Father God, Thank You

Thank you, Father God, for:

Sharing your awesome presence with me. For allowing me to approach your throne with help from your Son and Spirit. I am so thankful that you seek me out when I need strength and encouragement.

My wonderful husband of 23 years. What a blessing he is. I am thankful that you gave us each personalities that complement each other and build each other up. To know you created us both knowing what we would each need shows yet again how much you love us.

Garrett whom you made to be gifted with & passionate about technology. I am thankful for the man he is becoming. It has been an awesome privilege to watch him serve others. Thank you for a school career filled with positive Christian influences. Give me the strength to watch him as he begins college. Guide me to pray him through all the new lessons he will learn about you, about relationships, and about growing up.

Colton whom you made to be gifted with critters. Colton loves people and animals; and enjoys your creation to the fullest. What a privilege to see nature & people through his eyes.

That you are the perfect parent. You have taught me through my children. As I reflect on our unconditional love for them, I know your love for us is more. As I reflect on my dreams and goals for them, I know your purposes for all of us are even higher. As I worry that I haven’t been the perfect parent, I know your grace is sufficient to cover me and our children.

For family who love and encourage us on our journey. You provided so many family members with such unique gifts that I am amazed at your creativity. Thank you for our large family full of characters.

For your truths that you share through your words that you breathe to life throughout the pages of my Bible. I am thankful that I own several Bibles in different translations that help me discover you again and again. May I constantly put your words in my heart ready to give any man an answer about you.

Each day that I open my eyes is another day where I may serve you. May I awake with praise and go to peaceful sleep with praise for you.

My years in ministry and the lives you allowed me to touch. May the seeds you allowed me to plant grow into a wonderful harvest for you. I thank you for a season filled with hugs, smiles, laughter, learning, teaching, reading, loving, coloring, playing, singing, acting, praising, and serving through fingerprints, footprints, and baby slobber.

For a year of change. You promised you would never give me more than I can bear, but you stretched me this year. I never knew I could stretch so far. I was pretty sure I was broken beyond repair several times. I am grateful that you held me through the entire process. You never gave up on me. I am glad that you used the experiences of the last year to draw me closer to you. I am thankful for rest and renewal. I am thankful for more time with my family. I am thankful for the preparation you are doing on my heart for my next assignment. I can’t wait to see what you are going to do next. It has been an awesome journey so far.

For friends. You always know who I need and when I need them to cross my path. May I always hear your gentle nudges to reach out to friends with just the words and actions they need to hear and see. I pray that I can as much help to others as our friends have been to us this last year.

For light that you are in my life. You are bright and shiny. May others see your light. May it draw them to you.

For Bible Studies and devotions brought to my computer and inbox so I can keep focused on you each day. For friends who encourage and keep me accountable to study and grow.

For sharing yourself with me. You are the beginning and the end. The Alpha & the Omega. The First and Last. You are above all, in all and through all.

A Servant Heart

A couple of weeks ago I chaperoned the high school band for a football game. The game went into overtime. We were late getting all the kids back to the school. As I was leaving the school building, I ran into a mom looking for her son. I told her that she could be very proud. Her son was helping unload the equipment from the truck. I thought the mom would be so thankful that her son was helping out other band members and serving the band. She was not happy. She said that she did not want him to do that anymore, he needed to be home, she was waiting, and he needed to leave. It really made me sad that she didn’t value his service. I was very proud of my son for helping out and staying until the job was completed. I determined in my heart that I would never harbor an attitude that didn’t appreciate my son for serving. I bet you can guess what happens when I use the word never in a sentence. My conviction was challenged this weekend. My son with his wonderfully big heart, signed up to donate blood at school last Friday. I made sure he had a good breakfast and brought him a protein snack for after school. He had a big weekend planned: performing at the out of town football game Friday night, college tour and seminars all day Saturday, worship on Sunday, and a birthday party all Sunday afternoon. What I did not find out until very late Friday night: my son donated platelets. They filter your blood to extract needed platelets and then re-inject your blood at lower than room temperature. He was warned to not drive or exercise for 24 hours, that he would be cold (from the inside out), and to that he would be hungry and need to eat. He was told not to go to the football game but to go home and rest. The first I heard about all this was when my son sent me a text message when we were on the busses headed back to school. He told me that he was not supposed to drive for 24 hours so could he ride home from school with me. On the ride home, he shared all the information the donation center had advised. He also told me that he was so cold at the game that he went into the restroom just to stand under the heater. I am so glad that God had hold of my tongue. I wanted to fuss at him for taking such risks with his health in going to the game. Instead, God gently led me to ask, “Why did you decide to donate platelets instead of just regular blood?” His reply was, “They said they had a very desperate need. I could meet that need so I did.” My heart did a flip-flop. There are so many times as a parent that you don’t know if you are getting through or being successful as a parent. There have been many time that I have been discouraged as a parent thinking that I have messed up so bad. But God takes our messes and makes them beautiful. My son chose to be a servant. He is living out a value that his dad and I have wanted to plant in his heart. I praise God that He held my tongue and allowed me to see into Garrett’s heart. I am thankful that I was able to cook hamburgers, quesadillas and hot chocolate at 1 AM for my cold, hungry servant. May God continue to work on all of our hearts.

Road Kill

God chose me to be a mom of boys. My boys love camping, hunting, fishing, climbing and being in scouts. They are very good at all their outdoor activities. My youngest loves hunting and animals so much that his new hobby is taxidermy. Yes, I know it is gross; but he is very good at skinning animals and preserving their hides. I have always told him that we only hunt for food or to preserve other animals by killing a nuisance. He is a good hunter. He has several snake and raccoon skins on his wall. Imagine my surprise when I drove into my driveway to see a raccoon without its skin laying in the front yard. A naked raccoon! In the front yard! He said he left it there on purpose as buzzard bait. I was not too happy about that one. Worse was the time I picked up a Ziploc bag in the freezer only to discover that it was a snake. Our house can become very interesting at times.

One thing I never read in the baby books are the rules that you have to make for children with interesting hobbies. Because of his interest in skinning animals, Colton has become very adept at spotting animals that have been accidently killed on the country roads near our home. He has even talked his older brother, who has his own car, into stopping to collect a several day old carcass after his father and I had said no. In the interest health and safety, I had to make a road kill rule. No one ever told me when I brought these precious babies home from the hospital that one day, I would have to make a road kill rule. The road kill rule states: You may only pick up road kill if we have just hit it with our own car, AND we are close enough to the house that you can carry it home across the pasture.

The Road Kill rule actually prompted me to think about my spiritual life. There are many times when I am on the side of the highway of life. I have been battered and bruised by words and actions. I am helpless to mend my scarred body and unable to continue my journey. I feel as unattractive and useless as a piece of road kill. But I serve a God who is a gracious. He does not have a road kill rule. He is not worried about getting himself injured while tending to me. No matter where I am, He is always traveling down my road. No matter how battered I am, He picks me up and heals my brokenness. He restores my soul. He holds me until it is safe for me to travel again. In fact, His word promises us that He searches the earth seeking to strengthen those whose hearts are His. (1 Chronicles 16:9) I praise Him for seeking to strengthen me. I praise Him for lessons I can learn about Him through my wonderful boys.

All Dressed

Last Friday night was an exciting football game for the high school. I rode to the game with the band. Most everyone at the game was prepared for a cold night. I had two shirts, warm socks, jacket, gloves and earmuffs. Lots of fans brought blankets to keep themselves warm. After the rest of my family arrived, I went over to the stands to greet my youngest son. Imagine my surprise on this cold, windy night when I see him not properly dressed. He was wearing a t-shirt, shorts, and flip flops! The first words out of my mouth were not “Hi, sweetie. How was school today?” My reaction was “Where are your pants? Where is your jacket? Where are your shoes?” I think all 3 questions came out of my mouth at the same time with increasing volume. Colton’s reaction was typical of a teenager, “I am fine. I won’t get cold. Don’t worry, I know what I am doing.” As a mom, it is my primary job to be concerned about his welfare, and my mom sense knows being ill prepared can lead to illness. We obviously had a long chat about appropriate attire for football games.

But my concern about Colton gave me an in site in how God may view me and my spiritual preparations. God told us he wants us to be fully clothed in his armor ready to work or to face any obstacle. How many times have I run out the door to face the day without my sword sharpened by truth, without my breastplate to protect my heart, without my feet fitted with the gospel? My response is often like my son’s: “I know what is best for me. Nothing will happen to me. I can make it on my own.” How my attitude must grieve the Father. I am sure that just as I was imagining illness and doctor visits for Colton, my heavenly Father was looking at things that could cause me harm knowing that I could have been better prepared. His gifts and promises are ours for the taking. The next time I am tempted to run out the door unprepared spiritually, I will remember the cold football game and Colton in flip flops.

By the way, God is gracious. Colton did not catch cold from his lack of attire; but he could have, and the object lesson will stay with me.