Sunday, March 8, 2009
the passing of days
It's very strange, really. Something has happened, I think. A turning point of some sort has come. Enough time has passed that we are no longer the "young" ones. Hubby and I were at church this morning, and we attended the Sunday School class of seminary students, rather than the group of more elderly people, and afterwards the people were telling us how glad they were to have our wisdom there amongst their youth. Wow. Double wow! Since when are we not considered young too?
Sweet hubby turns 35 this year, and I'll be 34 this summer. Of course that's not old, but I have a feeling we'll ALWAYS feel young--and when we are 65 rather than 35, we still might be astonished! I recall a few years back a friend of mine commenting on having wrinkles, and I said, "No, you do not!" She insisted, and she was a few years older than me. Now that I am in her spot, I am finding myself to be experiencing the same thing. Again, wow. Aging happens, and it doesn't start all that late in life!
So, I'm just reflecting today on the passing of days and years. I am thinking of how big my two big boys are and how even our little baby is not really little anymore. He'll be walking any day. And there's a happiness and a sadness that comes with all of this. Mainly, it's just strange to realize.
Aging seems to be something that just "happens" to you. It's a passive thing. It happens to you whether you like it or not. And whether you do anything to "cause" it or not. May the rest of my life not be that way. May I, instead of being passive myself, seize the opportunites before me to live and to love, that I might never look back on the passing of all my days and think of all that got away, of all that was lost, of all that could have been. Father, grant me that grace, I pray. Amen.
Sweet hubby turns 35 this year, and I'll be 34 this summer. Of course that's not old, but I have a feeling we'll ALWAYS feel young--and when we are 65 rather than 35, we still might be astonished! I recall a few years back a friend of mine commenting on having wrinkles, and I said, "No, you do not!" She insisted, and she was a few years older than me. Now that I am in her spot, I am finding myself to be experiencing the same thing. Again, wow. Aging happens, and it doesn't start all that late in life!
So, I'm just reflecting today on the passing of days and years. I am thinking of how big my two big boys are and how even our little baby is not really little anymore. He'll be walking any day. And there's a happiness and a sadness that comes with all of this. Mainly, it's just strange to realize.
Aging seems to be something that just "happens" to you. It's a passive thing. It happens to you whether you like it or not. And whether you do anything to "cause" it or not. May the rest of my life not be that way. May I, instead of being passive myself, seize the opportunites before me to live and to love, that I might never look back on the passing of all my days and think of all that got away, of all that was lost, of all that could have been. Father, grant me that grace, I pray. Amen.
Friday, March 6, 2009
sweet words from a book
I am reading to our oldest son right now a book called Mountain Born. It's really good.
The first day I came upon some words that were really meaningful, especially to me as I read aloud to my precoius firstborn boy.
In the passage, the author describes a woman recalling the first day that she held her baby boy and thinking over his life. It says,
"Such a short way she could go with him on that path that was his life; only a few years she would have his hand in hers; then for a few more years he would walk beside her; then he would be a man going his way alone, but if it were a way of kindness, the memory of that first day would always fill her with joy."
Sweet, isn't it?
The first day I came upon some words that were really meaningful, especially to me as I read aloud to my precoius firstborn boy.
In the passage, the author describes a woman recalling the first day that she held her baby boy and thinking over his life. It says,
"Such a short way she could go with him on that path that was his life; only a few years she would have his hand in hers; then for a few more years he would walk beside her; then he would be a man going his way alone, but if it were a way of kindness, the memory of that first day would always fill her with joy."
Sweet, isn't it?
Thursday, March 5, 2009
God at Work
I can hardly admit it, because it's almost too good to be true. Our sweet biggest boy says things that surely seem that they could only come from a heart that is being renewed. Only God Himself knows, of course, what He is doing, but by all appearances our eldest is being drawn by the Holy Spirit to faith in Jesus Christ.
He has more than once recently said to me, "I want to be a Christian." It happened first after reading a Bible story. He crawled up and whispered it in my ear. And being the skeptical and careful one that I am about these things, I did not say much other than to encourage him to trust in Christ and that if indeed he was doing that, then time would tell, and he could be confident of going to heaven if he were to die. We are not ready to "pray a prayer" with him or have him baptized at this point, but we sure are encouraged.
So tonight we were out after a very long and very eventful and very fun day. I said to the boys, "Boy, today was about the best day ever in the world, huh?" (We had done tons of stuff out of the ordinary and lots of fun things for them). Our five-year-old immediately said, "Yeah, but another day is coming soon too...when we die." (What he meant is that he really believes that the BEST is yet to come. And he's right)!
So then we got into the van, and he said with vigor and vehemence, "I just can't wait for God to crush the devil!" So, smiling, I asked why and he said he just hates the devil. Then a few minutes later, he said, again, completely of his own volition, "Mama, I just really only want to say what is good. I want to honor God in what I say." I told him that was wonderful and asked what made him say that. He said, "I just want to be one of God's servants." Wow. So seriously, I cannot make this stuff up. And you can trust that I certainly do not coerce this kind of thing. He just says these sorts of things out of the blue sometimes. This is not normal! What kid even thinks this way? I believe it's probably a heart of one who is elect. A heart being regenerated. A heart who is falling in love with Jesus. Oh, may it be so. Time and trials will tell.
Please, Lord, let this indeed be the firstfruits of a life that is being transformed to know and love and serve and follow hard after you. Continue to draw him by your Spirit, Father, I pray, and give him perseverance to endure all that you bring his way in this life. May he cling to you through it all, may he always walk hand in hand with you, and may he indeed prove to be one of your servants. Amen.
He has more than once recently said to me, "I want to be a Christian." It happened first after reading a Bible story. He crawled up and whispered it in my ear. And being the skeptical and careful one that I am about these things, I did not say much other than to encourage him to trust in Christ and that if indeed he was doing that, then time would tell, and he could be confident of going to heaven if he were to die. We are not ready to "pray a prayer" with him or have him baptized at this point, but we sure are encouraged.
So tonight we were out after a very long and very eventful and very fun day. I said to the boys, "Boy, today was about the best day ever in the world, huh?" (We had done tons of stuff out of the ordinary and lots of fun things for them). Our five-year-old immediately said, "Yeah, but another day is coming soon too...when we die." (What he meant is that he really believes that the BEST is yet to come. And he's right)!
So then we got into the van, and he said with vigor and vehemence, "I just can't wait for God to crush the devil!" So, smiling, I asked why and he said he just hates the devil. Then a few minutes later, he said, again, completely of his own volition, "Mama, I just really only want to say what is good. I want to honor God in what I say." I told him that was wonderful and asked what made him say that. He said, "I just want to be one of God's servants." Wow. So seriously, I cannot make this stuff up. And you can trust that I certainly do not coerce this kind of thing. He just says these sorts of things out of the blue sometimes. This is not normal! What kid even thinks this way? I believe it's probably a heart of one who is elect. A heart being regenerated. A heart who is falling in love with Jesus. Oh, may it be so. Time and trials will tell.
Please, Lord, let this indeed be the firstfruits of a life that is being transformed to know and love and serve and follow hard after you. Continue to draw him by your Spirit, Father, I pray, and give him perseverance to endure all that you bring his way in this life. May he cling to you through it all, may he always walk hand in hand with you, and may he indeed prove to be one of your servants. Amen.
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