Being Brave May 22, 2009

“Help us be brave with one another, for these are the days.”    What does this prayer mean to you when you first read it?  I read it several times as my mind tried to wrap around it.   It struck me somewhere deep and I couldn’t stop reading the phrase.  To be brave…have courage, boldness, not be scared or worried…   Those were my initial thoughts.  For today has enough worry of it’s own, right?  So be joyful and brave.  God is with you.    Then, I looked it up in the dictionary and what it said really made me think.  Brave; ready to face and endure danger or pain, show courage. Read that again, would you?  I still can’t stop reading it.

I had this picture in my head of Superman or Batman, maybe because I recently watched the movies of these superheroes.  When their person becomes the hero, they are super strong, super courageous, super people…not afraid of anything, not scared, not thinking of themselves…they are brave.  But when the mask and outfit comes off, we see that they are just people.  They love, desire, fear, hurt and feel.  Is it really being a superhero that we desire?  To be strong, courageous, not afraid of anything, always thinking of others first?   Sometimes, I think I do desire that.  I weigh myself down too often with the cares of this world and desire to just let it all go.  “Don’t worry, but happy!”   But this prayer that I read this morning brought me back down to earth.  It’s not just about being ready to face and overcome danger or pain…it’s about being ready to face and endure danger or pain.  It’s about living.  It’s about reconciliation and restoration.  It’s about being willing to go deep within to face and endure the danger and pain in broken relationships, with addictions, with hurts, fears and doubts.  It’s about being vulnerable.  For it is when we allow ourselves to walk through the pain and hurt that we can be restored and renewed. These were words I needed to hear today.  This is a challenge I need to grab hold of in my life.

“Help us be brave with one another, for these are the days.”

Jesus, may we love openly, enter into the deep wounds and scars of our hearts, reach out with compassion and hope in relationships where there is heartache and hurt and experience the healing power of your love and grace.  And may we find humility when others come, trying to brave in their relationship with us.  For these are the days that have been given to us.  This is our time.  May we have courage to be brave with one another today.  Amen

I am reading a new book, Cold Tangerines, by Shanuna Neiquist.  Brian gave it to me for Mother’s Day. and I am loving it.  She writes a collection of short stories, glimpses of life experiences and how they have shaped her.  This prayer was in a chapter I read this morning.

The Merry Month of May! May 5, 2009

Is it really May already?   WOW!   May is a fun month.  My sister’s birthday begins May, my birthday comes in May, mothers are celebrated in May, Spring is in full bloom or at least beginning to bloom, depending upon where you are at.  I love May.  It’s merry for me.  Today is a rainy May day, but a good one.  So just wanted to say, “Happy May!”  to you all.  May you be blessed this Spring with the gift of New Life!

Oh, the 2s and the 3s the 16s… April 20, 2009

Terrible?  Terrific?  I’ve heard both.  Is there really a way to describe this time in a child’s life, and the parents’?  Some days it feels terrible, some days are terrific, and then there are the in-between days.  It’s a time of independence.  Zachary wants to try everything, do everything and wants it right now.  He LOVES to get a reaction out of you.  It fuels him up.  So I try.  I try to intervene and teach and help with patience and little emotion, except when we are celebrating successes.  It’s hard, I admit, but I will still try.  I know he is not fully understanding yet and not fully communicating yet.  He is growing so quickly.  I believe that as a parent it is my job to help him learn and understand this crazy world he lives in…how to respect and treat others, how to be gentle and nice, how to love and help, and how to express emotions and wants in a healthy way.  And I know it will not end when he turns 3 or 16.  This is a time of exploration and independence, but isn’t all life this way?   When I really think about it, I am going on 38 and I haven’t mastered all this yet either.  So I continue to try with patience and love, knowing that there will be rough days, but hoping that through it all he will grow to love and respect others and this world in which he lives.  And as I work with him, may I be reminded to do the same.   Bless us, Lord as we try.

“All Things New” April 14, 2009

Here I sit, two days after Easter.  He is risen!  Amen!   I have not forgotten and yet my life seems to pull me into the same old, same old routine.  Does the news of Easter change us?  Do we look at the world differently?  Are we challenged and made new?  I want to be.  I want to carry the joy of Easter with me every day.  I want to smile at my neighbor, lend a hand where there is need, love my family and share the good news of Jesus and the grace He has given us.  Reality…I am human.  I will have those days of low energy, no motivation, loneliness and weariness.  I know this to be true, but I also know the Truth.   Jesus died for us.  He gave His life that we may have new life and have it abundantly.  I will not forget, and when I am down, I will look up, for I know He is with me.  Wherever you are on your journey through life, may you never forget that you are loved.  He makes all things new.  All things, even you and me!

I very much enjoy the music of Andrew Peterson. His album “Resurrection Letters Vol: II” has slipped into my favorites.  I want to share this song with you. It is called All Things New.  You can listen to it and more at   http://www.rhapsody.com/andrew-peterson .

You can check out Andrew Peterson at  http://www.andrew-peterson.com

“Come broken and weary. Come battered and bruised. My Jesus makes all things new, all things new. Come lost and abandoned. Come blown by the wind. He’ll bring you back home again, home again. Rise up, oh you sleeper, awake, the light of the dawn is upon you. Rise up, oh you sleeper, awake, he makes all things new.
Come frozen with shame. Come burning with guilt. My Jesus, he loves you still, he loves you still. Rise up, oh you sleeper, awake, the light of the dawn is upon you. Rise up, oh you sleeper, awake, he makes all things new. The world was good, the world is fallen, the world will be redeemed, so hold on to the promise. The stories are true that Jesus makes all things new. The dawn is upon you. Rise up, oh you sleeper, awake, the light of the dawn is upon you. Rise up, oh you sleeper, awake, he makes all things new.”

Suffering, sort of March 31, 2009

Today I have been reminded of suffering first hand!   As I journey through Lent I am reminded of a suffering in which I can not comprehend and this day is no comparison to the Lord’s suffering on the cross, I know that deeply, but….  My poor little guy is suffering today.  He had a temp this weekend, has a runny nose, a yucky cough and is welcoming new teeth.   He is not a happy guy today.  He is just plain miserable.  He has moments of play and smiles, but most of the day has been about crying, wining and clinging to mom.   His suffering rushes over me.  I feel helpless for this little man whom I love so desperately.  I get frustrated and tired, but I take deep breaths, scoop him into my arms and love him as much as I can.  And I think about Mary.  How much love she must have had for her son.  How much suffering she must have gone through as she watched him take that long walk to the cross.  My mommy heart aches for Mary tonight and all who have lost.  Thank you Lord, for that walk of healing love.  May it rush over us this season.  Thank you.  I love you.