It's my youngest baby's birthday today. No longer a baby....we call him our little "kitten" because just about everything he does is adorable, even when he's bad. A few days ago he came into the kitchen and said to me, with a very mischievous grin, "I didn't touch anything." "Oh really, nothing?" "Nope. I didn't touch anything." I immediately ran upstairs to see what he "didn't touch". He had been in my son's wallet, "not touching" all his money. He's funny!
He is very easy to please. I hate to admit it, but all his gifts are from the dollar store! We got him bug nets, critters, a few hotwheels.....he'll be so happy! My daughter made an adorable "alligator cake" out of cupcakes. It is so long, it takes up the whole table. We'll have our traditional crepes for breakfast and tacos at lunch with another little friend's family. So sweet.
My kids joked with me and asked, "Which one of us is your favourite?" My husband and I responded we'd be buying a "technicolor coat" for little B's birthday. Ha! The youngest always gets spoiled. He'll be just like Joseph, with all his big brothers and sisters bowing down to him. They already do! He gets away with a lot around here. I'm so glad God created youngest children! Thanking God for our little kitten today.
We've spent an inordinate amount of time this week looking for a vehicle to replace our van. We needed a smaller vehicle and one that would be better on gas, yet safe for my daughter to drive in. My mom called on a day that we had just looked at one. I told her we liked it, but it was a little more than we wanted to spend, would she pray for a miracle....She must have prayed.
After we came home from looking at the vehicle, we had stars in our eyes as this vehicle was gorgeous (are vehicles allowed to be gorgeous?) We are just so used to driving old beat up cars that for a few brief moments, we got caught up in the "I wish we could drive a nice car for a change" feeling....but then reality hit and we realized it was crazy thinking, unless we could find the same vehicle in an older model, still lower miles, oh and thousands of dollars cheaper!!!!....Was it possible? So RM went back on-line and found just that, the same model, a few years older, needing new brakes, good miles....for several THOUSAND less. Seemed too good to be true. It was just what I had asked my mom to pray for.
RM went to check it out, took it for a quick spin, did a bit more research and decided we could make it work. So now it is in our driveway, with new brakes already and good to go! We feel so blessed as it all happened so fast and now we have an awesome car, safe, fits nearly all of us (it has a jumpseat in the back, so seats 7!), yet it is still smaller than the van and better on gas. Some times both RM and I get panicky, "Perhaps it was all too good to be true?" or we hear a voice in our heads, "You bought a lemon. You're in trouble." But, I've noticed with this purchase that every time we hear a negative thought or a fearful thought or a lie from the enemy we are able to immediately give it to the Lord and speak to the voice of fear and say, "We trust the Lord." We continually say the phrase, "No fear, no panic, no dread" all the time now. RM comforts me constantly with that phrase which I wrote (which comes directly from Scripture)! So he tosses it at me continually! His point is the same each time, too, "Even if there is something wrong, we can deal with it. Even if we have to spend a little money to fix it, we will." Buying an older car will always bring little problems, we know that. He figures even if we get a year's use out of it, it was an awesome deal. We are so grateful. Thanks for praying, Mom!
This weekend is our homeschool conference. My husband and I will be on a few panels. I will be on one about large families. As I prepared for what I would say, I was reading a book on large families and came across an idea that I quickly put into practice just yesterday. It talked about the idea of clutter and toys. We have a lot of toys, not a lot of space or storage...what to do. Before we took the wall out between the family room and the homeschool room, I could close the door on the toys and voila, no more toys! Out of sight, out of mind. Now that the wall is down, I could see everything, all the time, stacked up, lying around...they were everywhere and creeping into the living space.....it was making me crazy and I felt like I couldn't get on top of it. The book I read talked about putting them away in a cupboard with the idea that the kids wouldn't see them for awhile and then bringing them out at another time making them appear new. I've done this before, but not for awhile. I'd always been afraid to not have them where the kids could see them. Then they wouldn't have toys to play with. Ridiculous thinking. So yesterday, that was it. I told my older boys, "Today we're moving all those toys downstairs (aka, the dungeon)." And so we did. I moved many boxes and bins of toys downstairs. No one has even noticed or asked about the toys. They're just gone and guess what? No clutter in the new room. Toys are all on a shelf or behind a door. The floor space is cleared. It looks so much better! One day, I'll bring them up, but not for awhile. Maybe I never will. Maybe I'll give them away! All I know is there is freedom with less STUFF!!!!
So today, I thank God for little boys, cute as kittens, new/old cars, and less clutter. All blessings in their own way......
Thursday, 28 April 2016
Monday, 25 April 2016
The God of the Extraordinary
What a rough couple of weeks! Both myself and my oldest daughter have the immunity of sharks, very rarely ever sick, but this virus must have been a super-virus as it took both of us down....hard. The rest of us are back into the swing of things, but she is still down and out. It's a small reminder how grateful we need to be for our health that we normally take so for granted.
She and my other daughter went to a Hillsong concert last week. They have been on a music high ever since. What I think I liked most (I heard about it anyway when they came back) was that there was a sermon half-way through the concert! It was all about unusual miracles and how we can look through Scripture and see all the unusual people God used and all the unusual miracles He did. Even though I wasn't there and I didn't hear the actual words, I found it so encouraging. He talked about Moses and how he was described as a unique child. The ESV said, "a fine child". What would have made him stand out? Why even mention that? But there was something his parents noticed. Of course, Moses went on to lead the Israelites out of slavery and did many, many unique miracles.
His point? God is the God of the unusual. He didn't just deliver the Israelites, He delivered the Israelites!!! He opened the Red Sea! That is unusual!! The pastor was trying to explain how there is nothing ordinary about God and what He does. He wants to do unusual things in our lives, too, for His glory. One of the verses he used was Acts 19:11, "And God was doing extraordinary miracles by the hands of Paul...." That is another great word - extraordinary.
That is not to say that the ordinary or regular things in our lives can't be used for His glory, too. I do laundry and make meals every day - pretty ordinary stuff - or is it? I find it quite miraculous to be honest with you! When I stop to think how many loads of laundry I do and how many meals I make, it is astounding!! I regularly point this out to the kids! Mother's Day is coming....hint....hint.....
So, even the regular in my life is not regular. It's good to be excited about what God can do. It's good to ask Him to work in an extraordinary way. I have seen Him to do so many amazing things. I never get tired of watching His hand in our lives. But I ask for even more, to never stop working, to never stop doing extraordinary miracles, in my life, in my children's lives, in my husband's work, in our finances.....
This will be short today....I've got kids to wake up.....but I'm praying for an extraordinary day for all the people in my life who need a "Red Sea" moment in their lives.
She and my other daughter went to a Hillsong concert last week. They have been on a music high ever since. What I think I liked most (I heard about it anyway when they came back) was that there was a sermon half-way through the concert! It was all about unusual miracles and how we can look through Scripture and see all the unusual people God used and all the unusual miracles He did. Even though I wasn't there and I didn't hear the actual words, I found it so encouraging. He talked about Moses and how he was described as a unique child. The ESV said, "a fine child". What would have made him stand out? Why even mention that? But there was something his parents noticed. Of course, Moses went on to lead the Israelites out of slavery and did many, many unique miracles.
His point? God is the God of the unusual. He didn't just deliver the Israelites, He delivered the Israelites!!! He opened the Red Sea! That is unusual!! The pastor was trying to explain how there is nothing ordinary about God and what He does. He wants to do unusual things in our lives, too, for His glory. One of the verses he used was Acts 19:11, "And God was doing extraordinary miracles by the hands of Paul...." That is another great word - extraordinary.
That is not to say that the ordinary or regular things in our lives can't be used for His glory, too. I do laundry and make meals every day - pretty ordinary stuff - or is it? I find it quite miraculous to be honest with you! When I stop to think how many loads of laundry I do and how many meals I make, it is astounding!! I regularly point this out to the kids! Mother's Day is coming....hint....hint.....
So, even the regular in my life is not regular. It's good to be excited about what God can do. It's good to ask Him to work in an extraordinary way. I have seen Him to do so many amazing things. I never get tired of watching His hand in our lives. But I ask for even more, to never stop working, to never stop doing extraordinary miracles, in my life, in my children's lives, in my husband's work, in our finances.....
This will be short today....I've got kids to wake up.....but I'm praying for an extraordinary day for all the people in my life who need a "Red Sea" moment in their lives.
Thursday, 21 April 2016
Lessons from Canadian Historical Women
It is funny to see what a week will bring. Last week my house looked the same as it has for months, but this week, a wall has been torn down, a ceiling was taken out, drywall is up, electrical wires are covered, plumbing relocated......a whole new room has been created....in just 4 days. We had some motivation, someone was coming through the house for an appraisal (not that we're selling.....) and we needed to make sure it looked ok. That was all it took for RM to pull out all the stops. He can barely walk now, but man on man, was he ever busy non-stop for 4 days!
Our family room was never big, but it was big enough for our family. Everyone had a place to sit. At Christmas, RM took down the drywall and ceiling in that room to insulate the walls. It had been freezing in that room. We insulated, covered up most of the walls and knew the other side of the house needed to be done at a later date. That was when we had discovered the beautiful barn beams as well in the ceiling. We figured they ran across the other side of the house, so this week, when we took out the wall between the two rooms, sure enough, there they were. We were so happy! There is still a ton of work ahead for us now as the ceiling has to be finished nicely, but we still enjoy the rustic/cabin look even without the coat of varathane that it needs. Drywall is up, but needs taping, mudding, and then paint, never a nice job. The flooring needs to be completely redone.....get the picture? Lots of work still ahead, but now that the two rooms are opened to each other it is such a big space! It definitely has that open concept feel and with the ceiling taken off we no longer feel it is such a low ceiling. We gained a foot for sure. All in all, a nice little way to start feeling a little more springy. It had been so cold and people were getting a little blue around here about the weather. This little change has lightened everybody's mood just a little. I love change! (Who says that....?)
Now, the renos will be on pause again for a bit as the next projects require much more money, but this little change will tide us all over for a little while!
Last night we watched a documentary about two famous Canadian sisters, Susanna Moodie and Catharine Par Traill. I was always fascinated by these women. They were both homeschooled along with their other sister and 5 of the six sisters became published authors in England. These two sisters married men who longed for adventure and the idea of a new land in Canada intrigued them. Off they went with their wives and a baby. You would think, based on their two books, that they had gone to two different places. The one sister, Susanna, hated the whole dreaded experience and moaned and complained about everything. The other sister, Catharine, loved it, all the difficulties were opportunities! They both started having many babies and were very lonely off in the backwoods of Canada, but at least they had each other. The husbands moved closer so that the sisters could be a comfort to one another.
It was great for me to see how perspective matters. When I saw all that they had to go through, picking through ice for water, hanging laundry on a frozen line, barely surviving the winters with no food or even proper footware....it made my trials seem so minor in comparison. At one point Susanna's husband had to leave her for a couple of years to fight in a war. I have no idea how she managed.
The two sisters both wrote books on their experiences. I had to read them when I was in university and they became my two favourite books as well as the ones I remember the best, Roughing it in the Bush and The Backwoods of Canada. I had no children then, no husband, no real trials, except an exam or two. Now, I am married and I have as many kids as they did. I'm hardly living in the backwoods of Canada, but I can relate to the duties of a mom, and I'm married to a man who is trying to feed his family and who believes in adventure. Which sister do I want to be like? The one who only sees things as miserable? or the like the one who sees it all as a great opportunity? I don't believe Catharine's experience was any less difficult. No, she had all the same trials as her sister, but she just handled them with a different attitude. It is interesting to note, the more positive sister lived until she was 97! A merry heart is good medicine! There's the proof!
So, there's my little lesson in Canadian history. Our children watched with interest to see the difference between the two women. I will say, though Susanna was the miserable one at the beginning, she did have a change of heart as she grew older. She hated Canada when she first arrived. She longed for her "gentile" ways of England, sipping tea around a fire, with servants to watch her and her children. Upon arriving in Canada, she now had to do everything, from milking cows, to planting gardens, to catching fish....What she saw as horrible and challenging when she was a young mom with lots of kids, she ended up seeing as wonderful! She could see how she had grown and been stretched. She ended up reflecting on her time in Canada as amazing. She loved Canada and all that it offered her as a new settler. This was another great thing for me to hear. To know our challenges that are so difficult when you are in the midst of them, will one day be something you reflect on fondly, is a great encouragement to me to not fight the challenges, but to somehow embrace them and enjoy them. I try to fast forward and think, "What will I look back on one day?" Then, when I do that, I can see how there is purpose even in today's difficulties.
Susanna is not that different from me, it turns out. She had more lessons to learn. Catharine had a good perspective on life right from the get-go, so she was spared some of the harder lessons. I hope I can learn my lessons fast and not stay stuck in a moment like Susanna did for a long time. I appreciate these women and their honesty. Their books are still being read 150 years later and lessons to other women, like myself, are still being gleaned. I sure hope they were Christians as I want to thank them in heaven one day for recording their life lessons.
Our family room was never big, but it was big enough for our family. Everyone had a place to sit. At Christmas, RM took down the drywall and ceiling in that room to insulate the walls. It had been freezing in that room. We insulated, covered up most of the walls and knew the other side of the house needed to be done at a later date. That was when we had discovered the beautiful barn beams as well in the ceiling. We figured they ran across the other side of the house, so this week, when we took out the wall between the two rooms, sure enough, there they were. We were so happy! There is still a ton of work ahead for us now as the ceiling has to be finished nicely, but we still enjoy the rustic/cabin look even without the coat of varathane that it needs. Drywall is up, but needs taping, mudding, and then paint, never a nice job. The flooring needs to be completely redone.....get the picture? Lots of work still ahead, but now that the two rooms are opened to each other it is such a big space! It definitely has that open concept feel and with the ceiling taken off we no longer feel it is such a low ceiling. We gained a foot for sure. All in all, a nice little way to start feeling a little more springy. It had been so cold and people were getting a little blue around here about the weather. This little change has lightened everybody's mood just a little. I love change! (Who says that....?)
Now, the renos will be on pause again for a bit as the next projects require much more money, but this little change will tide us all over for a little while!
Last night we watched a documentary about two famous Canadian sisters, Susanna Moodie and Catharine Par Traill. I was always fascinated by these women. They were both homeschooled along with their other sister and 5 of the six sisters became published authors in England. These two sisters married men who longed for adventure and the idea of a new land in Canada intrigued them. Off they went with their wives and a baby. You would think, based on their two books, that they had gone to two different places. The one sister, Susanna, hated the whole dreaded experience and moaned and complained about everything. The other sister, Catharine, loved it, all the difficulties were opportunities! They both started having many babies and were very lonely off in the backwoods of Canada, but at least they had each other. The husbands moved closer so that the sisters could be a comfort to one another.
It was great for me to see how perspective matters. When I saw all that they had to go through, picking through ice for water, hanging laundry on a frozen line, barely surviving the winters with no food or even proper footware....it made my trials seem so minor in comparison. At one point Susanna's husband had to leave her for a couple of years to fight in a war. I have no idea how she managed.
The two sisters both wrote books on their experiences. I had to read them when I was in university and they became my two favourite books as well as the ones I remember the best, Roughing it in the Bush and The Backwoods of Canada. I had no children then, no husband, no real trials, except an exam or two. Now, I am married and I have as many kids as they did. I'm hardly living in the backwoods of Canada, but I can relate to the duties of a mom, and I'm married to a man who is trying to feed his family and who believes in adventure. Which sister do I want to be like? The one who only sees things as miserable? or the like the one who sees it all as a great opportunity? I don't believe Catharine's experience was any less difficult. No, she had all the same trials as her sister, but she just handled them with a different attitude. It is interesting to note, the more positive sister lived until she was 97! A merry heart is good medicine! There's the proof!
So, there's my little lesson in Canadian history. Our children watched with interest to see the difference between the two women. I will say, though Susanna was the miserable one at the beginning, she did have a change of heart as she grew older. She hated Canada when she first arrived. She longed for her "gentile" ways of England, sipping tea around a fire, with servants to watch her and her children. Upon arriving in Canada, she now had to do everything, from milking cows, to planting gardens, to catching fish....What she saw as horrible and challenging when she was a young mom with lots of kids, she ended up seeing as wonderful! She could see how she had grown and been stretched. She ended up reflecting on her time in Canada as amazing. She loved Canada and all that it offered her as a new settler. This was another great thing for me to hear. To know our challenges that are so difficult when you are in the midst of them, will one day be something you reflect on fondly, is a great encouragement to me to not fight the challenges, but to somehow embrace them and enjoy them. I try to fast forward and think, "What will I look back on one day?" Then, when I do that, I can see how there is purpose even in today's difficulties.
Susanna is not that different from me, it turns out. She had more lessons to learn. Catharine had a good perspective on life right from the get-go, so she was spared some of the harder lessons. I hope I can learn my lessons fast and not stay stuck in a moment like Susanna did for a long time. I appreciate these women and their honesty. Their books are still being read 150 years later and lessons to other women, like myself, are still being gleaned. I sure hope they were Christians as I want to thank them in heaven one day for recording their life lessons.
Monday, 18 April 2016
Open Our Eyes
This might sound like a funny thing to say, and I'm pretty sure I've said it before, but I love sick kids! Well, as long as it's a simple virus, that is....we have a cold running through our house and my poor little toddler has been taken down by it....but the side benefits are a calm, relaxed house with lots of snuggling, naps, quiet.....! Sometimes I think it is God's way of giving a mom a little holiday, a break of sorts from the regular busy-ness! The only problem is I got sick in the process, too, and no one is holding me, reading me books or doing my laundry.....so I take it all back. Sick kids sometimes make for sick moms, so maybe I don't like the sickness after all!
Meanwhile, Elisha is now in Chapter 6 of 2 Kings. The king of Syria cannot figure out how his plans keep getting sabotaged. He figures there has to be spy in the ranks, but his servants said, "None my lord, O king; but Elisha, the prophet who is in Israel, tells the king of Israel the words that you speak in your bedroom." That would be frustrating! So, in retaliation, he sent an army off to find Elisha "so that I may send and seize him....So he sent there horses and chariots and a great army, and they came by night and surrounded the city."
"When the servant of the man of God rose early in the morning and went out, behold, an army with horses and chariots was all around the city." (6:15) These verses struck me because of the phrases "came by night" and "early in the morning". I'm quite convinced Satan starts his work before I'm even awake, sometimes while I'm even sleeping. A thought, a worry, a concern will pop into my head in the middle of the night, in my subconsciousness. I'll dwell on it and have a fitful sleep. By morning, it's a full blown problem. There have been times, when I haven't been aware of Satan's schemes, that I have worked myself up into a worried frenzy about something before my husband is even awake. Then when he comes down, barely eyes opened, that I unload on him all my concerns about the day, which usually are things I've created in my own mind and aren't really worth getting so upset over. This was kind of what happened to Elisha's servant. He woke early in the morning and only saw how bad his day was going to go - completely surrounded by horses and chariots all around the city! But who could blame him?! I'd be a little concerned, too! Yet, he didn't have spiritual eyes, eyes that could see that he, in fact, did not need to waste a single moment in worry. But he was human and said, "Alas, my master! What shall we do?" I've been just like that with my husband before, "Alas, my husband! What shall we do?" Ok, I don't say, "Alas", but I do love that word!
Elisha responds, "Do not be afraid, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them." Ever since I wrote about "No fear, no panic, no dread", my life has been changed. I now see how certain triggers that used to put me into fear, panic or dread are no longer able to accomplish those feelings in me. I've learned I MUST take God at His word. If He says, "Do not be afraid" then I better not be afraid. Elisha prayed for his servant, "O Lord, please open his eyes that he may see." What did he need to see? "So the Lord opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw, and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha." (6:17) What a great reminder that things are not always as they appear. Sometimes we find ourselves in a situation that seems hopeless, and it appears that God is not working. We don't have an Elisha in our lives that prays our eyes will be opened, yet I believe passages like this one are included in Scripture as a way of reminding us that there is a spiritual element to our life's circumstances. We think we are fighting an army on our own, but in reality, God is fighting for us, with His army full of "horses and chariots". I admit, it would be kind of nice to see that the way the young servant did, but we don't seem to get that opportunity. Can we trust God when it seems an army is against us? Can we pray for ourselves and for others that our eyes would be opened to what is really going on? Can we choose to not be afraid? We have to be this way, otherwise we will drown in fear and hopelessness.
So, I've learned if a problem pops into my head at night, I leave it, I don't worry about it. I know it will only ruin my sleep. If it is a true problem, then I can deal with it the next morning. I've also learned to carefully discuss issues with my husband the second he wakes up. Who needs stress first thing in the morning from a wife who isn't trusting God? I've learned that when I see an army coming at me "early in the morning" that I must have spiritual eyes. Elisha isn't here to pray for me. I must choose to pray for myself that God would show me His army is surrounding me. I need that today. I need to see that everyday. Open our eyes.
Meanwhile, Elisha is now in Chapter 6 of 2 Kings. The king of Syria cannot figure out how his plans keep getting sabotaged. He figures there has to be spy in the ranks, but his servants said, "None my lord, O king; but Elisha, the prophet who is in Israel, tells the king of Israel the words that you speak in your bedroom." That would be frustrating! So, in retaliation, he sent an army off to find Elisha "so that I may send and seize him....So he sent there horses and chariots and a great army, and they came by night and surrounded the city."
"When the servant of the man of God rose early in the morning and went out, behold, an army with horses and chariots was all around the city." (6:15) These verses struck me because of the phrases "came by night" and "early in the morning". I'm quite convinced Satan starts his work before I'm even awake, sometimes while I'm even sleeping. A thought, a worry, a concern will pop into my head in the middle of the night, in my subconsciousness. I'll dwell on it and have a fitful sleep. By morning, it's a full blown problem. There have been times, when I haven't been aware of Satan's schemes, that I have worked myself up into a worried frenzy about something before my husband is even awake. Then when he comes down, barely eyes opened, that I unload on him all my concerns about the day, which usually are things I've created in my own mind and aren't really worth getting so upset over. This was kind of what happened to Elisha's servant. He woke early in the morning and only saw how bad his day was going to go - completely surrounded by horses and chariots all around the city! But who could blame him?! I'd be a little concerned, too! Yet, he didn't have spiritual eyes, eyes that could see that he, in fact, did not need to waste a single moment in worry. But he was human and said, "Alas, my master! What shall we do?" I've been just like that with my husband before, "Alas, my husband! What shall we do?" Ok, I don't say, "Alas", but I do love that word!
Elisha responds, "Do not be afraid, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them." Ever since I wrote about "No fear, no panic, no dread", my life has been changed. I now see how certain triggers that used to put me into fear, panic or dread are no longer able to accomplish those feelings in me. I've learned I MUST take God at His word. If He says, "Do not be afraid" then I better not be afraid. Elisha prayed for his servant, "O Lord, please open his eyes that he may see." What did he need to see? "So the Lord opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw, and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha." (6:17) What a great reminder that things are not always as they appear. Sometimes we find ourselves in a situation that seems hopeless, and it appears that God is not working. We don't have an Elisha in our lives that prays our eyes will be opened, yet I believe passages like this one are included in Scripture as a way of reminding us that there is a spiritual element to our life's circumstances. We think we are fighting an army on our own, but in reality, God is fighting for us, with His army full of "horses and chariots". I admit, it would be kind of nice to see that the way the young servant did, but we don't seem to get that opportunity. Can we trust God when it seems an army is against us? Can we pray for ourselves and for others that our eyes would be opened to what is really going on? Can we choose to not be afraid? We have to be this way, otherwise we will drown in fear and hopelessness.
So, I've learned if a problem pops into my head at night, I leave it, I don't worry about it. I know it will only ruin my sleep. If it is a true problem, then I can deal with it the next morning. I've also learned to carefully discuss issues with my husband the second he wakes up. Who needs stress first thing in the morning from a wife who isn't trusting God? I've learned that when I see an army coming at me "early in the morning" that I must have spiritual eyes. Elisha isn't here to pray for me. I must choose to pray for myself that God would show me His army is surrounding me. I need that today. I need to see that everyday. Open our eyes.
Friday, 15 April 2016
Naaman Takes On Elisha
Yesterday we reread the story about Naaman, the little girl, and how he was healed of leprosy. It was so fascinating and I was in a "drama" sort of mood, so I quickly assigned roles to all my kids and suddenly we had a Broadway play in the making. We acted out the little girl getting taken from her home, then telling her mistress that Elisha could heal Naaman, and then Naaman going off to the king to find Elisha.
It was so great! What struck all of us yesterday was how Elisha told Naaman to go to the Jordan to wash in it 7 times. My son suddenly became a raging lunatic, just like Naaman was (a little too good at the acting....), "Why would you make me go there?! That's ridiculous! Do you know how dirty the Jordan is?! Why can't you just snap your fingers and make me well if you're such a great prophet????"
Aha. Elisha could have done that. He could have waved his hand over Naaman and he could have been well instantly. But he didn't. We talked about that for a long time. Naaman was "angry...and went away in a rage" when Elisha told him his plan for healing. Hmmmm....we all could relate. We have a plan. We know how God should release us, free us, help us. Why doesn't God do it our way? He certainly could do anything He wanted in a blink of an eye, but He doesn't! Grrrrrrr....we stomp off, angry and in a rage.
Thank goodness for Naaman's servants, "But his servants came near and said to him, 'My father, it is a great word the prophet has spoken to you; will you not do t? Has he actually said to you, 'Wash and be clean?'" I had my kids put it in their own words and they said something like this, "Uh...you heard the man. You know you could be healed if you just do what he says....why wouldn't you just do it!?"
Reluctantly, he changed his mind and did what Elisha said, but I don't think he was too happy about dipping in the Jordan. It must have been quite dirty. He mentoned there were other much nicer rivers Elisha could have sent him to, "Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them and be clean?" Poor Naaman. God didn't do it his way or in his timing. He had a unique plan for Naaman and he nearly missed out on being healed because of his stubbornness.
Thank goodness for the people who step into our lives, like Naaman's servants and gently tell us, "Just do what God says! Do it His way! Be patient! Keep trusting Him and the plan He has! You might not believe that He is working, but He is!" We need those people and we need to also be those people to others who doubt God and His goodness.
So funny....I just heard my husband shout out, "COW OUT!!!!" What a great way to start his day! He and my two sons are now trying to wrangle a silly cow who went through the fence! Sorry....just a funny aside.....
Ok, so the moral of the story? I don't want to be like Naaman, stomping my feet when things don't go my way. I don't want to miss out on tremendous blessing just because God's timing isn't exactly what I thought it should be. I want to be aware of how God uses other people to encourage me and can be the voice of reason when I'm stuck in a moment. I just need to trust Him, His timing, and even sometimes the weird things we have to go through, like dipping in a dirty river, to receive the blessings He intends for me.
So drama class was over. Lessons again were learned...and the cow is in......:)
It was so great! What struck all of us yesterday was how Elisha told Naaman to go to the Jordan to wash in it 7 times. My son suddenly became a raging lunatic, just like Naaman was (a little too good at the acting....), "Why would you make me go there?! That's ridiculous! Do you know how dirty the Jordan is?! Why can't you just snap your fingers and make me well if you're such a great prophet????"
Aha. Elisha could have done that. He could have waved his hand over Naaman and he could have been well instantly. But he didn't. We talked about that for a long time. Naaman was "angry...and went away in a rage" when Elisha told him his plan for healing. Hmmmm....we all could relate. We have a plan. We know how God should release us, free us, help us. Why doesn't God do it our way? He certainly could do anything He wanted in a blink of an eye, but He doesn't! Grrrrrrr....we stomp off, angry and in a rage.
Thank goodness for Naaman's servants, "But his servants came near and said to him, 'My father, it is a great word the prophet has spoken to you; will you not do t? Has he actually said to you, 'Wash and be clean?'" I had my kids put it in their own words and they said something like this, "Uh...you heard the man. You know you could be healed if you just do what he says....why wouldn't you just do it!?"
Reluctantly, he changed his mind and did what Elisha said, but I don't think he was too happy about dipping in the Jordan. It must have been quite dirty. He mentoned there were other much nicer rivers Elisha could have sent him to, "Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them and be clean?" Poor Naaman. God didn't do it his way or in his timing. He had a unique plan for Naaman and he nearly missed out on being healed because of his stubbornness.
Thank goodness for the people who step into our lives, like Naaman's servants and gently tell us, "Just do what God says! Do it His way! Be patient! Keep trusting Him and the plan He has! You might not believe that He is working, but He is!" We need those people and we need to also be those people to others who doubt God and His goodness.
So funny....I just heard my husband shout out, "COW OUT!!!!" What a great way to start his day! He and my two sons are now trying to wrangle a silly cow who went through the fence! Sorry....just a funny aside.....
Ok, so the moral of the story? I don't want to be like Naaman, stomping my feet when things don't go my way. I don't want to miss out on tremendous blessing just because God's timing isn't exactly what I thought it should be. I want to be aware of how God uses other people to encourage me and can be the voice of reason when I'm stuck in a moment. I just need to trust Him, His timing, and even sometimes the weird things we have to go through, like dipping in a dirty river, to receive the blessings He intends for me.
So drama class was over. Lessons again were learned...and the cow is in......:)
Wednesday, 13 April 2016
The Life-Changing Words of a Little Girl
My house has been so empty this week. Now that the older two are gone, everything has changed. All the tasks that they used to do now must fall on the others. This is great! Though, the younger guys don't think so, but deep down, I think they are kind of excited about this new transition. Big responsibilities are suddenly on their shoulders. I love watching how they are rising up to fill in the shoes of their sibs.
I sat the rest of our children down yesterday and walked them through what the changes will be...who will now have to do what in order to have a smooth running home. Groan. Yet, they did the tasks I asked. Having these older ones leave is exactly what needed to happen in order for these younger ones to step up. As sad as I am to see the older ones go, I'm quite thrilled to see how it is a natural progression for the ones remaining.
As I read through the Bible, year after year, the same stories always strike me in a different way. This time, it was story of Naaman, the commander of the Syrian army, sick with leprosy. It was the little girl who had been taken captive by the Syrians in one of their raids who told the commander's wife about Elisha. How sad! I picture her being taken captive, possibly out of the arms of her mom, and then, helplessly having to settle into her new life of captivity, working for this new woman in her life. Yet, God used her to heal Naaman. Even in her captivity, she was aware of God, of Elisha, His prophet, and of his abilities to heal.
I wonder if she felt sorry for herself ever. We don't get those kinds of details. I wonder why God allowed her little role in scripture to be included. I had never noticed that she was a girl taken from her parents. I'd always read that a little girl had been the one to tell Naaman about how he could be healed, perhaps just a little Syrian girl. This time I realized it was a little girl with a sad past and really a girl who was a slave.
I found myself relating to her, just a little, in a small way, still in captivity, feeling a little like a slave in our situation....yet.....knowing about God. I think that is what made all the difference for her. It makes all the difference for me. I can still point others to God, despite my situation. I, in fact, can point others to God because of my situation. I have been able to tell so many stories to others who are enslaved in some way, finding no way out, because of my own "slavery". Did God allow my circumstances to happen just so that I could be used to tell others of His salvation? Perhaps! Did God orchestrate her whole capture because one day He knew, far in advance, how He could bring glory out of it? I think so. Think about that! God has undoubtedly allowed my "capture" knowing far in advance how He could use it to bring glory to Himself, to bring others to faith....I don't even know all the ways He'll use my captivity.
We don't know how her life turned out. All we know is that some really important man was healed. Her story doesn't even seem to have a happy ending. She gets overlooked and just goes back to her daily grind. That is fascinating to think about, too, how just one simple comment or suggestion to another person about the saving work of God could impact another life for eternity...without us ever knowing about it. Once Naaman gets healed, he says, "Behold, I know that there is no God in all the earth but in Israel.." but I'm not convinced she knew about his new faith. Did he ever go back to thank her? It isn't recorded. That seems like a great reminder to use every opportunity to share Christ, to encourage another person to seek Him, to tell what we know about the God who can "cure", yet to never expect a reward here on earth. It'll be a heavenly reward.
Her words changed his life. My words could change a life. Will I speak if given a chance? Will I speak life-giving words? I pray that my eyes would be opened to see the opportunities that are sent my way.....
I sat the rest of our children down yesterday and walked them through what the changes will be...who will now have to do what in order to have a smooth running home. Groan. Yet, they did the tasks I asked. Having these older ones leave is exactly what needed to happen in order for these younger ones to step up. As sad as I am to see the older ones go, I'm quite thrilled to see how it is a natural progression for the ones remaining.
As I read through the Bible, year after year, the same stories always strike me in a different way. This time, it was story of Naaman, the commander of the Syrian army, sick with leprosy. It was the little girl who had been taken captive by the Syrians in one of their raids who told the commander's wife about Elisha. How sad! I picture her being taken captive, possibly out of the arms of her mom, and then, helplessly having to settle into her new life of captivity, working for this new woman in her life. Yet, God used her to heal Naaman. Even in her captivity, she was aware of God, of Elisha, His prophet, and of his abilities to heal.
I wonder if she felt sorry for herself ever. We don't get those kinds of details. I wonder why God allowed her little role in scripture to be included. I had never noticed that she was a girl taken from her parents. I'd always read that a little girl had been the one to tell Naaman about how he could be healed, perhaps just a little Syrian girl. This time I realized it was a little girl with a sad past and really a girl who was a slave.
I found myself relating to her, just a little, in a small way, still in captivity, feeling a little like a slave in our situation....yet.....knowing about God. I think that is what made all the difference for her. It makes all the difference for me. I can still point others to God, despite my situation. I, in fact, can point others to God because of my situation. I have been able to tell so many stories to others who are enslaved in some way, finding no way out, because of my own "slavery". Did God allow my circumstances to happen just so that I could be used to tell others of His salvation? Perhaps! Did God orchestrate her whole capture because one day He knew, far in advance, how He could bring glory out of it? I think so. Think about that! God has undoubtedly allowed my "capture" knowing far in advance how He could use it to bring glory to Himself, to bring others to faith....I don't even know all the ways He'll use my captivity.
We don't know how her life turned out. All we know is that some really important man was healed. Her story doesn't even seem to have a happy ending. She gets overlooked and just goes back to her daily grind. That is fascinating to think about, too, how just one simple comment or suggestion to another person about the saving work of God could impact another life for eternity...without us ever knowing about it. Once Naaman gets healed, he says, "Behold, I know that there is no God in all the earth but in Israel.." but I'm not convinced she knew about his new faith. Did he ever go back to thank her? It isn't recorded. That seems like a great reminder to use every opportunity to share Christ, to encourage another person to seek Him, to tell what we know about the God who can "cure", yet to never expect a reward here on earth. It'll be a heavenly reward.
Her words changed his life. My words could change a life. Will I speak if given a chance? Will I speak life-giving words? I pray that my eyes would be opened to see the opportunities that are sent my way.....
Monday, 11 April 2016
All is Well
I'm not sure who is more nervous today, me or my son. It's his first day on a construction site. He's been given an amazing opportunity to work on a commercial framing crew with a good friend of our's, trained by some of the best guys in the business. It was too good an experience to pass up. The only thing is.....I don't want him to leave! I only realized that on the weekend! I started walking around the house yesterday thinking how much I'm going to miss him! He's my, "Can we start school, Mom?" or my go-to "bathroom cleaner" or my "take out the garbage" guy. He's always chatting with me throughout the day about all sorts of things, "Did you want to see my tarantula eat the cricket?" or "Can I show you my biology test? I want you to go through it with me...." His presence is felt throughout the house all day. We miss him when he's not here. His brother, next in line to him, will miss him the most. They do all the chores together every day. However, there is another 9 year old brother, in the wings, waiting to be trained, so today is his day. He won't like getting up so early, but that's how old the other guys were when they started doing chores.
I have so many thoughts swirling through my head, "Will he get hurt? Will he be able to measure?! Have I prepared him enough? Will he do well? Will he fit in with the other burly guys? Will he be cold?" I must choose peace over anxiety. The other interesting thing as I realized what my day was going to look like today, is that my oldest daughter will also be gone.....and my second daughter! My older daughter has been out for a few months now, but my younger daughter is just starting out today. She's decided she wants to work in some sort of capacity with seniors or with anyone who needs help. Not necessarily as a nurse, but as a personal support worker. So today she will be starting a volunteer position at a local senior's home for a couple of hours every week. She is so excited! That is three children on the same day!!! I feel like I am releasing three children into the world all at the same time. They're are slowly leaving the nest. Maybe not permanently, yet, but it kind of gives me an idea what that will look and feel like. It makes me sad and yet proud, not of myself, but of the fact they are ready and willing to go. I could keep them all with me forever. I get why that happens sometimes. It is much easier to keep them. All I can do is pray, for them and their safety and for me and my peace of mind. They are not my own. They are on loan to me by God. Wow, did that ever go fast. I'm that classic older mom now who says to the other young mom in the store, "Ohhhh, enjoy them while they're little! It goes soooo fast!!!" It honestly feels like they were born yesterday. Every moment of their births is still etched so clearly in my mind. Every moment of their babyhood, especially the older two, because they were my first boy and my first girl, play like it was moments ago that I held them in my lap.
Enough reminiscing....I could go on and on. What keeps me calm is the verse in Hebrews that we studied a couple of years ago, "We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul...." (6:19). The writer is referring to Christ being the anchor of our salvation, but He is so much more than that. He's also what keeps me calm. Our new pastor is going through Hebrews again and yesterday described how an anchor is what keeps a ship safe and unmovable, waaaay below the water, where no one can see it. Even if a storm is going on up above the sea, there is something keeping the ship from going anywhere. What a great image!
We have a bit of a storm going on at the surface right now. We found out our van is on its last legs this past week. To fix it will cost a small fortune. My husband came in to the kitchen with no words, just this look of, "This can't be happening....." Right away I stopped him and in a fake cheery voice I said to him, "Let's pretend we are perfect Christians! Let's skip the drama and go right to, 'Thank you Lord for this strange event. Thank you Lord for allowing our van to break down. Thank you that there is no obvious way to fix it right now and that you want us to trust you.'" I wasn't really being fake. I was actually begging him to do what I was suggesting! And so we did! We didn't even dwell on it for a moment. We just went along with our day and in my head I thanked God for what He was doing, for our broken van, for another chance to trust Him.
We had to take two trips in RM's truck to church, but no big deal, we live 5 minutes from church. It's ok! We actually wonder if God has allowed this to happen to push us into buying a smaller vehicle anyway. The van takes so much gas to drive and my daughter is driving it all the time. We were thinking of buying a different vehicle anyway.
The anchor of our soul. God can and is being that for us. Despite the storm at the surface, God is busy being our anchor way down in the water of our life. I also read in 2 Kings 4 about Elisha and the Shunammite woman, another mom story. At the beginning of Chapter 4 her kindness to Elisha is described. Because of this, he told her that she would be blessed with a son within the year. She was, but then her son fell ill and died. She immediately went to look for Elisha. When her husband asked why she was doing this, she said, "All is well." When Gehazi, Elisha's servant, ran to meet her with lots of questions, she answered him, "All is well." Why did she keep saying that? Was she lying? No. I'm quite convinced she was just doing what I was trying to do. She was making the God of Elisha her anchor, too. Sometimes we have to speak to the voice in our heads that is saying, "You're in trouble. You should panic. Your van is dead. You should be nervous about your son....." I think the woman was just so sure that Elisha would be able to help her as she knew he was " a holy man of God" (4:9). She knew Gehazi wouldn't be able to help her or her husband. She could say, "All is well" because she knew she was ultimately relying on Elisha's God. He had a direct connection she was depending on.
We, too, are relying on Elisha's God. No substitute will work. We can't rely on ourselves, money, or luck. We can honestly say, "All is well" and we won't be lying. Our children will be ok. Our vehicle situation will work out somehow, even though we don't know how at this moment. The mom of the dead boy also didn't know exactly how things would turn out, but she was quite confident in Elisha as she made an extreme effort to find him. The way it is described in the Bible is great, "Then she saddled the donkey, and she said to her servant, 'Urge the animal on; do not slacken the pace for me unless I tell you.'" (4:24) She was a mom on a mission, determined to save her son's life. That is probably how I should be praying, too, "urging" my prayer life on, not slackening the pace. Yet, she was clearly feeling a mix of emotions, not unlike myself, as she said, "All is well", yet when she met Elisha, he told Gehazi to "leave her alone, for she is in bitter distress..." So she wasn't hiding her distress too well at that moment. I think that makes it clear that it is a battle. On the one hand, we need to speak to ourselves that "all is well", yet at the same time "bitter distress" is knocking at our emotional door. We can't give in to it.
My life is in God's hands. My children's lives are in His hands. Even my van is in His capabale hands. He's my anchor. All is well.
I have so many thoughts swirling through my head, "Will he get hurt? Will he be able to measure?! Have I prepared him enough? Will he do well? Will he fit in with the other burly guys? Will he be cold?" I must choose peace over anxiety. The other interesting thing as I realized what my day was going to look like today, is that my oldest daughter will also be gone.....and my second daughter! My older daughter has been out for a few months now, but my younger daughter is just starting out today. She's decided she wants to work in some sort of capacity with seniors or with anyone who needs help. Not necessarily as a nurse, but as a personal support worker. So today she will be starting a volunteer position at a local senior's home for a couple of hours every week. She is so excited! That is three children on the same day!!! I feel like I am releasing three children into the world all at the same time. They're are slowly leaving the nest. Maybe not permanently, yet, but it kind of gives me an idea what that will look and feel like. It makes me sad and yet proud, not of myself, but of the fact they are ready and willing to go. I could keep them all with me forever. I get why that happens sometimes. It is much easier to keep them. All I can do is pray, for them and their safety and for me and my peace of mind. They are not my own. They are on loan to me by God. Wow, did that ever go fast. I'm that classic older mom now who says to the other young mom in the store, "Ohhhh, enjoy them while they're little! It goes soooo fast!!!" It honestly feels like they were born yesterday. Every moment of their births is still etched so clearly in my mind. Every moment of their babyhood, especially the older two, because they were my first boy and my first girl, play like it was moments ago that I held them in my lap.
Enough reminiscing....I could go on and on. What keeps me calm is the verse in Hebrews that we studied a couple of years ago, "We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul...." (6:19). The writer is referring to Christ being the anchor of our salvation, but He is so much more than that. He's also what keeps me calm. Our new pastor is going through Hebrews again and yesterday described how an anchor is what keeps a ship safe and unmovable, waaaay below the water, where no one can see it. Even if a storm is going on up above the sea, there is something keeping the ship from going anywhere. What a great image!
We have a bit of a storm going on at the surface right now. We found out our van is on its last legs this past week. To fix it will cost a small fortune. My husband came in to the kitchen with no words, just this look of, "This can't be happening....." Right away I stopped him and in a fake cheery voice I said to him, "Let's pretend we are perfect Christians! Let's skip the drama and go right to, 'Thank you Lord for this strange event. Thank you Lord for allowing our van to break down. Thank you that there is no obvious way to fix it right now and that you want us to trust you.'" I wasn't really being fake. I was actually begging him to do what I was suggesting! And so we did! We didn't even dwell on it for a moment. We just went along with our day and in my head I thanked God for what He was doing, for our broken van, for another chance to trust Him.
We had to take two trips in RM's truck to church, but no big deal, we live 5 minutes from church. It's ok! We actually wonder if God has allowed this to happen to push us into buying a smaller vehicle anyway. The van takes so much gas to drive and my daughter is driving it all the time. We were thinking of buying a different vehicle anyway.
The anchor of our soul. God can and is being that for us. Despite the storm at the surface, God is busy being our anchor way down in the water of our life. I also read in 2 Kings 4 about Elisha and the Shunammite woman, another mom story. At the beginning of Chapter 4 her kindness to Elisha is described. Because of this, he told her that she would be blessed with a son within the year. She was, but then her son fell ill and died. She immediately went to look for Elisha. When her husband asked why she was doing this, she said, "All is well." When Gehazi, Elisha's servant, ran to meet her with lots of questions, she answered him, "All is well." Why did she keep saying that? Was she lying? No. I'm quite convinced she was just doing what I was trying to do. She was making the God of Elisha her anchor, too. Sometimes we have to speak to the voice in our heads that is saying, "You're in trouble. You should panic. Your van is dead. You should be nervous about your son....." I think the woman was just so sure that Elisha would be able to help her as she knew he was " a holy man of God" (4:9). She knew Gehazi wouldn't be able to help her or her husband. She could say, "All is well" because she knew she was ultimately relying on Elisha's God. He had a direct connection she was depending on.
We, too, are relying on Elisha's God. No substitute will work. We can't rely on ourselves, money, or luck. We can honestly say, "All is well" and we won't be lying. Our children will be ok. Our vehicle situation will work out somehow, even though we don't know how at this moment. The mom of the dead boy also didn't know exactly how things would turn out, but she was quite confident in Elisha as she made an extreme effort to find him. The way it is described in the Bible is great, "Then she saddled the donkey, and she said to her servant, 'Urge the animal on; do not slacken the pace for me unless I tell you.'" (4:24) She was a mom on a mission, determined to save her son's life. That is probably how I should be praying, too, "urging" my prayer life on, not slackening the pace. Yet, she was clearly feeling a mix of emotions, not unlike myself, as she said, "All is well", yet when she met Elisha, he told Gehazi to "leave her alone, for she is in bitter distress..." So she wasn't hiding her distress too well at that moment. I think that makes it clear that it is a battle. On the one hand, we need to speak to ourselves that "all is well", yet at the same time "bitter distress" is knocking at our emotional door. We can't give in to it.
My life is in God's hands. My children's lives are in His hands. Even my van is in His capabale hands. He's my anchor. All is well.
Friday, 8 April 2016
Lessons From a Grade One Reader
I remembered another thing that gets me up in the polls.....cereal. If I buy dry, boxed, awful, sugar-filled cereal I am truly the best mom ever. So, in the name of the polls, I buy it once a week. It keeps my kids happy, full of sugary energy and quite honestly, I love it, too! Hard to justify with eggs coming out of our ears now, but it's a splurge we all enjoy and again, it's all about the polls.....
These new friends in our lives, the lizard and the spider, are incredible. I cannot believe the things I have observed and learned because of our boys' interests. Yesterday, my 9 year old said, "Mom, Mom, come here! You've got to see this!" I had wanted to see a lizard feeding, but was never in the room at the right time. So in I went. My son caught a cricket and then put it in the far end of the tank, away from the lizard who was facing the other way at the extreme other end of the tank. I said to my son, "This is going to take forever! I don't have a half an hour!" "No, no, it won't...watch this," my son assured me, "he knows it's in there." "How?! It's way on the other side of the tank!" Suddenly, with lightning speed, the lizard turned his whole long body, ran over to the other side of the tank, found exactly where the cricket was hiding under a log...and crunch! He got it instantly! I couldn't believe what I just saw! How did he know it was in the tank? How did he know where the cricket was? There was no noise, no movement....or was there? The only thing we can figure is that the lizard has extrememly heightened senses and felt the minute movements and the slightest vibrations that the cricket made or possibly heard its movement which was certainly out of the range of human ears. I used to wonder how a lizard would manage in the wild, but no longer. It would be able to sense a bug under sand or even under bark no problem if that is how God created them to survive. It was such a good lesson in biology for me and the wonder of creation.
The tarantula is no different. Who knew that their little fangs were able to move independently? This I did not see with my own eyes, but my 16 year old son, who owns the giant spider, told me how when he put in two crickets, the tarantula was so excited that it grabbed the first spider with one fang and then reached the other fang way out to the right to grab the other cricket! I did not know they could do that!!! Very cool. So there it was, two crickets, one in each fang. Remind me to keep my fingers out of there. I've also since learned, everyone thinks that tarantulas are poisonous and deadly. It turns out they are not. Yes, there are some that are, but the species we have would not kill you, it would be more like a bee sting. What would hurt, I'm told, is the bite given by the half inch fangs. Uh yeah. So, I'm still going to keep my fingers out of there even if it doesn't kill me.
What can be deadly and poisonous is teaching 5, 7 and 9 year olds at home.....when they don't want to be taught. This week was a particular challenge with the younger ones in school. At one point, I had 3 kids all in tears, at the same time! I was near tears! My husband walked in just at that moment and I looked up at him, pleading with him to take me to the Bahamas! "This is too hard!" I appealed to him. "Remember, it was like this with the older ones...we've been through this before....." It was true. I wasn't even being a drill seargent or a dictator or whatever mean mom image comes to mind, I was just trying to get them to add and subtract! None of them wanted to be there that morning and it was as if they all were in revolt - determined to make me so frustrated that I would cancel school - forever! Finally, I got them all settled down, food was on the way (that was the only thing I could figure was wrong.....make lunch!) and I pulled out my son's grade one reader. It turns out the solution to my morning was in this reader.
I have to say, I love my Rod and Staff Mennonite readers. They are right to the point, Biblically-based and teach my youngest kids spiritual truths that you wouldn't hear even from the pulpit sometimes! This was what the reader said that morning,
Bad Satan
Satan is very bad.
We do not want to obey Satan.
We want to obey God.
God can help us.
God is good to us.
He likes to help us.
He likes to help us do good.
He can help us all the time.
Satan can not help us.
He can not do good.
That was it. I looked at my son who had refused to work that morning and I said something like, "I think we discovered what our problem is this morning. Satan hates us. He wants us to not learn, to hate school. He's been winning this morning, hasn't he?" "Yes." "Ok, it says here God wants to help us. Satan cannot help us. Let's get this done!" Within minutes, everyone had done what they were supposed to do. Satan was defeated. No more tears. Such a basic lesson, but so profound, too. I was caught unaware which is typically how the enemy works, using my own children and their schoolwork to work all of us into a frenzy of frustration. Yet, the solution was there the whole time. "God can help us....Satan can not help us...God is good to us....Satan can not do good." A great lesson for the remainder of the week. My 5 year old son's prayer later that night at family worship was also profound, "Satan is so awful. Help us, Lord."
Now the week is over, but not without remembering what I learned. I look out my window and think winter and spring are very confused. We've had snow, cold, and very unspringlike weather for days now. None of us are very happy about that. It's good to look back over the week though and thank God for His lessons that we've learned in Life School, about biology and the spiritual battle all around us, in addition to many other lessons. Even the cold weather is a lesson in patience as we're all itching to get outside. The lessons are basic, nothing out of the ordinary - look to God for strength and help, admire His creation, and be patient with His timing....these are the lessons He wants me to learn over and over. He is creative in how He teaches me the same things through a variety of methods! I'm glad He is my teacher and I'm in His school. He's a lot more patient that I am!
These new friends in our lives, the lizard and the spider, are incredible. I cannot believe the things I have observed and learned because of our boys' interests. Yesterday, my 9 year old said, "Mom, Mom, come here! You've got to see this!" I had wanted to see a lizard feeding, but was never in the room at the right time. So in I went. My son caught a cricket and then put it in the far end of the tank, away from the lizard who was facing the other way at the extreme other end of the tank. I said to my son, "This is going to take forever! I don't have a half an hour!" "No, no, it won't...watch this," my son assured me, "he knows it's in there." "How?! It's way on the other side of the tank!" Suddenly, with lightning speed, the lizard turned his whole long body, ran over to the other side of the tank, found exactly where the cricket was hiding under a log...and crunch! He got it instantly! I couldn't believe what I just saw! How did he know it was in the tank? How did he know where the cricket was? There was no noise, no movement....or was there? The only thing we can figure is that the lizard has extrememly heightened senses and felt the minute movements and the slightest vibrations that the cricket made or possibly heard its movement which was certainly out of the range of human ears. I used to wonder how a lizard would manage in the wild, but no longer. It would be able to sense a bug under sand or even under bark no problem if that is how God created them to survive. It was such a good lesson in biology for me and the wonder of creation.
The tarantula is no different. Who knew that their little fangs were able to move independently? This I did not see with my own eyes, but my 16 year old son, who owns the giant spider, told me how when he put in two crickets, the tarantula was so excited that it grabbed the first spider with one fang and then reached the other fang way out to the right to grab the other cricket! I did not know they could do that!!! Very cool. So there it was, two crickets, one in each fang. Remind me to keep my fingers out of there. I've also since learned, everyone thinks that tarantulas are poisonous and deadly. It turns out they are not. Yes, there are some that are, but the species we have would not kill you, it would be more like a bee sting. What would hurt, I'm told, is the bite given by the half inch fangs. Uh yeah. So, I'm still going to keep my fingers out of there even if it doesn't kill me.
What can be deadly and poisonous is teaching 5, 7 and 9 year olds at home.....when they don't want to be taught. This week was a particular challenge with the younger ones in school. At one point, I had 3 kids all in tears, at the same time! I was near tears! My husband walked in just at that moment and I looked up at him, pleading with him to take me to the Bahamas! "This is too hard!" I appealed to him. "Remember, it was like this with the older ones...we've been through this before....." It was true. I wasn't even being a drill seargent or a dictator or whatever mean mom image comes to mind, I was just trying to get them to add and subtract! None of them wanted to be there that morning and it was as if they all were in revolt - determined to make me so frustrated that I would cancel school - forever! Finally, I got them all settled down, food was on the way (that was the only thing I could figure was wrong.....make lunch!) and I pulled out my son's grade one reader. It turns out the solution to my morning was in this reader.
I have to say, I love my Rod and Staff Mennonite readers. They are right to the point, Biblically-based and teach my youngest kids spiritual truths that you wouldn't hear even from the pulpit sometimes! This was what the reader said that morning,
Bad Satan
Satan is very bad.
We do not want to obey Satan.
We want to obey God.
God can help us.
God is good to us.
He likes to help us.
He likes to help us do good.
He can help us all the time.
Satan can not help us.
He can not do good.
That was it. I looked at my son who had refused to work that morning and I said something like, "I think we discovered what our problem is this morning. Satan hates us. He wants us to not learn, to hate school. He's been winning this morning, hasn't he?" "Yes." "Ok, it says here God wants to help us. Satan cannot help us. Let's get this done!" Within minutes, everyone had done what they were supposed to do. Satan was defeated. No more tears. Such a basic lesson, but so profound, too. I was caught unaware which is typically how the enemy works, using my own children and their schoolwork to work all of us into a frenzy of frustration. Yet, the solution was there the whole time. "God can help us....Satan can not help us...God is good to us....Satan can not do good." A great lesson for the remainder of the week. My 5 year old son's prayer later that night at family worship was also profound, "Satan is so awful. Help us, Lord."
Now the week is over, but not without remembering what I learned. I look out my window and think winter and spring are very confused. We've had snow, cold, and very unspringlike weather for days now. None of us are very happy about that. It's good to look back over the week though and thank God for His lessons that we've learned in Life School, about biology and the spiritual battle all around us, in addition to many other lessons. Even the cold weather is a lesson in patience as we're all itching to get outside. The lessons are basic, nothing out of the ordinary - look to God for strength and help, admire His creation, and be patient with His timing....these are the lessons He wants me to learn over and over. He is creative in how He teaches me the same things through a variety of methods! I'm glad He is my teacher and I'm in His school. He's a lot more patient that I am!
Tuesday, 5 April 2016
My Wild Brothers
This was an actual conversation that happened in our home yesterday morning.....
"Mom, you're really going up in the polls!"
"What? Oh, I cooked bacon."
"Oh yeah. That definitely has you in the running for 'Mom of the Year'."
"What about the tarantula and the bearded dragon? That should help my polls..."
"That's going to get you the win...."
That's right. Mom of the Year. Because I cook bacon and because I let them get a tarantula and a bearded dragon lizard. Truth is, I SHOULD get the award for doing those things! I do NOT know many moms who would let those types of bugs and lizards in their homes. But, now ask me, was I consulted ever on whether they would enter our home? No. The conversation just went on and on around me as if I didn't exist. One day they just showed up. Watch for the award show. I'll win.
We support our kids hobbies, even if they are weird and wonderful. We are all about cheap, though, so tons of research went on for weeks if not months and years before these beasts arrived. Then, once the best deal was reached, they were purchased with mostly their money and voila, now we have a zoo INSIDE the house. What is so great about hobbies is that it gets the kids reading, writing, and studying without them really knowing it. They are virtually carrying out what my schooling used to call "independent study" without the label, so learning becomes fun because it wasn't "in school".
I attended a homeschool conference on the weekend and it described that type of learning as "life learning". It sounded so good! How could I create life learners? Then I realized a lot of life learning was already going on in my home, but sometimes I miss it because I'm not paying attention to how it is happening. It was good affirmation for me to remember learning is happening all the time in our home, even if it isn't with a book open.
I picked up a few videos at the conference, too. One set of videos jumped out at me in particular, a series from Answers in Genesis, called "The Wild Brothers". Loved the title! Sure enough, it was a dvd about 4 brothers who live along with their missionary parents in Papua, a southeast Pacific island, and it just so happens they are wild boys for sure, but their last name is also "Wild", literally. They homeschool their boys, but most of their learning goes on after the books are closed. They recently helped build their home on the top of a mountain. Then they helped build an airstrip! In addition to that they hunt, collect butterfly and bird specimens, skin snakes, help their parents in mission work.....unbelievable. It was so inspiring to watch. My older boys refused to watch though. They knew they would be jealous. They want to live in the jungle. They want to catch butterfly specimens, skin snakes and hunt. Well, sorry, we don't live in a jungle. Tonight, I'm going to force them to watch it. What I want them to see is how they learn in other ways, outside school hours. I want them to be inspired to keep up their interests, to pursue learning all their lives, all 24 hours of their day.
But most importantly, what I noticed in these boys was their love for God. They couldn't help but talk about God's faithfulness. They've been in some tough situations, but the oldest boy, narrating the video said, "God has never let us down." That was something I wanted our kids to hear, too, other kids, their ages, talking about a walk with God, about His faithfulness. It was completely natural to them.
I have "Wild Brothers", too, some more wild than others. That is a good thing, but I don't want them to remain wild in a crazy animal type of way. I want them to be wild about their faith in Christ. I want them to be wild about learning. I want them to be wild about their relationships with our family. These other brothers spoke so well of their parents and of each other. They loved spending time together. Outside the tribal peoples they work with, they only had each other.
So how do I take them from being wild rambunctious boys, to wild about God? The Bible has the answer, of course. We read in Hebrews on Sunday how we are not supposed to stay like little babies, "You need milk, not solid food." The writer was saying how the people he was talking to were not growing, they were stuck in their foolish ways. They were "dull of hearing". He wanted to explain many more difficult things to them, but he couldn't as it was too "hard to explain". He said to them, "For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God." I told my 5 year old, "By this time you should be a teacher!" Ok, maybe not a teacher, but I explained to him how the passage even applied to him. He can't stay being a little boy forever, he needs to realize he is an adult-in-training. He can still have fun, but he can't be "dull of hearing" which he often is. Then it went on to say, "everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child. But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil." (Hebrews 5:13, 14)
Children are unskilled in righteousness! The Bible nailed it! That's really a fancy way of saying they are just naturally badly behaved. How do they become skilled "in righteousness"? I told them they could have a new super power like a super hero, if they so chose. My boy got really excited. I think he thought he could be running around at lightning speed or something like that. No, I told him. He could have the "Powers of Discernment"! Not quite as exiting. But it's true! The way they get this super power and at the same time get trained in righteousness and develop their skills in the word of God is through "constant practice". Then they will know the difference between good and evil. They will know what is wise and foolish. They will be able to tell when they are developing as adults or staying as children.
We aren't planning on moving to the jungle anytime soon, sadly, though my boys would love that. But in the meantime, I can develop my Wild Brothers, here on the farm, to not only be in a constant state of learning and enjoying life, but also to be developing a walk with God, helping them grow from immaturity to maturity. Even my 5 year old knew what that meant, "getting old", he said. I explained it was more than that, but he was close! He knew it meant to start acting more like an adult than a boy. In some ways, he's a long way off, but then I consider my 18 year old girl. How and when did she become an adult? It happened so fast, but it wasn't one day to the next. We trained her all along that she was an adult-in-training. Her transition to adulthood hasn't been as painful as it could have been. So even though my 3 and 5 year old boys are so little, so young and seemingly a loooong way off from being adults, I now know, from the experience of my older ones, that it is just around the corner, so I'm training now. No time to waste. And along the way, I'll pick up a few bugs and lizards just to make them feel like they're living in a jungle.
"Mom, you're really going up in the polls!"
"What? Oh, I cooked bacon."
"Oh yeah. That definitely has you in the running for 'Mom of the Year'."
"What about the tarantula and the bearded dragon? That should help my polls..."
"That's going to get you the win...."
That's right. Mom of the Year. Because I cook bacon and because I let them get a tarantula and a bearded dragon lizard. Truth is, I SHOULD get the award for doing those things! I do NOT know many moms who would let those types of bugs and lizards in their homes. But, now ask me, was I consulted ever on whether they would enter our home? No. The conversation just went on and on around me as if I didn't exist. One day they just showed up. Watch for the award show. I'll win.
We support our kids hobbies, even if they are weird and wonderful. We are all about cheap, though, so tons of research went on for weeks if not months and years before these beasts arrived. Then, once the best deal was reached, they were purchased with mostly their money and voila, now we have a zoo INSIDE the house. What is so great about hobbies is that it gets the kids reading, writing, and studying without them really knowing it. They are virtually carrying out what my schooling used to call "independent study" without the label, so learning becomes fun because it wasn't "in school".
I attended a homeschool conference on the weekend and it described that type of learning as "life learning". It sounded so good! How could I create life learners? Then I realized a lot of life learning was already going on in my home, but sometimes I miss it because I'm not paying attention to how it is happening. It was good affirmation for me to remember learning is happening all the time in our home, even if it isn't with a book open.
I picked up a few videos at the conference, too. One set of videos jumped out at me in particular, a series from Answers in Genesis, called "The Wild Brothers". Loved the title! Sure enough, it was a dvd about 4 brothers who live along with their missionary parents in Papua, a southeast Pacific island, and it just so happens they are wild boys for sure, but their last name is also "Wild", literally. They homeschool their boys, but most of their learning goes on after the books are closed. They recently helped build their home on the top of a mountain. Then they helped build an airstrip! In addition to that they hunt, collect butterfly and bird specimens, skin snakes, help their parents in mission work.....unbelievable. It was so inspiring to watch. My older boys refused to watch though. They knew they would be jealous. They want to live in the jungle. They want to catch butterfly specimens, skin snakes and hunt. Well, sorry, we don't live in a jungle. Tonight, I'm going to force them to watch it. What I want them to see is how they learn in other ways, outside school hours. I want them to be inspired to keep up their interests, to pursue learning all their lives, all 24 hours of their day.
But most importantly, what I noticed in these boys was their love for God. They couldn't help but talk about God's faithfulness. They've been in some tough situations, but the oldest boy, narrating the video said, "God has never let us down." That was something I wanted our kids to hear, too, other kids, their ages, talking about a walk with God, about His faithfulness. It was completely natural to them.
I have "Wild Brothers", too, some more wild than others. That is a good thing, but I don't want them to remain wild in a crazy animal type of way. I want them to be wild about their faith in Christ. I want them to be wild about learning. I want them to be wild about their relationships with our family. These other brothers spoke so well of their parents and of each other. They loved spending time together. Outside the tribal peoples they work with, they only had each other.
So how do I take them from being wild rambunctious boys, to wild about God? The Bible has the answer, of course. We read in Hebrews on Sunday how we are not supposed to stay like little babies, "You need milk, not solid food." The writer was saying how the people he was talking to were not growing, they were stuck in their foolish ways. They were "dull of hearing". He wanted to explain many more difficult things to them, but he couldn't as it was too "hard to explain". He said to them, "For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God." I told my 5 year old, "By this time you should be a teacher!" Ok, maybe not a teacher, but I explained to him how the passage even applied to him. He can't stay being a little boy forever, he needs to realize he is an adult-in-training. He can still have fun, but he can't be "dull of hearing" which he often is. Then it went on to say, "everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child. But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil." (Hebrews 5:13, 14)
Children are unskilled in righteousness! The Bible nailed it! That's really a fancy way of saying they are just naturally badly behaved. How do they become skilled "in righteousness"? I told them they could have a new super power like a super hero, if they so chose. My boy got really excited. I think he thought he could be running around at lightning speed or something like that. No, I told him. He could have the "Powers of Discernment"! Not quite as exiting. But it's true! The way they get this super power and at the same time get trained in righteousness and develop their skills in the word of God is through "constant practice". Then they will know the difference between good and evil. They will know what is wise and foolish. They will be able to tell when they are developing as adults or staying as children.
We aren't planning on moving to the jungle anytime soon, sadly, though my boys would love that. But in the meantime, I can develop my Wild Brothers, here on the farm, to not only be in a constant state of learning and enjoying life, but also to be developing a walk with God, helping them grow from immaturity to maturity. Even my 5 year old knew what that meant, "getting old", he said. I explained it was more than that, but he was close! He knew it meant to start acting more like an adult than a boy. In some ways, he's a long way off, but then I consider my 18 year old girl. How and when did she become an adult? It happened so fast, but it wasn't one day to the next. We trained her all along that she was an adult-in-training. Her transition to adulthood hasn't been as painful as it could have been. So even though my 3 and 5 year old boys are so little, so young and seemingly a loooong way off from being adults, I now know, from the experience of my older ones, that it is just around the corner, so I'm training now. No time to waste. And along the way, I'll pick up a few bugs and lizards just to make them feel like they're living in a jungle.
Friday, 1 April 2016
Make a Way
Yesterday I told my daughter that just like her, I'm no longer afraid, I'm just excited about what God is going to do. It was the last day of the month which is usually a fairly important financial day. The last day of the month used to put my stomach in knots, but not yesterday. I knew if a certain cheque which we had been expecting for a while didn't arrive, that somehow God had ordained that and that He would have a different way of providing. Sure enough, in the 11th hour, the mail arrived, with the awaited cheque. I didn't even notice the mail truck had come. I used to watch at the door waiting anxiously, no longer. Anxiety is such a tool of Satan! It can turn and twist your stomach making you feel actually sick! The Bible is very true when it says worry doesn't add a day to your life.
We are slowly but surely learning through these trials how faithful God is, how we really can give Him the burdens we carry even when He has said to do so all along. In the past I would think I had done so, but based on that sick feeling I had in my stomach, I don't think I had.
When we went to the Tenth Avenue North concert, there was a band there that opened for them that I had only just recently heard of, "I AM THEY". This band was amazing and blew everyone out of the water with their talent, their love for God, the lyrics of their songs. I was so grateful they put the lyrics on the screen for each band, imagine that at a rock concert for a secular artist? They'd have to be censored most of the time! One song jumped out above all the rest, remarkably powerful. I even had a friend send this song's lyrics out to me this past week as well, saying how this song had carried her through her dark time. Yesterday, it was the song that was in my head all day as we waited on the Lord. Here are the lyrics:
"Make A Way"
The musicians shared how that song was particularly powerful for even them as a band as they had been brought together from many different places, made bold moves out of their comfort zones to join the band and then to see how God was taking them when the future seemed so uncertain....their own music was ministering to them! Enjoy!
We are slowly but surely learning through these trials how faithful God is, how we really can give Him the burdens we carry even when He has said to do so all along. In the past I would think I had done so, but based on that sick feeling I had in my stomach, I don't think I had.
When we went to the Tenth Avenue North concert, there was a band there that opened for them that I had only just recently heard of, "I AM THEY". This band was amazing and blew everyone out of the water with their talent, their love for God, the lyrics of their songs. I was so grateful they put the lyrics on the screen for each band, imagine that at a rock concert for a secular artist? They'd have to be censored most of the time! One song jumped out above all the rest, remarkably powerful. I even had a friend send this song's lyrics out to me this past week as well, saying how this song had carried her through her dark time. Yesterday, it was the song that was in my head all day as we waited on the Lord. Here are the lyrics:
You brought me to the desert so You could be my water
You brought me to the fire so You could be my shield
You brought me to the darkness so You could be my morning light
If You brought me this far, if You brought me this far
Wherever you lead me, I know you won’t leave me
Wherever you call me, You will make a way
Wherever we’re going, I will be holding
To the promise you have made
You will make a way
You will make a way
And when I’m in the valley, You will be my comfort
And when I’m at the end of me, I find You there
When I’m in the battle, You will be my present peace
Cause You brought me this far, You brought me this far
If You brought me this far
Wherever you lead me, I know you won’t leave me
Wherever you call me, You will make a way
Wherever we’re going, I will be holding
To the promise you have made
You will make a way
My God will make a way
Cause You brought me this far
You brought me this far
You brought me this far
You will make a way
You brought me this far
You brought me this far
You brought me this far
My God will make a way
Wherever you lead me, I know you won’t leave me
Wherever you call me, You will make a way
Wherever we’re going, I will be holding
To the promise you have made
Wherever you lead me, I know you won’t leave me
Wherever you call me, You will make a way
Wherever we’re going, I will be holding
To the promise you have made
You will make a way
You will make a way
You brought me to the fire so You could be my shield
You brought me to the darkness so You could be my morning light
If You brought me this far, if You brought me this far
Wherever you lead me, I know you won’t leave me
Wherever you call me, You will make a way
Wherever we’re going, I will be holding
To the promise you have made
You will make a way
You will make a way
And when I’m in the valley, You will be my comfort
And when I’m at the end of me, I find You there
When I’m in the battle, You will be my present peace
Cause You brought me this far, You brought me this far
If You brought me this far
Wherever you lead me, I know you won’t leave me
Wherever you call me, You will make a way
Wherever we’re going, I will be holding
To the promise you have made
You will make a way
My God will make a way
Cause You brought me this far
You brought me this far
You brought me this far
You will make a way
You brought me this far
You brought me this far
You brought me this far
My God will make a way
Wherever you lead me, I know you won’t leave me
Wherever you call me, You will make a way
Wherever we’re going, I will be holding
To the promise you have made
Wherever you lead me, I know you won’t leave me
Wherever you call me, You will make a way
Wherever we’re going, I will be holding
To the promise you have made
You will make a way
You will make a way
And now the video,
The musicians shared how that song was particularly powerful for even them as a band as they had been brought together from many different places, made bold moves out of their comfort zones to join the band and then to see how God was taking them when the future seemed so uncertain....their own music was ministering to them! Enjoy!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)