Bill and I get up at 4:30 in the morning because of his work schedule. When the alarm went off one day last week, Bill went straight to the shower. While I was doing a few things in the bedroom, I heard a clanging sound coming from the kitchen. I quickly went out to find my son standing on the open dishwasher door trying to help himself to a cup. Early riser, or sleep walker? Whichever one it was, it was darn funny.
A Nail In His Toes Friday, Jan 11 2008
Spiritual Growth 5:04 pm
Liam and I were reading through one of his Bibles this week and came to a picture of Jesus on the cross. This was a cartoon drawing with no blood, but Liam stopped at this picture and stared for quite a while. He looked very concerned. I asked what was wrong, and he said, “He has a nail in His toes.” Liam still has a limited vocabulary compared to most other children his age, but he was able to comprehend that something was wrong with the picture, and he didn’t like the fact that Jesus had a nail in His “toes.” I looked at Liam with tears and said, “That’s right, Baby, He did have a nail in His toes and His hands, but more than that, He didn’t even get to be in God’s presence at that time, and He was God’s perfect Son. What’s even greater is that Jesus let bad people put those nails there without a fight so those people would never have to be out of God’s presence. He really loves His people!”
It was a very simple gospel presentation, and I’m sure Liam didn’t understand, but I was moved by Liam’s reaction to such a simple picture even though he doesn’t have a comprehension of pain sources yet. How often we feel like we can only see gruesome pictures of Christ before we are affected by what He did for us on the cross (i.e. movies like “The Passion of the Christ”). Why am I not more affected when I see a simple drawing in a toddler’s Bible, not as much for the physical pain Jesus underwent, but for the agony of having God turn His back on Him because He took our well-deserved wrath upon Himself? This is what it means to be cross-centered–to always remember where we would be without Jesus’ sacrifice and to glory in Him daily for the freedom and joy we have if we put our faith in Him and sacrifice every aspect of our lives to Him and His gospel. May we never boast in our own works!
Focus On the Good Wednesday, Jan 9 2008
Parenting and Prayer and Spiritual Growth 7:02 am
Sunday, I was slightly hurt when a good-intentioned friend brought my darling little girl out of the nursery at church and said, “Dra-ma!” Worried, I asked what had happened. Laughing, she told me how every time one of the other babies cried, Ariana would look up at her with puppy dog eyes because she also wanted attention. She then went on to say, “I know you’ve told me how dramatic she is before, but I had never seen it. She was so funny!”
Looking at a teacher with attention-seeking eyes didn’t seem so dramatic to me, and I wondered why she made a big deal about it. It struck me that the key was in those words, “I know you’ve told me how dramatic she is…” She was focused on it because I had brought her attention to it.
All children are sinful, and there are definitely appropriate times when we should discuss their sinfulness with others. One such time would be when seeking counsel about how to deal with the sinfulness from someone who has experience in that area. However, as a mom I tend to only draw people’s attention to the evil in my children instead of the good. This is a form of my pridefulness. I don’t want others to think I’m vain about my children; instead I want them to think I’m a good mother who is aware of every area of sin that my children show (a.k.a. that I’m not one of those parents who somehow manage to overlook their child’s obvious sinful patterns–please note sarcasm toward myself) .
God began convicting me deeply that day about my attitude toward my children. Why do I never tell people how fun and joyful Ariana is or how concerned she gets when any member of the household is upset? Why do I not talk about how easy-going she is (especially considering she has a two-year old brother)? Why do I rarely talk about Liam’s compassion and tenderness? Why do I focus on his boyhood energy as if it’s a bad thing? Why do I not talk about how obedient he is most of the time or how his little mind is like a sponge (you should hear him quote memory verses and catechisms)? And why do I not share with people how much joy both our children bring us and how much I praise God for these little jewels almost every day? How sad I would be without them!
The reason I don’t is because I am still the worst of sinners regardless of the grace God has given me. I am focused more on people’s attitudes toward me than I am the blessing God pours out for me every day. I would rather make myself look good and my children look bad. I am discontent with the (wonderful) lot God has given me in this world. I still want to take all glory from God instead of living a life that is focused on His gospel. Praise God that Jesus is still interceding for me every moment so that despite my vileness I will one day stand in the presence of His holiness! How amazing!
My prayer is that God will show even more grace by opening my blind eyes to His goodness and the lovely children He has blessed me with instead of allowing me to give in to my instincts to see only evil when I see my children. I pray that each time I am tempted to see their evil, I will first see the evil in my own heart and will show them a similar grace to the one God shows me each minute. Will you pray with me?
Animal Night Wednesday, Jan 2 2008
Family Nights and Home and Photo Albums 3:29 pm
Bill and I try to have a family night each week with a fun theme, so I thought I would begin sharing some with you to maybe spark some ideas for memory-making. This past Monday (which was also New Year’s Eve), we had an animal theme much to the joy of my animal-obsessed son (thanks, Jonathan) 
. We began with a fish pizza. Bill thought this was going to be gross until I explained it is simply a pepperoni pizza in the shape of a fish. You can see the picture below. Then we played “Catch the Lion’s Tail” which is really just “Duck, Duck, Goose,” except you say “hyena, hyena, lion” and try to grab a piece of yellow fabric in the lion’s pocket. Afterward, we watched Dr. Dolittle (with T.V. guardian in case you’re flipping out about the language) in which Liam named every single animal that was on the screen each time it made an appearance. We had plans to make little frogs out of paper plates but ran out of time. Besides, Liam and I had been busy all day making kazoos, party hats, and shakers, so we were a little crafted out. We celebrated New Year’s at 8:00, and Bill and I were in bed by 10. Aren’t we thrilling? 
It looked cuter before it was cooked and the pepperoni (gills) spread out. The mushroom eye also got buried in cheese.
Happy New Year! Tuesday, Jan 1 2008
Holidays and Photo Albums 12:22 pm
We wanted to wish everyone a happy 2008. May this be a year when the gospel is at the forefront of our minds and guides each action we take and each thought we have. Praise God for the undeserved fresh start given us through the blood and substitution of His son, Jesus Christ!
Here is a picture of a craft Liam and I made this morning to start off the new year:
