Kool-Aid Smiles

She drinks in dark red colored water and runs away. She denies the food we offer her. She’s hyped up on sunshine and the new found freedom she’s acquired of an enormous lawn. She knows her boundaries but tests us relentlessly.  She scampers and squeals as she chases her new bright pink bouncy ball. She’s two years old yet seems to be in tune with approaching summertime. Perhaps it’s just my perspective of her. Or perhaps it’s retrospective memories I see when I look at her.

Growing up in Oklahoma, our family had our fill of outdoor gatherings and BBQ’s. Well, I say this loosely as we moved to Denver, Colorado the middle of my 6^th Grade year. I was eleven at the time. I remember fireworks in July, fire flies and hot sultry nights when I wished my dad would have allowed the air conditioner to be colder. Regardless where we lived, Mom always made us Kool-Aid popsicles. So whether we were eating it or drinking it, we ended up with a “Kool-Aid Smile”; usually red, and all around the mouth. I liked how red it made my tongue. Some memories are so simple, yet so meaningful when recalled as an adult. For me, those little memories when I was 8, before the divorce, weren’t very happy. But when I dig deep, God allows me to pull out a few sweet ones to savor, and I thank Him. One Pastor of ours used to say, “God allows what He hates, to accomplish what He loves.” I took that phrase for my own because it helped me to see that God didn’t just carelessly make my life difficult as a child, but rather He knew what I didn’t. Jeremiah 29:11 says;  For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. My life had a future that I couldn’t see at 8 or 11 or even now at, ahem, thirty something. So as I watch my children run and play and grow, I can sleep well at night knowing they belong to a God that cares for them and already knows their future.

 Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. 1 Peter 5:7

When I pray with my children, I often ask them to pray for their spouses-to-be. Some readily agree, others say, “Mom. I told you I’m never getting married you know!” Regardless we pray, “Lord, our eyes can’t see what yours can. We know you desire Godly offspring, so we pray for the future spouse of (fill in child’s name) and that they are being raised in a Godly home, that your hand is protecting them always. We pray for assurance and clarity when the time comes for them to meet and most of all, Your will be done. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”   It is never too soon to pray for our future sons and daughters-in-law! When their day does come, and it will, they can confidently say to their spouse, I’ve been praying for you my whole life.

How Do You Measure Love?

I often engage in what would seem like an argument with my children over who loves whom more.  “I love you honey.”  Then, “I love you more.” Then, “I love you most.” Etc. Sometimes a child will exclaim, “I love you big as God!” Or, “I love you the size of the earth!” and on and on… Somewhere along the line I began asking them how they would measure love. One said, “If it was stretchy, I would stretch it out forever.”  Another said, “Maybe how many times you believed my brothers and sisters over me.” Ouch.

We all have our own ideas and thoughts of what we think love should be and how it should be expressed. There are too many ways to list. I do think however, we all have a lot to learn from our children. In fact, two of my sons wrote the same essay on My Three Favorite People. While I ranked “numero uno” on one son’s list, the other had me in third place!!

Here is what the bible has to say about love:  ¹ If I speak in the tongues^[a] of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. ² If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. ³ If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast,^[b] but do not have love, I gain nothing.
 ⁴ Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. ⁵ It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. ⁶ Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. ⁷ It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. ⁸ Love never fails.  -1 Corinthians 13:1-8

It’s funny; about 10 years ago I read a book by Gary Chapman, entitled The Five Love Languages. He says we all have at least one unique way in which we receive love.  He lists them as Acts of Service, Receiving Gifts, Words of Affirmation, Quality Time, and Physical Touch. It had a section in it aimed at children in particular and he mentioned that their love language could likely change over time. I’m beginning to see this played out a bit. While one child used to be happy with words of affirmation, now I need to add a hug. Or, one always needed my hugs, and now I have to ask for a hug. As we are like clay to the Heavenly Potter’s hands, our children remain quite malleable in ours for years.  We must be able to shape them without breaking them. In my experience, it’s the shaping or stretching that can cause great pain. Muscles hurt when stretched beyond our comfort zone. Giving birth is one of the most painful ways I can think of to stretch a muscle. Whether parent or child, stretching your love muscles, can take some practice.  Be willing to read your child’s love language and perhaps adapt yours to suit his. Blessings.

Shattered, broken, annihilated, fractured and splintered.

Translucent green sharp edges lay in a thousand tiny pieces on the counter top, stove and floor. “Nooooo!", my voice shakes. “Not again.”  A dish I use regularly, lay annihilated before my eyes.  I hear my eldest, the first one I prayed for, hoped for, thanked God for, fumbling for explanatory words that say she didn’t mean to. I already know this. However, there have been too many things broken in our house recently. And I don’t understand. A bowl, several glasses, a measuring cup, odd utensils, a young heart or two, wall portraits, and other things like video games and controllers etc., now this large green baking dish.  I try to reassure her with, “I know you didn’t mean to honey.” I suppose I was convincing myself as much as her. I guess when I looked at all the broken pieces I saw an image of myself. Broken and fragmented.  As I gingerly swept up the mess, looking down at all the many splintered pieces, I thought how something this shattered could never be fixed. Thankfully, that’s not how God views us, His children.  We are all broken at times. We are laid out and arrayed in an eradicated mess. Yet, He willingly forgives us when we confess and ask.  1John 1:9 says, If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. All too often I forget this myself. I’m first in line to belittle myself and judge others prematurely.  I stay broken far too long, when all I need to do is ask my Heavenly Father to fix me. I use crystal glasses every day. There are few things in my house I reserve for special occasions. My belief is life is too short to wait until Christmas to use the “good stuff”. (Though I don’t wear my Sunday best every day, I do make it a point to wear a skirt around the house at least once more during the week.) Whether letting the tears roll down, or fiercely wiping them back, God sees the heart of all. He knows how frail our powers, a line from one of my favorite hymns, and Psalm 103. We wither and flourish like the grasses, and our lives mirror our hearts. It’s not that all the things broken in my house are priceless, but the people and the relationships are. I hate when things are broken, but I rejoice when they are fixed! Blessings.

"My Soul, Now Bless Thy Maker"
by Johann Gramann, 1487-1541

1. My soul, now bless thy Maker!
Let all within me bless His name
Who maketh thee partaker
Of mercies more than thou dar'st claim.
Forget Him not whose meekness
Still bears with all thy sin,
Who healeth all thy weakness,
Renews thy life within;
Whose grace and care are endless
And saved thee through the past;
Who leaves no sufferer friendless,
But rights the wronged at last.

2. He shows to man His treasure
Of judgment, truth, and righteousness,
His love beyond all measure,
His yearning pity o'er distress,
Nor treats us as we merit,
But lays His anger by,
The humble, contrite spirit
Finds His compassion nigh;
And high as heaven above us,
As break from close of day,
So far, since He doth love us,
He puts our sins away.

3. For as a tender father
Hath pity on his children here,
He in His arms will gather
All who are His in childlike fear.
He knows how frail our powers
Who but from dust are made;
We flourish like the flowers,
And even so we fade;
The wind but o'er them passes,
And all their bloom is o'er,-
We wither like the grasses,
Our place knows us no more.

4. God's grace alone endureth,
And children's children yet shall prove
How He with strength assureth
The hearts of all that seek His love.
In heaven is fixed His dwelling,
His rule is over all;
Angels, in might excelling,
Bright hosts, before Him fall.
Praise Him, who ever reigneth

All ye who hear His Word,
Nor our poor hymns disdaineth-
My soul, oh, bless the Lord!

If You Want It Bad Enough...

They wear men’s clothes. They wear men’s shoes. They wear men’s cologne and deodorant. They cut their hair in a short manly fashion. They talk tough. They demand extra cream in their coffee and if they don’t get it, they just might come across the counter and strangle you! They pretend to “hate” men, but they act like men and most look like men. But don’t dare mistake one for a man by saying, “Excuse me, sir, may I help you?” Oh no, they will come all unglued! The “feminist” movement of years gone by is exactly the opposite; it’s anti-feminine! And should no longer be called feminine, just lesbian. They rob the cradle and the grave. They are trying to castrate our “real men” by destroying the marriage bed and the family. Don’t let it happen! Stand up for Motherhood, and embrace your femininity ladies! The “butch” look was never truly “in” anyway. Grow your hair to your waist. Buy a dozen skirts. Wear heels and lipstick just because you can!
 ²⁴ Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. ²⁵ They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen.
 ²⁶ Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural sexual relations for unnatural ones. ²⁷ In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed shameful acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their error. ²⁸ Furthermore, just as they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, so God gave them over to a depraved mind, so that they do what ought not to be done. ²⁹ They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, ³⁰ slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; ³¹ they have no understanding, no fidelity, no love, no mercy. ³² Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them. Romans 1:24-32
It’s a big powerful excerpt of scripture. Mans depravity runs rampant here.  I dare not go too deeply into this vastly wide plethora of sin “flavors” available on this menu.  We are to employ the Holy Spirit and beg for self control in our own areas of weakness. However, the above verses do clearly state if we do not practice a strong form of self restraint, then God will give us over to our sinful desires. Ultimately, that isn’t what any of us want. We want self control; after all it’s a fruit of the spirit right? We want to be free from sin and death. Romans 8:2 says: ² because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you^[a]free from the law of sin and death. Freedom, as we have come to know, comes with a price, death. To die to oneself is to let go of fleshly desires.  May we continue to let go, and let God lead us. May we seek His will in our lives each day. May we not find ourselves wanting our sin so badly, that we forget our Creator and what He created us for. For His own glory, amen.
  

Pierced Flesh

Hard at work, “about his father’s business “, you might say, he wiped the beads of sweat from his brow. 90 minutes or more into the laborious task given him that morning, came the unseen. Tender skin gave way to rusted metal. Deep into flesh, passing through fibers and rubber soled shoe the nail did go. The puncture drew crimson from his young foot and the pain set in. Without thought he reeled back in agony not realizing what he had done. His foot was lifted and the shoe remained, nail embedded within. Making use of strength in his good limb, my son then hopped on one foot, 50 yards to our front door.

Psalm 22:16 says;

Dogs surround me, a pack of villains encircles me; they pierce my hands and my feet.

Isaiah 53:4-5 says;

 Surely he took up our pain 
   and bore our suffering, 
yet we considered him punished by God, 
   stricken by him, and afflicted. 
 But he was pierced for our transgressions, 
   he was crushed for our iniquities; 
the punishment that brought us peace was on him, 
   and by his wounds we are healed. 

As hard as it can be for a parent to witness a child in pain and bleeding, we as God’s children must remember His sacrifice on the cross was a hundred fold to our sufferings. Thankfully, flesh does heal. He knows our burdens and our afflictions and how frail the flesh truly is. So when we are pierced in the flesh or in the spirit, we can “cast all our cares on Him because He cares for us.” 1 Peter 5:7 Blesssings.

Blackflies

I hate black flies! I took one in the eye tonight while outside playing dodge ball with the kids. Black-fly Season. Mud Season. Hunting Season. Christmas Season. Football Season. Basketball Season. Baseball Season. Strawberry Season. Blueberry Season.  I could go on and on. I won’t. You’re welcome. There is a season for everything, according to King Solomon.
 Ecclesiastes 3:1-8, says this:  ¹To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:
 ²A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;
 ³A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;
 ⁴A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
 ⁵A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
 ⁶A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;
 ⁷A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
 ⁸A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war.
Wow! Was he “spot on” or what?! I can’t believe how many “seasons” of life there are. We tend to over look however, the season of life we are currently residing within. There are seasons in each of my children’s lives right now that I am blessed at seeing. My very smallest one to whom everything is brand new and she discovers new treasures inside and outside weekly. My little ones, who daily have an overwhelming desire to present me with, let’s call them “lawn flowers” are simply adorable. They seem to reach my innermost Mom-heart directly. My eldest 3, who, no doubt are so very different from each other being a 14 year old girl, an 11 year old boy and a nine year old boy, bring with them joys and frustrations of their own, sometimes hourly. These are precious seasons and should be noted in the hearts of every mom when her children are small, medium and large alike. Live in these moments whenever they present themselves. Recognize the blessing that is being handed to you directly from the hand of God. Seize the moment and live in it. Blessings.

Gettin' "Yucky"

"I got yucky!", number 7 yells, as she bolts towards me with outstretched hands of dirt. She had just zoomed down the slide only to land hands down in mud. Our back lawn takes longer than a mission trip to mexico to dry up after all the rain we get around here. Of my 7, she is the one currently holding the "Miss Clean USA" title. She  then proceeded to have me wipe her hands and then continued with this routine again and again and again...
Dirty, filthy, yucky sin. Some of us want to "wash it off" as soon as possible. While others, though they don't want to be dirty, aren't as quick to run to the sink. Perhaps we think the dirt isn't all that bad, after all, "God made dirt, and dirt don't hurt." Ever hear that one? My Mama use to say that if I dropped my lollipop in the dirt. Perhaps we think, at the end of the day, we all "wash up". Or, as long as we wash it off eventually, it doesn't matter when. If God allows you to get dirty, He also leads you to the well of living water. He has promised to wash us clean as snow. “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; Isaiah 1:18
  

Psalm 51:7-10 says:

 ⁷ Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; 

   wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
⁸ Let me hear joy and gladness;
   let the bones you have crushed rejoice.
⁹ Hide your face from my sins
   and blot out all my iniquity.

 ¹⁰ Create in me a pure heart, O God,
   and renew a steadfast spirit within me.

Run to Him when sin has made you dirty. Run to Him with hands stretched out and let Him wash you in His blood. ⁵And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood,...Revelation 1:5
He will make you clean again and again and again...

⁹ If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9

May we all have the courage and strength to go to our Heavenly Father and get "washed up" regularly. Be encouraged dear friends, we are all in this together. Blessings. 

Contractions

"I remember my mother's prayers and they have always followed me. They have clung to me all my life." 
-- Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865)


I have several close friends that are roughly 9 months pregnant at this time. I myself, have labored and birthed 7 times. Contractions are not pleasant. Nor do we look forward to them each time we observe the plus sign on the little white stick. I'm certain you know what I'm talking about. Contractions, we are told, help "get the job done". "Every contraction gets you one step closer to holding your little one." These are words I have heard over and over. They are true. However, not always welcomed during transition. Which brings me to this morning. It was a typical morning of the clamor of dishes, little feet scampering here and there, yelling and laughter; and then; contractions! One after the other. Malt O Meal spilled-on chair-on floor-on child and then I stepped in it. Ok. No big. 5 minutes later...milk spilled on table and child. Ok. Breathe. 5 minutes later...here comes a big one...push! "Mom! Poop! On floor!" (The dog, not the child.)  Ok. I call a child to deliver Me! And we thought contractions stopped once the child was delivered? Wrong. Remember the afterbirth? No one told me that life was the afterbirth. Life, especially one filled with blessings under four feet tall, is full of daily contractions. This too shall pass. It's how we handle them that counts. This morning really was typical, and I was ready. I admit, like pregnancy and birth, I'm not always ready. Thankfully, we are not in this alone. We have a heavenly Counselor who has our best interest at heart. 
¹¹ For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Jeremiah 29:11
We are Mother's. It is the highest of callings. Delight in it.


"The heart of a mother is a deep abyss at the bottom of which you will always find forgiveness." ~ Honore de Balzac

Heavenly Minded

What does it mean to be so "Heavenly minded, that we are no earthly good."? This, to me, is an old Baptist-dispensational type saying. I previously heard a former Pastor's wife say this to her parishioners. It was quite the catch phrase among many of my former Baptist acquaints. Presently, in the Reformed circles I am surrounded by, we don't tend to be as cliche`. Now, don't jump to any snobbish conclusions with that statement. Trendy speech is prevalent in all dominations, circles etc. It is the way of the world. We humans rub off on one another after a while. Don't you agree? Of course the basis for this cute phrase is derived from bible passages such as Matthew 6:20 and James 5:1-5 and others like them. Whereas Matthew speaks of storing up treasures in Heaven where neither moth nor thieves can rob; James tells what happens when your treasures are solely on earth; they will rust and be devoured by moth and worm. Nehemiah 4:9 gives a good balance and says, "But we prayed to our God and posted a guard day and night to meet this threat."
Which means by having faith, but also not sitting on their hands, they trusted God. Friends, let us strive to do the same. As you walk along life's path today, store up heavenly goods by way of compassion, mercy and good works for those you love AND those you don't. Trust God, but don't expect Him to do it for you.   

Are YOU Virtuous?

Interpose virtuous and woman in a sentence, in all solemnity in a supermarket checkout and listen...what do you hear? Probably laughter, or nothing at all I want to see in  print on my blog site. The two words together are not commonplace, nor do they seem to agree within modern society. Beyond being merely "uncool" to the younger generation, they truly have lost the desire to be heard together or read together. Meaning gives way to lost  meaning in our current popular vocabulary. What's a girl to do? Speak them loud and speak them often! Live their meaning to their fullest. By all means, get a dictionary and your bible, and get to work ladies! You women of virtue, with your Word hungry husbands and your 9.5 children, your apron strings dangling amidst your hips, ears laden with shrill screams from sticky toddlers, potty training 3 year olds, messy room-filled homes, Mini- vans and SUV's in your driveways, yes you!! You are called to be virtuous! God challenges you and I challenge you. Let's see if we can't change the supermarket "lingo" from, "Hey, check out that hottie!", to, "Well I do declare! I believe I see a virtuous woman walking towards me!"