Weeds

Overheard at the dinner table last night...

We're enjoying our first vegetable garden this year. The kids and I have been spending lots of time checking our growing crops and plucking out the weeds that seek to consume them. We're always amazed by how quickly they pop up and it's provided a great visual illustration for the sin that grows in our hearts: we need to get it by the root or it just grows back heartier and more stubborn!!

Last night at the dinner table, Mighty Man began a conversation that touched my heart. It is so encouraging when God shows Mr. Right and me that they're getting it!!

Mighty Man: "Dad, xxxxx (a young man we know who needs Jesus) has weeds in his heart."

Mr. Right: "Yes, he does. Do you know who else has weeds in his heart?"

Mighty Man: "Who?"

Mr. Right: "I do."

Pause.

Mighty Man: "So do I."

Princess Peacemaker: "Me too."

Another pause.

Mighty Man: "Dad, I pushed Princess Peacemaker in the pool today." Turning to his sister, "Please forgive me."

A few seconds later we heard a long sigh followed by these words: "Boy, it sure feels good to get rid of that weed. It was a big one 'cause I'd been holding onto it for a long time."

What He Must Be...

We're alive!! I've been out of blog land for waaaayyyy too long, and plan to catch up soon, but in the meantime, I just couldn't let the day pass without sharing this:

We met Voddie Bauchum at the Christian Heritage Homeschool Conference in April. We LOVE his teachings, devour his books, and listen to anything of his that we can get our hands on. He is an amazingly articulate, God-fearing, Bible-based teacher. All this week he is on the Family Life Today radio broadcast talking about his latest book What He Must Be...If He Wants to Marry My Daughter. He has a great message for parents of boys and girls.

So, I'd encourage you to stop by Family Life and check out this weeks' broadcasts. You'll be glad you did.

And, I'll be back to check in later this week and let you know what we've been up to!!

Fun, Fun, Fun, in the Sun, Sun, Sun!

We've had a string of warm sunny days here in the Pacific Northwest. In fact, yesterday the temps reached the mid-80's and we felt like we were melting...I know, I know, it's all about acclimation!

The tribe has been enjoying some splashing time in our teeny-tiny pool.

And Little Miss Giggles can't get enough of it. Princess Peacemaker had taken her inside to get dressed right before this...

...Diaper and all...!!

Quote of the Week

Receive every inward and outward trouble, every disappointment, pain, uneasiness, temptation, darkness, and desolation, with both thy hands as a true opportunity and blessed occasion of dying to self, and entering into the fuller fellowship with thy self-denying Savior.

William Law

Flashback Friday

Today, because I just can't seem to get my brain around a real blog post this week, I'm flashing back to one of my first posts on Exceedingly Abundantly. God continues to remind me that He has given me my husband to protect and cover me. Because I am a hard study and continue to struggle with 'being wise in my own eyes' it's a lesson I learn over and over

* * * * *

I was going through pictures the other day and found this one of Mighty Man and a dog we once owned. A dog that taught me a valuable lesson...

I am not an animal person. I think they're cute when they're little, but then they grow and they're not so cute and their bad habits are not so endearing. My husband knows this about me.

Last summer, shortly after Giggles was born, I decided we needed a puppy. Something cute and fun to help the kids learn responsibility, yada, yada, yada. Mr. Right said what he always does, "No way." I had four kids under the age of 5, two in diapers, I didn't need the added responsibility of a dog. Besides, I was looking at little dogs and Mr. Right likes big dogs.

I thought he was being selfish because he wanted a 'man dog', so I kept pressing. I found a breeder and then I found the 'perfect' puppy. A cute miniature poodle at a ridiculous price. Mr. Right reminded me that the answer was 'no,' that he was saying 'no' for my own good, and that I just needed to drop it.

I'm not very good at being submissive (more on this in a future post, I'm sure). I don't take 'no' very well. I became pouty and manipulative. I even got the kids in on the act. So he caved. He loves me. He wants me to be happy, so he said, "if you really want the puppy, get the puppy."

We got the puppy. I named him Rocco. He was cute. He was fun. It was summer, and he spent time outside with the kids. They loved him. Mr. Right even grew to tolerate him in spite of his small stature.

Then fall came. And the rain. And the puppy was bigger and not so cute, and his behavior had become not so tolerable. I had four kids at home, two in diapers for goodness' sake, I didn't have time for a puppy! I'd had it. I told Mr. Right I couldn't handle it. He was mad. Now we had a whole houseful of people attached to this puppy I had needed so desperately and I wanted to get rid of him? Yep.

We got rid of the puppy. Found him a nice home on Craig's list. An older couple who wanted a lap dog. We even got half of our money back. Mr. Right was gracious enough to deliver Rocco to his new home.

The kids got over losing their dog. Mr. Right still hasn't. Unfortunately, this has happened before. Her name was Stella, she lasted six weeks. I think I've learned my lesson though.

So when I ran across this picture of Mighty Man and Rocco, God reminded me about the lesson. And then I was convicted.

Mr. Right had told me 'no.' He knows me too well. He knew what I didn't need. He knew I had all I could handle without the dog. He wasn't being mean. He was protecting me. But I bristled my back and plowed forward. And he let me do it because he loves me.

How often do I do this with God? I want something and even when He says no, I do it anyway, thinking I know what's best. I usually consult Him, but if I don't get the answer I want, I find a way to make it happen on my own. And because He loves me, He lets me. And when I make a mess of it and finally admit I've made a mistake, He graciously bails me out, even though He knew better all along. He knows what I can handle. He won't give me more than I can bear. And if I'd just listen in the first place, I'd save myself and those around me a whole lot of trouble.

I think I'll hang this picture on the refrigerator. Not to remember Rocco, but to remember Who knows what's best for me.

A 'Wet' Weekend

Two summers ago the insurance man sent us to a hotel for a week while the wood flooring man came in to repair some water damage in our kitchen. We had such a great time swimming and relaxing and being away from home that we decided to make it an annual event (the hotel, not the floor damage!).

The kids have been reminding us for a couple of months that it was time to 'go to the hotel', so this past weekend we spontaneously packed up and headed out. We only drove an hour north, but it felt like we were really getting away, and the kids spent as many hours as possible in the pool. I think they're still prune-y!Giggles, in her seemingly unending quest for thrills and danger, loved floating upside and downside and jumping in when no one was looking. Fortunately her daddy is very attentive and she was kept out of harms' way. Does she look worried?
And, I know we're biased, but we think we've been blessed with the cutest baby (and daddy)ever!!!....

Quote of the Week

I am soooo guilty of this...change my heart O, God!...

We tend to look at the circumstances of life in terms of what they may do to our cherished hopes and convenience, and we shape our decisions and reactions accordingly. When a problem threatens, we rush to God, not to seek His perspective, but to ask Him to deflect the trouble. Our self-concern takes priority over whatever it is that God might be trying to do through our trouble...

An escapist generation reads security, prosperity and physical well-being as evidences of God's blessing. Thus when he puts suffering and affliction into our hands, we misread His signals and misinterpret His intentions.

Arthur Mathews