Lessons from the Laundry

Look at the birds of the air;
they do not sow or reap or store away in barns,
and yet your heavenly Father feeds them.
Are you not much more valuable than they?
Matthew 6:26 (NIV)

Doing the laundry at my house is always an adventure for me. Having a precocious 6 year and a forgetful hubby around proves to be profitable at times but also a little perplexing. Checking the pockets for Hubby means I may pull out a few bucks or shiny quarters to stash away for a little treat down the road. Whereas, Little Man's pockets are little different -- I really never know what I am going to find.

The little fella used to be simply a collector of rocks and acorns sans their tops for a while and now I am finding an assortment of items from nature and from around the house. As I looked at my plunder from this morning's round, I found a small green spiky looking ball, a frequent shopping card from the local oil-change place and a small nautilus shell. To my complex mind I could find no reason why he would want all these things. So, I asked and he confidently told me -- "because I like 'em." Well -- I guess that's it!!

I had completed my Bible study at our dining room table this morning and once I finished I proceeded to pull the table cloth back into place. As I pulled the fabric, the aforementioned treasure came rolling to the edge of the table. I picked up each piece up and held in my hand. I still didn't understand the allure but I did take a moment to study each one more closely just to make sure. Then it hit me -- I may not find beauty or value in these items but Little Man does. What seemingly appeared to be trash or cast-offs, were a bounty for my son. God then spoke to me and showed me this is what my life is like. While others in my life may not have seen value in me or even taken the time to get up close and personal with me, God in fact did and still does. As a result He will treasure me and I will be held in high esteem because the creator of the universe says it is so.

The Bible is full of countless stories of those that have been cast-off, over-looked or under-valued. The Jews are God's chosen people yet they were enslaved for years but God never took His eye off them or put them in a corner only to be forgotten. (Exodus) How about when Job was told to curse against God because all that he held dear had been taken from him? All his friends and his wife counted his life as a loss and shared with him that he were better off dead that to trust in God, because after all -- look where it got him. (Job). How about a widow with no prospects for an inheritance or heirs? Naomi was left alone after the passing of her husband and two sons. With no heirs and no inheritance she would surely perish. However, her daughter-in-law Ruth stayed behind. These two seemingly insignificant women were guided by the Lord to show they too had significance. (Ruth) Also, the woman with the issue of blood -- she was the ultimate outcast in her society, yet she risked scrutiny and punishment for a possible encounter with Jesus - the healer. (Mark 5: 25-30) My favorite, the prodigal son comes back home after wasting his demanded inheritance. He comes home expecting to be treated lower than the servants, yet his father elevates him despite his past indiscretions. (Luke 15:11-31) And so on and so on....You and I can insert our story here.

In a desert land he found him,
in a barren and howling waste.
He shielded him and cared for him;
he guarded him as the apple of his eye,
Deuteronomy 32:10 (NIV)

God continues to provide for those of us today that have been forsaken, left behind, and forgotten. He also has his hand on those of us who through shame have tried to hide and shrink back from society and life because others just won't accept us or understand. God is still in the redemption business. Just as my little man's trinkets reminded me that we all have worth and value -- it may just be different variations based on who's hand we're in. I am reminded that as long as I look to God to find my value, no other opinions matter. To God, I am more precious than gold. That says a lot!! As a matter of fact -- that says it all! I KNOW that's that!

Dear Heavenly Father --Thank You so much for keeping me in the palm of Your hand. Thank You for the value You find in me even when I am unable to see it much less get validation from this life. I thank You for the everyday things that bring me closer to You. I praise You for the life that You have allowed me to live. I pray that it be of great service to You and Your kingdom. In the Precious Name of Jesus - AMEN

Application:

• What kind of trinkets do you find valuable that others may not agree with? What do you see in them that appeals to you?
  
• Take those characteristics and look closely at your life and see how God values them in you as well.
• Pray that God will open your eyes to the simple things that reveal great mysteries if you will just take the time to examine the ordinary more closely.

Proud Momma!

At that time Jesus said, "I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children.
Matthew 11:25 (NIV)

I had the honor of taking my son out for Halloween this year. We don't do the "normal" door-to-door type of collection, we typically go to the mall for a mosquito-free and climate-controlled experience. We don't expect much candy here but Little Man gets to experience a safer-type of gathering process. We didn't stay long as the crowds were heavier than our trips in prior years, thus the pickings were slim and the kids were bigger. Could have had something to do with Halloween being on a Sat night.

Now I must interject that Halloween is not a "holiday" in our home nor do we relish in the macabre affair it has become to others. We treat it as a day of "dress-up" with an emphasis on fun and fantasy, not scary and disgusting. Our little trooper was non-other than Anakin Skywalker (Darth Vader before he turned to the "dark side") this year, complete with BLUE light saber. I had no idea until recently that the light sabers were special and color-coded according to character. I have learned a lot since becoming the mother of an almost-6 year old. Anyway.......we try to keep the festivities fun and light.

Once we left the mall, we stopped at a local church we pass daily that was hosting a fall festival for the kiddos. It had a carnival atmosphere complete with games, bouncy house, and the requisite cotton candy and popcorn. I didn't expect to be moved or inspired at all on our visit, because after all -- I'm saved so I "got" to skip the tent that was telling about Jesus. But, God in His infinite might, still taught me something in the most interesting of ways.

After Little Man, had completed his round of games with his stack of winning tickets in hand. We headed back to the fellowship hall for some refreshments, balloon animals and of course to cash in his tickets. Prior to entering, we were told there was a hay ride that would be coming back to pick up guests in a few minutes. Little Man was somewhat confused by this as he had never done a hayride and I must admit neither had I!! He was excited about the prospect of a new adventure but with mosquitoes starting to swarm we retreated to into the hall to wait and peruse the many prize choices for Little Man's gaming skills. By the time we left to board the hayride, we had added a balloon parrot which sat upon his shoulder, 3 beanie animals and bag full of candy.

With our bounty in hand (and on shoulder), we climbed aboard the hayride trailer being pulled by a 4-wheeler. Once all of us were safely on board, sitting upon the fresh hay, we were off to explore the area. The church has set up props along the backside of the property, only to be viewed by those on the ride. There was a nice grandmother sitting on the other side of Little Man. As we went through the first area, it was a re-creation of the Garden of Eden. The grandmother began to ask my little man questions about the scene. What happened next, just amazed me -- this is the God moment. Little Man proceeded to start telling the entire wagon about each scene we passed and what it meant... Noah and the Ark -- how it was just the animals and Noah's family and the flood. Then it was into the belly of the whale with Jonah. And so on and so on, all the way through the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus, including who killed Him and why... all the way to being raised from the dead. He made sure that everyone understood Jesus was the only one that could do that.

I was never more proud of my boy in all my life!! I think I was also a little shocked too that he had actually been paying attention to me and his Bible study teachers all these years. I knew he knew these things but listening to him, I realized that not only did he know them, he really KNEW them and believed them. God showed me a couple of things that night during that proud-momma moment. First, Little Man did as we all should do and put these truths in his heart and was able to pull them out when he needed them. Just as we all should do with the Word of God -- read it, believe it, relate to it and store away His precious Word in our hearts!! Second, God taught me that it doesn't matter that I am saved, I still NEED to hear his message because until I get to the other side of Heaven -- I don't know it all. I am just pleased that He chose to use my little fella to get the point across to me.

That experience challenged me to spend more time in the Word committing scripture to memory and to keep teaching my son about the Lord and all our ancestors that came before us in the Bible. The Lord showed me that all hubby, the church and I have done with Little Man is not returning void. In fact, it's already paying great dividends and Mommy is not exempt from receiving the benefits and neither are you!!

Dear Father - -Thank You so much for teaching me lessons through ordinary events and showing me that my son truly does love you and "gets it." I thank You for the honor of being a mother but most importantly for being Your child. Please continue to be with me and teach me. Please continue to equip each of us to deal with all the at life throws at us. Thank You for being MY God. In the Precious Name of Jesus - AMEN

Application:

• Do you have the Word of God hidden in your heart? If not, why?
  
• Has God used the ordinary moments of your life to teach you something? Or, do you only see Him in the "big" or traumatic times in your life?
  
• Ask Him to speak to you in the everyday...seek His face...seek His will.... He is there!! Sometimes, we need to just stop and listen.
  

Post in progress

I haven't abandoned my blog (AGAIN!). I have been busy working on some other writing projects. I will be posting some new stuff shortly!

Mixing peas and carrots

So do not fear, for I am with you;
do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you;
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
Isaiah 41:10 (NIV)

I must admit that I am a bit of a quirky individual. The vastness of my nuances can't be that different than anyone else - can they?? Unbeknowst to me up until hubby pointed it out a couple of years ago, I don't really care for my food to touch. I think compartmentalized plates and trays are a strike sheer of genius. Furthermore (again after another notification from the hubby food patrol), I have tendency to eat my food in a particular order -- starting one thing and not moving onto to the next item until I have completed the first. Sounds perfectly normal in my book and not all bothered that others like to mix their food up before consumption. I would like to note that I do throw out my "rule" for soups, casseroles, pasta dishes and pretty much all desserts that go well with ice cream. I think that makes me pretty flexible.

However, I got to thinking this morning about what motivates ones behavior, well in this case, my behavior. I don't really have a fear of my food touching just a preference. Now what about fears? For instance, my biggest one is the fear of confinement or better yet having no discernable way to leave a room or get out of a situation. Let me frame it for you. Let's just say that amusement park rides are fun but the most stressful time for me is at the beginning when the seat belt or harness is secured and at the end when there is the least little bit of hesitation in getting said restraint removed. Ask anyone who has been stuck with me on ride in which the safety mechanisms did not immediately open upon hitting the landing. Now, that ladies and gentleman is full on fear.

Fear is a factor that drives all of us. Drives us to make irrational decisions and those with no basis for ground other than in our own heads. Former president, Franklin D. Roosevelt said it best in his 1933 inauguration speech -- "...the only thing we have to fear is fear itself...." He went onto to define the fear as "nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance." Pretty much captures it doesn't it? At least it resonates with me. I can look back over my life and see that fear was at the root of many of my not-so-great decisions. Fear of being alone. Fear of being rejected. Fear of not being accepted. Fear of not being good enough. Fear of failure. Fear of ..... you name it. I was and still am to some extent afraid of it.

As I pondered the definition FDR gave of fear and my own struggles with my own fears, I realized that I have made it too easy for the enemy to control my life and without having to really do any work. Fear is a powerful tool that yields abundant results with very little effort. All it takes for me to back down from a prospect, not try something new or just give up altogether is a dose of "what if...." After all, aren't we all afraid of something? There is healthy fear and there is debilitating fear.

The Word says, "fear not for I (God) am with you." (Isaiah 40:10 NKJV-- emphasis mine). The Hebrew word used here in this reference is "yare'" - meaning to "affright, be make afraid, dreadful, put in fearful reverence, terrible act." Sounds pretty scary -- something that can almost paralyze us from action. Throughout the Bible, God tells us that He is in charge. He has everything under control. (1 John 5:18, Jer 29:11) We are told to fear only the Lord but that is a healthy fear -- out of reverence, awe and respect for His position.

He who fears the LORD has a secure fortress, and for his children it will be a refuge. Proverbs 14:26 (NIV)

Many of us have a healthy respect for those in authority over us -- our parents, supervisors, police officers and so on. We don't quake in our boots at the mere mention of their names or their sheer presence in the room. That is where the difference lies in the "fear" we have in our minds that binds us and keeps us hostage at the mere thought of moving forward. This "fear" is the tool of the enemy and it's only use is to disable you in your attempts to be effective in this world. The healthy "fear" is more of deference to position and belief that the person in authority has your best interest in mind.

Now, with all of that being said - -I must admit that I am not really looking forward to the next ride on Kumba or getting stuck in the church elevator. That fear still grips me but I do know that should I find myself in a precarious situation that I am not alone because God is with me. I only pray that it has a calming effect on me just long enough for the rescue attempts to be successful. For the time being, it is my plan to work on the small stuff -- like mixing my peas and carrots. One step at a time folks... one step at a time... You never know -- I may learn to love being strapped into Kumba just yet.

Dear Father - I thank You for showing me the difference between healthy and unhealthy fear. I thank You for being their with me even when I forget to ask. I pray that You continue to fortify me with strength and tools to continue to fight off the enemy when fear starts to sneak in. In the Precious Name of Jesus - AMEN

Application:

• What (or Who) are you afraid of? Why? Does the fear have roots in your past?
• Meditate on Isaiah 41:10 and ask the Lord to give you the strength to face one of your fears.
• Pray that the Lord will bring you peace as you encounter new situations or even just go about your daily life as fear is running rampant in our society. Don't let it grip you. You have a mighty Savior ready to step in and defend you.