Our Kids are Not Safe

last week was a reminder for me that the world we live in is not safe.  several school districts and a county courthouse in our area had to be evacuated because of a string of bomb threats one particular day.  and all you have to do is watch the news for 2 minutes to realize this sort of thing happens all the time these days, all over our country.  and worse.  sometimes the threats are not realized until they have already been carried out and become reality.  and it doesn't just happen in schools.  many public areas have seen ridiculous acts of violence carried out on innocent victims.  and even more sobering are the statistics on domestic violence in our country.  people being abused and even killed by their own family and close friends.   

i know, i know, i'm just a little ray of sunshine today.  well, i'm not trying to depress anybody, just to make us think a bit.  i think many of us who send our children to public schools, or out into public at all, do so with the disillusioned belief that they are safe.  we often do this with the subconscious mentality that "that stuff doesn't happen here."  well guess what?  that stuff happens everywhere. 

and i for one am willing to admit that i have scoped out the security measures at my child's school and have found them lacking.  i mean, there are no armed guards or metal detectors at each and every exit.  there is no barbed wire fence. no 20 foot steel wall.  i have driven by and seen children sitting like easy targets right next to windows in their classrooms.  and no offense, but the secretaries in the front offices of most of these schools don't exactly look like formidable security.  just sayin'.

so what am i saying?  what i'm saying is: our kids are not safe!!!! the fact is, this world is not a safe place to be.  since that fateful decision to eat the wrong apple in the garden, humans have been living in a broken and fallen world.  adam and eve could not even keep their children safe from each other.  cain killed abel violently just because he was jealous.  and they didn't even attend public school.

even if security measures were up to par and our children went to school in a prison, that school might not withstand an F5 tornado.  even if we choose to homeschool, we cannot protect our children from cancer or disease.  even if we put them in a bubble, we cannot protect them from their own sinful hearts. 

so what hope do we have?  simply Jesus.  our kids are not safe, but they are loved!!! they are not immune to the evil and sickness in this world, but they do have a Heavenly Father who wants to be with them in it.  we can't protect them from everything, but we can send them out into the world knowing they are watched over by a God who is Sovereign.  and we need to understand that He may or may not choose to protect them from evil, from sickness, from violence, from bullying, from threats, from nature, or from accidents.  when bad things do happen it does not mean he closed his eyes or fell off his throne.  He has a plan.  and He loves our children more than we ever could. 

so i will send my kids out into the world.  i will let them go to their first dance. (if i personally know a chaperone).  i will let them go on dates (at a reasonable age). i will let them get a drivers license (after much practice and scrutiny and probably not as early as they would like).  i will let them participate in sports.  i will let them hang out with friends.  and for now, i choose to send them to public school.  but its not because I trust that they are safe.  its because i trust that they are loved! they are loved by a Good King.  and we just happen to be lucky enough to have teachers who love them too.



"'Safe?' said Mr. Beaver; 'Don't you hear what Mrs. Beaver tells you? Who said anything about safe? Course he isn't safe. But he's good. He's the King, I tell you.'"
- C.S. Lewis -  The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe.




 

Outfield Errors

in honor of my husband and his love of baseball, and tonight's Game 6 of the 2014 World Series, today's post will be about baseball.

except; not really.  it's really about marriage.  but with a baseball analogy.  and for those of you who are visual learners like myself, hopefully this post will be helpful and encouraging. 

you see, like many other "young" couples, (or maybe not so young), my husband and I have struggled to find a good balance in our marriage as far as leadership and submission is concerned.  good models of this in marriage are few and far between these days.  mostly what we see is couples with power struggles.  wives who are either dominant or door mats.  husbands who are either controlling or cowering.  and we want something better.  we want to look more like the pictures we see in Ephesians 5 and 1 Peter 3.

"Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord."
"Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church...."

so how do we put wheels on this machine of marriage and work it out on a practical level?

well, I wish I could take credit for it, but I heard an analogy once that has allowed me to function more appropriately as a submissive and also confident wife in our home.  someone once told me that marriage is like playing outfield.  the husband is the centerfielder and the wife is the right fielder.  their positions are similar, but with slightly different responsibilities.  there is an unspoken rule in baseball that the centerfielder always has the "right of way." the centerfielder is responsible for any ball that comes in between the two players.   ideally, when the ball is in between, the centerfielder will call for the ball and then the other player will back off and give him the right of way to get to it, and then back him up.  and when the two players understand their roles, most of the time this works and the ball doesn't get dropped.

unfortunately, this doesn't always happen as it should.  errors do happen and as we have seen many times on the espn highlight reels, ugly collisions.  and other times, miscommunications occur and the ball gets dropped completely.

here are some scenarios where collisions and dropped balls occur:
1) aggressive and prideful right fielder - a control freak of a player who wants to take on more than their assigned role.  this will result in a dangerous collision every time
2) passive center fielder - a center fielder who is not willing to take full responsibility results in balls
getting dropped, and blame getting thrown around
3) aggressive and prideful centerfielders who go beyond their space - they go well beyond their and put out an unnecessary amount of effort to take control of situations that could easily be handled by the other player.  results in the right fielder's bitterness and the centerfielder's weariness.
4) two players who have complete disregard for their roles and are playing like a one man defense
5)  neither player understands their role and they are both looking at each other and at the ball wondering who is going to catch it.  in that case, the answer is usually NOBODY.
6) just plain errors - you may have two people playing their roles exactly the way they were designed, and yet the ball still gets dropped.  because we're HUMAN!!! my husband is going to make mistakes and so am i.  and that's why God designed for us to work as a team. 

when God created male and female, he created them uniquely and differently, with different roles, but to work together. when he gave the responsibilities of leadership to adam and submission to eve, he was not bestowing different levels of value or importance, any more than a baseball manager is bestowing greater or lesser value to his players when he assigns them to right or center field.  playing right field doesn't make you any less of a ballplayer.  you may in fact be a much better hitter and/or fielder than the center fielder. (or maybe not)  but playing right field simply means submission for the sake of the team's success.  playing centerfield simply means taking responsibility for the sake of the team's success.

and i don't know about you, but most days, i would much rather provide back up than take responsibility.  so i'm good with playing right field.   especially when i get to play next to this really cute guy, who just happens to be a very good baseball player :) 

bridezilla

Photo Credit: Getty from Huffington Post

 most of us are familiar with the term bridezilla.  i believe there's even a tv series with that title.  its not exactly a nice name, as my mother would say.  in fact, there are a lot of really not-nice terms associated with bridezilla, most of which i care not to mention here.  but some of the milder adjectives would include moody, bossy, mean, selfish, picky, impatient, etc, etc, etc. 

and not every bride deserves this label, but many come by it honestly.  you may have seen or read news stories about the "running of the brides," an event where bridezillas are basically given free reign over a dress boutique to find that perfect dress. some of these women even form teams and strategies with their bridesmaids and other female relatives to dominate the day and make sure to secure their precious cargo.  it is basically a full-contact sport in my opinion, except without helmets and pads.  (well, at least without football pads.)  but even those who don't participate in this madhouse of an event can become bridezillas in their own right.    i have seen many brides completely ignore their groom-to-be, their family, their bridesmaids, and everyone around them in an effort to secure what they deem to be "the perfect wedding."

i mean, planning a wedding is stressful, no doubt.  and somehow it has a way of making one focus so much on self that they forget what the whole day is about.  the wedding becomes an end, instead of a beginning.  its about the bride, instead of about the couple.  it becomes entertainment, instead of covenant. 

and speaking of entertainment, its actually quite entertaining to google the word "bridezilla" and scroll through the images.  some are just down right awful.  but not once does the word beautiful come to mind. 

and isn't that what a bride is intended to be? beautiful? i don't know how many times i've heard the statement, "there's nothing more beautiful than a bride on her wedding day." well, that may be true, but the days leading up to the wedding are often a different story. 

i think the same just might be true of the bride of Christ.  sometimes when i think of the church, and of myself in particular as a part of the body of Christ, the term beautiful is not really what comes to mind.  bridezilla is more like it.  i think sometimes we make things about us instead of about Christ.  sometimes we make things about what we want more than about what Jesus wants.  we are selfish, mean, picky, impatient, etc, etc, etc.  we often view our lives as all we have, instead of just the beginning of eternity.  we make it about entertainment, rather than remembering the covenant He has made with us.  we completely forget about our Glorious Groom, in an effort to secure what we think is the perfect life. 

so as individuals, and as the body of Christ, maybe its time to take a good look in the mirror.  and not just in vanity as we try on all our stuff.  maybe we should look at the light that's reflecting from our faces.  is it a selfish scowl, or a peaceful smile?  is it stressed out wrinkles and furled eyebrows, or a joyous beauty?  the latter only comes when we spend time in the presence of the groom.  only when we remember how we are loved.  only when we remember the grace that has secured our future with him for eternity!!!! 

Song of Solomon 4:1 "Behold, you are beautiful, my love..."



AND .... there's more good news:
1) no need to stress because HE has already picked out the dress :)

Revelation 19:7-8 "Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his Bride has made herself ready; it was granted her to clothe herself with fine linen, bright and pure - for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints."

AND
2) even though at times we are unlovable, WE ARE NEVER UNLOVED!!!!!!

Romans 5:8 "but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us."

Photo Credit : http://zsazsabellagio.blogspot.com

 

curbside woes

So many times I have pitied the little kindergarteners sitting on the curb of the school with no one to walk them in.  So many times I have been upset with the parents who just drove off and left their babies standing there, bewildered or crying.  So many times I have been judgemental towards the parents who have to drag their kids out of the car, and the kids whose poor behavior caused their mamas to have to get out of the car in the pajamas.  But today, this time, I was that parent and that sad little kindergartener was mine. 


Our youngest child started school this year and now, 2 weeks in, the honeymoon has already worn off.  He threw a massive fit before school this morning, protesting that he hates school and declaring that he will not be going back.  Since I have heard this song before with the oldest son, I was able to very calmly explain to the new fit thrower that "sometimes we have do things we don't want to do."  And although I was hopeful that this logic would turn a light bulb on and that would be the end of the protest, I somehow knew that the protest would soon make its way to the drop off line. The curb.  In front of all the other parents. And kids. And teachers.  And it did.

I had to get out of the car.  I had to physically pick him up, and place him and his backpack on the curb of the school.  And kiss his reluctant little forehead.  And drive away.  And then watch his sad little face in the rear view mirror.  And then hope that someone would be gracious enough to help him find his class.  And that he would eventually snap out of it and somewhere in there find a good day.  And I had to go home. And I had to pray.

"God could you please just show up for him?" 

"God could you please just be there for him today in a way that I can't?"

"God could you please just help him?"


And I have a feeling this will not be the last time I pray this prayer.   Because I'm not promised that my kids will not have to go to hard places and endure hard times.  I am not in control of their decisions or the way this broken world will treat them.  And I can't be with them all the time.  But I am so thankful that I serve a God is in control and who has promised to be with them.  So whether they're looking for fulfillment and purpose, or just looking for their class, they have a God that can show up big for them, and help them find their way. 

Joshua 1:9 -
 "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous.  Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go."

rx for joy

seems like there are times where there are more bad days than good.  and how are we supposed to keep afloat on those days?  i mean, after awhile, you get exhausted treading water.  the water i'm treading right now includes bills stacking up, decisions to be made about the fall, a 9 year old who is a constant parenting puzzle, and a marriage being attacked by a spirit of negativity from both sides.

 

so what do we do on those days where we feel like we're drowning in emotions or circumstances and its all we can do to keep our little heads above water?  i believe God's Word has the answers we need.  i have always believed this in theory, but not until just recently has God begun to reveal to me just how complete and perfect His Word is for our every need.  its like he's a doctor just waiting for us to come see him with our symptoms so He can write a prescription with His Word.  and there's a Word for every need, every ailment, every sickness in our hearts.

 

today's remedy included philippians 4.  on the days where we struggle to keep our head and our hearts above water, "4 Rejoice in the Lord always, I will say it again: Rejoice! 5 Let your gentleness be evident to all.  The Lord is near.  6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

 

"8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable - if anything is excellent or praiseworthy - think about such things....."

 

"12 I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.  I can do everything through him who gives me strength."

 

"19 And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus." 

 

so here's what he showed me with these words:

1) on the days when we struggle, we are to be more intentional than ever about rejoicing.  we must search for nuggets of truth to rejoice in.  Rejoice in WHO HE IS.  Take joy that we are LOVED!

 

2) we must consistently remind ourselves that HE IS NEAR.  not only is His return promised and ever nearer, but His Presence is near NOW, TODAY, right in this moment.  and whom shall we fear if this is true?  what circumstance should we fear if this is true?  none! 

 

3) anxious and depressed? take it to Jesus.  decisions to make?  take them to Jesus.  struggles in marriage, kids, job, coworkers, etc? take them to Jesus.  and when we hand him our struggles, he hands us His peace.  what a trade! (and i'm not a greek or hebrew scholar, but I have a feeling in my heart that that peace must include JOY)

 

4) we must train our minds to focus on the good   if you're like me, you can find anything to complain about.  but i am finding that i am much more joyful when i choose to focus my mind on the good things.  i mean, when you look at the public school system in general, the state of things is very depressing.  but i can choose to be thankful for the good things.  like the amazing teacher my daughter has.  the sweet ladies that work in the front office.  the fact that i don't know that i could teach my kids how to read on my own.  the ability to be involved in the community in such a powerful way.  a wonderful way to teach my kids to be in the world and not of it.  etc, etc. 

 

when i  think about the things about my husband i don't like it, gets very depressing real quick.  but when i focus on the good things, i find that i like him and enjoy his company a lot more.  and the same goes for myself.  when i dwell on the things i'm not good at, my heart begins to sink into defeat.  but when i set my mind on the strengths God has given me and His strength in my weakness, i find joy there.

 

when i watch a movie or read a book or talk with a friend, or go to walmart, i can choose to complain about all the things i don't like, or i can choose to focus on the good things.  i can choose to take the good out of just about any situation, and leave the rest in the trash where it belongs. 

 

5) i think paul had learned the secret of being content because he had learned to depend on Jesus to meet his every need.  i think sometimes we expect our spouses, kids, friends, and even ourselves to meet emotional, financial, physical, and spiritual needs. and God has designed us to need all those people and for them to complement and build up and encourage..  but He is the only one who can FILL us.  i think often we try to fill the void ourselves and look to those people or things to fill voids and then go to Jesus to fill the leftover space.  but Jesus wants us to come to him first to meet the needs, to fill our souls completely.  and then the rest will be over and above what we need, an abundance of His provision.  and i think when we can learn to release ourselves, our kids, our spouses, and our friends from the responsibility and burden of filling these needs, we can have joy.  because at that point we are truly living in His grace. 

 

so these may be the ramblings of a mad woman.  or they could be nuggets of truth from His Word.  or both :) but i hope they encourage you as they have encouraged me this morning. may He bring you His JOY abundantly today!

"happy" meals

happy meal toys have to be near the top of the list of parent pet peeves.  many parents are familiar with the sequence of events that surrounds a happy meal.  family is driving around, kids are hungry. parents make a stop at the nearest fast food restaurant to satisfy said hunger.  kids order happy meal with 4 chicken nuggets. kids consume 1.5 chicken nuggets, 4.5 fries and 1 full soda and then demand that happy meal toy be opened.  parents demand that child finish remaining 2.5 chicken nuggets before said toy is opened.  child then reluctantly stuffs remaining nuggets on top of already full of soda tummy to attain said toy.  toy is opened.  toy is played with for 2.5 seconds.  toy is then discarded at home into toy box already full of 2.5 thousand other similar toys.  never to be seen or heard from again.  (unless it is either stepped on,  chewed up by family pet, or found in couch cushions while looking for remote). 

my point?  most happy meal toys are junk.  they provide the advertised happiness for about 2.5 seconds and then the kid is over it, only to desire the next one.  and the food that goes with most happy meals – also junk.  not all, but most, only provide limited nutritional value.  and if they are ordered with soda and include some type of fried food, they only leave you emptier than when you began eating.  starved for real satisfaction and still hungry. 

unfortunately, I think most christians are receiving the same type of spiritual food on sundays.  we are driving around, living hungry.  we attend church on sundays to receive our happy meal.  the sermons and songs fill us temporarily, providing a feel good for a few fleeting moments.  but often before we’ve even gotten home, that spiritual food has already worn off, and what we’ve learned has already been forgotten, leaving us even more hungry than before. 

although many christian churches are guilty of providing at best drive-thru service, the true problem is not the providers, but the consumers.  christian consumers are trying to live organic lives, but with drive-thru nutrition.  not possible.  we will only receive limited nutrition on Sundays.  in order to live organic, authentic lives, we must be willing to go beyond the convenience of drive thru religion.  we must be willing to go to the garden. 

the garden is where we meet with the Lord.  daily.  this is where we remain in Him.  where we soak in His Word.  where we do more than just read it and hear it.  where we allow it to transform our thinking, our doing, our lives.  the garden is not a place where results come quickly.  seeds must be planted, watered, nurtured, tended, and given time to grow into fruit. if we want to live real, authentic, relevant lives as Christ-followers, we must spend time in the garden. more time than just on sundays.  when we do this, we will slowly realize that we are not the gardeners, and we are not the ones doing the real work.  the Father is the Gardener.  and His Son is the Vine.  He is the one who plants, waters, nurtures, grows, tends to, and gives life to our souls.  He is the one responsible for the fruit.  He is the one who does all the work.  all we do is remain. 

and when we do this, we will have more than just a happy meal to show for it.   more than just junk food and a junk toy.  more than just a sunday smile and monday morning blues.  we will bear real fruit.  sweet fruit.  fruit that is fulfilling, and draws others into the garden. 

 

John 15:1-8

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener.  He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.  You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you.  Remain in me and I will remain in you.  No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine.  Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. 

I am the vine; you are the branches.  If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.  If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown in to the fire and burned.  If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you.  This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.”

smooth stones

some days the writing just flows from me, like a well of water, and I have a hard time finding the shut off valve.  other days it's like it can't even force it to come out.  that day would be today.  when that happens I like to go through some of my old poetry and other junk just to see what I might find.  most of it is not worth anything to anyone but me.  it simply displays how far I have come in Christ.  but every once in a while i'll find something that someone else might like, so i'll post it here. 

this is one a wrote a few years back when my husband finally attained his cpa license.  it was an achievement worth celebrating.  and more importantly, a God-thing worth remembering.  I believe God wants us to recall his faithfulness.  he commanded the Israelites to do just that when they finished crossing the Jordan.  and since I was part of a bible study group that studied that very story the other night, I felt it fitting to share this here.....

smooth stones

 

 

 

the river is deep but He calls us to cross

the means to do so leave us at a loss

doubt sets in as danger looms near

each white capped ripple multiplies the fear

 

but His command compels us so we step in

and watch as our obedience gives way to His provision

it’s not the wet current that meets the soles of our feet

with each sandy footprint our faith is increased

 

but even dry feet fear washing away

paralyzed by height of the waves

stumbling at times, but never left alone

helped on every side by others of His own

 

with each new step His peace sets in

so with our eyes on His face we step forward again

and before we know it the river swells behind our heels

and from the evil one another victory He steals

 

ashore now we’ve reached the other side

forever in the land of promise to abide

offering smooth stones to Jesus in worship and praise

only found in the river where we realized His grace


based on Joshua 3-4

 

 

snow

"Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like the shifting shadows." James 1:17

last week i got to experience something new.  it was weird.  especially since i hadn't paid attention to any weather forecasts.  i was driving home and all of a sudden i could hear what sounded like rain hitting my windshield, but i couldn't see any rain.  when i finally stopped at a stoplight and looked closely, i discovered that this was what my son now calls "jumping rain," otherwise known as freezing rain or sleet.  so because it is frozen, when it hits the windshield it simply bounces off without making little drops like rain.  no need for windshield wipers. 

a week later i discovered the same is true for snow.  depending on the temperature and wind and how fast you're driving, etc, snow most likely will bounce off your windshield without making it wet.  and you can hear it, but you can't see it.  especially if it's a real light snow. 

my son and i were driving somewhere and like most Texans, i became excited when i realized it was snowing.  i asked my son, "hey!  do you see the snow?!?!"  he became excited too but also frustrated because he couldn't see it.  i could see it, because i have learned that you have to look against a darker background to see the dropping flakes.  but he couldn't see it until we slowed down. 

and i don't know about you but for someone who doesn't see snow much, to me it is a beautiful thing.  especially lightly falling snow.  it just gently and slowly makes its way to the ground.  and its so quiet and non threatening.  very peaceful.  and calming.  and pure.

and as we were driving it made me so sad when i realized my son could not see this beautiful sight, simply because we were going too fast.  and then it hit me.  maybe i am the same way sometimes.  maybe God loves to bless me with good gifts, beautiful things, pure and peaceful gifts.  and maybe i'm just cruising along in life too fast to see them.  i'm so busy with my own agenda, my own kids and their activities, my own to-do list, my own routine.  and there's only two ways I will be able to see the gentleness and purity of the Lord and his good gifts.

1) SLOW DOWN - sometimes out of  conviction we can willfully pull back the reigns on our schedules, cut back on business, and get our lives to a more manageable pace.  other times the Lord himself has to slow us down.  he often will allow illness, losing a job, injury, a move, or simply a season of rest to help us regain perspective on his goodness.

2) contrasting light and dark.  like I said, if I know it's snowing, i have figured out that you can see even the lightest snowfall if you will look at it against a darker background.  i think its the same way with life as well.  God sometimes allows bad things to happen in our lives so that we can see the good.  bad things are not always of God, but they can be used by God to help us appreciate the good things. 

and although God himself is eternal, many of his good gifts are not.  and like snow in texas, soon they will be gone.  and before we know it, it will be spring.  of course then, it will be time to stop and smell the roses.

baskets and birdseed

Our family’s latest form of cheap entertainment includes 2 simple ingredients: an empty milk jug and birdseed.  Every morning we have been enjoying watching the birds feast from the birdfeeder that our four year old made (with some parental help).  It was such a simple gesture.  He just thought it would be fun to feed the birds.  And we have received so much joy.  The kids have oooohhed and ahhhhed over all the different kinds and colors of birds.  This simple recycled milk jug hung from the porch by a simple ribbon with a simple hole cut in the side has attracted some of the simplest and yet most fascinating of God’s creatures.  Beautiful bright red male cardinals, a few blue jays, a lot of small brown birds, the occasional woodpecker, and my favorite, the brown female cardinal with bright orange beak and crest.  It has provided hours of ongoing entertainment right outside our kitchen window.  Every time we sit down to eat or enjoy a cup of coffee, we also get to enjoy these birds. 

I was thinking about it this morning and realized that God did not need my son to feed those birds.  I’m pretty sure they were doing just fine on their own without his little milk jug feeder.  But God allowed our four year old to be used to feed the birds.  And in that we have watched him receive so much joy. I think he feels good knowing that he is “helping” the birds when they’re hungry.  We had to wait a week or two after we hung the feeder before the birds found it.  But when they finally did, Graham was sooooo excited.  He was literally jumping for joy and celebrating that they had found his little offering of love. 

It reminded me of the little boy that had the basket full of loaves and fish. 

“There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish, but what are they for so many?”  John 8:9

He offered his little basket to Jesus and God used it to feed over 5000 people.  I realized for the first time this morning as I was watching those birds that Jesus did not really need that little boy’s basket.  He could have fed them from food made out of thin air.  He was God after all.  But he took that little boy’s small offering of love and used it to feed the masses.  He produced a big miracle with a little basket.  And I can only imagine that little boy’s amazement and joy at how God had used him.  Maybe even a little jumping up and down.

I think it’s the same way with us.  God certainly does not need us to accomplish his purposes.  He is perfectly capable of taking care of this world and its people on his own.  But his designed purpose for us it to be used by him and take part in his work of love.  Love for creation and love for creatures, the most important of which is people.  And when we take part in his work we receive joy. 

Maybe that’s why so many of us are lacking joy.  We are too busy doing our own thing.  We are missing God’s purpose for us in loving others.  And we are also missing out on His joy.  And I think many of us hesitate because we are afraid we don’t have what it takes to feed the starving world around us.  And we don’t.  But the God we serve does.  And all he wants from us to meet their need is a milk jug and a little birdseed. 

Jesus

I’m sitting down to write tonight and the words just aren’t coming out right.  A few ideas here and there that sound good in my head, but so far none that look quite right on paper. 

So I will forfeit to just one word.  JESUS. 

Ah……… Jesus…….  Just… Jesus.  The one word that makes me want to stop and take a deep breath and smile.  Jesus J

The name actually means “He saves.”  And maybe that’s why it brings so much peace.  So much joy.  A sigh of relief.   Because everywhere we look, we see signs that we live in a fallen world.  A world that needs saving.  Cancer.  Poverty.  Disease.  Murder.  Abandoned Children.  School shootings.  Domestic Violence………..  But we don’t really need to even look to the headlines to find evidence that we need saving.  A good look into our own heart will reveal how desperate our situation when we see the cancer of sin in our own souls. 

So here we are, needing a hero.  

And there He is – JESUS – mighty to save.   

JESUS

Deep breath

Smile J

Matthew 1:21

“She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”

what matters

OK, so my husband likes to brag.  And not about himself.  About me.  He loves to live vicariously through my college glory days.  Seems like everyone he introduces me to says words like, “so I hear you’re some kinda soccer star….”  Drives me nuts.  Well, at least I say it drives me nuts.  But secretly, I like it.  I always try to act modest and like I don’t care, or like he’s embellishing the statistics a bit.  But deep down somewhere (probably not too deep), it does make me feel good. 

However, for the last couple years my husband and I have had a debate going.  His claim to friends and coworkers is that I am my alma mater’s all-time leading scorer.  He thinks the number of goals I racked up is a record that will stand for all of eternity.  As for myself, being a little more knowledgeable about the growth of women’s soccer in the United States, I tend to think that the “record” has probably already been broken and that it really wasn’t that big of a deal in the first place.  But the other day I got a curious streak in me about this very issue and decided to research it in order to put the matter to rest once and for all. 

Basically what I found was that nobody knows and nobody cares.  The statistics on my school’s athletic website only go back to 2006.  I played there from 1998-2002.  So there are at least 4 years of stats in there that I can’t account for, and no one currently at the school knows or cares where they are.  I know the girl that kept the stats for the team while I was there, and she was very meticulous about it.  But we were just a small no name school as far as women’s soccer was concerned.  So at best, those are on some jump drive somewhere in some junk drawer.  I was able to piece together the number of goals I scored while I was there, but I have no way of comparing that number that to the achievements of countless other athletes.  So my experiment left me both proud of my achievements and depressed that they didn’t matter. 

And then I got to thinking about what does matter.  I don’t really have any significant statistics attached to my name.  I was never a national champion or a valedictorian.  I don’t have a record number of children or dollars or prize winning recipes or anything.  I don’t think I’ve even invited that many people to Sunday School or stormed the gates of hell with a thousand new converts.  And I think MOST people would say the same.  I think even those that have would tell you those things don’t matter.  So what does matter?

As I was thinking about this, God brought to mind my sweet 4^th grade reading teacher.  What she did mattered.  I’ll never forget the day she pulled me out of class to remind me that Jesus loved me.  And that she loved me.  She could see that I was having a rough day and a hard time fitting in.  And she took the time to reaffirm to me that I was fearfully and wonderfully made.  She probably even broke several public school rules by mentioning the name of Jesus.  But it mattered. 

And then I thought about the principal I had who made sure to walk my sister and I home the day our house burned down.  His gentleness and empathetic presence was very comforting on a very bad day for our family.  That mattered. 

And then there was the PE teacher who made such a big deal about me running the shuttle run so fast (especially for a girl).  At the time I thought he was truly amazed by my performance when he tapped his stop watch to make sure it was working correctly when I was finished.  But looking back on it I know he was putting on a show.  But he took the time to pretend and it made me feel special.  That mattered.

Then there was the soccer coach who time after time reaffirmed my hard work and potential by comforting me when I thought I had failed and praising me when I achieved.  That mattered.

So if you ask me what matters I would say it’s taking time to love those right in front of you.  And if Jesus’ life was any indication of how he felt, I think he would say the same.  He always seemed to make those right in front of him his first priority.  He wasn’t distracted by schedules, to-do lists, numbers, or performance ratings, or trying to get somewhere on time.  He did things slowly and gently and deliberately took time to love those he came across at the point of their need.  As he was blazing the ministry trail, he made time to bounce the little children on his knee.  As he was thirsty, he made time to make sure an adulterous woman never would be again.  As he was hurting on the cross, he made time to make sure his mother would be comforted.  As he was taking on the very wrath of God, he made time to forgive the very ones responsible for that wrath.  The examples in the gospels are endless. 

So let us follow that example.  Because it doesn’t really matter how much money we make or how many likes we can get on facebook.  But maybe, just maybe, there might be a friend who could use a phone call.  Or a neighbor who needs their yard mowed.  Or a little boy or girl that would love to know someone thinks they’re special.  And they will remember it forever.  Because it matters to them.

Matthew 25:40 "The King will reply, 'Truly, I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.'"