Monster Vines

There is something about spring that makes me relish working outside.  Maybe it’s having been cooped up all winter, maybe it’s the sense of starting new things we’ll enjoy all year, but the first decent weather we got this year, I went out and tackled a major yard project.  We have a wonderful clump of black raspberry bushes in a corner of the yard, but have never been able to get to the middle of the clump.  Every year, I would reluctantly have to leave the waste of whatever berries we could not possibly reach.  As I made a path through this circle of bushes, I and my daughter tackled some monsters:  wild grapevines that had taken over the whole area.  Left alone, they would choke out both the berry bushes and a nearby lilac.  The insidious roots had grown as close as possible to the lilac roots, and also throughout the good berry bushes.  Many hours later, most (and I’m hoping all) of those vines are out.  We can now get to both sides of the bushes, and the lilac has a chance to live.  My daughter asked me if we were done with those vines and had gotten them all.  I told her that even though it looked like we got all of them, we would have to continue to fight them every year to keep any we missed underground from taking over again.  People have wild grapevines in their lives.  Sins and bad habits we think we’ve conquered in the past sometimes pop up again unexpectedly.  Many times, they try to grow as close to something good as they can in hopes that we won’t notice or be able to pull them out without harming the good.  We must continually give our lives to God to help us pull out the bad so that we may bear good fruit.  A little evil left alone will try to take over like a wild grapevine.  Good that we are trying to do would be hampered and eventually choked out.  The good news is that small shoots are easier to pull out than old, established monster-vines.  Don’t be surprised to see a few weeds pop up in your life.  We aren’t perfect, and can’t see underground.  God can see into our hearts, and if He brings a “weed” to your attention, by all means pull out the sucker before it takes over!  He has a shovel for those monster-vines, too, and He knows we can’t do it alone.  The Master Gardener will make you flourish when you belong to Him.  No “monster weed” in our life is too much for Him, for He already has the victory, and nothing can tear His children out of His capable hands. 

 

John 15:5 New King James Version (NKJV)  ⁵ “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.

John 16:33 New King James Version (NKJV) ³³ These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will^[a] have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”

Image above from: https://www.google.com/search?hl=en&site=imghp&tbm=isch&source=hp&biw=1440&bih=742&q=wild+grape+vines+killing+trees&oq=wild+grape+vine&gs_l=img.1.8.0l2j0i5j0i24l7.1877.7209.0.13554.15.15.0.0.0.0.278.1788.10j3j2.15.0...0.0...1ac.1.8.img.wd_o1wFleG4#hl=en&site=imghp&tbm=isch&sa=1&q=wild+grape+vine&oq=wild+grape+vine&gs_l=img.12..0l2j0i5j0i24l7.30261.30933.0.32169.2.2.0.0.0.0.99.193.2.2.0...0.0...1c.1.8.img.6MA98jFReyY&bav=on.2,or.r_cp.r_qf.&bvm=bv.44770516,d.dmQ&fp=db88c441c86eb29&biw=1440&bih=742&imgrc=OHGiXXrgosxDAM%3A%3BQlm6LfbQH7cQEM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.thegreatsmokymountains.org%252Fblog%252Fwp-content%252Fuploads%252Faf-grape-vines.jpg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.smokiesinformation.org%252Fblog%252Fthe-park-wakes-up-from-winter%252F%3B323%3B431

Remembering the past

We all face unpleasant circumstances at various points in our lives such as unemployment, physical illness, or loneliness. Immediately after a difficulty has ended or a long awaited blessing has finally come to pass, it is natural to feel extremely grateful, but as time passes, it is easy to take things like good health, a loving spouse, the ability to pay our bills, or our children for granted. My three-year-old son was diagnosed with eosinophilic esophagitis when he was seventeen months old. Because swallowing had been so painful for him until he was treated for this disease, he developed a severe feeding disorder. Last April we spent four weeks at a hospital two hours from our home so that he could participate in an intensive feeding program. Upon entering that program at the age of twenty-seven months old, he was only consuming a special formula and coconut milk yogurt. The first time I saw him chew a miniscule crumb was a spectacular moment. He had his first bite of cake two months before his third birthday. Now he is almost like a typical preschooler in terms of his eating skills. There are times, such as when he takes ninety minutes to eat a bowl of cereal, that I get frustrated, but then I try to stop and reflect on how far he's come. A year ago the thought of him eating a bowl of anything was completely out of the realm of possibility.

Counting my blessings is one of the surest ways to boost my spirits. I know there are many people in the world who suffer in ways that I cannot fathom. I have never lacked for food, shelter, or clothing. Giving thanks for those blessings doesn't have the same effect on my emotions as recalling how the Lord has brought me through various struggles in the past. For example, when I remember the pain we experienced during our six year battle with infertility, I'm overwhelmed with gratitude for the three precious children the Lord has given us, and it eases any angst I might be feeling towards one of them in a particular moment. There are examples in the Bible of people building various memorials to remember God's faithfulness and provision. In I Samuel 7:12 it speaks of an Ebenezer stone that Samuel set up to remember how the Lord had helped them. We can create an Ebenezer stone just by taking the time to reflect on the difficulties the Lord has brought us through thus far. We have so much to be thankful for!

Cathedral

strung like paper dolls
round the sacred space
tear apart the hands
tape me into Grace

It's Got Me Thinking

  Like most of you I watched the History Channel's series "The Bible" over the past several weeks.  I enjoyed seeing the stories come to life and watching my 9 year old really get excited about seeing what was going to happen next. As I watched the 4th episode, which left off where Jesus had been arrested, lyrics to a song that a friend had written years ago suddenly seem to come to life.
   The line that has been rolling around in my head says "They thought He would come with sword in hand. Instead, it pierced His side".
   Although I grew up in church hearing about Jesus week in and week out, I never really thought about the historical context of what was happening during His life on earth. It took watching a TV show to get me thinking..... The Jewish people were in a revolution. They thought that Jesus was the one who was going to save them from the Roman Government. They thought that Jesus was going to lead them into a victorious battle. They thought their redemption would come about by force.
   I can only imagine their despair while they watched in horror as Jesus was arrested, beaten, and finally crucified. Everything that they had pinned their hope on was hanging on a tree...dead. The 3 days that followed must have been agonizing as they were trying to come to grips with what had happened. Then He got up! What they were looking for as a temporary fix played out to be an eternal redemption. (Smiling because it includes me:)
   God's way of working things out doesn't coincide with the way humans think it should be done, but there is always a purpose..... and that purpose is always for our good!
  

A Lamb, The Lamb, or Your Lamb?

Last weekend my husband and I participated in a Passover Seder with friends from a local Messianic Jewish congregation.  If you ever have the opportunity, you should go to one.  It is so powerful to hear the story of Passover as it so vividly paints a portrait of Yeshua, Jesus, the Passover Lamb.  There is a part of the Seder which entails taking three pieces of matzah (unleavened bread) and placing them in a special linen bag with three pockets.  During the seder, the middle piece is removed from the bag and broken in two.  One piece is returned to the bag while the other is wrapped in a linen napkin and hidden by the father, to be sought out after dinner by the children and redeemed for a prize.  This piece is called the "afikomen" which is a Greek word meaning "He has come."  Wow... can you see the portrait that is beginning to take shape?  If you look at the matzah you will see that it is pierced through, it has stripes, and it is bruised (the browned spots).  Isaiah 53:5 "but He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed."  A beautiful picture of the Passover Lamb, Jesus!

As the Seder was coming to a close, one of the things that made a huge impact on me was the question of whether I saw Jesus as "A lamb," (one of many ways), "THE Lamb," or "MY Lamb!"  Who is He to you?

The Journey for Answers

When Sarah was born, she was very alert. She began to search for
her daddy when she first heard him speak. The nurses were amazed
at how attentive she was & exclaimed how intelligent she must be.
I took Sarah to her standard doctor appointments, as any parent
would do. After she received her vaccinations, I noticed that her
eyes didn't seem to be able to focus & her temperament changed.

When Sarah was about 2 years old, I told her not to do something.
She continued again & again doing the exact same behavior. I
would discipline her afterward, and then it dawned on me, this is
not normal behavior. Why is she not understanding? Discipline is
used to correct wrong behavior, but this is like the 20th time I have
disciplined her for the same thing. This began our journey to find
what was different about Sarah, what the cause was and how to fix it.

God hasn't ever given me a neon sign with detailed instructions, as
I would have liked, when it came to raising Sarah. However, He has
been there every step of the way, leading and guiding. Without Him,
I can do nothing, BUT, through Christ, all things are possible.

Spring Cleaning

About four times a year I go through the house and do a little “Spring cleaning”.  You know…..resetting our systems and making sure those systems still work for us.  De-cluttering and wondering how on earth the house became so full once again of things we never intended to keep.  And the icing on the cake, a good deep clean with some lovely scented cleaner.  I usually use a homemade lilac scented multi-purpose, but this year I opted for a wonderful honeysuckle scent. I never knew I even liked the smell of honeysuckles, but it is lovely.

Our purpose as a family to do all of this is to enable us to be more efficient, and orderly.  To help us keep our focus and peace within our home.  We want to be free to do as God has called us to, without the frustrations of clutter and “things” in our way.  They may be things that distract us, things that pile on top of stuff we actually need to be productive, or just things that do not bring joy or practicality. 

I also take this time to do a little “Spring cleaning” of the soul.  Is there clutter in my heart that is making me less productive? Are there things in my mind that I never indented to keep a hold of?  Does my heart need a good deep cleaning?

The goal is to serve the Lord and to bring Him glory, is there anything that is distracting me from fulfilling that purpose? 

Psalm 139:23-24

Search me, O God, and know my heart!
    Try me and know my thoughts!
 And see if there be any grievous way in me,
    and lead me in the way everlasting!

We just disagree.

While this week should have been a celebration of the holy and amazing plan of God to redeem the world, issues were put forth that brought dissension. I was astounded to learn from others that there is a thought that love and value come from total agreement with each other. In other words, if I don’t agree with every view you have I can’t be your friend. This shocks me.

A while ago I read on the internet of a mom that “hated those moms that put of their Facebook pages that [her view on a particular issue] is wrong. And how they say all the time they would never do [this thing I condone]. ” ( I did not mention her view on this parenting issue, because I did not want to start a debate on those thoughts.) This statement shocked me. First off, I don’t hate anyone for what their views are on ANY issue. And if someone put on Facebook a view I disagreed with, I would most certainly not hate them.

I have a person whom I consider a friend who really hates and I means HATES Christianity and Jesus. He posts on Facebook all the time how ridiculous and wretched my most sacred thoughts are. And while I absolutely do not agree, I do not hate. We have had the most wonderful and challenging debates that I have ever had in my life. For me they shored up my faith and made sure that I truly had support for what I believe. He paid me the highest compliment once, “I actually think that you are a Christian by choice and not parental brainwashing.” Thanks, I am.

This life calls us to have opinions in order to function. Our lives and thoughts on philosophy shape what those opinions are. When faced with a challenge, like parenting, we must quickly sort out what it is we will do to raise the child or face the challenge whatever it may be. It startles me that if I voice those opinions in an effort to help others, I will be hated for my thoughts. In these areas of debate, question me, challenge me, argue with me, but please don’t hate me.