Living in the Moment

     Walking down the street with our church clothes still on, Zoie did not want to be walking.  She was lagging behind, dragging her feet, wishing there was a short-cut home.  Her sister tried to encourage her by reminding her of the park at the end, and the chocolate cake awaiting her back at home.
     Isn't this the mindset of so many of us.  Focus on the goal!  Just wait till you get to the end.  There is a light at the end of the tunnel.  But what I know, after having the same mindset at times, is that it's not about the goal, but the journey.  If we are always focused on the goal, we will miss out on life.  We will miss out on joy.  But, if we can focus on today, what God is doing in this moment, we will KNOW how blessed we are, we will see Him all around, and we will experience a joy that is amazing!

     I paraphrased this to Zoie by asking her what she could find to be happy about in this moment, and a few cracks in the sidewalk later she turned around and said, "I'm with my family!"  The park and the cake were still ahead, but now there was skipping, laughter, holding hands, and smiles.  Zoie chose to see the joy in the now.

"Glorious Things"

I woke up grumpy.
I had a choice to make.
Then a song rang through my mind.
"This is the day that the Lord has made, I will rejoice and be glad in it!"
(Oh, Sunday School, you keep ringing in my ears.)

If this was true, and I knew it was, the choice was simple (not easy, but simple).
I must rejoice!
Called my girls.
We read the Bible.
And then we began a list:
"Glorious Things"
1. Our Home
2. Big Turkey Dinners
3. Toys . . .

We got to #30 and the paper ended.
Maybe tomorrow we will flip it over and keep going. :)

We remembered the goodness of the Lord.
My grumpiness disappeared. 

Perseverance

     Adalie was at the dining room table engrossed in a math test.  She was struggling with a particularly difficult division problem.  With each check, she realized the problem was wrong and had to start again.  She completed her test after much chagrin.
     The Lord instantly showed me a moment of teaching.  I took her in my arms and praised her for her perseverance.  I shared Romans 5:3-4 with her about perseverance producing character.  And told her that God was pleased with her.  I told her she was like her daddy, a man who has persevered since the day I met him, to accomplish that which the Lord has called him to.  Just like her, daddy has experienced times of frustration and discouragement, but he hasn't given up, and because of that the Lord has blessed him.
     Well done Adalie!  Your perseverance is a blessing to the Lord and to me.

The Search is On!

Zoie and Joy the Bunny

     My girls were playing Hide-and-Seek with their stuffed animals.  They hid Spots the dog, Joy the bunny, and a number of other much loved "pets".  Then they began searching.  What I heard made me stop and think.  It went like this, "Joy!  Where are you?  Joy, where did you go?"  
     I began to wonder.  Are there days that I have chosen to search for joy?  Or, do I simply choose to live in my sadness?  I remember one such day, that I chose to stay in my mood.  God revealed my attitude to me early on, but instead of searching out joy, I wallowed.  It wasn't until late in the afternoon that I finally chose to ask the Lord for forgiveness and then began the search.  He poured out His joy quickly and I wondered to myself, "Why did I wait so long?"  
     So, on those days that sadness seems to reign, I have remembered the girls game and I too begin to search for joy.
     
     Nehemiah 8: 9&10, "This day is holy to the Lord your God.  Do not mourn or weep. Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength."
     Psalm 65:8, "The whole earth is filled with awe at your wonders; where morning dawns, where evening fades, you call forth songs of joy."

A Daddy's Love

While kneading pizza dough in the middle of the day, Kylia ran in with a request. "Momma, can you text daddy and ask him to come home so he can help us fly kites?"  The question made me smile and the answer of course was, "Sure."

I believe that is what God meant when He asked us to come to Him having faith like a child.  The girls' daddy was in the middle of his work day, and things are getting busy, but instead of wondering if he could come home, instead of worrying if they would bother him, or simply not asking, they decided help was needed and dad was the man to call.

God wants us to bring our desires to Him, great or small, they are all important to Him.  We are important to Him.  He's our Daddy.

Birds Still Sing in the Rain

As I was walking yesterday morning, I wrote this poem.  It is the unedited, rough version, but I wanted to post it because I thought it may give a little perspective for those of us in the Northwest who tend to get gloomy when the rains keep coming.

Birds Still Sing in the Rain
            by Me :)

I lift my head and peak outside,
   rain's falling from the sky.
I lay back down and slightly frown,
   "No walk now", I sigh.
But something calls, I rise from bed,
   and bundle up so snug.
With coat and hood and earmuffs too,
   I walk out with a shrug.
As I saunter down the street,
   I begin to pray.
I ask the Lord for this and that,
   what else should I say?
But then I stop, and realize
   I haven't said hello.
"Good Morning, Lord!" I  say aloud.
   "Forgive my mood so mello."
Now I give thanks for rain, and green,
    for flowers blooming bright.
I count the snails, 1,2,3,
   Their crossing, what a sight!
I am so blessed, I realize,
   For this day I'm given.
I praise His name and slightly smile,
   Praise Him I'm forgiven.
My ears are open, I hear the sounds,
   Birds chirping beautifully.
Although the rain keeps falling down,
   Their songs I hear so clearly.
And then I realize all at once,
   Birds still sing in the Rain.

Rediscover the Simple.

It was Super Bowl Sunday.  The game hadn't yet begun and the sun was shining!  That's right!  The sun was shining on the west coast!!  So, out we went to enjoy the beauty.  We sat on the front porch soaking in the rays and began to observe the beauty around us.  Grass was growing, the sky was blue, the wind non-existent and there at our feet was a black tube.  Come to find out it was the sewage cleanout.  So, in curiosity, Seth opened it up and looked inside, and asked his dad about all that flows through the tube (which is exactly what one would guess). We then began talking about different races we could have with toilet paper, rubber duckies, etc.to see whose would make it to the street first.  It continued in this manner for a while.

With laughter bubbling, the sun beating down and actually warming our skin, I realized how much I love the little things in life.  There is so much to distract in this life, but I love that we can set aside all distractions and enjoy something so simple.  Gross, possibly, but it wasn't really about the sewage, it was about the time together, the creativity that flowed from something so basic, and the joy that reigned.  Since then, I have found myself thinking back to that day and giggling.  We can be so weird, but it is those times of weirdness that I treasure, those times that are remembered because they are out of the ordinary.

So, this is my challenge to you, rediscover the simple, and see what creativity, laughter, and relationship flows out of it.  I think you may be surprised.