Thursday, February 28, 2013

hazards




sometimes i think my kids are trying to kill me.

well...not really...but maybe...

every parent knows the pain of discovering a lego with your foot.  legos...ugg...i resisted them for so long.  the pain of stepping on a lego rivals the pain of childbirth...but you can't scream because you'll wake the baby that you walked for 6 hours to get to sleep.

well...recently (with the help of my beautiful children) i discovered a toy even more treacherous than the lego...




my kiddos were playing hide and seek with their wooden blocks...and someone discovered the best hiding spot ever.  under the living room rug.

seriously...i stepped on it (the modelling of the rug completely disguised the big lump)...my ankle turned...and i went down howling.  ...eh...nothing an hour on the couch with some ice can't handle.



but...as always...Father God was speaking to me. 
 

there are some really obvious legos in our lives...things that are clearly out to trip us up as we travel in the path He has for us.  i don't even need to point them out...there are big road signs along the way.  when those things come along...illuminated by the light of Christ...they are easy to avoid.  in fact...there have been times that i have laughed at the enemy because his attempts were so clear.

then there are some things that are less obvious.  these things are like blocks that hide under the rug of self-righteousness...but they are just as hazardous.

we call our friend to 'pray' and it turns into 20 minutes of...gossip.
we spend an hour on our knees...worrying.
we tell bits of testimony to encourage others...but they are full of...lies.
 
oh how grateful i am for God's pure grace.  only He could look beyond our selfishness...our fickleness and still call us daughters and sons.
 
i encourage you today...beware of the blocks under the rug. 
walk slowly along the path He has for you...walk deliberately.
avoid ALL hazards...even the ones that aren't so obvious...



Monday, February 25, 2013

clean kitchen

my kitchen is clean.

you could eat off my floor.  (...my kids do every day...)

my counters are cleared of all the crafty clutter that usually gathers...

i was really very proud of myself...it's quite a rare accomplishment...to have a clean kitchen in a home with 4 preschoolers...

then i opened a cupboard and this is what i found...

...i can not believe i'm posting this...


so...maybe it's not quite as clean as i thought...in fact...that cupboard could be hazardous to an inquisitive toddler...

 
 
 
isn't that how it is with our spiritual lives?
 
we work hard to polish the counter tops of our heart.
make sure that we deal with the clutter that stressful seasons bring on.
we even clean the oven and stove occasionally.
 
and then we open a cupboard way back in the recesses of our heart...sigh.
i remember a time when i was specifically
proud of how far Father God had taken me.
i wore His grace and mercy like a pageant sash...for everyone to see.
 
then...one night...God took me to 'that cupboard'...
i flung the door open and all the junk
that i had buried tumbled down around me.
 
it was painful.
 
thankfully...i wasn't alone.  we are never alone.
 
He doesn't leave us to deal with it by ourselves...
He knows that we can not deal with our junk alone any
more than my toddler can put those pots and pans away.
 
so...today i encourage you to find that
cupboard of your heart that has been haphazardly
packed full of junk that you'd rather not deal with. 
open the door (carefully...very carefully). 
and ask Father God to help you put it's contents where they belong.
 
some things will belong in the garbage...to be forgotten forever.
some things belong neatly back in the cupboard for easy access...
remembering where you came from
sometimes helps you remember when you're going.
and some things you may need to give away
...share Father's grace and mercy with those that need it.
 
 
 
i'm going to go clean out my cupboard...
before i hear that heart stopping,
"CRASH!"
 
 

Thursday, February 21, 2013

not afraid to fall

well...my little man is starting to walk.

and thru the process...as always...God was speaking to me.


 
as the process of walking starts...          
                                                     ...we fall...
                                                                         ...a lot.



my one year old is lucky...we use cloth diapers...they offer quite a bit of extra padding.  but still sometimes...when he falls...he cries for his daddy to scoop him up.
 
as we walk in the path that Jesus has laid out for us...don't we fall an awful lot? 
i know i do.  maybe i'm the only one. 
it just seems like i am always crying out to Father God
to come scoop me up with His loving grace. 

now in all actuality my son has been walking for a month or so...he would motor all around the house as long as he could hold on to a piece of furniture or the wall.  he could walk along the perimeter of each room...but all the fun stuff (wrestling, car races, coloring, snuggles-n-kisses...) goes on in the middle of the room.

it's nice to have something to hold on to...an organization,
or another person walking the same path we are...
but that isn't necessarily where the action is. 
in order to get where the action is...we have to step out...
 
sure...we might fall...in fact...it's an absolute.
we
            will
                         fall.
 
but...Father God will scoop us up.  always.
 
so...we don't need to be afraid to fall.
 


Sunday, February 17, 2013

the glass is...

 
half full?
half empty?
 
...it doesn't really matter...
i have a straw.
 

Wednesday, February 13, 2013

time out.

have you ever felt like you were in trouble?
like you really screwed up and you just knew God was going to punish you?


 
 
 

well...maybe He doesn't punish us...per say...but He certainly allows us to face the consequences for our disobedience.

you get that feeling in the pit of your stomach...you start to sweat...you know the consequences are coming...you try to avoid those in authority...you try to avoid those who are following the rules...you want to run away...you want to go back in time...you want to...

it has only been in the last 5 years or so that i have realized that all that fear and trembling over facing the consequences of my sin is sort of silly. 

you see...God loves me...like...actually loves me...
and He loves you too. 

His love is not based on our obedience.  it is based on His love.  period.  no take backs...

so...yes.  i will face consequences...but they don't have to be these nauseating horrible things...

we can sit in our 'time out' and weather our consequences with grace and maturity knowing that they are not a reflection of God's love for us...God's love is a reflection of God's love for us...

Friday, February 8, 2013

love works

 



love. 

as a kid...even into early adulthood we think of love as a feeling.  it often involves sex.  it always involves heart flutters.  sometimes it even involves bursting into spontaneous song.

in jr high i got my first boyfriend...and we were so in love. 
in high school i had a dated several guys...and we were so in love.
in college i had a serious relationship...and we were so in love.

i thought i was an expert.

meanwhile...my grandparents...roland and fern harding (pictured above) were true experts...quietly modeling love for me to follow or ignore. 

thankfully...i was watching...(even if i didn't realize it at the time.)

grampa loved grama so much.  he truly cherished her.  now let me tell you...she was a norwegian from the northwest...stubborn as the day is long...but he cherished her. 

grampa and his friends snuck grama onto his military base.  they were married by the chaplain...a soldier was her 'bridesmaid'.  that's how their marriage started.  not with tulle, roses or fondant...their marriage started with work. 

grampa went to war and wrote home...so many letters...and grama dealt with pregnancy, birth and raising their oldest son alone...their family started with work. 

once the war was over...grampa's work led to a lot of travelling.  they celebrated accomplishments together...they dealt with loss together...but they made it work. 

in their old age...they did devotions together every day.  they held hands as they walked thru parking lots.  they shared dessert at restaurants.  they really made love work.

she took care of everyone...and he took care of her.

last year...on valentines day...we had my grampa's funeral...and just a month ago...we buried my grandmother...shortly after what would have been their 71st wedding anniversary. 

shortly before grama joined grampa in heaven...she told my uncle... "i really miss your dad."

they worked...to make love work...
i'm so blessed to have their legacy...