Love Your Enemies

This is the day that the LORD has made...AND I AM STRUGGLING to follow Him deeper into the valley. I thought I was going to be ascending back up the mountain soon. Yes, maybe staying in the valley - on level ground. I didn't know that the valley had another decline into a deeper, darker area. 

"I don't want to do it, Jesus.!!! I can't go there. I just can't follow you there!! 

No, please don't ask it of me. Please don't go there and expect me to follow." 

Yet, Jesus doesn't stop, and He keeps moving. All the while, He looks back at me and says, 

"You can do this. I will give you the strength and grace that you need. 

I will do it for you, if you trust me and believe."

I ponder in my heart, "I have no where else to go. I cannot go back. 

I cannot just stop and be immobile...Oh, but I can't see how this is going to work. 

I have no where else to go. Why can't I just stay here? The valley doesn't look so bad now. 

What if I try to go back to the other mountain I was on last year? 

Oh, but I don't know how to get back there."

"LisaBeth, you can trust Me. I am your Savior and Friend. 

I have been where I am taking you. I know it well. You don't have to be afraid. 

I will hold Your hand the whole time."

"Okay, Jesus. I will follow you. Show me how to walk in this new place. 

Show me how to talk in this new place. 

Show me how to fellowship with You in this new place."

This new place, for those of you who are reading, is the place where I love my enemies - where I love those who are cursing me and saying evil of me. 

“But to you who are willing to listen, I say, love your enemies! Do good to those who hate you. Bless those who curse you. Pray for those who hurt you." Luke 6:27-28

I have never been more aware of those who hate me - especially those very close to me. I have never had to continually face the same people over and over again who are against me. Most of my life, I have felt safe and secure with people. Part of that could stem from wanting to live for them and do everything possible to please them. Wow, did I have that part of life wrong. Jesus, exhorts his followers time and time again to be only about His Father's approval. God as well speaks of our mouths as a combination of fresh and salt water - it is a place where we can bless and curse the same person in the same breath. 

My encouragement in moving forward, in obeying God's command, is Isaiah and Jeremiah. Yes, these beautiful little, men of God are my encouragement. If I want them to live and move according to the Spirit of the Living God, then I must do the same. They are learning the ways of the LORD from me and my husband (of course through many others in their lives as well - we are simply their primary source of guidance right now).

"Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it." Proverbs 22:6

“If anyone causes one of these little ones—those who believe in me—to stumble, it would be better for them to have a large millstone hung around their neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea." Matthew 18:6

If they are going to learn this way of life then I want them to first learn it from me and my husband. I want to be the righteous parents they deserve.

"Jesus, I plead your blood over me and my family. I ask for grace to proceed on the straight and narrow. And for those who are reading this with me, LORD, I ask the same over them and their families. Have Your way, Father. Let Your Kingdom come and Your will be done on earth as it is in Heaven. Holy Spirit come. Amen and amen."

Window to the World

"If only glass could become water when I touch it," 

Isaiah and Jeremiah both say in their hearts after a good night of rest.

If it were up to them, they would roll out of bed, onto the grass! 

They LOVE the outdoors so much, which I am extremely thankful for because I am the same way. Well...maybe it would be more like this: Rolling out into the coffee pot and into the arms of Grace AND THEN out into the beautiful world which God has made!

"Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad; let the sea resound, and all that is in it.

Let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them; let all the trees of the forest sing for joy.

Let all creation rejoice before the LORD, for he comes, he comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness and the peoples in his faithfulness." Psalm 96:11-13

Sit Stand Walk

These are exciting days! Jeremiah is learning what his legs can do; he is learning what his body is capable of doing when all of his parts work together!

As we watch him move from a sitting position, to a standing position, to a leg-moving motion, we are cheering him along. There are many moments of head-banging and limb-banging hurts which bring about many tears. Comfort and encouragement are right there to meet him; Hope embraces him as we pick him up and tell him "good job", "you're okay", "you can do it".

What he often needs is someone to simply be there to assist him in pulling up or sitting back down (depending on the level of difficulty!). This takes a willingness on my/our part; it takes patience and service - love ultimately (oh the many faces of love...endless).

On a sobering note: what I need to remember is how impacting prayer is in Jeremiah learning to move. My prayers need to continue to be "Holy Spirit come. Jesus, give him grace to understand. Give him knowledge to understand how his body works. Give him wisdom. Protect him as he moves. Put the Fear of the LORD deep within him as he learns, that he may seek You in the process, even at a young age."

"How strange a body would be if it had only one part! Yes, there are many parts, but only one body. The eye can never say to the hand, “I don’t need you.” The head can’t say to the feet, “I don’t need you.” In fact, some parts of the body that seem weakest and least important are actually the most necessary. And the parts we regard as less honorable are those we clothe with the greatest care. So we carefully protect those parts that should not be seen, while the more honorable parts do not require this special care. So God has put the body together such that extra honor and care are given to those parts that have less dignity. This makes for harmony among the members, so that all the members care for each other. If one part suffers, all the parts suffer with it, and if one part is honored, all the parts are glad. All of you together are Christ’s body, and each of you is a part of it." 1 Corinthians 12:19-27

Laundry Basket

The fascination of a laundry basket...!

I so love the ways of children! They can find the simplest of household objects 

and make it their object of fascination for hours! 

What we merely view as a means of an end, they view as the end. 

They take the mundane and make it marvelous. They view life through the eyes of innocence and are therefore partakers of the miraculous.

"At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, 

“Who, then, is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” 

He called a little child to him, and placed the child among them. 

And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, 

you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. 

Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child 

is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven...

See that you do not despise one of these little ones. 

For I tell you that their angels in heaven 

always see the face of my Father in heaven." Matthew 18:1-10

Snowman Alert

Meet our first snowman - Nathan!

We were recently in Long Island, New York for the holidays (It was such a gift to be blessed with family time and much, much more - hallelujah. Thanks again to all who made it possible - you know who you are.).  And as we were hoping, it snowed! The boys had never seen snow nor had they played in it; both got to happen! Of course, I enjoyed getting right in their with them (This Minnesotan knows how to play in the snow!!!).

As anyone knows, in order to make a snowman, the snow needs to be wet and sticky. It took a few days to reach that point, but the snow was finally ready when we went to visit a nearby shopping center. A pile of snow called out to me, and I brought Isaiah over to help me build his first snowman! Not being close to home, the supplies were limited. I was able to scrounge up an empty Nathan's beverage cup (hence the name of our snowman) for the hat and a couple rolled up balls of old tape for the eyes. For the arms, there were a few twigs from the above tree laying on the ground.

Oh, the joys of being free and adventurous! This is only the beginning of snowmen making for our family. The boys will become experts, I have no doubt!

"God sends his orders to the world—how swiftly his word flies! 

He sends the snow like white wool; he scatters frost upon the ground like ashes." 

Psalm 147:15-16

You Know You're A Mama When...

You know you're a mama when you are awake at any hour of the day and it seems normal, not a surprise or bother.

You know you're a mama when you find it normal to finish someone else's food for them (a child most likely!).

You know you're a mama when you sway side to side even when you are not holding a child.

You know you're a mama when you know every location of every nearby park or playground.

You know you're a mama when you start having a recognizable list of cartoon characters and the shows they represent.

You know you're a mama when the letter "A" and "B" and "C" no longer stand for the vitamins you take but for "apple", "ball", and "cat" (or any other correlating noun within the present moment).

You know you're a mama when all of the breakable items in your home start finding higher and higher places on the shelves.

You know you're a mama when you are vacuuming the carpet every day rather than once a week.

You know you're a mama when you almost pee on yourself as you barely make it to the bathroom while still hugging someone (again, a child most likely!).

Learning to Play in Love

What a joy...they are learning to love one another! Jeremiah can really carry his own, and he is only 7 months old! Isaiah is getting better and better at not poking where he shouldn't (eyes, ears, nose - basically any opening!) and sitting where he shouldn't (on the head!). It is true - boys will be boys. Many times it seems as if, from Jeremiah's perspective, Isaiah can do no wrong. When Isaiah could have potentially done something to hurt Jeremiah, Jeremiah simply will smile or giggle or nothing at all. Amazing...how love grows between them. The are learning to play in love. Hallelujah. Hallelujah.

Underwear is Back!

The underwear is back! Isaiah is back into potty training mode - more like mama and Isaiah! If he is learning then that means that I am fully engaged and disciplined to get him to his destination. He is going to get there at some point. I prefer that it happen sooner than later, but it ultimately depends upon his desire and willingness. I can encourage him as much as possible; I can be disciplined in asking him if his bladder is full as much as possible; I can keep a positive and patient tone with him (though the impatience wants to lurk in or the frustration) as much as possible. Ultimately, he gets to choose to follow through with the learning and application.

Scissors!

Who knew that a pair of safety scissors could become a child's favorite thing! Isaiah cannot get enough of them! For awhile, prior to purchasing them, he would often want to use the scissors I was using whenever I would need to cut something. Of course, I would have to say no and let him know that I would soon purchase some that he could use. Well, that day finally arrived, and he could not be happier. Hallelujah for the simple things that advance us by leaps and bounds. He has been creating so many things - a favorite has been snow flakes. The paper supply has dwindled rapidly!  We are definitely made in God's imagine - the Creator and Maker of all.

Allowing Creativity to Flow

It is such a pleasure watching Isaiah explore creativity and imagination; 

It is a pleasure to allow him to be free in his expressions. At times, 

my organized edge wants to have its way and tell him "No, don't take those off." or 

"No, don't do that. Mama just picked that up." or "No. I just put them away." 

And then I am reminded of the need to keep my home a place of resting and relaxing. 

There is too much in life pushing against freedom; 

there is too much that longs to crush the spirit of innocence and joy.

"For the Lord is the Spirit, 

and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, 

there is freedom." 

2 Corinthians 3:17

"For you have been called to live in freedom, my brothers and sisters. 

But don't use your freedom to satisfy your sinful nature. 

Instead, use your freedom to serve one another in love." 

Galatians 5:13

Learning to Encourage

What a joy to have two boys - Isaiah and Jeremiah - learning to encourage one another in this race we call life. We are all together and even more when it is happening in a family. The boys see each other every day, as I do the same. In some ways (for those working in the corporate world) they are co-workers; they are partners. They need all the encouragement they can get and give - making good choices is not something that comes natural to our nature. Reaching a common goal is how they need to learn to see life and live it. Whether it is during meal time or play time or nap time, they can be learning what it means to give and receive encouragement. We all need it; we all get it.

As Isaiah learns to do the small things for Jeremiah, like holding his bottle, Jeremiah will in turn learn how to be there for Isaiah when he is able. As the boys learn to encourage each other, they will effect those around them in growing in the gift of encouragement.

"So encourage each other and build each other up, just as you are already doing." 1 Thessalonians 5:11

 "Be joyful. Grow to maturity. Encourage each other. Live in harmony and peace. Then the God of love and peace will be with you." 2 Corinthians 13:11