Stay Close to Him

"For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord."

~Romans 8:38 & 39~

    As I looked at my children sitting next to me in the pew at church this Sunday, I was reminded of how precious life is and how quickly time passes.  It seems as if in the "blink  of an eye" our babies grow up and go off to school.  As they become young adults, they learn and experience many new things away from home.  Slowly, but surely, this world envelops them and they become more susceptible to the sin in this world.  As Christian parents, we hope that they remain faithful to how they've been raised.  We pray they do not make choices that will separate them from family and friends, or what's worse--separate them from God.  Yet, we are reminded of God's promise in the Bible passage above that nothing they do "will be able to separate them from the love of God."   

    As mothers, it is disheartening to live in a world that does not value life in the way God intended for us to .  Often times, the lack of respect in our society is stunning--it's evident when you turn on the T.V., pick up a magazine in the doctor's office, or step foot in the hallway of any school.  We want to protect our children from the evil in this world; to keep them safe.  Yet, we can only protect them from so much. Thankfully, God can be their true Protector.

    Remember God's promise: "Nothing will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord."  Nothing....not sin, death, or the devil.   God's Word reminds us that sin was not part of God's original plan.  Because of that fact, He sent His only Son to conquer it.  God gave His Son so that we would not be lost in the sinfulness of this world forever.

    So, even though we live in a lost and condemned world, may we and our children stay close to where God promises to be--in His House, in His Word, and in His Sacrament.  In His Church, He gives us His gifts and promises to love and take care of  us.  Through His Word, He teaches us how to live the Christian life.  And, in His Supper, He feeds us, forgives us, and unites us with Him.  How blessed we are to serve a God that forgives and renews us, so that we may live the Christian life and never be separated from Him!   

Dearest Heavenly Father, We thank you for being our God.  Forgive us when we don't honor you in what we say or do.  Stay close to us and our families this day and always.  Fill us with the joy, hope, and peace that can only come from You. And may we, in turn, share it with our husbands, children, and all those we meet.  In Christ's name, Amen.

The Stuff Of This World

For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 8:38-39

Springtime is the busiest time of year for us. In the past, our kids have really only been involved in one major extracurricular activity during the year--dance. But when spring comes around tee ball/softball is added. This means at least one extra practice or game a week and this year, we have two kids playing, so that is double the practices and games on top of dance. We've also started our oldest in piano lessons, and I have now turned into that person who I never wanted to be--a parent with a busy schedule due to activities.

As I thought about our schedule this past week, I didn't come to the conclusion that we were incredibly over-scheduled, nor did I consider dropping any of the activities. Thankfully, dance ends soon and we only have a short time of overlapping of activities. But I did think about what message I was sending to my children when I let the stuff of this world nudge out the precious time I usually spend discipling our children. You see, in the past few weeks, they have asked me to read them Bible stories before bed, and I am embarrassed to say that I told them no many times because I was tired and it was past their bedtime.

I haven't spent as much time in the Word as I would have liked to either. And this really bothered me when I thought about where our time was going over the past few weeks. I realized that I have let the stuff of this world become more important than my relationship with Christ. And what convicted me even more was that my kids knew it.

"Mommy, why haven't we been reading our Bible lately?" Ugghh! God was certainly speaking to me through my children. These past few weeks have made me realize that while learning how to play sports and the piano are all good activities, in no way can they replace the gift of knowing God and continually living in His grace.

Thankfully, it's that grace that allows me to be forgiven and start over . . . this time with God as my priority and not the stuff of this world.

Dear Jesus, There is nothing better than living in your grace and knowing that the Holy Spirit lives inside of me. Please help me to keep you as my number one priority and to disciple my children so that they will know you and love you as they go up against the things of this world. Amen.