Praise the Lord

Praise the LORD.^[a]

   Praise the LORD from the heavens;
   praise Him in the heights above.
² Praise Him, all His angels;
   praise Him, all His heavenly hosts.
³ Praise Him, sun and moon;
   praise Him, all you shining stars.
⁴ Praise Him, you highest heavens
   and you waters above the skies.

 ⁵ Let them praise the name of the LORD,
   for at His command they were created,
⁶ and He established them for ever and ever—
   He issued a decree that will never pass away.

 ⁷ Praise the LORD from the earth,
   you great sea creatures and all ocean depths,
⁸ lightning and hail, snow and clouds,
   stormy winds that do His bidding,
⁹ you mountains and all hills,
   fruit trees and all cedars,
¹⁰ wild animals and all cattle,
   small creatures and flying birds,
¹¹ kings of the earth and all nations,
   you princes and all rulers on earth,
¹² young men and women,
   old men and children.

 ¹³ Let them praise the name of the LORD,
   for His name alone is exalted;
   His splendor is above the earth and the heavens.
¹⁴ And He has raised up for His people a horn,^[b]
   the praise of all His faithful servants,
   of Israel, the people close to His heart.

   Praise the LORD. – Psalm 148

Picture by Sam O'Daniel

“Mommy, wouldn’t it be cool if the trees could talk?”  My three-year-old daughter looked around her as we drove down the road, enjoying a beautiful, spring-like day at the end of January.  The first image that came to mind was the trees from Babes in Toyland, a favorite movie at our house.  But then I realized that this was an excellent time to teach Hannah that trees can and do talk to the One who created them!

This question brought forth a whole conversation about how all of nature speaks – in fact, it sings, worships, and claps for the Lord God Almighty!  On Monday, the wind howled, the rain fell, the cold wrapped its fingers around our naked noses, mouths, and ears, and the praises were sung to the Lord.  Today, the wind is calm, the temperatures are warm, and the sun is shining.  Even now the earth sings praises to the Lord.

Isaiah 55:12 says, “You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands.”

I first started writing poetry when I was in elementary school, and I have always loved the imagery that can be painted with words.  So I especially love the Psalms and this passage in Isaiah that personify creation and how it praises the Lord.

The brook babbles, the wind howls, the earth grumbles – all in praise to our Lord, Who made them all!  Just looking around at creation, I can’t imagine that there isn’t a Creator.  And I can’t imagine that He doesn’t love us!  To me, everything in nature blends together in perfect harmony – even natural disasters have their place.  If we listen carefully, we can hear the symphony playing, the crescendo of the gentle rhythm of the creek water into the roar of the waterfall; the gentle shifting of the earth (which is hardly ever felt) erupting and crashing as it breaks apart; the clashing sound of the wind and rain against the house diminishing into the gentle calmness of a whispering breeze.  All the earth sings praises to God!

I know it’s easy to forget God’s goodness in the daily routine of changing dirty diapers, wiping runny noses, and drying crocodile tears, but take your kids outside and teach them how to hear God’s symphony!  Find God’s goodness in even the dark, cold, rainy night!  Then sing your own song of praise, for He created you as well!

“It is good to praise the LORD and make music to Your name, O Most High,
² proclaiming Your love in the morning and Your faithfulness at night” – Psalm 92:1-2

 

Prayer for Parents

Parenting is hard work!  It’s exhausting, sometimes unrewarding, demanding, consuming, delightful, encouraging, and totally worth it!  But I think that sometimes the hardest part about being a parent is doing the unpopular thing.  When no one else supports you in the efforts you are making, it can get very discouraging.  You may just want to throw in the towel and give in to the pressures of the world.

I remember when I was single that I often looked critically at the people around me who were parents.  “I would never do that to my child!  I would never say something like that!  That kid is probably acting that way because that parent taught them to be that way!”  I remember that I even had opinions when I became a mom and had an infant who (to my great delight) slept through the night at only six weeks old (Warning:  This does not mean that they will stay in their beds when they are three years old!).  Now that I have two kids – one preschooler who is a girl and one toddler who is a boy – I have no opinions left!  LOL!

The truth is that it is much easier to judge other parents rather than look at our own inadequacies as parents!  I hate to admit that my child was probably the one you heard screaming in Target last week.  And I hate to admit that it was my child who pushed your kid down in nursery.  And I hate to admit that my kids are sinners who need a Savior, and it is only by the grace of that Savior that I am able to parent these kids on a daily basis!

Matthew 7:1-5 says:

“Do not judge, or you too will be judged.  ²For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.  ³ Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? ⁴ How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? ⁵ You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.”

We often apply these verses to every aspect of our lives except how we parent!  I don’t know about you, but I do not want to be criticized on my parenting skills!  I don’t want to look at the “plank in [my] own eye”!  I think that it is definitely easier to look at someone else and criticize how they are parenting (even if my own kids acted that exact way just last week!)

I know that everyone has a different parenting style.  Some people would say that Jamie and I are incredibly strict, while others would say that we are way too lenient!  I watch a lot of different kids, and I have seen a lot of different parenting styles.  The commonality I see amongst these parents is that they are all fighting for their children the best way that they know how!  Every single child I watch has loving parents who discipline in different ways and who succeed and fail in different ways.  And they all need encouragement!

“Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do” (I Thess. 5:11).

I know that I do many things wrong as a parent, but there sure are a lot of days that I would really appreciate some encouragement.  I would love to hear from a mom who has been through these difficult toddler years how she was able to get through the other side and to keep persevering!  I would love to hear from a grandmother how to discipline my children in a way that brings them closer to Jesus.  I would love to have a mom who is going through the same phases I am to admit to me that she struggles, too, instead of leaving me to think that I am alone.

I believe that God wants us parents to help each other, encourage each other, and support each other through the difficult task of raising our children.  My children can be delightful, but they can also be difficult.  So the next time you start judging me (or any other parent, for that matter), check your heart first.  Unless you think there is abuse (at which time, I urge you to intervene immediately!), perhaps you should take that moment to pray for that parent and evaluate how you can encourage them.  Just remember that I’m doing the best I can, and we are all in this together!

“Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much” – James 5:16

Are Your Kids Sensitive?

I saw a segment on “The Today Show” this morning about foul language on television and how parents feel about it for the children’s sake.  One mom was actually quoted as saying, “I don’t really mind it for my children.  I think it desensitizes them!”

Hmmm. . .I wonder if that woman really understands what it means to “desensitize our children,” or perhaps this is a common standard held by many parents worldwide.  Maybe she was just expressing what the average parent believes.  It really started me thinking, though, about how I can focus on sensitizing my children!  As a Christian parent, I certainly don’t want my children to become desensitized to evil – even foul language!

The Bible clearly states in Philippians 4:8, “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable–if anything is excellent or praiseworthy–think about such things.”

Recently, I was linked through Facebook to a missionary’s blog.  My friend put out a warning that this person’s blog may contain some offensive language, but I thought she was just talking about the missionary’s beliefs.  I have to admit that I did read through the whole article, and I believe that this woman had a lot of great points about Christianity and legalism.  But I also think that she lost some of her message when she decided to use foul language throughout her post to prove her “liberty in Christ.”

To me, this was just evidence that even the Christian community as a whole is becoming desensitized to Satan’s schemes!  We as Christians need to be setting the bar higher!  We shouldn’t be accepting foul language, rude language, inappropriate dress, disrespectful attitudes, or any other form of degradation from our children or the world around them!  Is it okay for my children to hear foul language on the television?  Absolutely not!  Is it okay for them to hang around with people who use that language?  Absolutely not!  Is it okay for them to act out because they are just children?  Absolutely not!  We need to stand up and fight for our children!

I am fighting to keep my children sensitive to evil, and evil can creep in through unexpected ways.  We love, love, love Disney at my house, and we are thrilled to own many of the Disney movies that we enjoyed as children.  But I have found myself analyzing – perhaps over-analyzing – each movie and then discussing its biblical problems with Hannah after she has finished watching it.  I never thought to do this before I had children, but I am starting to notice little ways that evil can sneak into my children’s hearts.

Take the story of Ariel.  Here is a girl who has everything – she is a princess; she is beautiful; she has a loving father; she is never lonely; she is doted upon by the entire kingdom – yet she is discontent.  She wants more.  She wants to be someone who she is not.  Now I realize that Ariel is not real, but imagine the impression this character can have on my impressionable three-year-old daughter, who already worries about her looks and wants to be older and is looking for her “prince.”

Belle isn’t much better.  She spends the first part of the movie singing songs about how she wishes she could be somewhere else, do something else, be someone else.  She is anti-social, spending most of her time reading books instead of developing relationships.  And she thinks that she is better than the rest of the town.  My daughter loves Belle and thinks that she makes a beautiful princess.

I certainly don’t think there is anything wrong with my daughter watching these movies (in fact, I think they have very good morals in them overall), but I do see a need to follow up with Scripture and point her focus back on God.  Satan wants our kids, and he is not above using us parents to get at them!  I think we do need to be guilty of over-analyzing everything that impacts our children!

Jesus greatly admonished us to protect our children from evil.  In Mark 9:42, He said, “But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were thrown into the sea.”

What a great responsibility we have to care for these little ones – heart, soul, mind, and strength!  It’s not enough to make sure that they are eating three healthy meals a day!  It’s not enough to check their homework and make sure they go to bed at a decent hour.  We need to fight for their hearts!  Fight for their godliness!  Fight for their very existence as soldiers in God’s army!

We are heading into battle, and our children need to be prepared!  So I pose this question to you – how sensitive are your kids?

 

Orphan Sunday

“Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world” James 1:27

According to a recent study, there are approximately 163 million orphans around the world.  That is 163 million children who have no one to kiss their boo-boos, 163 million children who have no one to dry their tears, 163 million children who have no one to hug them tight, 163 million children who will one day grow up to be adults with no idea how to love.  In the United States alone, there are over 500,000 children who are orphaned – whether their parents have died, are incarcerated, or just simply didn’t want to be a parent.

Tomorrow, Sunday, January 22nd, is Orphan Sunday. 

This is a day of awareness for the orphan crisis, for that’s what it is – a crisis!  Yes, there are many families out there who are willing to adopt, but there are so many more orphans than families!  There are newborn babies crying out, longing for the healing touch of a mother’s hand.  There are five-year-old children who long for a daddy to give piggy-back rides.  There are 10-year-olds who long for just one person to call their own but who realize that at their age, their chances are slim.  There are teenagers, still children in many ways but quickly growing into adults, who are aging out of “the system,” never knowing what it’s like to have a family of their own but continuing the trend of becoming young parents themselves.

This is an election year, and one of the highlighted items on the agenda is abortion.  Are you pro-life or pro-choice?  As an adoptive mom, I am not ashamed to proclaim that I am pro-life!  But letting my political preference be known is not enough!  If you’re pro-life, then what do you propose these moms do who cannot or will not parent?  Do you simply sit in your cozy home with your 2.5 children and criticize those who are pro-choice, or are you being pro-active?  Are you certain that every woman is responsible for getting herself pregnant?  What about those who are date-raped?  What about the young girl who was perhaps an orphan herself and never had the guidance from a parent to teach her to respect herself?  What about girls sold into slavery (something that is still very real – even in the United States)?

Why is there an orphan crisis?  Because good men (and women) are sitting back and doing nothing.  These children are crying out to be heard, and all they need is for one helping hand!

As we reflect on the orphan crisis this weekend, now would be a good time to think of a way your family can get involved.  I don’t believe every family is called to adopt, but every family is called to help the orphans!  Donate to an agency or an adopting family.  Become a Safe Family to provide a safe environment for children whose parents need mentoring (see www.bethany.org for more information).  Become a foster family.  Volunteer to help at a local adoption agency or women’s shelter.

But above all else, pray!  Pray for these children – the homeless, helpless, hopeless children – who are in need of a family.  Pray for more families to open their hearts and homes to adoption.  Pray for the caseworkers who handle the often-stormy situations from which these children come.  Pray for the money needed to fund orphanages worldwide and bring these children into waiting arms.  And pray for God’s leading in your own life.  You may never have thought about adoption, but you never know what God has planned for you!

As we go about our normal Sunday activities, let’s take time to consider the orphans and how we can help them.  Their lives depend on us!

“Learn to do good.  Seek justice.  Help the oppressed.  Defend the cause of orphans.  Fight for the rights of widows” (Is. 1:17).

Where Is He?

The gray sky today seems to match the week, or months actually, that we’ve had.  My thoughts are in turmoil as I struggle to find God in all of the trials that seem to beset us, our friends, our family.  We have wept and prayed with our friends whose children have undergone intensive, life-threatening surgeries (here and here).  We have encouraged and pleaded with our friends seeking divorce.  We have spent time in the emergency room, anxious over our injured daughter (here).  We have lifted our hands to heaven for family members facing cancer.  We have experienced our own bouts of sickness with bronchitis, colds, and teething.  Money is tight; my kids aren’t taking their naps; I need a nap; and the laundry keeps piling up!

Many people look around at all of the trials in the world – especially children getting hurt, sick, and even dying – and stop believing in a good God or abandon their faith in a Higher Power altogether.  After all, if God is so good, wouldn’t He make this life just a little bit easier?  Wouldn’t He protect the little ones, the innocent ones, the helpless ones?  Where is He?

The prophet Isaiah penned this answer from God, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,’ declares the LORD.  ⁹“As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts’” (Is. 55:8-9).

Many people still can’t see a gracious God in that answer.  Even many Christians struggle with what they consider to be an “unjust” God.  Where is His goodness?  And if He won’t relieve us from the trials of this life, then why doesn’t He just return for us now to take us to heaven with Him?

I was struck with the same thought from two completely different sources yesterday.  The first source was the lecturer at my weekly Bible Study.  We were studying Paul’s missionary journey to the Thessalonians, and he discusses Christ’s return in great length in I Thessalonians.  The lecturer was discussing the often-debated sentence, “the dead in Christ will rise first” (I Thess. 4:16).  She quoted a philosopher friend of hers, who said that we are limiting Christ to the concept of “time.”  According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, “time” can mean “finite as contrasted with infinite duration.”  I didn’t quite understand everything the speaker was saying, but I think the general idea was that God is not limited by “time.”  According to the philosopher, in heaven, everything is happening now.  So when we get to heaven, Adam and Eve will just be arriving, too.  A little confusing, I think, but the main idea that struck me was that God is not limited by my time.

I was musing over that while checking Facebook yesterday when I came across a link to The Huffington Post about that very topic of time (see “Don’t Carpe Diem” by Glennon Melton).  Melton says, “There are two different types of time. Chronos time is what we live in.  It’s regular time, it’s one minute at a time, it’s staring down the clock till bedtime time, it’s ten excruciating minutes in the Target line time, it’s four screaming minutes in time out time, it’s two hours till daddy gets home time.  Chronos is the hard, slow passing time we parents often live in.  Then there’s Kairos time. Kairos is God’s time. It’s time outside of time. It’s metaphysical time. It’s those magical moments in which time stands still.”

I know it’s hard to wrap our minds around anything happening outside of time, but perhaps our trials wouldn’t seem so grim if we could, for just one minute, see the God who lives “outside of time.”  Imagine a God Who is so much greater, so much more powerful, so unlimitless that He does, indeed, know what is best for us!  While we are stuck down here in the trenches able to see only the mounds of dirt in front of us, God is seeing the WHOLE picture of beautiful valleys, flowing streams, snow-capped mountains, and endless fulfilled dreams.  Not only does He see the picture, but He’s the One who came up with the picture in the first place!

Paul wanted to help us remember the power of our gracious God – “I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God’s power for us who believe Him.  This is the same mighty power ²⁰ that raised Christ from the dead and seated Him in the place of honor at God’s right hand in the heavenly realms” (Eph. 1:19-20).

We need to stop using our trials as a way of forsaking God and instead use these moments as a way to seek Him.  He loves us with an everlasting love that never dies, never diminishes, and never fails.

One of my favorite songs right now is “Blessings,” by Laura Story.  Take a few minutes to listen to her words and find joy in your circumstances.

 

 

 

A Fellowship for James

Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. – Matt. 18:19

It was hardly the place for fellowship.  The hard-back chairs, the families waiting, the tension in the air.  Two of my dearest friends sat down next to me as we waited to hear news from the surgeon on their little boy’s progress.  Just four years old but yet already so familiar with doctors and hospital procedures that he didn’t even try to cling to his parents as they bravely waved goodbye to him and went to wait.  And wait.  And wait.  Nothing can bring as much torment and anguish to a parent as waiting.  Waiting to know that your child is all right.  Waiting to hear, “You can go see him now.”  Waiting to hug him and hold him close and not let him out of your sight.  Ever.  Again.

Two of my dearest friends sat waiting and hoping and praying that their little boy would be okay.  And I noticed the other families who were waiting.  Some praying.  Some talking on their cell phones.  And some just thinking.  I wonder if they all had the same hope that we did.  Did they all know that God was holding their loved one in His hands?

One thing that Kelly said to me (as she kept glancing at the device that would alert her when her son was in surgery) was that she was overwhelmed by the love and support they were receiving.  It wasn’t just her family and close friends who were praying.  It was hundreds of people in our church.  It was a few hundred more in her sister’s church.  It was the lady she met online through a friend.  It was her childhood church family.  It was her neighbor.  It was friends of friends of friends on Facebook.  Every time she posted a status update, six or seven people immediately responded, pouncing on the opportunity to pray more specifically for just a moment more for her sweet James.  It was as though the very hosts of heaven had stopped to pray for one small child, whose smile and quick wit brightens any room.

I looked around at the other people who were waiting.  Did they have that kind of support?  Were hands lifted up to heaven petitioning for their loved one?  How do people handle these kinds of trials if they don’t realize that God is weeping with them?

It may not have been the “traditional” place to fellowship; but I could feel the fellowship of believers coming together across the country to pray for one of our family members, and I know that God heard us all as we breathed His name together.

“Our prayer must not be self-centered.  It must arise not only because we feel our own need as a burden we must lay upon God but also because we are so bound up in love for our fellow men that we feel their need as acutely as our own.  To make intercession for men is the most powerful and practical way in which we can express our love for them.” – John Calvin

Thou Shalt Not Lie

‘NOBODY LOVES ME!”  These words burst forth from my three-year-old daughter as she slammed the bathroom door – a response to both of her parents telling her repeatedly it was time to go potty and then take a nap.  I immediately opened the bathroom door and pulled her onto my lap.

“Hannah, what does the Bible say,” I gently prodded.  “Thou shalt not. . .”

“Lie,” she responded mournfully.  “But I didn’t lie.”

“Yes, you did, Honey.  You just lied to yourself.  When you say that ‘nobody loves you,’ you were telling yourself a lie.  The Bible doesn’t say that we just aren’t supposed to lie to Mommy and Daddy.  We aren’t supposed to lie.  Period.  You know that Mommy and Daddy love you, don’t you?”

“Yes, Mommy,” Hannah replied, a smile beginning to stretch across her sweet face.  “I love you, too.”

I am currently reading Lies Women Believe and the Truth That Sets Them Free by Nancy Leigh DeMoss, and I am amazed with how Satan is already trying to trick my young daughter into believing the lies.  She is already fighting the lie that nobody loves her when she does something wrong!  She is already fighting the lie that tells her that she is not beautiful!  She is already fighting the lie that God is not enough!

According to DeMoss, “The world’s deceptive way of thinking comes to us through so many avenues – television, magazines, movies, music, friends, malls, and catalogs, to name a few.  A steady diet of these worldly influences will shape our view of what is valuable, what is beautiful, and what is important in life.  There are no harmless lies.  We cannot expose ourselves to the world’s false, deceptive way of thinking and come out unscathed.  Eve’s first mistake was not eating the fruit; her first mistake was listening to the Serpent” (p. 38).

I stay at home with my children, so the world hasn’t been able to get a stranglehold on them just yet.  But here is my three-year-old, listening to what Satan is whispering to her!  How did he get in here anyway?!  Nobody invited him into this house!

It is in these moments that I am reminded what Paul wrote to the Ephesians – “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places” (Eph. 6:12).

Satan is on the warpath for our children!  He is sneaking in through the cracks, grabbing for them with his claws sinking in as he tells them that they aren’t good enough to be loved, that they don’t have the things that their friends have, that God could never possibly love someone like them!

As I am searching for the lies I have believed myself, I am becoming more aware of the lies that could potentially harm Hannah and Ephraim.  As the middle child, I have often believed the lie that no one loves me, and I am greatly discouraged to see Hannah heading into that lie herself.

The truth is that of course we’re not good enough to be loved!  But that isn’t really the point, is it?  We are all sinners in need of a loving God, and He loves us whether we choose to love Him or not!  I John 4:9-10 reminds us, “This is how God showed his love among us:  He sent His one and only Son into the world that we might live through Him.  ¹⁰ This is love:  not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.”

Since I read Ann Voskamp’s book, 1000 Gifts:  A Dare to Live Fully Right Where You Are, I have been challenged to look at the ways that God shows His love.  This seems to have become my New Year’s resolution this year, even though I never sought it out in the first place.  I quoted her before, but this seems to be the truth that I am trying to grasp this year, so I believe it bears repeating as I strive to teach Hannah to believe the Truth and not the Lie.

“God is always good, and I am always loved.” – Ann Voskamp

 

My Political Stand

I hate election years.  Don’t get me wrong – I enjoy the freedom I have to vote for my leaders.  I appreciate my responsibility to be active in my community and to choose someone who will lead us wisely.  In fact, I pride myself on taking my children with me when I vote to see how we have the freedom to choose the men and women who run our country.  I think it’s the responsibility of every citizen of voting age to go to the polls and cast their vote.  But I hate election years.

It seems like the entire year is just one big doomsday prediction.  Suddenly, we are focused on all of the negative things that are wrong with the nation, which leads us to see all the things that are wrong with the world.  Friendships are broken over political differences.  Families are divided.  Churches, workplaces, and even playgrounds become areas of tension as one political side tries to force its opinions and beliefs on another.

Is this the year that the world will end?!  If your candidate isn’t chosen, you might be the one asking this very question!

But have we forgotten Who is really in charge?  Have we taken our politics to the extreme and put more faith in “the system” than in the One who created those behind “the system”?

Proverbs 21:1 reminds us, “The king’s heart is like a stream of water directed by the LORD; he guides it wherever he pleases.”  While I believe that we should be researching and understanding why we choose the candidate we decide to support, I also believe that God is in this election.  He already knows the heart of the person who will be the next leader of our country.  He even knows the outcome of the 2012 polls!  I find such reassurance in that very fact!

I say all of this because I can feel the tension in the air.  I can see it in the comments on Facebook and read it in some blogs.  It’s as if we have forgotten the second greatest commandment – “Love your neighbor as yourself” (Matt. 22:39b).  While political discussion is good, name-calling, bickering, and general obnoxiousness are not!  Can we not love each other, despite our different political views?

I dread election year because I see adults suddenly acting out like children.  I see people allowing politics to diminish their relationships.  I see the woes of the world being carried on the shoulders of many.

So while I believe that election is good, that choosing our candidates is a citizen’s responsibility, and that we need to be informed of our current affairs, I also think we need to be reminded to

“Live in peace with each other.   ¹⁴  . . .warn those who are idle and disruptive, encourage the disheartened, help the weak, be patient with everyone.  ¹⁵ Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always strive to do what is good for each other and for everyone else.  ¹⁶ Rejoice always, ¹⁷ pray continually, ¹⁸ give thanks in all circumstances. . .” (I Thess. 5:13b-18a).

 

Lord, Give Me Grace

The morning sun was just beginning to peak through the trees as I prepared for the day.  I noticed its deep hues, gently spreading light over a darkened earth.  I thanked God for this grace-filled day, dedicating myself to do His will and promising to look for joy in all of the God-moments.

And then the children woke up.

Within a few minutes, the peaceful stillness of the first light of the day was shattered by a screaming baby and a bouncy three-year-old.  Before I could say a proper “good morning,” Ephraim had already dumped all of the dog food into the water bowl.  Hannah refused to get dressed for the day.  And Jamie was glaring at me from under warm covers, fighting the sleep that pulled his head back down to the pillow.  Was this supposed to be one of those grace-filled moments?

But that’s just life.  The children bring chaos.  The dog tears through the house.  The husband grumbles through his morning routine.  (And to be honest, I grumble, too, because I am just not a morning person!)

Jeremiah 29:13 says, “You will seek Me and find Me when you seek Me with all your heart.”

The Spirit seems to keep laying this verse on  my heart lately – whether I’m enjoying a beautiful sunrise or changing a dirty diaper.  Can I truly find God in this messy, unpredictable life?

The answer is, of course, YES!  Every moment is a God-moment!  Every task, every trial is a God-moment because God is always with us!  God is in each moment!  That revelation soothes my soul; it calms my temper; it brings me joy!

If I am seeking God in the middle of the toys strewn around the house, Hannah knocking Ephraim down over and over again, Ephraim clawing at my leg for me to feed him again, and everything else that goes along with this crazy life, then I am going to find Him.  He never leaves us; we just forget to look for Him!

So as I begin to participate in another grace-filled, emotionally challenging, God-seeking day, I feel peace in the chaos because these are the moments that God has given to me.  And His grace is always sufficient.

“But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness.’  Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.” – 2 Cor. 12:9

Resolutions

“God is always good, and I am always loved” – 1000 Gifts by Ann Voskamp

It’s a new year and a time for resolutions.  I always struggle to make resolutions because they always seem to be the same old, mundane resolutions that I make a million times throughout the year – lose weight, spend more time with my family, become debt-free, etc.  But this year, I have been reading 1000 Gifts:  A Dare to Live Fully Right Where You Are by Ann Voskamp.  Obviously, a dare given to me at this time of year has to be taken seriously!

Here’s the dare – write down 1,000 “gifts from God” that you see around you.  Live fully in each moment.  I was reading through one of the chapters, wondering how I could find joy in my ho-hum, stay-at-home-mom life when I came across the above quote.  Since we are studying James in our Ladies’ Bible Study, I already knew the part that “God is always good.”  The part that made me stop and read the sentence over and over again was, “I am always loved.”

That statement was just what I needed to seep into my soul.  As a middle child, I often feel unloved, ignored, unimportant.  Sometimes I feel like I don’t have a friend in the world.  So I need to speak this truth to myself – “I am always loved.”  How a gracious God could love someone like me, I don’t know.  But He does.  When I feel worn out from life’s tempests, when it seems like no one cares, when the finances just aren’t enough to cover all the bills, when my children will not obey, when I burn supper, when I feel the walls closing in on me, I am still loved.  He is always there and always will be!

So this year, I am resolved to find those gifts, to seek God in each moment, to feel the fullness of His love.  What are your resolutions this year?