Good Friday thoughts

Isaiah 53:3-4

The Message (MSG)

 ^2-6The servant grew up before God—a scrawny seedling, 
   a scrubby plant in a parched field.
There was nothing attractive about him, 
   nothing to cause us to take a second look.
He was looked down on and passed over, 
   a man who suffered, who knew pain firsthand.
One look at him and people turned away. 
   We looked down on him, thought he was scum.
But the fact is, it was our pains he carried— 
   our disfigurements, all the things wrong with us.
We thought he brought it on himself, 
   that God was punishing him for his own failures.
But it was our sins that did that to him, 
   that ripped and tore and crushed him—our sins!
He took the punishment, and that made us whole. 
   Through his bruises we get healed.
We're all like sheep who've wandered off and gotten lost. 
   We've all done our own thing, gone our own way.
And God has piled all our sins, everything we've done wrong, 
   on him, on him.

Jesus, forgive me for only barely understanding all that it is you did for me.  That you not only carried my sins, but the whole worlds.  I cannot even begin to imagine how horrible and heavy, thick and rancid, emotional and overwhelming that must have been.  When I'm carrying my own sin around it distorts my vision, creates physical presences such as headaches and muscle's hurting, can give gloom to my day and my being.  It can cripple me at times. And left to linger it eats away at me.  Oh, the disgusting thought that you must have felt similar things....while baring the sin of not just one man....but all mankind....and not just one sin, but a lifetime of sins.  And none your own.  You had never known the horror and separation it brings from life, from God.  You had never sinned. And yet our sin separated you from God the Father...because that's what sin does. It separates. It divides.

You continued to bare our sin even when people mocked you. Put thorns on your head. Beat you. Humiliated you.  You could have changed your mind at any time. These weren't your sins to carry.  You could have called the wrath of God down on those who hurt you, who despised you.  You could have asked the angels to attend you. But you didn't. You continued on to the very end....so you could say, "It is finished." So the curse could be BROKEN.  That we could have the opportunity of being freed from the curse of sin and death. Something we could never do on our own.

I am overwhelmed at what you did for me. For all of us. Thank you. Thank you.

I desire to live my life for you. I truly do.  And at times I find hard.  And much of the time I find I am distracted by the world around me.  But I want to live for you.  Please help me. Help me to lean on your Holy Spirit.  Help me to be focused and intentional about how I live me life. And when my emotions blind me, give me clarity.  I am Yours, and I desire to live for You.

Not Giving Up

Oh, the joys of parenting! Monday the verse at our mom's group was Galatians 6:9, "Let us not grow weary of doing good for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up."  It was encouraging us moms to keep instilling good virtues into our children; to keep sharing with them about the Lord, His Word, and how that plays out into our everyday lives; to not give up...even when it sounds like we're a broken record telling our kids to put away their shoes, or be kind to one another, etc.

That verse has continued to play in my mind a lot this week.  We all have those moments (sometimes more often than not) that just feel overwhelming or frustrating. 

Today at the grocery store I had a moment where I am proud to say I feel like I did the right thing, and I think my kids learned a lesson! (Hooray....because I can also attest to that is not always the case for myself or my kids). They were having a hard time listening and obeying the whole shopping experience. Running, hiding, and in particular sitting on the grocery racks & then again on a bunch of soda cans that were for sale.  They had already been scolded, taken a time out, etc.  We went out to the car (me frustrated) and as I loaded the car with the groceries I felt like God gave me an idea.  I then proceeded to have another chat with my kids about how it was not only them being disobedient to me, but being disrespectful to the store owners, workers, and other shoppers. Then I had them walk back into the store and apologize to the checkout clerk we had been with earlier.  They became very serious, I think perhaps a little nervous. They apologized, sharing what it was specifically that they had done to be disrespectful, and then asked for forgiveness. I must say I was not anticipating the look of shock on the clerks' face, nor that of those in line.  But he forgave them, and my kids went into the next store with me much more helpful and obedient.  =)

It is my hope that my boys will grow up being respectful of other people and their property. The good news about Galatians 6:9 is it says we'll reap a harvest if we don't give up.  So, bit by bit we'll keep "planting" and I'm looking forward to the "harvest" when they don't need me to remind them of the right thing to do. In the mean time...may the Lord continue to help me "not give up" because there are for sure times that I feel that way.

Blessings on all of you! 

Michelle

ABC verses

Some of you have asked about our ABC verses on the wall in the boys room.   It is definitely a work in progress…finally having half of them up now!  I am looking forward to the rest being painted soon.  =)

It is amazing how many of them (or at least pieces of them) that the boys know already.  A-E have been up for several years, so of course they are the most known.  Plus, I made up songs about those 5, so they know the songs as well.  And Ethan can even read the newest ones, which still surprises Mario and I.  It’s amazing to hear and be a witness to him reading. Each night before bed we review a Scripture verse or passage together.  Mario even has helped Ethan to memorize Psalm 23 in the NLT!  Ethan does such a great job, and it's wonderful to hear Marcelo chiming in the parts he knows.  =)

It is our prayer that these verses would be the beginning of a lifetime of hiding God’s Word in their hearts; that these simple truths would bring clarity and hope in hard moments.  That when they do something right they know who to give credit to, and that when they do something wrong they know why is was wrong and what to do differently in the future.   And I am amazed at how they speak truth to me as well…like when I’m frustrated about something and not using the kindest tones…verse B pops into my head! 

May the Lord continue to mold and shape us as parents so we can better guide our children towards Truth. 

A: Above all else, guard your heart for it is the wellspring of life.  Proverbs 4:23

B: Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.  Ephesians 4:32

C: Children obey your parents in the Lord.  Ephesians 6:1

D: Do to others what you would have them do to you. Luke 6:31

E: Every good and perfect gift is from above. James 1:17

F: For the Lord is the great God, the great king above all gods. Psalm 95:3

G: Give thanks in all circumstances. 1 Thessalonians

H: He who began a good work it you will carry it on to completion. Philippians 1:6

I: I praise you because you made me in such a wonderful way. Psalm 139:14

J: Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” John 14:6

K: Keep your tongue from speaking evil and your lips from telling lies. 1 Peter 3:10

L: Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind. Luke 10:27

M: My soul finds rest in God alone. Psalm 62:1

May these ABC verses be a blessing to you and your family, however you choose to use them.  Hide them in your heart.  You’ll be glad you did!

Insanity, Chaos, & a New Perspective

It's not easy raising little warriors.....can anyone else relate??  Ethan (almost 5) and Marcelo (2) are so FULL of energy it's CRAZY most of the time.  =)  And they currently seem to have a love/hate relationship.  Mostly they love each other...but they play games like "let's push each other and laugh and laugh until someone gets hurt." (Of course that's not what they call the game. I think they actually refer to it as BONK, and they, of course, never "mean" for anyone to get hurt).

They also really like the "let's sing, shout, stomp, and scream to make mom go crazy" game. I was thinking today it is REALLY good we don't live in an apartment.

But then in the midst of it all there are these WONDERFUL PRECIOUS moments that melt my heart.  Like Marcelo ALWAYS saying "thank you mom" whether I give him a cookie, a car to play with, or open a door for him. Or Ethan exclaiming, "Mom, this dinner is GREAT!!!"

Mario and I talk occasionally how when we take time to think about it, we are probably A LOT like our kids in how we act towards our Heavenly Father. I am SO GLAD He has soooooo much more patience that I do!!! I can't imagine how many "time out's" I'd be in.  (Or that maybe I've been in and thought it was all God's fault instead of my own).

Well, nothing like having kids to help us live with a mix of near insanity and gaining a new perspective on our personal relationship with the Lord.  Hmmmm...think that was on purpose??  I do.   =)

Enjoy the last bit of September!!

Michelle