Tonight I had the privilege of going to a live performance of the entire Messiah (by Handel). Three of my children were in the choir (there were about 80 voices). There was a live small orchestra, with an electronic harpsichord. a trumpet and tympani drums. I was only 4 rows back so the sound was very good. They were all talented musicians and the performance was incredible. I'm sure there are better/more professional groups doing this around the world this time of year, but I think that the little town of Lynden outdoes itself with this performance every year, and this year was the best I've attended. This is only my third time I've attended, but it is also the third time in a row. It is the first time I have heard the Messiah in it's entirety live though. In the past I have sung the Messiah several times, both in a mass choir and in a college choir. Every time I loved it.
But today was different.
I didn't expect anything different. Yes, I looked forward to seeing/hearing my children in the choir. Yes, I looked forward to hearing the beautiful music that is The Messiah. But I got so much more.
Things started out normally enough. The tenor solo of "Comfort Ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God.....that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned." The soloist is amazing. One of the most beautiful voices in our area. He goes on with "Every valley shall be exalted and every mountain and hill made low; the crooked straight and the rough places plain."
About this time I start looking into the program and I notice something for the first time. There are "Parts." Three Parts. And Scenes. This looks more like a play. Part 1 - Prophecy and Promise of the Redeeming Messiah" Scene One - God's Comforting Promise. I have never thought of it that way. The Messiah....a play. Scene two: The purifying Messiah is Prophesied...Scene Three: God's Glory Comes Through a Virgin....the soloist are singing verses from Isaiah that foretold of the virgin birth...Scene Four: The Christmas Story....Scene 5: Christ, the Shepherd-King's Ministry on Earth
I'm reading ahead....and then WHAM....it hits me. This isn't an entire book of songs about Christmas. Handel did not write this to make Christmas more memorable. This is about Christ, THE MESSIAH. What the Bible tells us about Him. How it foretold His coming, His purpose.
And then in some Twilight Zone movie I get this perspective in my head that blows my mind. It's like I'm standing outside of time and space looking down at creation as more of a timeline...able to see the past, the present and the future....
The Messiah reveals in the beauty of music God's eternal plan. He revealed His promises and gives men prophesies about how the Messiah would come into the world to save mankind from sin. That the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all shall shall see it together.....that the God of Heaven would send His only Son to be born of a human virgin girl....that God's WORD would become flesh! That the people that walked in darkness have seen a great light! That "unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given....
Now I'm really into this performance. 100% committed. We are at Scene Four: (I've been mulling all this over during "Scene 3"). This part is the "Pastoral Symphony." You know, that part you skip because it's an instrumental piece...or you ignore while you find a fresh piece of gum...or start looking around to see if you see anyone you know in the audience....Only today, I hear it. I hear the meadow. I hear the crickets. I hear the rustling of dirty stinking sheep. I am in a pasture...Pastoral Symphony....it's so calming, relaxing and lovely to listen to. And then I see them...the shepherds! "There were shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flocks by night."
"And lo! the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were sore afraid"
I'm getting it. The music, the solo...it's painting a picture in my head. Almost like I'm watching a movie. Out of the blue, the quiet of the night in an wilderness outside of Bethlehem, the shepherds are doing what they do every night...and the WHAM there's an angel and the night is lit up by the glory of the LORD! The soloist continues with the unbelievable message that The Messiah has been born This Day....and Suddenly, there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying: (do you hear the soloist...I still can!)
"Glory to God in the highest, and peace on earth, good will towards men"
The power of the choral voices conjure images of HOSTS of angels shouting Glory to God. I can see it.
But that's it about "The Christmas Story." I'm reading ahead again during the next solo. This is when it really gets into my brain. The Messiah isn't a Christmas Cantata. It is So Much More.
Scene Five is Christ's ministry on the Earth. The blind will see, the deaf will hear, the lame will leap as a deer, the dumb shall sing. Christ feed His flock like a shepherd.
This solo really resonates with me. "He shall gather the lambs with His arm, and carry them in His bosom, and gently lead those that are with young." He is a loving, gently savior. We can find rest from our labor, and his yoke is easy and his burden is light.
It makes you really want to have been there. To witness Christ walking on the earth and loving His people...how they must love Him in return. Who wouldn't love a man like that? "Gently Lead"...isn't that we all look for in a leader?
But it's intermission. And while I really need to stand a stretch and I'm sure all the performers need a break, I don't want a break. I'm afraid I'm going to lose this epiphany I am experiencing. It's too incredible to talk about, so I just do small talk. I can't wait for it to start again...I really want this experience to continue!
Finally...the lights flicker signalling time to get in place.
Part 2 - The Suffering Lamb Who Redeems
Scene 1: The Abandoned Messiah Suffers Scorn.
Wait a minute....I wanted more of this gentle shepherd thing.....
Then I remember that I am out of time and space and this is something long ago and that I am only witnessing it from some crazy, far out place....and my eyes were focused on this tiny, three year spot in history when God walked the earth and loved on His people...but it came to an end. An abrupt end.
Behold the Lamb of God, that taketh away the sin of the world.....
Yes, we are still talking about a lamb, but no longer is this a lamb with a loving shepherd...we're talking about a little lamb who is perfect, that is being SACRIFICED in our place to pay for our sins.
"He was despised and rejected of men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. Surely, Surely He hath borne our griefs and carried our sorrows. Surely He hath borne our griefs and carried our sorrows. He was wounded for our transgressions. He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon Him...and with His stripes we are healed."
Those people who The Messiah came to love on, in God's amazing sovereign plan to make a way for men to be reconciled to Himself, turned on their shepherd.
All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned everyone to His own way...
This is were it got really interesting. The music for these words is bouncy, reckless, fast paced....all we like sheep...all we like sheep...have gone astraaaaaayyyyy. Voices running over each other. Near chaos in the intertwining of the different parts. Intense...unrelenting...everyone to his own way....everyone to his own way...almost like all the parts are doing their own thing, going their own way....chaos. And then suddenly the entire choir is saying together "HIS OWN WAY" and the music stops for a moment...time suspended....not one moves, not a muscle...no one breathes...and suddenly the music starts again, still intense, but so different, like a dirge
"and the Lord hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all....."
And then I see Him. My shepherd...with stripes on His back, with sorrow etched on His face, surrounded by hostile people....but it's my sins that had been laid on Him....my sins that caused Him to be stuck....
"All they that see Him laugh Him to scorn; they shoot out their lips and shake their heads saying.....He trusted in God that He would deliver him; let Him deliver him if He delight in Him." And I see them all in the voices in the choir. Chaos again. So many voices running over each other all jeering at the wounded Messiah. So terrible, so sad....I'm breaking inside.
And then the soloist comes again and sings something I've never heart before..."Thy rebuke hath broken His heart. He is full of heaviness. He looked for some to have pity on Him, but there was no man, neither found He any to comfort Him." Oh the tragedy. The loving shepherd abandoned, abused, rejected, scorned...having loved and comforted so many in His short ministry....but no one to comfort Him...
"Behold and see if there be any sorrow like unto His sorrow...
He was cut off out of the land of the living. For the transgression of Thy people was He stricken"
Hopelessness...misery....sorrow...heaviness.......death
and then.....hope breaks anew!
"But thou didst not leave His soul in hell, nor didst thou suffer Thy Holy One to see corruption. This is amazing. This is a message of great hope! Yes, The Messiah died, but He did not stay that way!
Part 2: Scene 2
"Lift up your heads, o ye gates and be ye lifted up, ye everlasting doors and the King of Glory Shall Come In!!!!!!!!!"
This song now has an entirely new meaning to me! The King of Glory! The Glorious resurrected Messiah, coming through the gates of death.
Who is this King of Glory? Who is this King of Glory? So many voices asking who this could be! No, it couldn't be...
The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle! Yes, it is the Messiah! He has won that battle over death and lives again! And He's returned to heaven to continue....
Scene Three: Spreading the Gospel
This was another song that really came to life for me. The voices are singing "The Lord Gave the Word" in unison. All the men. Strong...loud, like a voice from heaven. And then the many voices start running over each other again:
"...and great was the company of the preachers"
I see it - the baby church. The disciples and the new converts. All preaching the good news. That The Messiah has come and that He has conquered death and made a way for us to be made right with God. So many voices, each saying it a little different, at a different time, different volume....and then the voices merge to one voice, and then back to many voices. I see it. So many people sharing the good news...different places, difference voices...yet ONE Message!
And then more about these preachers..."How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things. Their sound is gone out into all the lands, and their words unto the ends of the world."
I picture the early church, scattered by persecution...sharing the good news as they scatter across the world...through time and space....mankind finding God through The Messiah's blood, and then sharing the good news...spreading all over the world..many voices...yet one story. A perfect ending...right?
NO...man does not get it....not everyone...
"Why do the nations so furiously rage together? Why do the people imagine a vain thing? The kings of the earth rise up, and the rulers take counsel together against the Lord and His anointed."
But the people who have found the Messiah say "Let us break their bonds asunder, and cast away their yokes from us"
Victory In Christ!
"He that dwelleth in heaven shall laugh them to scorn; the Lord shall have them in derision. Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron. Thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel."
The victory is victory over sin and death. And when that is realized, that death and sin has been conquered for you, that you are no longer under the bonds and yoke of sin...you HAVE TO PRAISE GOD!
I am so ready to stand up for the Hallelujah Chorus. I get it now. The Hallelujah Chorus is about realizing that Christ has done it all for us...He has won the battle over sin and death and hell and has offered us the free gift of salvation!
Hallelujah! Hallelujah! For the Lord God Omnipotent reigneth. The kingdom of this world is become the Kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ, and of His Christ! And He shall reign forever and ever. King of King. Lord of Lords.....
I see this song in a whole new light. I've always loved to praise God through this song, but I never grasped the meaning of the words, until tonight. This song is a song of amazing enlightenment. You know, the moment you get it. You realize the truth of what Christ has done for you...that He has done it all for YOU...and praise gushes form from a thankful heart! When there comes a firmness of faith...faith in the one who has redeemed your life...
"I know that my Redeemer liveth, and that He shall stand at the latter day upon the earth. And though worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God.....
We are WAY beyond the Christmas story now....this is knowing beyond a shadow of a doubt, that even though it doesn't make sense...I will behold HIM FACE TO FACE! MY Savior! My God! My Gentle Shepherd!
For Now is Christ risen from the dead, the first-fruits of them that sleep.....
"Since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead, For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive."
Yes...Christ became the solution to the crisis that happened in the garden of Eden.
Praise God....
"Behold, I tell you a mystery, we shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet."
Oooohhhh....I'm getting goosebumps now....I know what's coming...I've read to the end of the book....but I've never heard it like this....never seen it like this....
"The trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible" And then the trumpet rings out in the music. I hear the trumpet call. I imagine what it might be like on THAT DAY when THE trumpet will sound, heralding The Return Of The King!!! And then I see them - all these precious believers who lived before rising up in new bodies and the living believers being changed in an instant to incorruptible bodies and going to be with their Lord!
"For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality!"
"Then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, "Death is swallow'd up in victory"
"O death where is thy sting....O grave where is thy victory"
No grave can hold us back! Praise God!
"But Thanks be to God, who giveth us the victory, through our Lord Jesus Christ"
And then, my really truly favorite song from the Messiah takes on a whole new level of awesomeness.
"Worthy is the Lamb, Who was slain,
and hath redeemed us to God by His blood"
I see the risen Christ, The Messiah, martyrs standing around Him dressed in white...all the characters from Revelation appear in this room...and millions of people....and everyone realizes fully what The Messiah has done by His life, death and resurrection....
"Worthy is the Lamb to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honor, and glory, and blessing...."
I am caught up in this picture of millions upon millions of voices joined together in spontaneous praise of our risen Lord and Savior.
Can.You.Imagine.That?
I have a glimpse of the difficulty that John had, in describing in the book of Revelations, trying to share what He saw when He was caught up to the heavens and shown so many wondrous things. There are not words to describe...it will be beyond amazing...beyond description.
Worthy is the Lamb.....Worth is the Lamb...to be praised.
I am humbled that God gave me this today. I will never hear the Messiah the same again...and I don't want to. God used Handel to take thousands of years, hundreds of books and authors, and condensed it down and put to music His amazing plan of salvation in the one, The Messiah.
My Messiah.
I am out of words...but still praising Him!
Showing posts with label Ruth's Revelations. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ruth's Revelations. Show all posts
Saturday, December 7, 2013
Thursday, May 2, 2013
Priscilla's Story Really Started in 2008 You Know...
I have an incredible, mind boggling story to share with you.
It really starts in 2008, when Esther was born into our family with that blessed extra chromosome. But let me skip ahead a little first.
In February of 2010, an expectant mother got the news that mothers dread. Through a standard ultrasound, it was revealed that their daughter had not only a heart defect, but also had Down Syndrome. As she was dealing with this news, a friend sent her a link to my blog. Esther was just about 1 1/2 years old at this time. She found encouragement in what she read, and also lots of information. She blogged about finding my blog Here.
I didn't find out about it for several months, as she had sent me a message on a board for parents of children with Down Syndrome and I had not visited that site in months. I found her note just weeks before her baby was due. When their baby was born, they named her "Verity" which means truth.
I found her blog and began to follow an amazing story of the love a family can have for a precious baby with the gift of Down Syndrome. But it didn't end there. Susanna read This Blog Post about the plight of children with special needs in Eastern European orphanages and her eyes were open to the truth. This led to their adopting Katie, a 9 year old with Down Syndrome, hidden away in the top floor of a terrible orphanage. She weighed just 10 1/2 pounds when she was ransomed. She required specialized medical care to preserve her life as they transitioned her to good medical care and proper nutrition.
Katie blossomed in her new family. She grew and learned to do so many things so quickly. (Susanna and her family are now adopting Tommy from the same orphanage that Katie was in).
But the Mussers weren't satisfied with just saving one child. They worked to make changes in that orphange, and changes were made. The director was fired and fundraisers were done to provide proper medical care for the orphans there. They spread the truth of what was going on there and so many families have stepped forward to ransoms these deprived children. The Mussners have ransomed another child there, 16 year old Tommy. He has been home for a while now and is blooming too!
When I read about the things happening on the other side and world, and what a difference a loving home can make in the lives of these forgotten, abandoned children with special needs, I was inspired to act.
I knew there were so many others still in those dark, filthy places where children were not properly cared for. So I had to act - I started advocating right her on my blog and on Facebook. I selected some children and a family to advocate for.
But God wasn't satisfied with that level of involvement. He pushed us to consider adopting a child into our family. This was WAY outside our comfort zone, but God was relentless. We tried and failed to adopt a little girl from Russia (before that evil ban was put in place). We discovered "Priscilla" in January. We tried again in January and found success.
Priscilla, Whom we re-named "Christiana" and we call her "Christy", is the daughter we didn't know about until just over 3 months ago. But God knew she was our daughter a long, long time ago. Do you know how I know this? Because I discovered something tonight.
So Christy's story starts way back in 2008, when God blessed us with Esther and opened our eyes to the wonder and joy or raising a child with Down Syndrome. And then, way back in February of 2010, Susanna was given her news and she found my blog, and Christy's mommy was just finding out that she was pregnant.
So God, in His sovereignty, put into motion the events that it would take for us to discover Christy just when He had prepared the soil of our hearts to be ready to adopt. Before Christy's mother could possibly know that she had Down Syndrome, God knew it, He had designed her that way. But He had a plan, and that plan has been in place long before we had any idea that God had a plan like this for us.
Isn't God's sovereignty amazing?
I can't wait until the day that I can tell Christy that God prepared her place in our home for her before she was even conceived.
It really starts in 2008, when Esther was born into our family with that blessed extra chromosome. But let me skip ahead a little first.
In February of 2010, an expectant mother got the news that mothers dread. Through a standard ultrasound, it was revealed that their daughter had not only a heart defect, but also had Down Syndrome. As she was dealing with this news, a friend sent her a link to my blog. Esther was just about 1 1/2 years old at this time. She found encouragement in what she read, and also lots of information. She blogged about finding my blog Here.
I didn't find out about it for several months, as she had sent me a message on a board for parents of children with Down Syndrome and I had not visited that site in months. I found her note just weeks before her baby was due. When their baby was born, they named her "Verity" which means truth.
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| Verity, 1 1/2 years old Katie, 9 years old |
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| Katie and Verity, just 14 months later |
But the Mussers weren't satisfied with just saving one child. They worked to make changes in that orphange, and changes were made. The director was fired and fundraisers were done to provide proper medical care for the orphans there. They spread the truth of what was going on there and so many families have stepped forward to ransoms these deprived children. The Mussners have ransomed another child there, 16 year old Tommy. He has been home for a while now and is blooming too!
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| Tommy enjoying time with his new mommy when she came to visit! |
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| Tommy, 11 years old |
But God wasn't satisfied with that level of involvement. He pushed us to consider adopting a child into our family. This was WAY outside our comfort zone, but God was relentless. We tried and failed to adopt a little girl from Russia (before that evil ban was put in place). We discovered "Priscilla" in January. We tried again in January and found success.
Priscilla, Whom we re-named "Christiana" and we call her "Christy", is the daughter we didn't know about until just over 3 months ago. But God knew she was our daughter a long, long time ago. Do you know how I know this? Because I discovered something tonight.
So Christy's story starts way back in 2008, when God blessed us with Esther and opened our eyes to the wonder and joy or raising a child with Down Syndrome. And then, way back in February of 2010, Susanna was given her news and she found my blog, and Christy's mommy was just finding out that she was pregnant.
So God, in His sovereignty, put into motion the events that it would take for us to discover Christy just when He had prepared the soil of our hearts to be ready to adopt. Before Christy's mother could possibly know that she had Down Syndrome, God knew it, He had designed her that way. But He had a plan, and that plan has been in place long before we had any idea that God had a plan like this for us.
Isn't God's sovereignty amazing?
I can't wait until the day that I can tell Christy that God prepared her place in our home for her before she was even conceived.
Thursday, February 21, 2013
What is Normal - I've forgotten!
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| Esther trying to smile while in the ER Poor Baby! |
On the way home from the ER, we stopped in at Walmart and I found PJs for the girls for just $5 ea, in cotton too! Esther can't wear polyester,and it can be challenging to find cotton pjs, and I don't think I've ever gotten these two matching outfits yet, so this was fun!
Since I started recovering from my bout with the flu, I have been able to do some preparation for our home study visits. I was able to move Carese into the big girls room and I found a "like new" rocker that I got for a song. It was wonderful to rock Esther last night instead of perching on a folding metal chair in the middle of the night! What a blessing!Speaking of blessings, I was pondering on the blessing of adult children yesterday and was so thrilled that all three of my older boys are gainfully employed! Not only that, they are all in the field of work that the love doing! Jeremy has a custom made position doing website and programming work surrounded by dedicated Christians. Jason is a machinist and he's good at it. He was always good with working with his hands growing up, and this job is something he was made to do. Jonathan's job has just become his dream job.
Jonathan struggled in homeschooling due to a reading disability. This runs in my family. He has outdone what the reading specialist said he could accomplish. He worked hard last year studying "the book" on commercial driving and passed the written test with flying colors the first time and was awarded his commercial driving permit! But the hoped for opportunity to work for a friend of the family did not work out and it looked like his life long dream to drive truck was fizzling. That all changed this week! He has been given the opportunity to get his driving experience right where he has been working for the past 3 years! Praise God, such a blessing! Today he got to drive the "little" truck and he was in such a great mood when he came home.
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| These two dresses used to be Elizabeth and Esthers about 4 years ago - they were so cute matching the last Sunday we were able to attend church! |
I've been homeschooling now for over 25 years, and I have about 18 to go yet! But I think my most difficult years are behind me. I have never been an ideal homeschooling mom as I have been on the more un-schooled type of mom. Our times of book work would never add up to the amount of hours most homeschooling families put in, but it hasn't prevented my sons from being gainfully employed. They have excelled in spite of me. I did give them the tools to learn, and they have the ability and knowledge to learn anything they want to learn. Jeremy self taught himself several computer programming languages - I could have never taught him that! Jonathan earned his CDL without any help from me (I encouraged him, but I did not teach him anything!).
I believe that most book work that children are expected to do in "school" is a waste of time. I know, I know...that sounds ridiculous But let me ask you this - how much of what you learned in a classroom do you use in your everyday life. If you hear about a country with political strife, do you immediately recall what you learned about politics and that country and it's government from what you learned in school, or are you like me and run to the internet to "research"? I had an excellent education - one of the best around. It has been a great value to me, but mostly because I was taught how to learn. Most of the book work and things I studied I no long remember. When my children reach high school and beyond, I'm not really going to care if they completed every page in every subject every year, but I am going to care about is whether or not they have learned what they need to know to be a hard worker (chores), care for their family (even boys need to know how to cook and clean), balance the checkbook, make good purchasing decisions...and know how to learn. When they find the they do not know something, are they capable of learning it without having to take a class on the subject? I've never taken any accounting training (well, accounting 101 in high school, but that doesn't really count and I've never applied what I learned there), but I now do all the bookkeeping for our family and my small business - including all our payroll! I do hire an accountant for our year end tax preparation, but I know I could do that if I tried...but I'd probably miss new tax laws. I hope that my children will also know when it's time to hire an expert - like difficult car repair, wiring in the house and such!
Anyway, that's just my two cents about it.
Saturday, July 2, 2011
Leaning on my own Understanding
During the summer of my fourth year of life, my parents went camping way up in the hills...as in the hills that are part of Mt Rainier. The area is pristine and the amenities are few and far between. My father would go hunting in the fall, using old logging roads and hiking trails, and just plain hiking through the woods. He would take a huge army salvage tent and stay up there for a week or two at a time. Some years he'd come home with some meat for the freezer, other years no meat, but he'd also scouted out new places to camp or the perfect Christmas tree! So our family had gone camping to one of the wonderful campgrounds that my father had scoped and had spent a wonderful week camping together. The only part of that camping trip that I remember is being swung around in the hammock by the big kids (wrapped up like a mummy). I was the baby of the family, and at 4 that meant my siblings were 10, 12, 14 and 16. The hammock might have been from another camping trip, but that is the earliest memory of camping that I have.
On the trip home, we were driving past an area that had a large lake, and out past some mud flats there were these cool dome shaped islands, but they were only separated by little streams of water. The older kids thought it would be fun to go play on them, a nice break in the long trip home. My parents agree with them. The kids wanted to take me with them, but my parents were very unsure if that was a prudent thing to do, as it could be dangerous for a 4 year old to be playing around the edge of a lake. But they convince them that they would take great care of me, not to worry. Reluctantly, they agreed. So while they rested in the car, they watched their 5 children walk across the mudflats (the mudflats looked the size of a football field, but I was only 4, so it might have been smaller, but still a ways).
Mark and Beth were holding my hands, and we crossed what was like a small stream that was going around the first "island". We scouted around that mound and from the backside they could see more mounds, and one that looked very interesting, but the kids thought it wouldn't be a good idea for me to cross to the other mound (I don't remember why), so they told me to sit on a stump and wait for them...they made it very clear to me that I was not to move, for any reason. I am sure I promised to obey. So I sat there for a while, watching them make their way to the next mound/island. Then they disappeared over the mound and I was alone, all alone. So I started to take in my surroundings, the lake, the other mounds, the water swirling around the mound I was on.
While watching the water, it began to look like my island was moving....swirling with the water...moving away from the shore. I was sure that my island was floating away into the lake! If I waited any longer the little stream that we waded through to get to this island would be too big to cross! I yelled for the other kids, but they couldn't hear me. I began to panic! I decided that I needed to get off that island right now.
I ran back to the other side and ran right down to the stream that I thought we had crossed...only in my little 4 years old mind, I had not remembered things all that clearly and did not stop to look into the water. Instead of a few inches of water, I was suddenly in over my head. I had this jacket on, a down jacket. It floated up under my arms and held me afloat, but I couldn't do anything. And the water was taking me away from my parents, who I could see now standing outside our car. They were waving their arms, and then my Dad started running down to the mud flats, but he didn't get far....he stopped moving...why oh why wasn't my daddy coming to save me!
From my parents perspective, they suddenly saw me run down and into the water and then all they could see was my head. As you can imagine, they panicked and started yelling for the kids - and then my dad decided he needed to get out there to save me. The only problem was that those mud flats which we children walked across were not able to hold up an adult...my dad sunk up to his knees in the muck...it must have seemed like a nightmare! He couldn't get to me no matter how hard he tried. But then, in God's providence, he used a skill taught to him when he was just a child - he whistled. My dad could whistle louder than anyone I have ever known. He used to whistled to call us kids home and we could hear it inside the homes of our friends, even a block away. There was no way that the kids would hear my father shouting, but they would hear his whistle...his whistle was the only thing that could bring the help that was needed to keep my from drowning.
I heard that whistle...and it wasn't long before my sibling came running back to me and found me drifting towards the lake, with an almost saturated jacket.
Mark pulled me out of the water, and carried me over to the shallow crossing and across that plain of mudflats. Back to my loving parents who wrapped me in a warm towel and their love. They stripped off my wet clothes and dressed me in warm dry clothes. I really don't remember anything else past this, but the rest of this memory is vivid and clear as though it happened yesterday.
God saved my life that day...the days numbered for me to spend on this earth were not finished yet, and no watery grave could thwart the plan of God for my life. God in His sovereignty taught my father to whistle when he was young, He had my father use his whistle to call his children - and his children knew that when Dad whistled, you came running, no matter what, right away.
I had "leaned on my own understanding". Even when I had been told to stay where I was, I did not listen to the wisdom of those older and wiser than me, and I paid the consequences of following my own way. My family suffered much anguish because of my folly.
God is good, God is loving, God is involved, God is in control, God is wise. When I lean on my own understanding, and follow my own way, I can get lost, I can get into deep watery places that I can not get out of on my own. But God will always hunt me down, find me, bring me back, and wrap me in His loving arms. He will use these times to teach, mold, and make me like His Son.
Trust in the LORD with all your heart,
And lean not on your own understanding;
In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He shall direct your paths.
Proverbs 3:5-6
On the trip home, we were driving past an area that had a large lake, and out past some mud flats there were these cool dome shaped islands, but they were only separated by little streams of water. The older kids thought it would be fun to go play on them, a nice break in the long trip home. My parents agree with them. The kids wanted to take me with them, but my parents were very unsure if that was a prudent thing to do, as it could be dangerous for a 4 year old to be playing around the edge of a lake. But they convince them that they would take great care of me, not to worry. Reluctantly, they agreed. So while they rested in the car, they watched their 5 children walk across the mudflats (the mudflats looked the size of a football field, but I was only 4, so it might have been smaller, but still a ways).
Mark and Beth were holding my hands, and we crossed what was like a small stream that was going around the first "island". We scouted around that mound and from the backside they could see more mounds, and one that looked very interesting, but the kids thought it wouldn't be a good idea for me to cross to the other mound (I don't remember why), so they told me to sit on a stump and wait for them...they made it very clear to me that I was not to move, for any reason. I am sure I promised to obey. So I sat there for a while, watching them make their way to the next mound/island. Then they disappeared over the mound and I was alone, all alone. So I started to take in my surroundings, the lake, the other mounds, the water swirling around the mound I was on.
While watching the water, it began to look like my island was moving....swirling with the water...moving away from the shore. I was sure that my island was floating away into the lake! If I waited any longer the little stream that we waded through to get to this island would be too big to cross! I yelled for the other kids, but they couldn't hear me. I began to panic! I decided that I needed to get off that island right now.
I ran back to the other side and ran right down to the stream that I thought we had crossed...only in my little 4 years old mind, I had not remembered things all that clearly and did not stop to look into the water. Instead of a few inches of water, I was suddenly in over my head. I had this jacket on, a down jacket. It floated up under my arms and held me afloat, but I couldn't do anything. And the water was taking me away from my parents, who I could see now standing outside our car. They were waving their arms, and then my Dad started running down to the mud flats, but he didn't get far....he stopped moving...why oh why wasn't my daddy coming to save me!
From my parents perspective, they suddenly saw me run down and into the water and then all they could see was my head. As you can imagine, they panicked and started yelling for the kids - and then my dad decided he needed to get out there to save me. The only problem was that those mud flats which we children walked across were not able to hold up an adult...my dad sunk up to his knees in the muck...it must have seemed like a nightmare! He couldn't get to me no matter how hard he tried. But then, in God's providence, he used a skill taught to him when he was just a child - he whistled. My dad could whistle louder than anyone I have ever known. He used to whistled to call us kids home and we could hear it inside the homes of our friends, even a block away. There was no way that the kids would hear my father shouting, but they would hear his whistle...his whistle was the only thing that could bring the help that was needed to keep my from drowning.
I heard that whistle...and it wasn't long before my sibling came running back to me and found me drifting towards the lake, with an almost saturated jacket.
Mark pulled me out of the water, and carried me over to the shallow crossing and across that plain of mudflats. Back to my loving parents who wrapped me in a warm towel and their love. They stripped off my wet clothes and dressed me in warm dry clothes. I really don't remember anything else past this, but the rest of this memory is vivid and clear as though it happened yesterday.
God saved my life that day...the days numbered for me to spend on this earth were not finished yet, and no watery grave could thwart the plan of God for my life. God in His sovereignty taught my father to whistle when he was young, He had my father use his whistle to call his children - and his children knew that when Dad whistled, you came running, no matter what, right away.
I had "leaned on my own understanding". Even when I had been told to stay where I was, I did not listen to the wisdom of those older and wiser than me, and I paid the consequences of following my own way. My family suffered much anguish because of my folly.
God is good, God is loving, God is involved, God is in control, God is wise. When I lean on my own understanding, and follow my own way, I can get lost, I can get into deep watery places that I can not get out of on my own. But God will always hunt me down, find me, bring me back, and wrap me in His loving arms. He will use these times to teach, mold, and make me like His Son.
Trust in the LORD with all your heart,
And lean not on your own understanding;
In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He shall direct your paths.
Proverbs 3:5-6
Monday, May 30, 2011
Why we have and are still homeschooling
You know, I've never blogged about homeschooling before...at least not that I can remember. Oh - I've mentioned that we homeschool and some things that we've done in our schooling, but never the why and wherefores...and I was just "interviewed", kind of, by a sweet young lady for a paper she is writing about homeschooling (I am assuming she's writing it for a class as she's taking at the community college)...and I thought, why not share this on my blog - I love using something I've already written for my blog!~ So here are the questions she asked me and my responses:
Why did you decide to homeschool?
I went to a small Christian school growing up, but the peer pressure and clicks were so terrible - I didn't want to put my kids through any of that. Even if they would be "popular" I think it really damaged kid's mental outlook no matter where you are in the popularity contests.
And, as a Christian, I felt that it was not appropriate to place our children under the authority of our godless public school system and be taught things (like evolution) that are contrary to our beliefs.
What are the advantages?
I maintain a solid relationship with my children, I remain their authority 24/7, I don't have to retrain them when they come home from school with mis-information, bad attitudes or bad influences. I control what they learn and how they learn it. I can control who influences them, and who doesn't. The biggest things are what they don't learn - swearing, disrespect, to honor their peers above adults, drugs, premarital sex, promiscuous dating, taste for indecent fashions, to name a few...
What does it take to homeschool? (patience, time, etc)
It takes a determination to do what we, as parents are called to do by God, are held responsible to do...teach and train our children - to "train them up in the way they should go, and they will not depart from it" and the Bible also says "Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. .... Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates."
I believe God wants us to saturate our children with the Word of God, and a scholastic education comes secondary - it's very important, but I would rather have a child who is a janitor that loves the Lord and serves Him all his days, than a rocket scientist who has not love for God...
So, in short, homeschooling takes a willing heart, an attitude of dependence on God for grace and the determination to do what is right for your child, regardless of the difficulties (homeschooling is not easy and many parents give up after a year of two, but the rewards for diligence are beyond measure)
(I forgot to mention to her that patience is not a pre-requisite, but that is comes as a by-product!)
How did you get started? (money, special degree, were there starter "kits" of some sort?)
I just did not ever send my kids to school - started with a reading program and some math textbooks, pencils, paper and as we needed something, I'd research it and try to figure out what would fit my teaching style and the child's learning style and try it out. Somethings worked great, others we tossed...even now, after 18 years of homeschooling, I trying new things and no longer used some things that I thought were gold 10 years ago!
I did acquire an AA in general studies with an emphasis in music (took one course in teaching and decided right there that I was never going to be a teacher! Ha!). The only way that has helped me is that by Washington State law, if you have an AA you can test your children yourself, without supervision...that is a plus - but I wouldn't recommend going through the hassle of getting an AA just so you can test your kids - it wouldn't be worth it (I consider my college education as a phenomenal waste of time and money...I remember almost nothing and the environment, even at a Christian college, was not uplifting or encouraging to good morals!)
**I'd like to add that at times I have used full curriculum from Alpha Omega Publishing, both their life pacts work books and their fully computerized Switched On Schoolhouse, but these have not always worked well for my kids...so usually we are doing a little of this and a little of that...as each child learns differently!
What differences do you see between homeschooling and public schooling?
The differences are vast, and noticeable with most kids almost immediately.
Children that attend traditional schools of any kids relate best to children their age, have difficulty engaging adults in conversation, have little or no work ethic, and usually show disrespect to their parents in public (in private even more, I suspect). They are controlled/entertained all day long and lose their creativity and imagination, to say nothing of losing the joy of learning. They come to believe the the world revolves around them and their needs and lose the ability to see other's needs and desire to help others. They also disdain to be seen with their parents, and doing things as a family once they reach junior high is considered of the lowest importance...they would rather spend time with their school friends than with their parents and siblings. Sibling rivalry is the norm, and teasing/tormenting younger siblings is a rite of passage. Granted, these are generalizations and there are a few wonderful kids out there who turn out to be wonderful young adults, but they are few and far between!
Homeschool children in general, on the other hand, have a strong family bond, and spend most of their time with their siblings. They learn to interact with those younger than themselves, and those older than themselves. Most homeschool children that I know have close friends that are as much as 4 - 5 years older or younger than they are and see nothing wrong with this. Homeschool children, for the most part, are adapt at conversing with adults, have time to develop their unique talents and use them to bless their families. When a family home-schools, the children are usually involved with the day to day workings of a home, so they learn to WORK - washing dishes, sweeping, mopping, changing diapers...serving others.
They learn the skills of keeping a home running, caring for little ones, serving older ones...and just plain having fun together!
For many children, homeschooling allows them to learn at their own pace - and this means more thorough learning, and in most cases, faster learning....homeschooled children consistently out-score public and private school kids in tests across the nation and around the world (and it is consistently regardless of the parents education too).
Homeschooled children can also accomplish so much more than children in school - they can learn what an average student learns in 6 hours of typical school, in just a couple of hours and have the rest of the day to be creative or learn more faster! (Have you ever had to do your schoolwork from home due to illness and found that you could to the work of several days in just a few hours???) They can also devote that extra time to developing their talents or volunteering in the community or playing!
***I'd like to add, that I realize that while I was making generalizations that might offend some, I am speaking from my personal experience with home schooled children, and those who have been sent to public or private schools...there are exceptions of course...
She had said I could keep my answers short, 2 - 3 sentence answers...but I just can't do it...there's so much to say...so much to share!
I've been homeschooling for 18 years, and I have never been so sure that it is THE BEST education for EVERY child...I know that for many families this is not possible, and so many families are hurting or broken, but that doesn't change the fact that homeschooling a child is still the best possible education that child could ever get. I know of single moms who homeschool their children, I know of families in the middle of separation who are homeschooling, I know of blended families who are homeschooling, I know of parents who never finished junior high who did/are doing a great job of homeschooling! I even know of many families where an aunt or grandmother does the homeschooling! I my hats off to the many foster parents I know who are homeschooling children that have been rightfully removed from their homes and placed into the foster home, and they are being homeschooled even then!
If you don't homeschool your children, this might make you feel guilty, and I might be stepping on your toes...good. I think every parent should at least consider making the SACRIFICE to teach keep their children home.
Romans 12:1 - 2 : Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
Yes, it is a SACRIFICE...it takes time, it takes determination, it takes diligence, and it takes money...it also takes keeping your children home - playing with their toys, making messes, doing their cleaning jobs like kids...but I'd rather work with my kids to keep our home running smoothly, than clean my house perfectly every day and have to clean up the messy attitudes and influences when they come home from school.
So, you put your kids in a Christian School....does that exempt you from the guilt of not homeschooling your children? Well, think about this...are all the children in that school Christians? Do your children pick up bad attitudes/disrespect from their peers? Is there no peer pressure to date/do drugs/go drinking/swear/dress immodestly? If you said that your child does not encounter those problems while going to a Christian school, you are in a dream world and you had better wake up. I went to a Christian school, I know friends of mine who sent their kids to local Christian schools...and I've seen the change...I've heard the reports...drug abuse and social stress are more rampant there than in public school...sure their teachers are "Christians" and their curriculum is (or at least should be) based on Biblical truths...but children in school become peer dependent and children are not little Christians just because they go to a Christian school.
Ok, so you are about to send me "hate mail" I know it's coming...I know I know I know...but it's what I believe, and I just want to shake you out or your comfort zone and consider that choices you have made and are making in regards to your children's education. Is it really the best choice for your child, or is it the best choice for you?
Is it too late? I don't think so, as long as your child is still school-aged, and you feel that God is calling you to homeschool your child, it's never too late to invest in the life of your child. Will it be easy? NO - taking your child out of school does not take the school out of your child...it will take time and lots of patience...but it will be worth it all if you can redeem the years and restore a relationship with your child and know that you are doing what God is calling you to do.
On another note, I know personally some families who have homeschooled diligently for years and have run into the proverbial "wall" with a particular child and have chosen to send them to a tutor (we did this) or to a local school in order to get that child into an environment where they can get the help they need, or to preserve the parent/child relationship...but in both cases these were children who were adopted and they are dealing with things from their past that are beyond their control, and I tip my hat to those parents for making the hard decision to do what is best for that child, even when it tears their hearts
out to send that child to school.
An lastly, home schooling does not guarantee success or compliant children. Our children are blessings from the Lord and we are to do the best we can with what God has given us. We all make mistakes too, and need to seek the Lord's forgiveness for bad choices, and ask our children for forgiveness when we have wronged them. But God is the "owner" of our children - we are only loaned our children for a time, but we are responsible for how we care for them. Putting a band-aid of homeschooling on your family when you are not serving the Lord with your whole heart, not supporting your husband and living a life that centers around yourself, homeschooling will not "fix" the problems in your life and home. Look inside, make sure you have your priorities right - God first, husband second (if you have one), children next...be sure that church/work/friends are not in the top three! Then when you are relying on God for wisdom, daily beseeching Him for guidance, and at the same time realizing that these children are His, you can do each day what He is calling you to do and leave results up to God...
Phil 1:6 - For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.
OK, so I am done ranting...but you have to understand that this is my life...God first, supporting my husband second, and raising my children for the Lord is third...a very big third. I would willing sacrifice everything to continue to homeschool my children. I have been at it for over 18 years, and probably have 18 years to go...I have failed lots of times, but I have also been joyfully rewarded through the years. At this time, all my children love the Lord, and have chosen to follow in our footsteps when the Lord blesses them with families. I have good relationships with all my children, and praise the Lord for His blessings on our family. I am still learning and growing and homeschooling my children has been a major way for God to grow and stretch me in ways I could not have imagined. I often stop and praise the Lord for calling us to home school our children right from the start, as we were and are so unworthy of this calling.
May you be blessed by what I have shared today~
Why did you decide to homeschool?
I went to a small Christian school growing up, but the peer pressure and clicks were so terrible - I didn't want to put my kids through any of that. Even if they would be "popular" I think it really damaged kid's mental outlook no matter where you are in the popularity contests.
And, as a Christian, I felt that it was not appropriate to place our children under the authority of our godless public school system and be taught things (like evolution) that are contrary to our beliefs.
What are the advantages?
I maintain a solid relationship with my children, I remain their authority 24/7, I don't have to retrain them when they come home from school with mis-information, bad attitudes or bad influences. I control what they learn and how they learn it. I can control who influences them, and who doesn't. The biggest things are what they don't learn - swearing, disrespect, to honor their peers above adults, drugs, premarital sex, promiscuous dating, taste for indecent fashions, to name a few...
What does it take to homeschool? (patience, time, etc)
It takes a determination to do what we, as parents are called to do by God, are held responsible to do...teach and train our children - to "train them up in the way they should go, and they will not depart from it" and the Bible also says "Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. .... Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates."
I believe God wants us to saturate our children with the Word of God, and a scholastic education comes secondary - it's very important, but I would rather have a child who is a janitor that loves the Lord and serves Him all his days, than a rocket scientist who has not love for God...
So, in short, homeschooling takes a willing heart, an attitude of dependence on God for grace and the determination to do what is right for your child, regardless of the difficulties (homeschooling is not easy and many parents give up after a year of two, but the rewards for diligence are beyond measure)
(I forgot to mention to her that patience is not a pre-requisite, but that is comes as a by-product!)
How did you get started? (money, special degree, were there starter "kits" of some sort?)
I just did not ever send my kids to school - started with a reading program and some math textbooks, pencils, paper and as we needed something, I'd research it and try to figure out what would fit my teaching style and the child's learning style and try it out. Somethings worked great, others we tossed...even now, after 18 years of homeschooling, I trying new things and no longer used some things that I thought were gold 10 years ago!
I did acquire an AA in general studies with an emphasis in music (took one course in teaching and decided right there that I was never going to be a teacher! Ha!). The only way that has helped me is that by Washington State law, if you have an AA you can test your children yourself, without supervision...that is a plus - but I wouldn't recommend going through the hassle of getting an AA just so you can test your kids - it wouldn't be worth it (I consider my college education as a phenomenal waste of time and money...I remember almost nothing and the environment, even at a Christian college, was not uplifting or encouraging to good morals!)
**I'd like to add that at times I have used full curriculum from Alpha Omega Publishing, both their life pacts work books and their fully computerized Switched On Schoolhouse, but these have not always worked well for my kids...so usually we are doing a little of this and a little of that...as each child learns differently!
What differences do you see between homeschooling and public schooling?
The differences are vast, and noticeable with most kids almost immediately.
Children that attend traditional schools of any kids relate best to children their age, have difficulty engaging adults in conversation, have little or no work ethic, and usually show disrespect to their parents in public (in private even more, I suspect). They are controlled/entertained all day long and lose their creativity and imagination, to say nothing of losing the joy of learning. They come to believe the the world revolves around them and their needs and lose the ability to see other's needs and desire to help others. They also disdain to be seen with their parents, and doing things as a family once they reach junior high is considered of the lowest importance...they would rather spend time with their school friends than with their parents and siblings. Sibling rivalry is the norm, and teasing/tormenting younger siblings is a rite of passage. Granted, these are generalizations and there are a few wonderful kids out there who turn out to be wonderful young adults, but they are few and far between!
Homeschool children in general, on the other hand, have a strong family bond, and spend most of their time with their siblings. They learn to interact with those younger than themselves, and those older than themselves. Most homeschool children that I know have close friends that are as much as 4 - 5 years older or younger than they are and see nothing wrong with this. Homeschool children, for the most part, are adapt at conversing with adults, have time to develop their unique talents and use them to bless their families. When a family home-schools, the children are usually involved with the day to day workings of a home, so they learn to WORK - washing dishes, sweeping, mopping, changing diapers...serving others.
They learn the skills of keeping a home running, caring for little ones, serving older ones...and just plain having fun together!
For many children, homeschooling allows them to learn at their own pace - and this means more thorough learning, and in most cases, faster learning....homeschooled children consistently out-score public and private school kids in tests across the nation and around the world (and it is consistently regardless of the parents education too).
Homeschooled children can also accomplish so much more than children in school - they can learn what an average student learns in 6 hours of typical school, in just a couple of hours and have the rest of the day to be creative or learn more faster! (Have you ever had to do your schoolwork from home due to illness and found that you could to the work of several days in just a few hours???) They can also devote that extra time to developing their talents or volunteering in the community or playing!
***I'd like to add, that I realize that while I was making generalizations that might offend some, I am speaking from my personal experience with home schooled children, and those who have been sent to public or private schools...there are exceptions of course...
She had said I could keep my answers short, 2 - 3 sentence answers...but I just can't do it...there's so much to say...so much to share!
I've been homeschooling for 18 years, and I have never been so sure that it is THE BEST education for EVERY child...I know that for many families this is not possible, and so many families are hurting or broken, but that doesn't change the fact that homeschooling a child is still the best possible education that child could ever get. I know of single moms who homeschool their children, I know of families in the middle of separation who are homeschooling, I know of blended families who are homeschooling, I know of parents who never finished junior high who did/are doing a great job of homeschooling! I even know of many families where an aunt or grandmother does the homeschooling! I my hats off to the many foster parents I know who are homeschooling children that have been rightfully removed from their homes and placed into the foster home, and they are being homeschooled even then!
If you don't homeschool your children, this might make you feel guilty, and I might be stepping on your toes...good. I think every parent should at least consider making the SACRIFICE to teach keep their children home.
Romans 12:1 - 2 : Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
Yes, it is a SACRIFICE...it takes time, it takes determination, it takes diligence, and it takes money...it also takes keeping your children home - playing with their toys, making messes, doing their cleaning jobs like kids...but I'd rather work with my kids to keep our home running smoothly, than clean my house perfectly every day and have to clean up the messy attitudes and influences when they come home from school.
So, you put your kids in a Christian School....does that exempt you from the guilt of not homeschooling your children? Well, think about this...are all the children in that school Christians? Do your children pick up bad attitudes/disrespect from their peers? Is there no peer pressure to date/do drugs/go drinking/swear/dress immodestly? If you said that your child does not encounter those problems while going to a Christian school, you are in a dream world and you had better wake up. I went to a Christian school, I know friends of mine who sent their kids to local Christian schools...and I've seen the change...I've heard the reports...drug abuse and social stress are more rampant there than in public school...sure their teachers are "Christians" and their curriculum is (or at least should be) based on Biblical truths...but children in school become peer dependent and children are not little Christians just because they go to a Christian school.
Ok, so you are about to send me "hate mail" I know it's coming...I know I know I know...but it's what I believe, and I just want to shake you out or your comfort zone and consider that choices you have made and are making in regards to your children's education. Is it really the best choice for your child, or is it the best choice for you?
Is it too late? I don't think so, as long as your child is still school-aged, and you feel that God is calling you to homeschool your child, it's never too late to invest in the life of your child. Will it be easy? NO - taking your child out of school does not take the school out of your child...it will take time and lots of patience...but it will be worth it all if you can redeem the years and restore a relationship with your child and know that you are doing what God is calling you to do.
On another note, I know personally some families who have homeschooled diligently for years and have run into the proverbial "wall" with a particular child and have chosen to send them to a tutor (we did this) or to a local school in order to get that child into an environment where they can get the help they need, or to preserve the parent/child relationship...but in both cases these were children who were adopted and they are dealing with things from their past that are beyond their control, and I tip my hat to those parents for making the hard decision to do what is best for that child, even when it tears their hearts
out to send that child to school.
An lastly, home schooling does not guarantee success or compliant children. Our children are blessings from the Lord and we are to do the best we can with what God has given us. We all make mistakes too, and need to seek the Lord's forgiveness for bad choices, and ask our children for forgiveness when we have wronged them. But God is the "owner" of our children - we are only loaned our children for a time, but we are responsible for how we care for them. Putting a band-aid of homeschooling on your family when you are not serving the Lord with your whole heart, not supporting your husband and living a life that centers around yourself, homeschooling will not "fix" the problems in your life and home. Look inside, make sure you have your priorities right - God first, husband second (if you have one), children next...be sure that church/work/friends are not in the top three! Then when you are relying on God for wisdom, daily beseeching Him for guidance, and at the same time realizing that these children are His, you can do each day what He is calling you to do and leave results up to God...
Phil 1:6 - For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.
OK, so I am done ranting...but you have to understand that this is my life...God first, supporting my husband second, and raising my children for the Lord is third...a very big third. I would willing sacrifice everything to continue to homeschool my children. I have been at it for over 18 years, and probably have 18 years to go...I have failed lots of times, but I have also been joyfully rewarded through the years. At this time, all my children love the Lord, and have chosen to follow in our footsteps when the Lord blesses them with families. I have good relationships with all my children, and praise the Lord for His blessings on our family. I am still learning and growing and homeschooling my children has been a major way for God to grow and stretch me in ways I could not have imagined. I often stop and praise the Lord for calling us to home school our children right from the start, as we were and are so unworthy of this calling.
May you be blessed by what I have shared today~
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Pregnancy Loss and Fear - do they have to go hand in hand?
I have had so many women email or talk to me about their pregnancy loss since I posted about Johanna, and I would like to share with you some of my thoughts about dealing with the fear women face when they think about going through another pregnancy after pregnancy loss.
Many women who have experienced pregnancy loss, deal with fear - fear of future loss, fear of personal guilt, fear of death, fear of loss of health, fear of the hardships of pregnancy as they get older, and fear of birth defects (especially those, like Down Syndrome, that have been linked to advanced maternal age). I'd like to address these fears, especially how it should be viewed as believers.
If you are a believer, then you should know the verses about worry. I was just studying them in my quiet time this morning (I am doing a book study on "Loving God with All Your Mind" by Elizabeth George
. The Bible has much to say about worry, such as "do not worry about tomorrow for tomorrow will take care of itself" (Matthew 6:25-34)and "do not worry but with thanksgiving in your heart make your petition known to God" (Philippians 4:6)...etc and so many others - check this list out. When you struggle with fear, you need to remind you of what is true - "whatever is true....think on these things" is a command! Remind yourself that God knows your tomorrow, He knows your strengths and your weaknesses. He tells us in Jeremiah 29:11, "For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Remember that God is the giver and taker of life - He numbers our days, and those of our children, before even one of them comes to be (Psalm 139:16).
Remind yourself that God gives strength to the weak, and comfort to those who mourn. He does all things well, and He never makes mistakes.
Remind yourself that if it is in His will for you to carry another eternal soul, whether or not that child is born healthy and full term, He will give you the strength for each day through the journey, I can guarantee it - if you are living in His strength and not trying to do it in your own strength.
I love this quote I recently heard - "Pregnancy is momentary, a soul is eternal" I heard recently (Doug Philips was quoting someone else, I believe). What other things can we do in this life that has eternal value? And remember to, what Paul said about affliction in II Corinthians 4:17 - "For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison", and I will openly admit that pregnancy for me would often be put in the category of affliction.
So many women are concerned about pregnancy in later child bearing years, that it is "risky", that the likelihood of having a child with birth defects increases with age. Yes, the statistics show this, but you have to remember that God is not bound by our statistics...our stats only show us how God has acted in the past, but He is free to do whatever He pleases at any time. If He chose, every baby born in America tomorrow could be born with Down Syndrome...He is that powerful.
I have also heard of mothers who are concerned about their own life, should they become pregnant again. I, myself, could face this if I were to get pregnant again. But remember that God has numbered our days before we were born...nothing can take us out of this world "before our time". We are to take good care of the gift of our life, not to do things to jeopardize our health, but does this apply to pregnancy? I think not, because I believe that God is the giver and taker of life. I would rather die carrying a precious soul for my Lord, than live one day longer fearing the "what ifs". I could avoid pregnancy like the plague, and get hit by a drunk driver tomorrow. My life is in God's hand, and I choose to trust Him with all that I am and all that I have. I do believe we are to be good stewards of our health, eating right, getting exercise, taking nutritional supplements, avoiding things that can compromise our health, but even if we are having health issues, God is still sovereign!
What about how hard pregnancy can be, especially in later childbearing years. But I ask you - should we avoid all things that are difficult/painful? I put this into the category of a trial, and James says that we should "...count it all joy when you fall into various trials, 3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. 4 But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. 5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him." I think this is a great scripture to claim when facing a potentially difficult pregnancy, or when you are in one. Also, Paul says in Roman's 8:28 "all things God works for the good of those who love him, who[a]have been called according to his purpose" No matter the outcome, we must claim God's promises and apply them to pregnancy as well. What better thing to bring us to our knees in weakness, claiming God's promises and living in His Strength. God can and will use pregnancy in the lives of women to bring Him glory, and to bring about good in our lives.
I know about difficulty carrying babies later in life - I have carried and birthed three babies since I turned 40 (I am 47 now), and when I could not go on, God's grace was always sufficient...I had to make many adjustments (and my family did too) and lower my expectations of what I could do each day, but it was so worth it, every time. Do I ever fear getting pregnant again? Yes, I am at times fearful, but I try to catch myself every time I begin to think about the "what ifs", and to dwell on what I know is true, and the fear vanishes.
One last thought about fear/worry in our lives - I have come to believe, that when we worry about the "what ifs", we are taking on tomorrow's problems. God does not promise that His grace is sufficient for the "what ifs" - but He does promise in II Cor 2:9 that "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness" and in Phil 4:13 "I can do everything through him who gives me strength" - He will give us the strength to do what He asks us to do, and the grace needed for each day. When we worry about the "what ifs" we are facing potential trials on our own...and that breeds debilitating fear - I know, because I have done this, and I do not recommend it at all!
I recently heard an amazing talk given by Doug Phillips (Vision Forum) and he suggested that it is possible that God uses miscarriage to populate heaven - also that it might be that in His mercy, He brings our little ones into the arms of Jesus before they see this world - they never have to suffer pain, sickness, fear, consequences of sin and all the other evils this world has to offer. And having our unborn child precede us to heaven also makes heaven a sweeter place that we mothers will yearn for all the more for the hope of seeing our little ones there for the first time!
I realize that I may have stepped on many toes out there, and that what I have shared might offend some. But I have learned so much through the difficult times that my loving Heavenly Father has brought me through - and many of those difficulties relate to pregnancies. So many of the truths of scripture can be applied to pregnancy and pregnancy loss if we just meditate on it. If your hackles were raised by what you read today, take some time and read through the passages I listed here and talk to God about your questions. I have found in my life, that when something really gets my back up, I am usually either dealing with un-resolved guilt, or have been fighting against God in something He is trying to teach me.
I would also like to share with you, that when I meditate on the truths about God and His promises, fear seems to vanish...I have said before that where there is fear, there is no faith, and where there is faith there is no fear...they just don't go together.
Philippians 4:6 - 7 pretty much sums this up - "do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus"
Let me leave you with this:
And watch to this, but you'd better get a box of tissues first.
(and you might want to get her book I Will Carry You: The Sacred Dance of Grief and Joy
)
(and you might want to get her book I Will Carry You: The Sacred Dance of Grief and Joy
)If the Lord asked you to carry a little one for Him, would you do it gladly?
I pray that the Lord will use my thoughts to draw you into the peace of resting in His promises for all the things in your life.
In Christ,
Ruth
Thursday, December 2, 2010
The Big Snow and other things
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| Esther last month...getting so grown up! And her hair is so long! |
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| Esther was a little chunkier at 1 year...and don't you love that diaper??? |
Esther got her first adventure in the snow earlier that day...we had woken up to a dusting of snow...we had no idea what was coming our way...over and over again! It snowed off and on for almost a week, and then Thanksgiving day we got snow all day - about 5 inches in all! The kids were even attempting to snowboard and ski down our drainfield slope (didn't work well, but they had fun trying!). Here you can see how the snow was impailed on the side of the house despite that huge porch roof! So much for a safe, dry place to keep your boots and chairs!!!
I have so much more to share, but, alas, it is shopping day and I must get a move on! I have a bunch more photos to share with you and I will do my best to get them posted soon...but I have really been enjoying my time away from the computer and spent with my family!
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Thankful week #2
OK, so I am not getting time to blog everyday...that's just not realistic for me right now...so I'm going to post occasionally what I am thankful for during this month of Thanksgiving! I'll post some random photos between my thoughts on what I am thankful for this week...but I reserve the right to post more often than once a week ;)
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| Elizabeth fell asleep reading wonder what she dreamed of that night??? |
I am thankful for a church that believes in the inerrancy of Scripture - Christ Alone, Scripture Alone, Salvation by Grace Alone...and doesn't pussy foot around the truth to tickle our ears...
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| Esther loves her rocking chair and reading! |
I am also thankful for God working in me and through me to minister to other women...speaking the truth in love, having empathy for trials they are having that I have gone through, and a God who hears our prayers for others and always answers them (maybe not the way we expected, but He always answers them)
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| Did I say she loves looking at books? |
I am so thankful that God has blessed us with 11 wonderful children, all sovereignly chosen for me by my loving Heavenly Father and brought into our family in His perfect timing. I am so thankful for my friends who were willing to speak the truth to me in love about God's sovereignty and trusting God for our family planning so many years ago - in my weak, frail and finite human understanding I could not have imagined caring for, teaching, feeding, and loving 11 children, but I would not now want to live without any one of them! Placing my trust in Him was a huge turning point for me - one of peace knowing that I didn't have to "worry" about planning our family anymore...you just can't understand this until you do it...do I struggle at time with leaving it in God's hand? Yes, but that is when I lose that peace that God gives when we place ourselves in His loving hand to do with as He wills.
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| Esther loves board books, can you tell? |
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| Did I say she loves to sit in her rocking chair? She looked a little hippy yesterday, but it was just too cute! And her hair - it's getting so long! |
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| what can I say? Our kids are a little goofy at times! Reuben is always ready to make us laugh, that is for sure! |
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| This is what I get to do every night - check on sleeping Esther, make sure she's snuggled and warm, and just love the sound of her soft breathing! |
What are you thankful for that you would not have requested from God? Something to think about!
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