Playing Hide and Seek (with God)

Right away I want to look into this locked box! I want to go to Secret Hiding Places.com and check it out. Tell the truth. Didn't you LOVE playing Hide and Seek when you were younger? Maybe you still, on occasion, get a kick out of waiting for your husband, wife or one of your kids to pass by the doorway where you are hiding so you can jump out and startle them silly. All in fun. Of course! Just choose your timing carefully. No one carrying hot coffee or precious cargo or anything.

One of the first comments our kids screamed to each other the first time we brought them to the house we were buying almost 18 years ago was "This will be great for Hide and Seek!" And they were off hiding and seeking. Should the fact that a place is great for hide and seek be a selling/purchasing factor? I would say it is worth considering when the family has going on 7 children, then growing to be 8. The house we were moving from had the MOST awesome rope swing ever, over a dry gully, that sold me when I watched my kids swing out far and wide as we were checking out homes for ownership. (When we had settled in Rope Swing house I would give it a swing myself while they napped and I was between pregnancies).ANYWAY.....

This morning I opened to page 1003 in my Bible. Ok. It was a morning of reading where I opened, because where I opened grabbed my attention. On page 1003 in my Bible is part of Psalm 139 along with side notes for referrence and then a section on Birth Control and being Stewards of Procreation. So anyway I stopped there. The part of the scripture that held me was this:

Where can I go from Your Spirit?
Or where can I flee from Your presence?


If I ascend into heaven, You are there;
If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there.


If I take the wings of the morning,
And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,


Even there Your hand shall lead me,
And Your right hand shall hold me.


If I say, "Surely the darkness shall fall on me,"
Even the night shall be light about me;


Indeed, the darkness shall not hide from You,
But the night shines as the day,
The darkness and the light are both alike to You.
Psalm 139: 7-12

That got me thinking. No matter where I might go, no matter where I might think I am hidden from God, I am not. No matter how dark my circumstances may seem, they do not hide me from Him and His hand to lead me out. His hand to hold me. Even if I may have messed up and want to hide from Him, He is the One who is the Good Shepherd Who will leave the flock to find the one lost sheep...

Are there days you just want to hide from life? Well maybe not for some of you but I know I have.
But what kinds of places do we hide in? Shopping. Drugs (legal or not). Poor relationship choices. Hobbies. Work. Alcohol. Food. Bed. The problem with those hiding places is they have the potential to turn in to places that trap us. Hang on there a minute. Let me be clear. If you are prescribed a med you need, use it, just don't misuse it. The ones not prescribed are illegal so do not even go there. I could expound on each of the listed hiding places but for the sake of space and wanting to keep blogs brief enough just to jolt something awake in us like a quick espresso I won't.

The flip side of all this is that we can hide ourselves in Him. (do you see it? The I in HIM?) Psalm 32:7 tells us:
You are our hiding place;
You shall preserve me from trouble,
You shall surround me with songs of deliverance    Selah

Psalm 91 also tells us:
He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High
Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.

Whining (or winning)

Aren't we equipped with such great capabilities with our voices? Such range and pitch. For some it's melodic and others a bit scratchy...But I was commenting to my son yesterday about the purity of vocal projection when it comes to kids. Their sound just CARRIES pretty much above everything.
I am not sure what happens to that ability as we get older. Jesus was able to speak to large crowds without microphones and speakers and probably without shrieking to get His voice to carry. We long for our babies to talk and then when they do and when they catch on to inflections it can be fun unless it is Whining..Ewwwwwww...so irritating! Such volume. Such perfect projection. Definitely gets our attention. Since we do not like the sound of whining,  we understandably do everything we can to train them NOT to use their whiny voices...
This is not a lesson on how to keep our kids from whining though... sorry. This is about whining when things do not go my way. Another term that fits in the same category of dislike is grumbling...Oh my goodness! Nancy if I may grab and apply your phrase once again it's "NOT ATTRACTIVE".

God is bigger than me. He is stronger than me. Even though He gives me freedom of choice He does have a plan for me if I will simply get on board and stay on board and not grumble and whine at any turn that takes me by unpleasant surprise. This is challenging isn't it?
Evidently God dislikes whiny, grumbling tones too. The people he miraculously delivered from slavery and opened a sea for and fed fresh manna in the morning to and kept their clothes from wearing out ended up taking 40 long years traveling in a desert circle around and around largely due to grumbling and complaining. "I miss the leeks. I miss the garlic"...did they miss the oppression of a task master?... they forgot that part. They missed staying in one home and raising kids (who were going to be slaves too mind you). Looks like we may be taken out of slavery but also need slavery as an image taken out of us.

I think a partial solution is praise and thanksgiving. Deliberately changing what wants to just let loose in my mind and mouth to do something that will help bring God on the scene (though sometimes an honest "HELP" will do when it is all I can muster at the time). The word of God says "God inhabits that is lives in, dwells in, the praises of His people" So if I want more of God actively involved in my life I should praise Him more..Not for His ego's sake because that is not how He is. But let me ask you this. When you have a child, or spouse or any person really that lets you know how much they appreciate you and what you do for them instead of whining and grumbling about the next thing they are asked to do or are asking you to do, don't you just want to be with them and do more for them? I do. And when they do whine constantly and complain aren't you just wearied by it? Don't you just want them to stop. Be quiet. Use a pleasant voice. I do too.

So my suggestion to us is that we "put on the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness" as scripture says and move on out of the dark places whining and grumbling would have us dwell in. Maybe this doesn't fit you today but I have had lots of opportunity to put this into practice today (ummmm no. I am not complaining in a veiled sort of way either) but go ahead start thanking God for the things He has done for you. The times He came through when you didn't see any possible way. For breath. For salvation. For the beauty around you. You will be glad you did! Then make it a practice to do that. Not just be an asker. And definitely not a whiner. That is something else that never looks good on us no matter what shoes we wear.

Temper Tantrums (the 57 year old kind)

The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long suffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self control...from Galatians 5:22

Does anyone like the two year old's tantrum? The answer is apparent and if you do you are a rare person.

Generally a two year old is responding to being told to do something or give up something they think they really, really, really want to have or do, or on the other hand yield to something they do NOT want to do. So we may get that concept, but even so the tantrum is not acceptable behavior.

Now how about a 57 year old woman's tantrum? Even uglier! Yesterday I had what looking back on it today was really just a tantrum....Oh and I should be honest and let you know it was right before getting ready for church. There seems to be this running theme the past couple of weeks of having to let go of my rights to things, the way I like things to happen and also my pride which is likely one of the biggest issues when we get down to it. Which, I have been discovering, appears to be pretty thoroughly woven into my life fabric.

By yesterday I was ready to blame my HUSBAND for at least some of the crazy happenings going on...(anyone remember the verse that plainly tells us "we wrestle not with flesh and with blood but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places"Ephesians 6:12) He is clearly "flesh and blood " but I was waging war with him even so.

Two crazy weeks of "mishaps" with my little Malibu's engine blowing up and being declared to be a two thousand dollar repair (the little Malibu I am still paying on and is no longer under warranty) all
within days after my sons car for whatever reason (still to be discovered) stopped running; just began the line up of circumstances. Circumstances which were pretty much, though not all, outside of my control and bringing to mind the movie "Money Pit". My own little internal engine blew up unfortunately,and my husband was the undeserving recipient. Not attractive as my friend Nancy would say. I will say also that God worked through a friend and her husband, who stepped in after week one loaning us a car until mine is working so easing some of the strain on the family.

This emotional explosion the day following my teaching at a our School of Ministry on cell groups and how to have one where I the teacher turned it into a mini therapy session for me, at least that's how I see it looking back. Yes, I am embarrassing myself left and right because the night before that at the womens group I am one of the leaders of I poured out some of my woe even as I was really trying to minister to others..God help me this confession is not pretty!

So what's a woman to do? I was reasoning with myself. I was telling myself principles from God's word and praying and still reached a limit where I was pretty seriously thinking I needed to step down and out of all leadership positions at least until we could get this stuff in order. Strangely, or should I say divinely, enough yesterdays sermon was titled Stepping Down. Obviously I am not the one with all the answers here but this is the direction I plan to take:

1) When I am tempted to act ugly and even think I have a right to be spewing my point I will remember the following and plead with God to help me act accordingly Love is paitient, love is kind, love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, is not provoked, thinks no evil, does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails. 1 Corinthians 13:4-8

2) I will remember who my real enemy is even as I discuss the difference of opinion I may have with my husband and as I grapple with the trying circumstances we find ourselves in because it is "we" not just me seeing as we are married and all.

3) I will forgive myself for past mistakes in my attitude and actions and any other person who may be contributor to the problems we are experiencing and ask for forgiveness from those my attitudes have spilled over on like so much hot lava from a volcano so I can move forward...not get stuck...not move backwards...

4) I will look for God's promised wisdom for ways to bring correction and resolution to the circumstances I need to change, and for His miracles in the places beyond my control. I will compose myself like an adult not a two year old. In other words, instead of like a cat in a cat fight, like a Christian (a Christ follower) leaving peace, not turmoil in my wake.

The Ants Go Marching (one by one)

 Nothing like an ant dropping into your coffee cup and taking a swim...

Even toddlers know this tune. Doesn't it sound so happy and friendly when they march it out with their little voices all rejoicing  "the little one stopped to pick up sticks, HURRAH HURRAH!"?
Nothing to indicate the annoyances of ants as we enter into rainy ant season and their obsessive determination that what is mine is theirs. And my equal determination to let them know it absolutely is NOT!

Why don't they look at me like a Goliath sized creature and cower in fear? Why do they show more fearlessness than the Children of Israel did when they faced their Goliath or the giants in the promised land they were supposed to take? Or more fearlessness than me when I am wanting to share introduce Jesus to someone who seems to have their life together but still needs a Savior when all is said and done.

Of course having ants invade reminded me of the scripture  ^" Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider her ways and be wise!" book of proverbs 6:6. They have some good characteristics evidently. Things like strategic position in rank and being industrious and carrying far more than their weight in food to supply the home team.

Even so, there are definitely more of the ants than there are of me of various sorts no less and they are inside my house! Running all over the boundaries that keep most of nature out and those of us who are not appreciative of all aspects of nature such as bugs, poison ivy, weather too wet or hot or cold, provided with a haven to get out of those things.

I am trying to avoid using poisonous sprays on them in the home at this current time but am seriously about to let that go. I have laid ant traps in hidden places where ants go and hopefully toddlers don't (we know how that can go!) They are guaranteed to have ants carry its left overs home to the nest and destroy it's inhabitants. Well that is a great strategy anyway. I need to remember that when engaging in the skirmishes the spiritual enemy sends my way. Don't just hit what is at the surface. Go to the root of things and deal with it there. Amen!
Have a blessed day! Oh and if you have any thing that has worked for you on ant riddance will you let me know?...Thanks!

Mom Bond (tighter than duct tape)

Researching for the Mother's Day message, I came up with something I didn't know before. At least not officially. I did see it in operation over my lifetime. Especially in my own years as a mom. I wanted to see where "Mother" was first used in the Bible. I found that right away in the early chapters of Genesis. (2:24 and 3:20 if you want that for your own information)
What I found too was in the original meaning of the word  for Mother was also the concept of "the bond of the family". Wow! Did you know that? Maybe. I did not. Only instinctively not intellectually as in having backing from books and such. I guess it was more of an unresearched theory. Really sometimes as a Mom you just get busy doing mom life and don't think a whole lot about what is behind it.
This could be a reason it can be so hard to let go as they are growing up and while we may be happy for the success of other children, we are SO proud of our own children. It could also be a reason we feel so stretched being busy doing what bonds the family. In fact one of the hormones produced in women during labor in childbirth and while nursing her babies is Oxytocin which has the purpose of bonding her to her child. Just to mention men have this hormone as well, but it operates in a particular way in women with their babies. I believe that is God designed.

What we learn as moms, is how needy babies are. They really can not do what they need to keep themselves alive. They do have a built in alarm system letting them cry for attention pretty well! Still they need someone fiercely attached who will endure sleepless nights, poopy diapers, feedings, spit up, maybe some colic in the mix, playing and hugging all while doing the other things it takes to run a home. In general they need someone who will lay down their own life, and come through on the other side of that weary perhaps (oh yes!) but loving them everlastingly just the same. Being cute little packages of squishy cuddliness goes a long way too.

I have several friends who have adopted and I wondered how this attachment process worked in that situation.  After all I have seen for myself how tight the bond is with these mothers and adopted children. The  final study I found drew the conclusion that in current studies "the adoptive mother's sensitivity seems comparable the the sensitivity of nonadoptive mothers, a finding that concurs with the attachment results. It is suggested that the outcomes in this study may be partly explained by the fact that these infants were placed for adoption at a rather young age with relatively favorable circumstances prior to the placement." Utrecht University

What of women who seem to have had difficulty bonding? Studies done showed some of the following "We  decided to look at the interpersonal characteristics of individual women to see if there was a correlation with changes in their oxytocin levels," said Turner, who is also the Direvtor of Student Research at the California School of Professional Psychology, Almeda campus. "We found a significant difference between women who reported distress and anxiety in their relationships and women who were more secure in thier relationships."
Developmental Psycology Sept 2005

I do not know how many women were part of the study. I know many women who have undergone difficult relationships and still have great attachment to their children yet I do think the study shows something worth noting even though I do not have studies ready at this moment to back me. Oxytocin also bonds a man and a woman when they come together in the "one flesh" way as the Bible puts it. In a society that has encouraged in so many ways "sexual liberation" thus possibly bonding to different partners, does the ability to form secure relationships with each other become affected? Does it then create some torn things in us making it difficult to trust one another and feel secure in relationships with a trickle down effect to our children? (In some cases a deluge effect to our children).

God is about abundant life and how it is best lived. He is about how we can have more secure male/female relationships,secure children and societies. He is not about hindering good things in our lives when He gives instructions about purity in our lives. John 10:10 says "The thief (satan) comes not except to steal and to kill and to destroy. I (Jesus) am come that they (you) may have life, and that they (you) may have it more abundantly" Fortunately He is also about the restoring of broken lives to bring us into abundant life. Life that holds hope for us and our children.

Baby Books (yours, mine and God's)

How many of you have kept Baby Books marking your baby's firsts? If you don't have children, you may have had one kept about you. Did you ever think about the books God keeps about His kids? Think about it. The Bible itself is a book of records and history along with the things God wants us to know will be happening on ahead yet. It is a book of books.

Psalm 139:16 says...
"Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed.
And in Your book they all were written,
The days fashioned for me,
When as yet there were none of them"

I wrote things like the first steps, foods, words and funny things. I also wrote what their names meant and what I believed for their character. You know maybe all of the stuff saved itself isn't that big of a deal (some is!!!). You can only save so many papers from school and so on. But I think knowing they belonged and were loved is what it shows. They are MY kids and have infinite value to me. I have to admit as time went on I wasn't as good at keeping the books for each of my babies. Remember I have had 8 lovely, perfect, precious to me ones. It was only due to  limited time though that I fell behind. I was so busy in the mix of everyday life I couldn't get to keeping the books up. Hopefully that is seen as "I was so busy loving them in all the day to day ways kids need loving".
God wrote about me and you and the days fashioned or designed for each of us. Wow, and there are so many of us! I bet, if I were a betting woman, that He never mixes up our names either. No confusion with God. What an amazing mind! Me? Well I can look straight at the child I am talking to and just plain call them the wrong name and keep calling the wrong name like I am making roll call on through a couple more names in the family until I land on the one name I should have called in the first place. Any way on with books and remembering...

He says in the book of Jeremiah 30:2b ... "Write in a book for yourself all the words that I have spoken to you."

Then there is Malachi 3:16:
"Then those who feared the Lord spoke to one another,
And the Lord listened and heard them;
So a book of remembrance was written before Him
For those who fear the Lord
And who meditate on His name"

I didn't keep detailed accounts of my kids misdeeds either. Love covers a multitude of sins remember?The purpose of my keeping baby books was to remember and mark baby growth events. However not everything written about everyone in the Bible was the stellar deeds they all did. Did you ever notice that? How real God is. And how real the lives He tells us about were. I have to admit I am glad my deeds are not the ones written there for everyone through the ages to learn from. You know the way it says in the Timothy's book in the Bible about all scripture being God breathed and  profitable for instruction and reproof and cutting garbage out of our lives (my very loose paraphrase). 

Another book mentioned is in Revelation 21:27
"But there shall by no means enter it anything that defiles, or causes an abomination or a lie, but only those who are written in the Lamb's Book of Life." 

Why is it the Lamb's Book? Because Jesus was the Lamb Who was slain for your sins and mine and raised on the 3rd day because death could not hold Him!  Everyone who believes this in their hearts and confesses Him will be saved and their names written in the Lamb's Book of Life. It is a record of all those bought and paid for by the Lamb of God. How reassuring to know my name is written in the Lamb's Book of Life. And you can be sure too if you're not already!

June Cleavers Apron (or Aunt Bea take your pick)

                        


I learned all over again this morning WHY June Cleaver and Aunt Bea always wore aprons around the house. I mean I remember them always having an apron on unless they were going out or had guests in and were finally sitting down to eat. For those of you who are younger by many years than I am, these women were icons in the television world as seen on Leave It To Beaver and Andy of Mayberry and streamed regularly into our lives during what was then rather limited viewing hours. (remember the Star Spangled Banner coming on at midnight followed by static signaling night owls needed to get to bed? No? Ok, you are way younger than me)
Last night I was tackling dishes and the drain was a little sluggish. I grabbed my bleach bottle which was handily standing nearby from the last time major colds had hit the home and I felt a need to soak things in soapy bleach water.  I wanted to pour just a bit down the drain. Was I wearing my apron? NO I WAS NOT! Do I own any? Why YES, I do as a matter of fact. I just don't wear them all day long. They are there for when I cook Easter or any other holiday dinner and am still dressed up after church. I think I even have one or two that belonged to my grandma who was much better about using them being of the June Cleaver generation.
I was wearing a very favorite long black shirt and knew I was engaging in risky behavior laying my hand on that bleach bottle. Until this morning when I put said black shirt on again (umhmmm, I do rewear things the next day depending on how they were used the day before.. and of course jeans are reworn many times over before washing). I saw in the mirror what seemed to be a fleck of light colored lint on my shirt.
On closer inspection and repeated attempts to pick it off (my glasses were not on ok?) I discovered the dastardly truth. One teeny tiny splash of bleach had found a home on the f r o n t o f m y f a v o i t e b l a c k s h i r t ! Do you know how well bleach works when you don't want it to? It was an excellent example of the scripture "though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be white as snow". I am so grateful that the blood Jesus shed for me does not leave a spot of sin behind in my life. That He made a way for me to be washed inside white as snow or now in this example white as bleach on a black shirt. Seems appropriate for this Easter season.
I have to tell you what I did though. I did not leave that spot on my favorite shirt to remind me of Jesus. I got out a black magic marker and colored it in...Hey creativity is from Him too..And it worked...