Stumble and Pray

"They that seek the Lord shall not want any good thing."  Psalm 34:10

When our children started taking their first steps they would stumble and fall and we would keep encouraging them on... "keep trying... good job... yup, do it again..." are things that we would say.  They would stumble often at first and then before we knew it they were running and we were saying, "Stop running in the house!"  We didn't want them to fall and hurt themselves, yet we knew that was all part of the process... we would be close enough to catch them so they didn't hurt themselves as we guided them along... hands outstretched behind them as they toddled forward.   How time flies and as we look back onto those happy days when they were little and learning we can see other times when they fell... learning to ride a bike and ice skating to name a couple.  Oh how our hearts ached when all of a sudden, THUD! But again... all part of the learning process.

As adults we too stumble and fall... we have days where we fail... days we wish we could erase from time and memories... but that isn't possible with humans... but it is with God. As we repent for our failings and look unto Him for forgiveness He is there... The Bible says that God loves a broken and contrite heart.  Each day is a new day and with that new day we have Christ by our side guiding our way.  How it aches our Heavenly Father when we go THUD! The key is prayer... stumble and pray... stumble and pray... He will lead the way... all part of the learning process.

Do we call out to the Lord when we stumble or do we sit there awhile and wallow in our failings?  The latter is not what the Lord would want from us... He desires us to look up to Him immediately, reaching up for His hand to pick us up.  But you say, there is no hand... Yes my friend there is... the hand is His Word... God's precious promises are all found there... but we must turn to it... feed on it. Then and only then can we have peace... only there can we find it. When we stumble and fall friends, get up! Reach for His word and seek His help.  Oh how precious it is when He presses upon your heart to go to a certain scripture and there is the answer or the hope you were longing for .... only in prayer... only in supplication can it be found...

"Prayer is an indispensable part of our relationship with Jesus Christ." Laurel Oke Logan

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



   

Wisdom in Faith...

"Within the oldest books of the Bible is the story of Job. This book is the account of a righteous man who is allowed to suffer enormous loss, grief, and difficulty. Job pleaded for God to reveal why he was suffering but God did not answer Job's questions. Instead, God pointed to His own creation, power, and knowledge. In this way Job was reminded to trust God and his purposes."
"As part of this dialogue, God asked Job if he had ever entered the springs of the sea. We now know there are such springs off the coasts of Greece, Italy, Israel, Syria, and Australia. In 1976, the U.S. Geological Survey also found fresh water in the Atlantic Ocean along the seacoast from New England to Georgia. How could the writer of the book of Job, which was written thousands of years before ocean exploration, have known there were fresh water springs in the sea?"   (Taken & Adapted from, 'A Study Course in Christian Evidences' Page 128) 

I got the above quoted literature in a daily devotion that I receive and thought how interesting this was.  You know we often just 'read' the Bible, yes I do believe that we get a blessing from reading it and looking into His word for direction, courage, revelation and encouragement... of course, but there is some really interesting historical and archeological facts as well. 

It just show's me once again how little I am in the whole scheme of things... how unimportant a lot of 'stuff' really is... how small the world is... and how big and great my God is.  There is wisdom in faith in God because He is creator of all...

Until next time,
Jean