Tuesday, April 17, 2012

A Post For My Brother.

"Oh come on, it will be fun!" Adam said convincingly.
"No," I answered rather blatantly, " I don't like that idea." I looked at the swing, then at the tree, then back at my brother. It was one of those warm summer nights just before the sun sank down behind the houses. The murmur of voices streamed through the open windows of our house and the lights shone upon the grass in our yard. We raced outside the minute we finished the dinner dishes. Summer was always our favorite; we did so many things. We always had good ideas. Especially that one day when Adam decided to pogo-stick one thousand times and I kept count with chalk on the driveway. Or, when we decided to take up golf--in our backyard [our neighbors didn't like that idea too much]. Or, the time we used the mini trampoline to jump into our four foot pool. Most of our ideas didn't make it passed the approval of our loving parents who cared for our health and well-being. So, the majority of those days were spent up in the trees or roller-blading down the sidewalk.

Rainy days were just as good. New ideas were born every second; flowing through our brains. From the moment we woke up, we would take all the boxes of Lego out and divide them up between the two of us. We would get excited, as we discussed our ideas at breakfast, and without a moment to lose we were racing up the stairs for fear they would escape from us. Upstairs we would play for hours at a time only breaking to use the bathroom or to eat lunch. Some days were spent in castles and cathedrals accompanied by knights, armor, and little plastic swords. Other days we played the wild west theme with outlaws, bandits, banks, and rifles. But the majority of our Lego days were dedicated to our precious Lego town, houses, hotels, roads, and lots and lots of speeding tickets from Sheriff (Adam) to the innocent by-standards(me) who were "speeding". We would spend hours and hours building and setting up---only to play for twenty minutes and save it for the next rainy day.

"Please, I'll even come and untie you if you can't get out," Adam reassured me. I was hesitant, but anxious to do something exciting before the street lights came on and we were called inside for the evening.
"Okay, but you have to promise that you will come and get me, AND, that it won't look funny!"
"No worries," he said, as he ran for the long yellow rope that hung in our garage. While I awaited his return, somewhat anxiously, I positioned myself in the swing as he told me. With my last few moments of freedom, I thought over his plan to make sure it wasn't faulty. He wanted to use his new skills in rope-knotting, and for some strange reason, he thought it would be best to use them on a real human. In my case, this was me. He returned with two ropes over his shoulder and a huge smile on his face. I sat perfectly still, watching his every move. I memorized all the slips, twists, and loops he did, hoping to do them all backwards. The rope scrapped against my arms and ankles, but I was determined to prove to him that I was capable of pain.
Minutes later, I was all tied up; arms, ankles, and wrists, to the swing. I looked down and my eyes swiftly skimmed it over.
"Ha!" I thought to myself, "Easy enough." I looked at Adam with a boastful grin, but was surprised when the look on his face grew more sneaky and mysterious. He grabbed the other rope and tied it to me, then swung it over the branch of our big Maple tree. My heart began to race and he pulled and pulled. Up, up, up I went. I was in the air and attached to the swing! I sat there motionless--legs dangling. It was a strange feeling to be up there and NOT swinging. Adam stood back to admire his accomplishment.
"You look like your frozen in time!" was his reply. I could only imagine how silly I must have looked. My eyes went from him, to the tree, then to the ground, which seemed so far down. I was stuck.

The series of events that followed this scene are normal reactions from any ten year old who happened to be stuck between a swing set and a enormously large tree. I cried, whined, yelled and squirmed until what seemed like an eternity [or about 3 minutes] when Dad finally came out to see what was going on. Happy days. :)

Today is my brother's birthday. I am so thankful that God blessed me with him. We have had some great moments together, even more so as we have grown older. Thankfully, he doesn't tie me up in the trees anymore. We have shared some great discussions about our hopes, dreams, thoughts, and opinions. We have gone shopping together for new clothes and new toys; like Skyballs and Nerf guns. We like making homemade pizza together; he makes the sauce and I make the pizza dough--all from scratch. I love the sense of protection I receive from my older brother, and the way he makes me feel safe when we go out. I love his laugh and his sense of humor. I love his jokes, and the way he makes me feel better after a bad day. I wouldn't trade those moments for anything in the world.

Happy Birthday Adam! :D
A-Wise-Woman-Builds-Her-Home

Sunday, April 08, 2012

Linen Wrappings And An Empty Tomb.


Luke 24:1-12
1 But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they came to the tomb bringing the spices which they had prepared. 2 And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb, 3 but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. 4 While they were perplexed about this, behold, two men suddenly stood near them in dazzling clothing; 5 and as the women were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, “Why do you seek the living One among the dead? 6 He is not here, but He has risen. Remember how He spoke to you while He was still in Galilee, 7 saying that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.” 8 And they remembered His words, 9 and returned from the tomb and reported all these things to the eleven and to all the rest. 10 Now they were Mary Magdalene and Joanna and Mary the mother of James; also the other women with them were telling these things to the apostles. 11But these words appeared to them as nonsense, and they would not believe them. 12 But Peter got up and ran to the tomb; stooping and looking in, he saw the linen wrappings only; and he went away to his home, marveling at what had happened.

Saturday, April 07, 2012

Sunshine Through the Window.


"But as for me, I shall sing of Your strength; Yes, I shall joyfully sing of Your lovingkindness in the morning, For You have been my stronghold And a refuge in the day of my distress." Psalm 59:16

Thursday, 6:41 A.M. The sunshine streamed through the window panes and cast its rays onto our kitchen table. I sat alone at the table and closed my eyes; soaking it up. My brain was clear, and my thoughts were crisp. It was a brand new day, and I eagerly awaited it's events. Silence creeped through the house, not being disturbed by anything except the clock above the sink. Everything was still and quiet waiting for the morning to begin. The air smelled of fresh cut Lilacs from the afternoon before, and freshly brewed coffee Dad made an hour earlier before work. Looking down at my Bible, that lay open in Psalms, I soaked up the few moments I had in God's Word before heading out.
Psalm 65

1 There will be silence [a]before You, and praise in Zion, O God,
And to You the vow will be performed.
2 O You who hear prayer,
To You all [b]men come.
3 [c]Iniquities prevail against me;
As for our transgressions, You [d]forgive them.
4 How blessed is the one whom You choose and bring near to You
To dwell in Your courts.
We will be satisfied with the goodness of Your house,
Your holy temple.

5 By awesome deeds You answer us in righteousness, O God of our salvation,
You who are the trust of all the ends of the earth and of the farthest [e]sea;
6 Who establishes the mountains by His strength,
Being girded with might;
7 Who stills the roaring of the seas,
The roaring of their waves,
And the tumult of the peoples.
8 They who dwell in the ends of the earth stand in awe of Your signs;
You make the [f]dawn and the sunset shout for joy.

9 You visit the earth and cause it to overflow;
You greatly enrich it;
The [g]stream of God is full of water;
You prepare their grain, for thus You prepare [h]the earth.
10 You water its furrows abundantly,
You [i]settle its ridges,
You soften it with showers,
You bless its growth.
11 You have crowned the year [j]with Your [k]bounty,
And Your [l]paths drip with fatness.
12 The pastures of the wilderness drip,
And the hills gird themselves with rejoicing.
13 The meadows are clothed with flocks
And the valleys are covered with grain;
They shout for joy, yes, they sing.

As the words flowed through my soul, I thought of all trials that I complained about, all the sicknesses and heartaches I've been through, and all the things I regretted. I felt ashamed that I doubted the work of God's hand. I imagined life without those problems. No matter how hard I tried to justify it, I was stuck with the reality that those trials made me stronger and closer to my Savior. I found myself thanking Him for each and everyone of them. My mind ran back to those moments of despair and grief that I experienced in the past; those moments when I cried out to God in hope for an answer. I am so thankful for His provision in my life. I am thankful for Him making me wait upon His timing, and for providing me with patience to wait, knowing that I can trust Him and His plan for me.
I can remember the September after graduation; the first few weeks of a new school year for my siblings. Unhappiness and discontent fill my heart and I felt left out as my Mom started homeschooling with the kids again. Yes, I had my students during the week, but I felt like I didn't have a purpose. Not that I didn't understand what my primary role was, to glorify God and enjoy Him forever, but I worried about what to do next and what God's plan was for me. I began to feel useless and started to feel like God forgot about me. My Mom was very patient with me, understanding my feelings. I'll never forget sitting at the counter and pouring my heart out to her. We spend the next hour writing down things I could be responsible for; things that would keep me busy, things that I was in charge of, and small things I could take dominion over. She comforted me during those hard emotional weeks, and still does on my weak days, telling me God has great plans for me. Every time an opportunity closes and I feel dejected, God has another great and marvelous plan in store, all I have to do is trust and follow Him. Now I stop to look at the life God has blessed me with. He keeps me busy and content. It marvels me every time I think of how He cares for me. I am so small and He is so big. "What is man that you take thought of him, and the son of man that You care for him?" (Psalm 8:4) He knows my heart and forgives me for every doubt I have.

The Psalm I read that morning followed me throughout the day. It reminded me of how great my God is. How he formed the mountains and stills the roaring of the seas. He makes the sunrise shout for joy, and I stand in awe at the work of His hand. I will be satisfied with everything He blesses me with. He died for me. How is it that He cares for me, loves me and gave His Son to die for me, and yet I still doubt the work of His hand every day? There are days where I anxiously go to bed awaiting the morning and His plans for me, for I know they are great. =)

"For I know the plans that I have for you,' declares the LORD, 'plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope." (Jeremiah 29:11) :D