So much theology in this picture...

We are Dust

As a father has compassion on his children,

So the Lord has compassion on those who fear him;

for he knows how we are formed,

he remembers that we are dust.

Psalm 103:13-14

Reading Psalm 103 recently, this part stuck out to me. It made me think about my kids. Sometimes we can can be hard on our kids, frustrated with them and momentarily wishing we were somewhere else... like a beach... without them. After reading this Psalm, I was reminded that my kids are just beginning to form and to shape into "big people." Really, when you think about it, most of these kids we get frustrated with, have only been on the earth 300-3000 days.... TOTAL. That is not much time for experience. Part of that time, they spent lying on their backs or in someones arms, or crawling around on the floor finding pieces of lint you didn't know existed. So, when my 2 year old STILL spills water every time he fills his cup, or my 6 year old forgets to wash her hands after using the restroom, or my 9 year old can't seem to sit still at times, let me remember that Jesus has compassion on me, remembering how I was formed and that I am dust. And let me have compassion on these little ones, remembering that they are very much still learning even the basics of life... and that their lives thus far can still be numbered by a few thousand days or even a few hundred days (now go calculate your age and experience).

Details, details

My kids (one in particular) often badger me with questions regarding whatever it is that we are getting ready to do. If we are going somewhere, they ask questions such as, "How long will it take to get there? What is it like there? Have you been there before? How long are we going to stay there? Can I push Jane's stroller while we are there? Is there a bathroom? Will we get a snack? Who else will be there?" And on and on it goes. Often times, Jack or I will say, "Trust us. We've got it under control and all figured out. Let's get going!" Today, I was thinking, "Why do you have to know everything? Can you just go experience what we are getting ready to do (today it was errands to Sally's Beauty Supply, the Carwash and the County Extension office regarding our lovely ant friends)? WHY DO YOU HAVE TO KNOW EVERY LITTLE DETAIL AHEAD OF TIME??? I have thoroughly thought through and planned this day-- let's go already!

And then it hit me like a ton of bricks...

This is what I do to my Lord and Savior... often. The Creator of this world I live in, the Good Shepherd, the only One who is truly trustworthy in this world-- and yet, I think I need to be let in on all of the details. When this thought came to my mind today, I just stood there. I'm still reflecting on this little analogy God saw fit to send my way. It reminds me of a book I read a few years ago, "Do You Think I'm Beautiful?" by Angela Thomas. One of the main themes of the book is regarding trusting Jesus. She likens our life with Him as a dance. He is the lead partner and His arms are wrapped around each of us. He knows the steps to the dance. All you have to do is look in His face, rest in His arms and He has the rest taken care of. Even when it seems scary-- you are spinning or dipping, He's got you. Another book I read recently, "Hudson Taylor's Spiritual Secret" has a similar theme of what resting in Jesus looks like.

Isaiah 55:9
As the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts.

Ephesians 4:6
...one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.

To Obey is Better Than Sacrifice

I Samuel 15:22 says: But Samuel replied: "Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the voice of the LORD ? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams. (Heed means to pay careful attention to).

My kids were memorizing this passage for something. It was a verse that honestly didn't make a whole lot of sense to me in the past, but this time the words started penetrating my heart. God has something to teach me about this.

Life seems to just get busier. The work to keep up is a huge task. Most days I think of how I should have helped my mom more, and how much I took for granted all that she did for us each day. I often think about how the "maintenance" of life is enough to keep a woman busy 24 hours a day-- when in the world do we have time to move forward? You know how you keep doing something a certain way, because you just don't have time to stop and redo your system to make it better? Survival mode, I'll call it.

God has had a bit to say to my heart about all of this. I love how He says that to obey is better than sacrifice. So, it's not wrong to sacrifice, but to obey is the better choice! So, the things I am doing to sacrifice, or the things I give up can definitely be good things. But He wants obedience first. Let me give you a few of examples in my life:

SACRIFICE #1: I will work like a dog to keep my house picked up/clean.
GOD'S COMMAND: (Philippians 4:5) Let your gentleness be evident to all.
CONCLUSION: Being frustrated with my family, because the house is a mess or having unkind words towards my children in order to get the house the way I want it is putting sacrifice over obedience. By the way, while having a picked up and clean house is a good thing, God does not command it.

SACRIFICE #2: I will work to remove Mt. Everest from my kitchen sink while my family enjoys an episode of Little House on the Prairie.
GOD'S COMMAND: (Eph. 4:31) Get rid of all bitterness
CONCLUSION: I have two choices here. I can change my attitude (the attitude that says, "Will I ever get a break? How in the world can they feel the freedom to relax on the couch when there is work to be done!!!) and continue to wash the dishes. Or, I can go watch Little House on the Prairie with my family and leave a pile of dishes in the kitchen sink for an hour. God does not command an empty sink at all times, but he does command me to get rid of all bitterness.

SACRIFICE #3: I will make a glorious meal in the crockpot that will take me an hour to prepare in the morning. I have to get this meal going, so I am going to have to skip spending time with the Lord this morning.
GOD'S COMMAND: (John 15:4) Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me.
CONCLUSION: I can get up an hour earlier to prepare my meal, or I can choose to make something simpler like grilled cheese and tomato soup or even.... a frozen pizza! God does not call me to make glorious meals, but He does call me to abide in Him.

There are many more examples I could give, but you probably get the point. Anyway... I just thought I would share what has been rolling around in my brain and heart for awhile.

Andi

Before the Throne of God

Charles & Joan (and their 7 sons)


My dear neighbor and friend, Joan, died Saturday. Her husband died just a year and a half ago. They had seven boys in seven years (5 boys and then a set of twin boys). They loved Jesus and served Him joyfully. They were both such a great encouragement to our family-- if even just for the fact that they raised seven kids so close together and never had a cross word to say about the entire experience.



It seemed that God would send her husband (a retired Lutheran pastor) over to my driveway at just the times I needed encouragement. There Mr. Piazza would be and he would always give me a little hug and usually would pull out a bookmark or sticker from his pocket that said, "God Loves You." I still have one of those bookmarks in my kitchen drawer.



I tell people that Joan was THE most positive person I have ever met. Her husband died on a Wednesday and Monday she was scheduled to start chemo for her cancer. Never a complaint or a woe or self-pity. She just did what she had to do and her ailments were the last thing she was concerned about. As I sat at her funeral tonight, I remembered the verse (Prov. 18:21) that says "The tongue has the power of life and death." And I thought about how Joan used her tongue to give life-- whether it was to me, my kids, or the other ladies in the neighborhood. Everyone always said, "She's the most positive person I have ever met." She lived it out every day.



Another memory I will never forget was the little things she would take the time to point out to me and the kids. The last two years, robins made a nest in her gutter and she would come and tell me that the nest was there and the baby robins were there waiting for food. It is so neat that she took time for these kinds of things.



While I was waiting for the service to start, I was flipping through the hymnal and Before the Throne of God caught my eye. The words and the truth behind these words are incredible. Though there is a huge hole on our hearts from losing this dear couple, I am so thankful that we were blessed by being their neighbors for eight years. We learned so much by watching them live. And while, of course, I dreadfully wish they were still here, it is indescribable to think that they are both before the throne of God right now.



BEFORE THE THRONE OF GOD



Before the throne of God above
I have a strong and perfect plea
A great High Priest whose name is Love
Who ever lives and pleads for me
My name is graven on His hands
My name is written on His heart
I know that while in heaven He stands
No tongue can bid me thence depart
No tongue can bid me thence depart

When satan tempts me to despair
And tells me of the guilt within
Upward I look and see him there
Who made an end of all my sin
Because a sinless savior died
My sinful soul is counted free
For God the judge is satisfied
To look on Him and pardon me
To look on Him and pardon me

Behold Him there the Risen Lamb
My perfect spotless righteousness
The great unchangeable I Am
The King Of Glory and of grace
One in Himself I cannot die
My soul is purchased by His blood
My life is hid with Christ on high
With Christ my Savior and my God
With Christ my Savior and my God