Raising Children - A Picture God is Painting

I know that after my post on Monday, it may seem that I am discouraged with my life as a stay-at-home, work-at-home, homeschooling - (get the picture? It all revolves around "home") mom? Nope - not the case - just having an overwhelming day and spouting off a bit to release pressure on my wee little blog. My friend Joanne says blogging is cheaper than therapy and I do so agree!
After yesterday's sunburn, we were all dipping ourselves in a vat of aloe vera, and trying not to be cross with one another, and in the midst of the events of the day so far I have witnessed the following:

• brother does something that grosses sister out, sister gets angry & pushes brother & gets sent to her room, brother comes to express apologies for the thing he did to provoke the push
• daughter who was having a tough time yesterday with mom asks me for index cards to write memory verses, and tape to post them at various places in her room, also asks mom for scripture references of some familiar verses and we look them up together
• daughter does chores she would rather not do & brother that was pushed earlier by same sister helps her out
• siblings all reclining in living room to watch Quantum Leap and eat ice cream to cool the heat rising off of sunburn "together"
  

When I get overwhelmed - I need to remember that it is all a process. We are painting a picture day by day in how we live with one another of God's redemptive love. Offenses and forgiveness. A separation and reconciliation. Eventually fellowship on all sides. I am so thankful and my heart is so full. Thank You Lord for revealing Yourself in even these little things!

Actions and Intentions

Today's sermon really spoke to my heart. I am so thankful for those times when you know the Lord is speaking directly to YOU, and you can hear His voice loud and clear. Today was one of those days. I needed some important reminders.

Deuteronomy 20:19-20 When you lay siege to a city for a long time, fighting against it to capture it, do not destroy its trees by putting an ax to them, because you can eat their fruit. Do not cut them down. Are the trees of the field people, that you should besiege them? However, you may cut down trees that you know are not fruit trees and use them to build siege works until the city at war with you falls.

Do not destroy trees - you can eat their fruit.
In the gospels, Jesus compared people to trees. "You can tell by their fruit".
In the battles of life, we start swinging our axes at people.

People can be irritating. Sometimes you'd like to swing the ax.

Every human being has the right to be valued at his very best moment.
- Ralph Waldo Emerson

We all have good moments, and we all have bad moments. Dear Abby has said that 1 in 4 people are dysfunctional. (Personal note: I think I'm the one!)

Porky said this in a sermon years ago - and it really stuck with me. When he said it this morning I could have finished the second half - We judge others by their actions and ourselves by our intentions. Life would be so much sweeter if we reversed it, and did it the other way around.

Long ago, Porky said he made an agreement, he and the Lord. He felt the Lord told him, "You love 'em and I'll judge 'em." We all have a tendency to judge others. All of us - every single one.

Paul sets the standard of how we should look at one another when he says, "I no longer look at any man after the flesh." Jesus looked at a person's potential. He called Simon, "Peter" - the rock when he was anything but. Jesus saw what he could become.

Tony Campolo tells a story of a student he was speaking to who said, "Jesus never met a prostitute." The young man went on to explain that Jesus saw in everyone that he met, a soul needing salvation. I wish we could look at people that way.


There is a Calvin & Hobbes where Calving sets up a table with a sign saying "$5 for a swift kick in the butt" but he is not getting any customers. He doesn't understand why he has no customers, because "everybody needs what I'm sellin'".
Certainly we all need a swift kick in the butt from time to time - but thankfully that isn't how Jesus reacts to our shortcomings.

There is a story about a girl asking her Grandmother how she and her Grandfather have been happily married for so many years. Grandma said she decided to make a list of the 10 things that were her husbands biggest faults, and everytime he did one of them, she would overlook it. The granddaughter asked what those ten things were, and Grandma replied that she never really got around to making that list. Everytime he did something wrong, she just said to herself, "It's a good thing that was one of the ten things." Longevity in marriage was attained by overlooking the shortcomings of an imperfect spouse. The Bible tells us, it is the glory of a man to overlook an offense.

Jesus looks for good in people. In his encounter with the woman at the well, He did not respond to her the way the Pharisees would have - they would have jumped all over her. She asks Jesus for some of the living water He is speaking of, and He tells her to go and get her husband and come back, to which she replies, "I have no husband." Jesus tells her "You are right when you say you have no husband. The fact is, you have had five husbands and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have said is quite true." Jesus commended this woman for her truthfulness - he encourages her, and lifts her from her shame.

It's as if Jesus is saying if you can extract the precious from among the vile, then you'll be My spokesman. He asks us to look for the good in people, the qualities worth redeeming in each other.

How do I do that?

1. First, recognize my own corruption. Most people have a hard time seeing their own faults. There is a major hotel chain that just inside the locker room door is hung a large mirror with a sign above telling employees TAKE A GOOD LOOK AT YOURSELF. We need to try to see what others see when they look at us.
Matthew 7:3-5 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? How can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the epeck out of your eye,' when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? 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.

2. Secondly, realize your own value - see yourself as God sees you. If you had a $100 bill and crumpled it all up and got it all dirty - it would still have value. And you, even in your struggle against the flesh, and sin have intrinsic value to the Lord. God sees us in our sinfulness and says we've not lost our value.
Carl Barth, theologian, at the end of his life was asked about the most profound truth he's discovered. He said it was this - Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so.
The tricky part is remembering that God sees everyone around me with the same value, and loves them as well!

Jesus Loves YOU!

Precious Prayer

Last night the youth leaders and parents of youth at our church had a meeting to discuss what we're doing, where we're headed, any issues or concerns, etc. Being someone who was called to minister to the teenagers at our church years ago, this ministry is so close to my heart. I care so much about what happens here even once our family has moved on.

Porky had all the youth leaders stand up in the middle of the room, and had all the parents gather around us, lay hands on us and pray for us. It was such a very precious time. To hear the parents thank the Lord for the things He has used each of us to do in the lives of their children was such a tremendous blessing. Sometimes in youth ministry you wonder if you are having any effect at all. Some of the blessings included simple things like creating an environment where their teens like to come to church.

I was second in line for prayer. The prayers of praise to the Lord for how He has used me were so precious and sweet. When Pam, my friend and pastor's wife, prayed for our family and the hole that would be at the Chapel once we've gone, I couldn't hold back the tears, and they lingered throughout the rest of the prayer time. They brought our family and our move before the Lord, someone asked that our marriage would be strengthened through such a strenuous time, and almost prophetically Porky (my pastor) asked that the Lord would be with me when times of discouragement and doubt come, when I am away from my friends and everything familiar, and that I would remember the things He has been showing me.

Ten years ago when I walked into the doors of that little Chapel in the Blue Ridge Mountains, I had no idea what a work the Lord would do in my life. My life was a train wreck. I was 25 years old, with two small children and separated from my husband. What I experienced there was genuine worship. I saw in others something I wanted - which was a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. He planted me in fertile soil, and now He is uprooting me. I pray I will be able to continue to grow elsewhere!

Last night when Porky prayed over me and thanked the Lord for my "faithfulness" it was almost too much to bear. I am only able to be minimally faithful because of His extraordinary faithfulness to me. Thank YOU Jesus!

Lessons From Ruth

We had a special treat yesterday. We went to see at the Sight and Sound Millennium Theater with a group from our church! It was such an awesome play. If any readers are ever in Lancaster, PA - don't pass up an opportunity to see anything that is put on there. In the first five minutes there was a goodbye scene where Naomi is saying goodbye to her best friend. It really choked me up for obvious reasons.

The story of Ruth's simple faith and obedience to the Lord and faithful commitment to Naomi has a lot of life lessons to be learned. Lord, make me a woman of faith, trusting You regardless of my circumstances to do what's best.
Help me to keep this story close to my heart.

This all makes me remember a lesson the Lord taught me recently. Travis' vehicle died the week of Christmas last year. Since then I have been without one during the workday because being the breadwinner for our family, he obviously needs the vehicle that we do have in order to get to and from work I did try to drive him one day just to see if I could have the car one day a week - and of course we used a ton of gas, AND I spent almost six hours of my day in the car!!! Well, recently a dear friend had her vehicle die. I felt the stress with her remembering how stranded and desperate I felt when I was first in her position. Then a few weeks later, she and her husband bought a new van. She sent out an email with pictures of the new van with a caption under it saying "God is good, all the time!" And it struck me - is God good to me, even when my situation persists? When I get a "no" or "wait" answer, am I just as certain that He knows what is in my best interest? Of course - and as I intellectualize it right now as I am writing, I know that when I am faced with difficult circumstances again, in my human frailty, I may have to be reminded.

The scarlet thread that was woven through the generations to Jesus Christ the Messiah was dependent on the obedience of a Gentile girl, from an idolatrous culture, who chose to honor God above all else. Lord, help me be like her!