Merry Christmas from our family to yours!

.no more naughty or nice list.

 I have to believe I’m not the only mom who has ever threatened to take away a Christmas present due to a fit of bad behavior from her children….after all the naughty and nice list probably started with some stressed out mom whose kids had been stuck indoors for days because of rain and snow. I bet she found herself telling her children there was such a thing as this list in hopes the day would be easier and the kids would get along.

 Last night when I spoke those words….”That’s it, one more fight and I’m taking Christmas presents back to the store. “(and I’ll make you boys return them!), my words felt bitter coming out of my mouth. I started thinking about how conditional my statement to them was. If you are bad, I won’t bless you, if you are good,,,,, etc.

 “hmmmm, maybe I won’t say that ever again “, I thought to myself.

 But God had more of a lesson for me than I realized! Lately, and increasingly, I believe He has been using these happenings with our kids to reveal more of how great and UNCONDITIONAL His love is for me. This is a hard concept for me, because I am so aware of how unworthy I am to receive His love and quite honestly, I think “earning love” has been engrained into my fibers.

    
While I was trying to fall asleep, I was praying and thanking Jesus for coming. Praying that despite my being tired, and Pete being in trial, we would be able to focus on Him this week. Then this thought when through my head as I was replaying our evening and the statement I had made to the boys.

You came.

You sent Your son.

The greatest gift You could offer.

To me.

And You knew all along how I would treat Your gift.

You knew how I would treat the gift giver.

You knew I would resist it. You knew I would ignore it. You  knew I would reject it.

….. AND You still gave it to me.

 

If I knew my kids were going to treat their presents badly; ignore them, reject them, put them on a shelf and forget about them, hide them from their friends because they were embarrassed of them, and then beg me to have them back after treating them like that, I know I wouldn’t want to give them gifts.

Yet, that’s what God my Father did for me….Oh thank you Lord that your gift was not conditioned on my good behavior. You not only gave me your greatest gift, but gave me the ability I wouldn’t have had on my own to open it.

That said, I am never threatening to take away a Christmas present again for bad behavior. (I’ll ground them instead :) The naughty and nice list is dead in this house. After all, we don’t give to our children for any other reason than wanting to bless them and  show them how we love them as unconditionally as possible.

So here's to hoping and praying that maybe Michael, Allie and Alex will grasp just a little bit more than me, a little sooner than me, the love of my Jesus and His unconditional love for those who are His. After all, if you are on His list, you can't be erased!

Lesson learned - thank you Lord!

BHG 2009

Obedience that Sticks.

I’ve been chewing on a statement a friend made;

“Obedience out of duty is good and pleasing, but it won’t stick. It has to be rooted in love.”
God gave me a perfect example of this during a junior high music concert this week.

We are sitting at the boy’s music concert this past Wednesday. There are many groups that perform during the evening and so the music students sit and watch as part of the audience unless they are performing. The concert lasted a little over two hours. Long. And while sitting for that long is a stretch for most parents, it was even more of a challenge for the junior high students. Some of the students were talkative, some were slightly rude and some, I wanted to bop on the head.

First: (duty)
My oldest son was sitting a row in front of the “bop them on the head section”. When the chatter became border line rude, a big, large dad got up and stood against the wall in the aisle next to them and stared. They quieted down a bit, but were still occasionally talking. Michael seemed nervous.

Second: (fear)
20 minutes later the chatter starts to get a little louder. It’s not border line rude anymore. It’s distracting. This time one of the music teachers (who Michael really respects) came and sat down with them. Instantly the whole section was SILENT. After a few minutes she returned to her seat. Michael seemed worried.

Third: (duty, fear AND LOVE)
Again, within 20 minutes, the section of junior high boys became loud. In the row behind Michael, a boy had an ipod that he was letting the kids around him listen to. It was beyond distracting. Even though Michael wasn’t directly involved in the rude behavior, he was close to it and definitely contributing to the noise of the section. I think he felt my eyes on him, because he looked back at me. With one look, I said it all - “I am not pleased.” He nodded to let me understand he KNEW. Then, he got up and moved seats to a quieter section. He seemed sad.

While talking to him later, I asked him why he moved. His response was simply, “Mom, I knew you wanted me to.” I asked him why he didn’t move earlier when the dad and teacher came over. He said, “Mom, I care a little about what they think of me, but I really care what you think.”

I’m always praying for my kids to walk in the ways of the Lord – praying that they will obey Him and be spared the pits of sin. But what God is showing me is that I need to pray they grasp His love for them and in turn, fall in love with their Father. Then, the obedience will just flow, and…..

IT WILL STICK!

please pray for our friends!

Our hearts are breaking for our dear friends, and at the same time, we are humbled and encouraged  by THEIR overwhelming faith, testimony and complete trust in God as they face this huge trial.  God has united our families in unique and amazing ways.  please join us in praying for a miracle of healing and also for God to be very near to them right now- near and real!

Thanks,
Bre

Here is their Blog.

 http://geneburroughs.blogspot.com/

Allie Got Her Braces OFF! YEAH!!!

( The Before Pic)  The day she got them on.

The AFTER PICTURE....

One More...

1 Year, 11 Months and 3 days later - Our little girl is a young lady!

A heavy heart for my friend today.

When the presence of the infinite surrounds us like air -

The face of that which if finite grows  increasingly trivial.


BHG 12-2009

Thinking about my love for God and hoping for - Mature Love.

New Love oozes with passion
Stale Love becomes comfortable.
Selfish Love seeks gratification.
Foolish Love exhausts perfection.

But.

Mature Love -
Is overwhelmed with compassion.
Is alive.
Seeks to please.
Exists. Secure.

Oh your patience Father - that let's me grow.
And oh for Mature Love.