Great Faith

"If my faith, my belief, my confidence are in myself, then they cannot at the same time be resting in God!"  Tozer

What a statement by wise Tozer of old... what a statement to get a mind stimulated in thinking where our faith does rest... in my own imagined strength or in His perfect, unfailing strength...

The other day Taylor was going to get fuel in the truck... it was on fumes... but that is besides the point because I truly do believe that all things happen for a reason... both good and bad.  Well, she calls me to tell me that the truck started to sputter and she was still several miles from the closest gas station and so she prayed that God would just let her get to the gas station... suddenly the truck stopped sputtering and drove smoothly.  She made it to the station with no problems... on the wings of prayer. 

He always hears, especially those cries from His young children... the ones that He is trying to build that trust in... the babes that are still drinking milk... I was so blessed by this... another seed sprouted.

This feeling... when one of your children finds the faith... it's such a joy, an over whelming joy... It's in the keeping of it though... This is the building stage~ faith, trust and belief.  God want's it for each of us... He wants to show us that no matter what, He is there waiting with open arms to carry us through.  "Hold on," He says. "I will never leave nor forsake thee..."  What a precious promise that needs to be instilled in their young, tender hearts... How do we grow this precious seed in them when we fail so often and so hard sometimes?  That is my question in life... how?

By example He says... by example through humility and confession of our wrongs and mistakes... by the seeking of forgiveness and always giving forgiveness, whether sought after or not... by loving unconditionally... to apply all these things in our daily life is a challenge, but it can be done...
In His strength...

Until next time,
Jean

     

A Hard Day's Work...

I love working with my children.  The boys are hard workers, tilling, hoeing, weeding, planting, hauling wheel barrows of straw from the barn for me to mulch the beds.  I love my children, they bring a joy to my heart that only a mother can know...

Yesterday we planted another row of asparagus and a new patch of raspberries... how exciting to me. We mulched the grapes and one of the asparagus rows... Ryan and Evan picked up weeds to dump and Ethan tilled away... it was a good day! 

Taylor was with the youth yesterday in Chicago at The Museum of Science and Industry.  They were going to go into the coal mines... she was nervous... I don't blame her, you couldn't pay me to go into that thing... claustrophobia... no way!  I told her to use me as an excuse and say that I told her she wasn't allowed to go in... (I did try that) she is eighteen now, but I told her that she can always use me for an excuse whenever she doesn't want to do something.  I don't care if any of her friends like me or not... it is her that I care about.  It's not that I am  worried about her friends trying to get her to do bad things or her doing them... I just want her to know that my only concern is for her well being because I love her so much...

Isn't that what we as parents need to be for our children... their advocates right?  After all no one will ever love your child as much as you do... they will never know the depth of that love unless they have a child of their own.

But wait, there is One...  Have you ever thought about the depth of that love... I often think about God's love for me and the depth of His love... giving His only son to die such a horrible death as the cross... for me... what love, what unsearchable love the Father has bestowed upon me...  and you.

Until next time,
Jean

Got Mud?

Mud is a big factor around here in the spring, one we all can get a bit frustrated with. Taylor bought a sign that says 'got mud?' at a flea market last spring which now hangs in our back entry.  This is where we typically all come into the house. She is often the one that 'get's' to clean the back entry, so she felt very justified in putting this question out to, um, should I say 'the men of the house'.  The big boys do have this chore at least once a week, but they do all the outside in the cold chores and Taylor & I 'get' to do the warm & cozy inside chores.  Yes, I do mean 'get to'.  Here we go on perspective again.  I would never want to do Neil & the boys chores~ not any day of the week.  They 'get' to feed & water the hogs, clean pen's & put fresh bedding down, cut firewood, haul the trash out to the dumpster and do what I believe to be the 'hard' jobs.  Taylor & I get to do what I refer to as the 'cooshy' jobs, like cooking meals in a warm & cozy home, wash dishes with warm water, do laundry in a warm laundry room, rock the baby in a soft rocking chair with a soothing cup of coffee, flipping through magazines or a good book.  I am so thankful that Neil & boys enjoy their jobs and they in turn I believe are thankful we enjoy ours.  Now don't get me wrong, Neil & the boys also love to be in the kitchen, can & do switch loads of laundry, sweep floors, set & clear dinner tables, wash & put dishes away.  My men are very resourceful! Now, Taylor & I 'could' also load & unload fifty pound hog feed bags, run the tractor and clean pens~ if we really had too~ but thankfully Neil never asks me to do any of those things :-) !

The key here is that there are things that each of 'need's to do to help the others.  We are a team and need to work together to get 'all' the jobs done. 

Until next time,
Jean  

Good Things

"Can we ever have too much of a good thing?" Miguel de Cerrantes

What a question to ponder I would say!  Now let's think about some 'good' things~ a deep and personal relationship with the Lord, health, food, shelter, clothing, love, family, a good church, friends, financial security~ I guess to name just a few off the top of my head.  I am sure as each of you thinks about this your list may be similar or completely different.  It all depends on what makes 'you' happy!

As I have said so often, happiness is a choice.  Yes, people and circumstances can definitely contribute in one way or the other in our level of happiness, but the final decision is still ours.  I always think of people who have truly suffered and thought about their legacies~ Corrie Ten Boom, Joni Erickson-Tada, Mother Theresa, to name a few.  These people chose to accept the situations they were dealt in life and make a positive stand with them.  They all chose to honor God in their sorrows and not blame Him.  This can be a challenge for some, especially if they don't know His perfect love. 

Today is sunny with lots of puddles, but I am feeling better, I still have a runny noes, but you know what?  The sun is still shining, I am going to transplant some more of the Heirloom tomatoes in the green house (my personal HAPPY place), I have six wonderful, healthy busy children and so much more!  Yes, there are lot's of 'things' I may want, but I have everything I need!

Until next time,
Jean

A Light Unto The World

A friend shared this with me.... I thought awhile....

The light turned yellow, just in front of him. He did the right thing, stopping at the crosswalk, even though he could have beaten the red light by accelerating through the intersection.
The tailgating woman was furious and honked her horn, screaming in frustration, as she missed her chance to get through the intersection, dropping her cell phone and makeup.
As she was still in mid-rant, she heard a tap on her window and looked up into the face of a very serious police officer. The officer ordered her to exit her car with her hands up.
He took her to the police station where she was searched, fingerprinted, photographed, and placed in a holding cell.

After a couple of hours, a policeman approached the cell and opened the door.  She was escorted back to the booking desk where the arresting officer was waiting with her personal effects. He said, "I'm very sorry for this mistake. You see, I pulled up behind your car while you were blowing your horn, flipping off the guy in front of you and cussing a blue streak at him. I noticed the 'What Would Jesus Do' bumper sticker, the 'Choose Life' license plate holder, the 'Follow Me to Sunday School' bumper sticker, and the chrome-plated Christian fish emblem on the trunk, so naturally ... I assumed you had stolen the car."

Let your light shine,
Until next time,
Jean

Complainers...

We all know a few of these unfortunately don't we?  How do we keep looking up when things don't always seem so wonderful?  My question often is,  "How do I prevent my children from becoming a 'chronic complainer'"?  One that is thankful for Brussels sprouts and just eats without complaining... or one that says 'my cup is still have full instead of my cup is already half empty'.  I have so little patience for a complainer.  My discussion yesterday about unconditional love really comes into play for me in this department.  I just look at all we have and how good we have it.  I wonder if the starving people in Africa or Russia would complain about the food put in front of them... I wonder if the child sleeping in a card board box in a Los Angeles alley because they have no home would complain about going to bed at nine o'clock.... I wonder if the widow would complain about her husband coming home late from work or just be thankful she has him coming home... I wonder.

Complaining  can become a terrible habit and the more one looks for the negative the more one will find it.  When we look for the good, we are sure to find that as well.  Today it is snowing so I must practice what I preach right now, and it isn't easy for me on days like this.  Especially when yesterday I walked to green house with no jacket.  But I try to be thankful for the snow because my children love it, and I love them.  It is all in our mind set isn't it?

"Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things."   Philippians 4:8

Until next time,
Jean