Trials

All my life I have watched as people walk through trials and deal with them. Some are quiet and pray, some are outspoken and weep, but each are different. This past week Jerrel and I walked through a trial with Jesse and I have learned what it means to rely on the the strength of the Lord. Trials do not have to be life threatening, but can be the ice pick that chips away at your very being. I have learned that being a parent means walking through the trials of life with your children and that when they hurt, you hurt. Jesse has such a strong spirit and this week I saw him broken. I never imagined that when I held Jesse in my arms for the first time that I would see that beautiful baby become a 14 year old that has to deal with the hurts and frustrations of this world. God has been faithful to walk us through this as parents and help us to learn what it means to train our children in the way that they should go. God has been faithful to help Jesse learn that all he should do should be done as unto the Lord, and the choices he makes will affect more than just him. God continues to be faithful and I am confident that without the trials of life we would not even begin to understand the faithfulness and goodness of our Lord.
We know that all our children will make choices that will cause trials, yet we welcome them because we know that the Lord is good to meet us right where we are. I am assured that God does not give us more that we can handle. So as the enemy throws things in our way to set us off course, I will praise the Lord. As my children hurt and have trials, I will praise the Lord. I will praise the Lord because He is worthy of my praise. It is through praise that I see the great work of my Savior and God. I have a thankful heart as I write this even though I hurt for the hurts of my child. I can do that only because I have faith in Christ!

The Grace of Christ

Last night I witnessed my two youngest children get baptized. It was an incredible step of faith for them and even more incredible for Jerrel and I to watch them make that public affirmation of their faith. My favorite part had to be when each of them shared their testimony. I saw the hearts of Josiah and Anna. It was so neat to see the gifts that God has given them come out in the way they perceive the Gospel and share what the Gospel is in their lives. Josiah was bold and confident that people need to know that they are sinners and must repent. He shared how God has cleansed him of his sin and how he wants people to know what it is like to repent and be forgiven. Anna was sweet and compassionate. She shared how she wanted the world to know God's love and forgiveness. She wishes that no one should have to live apart from God.
It is amazing to me as I look on my children I witness the Grace of Christ. It was a prayer from the beginning of their lives that was answered last night. Jerrel and I desire for each of our children to know who Christ is, and not just know it but believe it. The same God that saved me from my sin has now taken hold of my children's lives and saved them from their sin. To think that Christ died on the cross not only for me but for my children gives me a glimpse of the love that God has for us. I love my children more than life itself and to know that they now have assurance of salvation pulls me into deeper fellowship with the One that created them.
The Grace of Christ can be seen on any believer that takes that public stand to affirm his/her faith. My children have all taken that stand and now I have seen the Grace of Christ in each of them. The Lord has been gracious and faithful to Jerrel and me. We are privileged to serve a God that loves our children more than we do and who has given them the opportunity to accept the gift of salvation through Jesus Christ.
We now continue to pray that our children will grow in the grace and knowledge of Christ Jesus.

1st Day of School

It's that time of the year again. The first day of school. As a teacher that means watching all those wide-eyed 7th graders walking through my classroom door with a great fear of what I might do or say to them. However, all that fear dissipates as soon as I trip over the extension cord that is plugged into my over head projector. In my small trip I send pencils flying across the room and hope that none of those newly sharpened pencils will strike one of my new students in the eye. Thankfully no one is injured, including me. I was just so thankful that I didn't hit the floor, which has happened on more than one occasion. There is nothing like a teacher being a klutz to clear away the first day jitters.
I am so thankful that I have the opportunity to teach and even more thankful that I am able to teach about God's Word and who God is. I wake up each morning eager to go to work. Not many people can say that. Those new students sitting in my class this morning teach me more about life than I can teach them at times. I love the eagerness of their questions and their curiosity about life. I love that I can impact them for Christ.
I think I am ready for tomorrow. I have made a promise to myself to be sure that all extension cords are out of the way as I walk across the room. I am ready to get into the students lives and learn who they are, how they think and what it is that motivates them. Tomorrow will be day 2 and I can't wait!

Sunblock....it's important

I have been told since I was a little girl that I needed to put sunblock on. "You are fair-skinned" they would say. Usually it was my mom, but other times it was friends. So why sunblock...well it's important. I learned that this past week. Friday I took my girls from school to the beach. On the way there I ever so gently reminded my husband that when we got there I needed to put sunblock on my back. Did I remember? NOPE! Did he remind me? NOPE So now I have zebra stripes across my back. Only mine aren't black and white they are red and white. I guess it's more like a candy cane stripes across my back than zebra stripes.
All that being said you would think that as I lay in bed on Saturday feeling the pain of my candy cane back I would remind myself once again that sunblock is important. OK...now on to Sunday. It was my turn to take the kids for our Grace Group. We went to the pool for 2 hours. It was a blast and I made sure that when I put a suit on it was different than the one I had worn on Friday to the beach, and that it covered candy cane striped sunburned back. All was good until later that evening when I realized that I had put sunblock on my face, but in my haste to be sure the children were slathered in sunblock I forgot the rest of my body. Well, needless to say the front of me now looks like the back of me, except there are no stripes, it's just all red.
SUNBLOCK....IT'S IMPORTANT!

Vacations

I can remember being a little girl and having such a hard time waiting for vacation. It was something we did every summer and it really didn't matter where we were going. What mattered was that we had mom and dad's undivided attention for at least a week, without any of the interruptions of the world. I wonder if it's the same for my kids. Do they see it as time away from the world to enjoy one another's company or is it a minor blip in their small worlds? I still look forward to vacations because I can unhook and not worry about the rest of the world that is spinning out of control around me. This past week was no exception. We enjoyed a entire week in the beauty of Lake Tahoe. It was an incredible reminder of who God is and the blessings that He has given this family.
I watched as the eyebrows of my busy husband were no longer furrowed and the weight of work and school was relieved from his shoulders. I watched my kids imaginations work together as they created a fort in the hills behind our condo. I saw Jesse laughing and enjoying his brother and sister in a way that he hadn't in awhile. I viewed the excitement of Josiah has he panned the river and lake for fools gold. I watched Anna sit on her daddy's lap and make funny faces. God is good. I think He created these times to help us to refocus and rekindle our time with each other and with Him.
You cannot spend time in the mountains and view the scenery we did without seeing the Glory of God. I could not look at my family this week without thinking of all the incredible things that the Lord has done for us. He has provided in ways that we never thought imaginable.
So I guess I do see vacations a bit different now....I see them in the eyes of a mom and child of the great Creator. I still look forward to them but I think my focus is now more on our Great God and my family instead of what I can get out of it. I highly recommend that each of you take a vacation...even it it's for a day!

Forgiven

So many times I have heard "I know God forgives me, why can't I forgive myself?" It's a question that I have asked myself a time or two. I don't claim to know the answer, but I do know that because of sin and doubt the question continues to plague people. So how do we accurately deal with the answer to that question. I really think it ultimately comes down to trust. Why trust? Because without it we don't really believe that God has forgiven us and if we don't really believe that God has forgiven us, then how can we forgive ourselves. I John states that "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgives us of our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." Our trust has got to be in the work that Christ did on the cross for us. When we don't forgive ourselves we are telling God that His work on the cross wasn't good enough. We have to take the step of faith that requires us to trust that the saving work of Christ on the cross covers all sin. We take the step to confess our sin and then receive the forgiveness that Christ has for us. We are not greater than God, so who are we to say we can't forgive ourselves. My sin grieves God so much more than it does me so who am I to not allow that forgiveness to happen. TRUST!! That is what it is about. Trust in Christ and His work on the cross. Trust that Christ has taken on that sin so that I may be forgiven. Trust that God will love me despite my shortcomings. Trust that God has a perfect plan for this imperfect person. TRUST!
I still can't answer that question but I know that I am forgiven. I am cleansed of all unrighteousness. My sins are forgiven as far as the east is from the west. I can believe that if God can forgive me than I can forgive myself.