My husband went out of town for a long weekend and I had the kids by myself. I don't begrudge my husband this trip. I usually travel more than he does and he really enjoys this trip. It is good for him.
Things were going along fine, other than missing him, and I decided I would take the kids out to the barn on Saturday. I am thinking he will be so happy to have the fields mowed and I will be happy to have the tack cleaned. We have done these things before and should have no problems. We get out there and realize the tractor does not have the bush hog on it, so Gabrielle cannot take care of the back field. Graham, my son, can still use the mower to take care of barn area and smaller field, so we go to Plan B and decide to get rid of the manure pile. Then the tractor will not start at all. My daughter checks, re-checks, tries again. Not happening. So we decide to shovel by hand and with 3 of us working, it shouldn't be so bad, Plan C. Things go along relatively smoothly and I am thinking, this is good. We are getting some stuff done and won't my husband be impressed that we did this by ourselves.
Right about now, those of you with any intuition are thinking... uh-ohh, something is about to go wrong, and you are right. Ever read the Proverb that says "pride goeth before the fall"? We are about to wrap up and get ready to leave, when I notice my son walking up from the back field. Did I mention that I had the whole day planned out with barn in the morning, time for lunch, Grace's ballet practice in the afterrnoon, time for a shower, a wedding reception early evening and a school benefit show that night?
My son, with all the wisdom of a 13 year old boy, decided not to mow the small back field, but the swampy trail back in the woods. (The one where he has gotten the ATV and Go-Kart stuck on multiple occasions.) The mower is stuck in deep mud. We try the wench on the ATV (after I drive back to check things out in the mini-van and the little dog breaks her collar and chases me), not working. I leave Gabrielle and Graham while I take Grace to ballet, call someone to pick her up, call a friend to help with the mower and get my husband's truck (it has a bigger wench). Truck is at the dealership getting fixed, can't use it. The tractor is strong enough... still won't start. Brother in law with his truck...out of town. Neighbor has a tractor...he's not back yet. Friend is there to help, but PT Cruisers are not much good at pulling mowers out of mud in the woods so they are really more moral support at this point. Finally the neighbor gets back and after 3 hours, multiple failed plans and many prayers of "Please, God, give me a break here!", we get the mower out.
The saga continues. I am late to the wedding reception, but things are okay, until I noticed 2 missed calls from home. Not a good sign. My daughter can't get her music on a CD for the benefit show. I race out of the reception after stuffing my cake down my throat, drive to the store for an I-tunes card, give my son the code and get home as fast as the speed limit will allow. I get home to discover my son still doesn't have the music on a CD because that computer hasn't been used for ITunes before and he can't remember the security questions and he has answered them wrong so many times, he locked out of his account. I call a friend who has to have her daughter help with passwords, finally we get the music on a CD, I drive across town and get the music to my daughter. (She sang beautifully.)
I could regale you with a much more detailed and animated version of the story, but the long and short of it is no one was hurt and I can celebrate the victory that I did not have a nervous breakdown. God can grant you the grace to focus on solutions, not problems and hold you together when everything else seems to be falling apart.
Thursday, May 31, 2012
Thursday, May 17, 2012
The Turtle
There is a box turtle in our yard and apparently my little dog, Gypsy, feels this is a massive threat to her teritory. From the ferocious barking and intense attacking, one would think evil itself had come to invade our precious kingdom.
You have to understand, we have 2 dogs, a lab, Godiva and the terrier, Gypsy. Godiva really could care less about the other critters in our yard. She only mildly appears interested in a deer if they are close enough to nibble on her fur (they eat just about everything else in my yard so why not the dog?!). Gypsy however is on a constant vigil to rid the yard of every bird, squirrel, mole, deer, frog, lizard, beetle and especially turtles. One would think this is an exhausting job, but Gypsy has the energy for it. The first time I heard her battling a turtle, I was very alarmed. All this vicious growling and barking, lunging and digging must mean she found a monstrous creature. My first thought was a snake, since dinosaurs are extinct and komodo dragons are not indiginous to Virginia. Imagine my relief and humor at discovering it was a box turtle, shut tight in it's shell under a bush. She found a turtle the other day while I was working in the yard, and it had the nerve to stay around to be discovered again today. After recognizing the familar battle cries I told her to leave it alone and shooed her away to terrorize another section of the yard.
Then it occured to me - how many times do I do similar things in my life? I worry and fret over small insignificant things or I explode over a simple mistake? Granted, that mole hill really did look like Mount Everest at the time with no sleep, junk food and hormones raging. And turtles can do some real damage, just look at a large snapping turtle. But sometimes I need to take a step back and see if my response is truly warranted. I probably do look like my dog, Gypsy, at times. God probably grins, shakes His head and says to leave that turtle alone and focus on something more important.
You have to understand, we have 2 dogs, a lab, Godiva and the terrier, Gypsy. Godiva really could care less about the other critters in our yard. She only mildly appears interested in a deer if they are close enough to nibble on her fur (they eat just about everything else in my yard so why not the dog?!). Gypsy however is on a constant vigil to rid the yard of every bird, squirrel, mole, deer, frog, lizard, beetle and especially turtles. One would think this is an exhausting job, but Gypsy has the energy for it. The first time I heard her battling a turtle, I was very alarmed. All this vicious growling and barking, lunging and digging must mean she found a monstrous creature. My first thought was a snake, since dinosaurs are extinct and komodo dragons are not indiginous to Virginia. Imagine my relief and humor at discovering it was a box turtle, shut tight in it's shell under a bush. She found a turtle the other day while I was working in the yard, and it had the nerve to stay around to be discovered again today. After recognizing the familar battle cries I told her to leave it alone and shooed her away to terrorize another section of the yard.
Then it occured to me - how many times do I do similar things in my life? I worry and fret over small insignificant things or I explode over a simple mistake? Granted, that mole hill really did look like Mount Everest at the time with no sleep, junk food and hormones raging. And turtles can do some real damage, just look at a large snapping turtle. But sometimes I need to take a step back and see if my response is truly warranted. I probably do look like my dog, Gypsy, at times. God probably grins, shakes His head and says to leave that turtle alone and focus on something more important.
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
Be bolder...maybe
I have been challenged of late through several book, devotions and Bible studies to take my walk with Jesus to another level. I am content with "lifestyle evangelism" and I love the poster on the wall of a church that says something to the effect of "Go and preach the gospel everywhere, when necessary use words." I am not comfortable with preaching at people, unless I am the teacher at that moment.
I believe God calls us all to a unique purpose and gives us the gifts and talents to accomplish that purpose. Fortunately, I have no gift or desire to be a sidewalk preacher. But how do I step out of my comfort zone and become bolder for Jesus, without becoming judgemental or obnoxious? I have said I want to be so full of God's Spirit that I cannot help but splash on to other people around me. But what if they don't want to get wet? I want to be the refreshing sprinkle on a hot day when you want to cool off or the light that helps you see better. Not the wet blanket on a dreary day or a blinding beam of light that hurts your eyes. I want to teach my children that Jesus loves them and He died so they can have a relationship with Him, not a religion. I also want to teach them that going to church and being in a Christian community is importantl. Rituals and tradition can bring profound comfort and significance to worship, as long as they do not become the focus themselves. I want to go to heaven, and I want to take some people with me.
So how do you balance being bolder and wanting more of God's presence in your life without scaring people off or offending them? Unfortunately, in some cases, it is going to happen no matter what. I think the key lies in wisdom and obedience. God promises to give wisdom to those who ask and wisdom is not just book smarts. Wisdom is common sense and discernment. It is knowing not only what to say, but when to say it, how and sometimes who. Sometimes we are not the best messangers, which can be extra tough in families. Then there is the obedience thing. I admit that I have been educated way beyond my level of obedience. There are many times when I feel God's urging, but it is not convenient, comfortable or I just flat out do not want to do it. I am trying to listen and act more often than I ignore and sit still. So if God wants me to step out, I need to listen to what He wants me to do. Not what someone else thinks I should do or what God wants someone else to do. I need to do what I am asked to do, when I am asked to do it. Whether that be to speak up or step back.
I believe God calls us all to a unique purpose and gives us the gifts and talents to accomplish that purpose. Fortunately, I have no gift or desire to be a sidewalk preacher. But how do I step out of my comfort zone and become bolder for Jesus, without becoming judgemental or obnoxious? I have said I want to be so full of God's Spirit that I cannot help but splash on to other people around me. But what if they don't want to get wet? I want to be the refreshing sprinkle on a hot day when you want to cool off or the light that helps you see better. Not the wet blanket on a dreary day or a blinding beam of light that hurts your eyes. I want to teach my children that Jesus loves them and He died so they can have a relationship with Him, not a religion. I also want to teach them that going to church and being in a Christian community is importantl. Rituals and tradition can bring profound comfort and significance to worship, as long as they do not become the focus themselves. I want to go to heaven, and I want to take some people with me.
So how do you balance being bolder and wanting more of God's presence in your life without scaring people off or offending them? Unfortunately, in some cases, it is going to happen no matter what. I think the key lies in wisdom and obedience. God promises to give wisdom to those who ask and wisdom is not just book smarts. Wisdom is common sense and discernment. It is knowing not only what to say, but when to say it, how and sometimes who. Sometimes we are not the best messangers, which can be extra tough in families. Then there is the obedience thing. I admit that I have been educated way beyond my level of obedience. There are many times when I feel God's urging, but it is not convenient, comfortable or I just flat out do not want to do it. I am trying to listen and act more often than I ignore and sit still. So if God wants me to step out, I need to listen to what He wants me to do. Not what someone else thinks I should do or what God wants someone else to do. I need to do what I am asked to do, when I am asked to do it. Whether that be to speak up or step back.
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