God holds our tomorrows

Need an attitude adjustment? I certainly do...on a daily...hourly basis sometimes. Seeing what others are dealing with often smacks me upside the head and clears my thinking. Remember, subtlety doesn't work on me.

My sweet friend's husband starts six months of chemo today. She has no idea what her tomorrows will look like. Come to think of it, none of us do. Today, at this moment, I am incredibly thankful my family is healthy and praying fervently for hers.

Heather over at Especially Heather is working on her attitude too. Her little one (who's name just happens to be Emma Grace) is in the hospital again and she herself spent the last year battling a brain tumor. In her post, she mentions twin babies, only seven months old, who are both undergoing bone marrow transplants. Goodness...

Did I mention how thankful I am today? God sees all the crud, holds us close and keeps us walking.

Thank you Lord that You hold our todays and every one of our tomorrows...no matter what they look like.

Homeschooling in the great outdoors

Today is a beautiful 78 degree day in north Texas, so we decided to do our school work outside this morning. Can you tell which student I have the hardest time keeping on track???

Farm livin'

We spent the last few days in the country at what we affectionately call "the farm". In the family for close to 90 years, it's no longer a working farm, but 26 acres of pasture surrounded by towering, gnarled oak trees. There are no farm animals, unless you count a skittish dog, a fat, lazy cat, snakes, turtles, a few coyotes, a myriad of rodents and an armadillo that lives under the deck. The kids spend their days exploring, playing in the treehouse and in the summertime fishing, swimming in the pond (which I wouldn't swim in if you paid me) and riding in the paddle boat. It's a kid's paradise.

On this particular trip, Emma and Greyson decided they wanted to keep one of the rodents as a pet. Annie (otherwise known as the skittish dog) had been collecting the things all week and depositing them on the patio, usually minus a head and an appendage or two. Apparently the kids were able to grab one before she dismembered it. Hearing your oldest yell, "Mom, Emma's holding a rodent!" is not something I would put on my list of "Oh fun, let's do that again!" Oh my! Apparently they were both holding it until, in a last ditch effort to escape, the little thing scratched Greyson and was promptly dropped on its head. I can hear the moms gasping now. Yes, I was gasping too. Rodents...germs...rabies...

No worries. He is fine and they now know not to play with wild animals. Poor kids. If only their dad would let them have a dog.

Transformation

Transformation. Change. If we're honest, aren't we always looking for just that? I work out to transform my body. I try to eat right to transform my health. I read every book ever written on organization in an attempt to make my home run more smoothly. The most important transformation however has nothing to do with my outsides and everything to do with the insides.

Sometimes, probably much more often than I care to admit, I succumb to stinkin' thinkin'. My focus becomes worldly and temporal, rather than eternal. It's all about me. Well isn't it? "Poor me. Why is life so hard?" Que the violins and pass the cheese.

John Ortberg, in his book The Life You've Always Wanted tells the story of Mabel. Mabel spent the last 25 years in a convalescent hospital. Blind and partially deaf, her face slowly eaten away by cancer, she was alone...or so it would seem. When a friend of John's befriended Mabel, he discovered a power most of us will never begin to understand. Here is an excerpt from the book.

So I went to her and asked, 'Mabel, what do you think about when you lie here?'

And she said, 'I think about my Jesus.'

I sat there, and thought for a moment about the difficulty, for me, of thinking about Jesus for even five minutes, and I asked, 'What do you think about Jesus?' She replied slowly and deliberately as I wrote...:

'I think about how good he's been to me. He's been awfully good to me in my life, you know...I'm one of those kind who's mostly satisfied...Lots of folks wouldn't care much for what I think. Lots of folks would think I'm kind of old-fashioned. But I don't care. I'd rather have Jesus. He's all the world to me.'

...Here was an ordinary human being who received supernatural power to do extraordinary things. Her entire life consisted of following Jesus as best she could in her situation: patient endurance of suffering, solitude, prayer, meditation on Scripture, worship, fellowship when it was possible, giving when she had a flower or a piece of candy to offer.

What a whiner I am! To have such trust and security in my Savior to be able to say, no matter what my circumstances, "He's been very good to me you know." Wow.

I'm not there. I'm not even close to being there, but I want to be. Yes, I really, really want to be.

God's 2x4

"Be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowances for each other's faults because of your love. Always keep yourselves united in the Holy Spirit and bind yourselves together with peace." -Ephesians 4:2-3

Yep, God uses 2x4's to get my attention...right upside the head! Apparently subtlety is lost on me. If only I had been reminded of the truths found in Ephesians chapter four LAST week, it would have saved a lot of heartache.

Imagine what our churches would be like if we could all remember Paul's admonition. Imagine if we gave one another the benefit of the doubt, being patient and wanting the best in our fellow believers. Imagine if peace were truly the glue that held us together. How different would our churches look? How much more effective would we be in reaching the lost?

The enemy rarely uses outside influences to cause disunity in a church body. Unfortunately, he uses us against one another. We suddenly lose sight of our own faults and weaknesses (which are many!) and begin to zero in on other's faults. No humbleness or gentleness there - we become part of the problem rather than part of the solution. It's no different now than it was in Paul's day. Yes, I'm preaching to myself here...sometimes it's the best audience.

God forgive me for ever being part of the problem.

A heartfelt apology

Lesson learned today - never blog when you are angry and frustrated. Chances are you will say things you don't mean or that will come across in a manner you did not intend.

Yesterday was a frustrating day on many levels and unfortunately I aired my grievances a bit too much here. Though the post was general in nature and not intended for anyone in particular, I realize now it was too harsh and did not reflect what is truly in my heart.

To those who many have read and interpreted otherwise, I am sorry. It was never my intent to be malicious. As is evidenced here in my mistakes, God is still working on all of us.

Stress busters - don't kick the dog

We all have different ways of coping with stress. Some yell. Some cry. Some withdraw. Since stress is an inevitable part of life, it's a good idea to have a plan for dealing with it in order to alleviate, or at least diminish, the wrong response. Here are my three favorite stress busters.

1. Swing with your kids at the park...the higher the better. Close your eyes, lean back and fly.

2. Blow bubbles. Nothing relieves stress more quickly than blowing bubbles. Watch them float in the air and imagine your troubles disappearing along with them.

3. Put in your favorite worship CD, close your eyes and worship. Refocusing on Who is truly important will put your problems in proper perspective.

It's amazing what a difference the simplest things can make. So how do you handle stress? What's your favorite way of regrouping during a challenge? And no, kicking the dog doesn't count!

Jesus bring the rain!

Life can be tough. Sometimes for no apparent reason we struggle through a seemingly endless array of difficulties. Is there a reason? Is there a purpose in our pain? With all life has dealt me over the past few months, I can answer a resounding YES!

There is a two-fold reason we face trials - that we will grow to spiritual maturity and that God will be glorified above all else. If that is the case, I would not trade a moment of what I've been through...not even the darkest. For it was in the very lowest moments He carried me closest to His heart. Am I growing? I believe so. Is He being glorified? That is my fervent prayer.

So if my pain brings Him even a fraction of the glory He deserves, then I say, "Jesus bring the rain!"

I melt His heart

I sat today watching Emma play. Her creativity flowed, her mind working faster than her mouth as she shared her thoughts with me. As I looked at her I thought, "Lord, she melts my heart. I absolutely adore her!"

"That's what I feel when I look at you" He said.

"Seriously?"

"Yes, seriously."

I've always known God loved me, but today I felt it in a whole new way. I melt His heart...and so do you.

Parenting - what a job!

Soothing a crying infant.

Potty-training a wriggling toddler.

Teaching an eager pre-schooler to read.

A piece of cake when compared with facing the pre-teen/teen years. I remember what an awesome task each of those things seemed to be at the time. The early years were a combination of sleep depravity, constant motion and endless messes. What stands before me now will soon tower over me...literally.

We struggle not with crying, but unexplained emotions.

Not with potty-training, but with giving them freedoms.

Not with learning to read, but learning life.

I only thought the early years were tough. The toughest and probably most rewarding is yet to come.

God give me wisdom to navigate this road - bumps, potholes, detours and all.

Hope

I'm feeling a bit "Rip Van Winklish", as if I have just woken up from an extraordinarily long nap. The sun seemed to shine a bit brighter today and the coffee tasted sweeter. I do believe the color is returning to my world. Maybe not as quickly as I would like, but returning nonetheless.

God is faithful to His promises.