My Big Helper

Today I got to use my dormant basketball skills on my son (I use the term "skills" lightly and "dormant" - not so lightly). My teeny toddler was being a big "helper" and trying to help me sweep the floor. By "help", I mean - using a Swiffer Duster to spread my growing pile of dirt to all corners of the universe. I chuckled as I realized that I was actually in a classic basketball position to keep him away from my dirt as I swept as fast as I could. My college coach would have been proud.

My oldest son also loves to help. He loves to use our keys to open the car door when we're already late. He likes to help his little brother push the gush-water-all-over-the-floor button on our water cooler. He likes to help himself to a drink of a milk from the fridge - and then use a towel to "cean" up the afore-mentioned milk. He likes to help make up his bed by lying in the middle as I spread the sheets. He likes to help me write my grocery list - I assume the big circles mean...apples? Today he helped me put back his daddy's ties by gathering as many as he could in his little arms and throwing them up at the tie rack. My boys attempts at helping make me smile. Their intentions are cute but not always so...helpful.

I was rocking that teeny toddler sweeper to sweep...I mean sleep..a few nights ago. The night was quiet and I was just pondering life when I started to worry about something. I can't even remember exactly what it was...just that it was completely out of my hands. What I do remember is one moment being anxious, and the next, being reminded that I have a Helper.

In John 14, Jesus is giving some last-minute encouragement to His disciples as He knows that His time to leave is near. In verse 26, He says; "But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you."

There will be so many situations in life in which I will need a Helper. I daily need help in making the right choices or knowing how to treat my husband and raise my children or remembering truth for my life from God's Word. But it is refreshing to know that no matter what is thrown at me, I have a Helper. He is not someone who will bail out, or who really has no idea what to do. He is to be trusted in and counted upon. He is sent by the Father, in Jesus' name - and there can be no better Helper.

P.S. If you need to be reassured of His help in your life. Grab a Bible and and read John 14-16!

Perfecting My Swing

Golfing season is upon us...much to my husband's delight. I remember the first time I ever tried to golf. I had watched it on television and the pros made it look so easy, so graceful (I was to find out quickly that they're called "pros" for a reason). I have some athletic ability - I can almost touch my toes - and figured that it shouldn't be that hard. So, I ventured out on a little golf tourney...

Thankfully, for all those on my team, it was "best ball". I fumbled through the game and managed to make it out - proud that I at least didn't win the "congeniality" award.

So, a couple years later I decided to try again. This time I had my new fiance to impress. We were out with another couple - good friends...the kind you don't mind having laugh at you. My then-fiance (now husband) steps up to the tee, drives the ball quite a distance, quite effortlessly -ppht! My friend steps up to the tee, a seasoned baseball player, and she makes it fly down the course! I step up to the tee, take a swing, miss...o.k...let's try that again...swing..miss. When I say miss, I mean that my swing COMPLETELY missed the ball. Shuffle my feet a little, firm up my grip....put my whole back into it...swing...MISS! I'm surprised I didn't hit the back of my head with my follow through. By this time, I want to reiterate, that I was glad I was with friends whom I didn't mind laughing at me. My wonderful, chivalrous fiance patiently and delicately gave me some little pointers and I tried again...shuffle feet...reposition hands...swing...and HIT..around 10 feet. Oh the power.

I've played a few times since then, and honestly, I love the game. I love the quiet dignity of golf, I love the journey of a game, I love the feeling of hitting the ball right on (I've experienced it...once or twice) and perhaps my favorite part is - I love that it's played outdoors. All of these things pulls me back to the game despite my frustration of the times I'm not quite "getting" it. It's like I wanted to be great - right from the start. It looks so effortless but is actually so hard. I suppose when you watch the pros, you don't see the number of hours and the self-discipline they have put into the sport. I realized pretty quickly that in order to be a good golfer, I was going to have to put in the time.

Sometimes I feel the same way about my walk with God. I read in Proverbs 31 about the "ideal" woman and feel frustrated that I don't always "get" it right away - rising early seems sooooo hard some mornings. I read about the fruits of the Spirit in Galatians 5 and remember how I lost self-control and most definitely cried over the third cup of spilled milk that day. I read in Ephesians about loving your husband and cringe at the way I snapped at him in the midst of buckling car seats and trying to beat the clock. Yeesh! Why can't I get it perfect the first time around?! Maybe you struggle with the same thing. You look at other people who seem to have it all under control...spiritual giants! They seem to do everything right and you seem to pale in comparison to their self-control, joy, peace, love, and relationship with God. But we don't always see the years of prayer and faithfulness they have put in to that journey. I'm sure they would be the first to admit that there was a time when they seemed to "miss" more then "hit" and that they still have their share of "misses".

Jesus loves us so much. He loves seeing us try with all our heart and is proud of us even when we do mess up sometimes. He just wants us to keep trying. To keep putting the time in. To keep swinging with all our heart. And gradually, He'll see us start to hit more than miss.

Galatians 6:9 says "Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary (NIV)."

Let's not give up. Keep perfecting that swing. You'll get it.

See you on the course!

ABC'S & 123'S

My oldest son is pretty busy all day playing with blocks, hockey sticks, his brother, our cell phone, books, the dog, dried pasta, golf clubs and other favorite things. However, right before nap time or bed time, he sometimes likes to watch a movie. I believe he's entered into that wonderful "never grows tired of the same movie" phase. I guess, on a positive note, the present fascination is with an educational type movie - complete with catchy little tunes about numbers that keeps playing over and over in mama's brain...

It's so neat getting to see my sons learn. I love to hear the cute first words, even though "Mama" came after "Daddy", "Ball"and "Chance" (the dog). I love hearing the words being put into little sentences - "Chance chase Bunny? Chance no like Bunny!" :) We love to see them get new concepts and see their understanding growing. We have found ourselves being full time teachers - learning colors while eating a freezie and counting Cheerios at breakfast.

Today, as I was counting the stairs with my son and a load of laundry in tow, I thought about a bible passage from Deuteronomy. It says;

"Love the Lord, your God with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon 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. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them to your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates (NIV 6:5-9)."

As I counted my way up the stairs I wondered if I was doing as good a job teaching my son about God's love and His ways as I was 123's and ABC's. I read a book that told the story of a mother who had raised many children to love God and be passionate followers of Him. One of her friends simply stated that she lived her life before them exactly how she wanted them to live. You know, God makes it so easy. We don't have to have a degree from a Seminary to teach our children how to live for Christ. He just wants us to follow Jesus in the simple everyday things - the "everydayness" of sitting at home, walking along the road, lying down and getting up. When our children watch how we handle the cranky cashier lady, how we treat our sick neighbor, what we give to the poor, how we talk to our spouse, or how we react to another spilled sippy cup of milk...then they learn about God. The next time I'm singing a silly ABC song over and over and over...I'll be reminded that my children learn about God through me.

Don't Forget!

As a little girl I quite clearly remember my mother's make-up routine. She would come out each morning and set up her station at our table. The most important part of this set up would be the little round mirror - propped up to get the best view. Then, like an artist, she would begin her masterpiece. Foundation would be dotted on and then rubbed in and spread evenly. Blush would be applied to cheek bones followed by a swipe of eye shadow and eyeliner and completed with mascara. I remember her turning her face right and left in the mirror to catch the good light from the window and make sure everything was even.

One morning, as I watched her dab on little dots of foundation, she told me a story.

It was a few years before she was married and she and her cousin boarded the city bus to get to work early one morning. They had just grabbed their seats and got settled when her cousin's eyes got a little wider as she faced my mom. My mom just looked back and said; "What?!" "I'll tell you when we get off the bus", she replied. Of course my mom implored her to tell all and I'm sure she started checking her teeth for leftover breakfast and made sure her shirt was buttoned up right. But her cousin remained tight lipped, explaining that there was nothing she was able to do about it now.

The bus finally came to a stop and as the girls stepped off the bus my mom's first course of action was to find out what had caused such a reaction. She finally gets an answer. As they had sat down, cousin had looked across at mom only to find that my, usually, meticulous mother had forgotten to rub in her makeup! She still had a nice, glistening dab of Beautiful Beige on her forehead, each cheek, nose and chin. My mom was mortified and quickly ran to the nearest mirror to fix the great faux pas. She wouldn't let that happen again!

For so many of us, it is almost second nature to do a quick check in the mirror before we leave the house. We make sure that there are no mustard stains on our cheek or pizza in our teeth. To make sure that fly away hairs are tamed and our collar is not folded. Of course there are the mornings that we fly out the door without time to do a check and then get caught with baby spit on our shoulder but usually, if we get a gander at a mirror, we'll fix the problem. It would seem absurd for us to spot that bright yellow mustard on our face and just leave it there.

James 1:23-23 says; "Anyone who listens to the Word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror, and after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like."

As silly as it seems to forget what we look like, it is just as silly to forget the lessons God teaches us through His Word. But how often am I guilty of this very thing. I find a good verse from the Bible about God giving strength to the weary and the very next hour am complaining about how tired I am instead of letting Him strengthen me. I read an awesome book about letting faith conquer fear and I continuously, habitually, let fear get a foothold. I read in the Bible about the importance of loving others and the very same day indulge in juicy gossip.
Thankfully, our Father is full of grace. But that doesn't mean we give up the fight to hang on to the lessons He wants us to learn. James goes on to give us a powerful promise...

"But the man (or woman) who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it - he will be blessed in what he does (1:25) (NIV)."

So, friends, let's not take those lessons for granted. Let's be true examples to others as we let God's Word really change our lives. As if having our lives changed is not enough, God promises to pour blessings on top of it.

Let's not get caught with mustard on our face! :)

Perfect Love

If you've ever been a nursing mother, perhaps you're familiar with the nifty little "family rooms" they have at some malls - complete with comfy rocking chairs, handy diaper changing table and sometimes even a magazine to peruse. A while ago, when my oldest son was just an infant, I was taking advantage of one of these rooms when the conversation between some of the other moms caught my attention. I wasn't eavesdropping - I had actually been a part of the conversation but when talk went from baby weight to husbands and stripclubs...welll...I just...clammed up. The ladies talked about their husband's unsavory behaviour as nonchalantly as they would discuss what they had for lunch. Yeesh! I left the little family room quite sad for how 'normal' infidelity was for some of these ladies. I also left with a thankful heart for my husband.

I feel blessed to say that I don't worry about 'other women' when my better half leaves the house. I don't have doubts fly when he comes home late. And if I found lipstick on his cheek...I would probably assume his mother had been around. :) I know my husband is not perfect (though close...) but I do feel confident in his love. His actions and manner with me over the years have spoken of his deep commitment and love.

God used my marriage this week to remind me of His own faithfulness and love. I was praying for His peace to replace fears in my life. Fear of the future, the unknown, of what God might allow in my life. I had let fear overshadow God's character. He showed me how I trust my husband and his actions towards me because I am confident in his love. Why couldn't I trust God and His actions towards me? He has shown me His faithfulness over and over as He has provided for my needs. He has shown me His delight in me in quiet moments when I sensed His presence. He has showered me with gifts of sunsets and meadows, friends and family, babies and my own prince charming. :) He has shown me unconditional love by giving His own Son for my wrongs. So, why would I doubt Him? Why would I not trust His actions towards me?

1 John 4:18 says; "There is no fear in love. Perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love (NIV)."

God's love is more perfect than we could imagine. We can have complete confidence in God's plans for us because they are made from perfect love. I pray that when fears come I let the proof of His love drive away doubts.

Daddy, Come?

My oldest son's world revolves around his father. "Daddy fix?", "Daddy's coat?", "Daddy's 'tar (guitar)?", "Daddy work?", "Daddy's 'soos (shoes)", "Daddy go?", and a million times every morning before lunch..."Daddy, come?"

Josiah knows that his daddy comes home almost every day for lunch. He will go about his morning routine of playing with his toys, sneaking dried pasta from the pantry, climbing up and down the stairs, upending our boot tray, chasing the dog with his mini hockey sticks and 'loving' his brother. However, numerous times he will stop, look at me and ask, "Daddy, come?" The first few times I tell him "Daddy will be home for lunch", and then as noon hour grows nearer I say "Daddy will be home soon". That gives him enough reassurance to keep on playing.

His longing for his dad is quite adorable and warms my heart. Josiah longs for his dad's return for a number of child-like reasons...wrestling, laughing, playing, singing, guitar playing, jumping, running ("fast" as he likes to say...) and watching Handy Manny together. But mostly just to be with his dad.

I wonder if God longs for us to have the same excitement for Jesus' return? Do we long to see what delights God, in His creative power, has waiting for us in heaven? Do we anticipate the music that will accompany God's glory? Do we look for the day when we will see loved ones who have gone before us? Do we imagine what it will be like to be free of every pain, worry and fear? Do we long to be with Jesus and finally see Him face to face?

John 14:1-3 says; "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may know where I am."

I can learn a great lesson from my son. As much as he loves to play and go about his busy day, thoughts of his daddy coming home are never far from his mind. As an adult, I can definitely get caught up with laundry, dinner, work, schedules, husband and kids...but how far away are my thoughts on Jesus' return and eternity?

1 Thessalonians says that His return is something that we can encourage one another with.

"For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore, encourage each other with these words (NIV)."

So, be encouraged. Jesus, come? Soon!

For Tom...Vancover 2010

So, my husband loves (is obsessed with...) the Olympics. He said I should write a blog about the games even. So this is in honor of my favorite sports enthusist...

The fact that the Olympics were in Canada this year added to my husband's fascination. Our conversation was peppered with who was playing and when. I listened to who was in the running to win while eating my eggs, heard all about the story behind a hopeful gold medal winner while fixing my hair, found out who lost by a millionth of a second while putting on my shoes...you get the picture. He knows all the athlete's names and where they're from - even in figure skating! This may be the only time in the next four years that he will tolerate ice dances - whatever would get our nation another gold. I was more excited for my husband than for Team Canada when they won the "big game" on Sunday night!

I have to say, I enjoyed the excitement myself. I especially love watching figure skating...I know, so girly of me...but I do.

I was so impressed again at how seamlessly the athletes dance their program. They make it look so easy. They are performing in front of the whole world with the pressure of a country depending on them for a medal and yet they seem to skate with such ease. They don't pause and try to remember the next step - it seems to come as natural as breathing. We watched one pairs team practice in a hallway with no skates and it looked as if they had been doing those same lifts and spins for all their life.

But, we all know that it didn't come that easy. The years of discipline and practice and falling and getting up again and early mornings and long hours all came down to that few minutes where now the choreography was almost a part of them. Perhaps that's how Joannie Rochette was able to perform so beautifully and capture a bronze medal after her mom passed away just a couple days before. All the hours of practice enabled her to complete her dream and her mother's even in the midst of such circumstances. The dance had become second nature.

It made me think of when Job, from the Bible, fell down to worship God even in the midst of great sorrow. I don't think it was a spur of the moment thing. I believe that Job's life had been a life of honoring God and drawing close to Him.

"There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and eschewed evil"(KJV) Job 1:1.

When destruction hit, it was just second nature that he would turn to his Lord. I pray that my life would be full of drawing near to Him so that in surprising moments, His will is my second nature. I pray that I would perform beautifully when someone buts in front of me in the line up or that I would answer softly when my child makes mistakes or that I would be ready with an answer for what I believe for the person sitting next to me in the airplane.

Let's get training!

"Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil...that you may able to withstand in the evil day, and have done all, to stand firm (NLT)." Ephesians 6:10-13