Have you ever noticed how many times we are instructed to praise in God's word? I mean really, why would God not just expect us to praise Him when we feel grateful and let us off the hook when life gets rough? I'm beginning to realize (yes, again... how many times must I learn the same lesson!?) that sometimes, giving praise because of the trial in my life brings a greater blessing.
Lately, I've had no trouble finding things to praise God for... a relaxing afternoon hosting a beloved missionary family, a peaceful evening playing board games with my kiddos, my husband's renewed health to return to work after an extended illness... the blessings have been flowing heavily around here!
So why, tonight, did I find myself grasping at straws to write in my gratitude journal? It wasn't that rough of a day. Pretty relaxing, really. My girls and I read aloud together, I made some yummy home-cooked meals, nothing broke down, and there wasn't even any teenager conflict like sometimes rears its ugly head! I'm blessed! So why couldn't I think of something to put into words?
Because God wanted more from me today. He wanted a sacrifice of praise today. He wasn't going to let me off the hook with the typical blessings today. It was time for me to dig deeper into my soul and obey His order to give thanks in everything! So, here goes...
Disclaimer: If you're a military spouse, or someone whose spouse truly works long hours, you have my respect! But for me, anything longer than an eight-hour shift sets me to counting the minutes for my husband's return. Today, my challenge was to thank God for overtime. It hasn't been too long since I was worried about whether my husband would ever be well enough to return to work full-time. God has restored his health completely! And just a few weeks before that, we were going over the budget with a fine-tooth comb, trying to figure out how to keep loose ends together until "overtime season" returned. So I'm grateful today. On this, a beautiful Saturday that passed peacefully without incident, I'm grateful that my husband spent nearly twelve hours at work. I'm grateful that he missed out on going to a mystery shop for dinner with me and four of the kids. I'm grateful that we had to play our nightly round of skip-bo without his competitive hand or his wry humor. I'm grateful that I snuggled down into a cold bed, shivering until my heating blanket warmed up, while he was finishing his last flight at work. And I'm especially grateful that my husband is a hard-worker who doesn't complain about the longer days!
I'm not saying "thank you" because I feel like it, but because it is the right thing to do. Again, I know many of you suffer far worse than this, especially if your husband works out of town or out of the country. You have my undying respect and gratitude. But for me, this is what God asked of me today, to sacrifice by thanking Him for my husband's work schedule.
What are you grateful for today? Let me know in the comments below. I look forward to hearing from you!
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.
Showing posts with label teens. Show all posts
Showing posts with label teens. Show all posts
Saturday, January 18, 2014
Thursday, April 7, 2011
The Cat Years
This is an article originally written by Adair Lara, quoted from San Francisco Chronicle and passed along to me by a friend.
"I just realized that while children are dogs -- loyal and affectionate -- teenagers are cats. It's so easy to be a dog owner. You feed it, train it, boss it around. It puts its head on your knee and gazes at you as if you were a Rembrandt painting. It bounds indoors with enthusiasm when you call it.
"Then, around age 13, your adoring little puppy turns into a big old cat. When you tell it to come inside, it looks amazed, as if wondering who died and made you emperor. Instead of dogging your footsteps, it disappears. You won't see it again until it gets hungry -- then it pauses on its sprint through the kitchen long enough to turn its nose up at whatever you're serving. When you reach out to ruffle its head, in that old affectionate gesture, it twists away from you, then gives you a blank stare, as if trying to remember where it has seen you before.
"You, not realizing that the dog is now a cat, think something must be desperately wrong with it. It seems so antisocial, so distant, sort of depressed. It won't go on family outings.
"Since you're the one who raised it, taught it to fetch and stay and sit on command, you assume that you did something wrong. Flooded with guilt and fear, you redouble your efforts to make your pet behave.
"Only now you're dealing with a cat, so everything that worked before now produces the opposite of the desired result. Call it, and it runs away. Tell it to sit, and it jumps on the counter. The more you go toward it, wringing your hands, the more it moves away.
"Instead of continuing to act like a dog owner, you can learn to behave like a cat owener. Put a dish of food near the door, and let it come to you. But remember that a cat needs your help and your affection too. Sit still, and it will come, seeking that warm, comforting lap it has not entierely forgotten. Be there to open the door for it.
"One day, your grown-up child will walk into the kitchen, give you a big kiss and say, 'You've been on your feet all day. Let me get those dishes for you.' Then you'll realize your cat is a dog again."
I hope this is an encouragement, as well as a bit of comic relief, for the many of us struggling to find our equilibrium with teen-aged and adult kids. They are worth every bit of the challenge. Imagine how much we are learning from them about how to be more Christ-like!
"I just realized that while children are dogs -- loyal and affectionate -- teenagers are cats. It's so easy to be a dog owner. You feed it, train it, boss it around. It puts its head on your knee and gazes at you as if you were a Rembrandt painting. It bounds indoors with enthusiasm when you call it.
"Then, around age 13, your adoring little puppy turns into a big old cat. When you tell it to come inside, it looks amazed, as if wondering who died and made you emperor. Instead of dogging your footsteps, it disappears. You won't see it again until it gets hungry -- then it pauses on its sprint through the kitchen long enough to turn its nose up at whatever you're serving. When you reach out to ruffle its head, in that old affectionate gesture, it twists away from you, then gives you a blank stare, as if trying to remember where it has seen you before.
"You, not realizing that the dog is now a cat, think something must be desperately wrong with it. It seems so antisocial, so distant, sort of depressed. It won't go on family outings.
"Since you're the one who raised it, taught it to fetch and stay and sit on command, you assume that you did something wrong. Flooded with guilt and fear, you redouble your efforts to make your pet behave.
"Only now you're dealing with a cat, so everything that worked before now produces the opposite of the desired result. Call it, and it runs away. Tell it to sit, and it jumps on the counter. The more you go toward it, wringing your hands, the more it moves away.
"Instead of continuing to act like a dog owner, you can learn to behave like a cat owener. Put a dish of food near the door, and let it come to you. But remember that a cat needs your help and your affection too. Sit still, and it will come, seeking that warm, comforting lap it has not entierely forgotten. Be there to open the door for it.
"One day, your grown-up child will walk into the kitchen, give you a big kiss and say, 'You've been on your feet all day. Let me get those dishes for you.' Then you'll realize your cat is a dog again."
I hope this is an encouragement, as well as a bit of comic relief, for the many of us struggling to find our equilibrium with teen-aged and adult kids. They are worth every bit of the challenge. Imagine how much we are learning from them about how to be more Christ-like!
Sunday, January 30, 2011
His strength is made perfect...
This week God has had me studying through the circumstances surrounding David's prayer for forgiveness. As I've looked at the rewards of a broken and contrite heart, my own heart has been so encouraged. It seems I am most faithful in my time with the Lord when my time seems the most limited. Lord, grant me consistency in my spiritual walk!
Yesterday ended my husband's two weeks on what we call the 'night shift'. Really, he only works till 8:00 or 9:00 most evenings, but because this involves most of the kids' inter-active hours, it makes a real difference in the spirit of our home. When Dan left for his shift yesterday, two of the kids were heading out to various activities, but the one (of the teen boys) who would be staying with me had already been part of several discipline situations. I was dreading the prospect of constantly correcting him, which I suspected would culminate with my being accused of just being a 'wicked step-mom.'
Instead, God showed His strength through my weakness, and I had a wonderful afternoon and evening with M! What a change from the way I had assumed the evening would go! We laughed and teased each other, and he helped me to accomplish all the little 'necessary' things, while interacting sweetly with the younger girls, who were also home. It was such a sweet reminder to me of God's ability to shine through our weaknesses, at the end of a long work-week without my hubby, to change each of our behaviors just enough to truly enjoy our time together.
I hope you'll take with you today the reminder that God's strength comes in surprising ways sometimes. Instead of giving me the consistency I thought I would need to be a loving disciplinarian for the expected problems, God just granted me a fun evening with a son whom I dearly love! What a joy! Go in grace...
Rachel
Yesterday ended my husband's two weeks on what we call the 'night shift'. Really, he only works till 8:00 or 9:00 most evenings, but because this involves most of the kids' inter-active hours, it makes a real difference in the spirit of our home. When Dan left for his shift yesterday, two of the kids were heading out to various activities, but the one (of the teen boys) who would be staying with me had already been part of several discipline situations. I was dreading the prospect of constantly correcting him, which I suspected would culminate with my being accused of just being a 'wicked step-mom.'
Instead, God showed His strength through my weakness, and I had a wonderful afternoon and evening with M! What a change from the way I had assumed the evening would go! We laughed and teased each other, and he helped me to accomplish all the little 'necessary' things, while interacting sweetly with the younger girls, who were also home. It was such a sweet reminder to me of God's ability to shine through our weaknesses, at the end of a long work-week without my hubby, to change each of our behaviors just enough to truly enjoy our time together.
I hope you'll take with you today the reminder that God's strength comes in surprising ways sometimes. Instead of giving me the consistency I thought I would need to be a loving disciplinarian for the expected problems, God just granted me a fun evening with a son whom I dearly love! What a joy! Go in grace...
Rachel
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