Reflections

Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.” 1 John 3:18

There are many ways we express love to one another. We share these words with our spouse and our children daily if not more often. We send little texts or emails to our spouses each day sharing with them that we are thinking about them or that we are thinking of them.
In the book of 1 John, John reminds us as children of God that we are to do more than love just with our words but with our actions.

As mothers we have the important role as one of the first caregivers of our children. As an expectant mother I could never have fathomed the amount of love that developed for my children as I carried them within me. Yet each doctor's visit, each little flitter, the sound of their beating hearts all added to the great love developing within my heart and in my soul for these amazing beings.
We yearned for the day they would be born to be able to hold them, kiss them and care for them. To count their tiny toes and teeny fingers.
As I matured in my faith life the one thing that has spoken to me, hit me right in the heart, is that just as we as mothers desired to have in our relationship with our children is a direct reflection as God's creation.
God, our heavenly Father, wants desperately to have that same type of relationship with us as we do to our own children. He put his words of love into action by sending his Son Jesus to be His walking, talking, teaching, nurturing, correcting and rebuking representation in this physical world. Just as we are loved completely by God we are to show that same complete type of love not only to our children, spouse or family members but to the entire world around us. Wow, thank goodness that we have the perfect example to follow.
Christ loved the people of the day that were considered outcasts, he shared meals with the people in the community that others avoided. He was there in word and in action to all of those in need.
Each day as I grab my bags, my lunch, gather my two boys and head out to start the day I stop to tell my husband that I love them and give him a hug and a kiss. Just as I take a moment to stop and share with my husband that I love him, I need to be reminded to stop and take a moment to share with others to reflect God's love.
Let's face it, as parents it is often challenging to love the attitude, the fighting, the pushing the envelope and the increasing hormonal changes that growing up brings. I am reminded daily that it is these challenges in which our actions of love are most needed. Thank goodness God loved us through all of our most challenging times.

Dear God, Thank you for loving us so completely. As we go about our day today as a mother sacrificing sleep, time, and energy may we be reminded that each interaction, each sacrifice, each hug, kiss, kind word and minute spent patiently waiting are all ways that we share your love to the world. Amen.

Pressing On with Discipline

Therefore my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, continue to work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to act according to His good purpose. Philippians 2:12-13

Our middle child, who we refer to as our "sweet and spicy" daughter, is a rule analyzer and debater. I've had visions of her cross-examining me with impressive success, as I sit crouched down in an ominous court room. Did I mention she is only three years of age? Our discipline approach is quite simple. Here are the rules. Here are the consequences. Whining and crying will not change our authority. Our oldest has fallen into place (most days) as if he's in a military camp. Our bright eyed girl has not.

Recently, my husband and I have examined ourselves as well as our discipline approach. Are we perfectly obedient to our Father in heaven? Well, no. Paul writes in Philippians 3:12, "Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own because Christ Jesus has made me his own." There we go. We, the parents, know that true obedience can only be God working in us "according to His good purpose." We get our strength from being in Christ. We pray more fervently than we even realize, not only at meal times and bed time, but with this little inner voice, throughout the day because we know the importance of being controlled by the Spirit rather than our very real and present sinful nature.

How can the above realization shape our discipline? #1- We will not soften in our expectations as we are "pressing on" for our kids to make God's instructions their own. #2- We will encourage our children by linking specific behaviors with specific Biblical principles. #3- We will communicate our forgiveness to our children and model asking for forgiveness from our Heavenly Father. This will help them see that Christ Jesus has made us His own through forgiveness of sins. I must confess that we were doing a lot more of #1 than we were numbers 2 and 3. Praise be to God for His perfect love and disicpline. After all, where would we be without the grace of God?

Dear Lord, daily we sin and fall short of Your glory. Forgive us. Renew us. Help us to "do all things without grumbling or questioning that we may be blameless and innocent children of God without blemish..." Philippians 2:14a. Lord, we know it is only because You have made us Your own through the blood of Jesus that we are able to illuminate His goodness that is in us. Help us parents be patient with our kids, remembering we are all "pressing on" as Your children. AMEN.