My blog will soon be undergoing another physical transformation.
After moving to my “new” blogsite several weeks ago, I had glaring design issues. Things promised were either absent or half-worked. For whatever reason, when I respectfully took up the matter with the blog designer she broke off all communication. She abandoned ship.
I was stuck on a boat with lots of holes, and no way to plug them.
I began searching in earnest for someone to help. I figured, simple enough. Hire this person, they’ll just swoop in and with a few keystrokes, fix what’s broken. All that’s wrong will be made right again, right?
Wrong. Everyone I interviewed turned me down. They said they wouldn’t touch my broken blog with a 10-foot pole.
It boiled down to proprietary issues as to why they couldn’t “fix it.” . . . Trying to finish out someone else’s vision for the blog was nearly impossible . . . they wouldn’t have complete access to the operational nuts and bolts they needed . . . Then there was no way to claim the finished design as their own creation at the end of the project. SORRY.
I got it. I’d have to start over from scratch.
The Lord and I had some good talks over this because if you know anything about me, you know I HATE TO WASTE MONEY. I prayed, really wanting to know His Will. “Is hiring a new blog designer a good use of Your money?” I asked. And, “Are we sure we really need to try this again?”
Through His still, small voice, He reassured me–Yes, even though this looks like a terrible botch-up to you, I’m in control. Go ahead. Take the leap of faith.
So. . . I found another designer who is much more transparent and up-front about her business practices. I also like that she is super-fast. After I filling out an extensive questionnaire, she will send back her initial blog designs for me to approve in 1-3 days. She promises (IN WRITING) that the whole kit and caboodle should be installed and completely functional in two weeks–by the 25th of May.
That’s what she says. . . but on my side of things, I’ll be committing each step of the process into His hands, until THE NEWEST “From The Church House” is finished, in its entirety.
The Lord recently reminded me of a verse in Psalms:
Unless the LORD builds the house, those who build it labor in vain.
(Psalm 127:1)
That’s what I truly want–something built and blessed by my Heavenly Father.
I don’t know why God does the things He does, but I’m glad He does. He brings me to the end of myself. I wouldn’t have to trust Him so implicitly, otherwise.
It means I won’t be left to figure out the deep things of life on my own. . . .ooh, the thought of THAT really makes me queasy. I like resting in the fact that He is God of the Universe, Who loves me and wants only the best for me. HE IS THE ONE IN CHARGE. Period. End of discussion.
He’s working it all out. Even blogsites.
We can stake our lives on it.
ALWAYS Lookin’ up,
Sislyn
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On February 12, 2012, our team departed for mission trip to Kenya. This was my 6th time visiting/teaching the people among the tribes of Kenya.
We taught in each church for two days. On the first day our pastor’s wife (JoAnne) and I taught on the stories of the Woman at the Well, the Woman with the issue of blood, the Shunnamite Woman, and the Good Samaritan. The next day four of us went in to the desert to evangelize. The first community we came to was very poor and all were very undernourished. You can usually tell they are not getting enough food by the color of their hair, which will be brownish-red instead of black. The ladies were all believers and were very happy to greet us.
We invited them to ask questions. Someone asked, “What would you do if your 16-year-old daughter came home pregnant?” What a profound opportunity I had! So I shared with them the story of my own daughter who became pregnant at the age of 16. She remained in our home where we loved her unconditionally, continued to take her to church, and supported her. Our church family accepted her and loved her through this trying time. Our first grandson is almost 30 now! The ladies in Kenya were so glad that I do not believe in abortion but very sad to know that abortion is legal in America.
The third day JoAnne and I taught the same lessons at another church. The ladies asked us to teach on marriage upon our return next year. They want to be better wives, even though many of them have to share their husbands with other wives. Many of them also have been abused and mutilated. It is sad, but very true. It is so amazing to see the joy they have in the Lord under those circumstances! They love the Lord and their desire is to please Jesus and learn more about Him. Most of them cannot read, but the ones who do share the Word with others. The Bible (in the Maasai language) is a very valuable possession and is treated accordingly. It brings tears to my eyes when I think about these beautiful women and how they love our Lord and Savior and treasure His Word.
Their final question was “Do men in America abuse their wives and abandon their children?” I thought wow, if you only knew! Then God urged me to share what happened to me as a child. God wanted me to share about how my daddy had abused and beaten my mother and abandoned us. Usually when I am talking about this, I am somewhat angry. However, the Spirit came over me and caused me to cry. Suddenly all were crying. I thought I might be kicked out of Kenya! As it turned out, the tribal pastor’s wife, Alice, had experienced the same thing. It was very emotional for her and all the women who loved her. This is how God works when we allow Him to work in our lives. Alice needed to hear that this had happened to someone else. Someone on the other side of the world knows what it is like not to have a daddy. We comforted each other and loved on each other.
Another way that God used me was to encourage two young ladies on our team who had never been out of America or on a mission trip. At different times, God seemed to bring Scripture to mind that fit the particular circumstances. How thankful I was that God allowed me this wonderful opportunity.
Yes, I would have to say this was a very special trip. It is so amazing how God can use each one of us, no matter our background. The important thing for us to remember is to always be available for God’s purposes
Betsy Vaughan has been married to husband Joe for 50 years and were members of Ridgecrest Baptist Church in Durham, NC, for 32 years. Since moving to Clayton, NC in 1999, they have been members of Hocutt Baptist Church. They have two children, 5 grandchildren and 4 great-grandchildren that they simply adore. Betsy has been privileged to go on joint mission to Kenya 6 times with her church and Bay Leaf Baptist Church in Raleigh.
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I will be moving into my newly-designed blogsite soon; the reins have finally been turned over to me.
But the new place needs all the furniture hauled over (old posts) and some of the new appliances are not working quite right–the widgets have yet to be “tweaked.”
But overall, the blogsite is cleaner and less cluttered than this old one, with some great additional features. My new site is warm and homey, and I hope invites you to come in, sit down, and wander around a bit. . . .
My month-long theme for April is the Body of Christ, locally and abroad. I have a great blogpost from Betsy Vaughan that I’ll air this Friday. She’s had several chances to go to Kenya and minister there with her church. . . .I think you’ll get a wonderful blessing from what she has to share!
3 DAYS until my own mission adventure with our church group to Haiti. . .There are 27 of us going, flying out to Miami, then out to Port-au-Prince on Saturday morning the 7th. We’ll return the next Saturday the 14th. Although there is spotty internet service in the evenings where we are staying, I can’t promise a post until I return home. . .
That said, I have a couple of personal prayer requests for you to carry to the Father for me:
- I’ve had vertigo problems lately and am concerned that even with the preemptive measures I’m taking, the plane ride over might “stir the pot”—please pray that this is not a problem.
- Along the same lines, if you would pray that my digestive system stays functioning properly—I’d appreciate it!
- That I reflect the Lord Jesus and truly am a flexible servant, focused on Him and what He wants me to do–
- I pray I get to meet my sponsor child, Pierre, and give him his goodies in person. If this happens, there will be plenty of pictures to come!
May the Lord bless you greatly, my brothers and sisters. He is worthy to be praised!
He is risen, INDEED! HAPPY EASTER RESURRECTION DAY!!
Lookin’ up,
Sislyn
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You may remember Mrs. Zebedee–she was the mother of Jesus’ disciples John and James.
Mrs. Zebedee, in her zealousness for her children, sometimes gets a bad rap.
In Matthew 20, she came to Jesus, asking special consideration for her sons. She made no bones about it! She wanted the special places on Jesus’ right and left to be given to John and James, to rule alongside Jesus in His future kingdom.
In light of this Jewish mother’s request, the other disciples were recorded as being “indignant.” Although Jesus did tell Mrs. Zebedee that she didn’t know what she was asking for, I can so relate to this woman.
I see her as a mother who only wanted the best for her kids and went about directly approaching God about it. She was bold; she was forthcoming. I don’t want to ever be accused of never asking for the best for my very own!
It’s been my privilege, my directive, to pray for my three children, now 21, 24, and 27. Besides asking the Lord to secure their salvation, I’ve prayed over all aspects of their day-to-day needs.
And although they’re grown up now, surprisingly I find I spend even more time now praying specifically for them than I did when they were younger. It’s been an ongoing journey of discovery. . .
As I said before, the MOST important thing you can do for your children’s spiritual welfare is to grow in your own deep personal relationship with Jesus. Seek to grow ever closer to Him through worship, confession, and thanksgiving. Live obediently and joyfully before the Lord. That’s the BIGGEST favor you can do for your children! (And yourself!)
There are great lists all over the internet to help you begin praying for your child, no matter their age. Here I’ve listed a link to D6 Curriculum’s excellent the “31 Ways to Pray for Your Child,” a list very similar to one I’ve used with my children. Just be sure to use the PDF link for a downloadable and printable list.
(Sorry, you’ll have to cut and paste this one into your browser bar for now:)
http://www.d6curriculum.com/teacher/previous-quarter/fusion-31-ways-to-pray
Don’t fret if you’ve not been consistent in this practice of prayer before; just get started and ask God for His grace to enable you.
Another point: please see the list above or similar ones only as a starting place. Ask the Holy Spirit to search your child, and in His all-knowing wisdom He will reveal specific other things to pray for your child. (Especially important when they reach those teenage years and you can’t always know what’s going on . . . He always does!)
May the Lord bless your prayer sojourn . . . may He grant wisdom where it is needed to understand. . .and may you see God’s abundant answers to your specific prayers . . . as your children grow to love the Lord with all their hearts and lives.
Lookin’ up,
Sislyn
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“But you, when you pray, go into your inner room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father Who is in secret, and your Father Who sees in secret will repay you.” Matthew 6:6, NAS
The best, most important thing you can do for your children is to pray for them.
Lately God has been re-instructing me about prayer, and it has spurred me on to make some noticeable changes in how I approach Him. If we’re honest, we believers must admit to requiring reinforcement in the basics from time to time . . .
Humbly, we should be like Jesus’ disciples, who came to Him after they’d observed Him at a distance praying to His Father, simply asking: “Lord, teach us to pray.” (Luke 11:1) This pleased Jesus, Who immediately following this request, gave us the rich pattern of praying in the Lord’s Prayer.
What true prayer is. . .It is relationship with the LORD God. First and foremost, it is a proclamation of Who God is. . and what He’s done on behalf of the human race . . and what He’s done for me personally. Then it’s a forthcoming about my own insuffiiciencies, my sin. Lastly, it’s a detailing of needs–mine and others’.
It’s a two-way street and requires much more listening on my part than my talking. (Oh, so hard to do!)
In our church’s recent University of Life class on prayer, we’ve been studying the excellent little book, How to Develop a Powerful Prayer Life by Dr. Gregory Frizzell. It’s short, pithy, and to-the-point—in which he explains different kinds of prayer and why saturating your prayer with Scripture reading is SO important. (Here’s an Amazon link:)
Frizzell suggests the importance of a prayer closet, and I’ve taken it to heart. This said, please do not infer that I am an expert on this subject by any means. I do think this extra step may encourage you, as a parent, or as a fellow believer, to take the necessary steps to obtain a deeper walk with Him, to know Him more intimately through prayer. May He receive all the glory!
Jesus tells me in Matthew 6:6 to go to my “inner room” to pray. My inner room, which I’ve specifically repurposed for this, is my walk-in closet.
Yes, I know not everyone is blessed with a walk-in closet! But God has given you an “inner room” somewhere. . . You just have to ask Him to reveal it to you! He will never ask us to do something for which He’s not equipped us already. So ask God where He’d like to get away to pray, alone with Him . . . .
Another possibility of an inner room for a young mother might be. . .the bathroom. Teach your children that when you withdraw in there for short periods of time, you are to be by yourself. No interruptions, if possible.
Or, perhaps in your car, when your little ones are down for a nap or during lunchtime if you’re in the workplace outside the home. . .anywhere where you can be alone, “in secret” with Him is where He wants us to meet Him.
This is key. . .it needs to be a place without distractions and where you can pray aloud, if God so leads you.
I have some favorite things I’ve put in my prayer closet. . . First, there’s a seat and writing area. Because I will be writing stuff down.
I ask the Lord quiet me and fill me with the Holy Spirit, otherwise I can’t pray what He wants me to—Psalm 86:10, James 4:8.
I use a couple of Bibles there, a couple of translations. . . I start off my prayer time reading a significant portion of Scripture (from one of my One-Year Bibles or a Bible-reading plan) and I let God speak to me through it, taking notes.
I ease into praise and worship, through even more Scripture. A dear lady recently gave me this little book, 31 Days of Praise by Ruth & Warren Myers. I find I like to read it aloud to God, one portion a day. I know this book is going to become a staple for me! (But you could just as easily use any favorite Psalm or passage that describes or praises God.)
I go through the different kinds of prayer, following wherever the Holy Spirit leads. Praise. Confession of Sin. Petition. Intercession. Meditation. It’s never the same way twice!
Sometimes a prayer need weighs heavy, and I find God wants me to dwell there for a while. I use a notecard to write key things He reveals to me about this request, and then allow Him to bring to mind any Scriptures that pertain to this request, using the Strong’s concordance to jog my memory. I write out the Scriptures on the back of each card to help me easily pray them back.
I would suggest you use a separate card for each child–changing and adapting the specifics of whatever the Lord urges you to pray for them!
I then have a prayer journal in which I record the date and the major things I prayed for that day, perhaps a quick thought or two God has left me with.
Although we humans most definitely have needs that we can bring before Him, we pray to know God BETTER. We pray not to receive the gifts He from His hand, but because we love Him and want to please our Heavenly Father.
I challenge you—find and equip your prayer closet. Pray, like you’ve never done before. And God, Who sees all, will surely enable you to see answers to those prayers, to His glory and His praise. Let me/all of us know how it goes!
Lookin’ up,
Sislyn
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I am a stay-at-home mom to four children ranging from age 7 to 1. Some days I can’t believe that I’m a Mom and these four kiddos are mine! It’s funny how God uses children to bring much humility to us as moms! Just today I was scheduled to serve in the nursery at church so I was there 30 minutes early, which is saying a lot for me, and right when I walked into the room my daughter starts crying because she wet her pants! Like my good friend says, “Children are a great humiliater!”
I remember a conversation with an older woman when my first child was about 10 months old. We were talking about how motherhood really causes you to die to yourself and serve others. I’ll never forget what she said next….”Yep, I died a long time ago.” We laughed but that comment has come back to me time and time again over the years. The reality is I didn’t fully know what she was talking about then but in God’s providence and kindness I too am dying daily through my mothering journey!
Of course the “dying” isn’t physical (although some days you think it is….or may even want it to be!) but it’s more so the very real battle against my flesh. It’s the truth that we all deal with…the already/not yet reality of the Christian life. In Christ we are fully forgiven and made a new creation and justified before God. Yet we still have sin within and we still live in a fallen world. So our redemption is not complete until we are with the Lord and know Him fully. Until then He is faithful to use His Word, His Spirit, and the Church to conform us more and more into the image of His Son, Jesus Christ. And He is so kindly doing that in my life primarily through mothering my precious children.
With each child the Lord has added to our family I have seen more of my sin and depravity and my need for my Savior. It makes me think of the sponge analogy. When a sponge is filled with water nothing comes out until it is squeezed and whatever is inside the sponge is what spills out. It’s the same with us. Sin is within our hearts and as life circumstances “squeeze” us the sin spills out. We often like to blame our circumstances and people for making us act a certain way. But the truth is that it comes from within and the circumstances are just the agent of allowing these sins to be exposed. It’s a lot easier to stay controlled and appear put together when you live alone for example. No one is messing with your stuff and you can pretty much plan your schedule according to your own desires. Children shatter this ideal. Whether you want to or not, you spend your days serving others and the truth is, in my flesh, I don’t want to. I am daily reminded of my selfishness and sin as I desire comfort and peace and order. Daily I see impatience and am reminded that I cannot do this life, much less live in a way that is pleasing to the Lord, apart from His help and the power of the gospel every moment!
I consider it a great privilege to stay home with my four children and be the primary caregiver and influencer in their life (although sometimes I do wonder if I’m ruining them by the second!). I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else! I’m so grateful the Lord has given me these children and I long to be faithful to this calling as their mother and I truly desire to live out the gospel before them. They know better than anyone that Mommy fails and she needs a Savior. There are many opportunities throughout the day with my kids to talk about Jesus and what he accomplished on the Cross for us. I’m consistently asking their forgiveness and together reflecting back on the gospel.
Whether you are a mom or not, God is using life circumstances to squeeze you and show you your sin so that you will confess and repent and run to the cross of Christ over and over again. I’m so thankful that He is allowing me to work out my salvation within the four walls of this home with these precious people. Yes, children are a blessing from the Lord and they are such gifts. But they are also hard work and show me my sin daily. To God be the glory as we do life together with those who are closest to us. May we as moms be faithful to live the gospel before our kids and point them to the Savior.
Liz is a proud pastor’s wife to Jeremy Chasteen and grateful mom to 4 young children, Carson (7), Bryn (5), Lydia (3), and Spencer (1). She and her family live in Clemson, SC where they serve with Crosspoint Church primarily in college ministry. She is a sinner saved by the shed blood of Jesus Christ and by His grace she desires to glorify God in and through her life.
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via Wikipedia
Many books, once deemed only appropriate for adults, are directly being marketed toward the younger set. The bar is being lowered further and further all the time. For example the book to the left, Hunger Games, is all the rage now. Its stated target audience is “kids ages 13 and up.” This age range reflects readability, however, and not necessarily content appropriateness.
Blockbuster series or standalones may be heralded for their tackling of sensitive issues and their dark themes. Not always, but in many cases there is beautiful, gripping writing within the covers of such books.
The problem comes with an increase in social connectivity. In a world where an adult will read a blurb and choose a book based on content, children are much more swayed by pop culture and what is perceived as “cool” reading. They will be eager to pick up a book if it touted in the media, even though the parents and child may be unaware of the less-than-desirable content.
Therein lies a believing parent’s struggle. How do you keep your child reading, something/anything, yet make sure it supports a Christian worldview?
A blog co-written by my fellow American Christian Fiction Writers member, Nancy Hird, combats this problem (http://nancyellenhird.wordpress.com). The blog, Books 4 Christian Kids, features books “to help children and teens in their walk with God.” Every few days, anything from a picture book to young adult book to magazine is reviewed, one felt to be in keeping with Christian values. Nancy has been a book reviewer for Focus on the Family for years and is well-qualified to write about this subject.
On her blog, Nancy also lists a prominent link back to Focus on the Family ( http://www.focusonthefamily.com/parenting/protecting_your_family/book_reviews_for_parents.aspx) for even more information and discussion guides about specific books. Focus has a very nice alphabetical search feature where you can read previously-published reviews on specific books.
If you want to guide your young people into better reading choices, take the time to check these resources out. You’ll be glad you did. . .
Lookin’ up,
Sislyn
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Whenever you see Janice Elrod, she is usually surrounded by children! The godly instruction of young children and their parents is never far from her heart—or mind. To her, it is a life’s ministry. We warmly welcome Janice to “From the Church House” today.
I really did not have a plan for what I wanted to be when I grew up. I decided too late that I would like to be a music major in college so I registered for business courses. My father was a bi-vocational minister/real estate broker. I did accounting and contracts for him and began to think I would follow in his footsteps.
Then came marriage, the US Army, living overseas, coming back to the US, moving, moving again, children and moving again! The last move was to Durham, NC. Jennifer was 4 and Brandon was 2. I enrolled Jennifer in First Baptist Preschool and later Brandon, too. As I volunteered for special events I was very intrigued by the benefits my children were receiving from the teachers there. I had never considered being a teacher but their influence was very positive.
Until my children reached elementary school age, I focused my attention on church activities – directing preschool and children’s choirs, working with Awana groups, and leading Children’s Church. This led to the opportunity of becoming a preschool teacher in a local church education center. A light bulb moment! I finally knew what I wanted to do with my life – make a difference in young children’s lives. I truly knew that was God’s plan for my life.
I decided to pursue an education in Early Childhood studies and have worked with preschool children in many capacities since that time. I have become an advocate for every child. I want parents to realize the precious gift they have been given and model a true Christian life for their child. I want parents to have the tools they need for leading their child to Christ. I want teachers to be trained in child development – mental, physical and spiritual. I want everyone who comes in contact with a child to know they have an opportunity to impact that life for eternity.
Children’s ministry is the foundation of the church. Jesus related to children in many ways. Jesus was a child. Jesus took children in His arms and blessed them. Jesus healed children. Jesus took a little boy’s lunch and fed a multitude. Children worshiped Jesus.
“Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, and whoever receives me, receives not me but him who sent me.” (Mark 9:37)
“May the Lord teach us this profound truth—that loving children in the name of Christ is loving God the Son and God the Father. Indeed it is more: It is welcoming and receiving and communing with God. Nursery work “in the name of Christ” is no small wonder.” John Piper
It’s all for the children,
Janice
Janice Hawkins Elrod has not only been Ridgecrest Baptist Church’s Director of Preschool Ministries since 2003, she now owns and operates her own in-home daycare facility, Little Sprouts, with her husband Larry. She’s mom to adult children, Jennifer and Brandon, and is proud nana to Hannah and Emma.
Janice is a native Tennessean, born and raised in the Cookeville area. She’s also a preacher’s kid, having accepted Christ as a child and was baptized by her daddy the following Sunday.
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Where does it all begin–
That moment when we understand salvation?
Where do we get the idea, of Who He is, and who we are?
And when do we first see Him–
As more than mystery or imagination?
When do we see that He knows us by our first name,
Who shows us?
(“Where Does It All Begin,” Karla Worley, 1989)
I’ve been teaching the Discovery Class at Ridgecrest Baptist Church now for 16 years. It is a Sunday School class for elementary-school age children who have either accepted Christ as their Savior, or who are in the process of learning about it. We also study some very cool subjects such as what is the church, what baptism means, what the Lord’s Supper means, what is prayer, etc.
The Discovery Class is not a confirmation class. It is NOT a ten-week class to get everyone “saved and baptized.” It is a doctrine class, giving a good grounding in what God’s Word has to say about some sticky subjects. The parents and I are in partnership to see their children come to a better understanding of the things of God.
During our weeks together, if a child feels the tug of the Holy Spirit to make a commitment to Jesus, that’s wonderful. Although we would LOVE to see every child praying to receive Christ, it’s also worthwhile if all that happens is that the children ask lots of questions and gain a better understanding of the process.
Each child is given a neat Discovery Journal in which to collect dates, places, and events, and photographs. Neatest of all, there are several pages for them to journal in their testimony, their personalized story of how and when they came to know Jesus as their “Forever Friend.”
It’s best to go nice and slow with children . . . because they are quite impressionable . . . and very much want to please the adults in their life. They’re like tender flowers whom you have to be oh-so-careful with, until that time the Holy Spirit calls them to Himself.
True story: Last Sunday at the end of class, one of my four girls piped up, “By the way, Ms. Jean, I prayed to ask Jesus to forgive me of my sins this week.” I was so ecstatic she’d taken this step of faith on her own, without any outside pressure. She just knew in her heart, it was the right time.
I visited with this girl’s family last night so I could encourage her as a new Christian. She was reminded to jot details of her story down in her Discovery Journal and then include it in her Bible, too.
Oh, the potential of a young life for Jesus! This young lady has a whole life ahead to love Jesus, grow in relationship with Him, and let Him guide her through the milestones (and the potholes!) she will surely face.
It’s a thrill (and privilege) for me, every time it happens. . .
Lookin’ up,
Sislyn
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Kelly is one of those people who lights a room with her smile. She’s in the midst of that exciting season of her life devoted to her husband and young children. I’ve seen her in action and she is, as her mother Joyce Fuller likes to say, “a good momma.” In addition to her busy family schedule,she somehow finds time to run her own portrait photography business–(be sure to check our her website in her bio, below). Welcome today, Kelly!
When my oldest child started kindergarten last July (he attends a year-round school), I couldn’t wait to sign up to be the “Room Mom!” While this immediately gave me many additional responsibilities, it also insured that I would get to have a closer relationship with Avery’s teachers and classmates while I spent time with my son on his field trips and as I volunteered in the classroom. I didn’t realize that through this experience, I would be introduced to a side of my son’s personality that I had hardly ever seen and learn a valuable lesson.
While at school, Avery became a very mature little six year old. He was eager to please his teachers and follow directions. He was extremely respectful to authority and looked for opportunities to be kind to his new friends. He helped explain assignments to his classmates and excelled academically. His desk and class work was so neat and organized. In fact, last week, his teacher told me how much she enjoyed having him in her class because he was “such a model student and always doing exactly what he has been asked to do”.
Seriously? Was she referring to the same little boy that disrespected and yelled at me just that morning when I simply told him it was time to put on his shoes? Was this the boy that constantly antagonized his little sister and even pushed her because she wasn’t walking out the door fast enough?. . . The boy whined and complained about his breakfast . . .who had Legos, books, and cars scattered all over his bedroom floor? I wanted to laugh out loud and tell her about the “other side” of Avery, but instead, I just smiled and thanked her for the compliment because I was proud that he was at least able to behave in front of others, even if he didn’t always show me his best side!
On the drive home from school, I kept hearing the compliment from Avery’s teacher in my mind. He knew right from wrong, and he was able to control his behavior at school . . .So, why wouldn’t he do that for me? I am his mother; I love him unconditionally; I make so many sacrifices for him, yet he often treats me worse than he treats people that hardly know him. I felt hurt and disappointed.
Then I realized the irony of the situation! I am God’s child; He loves me so much that he sent his Son to die for me and gave me eternal life, yet I hurt Him daily when I sin. In 2 Timothy 4:1-5, we learn that God commanded us to tell others about the gospel, yet I allow my fears of being rejected and feeling uncomfortable stop me from witnessing to family and friends. How must this make God feel? It would hurt him less if I literally slapped Him in the face. I do a good job letting others see my “good side”, but in fact, I am a hypocrite because I still struggle in so many ways with sin. What good is it to only “let others see Jesus through my actions” if I never come out and verbally share the gospel with them? ON A SIDE NOTE: I admit that I have many additional areas in my life where I sin every day; this is merely one area that I have been convicted of most recently. The truth is, if we allow ourselves to be honest, we will not have to look far before we find areas in our life where we disappoint God, our Father.
I used this experience in my life as a teaching opportunity to explain God’s love and God’s forgiveness to my son. I also thanked God for what I learned through this experience and for giving me a peace in knowing that He forgives me every time that I disappoint him. I Praise The Lord for giving me these children to keep me humble! Please know I have just spent time in prayer that those who read this blog today will be blessed from this simple reminder. May you take a moment to praise God for loving you unconditionally and for showing you ways in which you can learn from your children as you strive to be a Godly Daughter of Son of The King.
BIO: I am Kelly Fuller Good, wife to Brian Good for 8.5 years, and mother to William Avery (6) and Lilly Faith (3), and live in Durham, NC. I have a Bachelor’s degree from UNC-Charlotte in Special Education, but am currently serving my family as wife and mother. I am owner of Kelly Good Photography (http://kellygoodphotography.blogspot.com) specializing in Child and Family Lifestyle Portraiture and an active member at The Summit Church. Many of you will remember me as the youngest daughter of Joyce and Bill Fuller who have been members of Ridgecrest Baptist Church for 30 years.
