Songs of Hope

 

Today was a day of wrapping up. Not presents, at least not yet. But wrapping up of school semesters and piano lessons for the year. Finishing tests and doing final assignments.

And we capped it off with Rebecca's piano recital. She told us she expected not to do well. She knew she could have practiced more. But when her turn finally came, she played beautifully. Her songs were lovely, and any mistakes went virtually unnoticed. 

Sometimes I feel like Rebecca when it comes to life, to walking with God. I come to my relationship with Him feeling unprepared. I know I could have spent more time with Him. Reading His Word. Communing with Him in prayer. Dwelling on Who He is. And if I let my feelings of unpreparedness prevent me from moving forward, no one will be able to hear the song He is giving me. 

  

The Messy and the Mundane

It's easy to only show the good and the beautiful. And good and beautiful are certainly things I aspire to, even though I rarely achieve them. But it's real to show the messy parts of life, the mundane aspects of living. Because that's where I live most of the time - in the midst of the messy and the mundane.

Today our dining room floor is littered with painting supplies for a 4-H project. School books have jumped off the table onto the floor. And a discarded sweater acts as a rug. The living room is cluttered with the mostly empty boxes that store our decorations awaiting a final emptying and a trip back to the attic. And the kitchen floor is home to purchases from Target and the grocery store that have not been put away.

Tuesdays are crazy days here, and this Tuesday was crazier than most. School. 4-H. Shopping for 4-H projects and a charity party. Ballet. (Times three!) BSF. A trip to the grocery store for milk and a few more things.

But in the midst of the messy and mundane I see glimpses of joy and a different kind of beauty. The joy of creating. The beauty of hearing my girls see past the superficial. The fun of shopping with Hannah. And the rest of a quiet living room when the girls are in their rooms.

Sometimes I allow myself to think of God's blessings only as the "big" things. And in so doing I miss the simple but real blessings that God showers on me each day. 

Open my eyes, Lord, to see Your blessings every day, even in the midst of the messy and the mundane!  

Happiness Is a Purring Kitty

 

Today has been a rainy (but warm) day, a perfect day for napping, at least according to Patches!  She kept me company on the couch this afternoon as I read to the girls and sewed ribbons on pointe shoes.  As much money as they cost, I was initially surprised that I had to sew the elastic and ribbons on my girls' pointe shoes, but now that Hannah has been on pointe for 5 years, I can see the value of making sure the shoes fit the dancers the way they should. These are Abigail & Elisabeth's first pairs of pointe shoes, and they are super excited to dance in them! 

Patches is sitting next to me again and purring. I think she is hoping I will get up and feed her. Silly kitty! She has food in her bowl, if she would only go look. But I guess I do that, too. I try to get on God's good side so He will give me something I can already access. Sometimes it's easier to wish for the good than to actually do the work of taking hold of it.  I want to be so confident in Christ's love, that I do not feel the need to butter Him up to obtain the things I need!

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The Dirt on SSMTC

One week ago I was telling my sweet husband about how God had spoken to me at the Siesta Scripture Memory Celebration over the most amazing hot chocolate I've ever had! My sweet husband drove me to Houston for the SSMTC, since I have issues with highway driving. And we had three sweet sets of friends who took in our various children Friday and Saturday.

We got to the event just in time for me to change clothes in the Suburban, thanks to a fun trip to Ikea and some Beck's Prime. I found a seat and got ready to worship. And God spoke! One of the first songs we sang was "Your Name." And God reminded me that His Name - God Himself - IS a strong and mighty tower and my best protector. Then I realized that when I resort to self-protection and self-preservation, I am stepping away from God's protection. I am essentially saying that I am better able to protect myself than the God of the Universe!!! How dumb is that! I CAN trust Him to protect me. That doesn't mean that nothing bad or hard will ever happen to me. It means that God will enable me to handle those things. They might still happen, but they won't crush me. Oh, how I need to live this out!!

Beth spoke a wonderful and challenging message from 2 John about walking out our faith. I am so prone to letting my knowledge remain in my head, so I needed to hear this! Some of my favorite points were when she told us how abiding in 2 John isn't just sitting still, but is keeping in step with Jesus. It also really spoke to me when she talked about investing our whole lives into love. I so want to really LOVE God and other people! 

God was so kind to me on Saturday. Another Siesta who had come alone (from Pennsylvania!) sat next to me. Jean and I enjoyed getting to know one another and each of us said all 24 of our 2011 verses to each other! We had each asked for God to give us someone to spend the conference with, and He was so faithful! I'm so thankful for my new friend Jean!

She ended with a challenge to bring some dirt from Houston back home with us to signify the ground we are taking back from the enemy. My dirt is in a bag on my dresser. I want to display it in a pretty jar or vase to remind me that I am going to fight to take back all the ground I have surrendered. 

Even a flat tire on Saturday couldn't mar the wonderfully refreshing time God had given me!

Lent Me Your Ears

I grew up going to a church where we had to participate in Lent. I didn't like it, but I did it because I had to. My saving grace was that we could add something good to our lives instead of giving something up. I usually chose to do something like make my bed every day. One year my sister gave up candy. I thought she was crazy! When I was in junior high, we joined a church that didn't celebrate the Lenten season. And I was glad.

In the many years since that church change, I've continued going to churches that don't celebrate Lent, including the church we now attend. But this year God had led me to fast from something during the season of Lent. I wasn't seeking it, He just impressed it on me. And I'm actually excited about it!

I've played a couple of harmless games on Facebook. Nothing bad. I don't even spend that much time on them. But I feel like I could use even those few minutes a day doing something good, be it putting a load of clothes in the washer, reading my Bible some more, making a grocery list, or even reading a magazine to learn new recipes or decorating help. Today I hid those applications on FB, so I wouldn't be tempted by some cool change in the game.

I began thinking about this "fast" a couple of weeks ago, and I now think that what I first thought would be a temporary change may be permanent. Either way, I'm excited about following God this Lenten season not out of obligation like I did as a child, but out of love!

Father, use my small fast this season for Your glory. May I use the time I would otherwise spend in FB games to worship You and serve my family.

Waves

It seems like our life is like an ocean: a series of never-ending waves. Just when I think things are manageable, a huge wave swells on the horizon and threatens to overwhelm me. And far too often I let it. Sometimes I feel like I can barely catch my breath! We've had a lot of waves this year, some thrilling and exhilarating, others just plain big.

*Dance recital
*Piano recital
*Visiting friends
*Work
*Ministry
*Tired children
*Student Life Camp!
*Allergies
*WinShape Camp
*Dance workshop
*VBS
*Minor illnesses
*Dealing with challenging people in our lives
*Laundry
*Cleaning
*Curriculum choices for the new school year
*Sick elderly parents

I don't always handle the waves well. I can identify with David in Psalm 124 when he writes in verses 4-5, "The flood would have engulfed us, the torrent would have swept over us, the raging waters would have swept us away." But David didn't say the flood did engulf him or the torrent did sweep over him or the waters did sweep him away. He said they would have. Why didn't they? Because the LORD was on his side. And I know that God is on my side, too. Romans 8:31 says, "If God is for us, who can be against us?" Then Paul goes on to write in verse 37, "In all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us."

Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness. I say to myself, "The LORD is my portion; therefore I will wait for Him." ~Lamentations 3:22-24

What is Worship?

Yesterday, after our Bible time (reading Philippians) Faith revealed that she was unsure about what worship really is. Somehow she had gotten the idea that worship always involved some special feeling and maybe even changing circumstances. She has been sitting with us in church for over four years now and has had weekly opportunities to observe the corporate worship of our church body as well as how Paul and I worship. But we had not really taken the time to explicitly teach our children about what worship is.

I guess we just thought that watching others worship, along with learning the Bible at home and at church, would naturally result in the understanding of and practice of worship. It didn't! She was so relieved to hear that worship isn't a feeling but an action, a response to God, a belief. Often feelings do accompany our worship, but they do not define what worship is.

So now I want to include instruction about worship in our training of our girls. This won't be a formal "worship lesson," but I hope to address worship as we do life, maybe taking some extra time on Saturday to help her prepare to worship God on Sunday.

But worship isn't just singing songs at church. It's living a life that glorifies God and lifts up Jesus in all things. It's praying. It's studying, memorizing, and meditating on God's Word. It's being kind to family members and friends. It's being a good neighbor. It's making choices about what we watch and listen to that honor God rather than just doing what everyone else does. It's doing things we don't care for without complaining or arguing. It's being joyful. It's loving God and others. As Louie Giglio says, "Worship is a way of life."

I want to live a life of worship, and I want to teach my children to do the same. Because, whether I recognize it or not, my life is all about Jesus!

He Is Risen!

Jesus is risen! He was risen Easter Sunday when it was cold and rainy. He was risen yesterday when my allergies flared up and I felt lousy. He is risen today when my children are tired and grumpy. As a Christian, I should celebrate Jesus' resurrection every day! Because every day His resurrection power is available to me! Because every day I can celebrate God's gift of salvation! Because He is worthy of my praise and celebration every day!

So even though the day we call Easter was so cold I had to wear a coat and boots to church... even though I spilled water on myself at church... even though my allergies were causing me pain... even though Jack was so exhausted that he took a three hour nap... even though the day didn't turn out as I had hoped, I did not miss Easter. Easter is today. And tomorrow. And every day of my life. And Easter doesn't end then. Easter will be celebrated throughout all eternity.

"Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain,
to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength
and honor and glory and praise!"
Rev. 5:12

He is risen! He is worthy!