Day 6 & 7- The Six List and The Curse

If it seems I am cheating in this 31 day challenge, I promise I’m not!


My husband was supposed to come in last night, then he was supposed to come in this morning. Now he is not coming until tomorrow sometime…. I am starting to believe I might never get my husband back! Ha!


Thus, in hopes that he will be back tomorrow (as he has said), I am going to do Day 6 & 7 together so I can spend time with him at his arrival (whenever that may be!).


Moving right along: Day 6—The Six List.


Sarah Mae spoke of a fabulous piece of advice she learned about in the Mary Key business. It cost a business man almost $25,000! What is this secret you ask? It’s a list (yes, Andrew and Dad, a list. Look who’s laughing now!). From one business man to another, the business man stepped out on a 90 challenge and tried out the list strategy. The strategy consists of making a list each night of the top six things (in order of importance) you need to accomplish the next day (and no more than six). Then, systematically, complete the list in order, transferring anything that was not finished to the top of the next day’s list of six things (never exceeding six things).


Yet even being a seasoned list maker, I still feel like I lack priority in my list formation. Thus, I will be applying this little piece of advice almost immediately!

I can see how people, as avid list makers, can get discouraged as they keep seeing that one or two things on their list never go away (hopefully this six list method will help a little bit with that). Maybe there is something that keeps popping its evil little head up when you thought you finally exterminated it at the final blow (like the laundry stacked high the day after you finished laundry or the floor you just mopped is again covered in puppy paws and mulch…). Well, that is where the next chapter is a helpful insight to why this keeps reoccurring. Two words, Sarah says: The curse. In summary, after man broke the law of the Lord, we were given curses that pertain to our work here on earth—‘cursed is the ground because of you; in toil you shall eat of it all the days of your life’—and in bearing our children (Read Genesis 3:17-18 for the full passage). It is because of the curse the command the Lord gave us at the beginning of time (to rule, subdue, be productive and multiply) has becoming increasingly difficult to fulfill. It all heads towards decay, and we are to strive against it. Notice though that work is not the curse, unproductive work is (it destroys your labor).


Yet, despite the dark and hopeless picture this leaves in our head, we do have hope (no, your load of laundry will not magically go away after reading this, but hopefully it will encourage your heart and soul!). It’s in Romans 8:20-21:

“20 For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope 21 that[a] the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God.”

Yes! We have hope that there will be restoration right around the corner! That’s something to encourage us all in our walk through our tasks today (though hopefully you also plan to do something fun today. It’s Saturday! Go spend some good time enjoying your family :) )


I hope you have a wonderful weekend and remember that your lists are not there to condemn you, but hopefully, help you to be more productive in your fight despite the curse… because we have victory in Christ (1 Cor. 15: 57)!

“But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”



Day 5: Priorities

Wow. Isn't it great the the Lord knows exactly what we need to benefit our soul? I needed to evaluate my priorities this morning. It has been evident to me, especially with the way I responded to my husband last night on our g-chat that my priorities are way out of wack and affect others way more than assumed they did.

Thus, I made a list of my priorities from most important to least. I used her suggestions as a guideline to help form my own (though they were very closely related to hers). I made a grid table for it on my computer, but since my blog hates grib formats (apparently), I listed it: 'Priority' on the left,  'Why?' centered, 'Motivational Verses' on the right and the goals of how to accomplish these things following these priorities.



God:

Time in our relationship and his word. Early rising at his feet of reading, worshiping and praying.

Psalm 5:3; Ps. 16:11

Jeremiah 31:25

Mark 1:35

Husband:

To remain a faithful, life-giving wife that brings comfort and help in love to my best friend. Respond lovingly and gently; serve him first; do not nag; show respect; give lots of grace.

Proverbs 31

Children:

Train in the Lord; make childhood memorable and cherished Get home in order so I can focus more on my child than my house’s state; plan creatively; read and soak up wisdom.

                                                                                                 Deuteronomy 6:7-8

                                                                                                                                                         Proverbs 22:6
Home (and dog):

Clean, but not perfect, place to make children feel secure and a resting place for my husband; a place people can make themselves at home (honoring others); manage what God gave me. Work hard and put off lazy feelings and complaining; put family before self and clean home for them.

Proverbs 31:27

Colossians 3:23

Philippians 2:14

1 Tim. 3:2

Titus 1:8

Others (friendships and relationships):

I want to make others valuable in my life as God made me valuable, taking time to encourage and love them because of the gifts they are to me. Make time for friends/girls in squadron, have intentional conversations instead of flippant, serve them by offering to take kiddos while they refresh.

                                                                                                                                                       Hebrews 10:25

                                                                                                                                                         Romans 12:13

                                                                                                                                                      Hebrews 13:1-2

                                                                                                                                                    Ephesians 5:1-21

Gifts:

Use for God’s ultimate glory and manage well; strengthen church and be a light. Serve in the church, offer to host bible study sometime; encourage others around me.

1 Peter 4:10

1 Corinthians 12:1-11

Personal:



Sharpen skills, stay in shape, continue blogging, read others blogs and learn new things. After I have done everything else, may I be able to take time for sanity, in order to keep going in other priorities.

Hebrews 10:5-7, 36

Phil. 3:13-14

The ways I want to accomplish these things (my goals):

 

God: Early rising at his feet of reading, worshiping and praying.

Husband: Respond lovingly and gently; serve him first; do not nag; show respect; give lots of grace


Children: Get home in order so I can focus more on my child than my house’s state; plan creatively; read and soak up wisdom


Home: Work hard and put off lazy feelings and complaining; put family before self and clean home for them.


Others: Make time for friends/girls in squadron, have intentional conversations instead of flippant, serve them by offering to take kiddos while they refresh.


Gifts: Serve in the church, offer to host bible study sometime; encourage others around me.


Personal: After I have done everything else, may I be able to take time for sanity, in order to keep enduring within other priorities.

I'm sorry this post is so short this morning, but I really do need to get to the other priorities on this list.. especially since Andrew is coming home tonight! Yey!
 
Yes, that's right, Andrew Update: He took off an hour ago (8:00am my time, 1:00 his time) and he should be back in Alaska by 6:00pm tonight! I was glad to hear, because communication has been very difficult lately (the Ipad was really not meant for long distance communication-- all of the internet options at the Air Force Inns he stays at require you have an internet plug... thus, it made communication difficult when he had to rely on the very finicky wi-fi)-- o well! Lesson learned and now he is coming home. Pray for his safe arrival.
 
Before I go though, I can leave you with the projects I am very close to finishing:
 
This is going to be our hall locker for shoes, jackets and purses:

 This is our media center (which will be painted white) with the locker again:

This will be a little organzational kitchen desk I will use to store our computer, bills, etc on.

Well, that's all for now! Time to get to work!!

Have a wonderful day learning how to sort priorities as God leads you.

Day 4: A Place to Put Your Feet Up

Well, good morning!

Eli and I have been enjoying our “banana pancake day”: waking up late and enjoying some sunshine from the kitchen, not in a rush to do anything! It has been down-right pleasant.

This morning’s challenge was to make your home a place for you to put your feet up in. Inviting that comfort level into your house and making a welcoming place for people to come is what are our houses are for! I do hope we can recover from our military move soon in order to be able to that.

My challenge for myself is to invite people into my home REGARDLESS of its cleanliness level. I have so many goals for myself before this baby comes and before my husband comes back that I forget even to let the Lord to come into my home…. The home of my heart.

This morning, as he was speaking to me, I read from Isaiah 25-26 and found these verses a comfort, a place I could put my spiritual feet up and enjoy the Lord!

“For you have been a stronghold to the poor,

a strong hold to the needy in his distress,

a shelter from the storm and a shade from the heat….

 

On this mountain the Lord of hosts will make for all peoples

A feast of rich food, a feast of aged wine…

And he will swallow up on this mountain the covering that is cast

Over all the peoples,

The veil that is spread over all nations.

He will swallow up death forever;

And the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces,

And the reproach of his people he will take away from all the earth,

For the Lord has spoken.

You keep him in perfect peace,

Whose mind is stayed on you,

Because he trusts in you.

Trust in the Lord forever,

For the Lord God is an everlasting rock…

 

The path of the righteous is level;

You make level the way of the righteous.”

Isaiah 25: 4,6-8; 26:3, 7

Amen! We do have a place of trouble (especially for all of my family and friends back on the east coast who are dealing with tornados—you have a place to run!) and we do have a Savior that loves to celebrate over us! That is a great thing to come to knowledge with—not only did he love us well while he was here, he died to save us and still actively cares for us to this very day. When God loves, he goes beyond himself: it goes out to us all. What a God we serve! We can trust in someone like that. We can confident before this God that we have been forgiven and dearly loved. Jesus, come and dwell in the home of my heart all the day long…. Let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation (Isaiah 25:9b).

Baby update: Speaking of rejoicing and being glad in him, I am rejoicing over the little baby girl I carry today. I don’t know why today of all days, but maybe its because she has been more active! I can feel the kicks when I put my hand on my stomach—which is super cool (before when I put my hand on my tummy, the kicks would disappear! Little stinker!)

However, I don’t know about you, but I was comparing the size of my belly from week 13 to now (week 21/22 weeks) and I really hope its normal to be this small: It seems I really haven’t made much progression, but I could be TOTALLY wrong.. I don’t know: what do you think??

Oh Dad and Mom! We just got a sweet and yummy Easter package! HA! THANK YOU!!!

 Can you tell he likes it just a little too much?? Haha!

 And yes, I have already consumed two cookies and two eggs filled with peanut M&Ms! SOOOO Bad!! But so yummy ;)

 Loving this dish towel! Thank you!!

Andrew Update: He is still in Japan... and living it up! He has explored the island and snorkeled while he has been there! I am anxious for him to get back though... for two honest reasons: I miss him and I am TOTALLY jealous! Haha! Still don't know when he will leave the ground, but I will keep you updated!

 

I guess that is all I have to share today. Even if you won’t be having guests over anytime soon, remember to invite Him who is always knocking in, because he loves you!

Day 3—10 Ways to Give Life to Your Home

Man, it feels good to sit down for a moment….

So yes, it's been a crazy day and I need a breath of fresh air, for my heart and my lungs!

                          Isn’t this a refreshing sight? This picture was taken at 9:30pm.

  

 Beautiful, huh? This was taken off our front deck.

Ok, so now that my lungs have been refreshed, let’s move on to the heart.

I apologize for getting a late start on this post. It has been a day of inconsistencies—and that is bound to happen once in a while when you are only able to talk to husband on weird Japan time, then not get to bed until LATE, then wake up in a rush… Not a preferable way to start the day, but hey, you have to be okay and roll with these kind of challenges in our crazy lifestyle sometimes.
Speaking of challenges, today’s challenge was a bit of an expansion on yesterdays: Being a life giver!


Here is what the author suggests as ways to bring life into your home (I added some questions that might provoke you to apply these suggestions):


1) Retrain that tongue of yours to be ENCOURAGING, COMFORTING, and EDIFYING!


• Can you identify the times more negative comes out that positive? If you can, that’s great! Now you can pray that you catch them in the moment and tweak it to a more positive note, by God’s grace!


2) Let your words be grace-filled towards your husband and children


• If you were to mock a conversation of you and your husband/child, what does your tone of voice sound like and how do they walk away from your conversation? Are they encouraged? Does their face reflect a kind of hope that we have after coming away from being before the Lord?


3) Make the home a place of sanctuary so mistakes and sins are met with love and hope.


• When your child/husband are bearing the troubles of the day, can you lovingly put aside the things on your schedule and tend to them properly?


4) Decorate to make it a place of beauty (Remember: beauty raises life above mere existence)


• I know the areas in my house that need DEFINITE beautification!! But it doesn’t mean you have to shovel out your savings to accomplish that! One sight that I love to use is Tipjunkie.com. Great ideas there—and super frugal!


5) Develop cleaning habits, skills and clutter control—reduces stress!


• Where are your messiest areas?? I know mine usually fall in the downstairs area and the kitchen… shesh!


6) Face angers, anxieties, fears and depressions with the Lord and ask him to replace those emotions with faith and hope: helps our keep the mental/spiritual/emotional aspect of home healthy!


• For me, this is getting in the word and learning to apply it in these situations in whatever way I can- scripture memory is a good start, so is worship music


7) Plan regular times away from home to rejuvenate and regain perspective.


• This can also be a basic walk or an outing with a friend/ by yourself. Keeps you sane in my opinion!


8) Persevere in planning fun activities for your family on weekends or ordinary weekdays.
 • I fail HORRIBLY in this. Partially because we have very little consistency in our lives right now… if you do a good job at this, you should share the ideas!!


9) Play praise/worship music to lift everyone’s spirits (Remember how King Saul was also refreshed in the same way when David played worship music for him? Yea, same affect today.)


10) Ask the Lord: What areas of my home are causing stress or dwelling in spiritual/emotional/mental “deadness”? What can I do to bring light to those places instead to make them a place of refuge?


For better direction, why not ask your family what makes them feel the most loved when it comes to the home?

“If you pour yourself out for the hungry

and satisfy the desire of the afflicted,

then shall your light rise in the darkness

and your gloom be as the noonday.

11 And the LORD will guide you continually

and satisfy your desire in scorched places

and make your bones strong;

and you shall be like a watered garden,

like a spring of water,

whose waters do not fail.”

Isaiah 58:10-11

This has been an encouraging and thought provoking exercise for me. I hope it encourages you to pick out the areas that need a good spring cleaning as well! One of the areas I cannot WAIT to give life to is little baby girl’s room! Right now, it is quite the storage facility, but I cannot wait to change this.

Yes, it needs A LOT of help! Here are some of the ideas I have for it:

Isn't this the cutest?? I LOVE the curtains and want to make some just like it!

The colors that she mixed and matched were just what I have been looking to do as well--

It's PERFECT!

My question is how do you make a little gig like this?? It's super cute, but I guess I would have to do some research on how to assemble it. Ashley Ann, you are truly a creative genius!

 Thus, this is my dream nursery (with my own tweaks and personal touches, of course!). I really love how this lady used the yellow/oranges and pinks! My plan would be to add some blues and yellows in there too, but overall, I really like the warm feel of this nursery (and in Alaska, you are happier with WARM ANYTHING!! Haha). If you are just loving this gals style, you can look her up. Here blog is called 'Under the Sycamore' and her name is Ashley Ann. Great ideas and more!

Well, that is about it. I have a doctor’s appointment tomorrow afternoon and another busy day, so I really need to cut it off here. If you get a moment, try to look over these questions and really pray on how to change and apply them. You and your family will not regret doing so.


So here’s to cleaning both the inside and the out!


Day 2-- Created to Give Life

...A peaceful, clean home :)



Yesterday was very productive and I am proud to say that I chugged along the day doing chores and paying bills with joy knowing that I am doing a work that will result in a fruitful produce! This morning I woke up to a clean home and was encouraged to know I had endured in my work, finishing the tasks I had made for myself.

                                            And today’s challenge is to become a life-giver!

“All women are life-givers… Life-giving is raising life above the level of mere existence.”

I think this challenge needs to be looked at with more depth as well.

First off, where do we get life?

Jesus tells us we get life from one source alone: Himself (John 14:6—‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the father except through me.’) So our life comes from Christ’s sacrifice we celebrated on Sunday!

Secondly, how to we have it?

Since he now lives in us through the Spirit, he empowers us with this true life. We get it by relying on His work and sacrifice rather our own work. He depend on him for meaning and purpose that makes life make sense.

Thirdly, what do we do with it?

There are many ways! Once we realize where our life-giving is coming from, we can use it in:

• Our Words

• Our homes- decorating, meal prep, a peaceful atmosphere, hospitality, etc

• Education- our children, ourselves, and others

• Church—utilizing our gifts

• Socially— in our circles of friends, those we come in contact with, those we serve

• Heritage and traditions- enriching lives around us

“Who is woman? She is the redeemed life-giver, enlivened by the love of Christ and continuously renewed by Him as she nurtures others”—Barbara Mouser (Five aspects of a Woman)


As we get nearer daily to the time we will greet our little girl, I realize just how much I want to just give her life to the fullest, in our home and in Christ! I want her to have the most joy possible by realizing she has hope for the future when she puts her trust in Him who can be trusted.


My challenge today is to look around my home (sphere of influence—I like that! Haha) and see what I can bring to life for my family. Ironically, I have already started as I am building furniture! I have many plans for my home (as it will morph slowly into a personalized homey domain), but right now my focus is on the two places people will see most: our den and kitchen. I feel like making furniture that reflects our personalities and our preferences really makes our home feel like, well, home! Plus it has started to form in me a sense of hard work, endurance and appreciation.

Every time I work on my projects, I try to do it as carefully as possible with the resources I have been given, knowing that God took his time too and created something beautiful when He created us. It is a good simile to remember each time I pick up a project from where I left off. I can’t wait to tell my family about all God taught my heart through this trade!

Today I do have quite a busy day so I really need to get going and get into God’s word before it takes off on me!


Oh, an Andrew update: He was supposed to be in Singapore last night (just so you know, I told most of you all he was going to the Philippines when it instead is Singapore!), but because of maintenance issues, it only got to Kadena Air Base in Japan. I don’t know what the plan will be from here, but be praying that whatever happens, the crew gets safely to their next destination.


That’s all for today: Be blessed and may He be glorified in the way you give LIFE!



Day 1: Why do I want a clean house??

Messy, cluttered table...

..and even messier living room with a dirty dog who just tracked mulch and dirt all over the kitchen/living room after getting into our garden for the second time in the last two days...

...Sigh..

So why do I want a clean house?

Hmm.. Not intended to be a deep question, but let's look at that question in a more thought provoking angle.

(However, the pictures should be enough for you to wonder why I should even start contemplating such a simple question instead of cleaning my messy home!)

The challenge today was to think of WHY I clean my house and to make a mission statement with supportive bible verses to encourage me in this very undesirable task.

Here is what I came up with:

"To manage a place of peace and sanitation to better acutely tend my family's needs and not hesistate to invite guests into our home; to form a sense of diligence and build up endurance by creating a sense of belonging in the work of creating a 'home' in our military lifestyle; and finally, strengthening  my ability to be content and grateful in any circumstance, thus filling my heart with joy, a deeper sense of purpose, and greater ambition."

The verses I used to support my mission statement are Phillipians 4:11-13, Proverbs 31 and Titus 2:4-5.


I am not only excited about getting to work this morning, but encouraged that I am doing this with a purpose that is deeper than just sanitizing my living place for the second time this week (though that is enough of a reason to get me going!).

Looking forward to praying more about this throughout the day!

Until then, time to get to work in the kitchen before Andrew gets on Skype to chat a while from Japan.

"Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know howto abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret to facing plenty, hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me." --Phil. 3:11-13

The 31 Day challenge

Happy ACTUAL Easter day!

I hope your day has been encouraging as you celebrate our freedom in Christ!

And yes….. my blog is going through an OBVIOUS identity crisis! HA!

However, I am going to stop piddling around and leave it like this for a while (love it or not). I have other things I need to devote my time instead of my blog look—how superficial!! ;)

“Look carefully to how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.” Ephesians 5:15-16

That is what I intend to do—starting this week! I have talked about evaluating my life to see how this will later affect the way I parent or even TEACH my children by the example I set, but it is time to get to work! Yet the main question remains: where to start??

First, an observation of myself:

* I work around the house a lot, and I get fussy when things look out of sorts/unclean.

* Though I have a good work ethic, I am a very poor endurance runner without someone/something keeping me accountable.

* My time management skills are not very good (even though I plan a lot!).

* I am a sucker for trends—not fashionably speaking (and those who know how I dress can testify truth to that statement!), but organizational/diets/exercise/etc.

* Very ADD with a special touch of perfectionism, based on a visionary goal (which is most of the time is very unrealistic!).

There is the first part… And it looks as if I need a lot of help! ... HELP!!

And praise the Lord! I think I found something to motivate/help: How about a challenge in the form of a devotional? I LOVE IT!

For the next 31 days, I will be taking the challenge. I found a book called 31 days to Clean: Having a Mary house in a Mary way” by Sarah Mae. Here is a description of what it is about:

“31 Days to Clean is about the “why” and the vision and the heart for taking care of our domains. Each day I encourage you with some thoughts and ideas, and then we put those ideas to action.

After each days reading, you will be given two challenges:

• The Mary Challenge -Something you do that encourages/engages your heart

• The Martha Challenge – Specific cleaning tasks”

–a book summary 

There is a group challenge taking place on a blog called “Joyful Mothering” and on Twitter (I will probably review the chapters during the challenge, but since I probably won’t be able to go the full 31 days in May, due to deployments and traveling, I am going to start tomorrow).

I really do look forward to what I will learn about my life in these next 31 days and how to use my days to God’s joy rather my own petty, unidirectional attempts! I know it will serve not only my own soul, but my husbands, the relationships around me and my soon-to-be little girl. What a motivation!

Pray for me to endure this challenge (I will be blogging a bit more just to keep myself focused since I don’t have my wonderful hubbie around for the time being).

Speaking of clean, time to go clean my dirty puppy....

... Sigh....

..But gotta love him, huh?

 
Until tomorrow,


Blessings!



Happy Easter (A day early) !!

Yes Indeed! I know I am posting this a day early, but my Andrew leaves for a week long trip tomorrow (his FIRST trip! EH! I have so many mixed emotions about it-- mostly good emotions thought!) and I thought we could just celebrate a day early!

Thus, we are celebrating with a couple of new traditions and a little fun :)

Like the Easter eggs with verses and visuals (I didnt have time to search out all of the visuals but next year, I will fulfill that last part!). Each egg has a verse that leads up to the resurrection (where the last egg is left empty to symbolize He has RISEN!). I thought it was a great family tradition to start that my family did when I was younger. Next year, I might hide the eggs or just have them opened every evening at dinner time....So much potential!

 And I really had fun with making a meaningful centerpiece for our dinig table as well. I have enjoyed having the symbols of spring and life in the place Andrew I go most often-- the kitchen!!

 Here is my pretty Easter Lily! Yes, I paid WAY too much for it, and my husband is suffering from the pollen you can see is hanging from it, but I personally have enjoyed these beautiful flowers!!

 As always, we have Easter baskets! I made this one for Andrew (and Eli!):

 I found this cheap little chick at Walmart... and I couldnt resist!

 The booties were to remind him that we have a special treasure from God on the way. He said he was going to take them on the trip just to remind him to pray for our little girl while he was away. I am really glad he is!

 Love this card (thanks Dad and Mom!)-- it really reminded us each time we were at the sink what this week is all about.

 Here are the contents of the basket:

...Lots of chocolate eggs and yummy sweets....

 ...a pretty tissue flower...

 And a jar of Easter S'mores, just awaiting to be made!! MMM...

 Ok, so here is how you make your own (these make great gifst as well!) :


1. Crush 1 sleeve of graham crackers into crumbs & dump into the bottom of a canning jar.


2. Place your Peeps (or bunny-mallows since I hate Peeps!) in the jar – against the side.

3. In the center of the Peeps/Marshmellows place 1/3 cup of brown sugar. Then place 1 1/4 cup of M&Ms/Hersey chocolate eggs on top & you’re almost done!


4. Print off the sheet of how to make your Yummy Easter S'mores and include as a gift tag on your jar.

Like this:

Here is the gift label I designed you can print out and use for the baking instructions:

 I also had some spare time to make my hubbie a scrapbook card. He really enjoyed it!

(I hope I have time to do this again someday!!)

 Last, but not least, we celebrated with a Easter brunch!

Carrot cake muffins



 Eggs
 (that have Lecithin all over them from the cast iron skillet-- o brother. I will get this down someday!),
 an orange,
and yogurt with strawberries!!

Eli really enjoyed his treat as well:

 Yes, he LOVES his chick-a-dee!!

 Ok, tips for making these S'mores:


1. REALLY distribute your Mellows and chocolates. If not, you will just end up with a sugary mess instead of a marshmellow square!


2. Consider using foil or really greasing your pan down well to you can get the S'mores OFF the pan! (As you can tell from the snapshot, I could have used these tips. LIVE and LEARN!)

ANYWAYS, that is our Easter adventure thus far! Andrew has been packing for his trip during this time, but he is preparing our bikes for a ride later tonight after we get out of our movie (we are going to the Bear's Tooth for "The King's Speech"). The best part about this fun little gig is they serve dinner WITH the movie! It will be very interesting, but I am just excited to spend some time with my hubbie before he leaves.

Speaking of which, I have got to go help him! I will write more about the week and all God has been teaching me after he leaves, but until then, I will leave you with a note my husband's grandfather sent his family. I thought it was very thought provoking and encouraging (more tips/thoughts for our child training!). Enjoy and Happy Easter!

A few thoughts as I sat in front of the cross this early morning,

Are we really connected as a people, are we dedicated to serving each other as Christ has served us. Yesterday was Maundy Thursday and as we washed each other’s feet, I wondered why Jesus preformed this loving act on his disciples. What was his purpose, why was this done as he prepared himself for his impending suffering and death? He was scolded by Peter, who said to Jesus, “I will not allow you to wash my feet, but I shall wash yours.” Jesus admonished Peter and said “If you do not let me wash your feet, you cannot follow me.” Then Jesus washed all his disciple’s feet. He excluded no one, nor did he wash one’s foot better than the next.

I wonder if that offer would be made today in our competitive unconnected society, how it would be received? Would we scramble to see who could be first, or would we help the poor, the afflicted, and the less fortunate to the basin before we insisted that our feet be washed? Would we be concerned about how our feet looked before we dare show them to Jesus? Would we offer to wash someone’s feet to help handle the crowd?

We learn our competitiveness at an early age. When we were quite young and played organized team games, very little attention was paid to the less athletic players on our team, score was kept so we would know who won and how many times have you asked your children, after a game WHO WON? In school we competed for grades, attention from our teachers and professors, acceptance from our peers, being too fat, to skinny, having a hooked nose, wearing glasses to see, to short, to tall, ad-infinitum. Then we grow up and we compete in the market place for just the right job, or we are forced into a position of toil without an opportunity for growth. We must outwork the next guy if we want to get ahead, and forget the consequences to family, God, ourselves in the process. Can you imagine the corporate executive that would inform his board and stockholders that we shall forgo a profit this year because we have a few feet to wash that belong to our neighbors? Better yet, could you imagine a group of stockholders deciding to forgo a dividend this year because in doing so they can solve the hunger problem in East Africa. Would we complain that their leaders will just steal the money? Could we skip the new car this year and help the less fortunate realize just one of their dreams?

I think this is what Jesus is calling us to do. We must have a new awareness of each other and our needs. We must be willing to be available to one another, to build each other up, to sharpen each other so we may serve as He intend us to serve. This life is not a competition; we cannot earn Christ’s love. He already loves us in ways we cannot understand. His love is perfect, He extols us to love him with our whole heart, mind, and soul, and our neighbor as ourselves. Let us greet Him on Easter Sunday as He rises with a new determination to serve. Let us pick up the towel and the basin.

Bob