Not too long ago I asked my five-year-old Chickadee to clean up in her room a bit.
"I will, Mommy, but first can I have a drink?"
"Okay, Mommy, but I need to go potty first."
"Allllright, I'll do it right after I finish playing."
As they were walking along the road, a man said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.”
Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.”
He said to another man, “Follow me.”
But he replied, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.”
Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God.”
Still another said, “I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say goodbye to my family.”
Jesus replied, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.”
Luke 9:57-62
New International Version
"My child, take a moment and invest in that person's life."
"But Lord, I'm late. I've got to get to the school and pick up the kids."
"Go and join in your daughter's tea party."
"God, I will, but have you seen this house? The laundry, the dishes..."
"Come and read the words I have for you today."
"Of course, but I'm just so tired. Let me just sit down for a minute."
I want to do all of those things. I want to obey Him. And spend time with Him.
But so often I want to do it on my terms.
Sunday, May 15, 2011
Friday, April 8, 2011
God Thinks You're Beautiful
I was wandering down memory lane and recalled a song I learned in college. It's a simple chorus called "More Precious Than Silver." Here are the words:
Lord, You are more precious than silver.
Lord, You are more costly than gold.
Lord, You are more beautiful than diamonds
And nothing I desire compares to you.
Some years later, at a camp, some friends and I were preparing to lead a group of middle and high school students in a time of worship through song, and we decided to sing this one. Brad, the guitarist, suggested we sing the song a couple of times in worship to God, and then sing it a little differently one last time.
Rather than tell how we sang it, I want you to experience it for yourself. Through reading, of course, instead of singing, unless you know the tune.
Read (sing) along--
Lord, You are more precious than silver.
Lord, You are more costly than gold.
Lord, You are more beautiful than diamonds
And nothing I desire compares to you.
Now, imagine that God Himself, your heavenly Father, is singing to you these words:
Child, you are more precious than silver.
Child, you are more costly than gold.
Child, you are more beautiful than diamonds
And nothing I desire compares to you.
He loves you, thus Easter!
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.
John 3:16-17
New International Version
Lord, You are more precious than silver.
Lord, You are more costly than gold.
Lord, You are more beautiful than diamonds
And nothing I desire compares to you.
Some years later, at a camp, some friends and I were preparing to lead a group of middle and high school students in a time of worship through song, and we decided to sing this one. Brad, the guitarist, suggested we sing the song a couple of times in worship to God, and then sing it a little differently one last time.
Rather than tell how we sang it, I want you to experience it for yourself. Through reading, of course, instead of singing, unless you know the tune.
Read (sing) along--
Lord, You are more precious than silver.
Lord, You are more costly than gold.
Lord, You are more beautiful than diamonds
And nothing I desire compares to you.
Now, imagine that God Himself, your heavenly Father, is singing to you these words:
Child, you are more precious than silver.
Child, you are more costly than gold.
Child, you are more beautiful than diamonds
And nothing I desire compares to you.
He loves you, thus Easter!
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.
John 3:16-17
New International Version
Monday, March 14, 2011
If Eve Only Knew
I was hanging out with my mom today on the love seat as the youngest Chickadee climbed all over us. I had forgotten she was coming over today. When she called to tell me she was about thirty minutes away, I had been snoozing on the couch as Baby Bird watched Sesame Street. I had been feeling under the weather for a few days, so after a marathon weekend, I was taking in Monday morning slowly. Very slowly. It was 10:30 a.m., and I was still in my p.j.'s. Not just breakfast dishes filled the sink, but also dishes from the day before. To say my kitchen was a disaster would be an understatement. My house was so not ready for my mom's visit. But I chose to get dressed before she arrived instead of pretending to work on the mess in the kitchen. She doesn't care, really, it's just a pride thing on my part.
Anyway, as we were conversing on the love seat, I kind of panned my eyes around the room to take in what other lapses in housekeeping were going on.
Among other things, I saw two laundry baskets full of clean clothes next to the couch. And then I remembered two more waited in the laundry room. Four baskets of clean clothes. And probably about four loads worth of dirty clothes waited in piles in bedrooms because the laundry baskets were taken!
They had no idea what they were bringing into the world.
I wonder, if Eve would have had the foresight to know this concept "laundry," if she would have chosen differently. Sigh...we'll never know. She never could have imagined the impact that her sin, her one "little" sin, would have on the generations to come.
Anyway, as we were conversing on the love seat, I kind of panned my eyes around the room to take in what other lapses in housekeeping were going on.
Among other things, I saw two laundry baskets full of clean clothes next to the couch. And then I remembered two more waited in the laundry room. Four baskets of clean clothes. And probably about four loads worth of dirty clothes waited in piles in bedrooms because the laundry baskets were taken!
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| Courtesy of Google Images |
Eve, oh, Eve. Many times have I jokingly blamed you for the messes I get into, but this may be the one that takes the cake. And Adam, why, oh, why didn't you stop her?
Read here in Genesis 3 after the serpent tempts Eve to eat from the tree in the middle of the garden. The only tree God said not to eat from.
6 When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. 7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves. New International Version 2011There! Right there! Did you see it? In verse seven it clearly states that, due to Eve's sin, laundry was invented! Forget about increased pains during childbirth as a consequence for sin. I laugh in the face of labor pains! At least you get a baby in the end. But for Adam and Eve to see each other's nakedness and in turn make the first clothes.
They had no idea what they were bringing into the world.
I wonder, if Eve would have had the foresight to know this concept "laundry," if she would have chosen differently. Sigh...we'll never know. She never could have imagined the impact that her sin, her one "little" sin, would have on the generations to come.
Thursday, March 10, 2011
All Together Now..."O-o-o-o-o-o-o-klahoma...."
Would somebody please tell me when I moved to Oklahoma where the wind comes sweepin' down the plain??? I guess it's just that time of year when the weather is trying to decide if Spring's coming and it's time to plant the garden or if we'll have a blizzard in a couple of weeks. That wind blows everything from hay to burger wrappers into our carport. Ah, the perks of living next to a four-way stop.
In order to keep all of that dirt and grime from being tracked into my house, I sweep out the carport. Well, I have to admit, now Rev. Hubby uses the gas-powered blower to blow out the carport, but I used to sweep it out all the time.
It was such a time-consuming chore! And I'm not one to get only the dirt I can see. I have to move every single bike/big-wheel/scooter/Barbie jeep and rake/fishing pole/baby floatie out of the way to get every bit of dust I possibly can. In fact, I actually use two brooms to sweep. One is a smaller broom that I used to have inside the house. It's for the corners and edges of the carport. And I use the bigger push broom to move it all out.
All that time, I've got my eye on the prize: the line that separates the carport from the driveway. When the dirt's over the line, it is officially OUT of the carport. So I work really hard and get the carport as clean as possible, just to get it barely into the driveway. And then I stop. And look. And realize that if I leave it there, it will blow back into the carport in about two seconds.
So what am I gonna do? Do I rejoice that the job's done and go on about my day, or do I do what it takes to get the dirt as far away from my clean carport as possible? Truth be told, I kind of meet in the middle. I get the big broom and push the dirt to the side, into the yard along the driveway. I figure it will have a harder time blowing back from the grass than if it's just on the concrete. And then I declare victory!
I know in my life, when God has revealed an area of sin to me, I tend to want to do the bare minimum required to declare that the area of sin has been removed from my life. Usually, it's just across the line, waiting for something to stress me out or to tempt me and it will blow right back in to my cleaned out spirit. What if I took that extra time, made that extra effort to push it far, far away from me, so there isn't even a possibility of it blowing back into my life? Taking it to the Lord everyday, every hour, even every moment if that's what it takes.
Rev. Hubby has used the following illustration many times, and it always speaks to me.
Imagine a line. On one side of it is sin and on the other side is, well, not sin. Now, we can be anywhere on the "not sin" side and not be sinning, but should we try to see how close we can get to the line that separates us from sin, or should we try to stay as far away from that line as possible?
I vote for as far away as possible. How about you?
In order to keep all of that dirt and grime from being tracked into my house, I sweep out the carport. Well, I have to admit, now Rev. Hubby uses the gas-powered blower to blow out the carport, but I used to sweep it out all the time.
It was such a time-consuming chore! And I'm not one to get only the dirt I can see. I have to move every single bike/big-wheel/scooter/Barbie jeep and rake/fishing pole/baby floatie out of the way to get every bit of dust I possibly can. In fact, I actually use two brooms to sweep. One is a smaller broom that I used to have inside the house. It's for the corners and edges of the carport. And I use the bigger push broom to move it all out.
All that time, I've got my eye on the prize: the line that separates the carport from the driveway. When the dirt's over the line, it is officially OUT of the carport. So I work really hard and get the carport as clean as possible, just to get it barely into the driveway. And then I stop. And look. And realize that if I leave it there, it will blow back into the carport in about two seconds.
So what am I gonna do? Do I rejoice that the job's done and go on about my day, or do I do what it takes to get the dirt as far away from my clean carport as possible? Truth be told, I kind of meet in the middle. I get the big broom and push the dirt to the side, into the yard along the driveway. I figure it will have a harder time blowing back from the grass than if it's just on the concrete. And then I declare victory!
I know in my life, when God has revealed an area of sin to me, I tend to want to do the bare minimum required to declare that the area of sin has been removed from my life. Usually, it's just across the line, waiting for something to stress me out or to tempt me and it will blow right back in to my cleaned out spirit. What if I took that extra time, made that extra effort to push it far, far away from me, so there isn't even a possibility of it blowing back into my life? Taking it to the Lord everyday, every hour, even every moment if that's what it takes.
Rev. Hubby has used the following illustration many times, and it always speaks to me.
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| Courtesy of Google Images |
I vote for as far away as possible. How about you?
Saturday, March 5, 2011
How Does Your Garden Grow?
Courtesy of Google Images
The Chickadees and I were out playing in the yard. Riding bikes and scooters, tossing the softball, when I heard Chickadee #2 yell, "No! Don't mess up our flowers!" I turned to find the eldest pulling weeds out of one of our flower beds. Chickadee #2 had, just the day before, presented me with a bouquet of these purple-petaled plants and now I had to break it to her that they were weeds. A nuisance that needed to be removed. We all worked together and got approximately 1/64 of our yard weeded. It's a start, I guess!
I explained to the girls that you have to grab the weed from the root, removing the whole plant, otherwise it would grow right back. And, even though it's pretty, we have to get rid of it because it will steal the sunlight and water from the plants we're trying to grow.
Just like my life, when I'm trying to uproot sin, it's easy to clean up the part that everyone can see while ignoring what's below the surface. The real problem that will come back quickly until the root is removed. Continuing to suck the life out of what I want to grow and to flourish.
It had rained the day before, so it was pretty easy work. The ground is so much more willing to give up the weed's root after the rain.
When the day is gray and the rain falls, rather than complain that we have to stay indoors, I thank the Lord for the quenching of the earth's thirst, for this weather is necessary for life. For me, too, this kind of "weather" is necessary. A heavy rain, maybe even a storm, that at first seems to ruin my plans, comes and nourishes me, makes me more pliable, so that the Lord can more easily remove the weeds in my life.
Monday, February 14, 2011
Routine Maintenance
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| Courtesy of Google Images |
How many times have I noticed a little "something" going on in my life that needs to be addressed, but I don't take the time to address it? "It's not a big deal," I tell myself. Maybe it's a call I need to make, a relationship I need to nurture, a sin I need to confess. But I can put it off--just a little longer. I mean, compared to a lot of other things that could be going on, I'm doing pretty good. No damage done. Right?
But then I remember my standard of comparison: God's holiness. The only standard that makes any difference. I can't compare my actions to those of a baby-abandoning mother or a dictator on the other side of the world. My shortcomings are just as ugly as theirs and greive the heart of God just as much. But I ignore it. I'll deal with it later. I wonder what long-term damage may come because of those times I've chosen to put off being honest with myself and with God.
Don't misunderstand me. I am so thankful that God is a Redeemer! He takes the ugly and hurtful things of the world and makes them beautiful and healing. However, there is a consequence for sin. And that is something that cannot be ignored. And so, I am thankful for being reminded, by my car of all things, to make sure I take care of those little "somethings" before they are left to cause real damage.
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Snack Time
Yesterday afternoon I called my seven-year-old Chickadee to the kitchen to do her homework. She asked if she could have a snack before she got started. Then she clarified: "Mommy, I haven't had dessert today, so can I have dessert now? ("Huh? Huh? Huh? Can I, Mommy? Pleeeeze?" her eyes asked.) I thought for a second and then told her she needed a more substantial snack if she was going to be able to sit down and focus on her work--for all of the ten minutes it would take. She is only in first grade, after all.
Please excuse the forthcoming, long aside: I don't remember my parents ever having to call me in to do my homework. Well, for one thing, when I was in elementary school, you didn't have homework. Unless it was a book report in fifth grade, or something. But, first grade? No way! Okay, I do remember having homework in the fourth grade--once. Long division. It took me a couple of extra days to fully grasp this concept. I just couldn't believe I couldn't find a short cut. That it really would take so long!
I remember sitting at the dining room table with my mom working long division problems until my eyes hurt. I know she was getting tired of it, too. She did have three other children to take care of, you know. I remember it was pretty late at night. She had to leave the room for a few minutes to check on someone and when she came back I was playing opossum with my head on my arms on the table. I was SO ready to be done! I guess she was, too, because she went along with my little charade and sent me to bed. I guess that let her off the hook a little.
You'd think that maybe my dad would have given me some tips with the math homework. He is, after all, the one in our family with the masters degree from Georgia Tech. I think it's probably a good thing, though, that he didn't. As a senior in high school, taking calculus, I asked him for some help. He pursed his lips a little and thoughtfully looked at what I had been taught that day. After a few moments he said, "Look. Here's a much easier way to do this problem," and proceeded to write down what I think was the formula for cold fusion on my paper. He really was trying to help, and for that I am thankful. And then I majored in music in college. End of aside. Thanks for reading.
For afternoon snack, we agreed on chips with salsa and sour cream. Health food, no, but substantial and yummy, yes. And we had some left over from the night before.
She was satisfied. Happy, even, with her snack. And no big sugar rush and crash while ordering numbers from greatest to least.
Pretty much immediately, this passage came to mind: Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!
Matthew 7:9-11
New International Version
My daughter, whom I love very much, didn't get what she wanted. I denied her request. I said, "No." But I gave her something she needed, something better for the situation. And she got dessert after supper.
Sometimes, maybe a lot of times, I ask God for something, and He says, "No." But, as a loving Father, He gives me exactly what I need for the situation because He can see the situation so much better than I can. I'll have just what I need to sustain me and keep me focused. And, I can rest assured, I'll get dessert when it's the right time.
Please excuse the forthcoming, long aside: I don't remember my parents ever having to call me in to do my homework. Well, for one thing, when I was in elementary school, you didn't have homework. Unless it was a book report in fifth grade, or something. But, first grade? No way! Okay, I do remember having homework in the fourth grade--once. Long division. It took me a couple of extra days to fully grasp this concept. I just couldn't believe I couldn't find a short cut. That it really would take so long!
I remember sitting at the dining room table with my mom working long division problems until my eyes hurt. I know she was getting tired of it, too. She did have three other children to take care of, you know. I remember it was pretty late at night. She had to leave the room for a few minutes to check on someone and when she came back I was playing opossum with my head on my arms on the table. I was SO ready to be done! I guess she was, too, because she went along with my little charade and sent me to bed. I guess that let her off the hook a little.
You'd think that maybe my dad would have given me some tips with the math homework. He is, after all, the one in our family with the masters degree from Georgia Tech. I think it's probably a good thing, though, that he didn't. As a senior in high school, taking calculus, I asked him for some help. He pursed his lips a little and thoughtfully looked at what I had been taught that day. After a few moments he said, "Look. Here's a much easier way to do this problem," and proceeded to write down what I think was the formula for cold fusion on my paper. He really was trying to help, and for that I am thankful. And then I majored in music in college. End of aside. Thanks for reading.
For afternoon snack, we agreed on chips with salsa and sour cream. Health food, no, but substantial and yummy, yes. And we had some left over from the night before.
She was satisfied. Happy, even, with her snack. And no big sugar rush and crash while ordering numbers from greatest to least.
Pretty much immediately, this passage came to mind: Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!
Matthew 7:9-11
New International Version
My daughter, whom I love very much, didn't get what she wanted. I denied her request. I said, "No." But I gave her something she needed, something better for the situation. And she got dessert after supper.
Sometimes, maybe a lot of times, I ask God for something, and He says, "No." But, as a loving Father, He gives me exactly what I need for the situation because He can see the situation so much better than I can. I'll have just what I need to sustain me and keep me focused. And, I can rest assured, I'll get dessert when it's the right time.
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