Our Own Little Jack-O-Lantern

I'm pretty sure her teeth are cemented to her mouth. She's almost 7 1/2 and this is only her third loss, but she's the sweetest little Pumpkin you'll ever meet!!

Under the Influence

A couple of weeks ago I had the distinct pleasure (?!) of spending a morning in the dentist's chair. Admittedly, I am a complete wimp when it comes to pain and discomfort, so almost before I sat down, I requested the nitrous oxide mask. Please, please...and turn it up!! As I lay there, completely at Dr. Smith's mercy, God reminded me of something vitally important.

It's about my mind.

You see, Dr. Smith was poking and drilling and digging and wrenching my mouth. He really was. I could feel it. But not really. I heard him talking, explaining all the horrible (!) things he was doing. But I didn't feel the pain. He'd thoroughly numbed the spots he was working on. He knew what he had to do and how long it would take and how much Novocaine I needed. He even gave me a little shelf to rest my tired jaw on. But most importantly, I had the nitrous.

I was in a state of euphoria. I was listening to conversations, sensing the twisting and pulling in my mouth, but it was all good, because the nitrous was making me think good things.

In those moments there was no pain, there was no doubt, there were no struggles. While I was aware of the issues, they had no affect on me. In that chair, I was the most patient mother in the world and all my children's character struggles were completely manageable. In that chair, I was married to the greatest man on earth, one whose sins and faults were totally insignificant. In that chair, I could handle anything. God could handle anything. In that chair everything was good!

Because I was under the influence.

When the work was over and Dr. Smith's assistant sweetly told me she was going to turn the nitrous down and the oxygen up, I silently screamed, "NO!!"

I wanted to stay there forever. I didn't want the good thoughts to go away.

Then God spoke to my heart.

They don't have to.

If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you (John 15:7).

Set your mind on things that are above, not on things that are on earth (Col 3:2).

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things (Phil 4:6-8).

Truths I know, but so often fail to apply.

I need to stay under His influence.

Not because I'll have perfect children, a sinless marriage or an easy life. But because possessing His thoughts and His truth, allowing Him to carry the weight of the yoke, results in the renewing of my mind. Results in having His perspective.

Even when I'm being tugged and pulled and poked. Even when the things He's allowed into my world cause pain.

The pain is for my ultimate good and His ultimate glory.

He knows just how long it will take. He knows just how much relief I need. And He knows just what to do with my mind.

No Grace for "What If"

I know I'm not supposed to be anxious for anything and that tomorrow's worries will take care for themselves, but so often I'm anxious about everything, including tomorrow, and next week, and next month, and twenty years from now...

I loved this post by Carolyn Mahaney on the Girltalk blog. Carolyn and her daughters are currently in the midst of a series called "When Worries Multiply." And don't I know something about that, but Carolyn hits it practically, biblically and reassuringly...

What do our mothering fears have in common? They are all in our imagination.

Our fertile minds generate countless scenarios whereby one calamity or another befalls our children: What if my son rebels when he hits the teenage years? What if my daughter doesn’t want to be my friend when she grows up? What if my son gets in a car accident? What if my daughter is diagnosed with leukemia?

After thirty-four years of mothering, I’ve discovered that most of the bad things I imagined never actually came true. But there have been other trials—ones I never anticipated.

That’s why Elisabeth Elliot’s wise advice has been invaluable to me in fighting fear: “There is no grace for your imagination.”

God does not sprinkle grace over every path my fear takes. He does not rush in with support and encouragement for every doomsday scenario I can imagine.

No, instead He warns me to stay off those paths: “Fret not yourself; it tends only to evil” (Ps. 37:8).

There is no grace for our imagination. That’s why our fearful imaginings produce bad fruit: anxiety, lack of joy, futile attempts to control.

There is no grace for our imagination. But God does promise sufficient, abundant grace for every real moment of our lives. That’s why the Proverbs 31 woman can “laugh at the future in contrast with being worried or fearful about it” (ESV Study Bible note on Pr. 31:25)

There is no grace for our imagination. But there will be grace for our mothering future--the moment it arrives.

Count it ALL Joy...

Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds. James 1:2

"Life is full of hidden rocks, sudden violent winds of circumstances lying in wait for the believer. Every single one of them is embraced in James' word it. There is no trial, no great calamity or small pressure, no overwhelming sorrow or small rub of life outside that plan of God, whereby it is a stepping stone to glory. And it is for this reason that our settled conviction must be to appraise it as all joy, not because it is joyful in itself (for 'all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant' [Heb. 12:11] when it is in full flood), but because 'later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness' (Heb. 12:11). In James' words, it is the only way forward to become perfect and complete, lacking in nothing." Alec Motyer

Where Have I Been?

...And why has my blog been silent for sooo long?



Need I say more?