Category Archives: Love one another

Simple Grace

Christianity, Grace, Love one another, Spiritual Encouragement, , , , ,

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Simple Grace

I must be on a “simple” kick. My last blog was about “simple lessons”. All day today I have thought of the simplicity of God’s grace and how I have complicated it many times in my life.

If someone asked you to explain your faith, could you? What is faith after all? What is grace? Oh, I know all the scriptures. I could send you to them or quote them for you. But if you don’t believe the Bible is the word of God, what good would it do?

My faith is simple. I believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and have accepted Him as my Savior. My one and only Savior. I am dependent on Him. I believe in His existence in my life right now, and tomorrow.

I cannot argue in apologetics, I cannot prove He exists. I cannot do anything but tell you about my life and how I have felt Him and seen Him work over and over.

My parents argued over and over in ugly ways and then divorced. I seemed to be right in the middle of them protecting my mom. Even when I was 12 and dealing with those issues, I really felt that “someone” was watching out for me. God was.

I was not sure of my future, and others around me doubting my ability to become anything with the circumstances that I was in…but there were two teachers who believed in me, and guided me and encouraged me. HE used them to love on me at a crucial time in my life. I went on to school and became a teacher myself. He was there.

I married and although I could fill a volume of books on how God was faithful and how He extended his grace to me,  I will share only a few. After six years of marriage we had children. I had some issues the second time around and could have lost him. We did not. At one point one of them was not moving in the womb. We were close to delivery and I had to make a quick trip to the ER. It was a scary time, but the stubborn child finally moved and was born by c section days later. It was hard. But He was always there…

We lost 12 people to death in four years in the 90’s. I did not think I could survive through many of these deaths. HE was present. HE brought me peace. A supernatural peace that cannot be explained.

We raised our children. Many times while on my knees in prayer…He showed up. His presence was heavy, palatable, felt by me. I cannot explain it. But I know HE was there…

We personally went through the destruction of two homes in individual storms. In one, I felt that I should look at the window and step on the porch. That is when I saw the tornado. Inside, I would have not seen it and since our home was destroyed, we might have been also. The second storm I heard a voice, not audible mind you, but a feeling that I should get under the table. I did and seconds later a tree fell in on our table right where I had been sitting. It destroyed our home. He brought peace to me in a situation that I did not understand, we lost our home.  Again!

It hasn’t always turned out the way I thought it should. Sometimes I have been disappointed and even mad. I have plenty of questions. We have had many rough times in our lives through these last 35 years of marriage but, He never leaves me…even when He has every right to do so. I still trust Him.

I could go on and on. I cannot convince anyone that Jesus is real…anymore than anyone could convince me He isn’t. I am just afraid He has been given a bad rap. He simply has a gift to give. He wants us to have eternal life. He wants to be with us as we walk through this thing called life. He knows we are not perfect. He just wants the best for us. Sometimes we think that it is just a bunch of rules to follow. It is not. Moral codes maybe, but not rules. That is where the grace comes in.

I cannot get good enough, nor do I have to do so. His grace is for me, for us. “God’s riches at Christ’s expense” I have heard it said before. This is true.

I cannot prove He loves me, except for what I believe and what I have felt…..once you are in His presence, you know it is real. And you never want to be out of it. And I am in love with Him.

So that is it. Simple grace. His gift. I can accept it, or not. But I know it is real. It is that simple.

 

Be blessed~

IN CHRIST ALONE

Isaiah 55:8-9

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Behavior-Respect=Lack of Discipline

homeschooling, Love one another, mom, motherhood, Parenting, Spiritual Encouragement, teachers, Uncategorized, , , , , , , , , , , ,

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An Observed Formula

As a former teacher and mom of adult children, I have made a number of observations.  I cannot say that they are correct, nor can I claim any scientific evidence. But it is was I have observed…my formula so to speak.

Behavior-Respect=Lack of Discipline

Behavior is defined as “the manner of conducting oneself” (Merriam-Webster)    Respect is defined “a feeling of admiring someone or something that is good, valuable, important, etc.” and “a feeling or understanding that someone or something is important, serious, etc., and should be treated in an appropriate way” (Merriam-Webster).  Discipline is defined as “control that is gained by requiring that rules or orders be obeyed and punishing bad behavior” or  “a way of behaving that shows a willingness to obey rules or orders”.(Merriam-Webster)

How interesting.  Could it be that simple?

The manner of conducting oneself, without the feeling of value leads to lack of behaving in a way that shows a willingness to obey rules?

Yep.  I think it is.

If we don’t teach our children how to have respect for themselves and others, they will have no reason to follow any rules.  What does it really matter to them?  I am mindful of Mark 12:30-31, when Jesus was responding to a question by one of the “teachers of the law” when he asked what the greatest commandments was, and Jesus replied: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.  The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’There is no commandment greater than these.”

Hopefully we teach our children to love their neighbors, but do we teach them to love their neighbor as they do themselves?  Now I am not talking about the way some might do…the child can do no wrong, I am talking about respect and love.  Teaching your child their value…..that God has a plan for them.  How their lives are so important and they count for something. How Jesus loves them “without condition”.

I have seen both sides of that pendulum.  Children who are given no respect at home, practically raising themselves, and don’t understand what it means to love others and put their needs first.  They are kids for heaven’s sake, and yet the needs of those raising them comes first.  I have seen it folks, firsthand and it is sad.  How can a child dealing with those issues be full of respect for others and be disciplined at the same time?

Most of the issues I dealt with at school involved a lack of respect for themselves, friends and those in authority.  I get it.  But dealing with those behaviors while trying to educate is not always a happy mix. (But that is another blog!)

At any rate, I feel as though I am rambling, and I most likely am…but it breaks my heart.  Our children, the children that are growing up around us…are they taught or given unconditional love?  Can we as teachers, parents, friends…give it?  Does it mean allowing a child to do what he wants when he wants it?  Is our society disrespectful in general?  What can we do?

I don’t have all the answers and will never pretend to have them.  But the one thing I know for sure is that we must love.  We must teach our children the true meaning of unconditional love.  Then we must surrender to the Lord Jesus and allow Him to love others through us. How you teach that is up to you and the leading of the Holy Spirit.

I spent much of my day teaching and demanding respect.  But my students knew that I loved them.  They knew that they were important to me.  They knew that the discipline (to train, to teach, to educate..Strongs) was because of the love I had for them, due to the unconditional love shown me through Christ. The children were not the reason I stopped teaching..although having my proverbial “hands tied” did contribute …  (But that too is another blog)

So what is the answer? Jesus.  Knowing who He really is…having an intimate relationship with Him and not making it about “rules and regulations”  Without the love, rules and regulations will just lead to rebellion. (But that is another blog too!!)

I hope that I have given you some things to ponder.  I would love to hear your thoughts on my observed formula!  And it appears as though I have three more blogs to write….education and dealing with discipline issues….teachers leaving the field…rules and regulations without relationship…..hmmmmmm…..

Blessings dear ones~

IN CHRIST ALONE

Isaiah 55:8-9

I would NEVER…Just Ask Me!

Christianity, homeschooling, Love one another, mom, motherhood, Parenting, Spiritual Encouragement, Uncategorized, , , ,

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I would NEVER ……just ask me!

Yep, I thought I knew it all.  Had all the answers.

You’ve probably heard people say that phrase…  I was one of those women who would say things like…”If I were that kid’s mom, I would never let him throw a fit like that in front of people in a grocery store.”  Then I had a two year old.  And we went to a grocery store.

Or “No teenager of mine would be living in my house if he did___________!”  Then I had two teenagers that continued to live in my house.

How easy is it to say what we would do in situations in which we have no idea what we would really do!  It always made me feel better about myself when I could point out the failures in “parenting” as I came upon these situations.  

I asked the Lord forgiveness for that attitude.  And thankfully I was forgiven.

I think that the older you get, the less you realize that you know.  Oh sure, experience, trials and troubles have brought a bit of wisdom, but I don’t pretend like I know it all anymore.  That is not a characteristic of confidence.  The only thing I am confident is Christ in me.

Galatians 2:20-21: “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. 21 I do not set aside the grace of God; for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died in vain.”

We have the opportunity to help others that have gone through parenting situations that we might have gone through.  And when parents are dealing with something that we ourselves have not dealt with, we have the opportunity to be supportive…not pass judgement.  We need to encourage one another.  Let the Christ in us encourage.

As for me, when I look at all the careers and jobs I have had over the years, being a parent was the toughest.  It was one of the most important things I ever did to be sure…but it was also the hardest.  The responsibility became overwhelming sometimes if I really thought about it.  So I had to learn to give it to the Father.  I had to truly trust Him with my children’s lives.

I told someone last night that God loves our children more than we can even imagine.

Luke 11:11-13 “Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”

Isaiah 49:15-16 : “Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne?  Though she may forget, I will not forget you!   See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are ever before me.”

1 Corinthians 13:4-6: “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.”

We have to come to the point in our lives as parents when we realize that we simply do not have all the answers.  We do the best we can.  And we trust the One who created our children.  We were loaned a gift, one that He created.  Our job is to teach them in the ways of the Lord and love them unconditionally.  

Truly love them unconditionally, and realize as parents that we really don’t know it all.

Whether they throw a fit in the grocery store, or do something in which they should not be allowed to live in your house.  

Blessings dear ones~

IN CHRIST ALONE

Isaiah 55:8-9

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