Something I never expected...and yet such a part of my journey - Grief is such a big part of life. Our ability to handle grief seems to determine what mood our life will hold. It's not that there will or will not be grief, but what we do with the grief that will absolutely come.
Grieving and living...you can do both. Crying and laughing. Content and yet sad. The most surprising thing - there is still joy in grief. I am happy to know that from personal experience.
Death to self = Joy in grief
And the only way to really know that, is to experience it. Real and true death to self will bring joy. But are we really willing to give our selfish selves up?
Lord, for your glory, I pray we are...I pray I am. Besides, this whole self-seeking life stinks anyways.
a
Arise, Lord!
Arise, Lord! Lift up your head, O God.
Do not forget the helpless.
Why does the wicked man revile God?
Why does he say to himself,
"He won't call me to account"?
But you, O God, do see trouble and grief;
you consider it to take it in hand.
The victim commits himself to you;
you are the helper of the fatherless.
Break the arm of the wicked and evil man;
call him to account for his wickedness
that would not be found out.
The Lord is King for ever and ever;
the nations will perish from his land.
You hear, O Lord, the desire of the afflicted;
you encourage them, and you listen to their cry,
defending the fatherless and the oppressed,
in order that man, who is of the earth, may terrify no more.
Psalm 10:12-18
I have seen this exact thing played out in the life of my family and yet I am burdened by so many more children out there. In your exact time, Lord, I know you will show yourself in their lives too. And "man, who is of the earth, will terrify no more"!
Arise, Lord!
a
Do not forget the helpless.
Why does the wicked man revile God?
Why does he say to himself,
"He won't call me to account"?
But you, O God, do see trouble and grief;
you consider it to take it in hand.
The victim commits himself to you;
you are the helper of the fatherless.
Break the arm of the wicked and evil man;
call him to account for his wickedness
that would not be found out.
The Lord is King for ever and ever;
the nations will perish from his land.
You hear, O Lord, the desire of the afflicted;
you encourage them, and you listen to their cry,
defending the fatherless and the oppressed,
in order that man, who is of the earth, may terrify no more.
Psalm 10:12-18
I have seen this exact thing played out in the life of my family and yet I am burdened by so many more children out there. In your exact time, Lord, I know you will show yourself in their lives too. And "man, who is of the earth, will terrify no more"!
Arise, Lord!
a
Dangly earrings and little boys
No one ever tells you these things...I have discovered something about my boys in the last several months. Whenever mommy needs to 'talk' about something with them, their little eyes are drawn to my earrings instead of to my eyes.
I remember my dad telling me to look him in the eyes when he was talking to me, which for the most part I did not have a problem with. But when he was getting angry and I was annoyed I would stare at his eye brows instead. I knew he would not be able to call me out on it and I knew in my ugly little heart that I was disobeying him. And that is exactly what I wanted to do.
Anyways, now I am getting a taste of my own medicine. As soon as the lecture comes out, their little eyes start to wonder...but not too far off...just to the sparkly, dangly earrings that I chose to put on that day.
The funny thing is that I love a good pair of dangly earrings. Now, when I remember, I take them off before I have a 'conversation' with either of them. This of course just makes them find something else to concentrate on besides what you are telling them.
I have found that if your kids are distracted and their eyes glaze over you are not effective and should stop talking anyways. As soon as I see their eyes float over to my earrings, I wrap it up. Less words. More action. They are smart. They will figure it out.
I remember my dad telling me to look him in the eyes when he was talking to me, which for the most part I did not have a problem with. But when he was getting angry and I was annoyed I would stare at his eye brows instead. I knew he would not be able to call me out on it and I knew in my ugly little heart that I was disobeying him. And that is exactly what I wanted to do.
Anyways, now I am getting a taste of my own medicine. As soon as the lecture comes out, their little eyes start to wonder...but not too far off...just to the sparkly, dangly earrings that I chose to put on that day.
The funny thing is that I love a good pair of dangly earrings. Now, when I remember, I take them off before I have a 'conversation' with either of them. This of course just makes them find something else to concentrate on besides what you are telling them.
I have found that if your kids are distracted and their eyes glaze over you are not effective and should stop talking anyways. As soon as I see their eyes float over to my earrings, I wrap it up. Less words. More action. They are smart. They will figure it out.
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