Author: joyouschild

Unexpected Joy

joyouschild Raising Kids Alone

Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain. – I Corinthians 15:58

When I got home from a morning away recently, I found the younger boys had been busy.  They made me the following cards…just because:

from Tanner:

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from Jackson:

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I praise God for the moments when I feel appreciated!  It helps this weary mom continue on this journey.

But I know that, really, they appreciate me more than they say.

Being a mom is hard work.  Being a single mom is harder work.  I often feel ineffective, sub-standard.  I know that is often just Satan whispering in my ear, but that doesn’t mean that I am not affected by his malicious talk.

Those are the times when I need to wrap into God and remember why I am really doing this.

I am working in obedience to what the Lord has given me to do…to be their mom.

Not always perfectly, not always kindly, not always gracefully.  But I keep plugging on.

And that is ultimately what the Lord wants…my best effort.

I pray that I can always parent to His glory.  I also pray that when I don’t, I can forgive myself and keep plugging on.

Ultimately, that is what will be best for my boys.

And for me.

Becoming a Family

joyouschild Missions Journey

All the believers were together and had everything in common. –  Acts 2:44 (NIV)

We had the extreme joy of attending our second missions trip through Adventures in Missions last week.  And, just like last year, God showed up in a mighty way.  Praise Him!

We began our week as a group strangers…believers from across the country who had only a love of our Savior and a desire to serve Him in common.

We ended the week as family.

Virginia, North Carolina, New York, Georgia, Alabama, Nebraska, Connecticut, Illinois.  Cities, suburbs, and farms.  Young and old.  Big families and small.  Our demographics did not affect our love for our Savior, nor our ability to serve Him.

Big projects and small.   Serving brothers and sisters in Christ and working to introduce others to Him.  Hot and sweaty jobs and peaceful ones in air conditioning.

It is amazing to me what a week together will do to bond people together.  It is a beautiful thing.

For the rest of our time on this earth and into eternity, we will have each other…to pray for and to pray for us, to understand and remember the joys and hard work done on our trip, and, Lord willing, to spend more time with before we journey to Heaven.

Over the next few days, I will be sharing what God did in us and through us.  May you be blessed by my recounting.  We certainly were blessed to be  living it!

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(pictured:  most of our missions trip family)

Father’s Day…Heaven!

joyouschild Raising Kids Alone

But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord. – Joshua 24:15

This verse was Keith’s favorite, one that he sought to guide our family by throughout his life.

In light of his feelings about this verse, I think he would be pleased by how his boys spend Father’s Day today.

We arrived at church early so that the two older boys could practice for worship band.  They are often on stage, leading the congregation humbly to the Lord’s throne.  Today, I had the great joy of seeing them on stage together…working together to make sure the worship was well orchestrated and pleasing to God.  I cried those special Mom tears.

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Meanwhile, back in the church kitchen, my younger two boys were helping prepare the breakfast as they do each Sunday.  Each week, they help make breakfast and a bag lunch for a group of children we serve with a bus ministry.  More Mom tears.

my blog 6-15-14 pix #3

my blog 6-15-14 pix #2

As a mom raising boys alone, I constantly pray that I am doing the right things to make sure they are learning to be men of God in the image of both their earthly father and their Heavenly Father.

Mornings like this morning give me confirmation that, with God’s help, they are.

And I thank the Lord mightily for this!  To Him be the glory!

How Not to Load a Dishwasher

joyouschild Faithwalk, Grace Again and Again

As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you. – Joshua 1:5b

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I am kind of a fanatic about my dishwasher. Perhaps you are, too.

I like it loaded a certain way, everything it a certain place.  I like the food well cleaned off before the dishes go in.  I like the disposal run often while the dishes are being cleaned.  My way allows the maximum use of every space in the thing, while not sacrificing cleanliness of the dishes.

I am in the process of teaching my older boys to load the dishwasher…to my satisfaction.  It is not as easy as it sounds.

They just don’t seem to get that my way is the best way, that I have loaded more dishwashers than they could possibly count, that my way will really make their job so much easier.

Nope.  They continue to struggle with doing it the way I want it done.  I have to retrain…and retrain…and retrain.  Ad nauseum.

What a visual image for me of what I make my heavenly Father go through!  He tells me again and again in His word how I should act, what I should do, how to cram the most joy possible into this earthly existence.  His ways are the best, the easiest, the most efficient, to complete this task called living the Godly life.

Yet, I go off on my own, trying to “load” my life a different way.  I try to take short cuts in the process of learning what I should do, failing to seek His advice on matters where I have questions.  I feel like close enough is good enough, and leave it at that, not aiming for wrapping into Him and His teachings in order to be a better servant to Him.  I don’t efficiently cleanse myself of my sins before Him so that when I go through the heat of life I come out chipped and still dirty…and I have to go back and try it again and again.  I want to do it my way, and I often pay the price for that.

Just like the boys and the dishwasher.

Second revelation to me:  I often get angry and frustrated with them for their carelessness and lack of attention to detail; He is forever patient with me in mine.

Wow.  Ouch.

As I think now of the dirty dishes on my counter, and the boy who will be coming to l0ad them shortly, help me remember, Lord, to take a page from Your playbook, not only in how I load my own life, but also in how I instruct these young men to load theirs.  Help me to be more like You as I teach them to be more like You.  In Your precious Name I pray, amen.

 

Baby, It’s Cold Outside

joyouschild Faithwalk, Priorities, Raising Kids Alone

“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’  – Matthew 25:37-40

During a recent cold snap, I started down the stairs early one morning for my usual quiet time.  When I was about halfway down the stairs, I realized that something was wrong.  Really wrong.

It kept getting colder…and colder…and colder.

“Something is wrong!” I said out loud to no one, and hurried down the stairs to flip the light on.

I discovered that my back door was…standing…open.

Whoever had let the dogs in the night before had not closed it well, and it wiggled open.  The temperature in the house was 48 degrees.

Right away, I had several praises:

  • thanks, God, for a relatively new heating system
  • thanks, God, for two systems in the house, one of which kept the upstairs to the usual 67 degrees despite the influx of super cold air from downstairs
  • thanks, God, for no one/nothing coming in my wide open door

A bit later I could say:  “Thanks, God, that the system was efficient enough to return the temperature to 67 degrees in just four hours (which I thought was pretty good for a 19 degree jump).

But there was another blessing in store for me…an unexpected one:  the conversation at our breakfast table.

I am blessed with sweet, empathetic children, but the empathy they developed by our one cold morning in the house brought out new levels of empathy in them.

They decided that we had an abundance of blankets in our home, and that we should share them with a local homeless ministry.

They also started making bracelets in order to raise money for the same ministry to use to take care of the street people in our area.

It was beautiful to see, even though it was an expensive lesson monetarily.

Father, thank You for the way you teach us, even when it is difficult for us.  Thank You in this case that the lesson was fairly easy to learn.  I pray that it has a long-lasting affect on all of us.  I pray, also, for the homeless forced to be out in this extreme cold.  Help them, Lord, to find a warm place to spend this winter.

Welcome Home

joyouschild Faithwalk, Grace Again and Again

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” – Revelation 21:1-4

Two of my dearest friends had their deployed husbands return this week.  What a joy to see their homecoming pictures!  They make me cry!

On several levels.

First and foremost, these dear men whom we have been praying for have returned safely from dangerous places.  They have been putting themselves in harm’s way to protect our freedoms, and their return just supports what is truly great about American military members…and their families.  They have given up so we can enjoy.  Praise God!

Secondly, I must admit that I have a few tears for myself, for my kids, and the homecoming we cannot have.  Keith’s early trip to Glory means that we do not have him here, cannot have that hug we dream of, especially on the tough days.

But mingled with the sadness are tears of joy for my family as well, for one day, we will have a homecoming greater than this.

God, in His great love and mercy, have made a way so that we can all join Him for the greatest homecoming ever created.  One day, our Savior will stand waiting in anticipation of us returning to Him.  He will welcome us into our true home, the one in Heaven.

And while I cannot say for sure what homecomings are like with the former residents of earth who have already received their reward, I am sure that if Keith can be, he will be there…smiling and welcoming us home for good.

What a glorious homecoming that will be!

Keep the Spirit of Christmas

joyouschild Faithwalk

Surely he took up our pain
    and bore our suffering,
yet we considered him punished by God,
    stricken by him, and afflicted.
But he was pierced for our transgressions,
    he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was on him,
    and by his wounds we are healed.
We all, like sheep, have gone astray,
    each of us has turned to our own way;
and the Lord has laid on him
    the iniquity of us all.  – Isaiah 53:4-6

I did an object lesson with my boys on Christmas Eve.  While we were eating, I brought my dog’s nasty dish to the table.

It was particularly nasty, in need of a good cleaning.  Even though they are boys, and therefore very familiar and comfortable with dirt, they looked at me as if I had lost my mind.

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I asked them if they would like to sleep in there.

Again, they looked at me as if I had lost my mind.  Realization was starting to dawn with the big two, and maybe the little ones as well.

I then reminded them that Jesus came here as a baby and slept in something maybe even more nasty…all because He loves each of them.

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The packages may be unwrapped, the hoopla over the season may be done, leaving just a mess and a thousand dirty dishes (at least at my house)…but this fact does not change.

For us He did this…each and every one of us.  He came knowing what this world was like…and what His death would be like.

And He did it anyway.

Let’s remember this Christmas feeling throughout the year…and honor Him the day after Christmas as much as we did on Christmas.

Father, thank You for the indescribable gift of Your Son.  Help us to remember Him with the joy and fervor and anticipation of Christmas each and every day of our lives.  In Jesus’ name.  Amen.

No Accidents with God…When God Showed Up

joyouschild Faithwalk

You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts. – 2 Corinthians 3:3

Well, out doing some cookie delivery this morning, I got rear-ended.  But…it was actually a blessing.

Stopped at a light, I was finishing a conversation with Matthew.  Then I felt a bump in the back of the car.  I quickly hung up, pulled onto a side street, and got out of the car.  No damage to me (benefit of a big car)…but the little black Nissan that hit me had some obvious damage.

So did the young woman (very young) who got out of the car.

Oh, not physical damage…but she was severely shaken.

I went into “mom” mode.

I asked her if she was OK, even as she continued to apologize for hitting me.  I took this trembling young thing gently by the arm and told her everything was OK.  Cars are just hunks of metal, and not that important.  The important thing was that everyone was OK.  I told her to call her parents.  She tried, but did not get them.

She said she was headed today to file the paperwork for her upcoming wedding and was meeting her fiance at his job.  She apologized again, and started to cry.  I put an arm around her to comfort her.

She wore a cross on her neck.  I pointed to it and asked if she was a Christian.  She nodded.  I told her I was, too.  Then I told her I thought we should pray.

I took this young, still-trembling woman in my arms and prayed with her.  She was quietly sobbing while I thanked God for everyone’s safety, and asked for the Lord to calm the heart of sweet Mary (for that is her name…a bit ironic) and help her to go on safely and peacefully through her day.

As we were finishing the prayer, a man in a white pick-up stopped to make sure we were OK.  We both said we were, and he answered, “You all have a blessed day,” as he drove off.  I told Mary that was our confirmation that God had the situation.  How cool when He shows up like that!

She texted me a bit later to thank me for praying with her and for being so caring.

Now, I know very little about this young woman.  I know she has a tender heart and that she trusts the same Savior I do.  Even if she did not trust Him, I knew all I needed to know to take a tough situation and try to make it better.

I am thankful to God that she was wearing her cross that I could see it, thus feeling more open about praying with her.  The old saying about there being no atheists in foxholes probably would apply to car accidents as well, but the confirmation from a small piece of silver with diamond chips was a blessing.

I am thankful, too, for the confirmation of God from the man in the pick-up…both for my sake and for Mary’s.

I am thankful that no one was hurt and that her car was able to be driven.

But, mostly, I am thankful for God giving me the strength to help show Him in a situation where it would have been so easy to respond in a worldly manner, rather than with the love of Christ.

And while I pray that her car is easily fixed and that she does not stress over it any longer, I thank God that I got to meet Mary today.  She will be in my prayers for many days to come.

Blessings in the ER

joyouschild Faith Community, Grace Again and Again

Show me the wonders of your great love, you who save by your right hand those who take refuge in you from their foes. – Psalm 17:7

My sweet Jackson had to go to the ER today…sprained or broken ankle…on the weekend.  I do not overreact to boys’ injuries.  I have had too many of them between the four of them.  But, based on where his pain was…and because it was the weekend…off we went.

On the way in the car, Jackson and I prayed…for the doctor and staff, for the pain, for the visit going quickly, for it not being broken.

We got the initial paperwork done quickly and easily and went back to the examination room.  After just a few moments, the nurse came in, followed almost immediately by the doctor.

Dr. Brian introduced himself and shook my hand…a nice firm handshake.  I liked his bedside manner immediately…warm and easy.  He introduced himself to Jackson as Brian and asked him questions about his injury.

That was when I noticed his pin on his scrubs:  Jesus is the reason for the season.  Answered prayer right there.  Praise God!

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But, as much as Jackson and I were happy to see that answered prayer, we had another blessing coming.

When Dr. Brian came back in to give us the x-ray report (not broken) and talk about how to treat the sprain, I just had to tell him.  I told him that we had prayed for the doctor in the car on the way to the hospital and that seeing his pin meant so much to us.

This sweet man got almost teary.  He thanked me for sharing that with him and told us we had touched his heart.  He blessed us, but we were able to bless him right back…just by recognizing that God was in the room, giving Him credit where credit was due.

It matters, people.  When God blesses you, share the blessing.  Tell the person who blessed you what an answer to prayer they were.  Pass on the blessing.

It’s what it’s all about.

We are here to make waves for Christ…positive waves of love that have a cumulative effect.

So, I am thankful for Dr. Brian and his kind manner with my little boy.  I am even more thankful for a God who allows me to be part of His work here on earth.

Blessings, everybody!

A Reminder

joyouschild Faithwalk, Grace Again and Again

And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus. – Philippians 4:19

I go to the commissary once a month to get most of our staples.  Consequently, it is a big, time-consuming trip.  My attitude is usually positive, but today, I really got an attitude check.

I was walking through the aisles, filling my second cart, and happened to be near a woman who was speaking under her breath as she put each thing into her cart.  This is nothing unusual…I often do it myself, marking off my list carefully as I go.

As she leaned in to get something near me, though, I heard something that made me stop in my tracks…and gave me a glimpse of the Divine.

What she was saying each time she put something into her cart was, “You are good.”

My breath caught.

Not being shy, I touched her arm a few moments later and said, “I have to ask…are you thanking the Lord each time you put something in your cart?”

“Yes,” she replied simply.

Tears in my eyes, I said, “That’s beautiful.”

She smiled slightly and moved on to continue to fill her cart.

I, however, was rooted in place.  Tears fell down my cheeks.  I felt both blessed and humbled.

Two full carts.  Six years without Keith.  Every time I need something, and most of the time when I want something.

You.  Are.  Good.

I think I am a thankful person.  I certainly try to be.  But I go to the commissary each month without really thanking the God of the universe for His infinite, patient, precise care of me.

You.  Are.  Good.

I learned a lesson today, one that I pray never leaves me, one that is still bringing me to tears.

You.  Are.  Good.

This sweet lady and her mom were in line behind me, and I had the opportunity to talk to them again.  Still with tears in my eyes, I said, “You have touched me today.”

Still just a slight smile, and a humble, “I’m glad.  Thanks.”

No, really, thank you, sweet sister…and thank You, dear Father.

You.  Are.  Good.