Faith, in the Fog

Traveling up the mountain on Wednesday night, navigating the twists and turns in seriously dense fog, Abby and I struck up a little conversation about God. It went something like this:

Abby: Mama, is God the same as Jesus?
Me: Actually, God is Jesus' Daddy (I figured since she calls her own father 'daddy' she would follow me a little better if we talked in her language.
Abby: I wish we could see God and Jesus now. I want to know what they look like.
Me: I know. Me, too.
Abby: They love us and don't want us to die. They don't want the bears to eat us. (Keep in mind here, we do live in the mountains and it isn't unheard of to encounter a bear. Abby and her big sister, Hannah, have spent plenty of nights wondering if a bear could get in through their window!)
Me: Nope, they don't want us to die. But mostly they just want us to love them a lot and want to be like them while we are alive.
Abby: I love them, Mama.
Me: I know you do, Abby. And they sure love you, too.

Everything was quite for a few minutes. And then my little girl took notice of the fog. With the sudden inspiration of a learned Bible scholar, she matter-of-factly informed me that, "Hatan (her word for Satan...though it is a simple mispronounciation due to only being 5, I think it just seems to fit!) made the fog to try to kill us. But Jesus and God won't let us die in the fog." I tell you the truth, not even a minute later that fog lifted. And don't think for a moment that Abby missed it. With the pure faith of a child she said, "See, Mama. I knew they wouldn't let us die."

I'm not completely sure of where her small obsession with dying and death has come from. But of this I am certain...God doesn't miss one opportunity to bolster the faith of His children. As I think through the nature of fog, I can rationalize that I just happened to drive on through those low-lying clouds and ended up on the other side. But to a child of simple faith, who doesn't have to "rationalize" things and is content to give God the glory, she saw it as a direct confirmation that we are being taken care of by Jesus . . . and his Daddy, God.

I prefer her way!

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The bloodshed of words...

Rumors get started ... gossip ensues ... false stories are passed on as truth ... people are hurt. It happens time and again and there are no winners. Very few people are blameless of this terrible atrocity. Even some of us who are unaware we are doing it. It tears people down and friends apart. It is a poison. Avoid it at all cost. No matter how wrong someone may be, take it to the Lord and then approach that person. On the flip side, if you are the one being gossiped about, be quick to forgive. Put aside your selfish (hurt) feelings and be willing to accept the cross of false accusation as Jesus did. To extend forgiveness is both healing and freeing.

A friend reminded me of this today and the advice was very timely!

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A little child(ren) shall lead them...

So last night I was feeling stressed. It seems to be a favorite hobby of mine. Everyone has talent hiding somewhere. Mine is worry. I've got it down pat. Only I don't hide it too well! Anyway, so there I was...just sort of paralyzed in my thoughts when what I really needed to be doing was laundry. In the deepest recesses of my brain (okay seriously it was more like from the depths of my living room) I started to hear the chatter of children. Sweet giggles and silliness. I was slow in coming out of my fog, but those little voices just penetrated my self-absorption and drew me back to reality. And often reality is not nearly as bad as what I come up with in my mind. So I walked into the living room and just stood back and took it all in. Yes, those little voices can get LOUD and even angry. They are, after all, human. But on this night they were just enjoying each other. Laughing at the silly things the others were doing. It was precious and just what I needed to remind me that life is to be lived. And enjoyed. Not stressed over!

An older picture...but it shows the trio (the older boys were at Pathfinders last night)

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It's the little things...

My kids came home last night after being with their Daddy for 4 1/2 days. I kept busy but I really, REALLY missed them. They had a great time and came back full of the stories of what they had been up to. While I was listening, I realized that they were most excited about the little things they had done and gotten. Made me think . . .

All they really want is that little bit of extra time spent with them. That extra few minutes at the side of their bed letting them share their thoughts and feelings. Nikolas wasn't feeling too well last night, and he headed to bed soon after we got home. I went up to tuck him in and he got all excited. You see, I chat with my kiddos before bedtime, but lately I haven't been going to each bed and individually bidding them goodnight. He was thrilled that I was there to see him off to bed. He even included that thankfulness in his prayer. How did I miss this??? How could I not know that such a seemingly little thing was so important?? And so I thought some more . . .

And got up this morning (praying that the hot water would not be frozen yet again!) leaving plenty of time to not have to rush everybody. I got my little Hannah up and helped her, as opposed to rushing her, into the shower. Then I helped her into her school uniform, since the air was chilly from the ridiculously cold temperatures outdoors. We got her hair brushed and blow dried and prettied up. She was so happy that I took that time and spent it with her instead of just prodding her on. It made all the difference in the world to just sloooooow down. The house wasn't perfect when we walked out, but my kids were cheerful. They were being nice to each other, which is not a given on a rushed school morning. And they got to go to school feeling loved.

Yep, I can spare a few minutes to look after the little things.

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