In the Shadow

While I was outside with Liam this afternoon, I thought it might be fun to put him in the wagon and give him a ride.  Aidan was never "into" the wagon the way Britton was so I have kinda gotten out of the habit of a child who enjoys a wagon ride.  Liam, who no doubt will continue to surprise me, LOVED it.  I believe he enjoyed it more than Britton used to, and that is saying a lot!  While we were taking our walk, I pointed out the pretty trees and I told him stories of what his brothers were like and how I met his daddy.  And he listened..yeah, yeah, I know he's only ONE...but he didn't try to jump out of the wagon which tells ME he loved my stories. (I would appreciate staying ignorant in my bliss, ok?!) So, during my version of how Daddy let Britton unroll all the toilet paper when HE was one & how we learned our lesson on that...I turned and looked at Liam.  He was sitting perfectly still in the wagon, smiling, with his eyes closed because the SUN was blinding him! (yeah, mother of the year, I am NOT) Shucks..so, in being the AWESOME creative person I am, and forgetting that I have sunglasses for him, I decided to block the sun with my body/shadow and pull the wagon backwards.  Now you may be thinking that this is going to end in me tripping or in some other blooper-like fashion, but no....I was fairly graceful....but it was surprisingly difficult to keep him IN my shadow..b/c not only were we moving (me walking, pulling wagon) but he was rocking back and forth in the wagon as well.  It was during my battle at keeping him in my shadow that I had a thought...
I wonder, if it is as hard for the Lord to keep me in HIS shadow as it was for me to keep Liam in mine? Like a child, I am always moving...always thinking I got things UNDER CONTROL! Always leaving his side to see what's "out there".  THEN when things start to fall apart, I wonder where He is. When I can no longer "see" I figure it out and I run back to his side and promise never to leave again. For it is in His shadow that I find rest, safety, comfort, shelter.  And, while it was difficult for me to keep Liam in my shadow, I kept doing it...I never quit (well, till we were done, that is!) and our Abba is the same way.  He stays with me, and even follows my wiggles. WOW.  What a mighty God we serve!  So, the next time you're outside and you see your shadow, thank the maker of the shadow and thank Him for keeping you in His.

Psalm 17:8 Keep me as the apple of your eye, hide me in the shadow of your wings.  
(ok, so I so love that one...apple of his eye...hehe..love that!)

Psalm 36:7 How priceless is your unfailing love! Both high and low among men find refuge in the shadow of your wings.  

Psalm 57:1 Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me, for in you my soul takes refuge. I will take refuge in the shadow of your wings, until the disaster has passed.  


Isaiah 49:2a He made my mouth like a sharpened sword, in the shadow of his hand he hid me.

Hoping these offer you some comfort and serve as a reminder just awesome his shadow is!

Liam, in the shadow of the house!

A Moment of Glory

Princess Kate

As I'm sure you've noticed by now, I am quite taken with the idea of momma's sticking together...and in doing so, we will end the Momma-wars that have been occurring since the beginning of time...Sarah/Hagar, Rachel/Leah... I firmly believe, that if we join together not only as believers but as honest women, momma's, we will be a force to be reckoned with.  A force for Him.
So, today, I come to you as a Momma..and ask all you momma's & future momma's to join with me in lifting up a little girl named Kate.  You see, Kate was born with Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome (HLHS). Kate's Momma and daddy were given 4 options: abortion, compassionate care only, a series of 3 corrective surgeries or a heart transplant.
Kate is almost 3 and today, she is having another heart surgery.  Kate is a bubbly little girl who believes in princesses and fairy tales but most importantly she believes in Jesus.
Several weeks ago, Kate started showing some distress over having this surgery...she's a smart one, she knew what was coming..and her momma started lifting her up and asking God to give Kate a peace about what was to take place in the coming weeks.  Not too long after, Kate began talking and playing with an imaginary friend named Jeffie.  Kate was adament that the friends name was Jeffie and not Jessie or any other name that she might have heard on tv or in a storybook.  Not sure where Kate heard the name, the family was a bit baffled.  However, as time went on, Jeffie became a "member" of their family, as Kate had him with her at all times.  A couple of weeks ago, Kate's Momma shared with those following Kate's story that a friend of Momma had looked up the meaning of the name Jeffie...it means peace.  *gulp* While writing this I am still speechless over this revelation...this display of God's great love for us...his love for Kate.   My hubs asked me, as I shared the meaning of Jeffie with him, do you think it's an angel? And I have no doubt that God sent an angel...an angel of peace...an angel named Jeffie.
Now, as I've shared in previous posts, God is teaching me a lot about doing things for HIS glory.  How, things occur in our lives and when they do..we should seek His glory in them...if we can't find it, ASK Him to reveal it to us...You see these things that are occurring to Kate are not punishment or a curse, if you will...no..they are just more evidence to the fact that we are humans.  We are flesh & bone...however, we are blessed by a God who loves us, an Abba who will hold us, console us...send angels to give us peace.  And, through Kate's experiences, we are seeing His glory.  These trials that Kate's Momma and daddy and even brothers are experiencing are showing His glory to the world, to those of us who are blessed to hear it...or blessed to witness it with our own eyes.  
John 17:1 (Jesus speaking to God and I have added Kate's name in...)
Father, the time has come.  Glorify your Kate (Son), that your Kate (Son) may glorify you.
The nurses, doctors...all will see His Glory today...

Oh, but it is not enough for us to SEE His glory and do nothing...we could see it, hear the story of Kate & Jeffie and say ooh that gave me chills, maybe wipe a tear or two....and then go on with life as a busy Momma.  No, you see that would be the equivalent of a singer whose voice is straight from the heavens, singing in an empty building...we need to not only see God's glory...but to also praise him for it.  To see it for what it is.  An example of the way He loves us.  John Piper said, "God is glorified not ONLY by his glories being seen, but by it's being rejoiced in." Rejoice...rejoice that God's glory has been revealed in Kate...rejoice that it will continue to be revealed in Kate...through her surgery, her family's willingness to share their walk through this experience, through her friend Jeffie, through her Peace...an example that God exists.
So, if you're reading this..take a moment to spend time with your Abba, your daddy.  And praise him for the love he has for you...your kids...and all other Momma's kids out there.  And as Momma's, join with me and let's lift up a fellow Momma...Kate's Momma...that Jeffie sits with her and holds her hand while her baby is in surgery and while her baby heals and through it all, the WORLD may see His glory!

Psalms 43:4 Then I will go to the altar of God, to God, my exceeding joy; and upon the lyre (a stringed instrument) I shall praise you, O God, My God.  

amen.

Digging Deep

I just finished watching a video series that hit me in the gut.  Now as a mom, usually I find that if things aren't pretty or flashing lights, I have a hard time getting interested.  It could have to do with my sleep deprived life of having 3 sons under the age of 7...(well, I'm blaming that anyway!) However, recently I reviewed a video series for the publisher Waterbrook-Multnomah.  The series is called Desiring God by John Piper and is based off of the book that was released several years ago.  In the videos, John Piper further explains how God is most glorified when we are happy in Him.  Hmmmm....interesting concept...Then John Piper explains how today's circumstances and situations in our lives should be experienced with the Glory of God in mind.  Now I'm interested!
Although, the videos did remind me of videos I used to watch in college seminars, *ugh* I couldn't seem to pull myself away from them....I came to the conclusion that John Piper doesn't need bells or whistles..the Word is the meat!  It is what kept me coming back for more.  I found myself longing to just sit and watch all the videos in one sitting...my 1 year old didn't concur.  So, unfortunately, I had to break my viewing up into sessions...bummer.   Now, it wasn't PRETTY...the case didn't chime when I opened it and there was no funny Mom-like figure cracking jokes about diapers and bottles to keep me engaged...but I did find that I learned MORE from these series of videos than just about ANY study I can recall.  Sometimes, I believe we momma's need to get serious about our Faith...and put aside our "fun" "bubble" filled lives and just GET IN the word..and dig deep.  How else can I teach my sons to take their faith seriously, if Momma doesn't...that not ALL spiritual moments are like a day at VBS or Acquire the Fire.
So, if you're a momma and you're looking for a good video to help you dig deep in your quiet time, might I recommend the Desiring God video by John Piper...You will NOT be disappointed!
~in Him...
Misty