1999 Family Photo

When Randy and I got married in 1997 and blended our six children into one big family, we suddenly had to find new ways of doing things that most people don’t think twice about…

We had assigned seats at the dinner table, assigned seats in the van, and assigned laundry days, all of which were born of necessity.  We quickly identified which kids could sit side-by-side…and which one had to sit right next to dad. 

One of our biggest challenges was during the holidays: finding an effective way to teach the joy of giving.  The solution came to me like divine inspiration and the results were astounding!

Each of the kids was assigned a special day for a shopping trip with mom.  Now, before you frown at the fact that I kept each of the kids home from school for a day (some call it hooky) please understand that we do not encourage truancy…but family is more important than anything else, so we felt the trade off was worth it. 

On their assigned day, they would go shopping with me .  They were given $60 and had to purchase a $10 gift for each of the other siblings.   During the day we would enjoy lunch at the restaurant of their choice and after the shopping was done we attended the matinee movie of their choice.  Once they returned home, they were responsible for wrapping all of their gifts.

I will never forget the first year we did this, the excitement on their faces as they each watched the other open the gifts that they had picked out.  They bought each other some very funny gifts too, things that I would have never dreamed of, for instance our middle daughter bought her oldest brother a pair of house shoes…he was crazy about them! 

Over the years the kids looked forward to this ritual and I always enjoyed an opportunity to spend time with each of them.  It was rewarding for all of us!

I’m sad to say that this ritual died off when the girls left home…but I know that they will all remember those shopping trips and how much they enjoyed being the giver.

When I began writing this post, I was thinking about blind trust…and God reminded me that blind trust is FAITH!  Faith is believing in what you cannot see.  (Romans 11:1)

Last Sunday, my husband had the privilege of attending a holiday luncheon at the National Guard armory with our 17-year-old son.  Our son was already at the armory for his drill weekend and since I was ill, I was unable to attend.  My husband left home, having only a vague idea of where he was going, taking our youngest son with him.

About half-way there, my husband called me and asked me to look at the map on the internet to direct him as to which road to take.  I found his location on the map and told him to take a left just ahead.  He was puzzled, because he knew that his desired destination was northeast of where he was, so turning left didn’t make sense to him.  He kept asking me if I was sure that he was supposed to turn left.

“I’m looking at the map,” I assured him.  “You’ll just have to trust me.  I can see the big picture!”  What I could see that he couldn’t was that he would have to cross the river and there were only two bridges that would take him where he needed to go…so he had to turn left to get on a road that would take him across a bridge.

How many times have   I questioned God in the same manner…when I knew where I wanted to end up, but he told me to take a left?  Why is it so hard to trust our Lord, the maker of the universe, when he not only sees the big picture, but has our very best interest at heart? 

As you look forward to the New Year, make it a habit of trusting God…He’s the map-maker! 

Psalm 31:14 “But I trust in you, O Lord; I say, ‘You are my God.’”

My husband works hard…and he works a lot.  Often he uses long car rides as an opportunity to multi-task and he will bring along his ac/dc converter and laptop with a cellular modem.  He can burn through tons of email on a 60-mile trip…from the passenger seat, of course!  I don’t mind driving either, because I get car sick easily…so it’s a win-win situation…except that he still won’t leave my favorite song on the radio!

So while he’s working away, paying very little attention to where we are and I’m driving along, he will often get startled at some sudden adjustment I make, whether it’s speeding up to pass a slow tractor or slowing down because the car ahead of me is turning…sometimes he lets out an explicative…but I assure him that all is well…I’ve got everything under control.

I noticed the last time I was in the passenger seat that there were many times that I too wanted to offer up a choice word because of his erratic driving… and then I realized that my reaction is because I’m not the one in control.  When my hands are on the wheel, and I’m focused on what’s going on, I anticipate a turn or a bump and I make necessary adjustments.  When you’re the passenger, you don’t pay as much attention and those same turns and bumps take you by surprise and leave you breathless and shaken. 

It’s hard to relax when you’re not in control.  Learning to trust someone else’s judgement can be frightening.  Just like the life of a Christian…it can be scary to sit back and relax while giving God control of your life.  Sometimes you want to grab the handles and stop your “imaginary brake,” as I do when my teenagers drive…but it’s a beautiful ride when we learn to let go…and let God!

Romans 8:9 (NIV) “You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit,

if the Spirit of God lives in you.”

I came across an interesting quote today, and though I googled and searched, I do not know whom to give credit to.  “The poorest of all men is not the man without a cent but the man without a dream.”

I have dreams…lots of dreams.  Dreams of changing the world.  Dreams of publishing my first book in 2010.   Lots and lots of dreams.  I cannot imagine what it would be like to wake up each morning without a dream in my heart. 

Often we use the phrase “hopes and dreams” to describe the desires of our heart.  Our hopes and dreams give us fuel for our journey; a direction and a purpose in life.

God created us to dream.  In Proverbs 13:12, we read “Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.”  I don’t know about you, but I have felt the sickness of hope deferred.  It is not pleasant.

When God plants a dream in your heart He will bring it to fruition.  James 4:2 encourages us that “…you do not have because you do not ask God.”  It’s time to petition the Father to make your dreams come true…or risk being the poorest man.

When we first bought our farm, back in 2002, there were lots of fences dividing the property into small sections.  One fence defined the area we call Walnut Grove and another fence separated the horse pasture from the rest of the yard.  Some fences served no purpose for us, so we removed them.  Others we replaced and in some places we added fences where none had been previously.

Over the years of cutting grass, I developed patterns.  First along this fence, around this area or that…back along the driveway and then a small section in front of the trees.  I got used to cutting grass in a certain way.

Last year we began removing nearly all the fences around the property and had new perimeter fence installed.  Now there is no boundary around the old horse pasture or Walnut Grove.  The funny thing is that I continued to cut grass in the same patterns as if those fences were still there.

One day, as I was riding along on my mower, I had a crazy idea!  I decided to cut right across that imaginary fence, as if I was defying some law of physics.  It was astounding to me to suddendly realize that my backyard was far bigger than I remembered.  It even looked different to me somehow. 

As I laughed at myself for spending so much time thinking about the whole situation (what else is there to do on the mower, but think!?) I was further amazed at what I felt God was prompting me to learn from this…that my beliefs have set up imaginary fences in my mind…and each day I react to those boundaries, when God wants me to defy my flesh and cut through those fences in faith! 

Most of the imaginary fences I react to are the ones that say “you can’t do it” or “you’ll never succeed,” or even “no one cares about you.”  God has been removing fences in my heart and mind and it’s time for me to take a look and see how different things are without those hideous boundaries. 

Romans 12:2 says “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind…” (NIV)

What kind of fences have you created in your mind that keep you bound up?  Isn’t it time to let God show you where you are free to cut across those boundaries and enjoy the fullness of life He has for you? 

Ok, the question is “Are you a NASCAR driver?”  The honest answer…no, I’m not…but often I drive too fast in the left lane!  I even have a couple of cool t-shirts and some decals; and frequently I imagine that I’m speeding around the oval at 188 miles per hour, even when stopped in rush-hour traffic.  All this considered, I’m still not a bonafide driver and I’m getting a ticket for going 42 in a 30.  Great.

So many times our self-perception is skewed from reality.  Reality is what OTHERS see when they look at us.  I may think that I’m just about the funniest person since Charlie Chaplin.  After all, ”a day without laughter is a day wasted.”  (Charlie said that, not me.)  But if no one else thinks I’m funny, then the reality is that I’m not funny.  This is a situation in which many people use the phrase, “Don’t quit your day job.”  (Their polite way of telling me that I’ll never make it as a comedian!)

I have been studying the personality types lately and asked my husband to take the assessment test to determine his personality.  It was very eye-opening, as I leaned over his shoulder watching him check off boxes in various categories.  Analytical: check.  Planner: check.  Detailed: check.  Sensitive: check…WHAT?  I’m looking over the list and see another choice (self-reliant) that suits him much better. 

“Honey, you’re not sensitive, you’re more self-reliant.”  He looked at me blankly.  I was hoping I didn’t hurt his not-so-sensitive self-reliant feelings.  I wondered for a moment if he truly saw himself as more sensitive than self-reliant. 

That’s when I realized that reality is not necessarily how we think we are…but how the rest of the world sees us.  I may think I’m a funny NASCAR driver (and it would be somewhat of an oddity to see me on the track) but that’s not reality.  Reality is that I’m a sarcastic woman who happens to be a  bad driver!   

In James 3:13, we read, “Who is wise and understanding among you?  Let him show it by his good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom.” 

Today is a good day to examine your own life.  What is the reality that you’re showing the world?  Is it the reality that you want them to see in you?  You can change it, through the power of God…if it is in line with His will for your life.  

Perhaps God is calling me to be a funny NASCAR driver…but I doubt it. 

Be blessed today!

I remember a few years ago my son having a t-shirt that read, “Football is life…the rest is just details.”  You could get this t-shirt with your choice sport: baseball, golf, fishing, hunting, tennis…whatever your vice, there was a t-shirt for you.  But what about the part that really matters?  The truth: “Jesus is life…the rest is just details.”  All that matters in life and death is Jesus, and truly…the rest is just details.  

I love the poster I saw at the doctor’s office that read: “A hundred years from now it will not matter what my bank account was, the sort of house I lived in, or the kind of car I drove but the world may be different because I was important in the life of a child. (Forest E. Witcraft)”  continue reading »