Vacation Essentials

Vacations are an exciting time around our house. The days leading up to vacation are almost as exciting to our children as the vacation itself. With 5 children at home, I only remember going on one vacation with my parents, maybe two if you count a day trip to Six Flags over Georgia. But Steve and his parents and sometimes his grandparents went on many vacations. He has so many fond memories of those times that we want our children to experience that too.

One particular trip to Daytona Beach came with much anticipation because we were leaving as soon as the kids got out of school at noon. We had packed and planned and the day had finally arrived. In the car line at school, I pulled up to the doors. Nathan and Sophie arrived happy and giddy at the thought of leaving for the beach. However Sophie didn’t come to the car talking about all the things she wanted to do. Instead she had her Bible in her hands. Sophie and Nathan go to a Christian school and they are required to keep a Bible there. They don’t bring them home until the last day of school. So it seemed strange to me that she would have it with her.

“Why are you bringing your Bible?” I asked her. “I’m going to take it on vacation with us, so if anyone there doesn’t know about Jesus, you can talk to them and I will hold the Bible.” My heart was full. Oh my sweet girl! How many six year olds would think about that when they were about to leave to go to the beach? How many people period? I know I hadn’t thought of that. I had thought of what I needed to pack, bought snacks, made sure we had beach towels and sunscreen, but I had not specifically thought about witnessing to someone. Sophie did.

What a wonderful reminder that no matter where we are or what we are doing, we should always be ready to explain the hope we have in Christ Jesus. (1 Peter 3:15) There were sure to be lost people at Dayton Beach, and Sophie was thinking about leading them to Jesus. Who was being the example that day?

Owning Their Faith

"Nathan, what are you doing? It’s time for bed. Nathan put that game away; it’s time to leave for school. Put that up Nathan and go brush your teeth." Nathan got a hand-me-down android phone from his dad. There’s no plan for texting or actually using the phone, but he can play games, read and listen to music. Since he got it a couple of months ago, games are what Nathan has had his eyes and fingers glued to as often as we would let him. However, when I have asked him the above questions for the last couple of weeks, he is actually reading the Bible on his phone. I feel a little guilty and allow him to finish before he starts his task. He asked me to load the Bible App two weeks ago. He started two plans, “The Book of Daniel for Kids” and “The Children’s Guide to Easter” and reads them every day. How awesome!

Nathan has been saved for nearly two years now. I have wondered lately when he would begin to “own” his walk with the Lord and determine to seek God for himself. I encourage Bible reading, scripture memorization, and we do nighttime devotions with our children. In my heart, I want them to learn to seek God without being prompted. I have been so delighted to realize that at not quite 9 years old, Nathan is beginning to read and study the Bible own his own. Yeah!

Will he get behind? Maybe. Will he skip a day? Probably. But he started each plan and is doing them on his own. One thing about Nathan though, is that his is very methodical. Since this is a daily reading, he is more likely than I am to stick with it every day.

So, what have I learned through this? Regardless of what it looks like or feels like sometimes, every effort to help them grow spiritually is worth it. My kids are developing spiritually. Their hearts want to seek God and know more about him. I couldn’t be more proud of Nathan. I also learned, once again, to give my kids the benefit of the doubt. Just because Nathan looked like he was doing something mindless like playing a video game, didn’t mean he was. He was being a spiritually disciplined Christian.

What a Happy Mama I Am!

Sophie in front of the "Tree of Life" at DW

What a happy Mama I am! Last Friday, November 29^th, our Sweet Sophie prayed to receive Jesus Christ

as her Lord and Savior. After she prayed, she could not stop smiling. The girl was absolutely full of joy. She said she had waited for this her whole life! She even wrote a note to Jesus telling him she loved him and how happy she was to be saved.

She had been talking about being saved for a few weeks, and she seemed to have a firm understanding of what it all meant. When she asked me when she could be saved, I told her that we could pray whenever she was ready.

I know Sophie is young at not quite 7 years old, but she is spiritually mature for her age. Every time someone asked her what she was thankful for at Thanksgiving, her first answer would be, “Jesus dying on the cross for our sins.” Every time. Even before she was saved, she talked about Jesus all the time, how much she loves Him, and she is truly excited about him. Last night, Steve saw her kneeling beside her bed praying all by herself. Normally, she prays with one of us, but now she is praying on her own without even being prompted. That just touched my heart. She is serious about this. It’s not just something she thought she should do because she had heard about it so much. She truly wants Jesus in her life.

I am so proud of her. I know God has great plans for her. I pray that her joy and enthusiasm for the Lord continues to grow and spread to those around her. Heaven knows that we could use some enthusiastic Christians in this world!

Changing Seasons

What gorgeous fall weather we are having in South Georgia! Last night was a cool, breezy night of fun playing in the backyard with the family. Throwing the football, swinging, and eating chili on the deck made us not want to come inside. Alas, the need for baths and an 8:30 bedtime came too quickly.

With all the hustle and bustle of life, there is nothing better than free-time outside with the ones you love. Especially when the cool, crisp air makes you feel like you are on vacation in the Smoky Mountains. Last night was pure contentment for me. Our family likes to keep life as simple as possible, but sometimes things run a little crazy. It’s evenings like this that really remind me of what life is all about. It’s the simple pleasures of being with the ones we love most and enjoying the goodness of God.

I told Steve I wondered if God created four seasons just so we wouldn’t get bored. It’s easier to appreciate each one when they don’t last but 3 months! I’ve learned to be thankful for the goodness each one brings. The cool, crisp air and the beautiful colors of fall, the warmth of the fireplace and snuggling up with a blanket and a cup of hot chocolate in the winter, the beautiful flowers and chirping birds in the spring, and hanging out at the pool and vacationing at the beach in the summer. Of course, when shared with my family, it’s that much sweeter.

The more life changes for us, the more I am realizing that I need to relish in these simple pleasures. With the kids growing up so fast, the death of Steve’s dad, my dad being so sick and all the chaos around the world right now, life is too short and changes too often not to enjoy the blessings God has given me... and I am so blessed!

Praise the Lord, Oh My Soul

The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. Psalm 103:8. 
I wish I would have been slow to anger this morning. Instead, I snapped at my son for stepping on my already injured toe. Of course it was an accident, but my knee-jerk reaction was a little harsh. My, how I need to practice this verse.
On a once in a blue moon occasion, I was shopping by myself two days ago.  I had taken a much anticipated trip to Hobby Lobby, and one of their buggies took a mean gash out of my pinky toe.  It looked to be healing fine, so I left it exposed after my shower.  Not a good idea.  Nathan was showing me some karate moves this morning when he rammed his tennis shoe right into my poor pinky toe, opening the wound all over again.  I yelled, "OUCH, Nathan watch what you're doing!!!"  Then a smidgen calmer, "I know it was an accident but you don't have to be acting crazy all the time."  I finished brushing his hair while I composed myself, and told him to finish what he was trying to tell me.  As he started, he began to cry.  I pulled him close and hugged him reassuring him that I knew it was an accident and I didn't mean to react that way. I know he felt really bad for hurting me, especially after he saw my toe bleeding again.  But my initial reaction made him feel worse.
How I wish I could control those initial reactions better.  I never knowingly want to hurt my children's feelings. As I looked at my toe this morning, I saw how much farther I have to go.  Then I heard Matt Redman on the radio discussing his story behind the song, "10,000 Reasons."  (one of my favorite songs). He explained Psalm 103 had been the key verse behind the song because the Psalmist can't seem to stop talking about all the many reasons he has to praise God.  Before I even got home from taking the kids to school, there were tears streaming down my face. Perhaps, if I were more thankful for all the blessings in my life, my knee-jerk reactions who be a little different. I opened my Bible and read Psalm 103. There is no telling how many times I have read this chapter, but oh how beautiful it was this morning.  Thank God that he knows I am formed of dust and has compassion on me.(vs.14) Perhaps it would benefit my children more, if I did the same for them.
I am humbled this morning because of a crazy incident concerning a hurt toe and the beautiful words of Psalm 103, given to me at just the right time. It's good to be "taken down a notch" once in a while, and no-one can do that better than God.
Listen to "10,000 Reasons" and count your many blessings. Even in the midst of trials or just the everyday mundane, there's something we can thank God for. After all, the sun came up this morning.  

Love is Not Irritable

Kids can be brutally honest, especially boys. At least at our house. When we’re young, we don’t always have the good judgment to think before we speak. Actually many adults don’t either, but that’s a different story for a different day.

One busy Sunday morning a couple of years ago, I was frustrated trying to get everyone ready and out the door for church. Steve had already left to drive the church bus before Sunday school, and I was running behind. I remember standing in the kitchen wiping the milk from Nathan’s face, and I was quite grumpy. He sighed a heavy sigh and asked, “Why do you always have to be mad?” Ouch!

Now I wasn’t necessarily mad. I was irritated by the string of little things that had built up my frustration level that morning. But to a 6 year old, it all seems the same. My heart sank. I didn’t want that to be the way Nathan saw me. It was another eye-opening comment from one of my children.

Sometimes, the pattern of becoming easily irritated simply becomes a habit, a bad habit. It’s a pattern that needs to be broken. 1 Corinthians 13: 5 (NLT) says, “Love is not rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable…” It isn’t my “right” just because things are not going my way to get irritated with those around me. That isn’t showing love.

I don’t want my kids to roll their eyes, sigh and think, “That’s just the way mom is.” That is not what love is, so that is not who I want to be. And it isn’t who I have to be. I can wait quietly before the Lord, for my victory comes from Him. Psalm 62:1. Through the help of the Holy Spirit and time spent with Jesus in prayer and in God’s word, we can overcome any struggle with sin. We can have the victory. “Overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.” Romans 8:37

Nathan irritated with me for taking a pic of his bed head!

Laugh a Little (or a Lot)

A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit saps a person’s strength.

Proverbs 17:22

Our pastor sent us this adorable picture of Sophie that he took during VBS stating that “nothing is cuter than little girls when their giggle boxes get tipped over.” He’s right. I love to hear Sophie laugh. It’s infectious. And there is something about a group of little girls who have the giggles that is just contagious.

Oh how I wish I could laugh like that more often. I love getting together with friends and laughing. It just makes everything seem better, lighter. My thought about this picture was that I wish I could laugh like Sophie does. Sometimes I let stress and circumstances get the best of me. Sometimes I just need to take a break and share in my children’s laughter or take some time to be with friends who make me laugh and feel good. Notice I said, “take the time”. So often our busy schedules put those times on the back burner. But the busyness and stress of life is why we need to make time to be with friends and family. Sophie wasn’t laughing alone. I’m sure she had some little buddies laughing right along with her.

I know life has many difficulties, but that is why it is so important to find a way to be cheerful and laugh some during the day. Just thinking about the sad, bad and stressful stuff saps our strength. The Good News Translation puts the second half of Proverbs 17:22 this way. “It is a slow death to be gloomy all the time.” Hmm…a slow death. That’s what it can feel like when you are sad or perplexed all the time, right? So, take a break and share a laugh with someone. It’s like medicine without the icky taste. 

I dedicate this article to my father-in-law, Bob.  I wrote this last week not knowing that we would have to say goodbye to him today.   He was a man who loved to laugh, and he was a natural at making others laugh. He loved to have fun, but he was also caring and encouraging. It was hard to feel bad when he was around.  I only knew him for 11 years. I wish it could have been longer. We will surely miss him.