Stop and Enjoy!

“Taste and see that the Lord is good.” Psalm 34:8a (NIV)

It’s funny how adding another child to the mix can speed some things up, while slowing others things down. For example, I am now changing the diapers of two kids instead of one, and at several times during the day all three kids seem to need me at once. On the other hand, our outside activities have slowed down a bit…or at least my involvement in them. The funniest thing is that by slowing down, God has allowed me to reevaluate a few things in my life. One huge thing became apparent to me:

I need to enjoy my kids more for who they are and not become frustrated by what they are not. I need to enjoy them right now in the season that they are in right now, because the truth is that they are not my own. They are on loan to me from the Lord, and one day they will have families, careers, and homes of their own. When they are in that season, I want to delight in the fact that I had many wonderful years teaching, instructing, disciplining, and enjoying them. I don’t want to have the heavy heart of a mom who dragged herself through the day by day of life and forgot to have fun with her kids.

God is so good to not just remind me of the fact that I need to enjoy my kids—even on the crazy days—but he has also been faithful to send reinforcements my way through other blogs, Christian radio, the internet, and a variety of other media sources. It’s like He doesn’t want me to miss it. For instance, recently a friend sent me the blog article of another homeschool mom. As this woman’s husband was walking out the door, he lovingly told his wife, “Honey, I have prayed for your day with the kids. Remember to enjoy them today.” Another blog written by our very own, very beautiful Joannie, reminded us to enjoy our kids in her blog titled, “Let Them Eat Cake”.

As if all of this were not enough, I listened to a family life blog about moms (a very good segment that I will blog about in more detail later) that encouraged us as moms to stop competing with one another, stop comparing our kids to other kids, and to love and enjoy them the way Jesus encourages us to. Consider the following verse:

“The Lord your GOD is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing.” Zephaniah 3:17

As a mom, I want to follow the example of our Heavenly Father; I want to take delight in my children. I want to rejoice over them with singing. This means that when my son wants to tell me some really long, dramatic, youthful story about Spiderman, or centipedes, or airplanes, I need to intently listen. You know what I mean…I need to do more than “act like I’m listening”. I should actually listen and try to see things through his eyes and share his excitement. If my younger son wants to play basketball on the patio, I need to take a few minutes to enjoy that pastime with him. I need to enjoy every moment of my precious newborn, because truthfully, I think she may be our last little one.

So moms, let’s enjoy the little personalities walking around our homes. Let’s celebrate the unique person God has made them. Let’s love them, guide them, pray for them, and enjoy them so that one day we can send them out to be the men and women God has created them to be…knowing that we enjoyed the process. J

Let’s pray:

Heavenly Father, Thank you that your word illuminates the beauty of you rejoicing over us with singing. Thank you for the children you have blessed us with. Thank you that your Word provides the ultimate guide for how to live in a way that brings you honor and brings peace and joy to our homes. I pray that we will imitate you in all things—help us to enjoy our kids in whatever season we are in. Help us to rejoice over them with singing.

In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.

Challenge: How has God uniquely crafted your child(ren)? Decide today to rejoice in their uniqueness and enjoy the personality God has given them. Also, what activity or simple pastime can you enjoy with your kid(s) that would really bring a smile to his or her heart?

A Party or a Headache?

As Valencia mentioned in her Tuesday blog, we don’t enjoy the moment because we are looking at the next event.  Maurilio Amorim shared such a sweet sentiment this past week, I thought it would reinforce Valencia’s response exactly…Please welcome our friend, Maurillo Amorim and “A Different Approach to Inconvenience!”

While the adults at my delayed gate in Atlanta looked around frustrated, tapped their toes, check their watches often, a group of small children decided to take a different approach to the inconvenience. I like their approach better.

Google Image

It was a typical scene in most busy airports in America: people trying to get to their final destinations, hoping that their delayed flight would not derail their best laid plans. I had joined the rest of the self-important business travelers whose body language clearly displayed our discontent with the situation. During my time at the gate, I saw a few small children find each other and impromptu form a circle on the floor. Then they began to play games, and by the time we were boarding, they were breaking into song. Our delay became their party.

As I was boarding I looked at the children and could not help but to smile. I noticed a lady next to me smiling as well. The thought then crossed my mind: at point in my “development” I lost the ability to find the fun and excitement in the most of mundane, if not, inconvenient, of situations? At what point of maturity life became a series of tasks and appointments where I lost the opportunity to make new friends and smile?

Years ago my flight to Rio was diverted to Bogota, Columbia due to engine issues. Our entire 747 was stranded at the airport. We could not even leave the plane due to obscure reasons I do not recall. Word came that we would have to stay at least another 6 hours waiting for the problem to be fixed before we could leave. People were mad, hungry, despondent–the typical traveling reaction to such an ordeal.

After a make-shift dinner of airport food fare, we found ourselves sitting back at the plane grumbling about our misfortune. During this time I discovered that the young couple sitting next to me were college students like myself, but they were also opera singers and quite accomplished for their age. “Why don’t you sing for us?” I proposed. They look puzzled at first then shrug their shoulders and agreed.

What happened next was pure fun. My new friends broke into an Aria right from their seats. They stood up and began to sing from the top of their lungs. It was just beautiful. The whole plane got quiet, and as they finished the first song, the place erupted in spontaneous applause. For the next several minutes they went through most of their repertoire. Once they were done, I stood up and ask if anyone else would like to sing, or “share a talent” with the rest of the plane.

What started as a terrible delay in an airport where soldiers carried machine guns around the concourse, turned out to be one of the most memorable moments of my life. It’s been almost 30 years since then, and I can still remember it vividly.

What would happen if we were not always so “grown up” and found a way to turn the inconveniences of life into opportunities to engage and enjoy people around us?  I think the airport children were right. They found a party where we found a headache.

Proverbs 17: 22 A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit saps a person's strength.  Our challenge this week is to take as many "inconvenient" situations and turn them in to a party.  Let us know about your celebrations.