Month: May 2016
You can’t follow if you are in front of me
When my kid was little I would constantly tell her that. She was always in a hurry to get to wherever we were going. To be honest, we were probably running late. She would be out in front of me, but going the wrong way. We finally got to a point where I would just look at her, and she would say, “I know, I can’t follow you in front of you.”
She was a pushy little kid who would have talks with me asking if we could leave early because she didn’t want to be late. She was always in a hurry and talked constantly until she passed out sleep. She hated naps and sleep. She loved going and doing.
She has matured since then and this week we will celebrate a major milestone. The time for her to follow has come to an end and it is time for her to blaze her own path. I am so excited!!! (I am so tired of bumping into this child because she is trying to slow down for me)
Even though I am a single parent, I cannot say that I did it by myself. I truthfully have to say, God did it and used me and an awesome community of Family and Friends. I could not have done it alone. But let me tell you the secret: You let your child know up front Joshua 24:15 is your motto and stick to it. (No you don’t get to choose when you go to church and you don’t get to choose when you go to bible study.) It was my duty to teach her God’s ways (and you can’t teach His ways without His Word.) Then surround that child with people who will pray for them daily. (Pick people who actually know God and have a relationship with Him)
Our lives have been filled with storms and sunshine, but the fragrance of prayer to Jesus has always been present. He has been faithful through the cloudy days, torrential rains, high winds, lightning and thunder. He has outlasted jobs, homes, churches, people.
He taught us to join a group of believers and serve. We were members at several churches and served there. We participated in bible study. I taught her to put feet to your beliefs. Don’t listen to what people say. Look at what they do. Many will say they are Christians, but will live like the devil. Live like Jesus told the truth.
Your children will do what they see you do. If you are a whore, they will be whores. If you are a drunkard, they will be drunkards. If you are a Trekkie…
I am excited because this is not my work. It is God’s work. I am reading C.S. Lewis’ The Weight of Glory. He explained we like to talk about what we sacrifice, and not so much the love God has lavished on us. The Lord has lavished amazing love on us through this journey. I have met some amazing men and women of God who have prayed us to this point. Thank You, Lord.
He has begun a good work in my daughter’s life and will see it through.(Philippians 1:6) His plans are higher than my plans because He doesn’t think like me. (Isaiah 55:8-9) She is about to start a new path where there will be sunshine and storms. She knows prayer will lead her safely through.
What A Day
It was amusing for me to have a type of day that started at 7am and will end well after midnight. The sad thing is that I did not get all of my 10,000 steps in. (And I was too busy to take extra steps.) And true to my personality type, there were lots of tasks to be done and they were done.
As I waited for my photo client in the park this morning, I saw this duck. unlike all of the other ducks at the pond, he stayed in this position. The birds around him walked, swam, flew and interacted with one another. This one flipped around occasionally, but this is what he did the couple of hours I was there.
I assumed something was wrong with it and could not help but feel sorry for it. It had the power to fly, swim and walk but did not use it. It is like people and their gifts. They have the power to do amazing things, but stay cloistered in their little worlds and never spread their wings to do the things they were designed to do.
Had an awesome photo shoot with this lovely young lady who is about to graduate high school. It was a good time capturing the moment of her life when she is about to take off in flight. I can’t help but think that if God gives wonderful gifts to birds, what amazing things He places in us.
I also got to meet new people at church and spend fun time with my daughter. One of the things that I love about my daughter is that she is concerned about my growth as a Christian as I am hers. She challenges me and I will miss it as she moves off to college.
Yet here is a lesson I caught. (LOL) Even though this pond was titled around ducks, full of ducks and that is who the people came to see, this little turtle didn’t let it stop him from enjoying the duck habitat. Sometimes we can’t enjoy a place because we are all caught up in what it is called.
This turtle swam in the water, sat on wet concrete sides and probably ate the food intended for the ducks.He did not let not being a duck stop him from enjoying the world he was in. A lesson well taught little turtle.
It’s A New Season
I am on the verge of a new season. It is exciting. I look forward to what God is going to do in and with my life. There are some people who get sad and lost at this time in their life. But as I was listening to Beth Moore with Priscilla and Lisa last week, it reinforced the idea that if God is the center of your of life, everything else will fall into place. It is not a good thing to make your children your idols because when they leave you are lost.
Some women fall apart when their kids move off to college. But God has been planting seeds in me that are waiting to burst forth at the proper time, when I have finished this task. I am helping her pack and praying that my next mission has a beach involved.
God has a plan for all of our lives and I want to open all of the treasure boxes. I am spending this month with Isaiah 42 and reading chapters from Francis Chan’s Crazy Love. The verse I am embracing is Isaiah 42: 16. I will turn darkness into light before them and make the rough places smooth. I believe it and receive it.
Like this rose beginning to bud, there is something beautiful coming. It is surrounded by lots of sticky stuff now, but it is coming. I told my daughter, even though it looks rough, you have to trust God’s plan. He said he would make it smooth.
I love it when God starts a new thing. It is like a brand new day dawning.
Happy Mother’s Day
Spring is blooming
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