Stuff I Learned From My Children

 AS INFANTS

You don’t really need as much sleep as you think you do.

Those little, tiny bundles of joy go through a truckload of diapers a week!

No matter how early you start getting ready, you will probably not get anywhere on time.

The bad news: Your life will never be the same again.

The good news: Your life will never be the same again.                 

AS TODDLERS

If it can’t be easily cleaned, don’t buy it.

One chocolate chip cookie in the hand of a loose toddler can make a very big mess.

Your life for the next few years is going to be about poop, tantrums, snot and throw up. Deal with it.

Children, for some strange reason, are fond of putting small objects up their noses.

Nothing smells sweeter than the skin of a child who has been playing in sunshine and fresh air.

They will eat dirt, sand or already chewed gum they found on floor, but turn up their noses at the nutritious meal you spent hours preparing.

They do not tire of hearing the same story read to them one zillion times.

Those sweet hugs make up for everything.

AS SCHOOL AGE CHILDREN

When they learn to share, be prepared to hand out popsicles to the multitudes.

The words "sleep" and "over" are deceiving, as very little sleep will actually be taking place. Mostly just giggling.

Science projects are to parents what Godzilla is to Japan.        

Stepping on little pointy Barbie shoes in your bare feet really hurts.

Even though the plain book bag is cheaper, for the mental well-being of your child, you must buy the expensive one with the Disney logo.

AS TEENS

My daisy earrings, my red capri pants and Dad’s shorts with the cargo pockets make a scary fashion statement, and should never, ever be worn again.

Kissing, or holding hands with their father or skipping in a public parking lot is unacceptable parent behavior.

Mom can never have a rap group, nor should she even attempt to rap.

When they have friends over, leave them alone, but keep the snacks coming!

Young ladies can spend a LOT of time in the bathroom. Who knows what goes on in there?

It is no longer groovy to say groovy.

The words "it will grow" do not, in any way, bring comfort or stop the hysterics that come with a bad haircut.

Never stop hugging them.                                                   

AS ADULTS

My girls are a lot more confident and wise than I was at their age.

Raising kids God’s way really does make for good results.

Grown up daughters make very good friends.

Sons-in-laws are wonderful.

The desire of my heart is that they all reach higher and go farther in God than I ever could.

I will never stop being proud of and amazed by all my beautiful daughters.

I love my kids!  Some are "homegrown, and some are ones that the Lord has given to me, and each one is precious. Years ago, God gave me a promise that I would be a mother to nations. I am living out that promise now. I am so blessed.

Hannah and David at Abby's wedding.

Isa 8:18 Behold, I and the children whom the Lord has given me are signs and wonders [that are to take place] in Israel from the Lord of hosts, Who dwells on Mount Zion.

Psalm 115:14 The LORD shall increase you more and more, you and your children.

Isa 54:13 And all your [spiritual] children shall be disciples [taught by the Lord and obedient to His will], and great shall be the peace and undisturbed composure of your children. [John 6:45.]

I am "American Mom" and Pea Hater is Dad to this wonderful couple. We love them so much. I am Bedste Mae (Grandma) to their sweet children, which requires me to keep candy and cookies on hand!

This is my girl, Clara. Isn't she beautiful?

She is one of the worship leaders at our church

 

God has also let me be Momma Mae to a wonderful young lady on Xanga.

Love you, Addy! I hope we can meet in person some day.

 

    

 

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY

 

TO ALL YOU WONDERFUL MOMS!

 

 

Read the Book!

As believers, one of our life’s greatest quests should be to know our God. How do we do this? One way is to study the Bible and to learn about Jesus, because Jesus told us that He is one with Father God. He is God in fleshly form sent to us so we could reconnect with our Creator. So, through the life of Jesus, we can learn about God.

As we study scripture, we see that God is compassionate. Jesus had compassion on many and healed all who were brought to Him. He wept over the sinful condition of Jerusalem. He raised Jairus’s daughter from the dead. He was not afraid to touch the highly contagious lepers and restore them to health. He loved the little children and wanted to take them on His lap and bless them. Will He not have compassion on us?

We read of how Jesus cleansed the temple and threw out the moneychangers and all who were dishonoring the temple. This teaches us that God wants us to have respect for His house. Do we treat our church with respect? Yes. It is just a building, but it is the place we come to for worshiping God together.

When we read the story of how Jesus turned water into wine, we read that this wine was the best those at the wedding feast had ever tasted. We learn that when God does anything, He does it with excellence. He gives His best. Should we not give our best to Him?

After the resurrection, we read that even though Peter had cursed and betrayed Jesus, he was accepted and forgiven. Jesus makes a special point of asking for him and restoring him. He patiently understood Peter’s faults, and saw the good in him. Shouldn’t we rejoice and be glad that our God forgives and restores us, too?

"Don't you believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I speak to you aren't mere words. I don't just make them up on my own. The Father who resides in me crafts each word into a divine act. "Believe me: I am in my Father and my Father is in me. If you can't believe that, believe what you see--these works. The person who trusts me will not only do what I'm doing but even greater things, because I, on my way to the Father, am giving you the same work to do that I've been doing. You can count on it. From now on, whatever you request along the lines of who I am and what I am doing, I'll do it. That's how the Father will be seen for who he is in the Son. I mean it." (John 14:10-13 MSG)

Now it's your turn! What else does the life of Jesus tell us about who God is? 

Us Four and No More

Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good. (Romans 12:21 KJVR)

Have you noticed how many Christians seem to be happy to shut themselves off from the world? Some seem to have the attitude that we have to stay safe and exclusive inside our churches so the big, bad world won’t dirty us. When did we start seeing the unsaved as "the enemy" instead of as the lost? Evil is the enemy, not the victims of it.

Don’t get me wrong, I know those verses about how we are not to love the ways of the world, and I agree with that. However, the PEOPLE in the world are another story. Are we so insecure in our Christianity that we fear we will be led astray if we get out there and rub shoulders with the unsaved? Is it right that we ask for God's blessings only for ourselves? How can we reach a lost world if we are hiding inside the church? How can we influence the world for good if we are worried about being overpowered by the bad?

We need balance. True, we are not to behave as the world behaves. Our values, our goals and our final destinations are totally different. However, we are called to be lights in the darkness. Jesus died to bring redemption to a world He loves. Now His desire is show the world His love THROUGH US!

I know of a church which heard that the gay folks were planning to have a parade in their town. Some wanted to go with signs and protest. They saw these poor, misguided folks as evil and they wanted to take a stand against them and their dirty parade. Then, one in the group mentioned that they could not be a part of this protest because they had several gay friends whom they had been praying for and witnessing to for a long time. "How are they going to feel about coming to my church or hearing about my God if I show up at their parade with a mean sign and a hateful spirit? How is that showing them the redemptive love of God?"

I am happy to say that the church rethought their strategy and decided that they would go to the parade, but they would go with compassionate hearts, and loving attitudes to hand out cool drinks of water to those marching.

There is no way someone is going to listen to us talk about God’s wonderful love if we can’t demonstrate it. No one ever comes a step closer to the Savior because we treat them with judgement and scorn. Sinners will never find the way out of their darkness if the bearers of Christ’s love and light can’t go in to that darkness and lead them out.

May God help His people show compassion for those who are lost.

Take a Step Back!

Sometimes I can get very preoccupied with ME. I am focused on what I want and what has to happen in MY world to make things good and safe and comfortable for ME! Do you ever get like that? I find that when I do, I am apt get picky and "complainy" and just kinda hard to live with. (You better watch your comments here, Pea Hater!)

Then, from somewhere in my spirit, I often hear my Lord say, "Take a step back." When I do, I see more than just me. I see my family, and how what I do and want relates to them. Sometimes I have some repenting to do, and some people to ask forgiveness of. I am reminded that it isn’t "all about ME!"  Don't you think we all need to be reminded of that from time to time?

There are times when being too close to a situation is just plain dangerous. It can cloud our judgement and warp the true picture. Anything viewed through the lense of selfishness is a small and distorted picture.

When I take another step back, I can see more of my world. I see my church. I notice the needs of others. I see how blessed I really am compared to many in the world, and I find a new gratefulness, compassion and humility rising up within me. I see that I feel much better when I am not so close and concentrated on my own wants and needs.

It’s almost like the zoom lense on a camera in reverse. Although I do like that feature on a camera, and I very much enjoy many of the great photos people take with their close up shots. There is still a time and place for seeing the big picture.

Of course, there are times when we need to "zoom in" and focus on ourselves. We all need some times of self reflection and rest. The problem starts if we decide to live there. It is possible to become so self-absorbed that we are no good to anyone. Balance is important.

To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: (Ecclesiastes 3:1 KJVR)

Where is your focus today? Are you perhaps examining things a little too close up? Do you need to take a step back and see more of the picture?

The Best Substitute

"God did it for us. Out of sheer generosity He put us in right standing with Himself. A pure gift. He got us out of the mess we're in and restored us to where He always wanted us to be. And He did it by means of Jesus Christ. God sacrificed Jesus on the altar of the world to clear that world of sin. Having faith in Him sets us in the clear. God decided on this course of action in full view of the public--to set the world in the clear with Himself through the sacrifice of Jesus, finally taking care of the sins He had so patiently endured." (Romans 3:24-25 MSG)

When I was a school teacher, I learned a lot about substitutes. There were good ones, and there were some terrible ones. Some followed my lesson plans and managed the students well. Others let the kids do whatever they wanted, and when I returned from being sick, everybody was behind on their work, and the classroom was a disaster!

Anyway, I was thinking about substitutes this week. I like sugar in my coffee. I have tried those substitute sweeteners, but they seem to have an after taste. They just don't do it for me. Still, they have their place, and I am sure there are people who use them and are grateful for them. A substitute is not the real thing. The dictionary says that a substitute is a person or thing that takes or can take the place of another.

In the Old Testament, God commanded Abraham to take his son, Isaac and offer him as a sacrifice. You can read the story in Genesis 22. Abraham loved and obeyed God without questioning, and prepared to offer his son, but at the last minute, God provided a substitute for Isaac. He stopped Abraham from killing his son, and said he could sacrifice a ram in Isaac's place. I am sure Abraham was very thankful that a substitute had been provided.

Romans 6:23 tells us that the price of sin is death. Romans 3:23 tells us we are all sinners. In God's eyes, a price for our sinfulness must be paid, and that price is death. Sin equals death. That's the way it works. We are doomed. But wait! Just as God provided a substitute for Abraham so his son could live, God offers a substitute for us. He offers us His perfect, sinless Son.

When I saw The Passion of the Christ, it impacted me greatly. I know it was just a movie, but it was as close to the reality of Christ's suffering as anything I could ever imagine. I watched in horror as He was whipped and beaten, and I watched with the knowledge that He was my substitute. He did that for me. He took my place. I am the sinner. He paid the price. How amazing is that? If you have ever questioned your value as an individual, just remember what Christ did for you on Calvary.

Thank God He provided a substitute for me!