statistics that it is hard to remember that behind each number is a family left behind. Mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, husbands, wives and children. Oh, so many little children.


Its important that we remember. Today, I remember. And I know with more assurance than ever that the God I serve is still on the throne.


Today, with my tears of remembrance, comes a deep thankfulness for my family, for my country and for my God.


God bless America!

A Heart Filled By God's Love

Last night I attended a Titus 2 bible study through my sisters' church. The idea of the study is based on the verse found in Titus 2:3-5 which states, "Older women likewise are to be reverent in their behavior, not malicious gossips nor enslaved to much wine, teaching what is good, so that they may encourage the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, to be sensible, pure, workers at home, kind, being subject to their own husbands, so that the word of God will not be dishonored."

It was a small group so we were able to have a good discussion and cover many topics. Several things that were said stuck with me and I'll mull them over more as I review my notes.

One woman was sharing that she has found that when she maintains her focus on God, she doesn't have time to look at or worry about the shortcomings of her husband. She went on to say that this life is really not about us. Its not about me, and I love to be reminded of that (somedays an hourly reminder of that would be helpful!).

Then today, I came across this and it just reiterated what I heard last night and know to be true:

Personal worship is an absolute necessity for a strong marriage. It comes down to this: If I stop receiving from God, I start demanding from others. Instead of appreciating and loving and serving others, I become disappointed in them. Instead of cherishing my wife, I become aware of her shortcomings. I take out my frustrations with a less-than-perfect life and somehow blame her for my lack of fulfillment.

But when my heart gets filled by God's love and acceptance, I'm set free to love instead of worrying about being loved. I'm motivated to serve instead of becoming obsessed about whether I'm being served. I'm moved to cherish instead of feeling unappreciated.
(Devotions for a Sacred Marriage by Gary Thomas. From "A Soul Filled with God" on p. 9)

The Excellent Wife, Chapter 20

The Wife's Loneliness...Overcoming a Lack of Oneness

The first thing I thought of when reading this chapter was one of the 'likes and dislikes' I listed in my high school yearbook. Likes: being alone, Dislikes: being lonely. Still rings true to me today, many years later. I cherish and crave alone time. In fact, to a fault, I think, I seek it out.

But being lonely? Oh, what an awful feeling, especially when I am with another person or a crowd. If I am with another, especially my husband, I expect to talk and connect and relate. When this doesn't happen, for whatever reason, feelings of loneliness can creep in.

That is when it is good for me to keep in perspective my place in this world and in God's kingdom. What am I ultimately looking for when I feel lonely?

"Nothing that you could possibly desire would be better than a closeness to God...Not even a husband who openly and freely shares himself with you. When you experience loneliness, let your emotions be a signal that you need God. Draw close to God in grateful submission to Him."

When I can turn my thoughts towards God and what He would desire instead of worrying about me and my needs, then the self-pity that often accompanies loneliness does not have a place. My selfish heart always wants to ensure my own comfort, but I am here to serve God, not God serving me.

"Work hard at knowing Christ in a more intimate way and at putting on gratitude and contentment. Thank God often for your circumstances and what God wants to teach you and how God wants to use you for His glory."

The Excellent Wife, Chapter 19

The Wife's Fear...Overcoming Anxiety

Biblical Principles Concerning Fear

• Fear may keep us from fulfilling our God-given responsibilities
• Fear may motivate a person to commit other sins "Fear operates like a flood gate opening and letting all the other sins loose."
• Fear may motivate a person to deny the Lord Jesus and His word "remind yourself that God was and still is sovereign over every circumstance"
• Fear may be of other men "fear is a fact of life in a fallen world. How we respond to our fears depends on our relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ"

Solutions to Fear

1. Do not be a man pleaser "Instead of seeking man's approval, seek God's by having strong, clear biblical convictions and living them out"
2. Remind yourself of God's Word Those who love Thy law have great peace, and nothing causes them to stumble, Psalms 119:165
3. Make wise decisions "Wisdom is the ability to related truth (God's word) to life situations"
4. Realize the power of God working within you "You become fearful because of what you think about particular circumstances, not because of the circumstances themselves. As a result, your focus becomes more and more inward. You become more and more frightened. Typically you think, 'What's going to happen to me?' An inward focus is a selfish focus and the fear that results from selfish thinking is not from God. It is a consequence of your own sin"
5. Fear the Lord and delight in His commands "How foolish when we fear sickness or death, but do not fear God or His commandments"
6. Realize God is ever-present with you "Remind yourself and trust that God is always with you"
7. Trust God to keep His word Heaven and earth will pass away, but My Words shall not pass away, Matthew 24:35
8. Seek after the Lord when you are afraid I sought the Lord, and He answered me, and delivered me from all my fears, Psalm 34:4
9. Overcome your fear with love "Love looks for opportunities to give. Fear keeps an eye on the consequences to self. Love 'thinks no evil'. Fear thinks of little else. Love 'believes all things' while fear is highly suspicious"

I was thanking the Lord this week that I've never really had to struggle too much with this issue of fear, although I know many do. Growing up, there was not an atmosphere of fear. My parents trusted the Word of God and lived by it and were fairly laid-back in regards to the typical fear hot points.

As I got older, I discovered for myself that I serve a big God who doesn't need my help and input. He's proven over and over that He takes better care of me than I can take care of myself by worrying, wondering and being fearful and I rest in that.

I pray that you will find the peace in your heart that my loving Savior wants so much for you to have. Prayerfully take these steps to heart and ask God to help you. His grace is sufficient.

A Verse A Day

Ephesians 3 (the Message)

14-19 My response is to get down on my knees before the Father, this magnificent Father who parcels out all heaven and earth. I ask him to strengthen you by his Spirit—not a brute strength but a glorious inner strength—that Christ will live in you as you open the door and invite him in. And I ask him that with both feet planted firmly on love, you'll be able to take in with all followers of Jesus the extravagant dimensions of Christ's love. Reach out and experience the breadth! Test its length! Plumb the depths! Rise to the heights! Live full lives, full in the fullness of God

My Uncle Lee and I were sitting in the lifeguard's chair, nice and early like we both like it, looking out at the Atlantic Ocean enjoying the quiet morning and God's creation. There are so many verses and praises that come to mind when I am in such a place as this, at such a time, but I like this one because the ocean seems endless, it goes as far as the eye can see, too much to ever be able to measure. The ebb and flow of the tide is so consistent, predictable. This is how God's is love for us, for me. Limitless, never ceasing.

A Verse A Day

"Hannah prayed, and said, My heart exults and triumphs in the Lord; my horn (my strength) is lifted up in the Lord. My mouth is no longer silent, for it is opened wide over my enemies, because I rejoice in Your salvation." I Samuel 2:1

A Verse A Day

"A time will come, however, indeed it is already here, when the true (genuine) worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth (reality); for the Father is seeking just such people as these as His worshippers." John 4:23

God is calling us all to be true worshipers. When we start to discover who He is and that He fills the longing we have to love something supremely, then we can not help but be worshipers.

We will all worship and glorify something or someone, but I want my response to be to the King of kings, my Lord.

For Our Good

Romans 8:28 says "For we know that all things work together for good to those who love God and are called according to His purpose."

Good: profit, useful. Everything conspires for our good. This doesn't mean that everything is intrinsically good, but everything ultimately works for us. The purpose of the things I've gone through are set out before God...He sees and remembers. How often does God use our pain to birth our passion? If we are honest and can see clearly, those things we are passionate about can usually be traced back to pain, a difficult time. Those things are exposed before God and He will perfect that which concerns me.

Those who love God. This is in the present tense and most commentators agree that it is meant as a description of Christians, not a condition. God is working for those loving Him. That's just part of being a Christian, not an if/then statement.

Although this is a familar, favorite scripture, I had not looked deeply into it. Beth Moore puts it much more eloquently than I do if you have time to check it out (4/7/08). http://www.oneplace.com/ministries/Living_Proof_with_Beth_Moore/archives.asp?bcd=2008-4-7