Father’s Day

Happy Father’s Day to all you dads out there. The older you get the more these holidays change. When we were younger Mother’s Day and Father’s Day were about our parents and making sure we gave them small trinkets of appreciation.

Then as we grew older and had children of our own, the focus shifted to us and our children, never forgetting about our parents though. And as we have aged and parents have passed away, we found these holidays a little less meaningful because our children grew up and moved away. Mother’s Day and Father’s Day just really became a time to connect with children, some we don’t hear from on a regular basis.

But then it changes even more when your children begin to have children. Now Mother’s Day and Father’s Day take on a new perspective because you are focusing on your children and their children. The perspective becomes one of more wisdom watching them make their way through parenting. Enjoying their triumphs and suffering through their missteps and mishaps. It all becomes more about trusting them to do their best.

As I think back to my parenting years, I realize that I did not know anything about raising children and pretty much muddled my way through their formative years. Bob and I tried to do our best and if our children are the fruit of our parenting skills then I guess we did OK. There are so many things I know now that I did not understand then that might have made life just a little easier. But I guess the best thing that I gave our children in those years was my time. I always tried to make time for them. I really enjoyed being around them, even when they were a bit on the challenging side.

So on this Father’s Day my advice to  parents everywhere is to make sure that you take time to spend with your children. They are only young for a short time and the memories you make in that short time will impact them for their whole lives. Make those moments count for encouragement and blessings. Don’t let the challenges with your children get in the way of loving them.

God our Heavenly Father doesn’t let our challenges get in the way of His eternal love for us.

Psalm 103:13 (NIV)

¹³ As a father has compassion on his children,
    so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him;

Have a happy Father’s Day. Enjoy your week and I will be back next week with more.

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Abortion Who is The Victim?

I have been saddened this week by the State of New York passing a bill legalizing abortion all the way up to birth. The darkness of this decision is incomprehensible.

In Exodus chapter 1:15-2:10 is the story of the brave midwives who disobeyed Pharaoh and did not kill the baby boys of the Hebrews who paved the way for the birth of Moses. Pharaoh wanted the Israelite nation to decrease because he saw them as a threat. The state of New York has a whole different reason for murdering children- women’s rights.

The birth of a child should be a happy time of new life. And I am sure if you ask anyone who has lost a child around the time of birth they would explain the trauma they felt. Their trauma was because they were not thinking of just themselves but of this new life they were a part of creating. They were celebrating life.

Someone getting an abortion is usually overwhelmed by some circumstances and not thinking about the gift of a new life they have been entrusted with. Laws that encourage them to abort a baby to solve their dilemma are contributing to their demise. Women who have had abortions suffer a form of post traumatic stress disorder just like our veterans who have been in a war zone.

An abortion is an event that has no victor only victims. So if the state of New York actually wanted to help women they would work to outlaw abortion and provide services to those victims who have been wrongly served by society by being offered an abortion as a solution rather than helping them make the best of their situation.

It is difficult when you find yourself in a pregnancy before you have the means to take care of a child and/or before you are mentally ready to handle the situation. I know from experience that the season of struggle is worth the results of another person having a chance to live and love and grow up to become someone. I conceived my oldest son when I was young, naive and privately engaged to be married–we were waiting on the purchase of the engagement ring to make it public. I was in college and Bob was working but not earning much. Money was in short supply but our families helped with the essentials–it was a rough start but the little life inside of me made it all worth the tears and struggle to make it work.

Back then they had just come out with an expensive over the counter pregnancy test but I was too embarrassed to go to the pharmacy and try to find one, so I was told by a friend that Planned Parenthood could do a test. Scared and a bit embarrassed I went there and had the test and they gave me the results. I had my guard up because I knew this was the place were abortions happened. When they tried to counsel me I explained that I was getting married and did not need any further help. I never for a moment thought that I could just free myself from my situation by destroying the new life that was in me. And even after around 36 hours of labor, a c-section and nearly a year to get my strength back my little boy was worth the struggle. Now I am happy to say that he will celebrate his 40th birthday this year. He and his wife have said yes to life and have their own family now.

I can’t imagine what life would be like if I had said no to life back in 1979. I know for a fact I would not be the person I am today and I thank God for all the people who educated me on abortion in high school.

Join me in praying for those in our government that they would feel conviction to provide safety for the unborn. Enjoy your week and I will be back next week with more.

 

 

Protecting

Protecting the lives of others can prompt you to undergo expenses. On our property there were some dead trees that we had to have pushed over so they would not drop limbs and harm anyone. We had to hire an excavator to knock them over and then buy a chain saw to cut them up and use our tractor to move them to a pile so that anyone on our property would be safe from harm by the trees.

1 Corinthians 13:4-8

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, 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. Love never fails.

I am amazed by what happens when I take time to write because God always directs me. In my last blog I posted 4 questions to ask myself each day to evaluate each day. I have found this very helpful. This week I would like to consider the first question.

◦ Did I protect those around me from unnecessary words and actions that would harm them rather than drawing them closer to God?

Notice the focus is not on me but on God and other people. If we could all live our lives with that perspective the world would be a better place and God would be glorified in our lives.

Protecting includes removing obstacles from our children so they grow up to be adults who know right from wrong and act accordingly. For example you would not want your child to play under a dead tree that is losing it branches because they could be harmed or lose their lives. In order to protect the child you will remove the dead tree because they do not truly understand the gravity of the situation. Grasping the level of understanding that a person has on life and precarious situations and removing dangerous obstacles from their paths is part of the protection a parent gives a child. Giving a child the word of God is a way to begin to help them understand what is important in life.

Protecting can also be sharing what you know that would help those around you even if they reject what you just say. Sometimes people will not understand the wisdom of God that you share with them, but that does not mean that you should not share it. Jeremiah was a prophet who was given many words that were not accepted by his audience and people were not nice to him, but he kept on sharing because he knew that is what God wanted him to do. Love is patient and kind, even in adversity. Patience and kindness protect those around us.

My main focus when I think about this question has been have I thrown out the thoughts that are not loving so that my words and actions were not harmful to anyone? At times my thoughts are like a dead tree that has to be cut down in order to avoid dead limbs from falling and hurting or killing someone. It takes the right equipment and some time to cut down the tree and clean up the mess it made. The equipment we need to cut out the dead thoughts is of course the Word of God applied to our minds daily to infuse life and love into our hearts.

2 Corinthians 10:5

We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ

The older I get the more I have come to understand that life is not about me and what I want. It is about God and why He has been gracious enough to allow me to live this life. There are still things I want, but over the years I believe they have merged with a bigger picture of God’s Kingdom and what is best for it. I believe that this perspective is the only way to live a successful life on earth before the eternal life with God.

I praise God this week for His word that sustains me and His thoughts that empower me to successfully traverse this life on earth. Enjoy your week and I will be back next week with more.

Thanksgiving 2018

As this year winds down I am reminded about the interesting treks Bob and I have been on. It was one year ago when we seriously began viewing properties for a future home. We got to see many beautiful places and some not so pretty spots. And just as we thought we might never find what we were looking for we found it. Now our weekends are consumed with working on renovations to make a place to stay on the property as we turn the land into our future home. I am very thankful we found it.

This weekend however we had the opportunity to spend time having more fun. I am thankful for spending time with family this thanksgiving. I can’t wait to see everyone for Christmas. Bob and I were blessed this year to celebrate Thanksgiving three different times. Twice with different family members and once with friends. Between good conversations, watching football, putting a puzzle together, playing and of course eating way too much, it has been a real blessing.

Psalm128:1-2 NIV

Blessed are all who fear the Lord, who walk in obedience to him. You will eat the fruit of your labor; blessings and prosperity will be yours.

I pray that all my readers are blessed this year and thankful for all God has done. I know that I am. Enjoy your week and I will be back next week with more.

Gifts from God

I was blessed to be a part of the dedication of my youngest Granddaughter yesterday. Grace is a beautiful baby whom we have been blessed to make a part of our lives. And when I think of her name I can’t help but be drawn its’ meaning.

One of the definitions of Grace is a simple elegance and another is the unmerited favor of God. There is not  a more appropriate name that could be given to a child in this day and age. I feel we all are definitely in need of the unmerited favor of our Lord.

Ephesians 2:8-9 (NIV)

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.

I remember picking out the name for my oldest son. It was a frightening and exciting time for me. I wanted his name to be significant and meaningful. And after much searching Bob and I decided on calling him Matthew. It means gift of God or gift from God. Either way I believe he is a gift. I believe all children are gifts from God and their lives should be respected as such.

Children can be challenging as they go through the years of growing up and into adulthood. But I feel we must always come back to the fact that they are a gift. And we should respect that God entrusted them to our care. Which should lead us to do our best to help our sons and daughters grow into the adults who will give glory to God. 

For me children are the light of hope in my life. They allow us to see the possibilities of a brighter tomorrow and help us to better understand the love of God. Seeing pure love come out of a child can give a glimpse into the love of God.

I challenge you to step back this week and take a long look at the gifts that God has put into your life, whether it is children, grandchildren, nieces or nephews. And as a sign of your thankfulness to God pray blessings over their lives and share the love of God with them.

Enjoy your week and I will be back next week with more.  

 

Fun, Fun, Fun

Wow. It has been a fun filled weekend. I have enjoyed celebrating my birthday with family and seeing my oldest son Matt sing, dance and act in a comedy on stage with a local theater team.

Spending time with family has to be my favorite thing in this world. Being with Matt and his family, Jacquie and her sons (Joel sorry you couldn’t make it) and my sister Marie was great. I got to eat a wonderful meal put together by everyone and a gorgeous cake baked by Heather. Thanks everyone. I was also blessed to hear from my son Chris and his family and catch up on what they are doing. Chris, we wish you and your family could have been there.

I treasure these opportunities because they allow me to see my grandchildren grow up and watch them change and become young men and women. Like any mother we love to hear the stories of how our children are succeeding in their jobs and hobbies and how our grandchildren are growing up and what they are doing.  I am amazed and blessed to have wonderful children and grandchildren.

I am also blessed to have a great sister who is willing to open her house up and let us stay anytime we need or want and is always thinking of anyone who stays with her to make their stay warm and welcome. She is a wonderful cook and baker and willing to experiment to try to create food that everyone remembers but no one knows how to make. Thanks for the coffee cake Marie. That experiment worked well.

I believe life is too short not to enjoy time with family. God loves us as His family and I think we should love our families the way He does. God gave us a family for a reason I pray that everyone reading this blog will take time to reach out and let their family know how much they appreciate them.

Romans 12:10 (NIV)

¹⁰ Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves.

Enjoy your week and I will be back next week with more.

I Rocked Mother’s Day

I am reminded of Charlie Brown at Halloween when all the children were telling what goodies they got in the their bag and Charlie Brown said he got a rock. I got a rock for mother’s day. Now if you know me you know that I collect rocks and so the fact that two of my grandson’s painted a rather large rock and gave it to me is really nice.

It is probably the heaviest present I have ever gotten for Mother’s day and I really like it. I just have to figure out the best place to display this piece of art. My daughter and son in law also gave me the beautiful plant sitting next to the rock. My garden shall be beautiful with these additions.

It is wonderful to have children and grandchildren who are thoughtful and give gifts that are unique and thoughtful. I hope that all of the Mother’s and Grandmothers out there are having a wonderful day today with family.

Enjoy your week and I will be back next week with more.