Unanswered Prayers, Unexpected (difficult) Circumstances and Unlikely Callings: The Characters of Christmas

Thinking about Christmas this season I imagined this heavenly scenario:

 All of Heaven shudders as the crunch of the apple in Eve’s mouth echoes throughout Paradise.  The angels watch in silent despair to see what the Father will do. Heartbroken He leaves them to talk to Adam and Eve, to cover their nakedness with the first sacrifice that will lead to more bloodshed than could ever be imagined.  When He returns Jesus asks Him, “Papa, is it time?” Jesus knows the Plan. He has known all along. Though He hoped it wouldn’t come to this He is ready and willing. “No, not yet,” God mournfully replies, “They are not ready.” Centuries pass and like many times before Jesus asks, “Papa, is it time?” And this time God looks down at His Chosen people, His eyes smile when He sees Mary softly singing praises to Him as she prepares for her wedding day…”Yes, it is time. Gabriel, go and prepare Mary for my Son.”

I think my favorite verse in the whole Christmas story is, “For nothing is impossible with God.” (Luke 1:37).  These are Gabriel’s last words to Mary. Nothing is impossible with God. Not even restoration after the separation we caused with that first crunch of the apple. Only He can heal all the hurt, disease, bloodshed that it has caused on earth ever since. And He uses the most unlikely folks as part of His plans.

The Christmas story is full of people the world (including us) would have never chosen. An old priest with decades worth of an unanswered prayer – a request he struggles to believe God is able to fulfill after so many years of silence. Can you relate? Do you have an answered prayer from long ago? God might be saying “that’s not my best for you.” Or like with this doubting priest He might be saying, “not yet”.

Then there is a young Jewish girl on the fringes of society and living under Roman oppression. And when God does work a miracle through her the circumstances are hardly what she or we would have chosen. Have you ever answered God’s call and then had things turn out drastically differently than you imagined? Mary could relate! But she was truly right in the middle of God’s will for her and the most important miracle ever. And yet I imagine a cave miles from home was hardly the birth center she imagined.

And then there are those blue-collar missionaries. A rough group of men tending sheep that were likely used for sacrifice in the temple. Sheep on land that king David had used to shepherd centuries before (1 Sam. 17:15).  Shepherd’s told of the Ultimate Good Shepherd and Lamb for sacrifice to come. It’s hard to miss the foreshadowing here and this part of the story is packed with meaning for us to discover. I don’t know about you, but I’m a pretty unlikely candidate to carry His message of hope, and yet like the shepherds He uses people like you and me.

These are the characters that God uses to write His story of redemption.  And in each of their lives we can identify, we can find courage and we can hope.  If He used them, He can use us.

I’m reading through Revelation this month and thinking about Jesus’ return to earth to finish what He started so many centuries ago.

“To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood and made us a kingdom , priests to his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. Behold he is coming with the clouds and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him, and all tribes of earth will wail on account of him. Even so. Amen. I am the Alpha an dhte Omega, says the Lord God, who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”  (Rev. 1:5-7)

This is Who we worship. This is what we live for. This is why we labor. This is Who we celebrate this season and Who we wait expectantly to return. In the midst of unanswered prayers, unexpected difficult circumstances and unlikely callings, lets take a few minutes to remember He is with us through it all and praise and thank God that He came and He is coming again. Because Nothing is impossible with God.

My Brilliant Idea

I recently spent some time with a group of younger ladies that are all staff training with the Navs. I was challenged by several them sharing with the group how scripture more sustains them to keep growing with God. I have let memorization slide the past semester and decided my application from our  time would be to renew that habit. Since I'm not sure what drawer I stashed my verse pack in six months ago I'm writing it all out. But this morning as I was reviewing from the app on my phone I had the great idea (and we know where all great ideas really come from) to take a screen shot of the verses and save them as my screen/wallpaper. Now every time I turn on my phone (which is 100times a day) I am automatically reminded to review that verse! And I know I won't stash my phone away to forget for months on end. 

If you have other tricks for memorizing I would love to hear them!

Advent - Light Arriving

Baby Jesus is born...light enters the world again. Perfection. Holiness. Clarity.  We can finally see what our hearts knew all along...we were dwelling in deep darkness.  Blinded by our own sin. Light pushes the darkness back making room to dwell with us, in us...Immanuel. 

In Him there is no darkness at all. (1 Jn 1:5)

Our souls long for this - we were made for this - we crave His goodness and Love. 
The darkness numbs our hunger but always leaves us wanting more. 
The light fills every crevice of our hearts, sneaking through the cracks, creeping in and satisfying.  The darkness cannot hold it back. With Christ's birth the darkness is passing away and the true light is already shining. (1 Jn 2:8)

Welcome Lord Jesus.

Rules for Wrestling

I love our life. 

Baptism

On October 26th Thing 2 was baptized by his Dad.  What a special day for our whole family and a great memory for the two of them.

T2 chose 2 Corinthians 5:17 to be read at his baptism.  "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.  the old has passed away; behold, the new has come."
We know this is one step in T2's journey. There will be times when he feels close to God and times when he feels distant.  I pray he always remembers though that no matter how he feels, God is always near to him. This day marks an important declaration on his journey of becoming that new creation. We are proud of you, son!

Why I Can't Have a Fish on my Van (How I Lost my "Witness" at the Grocery Store)

Three different stores with three boys and a dog all in one morning...what was I thinking???

 At each stop the dog jumped out of the van and tried to get hit by a car.  Our final stop turned into the typical longer-than-expected trip to get groceries. Halfway through grabbing "just a few things" we had to make an emergency stop at the bathroom (why do they always wait until we are at the opposite end of the bathrooms to have to go RIGHT NOW?). Groceries bought and two penny pony rides later, we rush back out to the van where I hoped the dog hadn't done anything smelly.

As I lift the 100 lb cooler bag of groceries out of the cart the dog makes a break for it.  I drag the bag toward the dog and grab her by the collar with my free hand.  At THIS EXACT MOMENT (I'm about to lose my witness here...) a grumpy old man pulls up and stops behind my van.  He angrily lectures me on my bad parking skills (I readily admit I'm a terrible parker) informing me he could barely get out of his space next to mine.  I think to myself at this moment...are you kidding me? Can you see what I'm managing right now? Somewhat politely I say, "I'm sorry sir but I have other ISSUES to deal with right now."

I turn away and wrestle the dog with one hand back into the van. When I drag my 1000 lb grocery bag back to the van the grumpy old man is STILL parked there glaring at me.  My witness slips a bit more and I say, "What do you want me to do?" (clearly he was able to get out of his spot without incident).  He says something else I can't remember to which I reply, "Well I'll go to parking school, okay?!" He snaps, "Good, you should." I yell, "Great, you can pay for it!" He finally departs and I call him a jerk under my breath right in front of my kids.

Nice. What happened to loving my neighbor? I even got up early and had a quiet time this morning! As I drive home I think to myself, This is why I can never put one of those fish on my van. 

But here is the amazing thing that I'm still trying to get my head around.  Something that I think is so very important for all of us who claim to love God to really grasp. 2 Corinthians 5:21 says, "For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God."  Jesus took on all my sin and in exchange He credited His righteousness to me. God doesn't look down on me in that parking lot frowning in disgust that I STILL don't get it right.  He looks down to see Christ's righteousness and my mistakes already paid for on the cross.  

It's that perfect love of the Father that motivates to do better next time, not out of guilt, only out of pleasure and delight in His perfect acceptance of me, just as I am. And if I ever do make it to "parking school" maybe I can finally put that fish on my bumper...or, maybe not! 

Funny Things

Our Things keep us laughing...life is good.

Thing 3 to Dad - What are your favorite kind of cupcakes?
Dad - Black bottom cupcakes.
Me - Oh, you mean the ones your mom makes better than me? (He accidentally admitted this about a  
         decade ago and I haven't let him forget)
Dad- Yup
Me - How about those flowers? (he hasn't gotten yet for our anniversary this week and it is a fun little
         joke between us)
T3 - Dad, remember when you used to get mom flowers?
Me - snicker
Dad- You aren't helping me out here, T3. Yeah I should get those...


T3: Mom T2 said I hit him on the head with my stick but I didn't!  (Wait for it...) I hit him on the legs! (He says indignantly).

T3: Mom, why do we have belly buttons?

Me: it is where you got your food inside my belly. What mommy ate came through the tube to you. 

T3: Did you have to eat baby food and applesauce?

Speaking of babies in bellies....

T2: Mom, can I ask your phone something?

Me: Sure

T2: (holding my phone) How are babies made inside mommy's bellies?

Cyrie: Checking on that...here's what I found. 

Me: GIVE ME THE PHONE!!!

Discussing sleeping arrangements at the hotel. 

T3: do I have to sleep with T1? He farts! Puey. 

Mom:(discreet smile) maybe. 

T3: whatever. I'm outta here!

I Spy

Can you spy the lego in this picture? I did around 6:30 this morning while gulping down my first cup of coffee. I had to look twice to make sure I wasn't dreaming. 

Can you spy the forbidden "chew toy"?Zoeghnut (you know, our girl that sleeps curled up like a doughnut) walked into the kitchen and deposited Thing 2s tennis shoe at my feet right after I spied the lego and took another long drink of coffee. I'm pretty sure I finally got T2 to put them AWAY and now I've got another redistributing them. PERFECT. 

 Can you spy my heart? It's all over that little man; God has designed it that way.

I LOVE Friday mornings bc they are the only time that is just us two. Coffee, time with a boy and jigsaw puzzles...can you spy my contentment? :)

What about you? What do you spy lately that makes you smile?

Intentional Living - Post Preschoolers

         Ten years ago after the arrival of my first son this season seemed so far off I couldn’t even   Now that I’ve sent my youngest off to K the quiet house screams at me, “This day has arrived!” The ObGyn tells you all about navigating postpartum, but I've yet to come across a manual on post-preschoolers.

imagine it.
 It has finally happened.

 So now what?          

           

            Prompted by Jean Flemming’s, Pursue the IntentionalLife, I ask myself a lot of soul searching questions.  Where should my contribution of these few hours go?  What will make me want to spring out of bed in the morning? What choices made today will help me live well (and end well) spiritually?

            This is a critical juncture.  I’m setting the pace and tone for the rest of my life.  My time apart from my kids is only going to increase as the months and years roll by.  Jean says, “Spring is the best time for planting if I want a good harvest in the fall.  Vision, values, character and disciplines developed in the springtime of life serve even into winter.  Whatever the age, it is not too soon to prepare for the rest of life.” (p.32).

            The years of parenting preschoolers has passed; it’s time to plant in new “fields” I couldn’t go to with little ones. Just like my children, I need to continue to grow and move on to the next thing….at least for a few hours…until my little treasures come back to my nest. Then it’s time to really make those hours with them count.

           

What about you? What life changes are you facing? I’d love to hear what has helped you successfully navigate a new role, season, etc.

Boys!

I don't even bother to ask "why?" anymore. I just mentally calculate how much we have left in our HSA and don't say a word. 

It's A Boy!!!

           This week I had the privilege to share with a mom who is expecting her first little boy.  She has already done something I could never do...had a girl. But now she is anxiously awaiting a son and instinctively knows life is about to dramatically change.  Here is what I shared at her baby shower:

           Having three boys doesn’t make me an exclusive expert on raising boys and I’m certainly not better at it than anyone else who could share today.  But I’ll share what I know and hope it encourages your heart.

Sometimes because of their zest for life boys get a bad rap. Dr. Dobson says in Bringing up Boys, “one of the scariest aspects of raising boys is their tendency to risk life and limb for no good reason. It begins very early.  If a toddler can climb on it, he will jump off it. He careens out of control toward tables, tubs, pools, steps, trees and streets….” (P. 4).

After having three of my own boys to observe up close I have divided and labeled their development stages into my own categories.

0-12 months - Eat-Sleep-Poop-Drool Stage

12-18 months- Hunter and Gatherer Stage (as named by hubby)- when they see how many matchbox cars, etc. they can carry at once and keep from any other little people within the vicinity.

18-24 months - Seek and Destroy (self explanatory) Actually given my older boys' (and husband's) affinity for watching things fall down and blow up I'm pretty sure this stage lasts a lifetime.

24-36 months - All the Ability and NONE of the Common-Sense Stage. Case in point just the other day Thing 3 took a screw driver, walked over to an outlet and tried to insert it! Arghhhhh! Just trying to keep him alive is taking up most of my time!

Mixed in there somewhere and beyond are the lovely "Why?" stage and the "Watch Me!" stage that continue on for many fun filled years to come! :)

  I’ll admit they drive me crazy with their noise and energy and determination to kill themselves with their reckless behavior.  But as a mom let me encourage you to see the design behind their different behaviors.  That determination to conquer will turn into leadership to take on difficult things as a husband and father. That sense of adventure will keep your life exciting…and will be an attractive characteristic to your future daughter in law.  That drive to discover, build and invent…weapons…could be the future engineer emerging for some great device this world needs!

Currently Thing 1 is sequestering every toilet paper roll and scrap cardboard he can get his hands on to build a new fortress. Ever since he could put two blocks together as a toddler he has been building.  Some days I focus on what's important and ask him about the slides, escape pods and weapon pads he has built into his creations.  I point out his God-given passion to build and remind him that God likes to build too.  Other days I only see the mess and remind him to clean it up - again! 

            My absolute favorite Bible verse for raising children is Is. 40:11 – He gently leads those that are with young.  This especially encouraged me when I was in the infant and toddler seasons.  On those crazy days (and nights) when I could barely keep my eyes open and I felt so far behind on everything I remembered this verse.  Jesus knows that life has to move at a much slower pace when you are leading little ones.  And if you try and keep going at full adult speed you will all be crabby and disgruntled when you arrive. 

            I hear grace in that verse.  Grace for the days I can’t seem to fit in cleaning, time to read and pray – or even shower! Grace that Jesus is right there with me, leading me as I lead my own.  I remember one time I was busy on the phone and noted that two boys probably about 3 AND 1 had gotten very quiet for way too long.  I found them with markers and one boy had willingly been decorated head to toe – NOTHING left uncolored with them.  I took a deep breath and a quick photo and sent them both to the bathtub.  The artist got the job of cleaning off his canvas.  I removed all the markers from our house and only bought washable ones for the next several years.

            Boys will keep you on your toes for sure.  And they keep you running to Jesus for extra energy, patience, wisdom and another set of eyes just to keep them alive is always in need!

            I think that something unique about raising boys is that you are really raising them for another woman someday.  I spend years training them to be responsible, caring, and serve others.  Secretly I’m think of this as future daughter in law points.  I hope she appreciates that her husband someday will clear his dishes, unload the dishwasher and take out the trash.  And I hope that translates into her wanting me in her life...like maybe living next door!

            I remember a wonderful stage with my first son where he could sit up and be entertained but not yet crawl.  Then came along his determined little brother who skipped that stage all together and was crawling at lightning speed by 6 months. As soon as they can, and earlier than you really want, they start moving away from you. But those little steps away are so very important. Those little boy legs sticking out from that big backpack on the first day of school will carry him confidently to run, jump, interact and discover what life is like apart from mom.

    As a mom of a boy you have a very special bond and a very special job.  You get to raise him into the man God has designed him to be, Building up his self confidence, teaching right from wrong, pointing out the special talents God has given him.  I love the special bond I have with my boys and I love raising them into the men they are becoming.  I love that they pick flowers for me, occasionally play with my hair – I may or may not have even read extra chapters of Captain Underpants to them in order to encourage the hair playing.  I love that they want to snuggle and be tucked in, even at age 10.  I love that they are often up a tree and bringing me treasures to hold like rocks and sticks.  I love that even though they think girls are gross they still love to hold my hand and give me kisses.   I know you will enjoy all these things as more with your own special little guy.