mother’s day top ten list: part two

…as i was saying

number five: there are no monsters under your bed. as a parent, i find monster fears challenging on two levels. first of all, i feel sad and helpless, watching my youngster, who is obviously terrified, attempt to go upstairs on her own. nothing i say or do can convince her that i would never knowingly place her in harm’s way. secondly, though, i feel frustrated. “don’t you trust me? don’t you think i know what i am talking about?” how often do i stand before God, lip quivering, accusatory glare blazing? what monsters do i imagine He has placed in my path when in reality i have nothing to fear?

number four: try to keep things in perspective. my favorite part of getting older is the gift of perspective. the little things seem, well, littler. my kids can be having “the best day ever” and five minutes later, all the good is forgot and the day is “ruined.” i may be older and wiser but not too much so. i have to constantly remind myself to look beyond the immediate and see the pattern of provision and salvation God has woven into His plan for my life. He is weaving for me “the best life ever” if i will just trust Him.

number three: be grateful for what you have. i am amazed at the endlessly unsatisfiable nature of my children. no sooner have i loaded the dishwasher from lunch and they are already asking what is for dinner. if we go to the movies, now we need popcorn and drinks and don’t forget the ice cream on the way home. i wish i were any better with my Heavenly Father but so often He has no sooner answered one prayer then i have the next request ready and waiting. if only i could learn to be content with what He has given already.

number two: two wrongs don’t make a right. do i really need to give an example? the vicious cycle of retribution among children speaks for itself. the hatfield and macoy feud must have been started by kids. and yet, within myself is a capacity for grudge holding and self-justification that makes them look like UN peacekeepers. if only i would trust God as the ultimate Judge and remember with great humility how it is that i will be found innocent before His throne.

number one: Jesus loves me this I know. the foundational truth through which all other truths flow. i should be a disney princess, frolicking through the forest while small animals trail behind me as i sing of my Savior. He hasn’t delivered me from a dragon or evil stepmother. He has delivered me from the gates of Hell. and more besides, because He has delivered me from myself. from the dragon and evil in my own heart.

this mother’s day may we all humbly praise God for the blessings He has granted. let us remember Jesus weeping over jerusalem, longing to gather His people under His wing like a mother hen. Lord, may i be found under Your protection always.

verbal tics, love and the ocean

when i was in high school, my french teacher told me that i had a speech impediment and that she was going to cure me of it. i didn’t have a stutter or a lisp that required speech therapy. i had a verbal tic which caused me to use the word “like” multiple times in every sentence i uttered. “like, i totally get what you are saying mrs. broom and i will, like, really try harder.” my teacher wasn’t convinced and so she would gentle, loving, patiently hit me on the back of the head anytime i used the word within the reach of her hand.

thanks so mrs. broom’s unique approach, i eventually conquered my impediment but every once in awhile i become aware of other verbal habits i am forming. words or phrases i latch onto and use a lot. one such long-standing habits involves my family. i never get off the phone with my husband or family members without saying “i love you.” i must tell my kids, individually and corporately, a dozen times a day, “i love you.”

now before you go and paint me june cleaver, perhaps i should give some sample sentences. “no, you can’t buy a piranha…but i love you.” “sorry mom was impatient earlier…i love you.” “no, i didn’t remember to pick up that book from the library even though you reminded me several times…but i love you.” lately, i have been thinking about how more than the words i say, the things i do are teaching my kids just what it means to love someone. if i tell them over and over that i am what it means to be loved, then what are they learning. i shutter to think.

most of us know what the Bible says about love “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.” is this what i am teaching my kids? not so much, except for maybe that last bit…desperately trusting, always hoping, mostly persevering.

my love may be so imperfect at times it barely resembles those words, but it is trying. and when it fails, my love does know how to apologize, how to be humble and rejoice in the truth. the trust that behind my love is a greater love. when my love falls short, i can fall back on God’s love to catch us.

so i can teach my kids about love. it just might not be my love they really need to learn about but rather God’s love for us all.my love is just a dew drop in the ocean of God’s love and though my love may be shallow and small, His love is deep and vast. in His love, we can swim…like totally.