A friend reminded me recently to carve my blessings in stone, but my burdens in sand. At first blush, this thought appeared to be "a good idea." But as I continued to meditate on it, it became much more deep and precious to me. Who is it that knows my frame better than anyone else? Who is it that designed my burdens exactly to fit my weaknesses? My God, who called me to these burdens, is the same One who calls me to cast those burdens upon Him. What a sweet thought! On the other hand, if I have Him to carry my burdens, what would keep me from celebrating my blessings?! I find that the "dailies", which I would have written in a much more harsh light, become less hurtful and less important, the more I keep my eyes trained above, on all of the eternal blessings I enjoy through my relationship with the Lord!
The weekend is here. As I watch my friends' Facebook posts celebrating how many hours until their relaxing weekends start, I sometimes wonder when my weekend will come! I mean, really.... when does a mom get to simply see the clock strike 5, gather up her things, and walk out the door for 2 1/2 days? What bliss! But it has been a good evening. My 16-year old son took it upon himself to set up the Christmas village, even to the point of searching through the boxes in the attic for every last piece, then putting all the empty "village" boxes back in the attic. Of course, I haven't seen the attic since he last left it, but for now, I am enjoying a well-decorated living room. So everything isn't exactly the way I would have placed it. That's a good thing, though, because that means I wasn't the one doing it! Sometimes the rewards of consistent parenting just reach out and grab your attention, and the results are sweet!
Meanwhile, my 14-year old son has been lighting every candle he can find, mixing the aromas of vanilla, cinnamon spice, and evergreen in an interesting combination. He built a beautiful fire, too... a fire his sister referred to tonight as "a magazine fire." Even after the gas starter was off, the fire was spread beautifully across the neatly stacked logs - a rarity for my son's fires!
With one gone to basketball games and one at work, life seems a bit calmer tonight. We are constantly amazed at how much different the spirit of the house is with just one of those teen-aged alpha-males absent. It doesn't even really matter which one, as long as there are only two in the house at once! So I am counting my blessings tonight, and carving them in stone. (Granted, this is a much easier project when the burdens are as far away as last night or tomorrow!) But it is my choice to place my focus on blessings for today!
Rachel was called to motherhood when she married a widowed father of seven. She also has two biological children, and desires to honor the Lord with her writings. She holds a Master's degree in Secondary Christian Education and has educated her children at home since 2003.
That was so awesome, Mrs. Robart... It was really encouraging to read your blog. I want you to know that David and I have been praying for you all. Have a wonderful evening.:)
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