Monday, March 25, 2013
I hate it when My children grumble.
It is good idea to take inventory of the things that occupy our hearts and it is very good to cultivate a thankful heart. Thankfulness isn't something that comes easy, especially when it is not around Thanksgiving, we have to remind ourselves to BE thankful. These thoughts have been provoked by 7 little words that I read in my devotional early this morning, "I hate it when My children grumble."
Ouch.
Think about that for a moment. I pictured God's face the best way my small mind could understand and the image pierced my heart. That one sentence made a shift in my heart and caused me to take a deep hard look into what all I have in it. I decided I would make a list of the things I grumble about. In other words, what do I complain about?
Can I be honest with you-I fought with my list. (And you probably will too.) I argued with each one about its legitimacy. I had a reason by golly, to complain about each one especially the ones that were out of my control. Though there may have some truth to that, I challenge you with the same little excerise the Lord had me do and I know you'll feel Him helping you begin to culitvate a thankful heart.
So I made my list. I fought with it for some time then decided to let the Lord step in and show me what I needed to be shown. I went back over my grumbling list and made myself find things in each situation something, anything to be thankful for.
Ex: The complaint: I am blue in the face about respondsibility and getting homework turned in on time, but I can't get x, y & z students to listen. Finding something to be thankful for: At least I have a job, period. And secondly, there really are those out there that are listening that are being impacted when they may not be learning how to be respondsible at home?
A shift of focus has to occur in order to keep a thankful heart and it is hard to keep complaining over something you've just thanked God for.We have to make thankfulness rule our hearts at all times and in all circumstances or else bitterness can creep in.
Before you ex off the page there is one other thing the Lord spoke to me about sharing and that is complaining about our children. Aside from Jesus coming to die for you and I, our children are Gods' most precious gift to us. I am strongly convicted in this area and I want to share with you what I think of when my patience is running thin with my own children. I think, "Ok Esther, God is your Dad, how would you feel in this situation if He reacted towards you the way you want to react towards Adalie/Maddox?" Sounds a little weird talking to yourself that way, but it sure does help. I mentioned that shifting focus is a key component to cultivating a thankful heart, well in those weak moments when I do not get it right, I have to check my attitude and remind myself that Adalie & Maddox did not ask to be here and neither did your children. It is a different way in looking at it. My husband and I brought them here, we wanted them therefore it is our job as parents to seek God for wisdom in raising them in all seasons of their lives and asking for patience in helping them become who God created them to be. I know that raising children is tough, from what I know toddlers and what I have heard teenagers can be extremly challenging, but whatever season they are in, let's just be thankful. Remember this-many families can not have their own children. There are women who will never know what it feels like to birth their own baby or carry one in their womb. Another example I can think of is if you have a go-go-go toddler like mine that runs wild and you can't keep up just whisper to yourself, "I am thankful that he/she is healthy and able to run, jump and play."
So you see, there are many things to be thankful for when we dig. Make your list, check it twice, argue with it if you have to it's ok- as long as in the end thankfulness and gratitue ends on top, you've won the battle.
#Jesushelpustobethankfultodayandforever.
With love and prayer,
Esther
Tuesday, March 5, 2013
Except for her...
This is just eating at me. No matter how hard I try, I just can't seem to shake this imagine out of my mind.
She sat there alone, her long hair drapped over her shoulders, she stared straight forward leaned slightly to the side resting her cheek in her right palm. I noticed her from a distance. She didn't speak, she didn't move, she didn't even blink.
Earlier, her Mother had been interacting with all her children, well actually except with her. And there were some laughs coming from the group, well, not really from her. Her Mother began to head gather her things to head out the door and with a faint I love you, she leaned in and kissed them all on the forehead, well really except for her. Saddened she walked away and sat and I, I stood frozen still then turned away.
Truly this image is almost impossible to forget. It lingers in my mind. I feel like I am continously tossing it out over and over because it makes me sad for her, but it just creeps right back on in. I give. I said, "God, what do you want me to do with this?"
It has challenged me to love, in a new way. It has made me want to love, the way Jesus said for me to love. I was reading in Mark one day when I felt like God began to answer my question-my eyes landed on verses 28 & 29.
Jesus was teaching His disciples and they asked Him, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?” “The most important one,” Jesus said is “ Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’There is no commandment greater than these.”
I looked up more scriptures about love and found a few more.
John 13:34 "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another.
John 13:35 "By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another."
John 15:12 "This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.
John 15:17 "These things I command you, that you love one another.
1 Peter 4:8 "Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins."
Ephesians 4:2 "Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love."
What does love have to do with any of this story? Well, this is what I have come to a conclusion about. I'll start from the top. When you think about how Jesus answered the question, "what is the greatest commadment?" He said to first love God, with everything we had, then He added (on His own) that we must love our neighbors as ourself. Jesus went on to say there are no greater commandments then those two. That is pretty serious stuff, to love God first, then everyone else second. In John He said that He will know whether we are His disciples or not based on if we love one another. It wasn't suggestive, He is commanding us to love one another. In 1 Peter we are told that love covers a multitude of sins (so that helps to forgive quicker) and in Ephesians we are advised to bear one another in love, in other words “to endure,” or “to put up with,” one another in love. I got to thinking about all this and the emphasis on love? Why is love important enough to be mentioned 551 times through out the bible? Then I saw the girl and her story play out in my mind all over again. Hypotheically, what I saw could be an example of a soon-to- be (if not already is) a hurt and lonely teenager who perhaps builds up resentment who closes out those around her, has a distorted view of what love is, puts up walls and bottles up her feelings? Perhaps she asks herself at the end of the day whether she has a purpose or reason to live? When you take a step back and you try to understand or analyze why people grow up to be who they are, choose to do terrible things, aren't easily forgiving, don't have a pleasant demeanor, and are rough around the edges it is so easy to judge them, but really we have no idea where that person has been, what they have experienced, what they have endured in their life or been through. I'm not making excuses for people who commit crimes, do evil, or are unfair I'm really not. I know we all have a choice to do right from wrong, but what I am saying is I didn't realize before just how many wounded people we live around that it just doesn't come easy to make good choices or do the right thing. This is all my opinion, and I could very well be wrong, but regardless it's has helped me to see grace and love so differently now which makes this thought process all worth while.
In my measly simple little mind I think I am understanding what Jesus was really saying when He asked us to love another. When He asked us to bear one another with love. When I look at the news I see tradgedies that have happened and they completely rip my heart out, but before I let my heart judge them and grow angry I've had to make myself do something that isn't easy and ask myself, what if love was absent in their life, or absent in the most crucial moments of their life like childhood? And what if this is an effect of it all? Perhaps that person grew up without knowing Jesus, hard for them to believe in Jesus or love for that matter. What if they grew up without a father/mother, or if they did have parents what if they hurt them physically, emotionally, mentally, just like their folks did with them so they continue the cycle? What if they grew up neglected, bullied, teased or alone-how could I expect them to be a loving soul and want to do good when they have no love or goodness in them to give out? Maybe this doesn't apply to all cases, but what if it did? All while, we grow angry with them, don't care to hear them, don't want to help them, condemn them, hate them. What if maybe, just maybe that is why God felt it was so important to repeatedly ask us to love others, to forgive, to extend grace, and to ABOVE ALL (no matter what they've done) love each other deeply (not a little bit, but DEEPLY) because love can cover a multitude of sins? (mistakes) Maybe the answer was/is so then no one would ever have to miss out on being loved, because if they did miss it somewhere, somehow in their life, but yet we encounter them and live out His commandment to pour love into their lives maybe, they could give love out and that cycle would continue. Even if I am wrong, isn't it a nice thought to explore? They say love makes the world go round, well I believe that statement has a whole new meaning to me now.
I want to love all the..."except for her, him, them"
-Esther
She sat there alone, her long hair drapped over her shoulders, she stared straight forward leaned slightly to the side resting her cheek in her right palm. I noticed her from a distance. She didn't speak, she didn't move, she didn't even blink.
Earlier, her Mother had been interacting with all her children, well actually except with her. And there were some laughs coming from the group, well, not really from her. Her Mother began to head gather her things to head out the door and with a faint I love you, she leaned in and kissed them all on the forehead, well really except for her. Saddened she walked away and sat and I, I stood frozen still then turned away.
Truly this image is almost impossible to forget. It lingers in my mind. I feel like I am continously tossing it out over and over because it makes me sad for her, but it just creeps right back on in. I give. I said, "God, what do you want me to do with this?"
It has challenged me to love, in a new way. It has made me want to love, the way Jesus said for me to love. I was reading in Mark one day when I felt like God began to answer my question-my eyes landed on verses 28 & 29.
Jesus was teaching His disciples and they asked Him, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?” “The most important one,” Jesus said is “ Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’There is no commandment greater than these.”
I looked up more scriptures about love and found a few more.
John 13:34 "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another.
John 13:35 "By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another."
John 15:12 "This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.
John 15:17 "These things I command you, that you love one another.
1 Peter 4:8 "Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins."
Ephesians 4:2 "Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love."
What does love have to do with any of this story? Well, this is what I have come to a conclusion about. I'll start from the top. When you think about how Jesus answered the question, "what is the greatest commadment?" He said to first love God, with everything we had, then He added (on His own) that we must love our neighbors as ourself. Jesus went on to say there are no greater commandments then those two. That is pretty serious stuff, to love God first, then everyone else second. In John He said that He will know whether we are His disciples or not based on if we love one another. It wasn't suggestive, He is commanding us to love one another. In 1 Peter we are told that love covers a multitude of sins (so that helps to forgive quicker) and in Ephesians we are advised to bear one another in love, in other words “to endure,” or “to put up with,” one another in love. I got to thinking about all this and the emphasis on love? Why is love important enough to be mentioned 551 times through out the bible? Then I saw the girl and her story play out in my mind all over again. Hypotheically, what I saw could be an example of a soon-to- be (if not already is) a hurt and lonely teenager who perhaps builds up resentment who closes out those around her, has a distorted view of what love is, puts up walls and bottles up her feelings? Perhaps she asks herself at the end of the day whether she has a purpose or reason to live? When you take a step back and you try to understand or analyze why people grow up to be who they are, choose to do terrible things, aren't easily forgiving, don't have a pleasant demeanor, and are rough around the edges it is so easy to judge them, but really we have no idea where that person has been, what they have experienced, what they have endured in their life or been through. I'm not making excuses for people who commit crimes, do evil, or are unfair I'm really not. I know we all have a choice to do right from wrong, but what I am saying is I didn't realize before just how many wounded people we live around that it just doesn't come easy to make good choices or do the right thing. This is all my opinion, and I could very well be wrong, but regardless it's has helped me to see grace and love so differently now which makes this thought process all worth while.
In my measly simple little mind I think I am understanding what Jesus was really saying when He asked us to love another. When He asked us to bear one another with love. When I look at the news I see tradgedies that have happened and they completely rip my heart out, but before I let my heart judge them and grow angry I've had to make myself do something that isn't easy and ask myself, what if love was absent in their life, or absent in the most crucial moments of their life like childhood? And what if this is an effect of it all? Perhaps that person grew up without knowing Jesus, hard for them to believe in Jesus or love for that matter. What if they grew up without a father/mother, or if they did have parents what if they hurt them physically, emotionally, mentally, just like their folks did with them so they continue the cycle? What if they grew up neglected, bullied, teased or alone-how could I expect them to be a loving soul and want to do good when they have no love or goodness in them to give out? Maybe this doesn't apply to all cases, but what if it did? All while, we grow angry with them, don't care to hear them, don't want to help them, condemn them, hate them. What if maybe, just maybe that is why God felt it was so important to repeatedly ask us to love others, to forgive, to extend grace, and to ABOVE ALL (no matter what they've done) love each other deeply (not a little bit, but DEEPLY) because love can cover a multitude of sins? (mistakes) Maybe the answer was/is so then no one would ever have to miss out on being loved, because if they did miss it somewhere, somehow in their life, but yet we encounter them and live out His commandment to pour love into their lives maybe, they could give love out and that cycle would continue. Even if I am wrong, isn't it a nice thought to explore? They say love makes the world go round, well I believe that statement has a whole new meaning to me now.
I want to love all the..."except for her, him, them"
-Esther
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