Praying for Young Mothers Everywhere

To all the young mothers out there struggling with children who are hyperactive with an abundance of sweets and too many gifts to play with all at once but clutters every inch of your living spaces, I admire you. "Have I (the Lord) not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go." Joshua 1:9 NKJV

The path of least resistance comes so easy, while keeping watch over our child's behavior is hard work. But look at the benefits of either action. Which one reaps the better harvest? We get so tired of having to repeat the same chants every day. "Don't pick on your sister/brother, pick up and put away your ______(whatever fits here), don't pick your nose (don't get the first two confused with this one), what's wrong with your hearing, or what don't you understand about 'NO!?'"

Now, if those "gentle" reminders and requests don't work, resort to shouting or screaming. And if that doesn't make their little jaws drop down to their chests, trying throwing something while shouting their name. (Only, try to throw something soft that won't injure your "lit'l darlin" or break into tiny pieces that humiliate you into sweeping up your own mess). 

The best that can happen during that tirade is the kid gets off his/her bottom and begins helping you. The worst that can happen is the kid(s) starts grinning or laughing. Oh, if you haven't lost it completely by then, that usually does it! The only wise choice here is to take a book (a Bible seems a good choice) and lock yourself in the bathroom to get your blood pressure down and your courage back up. Hopefully you have more than one bathroom so the kid or kids don't regress in their potty training.

Well, yeah, it feels like only yesterday I was a mother, and only a year since I became grandmother to our daughter's four (she might feel that more than me). What kept me from insisting she have only two and no more? She never seemed in the mood to listen to me talk about the gall and bitter sweetness of motherhood. I wouldn't have it any other way of course since she seems to be in love with their children, but is beginning to consider the blessings of not-at-home learning. 

Sometimes, when I hear my daughter trying to discipline those little "hellions" (I always said "not my grandchildren"), I wonder where did she find that voice, and, and, I can hardly bear some of things she's saying in that voice (of course, I exaggerate), and than I hear my own voice with similar words. Oh, no, she learned those disciplinary methods from me?! 

Oh, boy, we did this to our daughter? (Of course, it's "we," she has a Father too, you know.) So then, I realize something. My daughter's too far gone to change--she'd never believe she learned anything from me. It was always she and her daddy you know, pretty much like that today. I'm not jealous or anything, mind you. I've always appreciated the fact that my daughter and her father have a neat relationship, all the jokin' around and laughin' (did I mention that some of the jokes and laughin' are about me, sniff, sniff). 

I'm good for goin' shopping with, but that's not always guaranteed since my walking isn't so great anymore and my spending is dependent on social security, three fourths of which goes to insurance premiums and meds./drugs.

There's only one thing I can do: take one of the grandkids home for a couple of nights and run after them. Well, actually there's another thing I can do--and that is PRAY! I found this acrostic:

Prayer
How do you pray in the midst of bad times? 
Welcome to Habakkuk, the Hebrew prophet in the seventh century B.C. God taught him how to trust Him when everything is filled with confusion and perplexities. Where is God? What is He doing? Why doesn’t He do something now? Habakkuk sounds like us when life begins to unravel and fall apart.

Habakkuk teaches us how to pray and trust the LORD God when we don’t have the answers. Let’s center our thoughts around an acrostic P R A Y E R.

P – ursue God. That is what prayer is all about. Habakkuk asked, “How long, O LORD, will I call for help, and You will not answer?” (1:1).

R – examine self and confess sin. “LORD, I have heard the report about Thee and I fear. O LORD, revive Thy work in the midst of the years, in the midst of the years make it known; in wrath remember mercy” (3:1). The prophet confessed his fears and asked God to revive His work. He prays that God’s work, not his own plans, will be renewed. “Renew your deeds; receive your work,” is the prophet’s confession. He was praying for revival.

The only way we dare approach God is in humility and a plea that He be merciful to us. We need to ask God to do a new work in us. In Your wrath please remember us with mercy.

A – ffirmation of what God is doing. The prophet asked God why He wasn’t doing something about the iniquity, wickedness, destruction, and violence in the land. The LORD told Habakkuk that He was busy doing something. “I am doing something in your days – You would not believe if you were told” (1:5).

Y – ield yourself to the LORD God. Habakkuk did not like what he heard God reveal. "Your eyes are too pure to approve evil, And You can not look on wickedness with favor. Why do You look with favor On those who deal treacherously? Why are You silent when the wicked swallow up those more righteous than they?" (Habakkuk 1:13, NASB 1995).

This is where the prophet grew in His knowledge of God and understanding of His ways with men. What is God teaching me that needs to be corrected? Let us learn to judge everything in the light of His eternal purpose. “The righteous will live by his faith” (2:4). God is still the eternal God, and nothing catches Him by surprise. Nothing can separate us from His love. It is in those moments we must reaffirm that conviction and yield to His sovereignty.

E – xpect God to answer according to His will. “For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea” (Habakkuk 2:14, NASB 1995).

In time God will answer according to His eternal purposes. God controls history. The Babylonians did not rise up on their own. God raised them up to accomplish His purposes in the history of Israel. They were the tool in God’s hand for correction and purification of His people. Look for God’s answer in His Word. God will answer your prayers, and you will be able to stand back in awe and say, “I saw God do it.” 

R – ejoice and give thanks to God. Habakkuk closes with a doxology. “Yet I will exult in the Lord, I will rejoice in the God of my salvation. The Lord God is my strength, and He has made my feet like hinds’ feet, and makes me walk on my high places. For the choir director, on my stringed instruments” (Habakkuk 3:18-19, NASB 1995).

Selah!       http://www.abideinchrist.com/selah/sep16.html

IF...What then?

I'm going to write this post before I lose my nerve.  It may not be pretty...and if it's not pretty, what then?

What if this post leaves the reader less than hopeful?  It would probably be no worse than what most readers are struggling with this time of year. I still have hope...barely!  Having hope is not something I manufacture out of the lonely recesses of my heart.  Only by the grace of God and His Word, with faith, do I lay claim to hope.

Certainly my faith and hope are, at times, as fragile as a spider's single shimmering thread that trails behind. Having thrown caution to the wind the spider flings itself out into an uncertain space to land on the first thing that stands in its way--another tree, a bush, a fence post, a person.  I've had the experience of walking into one of those sticky strands, admiring the four to six foot span, seeing from where it started and where it landed.  A ton of faith from such a small package.

I wouldn't make a very good spider.  For one thing, I'm too cautious.  I would spend everyday of my short life in the same place, too afraid to venture into the unknown. (Altho' I haven't always been that way).  For another thing, I have an innate fear/hatred of spiders and their webs. If I were one, would I hate myself?  Are humans the only creatures with an ability to hate oneself and express that hate in deplorable and terminal ways?  

One of the advantages of having a cane is that I can wave it back and forth in front of me, wrecking spider webs before I walk into one.  Hopefully, the spider itself will have been diverted by my cane so that I don't have the horror of walking into it face to face, as has happened to me (shivering).  I have repeated dreams of spiders vaulting off ceilings, with me trying to divert them from my bed, too horrified to move and escape the room. I usually wake up before the dreams end, left with the pictures of my dreams and a feeling of dread. There have been occasions where a spider really will drop down in front of my face--what a sense of humor!

On occasion, I've been awakened by my husband because I was moaning in my sleep, when in my dream I was having a terrible time trying to call for help and couldn't scream. I'm sure most of us have experienced that, like the dream when we're falling and wake up with a jerk without ever hitting bottom.  That's what I'm talking about.

So, by now, you're probably wondering what spiderwebs, fear of spiders, and waking from a frightful dream have to do with grace, faith, and hope, and why am I choosing to bring this all up now?

1)  First, does our normal life take a break during this sacred time of year.  In fact, we're in the middle of the bluest time of year when the skies are mostly cloudy and gray.  Life itself can be pretty gray, what with all the colds and flu bugs going around.  No doubt, we need something to remind us of hope, giving us a thread to hang onto.
          
2)  Aren't the Silver Bells and songs about Sleigh Rides all a publicity stunt for shop-owners  to get their greedy little fingers in our wallets. I'm ashamed to admit those gimmicks worked on me to make a Merry Christmas from consumable or non-consumable litter, and other stuff I thought made others or me happy.

Now, that I'm 65 (gasp, I just gave away my age!), I still try to make others happy because they give me a list of stuff they say will make them happy.  Harrumph!  Just call me Mrs. Scrooge.  If my retirement allows for the extra money needed to buy those items, than I'll be happy to buy and give.  Can any-thing I choose to buy or make out of my small means compete with Smart Phones, Wii's, and iPads, or Ipods?

3)  Perhaps it will be the thoughts and heart of the giver that will make the difference.  Of course the receiver has to be careful of their reaction (excluding anyone from one to ten who find it impossible to lie).  I can read several different languages: English, emotional response, those windows of the soul--the eyes, to a certain extent--the mind, and whole-body language.  Of course, how I react is most likely read by the gift-giver as well.  Reaction is more truthful than words--that's what I'm talking about.

Have I made any sense at all?  If you say 'yes,' you get an A.  If you disagree or find fault with any or all of it, well you still get an A for staying and reading my stuff and nonsense.

The Love of God, Jesus and His Spirit, and the Word be with you.

P.S. I'm not to be cynical about Christmas music.  I love to listen to it anytime of the year.  I especially love the ones with the real message of Christmas.

Another Come-Back

Hi, to anyone who has been faithful to check and see if I've made it back from my chasm of grief.  I thought I would change the look of my blog just to remind myself and others that I'm here...again.

I've not been alone because God has been with me, even when I wasn't sure.  He IS faithful.

Since my sister died last March, we attended an uncle's funeral just three or four days after my sis's.  He lead a long, rich life on his farm.  He died after barely a year in the nursing home.

Since then we said farewell to three cousins.  My uncle and three cousins were all from my mother's family.  I was beginning to wonder what the Lord is trying to tell me.  But then I remembered that at last count, many years ago, I listed at least 50 first cousins from both my mother's and father's families.  Quite a few of us are still living, and we're all getting older.

So why should I wonder at these multiple deaths?  It will be sometime before the final earthly pages have been written for all of us.  One last uncle from my maternal side, and an aunt from the paternal side are still living.  I grew up rich in family relationships and annual reunions, and a plethora of memories.

Recently I've been meeting with one of my double cousins.  We had grown apart by miles, by raising kids, and by jobs.  But now that we're both mostly retired from working outside the home we have more time...well, a little more time, to get together and share our memories, some of which are mutual, and many of which we individually experienced  differently.  Our relatedness runs deep because her mother and father were sister and brother to my parents (in case you wondered what a double cousin is).

Perhaps I will share some of these memories here for my grandchildren to find someday.  But for now, I have to run because a couple of those grandkids are coming to spend the afternoon and I have to prepare a light dinner for this evening.

Hoping to be back soon.

Remember the Reason

Christmas isn't about buying the right gift.  It's not all about sending cards, baking, eating, and hoping we'll get our wishes fulfilled.

Christmas is accepting the gift that God gave us--a Babe in a manger, His only Son, Jesus, the Christ.  Like Mary, we ponder what this gift means to each and everyone of us.

The world was, and is, in great darkness.  Will we see and accept that light of great joy into our lives?  Will we surrender to,  and reflect, the light for others to see Him in who we are and what we do?

Thanks be to God.   We have the Word with eye-witness accounts to give us hope and wings of faith to free us from the burden of our, and the world's, sins.  What more could we ask?

The world didn't know what was needed, but God did.  Out of love for humankind, He generously gave us what we need.  Will we unwrap the gift in awe and wonder?  Will we retain the gift or get bored with it and lay it down after a few days?

Enjoy the season with the music, the giving and receiving of earthly gifts.  But when all that is over, Remember the Reason.

Thoughts About September 11th

Saturday, the United States will be commemorating one of the worst days in our lives.  A story of a war that was declared on our nation, a story of life and death.  A story of survival, faith, and hope.

Even though I didn't lose anyone I knew on September 11, 2001, I will never forget that day.  I was home following the news and, like everyone else, trying to figure out what happened and why.  There are so many stories that still continue to be shared about that day.  Stories of miracles, of faith and hope rising out of ashes, and of course, stories of grief and surviving that grief with a strong faith in God and His Son, Jesus Christ. 

Some of those stories have made their way into The Guidepost magazine that I receive once a month.  Guideposts, and its sister magazine: Angels on Earth, are also readable online.  I thought I would direct you to a story of miraculous survival from a blind man and his dog that I read on the Guidepost website.  They were in the north tower when the first plane exploded into their building.  Here is the link:  http://www.guideposts.org/hope-and-faith/blind-man-relies-hope-and-his-dog-september-11   May God be with all those who lost loved ones on that day.

I can't imagine the kind of mind, or minds, that would plan such an atrocity.  One thing I'm sure of is that it doesn't come from a God of love.  Not the God of love I know.  The Bible says that God is love and that love casts out fear.  So how can terrorists claim they are acting out of direction from the God of their religion?  Because of their own fears they act to perpetuate fear in others, thereby creating a false sense of power in their own minds and in the minds of others.  Is it not fear and the greed for power, and especially for land, that has fueled most wars on the earth since the beginning of time?  

I'm not a historian or a politician and both history and politics of the world are complicated.  I have no answers concerning the whole mess.  But, the answer for me is to trust the God of the Bible.  That is too simple for some people.  And yet, the simple fact of God sending His Son to show us his love is what gives me peace.  

However, our faith in God and following Jesus is what Jesus told us would bring on persecution--Matthew 5:11, 12.  Persecution has been a reality for Christians all over the world, but I've always considered Christians and our churches in the U.S. to be impervious to persecution.  From the reading and research I've done, I believe September 11th has changed that.  The terrorists behind September 11th want a one-world religion.  Americans are "infidels" not only because of our godlessness, but because of our Godliness.  Christians are especially infidel because we have divided our loyalties to the One God by also believing in Christ and the Holy Spirit, a Triune God. 

Christians have enjoyed tolerance in the U.S. because of the Constitution that was written by our earliest Christian fathers. But as people fall away from the authentic Christian faith and amendments are added to the Constitution,  it's obvious that the levels of tolerance have dropped. Therefore, we can see from stories in the news that the persecution of Christians has increased in the U.S.  

The stories of Christians standing on their faith in Christ through the 911 attack prove that we have a huge number of individuals who are equipped to withstand and overcome persecution--a "great cloud of witness," Hebrews 12.  Seeking these stories and spreading them around can help all of us as we aim to strengthen our commitment to faith in Christ.  My prayer for all of us who claim Christ as our Savior and Shepherd is that we will be able to continue in our faith as we face an uncertain future. 

About Being Offline

It's so great to be back online. I've spent the last couple of days catching up on my blogger friends. If I didn't have time to comment on each one I visited I'll try to do that the next time I stop by. You all are my online community and I've missed you.

What did I do the last three months I was offline? Luckily it was Spring and Summer which are always busy since our daughter married a farmer and is Mom to three lovely, active, children. I'll share some pictures below so you can get an idea of just how beautiful they are. Of course, I could be prejudiced since I'm their Nana!

Being offline was not as ugly as I had always imagined it might be. I wish I could say I started that book I've always threatened everyone I would write someday, telling our family secrets through imaginary characters or some other disguise. However, everyone is safe as not one sentence has been uttered on paper.

With all that time on my hands I wanted to get rid of the clutter and unnecessary stuff around our home to reach my goal of living the simple life of a minimalist. But, alas, much of it is still staring me in the face when I wake up in the morning and go to bed at night. I keep wondering where I found the time to write a blog, check on friends and family in Facebook, and do research on the internet.

I could have made a dent in some of the books I've been intending to read, but I kept checking more out from the library and buying one or two from the thrift shops. Now I have to decide if I'm ever really going to read my collection and, if not, whether they're just clutter too. How dare I call my books clutter! Every book feels like a close friend whether I've read it or not. I fall in love with the cover or the subject, or the artwork and pictures inside. I find it excruciatingly hard to part with these dear friends. I guess that makes me a hopeless bibliophile. There, maybe I've finally accepted it, even though I may get teased and upbraided for all my books--I won't name any one of my loved ones who might do that; or who, when I'm in a shopping mall with them will vigorously steer me away from the bookstore. If I have to choose, I'd rather buy a book than eat.

Quite a bit of the time I was offline, I enjoyed studying the Bible. Our church pastoral team has been giving a sermon series on Romans 8, my favorite chapter in the whole Bible. When I'm having a difficult time in my life Paul's message of Christ loving me and redeeming me from sin, and then giving me His Spirit to be my comforter is what I cling to for keeping my faith intact. "Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered." (v. 26) And then that joyful 28th verse: "And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose." God doesn't make junk (I borrowed that from somewhere), which is good to remember when I'm in the dumps. No matter how dirty and difficult life gets, I am right where God wants me to be. Looking back through the years, I can now see that He has made something good out of what happened. I'm so thankful to be reminded of God's incomparable love!

Enough dialogue for now. Here are those pictures I promised.

A couple of days in July, our daughter with her three came over to visit us and a friend of hers in Newton while husband and father went to St. Louis for a farm conference. It was hot enough to enjoy lots of water play.

Our oldest granddaughter, who will be in Kindergarten this year, came to spend a night with us. She came on Wednesday night and right away she said she was going to stay till Saturday. Those two and one-half days were some of the best Papa and I have had this summer. The first morning we ate breakfast at McDonalds. We stopped and bought fresh roasting ears from the Gaeddert Farm stand. But first we had to clean up our "messy driveway." Then we shucked the corn. I let her watch a movie she likes, "The Girl and the Fox." We went to the library and checked out several books to read and a triple rocker to share with brother and sis when she went home.

The next afternoon we went to the water park where our social butterfly had lots of fun with other children who also came to cool off. I know I need to write down more of the clever things she says, but they all come so fast and by then we've moved on to other things. We had to go back to the water park "one more time" on Saturday morning before I took her home.

The baby is trying to fill Daddy's shoes because she loves her daddy. Everytime the back door opens, no matter where she is, she yells, "Dada?"

Father's day we went to see our son and his girlfriend. Our son grilled the most delicious hamburgers and hotdogs. We brought the ice cream freezer and froze vanilla ice cream. Yum! They had just moved from their apartment to a roomy house.

Little brother has to wait his turn while Papa swings big sissy and little sis. It's hard being in the middle

Here is Little Miss Fancy Fanny chattering to whatever is out there.

Once upon a time there was a cute, furry bunny named Oreo. And then there wasn't. It's a sad story we won't go into right now.  Perhaps Old Earl, the farm dog, could offer a clue.  That's life on the farm.

Our lovely, sweet (most of the time) grandchildren.

If you get all three to sit still and smile at the same time, it's something of a miracle. It only happened with two-thirds of them this time. But you can see how they're all members of the same family. I wonder where they all got those blue eyes and blonde hair?

Life Goes On

So much has happened in the last 2-3 months. Since January, 2009, we've experienced the deaths of ten people in our lives. Some of these were expected, though sudden: my brother-in-law who had been in a home for five years with Alzheimers; an older friend with an inoperable brain tumor, a former 86 yr. old employee with lung cancer, one of Alan's elderly cousins, the elderly wife of Alan's mortician friend. Other deaths were totally unexpected: our nephew, who was only 39 yrs. old; Alan's classmate from high school who died of a sudden heart attack; one of my cousin's husband who committed suicide; and Alan's first cousin (75 yrs. old) who was killed when he stepped out into the path of a passing car while harvesting soy beans on his farm.

I am reminded of the brevity of life and how precious is my time here on earth. More importantly is how I live, and that I live with eternity on my mind. I am a pilgrim here on earth on a journey to somewhere else. When my time comes to leave I'll be in the arms of Christ my Savior as promised in God's word, and hope to see all those I love who have made that journey before me. Because of the gift of salvation death is not the end of life, only life as I know it now. "For we know that if our earthly house, this tent, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens." 2 Corinthians 5:1

Hope and Prayer Equals Joy

I don't want to be a complainer, but I keep praying I'll get over the daily fatigue that's a result of pain and medication to give me more energy and time to blog. I'm trying to get our house cleaned up of clutter from the past eight years we've lived here. I was so ill when we moved and had to stop working which has been a huge adjustment. I"m doing better, but I got so far behind in homekeeping. I'm not sure I've completely adjusted to this life that is considerably different than what I had planned it would be. I keep trying to do the things I used to do, especially at holidays, and I've got to accept I can't do it all anymore.

I finally hired someone to help me get rid of stuff. It was too overwhelming and daunting a task to do alone. Hubby offered to help and would have been delighted to just chuck everything in one fell swoop because he doesn't have the patience to sit by while I consider what I want to keep and what needs to go. Therefore, having a Christian woman to share the task, who apparently enjoys helping weaklings like me, will save a lot of frustration and perhaps our marriage!

Oh, the anticipation of having our home cleansed of the stuff and nonsense that's no longer useful. It will feel like a heavy burden has been lifted. In some ways it is difficult because some of the things that need to go are objects associated with dreams that will never be fulfilled. But it's time to let them go so that without distraction God can begin to do a different good work in me.

I'm thankful for the journey God has given me. It hasn't always been pleasant. In fact it's been frustrating and quite ugly at times. Yet, what I've learned is that God is full of love and compassion toward us. He sacrificed his only Son, Jesus to suffer for and with us and to be our Savior friend. He has "turned mourning into joy, and will comfort and give joy for sorrow." (Jer. 31:13) This joy that I have isn't always apparent to others, but God and I know it's there.