Tag Archives: Christian

What’s Your Story?

I’ve asked you before if your children see God in you.  I ask myself this question quite often.  However, this book:

48757: Let Us Highly Resolve

Let Us Highly Resolve
by David & Shirley Quine

made me realize I need to take it a step further.

In the 4th chapter of Joshua we see the Israelites building a visible reminder of the Lord’s mercy.  Stones piled high in the middle of a river would make any child question what happened there, and children’s questions lead to a retelling of the stories. A retelling of the stories leads to generation after generation knowing God as a mighty, yet personal and caring God.

That’s what I want!

But, so often I keep my stories to myself.

Most of the time it is because I just don’t think to praise the Lord OUT LOUD so my children can HEAR how He has answered prayer or blessed our family.  My husband and I are well aware of it all, but the children, because of the very fact they are children, often only get scraps of our conversations and therefore, don’t see and hear the full picture.

Additionally, I pray all day long for little things that God answers over and over.  My children don’t know about these prayers muttered under my breath, therefore, they never hear the outcome of those prayers.  But, why not?

Why not tell them how mommy prayed for this certain thing and the Lord answered her prayers in this certain way?

And while I’m at it, why not tell them the big things?  Why not tell them how merciful the Lord has been to us in all things concerning Emily’s life and death?  Why not tell them how God has used The Grieving Mother section of this website to help others (and how grateful I am for the opportunity to offer others hope)?

I should be leaving rocks in the river! Rocks that lead to questions that lead to stores that lead to God!

Let Us Highly Resolve convinced me that this story-telling is important.  Page 82 says it all:

If we reduce Christianity to merely a code of ethics, rules to be lived by, and omit the personal walk with God, we miss the mark.

We’ve all heard Josh McDowell’s equation of

Rules – Relationship = Rebellion

Apply this to teaching the Bible to your children.  Are you teaching it as a rule book?  Have you missed the fact that the entire Bible–front to back–points to Christ?  Our lives should reflect this same truth.  Our lives should be pointing to Christ.

So, get your rocks in the water and start telling your stories!

Contentment When Life Ain’t Funny

Honestly, I don’t know how my son ended up like this. (Probably one of the siblings being funny.)

But, as you can see, K was NOT happy with his circumstances.

Since no one else in the house would help untie him, he came waddling in to his loving mother, who promptly snapped photographs of him in all his discontented glory.

(Poor little guy.)

However, after I snapped the first pic, a huge smile erupted onto his face and he began laughing…

Suddenly, his being tied up with a rope didn’t seem so bad.  He’d found contentment (or at least something to be happy about) despite his “afflictions.”
Paul talks of his contentment in Philippians 4:11…
…for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content
Contentment comes from knowing Who is in charge.
K knew that if Mommy was taking the time to take pictures, he couldn’t be in too bad of shape.  I was in charge of the situation and he didn’t worry how things would turn out.
If we know Who is in charge and how He is working for our good, then we won’t feel so desperate and so out of control.
Yes, life has many difficult twists and turns and sometimes things feel all tangled up.  But remember, what we see is not what God sees.
And while my previous analogy makes a point, let me clarify that God is nothing like a mother who rather than come to her child’s rescue, spends time doing something petty like taking a photograph of her child’s distress.  God is perfect and loving toward His children and if He delays, it is only because the time is not right to rescue you from your afflictions.
May you find contentment today amidst whatever trials you may be facing.  He WILL give you rest.
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Tomorrow you can find me guest posting at Kitchen Stewardship!  Hope to see you there!