I don't normally Blog during the week, I save it for more of a weekend inspirational thing. But I felt led to on this day for certain reasons.
As most know we are living with 2 technically called "grown chidlren". I say it like that because they are nowhere near grown and have much growing to do. As I have said before . . . age holds no factor for telling us when we are grown. I could say we are walking through the valley of grown children. I know other friends will agree to that statement. Having grown children is SUPPOSED to get easier. I mean wouldn't you think that is the normal order of process? You start out being the over protective Mother who moves through all the different stages along with her child. . . and one day *POOF* . . . you've done all the best you can possibly do, you send them on their way, and they start their new and exciting life in God's plans for them! Maybe that's how it works for some, but I'm thinking on this side of life. . . not so much. Probably moreso on the "not" side than the "is" side . . . and I believe that's where satan can trip us up. I get caught up in thinking everyone else's kids are so responsible, so on top of things, so right with God, so goal oriented, in such a great relatoinship with their parents......you name it! But if truth be told and if I went home with all these "wonderful" kids I'm sure God would show me otherwise. We never know what another is living with or through....however "wonderful" it may appear. Don't be deceived!
Without telling you everything you don't want to know . . . I will share with you that both my daughters have left home on their own for a couple of years and now have returned. God has His reasons why they are both back here and if I'm honest with you I have to ask "Why?' at times. They have both experienced their side of freedom, answering to themselves only (or so they thought....we always answer to God). One has lived a life I would have never chosen for her. But in all of this. . . I love them. I love them with my love and I love them with God's love.
In their return and in their stay, it has not been easy. God doesn't call us to a life of ease does He. Let me say as a Mother with small and growing children at home, you KNOW what your role is. When those "children" leave home and return. . . you pretty much haven't a clue what your role is. You are no longer the Mother who guides, protects, corrects, soothes all of life's hurts away. You are now one who prays, who trusts, who hopes, who tries not to fear the worst, who gives all control whatsoever over to the one and only true God. Sound easy? It should. God is faithful, trustworthy, far more knowledgeable than you EVER could be, loves them more than you do and He is the One with all the plans that are in His control.
But at times, we wonder. . . God what am I supposed to do to help guide these "grown kids"? What so-called rules am I supposed to place on them and say "NOT IN MY HOUSE YOU WON'T!" What am I to expect from them? What do they expect from me?
And this is where we can trip up.
You see it isn't about us anymore. We are D O N E. We rasied them to know right from wrong, to seek God with all of their hearts, to have a relationship and fellowship with God, to be for the most part (I hope) be responsible for themselves, to respect themselves and those around them. In all honesty, I have battled this. I have looked at other people's chidlren's lives and said "Why arent mine like this?" "Lord, what can I DO to make them be more responsible, more respectful, more seeking of God's will, plans and desires???" In doing that, it has caused hurt and friction in places it should NOT be.
But wait. . . . the whole ENTIRE reason I'm sharing this Blog with you is for this reason and this reason alone! It is something my truely wonderful husband has known and tried to show me all along.... As well, my dear Mother herself. And that is FAITH and faith alone. Faith that when GOD is ready He will turn their hearts and minds around, faith that when they go astray He will bring them back safely, faith that these kids were His all along and He just let me borrow them for a short season......faith that He is the Sovereign Lord He says He is and will ALWAYS and forever be in control....of them as well as me.
A very perfectlly perfect example my Mother told me just this morning. My Dad had NO parental figures in his life whatsoever. He left home as a very young boy to live on his own. The only godly influence I would say he ever had was when he was able to go to the little country church. My Dad was living a life that was not right before he met my Mother. I tell you all of that to say that when God was ready and His timing was perfect, He showed my Dad this was not the life that was right for him, that it was not God's plans for him to continue down this path. And in that time God changed my Dad's heart for the RIGHT plans!
You see it took NO parents making corrections, or guidances, or stipulations and no high expectations of him to turn him around. It was God and God alone who did it. No one else....period! That in and of itself gives me great hope and peace. . . knowing that it requires nothing of me..... absolutely nothing! I'm free!! Know that as my very wise husband has put it......we will continue to love our children and to live a godly life before them., and to pray for them .....but it's in God's hands the outcome. . . .no matter what. : )
Thanks for letting me share some really heart felt stuff.
I sincerely would appreciate any and all your prayers.
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Saturday, March 5, 2011
"What are you listening to?"
This past Thursday Levi was in a track meet. It was the very first relay race he has ran in. He is considered primarily in Cross Country, but in the off-season it corresponds over to track. With that said, it was one of those take forEVER races....literally. Each of the 4 members ran a mile with the baton. Levi was the anchor which means....you need to have some speed in you to finish this thing up. ; )
As it came his time to run he prepared for the hand off. That went smoothly enough which normally does in this kind of race. But what he wasn't prepared for was the intense cramping up of his stomach after only the first lap around! As I said before, he is in Cross Country and with that you are able to run great distances.....USUALLY. He still had 3 laps to go and needed to turn his wheels on for the last one. I will tell you that Levi is a very awesome sprinter towards the end of his race and that would probably be a very good reason the Coach placed him where he was.
Now the story takes a twist. . . .
He is running and trying to keep his mind off of the present aching pain inside of him. As he continues, his friends began running along the sidelines screaming "Levi, RUN! It's your last lap! Go hard! Finish it up!" He questions them....while still running.....and tells them they are wrong! They continue their urgency in telling him "NO...it's your last! Go hard! Finish!"
Well, if you haven't guessed it by now.....friends were O so W R O N G! But Levi decided to believe them and therefore decided to give it ALL he had knowing that the sooner he finished....the sooner this pain would stop. Levi is also one to do well when the competition is in front of him. But what he didn't know was it was the wrong competition he was running hard to get in front of! They put the Freshmen with the JV and ran them together.....very confusing race to say the least. So here we have the scene. . . 1. Boy with bad cramps. 2. Boy with no visible way of knowing exactly who is competition and who isn't. 3. Boy with screaming friends telling him wrong information. 4. Boy gives it all he has to finish in front of (wrong) competition. 5. Boy finds out ....he has a whole other lap to go. 6. Boy who is exhausted still running.
I will tell you that he did finish the race, but did so with a good throw of the baton to the ground as well as himself. Needless to say, he was disappointed he listened to the friends.
As you may have seen by now, if you've read very many of my blogs, I LOVE to tie things in symbolically. I attempt to tie real day to day life in with our real day to day walk with God. I pray always that something said will help someone somewhere in their life. I ask God to always lead me in wherever these thoughts are going.
So...... with that in mind.....
I begin to see this story that could touch many. Not in the way of "O that's such a wonderful story!" but rather in the example of it .... the content. As I think about this story, I see a few things that stand out in my mind. Primarily the dominant one would be Levi and the wrong voices he listened to. This boy knew the right voice to listen to and that being his Coach, but instead chose to listen to other voices.
How many times in our daily life is other "voices" calling out to us? Do we choose to listen to them or keep our ears on the voice of truth? Do we let those voices change our perspective or do we choose to remain faithful believing in a God Who knows and will see us through?
There are many voices on the sidelines to distract us away from the truth. Sometimes they come in the form of our friends - mainly depending on how close their own walk is with God. I know that if Levi's friends had been staying close to the coach and talking to him, they too could have known the truth and not misled Levi. There's certainly the voice of the greatest deciever ever known. . . that being satan. He wants to call out to you every chance he gets from the sidelines to distract, to mislead, to discourage. But in knowing that ALWAYS know that God is greater, mightier and ruler over satan and he can do absolutely NOTHING that God doesn't allow....for your own good. God is the ruler over all....even satan. 1 Chronicles 29:12 and
1 John 4:4 confirms that! Many times it is US ourselves that can be our own worst enemy. We have doubts, insecurities, fears, mistakes, higher than normal expectations of ourselves that can come plunging at us in lots of different directions. We can assure ourselves in these times that our God loves us, cares about us, guides us and it is His grace and mercy that will carry us through....no matter what......let me say again......NO matter what. His grace is sufficient! And think about it.....God uses our mistakes to make us stronger than we ever could have been before! That in and of itself is enough to shout "AMEN...THANK YA JESUS!!" So quit listening to all your doubts, fears and mistakes for our God is stronger and is making you stronger too!
At times the world is calling out in a very LOUD voice to tell you living for God is useless, boring, doesn't make sense, gets you no where, takes too much faith etc... They know how to candy coat their lies and decieve with the most subtlest deception. Afterall, sin always starts out slowly and innocently doesn't it? My friend, do NOT LISTEN! It's a lie.....you still have another lap to go and you're running this race we call life with God! Hebrews 12:1....."let us lay aside every weight, and the sin that so easily doth beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us." We each have a race set before us. And we know that God is the One with the plans to see us through that race. Jeremiah 29:11 "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." And in Job 42:1 we see that NO ONE and I mean NO ONE can mess up those plans....not even ourself!! "Then Job replied to the Lord, I know that you can do all things; no plan of yours can be thwarted." That's enough to make you wanna get up and do a happy dance right there!! : )
So my friend.....who and what are you listening to today?
Is it the voice of truth or is it the voice of deception?
1 Chronicles 15:58 "Therefore, my dear brothers (and sisters!), stand FIRM. Let NOTHING move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain."
And may we one day be able to say right along with Paul's words "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith."
As it came his time to run he prepared for the hand off. That went smoothly enough which normally does in this kind of race. But what he wasn't prepared for was the intense cramping up of his stomach after only the first lap around! As I said before, he is in Cross Country and with that you are able to run great distances.....USUALLY. He still had 3 laps to go and needed to turn his wheels on for the last one. I will tell you that Levi is a very awesome sprinter towards the end of his race and that would probably be a very good reason the Coach placed him where he was.
Now the story takes a twist. . . .
He is running and trying to keep his mind off of the present aching pain inside of him. As he continues, his friends began running along the sidelines screaming "Levi, RUN! It's your last lap! Go hard! Finish it up!" He questions them....while still running.....and tells them they are wrong! They continue their urgency in telling him "NO...it's your last! Go hard! Finish!"
Well, if you haven't guessed it by now.....friends were O so W R O N G! But Levi decided to believe them and therefore decided to give it ALL he had knowing that the sooner he finished....the sooner this pain would stop. Levi is also one to do well when the competition is in front of him. But what he didn't know was it was the wrong competition he was running hard to get in front of! They put the Freshmen with the JV and ran them together.....very confusing race to say the least. So here we have the scene. . . 1. Boy with bad cramps. 2. Boy with no visible way of knowing exactly who is competition and who isn't. 3. Boy with screaming friends telling him wrong information. 4. Boy gives it all he has to finish in front of (wrong) competition. 5. Boy finds out ....he has a whole other lap to go. 6. Boy who is exhausted still running.
I will tell you that he did finish the race, but did so with a good throw of the baton to the ground as well as himself. Needless to say, he was disappointed he listened to the friends.
As you may have seen by now, if you've read very many of my blogs, I LOVE to tie things in symbolically. I attempt to tie real day to day life in with our real day to day walk with God. I pray always that something said will help someone somewhere in their life. I ask God to always lead me in wherever these thoughts are going.
So...... with that in mind.....
I begin to see this story that could touch many. Not in the way of "O that's such a wonderful story!" but rather in the example of it .... the content. As I think about this story, I see a few things that stand out in my mind. Primarily the dominant one would be Levi and the wrong voices he listened to. This boy knew the right voice to listen to and that being his Coach, but instead chose to listen to other voices.
How many times in our daily life is other "voices" calling out to us? Do we choose to listen to them or keep our ears on the voice of truth? Do we let those voices change our perspective or do we choose to remain faithful believing in a God Who knows and will see us through?
There are many voices on the sidelines to distract us away from the truth. Sometimes they come in the form of our friends - mainly depending on how close their own walk is with God. I know that if Levi's friends had been staying close to the coach and talking to him, they too could have known the truth and not misled Levi. There's certainly the voice of the greatest deciever ever known. . . that being satan. He wants to call out to you every chance he gets from the sidelines to distract, to mislead, to discourage. But in knowing that ALWAYS know that God is greater, mightier and ruler over satan and he can do absolutely NOTHING that God doesn't allow....for your own good. God is the ruler over all....even satan. 1 Chronicles 29:12 and
1 John 4:4 confirms that! Many times it is US ourselves that can be our own worst enemy. We have doubts, insecurities, fears, mistakes, higher than normal expectations of ourselves that can come plunging at us in lots of different directions. We can assure ourselves in these times that our God loves us, cares about us, guides us and it is His grace and mercy that will carry us through....no matter what......let me say again......NO matter what. His grace is sufficient! And think about it.....God uses our mistakes to make us stronger than we ever could have been before! That in and of itself is enough to shout "AMEN...THANK YA JESUS!!" So quit listening to all your doubts, fears and mistakes for our God is stronger and is making you stronger too!
At times the world is calling out in a very LOUD voice to tell you living for God is useless, boring, doesn't make sense, gets you no where, takes too much faith etc... They know how to candy coat their lies and decieve with the most subtlest deception. Afterall, sin always starts out slowly and innocently doesn't it? My friend, do NOT LISTEN! It's a lie.....you still have another lap to go and you're running this race we call life with God! Hebrews 12:1....."let us lay aside every weight, and the sin that so easily doth beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us." We each have a race set before us. And we know that God is the One with the plans to see us through that race. Jeremiah 29:11 "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." And in Job 42:1 we see that NO ONE and I mean NO ONE can mess up those plans....not even ourself!! "Then Job replied to the Lord, I know that you can do all things; no plan of yours can be thwarted." That's enough to make you wanna get up and do a happy dance right there!! : )
So my friend.....who and what are you listening to today?
Is it the voice of truth or is it the voice of deception?
1 Chronicles 15:58 "Therefore, my dear brothers (and sisters!), stand FIRM. Let NOTHING move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain."
And may we one day be able to say right along with Paul's words "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith."
Saturday, February 26, 2011
"The Stages of Life"
It is quite evident that we ALL pass through stages of life and never moreso evident than when I went to the barbershop with my son and husband today. I go with them always. . . in fact there probably isn't a haircut I've missed since Levi's first one at 10 months of age. I often, in the past, (but not so much anymore) wondered if Amanda, their barber lady, has ever wondered to herself "Why does she always come?" And if she did so choose to wonder then I would simply reply "Because I don't wanna miss a thing! And I enjoy it!" The very same reason, when I'm not taking Levi to school by myself on Mon and Tues, that I gladly jump in the car with David in my PJs to ride along with them to school.....I don't wanna miss a thing!
You see there is somethings I understand - 1. Life is SHORT. 2. Kids DO grow up.
(Sidenote: Although kids DO grow up....they also DO come back home! Someone forgot to tell us about that part! HA!)
So today, I couldn't help but look around and notice what lay before me in this small barbershop. First of all....another blog....YAY! Secondly, an opportunity to stop and reminisce. And lastly, life and it's stages.
As I watched Levi sitting in the chair getting his haircut, I realized just how tall and older he looked. Life happens so quickly at times. No more the little boy who needed to sit on the board to be tall enough to have his hair cut! That's when I glanced over and saw another little boy who was indeed sitting on the board to get his haircut. His Dad and the barber lady were working as a team at times to keep the little boy preoccupied. I guess you could say that's when this whole blog idea started coming together. I sat there thinking back to all the by-gone days of my Levi sitting ever so still and filling out the chair more and more each year. Making silly faces at him through the years and watching his reaction change with time.
But as I watched these two boys at different stages of life. . . I began to realize other presence of stages in the room. There was also an older teenage boy, the previous mentioned Dad of the little boy, my David and at other times have been the elderly. Do you see the stage pattern here to which I'm referring? 1. The toddler. 2. The young teenager. 3. The older teenager. 4. The young Dad. 5. The middle age Dad. 6. And finally....The old Dad.
Each one a stage.....a passage of time..... a next step.
You see there is somethings I understand - 1. Life is SHORT. 2. Kids DO grow up.
(Sidenote: Although kids DO grow up....they also DO come back home! Someone forgot to tell us about that part! HA!)
So today, I couldn't help but look around and notice what lay before me in this small barbershop. First of all....another blog....YAY! Secondly, an opportunity to stop and reminisce. And lastly, life and it's stages.
As I watched Levi sitting in the chair getting his haircut, I realized just how tall and older he looked. Life happens so quickly at times. No more the little boy who needed to sit on the board to be tall enough to have his hair cut! That's when I glanced over and saw another little boy who was indeed sitting on the board to get his haircut. His Dad and the barber lady were working as a team at times to keep the little boy preoccupied. I guess you could say that's when this whole blog idea started coming together. I sat there thinking back to all the by-gone days of my Levi sitting ever so still and filling out the chair more and more each year. Making silly faces at him through the years and watching his reaction change with time.
But as I watched these two boys at different stages of life. . . I began to realize other presence of stages in the room. There was also an older teenage boy, the previous mentioned Dad of the little boy, my David and at other times have been the elderly. Do you see the stage pattern here to which I'm referring? 1. The toddler. 2. The young teenager. 3. The older teenager. 4. The young Dad. 5. The middle age Dad. 6. And finally....The old Dad.
Each one a stage.....a passage of time..... a next step.
{Maybe I should be saving this blog for Father's Day! Haha!}
It's no new revelation to anyone reading this that we pass from birth to old age, and everything else in between, in a time set up for us just by God. But what we can also see here is that like these set stages of life we pass through.... we also pass through stages of our walk with God. 1. Some maybe a brand new baby learning that God is indeed real, He cares for them and loves them. 2. Others maybe beginning to learn what faith is and finding God is the One we reach out to in the time of need....as well as all other times.
3. Some may be finding that God is a forgiving God and remains constant - even when we don't. 4. And yet still....others may have reached that place in their life where they understand that simply God is. God is EVERYTHING and all things. God is sovereignly in control.
My friend, wherever you are in your walk with God - and yes there are many other stages of our walk, these were just a few - know that it's right where God wants you. When He is ready He will move you to the next step/stage. . . all in His perfect timing. And remember that your walk may not resemble another's , but it's YOUR walk with a God Who loves you and relates to you where you are.
God has perfectly tailor-made plans for your life and through each stage He reveals a little more of them each time. 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 a hope and a future." Also, in Philippains 1:6 it says "Being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it out to completion until the day of Christ Jesus." So as God moves you along through your stages of walk/life know that He has it all mapped out....planned out to a capital "T" and makes no mistakes. And we can KNOW that He will see us through no matter what stage we are in whether it be a walk that is close to Him or even a walk that once was close and has grown distant. He stands ready to guide and restore. Deuteronomy 31:8 assures us of that, "The Lord Himself goes before you and will be with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged."
If you are unsure if you have a walk with the God who loves you, then it's very simple to know for sure. It's as simple as ABC!
A= Accept that you are a sinner in need of a Saviour!
B= Believe in your heart that God has raised him from the dead!
C= Confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and call upon Him to save YOU!
B= Believe in your heart that God has raised him from the dead!
C= Confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and call upon Him to save YOU!
As for me. . . I'm gonna keep goin to every single one of those special hair cuttin moments that I am most certainly welcomed at....for I know as my status says for now "This too shall pass."
Enjoy each and every moment you are given my special friend..... :)
Sunday, February 13, 2011
"To the one I call....my brother"
There once was a little boy who was born into my family and that little boy was my brother. This boy was special for many reasons and one such being that God placed him in our lives exactly a year to the date of a sweet baby girl's passing. You see there was another special baby that God brought to us a year earlier, but we never truly knew her for she was a full term stillbirth. God had His reasons for taking just as much as He had His sweet and blessed reason of giving and for both we are truly grateful. You can imagine the sweet thankfulness and gratitude of receiving this precious baby boy into our lives!
I was all of 7 years old when I inherited a brother. I loved him. I helped with him as any big sister would. Many times I would take him and try to calm him while giving my Mom some needed time to do whatever she needed to do. . . this boy was a crier! We have a picture of me trying to calm him the best way a 7 year old could and between me and the dog....I think we succeeded! We were outside, I was holding him....and the dog's part was licking him. Hey whatever works! I can remember times of going to dinner (out of course...for those who knew us) and every single time my poor Mom would sit down to eat the boy would know somehow and turn on the tears. I can remember them putting springs on the legs of the baby crib and seeing my Mom laying on the floor pushing the crib gently to soothe him.
Like all families we made it through those days and he grew into the next phase of life.
Dan was a wonderful little brother and I was his little Mother. He brought smiles, laughs, love and sweet times into our home. He was the sweet little boy that we loved dearly. Those days were long ago and the memories tend to be vague. One such funny one that seems to stand out for some reason is when he was about 3 years and I was having a slumber party. My friends and I were all outside.....here comes Dan. He must of had the urge to relieve his bladder so, in the middle of my friends, outside, he decided to take care of that business. We were all shocked and laughing in utter disbelief! And wouldn't you know it....that boy has kept us laughing many years later as well. He has a "talent" for that. :)
There would be a day when the roles reversed, at some point, and the baby grew into a protector of his "big" sister. Those memories are tender. In the sweet boy's mind there was no seven years difference....he was put here to watch over his sister, and he did a fine job of it. He wanted NO worldliness whatsoever to enter my world and as small and as big as he was....to this day I thank him for that. He seemed to know his job was done when David entered my world. Finally, he could relax, sit back....take a breath and give the role to one older and wiser. :)
In all honesty, I believe Dan grew up thinking and feeling that his sister was more loved, more special, more accepted by our family. I am here to dispute that thinking. Children though raised exactly the same way can experience life very differently. . . .this we all know. The only real differnce I believe there was resulted in two words. . . I listened. Not in any way shape or form do I lift myself up and say "Look at me...I listened and you didn't. Aren't I the special one!" Children are just made and bent differently and respond in different ways. This I know for certain.....our parents loved, accepted, prayed for, and cherished BOTH of us from the very beginning and that love has NEVER weakened....in fact it has grown with time I'm sure.
As a time has a way of doing....we grow up....and in growing up we go our seperate ways. But in our seperate lives there is and always will be one word that we share.....FAMILY. And that word "Family" holds many truths along with it. . . Love, Respect, Forgiveness, Acceptance and Hope. All of these come from a loving God who values the word FAMILY moreso than most any other thing. I am so thankful that my hope is in a trustworthy God who is/has worked mightly in BOTH of our lives. He is and He has brought deliverance, strength, forgiveness, restoration and hope .... always hope. To God be the glory! :)
So with this writing and thoughts.....I dedicate this Blog to my very own brother.
Dan, I love you more than you know and I am SO extremely proud of you in so many ways! Keep your life focused on the One Who loves you most!
With much love,
Your Sister
I was all of 7 years old when I inherited a brother. I loved him. I helped with him as any big sister would. Many times I would take him and try to calm him while giving my Mom some needed time to do whatever she needed to do. . . this boy was a crier! We have a picture of me trying to calm him the best way a 7 year old could and between me and the dog....I think we succeeded! We were outside, I was holding him....and the dog's part was licking him. Hey whatever works! I can remember times of going to dinner (out of course...for those who knew us) and every single time my poor Mom would sit down to eat the boy would know somehow and turn on the tears. I can remember them putting springs on the legs of the baby crib and seeing my Mom laying on the floor pushing the crib gently to soothe him.
Like all families we made it through those days and he grew into the next phase of life.
Dan was a wonderful little brother and I was his little Mother. He brought smiles, laughs, love and sweet times into our home. He was the sweet little boy that we loved dearly. Those days were long ago and the memories tend to be vague. One such funny one that seems to stand out for some reason is when he was about 3 years and I was having a slumber party. My friends and I were all outside.....here comes Dan. He must of had the urge to relieve his bladder so, in the middle of my friends, outside, he decided to take care of that business. We were all shocked and laughing in utter disbelief! And wouldn't you know it....that boy has kept us laughing many years later as well. He has a "talent" for that. :)
There would be a day when the roles reversed, at some point, and the baby grew into a protector of his "big" sister. Those memories are tender. In the sweet boy's mind there was no seven years difference....he was put here to watch over his sister, and he did a fine job of it. He wanted NO worldliness whatsoever to enter my world and as small and as big as he was....to this day I thank him for that. He seemed to know his job was done when David entered my world. Finally, he could relax, sit back....take a breath and give the role to one older and wiser. :)
In all honesty, I believe Dan grew up thinking and feeling that his sister was more loved, more special, more accepted by our family. I am here to dispute that thinking. Children though raised exactly the same way can experience life very differently. . . .this we all know. The only real differnce I believe there was resulted in two words. . . I listened. Not in any way shape or form do I lift myself up and say "Look at me...I listened and you didn't. Aren't I the special one!" Children are just made and bent differently and respond in different ways. This I know for certain.....our parents loved, accepted, prayed for, and cherished BOTH of us from the very beginning and that love has NEVER weakened....in fact it has grown with time I'm sure.
As a time has a way of doing....we grow up....and in growing up we go our seperate ways. But in our seperate lives there is and always will be one word that we share.....FAMILY. And that word "Family" holds many truths along with it. . . Love, Respect, Forgiveness, Acceptance and Hope. All of these come from a loving God who values the word FAMILY moreso than most any other thing. I am so thankful that my hope is in a trustworthy God who is/has worked mightly in BOTH of our lives. He is and He has brought deliverance, strength, forgiveness, restoration and hope .... always hope. To God be the glory! :)
So with this writing and thoughts.....I dedicate this Blog to my very own brother.
Dan, I love you more than you know and I am SO extremely proud of you in so many ways! Keep your life focused on the One Who loves you most!
With much love,
Your Sister
Saturday, January 29, 2011
"A message with a personal twist!"
I wanted to share an awesome message with you that was given a couple of Sundays ago. It spoke a lot to me and hopefully you will find your source of encouragement from it as well. It has personal thoughts added so don't go thinking I just copied some points from a pastor! : )
You could title it "Finding the will of God for situations that arise in your life".
1.) God closes doors.
We all know of times in our lives that God has simply closed a door - we may not understand why, but we know we can trust a loving Father who sees the bigger picture. It is in faith that we say "Yes Lord - I may not see, but I trust." We must simply then say "Thank you God!" Thank Him for keeping you in HIS will and not our own.
2.) Just as God closes doors, He also opens them!
If you would have told me sometime back that I would be where I am today, if any of you know me very well at all, I would have said "Yes! with God ALL things are possible! But I don't see myself being there!!" I will tell you that I have literally fretted at times of being unsure if I'm exactly where God wants me in the ministries of life. I'm NOT an over confident person, I don't see myself with alot of skills or talents, I love people - but not a overly aggressive outgoing person - rather quiet at times, we could say, and not a lover of trying new things BY ANY MEANS. But.....putting all that aside......because God is the God He is He picks me up, puts me where He wants me, says "Trust me child" and sends me on HIS way! All of these ministries He has opened up and given me are all HIS doing. . . that and He understands me thankfully and knows how to best use me regardless of my insecurities!
So know and trust that God shall open doors - in His timing. And when He opens them He'll gently lead you through them.
3.) God STILL speaks!
Did you know that God can and does use any measure He chooses to do this?! Whether it be through a Bible Study class, a song heard on the radio, or a song sung at church, through a sermon, a friend, a spouse. . .and most importantly through His word. . .the Bible. There are other ways of course. . .this is just a few examples. Honestly, I haven't liked it so much in the past when people would say "God spoke to me so clearly." and of course me being the analytical person I CAN be would question myself and say "Is God speaking to me too....so clearly??" Believe me, I can nit-pick anything to death as they say! I have prayed to God asking Him to please make His voice CLEAR to me in every sense of the word and not to let me confuse it with my own or some other voice. I believe that God can still have the calm, small reassuring voice in our hearts and minds letting us know He's there, He loves us, and we can trust Him. And I also believe that YES He does bring things back to us to think about and remind us what we needed to hear and in hearing - knowing He is taken care of it.
4.) God confirms and affirms His will through other believers that we let in!
Thank ya Jesus for this one!! I SO needed to hear and receive this point in the message! You see I am one who knows the truth, hears the truth, and receives the truth. . . . BUT I am reassured of those truths in my life through my amazingly-wonderful husband as well as my Mom! These two people in my life are my very own "God sent especially to me" people and I couldn't be more thankful or happier that they are! At times, my sweet David will patiently say (as he did just today) "Are you listening to yourself? or do you just like to make things up and talk?!" He was referring to how SILLY I sounded in receiving all this good news we had today, through our training at the Crisis Pregnancy Center we are training together for, and me needing reassurance that it indeed was the truth in my life and I didn't need to worry. That's a whole other story...sorry if it doesnt make sense. But, my thought here is that YES I know the truth, but I just need my partner there to reaffirm that this is God's truth for ME! Hopefully that makes some kind of sense...if not bear with me.
Our pastor put it this way - there are many times when we as christians believe that we hear and receive the "voice of God" in our lives - BUT - we still need others to agree with us that YES indeed this is God's truth for YOU and not just some wishful thinking you might think God would say to you. In even other words. . .YES God affirms our need and desire for others to help us confirm HIS truth in our life....plain and simple! Paul was used as a great example of a strong man of God, but also needing the affirmation/confirmation of the fellow believers he trusted in as his witness to God's leading in his life. Hey if Paul needed it, whose to say I'm any better than him?!!! Again, thank ya Jesus that it's quite alright to seek reassurance in those we trust!!!
5.) And lastly. . . choosing truth over emotion.
Simply and most completely put. . . .I lay down my will to follow God's.
When our heart is in tune with God's heart - we are living our life for Him - His desires will become our desires. See no worries! God's got it all worked out. His desires become ours and then we follow!
And I pray that each time I sense a yearning to share a Blog with you that it is in fact God using me in such a way that He would want to speak to YOU, my friend.....nothing more......nothing less. To Him be the glory!!
Thanks for letting me share. I don't normally share sermon notes, but I kept sensing that I should share this one. Maybe it was meant just for you. :)
Be blessed and know you're blessed!
You could title it "Finding the will of God for situations that arise in your life".
1.) God closes doors.
We all know of times in our lives that God has simply closed a door - we may not understand why, but we know we can trust a loving Father who sees the bigger picture. It is in faith that we say "Yes Lord - I may not see, but I trust." We must simply then say "Thank you God!" Thank Him for keeping you in HIS will and not our own.
2.) Just as God closes doors, He also opens them!
If you would have told me sometime back that I would be where I am today, if any of you know me very well at all, I would have said "Yes! with God ALL things are possible! But I don't see myself being there!!" I will tell you that I have literally fretted at times of being unsure if I'm exactly where God wants me in the ministries of life. I'm NOT an over confident person, I don't see myself with alot of skills or talents, I love people - but not a overly aggressive outgoing person - rather quiet at times, we could say, and not a lover of trying new things BY ANY MEANS. But.....putting all that aside......because God is the God He is He picks me up, puts me where He wants me, says "Trust me child" and sends me on HIS way! All of these ministries He has opened up and given me are all HIS doing. . . that and He understands me thankfully and knows how to best use me regardless of my insecurities!
So know and trust that God shall open doors - in His timing. And when He opens them He'll gently lead you through them.
3.) God STILL speaks!
Did you know that God can and does use any measure He chooses to do this?! Whether it be through a Bible Study class, a song heard on the radio, or a song sung at church, through a sermon, a friend, a spouse. . .and most importantly through His word. . .the Bible. There are other ways of course. . .this is just a few examples. Honestly, I haven't liked it so much in the past when people would say "God spoke to me so clearly." and of course me being the analytical person I CAN be would question myself and say "Is God speaking to me too....so clearly??" Believe me, I can nit-pick anything to death as they say! I have prayed to God asking Him to please make His voice CLEAR to me in every sense of the word and not to let me confuse it with my own or some other voice. I believe that God can still have the calm, small reassuring voice in our hearts and minds letting us know He's there, He loves us, and we can trust Him. And I also believe that YES He does bring things back to us to think about and remind us what we needed to hear and in hearing - knowing He is taken care of it.
4.) God confirms and affirms His will through other believers that we let in!
Thank ya Jesus for this one!! I SO needed to hear and receive this point in the message! You see I am one who knows the truth, hears the truth, and receives the truth. . . . BUT I am reassured of those truths in my life through my amazingly-wonderful husband as well as my Mom! These two people in my life are my very own "God sent especially to me" people and I couldn't be more thankful or happier that they are! At times, my sweet David will patiently say (as he did just today) "Are you listening to yourself? or do you just like to make things up and talk?!" He was referring to how SILLY I sounded in receiving all this good news we had today, through our training at the Crisis Pregnancy Center we are training together for, and me needing reassurance that it indeed was the truth in my life and I didn't need to worry. That's a whole other story...sorry if it doesnt make sense. But, my thought here is that YES I know the truth, but I just need my partner there to reaffirm that this is God's truth for ME! Hopefully that makes some kind of sense...if not bear with me.
Our pastor put it this way - there are many times when we as christians believe that we hear and receive the "voice of God" in our lives - BUT - we still need others to agree with us that YES indeed this is God's truth for YOU and not just some wishful thinking you might think God would say to you. In even other words. . .YES God affirms our need and desire for others to help us confirm HIS truth in our life....plain and simple! Paul was used as a great example of a strong man of God, but also needing the affirmation/confirmation of the fellow believers he trusted in as his witness to God's leading in his life. Hey if Paul needed it, whose to say I'm any better than him?!!! Again, thank ya Jesus that it's quite alright to seek reassurance in those we trust!!!
5.) And lastly. . . choosing truth over emotion.
Simply and most completely put. . . .I lay down my will to follow God's.
When our heart is in tune with God's heart - we are living our life for Him - His desires will become our desires. See no worries! God's got it all worked out. His desires become ours and then we follow!
And I pray that each time I sense a yearning to share a Blog with you that it is in fact God using me in such a way that He would want to speak to YOU, my friend.....nothing more......nothing less. To Him be the glory!!
Thanks for letting me share. I don't normally share sermon notes, but I kept sensing that I should share this one. Maybe it was meant just for you. :)
Be blessed and know you're blessed!
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
You HAD to be there. . . A Zumba experience!!
I will start off by saying IF it is at ALL possible for someone to have zero rhythm and coordination. . .I would be nominated and win in a heartbeat!!
Draw an imaginary line somewhere about mid-air in your mind. . .now above that line reach up as high as you can in the air and draw another line. The first line represents my comfort level in life. . .the next line represents me stepping OUT of that comfort level today when my O so sweet daughter talked me into trying Zumba Dance class for the very first time!! They say it's GOOD for a person to step out of their comfort zone, try new things. . .well if we can call this good today then I had my heapin helpin of good!!
As my Heather later affirmed the fact after seeing dear Mother in action: "Mom, you REALLY have no rhythm at all do you?!" No dear. . . and as her dad, David said "It is a wonder that all THREE of our kids have great rhythm as well as coordination between the likes of your Mom and me!" A small miracle in and of itself. I guess I can thank all my years at a private christian church ran school for my lack thereof. I was even a cheerleader, which Heather dear reminded me that I was with a question mark all over her face. Two reasons result from this 1.) I was a cheerleader before dance was even evented into cheerleading 2.) If and were there dancing. . . you probably wouldn't find it in the enviroment we attended school in. Although we did like to swing our skirts a little EXTRA hard at times. ; )
This was a 1 hour class that at times thought would never end! The teacher begins by saying "No one stops...if you stop we stop the class. No leaving this class....doors will be glued shut." Great, what have I got myself into?!?! As Heather later imitated me to her dad by giving him a great showmanship of Mom's "abilities", he replied with a "I so wish I had been there to video it!!" Entertaining I'm sure....dear ones. : P
From the beginning of the simplest steps (which I thought I had right...that being the simplest) I seem to be "off-track" shall we say. My arms went up when they were supposed to go down.....my feet went forward when we were supposed to go backwards. If we were going right, I was going left. Alot of times I said the heck with feet, arms, hips, smiles AND breathing and just concentrated on ONE thing only. There were times the teacher would animatedly imitate people by how slow and lagging they were. I said to myself "Quit making fun of me lady, GEE!" She never would make eye contact with me, but Heather said she was imitating me at times. How lovely.....hey at least it got me noticed! Speaking of getting noticed, I forgot to mention that upon entering the class I firmly planted myself on the back row .... along with everyone else at the time. But teacher noticed her regular pupil, my Heather, was not in her normal place....FRONT AND CENTER. She told her to get up there and she pointed at me....to which I gladly said "Yup, it's me and i'm here". . . pointing to the ground. Needless to say, I was summons up right smack dab in the center of everyone. There couldn't be another full spot of attention of I searched for one, it seemed. O joy. As the teacher said at the beginning "No one is looking at you and if they do...shame on them." Later, I told David "Should I go back to her class, she MAY ask me to please move to the back of the room this time." as I was probably more of a distraction to others. Heather said she tried watching me a couple of times and she would bust out laughing and loose track of her workout. WELL, I do love to make people laugh.....SO THERE. David was laughing HARDLY when he watched Heather's re-enactment of me. Who knows....if I was You Tubed it could have went viral!! Haha!
It was just the whole eye -hand -foot -hips....every body part you have moving at the same time and this girl's brain is wired for one thing at a time. I would start to focus on just the feet leaving everything else off...and then the silly woman would switch just about the time I would get it. As for the arms, Heather said I began to leave them just straight up in the air. What the heck....they will all get in that position at some point won't they?!
I can definitely say . . . it was like nothing ever before . . .heck, I think giving birth was easier than THAT! :)
Now the question is. . .Will I go back for another go around next this Thursday?! to go or not to go....Hmm. I'm thinking if I am I will get some private tutoring from Zumba girl herself.....Heather.
I went back later this evening and did my workout with dear hubby. So, I think I will call it a day....a day like none other that's for sure. haha! Be adventerous friends....it's good for..... something!!
Draw an imaginary line somewhere about mid-air in your mind. . .now above that line reach up as high as you can in the air and draw another line. The first line represents my comfort level in life. . .the next line represents me stepping OUT of that comfort level today when my O so sweet daughter talked me into trying Zumba Dance class for the very first time!! They say it's GOOD for a person to step out of their comfort zone, try new things. . .well if we can call this good today then I had my heapin helpin of good!!
As my Heather later affirmed the fact after seeing dear Mother in action: "Mom, you REALLY have no rhythm at all do you?!" No dear. . . and as her dad, David said "It is a wonder that all THREE of our kids have great rhythm as well as coordination between the likes of your Mom and me!" A small miracle in and of itself. I guess I can thank all my years at a private christian church ran school for my lack thereof. I was even a cheerleader, which Heather dear reminded me that I was with a question mark all over her face. Two reasons result from this 1.) I was a cheerleader before dance was even evented into cheerleading 2.) If and were there dancing. . . you probably wouldn't find it in the enviroment we attended school in. Although we did like to swing our skirts a little EXTRA hard at times. ; )
This was a 1 hour class that at times thought would never end! The teacher begins by saying "No one stops...if you stop we stop the class. No leaving this class....doors will be glued shut." Great, what have I got myself into?!?! As Heather later imitated me to her dad by giving him a great showmanship of Mom's "abilities", he replied with a "I so wish I had been there to video it!!" Entertaining I'm sure....dear ones. : P
From the beginning of the simplest steps (which I thought I had right...that being the simplest) I seem to be "off-track" shall we say. My arms went up when they were supposed to go down.....my feet went forward when we were supposed to go backwards. If we were going right, I was going left. Alot of times I said the heck with feet, arms, hips, smiles AND breathing and just concentrated on ONE thing only. There were times the teacher would animatedly imitate people by how slow and lagging they were. I said to myself "Quit making fun of me lady, GEE!" She never would make eye contact with me, but Heather said she was imitating me at times. How lovely.....hey at least it got me noticed! Speaking of getting noticed, I forgot to mention that upon entering the class I firmly planted myself on the back row .... along with everyone else at the time. But teacher noticed her regular pupil, my Heather, was not in her normal place....FRONT AND CENTER. She told her to get up there and she pointed at me....to which I gladly said "Yup, it's me and i'm here". . . pointing to the ground. Needless to say, I was summons up right smack dab in the center of everyone. There couldn't be another full spot of attention of I searched for one, it seemed. O joy. As the teacher said at the beginning "No one is looking at you and if they do...shame on them." Later, I told David "Should I go back to her class, she MAY ask me to please move to the back of the room this time." as I was probably more of a distraction to others. Heather said she tried watching me a couple of times and she would bust out laughing and loose track of her workout. WELL, I do love to make people laugh.....SO THERE. David was laughing HARDLY when he watched Heather's re-enactment of me. Who knows....if I was You Tubed it could have went viral!! Haha!
It was just the whole eye -hand -foot -hips....every body part you have moving at the same time and this girl's brain is wired for one thing at a time. I would start to focus on just the feet leaving everything else off...and then the silly woman would switch just about the time I would get it. As for the arms, Heather said I began to leave them just straight up in the air. What the heck....they will all get in that position at some point won't they?!
I can definitely say . . . it was like nothing ever before . . .heck, I think giving birth was easier than THAT! :)
Now the question is. . .Will I go back for another go around next this Thursday?! to go or not to go....Hmm. I'm thinking if I am I will get some private tutoring from Zumba girl herself.....Heather.
I went back later this evening and did my workout with dear hubby. So, I think I will call it a day....a day like none other that's for sure. haha! Be adventerous friends....it's good for..... something!!
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Kids, pigs and such. . .
As I think I have mentioned before in Blogs or at least on FB....my son, Levi is raising a pig this year for FFA. He has worked super hard and shown great discipline during this time with the pig. I am very proud of him, his efforts and the maturity he shows in taking care of something. There have been SEVERAL occassions when we would take Levi to the barn, to care for his pig, and there would be parents there instead of kids tending to the pigs. I know that kids in general are pretty busy these days, but why let them take on a responsibility if they don't have time for it?! So seeing him work hard all by himself each day makes this Mom even MORE prouder. :)
Yesterday, Saturday, there was a Showmanship Event going on for all the kids in all the surrounding schools to come and practice what they will be experiencing in February at the Rodeo. This was in the cold drizzling rain....which could have been much more colder and drizzlier and thankfully wasn't. It was a situation where you hurry and get there early in the morning.....and wait. Wait we did. The pigs were the very last event and I have to say out of all the other catagories was the most disorganized. But who can really make a pig stand in one place and not move like the other animals could?! haha! The object was to keep crossing your pig in front of the judge so he would see yours the most often. Poor Levi did his best and everytime it was as if the judge would automatically look away .... frustrating to say the least.
A long story longer. . .
We had high hopes for Levi's pig, Bo Duke. Levi had done almost everything he had been told to do throughout the school year. I say "almost" b/c we didn't follow the de-wormer system exactly. But. . . in the judge's opinion this was NOT what the judges were going to be looking for this year. Instead of a fat pig now they decide they want LEAN pigs. Go figure!! With only 3 weeks away now they decide to let the poor boy know. I guess you just never know from year to year what exactly these judges are going to decide on. So you can imagine the disappointment he faced after being told this!!
But as in with all things in this sweet boy's life. . . he takes it, accepts it, and goes on making the best of what he can. I admire him greatly for his ability to do that in life. Now we do the best we can with what is left of our time and we trust in our faithful Father who cares about any and ALL details in our life. There is a reason this happened and God can reveal it to us in His timing or He can choose to simply just ask us to trust.
Now - I try and attempt to tie this in with other "things" in our life.
In raising my own little "pigs" . . . [teasing]. . . my children, I can see how this relates.
As a parent you invest all of your time, all of your love, all of your life to raising and nurturing these children God has blessed you with. You share with them God's love, His forgiveness, His salvation. You share with them how to live a life that lines up with God's standards and expectations. How to have convictions and stick to them. To hopefully understand that this WHOLE entire existance we have here on this earth is all about HIM and only HIM!
And then they become known as what we call - - TEENAGERS.
We don't stop with our teaching though. . . in most cases we press on even harder than before. And as we do we begin to see them make their OWN choices and decisions in life. This time in a parent's life can be difficult.... no let me say very difficult. . . for we see them sometimes choosing such wrong choices and making such wrong decisions! We face many many trials with them because of those wrong choices. The pain in our heart is O SO very real and we have felt NOTHING in this world like it before. I don't make this stuff up. . . it's real.
It is then that we can start to question "God, what happened . . . I did everything you told me to do. . .there isn't anything I could have left out is there?! Am I not the parent you called me to be? This isn't the way I thought it would be."
We must see right then and right there that it is NOT a reflection of our parenting skills, NOT because we have bad genes, NOT because we didn't get all the advice we needed to know how to, and most certainly NOT because God is punishing us because He didn't like how we raised His kids!! What it is however is
1. God shaping them into the person HE wants them to be. 2. God revealing to us that HE is in control - no matter what their life looks like. 3. God allowing them to go through "stuff" in life to use them later to reach out to others. Believe me I'm preaching to myself! :)
We know that we think it could be SO much easier had God just simply chose to give us perfectly perfect children and the world would become a better place. We wonder why He doesn't simply just use someone else down the road to help others who are hurting and needing God's love revealed - Instead of sending our children as well as us through so many heartaches. But God knows and God uses whom He will. . .and honestly we wouldn't want it any other way.
Now in relating back to Levi's situation. . .we don't exactly know what the judge will be so inclined to say at the Rodeo. As David, his dad, has said "This is one judge's opinion. You go on doing what you're doing and make the best of it." We do plan to take whatever advice we receive from his teacher IF any is given. . .but in the end. . . we simply trust God for the outcome. . . a win or no win. God knows what this boy needs regardless. I will say that in my symbolizing the two stories that God will in NO way whatsoever turn our children away like this judge may do with the pig. He loves them far too much even moreso than we possibly ever could!
We simply must TRUST God for the outcome of what and who our children will become. His plans are the absolute B E S T!
I will leave you with a verse that most know and as I have been encouraged along the way by other parents who "know" . . . it speaks great truth.
Proverbs 22:6 - "Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it."
Have hope parents! God's not done yet! : )
Yesterday, Saturday, there was a Showmanship Event going on for all the kids in all the surrounding schools to come and practice what they will be experiencing in February at the Rodeo. This was in the cold drizzling rain....which could have been much more colder and drizzlier and thankfully wasn't. It was a situation where you hurry and get there early in the morning.....and wait. Wait we did. The pigs were the very last event and I have to say out of all the other catagories was the most disorganized. But who can really make a pig stand in one place and not move like the other animals could?! haha! The object was to keep crossing your pig in front of the judge so he would see yours the most often. Poor Levi did his best and everytime it was as if the judge would automatically look away .... frustrating to say the least.
A long story longer. . .
We had high hopes for Levi's pig, Bo Duke. Levi had done almost everything he had been told to do throughout the school year. I say "almost" b/c we didn't follow the de-wormer system exactly. But. . . in the judge's opinion this was NOT what the judges were going to be looking for this year. Instead of a fat pig now they decide they want LEAN pigs. Go figure!! With only 3 weeks away now they decide to let the poor boy know. I guess you just never know from year to year what exactly these judges are going to decide on. So you can imagine the disappointment he faced after being told this!!
But as in with all things in this sweet boy's life. . . he takes it, accepts it, and goes on making the best of what he can. I admire him greatly for his ability to do that in life. Now we do the best we can with what is left of our time and we trust in our faithful Father who cares about any and ALL details in our life. There is a reason this happened and God can reveal it to us in His timing or He can choose to simply just ask us to trust.
Now - I try and attempt to tie this in with other "things" in our life.
In raising my own little "pigs" . . . [teasing]. . . my children, I can see how this relates.
As a parent you invest all of your time, all of your love, all of your life to raising and nurturing these children God has blessed you with. You share with them God's love, His forgiveness, His salvation. You share with them how to live a life that lines up with God's standards and expectations. How to have convictions and stick to them. To hopefully understand that this WHOLE entire existance we have here on this earth is all about HIM and only HIM!
And then they become known as what we call - - TEENAGERS.
We don't stop with our teaching though. . . in most cases we press on even harder than before. And as we do we begin to see them make their OWN choices and decisions in life. This time in a parent's life can be difficult.... no let me say very difficult. . . for we see them sometimes choosing such wrong choices and making such wrong decisions! We face many many trials with them because of those wrong choices. The pain in our heart is O SO very real and we have felt NOTHING in this world like it before. I don't make this stuff up. . . it's real.
It is then that we can start to question "God, what happened . . . I did everything you told me to do. . .there isn't anything I could have left out is there?! Am I not the parent you called me to be? This isn't the way I thought it would be."
We must see right then and right there that it is NOT a reflection of our parenting skills, NOT because we have bad genes, NOT because we didn't get all the advice we needed to know how to, and most certainly NOT because God is punishing us because He didn't like how we raised His kids!! What it is however is
1. God shaping them into the person HE wants them to be. 2. God revealing to us that HE is in control - no matter what their life looks like. 3. God allowing them to go through "stuff" in life to use them later to reach out to others. Believe me I'm preaching to myself! :)
We know that we think it could be SO much easier had God just simply chose to give us perfectly perfect children and the world would become a better place. We wonder why He doesn't simply just use someone else down the road to help others who are hurting and needing God's love revealed - Instead of sending our children as well as us through so many heartaches. But God knows and God uses whom He will. . .and honestly we wouldn't want it any other way.
Now in relating back to Levi's situation. . .we don't exactly know what the judge will be so inclined to say at the Rodeo. As David, his dad, has said "This is one judge's opinion. You go on doing what you're doing and make the best of it." We do plan to take whatever advice we receive from his teacher IF any is given. . .but in the end. . . we simply trust God for the outcome. . . a win or no win. God knows what this boy needs regardless. I will say that in my symbolizing the two stories that God will in NO way whatsoever turn our children away like this judge may do with the pig. He loves them far too much even moreso than we possibly ever could!
We simply must TRUST God for the outcome of what and who our children will become. His plans are the absolute B E S T!
I will leave you with a verse that most know and as I have been encouraged along the way by other parents who "know" . . . it speaks great truth.
Proverbs 22:6 - "Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it."
Have hope parents! God's not done yet! : )
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