Sharing is Caring

At the end of each week at my daughter's school, each child gets to choose a special gift from the treasure box for being well behaved. Admittedly, my anticipation has increased each week as she rummages through her tote bag to retrieve her trinket of choice. A few Thursdays ago was special:)

We usually eat lunch together after we pick my daughter up, but this particular day, my son and I were both hungry and we still had to run errands. So we decided to eat and then pack hers to go so that she could eat it in the car. As my daughter's class lined up for dismissal, my son eagerly ran to give her the lunch bag. She hugged him excitingly (I'm sure not just only to see him, since it seems like she's always famished after 4 hours of vpk:)) and she was just as excited to show off her treasure box toy. Before we even got inside the car, she reached down inside her bag and said "I got this for you David!" It was a yellow toy car. He exclaimed, "Thank you!!"(Like many other 3 year old boys, he loves, loves, loves cars and has tells me about every week that he has a car collection.) Then they exchanged hugs.

See this was particularly sentimental to me because I've noticed that when it comes to giving, my daughter is like me and my son is like his daddy. It's natural for he and his daddy to give. In matter of fact my son expresses his love through sharing, and when someone doesn't accept whatever he offers, (which is usually his last of something) he gets kind of offended. I wouldn't say that it's natural for my daughter and I to share. We have to be taught.:) So this was partly why I couldn't stop smiling. It touched me to know that my daughter had to choose just one thing and she chose something not for herself but for her brother. Then I thought, Yes! She gets it...wow is this how God feels when we give unselfishly? It's great to give when we have a lot, but it's a wonderful sacrifice to give when we don't have much especially while it's done with a willing and cheerful heart.

Is there anything that God has been pressing on your heart to share but it hasn't been easy to? If it's easy for you to share your materials, what about intangibles like your time or your testimony?

~And do not forget to do good and to share with others for with such sacrifices God is pleased. Hebrews 13:16

The voice of our children

It amazes me the sensitivity that we as parents have to our children's voice.  When our first child, Moriah was born, the hospital encouraged in room recovery. That was great for us because we wanted to keep her close as much as possible. Unfortunately by day two, between the elated and numerous visitors and just the excitement of the delivery, we were simply exhausted. Neither one of us were able to keep our eyes open to admire our new bundle of joy any longer.  For the first time we decided to pass her on to the wide eyed mother hen nurses who were estatic to adore any and every baby handed to them.

Time passed, we dozed then both instantly woke to the sound of a high pitch cry.  David undoubtably walked to the nursery to retrieve our baby girl. The nurses, impressed and surprised gladly handed her over asking David how he was able to distinguish between her cry and the half of dozen newborns within the nursery who were also exercising their new pair of lungs.  His response..."I just knew." They were so surprised that the next morning a couple of the nurses told me the story and emphasizing how he knew her cry, not knowing that I was awake while it happened. That was the first and last incident that we voluntarily handed her over to the nurses. Don't get me wrong, it's not like we thought they were going to harm or her or something.  We trusted them in their capacity of being genuine, caring and qualified nurses.  In matter of fact, we didn't leave until we wrote cards of good service for many of them.  We just felt most secure with her in our care.  That was a moment that I knew would be one of the first memories as a new parent that I would never forget.

Even now four years later, no matter how much of a deep sleep we think we are in, we wake at their cry and get up (most of the time:)) without hesitation to comfort them. During one of these nights as I woke up to little David calling "Mommy" I was fully convinced that once people become parents that God gives us a gift of sensitivity to our children's voices. I remember before having children literally sleeping through hurricanes with ease. While getting out of my bed and heading toward his, I suddenly found comfort in realizing that this is a great example of God hearing us. His ear is turned toward our cries, our praises, our concerns and our questions. And unlike us who are made of flesh, He doesn't mind what hour we cry out to Him through prayer. The beauty of it is, the more we realize that He is sensitive to our voice and we call on Him through prayer and reading His word, the more we are sensitive to His voice. (It's called relationship :)) Yep that's right! The very voice of God speaking to us and being sensitive to it. Like a mother or father rocking us and telling us that; It'll be okay. Draw close to me...

~My sheep hear my voice, I know them, and they follow me. John 10:27 
~Lord hear my voice. Let your ears be attentive to my cry for mercy. Psalm 130:2
~Do you not know? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the creator of the ends of the earth.  He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom.  Isaiah 40:28
~Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. James 4:8

Why fear?

I remember when my son was younger and anxiously watching him daringly jump off furniture or run towards the ocean and one time even put his hand into a snake's cage at a pet store. When we suspected it was time for him to move into his own room with his own big boy bed, we were reluctant to make the transition. Not only was he used to rooming with his sister, but we had recently moved into a new home where their rooms were further from our room. But he really surprised us at how enthusiastic he was about the change. He slept in his own bed for a while with ease. I began to take pride in saying that my boy was fearless.

But as he got older, he started getting scared of the "monsters in his closet". Or he would come out of his room, each time with a different ailment. Our favorite was when he complained of the "booger in his ear".  Now we kinda have gotten used to the bed time ritual consisting of him coming out of the room at least three or four times and yelling "I'm scared" about two or three times before he actually gets settled down. Sometimes if I'm not ready to go to my room after I put him to bed, I will sit on the couch and watch tv. I would be able to see him and he can see me and he would still say that he's scared.

 I would ask him, "David why are you afraid? I am here with you. I was here with you last night and you were ok, right?  I hear you, I can even see you and I'm just a few steps away. When have you called and I didn't come?"  I oftentimes go into the closet and close the doors to reassure him that there are no monsters.  Then I realized that's how God comforts us and reassures us when we're afraid.  Fear is my biggest obstacle. I think about it often and wonder why I struggle with it in so many areas of my life and sometimes it seems to mature instead of being conquered. To tell you the truth it's a hindrance, it's annoying and I hate it.  For a moment, I realized that David was having the same experience I seem to have (way too often), just on the level of a three year old.  We as adults can take monsters in closets very lightly but for a person who has only been here on this earth for three years, it can be terrifying. So what would any parent who loves their son do? Hold him tight, give him a few kisses, pray, sing songs, tuck him in tightly, etc. But definitely let him know that he is not alone.

I never used to understand the phrase "God is with me". I used to think what is the point of God being with me if sometimes something bad happens anyway?  But I've learned and am still learning that for 1. God doens't make bad things happen. People who have free will in a sinful world makes bad things happen. (DON'T EAT THE FRUIT! NOOOOOO...!!!) and 2. when God is with you, even when bad things happen, He is able to turn a bad situation into something beautiful. Seriously that's what he does and He's excellent at it. Lastly, #3. for every time something bad happens, I'm extremely confident there are 100 times that something could've gone wrong but God and through His angles provided protection and many times we don't even notice. God is with us.

So I say all of this because just as we hold our our children and will do anything to protect them from harm, God does the same for us. And at times when it may appear to our children like we are "harming" them (i.e. discipline),  but it's only because we are encouraging growth and maturity. God does the same for us. So why fear? Why fear when He hears us? He sees us. He's just a few steps away. When have we called and He didn't come? Look closely at your life and you will see that He was always there and if you can't see Him ask Him to open up your eyes. So that we will extinguish fear, embrace His love and defeat those invisible monsters in our closet.

~So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." ~Isaiah 41:10

~The LORD your God is with you, he is mighty to save, He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing ~Zephaniah 3:17

~The Lord is my light and my salvation, whom shall I fear? The lord is the stronghold of my life, of whom shall I be afraid? ~Psalm 27:1

~As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you. ~Joshua 1:5

One of those mornings

One morning a few weeks ago, I was getting Moriah ready for school. Like many mornings, I was frustrated with the hustle and bustle of trying to get out of the house. I'm telling you sometimes it seems that if my house isn't rebelling by not staying clean and in order, then it's conspiring against me and trying to keep me from not leaving it. To get a four year old, a three year old, myself and a nursing baby ready and out of the house seems like a mission and a battle every morning that leaves me tired before I even leave. Then another battle, maintaining my nerves because it seems like for some reason during this time of the day and during our bedtime routine I have to repeat myself a thousand times x two.

 So right after racing to get Moriah to school on time while pushing a stroller and waiting for my three year old who loves to hold the door open for every person even if they're a mile away, (He's so cute. I love him.) I run into one of the moms from Moriah's class. She was pushing a stroller of three beautiful girls and she had got just done dropping off two. I asked her if they were all hers and she said yes but no because some were foster kids. She begin to briefly tell me their testimonies and said how God has stretched her for this but how she is able to see Him in her life through these children. We got to share a little about one another, our struggles/weaknesses and words of encouragement. I even got to admire the different colors of her girls' beautiful eyes all within about fifteen minutes. She complimented me about how nice I looked which I confessed that it was one of the few things that I had that was clean since all my comfy gym clothes were in the laundry.

 That time with her was such a blessing. I felt like it was God giving us both a break and through our conversation reminding us that He is in the center of our sometimes seemingly chaos. During our conversation, I just kept on thinking and said about twice how beautiful the day was. I really enjoyed our time together that I sincerely thanked her for talking with me and as I got into the car I realized how refreshed and at peace I felt. Those fifteen minutes reminded me how special children are to God and how awesome it is that He gave us the honor to have them in our care. It reminded me that these children are His and we just have them for a short period of time before they are exposed to the world's tainted influence. So what if we have to sacrifice the luxury of ideal order and organization. I'm realizing that personally the obsession of the attainment of order and organization is many times really the desire to have control. So this is a good time in my life to practice giving the control to God.

 I also thought about and appreciated the compliment she gave to me but then I realized that she had a beauty that was so much deeper than my outfit. Seeing her, I see the example of the willingness to lay down ones life(being dedicated to raising these children) for many(not only her own but, others' children) and the beautiful story of adoption. It encouraged me to trust God and allow Him to guide my life so that when they see me they will see Jesus just as I saw Him in her.

~For even the Son of man did not come to be served, but to serve,  and to give His life a ransom for many.  ~Mark 10:45

~ This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us.  And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. ~1 John 3:16

~ Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this:  to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. ~James 1:27

~For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, "Abba, Father." ~Romans 8:14-16

~Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me..." ~Mark 9:37