MONKEYS COMING

When one of my boys was two, he developed a fear of falling...and monkeys. I can vividly remember changing his diaper on the floor and he was wide eyed and saying in his deep voice "no fall Mama no fall! Monkeys coming!"

I don't know much, but I knew for sure that he wasn't going to fall off the floor...and no monkeys were going to come running out of our kitchen. I could have tried to explain this to him (and I'm sure I did try)...but he was a toddler. He didn't understand that his worries were not only unlikely, but pretty close to impossible.  He knew that people fall, and monkeys exist and both of those things felt like very real threats to him.

I have worries in my life that feel like very real threats. I tell myself that my worries are legitimate. If I don't worry about my kids, who will? If I don't worry about them getting hurt, maybe I will miss something! I am not a toddler...surely I am able to tell the difference between worries that make sense and worries that don't.

Maybe not.

Maybe when I am wide eyed and telling God all of my worries...he hears the equivalent of "No fall! Monkeys coming!" 

God tells us clearly not to worry. Maybe it is time to believe Him!

"Let not your hearts be troubled.."

John 14:1

I know for sure

Our six-month-old baby girl knows a lot of things. She knows that one brother grows wheels on his feet when he is outside on the concrete slab. She knows that another brother has an extra set of eyes on his face. She knows that brother number three can jump six feet straight up in the air and she knows that if we buckle her in a chair and shut a big sliding door the world will change and she will be in a new spot when we slide that door back open. She knows theses things because she has seen them...she has proof. Her older brothers have seen these things also...but what they know is entirely different. They know that those wheels are attached to shoes called roller-skates. They know glasses help people see but are not actually an extra set of eyes. They know that a kid can jump six feet into the air, but only on a trampoline and they know that the world does not change when we close the van door...we only drive to a different spot. Compared to their baby sister these boys are full of knowledge.  They have a much bigger picture of the way the world works and they can teach her so much. Just think how much God knows compared to us. He doesn't just have a bigger picture of the way the world works...he has the COMPLETE picture of the way the world works. I think I know that mosquitos have no value, and my children should not suffer, and America can't survive on its current path. Maybe, though, I am seeing wheels sprouting from peoples' feet and God knows that it is just a pair of skates.  Maybe all we know for sure is that we know nothing. All we can do is have faith...and wait until we get to see the complete picture that God has created for each of us.  Proverbs 3:5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;

For thirteen years I was a mom of boys. I remember telling people "I have two boys!" They would look at me with a little bit of sympathy and say something about how busy I must be. Then I would say "I have three boys!" The sympathetic look would be stronger and they would say that our house must be very loud and I must be very tired. Then eventually I would say "I have four boys!"...and people would just shake their head and smile and say "oh wow." It has been busy and loud and I have been very tired. I never once wished, however, for anything different. I like boys. I like seeing their army men scattered around and their bikes leaning on the house and their trucks in the dirt. I was happy having a unique place in the family as the only "girl" and enjoyed a lot of special treatment because of it. We had a great family, we were happy, and we thought a family of six was the perfect size. God knew different. We never asked for, thought about, or dreamed of having a little girl in this house of toy guns and gum wrappers. We could not have imagined a girl fitting into our life of video games and soccer tournaments and wrestling matches that turn into brawls in the basement.   When we discovered that a baby girl was on her way, we really thought maybe there was some mix-up... some mistake in the paperwork. I told God all about how I don't know how to fix a little girl's hair...or teach a teenage girl about boys. My husband's first words were "I don't know how to coach girls' sports." I know God heard us...but he ignored us. Now we are a family of seven. It is still a loud, busy, tiring house...but we have added pink blankets and frilly dresses. Four boys dote on a little girl and try to make her smile and laugh. We know for sure that she was not only welcome, but necessary to our family. On this day in McPherson when people will "prayerfully stand together in defense of the sanctity of human life," my prayer is that we will as a nation believe and understand that each life that God creates is not only welcome, but necessary. Psalm 139:13-16  For you created my inmost being;you knit me together in my mother's womb.

Say thank you!

I wish I had a penny...or these days maybe a dollar...for every time I've told my boys "say thank you!" It surprises me that I need to say it over and over and over before it becomes a habit for them to thank someone who helps them. 

They do get it eventually though, and they will consistently say thank you for a door that is held open, or for a drink delivered by a waitress (or Mom), or for a gift from a grandparent. It is nice when they thank me...but it is expected and not much of a surprise most of the time.

There are times, however, when a 'thank you' has much more meaning. My nine-year-old,Tate, has to take medication several times a day. The pills are preventative...so they don't make him feel better in any way that he can identify. I try to explain that they are to keep him from getting sick. He has faith in my wanting to take care of him, so he takes them without arguing. Often, when he is busy playing and I interrupt him with a glass of water and 1-4 pills for him to take, he will take them and say "thank you!" That always stops me in my tracks for a moment. Not only does he trust me enough to do something unpleasant every single day, he trusts me enough to THANK ME for it! 

I think about how often I complain about all the unpleasantness of life. I wish I could have faith like Tate...to trust that the unpleasantness is meant for my good, and to even be thankful for it.

"Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this the will of God in Christ Jesus for you."

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

mama...mama...mama....mama...MAMA...MAMA...MAAAAMAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!

Two years ago my four boys were home from school for a 'snow day.' I love it when they get to stay home, even though my dreams of four happy snow-suited boys playing nicely together outside all day while I sit by the fire with a good book are unrealistic and never happen. On this particular day I decided by 8 a.m. that the buses probably would have made it just fine on those ice-covered roads. As I was running around trying to meet my boys' requests for toast and juice and trying to keep the peace between them I decided to kind of make a game out of it for myself. I had always wondered how many times I heard the word "mama" during a day, so I decided to count. I counted only the "MAMAS" that required me to DO something…like get them something or answer a question or watch an amazing ninja roll off the couch. 

I started at 8 a.m. and finished at 4 p.m. The grand total? 

146.

I knew it would be a lot but even I was surprised at that number. No wonder I'm pretty tired. 

What I thought of a few days later though startled me a little bit. 

At the time I had four children asking me for food and help and love and attention. God has about seven billion.

It tries my patience to get through each day…what a miracle for us that God has infinite patience for each one of us!

Psalm 86:15
But you, O Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness.

We always hide our boys’ Christmas presents in our bedroom closet in a big blue bag. The other day, our five year old “Lucky” came down the stairs and found his daddy in the kitchen.

Lucky: “Daddy, can I look in the bag in your closet?”

Daddy : “no.”

Lucky: “please?”

Daddy: “no.”

Lucky: “I will give you one million hugs and kisses!”

Daddy: “no.”

Lucky: “well…it’s too late.”

If I stop to think about it, I bet I could have a variation of this conversation with God about 20 times a day.

“Can I be jealous of my friend’s pool?”

“Can I still be angry at someone who was mean to me 10 years ago?”

“Can I only be grateful when I get exactly what I think I want?”

“Can I be lazy and selfish and think mean thoughts about strangers on the street?”

“No? Well…it’s too late.”

I am glad that Lucky decided that it was safe to confess to giving into the temptation of a full present bag. He was instantly forgiven. I am so grateful that God gives us that same opportunity. It is safe to confess and we are instantly forgiven. What a gift!

Acts 5:31 Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins.

The Battling Middles

I was sitting in Church several weeks ago, content in my favorite pew, while my boys were standing with their terrific Sunday School teacher outside the sanctuary….looking clean and proper and so well-behaved. I know better than to completely ignore them, so I glanced back often, and after a few times noticed that the middle-two (or as we call them “The Middles,”) were not looking so sweet and well-behaved any longer. They were talking intently….then moving closer and closer to each other. I recognized the look on their faces but was hopeful that surely they knew better than to start punching each other at Church.  Well…maybe not. You can imagine my dismay when one of them lowered his shoulder and rammed his brother and the other “shouldered” him right back.  I was too far away for a threatening look, so I hopped up and took them outside where I’m sure I calmly discussed the merits of brotherly love.

The timing of this mini brawl was interesting because I had just come from Sunday School, where Pastor Skar had talked about Christians loving each other as members of the Universal Church, even when we disagree. As adults, most of us probably won’t throw punches in the Church Foyer, but a lot of us may bicker and complain and focus on issues where we disagree. We may do this in our on congregation, and in the greater Universal Church. We can’t depend on our mom grabbing us and retreating to the parking lot anymore, so I guess we need to remember what the Bible tells us.

Romans 12:19
Don't quarrel with anyone. Be at peace with everyone, just as much as possible.