'Tis the season for twinkling lights, singing carols, baking treats and making gifts. Now that I have a family of my own, this is really one of my favorite times of the year. However, it can become quite busy and somewhat overwhelming at the same time. I for one still have presents and cards to mail. The hustle and bustle of the last few weeks has left me with little or no time to complete the extra items I have added to my list. It seems that many I talk to are "stressed" this time of year, including me.
Then I heard it, someone say "Have you read the Christmas Cards you have received? What if we lived our lives like those cards, everyday?"
What an amazing concept! When I go read the Christmas Cards we have received, I find messages of good news and great joy. There are messages encouraging us to spread the love and peace of Christ to everyone. Others talk about the need for us to seek the King each and everyday. Still others are filled with pictures of joy filled faces wanting to share the love and blessings God has given this past year.
I absolutely love our Christmas Card display and the wonderful messages we have received from friends. I think this year we might leave it up a bit longer, and incorporate it into our family devotions. We could re-read one card each night and then decide as a family how we can live out the message we have received.
What might we do to spread love and peace? How can we be sure to seek the King each and everyday? Can we live a life that shows the joy we have in Christ to those around us? I know we will have rough days, but if we remind ourselves of the great messages we have received maybe our Christmas celebration can last far into the New Year. After all, Christ was born for us each and everyday of the year, not just in December.
May you and your family have a blessed New Year and may you know each and everyday that Jesus Christ is the true reason for every season!
Wednesday, December 31, 2014
Sunday, December 14, 2014
Your Children Are Amazing!
Can you remember back to the time your children were born? You held this infant in your arms and exclaimed, "he/she is amazing!" Look, she smiled. Look, he is holding his own bottle. Look, she is clapping. Oh, he said his first word. Everyday was filled with amazing adventures.
If you are anything like me, you may be finding things less amazing these days. I know that I am struggling with finding the amazement in being a taxi driver, short order cook, maid, tutor, event planner, cheerleader and all the other hats that moms are asked to wear each day. Because of my feelings, I have stopped seeing the amazement in our children. But, it occurred to me the other day that they are still amazing, I am just too distracted to notice.
Think about all the amazing things children do:
-some of them play instruments, that is amazing, can you still play an instrument?
-most of them sing songs, some of them even write their own songs as they go through their day....."I'm cleaning up my toys, cleaning up my toys and putting them in the bucket."
-they make or draw pictures for you on a regular basis; when was the last time you made a picture for someone just to tell them you love them?
-the majority of them work extremely hard on their homework; homework that doesn't look anything like the stuff we did, homework that manages to get more intense each year.
-most or all of your children are able to read. Just think about that, they can read. Reading is extremely difficult, it is amazing when a child can read.
-Chores....our children do chores everyday, it is not very often that I acknowledge them for it; I need to remember that these are all skills they are learning for their future, and they are doing an amazing job....even if it is not the way I would do it. :-)
-treating others with kindness and compassion; it is simply amazing how children learn to share, play nice and build friendships.
-not to mention the sports are children are involved in, the amount of time they spend practicing, preparing, playing and recovering while still completing their homework and other responsibilities is truly amazing
(I could keep going, but I am sure you have the idea)
Just looking at your children can lead you to see that they are amazing. They are God's amazing creations. They are accomplishing amazing tasks each and every day.
I would love to encourage you to tell your children today, that they are amazing. Tell them that you are proud of how hard they work, how they treat others with kindness and how much they help you. Even on the days when they seem to be driving you crazy, they are still amazing. One of my favorite movies has this quote, "When we look for the bad in people expecting to find it, we certainly will." I think that can also work in reverse. If we take the time to look for the good in our children, I am certain we will find it.....after all, they are simply amazing!
If you are anything like me, you may be finding things less amazing these days. I know that I am struggling with finding the amazement in being a taxi driver, short order cook, maid, tutor, event planner, cheerleader and all the other hats that moms are asked to wear each day. Because of my feelings, I have stopped seeing the amazement in our children. But, it occurred to me the other day that they are still amazing, I am just too distracted to notice.
Think about all the amazing things children do:
-some of them play instruments, that is amazing, can you still play an instrument?
-most of them sing songs, some of them even write their own songs as they go through their day....."I'm cleaning up my toys, cleaning up my toys and putting them in the bucket."
-they make or draw pictures for you on a regular basis; when was the last time you made a picture for someone just to tell them you love them?
-the majority of them work extremely hard on their homework; homework that doesn't look anything like the stuff we did, homework that manages to get more intense each year.
-most or all of your children are able to read. Just think about that, they can read. Reading is extremely difficult, it is amazing when a child can read.
-Chores....our children do chores everyday, it is not very often that I acknowledge them for it; I need to remember that these are all skills they are learning for their future, and they are doing an amazing job....even if it is not the way I would do it. :-)
-treating others with kindness and compassion; it is simply amazing how children learn to share, play nice and build friendships.
-not to mention the sports are children are involved in, the amount of time they spend practicing, preparing, playing and recovering while still completing their homework and other responsibilities is truly amazing
(I could keep going, but I am sure you have the idea)
Just looking at your children can lead you to see that they are amazing. They are God's amazing creations. They are accomplishing amazing tasks each and every day.
I would love to encourage you to tell your children today, that they are amazing. Tell them that you are proud of how hard they work, how they treat others with kindness and how much they help you. Even on the days when they seem to be driving you crazy, they are still amazing. One of my favorite movies has this quote, "When we look for the bad in people expecting to find it, we certainly will." I think that can also work in reverse. If we take the time to look for the good in our children, I am certain we will find it.....after all, they are simply amazing!
Thursday, December 4, 2014
Our Children and Ferguson
The past few days have filled our home with many questions, feelings and worries. It is very strange to turn on the TV or listen to the news on the radio and hear about the violence, riots and protestors. It is not something we see everyday, thankfully.
As we have been reflecting on the situation, there are some topics that keep repeating themselves. What have the discussions been like in your home? Here is a glimpse at ours:
"Aren't we suppose to listen to police officers?" Yes, yes you are. When a police officer is speaking to you and asks you to stop, you stop. When a police officer puts his lights on and wants you to pull over, you pull over. When a police officer asks you a question, you should answer it. (We will talk about getting a lawyer when they are older, but for now you should answer the question.)
"Isn't that somebody else's store?" Yes, yes it is. The building that those people just broke the windows to or have set on fire, it belongs to someone else. That building was bought with the owner's money, the supplies inside were bought with the owner's money and most likely the owner or his tenant has all of their personal items in the apartment upstairs. ......"I would be very sad if someone did that to my things. I think the owner is sad too." You are probably right dear.
"I thought there was only one race. Aren't we all just a different color of brown?" Yes, yes we are. We are all humans made by an amazing God. We are only one race, just different shades of the same color. I don't know why more people don't see it the same way.
"Why are they so mad?" That is a difficult question to answer, because I don't know them personally. However, it seems to me that they are angry because they don't agree with the decision the grand jury made. "But, when I don't get my way, I'm not allowed to start things on fire and steal things." No, no you are not. It is hard for me to say why they think this is helping. It seems to me that more people might be willing to listen to them if they weren't breaking the law.
"I just don't understand, Mommy." I know, it is very difficult to understand. But, our daily life is very different from life in the inner city. Many people in the inner city have begun to feel almost hopeless. Many of them feel that their schools are not good, so their children won't ever get a good education. They are probably frustrated with the lack of jobs in their area and lack of opportunities for their children. I imagine that if I lived in the same circumstances, I might feel trapped and not really know how to express my frustration. If you start to feel like the whole world is against you, I bet you start to feel that the police are against you too. It doesn't really matter if it is true, because in extreme situations, your perception is your reality. We are very blessed to live where we are at!
"What can we do?" Well, I am not really sure what we can do for Ferguson. However, we certainly can do our part to keep others from feeling the same way. I think we should start by praying, praying for the police officers, praying for the people living in the cities in our country and praying that leaders will make decisions that help to unify not divide the country. We can also continue to help by serving those who might have needs they can't meet on their own. Finally, I think that it is important that we always remember that there is only ONE race. We need to remember that God made us all in His image and share that wonderful truth with all of our friends.
Although situations like the riots in Ferguson can be difficult to discuss, they can also be important opportunities for us to share the love Christ has for us and others with our children. May God be your guide as you continue to talk with your children about challenging situations.
As we have been reflecting on the situation, there are some topics that keep repeating themselves. What have the discussions been like in your home? Here is a glimpse at ours:
"Aren't we suppose to listen to police officers?" Yes, yes you are. When a police officer is speaking to you and asks you to stop, you stop. When a police officer puts his lights on and wants you to pull over, you pull over. When a police officer asks you a question, you should answer it. (We will talk about getting a lawyer when they are older, but for now you should answer the question.)
"Isn't that somebody else's store?" Yes, yes it is. The building that those people just broke the windows to or have set on fire, it belongs to someone else. That building was bought with the owner's money, the supplies inside were bought with the owner's money and most likely the owner or his tenant has all of their personal items in the apartment upstairs. ......"I would be very sad if someone did that to my things. I think the owner is sad too." You are probably right dear.
"I thought there was only one race. Aren't we all just a different color of brown?" Yes, yes we are. We are all humans made by an amazing God. We are only one race, just different shades of the same color. I don't know why more people don't see it the same way.
"Why are they so mad?" That is a difficult question to answer, because I don't know them personally. However, it seems to me that they are angry because they don't agree with the decision the grand jury made. "But, when I don't get my way, I'm not allowed to start things on fire and steal things." No, no you are not. It is hard for me to say why they think this is helping. It seems to me that more people might be willing to listen to them if they weren't breaking the law.
"I just don't understand, Mommy." I know, it is very difficult to understand. But, our daily life is very different from life in the inner city. Many people in the inner city have begun to feel almost hopeless. Many of them feel that their schools are not good, so their children won't ever get a good education. They are probably frustrated with the lack of jobs in their area and lack of opportunities for their children. I imagine that if I lived in the same circumstances, I might feel trapped and not really know how to express my frustration. If you start to feel like the whole world is against you, I bet you start to feel that the police are against you too. It doesn't really matter if it is true, because in extreme situations, your perception is your reality. We are very blessed to live where we are at!
"What can we do?" Well, I am not really sure what we can do for Ferguson. However, we certainly can do our part to keep others from feeling the same way. I think we should start by praying, praying for the police officers, praying for the people living in the cities in our country and praying that leaders will make decisions that help to unify not divide the country. We can also continue to help by serving those who might have needs they can't meet on their own. Finally, I think that it is important that we always remember that there is only ONE race. We need to remember that God made us all in His image and share that wonderful truth with all of our friends.
Although situations like the riots in Ferguson can be difficult to discuss, they can also be important opportunities for us to share the love Christ has for us and others with our children. May God be your guide as you continue to talk with your children about challenging situations.
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