wordful wednesday...the popsicle wibble

Today is wordful wednesday!  How fun is that!  (I never could keep my wordless wednesdays wordless anyways!)  So I'm linking up with Seven Clown Circus today for some wordy fun.  You can find wordless wednesdays here at 5 Minutes For Mom too!

you can't have summer 

without popsicles

and you can't have popsicles 

without 

dribbles

nibble nibble

dribble dribble

here's the popsicle wibble...

Teaching Our Children To Love God

"Didn’t the Lord make you one with your wife? In body and spirit you are his.  And what does he want? Godly children from your union."  Malachi 2:15

I read this verse recently and it just jumped out at me.  What does God want from my marriage? 

Godly children. 

That is the one thing he desires from us!  Children that love him!  Everything else that he instructs us concerning marriage is really all for this one purpose!  And how do we do that?  How do we raise children that love God?  Jesus told us the single most important commandment was to love the Lord our God with all our heart, all our soul, and all our mind (Matthew 22: 37).  When we live our lives in love with God it will be evident in all we do.

Do you remember what you looked like when you first fell in love?  Everyone could tell!  There was a lightness about you, a joy that just couldn't be contained, an infectious care-free spirit.  Is this what our children see in us towards our God?

 I pray they do!

And when we love the Lord our God we will love His Word, his Love Letter to us.  I've been sporadic about our family Bible time.  I've not been completely consistent.  But I've seen that when I'm excited about teaching my Lil Man lessons from the bible, when I'm excited about teaching him about God's love, he is too!  It's so amazing to see his little heart respond to the instructions of our Father.

God desires His Word to be a natural part of our day.  To be intertwined with everything we do as a family.

"Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up." Deuteronomy 11: 18-19

Sharing the word of God with our children can be that simple.  As simple as incorporating Bible lessons during play time, while cooking with our kids, while taking walks together.  It doesn't have to be "formal", in fact it should be as natural as breathing.

I've found a great Bible study book for younger children (ages 3-8) and we have really enjoyed it.  It's called WWJD for Kidz.  It has thoughtful questions, fun learning songs and rhymes, activities and bible memory verses.  It has been a wonderful find for this sometimes scatterbrained mamma!

Even though I do want to make sure we study the Bible everyday together, teaching my children to love God should never look like endless rules and empty rituals.  It should look like love.  Light, Joyful, and Easy.

Not Me Monday--Bummin' around

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama. You can head over to her blog to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week.

Remember:  This did not happen.  Please read at your own risk.

I did not walk into Boss Man's room only to find him saying "Uh-Oh" in his crib, his diaper thrown on the floor and poo everywhere!  

Nope.  That didn't happen.

It was only a bad dream.  A very smelly bad dream.  

And this did not happen once before.  Certainly not.

I do not make it a habit of finding empty diapers with no baby bums in them.  And I certainly don't think those little baby bummies are just adorable.

You would never find me taking gazillions of pictures of those un-ador

able little bums.  

Umm...of course not...

And I would never show you my favorite one...

Nope.  Not me!

under the kissing tree...

Lauren at Walking By Faith featured this "kissing tree" yesterday and I just fell in love with it.  You can find it here and they personalize it for you.  For some of you it may seem frivolous, for others not at all, but this little tree rekindled something in me that I am always passionate about keeping alive...

Don't you remember those lazy days in love when you would doodle your name (with his last name) all over everything you owned, daydreaming for hours about being his missus?  You couldn't find a single thing wrong with your knight in shining armor, he was your hero.  And if you did find a chink in his armor, you certainly didn't dwell on it!  No, you were much too busy being blissfully in love to worry over such trivial things.  You would much rather stroll hand in his hand, butterflies dancing in your stomach, stealing shy glances at the man you pledged your wholehearted devotion to.

Do you remember that man that swept you off your feet?  The man you fell in love with?  Or do you think he's changed?  Maybe it's you that has changed.  Maybe it's both.  But let me whisper this small truth:  that man and that woman are still alive.  Yes, they may have changed, but not so much that they do not still exist--somewhere deep inside.  

Could it be that your knight seemed so valiant because he saw himself through your adoring eyes and was made braver for it?

Could it be that your knight seemed so caring because you abounded in forgiveness towards him?

Yes.  It could be.  And a knight becomes a hero when he knows he has won the heart of his lady.  It is never too late.  There is a battle that rages for your marriage.  Your love will be tested, it will be tried, but happy is the couple that fights to keep their love alive!

I want to be that blushing bride who meets her man under the kissing tree today and everyday...

How about you?

Summer Cleaning Frenzy Here I Come!

Just in case you're giving yourself a headache trying to read the tiny print on the bottom of this picture, here's what it says:

"Because everything in her home is waterproof, the housewife of 2000 can do her daily cleaning with a hose"

Really?  I think I'll have to try that...

Just the other day I was thinking (in my usual procrastinating fashion) that it's about time to start spring cleaning.  I know, never mind that it is now June.  Never mind.  Momstheword is just the person I need in my life right now, because she is hosting a Summer Cleaning Frenzy Challenge and she's been kind enough to twist my arm inspire me to jump in! LoL!  The rules are to choose one room at a time to target.  Okay.  I think I can do that.

My focus room:  The Master Bedroom

Here's what I'll be doing:

• Fold all the clothes and put them away  (who knows?  maybe I'll find my missing pair of shoes??)
• Vacuum under the bed (yes, I'll be going where no man has gone before!)
• Dust
• Organize my dresser
• Organize my desk  (if I can find it)
• Organize my sewing area
• Finish painting my wall  (I started a year and a half ago...)
• Make it pretty  (just because)

There it is.  I am now accountable.  And the best part about accountability?  It equals motivation!

I'm excited folks!  I can't wait to see my floor again!

And just in case your home isn't waterproof either, you can join us!

Friday Photo Flashback...and my shrinking brain

Wow, it's Friday already?!

You know if it weren't for this little blog I really wouldn't have a clue what day of the week it was!  Or where my keys were, or my phone charger....oh wait, I still don't know where those are! 

Really though, I learned an interesting fact the other day.  My very kind neighbor came over to reclaim some papers I had borrowed from her and the worst thing happened...I couldn't find the papers!  I was running around scratching my head and mumbling, "I just saw them right here, now where could they be...?"  I'm sure I made quite a scene.  Of course being the gracious person she is, she attempted to make me feel better by mentioning she recently heard that a pregnant woman's brain actually shrinks 8% during pregnancy!  I am not pregnant by the way, but just wait, it gets better!  This is what she goes on to say,  "You know, I wonder if that number doubles when you have twins."  

Oh, my dear Lynelle.  I am sure it does.  Yes.  Quite sure.  (smiling from ear to ear)

And now it is...

Time to link up to my friend Alicia @ More Than Words for some good old Friday Photo Flashback fun.

I know this picture is not very old  (it was taken about a year and a half ago), but it is just so precious.  And I promise I didn't cheat--I still had to scan it!  My lovely neighbor (yes, the same one) gave it to me the other day.  It's a picture of her daughter and my Lil Man.  They are absolutely the best of friends.  Lil Man must have been two at the time...

It is just. adorable...

Thankful Thursday--Even In This

I'm glad today is Thankful Thursday.  Relieved almost.

I'm linking up with Laurie at Women Taking a Stand and I am going to be thankful today so help me God.  ^_^

I planned on posting this earlier today, but God had other plans!  He had some things to teach me about thankfulness this morning and they weren't easy lessons to learn!

If only you could have seen my home in the early hours of the morning...well, wait....I'm not sure if I would've wanted you to see it!  

Lil Sweetness had pulled off her diaper and was laying in the middle of the rug.  Lil Man was building a "fort" around her with every pillow, cushion, and blanket I've ever owned and accidentally stepped on her fingers.  While I rushed to soothe her wails, my future mountain climber, Boss Man, was scaling the dining room table and fell on his head!  I frantically checked him for serious injury while a half-soothed and now angrily screaming Sweetness trailed me.  Boss Man had managed to fling a bowl of milk and cheerios across the dining room floor and of course little feet and hands couldn't resist playing in it while I watched helplessly, trying to console my mountain man.  That was when my neighbor popped in to walk Lil Man across the street for Vacation Bible School.  Bless her heart, she didn't say a word, just helped mop up cheerios and waited patiently for me to dress my still naked three year old.  What a wonderful neighbor!

My hold on sanity was a thin one this morning and I certainly wasn't feeling very thankful for the way the day was beginning.  I tried to start thanking God for all the million little things I had to be thankful for and even the huge answers to prayers that He had been giving...but I was easily distracted by the confusion around me.  Somehow though, in the midst of the chaos, I finally heard him speak...

"Be thankful even in this..."

The verse came to mind, "Be joyful always.  Pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."  (I Thess. 5:18)

God wants me to be thankful in all circumstances.  Even in this.

I thank my God that even in this... he is giving me an opportunity to grow!

Even in this...he is teaching me to abound in patience, in the fruits of the spirit.

Even in this...God is helping me become more like him.

Even in this...I am learning to rely on the Holy Spirit.  To lean on him.  To follow his example.

Even in this...I can be thankful because God loves me enough to never leave me where I am.

Even in this...I am more than a conqueror through him who loves me!  (Romans 8:37)

When I view my day in such a way, somehow the struggles seem easier, more purposeful.  God is doing a work within me through every circumstance!

And for that I am thankful!

**For more Thankful Thursday posts visit Laurie here.

Three little wee ones...

I had this crazy idea the other day to take a picture of all three of my babies.  Together.  At one time.  And without my fast camera, no less.  I know, it's unheard of.  But wouldn't it be so sweet?  So I tried it...

Three little wee ones sitting on a chair

One fell off...

and one tried to disappear

Mommy called on Daddy and this is what he said,

"Quick!  Take the picture!  Before someone ducks their head!"

Ode to The Refrigerator...and some Loveliness

Ode to The Refrigerator

There it sat, looking so forlorn

It had ceased to be cool,

Became lukewarm

It spoiled all the dairy

Made roast beef

Smell like rotten rosemary

The popsicles were runny

The ice cream dripping

Not so funny!

And new groceries

We lost em

Couldn't take a chance

And so we tossed em

And that's why I care

That my fridge ceased

To cool it's air!

Just thought I'd share what we've been doing the last couple days.  ^_^

Really, I'm a little put out that our baby of a fridge (only six years old) decided to make an early grave of itself.  And now it's sitting on our front porch.  Isn't that just dandy?

Anyway, I have some catching up to do in the wide, wide world of the blogosphere.

Lynette at one of my favorite blogs, Dancing Barefoot on Weathered Ground, featured me the other day  (okay, so I'm just a little late!)  on her Getting to Know You meme.

If you haven't seen her blog yet, you need to go take a little look-see.  You'll love her.  I promise.  Her story will bless you.  She will make you laugh, cry, and leave a better person.  And doesn't her adorable button just make you wanna throw off your shoes and do a little jig?

AND...  

Another beautiful blogging friend, Carrie at Martin Manor Happenings, has given me this lov-e-ly blog award.  

Thank you, Carrie!  What a sweet gift.  Carrie's blog is a little ray of sunshine.  She takes the most beautiful pictures of her gorgeous family and it's fun to watch her "discover" her talent for photography!  You really should peep in.

The rules are to list 15 lovely blogs that I have "newly discovered".  Ohhhh, I have such hard time obeying the rules because I really do believe every blog is lovely.  I really and honestly do!  Everyone has something that is just so uniquely lovely about them that God gave only them.  So, in my signature "bending the rules a little" fashion, I want all my followers to grab this button because YOU are LOVELY!

Ok, now I'm feeling a bit guilty for not following the rules.  So I'm going to go ahead and list some newly discovered loveliness.

And the lovelies are:

Sarah Dawn @ Splashin' Glory

Jennifer @ Gettin' Down With Jesus

Martha @ Fly Away Birdie

Jenilee @ Awake

Hope @ My Hope is In the Lord

So, to end this extremely random and somewhat lengthy post I will leave you with an exclamation mark.  Because that's just what I do.  I exclaim.  Very enthusiastically and a little too often.... (( ! ))

Making your Home sing Monday--In Love with God

Come join me for some good ole' Making Your Home Sing Monday fun over at Momstheword!

Today, more than anything, I want to make my home sing by making my heart sing for the love of my life.  I just want to love my God with everything I am.  I get so preoccupied with other "things" so easily and my heart needs to fall in love all over again with the God that is always sweeping me off my feet.

This photo of My Sweetness is one of my favorites.  The sun is forming a halo around her head and she's staring in joyful captivation at the rays of light streaming through her fingertips.  Such a common thing, the light of the sun.  But not through the eyes of a little child who is mesmerized by new discoveries.

I want my relationship with God to look like that photograph.

I want to be captivated by his Glory.  I don't ever want my God's greatness, his faithfulness, his everlasting kindness to become something I take for granted.

I want to explore the secrets of God.  To know the depths of his love and the breadth of his grace.  To hear his heartbeat, feel his sorrow, be caught up in his joy.  Like a little child pausing in wonder to behold the sun lacing through her fingers, I want to notice those everyday miracles God graces my life with.  I want to delight in the warmth of his rays, to continually be in awe of the brilliancy of his face.  

Tell me your secrets, God.  Come bend low and whisper in my ear.  

And we'll watch the sun dance together.

And we'll make this home sing.

MY I AM

This is a picture I took of my dearest friend/neighbor holding a globe.  Really?  You didn't know that was a globe?!  Let's just say I'm talented at stating the obvious.  Anyway, the story behind it is that she is soon leaving for Australia to work in a YWAM birthing center for a year.  One whole year of missing my dear Orissa...sigh.  How exciting it will be to hear her God-stories, though!    How awesome it will be to pray for her as she brings life in more ways than one into this aching world!

Along those lines, my sister-in-law is also leaving in a week for the mission field.  She will be attending a missions school in India for six weeks.  I can't wait to hear about what God is doing in India as well!  Both of them are setting up a blog and I know I'll be on them every day.

I can't wait to hear exciting news from the mission field, but do you want to know the real truth?  The real truth is that I want to be the one going.  I have always desired to be a foreign missionary.  When I was five years old my favorite story was about a missionary named Amy Carmichael.  I admire that woman so greatly.  I always wanted to follow that calling.  I just knew I was supposed to be a missionary.

I do know that where I live is a huge, hurting mission field in itself and I am called to be a missionary wherever I am,  but at the same time I just can't explain away my passion for the nations.  Sometimes the longing to be on a foreign field becomes so great I start becoming discontent with where I am.  My conversations with God begin to sound like this, 

"God, why are we still here?  When are you going to give us clear direction on where to go?  You know we aren't going to take this step without you.  We're just waiting on you, God."

And then his response,

"And I'm just waiting for you to be content with where you are."

Oh boy.  I was afraid he'd say that.  Being content is not very easy for me.  I can be joyful, but to be content?  That would mean I would have to stop striving and wishing and wanting and longing for what I don't have and even for what I'm not.  

"Okay, God, what are you saying to me?  I'm listening."

"What you do for me doesn't define who you are, I define who you are."

"Oh, wow. Thank you for helping me understand this, Lord.  Help me remember it."

I'm always desperately wanting to DO something for God and somehow that DOING begins to DEFINE me.  Don't get me wrong, doing good works is important, faith without works is dead.  But it's when we begin to define ourselves by what we are doing FOR God, instead of what HE has already done and WHO HE IS within us that we begin to lose sight of the simple message of Christ.

I'm studying what Paul wrote here:

"I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength."  Philippians 4: 12-13

So what's the secret to being content?  It is the knowledge that I can do everything through him.  Only through Jesus.  It is IN him that I find contentment.  He is my I AM.

**To read more of this conversation I had with God, you can click here.

the EYEs have it...

AHOY there!

Thank ye all SO kindly fer yer prayers concerning me pirate...uhh...I mean me corneal ulcerative condition!

God is Good, Maties!  God IS GOOD!

Me eye's a healin' quite nicely. ^_*

Yesterday I didn't dare go outside because the light was excruciating and I couldn't even see my hand in front of my face!  But this morning felt promising.  I ventured outside for my doctor's appointment, looking very silly I might add, but definitely improved from yesterday!  I had to wear my sunglasses over my glasses and my the sunglasses are just a bit small for that to work as nicely as one would want so they stuck out 3 inches from my face in an uneven slant!

I still think an eyepatch would have been so much more fashionable.

But the good ole doc didn't agree.  And he knows best.  Yes sir.  No arguments from this patient.

**Thank you, dear friends, for all your prayers and your adorable comments!

And THANK YOU, my Jesus, for answering them all with your healing touch!

Friday Photo Flashback....1947

Today is...

I'm linking up with Alicia @ More Than Words for Friday Photo Flashback.  Go check out her blog to see some more fun photos!

I'm going way, wayyyy back on this one...

1947

I love this picture of my Grandpa sweeping my Grandma off her feet.  And that car.  Oh Gramps, that was one sweet ride!

My Grandparent's were married for 63 years.  Yep.  That's right.  Sixty-three blissfully wedded years!  Their marriage has always been an inspiration to me.

Someone once said that if you want a great marriage than you should ask advice from a couple who has one.  My Grandparent's had a great marriage.  And I want a track record like theirs!  Throughout my life, I have observed some of the things that made their marriage rock solid.

1}  They shared a love for Jesus.

2}  They prayed together every night.

 I remember laying awake and listening to my Grandparents help each other kneel beside the bed and their voices lifting each of us up in prayer.

It was the most beautiful sound in the world.  They even prayed as one.

3}  They respected each other in their words and in their actions.

My Grandma lovingly met all my Grandpa's needs.  She enjoyed taking care of him!  She didn't nag, she didn't boss, she served him in love.   And he always bragged about the beautiful gal he was lucky enough to find and marry.  He LOVED to talk about my Grandma!

4}  They knew how to laugh.

"A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger."  Proverbs 15:1

5}  For them, the honeymoon was never over!

They kept that flame lit and they guarded it possessively! 

1977

because we're friends...please pray

Oh dear, I feel like a pirate.

All I need is that infamous eye patch.

And it seems I may get my wish!

My eye is throbbing and swollen shut and my doctor has declared that I have a  corneal ulcer.

Yikes!  A what!?

At first I thought he said a coronary ulcer.  Umm, am I ever glad I heard that wrong!

Although they can be serious, I'm thankful it's  not my heart.  ^_^

I tried to joke with him about that and he gave me a stern look and said, "You don't want to lose your eye, do you?  This is a potentially blinding condition."

Umm, no sir, I do not.

Yes sir, I will be a good girl and squirt a drop of vigomax (a very expensive drop I might add) in my peep every fifteen minutes.

And I will pray.  A lot.

And I will ask dear friends to pray, too.

Healing in Jesus' Name!

What? Worry Wart? Where?

Worry is kind of like an old smelly wet sponge.

I don't know where I came up with that.

I just think both of them stink.

And you just gotta toss 'em.

But I've been holding onto mine today.

A little too long.

I'm ready to let it go

and

just 

trust.

Faith is like a little child.

It is free of every care.

It throws it's arms in the air

And leaps and twirls with abandon

like Lil Man...

right into the waiting arms of our Father.

Because faith knows he hears our prayers.

And he answers every one.

*****

I opened my Bible for the third time today, desperately needing my Jesus to speak to me.  This verse leapt out at me,

"As pressure and stress bear down on me, I find joy in your commands."  Psalm 119:143

And what is the Lord's command concerning worry? It is this:

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."  Philippians 4: 5-7

Thank you, my dear Jesus, thank you.

dandelion toes and a few of my favorite things...

I will always have the best of memories of my Grandparent's house. 

I spent many a summer helping them pick vegetables from their little valley garden.  Snapping beans and shelling peas with my Grandpa to the tune of the backyard swing.  Shucking enough corn to feed half the town of Locust Grove.  (And feed the town they always did!)  I remember my Grandma trying to teach me how to can the cucumbers, okra, green beans, and tomatoes.  It was hot, sweaty work bending over steaming pots and scalding jars.  I wasn't the greatest student, I might add, and now I'm bemoaning my silliness.  Mmmm, what I wouldn't give now to learn the secret to my Grandmas famous dill pickles.  She canned her very last jar a year ago and it's in my fridge, making me drool.

I wanted to cherish every memory.

Laying in the cool clover, picking dandelions and whirling them between my toes, listening to the shrill serenade of a million locusts in the formosa trees.

I felt like a little girl all over again.  And some things never change.  My favorite things haven't.

I will always love the worn blue leather of my Grandpa's favorite Bible.

My Grandma's vintage linens with delicate roses  (which it seems my little girl loves, too!)

My Grandma's pearls and her beef brisket.

The fabric in the quilt my Great Grandmother Dovey Palestine Mckenzie made my Grandfather in 1929.

The irises my Grandpa planted along the blackberry fence.

Cool crisp cucumber pickles and the best tomato juice this side of heaven.

I always wondered what God's favorite color was.  I even asked him one time, but I guess he thought it was more than obvious.  It's a toss up, I suppose.  The colors he used the most to paint our world are the blue of the sky and the green of the grass.  I'm glad he chose the colors he did...

because they're my favorite.

And they're the color of my favorite memories. 

Home Sweet Home

There's no place like home sweet home.

And all three of my munchkins agree!

Me and the kids spent the last week at my Grandparents for my Grandpa's funeral.  It was a l-o-n-g 10 whole hours of a trip.  My honey of a husband drove us all the way there and then hopped a plane back.  It was good to see family.  My dad hadn't seen my kids for almost a year, so I'm just grateful that we all got to be together.

My Grandpa's funeral was everything he would have wanted it to be.  It was simple and so beautiful.  His favorite songs were played and I balled like a baby through the slide show.  His funeral glorified his Jesus, just as his life did.  He had always wanted me to sing "Beulah Land" for his funeral, but I really couldn't keep it together enough to sing.  I read him my letter instead and I asked the one thing I knew my Grandpa would have wanted to ask...

"Do you know where you will go when you die?"

Because you can know.  My Grandpa did.  He breathed his last breath while the song "The Hills of Heaven are Calling Me" played on his recorder.  He went home to be with his closest Friend, his beloved King.  Jesus was his everything. 

There is a small bible tucked in the console of my Grandpa's car.  One of the pages is folded in, and this one verse is outlined with his pen,

"...if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved."  Romans 10: 9

Jesus promises heaven to all who confess with their mouth that he is Lord and believe in him--the Son of God.

As I was writing this, I felt the Holy Spirit whisper to me, 

"What are you confessing with your mouth today?

Are you confessing "Jesus is Lord" over your children?

Are you confessing "Jesus is Lord" over your marriage?

Are you confessing "Jesus is Lord" over your everyday doings?"

Oh, Jesus, help me to proclaim you as Lord over every area of my life!  Thank you for giving me the promise of heaven.  Thank you for giving us all the certainty that

We can know where our eternal home will be.

And there's no place like home sweet home...

On Exemplify...

Have you heard of the online magazine, Exemplify?  

If you haven't, you need to go check it out because it will refresh your spirit!  I really love this magazine.  It's just overflowing with the Word of God.  I've been so blessed by the devotions and the Bible studies, the testimonies and the true stories...

And...

My blog is being featured there today!

That is just pure kindness.

Visit HERE and be blessed!

My Grandpa: A Man After God's Own Heart

*** This morning, my Grandfather Herb passed away.  I can't tell you how conflicting my emotions are right now... I am overwhelmed with loss and at the same time I am overjoyed that he is with his Saviour.  My Grandfather's life was so rich, so full, so abundant in Christ Jesus, that our family cannot help but grieve that he has left us.  We will miss his quiet strength and his unfaltering devotion to his Lord.  His was a life of servanthood.***

"His master replied, 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!"  Matthew 24:21

My Dearest Grandpa,

My heart aches that I could not be by your side when you breathed your last breath.  I know that all of heaven was in that room.  My heart aches that I could not whisper my love to you and hold your strong hand.  I hope you heard my voice on the phone, I hope you felt my love through the Holy Spirit.  I hope you know how much your life has been a beacon for mine.

Grandpa, when I think of what a true man of God looks like, I think of you.  Always.  My earliest memories of you (and almost all of my memories!) involve the Word of God.  You would sit in your chair for hours and just read and meditate on your precious Bible.  Your face would light up and you would call us to your knee to tell us of the truths you were reading in God's Word.  Your soft eyes would take on an earnest light and you would ask us, "Joye, Jody, do you know if you're going to heaven?  Do you know that Jesus is the only way?  You can know right now...I would love to pray for you."  You were so kind, so compassionate, so full of the love of Jesus.  I never remember hearing you speak a harsh word!  You always maintained a quiet strength, a peaceful spirit!  That is a testimony in and of itself.

And the joy of the Lord, oh my dear Grandpa, you had it!  No matter how much pain you were in, you always had a sense of humor that could force even the Grinch to crack a smile.  You were always playing practical jokes on us and we loved it!  You had a passion for life that was wrapped up in the Gospel of Christ.  You never tired of sharing Jesus in EVERYTHING you did.

I cannot think of a single hobby that you had.  The thing you loved the most to do was read the Living Word of God!  I wish I could tell you what an impact that has made on my life.  I wish I could tell you how much I desire to follow in your footsteps, to forsake everything for the cross of Jesus!  You never sought after money or possessions.  Your life was lived solely for the Kingdom and I saw how God provided for you so faithfully!!  You lacked no good thing!  

I know that you are rejoicing in the presence of your Saviour--oh how you have longed for this day!  I can almost see the radiant joy on your face, I can almost hear the words of our Master and King saying to you as he pulls you into his embrace, "Well done, my good and faithful servant.  Well done!"

All my Love and all my gratitude for calling you 'Grandpa',

your granddaughter

***I will be attending my Grandpa's funeral this week, so I won't be blogging.  My love and prayers go out to all of you, though, and I look forward to catching up with you next week!***

Learning to Love...

Don't you like my shoes?  Ok, so this post is not all about loving shoes!  But I just had to add them because they turned out so lovely...^_^

I am learning to be more graceful...towards myself.

Maybe it's because I'm a first-born,  or maybe it's because I'm a (teensy) bit of  a perfectionist, but I have always been very hard on myself.  I get so impatient with my constant shortcomings,  my glaring flaws, my failures and my guffaws.   The hardest verse in the Bible for me to apply to my life (and it happens to be a commandment) has been "Love your neighbor as yourself."  (Matthew 22: 39).  Loving others the way God wants me to requires me to love myself the way he wants me to.  I can't give grace and mercy to others if I can't give it to myself.

God began showing me this several years ago when My Honey and I first got married.  It was difficult for me to receive his love because I was so critical of myself and couldn't understand how anyone could look beyond my faults and love me.  At the same time, while I thought I was loving him, I was being critical and judgmental of him as well.  I was holding him to the same impossibly high standards that I have always held myself to.  Of course, nothing is wrong with having high standards, but high standards without grace becomes burdensome. 

I remember the night God began to speak to me about loving myself.  I was having such a hard time understanding how in the world to do that without becoming prideful because I knew that God detests pride.  The whole term "loving myself" just didn't sound right to me.  I was desperate for a revelation.  And then God spoke to me.  He led me to the love chapter, 1 Corinthians 13...

"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres." (vs. 4-7)

He began to show me that the very definition of love is that "it does not boast, it is not proud!"  If I learn to truly love myself the way the Bible describes love, then it is not prideful at all.  Of course, we must always guard ourselves against the sin of pride because it can creep up on us when we least expect it, but loving ourselves the way God intended us to will help us learn to say no to pride and pity alike.

God then instructed me to do something that has been changing me from the inside out ever since.  He had me re-write 1 Corinthians 13: 4-7 as a letter describing what loving myself would look like:

"I am patient with myself.  I treat myself kindly.  I do not envy, I do not boast.  I am not proud.  I am not rude or self-seeking, I am not easily angered by my faults and I keep no record of my wrongs.  I do not delight in evil, but I rejoice with the truth.  I always protect, always trust, always hope (that I'll walk closer with my Jesus), always persevere."

That wasn't the end.  After I let the truth of love begin to settle deep in my soul, God showed me that I could now love others as myself.

Again, I re-wrote the Love Chapter to read for others:

"I am patient with other's shortcoming's.  I am kind to others.  I do not envy others, I do not boast to them.  I am not proud.  I am not rude or self-seeking, others do not easily anger me and I keep no record of the wrongs they commit against me and my family.  I do not delight in evil, but I rejoice with them in the truth.  I always protect others, always trust, always hope, always persevere in my love for them."

Thank you, my Jesus,

for considering me worth dying for and worth living for.  Thank you for teaching me how to love like you do.  Help me to walk in your love every day of my life.