WOW! Has this journey been hard! Yet it is so rewarding. I don't think there has ever been a time in our lives that we have surrendered ourselves so much and trusting God to provide for so many needs. During this crazy, busy time, there are so many needs. We are trusting God to fill in so many gaps for us; for lack of time as a family, our marriage, our boys feeling secure, financial (Dave has cut back his hours at work), etc. We feel so excited about what God is doing, yet so disconnected to all that is around us. We are trusting the Lord to provide in that area as well - that our family and friends will understand the demands that are placed on us right now, and how we ache to be with them and serve the body of Christ.
But God is faithful and good, and we put our trust in Him. We still have so much to learn and we are excited about that. If we have learned anything, we have learned that it is during the tough times that we learn the most, if we choose to keep our focus on Christ. And if we ever doubt that our children are not getting the things we model for them, hear these words from our 5 year old:
We were driving home form a birthday party in Bradenton last week, and we had a family friend driving home with us. He shared with us something that Samuel told him. Samuel told Ruben, "Getting punished is a good thing", and Ruben asked, "Why", and Samuel said, "Because you learn stuff". When I asked Samuel what he learns from getting in trouble, he responded, "You learn how to be good".
If you just stop and think for a minute, you will realize how profound that is. Samuel told me the other day (after getting corrected....again) : ) that he tries to be good but it doesn't always work. I think sometimes we try to do the right things too, but unfortunately our own efforts fall short. Proverbs 14:12 says, "There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death." Sometimes I feel like my motives are good and then God shows me how selfish I am and how only His ways are pure. God has opened my eyes to see that every time there is any kind of hardship, that I need to learn something from His perspective. Without the Holy Spirit shedding light on my situation, I can only see from my own perspective. When difficulties come, that is a sign to turn to God, and say, "O.K. what am I supposed to learn here?"
Through this process already, we have learned stuff! We fall short in so many ways, and it just makes us realize how much God is in all this because He sustains us every day. So from the mouth of my 5 year old, I pray that when you face a difficult circumstance, you won't blame others, but that you will just "Learn Stuff".
May the God of Peace sanctify you through and through...
Wednesday, June 6, 2007
Thursday, May 24, 2007
...Not Against Flesh And Blood....
When we committed ourselves to full time ministry,we were told over and over that we will face Spiritual Warfare. The very first week that we got back from Little Rock, Dave told me that the situation I was facing was Spiritual Warfare. My response was, "I don't want to give Satan that much credit." I soon realized that it was, but not only that situation, but so many other things that were going on as well. I reminded myself of 1 John 4:4, ".....greater is HE who is in you, than he that is in the world." It kind of made me mad to think that I had the power of Christ in me, and I was allowing myself to be defeated. So I made a decision to stand strong and not give Satan the victory.
It seems when I make decisions like that, they last about a day. : ) How quickly I forget who is responsible for the battles we face every day. Sometimes it's easy to see it is the enemy, but other times it's not so obvious. Ephesians 6:12 says, "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms." So basically, the enemy is responsible for every struggle we have. Some may argue it's the consequences of our own sin, but who is responsible for the temptation that got us into the sin in the first place? So I am reminded again that I am not giving the enemy enough credit for the struggles I face.
This week has brought on some frustrations that I did not credit to spiritual warfare until I read my devotional this morning. When I am dealing with close relationships, and I get hurt, I do not think of the enemy. I think the other person is the problem. I get frustrated, try to learn what I need to see, and move on. For the past few days I have felt hurt and frustrated over someone that is close to me. I am one to easily look over an offense and not take things personally, but when something is directed at me, I get hurt. I could never understand how someone can be so hurtful on purpose. In this situation, I see the pull the enemy had on the other person, but not myself. My desire is for all men to know Christ and to have freedom in him. When I see someone struggling, it pains me when I see how they can make it better.
For the past couple of days I have been praying for the Lord to show me what He wants me to see in all this. I read a devotion this morning titled, "Thorn in the Flesh". This part really stuck out to me:
"A thorn might even be something social. Perhaps it's a pesky relative, a neighbor, or a colleague at work. God regularly places people in my life to reduce the risk of my becoming deluded about how cool I think I am!
While we don't know exactly what Paul's thorn was, we can define a thorn in the flesh as trouble that enables God to work more effectively in us and through us. It is anything that keeps pride, arrogance, self-sufficiency, and immorality in check so that God can prove Himself strong in our weakness.
Don't just look at the thorn....look for the benefit beyond it. It might just be what God can use to unleash and activate the power of Christ in your life."
The thing that is so cool about this spiritual battle is that God is on our side. I see clearly now what Satan is trying to do, but God has a bigger agenda for me. I can so easily miss what God wants to teach me if I focus on my hurt. Another thing I read in my devotional this morning is this: "What are you going to do when someone hurts you? In order to navigate your way through relationships, you need a conviction about how you're going to respond when someone hurts you. Paul tells us in Ephesians 4, to forgive as Christ forgave...He forgave FREELY, He forgave QUICKLY and He forgave GENEROUSLY."
It is so easy to tip the scales in our minds and see someone else's flaws as bigger than ours, but what a disservice I do to myself when I do that. I must remember that God uses these situations as an opportunity to stretch me and grow me, and to see my own sin - and boy do I have a lot to work on. And when I tip the scales in my own mind, I will miss my sin. I see how these situations can make you think of yourself more highly than you ought because you have thoughts like, "I would never do that". With prideful thoughts like that, Satan has won a battle - and if he wins every battle he will eventually win the war!
My commitment is to forgive as Christ forgave me: Freely, Quickly, and Generously, and to search my own heart like David did in Psalm 139:23-24, and see how I have offended Him!
Thank you Lord for giving so Freely.....
It seems when I make decisions like that, they last about a day. : ) How quickly I forget who is responsible for the battles we face every day. Sometimes it's easy to see it is the enemy, but other times it's not so obvious. Ephesians 6:12 says, "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms." So basically, the enemy is responsible for every struggle we have. Some may argue it's the consequences of our own sin, but who is responsible for the temptation that got us into the sin in the first place? So I am reminded again that I am not giving the enemy enough credit for the struggles I face.
This week has brought on some frustrations that I did not credit to spiritual warfare until I read my devotional this morning. When I am dealing with close relationships, and I get hurt, I do not think of the enemy. I think the other person is the problem. I get frustrated, try to learn what I need to see, and move on. For the past few days I have felt hurt and frustrated over someone that is close to me. I am one to easily look over an offense and not take things personally, but when something is directed at me, I get hurt. I could never understand how someone can be so hurtful on purpose. In this situation, I see the pull the enemy had on the other person, but not myself. My desire is for all men to know Christ and to have freedom in him. When I see someone struggling, it pains me when I see how they can make it better.
For the past couple of days I have been praying for the Lord to show me what He wants me to see in all this. I read a devotion this morning titled, "Thorn in the Flesh". This part really stuck out to me:
"A thorn might even be something social. Perhaps it's a pesky relative, a neighbor, or a colleague at work. God regularly places people in my life to reduce the risk of my becoming deluded about how cool I think I am!
While we don't know exactly what Paul's thorn was, we can define a thorn in the flesh as trouble that enables God to work more effectively in us and through us. It is anything that keeps pride, arrogance, self-sufficiency, and immorality in check so that God can prove Himself strong in our weakness.
Don't just look at the thorn....look for the benefit beyond it. It might just be what God can use to unleash and activate the power of Christ in your life."
The thing that is so cool about this spiritual battle is that God is on our side. I see clearly now what Satan is trying to do, but God has a bigger agenda for me. I can so easily miss what God wants to teach me if I focus on my hurt. Another thing I read in my devotional this morning is this: "What are you going to do when someone hurts you? In order to navigate your way through relationships, you need a conviction about how you're going to respond when someone hurts you. Paul tells us in Ephesians 4, to forgive as Christ forgave...He forgave FREELY, He forgave QUICKLY and He forgave GENEROUSLY."
It is so easy to tip the scales in our minds and see someone else's flaws as bigger than ours, but what a disservice I do to myself when I do that. I must remember that God uses these situations as an opportunity to stretch me and grow me, and to see my own sin - and boy do I have a lot to work on. And when I tip the scales in my own mind, I will miss my sin. I see how these situations can make you think of yourself more highly than you ought because you have thoughts like, "I would never do that". With prideful thoughts like that, Satan has won a battle - and if he wins every battle he will eventually win the war!
My commitment is to forgive as Christ forgave me: Freely, Quickly, and Generously, and to search my own heart like David did in Psalm 139:23-24, and see how I have offended Him!
Thank you Lord for giving so Freely.....
Thursday, May 17, 2007
Persevere
The past two days have felt a bit overwhelming. So much to do and accomplish, and my personality likes to start and finish things all on the same day. This process that we are on takes time, patience and perseverance. The Lord has been teaching me about discipline over the past few months, and now I see why. Discipline in the area of priorities has never been easy for me. However, as I look back, I see how far the Lord has already taken me, and I have not yet fully surrendered. Well, I plan to.
Yesterday the Lord reminded me of a poem that I had written over 8 years ago. When I wrote it, I had no idea that it was about my life. I was just doing my quiet time one morning and the first sentence came to mind. I thought, "HMMM, that's sounds like the beginning of a poem" (I'm not a poem writer). So I wrote the next line, and God gave me the next. It kept going back and forth until the end. It wasn't until several years later that I realized the purpose of that poem. The Lord reminded me of it one day when I was way in over my head with a new therapy program that we started with David. When I read it, I just cried, because it amazed me that the Lord gave that to me for ME. I had no idea it was for me. until that point, I had completely forgotten about it. I thought that was the end of it. Well, yesterday, he reminded me of it again. So today, I commit myself to Him!
........ And my God will supply ALL my needs according to HIS riches and glory!!!
Yesterday the Lord reminded me of a poem that I had written over 8 years ago. When I wrote it, I had no idea that it was about my life. I was just doing my quiet time one morning and the first sentence came to mind. I thought, "HMMM, that's sounds like the beginning of a poem" (I'm not a poem writer). So I wrote the next line, and God gave me the next. It kept going back and forth until the end. It wasn't until several years later that I realized the purpose of that poem. The Lord reminded me of it one day when I was way in over my head with a new therapy program that we started with David. When I read it, I just cried, because it amazed me that the Lord gave that to me for ME. I had no idea it was for me. until that point, I had completely forgotten about it. I thought that was the end of it. Well, yesterday, he reminded me of it again. So today, I commit myself to Him!
........ And my God will supply ALL my needs according to HIS riches and glory!!!
Run The Race
There were two men who ran a race
One ran hard
The other fell on his face
The first ran fast looking straight ahead
No time to stop and go to bed
The second got distracted as he turned side to side
"I'm just smelling the flowers, still running a fast stride"
The first man got tired looking for a place to rest
But then he realized that would not be best
Instead he dropped, right to his knees
And prayed to his Father who knew all his needs
His Father gave him strength, as he knew he would
Then he got back to his feet and ran as fast as he could
The second man got tired looking for a place to rest
He thought a nap in the shade would be best
When he woke up, he was more sluggish than before
So then he decided he would nap some more
When he awoke again and got back on his feet
He tried to run hard, but he felt so weak
The first man was excited because he knew what was ahead
So despite the distractions, he kept running instead
He knew if he wanted to win the prize
He could not look back or to both sides
"I must persevere he kept telling himself"
As he prayed to his Father who kept renewing his health
The second man tried to figure what he was doing wrong
"I stop and I rest but I never feel strong"
He thought he could never make it to the man who was ahead
But that's okay he thought to himself, "I'll just enjoy where I'm at instead"
He began to lose track of what he was running for
And it seemed he wasn't even in a race anymore
As the first man ran he never looked back
"If I want to win that prize, I must stay on track"
As he ran further, he began to see a light
He was so overwhelmed it was such a beautiful sight
It made him run even faster and faster
Because he knew very soon he would see his master
The second man, was still off track
With great intentions to someday get back
But as he stayed he got further and further
enjoying more and more what the world had to offer
He prayed to his Father from day to day
But never realized that the track was the way
As the first man ran to the arms of his savior
He received a prize that would last forever
As the second man thought he was running too
He never realized he was distracted by the view
Deep in his heart he had a love for his savior
But from the looks of his run, it was all for his favor
The first man knew the goal of his race
It was to see his savior face to face
While the second man ran, right into disaster
The first one ran to hear the "well done" from his master
Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize?
Run in such a way to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training.
They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.
1 Corinthians 9:24-25
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
We're Official
Dave & I are officially commissioned as "Campus Crusade For Christ" staff. We just got back from 8 days of training in Orlando. WOW! What an awesome week we had. It was so humbling to be there with so many people who have a heart for The Great Commission. It was so encouraging to hear the hearts of other believers as they shared their testimonies of how the Lord called them to a specific ministry. We felt proud to be a part of Campus Crusade, as there of over 27,000 missionaries sharing their faith across the globe! It was also neat for us to actually write out our testimonies and share it with others. Just doing that has confirmed our call even further. We did not realize how much of our past was being used to form us into what God has made us today. And for that we praise Him!
Upon our return home, we found our boys healthy and well taken care of. BIG thanks to my wonderful in-laws for their sacrifice in caring for our children. They enjoyed their time with their grandparents. And my boys were excited to know that they were our very first supporters!!!
The Lord has been trying to prepare me for what we are about to face this next year, but I'm afraid I didn't take it as seriously as I should have. I must admit it feels quite overwhelming. There is so much to do and I desperately need to order my day. Thankfully I will be done with homeschool soon, so won't have the distraction of schoolwork. Please keep our family in your prayers as we try to figure out what our "New Normal" will be, and that we can quickly return to our "Old Normal". : ) Although I don't think that moving to a place we have never known can qualify as our old normal. So I guess it will be another "New Normal".
God has revealed Himself so much to us in the past six months, we are still overwhelmed. I just pray that we keep our focus on Him and that our lives are a reflection of His glory. He is good and His love endures forever!
To the one who is able to keep us from falling......
Upon our return home, we found our boys healthy and well taken care of. BIG thanks to my wonderful in-laws for their sacrifice in caring for our children. They enjoyed their time with their grandparents. And my boys were excited to know that they were our very first supporters!!!
The Lord has been trying to prepare me for what we are about to face this next year, but I'm afraid I didn't take it as seriously as I should have. I must admit it feels quite overwhelming. There is so much to do and I desperately need to order my day. Thankfully I will be done with homeschool soon, so won't have the distraction of schoolwork. Please keep our family in your prayers as we try to figure out what our "New Normal" will be, and that we can quickly return to our "Old Normal". : ) Although I don't think that moving to a place we have never known can qualify as our old normal. So I guess it will be another "New Normal".
God has revealed Himself so much to us in the past six months, we are still overwhelmed. I just pray that we keep our focus on Him and that our lives are a reflection of His glory. He is good and His love endures forever!
To the one who is able to keep us from falling......
Saturday, April 14, 2007
God is on the Move (no pun intended)
I know I said I would not post much until after we went to training in May, but who was I to think that God could not move on our behalf until WE were ready?
Two weeks ago, a couple from church (that we had just met 10 weeks earlier) handed us an envelope with a letter that said they had been praying for us and felt led to give this small donation to our ministry. Inside was a check for $1,200.00!! WOW! We have never been in this kind of position before, and it is extremely humbling. We are so grateful for those that are praying for us!
God also continues to work in the hearts of our children. Jonathan & Samuel seem to be excited about our new venture. David however, has been........Well, let's just say it's been overwhelming at times. I heard him say to someone that he is never going to say he is moving to Arkansas, but just visiting for an extended time. : )
Remember in the last post, I wrote how David wrote out his feelings about Arkansas after much crying and frustration? Well, we had probably talked back and forth for over an hour that day. It was very difficult for him to see any good in all of this. One thing I tried to show him was all the stories in the Bible of great men who had gone through many trials and how God used them for great things. I asked him if knowing those stories gave him ANY hope, in which he responded, "No, not really". I could not reassure him enough that his sadness was normal and crying is O.K., but if you know me at all, you know I can get passionate about saying things that my God is not able to do. It upset me that he felt that God COULD NOT change how he felt. I asked him if ANYTHING is impossible with God, and he said no. All that conversation is what brought out the last line in his thoughts about moving, the one where he says he will pray for God to help him. Before that, he just refused to even ask.
Yesterday, David had a Bible project to do, in which he had to read the story of when Peter walked on the water and write a story about the event as if HE were there in the boat that day on the Sea of Galilee. This is what he wrote:
"I am terrified! The waves batter the boat. A hole is in the boat. Water is leaking in and hurricane force winds blow hard ready to end our lives.
What's this? Someone's walking on water. Who could it be, a ghost? Who else could it be?
'It is I' , Jesus said. 'Come', he said to Peter. Peter went but lost faith and fell. Jesus helped him up, then said, 'You of little faith'. I felt a sense of peace knowing Jesus was with us. I understand that Peter lost faith. It's not easy to trust God with so much. I would have asked God to give me the faith.
I am in a really hard situation of having to move to Arkansas. I will pray for God to give me faith in Him. Looking back, it seems so easy, but it's not. The fact that Peter's lack of faith to trust Jesus to help him walk on the water, is already written down for us. So I always think that if I had to walk on water I would trust God. However, Peter did not have an example of walking on water. Therefore, it would have been harder for him. I completely understand, and pray if that happened to me, that God would give me the faith to trust Him.
I thank God for giving us this example in the Bible. It is helping me to have faith in Him to help me live with moving to Arkansas. It gives me a sense of peace that God will do a miracle there. I pray that anyone going through a difficult time will look at this example and look to God to help them."
We were pretty blown away with it. This is no small feat. This is miraculous. If you know anything about autism, transition is NOT easy. This truly is a work of God. We are committed to keep our eyes focused on Jesus and to teach our children the same. Sometimes they get it and sometimes they don't. But we are learning that ultimately God is in control, and if you've seen the movie, "Facing The Giants", "we praise Him when we win, and we praise Him when we lose". God is still God even when our circumstances don't go the way we want them to. We've been experiencing that as a married couple for 14 years. But we have hope in a God that never changes. And for that WE PRAISE HIM!
Thank you Lord for being our unchanging Rock on which we stand!...
Two weeks ago, a couple from church (that we had just met 10 weeks earlier) handed us an envelope with a letter that said they had been praying for us and felt led to give this small donation to our ministry. Inside was a check for $1,200.00!! WOW! We have never been in this kind of position before, and it is extremely humbling. We are so grateful for those that are praying for us!
God also continues to work in the hearts of our children. Jonathan & Samuel seem to be excited about our new venture. David however, has been........Well, let's just say it's been overwhelming at times. I heard him say to someone that he is never going to say he is moving to Arkansas, but just visiting for an extended time. : )
Remember in the last post, I wrote how David wrote out his feelings about Arkansas after much crying and frustration? Well, we had probably talked back and forth for over an hour that day. It was very difficult for him to see any good in all of this. One thing I tried to show him was all the stories in the Bible of great men who had gone through many trials and how God used them for great things. I asked him if knowing those stories gave him ANY hope, in which he responded, "No, not really". I could not reassure him enough that his sadness was normal and crying is O.K., but if you know me at all, you know I can get passionate about saying things that my God is not able to do. It upset me that he felt that God COULD NOT change how he felt. I asked him if ANYTHING is impossible with God, and he said no. All that conversation is what brought out the last line in his thoughts about moving, the one where he says he will pray for God to help him. Before that, he just refused to even ask.
Yesterday, David had a Bible project to do, in which he had to read the story of when Peter walked on the water and write a story about the event as if HE were there in the boat that day on the Sea of Galilee. This is what he wrote:
"I am terrified! The waves batter the boat. A hole is in the boat. Water is leaking in and hurricane force winds blow hard ready to end our lives.
What's this? Someone's walking on water. Who could it be, a ghost? Who else could it be?
'It is I' , Jesus said. 'Come', he said to Peter. Peter went but lost faith and fell. Jesus helped him up, then said, 'You of little faith'. I felt a sense of peace knowing Jesus was with us. I understand that Peter lost faith. It's not easy to trust God with so much. I would have asked God to give me the faith.
I am in a really hard situation of having to move to Arkansas. I will pray for God to give me faith in Him. Looking back, it seems so easy, but it's not. The fact that Peter's lack of faith to trust Jesus to help him walk on the water, is already written down for us. So I always think that if I had to walk on water I would trust God. However, Peter did not have an example of walking on water. Therefore, it would have been harder for him. I completely understand, and pray if that happened to me, that God would give me the faith to trust Him.
I thank God for giving us this example in the Bible. It is helping me to have faith in Him to help me live with moving to Arkansas. It gives me a sense of peace that God will do a miracle there. I pray that anyone going through a difficult time will look at this example and look to God to help them."
We were pretty blown away with it. This is no small feat. This is miraculous. If you know anything about autism, transition is NOT easy. This truly is a work of God. We are committed to keep our eyes focused on Jesus and to teach our children the same. Sometimes they get it and sometimes they don't. But we are learning that ultimately God is in control, and if you've seen the movie, "Facing The Giants", "we praise Him when we win, and we praise Him when we lose". God is still God even when our circumstances don't go the way we want them to. We've been experiencing that as a married couple for 14 years. But we have hope in a God that never changes. And for that WE PRAISE HIM!
Thank you Lord for being our unchanging Rock on which we stand!...
Monday, April 9, 2007
He Is Risen Indeed!
Yesterday started out like a typical Sunday . Church was awesome, of course, and had a great time of worship - but that's not unusual for any Sunday at McGregor. Of course because it was Easter, we had dinner with family and friends and had a great afternoon. We got home around 6pm and we were already dragging. Jonathan wanted to know when we were going to color eggs because the night before Samuel fell asleep and we didn't want to do it without him. (Please don't tell my mom & dad we color eggs) : ) David was waiting to play a game with Dave that he had promised earlier, and I was beginning to feel anxious about putting my head on the pillow at night and feeling the guilt of not sitting with the boys and telling the Easter story. (especially knowing that every time I asked Samuel what Easter was, he replied, "I don't know", no matter how many times I told him).
We finally sat down to tell the Easter story using the Resurrection Eggs (a dozen colorful, plastic eggs that have items inside, each telling a different part of the Easter story). Thankfully Dave was on his game, because those boys can ask some deep theological questions - but at 9pm, and being tired, that is not easy. When we got to the egg that had the praying hands, Dave explained how Jesus went into the Garden of Gethsemane to pray, and how He asked God if at all possible to take this cup from Him. Well, David wanted to know, if Jesus was God, why couldn't He have chosen another way for us to be forgiven of our sins. And although we didn't have all the answers for him, we had a great discussion and saw my kids have a hunger to know the truth. We talked about WHY this was so hard for Jesus. We of course talked about how we will have to pick up and move to a new place, and how hard that will be, but to think about the home that Jesus left, to come and sacrifice Himself for us. Jesus had a perfect home before, and now He has to enter a world of sin, but not only that, He has to bear the burden of that sin for all the world, past, present, AND future. The boys were listening intently. We talked about how short this life is and the pilgrimage we are on - How our focus needs to be on Jesus and not our current lives, and how we will have Eternity to spend with the friends we leave behind. David quickly piped in and said, "Yeah, we'll get to spend Eternity with our old friends AND our new friends from Arkansas!" Just a week ago, I asked David to write out his feelings about moving, and after much crying and frustration, this is what he wrote, "I feel purely miserable about going to Arkansas. Though my parents have tried to make it easier for me, I can't stand the thought of leaving everyone I know. I pray to God to strengthen me through this time of temptation."
As we continued our Easter story, we got to the egg that had a spear in it. Samuel said, "I know what that's for! That's when they pierced Him!" I asked Samuel what He was pierced for, and he quickly responded, "He was pierced for our transgressions!" Then Jonathan continued to quote , "He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him, and by His wounds we are healed. Isaiah 53:5" Dave and I looked at each other and just smiled! What a great time we had, and to think we almost missed it.
As the boys were getting ready for bed, I took a white plate that we have on a stand on our counter, and wrote with a dry erase marker, "HE IS RISEN INDEED!" When David came out and saw it, he shouted "YES, HE IS RISEN INDEED!" I am so looking forward to seeing what our risen Savior will do in the life of that little boy. He struggles so much in in his flesh, but has such a passion for the Lord. But God is faithful, and He promises to complete the work He has started in each one of us.
All to the Glory and Honor of our Risen Savior!!!!!
We finally sat down to tell the Easter story using the Resurrection Eggs (a dozen colorful, plastic eggs that have items inside, each telling a different part of the Easter story). Thankfully Dave was on his game, because those boys can ask some deep theological questions - but at 9pm, and being tired, that is not easy. When we got to the egg that had the praying hands, Dave explained how Jesus went into the Garden of Gethsemane to pray, and how He asked God if at all possible to take this cup from Him. Well, David wanted to know, if Jesus was God, why couldn't He have chosen another way for us to be forgiven of our sins. And although we didn't have all the answers for him, we had a great discussion and saw my kids have a hunger to know the truth. We talked about WHY this was so hard for Jesus. We of course talked about how we will have to pick up and move to a new place, and how hard that will be, but to think about the home that Jesus left, to come and sacrifice Himself for us. Jesus had a perfect home before, and now He has to enter a world of sin, but not only that, He has to bear the burden of that sin for all the world, past, present, AND future. The boys were listening intently. We talked about how short this life is and the pilgrimage we are on - How our focus needs to be on Jesus and not our current lives, and how we will have Eternity to spend with the friends we leave behind. David quickly piped in and said, "Yeah, we'll get to spend Eternity with our old friends AND our new friends from Arkansas!" Just a week ago, I asked David to write out his feelings about moving, and after much crying and frustration, this is what he wrote, "I feel purely miserable about going to Arkansas. Though my parents have tried to make it easier for me, I can't stand the thought of leaving everyone I know. I pray to God to strengthen me through this time of temptation."
As we continued our Easter story, we got to the egg that had a spear in it. Samuel said, "I know what that's for! That's when they pierced Him!" I asked Samuel what He was pierced for, and he quickly responded, "He was pierced for our transgressions!" Then Jonathan continued to quote , "He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him, and by His wounds we are healed. Isaiah 53:5" Dave and I looked at each other and just smiled! What a great time we had, and to think we almost missed it.
As the boys were getting ready for bed, I took a white plate that we have on a stand on our counter, and wrote with a dry erase marker, "HE IS RISEN INDEED!" When David came out and saw it, he shouted "YES, HE IS RISEN INDEED!" I am so looking forward to seeing what our risen Savior will do in the life of that little boy. He struggles so much in in his flesh, but has such a passion for the Lord. But God is faithful, and He promises to complete the work He has started in each one of us.
All to the Glory and Honor of our Risen Savior!!!!!
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