The Irony of Death

This past week I experienced three deaths. The first being a stranger and the other two friends. I've had a really hard time pulling this together... When it came to me I was driving and I had the whole thing in my mind... I wish I had had a notebook. Often writings here are happy and jovial... maybe that's why this is so hard for me... I have something to say... but it's too close... the pain that is.

The first death was the one earlier in the week... it was an unexpected tragedy that this mans friends and family members were all of a sudden handed to deal with. Friday morning I got a message that a friend who had been battling cancer passed away the day before... then Saturday morning a message of yet another. The two latter were anticipated to some degree. Yes, hope was there for healing and for a time there was... but this monster defeated these two dear ladies in the end.  Although my friends loved ones were able to say good bye, there is still the pain that they are left to deal with. 

There is not just physical death though... there are deaths of relationships as well. I would venture to say that many of us have in one way or another experienced at least one.  These too can be sudden or long and drawn out...  and just as painful...

Relationships like healing take work, hard work.  They take the efforts of all involved...kindness, love, patience and long suffering need to be in place.  Sometimes those hurts have been buried for a long time, festering underneath causing disturbances along life's path. Having never been properly dealt with they seem to continually creep into our lives.  Then there are those sudden loses that leave you wondering what happened.  Either way, pain is involved.

As those deaths rise up in my life, whether physical or relational, I must keep my focus on a higher calling... a calling that when life ends I will hear those blessed words, 'Well done my faithful servant, enter thou into the joys of the Lord..."

Until next time,
Jean

   

Relationships, Obedience and Faith...

"Faith lays hold upon the Lord Jesus with a firm and determined grasp. She knows his excellence and worth, and no temptation can induce her to repose her trust elsewhere; and Christ Jesus is so delighted with this heavenly grace, that he never ceases to strengthen and sustain her by the loving embrace and all-sufficient support of his eternal arms."  Charles Spurgeon
As I turn to the Lord for strength, He is always right there to lead me along the still waters of His truth and faithfulness.  As of late the Lord has been leading me and showing me my need to act in intercessory prayer... I believe so strongly in this... I know the Lord uses those that are willing to be used.  It is difficult sometimes... scary... but His grace is sufficient.  As I turn to Him, He is there waiting with that loving embrace, ready to support me through the trials I face... knowing He will never give me more than I can bear, I go in faith and trust... yet I fail... I fear sometimes... questioning and reasoning with myself... human I am...  But then He sends me a message from above through devotions... friends... As I put forth my full trust in Him, He is faithful, oh how faith grows when fed.

"Here, then, is established a living, sensible, and delightful union which casts forth streams of love, confidence, sympathy, complacency, and joy, whereof both the bride and bridegroom love to drink. When the soul can evidently perceive this oneness between itself and Christ, the pulse may be felt as beating for both, and the one blood as flowing through the veins of each. Then is the heart as near heaven as it can be on earth, and is prepared for the enjoyment of the most sublime and spiritual kind of fellowship." Charles Spurgeon

This fellowship, this union cannot be had by one... it takes both... more so on my own part. Christ is ever by my side... it is I that get busy and veer off the path. He never left, He never looked away... ever watching and guarding His child... Yes relationships take effort, not just the ones we have here in our daily life, but most importantly our relationship with Him. It is a continual building, striving, delighting oneself in His love...  His love can be compared to nothing we have here in this world... and the joys that will abound to those of us that are faithful in this life are unimaginable to the joys that we will have in Heaven...with Him...

Oh to grow in faith, love and peace... may that be our goal in this life...
Until next time,
Jean


     

The Heart Of A Child

"Father and mother are the most precious jewels to children as children are the most precious jewels to father and mother." Philippine proverb

"I want you to be proud of me..." say's my little Evan as he is working at zipping up his jacket.  You see he just learned this task that we adults pretty much take for granted.  He was so pleased with himself and wanted so badly for me to be as thrilled... and so came those precious, innocent words. His big blue eyes just shining with excitement... then a bit of frustration because it wasn't going so well suddenly, and then back to joy when the thing finally went up... about two minutes of labor!  Now that doesn't sound like a long time but seriously, just sit and look at a zipper for two full minutes... it's a long time...even more so for a five year old.

After all this he scampered outside just as happy as could be to where Neil & Kyle were cutting firewood to help.  He is such a big, cheerful helper... he is not content with just running the lever on the log splitter, no he wants to haul the firewood and stack it!  He want's his dad to be proud of him...

This is such human nature isn't it? We all want to feel appreciated and liked... to have friends that care for us... There is nothing wrong with this, it is natural and well meant.  We are by God's design created to be 'together', not alone.  Even the Bible talks about not forsaking the gathering together... God want's us to be together in our church services... God designed the family... He gave Eve to Adam so he wouldn't be alone...

Today as we look around at the ones we love, let us be thankful for what we have...

"You are the trip I did not take, You are the pearls I did not buy, You are my blue Italian lake, You are my piece of foreign sky." Anne Campbell

Until next time,
Jean

Attitude With Gratitude

"Simple gratitude helps us experience God at work in every moment of every day." Harriet Crosby

We have so much to be thankful for in our lives... most of us have very little that we 'want' for ... 
With an attitude of gratitude we can look on in faith and not allow the distractions in life to move us... We can remain grounded in Him and trust that each wave that wants to crash over the joy cannot move us because we stand on the Rock.  With the Lord carrying us through we can be thankful for not only the good days but be joy filled when trials come as well.

Today being a day that is set aside to give thanks, what do we think of? As I ponder on this I thought it would be enlightening to make a list...

I am thankful for...
My Lord and the salvation that He has provided for me through His shed blood on Calvary...
That salvation through grace was available to a wretch like me...
That no matter how many times I fail in my daily life, I can turn to Him with a repentant heart and know that He is there for me with open arms... 
That my God forgets...

I am thankful for my family...
For the smiles that greet me each morning...
For the cuddles and the hugs from the little ones...
For the 'thanks' and 'I love you too' from the older ones...
For the love and the laughter we share...
For shared dreams and desires... and the tears that are given me with shared inner fears...
For the "I prayed mom..." from those young tender hearts...

Oh that my life would be one that shows all those around me a thankful heart... A heart that is an out pouring of His perfect love in every situation... An example to my children that no matter what He is there for them...

"That I may publish with the voice of thanksgiving, and tell of all thy wondrous works." Psalm 26:7

Until next time,
Jean

Strenth and Weekness

“For my strength is made perfect in weakness.”  2Corinthians 12:9

"God will have no strength used in his battles but the strength which he himself imparts. Are you mourning over your own weakness? Take courage, for there must be a consciousness of weakness before the Lord will give thee victory. Your emptiness is but the preparation for your being filled, and your casting down is but the making ready for your lifting up."  Charles Spurgeon

With having five sons this is a challenging scripture to impart into their minds... after all they are men in the making.  Kyle and Ethan especially are young 'men' and like to test their strengths against one another. They will often wrestle and challenge one another to races and so forth... very normal 'boy' behavior. 

Teaching this 'weakness' mentality to growing young men as a mom is also a challenge. There is the example thing again... I need to concentrate on being an example to them.  Yesterday  I took Kyle and Ethan out hunting. While we were getting ready to go, I realized that I had 'misplaced' something of great value... I prayed, but I just couldn't find it.  After a bit of looking around and more prayer, I finally came across it.  Suddenly Kyle came in from looking in the truck and said, "Did you find it?"... "Yes," I said, "I did!" with tears almost filling my eyes.  Kyle said, "I prayed Mom!"  Oh the faith of a child... or young man!  So we left then and I dropped off my two young men at the side of the road for them to trek into the woods... we prayed that they would get something and off they went. I watched them go and they turned back and waved... they will never truly know or understand the love of a mother... but I have to focus on the example of showing the love... Christ's love.

Christ was a man with the same like passions the scriptures teach us... yet He never sinned.  Where did his strength lie some may wonder and ask... it lied in His Father above.  He was challenged with every temptation that we know today, yet He never sinned.  Jesus is our example to live by today... He is the one that we can turn to in our times of temptations... we just need to remember to look up as He did... our perfect example.  We do not need to stumble and fall... we just need to be remained focused on our walk with Him and not anyone else... just my own.  To remain focused on that is where the challenge lies, at least for me. I believe though, that I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me... and so can you!

Until next time,
Jean








   

Rocking my little boy...

"Lo, children are an heritage of the Lord." Psalms 127:3

I was rocking Aaron this morning and just cuddling with him. He'd been whiny and just wanted to be held... so up in my arms with blankie we went to mamma's rocking chair... and of course all was well then.  He fell asleep in short order and I told Taylor I didn't think he was feeling very well, after all he had just had the stomach flu a few days before... Taylor laughed and told me I was just making excuses for him! "Well," I thought... "maybe I am."  

Aaron is just two and he is still so sweet and innocent... but he is also very manipulating, as most children are.  It doesn't take long for a new born child to realize that when he cries or screams he/she gets attention... whether it be food, a clean diaper or simply to be held and rocked, they know how to get what they want. As our children grow older into toddler-hood they are still in the process of being trained by parents or training their parents. Either way, some training is going on! Younger children definitely know how to hold onto a parents heart strings and woo with their sweet  smiles or sorrowful tears.

What happens when the child is in control though? I would say much frustration and exasperation are more often felt over the child then feelings of peaceful joy. Children are a job and one not to be taken lightly. We as Christian parents need to prayerfully seek the Lords leading and wisdom in this challenging role.  As many of you know our family you know we are in most stages of the 'parenting game', and challenged we are.  It is difficult to know when to scold and when to overlook... when to punish and when to understand... But God is with us when we seek Him and His wisdom.  We need to remember that these children are not really our own... they are His, loaned to us for a short time... a time to raise them for Him... to train them for His glory.

"Brighten your day and lighten your way and lessen your cares with daily prayers.  Quiet your mind and leave tension behind and find inspiration in hushed meditation."  Helen Steiner Rice.

Until next time,
Jean



   

More Is Caught Than Taught

"Rejoice, O young man, in thy youth; and let thy heart cheer thee in the days of thy youth, and walk in the ways of thine heart, and in the sight of thine eyes: but know thou, that for all these things God will bring thee into judgment.  Therefore remove sorrow from thy heart, and put away evil from thy flesh: for childhood and youth are vanity."  Ecclesiastes 11:9- 10

The message in these two short verses say a great deal and should be heeded even more greatly.  It is true that youth tend to be a bit more on the 'daring' side I venture to say.  They seem to think they have the world by the horns and life will carry on forever... We parents, teachers, ministers and adults 'just don't understand'... 'we have never been through such things'... When we were young we would often hear our elders say that time seems to move by so much more quickly the older they get...  and we just couldn't understand such a statement... as we grow older we realize it is strangely true.  I once heard in a message that as soon as a child is born, it begins to die... the aging process begins immediately. As Solomon of old wrote often in Ecclesiastes, '...all is vanity.'

A children's song admonishes, "Be careful little eyes what you see; be careful little ears what you hear; be careful little feet where you go..."  This concept needs to be diligently taught by parents and adults to our children, as well as lived out.  It is hard to teach something that you do not do yourself or tell your youth not to do something that you do... 'more is caught than taught' as the saying goes.  Our children will use us as their guild and for the most part when they are little keep to those things... they believe  and trust us.  As they grow into adolescence, things become a bit more tumultuous and as I wrote the other day, they are now stretching out their wings and testing the world around.  This time is so crucial in the relationship building and I feel so often I fail... It is hard for me to 'let go'... 'to trust'... But I believe that promise written by David in the book of Proverbs, "Train them up in the way they should go and when they are old, they will not depart from it." 

We all have this promise as we seek His wisdom... even when we fail, He is never failing... even when we lack trust, He is there to cover us... Praise God for His never failing attributes and ceaseless love for his ever failing children.

I cling to so many of these promises and I believe them... I am trusting my children to Him.
Until next time,
Jean

Life's Lessons...

"A Cheerful smile, a friendly word, a sympathetic nod, all priceless little treasures from the storehouse of our God." Helen Steiner Rice

We all like to be smiled at...frowns make us feel sad and disappointed, while a smile can make a bad day seem better.  Smiles and kind words are what our goal needs to be when we deal with others, including our family members. 

My littlest one Aaron knows when I have a scowl on my face... and he too knows how to make a scowl.  I try not to laugh when he does it, but it is so terribly cute... although the attitude behind it must be dealt with.  When mother scowls Aaron looks sad and usually comes running into my arms for reassurance. He is so little and his heart so tender. Evan too knows when mother scowls it isn't a good thing... his scowls aren't so cute anymore.  We work on these things though. Our children cherish kind words, hugs & kisses, gentle caresses and tender looks... we as adults long for that as well.

God has both smiles and scowls for his children as well. He like a tender, loving parent knows when we need one or the other and never makes a mistake.  Unlike us human parents who are always making them, He does not. We can have faith and trust that the circumstances in our life are just what he is 'allowing'. I have mentioned in times past God has a permissive will and a perfect will.  If we bug Him long enough about something, whether it be the best thing for us or not, He may just allow it to come to be to teach an important lesson on faith and timing.  On the other hand, if we trust and submit ourselves to His perfect will, always praying that way, we can be sure that all things will work together for good to those who love Him...

But we're human aren't we... prone to be like children... a bit demanding and whiny. It's not pretty, but it's true. I remember when our daughter Taylor was about six years old, we were making some chicken noodle soup and I was putting bouillon cubes into it.  She was always begging for stuff not always knowing or understanding what it was she was begging for... well, this day I thought she needs to learn to stop begging... so I gave her a hunk... too say the least she spat it out quickly!  Now some of you may be thinking that was mean, but it wasn't... she begged for things like pepper and other things that would make her sick... I took her then and explained that is why she shouldn't beg... she did learn the lesson. It's funny now though, because she loves to cook and she is the biggest 'taster' I know... life's lessons.

That's the way it is with our Heavenly Father... sometimes we bug and bug and beg and beg... He's gonna let us taste and learn, and sometimes it might not taste good...

Until next time,
Jean

Friendships

"The simple fact that the believer always experiences something and the unbeliever never does should tell us a great deal. Only the true Christian is sure the sun has risen!"  Tozer

As I read this statement I thought about it awhile and reminisced over how much the Lord has done for me over the years since I have been saved... they are too many to mention.

Our friends have been baling straw and storing it in one of our out-buildings.  There are literally hundreds of bales and they are stacked about ten high... they are almost to the ceiling.  Anyway, this is a great playground for little boys as I am sure you can imagine.  Ryan(10 years) and Evan (4 1/2years) were helping unload and were playing.  Well, this is a great mountain to climb to boys and a real adventure... Evan was quite the mountain climber when he slipped through a few bales and got himself stuck... Thankfully the men and other boys were all around and pulled him out.  Evan later told Taylor that he wasn't afraid because he prayed to God and he knew He would help him out... oh for the faith of a child... 

Evan loves to be read to and he truly enjoys the Bible story books that I read to him and Aaron... they both sit with wide eyes and Evan is always full of questions.  It's these times of sharing and closeness that I believe will have the lasting impact on them.  It's times when the older boys still run and tell me that they couldn't find something and then they prayed and sure enough God showed them where it is... of for the faith of a child...

It's this faith that I believe Tozer is talking about here... As believers we know in our hearts that God is there watching over us and taking care of all our needs.  He is ever faithful and full of grace for the believer... the broken and contrite spirit that cries out to Him He always hears.

Until next time,
Jean

Faith Through Trials...

“After that ye have suffered awhile, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you.”  1 Peter 5:10

Here Charles Spurgeon gives such a beautiful picture of faith... a faith that can help us to remember all that we have had done for us...  a faith that can help us grow in His perfect likeness... a faith that will build trust...
          
    "May your faith be no “baseless fabric of a vision,” but may it be builded of material able to endure that awful fire which shall consume the wood, hay, and stubble of the hypocrite. May you be rooted and grounded in love. May your convictions be deep, your love real, your desires earnest. May your whole life be so settled and established, that all the blasts of hell, and all the storms of earth shall never be able to remove you. But notice how this blessing of being “stablished in the faith” is gained. The apostle’s words point us to suffering as the means employed-”After that ye have suffered awhile.” It is of no use to hope that we shall be well rooted if no rough winds pass over us. Those old gnarlings on the root of the oak tree, and those strange twistings of the branches, all tell of the many storms that have swept over it, and they are also indicators of the depth into which the roots have forced their way. So the Christian is made strong, and firmly rooted by all the trials and storms of life. Shrink not then from the tempestuous winds of trial, but take comfort, believing that by their rough discipline God is fulfilling this benediction to you."  Charles Spurgeon

Yes, we all face storms in our lives and they are of course testings that will allow us to grow.  Although too often we look at the storms alone and forget the beauty of life.  Life is filled with sunshine and rainbow's always come after the storms... Those big beautiful rainbows... the promise behind them.   God is good... and life will be as good as we allow it to be... perspective!

Psa 103:8  The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy.

Until next time,
Jean
     

Trust in the Lord with all thine Heart

"Trust in the Lord with all thine Heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding." Proverbs 3:5

This was the Bible verse in one of my daily devotions today... I love this verse... it gives strength to the weary... faith in times of needless worry... peace when the storms are raging...

Children don't seem to let life's situations get to them too much, especially when they are little... dad and mom will take care of it.  Why can't I say, 'Dad, (God) WILL take care of it?'... I know He will, He always has.  Human nature is so much against faith, don't you think?  We always want to take care of things on our own in our own way in our own time.  But we are told that His ways are not our ways, and our thoughts are not His thoughts... I know this is true.  I am so human and proned to fail, but I know that I can keep pressing on because He is by my side.  When all my friends fail me... when the world around is cold... when family is against me... I have Him always, for if He is for me who can be against me?

We as parents always try to do our very best for our children and sometimes doing our best is letting them fall off that bike a few times till they get the hang of it... because we know they will... just keep trying.  We trust that our children will someday understand why we said 'no' to so many things... because we do know better, despite what they think.  We let them try their wings as they grow older and have faith that they will come back home safely... because they know we care.  This is the way it is with our Heavenly Father as well... we are babes in the beginning and the trials are small and easy... we grow into our spiritual youth and the tests become a bit more trying... but He knows what we can bear... we come into our mature years and the trials of life become larger... because He knows they will help us grow... yet a bit longer and into our later years we arrive, when the challenges we faced in this life will give us the words to encourage others...

He knows and He cares,
Until next time,
Jean




         

"A soft answer turneth away wrath..."

How I wish I could incorporate this into my life as much as I would like too... because it really does work.  I have been on both ends... an angry answer as well as a soft answer... and I can honestly say the later works better.  Some people hurt others with words, others with a silent treatment while others use hateful tactics to defame others... which ever, they are all wrong.  How do we practice a loving and tender way to others when they hurt us?  How do we turn the other cheek when we want to hit back?  How do we give them our coat when they already took our cloak?  These principles are taught in the New Testament by Jesus and they are a basic guild to help us love our enemies... whether they be a total stranger, the neighbor or a family member... we must love as Christ loved. The Christian walk is a daily trial... one that is filled with testings along with peaceful walks in the valley... it is a constant growing and maturing. We are children of the Heavenly King, and we need to act as such... even when it is really hard. 

But what about when we fail and fall flat on our faces... what about when we do the things we try so hard to not do... what about when we have done our best but it just isn't good enough...

We need to look up... He will lift us back to our feet as we cry out, "Abba Father..." He will wipe the tears away... He will say, "Let's keep pressing on together, I am by your side..." 

As the song goes, 'Trust and obey, for there's no other way, to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey..."
Until next time,
Jean
       

God wants us to believe...

When we talk to our spouse, children, friends or complete strangers we want what we say to be believed.  As Christians, lying is not an option, although telling the truth is not always easy.  I believe that there is never a time to tell a lie... before I was a Christian this was not so.  My children would be shocked~ I hope~ if they thought I lied about something.  I believe that the relationship I have with my friends who are not professing Christian's would also be shocked as well as disappointed in me if they felt that I had not told the truth in a matter... in my heart I would never want to offend anyone by lying.

What about 'little white lies' as some are often called... well if you are planning a surprise birthday party for your best friend, spouse or child and they directly ask you I think you can re-word things still as not to tell a lie.  What about misleading people to believe something that isn't true?  Again, what is the motive behind your answer?  A lie is a lie I am afraid.

We want people to believe our words... we want to be trusted... this is our human nature.  Well God want's us to believe too... He wants us to believe in Him and His son Jesus... He wants us to let others see His work in our lives.  As I mentioned earlier, before I was a Christian I didn't think twice about lying... now, thankfully it is different.  I want people to see His good work in my life and believe in Him because they can see His love in me...

Life can be a challenge and telling the truth can be sometimes as well, but the rewards of honesty are by far greater....

Until next time...
Jean
    

Love In A Mist

It's a flower... yes, Love in a Mist is a name of a flower... interesting isn't it?  I was just looking around in my seed packs and realized I still had a pack of these seeds from a few years ago.  There is a trick to getting them to grow... which I have never succeeded in doing by the way. The seeds need to be go through a winter... a cold spell.  The seed packets say that you can 'trick' the seeds into believing they went through this by simply putting the seeds in the freezer for a few weeks and then planting them.  I tried it but didn't succeed... oh well it's not the first thing I tried and didn't succeed at. 

There are lots of things that we can relate to this, the tricking thing that is.  Sometimes we think someone is a friend, but they are not. There may a situation where you have trusted someone and come to find out they were not sincere or trustworthy with what you have shared... life is full of hurts.  Although there is one that will never trick us or betray us... that person is Jesus.  He cares for us beyond words... beyond actions... beyond expectations... He is ever faithful and He is the best friend you can ever find.  Even when we have not been faithful to Him as we should be... there is no love in a mist with Him... His love is ever perfect and more importantly... it's free to any that ask.... with Jesus life is full of joys that help us along with the hurts.

"Do not be anxious, said our Lord, have peace from day to day.  The lilies neither toil nor spin, yet none are clothed as they.  The meadowlark with sweetest song fears not from bread or nest, because he trusts our Father's love, and God knows what is best."  Helen Steiner Rice

Until next time,
Jean