Circle of Life

I have this visual picture in my head from watching my mother sew as I grew up. I use to spend countless hours at the table watching her as she would make all sorts of things. I thought she could make anything...turns out she just about could! One of the things I remember seeing her do was attaching a straight pin on one end of a string and a pencil on the other and with it, she would draw a perfect circle on her fabric. So many times during my adult life when I have been caught up in the hustle and bustle of all the 'things' that are demanding my attention...I just have this flash in my mind of that piece of string that was anchored in the center of Mom's circle. By making sure that the pin was firmly in place, she could draw a perfect circle every time. When I find myself becoming overwhelmed with the little tedious tasks, I look for my 'pin'. Most of the time, that pin is in the form of the 'people' that I am performing tasks for. When I choose to focus on the 'who' and not the 'what' in life, my attitude changes as I remind myself that those people in my life are what it is all about and if I choose to anchor my thought life in my love for them, my circle certainly seems perfect! Busy, but, thank God I have so many awesome people in my life to keep me that way. Life's Good.

Seasons of Life...

It seems that about the time we get comfortable with the rhythms of our lives...the dance changes! What an interesting thing these seasons of our lives are. Years ago when my husband and I were starting out in ministry, with 3 small children, we realized that we were frequently saying, "when things slow down", finally one day we realized that things were not going to slow down! What we had to do was adjust to this new season of our life rather than try to make the season fit us - we adjusted our attitudes to fit the season. We understand this in dealing with the elements. If it's cold out, we dress accordingly. Doesn't matter if we like the cold...we deal with it. We didn't necessarily like soccer practice, basketball practice (it was divide and conquer...taking multiple children to different gyms for practices/games scheduled for the same time). It was a season, it blessed our children, so we did it! Thank God the seasons change. And thank God for a husband that had the wisdom early in our marriage to make sure that he and I were prepared for the season when it would be just the two of us. Here we are married 29 years and we still like each other and enjoy spending time together! Of course, as with nature there is sometime the unexpected...you know, a sudden rain or wind....so, we have awhile before we are actually completely alone. Our oldest is 29 - youngest is 10. Life's cool.

When We Hide, They'll Seek

One of the most valuable tools we can give our children is our belief that they are blessings. As parents, we must recognize the gifts that God has placed within them from birth and then determine to cultivate those gifts by 'hiding' them in a home filled with the love and peace of God. We don't hide our children from their world, but for their future. Knowing that our children have a destiny to fulfill, a purpose placed within and upon their life for a time when they are ready to pursue their God-given destiny is a motivating force for parents who are determined to raise their children according to a Master plan. When our children realize that we, their parents believe they are a gift that will touch and bless many throughout their lives, they find it easier to believe in themselves. Seeing our children seek their destiny in God...what a blessing for a parent!