It Was So Worth It!

I say to my husband, "That was fun!"  "Yes it was!" he responds. We both smile and state "It was so worth it." 

Let me explain.

We decided to get season passes to a nearby water park a few years ago. It was an expensive decision. Especially for a family of five!  Each year we wait until the kiddos come home from their last day of school and surprise them.  They squeal with excitement every time! We spend the summer packing them in the van and spending about 4 hours in water each visit. They have a blast. My husband and I always look at each other and say "That was fun! It was so worth it!"

Seventeen years ago, "That was fun and it was so worth it!" meant something completely different.  It meant concerts in the parks, dinner with live jazz, dancing, festivals, dinner with friends and nice quiet evenings at home.  It didn't include kid music concerts, little league football, cheer, water parks, snack bags or games of tag.  It was just the two of us enjoying each other.

Fast forward to now...

Don't get me wrong. We still love those "2 people no kids" activities and could use more of them. However, it's amazing how our hearts have been transformed.  Life moves and our desires change. Same words different meanings. 

Of course we don't enjoy being in the heat, batting flies, or putting on swimsuits! Ha! But we LOVE seeing the excitement in our kids' eyes. How could we love these little kids who fight, leave messes, break things, disobey and are at times unappreciative?  We get excited to get involved in activities that are of no benefit to us but are completely about blessing them. They are ours and it's about our love for them. It's worth the time, cost and sacrifice.

I get it...

Reminds me of my Father in Heaven.  How can he love us? We are people who fight, leave messes, break things, disobey and are many times unappreciative. He continues to bless us just because he is good. He loves seeing us smile, blessing us and keeping us close! We are his and its about his love for us. 

"If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!" Matthew 7:11 (NIV)

Our limited parental love cannot be compared to our Lord's limitless love for us. It overwhelms my heart to think that the Lord gave (cost) his life (sacrifice) for us and through grace tells us daily:

 "I love you. It was so worth it."

Blessings!

"But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions-it is by grace you have been saved." Ephesians 2:4-5 (NIV)

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Crying with a Loaf of Bread Under Your Arms!

I’ve always loved to eat. I’m definitely an emotional eater because food makes me happy.  I make no apologies for that either. As I ate dessert recently, my mind went back to a time when I spent a Sunday afternoon with my second family, the Boyds and Reads.  My friend Sharissa and I have been friends since the day I knocked on her dorm room door over 20 years ago and introduced myself.  Imagine that! We were instant buddies.  She often invited me on weekends and holidays to spend time with her family.  We spent one day at her grandparents, Granny and Daddy Bob's home.  Her family reminded me so much of my own.  They loved each other and enjoyed getting together every Sunday.  This particular day her sweet grandmother made a peach cobbler.  It was so good I almost cried!   The peach cobbler was amazing but that wasn't the only thing that got my attention.  It was the fact that the pan was empty and still warm! Yes we ate it all before it got a chance to cool off!

I am so grateful for that wonderful family and the memories I have with them. I think of them and that day often.  I want my family to enjoy my food and each other but that’s not why that day stays with me.  I remember it as I examine my walk with the Lord and spending time in his Word. With the word of the Lord being my bread, am I as eager to devour?  When it is laid before me, do I take it in? Do I crave God’s word? Do I long to sit at the table and feast with Him?

My mother had a saying when I was younger.  When I complained about not having something or wanting something more, she would say “You are crying with a loaf of bread under your arms!”  Meaning, I already had provision with me. I already had everything I needed. The word of the Lord is our provision. It is constantly with us. It is everything we need.  

Do we indulge? Or do we cry with this bread tucked under our arms?  When we hear it, do we voraciously take it in? Or do we treat it as day old bread? 

Are we truly in love with God's word?

In the Bible, love is equated with sacrifice and giving. 

John 3:16 "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." 

Ephesians 5:2 "and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God."

What do we sacrifice or give up to spend time in God's word? Sleep? Television? Computer? Facebook?  

We love what we sacrifice for. What do you love?

Granny has since gone home to be with the Lord, whom she loved most. I think about her sweet smile often. I am still trying to make her peach cobbler! I'm not quite there but I'm sure she would be proud!


Blessings!

"When your words came, I ate them; they were my joy and my heart’s delight, for I bear your name,  Lord God Almighty." Jeremiah 15:16

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Pizza, Storms and Promise

Every Friday night at our home is family night.  Our night includes pizza, movie, popcorn and dessert.  The most exciting for my children is eating in front of the TV. This Friday was no different.   I sat holding my 6 year old as he gave several kisses and told me that he loved me. I attempted to pay attention to the constant ramblings of my 11 year old, while at the same time listening to the questions of my inquisitive 12 year old.  All of this happening as my husband Chris was able to pay full attention to the movie. 

Then I remembered.  THIS WAS ON MY PRAYER LIST! It was this exact moment.   I remembered when I held my baby Grace as she took her last breath.  I remembered asking if I would ever hold a baby again. Shortly after, I held my baby Caleb as he took his last breath.  I wondered if I would ever hear my own baby’s cry or see the color of their eyes.  I remembered praying for the blessing of children.  I remembered my husband and I fasting for a family.

While holding my 6 year old, I thanked God because this was my answer. Without whispering a word I thanked Him in my soul.  I thanked Him for his faithfulness. It was because of His goodness. Not my own. Many times I doubted Him.  It was because of his faithfulness. Not my own. Many times I wanted to give up.

I think we can get so busy and caught up in our lives that we forget that we are functioning in the favor of God.  We are walking in the results of our wailing before Him.  It’s the place where God’s goodness engulfs us.  He is so good at it that we miss the transition from the raging of a storm to the saturating rain of him fulfilling a promise.  How he loves us!

It reminds me of Mark 4 when Jesus was asleep on the boat during the storm.  He calmed the storm and the apostles were so focused on him calming the storm that they did not realize that they were in the midst of a promise. They were still passing over to the other side.

I thank him for answered prayer.  I am in constant awe of his goodness, kindness, faithfulness and his unimaginable love.  Bless his Name!

Blessings!



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How's Your Spirit?

One weeknight began without irregularity.  We were on our way to church to worship. As we waited for service to begin, my eyes wondered but I couldn't help but notice a lady who looked ill.  I noticed her hands and then her face.  She was frail and her skin was darkened. She smiled and had conversations with others around her. I couldn't help but hear how she battled cancer.  She said that she had a CT scan and they saw more spots in her body, specifically her lungs.  She then said that she had a PET scan and it showed nothing. She rejoiced and said "I'm just trusting God. He's in control. Those doctors can look all day and if God says no, it's NO. I'm not worrying about a thing."  The Holy Spirit said to me "In her spirit she has health."

Fast Forward to Sunday...

We arrived at church a little behind schedule.  We eventually had to go to the balcony, also known as the nosebleed section. I was a little bothered but thought little of it.  I had so many things on my mind. I needed to hear from the Lord this day. The choir began to sing "I love you Jesus. I worship and adore you. Just want to tell you, Lord I love you more than anything."  It was powerful.  The man in front of me stood. He was remarkable to me because when he stood, he wasn't straight. His spine was curved and he lifted his hands that were obviously crippled with arthritis. His clothes were simple. His hair was unkempt. He held his head back and began to tell the Lord that he loved him. I looked around and saw others who were very well dressed and appearing outwardly healthy stay seated.  Then the Holy Spirit said to me "In his spirit this man stands straight."

 

It was in the nosebleed section that I began to look around and wonder how many of us appeared healthy and straight outwardly but were sick and crippled in our spirits. Then I heard the Holy Spirit say "You don't have to look far. It's you." Tears began to fall because at that moment I realized that I was diseased with worry and crippled by the pain of circumstances in life.  I immediately was comforted by the Holy Spirit saying "I AM is here. The Healer is here."

Thank You Lord!

He gave me this word: Psalm 103 (The Message)

 ^3-5 He forgives your sins—every one.
      He heals your diseases—every one.
      He redeems you from hell—saves your life!
      He crowns you with love and mercy—a paradise crown.
      He wraps you in goodness—beauty eternal.
      He renews your youth—you're always young in his presence.

My heart is overwhelmed. I would love to wrap this up eloquently but I have no words. Maybe it's time for me to be quiet and let the Holy Spirit speak to you. Are you crippled?  I AM is here.

I feel like the woman at the well. The Lord saw her, called her out and then restored her. "Come see a Man!" He's here and He heals.

Blessings!

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Under Construction!

Finally pregnant and building a house, the Lord had answered our prayers.  We were so excited!  Throughout the construction process, my husband and I would stop by and check on the progress of our home.  With hope filled eyes we watched as they lay our foundation and build our home from frame to finish. We didn't exactly know how things were created. We didn't understand foundations, codes, or any technicalities of the process. We handed the responsibility to the builder and trusted the experts. They gave us advice about what kind of wood to choose for our frame and brick to finish. We had many meetings about design, fixtures, floors and finances. We discussed everything. We hung on every word and looked forward to their guidance. With hope filled eyes we trusted what we saw. We were so amazed at the final product, we didn't ask many questions. Our dream was finished and we eagerly moved into our new home.

We have lived in our home for 13 years.  It has weathered storms, three children and many play dates. Even though we are still very grateful for our home, we have noticed over the years that materials used and methods of construction were not always the best.  We have invested in repairing, replacing and rebuilding things that were not given much attention.  It has been realized that our dream home was not given great care by the builder that we once trusted.  We've had to pay a costly price for their shortcuts, inattentiveness and lack of regard for it being our dwelling place.

These experiences have tugged at my heart over the years. They have reminded me of our responsibility as parents.  We are responsible for giving our children their foundation, building their frames and installing their fixtures.  They trust us. Our children are watching intently as we are constructing them emotionally, giving them materials of living, and installing fixtures of God’s word.

Will they benefit from us as parents or will they pay the cost? Will they be able to have a firm foundation in Christ or will they spend years trying to repair, rebuild and replace our work? Will they benefit from our Godly guidance? Or will they pay the price for our shortcuts in parenting, inattentiveness to their spiritual life and lack of regard for the impact we have on them? Will they completely abandon what we have prepared? Will they spend their lives taking shelter in the world's temporary places that were not built to nurture, protect or weather storms?

God’s word instructs us in Proverbs 22:6 (NIV) "Start children off on the way they should go, and even whey they are old they will not turn from it."

Our confusing and misguided society is making accommodations for our children. It’s working overtime building dwelling places for them.. 

Are we?

Blessings!

Matthew 7:24-27 (NIV) “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.” 

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