Blessings

“Moreover, as you walk close to Me, I can bless others through you.” – Sara Young in “Jesus Calling: Enjoying Peace in His Presence

Blessing others should be a main priority in every Christians life… especially a mothers for her family.

The other day my husband Neil was telling me about a situation that one of his colleagues shared about their sibling. This sibling is a single, homeless, drug addict with one child already removed from her custody. This young woman is living in abandoned buildings and not providing any food for this little one year old for days at a time. Neil’s colleague couldn’t watch this happen any longer and convinced her sibling to give the child over to her and her husband. The child is now in a safe, loving home with all the ‘basic’ necessities of life… the ones I take for granted.

I was relating this story to a friend and explaining how I often talk here about the love of a mother… the natural instinct that is placed in each one of us… that innate desire to care for that tiny infant after it’s placed in our arms for the first time…

It’s very difficult for me to understand how this happens and not judge them. I want to be able to bless others that fall into these circumstances though His love. I told Neil that this mother was once a child herself… what happened to her that led her down the path she now calls life? This question haunts me…

Today, lets look at our children with a love that Jesus has for them and be the blessing He wants us to be.

…and that mother, wherever she may be, my hearts prayer is that the Lord will bring someone to bless her life so she will allow Him to pull her out of that miry pit… because only He can.

Until next time,
Jean

Heart Love, Head Love

“…Love coverth a multitude of sins…” Proverbs 10:12b KJV

“I love you mommy….” says little Evan looking at me with his big blue eyes. My heart overflows with a joy words cannot describe, yet every mother reading this fully understands what I’m saying… that full feeling… that “I’d do anything for you” feeling.

Occasionally my little man comes to shower me with these sentimental words and there’s a mischievous look that comes along with it. My usual response to this look is, “What’s wrong Evan?” His head tips this way and that way… he him-ha’s a bit, feet shifting this way and that… then he spills the beans.

He’s so cute. He really doesn’t like to get into trouble and typically avoids it at all costs. He sincerely feels bad for the most part. Then I get another “I love you mommy….” and into my arms he quickly slides and the blue eyes softly close. “It’s OK Evan, I forgive you…” I tenderly reassure his little heart. It’s so easy to love and forgive when we feel loved.

Although that’s not the way it is with our Heavenly Father. He loves and forgives unconditionally as we plead with Him and confess our mistakes to Him. Jesus’ love coverth a multitude of sins… all we need to do is ask.

“Heavenly Father, be with those that are feeling unloved and allow them to feel Your perfect, unfailing love in their lives as they seek your face. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.”

Until next time,
Jean

Through Death Comes Life

“To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: a time to be born, and a time to die;…” Ecclesiastes 3:1, 2a KJV

We find ourselves standing at many crossroads in life needing to make decisions. The situation may simply be what to make for supper or as complex as where to purchase a home…nevertheless, decide we must. The decision will ultimately bring some consequence; joy or sorrow, relief or regret, peace or distress.

There’s a crossroad that we all encounter… always appearing different, yet the same. Jesus stands down the narrow road, while the other is broad and inviting… Which way to go? What calls to our souls?

In the end the most important choice that any of us will ever make is to follow the Lord and live for Him. That choice will bring indescribable joy… it won’t always be easy, but we’ll be able to experience the ‘peace that passeth all understanding’ because of His perfect love for us.

The other day I wrote about the death of my dear friends son… through his death, came the life of one of mine…

Each one of us comes to a point in our lives where we need to make the decision to follow the Lord…or sadly not.

Salvation… freedom… peace

“While my heart is tender Lord…”
Until next time,
Jean

Times Ticking On…

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As I was folding laundry the other day I started thinking about my time… realizing as I’ve gotten older time appears to be moving faster and I am moving slower. It frightens me to a certain degree, yet it makes me want to push harder and focus my time and energy on what matters. When we look at our life and what each day holds… all the schedules and responsibilities we’re faced with, we can begin to feel weighed down. As I pondered this, I realized I don’t like to waste my time on things I know I won’t do well at and things I don’t enjoy. I tend to drift towards my comfort zones and areas of expertise. Although I’m not afraid to try new things I’ve become enamored with, I just wouldn’t bother with things that aren’t important to me… my time is so precious that I must stay focused.

I must concentrate first on my relationship with my Saviour Jesus… then my marriage and raising our children… then on my personal love of gardens and writing. This is where my heart is screaming to be… my mind and soul are fighting a battle as the current of life is flowing downstream and I’m wrestling up stream. I have to stop and go… go with the flow of my life and stop trying to force things into a mold that I don’t fit in…

I want to grow deeper in my Christian walk… become better friends with my husband… play with and get to know my children. I want to write about all these things that I love… I want to be selfish about my time and stop giving where I don’t want to. I want to be who Christ made me to be….

“To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven…” Ecclesiastes 3:1
Until next time,
Jean
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The Expectations Of Faith

“True faith is never found alone; it is always accompanied by expectation. The man who believes the promises of God expects to see them fulfilled. Where there is no expectation there is no faith.”  -Tozer

I’m a coffee drinker… a serious coffee drinker. I wake up in faith expecting to get my coffee brewing.The other morning my coffee maker died- a sad ordeal for me.  All of us wake up with expectations. My little Evan and Aaron expect some snuggle time while the older children expect breakfast. We get up and dressed to start our day expecting to accomplish a slew of projects we’ve jotted down in our day planner. We jump into our vehicle turning the key expecting the motor to turn over and the engine to start purring…and off we go!  Basic ‘life’ stuff here!

There are expectations in relationships- honesty, unconditional love, respect and understanding to name a few. These hold true for our marriages, friendships and with our children. The expectations of parenting are so deeply rooted in faith. ‘Wherein doth thou faith lie?’ you ask. It lies in believing that what we have set out to do in love will reap something positive… we believe in faith that all the efforts we have put into raising these children will not be in vain. This is what motivates us to keep pressing on even when it seems like… like it’s just going nowhere. We have faith that someday they will mature to the point of understanding parents are humans with limitations… we make mistakes… say things we regret… but despite all of this…we love them with every ounce of our being…

 Are my expectations realistic?  Do they fit in with the purpose that the Lord has for my life and my children’s? Do I have the faith in Him to trust that He will care for me and them no matter what the storms of life deal us?

I hardly felt I had anything to add to this quote, yet my heart was flooded with this feeling that I knew it had to be shared here…  May you expect your faith to be fulfilled through your expectations of a faithful Father….

…my faith looks up to Thee,
Until next time,
Jean

   

The Heart Of A Child

“Father and mother are the most precious jewels to children as children are the most precious jewels to father and mother.” Philippine proverb

“I want you to be proud of me…” say’s my little Evan as he is working at zipping up his jacket.  You see he just learned this task that we adults pretty much take for granted.  He was so pleased with himself and wanted so badly for me to be as thrilled… and so came those precious, innocent words. His big blue eyes just shining with excitement… then a bit of frustration because it wasn’t going so well suddenly, and then back to joy when the thing finally went up… about two minutes of labor!  Now that doesn’t sound like a long time but seriously, just sit and look at a zipper for two full minutes… it’s a long time…even more so for a five year old.

After all this he scampered outside just as happy as could be to where Neil & Kyle were cutting firewood to help.  He is such a big, cheerful helper… he is not content with just running the lever on the log splitter, no he wants to haul the firewood and stack it!  He want’s his dad to be proud of him…

This is such human nature isn’t it? We all want to feel appreciated and liked… to have friends that care for us… There is nothing wrong with this, it is natural and well meant.  We are by God’s design created to be ‘together’, not alone.  Even the Bible talks about not forsaking the gathering together… God want’s us to be together in our church services… God designed the family… He gave Eve to Adam so he wouldn’t be alone…

Today as we look around at the ones we love, let us be thankful for what we have…

“You are the trip I did not take, You are the pearls I did not buy, You are my blue Italian lake, You are my piece of foreign sky.” Anne Campbell

Until next time,
Jean

The Love of a Mother…

Their smiles… their tears… watching them while they’re sleeping…
I love to watch them when they have no idea… their care free spirits… their realness…

I wonder if they could ever imagine the love that overflows in my heart for each of them…
I wonder if they realize that their souls are intertwined with mine…
When they hurt I hurt…
When they laugh I laugh…
When they long I long…

Sometimes the frustrations we feel as mothers can be overwhelming… sometimes we just feel like giving up… then you look into their eyes and the heart pull is so strong.

Sometimes it seems useless and they just will never learn or understand…

I watched him this afternoon outside… he didn’t know I was watching… his strong hands playing with the dog… his smile and jolly demeanor… his sensitive nature for all creatures…

I watched him today walking through the yard… looking around for his brothers… he is growing so fast and becoming a man…  in between little boy and big boy…

I watched him today as he strode up the stairs… manly and strong… so handsome… quiet natured and deep… I have always said that deep waters run silent… that is his soul…

I watched her today as she drove away… a young woman she is becoming… working her way in the world… trying to find herself and know herself… she is so tender hearted and warm, yet with a wild streak…

When I look at them and watch… my heart wants nothing more than to protect them from every harm in the world…  to just make them listen to me and trust what I tell them…
Then I remember myself when I was that age… experience

Prayer is a mothers weapon… it is our ever trust worthy weapon in this war fare for their souls…  We can never give up praying, trusting the Father… praying that hedge about them…

“Love is unselfish, understanding, and kind, for it sees with its heart and not with its mind.  Love gives and forgives; there is nothing too much for love to heal with its magic touch.  Love is the language that every heart speaks, for love is the one thing that every heart seeks.  And where there is love God, too,will abide and bless the family residing inside.”  Helen Steiner Rice

Until next time,
Jean

Distractions

“Distractions may hinder, but once the heart is committed to Him, the attention will return again and rest upon Him like a wandering bird coming back to its window.” Tozer

We are wanderers… we get side tracked with the everyday things in life and begin to wander… suddenly we find ourselves in a dark valley and wonder how we got there… we feel alone.  We begin looking around for some familiar thing, some comfortable thing that feels like home… but it just doesn’t seem right….

When I was a child I was a wanderer.  When we went on school field trips none of the parent chaperones ever wanted me in their group because I was always the one that got lost. I remember getting lost at The Detroit Zoo, at The Henry Ford Museum and several other places.  It was a sickening feeling as a child… to suddenly look up and there be a sea of faces around and none that you know.  I would start to cry and of course someone that worked there would find me and bring me back to my group.  Now as a parent I have taken my children to these places and I am always so cautious of where they are.  I’ve told them all my horror stories of getting lost, so I think I have instilled a sacred fear in them.  As a parent it is a different kind of sickening feeling… the thought of losing a child…

When I say lose a child I don’t only mean in the physical sense but also in the spiritual sense… they both give me that empty feeling… a feeling I hope and pray I will never know.  There are so many people lost out there today… lost and hopeless.  But they don’t have to be… Jesus is there ever waiting with open arms to gather them into His fold… to protect and give meaning to one’s life. 

Only He can fill the void that leaves one feeling empty and without meaning…
If you have wandered away… if you are lost and don’t know where to turn… if you’re struggling with the cares of life… Jesus has all the answers… He is your hope… call unto Him and He will answer… like the wandering bird coming back…

Until next time,
Jean

     

"A soft answer turneth away wrath…"

How I wish I could incorporate this into my life as much as I would like too… because it really does work.  I have been on both ends… an angry answer as well as a soft answer… and I can honestly say the later works better.  Some people hurt others with words, others with a silent treatment while others use hateful tactics to defame others… which ever, they are all wrong.  How do we practice a loving and tender way to others when they hurt us?  How do we turn the other cheek when we want to hit back?  How do we give them our coat when they already took our cloak?  These principles are taught in the New Testament by Jesus and they are a basic guild to help us love our enemies… whether they be a total stranger, the neighbor or a family member… we must love as Christ loved. The Christian walk is a daily trial… one that is filled with testings along with peaceful walks in the valley… it is a constant growing and maturing. We are children of the Heavenly King, and we need to act as such… even when it is really hard. 

But what about when we fail and fall flat on our faces… what about when we do the things we try so hard to not do… what about when we have done our best but it just isn’t good enough…

We need to look up… He will lift us back to our feet as we cry out, “Abba Father…” He will wipe the tears away… He will say, “Let’s keep pressing on together, I am by your side…” 

As the song goes, ‘Trust and obey, for there’s no other way, to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey…”
Until next time,
Jean
       

Child of God, Child of Mine…

Children seem to be on a never ending cycle of trying to reach some new adventure… usually at my peace of mind’s expense.  Whether it be learning to walk or drive… climb a tree or ride a horse… there is always something to be weary about it seems. 

I mentioned the other day that our son Kyle is now in drivers training… he is a fairly good driver and I am not really worried at all when he is behind the wheel with me in the passenger seat. I look at this young ‘man’ and remember when he just toddled about… my blond haired, blue eyed baby boy… now he is trying to shave… an he is driving… when I look at him I just can’t believe how he is growing… into manhood.  He has a kind and gentle spirit… he loves little children.  Every time he comes home from school or playing outside he always looks for his baby brother Aaron… he will rock him to sleep or read him and Evan stories. Really all the big boys take pretty good care of the little guys.  It blesses me so much… but we do have those moments that it is kind of fun to make the little guys give a holler or a shriek…  “Boo!” from behind the wall! They scream and then they laugh… boys… children. 

These children are becoming young people and moving into adulthood… It isn’t always easy to be in the passenger seat with your child.  We as parents have experienced a lot of things in our lives and we do know better, shall I say.  I think back to my youth and the incredibly stupid things I did and want to simply protect them from the dangers that I put myself through.  All I can say now is praise the Lord He had a plan for my life that included Him… Now the question we face as parents is how do we work this into our children’s hearts… how do I without being over bearing and controlling protect them… Life’s challenges again.  Children present some wonderful attributes… my life goal is leading them to the most important attribute… salvation for their souls… living a renewed life for Jesus…  what a challenge…

“Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old he shall not depart from it…”
                                                                 Proverbs 22:6
…what a promise
Until next time,
Jean