Kids...Gotta Love 'Em

I just love kids.  Most people do.  Most people do, for one reason or another.  How can you not?  There are so many reasons to love them.  For one, they remind us from where we came.  Not one person on the planet has ever NOT been a child.  Interesting, huh?  Yet it's such a short chunk of time if our lives, and yet the most crucial.  I think that's why I love childhood so much.  We're the most vulnerable in our early years.  Everything in our environment during our childhood shapes our future.  It's a jewel worth protecting.  Deep in my heart, I know I am called to help protect these treasures.

From about the age of eight, I have been working with children.  The youngest of four, I never had a little sibling of my own.  So I made my next door neighbors into my little brother and sister, or you could call them my pupils.  I taught Darcie, whom I knew from the time she was 2 until I moved many years later, how to tell and write stories, put on plays, swim, ride a bike, add, etc..   was a teacher, camp counselor, tutor, children's director, caretaker, after school worker, and now I'm a stay-at-home mom (the hardest occupation yet!)  It's true that I have been working with kids my entire life, even since I was one myself, making my next-door neighbor my personal pupil at the age of eight.  But there are many things about them that intrigue me to the core.  And that's what I want to write about here.

The older i get (I'm nearly 33), the more dreamy I get when I look into their eyes, study their hands, or marvel at their responses to the world.  I just want to list all the things that I admire about kids, have learned from kids, and skills I am still acquiring that, in my mind, most children already possess.

Up Close

Nose to nose with my baby

In his eyes I just stare
I could stay here forever
I wouldn't even care

Cheek to cheek with my baby
Sweet kisses I steal
Lock me in here forever
It'd be no big deal

The Gift of Parenthood

I’m so thankful for children 
Who lift up my soul; in their innocence they unknowingly
Lead me to deeper encounters with God
And His Fatherly Heart towards me

My affection for them is no contest for sure
To the Love that my Abba bestows
Yet it’s marvelous when I just think of my kids 
And with love my heart overflows

That tender, warm hug that just won’t let go
The song, laugh or story we share
These are His tangible, highly incomparable
Little moments to show us His care

Parenthood is a gift, moms and dads know this well
Its worth I once failed to see 
How wise the Lord is to give us this bond 
Such fulfilling, sweet intimacy

God desires for us to realize this truth
That just as we love our little guys
So He loves us to the ends of the earth
To credit Him we would be wise

There will be times when we let our kids down
But God’s Love is so perfect and good
It will certainly change us, then start to sink in 
How profound is this gift: parenthood.

Window Washing

The other day, I got my three year-old, Sadie, involved in washing the windows with me.  It brings her great joy to help with the chores, whether it's laundry, dishes, floors, dusting, you name it.  If she can help me, she's happy!  This was the first time I had her help me wash the windows, and as with any first, it brings a mama great joy to watch her child grinning from ear to ear as she is experiencing something fresh and new to the senses.  I passed her the small cloth, just her size, and a spray bottle all her own.  You'd have thought I just handed her a million dollars (if she'd been an adult, that is).  She was in heaven!  Just seeing the spray splash the windows, all at the expense of her tiny little hands. You could tell she felt powerful and important.  It gave me some insight to see my little daughter filled to the brim with joy as she completed such a simple, mundane task for which we adults have lost the taste.  As I thought about it some more later, it occurred to me just how big of a deal it is for us as God's children to know our purpose in God's family business.  When we know just how valuable we are, and that we're important to Him, working alongside Him, it not only brings Him joy, but we also find pleasure in being used by Him as well.  It's a marvelous place of peace to be walking in.  Not only was she happy, but she felt loved in knowing that she had a purpose in working with me, doing something so independently, yet alongside me.  "I love you, Mommy.  I love you, Titus," she said while she wiped the little glass squares over and over again.  Her cup was filled up and spilling over.  Finally we were done with the back door windows, which is all of what I set out to do, and ready to move on to something else.  But Sadie, she could have washed all of the windows in the whole house if I let her.  Who needs dolls, t.v, and "real" toys, when you have real-life adventures like helping Mommy? :)  I pray you find your adventure and purpose in being about your Father's business, too! May your cup overflow from His love for you today!

Chuck E. Cheese and Jesus

Sadie was not minding me today.  She was sitting in the little car that's attached to the cart at the grocery store.  It was cold and windy and I had Titus in my arms, ready to get the kids in the car.  I asked Sadie nicely to come out of the car and let's go.  She insisted that she needed to get her mittens on, and was struggling to do so.  (it's only 60 degrees and the girl has to have MITTENS on!)  After a couple of tries, I get firmer and insisted that she came with me.  She finally obeyed.  While pulling out of the parking lot of the grocery store, I started to teach Sadie again about the importance of obeying her parents.  I told her that the Bible says we need to honor our father and our mother, and we will live long in the land.  She said okay, and really thought about that.  Then she says, "And I don't want to lose Chuck E. Cheese and Jesus, cause they're my special fwends."  Yes, baby.  Whatever you say. :)

Girl Time

It 's a crazy day, or week for that matter, and I can tell Sadie is starting to feel neglected by the way she is acting...that kind of attention-getting behavior that drives you crazy.  Finally I notice what is going on and tell Jason, "I'm taking Sadie out!"  It's 8:30 in the evening on a Monday night, when most kids are nestled in their beds.  Well, we get up around 8:30am most days, so needless to say, we are night people.  This girl could go until midnight easily, and happily so if we let her!  And tonight, she will!  We set out to have what we call "Girl Time."  You might as well hear the theme song, "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" in the background of this evening.  Sadie is pumped saying, 'It's going to be so much fun!"  And Mommy needs it just as much.  We head out in the car as I tell Sadie we're not going very far, just about 3 songs away.  So she's happily asking me about each song, "What's this song called?"  I can tell she is having a great time, and that she knows that this evening is about her.  I'm about to pump her full of sugar, so I'm trying to think of some fun stuff to do afterwards as we work off the buzz.  I decide to take her to the Avenue (shopping center) to get ice cream, that way we can walk around and I can teach her about window shopping, as I realize it's getting late and nothing will actually be open.  Plus, there's tons of green grass to get run around in, and a Books-a-Million to feed our book addictions.  First we go to Marble Slab, with 9 minutes to spare before closing, and purchase a chocolate ice cream waffle cone with M&Ms.  Mmmmm....  Sadie let me have a few bites. :)  Heading off to the storefronts, Sadie's pants painted with chocolate, we point oohing and ahhing at the latest fashions, discussing our favorites.  She connects William Sonoma back to a friend at church, "Oh, just like my friend William!"  We discuss getting her ears pierced while walking by Claire's, but that's a topic for another day.  Throwing a penny into the fountain (another first), she wishes for a doll, and we make way for the bookstore.  She leads me around the store to everything she wants to look at, asserting, "Mommy, come here.  Come look at this!"  Letting me know she clearly is the one in charge and that this is her territory.  After reading a few books and checking out all the toys, I am fortunate she doesn't have a fit when the store closes at 10 o'clock and we have to leave.  She is loving every minute.  We piggy-backed it back to the car, as she remarks how "beautiful" the Avenue looks at night.  We stop for a little rendezvous in the Avenue's circle where the grass, benches and gazebo sit.  We kick off our shoes and run through the grass, squealing like little girls (wait, one of us actually IS  a little girl!)  We play hide-and-seek, ring around the rosie, roll down the hill (another first), play chase, etc.  A random man even stops his car on the road to yell through the dark of the night, "You guys are having way too much fun!" It is so hard to get her to leave, so once again, I have to come up with something else, for I know she isn't ready for the fun to end yet, and frankly, neither am I!  Where could we go!?  I think to myself.  The baseball fields would be a fun place to check out.  She's never been, and if there is a game, we could watch them under the bright lights and talk about the game.  And if there wasn't a game going on, we could run the bases and have fun ourselves!  So she is happy to hear when Mommy unravels there is more to come.   As we get in the car she asks how many songs....Three, I say.  And three songs later, we get out the car at the ball fields on Rockaway in Senoia.  A game is going on: two teams, 40-60 year-old men in t's facing off.  Her face lights up at this new experience.  We climb our way to the top of the bleachers and I begin to explain all about the game...the dugout, the running the bases, how they win.  We awe at the balls flying high in the sky.  She loves it.  Actually, she says she wants to play baseball when she "becomes a boy."  Happily, I explain to her that she will always be a girl, and yes, they do have girl teams as well!  The game soon ends after a few innings, and we descend the bleachers next to no one and head back to the car.  Sadie reluctantly walks with me, demanding that we play baseball right now!  I have to smile at her persistence, but no, we have to go home now.  After relaying our night to the only boy still awake in the house, she crashes on our bed in my arms.  Already I am looking forward to the next time "the girls" hit the town.  Next time maybe we'll do something extravagant...like ride bikes at Wal Mart. :)  I owe it to my mom, the one who taught me that breaking the rules (the minor ones, such as sugar limits and bedtimes) are just meant to be broken. 

Free Family Fun Day

This week we went to the Children's Museum in Atlanta called Imagine It, an interactive play museum designed for children under eight.  It was soooo much fun watching the kids explore and play and discover.  They even had a little 2 and under area for Titus (although we let Sadie play in there for a little while too--ssh! :)  Sadie's very favorite station she did not want to leave was the sand table.  Another great part of our day...it was free!  (besides paying $5 for parking)  Target sponsors everyone for free one Tuesday a month.  We will have to go again next month!  We went across the street to Centennial Park afterwards where they had the neatest playgrounds.  Best day ever!!

Sadie's Eyes

Something really kind of marvelous happened to me today.  It was a random moment when I picked up my 2 year-old daughter tonight.  She's tired and loopy, I'm feeling pretty normal.  But as I take hold of her shoulders and look into her eyes, it was like I saw deep into her soul for a second, maybe her spirit, I'm not sure. All I know is, I saw something beautiful, and real, and it penetrated my heart like a knife.  It actually almost took my breath away.  The depth that I saw in her eyes impacted me in that split-second, and she wasn't even aware of it.  As I reflected for just a moment, holding her and telling her how special she was (her agreeing), how proud of her I was to be her mommy, I realized I just saw through a moment in time in a way, in order to grasp that, as silly as it may sound, this is a real person I'm training up, watching grow.  She has a future, and a whole life ahead of her, individual thoughts and dreams, walk with God, I could go on.  How privileged I am!  Crazy how in a split-second you can literally have such a revelation as this.  My daughter.  Wow.  Words cannot describe the beauty I see.  I hope she feels it too.

Kid at Heart, or Grow up already!

I'm not sure, but I think I could write a whole book about being a child, what that kind of life really looks like, and how staying a child can help us to grow up.  It keeps coming back to mind as I go about.  Especially now that I am a mother.  I look at my kids and see into their eyes.  While their experiences number no where near to mine, I admire the wonder in their moments.  I long for the peace and contentment, simplicity and joy.  It's a world I long to live in again, childhood.  I wonder, can I go back?  And it's not that I want to actually physically be there again, I just want the wonder.  I want the simplicity.  And no, children are not innocent of evil, but I want the naivity that keeps them pure at heart.  I want to be a child and stay a child all of my days.  And I know God wants this for me because He says so in His written Word.  

When you're young, you're in a hurry to grow up.  If I had a quarter for every time I heard Sadie, my two year-old say, "No, I want to do it ALL BY MYSELF!"  It's great.  She's learning her independence.  What a stage to be at.  Each day finding something NEW you can do.  How exciting!  Can I go back there?  Adults who have forgotten how it was to be young hardly ever learn new things every day.  But I think it's part of what makes a kid's life so adventurous.  Then we get older and stay in denial and think, "When did I get so old?" We find ourselves relaying to people, "It was just yesterday when..."  We reminisce the "good 'ol days" and dreamily retell a memory and say "Ah, those were the days."  What if we could feel that way about our lives in whatever stage we find ourselves in?  I believe the older "grown-ups" who are happy with their lives and what they're doing can reminisce, while still love the stage they're in, only if they've discovered the art of being a "child at heart."  

Sure there are some negative connotations to never growing up.  No one purposely strives to be in Peter Pan's predicament.  But, if we could truly grasp what it means to be a kid in the healthy sense, I'd think we'd have to make some major changes in our thinking and in our lives.  

We'd have to remember to have fun, first of all.  Many adults have no problem with this part of childhood.  Some even go to the extreme and shun all kinds of work and responsibility.  They're probably the ones who didn't "get it all out" in childhood, or are unhappy with how things are turning out for them.  They're the ones whom we speak about when we say, "I wish they'd grow up."  They're the ones who have a hard time with responsibility.  Yet the majority of us responsible ones still find ourselves looking forward to the next "event."  When's the game on?  A party?--Let me check my calendar.  Is Friday here yet?  Shoot, it's Monday again.  I need a vacation.  Forget girls just want to have fun; people just want to have fun!  Is there a single person on Earth that doesn't want to have?  Sure there are people who have forgotten how to have fun.  I feel sorry for them.  Funny thing is, you never have to remind a kid.  We are just born fun-crazy.  I'd venture to say that kids love fun so much they would marry it if they could!  No one ever has to twist a kid's arm to go to Chuck E. Cheese.  They live for that!  And us parents get it too--we use this hopeless affair with fun to get kids to do work; make it fun!  (Let's sing together now, "Clean up, clean up, everybody, everywhere!") It's sort of like the cheese on the broccoli.  Rather than helping a kid develop a taste for things that are good for them, we disguise them so it will "help the medicine go down."  It's because kids are "fun-addicts!"  I think in many ways, it's just that what is fun to us simply changes when we get old.  Then when we start having kids, reliving those childish things is fun again.  The quarter rides at the supermarket, playgrounds, balloons, trick-or-treating, fairs, bubbles, throwing rocks, climbing trees, etc.  

While having "fun" is part of being a kid, it's not even the part that I admire the most. Maybe I'll get to that next time.  Have to go be responsible now.

Sadie's First Time on Stage

I just loved seeing my little girl up there, dressed all in black and red in the spirit of the season.  I got to feel a sense of pride I've never fully known until today.  She could have stood of there and stared like a zombie, she could of waved her hands in the air like a wild child, she could have cried her eyes out, it wouldn't have mattered.  That's my girl up there.  I was so proud.  If she only knew.  One things for sure.  She loved being up on that stage.  I loved watching her watch the teacher and do all the motions, so calm and relaxed like no one was watching, definitely not like there were 300 people looking her way.  I wish I could have heard her sweet little voice over the annoying sing-along song-leader on the CD.  I wanted to wave frantically to get her attention as if to say, "I'm over here, Sweetie!"  But I knew that if I did happen to catch her eye, she might not remember to perform at all, and I wanted to see her in action.  It was a proud moment for me today.  Especially when she yelled out, "Jesus!" when asked who the baby boy was.  That was my favorite.  That's my girl!

Enter the Promise Land

Where are you? The Wilderness or the Promise Land

What is the wilderness?

The wilderness is that place of comfortable, routine daily living.  You’ve been set free from bondage and have entered eternal life (out of Egypt); in other words, you’re saved.  But, to be in the wilderness means to be out of God’s will for your life. The wilderness is easy, low-risk, low-rewards loving.  It means you’re going through the motions, maybe being religious, but not going through the growth process that the Lord wants for you.  In the wilderness there are times of testing and trials.  But there is no fruit until you step into the Promise Land, where God desires us to be, with Him!  To remain in the wilderness, all you have to do is go around and around, not really facing the giants in your life.  Being in the wilderness sometimes means wanting to go back to Egypt (slavery) when you can’t; and it means not going forward, when you could.  It means to be content with your salvation, and not really desiring to fight the fight.  It may be unbelief, fear, pride, or just keeping a mindset from the past—holding on to old behaviors.  Getting out of the wilderness only takes a step of faith.  We’re not alone.  God does go with us.  He says only, “Be strong and courageous.”  If you want to take hold of the promises that God has available to you, you have to step into the Promise Land.  And that means, going with Joshua—The Lord Saves—and facing the giants in your life.  The wilderness is a place of freedom, but not a place of promise.  This brings me to the Promise Land. 

What is the Promise Land?
The Promise Land is just that—land of God’s promises.  It does not symbolize heaven, because then we can say that Moses did not make it to heaven, and we know that he did.  It represents Abundant Life here on Earth.  Life with Jesus—in every moment that we offer ourselves in sweet surrender to His voice calling to us.  In the moment—moments when we face our giants—our fears—ourselves.  Whatever our strongholds are—our Jericho—that is where the Lord is going.  Joshua—Jesus—is headed straight for the things that have a strong hold on us.  That is what it means to be in the Promise Land.  And as God promised Joshua—if you are strong and courageous (relying on my strength alone)—you can face whatever trials you may come across.  And you will experience abundant life, unbelievable peace in the midst of turmoil or any circumstance.  God desires us to enter into His Holy Ground today—every day.  Here on Earth.  Not when we get to heaven, because that is where there are no trials.  That is when all is complete forever.  Right now though, we have the opportunity to walk through the promise land, where we are in the midst of our enemies, and fight alongside our Jesus.  The Promise Land is where we see huge fruit.  Huge!  This is where His Word is sweet as honey, and fruit is produced in our lives as we walk on the land God has given us. 

It’s amazing the parallels that are here!  God, thousands of years ago as you led Your people out of Egypt by the blood of the lamb, you delivered them, saved them, carried them through their rebellion, and they finally enter into the rest that You intended all along.  And while it looks a lot different from the Paradise that we will one day enter into, it’s still amazing to see what You offer Your people.  All of those things that the children of Israel went through, apply to our lives every day here!  You are awesome God!

Sometimes we see end results of people’s lives…like let’s say at a wedding, a funeral, or family…what we’re looking at and praise God for is not the promise land…it’s not an end result of any kind…it’s the fruit that is being cultivated in people’s lives.

We have to enter into God’s promise land…and eternal life…with the heart of a child.  God says to come to him like a child.  Children are always amazed by something.  They are easily excited and don’t struggle with unbelief.  They enter into rest because they know someone is taking care of them. 
Similar to a gold fish.  They swim around their bowl, and they don’t fret that they’re swimming around the bowl and see the same three objects over and over again because they don’t even realize it!  They are just excited each and every time, because they are living in the moment! That’s how I want to be….I want to be continually in awe of that treasure chest in my bowl!  Like a child.  Like a fish.  Don’t hold onto your adult, stubborn ways, thinking you have to have it all together.  All you have to do is live and trust in Your Father.  In that there is great joy and peace.

All of this is a description of Christian living here on Earth.  It’s not new.  There is nothing new under the sun.  But, it’s what I’ve been sensing from the Lord for awhile now.  I want to remain in the Promise Land.  I want to enter in, as soon as I find myself complacent and living a comfortable, mundane existence, I want to stop and look around and find out where I ignored the voice of God—the last place I was disobedient.  I need to surrender it up to Him.  And it all can happen in a twinkle of an eye.  I’d say I’ve been in a wilderness for about a year now, and I’ve been coming out of it for about a month or two. I’m allowing God to deal with me in areas I need to let go of.  I’ve been experiencing His rest.  Trusting Him to heal my hurts.  When I start to feel the urge to fight people and stick up for myself, I know that I’m going back to my old ways.  I’m in the Promise Land to stay.  I may try and go back to the wilderness at times because it’s so much easier there.  But I want the fruit.  I want to walk with Jesus.  I want to face the giants in my life.  Face my fears.  I want to grow and go where I haven’t gone before.