The Most Wonderful Rescue Mission

One day when I was young I was playing at a park with a fountain. There was a very young boy, not old enough to swim, trying desperately to get out of the fountain. The bottom of the fountain was too slick, he kept slipping and falling back under the water. As he coughed the water out of his lungs over and over again, I tried to stretch out my hand to him without slipping too deep in myself. Though I desperately wanted to save him, I was not big enough or strong enough to help; we could not reach each other. I kept edging a little closer but each time he reached out he would slip back under the water again. His mother finally noticed us and came swooping in to scoop him up. In that one swift motion of her capable arms the ordeal that sent my little heart racing was over! At the time I thought her angry words of warning toward him were mean, but as a mother myself now, I’m sure it was fear coming out in harsh tones.

Yesterday I read Psalm 49 verse 7. It says, “Truly no man can ransom another, or give to God the price of his life.” Later it reads not even the rich can ransom themselves, “For when he dies he will carry nothing away;” (.17).  This seems like a rather depressing reflection for this joyful season. But to understand the wonder of the light, we have to acknowledge the darkness that makes it shine so brightly.

The darkness is our own desperate situation. Just as I could not help that little boy, the same is true of every person when we pass into the next life. We are all estranged to God from our own rebellion. Our rebellion in this life means a separation from God forever in the next. That separation will be much, much worse…with no comforts of any kind to distract us from our misery without Him, the source of every possible good thing we get to enjoy in this world. No love. No light. No water. No way out.

We are on the path to this hell unless someone can help us. That Someone did come. Just as that mother jumped in to save her son in the fountain that day, God entered this world to help. And it was a Father’s love to rescue us that compelled Him. Since no man could ransom us, God sent His Son to save us all through His own death (and resurrection) for our sins. The Message version explains the “why” behind the Christmas story this way, “That is what the Son of Man has done: He came to serve, not to be served—and then to give away his life in exchange (ransom) for many who are held hostage.” (Mark 10:45)  This is what we celebrate this season. Not an obscure little story about a peasant baby born in a barn…but the most wonderful rescue mission of all eternity. The light coming into our darkness.

Why #Iloveraisingboys

 I was standing in my kitchen when it happened again. I got “the look” from an acquaintance. That look when I tell people I have three sons and they shake their head apologetically, raise and eyebrow or two and sigh under their breath. I want say “Don’t pity me! Having 3 sons is a tremendous blessing.” (Confession: I have wanted the pity at times - especially when they were ages 5 and under!) Instead I smile extra big and try to explain, “It’s a lot of fun.”

I wish they could see all the things I see. I’ve begun my own little visual campaign: #Iloveraisingboys. As I slow down to snap a quick pic I’m savoring those moments and appreciating this crazy boy mom life a little more. 

I’m not on a campaign against girl moms. I’m not saying boys are better than girls. Honestly I wouldn’t know because my only girl is part lab. Raising kids no matter the number or the gender is a selfless, sacrificial act, and if all goes right will leave us more like our Heavenly Father. And hopefully with well-adjusted adult children as our friends.

Yes there are days of way too much noise, chaos and potty humor for this lone female. But there are also a lot of little wonderfuls about raising these boys into men. Their fierce protective instincts of anything they deem theirs, like me. J Their constant building of anything from traps out of laundry baskets, to weapons from cardboard and duct tape. Their search for the highest hill to sled down, tallest tree to climb or widest field to foot race across.

All too soon their endless hours of energy and play will have to cease. They will be burdened by life’s responsibilities (and making lots of cute grandkids for me to love….please, just one granddaughter is all I ask).  They will have to build portfolios instead of forts, climb the corporate ladder instead of trees, and plan out budgets instead of Lego lands. So for as long as possible I want them to just be boys. All boy. And I don’t want anyone clicking their tongue at them and telling them to settle down…I do enough of that for them, thank you. Instead I want to enjoy all the crazy different things that this life of being boy-trapped entails. As I watch my boys precariously perched atop a play structure, breaking every carefully written rule for use, I smile and think, I love raising boys.

The Imaginer

“I’ll take a spaceship and some mini powdered doughnuts to go,” I overhear one boy say to the other inside the cardboard box store. I smile and snap a quick photo of them actually playing nicely together; the older two assisting the younger with product selections and play money creation.

While I enjoy my boys’ simple approach to play, I know, as an adult life isn’t that easy. If only real life were as good as a child imagines it to be.  If only we could pull through a drive-thru to purchase a spaceship. If only we could create as many dollar bills in our living rooms that it required to purchase our heart’s desire. There is the rub.

But what if the world was intended to be that way? What if it was supposed to be as magical as a day Disney promises (without the painful price for admission), as limitless as a child’s imagination, and as abundant in supply of any need we could dream up?

It was... in the Beginning.

At the start of the world the ultimate Imaginer dreamed up everything from the tiniest molecule to the largest ocean, and everything in between. He decided to make light, time, plants, birds, animals, ice cream and even chocolate cake! (Genesis 1) He made space and humans to explore it all. There was no end to he possibilities and it was all perfectly perfect until…

Until that fateful day when His two most favorite creations of all decided they didn’t quite trust Him. They didn’t quite believe that He wasn’t holding out. They took something they were never designed to handle, the knowledge of good and evil, and they got way more than they ever desired in return.

Everything they were put on earth to do – enjoy a relationship with the Imaginer, take care of creation, grow food, have babies – it all got very, very hard. With that one choice to turn their back on the Creator they opened the door to everything hard; sickness, death, toil and struggle, just to survive.

I think kids imagine so much because they are still more like their Creator, uninhibited by life’s realities. They know their Imaginer’s heart. They reflect Him as they dream up drive-thru spaceship stores. They long for the day at Disney where everything is as magical as they know inside it was supposed to be every day.

Jesus tells us, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” (John 10:10) Life with Jesus isn’t perfect. It isn’t a day at Disney over and over again. That isn’t what He is promising here. But He does promise if we seek Him first, all our basic needs will be met. (Matt. 6:33). And He graciously gives so much more than our basic needs; life with Jesus is often overflowing with good things. But it is never quite perfect on this side of heaven…

That perfectly perfect comes later now – since we messed up this life – we have to live with sin and it’s consequences for now. But Someone did pay a very big price for admission into the abundant life that is to come. (1 Peter 3:18)

The question remains, will we accept the ticket to get in? At the end of our days on this earth will we enter into what a child’s heart instinctively imagines, a life more magical, more powerful, more abundant than we can even dream up?

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” John 14:6.  This isn’t an invitation to perfect life in this world, but to an eternity of perfectly perfect in the next.  And I can’t wait to find out if there will be drive through spaceship stores.

I Don't Want to Forget...

That put your head back in the sunshine dizzy flip flop tummy feeling. This is pure joy. 

Overhearing T3 share the Gospel story with his little playmate in the next room. Unprompted. Unashamed. Unwavering in his belief. This is pure faith.

The love of a boy and his dog. This one who is working so very hard to fly this year. This photo makes my mama's heart sing. This is pure happiness.

How happy my kids are doing the simple things...they just want me to get out and play with them. This is pure fun. 

There is no perfect family photo. This is pure love.

What Comes After 39?

T3- Mom, how old are you?

Me- 39.

T3- Whoa! What comes after 39?

Me- you tell me.

T3- 20?

Me- Exactly!

Such a smart little man!!!!

Here he is carefully picking all the hot dogs out of the beans at CO cowboy day.