Gospel Feet

Readied with feet fitted with the gospel of peace...

Steadied with the gospel...

Prepared for the days ahead, to be rooted and grounded in love, 

allowing the joy of the LORD to be their strength.

As we, as a family, are faced with days of grief and mourning, I am thinking upon the boys... How are they going to learn the ways of grief, except to walk through them. How are they going to understand the ways of mourning, except to feel the raw reality of the human heart. Part of me wants to protect them from feeling it all, yet I know they need to feel it in order to follow Jesus in the days to come.

Training and raising up the boys to become the men of God that they are ordained to be, requires me to welcome the painful things that are a part of life. I cannot keep them sheltered from the very things that they will face, if I want them to overcome. I must guide them in right responses. I must guide them in working through their emotions. Part of that is helping them recognize what they do not even see themselves.

I can see them reacting to what is happening around them, however, they do not see it. They cannot see themselves grieving because they never have grieved. If they cannot see it, then they do not know how to rightly respond. There-in-lies one of the many responsibilities God has entrusted to me - help them understand, help them see, and help them hear the whispers of God to their in-most being.

So, with that sobering truth, as a parent, I humbly bring them to the throne of my Heavenly Father...

"Abba, Father, help Isaiah and Jeremiah understand what it is to grieve and mourn. Give them wisdom. Guide them, Holy Spirit, in this hour, in this day. Show them what I cannot. Help them through this. Lead them in the ways of the Kingdom of Heaven. Open their eyes and open their ears. Help them see you and hear you. Jesus, in your name. Holy Spirit, come and flood over them. Amen"

Modern-day Parable

Isaiah and Jeremiah continue to learn how to play together. They have good moments; they have bad moments. I find myself making sure to explain what a good choice is compared to a bad one. Good choice: gently, playing alongside of each other - no hair pulling, no shoving, no biting - basically doing nothing that would cause the other to cry or scream. Bad choice: being selfish with a toys and not allowing the other to have any of them - taking advantage of the weaker, slower, and younger.

Often, I will take time to encourage Isaiah in the midst of exhortations: "Jeremiah will receive just as much discipline and correction when he is able to comprehend and express more. Right now, you are simply having to do a little more work on being the leader in your relationship with him."

At times, I have had to resort to taking away toys from both of them, when they cannot seem to share. One day I found myself making a correlation of one of the parables that Jesus spoke about: The Parable of the Talents. "For everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him." Matthew 25:29 

God has promised to take something away from us if we do not handle it well; similarly, I will take away a toy from either of them and give it to the other or take away the toy entirely. 

When that truth came to mind, I was once again encouraged to humble myself before the LORD and do well with all that He has entrusted to my care. AND ONCE AGAIN, I rejoiced for the gift of children being so good at teaching me the truths of the Kingdom of Heaven.

Dancing Children

Everyone needs a dancing child in their life!

There is such joy and purity and exaltation

that they require to come forth from your heart;

thinking upon that which is praise-worthy and excellent comes on its own from that point.

Raw Desire

The raw desire; 

The unsatisfied longing; 

The sole desire of mommy. 

It cannot be bought. It cannot be matched. It cannot be faked. 

It must be met or...the crying will go on and on and on.

We start life 

With the longing 

To be near our mama. 

And we slowly get weaned from needing her, 

Yet 

We always 

Carry around in us 

The same recognizable 

Urge.

The urge of raw desire.
It is strong.
It does not fade
As time passes
And as we grow in age.
The urge of raw desire
Remains.

How we feed
The raw desire
Is different from 
Person to person.

God has intended
To be the sole provider
Of satisfying 
Our Raw Desire
Because
He intended it
To be filled and satisfied
Only
By 
Him,
Creator and Sustain
Of Mankind.

Our urge of raw desire
Is
Implanted by God
And
For God
Alone.

Nothing else
No one else
Can satisfy its cry
Until God comes and satisfies it
That raw desire will
Cry on and on and on
Just as it did as when we were an infant.

The raw desire; 

The unsatisfied longing; 

The sole desire of God. 

It cannot be bought. It cannot be matched. It cannot be faked. 

It must be met or...the crying will go on and on and on.

So let us be bold
In declaring our raw desire
And 
Boldly approaching the Throne of Grace and Mercy
For God
To satisfy and quench
The raw desire.




"Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you. 
My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever."
Psalm 73:25-26

ABC Foam Puzzle Pieces

I don't remember who makes these, but Isaiah received them as a gift when Jeremiah was born: ABC Foam Puzzle Pieces. They are the best!!! We have used them over and over again. It's how Isaiah first began to sing his ABC's. You can build with them. Roll them (once in cube form). The boys love to gnaw on them (when they are teething). They are durable (with boys, toys need to be able to withstand much!)

Infant Hair

 Isaiah has been blessed with blond, curly locks! As his hair has continued to grow out, it has become harder and harder to keep tangle-free. At first, the product of choice was Suave Kids, Detangling Spray - Double Dutch Apple. After bathing, we could spray the sweet smelling stuff onto his hair (he would actually get it for us and want to help - that's how much he enjoyed it too); when it was dry - after naps or waking up in the morning - it was even better for helping to get his hair back into an untangled creation. Now - thanks to a wonderful friend (you know who you are!) - we have been introduced to Garnier Fructis, Hydra Recharge, Moisture Whip Leave-In Conditioner. I was so impressed after the very first try; it hasn't disappointed us since nor do we expect it to! It keeps his tangles minimal. He can sleep on it, move his head all over while sitting in his car seat, play wildly, AND IT DOESN'T CHANGE HOW GREAT IT LOOKS AND FEELS. Yes, I am VERY impressed, which is why the last statement is in all caps. Not only is Garnier Fructis helping us save money (by not having to purchase other products or more conditioner to keep our supply up for the whole household), they are also helping us save time (less time spent getting tangles out), and they are helping us save on our nerves (less screaming from a hurting child over their hair getting brushed).

Thank you Garnier Fructis!!! Thank you, LORD, for the small things in life!

Four Teeth at Once

A few weeks back, Jeremiah finally was able to breathe a sigh of relief when ALL FOUR of his top teeth came in. When I say "all four," I mean that THEY ALL came in at the same time. They were all descending at the same time. They were all poking through at the same time.

I have never heard of teeth coming in groups. Two at a time, yes, but never four!

Hallelujah for strength to endure, no matter what may come our way.

I love you, Jeremiah, and I am so proud of you!

"Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you. I rejoiced greatly in the Lord that at last you renewed your concern for me. Indeed, you were concerned, but you had no opportunity to show it. I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. 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 all this through him who gives me strength." Philippians 4:8-13

Graco Stroller

There is something I MUST say before any more time passes: 

I am SO THANKFUL for our Graco Stroller!!!! 

I do not know what year or model it is because my sister purchased it for us 

when we were in Minnesota, this past summer (she found it on Craigslist!). 

It is sturdy; it handles easy; it is resilient. 

I do not know who owned it before, what it went through, or why someone let it go. 

WHAT I DO KNOW is that I am so thankful that it came into our possession. 

Our Graco stroller has been on a variety of walks, trains, cars, and elevators. 

It has flown on airplanes to and from Minnesota, New York, and Florida. 

It has held the weight of grocery bags, luggage, car seats, winter coats, and toys (sometimes all at once!). SERIOUSLY, this stroller is one of those things you say the famous phrase about: 

"They don't make things like they used to!"

Add To Knowledge

I learned the hard way how not to be vague with the boys. Specifics go along way when conversation is happening, especially the basics - colors, shapes, numbers, and object names; they help the boys recognize what their eyes are seeing and their ears are hearing and their hands are touching. Along with the basics, repetition is the supporting link. Like most things, the more time you invest, the more you will retain. As the boys revisit what they have learned the previous day, hour, or minute, the more they will retain the knowledge and be able to make right applications.

Biblical truth's work the same way. That which I speak out over the boys and do in their presence, that they will retain and make right application. If they are to walk humbly before the LORD, then I must lead them in the ways of humility. If they are to listen to God and obey Him out of love, then I must first make the application true when it comes to listening and obeying me.

"For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But whoever does not have them is nearsighted and blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their past sins. Therefore, my brothers and sisters, make every effort to confirm your calling and election. For if you do these things, you will never stumble." 2 Peter 1:5-10