Little Lessons / Thunderheads

     Thunderheads building in the east make a lovely scene to enjoy from our front porch.

    Not long after this picture was taken the skies opened, dumping rain in torrents. Some of us were out driving, and others were on the top porch singing and twirling ... outside, yet staying dry as rain poured all around.  I can't help but compare it to life in a spiritual sense of how the world can be in absolute turmoil, but if we are living in Jesus we can enjoy peace even in the midst of the storm.

    I love how there are often little lessons to see in simple everyday life if we take the time to see and listen.

Little Lessons ~ In the Kitchen

It's been quite a while since I did a Little Lessons post. I started doing them because so often ordinary little things in life make me think of deeper things. It has often provided topics for discussion with our children some of which I decided to share with you.

 

 

 

When putting dishes away and eyeing our rag tag assortment of pots and pans the girls were discussing how they think complete sets of cookware would be so much nicer than what we have.

Instead of putting the few away that we had just finished drying I opened the cupboard and pulled out the rest of the assortment.

They didn't make the nicest picture. There's one that had its lid broken years ago, there's a small one with a big handle, and another one with no handle at all. Another one has a small dent in the side. There's a tiny one that doesn't look very useful, but gets used every single day to make a single serving of oatmeal for LV for breakfast, and the others while they don't match anything have their own purpose.

I told the girls to look at them again and think of all the delicious foods we have prepared in them already. Every meal we have ever prepared in our home was thanks in part to this motley assortment of pots and pans. When I look at these pots and pans I don't think of the less than perfect thing they are, but what they can do for me.

I took it a step further and reminded them, just as these imperfect items are so important to our family. God also uses imperfect things for His purpose. Misfits and imperfect people are what He uses to do His work and build His kingdom. He uses the broken, bruised, the misfits, and those that appear to have everything together. They all work for His glory.

The pots and pans were placed back into the cupboard carefully and the door closed gently. They had served another purpose other than preparing food today. A little lesson for my daughters that I'm hoping they'll carry with them for a long time.

Reflection

One thing I love about wandering through the woods is that so often we are reminded of our Creator. Like yesterday when on a walk this little pool was discovered. Though tiny it did a great job of reflecting everything above it from the towering oak tree tops to the beautiful blue sky and white clouds.

If I look closer I see that in itself it really isn't that pretty. There is dirt, rotting leaves, and other debris, but with the reflection it was really quite pretty.

I couldn't help but think how I want to be like that pool. Though I am far from perfect I hope my life is able to show a reflection of God's love to those who see it.

Above the Noise ~ Little Lessons

 

In the kitchen our old refrigerator does a great job of keeping all our food nice and cold even though it is ugly and has several very annoying habits. One of them is the noise it makes. It reminds me a lot of the engine we used to have to keep the milk cooled on our dairy farm those first few years after we were married.

 

Every morning I leave Buddy upstairs sleeping while I come down to prepare breakfast and start my day. I tiptoe back upstairs every five minutes to check on him since the noise from the refrigerator drowns any other sounds and I don't want him to start his day off crying.

 

We have an open stairway and as I climb the noise from the refrigerator fades and I can hear other things. Birds singing in the trees outside the window, traffic passing the house, and once Buddy is awake I can hear him talking to himself and I'll hurry to get him.

 

This morning as I was once again tiptoeing up the stairs I couldn't help but think of how this can easily compare with the more important things in life. Just as I had to rise above the noise so I could hear if Buddy was awake I also need to take time to rise above the noise of life to listen to what is most important.

 

It can be so easy to allow all the demands on our time and the busyness in our life keep us totally occupied but once in a while it is a good idea to rise above the noise of life and listen to that which is really important.

Little Lessons

 

There seems there is an awfully lot of pressure on Christian women to serve, serve, serve. Teach Sunday school classes, have Bible studies, host this, do that. Do, do, serve, serve, witness, witness. For after all the work of church and Christ is the most important thing you can do.

Recently God took an instance that really opened my eyes to how I can really serve Him. It was late one evening, my husband and I had the evening devotions with the children and tucked them into bed. Like usual we stay up a little later to catch up on each others day, unwind, and relax before heading to bed as well.

It wasn't long before we heard the footsteps of one of the children come down the stairs, "I just wanted to say how much I love you" came the sweet proclamation as little arms were thrown around our necks. She then turned and went back to bed. A little later we could hear footsteps again. This time when I went to investigate she was washing the mirror in the bathroom. "Look how nice and clean I'm making it." she announced cheerfully. I acknowledged it and then told her it really is time to go to bed. A few minutes later I could hear her again, this time dusting some furniture. I told her she is not to get out of bed again. "But I wanted to make you happy." was her reply.

I told her that while those things were good things to do. I wanted for her to stay in bed and go to sleep. It would make me much happier if she would be obedient.

A light bulb seemed to go off in my head and a little voice seemed to whisper. I have been trying to tell you the same thing. "Your calling, what I want you to do is be a keeper at home. Take care of your husband and children. You know that all these other good things are making that you are not doing the best job that you could of being a wife and mother a keeper at home.

"Yes, Lord." Came my answer and I thanked Him for once again using one of my children to teach me a valuable lesson.

For this season of my life I will remain contentedly at home. I don't have to go to every good cause or to every church event. If it is causing me to neglect my keeper at home status I am really no longer obedient to what God wants me to be doing and no amount of other good things will make up for that.

Little Lesson ~ Baking Pie

In our basement there is a wall covered with shelves to hold jars of canned goods. I always think it looks cheerful with rows and rows of an assortment of food and on the end of one shelf a lonely jar of blackberries have been waiting until I decide to use them. They were left untouched for quite a while since I knew as soon as I use them we will officially be out of blackberries.

Several weeks ago they made their way from the shelf in the basement to the refrigerator in the kitchen where I again waited a while before actually using them.

LV loves blackberry pie so last week I finally opened that jar of blackberries and poured them into a saucepan and proceeded to make pie filling. The children were all looking forward to having pie once again and while the filling was cooling I made the pie dough.

As I fitted the dough into a pie pan I was bombarded by all sorts of pie wishes from the children. Sailor thought I should go ahead and make his favorite savory pie and a pumpkin pie. Rosebud thought a peach pie or my cherry cheesecake pie would be great. While Sunbeam was sure nothing would be as good an oatmeal pie.

While all their requests were valid points I had only enough pie dough to make the blackberry pie and I took the opportunity to teach them a little life lesson.

If I would have started out with the blackberry pie and added other ingredients every time someone said what they think would be great I would have ended up with something no one would have liked.

Much like life. If we try to please everyone we will ultimately please no one. If we pattern our life after God's will we don't need to worry what anyone thinks. Though they might think we should be doing this or that, if we stay true to our calling the end results will be something everyone will recognize as a good thing.  Just like the blackberry pie. Though not every one's favorite at the end everyone could enjoy a beautiful piece of pie.

Little Lessons ~ Wood Thrush

I love listening to birds sing and especially like the song from the wood thrush. It is one of the first birds you hear in the morning and one of the last at night. It often continues its songs long after dark.

It reminds me how easy it is to praise God and rejoice when everything is going our way by singing all day long and how even when the sun goes down and it grows dark it remains unwavering and keeps right on singing.

I also don't want to allow circumstances to keep me from praising and rejoicing, always.

Lessons ~ Maple Tree

  There is a huge maple tree outside our house. We all enjoy the lovely shade it provides for us during the summer and enjoy watching the birds and squirrels hide in its branches during the winter.

  As strange as it may sound there is a lot I admire about this tree and little lessons I can learn from it and apply to my own life.

• It can provide maple syrup.  -  I want to always speak kindly and sweetly to those I come in contact with.
• It provides a refreshing shade. - I want to be the type of person when at the end of a visit leaves the other person feeling refreshed, happy, and encouraged.
• It stands strong and unwavering even when cold winter winds blow through it. - I want to remain strong even when faced with hard times.
• It remains steady and unchanging even when annoying wood peckers peck at it. - I want to not let gossip or others opinions allow me to change who I need to be.
• Its branches always welcome squirrels and birds to spend time among them. - I want to have our home as a warm welcome place for any guests that drop by.
• Its roots are thirsty as it drinks from the moisture in the ground and in turn it's leaves help provide oxygen for the air we breath. - I want to be thirsty for the Word that is the ground for my faith and in turn be able to be a testimony to those around me.

Little Lessons

There are so many little life lessons surrounding us every day if we only pause a moment here and there to observe them. I have had countless moments like that already from three main sources. Our children, animals, and nature. While none of those are meant to be worshipped they can help point to the One who is meant for that.

Starting today I will be doing the occasional post with little lessons I have seen or learned.

Growing up in a very "works" related religion and being constantly trying to be good enough it was such a joy to finally have the peace of knowing I truly belonged to Jesus.

I could have ended our story there but the life of a Christian isn't with out it's ups and downs.

It was several years after the night we had found Jesus and from somewhere I began to question am I really belonging to Him?  Did I have a true heart knowledge of Him or was it simply a head knowledge. I would read my Bible and say, "Yes, I believe." But then immediately the same question popped up. Do I believe with my whole heart or only know it in my head. It was a less than peaceful feeling going in circles like that day after day.

During that same time Sunbeam started something.  Every evening after our good-night hugs and tucking her into bed she would ask. "Mom, do you love me?" 

I would always answer. "Yes, I love you very much."  With that she would snuggle a little deeper under her covers and go to sleep.

I continued going in my own little circles and before long Sunbeam was coming to our bedroom door and knocking asking again. "Do you love me?"  I started feeling bad about it that she had to ask so often. There was nothing I could think of that could make her question that. And suddenly it was as if a light bulb came on.  What she was doing was exactly what I was doing. I was asking the same question of God everyday and His answer was as clear to me as the answer I was giving to Sunbeam multiple times a day.

So I was once again ready to rest in Him and not long after that Sunbeam no longer asked me if we loved her. 

A simple lesson of love and trust from our little daughter.