Tag Archives: homeschooling mom

Simple Gift

Christianity, Spiritual Encouragement, Truth, Uncategorized, , , , , , , ,

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Simple Gift

She glanced at the huge box on the table. Could it be hers? What could possibly be in that beautiful box? How long would she have to wait to find out? The suspense was almost more than her little 9 year old heart could handle!

Her daddy had brought the large box in and sat it on the table. He had looked at her and grinned, then walked out of the room. She sat on the couch, unable to take her eyes off the box. Her daddy had been gone on a business trip and always found something to bring home to her. This had to be one of those gifts!

She sat still for what seemed like an eternity. Where did he go? Should she open the box? Should she wait until he came back into the room and ask him? Should she get up and go find him? She tried to keep her mind occupied, but her mind would not concentrate on anything but that huge box!

In a few minutes her daddy walked back into the room. Her anticipation had grown.  She sat waiting for his instructions. None came. He just sat down in his chair. “What is he waiting for?” she thought to herself. “Is that for me or not?” she thought.

Five minutes passed and she tried to act as if she had not noticed the box, but it was driving her crazy. When she looked at her daddy, he smiled politely and simply looked back out the window. This was torture!

Another five minutes drove the daughter practically into madness. She had always been taught to be polite and was not sure if she should just come out and ask for the box. Finally she asked her daddy, “Daddy, I have to ask…is the gift for me?” “Why yes my precious daughter, the gift is yours.” The daughter jumped up and went to get the gift.

As she opened it she found so many of her favorite things. She found books, seashells, flowers, a picture of a bird and music. All of these things were precious to her.  She loved to read and write, give gifts of beauty to others, sing, play the piano.  She received the gifts with such thanksgiving. Daddy was so pleased, he loved being able to gift his little girl.

“Daddy” she asked. “Why did you wait so long to tell me the gift was mine?” “Well sweetheart” he replied, “I was waiting for you to simply ask for it. The gift was yours the whole time. You just had to make the decision to receive it.”

What gifts has the Father given you that you have not received? Has the Father offered you the gift of salvation? What are you waiting for? Has He given you gifts in which you can use to glorify Him and serve others? Or are you leaving them to sit in the box? Has the Father simply offered you the beauty of a seashell, but have you looked past it not receiving it as the gift of beauty to bring you joy? Whatever the gift is..our Father is a gentleman, and he will not force it on you. He gives out of love.

“There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them.” 1 Corinthians 12:4

What gifts has the Father left for you to find and receive? Believe me, it is not a mystery…you won’t have to look hard…

Be blessed~

IN CHRIST ALONE

Isaiah 55:8-9

*google image, NIV Bible*

Simple Sand

homeschooling, mom, motherhood, Parenting, Spiritual Encouragement, Uncategorized, , , , ,

sandcastle-beach_300

Simple Sand

The ocean, a beach…and sand. Sand has some wonderful qualities, and some not so wonderful qualities if you have small children! I remember vacations where I thought we had gotten all the sand washed off before we entered the vacation dwelling, only to find it all over the floor as we walked…..over and over.

But the good qualities out weigh the bad (as long as there are not cats around). As a family on vacation, one of our favorite activities was building sandcastles and the artistic ones of the family loved sculpting different marine animals. I was constantly amazed by what one could do with sand!

One year we all worked hard to make a fort full of castles. Not just one castle with several individual sections (aka buckets), but a fort with a number of castles, a moat, and even a draw bridge over that moat! It took all day actually, and we all put our hearts in to it!

People walked by and admired it. Some stopped to chat, others took pictures. This was a FORT. Lots of work. Lots of fun.

Looking at our finished work with pride, we decided a dinner meal might be necessary. No one really wanted to leave. We all wanted to protect it. But the reality of its disappearance was in the future, and while unspoken at this point…we all dreaded it.

As soon as we came back from dinner, we all wanted to take a late walk on the beach to see if the fort had survived. It had…it was intact! There was hope!

We watched the sun set and knew we had to leave. “Maybe it will be here in the morning” one child said. “Yeah, I know it will…we worked so hard!” Ah gees, we had to tell them that it would most likely be gone in the morning. We felt like we were awful parents at that declaration!

But the fact was simple. The foundation was not firm. It was not secure. It was fragile. It would not stand. Sand shifts.

“But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.” Matthew 7:26-27

The next morning we did not hurry to go down to our spot. We knew what we would find. Or not find. The fort was gone. The fort was not only built on the sand, it was built out of sand!

“We should have built the fort out of something else on the concrete sidewalk.” “Yeah, it would still be there this morning if we did!”
Two weeks later there was a fort, built out of popsicle sticks and rocks…on the concrete patio at our house. We finally had to convince them to take it down…because it wasn’t coming down any other way!
Be blessed~
IN CHRIST ALONE

Isaiah 55:8-9

*google search image, NIV Bible*

 

Simple Math

Christianity, Grace, homeschooling, mom, motherhood, Parenting, Spiritual Encouragement, , , , , , , ,

 

Simple Math                  stock-photo-math-simple-equation-on-chalk-board-111802352

I am not talking about Common Core!  I am talking about the equation below:

RULES-RELATIONSHIP=REBELLION

We are surrounded by rules.  We see them posted, we tell them to our children.  The ten commandments are those that Christians consider rules….we all try to abide by them. The Pharisees had them during Jesus’ day, and they are still abounding in the church today.

Minus RELATIONSHIP…we can follow every rule, do all the right things and still not have a relationship with Jesus Christ.  Do we follow the rules because we Have to or we Get to?

Equals REBELLION…when we do not have that intimate relationship and try to follow the rules, we cannot keep them.  We will fail. We even have a tendency to do what we are not to do.  Paul said it.  And think about it…the sign says “don’t touch the glass”, what do we do?

If we have a intimate, real relationship with the Savior we can live a surrendered life.  We will want to do what is right.  And when we stumble, we go on.

His rules were not written to cause us pain and grief.  He knows the best for us…and the consequences to any mistakes we make.  We don’t live an abundant life by following rules…we live an abundant life by surrendering our heart to Jesus Christ!

I have found a better equation:

RULES+RELATIONSHIP=RELIANCE

“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith-and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-not be works, so that no one can boast.”  Ephesians 2:8-9

See..I told you it wasn’t Common Core!  It is far better…..

Be blessed

IN CHRIST ALONE

Isaiah 55:8-9

 

*google image, NIV*