Cherish the Gifts and the Giftgivers!

Each gift we are given in life is something to be cherished and thankful to the one who gave it. Birthdays, Christmas, Graduations, Baby Showers, Wedding showers, etc…we get gifts…We then send out Thank You notes letting those who gave the gift know we are thankful for their thoughtfulness. How often do we write God a thank you note for the children he has gifted us with? Children are such a precious blessing and one of the greatest gifts God can give. In Psalms 127:3 it says, “Sons are a heritage from the LORD, children a reward from him.” When we deliver a child we often think, “wow, I went 9 months and now this child is finally here and is ALL MINE. What we often forget is that, although the child is ours, without God, there would be no child, nor would we be here. He is the divine creator and giver of blessings day to day. Have you ever played the game at Christmas time where you draw a number and pick a gift and then the next player can take your gift or choose another one if they want? You may end up losing the initial gift you got, but there is another one sitting there waiting to be opened. If we sit and get upset that the thing we opened was taken away and we never reach down to open the next one we will not see what other things there are to be blessed with. I have a friend whose family member’s son had been drinking and was hit by a train the other night and died. What we, as parents often forget is that even in our fleshly mistakes God still loves us and ultimately our children our HIS because He gifted us with them to begin with, so our time here on earth is not something we should take advantage of or feel we are privy to longer life, etc...Something I constantly am teaching the boys and I too have learned is that we may not be given one more day, so we need to live each and every day as if it's our last and we are put here on this Earth to be a blessing to others and shine a light for the darkness around us...we often get lost in the dark and lose our flashlight or ability to go pick it up and turn it on...People begin pointing fingers at God, "how could you do this terrible thing..." When what they forget is that we, (as in America/the world in a whole) has tried so hard to remove God from everywhere, schools, constitution, etc...and then when tragedies occur it is then that we ask WHERE WERE YOU GOD? We dont' turn to God until something bad has happened, when in actuality, we need to be daily turning to Him and letting him lead and then we will be in accordance with his will and we will know more of what his plans are for our lives and it won't be as hard to cope with when things happen. We will have a stronger relationship with Him built up knowing we can rest in Him for the strength to pull us through the rough waters. I am asking for prayer for this friend, and the parents of this boy who was killed. They need an extra comfort and strength right now that only God can give. I pray that we all cherish our children each and every day and do what we can to keep them safe and teach them right from wrong, but stand beside them if they do make a mistake. Encourage them, pray for them and with them. Thank God on a daily basis for them and remember that they belong to Him , just as we do. We are all His children if we have accepted Him as our Savior. He loves us and when tragedies occur we don’t’ always have a “why” but we know there is a HOW with His help and his healing. He always has a reason and a divine plan. In Jeremiah 29:11 (I love this verse) it says, “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you HOPE and a future.”
Lord, I come before you asking for healing for this family. I thank you for the gift of children and for the years they were given with their son . I pray that they will cherish each of the memories they have and will not grow cold hearted towards you, but will rather cling tightly in this time of hurting. Let them know your arms are there to rest in Father. Guide them and bring people into their lives who can be a support and strength as well. Take this earthly tragedy and use it for your glory. We love you Lord and praise you for your salvation you give, your strength, the air we breathe, and everything we have. It is yours God, not ours..Thank you for letting us borrow it while we are residing here on Earth temporarily. May we store up heavenly treasures and be a light to all those who need shined upon. Be with each of us and all of my friends and their families, and keep them safe as they go through their days. May they always look to you in the good and the “bad.” May we all see that often you let things occur to show us a greater purpose that we were not aware of. I love you Lord and give you all the praise. I ask this in your name, Amen.

It's OK to be over that line!

One of my favorite books is by, Bonnie Keen, GOD LOVES MESSY PEOPLE and as I was staring at a sheet of notebook paper tonight I thought, "we put so much emphasis on our children to 'stay inbetween the lines', Use your fork and spoon so you don't make a mess on your hands. When maybe we should just be teaching them to do THEIR best and let them know that in Romans 3:10 it says, "There is none righteous, no note one." And, if they go out of the lines a little or get something on their fingers they are still loved and in turn we can instill a principle of how to go about cleaning up the mess with the use of a rag (God's word for our lives), and show them that pencils have erasers for a reason, because no one is perfect, except for God, and if their very best after erasing and trying to draw the letters again is still over the blue line then congratulate them for their work, ask them to continue writing so they can finish the "message" instead of just giving up on one letter, and build them up instead of causing them frustration that they may feel they can never achieve that computer printed teacher's manual version of the answers and how it's "supposed" to look. How often as women do we paint our own nails and slip up and go onto our skin a bit? I usually just polish remover it off with a qtip and move on to the next nail. If we stay stuck on the first letter or first nail or attempt to not spill anything at all or get it on our hands we may never get to write a whole word or story, paint all the nails or finish eating our meal and drinking our drink because we are now afraid we will mess up again! This does not mean we should scribble down some chicken scratches, gobble our food down like pigs, or dump the polish on our fingers just because God Loves Messy People. God loves us despite our mistakes and what He loves even more is our willingness to get back up and keep going and do better the next time, He doesn't ask for perfection the next time, just our BEST! If we groomed our children and ourselves to live up to perfection standards we are setting both up for immense heartbreak when the pencil slips across the paper, the polish is clumpy or we are served finger foods! Let's delight in how God created us to be UNIQUE and leave the perfection up to HIM! :)

What STATE are you in?

Checked out a book at the library yesterday for the boys called, THE SCRAMBLED STATES OF AMERICA. It’s a story about the 50 states and how NEBRASKA is upset because he is in the middle and never gets to go anywhere or see anything else and is tired of all the other states around him and the scenery never changing. He calls up his friend, Kansas (who is incredibly kind) and says, “I enjoy having you as a neighbor, BUT, I’m wanting a change, I really am tired of this area!” So, the two of them decide to call all the other states and they plan a party. At this party Virginia and Idaho get up on the stage and announce that they have decided they are going to switch places and wondered if everyone else wanted to do the same so they could get away from where they were at in life. They all agreed this was the greatest idea ever, so they went home to pack their bags and they began their travels to their new destinations. Things were going great the first day or two and then Florida began getting extremely cold up in Minnesota and Minnesota had gotten sunburnt down in Florida and Alabama, New York and Indiana (all whom had taken California’s place) were getting annoyed by the rumbling that kept them up all night. Arizona was getting frustrated with her South Carolina location because the waves kept messing up her hair and Alaska was in pain from Oklahoma’s handle jabbing into his left side and Michigan’s thumb tickling his right. Nebraska, who was the initiator of all of this was out in the ocean in Hawaii’s spot and was singing the blues about being homesick and lonely and seasick. Everyone was very uncontent except for Nevada and Mississippi who had fallen in love (“Do you want to become MRS.issippi?)
Phone calls were made soon after and it was pretty unanimous that they wanted their places back, so they jumped in their cars, taxis, buses, planes and bikes and trekked back to their homes. Once there they spent the evenings sharing their tales with their friends/states around them and went to bed with a new found contentment for where they were at. In Philippians 4:11 it says, “Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever STATE I am, therewith to be content.”
How often do we fuss and complain about where we are at in life and where God has put us. We dislike our job, the people around us, our neighbors are too loud, the kids are driving us nuts, etc…If these things that we were frustrated with were suddenly not there anymore would it truly make us happier or would we in turn find something new to complain about? God has called each and every one of us to the specific places we are at for a divine purpose and instead of spending time being upset about it, we ought to be praying and asking God for a new joy for what we have and where we are at and asking Him to show us what He wants us to do right here, right now. I am always telling the boys to be thankful for what they have instead of wanting more. We often get that very thing that we thought would make us so perfectly happy and content and then it is in a pile, a closet or on a shelf days later not being used or touched and we soon are looking for something else new instead. I believe we should take Nevada and Mississippi’s attitudes and make the best of the situations and things we have and find a way to be happy with whom we come in contact with and what we are given. When we are feeling we need to run away from things or place new things in our lives just to be happy, we need to remember that ONLY GOD can fill that gap, and material items will all become dust and rubbish one day, but our actions, thoughts, ways we reach out to others, prayers of thankfulness and what we do with what God is teaching us day to day will be taken with us for eternity! I intend on being in a GOD STATE of mind/heart, no matter where I get placed on the map!!