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

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

Today and Everyday...

Life on the farm holds it's challenges... but the joys that come with this life are far beyond words. We hold part of nature around us... we can hear the breeze as it lights softly through the trees lifting and teasing the leaves... the whizzing of the humming birds wings as he chases his female in and around the front porch.  Life is so good and is filled with such an incredible amount of fullness.

As each day draws longer, the sun seems warmer on my cheek, the air has that smell that only can be had in the earliest of spring... when the spring peepers in the pond start their song each evening... the bats swoop over head to gobble up all those pesky mosquito... pulling over wintered onions, oh that earthy goodness!

I love my life on the farm...  I love the sky at night when all you can see is the apparently never ending stream of stars... then suddenly there is a falling star... quick make a wish...knowing and never doubting that God is in Heaven and that everything is all right...

I love watching my children climb trees, roll in the grass, chase butterflies, dig in the dirt, play sword fighting with branches, hear the crack of the ball when it hits the bat.  I love that my children can hear all the sounds without the distraction of traffic, television, radio and the like.  I love that they play and make believe... that they make snow forts and snow men... that they know the good morning song of the robin and the dee-dee of the little chickadee and the caw of the blue jay.... I love that my children can be children...

Until Next Time,
Jean