"Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!" Luke 11:11-13

Thankful Thursday--Poop

I remember when I became a mom, and a fellow new mom commented about how much more time poop now dominated our thoughts.

What she didn't know was how much poop already dominated my thoughts.

In 1995, I was diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis. I don't know if it was a proper diagnosis--I was under a lot of stress, mostly due to a sinful relationship I was in with a coworker in my research group.

It was pretty mild at first, but continued to get worse despite various medications. I was on Prednisone for most of my pregnancy with Harmony, and still having horrible symptoms. I could tell you where every bathroom was in every public place. It got to the point where I stole diapers from the baby if we were going for a walk farther than a half block from our house. Nothing like having bloody diarrhea in the middle of a Walmart to bring you to your knees.

But I don't know that I really prayed about it, other than the "Oh God, not now!" and "Why me, Lord?"

One day in our Life Group, we opened by each silently reading a Psalm, then choosing a verse to share with the group. I read Psalm 6, and I was just totally overcome when I read verses 3 and 4: "My soul is in anguish. How long, O LORD, how long? Turn, O LORD, and deliver me; save me because of your unfailing love." I basically sat there crying through the rest of the small group.

When it was prayer time, we divided into smaller groups of men and women. I shared how much these verses had affected me. The leader asked, "So how long have you been praying for healing?" and my answer was, well, I don't know that I ever have.

So they prayed for me, laying hands on me and specifically praying that I be healed. I don't know that I felt better when we left, but gradually over the next two weeks, I went from 10-15 trips to the bathroom a day to two or three. One of the people who prayed for me followed up, and I said it was better but not perfect, and she prayed that God would complete his healing.

And He did.

I've been symptom free since then. While the doctors will describe it as remission, I'm taking no maintenance medications, and I know that it's not remission, but that God has healed me.

So this week I'm thankful for the power of prayer, that God really still does heal people when they seek Him, that the Kingdom of God can break through into this broken and fallen world.

And I'm thankful for poop. Normal, plain ol' poop.

Ebenezers

Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen. He named it Ebenezer, saying, "Thus far has the LORD helped us." 1 Samuel 7:12

"Go over before the ark of the LORD your God into the middle of the Jordan. Each of you is to take up a stone on his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the Israelites, 6 to serve as a sign among you. In the future, when your children ask you, 'What do these stones mean?' tell them that the flow of the Jordan was cut off before the ark of the covenant of the LORD. When it crossed the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. These stones are to be a memorial to the people of Israel forever." Joshua 4:5-7

I don't know about you, but I'm much better about recalling the bad than how God has provided for me. Like every time I see our dining room light, I remember the argument we had with our friend who faithfully helped us with our house for several years. And I know that every time I see this video, I'll be reminded of all the things I did wrong taking it--I should have panned out so you could see Harmony, I missed the first chord, etc.

What I need to be focusing on is how God has already provided for me--like putting Tom in our life for a season when we really needed that help and coaching, for giving us the opportunity to see Justin Roberts three times in one weekend, all free, and countless other ways He's provided in our lives.

So I'm going to try to erect some Ebenezers to remind me of how far the Lord has helped me. But instead of piles of rocks, they'll be testimonies here in my blog. If you want to add your ebenezer, just post a link in the comments!

Word filled Wednesday--harvest

"He told them, "The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field." Luke 10:2






Bring spiritual fruit into our children's lives, Lord. Raise them up to be harvesters of souls, not just strawberries, even now.

Dedication

Today we went to a christening (infant baptism) for a friend's baby. That was tough...a definte reminder of not having a church family to dedicate Hope in.

So after some mis-directed anger and a few tears, I got over it. More like, God reminded me that Hope isn't my child or even our child, but God's.

There is no reason we can't invite to our house to dedicate Hope to God. It's not the place, it's the people--us committing to raise Hope in the Lord, and our friends promising to help us and pray for her (and us).

It definitely makes all these things more work....but maybe that's a good thing.

Word Filled Wednesday

Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path. Psalm 119:105


Henry got a Bible of his own on Sunday. Tonight I asked Henry to find a book to read...and he picked his Bible. He really wanted to read Ephesians, chapter 4 (this is the exact passage he read). I'm pretty sure he picked the passage from a Bibleman reference, but it is soooo cool to see God working in your child's life!

Lord, thank you for working in Henry's heart and giving him the desire to read your Word for himself. Thanks that you promise that it will not return to you empty, but will accomplish what you desire and achieve the purpose for which you sent it (Isaiah 55:11). Help us to nurture that, and thanks for letting us see it.

See more Word Filled Wednesdays HERE!

Training 'em up

Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it. Proverbs 22:6

I'm excited that my peas are doing well--they taste so much better straight out of the garden! Part of growing peas includes training them onto a trellis. As they grow, they send out little suckers, that upon contact, wrap themselves around whatever they're touching--netting, a stick, another plant, even themselves. If they anchor to some kind of trellis, they'll be more upright, bear more fruit, and avoid diseases. When they wrap around themselves, it gets to be a tangled mess.

Maybe parenting is a bit like gardening--you plant the seeds and watch them grow, and pray they bear fruit. You offer scaffolding, untangle them from themselves, and encourage them to attach to the trellis and pray for strength and health.

We ordered a Bible for Henry. He's reading really well (He's read "James and the Giant Peach" and "How to Eat Fried Worms" in school). It's time we give him his own trellis. I'm looking forward to studying with him this summer!

Thanks for growth in our garden and in our children, Lord. Let them attach to You.