Effort

Hmmmm.... It's beginning to be evident that if I want to move forward in my life I might actually need to TRY.  Bummer.  I was really hoping to effortlessly float with the tide, but it looks like the tide is flowing the wrong direction.  It might be time to paddle.  Or even try to leap upstream like the salmon do.  Ok God... It looks like I need some help with this.  (Yes.  I know I needed help before, but I have finally gotten around to acknowledging it!)

I believe it was Ann Landers who said, "Opportunity is usually disguised as hard work, so most people don't recognize it."  It looks like I'm gonna have to get busy.

Giving Freely??

Today, I overheard my kids playing...

Caleb: "Thank you SO much Silas! How can I ever repay you???"
Silas: "Oh, don't worry... you can repay me."
Caleb: "Can I give you a hug?"
Silas: "No, it will take a lot more than that."

The Bible says, "Freely you have received... Freely give."  That is sometimes easier said than done.  In fact, a lady by the name of Comtesse Diane once said, "We often make people pay dearly for what we think we give them."  So true.

When the boys were playing, I also overheard, "Hey! Come back with my body parts!" But I have no idea what that was about.

Rain Rain Go Away!

This spring, on the very same day that my parents set up a new trampoline for my boys, it started to rain.  And rain.  And rain.  It rained for over a week and the temperature was hardly above freezing.  Not exactly trampoline weather.  My kiddos spent a lot of time staring morosely out the window at the trampoline and wishing away the sogginess.  We woke up on yet another wet morning, looked out the window and then headed to the breakfast table.  I suggested that we pray that it stops raining... and we did.  Silas and Caleb couldn't wait to look out the window in anticipation of God's answered prayer and as soon as breakfast was over, they ran to the window to check. 

"God answered!", Caleb shouted in wonder and amazement.

"Yeah.  It's SNOWING", Silas retorted. 

Remember to pray specifically!  Specific prayers bring specific answers!

Change

Psalm 13
How long, O Lord?  Will you forget me forever?
How long will you hide your face from me?
How long must I wrestle with my thoughts
and every day have sorrow in my heart?
How long will my enemy triumph over me?

Look on me and answer, O Lord my God.
Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death;
my enemy will say, "I have overcome ~her~"
and my foes will rejoice when I fall.

But I trust in your unfailing love;
my heart rejoices in your salvation.
I will sing to the Lord,
for HE HAS BEEN GOOD TO ME.

Isaiah 43:18
Forget the former things;
do not dwell on the past.
See, I am doing a new thing!
Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?

Do you believe in change?  I do.
And just because it hasn't happened yet, doesn't mean it won't.
I have hope.

Caleb's Kitties

Caleb, 7, woke up this morning thrilled to tell me the dream he had just been awoken from: "I had a dream that I got two little kitty eggs, and they were going to hatch. But one of them hatched where it was too cold, and so it became a stuffed animal. It was the cutest stuffed animal!  The other hatched where it was warm, so it became a real kitty. It was so fluffy and soft!  So I was lucky to get a cute stuffy AND a real kitty!!!" After hearing his dream, I thought I better clarify one point, so I asked him, "Do you know that kittens don't come from eggs?"  Caleb's response was, "Everyone knows that mammals give birth to live young, but I still wish my dream would come true!"