The Lord has given me a few songs these past couple of days. He always knows the best time to spring up a new song. I can't remember the words, unfortunately, my memory fails me, but one of the first lines in one of them started out, "In my defense" and it ended, "I am a child of God." I don't know if anyone will get that but I thought it was kind of funny. Seasons of singing and joy are meant to be everlasting and I'm learning how to cultivate the fruit of joy more and more as I surround myself with people who are healthy and seeking the same things. Boundaries are something I'm learning. How to pace myself is another. God gives me a reason to sing and be joyful everyday, and without Him, I would be down and depressed about the toil that taunts me in the sink and laundry areas of my life. Trust me, I've got three girls, two of them teens, this work is not cut out for me! But because of Him, I can accept where I'm at and therefore where everyone else around me is at too. No mysticism involved, it's just God's simple plan that we stay in His boundaries and love one another as we love ourselves.
Tonight, my husband and I had the opportunity to take on about twenty-five kids, most of them under the age of ten. What a sight it was to see us trying to manage all of those children! It really was a lot more complicated than it sounds because we were playing a game outside on teams, boys against girls and I was the only adult captain on my team. I love kids and I always wanted to be a teacher, it's a dream that has always been with me ever since I was a little girl, so getting to be all teachy with those little girls was sheer joy to me. All the different personalities and unique individual needs came out and it was so stunningly beautiful to see the way they all worked together. I must have been the most emotional captain on the planet but I couldn't help but to just let my heart be soft before God for His Children.
Even as I sit here writing tonight, I'm remembering little parts of the day where I wasn't sure how I would answer to my own children, when one of the several dilemmas would pop up during the day. All I can say is that I made it through by getting out of the way. You can't be a people pleaser when it comes to your kids, you just can't. I'm learning that I simply don't have time to try to make everybody happy. A family is a team and therefore must work together in order for things to flow. Mom and Dad have to stay united if they don't want their kids getting all confused. It's true, kids don't know what to do with themselves when their parents are divided. They don't know what side to stand on! It's so easy to let it happen too, we are constantly checking to make sure we're still standing side by side. Good captains I think should stay on the same side, side by side, guarding each other. Especially when their on the same team.
My heart is grieved when I think about the brothers and sisters who have let pride and offense get in the way of their once unified relationships. It breaks my heart when I hear a story about someone that I care about saying nasty things about other people in the body. I understand people get angry but I also know that there are two sides to every story. My husband used to tell me during the first years of our marriage, "When you assume something, you make an ass out of you and me. Get it ASS-U-ME? Really though, there have been all kinds of accusations made against me, but look at the fruit of my life if you want to know what God I am serving. The fruit will tell. Let that be the test for all of us. Another one is to examine your own hunk of wood before you try to pry mine out of my eye. I can honestly say that right now, there is no one that I have an offense with. It's a good way to live to be in constant recognition of where division is trying to creep in. I can't emphasize it enough.
The prayer of my heart is that for every mother and father, for every sister and brother, for every lost and lonely person out there, that they would find the healing they need and that their relationships would be repaired. We are called to be united. The bible is full of scripture that talks about watching what you say about your brother. Even if you don't like your brother or your sister, he's still yours and Jesus loves them just as much as He loves you! What if what you said about somebody came back and made you sick? Is Christ's body not One? What if your words affected the whole body including your own kin? The bible talks about that too! We are called to be united, which means we choose to love each other. Satan is the accuser of the brethren, he is sneaky, and let the test come to the one who lets accusation pass from his lips. The fruit will tell We have all fallen short and my husband always reminds me, we will again tomorrow. Life is just so much better when there is unity amongst the brethren, the bible says blessing is commanded when it happens so we might as well try!
In whatever relationships you are trying to build, whether it be with twenty-five small children or teenage girls, guard your mouth for from out of it the heart speaks. Sing songs over one another and greet each other with praise. Worship and glorify with your thoughts and actions toward one another. If you have fallen relationships that need repair but you aren't sure where to start, God's hands are a good place? There have been so many times that I've gotten angry and complained or let words come from my mouth that I'm not proud of, but you can say your sorry! First tell God because it was one of His kids you hurt and then go tell them. Let the fruit of righteousness be sown in peace and watch how God will honor you for doing things right. Above all else, unite your heart to God's plan. Surrender the things you know need surrendering and get back to your life. It's meant to be full of goodness and full of life. And when you've done all that, surround yourself with young people that are looking for the right way to go. There are plenty of children and teens that need to see what it looks like to walk these things out. So go on, be the blessing that you were created to be and if you get lost and aren't sure where you are, ask for help. God created us to do really great things, lets not wait any longer!
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