Moms caring for their babies
Dads pushing through the traffic
Siblings getting on each others nerves
Acquaintances and co-workers hashing out political differences
Arguing about religion, or placidly talking about the weather
Steps hurried, and determined, with places to be and work to accomplish

People, just getting through another day;
Some going through the motions of life
Some living with purpose and passion
Some all together giving up
It was a day like any other for most

Yet,
A day unlike any other for ONE
On this day
He plead for there to be another way
But, accepted in faith the road he must walk
Accused by liars.
He stared into the eyes of a friend and felt the sting of denial

Unjustly, beaten while blindfolded
Mocked,
And spat on.
Silently bearing the pain of both the tongue and the lash
Then
He transfered all the sins of the whole world
The world that was
And the world that was yet to be
Onto himself
And gave his perfect life as a sacrifice for all our imperfections
My imperfections.

Some call it "Good Friday"
In my human understanding it doesn't seem good
Yet, the good was not in his suffering
But in our justification to God
No longer separated, the curtain torn forevermore
But still he was gone, his body destroyed, his soul offered up

Two long days...
For some triumphant hours, and for others sorrowful

But the third day
An empty tomb, and a risen Lord
A radiant body that walked through walls,
With scars that matched his wounds, 
But also one that could eat.
And a message for the world
"go into all the world and make disciples, baptising them in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey all that I have commanded.  And surely, I am with you always even to the very end of the age." - Matthew 28:19-20
"...in this life you will have trouble, but take heart for I have overcome the world" - 1 John 16:31-33


And so, there is another day coming
It will be a day like any other
We will be caring for our babies
Rushing to work
Focused on school
Chatting with friends
Sleeping in our beds
And He will return for us
 “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into.  So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.
“Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of the servants in his household to give them their food at the proper time? It will be good for that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns.  Truly I tell you, he will put him in charge of all his possessions.  But suppose that servant is wicked and says to himself, ‘My master is staying away a long time,’ and he then begins to beat his fellow servants and to eat and drink with drunkards.  The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of.  He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth." - Matthew 24:42-51

"Jesus replied, 'Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. Anyone who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me.' " - John 14:23-25


And so today
May I live in grace
Loving through obedience
Serving others
Giving glory to God
Accepting the road I travel on with faith
Knowing my life has a purpose
And when it's hard
Remember He knows how it feels, He's walked a harder one
And He's overcome anything I might face
Looking forward to the day He returns

Happy Easter

Sunday School Writing Revelations

I'm not skinny
I can't buy regular length jeans
My hair is wavy
It seems my best friends are petite
My husband can loose 5 pounds just by running a mile
That last one may be an exaggeration

I've wasted too much time
Comparing
Envying
Trying to alter and adjust the version of me
HE created
And I never stopped to think how that would make God
My creator feel

TRUTH - It makes him angry

Contentment is a CHOICE
Choosing God
His provision
His plan
And His creation

Through Numbers 11, the Holy Spirit gave me this conclusion.
When we choose to complain about our circumstances or the qualities that makes us who we are – we are acting with hearts that are ungrateful to God.  God, who made us who we are and has provided for us everything we need.  

I can not imagine eating manna, and only manna, for who knows how many days
After so long, I imagine, I would forget the miracle of the provision
Just as I forget the meticulousness that was the knitting together of me inside my mother 31 years ago
HE thought about me, forming each piece both external and internal
LIFE is so much more
Than skinny jeans off the rack
Straight hair
And working with self-control to eat right and be a healthy weight
It's about glorying our creator
With all that we are
All that He created us to be

Psalm 139:13-14, Proverbs 19:23 and Philippians 11:4-13

For the love of insight into what really matters, repentance, and a thankful heart,
ME

The little things...

Sleeping in, or getting up with the sun

An empty schedule

Sun shine

Coffee and cream
Too loud silliness
Maracas made from shells and pebbles
Walking sticks
Wild flower bouquets
Exploring
Ladybugs
Heads resting on laps
Books
Naps
Bird calls
Rocks of all sizes and colors
Still cold water
And time to, just be
A seemingly unimpressive list
Random pieces of our morning
That made it special
Because we're together

For the love of spring break, and taking a break,
Me

Don't Party Without Me

My husband
From first meet
Has a habit of making me laugh
He's funny
Even when explaining his own jokes
It's what I found most attractive about him
Eight years later
His uncanny ability to interject sarcasm and wit still make me laugh
FYI, it's still attractive
And there's this joy he gets from my laugh
That makes laughing at even the worst joke worth it
It's part of what makes our life so happy
His gift for funny
And my love of laughing at with him

It was a normal evening,
Me slaving over a hot stove
J unloading and re-loading the dishwasher
The kids scattering legos for us to step on later in the living room
J's moments of wit are unplanned (most of the time)
And
Often strike when we're alone
Laughter is apart of most normal evenings
And as usual
Above the sound of dishes and cooking
My laughter echoed
Our first born rushed into catch the one-liner
But seeing he was too late
His simple and disappointed question was
"Why are you guys always partying without me?" 

I can't remember how we responded...
But I know we waited till he left the room to repeat and laugh some more

For the love of laughter, children, marriage, and partying,
Me

A Seasonally Affected February

The cold is piercing
And the emptiness of outside
Torments
It's a barren time of year
And the grey consumes
Life is buried
Under hardened earth, and snow
Awaiting the sun
Longing

Air fills my lungs, but I can't breathe
I rise to face the day, but can't move
Like the daffodils, frozen beneath the snow
I'm frozen
Fighting the numbness and weight
Of the grey
Of the void
Of the lies

So I go through the motions
And smile like I mean it
It's imperfect
But forgiven
And
Slowly
The sun permeates the grey
Melting the icy oppression
Truth pervades
Like rays of light warming through a window
Prayers raised bring peace
The void fills
Numbness bows to perception
And the grey morphs