We are ALL Jars of Clay

This morning my reading was in 2 Corinthians 4:1-7, which I would like to share...
Therefore, since through God's mercy we have this ministry, we do not lose heart. Rather, we have renounced secret and shameful ways; we do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God.  On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God. And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing.  The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the Glory of Christ, who is the image of God.  For we do not preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus sake.  For God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.  But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us." 

When I first read this..I had to research what the "jars of clay" comment was...you see, to me, a person who LOVES pottery, I thought it meant a precious vessel and while we are indeed precious vessel's...that isn't exactly what theologians believe Paul is referring to.  Jars of clay are easily broken...they are frail, fallible.  We as humans, are frail..even fallible, but Jesus, God, trusts US with his message.  So, when we are in ministry whether it be in Zambia, China, our workplace or even in our homes with our little charges, we are entrusted with HIS message.  We do not lift ourselves up and say, "aren't we AWESOME!"  Quite the opposite, we lift Him up and say "isn't HE awesome!" We need to renounce secret and shameful ways.  We need to not be deceitful or distort the Word of God (to fit our own agendas!!)...we need to let the light shine in the darkness. 
This passage hit me between the eyes this morning...as I prepare for another season of Operation Christmas Child, I have to be sure my focus remains on HIM...not me...not the truck (and how many boxes are in it) but the Savior who has asked me, a frail, jar of clay, to pack a shoe box and pray for the child, sight unseen, who will receive it...and in doing so, share the light of Jesus with a dark world. 
I am reminded of a song that was popular when I was in High School, by a band named Audio Adrenaline and I will close with a portion of the song...perhaps the portion that tends to make me stop and re-evaluate my actions every time I hear it! 
I wanna be your hands, I wanna be your feet, I wanna go where you send me, go where you send me.  ~Audio Adrenaline

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!

Mundane, Fundane....Mothering is HARD..

Today, just for kicks, I checked out the standings for the Parent's Magazine Best Blog awards...I had to chuckle when I saw over 250 blogs in my category. (wow)..Anywho, being a blog enthusiast, I perused through a few of the blogs.  While doing so, I noticed something that got me to thinking...MOST of the topics of the blogs nominated are blogs about how to be a GOOD mom.  While there are also several home schooling blogs and blogs on adoption, crafting, cooking...The majority of the blogs are blogs showing you how "Sally" does THIS and you should too!  As I was reading a few of these blogs that promise to make me, not a GOOD but a BETTER Momma, I was reminded of something that I have struggled with as a stay at home momma.  You see, I have always said I am a reluctant stay at home mom.  I am only home because God has told me to be there.  It is not exactly something I long to do.  I have always loved working and have even given it a shot at one time, at which I QUICKLY learned I am not cut out to be both a working momma and a good momma...Many of you mommas out there ARE good working momma's and man do I envy you.  But, I digress.  Being home, a bit reluctantly, I feel like I am constantly pressuring myself to be BETTER!  And seeing how many blogs are out there telling us how to be better confirm my suspicions that I am not alone! 
As I was looking at the blog topics ( trying not to panic)...and perusing a few of the blogs themselves, I couldn't help but think about how stressful parenting is.  And we momma's are so hard on each other AND ourselves.  If you don't nurse you're a bad momma..if you DO nurse you're a bad momma...if you send your kids to public vs private..school vs homeschool...uniforms vs store bought clothes...Target brand vs Wal-Mart.  The judgements and looks of disappointment come at us from EVERY angle...even from our very own mirrors.
When I think of parenting my sons, if I give it too much thought, I will send myself straight into a panic attack.  Am I strict enough, am I too strict? Do I cuddle enough, do I cuddle so much they're gonna be "momma's boys"?  If I pop a frozen pizza in the oven am I feeding them too many preservatives? And by the time the 20 seconds of contemplation are over I have broken out into a sweat and am frantically reaching for my Starbucks to calm me down!  Why, exactly, do we do this to ourselves? Why are we frantically scouring the web looking for a blog to tell us how to be better momma's?  Why can't we all just..well, to risk sounding goofy...WHY CANT WE ALL JUST GET ALONG?!  or most importantly why can't we accept that WE are who God entrusted with our children...We are THEIR perfect parent..just the way we are!  Why do we have to judge each other? I've said it before but I firmly believe that we momma's gotta stick together.  It's a harsh world out there...a world that desires to educate our children waaaaaaay sooner than they (or we) are ready for.  We need to join together...form a barrier if you will.  Momma's against THEM...not Momma's against Momma's.
You see, we ALL love our babies..kids...teens...adult offspring.  Instead of torturing each other with these Mommy wars, we should be offering support.  Find a mentor-Momma or better yet, BE a mentor momma!  I am a lucky Momma in that I have a dear friend who has launched 2 children into adult-hood and is always willing to listen to me rant about the latest stain on my carpet...she doesn't *tsk* *tsk* at me and say, "enjoy 'em while they're young" (I do NOT wanna hear that right now!!! I have a huge purple circle in the middle of my living room!!!!!!!).  No, instead, she giggles and says hang in there, here's what I used to get grape juice stains out of tan carpet.  She calls occasionally just to say "hey" and occasionally we meet for coffee (whenever my carpet stains will allow it).  She is my mentor-mom.  She is a MOM who mentors ME...she's been in the trenches..our personalities are similar and she passes no judgment because well, to be frank...we're honest with each other...parenting, particularly MOTHERING is flippin' hard work & she offers me sound, biblical advice...she isn't worried about me warping the children...she remembers all to well what it's like...and she shares those experiences...she doesn't sit on 'em and pray no one knows she struggled. If she DID hide her struggles...they would all be for naught.  Instead, she is using them to HELP me!   
As Momma's, we should be willing to tell our fellow momma's how "Johnny" (or Aidan) wouldn't stop yelling BANANA at the top of his lungs last night in the bathtub and you felt like you were losing your mind! And as the listening momma..we should shake our heads and say oh yeah, that stinks, man I've been there..giggle with the sharing momma then offer to buy her a coffee, or tea, whatever her passion!
Let's remove the stress of "perfect" parenting and just admit we are all doing the best we can and while all the parenting books/blogs tell us to do it this way or that way and we better count the calories or our kids will be fat or they will be warped or ax murderers or WHATEVER, we should just KNOW that our kids will be fine...because we are giving them a solid foundation...we are showing them the Love our Heavenly Father shows us...and we are GOOD Momma's!  And, just possibly, the next time your "Johnny" (or Aidan) screams banana at the top of his lungs in the bathtub...step outta the room, take a deep breath, head back in (like a soldier going into battle) and match his "banana" with a yelled SPLIT of your own & maybe even listen closely.  You may be surprised to hear the joy that Little Johnny (or Aidan) is experiencing during bath time!  Psalms 51:8a "Make me to hear joy and gladness." (even if it is to the detriment of your eardrums!)

Don't forget to giggle during the mundane of Mommy-hood...Genesis 21:6 Sarah said, “God has made laughter for me; everyone who hears will laugh with me." 
If I could sit down with you and a cup of coffee...I guarantee we would giggle our way through Mommy-hood...because it's just more FUN that way! 

Precisely 2 minutes before the juice stain appeared

Me (makeup less) and my oldest Britton

My hairstylist, Aidan, (he seems to LOVE giving me gray hairs)..well, being Aidan

Giving his 1 year old brother a ride...DOWN A HILL! (I feel my hair changing color just looking at this)

Yes, it's a cliche..but a picture REALLY is worth 1000 words!

I have always claimed to be a person that is often terribly touched by the arts.  Music, pictures,  paintings, sketches....the way a person can show their passion, their hearts through other mediums has always caused a sense of wonderment in me.  Today as I was looking at some pictures that were highlighting a mission trip that some teens from Teen Mania ministries are on in Zambia, I was overtaken by amazement and wonder, by ONE picture in particular.   As I flipped through the pics I smiled, giggled, and said a prayer...then the above pic popped up and I stopped.  This picture grabbed me...it was one of those moments that I sat and just let the entire picture soak in....the child's arm, so relaxed..the teen holding her..with BOTH arms..not one...the teens eyes appear closed, as if in prayer or maybe just one of those blissful moments of love that only one who is loving unconditional can understand and feel...the way the child is leaning into the teen, the child trusts her..the child knows that in the world in which they live, the harsh, hard world, this teen has something special about her..a love that surpasses all...a Godly love.  The longer I look at the picture, tears start to flow down my cheeks..how many teens in our privileged society would take time out of their schedule nay their SUMMER to go to a third world country and when they don't realize anyone is looking, show love to a child...not for the glory of her, not for the notoriety, not for props...just for HIS glory...His alone.  This girl did...as did several others who are on the mission trip with her. 

A few moments pass, and I look at my own 3 sons...we are raising them to serve Him...we pray that they are able to serve him in a mission field..whether here in America or in a third world country..then I realize that I truly cannot WAIT to see how God uses my 3 sons.  As I looked at the picture, I not only saw it through the eyes of a woman, but through the eyes of a mom.  I can only imagine my reaction if I were looking at the pics taken while one of my sons were in another country and stumbling across them hugging a child in that manner...to see them love the way their Heavenly Father loves...wow...I am almost overwhelmed with emotion just thinking about it....

I do not know this sweet precious girl in the picture...nor do I know the child she is holding, but my life has been changed by this sweet precious moment.  When mundane days are bogging me down, and I am cleaning yet ANOTHER spill off the carpet and God presses me to speak to my children about Him, I will not claim to be too busy...too frustrated...I will obey. You see, my JOB, is to raise 3 young boys and to guide them in the ways of my Father.  That is my job....my mission...to show them how my Father loves them...to teach them what my Father has taught me.  I am not just raising kids...I am raising boys HE has entrusted to me, and I pray I get to witness the way God uses them, like He did this girl.

"Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.’"

Protect her Heavenly Father..

amen.