She laughed…

But Sarah denied it, saying, “I did not laugh,” for she was afraid. And He said, “No, but you did laugh!” Genesis 18:15 NKJV

How this resonates with my heart!

How often have I done this very thing?

Denied my actions out of fear.

Denied the thoughts of my heart from shame.

And yet how futile, how ridiculous!

To tell God, “No, I didn’t!”.

The picture of a child looking up into my face after I called them out for their behavior flashes into my mind.

They can not accept the truth and therefore deny it: “No! I didn’t!”

And my response:

“I saw you.”

And the same it is when my wayward stubborn heart refuses God gentle voice in question, “Why…?”

Just like Sarah, my heart is foolish with fear and I deny the truth.

And just like with Sarah, God responds: “No, but you did…”

What a wonderful God we serve, that He loves us enough to patiently teach and hone our hearts.

Then He does the unexpected.

Now Abraham was one hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him. And Sarah said, “God has made me laugh, and all who hear will laugh with me.”
Genesis 21:5‭-‬6 NKJV

The reason Sarah laughed in the first place was God had told Abraham that she would have a son.

Her heart couldn’t accept God’s promise at first and thus she laughed, because the idea was so far from expectation she found it funny.

But that didn’t hinder God.

And when this miracle happened Sarah laughed again, for pure joy.

Sarah had made a mistake in first not believing God and second in not admitting her doubt.

But God called her on it and then proceeded to follow through with His promise.

Although she made a mistake, she learned from it.

I want to be a woman like Sarah.

When God calls out my unbelief, I pray I remember this story and choose instead to humble myself before Him rather than deny the truth.

When God promises something, may my heart believe and not doubt.

I don’t want to be the child who denies the truth.

I want to be the child who learns from the past and walks with faith.

I want to be able to laugh with complete joy.

Psalm 119:73 KJV — JOD. Thy hands have made me and fashioned me: give me understanding, that I may learn thy commandments.

Dear Lord Jesus,

Thank You for the story of Sarah. Thank You for Your loving kindness and Your faithfulness. Lord, please continue to shine Your truth into my heart and mind. Let me learn from the past and teach me to be an obedient child of God, not wayward or headstrong. Lord, I want to laugh as I see the fulfillment of Your promises, even if those things take many years. Let me hold fast to integrity and to trust You completely. Thank You, Jesus for truth. Thank You for Your love. May the world be filled with the knowledge of You. Amen.

The gift of prayer

One of the pictures we took today.

Ever since the wonderful news was given, I’ve been praying.

When they told me that they were expecting a baby, all I could do was hug her and cry.

This has been a long awaited child.

We are all thrilled.

My prayers have been for the pregnancy, the health of both, and the blessings of God.

Each child is so unique.

Every single one a miracle.

All children need love, training, boundaries, and so much more.

With such incredible blessing there is equally important responsibility.

The weight of such can be overwhelming when your arms cradle your first child.

Yet, it is a wonderful weight.

It brings knowledge and understanding that on our own we could mess up badly this small life.

But through Jesus, we can find all the answers.

He gave us a wonderful guide book, the Bible.

And He is right there, to walk through it all.

These and many other things have been in my prayers for this family who are adding this long desired child to their home.

When I was praying for wisdom on what I should make this new little one, the Lord spoke clearly to my heart.

A book of prayers.

At first I felt a bit confused.

“You want me to write a book of prayers?”

Add pictures.

I knew exactly what the Lord was asking me to do.

Honestly, I had doubts.

How long will this take?

Where is my camera?

Do I have energy to add another project to my day?

Trust Me.

Walking in faith, I got up to look for my camera.

My kids were curious as to what I was doing, but once explained, they joined in to help.

I was surprised at how quickly we were able to take pictures.

I was stunned at how fast the layouts were completed.

I’ve been working on it all day, whenever homeschool would allow.

I’m not sure when it will be ready, but I’m trusting God it will be in time for the baby shower.

Honestly, I’m humbled by God’s love and mercy.

I’d never have even attempted such a thing, if He had not spoken to my heart.

And now I can hardly wait to see it completed.

What a pleasure to give the gift of prayer.

Both in act and in words.

Praise the Lord!

Lovely connection

Anyone who really knows our Bell isn’t surprised by this photo.

She’s such a light-hearted, fun loving person.

Infact I am nearly certain I’ve called her our Otter.

(From the insightful talks by Dr. Gary Smalley and Dr. John Trent.)

Yet, our Bell is serious too.

She’s been seeking the Lord for His path for her and we are expecting Him to speak during this trip of work and friends.

After all it was a similar time when our Sis heard the Lord direct her calling and she is currently walking in obedience to it.

Truly, the connection on my phone while video chatting with our Bell this morning was nice.

But connecting heart to heart with our Bell, even for a few minutes was lovely.

I was also blessed to hear from our friend who the girls are staying with and to see Bell’s best friend smile.

The lingering warmth of love between our daughter and myself is a cherished moment.

I love that our relationship is merging from parent and child to parent and adult.

I’m blessed to watch her choose Jesus and serve Him.

I have the privilege of standing aside to see what God will do.

And in about two weeks time, I’m excited to hear all the Lord has done.

What a lovely connection we share together.

Our love of one another and our love of Jesus.

Dear Lord Jesus,

Thank You for this opportunity for these young ladies. Please bless them. Open their hearts and minds. Let them see You in a fresh way. Let their personal relationship with You deepen. Please bless all those who are hosting our girls. Please bring them safely home again. Thank You for the wonderful relationship we have together. Let it continue to be the mirror which shines Your love to those who have yet to know You.

Father/Mentor

“Joash was seven years old when he became king, and he reigned forty years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Zibiah of Beersheba.” 2 Chronicles 24:1

Joash had a very unusual life. His grandmother had ordered the murder of all his brothers and him so she could wipe out the royal line and rule the kingdom herself.

She almost succeeded.

Joash’s aunt saved him and his nurse and took him to be raised in secret.

The man who raised Joash, and organized it so that he was placed in his proper position as king at seven years of age, was a man named Jehoiada.

Reading through the account of Joash’s life it becomes clear that he did very well as king the entire time Jehoiada was a live and guiding him.

While Joash had a good mentor/father he did well, made wise choices, and seemed to be the king he was meant to be.

Unfortunately things changed after Jehoiada’s death.

Joash did not finish well and it seems to point to the fact that he lacked the advice and wisdom of Jehoiada.

The place of father/mentor is extremely important.

A daddy can make such an impact for good or bad in their children.

A mentor can bless and encourage even if the “child” is an adult.

My own father died when I was 22.

Since then I have been blessed by different older gentlemen who have poured into my life in one way or another.

I never tire of hearing my father-in-law refer to me by my childhood nickname.

The advice I have gleaned from the perspective of 70 years of life have helped me to see past the present.

A friendly, “How are you doing?” or “I and my wife are praying for you.” can make the difference in my stress level.

But I know it is much more than how I have been blessed.

I have watched the impact my husband has on our four children.

The way he has taken other boys in and loved them by fishing and hunting trips.

Even now there is a young man that has stated more than once,

“When Jered dies, I have to speak at his funeral. I don’t want it to happen for a really long time but I don’t want you to forget, I need to be there.”

And I know the real impact is in the little things which seem to mean nothing at the time.

It is so special to see our son and another little boy (who has been on many fishing trips) atop my hubby as they watch a movie in the recliner.

There is just something so valuable about a good father/mentor.

And I am very aware that they are few.

Many a prayer has been said for those in our lives or we have heard of that have no such blessing.

But I am hopeful for those who have no mentor/father.

For when I have been in want of such the Lord has always been that voice of guidance through His word, the comfort of knowing He is strong and mighty, and the peace of remembering there are still men who walk in the footsteps of Jesus.