Servanthood

This was written by my husband. 

GOD’S WISDOM:
THROUGH THE EYES AND ACTIONS OF A CHILD

It is somewhat humbling to know I have a Bachelor’s degree and am seeking to start my Masters and I am continually schooled by the wisdom of God, through my children. That alone should prove that man’s wisdom comes second to His.
To start my story, I’ll give a brief background. My wife was up all night with my 6 year old because she was sick with a cough and runny nose. My wife is sick with the same cold bug. I come home late at night after working from 8am-midnight and my lovely wife takes care of our daughter, making sure I am taken care of and able to get what sleep I can. Without much sleep and with her normal daily ailments, she has had a pretty crummy day.

Adding to this, I have been really stressed all week with my two jobs and life in general. I sometimes get so absorbed in what I’m doing I don’t look around to realize what others are doing or what they are going through. Today was a classic example of that and how God showed me I should be more aware of those I love.

So I’m going through my daily work routine and end up coming home for lunch at noon. My wife and children have prepared lunch and have just finished. My oldest daughter talks with me in the kitchen and makes sure I get my plate filled. All the while, I’m thinking about my work day, what I have done, what I need to do, and what I should have done better, etc.

After I am finished I take my stuff to the kitchen. And my Heavenly Father wows me by showing me how blessed my wife and I are with a daughter who has one of the strongest hearts of servitude I have ever seen. Her actions are truly humbling!

First, let me say that my daughters do more chores, daily, than most adults do in a week’s time. It’s just how we’ve raised them. And all being under eight, they are still in training somewhat. So when I say they don’t do things perfectly, you will understand what I’m talking about. Examples are their beds not made exactly right, clothes & toys stuffed under the bed, etc.

As a result, when I share with you that my eight year old daughter was in the kitchen, cleaning her heart out so that her mother who is tired and sick doesn’t have to, and doing so like a pro that’s been cleaning for years, you can begin to fathom the depth of the heart of a servant she has. The heart God wants us to have towards one another. Audrey put up the stuff from lunch and wiped down the table. She put a full load of dishes in the dishwasher and got that started. She then proceeded to clean off and disinfect and wipe down all the countertops. She cleaned off our flat-top stove, swept the floor and I have no doubt did it all with a heart of love and level of respect that you rarely find in a child her age. This girl deserves a big hug!

Now I say this with immense pride that my daughter didn’t stop there. She and Abigayle took a bed sheet, laid it out in the front yard and played outside so their mother wouldn’t be bothered by their playing. Oh what a lesson God is teaching us adults! In this little lesson our God taught me and my wife things like, humility, servitude, love, respect, caring for one another and gratitude.

Ya know, it’s already a great story. But I have to tell you, my oldest daughter didn’t stop there either. Knowing it was time for dinner, and that it was going to be a simple dinner like Ramen Noodles and vegetables, she comes in and tells Mandy that she can cook the noodles for supper. Mandy informed Audrey that she was the momma and it was her responsibility to make sure dinner was prepared for the family. Audrey persisted telling her that she knows her mother doesn’t feel good and is tired and that she can take care of dinner for her. Oh what a heart this little one has! Mandy, with the wisdom of a loving and teaching mother, tells Audrey that she can do it if she wants, but that momma was planning on and can still do it. So what does Audrey do? She could have taken the hint and praise she had already earned and went on with a sense of accomplishment. But no, not her, not the daughter of God with a heart towards serving; she walked right into the kitchen, got out the pot and noodles, prepared dinner and served it outside on their special lap trays in the front yard. The girls had a blast and Mandy and I got a lesson that can only be described as truly remarkable. 

My daughter, just recently turned eight, stands at the feet of God, showing me what it means to be a true servant to Him. I was so absorbed in myself and what I needed to accomplish, I hadn’t turned to consider that my Father needed to hear from me. He needed to know I love Him and want to be close to Him. I wasn’t focused on my wife’s needs and her discomfort. All I saw was what I was doing and how I needed to get it done.

Yet we can all take a lesson from this remarkable little girl. Through the heart of a child, God spoke. Through the actions of a truly humble servant, God spoke. Through it all, God showed me just how much we should love one another. My daughter was so in tune with her mother’s needs that she stepped up and became responsible for the household for a brief time to help her mother feel loved, cared for, respected, loved, and gracious. The simple acts of one child taught us both humility and wisdom.

So I ask you now, when was the last time you showed Christ’s love in such a way to another person? When did you last show this kind of love, humility, respect, gratitude, servitude and care for your Heavenly Father???
I ask you now to take just 30 seconds. 30 measly seconds and tell Him how much you love Him. Tell Him how sorry you are that you have not loved with the heart of a child. Tell Him that you will do better. Tell him that you will serve others, love others, show His grace to others, respect others, and care for others, with the very heart He gave you. Look through the eyes of a child and know how God wants you to be. Follow the actions of a child and know how God wants you to act and behave. And through it all, thank Him for His son and the ultimate love offering He made for you and me.
I know this was long, but God bless each and every one of you for taking the time to hear about my moment of clarity and wisdom from our Heavenly Father that was delivered by the actions of a child.

Inner Dialogue

This past couple of days I have been struggling with a lot of negative inner dialogue. I know what God says, but these thoughts have been outweighing truths. I know they are there. I can see them in my head, but find it hard to grasp a hold of them to stuff the negative down. 

How do I handle this? I want to repent, but I already know that my heart has not turned away from the inner dialogue. I am still faced with insecurities, anger, depression, anxiety. I do not like the way that I look, or the way that I feel. My feet hurt almost constantly and have been for about a year now. My shoulder is aching as well. I am angry with some situations going on and feel like there is nothing I can do. I am depressed because I am battling all of this all of the time and the anxiety that says this will never change. 

There is so much more to my thoughts, but I feel ashamed to share. 

I know God is there and helping me through, but I think it is something that needs to be walked through so I can help someone else on this path God has chosen. We all struggle. We all have negative inner dialogue. We do not talk about it, but it's there. I have a support system that is stronger and more powerful than any other. I have the Holy Trinity to hold me up, support me, help me change the thoughts to align with the bible. 

I do hope others read this. I want others who struggle to know they are NOT alone. We are Christian but we are human. We struggle. We do not always choose the right thing. God knew these things would happen. This is the reason Christ died for us and He has forgiven us. Praise God!!!

Triumphs and Sorrows

This week has brought triumphs and victories. This week has brought sorrow and sadness. It is easy to get lost in it all and focus on the negative. Take some time to delve into God's word to build us up. He is there and never leaves us. He wants to help you. He longs to hold you during times of happiness and sadness. He LOVES each of us. Use the hard times for growth and be willing to allow God to change your heart.

Psalm 143
A psalm of David.

1 Lord, hear my prayer,
listen to my cry for mercy;
in your faithfulness and righteousness
come to my relief.
2 Do not bring your servant into judgment,
for no one living is righteous before you.
3 The enemy pursues me,
he crushes me to the ground;
he makes me dwell in the darkness
like those long dead.
4 So my spirit grows faint within me;
my heart within me is dismayed.
5 I remember the days of long ago;
I meditate on all your works
and consider what your hands have done.
6 I spread out my hands to you;
I thirst for you like a parched land.[a]

7 Answer me quickly, Lord;
my spirit fails.
Do not hide your face from me
or I will be like those who go down to the pit.
8 Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love,
for I have put my trust in you.
Show me the way I should go,
for to you I entrust my life.
9 Rescue me from my enemies, Lord,
for I hide myself in you.
10 Teach me to do your will,
for you are my God;
may your good Spirit
lead me on level ground.

11 For your name’s sake, Lord, preserve my life;
in your righteousness, bring me out of trouble.
12 In your unfailing love, silence my enemies;
destroy all my foes,
for I am your servant.

Forgiveness

Forgiveness is one of the hardest things to do. It is not something that comes natural to us as humans. We want the vengence, but God says vengence is mine. It is not about getting our way. It's not about shunning others to manipulate to feel like you have control. Do we as Christians really understand the amount of forgiveness GIVEN to us? As Christians we believe that nothing in this world we could do to gain access to our heavenly Father. No, there was not anything. But Jesus. Do you know how much Jesus took on Himself at the cross? Do you understand that without any of His persecutors asking He said, "Father, forgive them for they do not know what they are doing." Shouldn't we be the same way. Shouldn't we say "I forgive you" as readily as Christ. Isn't that what we are supposed to do? It is not about the selfishness of feeling like we are due an apology, acting as if we have never committed a wrong to another individual. 

 We say we love each other. Do we really love each other? 1 Corinthians 13 says, "If I speak in the tongues[a] of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. 3 If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast,[b] but do not have love, I gain nothing.4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.8 Love never fails." So I am asking that all who read this really long post check your heart to see if it lines up with what the word says. Nothing says life will be easy, but I think we often times make it harder than necessary.

Relationships

The past couple of weeks, the girls and I have been looking into Galatians 5:22-26, also known as "The Fruits of the Spirit". We have looked at each one throughout scriptures. So far we have talked about love, joy, peace, forbearance (patience), kindness, goodness, and faithfulness.

I had a thought about relationships while we were talking about faithfulness today. The fruits of the Spirit are an excellent way to teach the girls about relationships with family, friendships, and future husbands (as I have 3 girls). 

I pointed out to them that in our relationships we should use the fruits of the Spirit. We should love our family. We should be patient, kind, and good to our family. This concept also works with friendships. We should look to friends to be kind, good, loving, peaceful, and faithful. If our "friends" are not practicing these then it is time to look for different friends.

Lastly, I pointed out that at some point in their life God will begin showing them what to look for in future spouses. I told them that if the person they are looking for does not practice the fruits of the Spirit then they are not the right person for them. 

I guess I am teaching my kids to be picky about friends and possible mates, but I think we should be a lot more picky about relationships. We need to be careful about the company we keep. We want our lives to be surrounded with positive people who share our beliefs; people who will challenge us to grow in our relationship with God.

Trust

These last couple of weeks have been kind of concerning. I have had some things going on physically that scare me. I am up this morning due to being scared. There I said it, I am scared. I am really having to rely upon God more this week due to these feelings. There are times when it seems easier to trust God than other times. In this situation, I do not have any control. The future is out of my control. LOL, I do not like that. :-). 

God knows my heart. He knows that I am trying, but there are times, like now, that I am consumed by the what ifs. The thoughts of how life could be, or how I will have a lot of changes to deal with. I want to serve God wholeheartedly. I do not bode well with unexpected change. I really want God to be given the glory. I will do my best to make sure that I do what I can do to trust in God.