Hello Friends.....
School is officially underway, and Fall is Here! Yes! The kids are getting used to schedules (somewhat) and our routines are becoming easier. We have the same conversations on the way home each day....How was school? What did yall do today? and Jack is always excited to tell me....."No Color Change Today!" Now, this is a big deal to anyone who has or has had a Kindergarter. One of the first things they teach the kids in school is....If you dont follow the rules...You get your Color Changed. And to a Kindergarter....this is a big deal! And today, while reading a friends blog and seeing a picture she posted of kids lined up in a hallway one behind the other... I was reminded of a comparison between Kindergarten and Christianity. Thought I would share....
Jack was taught the first day of school the rules of the classroom. Rules that included what and how to walk around the school. He was told to, Stay in Line, Follow The Leader, Keep Your Hands to Yourself, No Talking, and Stay with Group, NO WANDERING OFF! Wow..... Novel Concept, huh? Seems alot like what God tells us to do when we follow Him. Galatians 5:25 says to Live by the Spirit, let us Walk in the Spirit. The definition of walk is to move over a surface by taking Steps...one step in front of the other. Moving Forward. Following The Leader. See the Comparison? Rules are in place to keep order in the school. Can you imagine a school of kids running around doing whatever they wanted? Well...you know what you would get? THE WORLD! We have forgotten that God gave us a list of rules....He gave us HELP, Help to keep us in line....Help to Keep Order, Keep us from Wandering Off. He gave us very simple rules to follow....but as hard as is it for 5 year olds to stay in line and keep their hands to themselves....Friends....its hard sometimes to keep us from Wandering Off. Hard to stay in Order.
And what happens when Jack doesnt follow the leader. He gets his color changed. He gets punished. Is he caught off guard? No. Does he not know what is going to happen? Yes, he knows. He was given the rules, he sees and hears them everyday....but still sometimes....He steps Out Of Line. In Psalm 119:10 the Psalmist says..."With My Whole Heart I have Sought Thee....Do not let me wander or Step Aside from your commandments...." With his whole heart.....he wants to do right....and he is pleading....please.....do not let me Wander Off...Do not let me Step Out of Line. Oh, if our children....If We, Could see what an important lesson they are being taught in school. If they will Follow The Leader (Christ), Keep Their Eyes on Him, And Dont Wander off, they will stay out of trouble. Now, does that mean that trouble wont coming looking for them? No. Does that mean the kid in front of them isnt going to turn around and try to talk to them? No...it means....Keep Your Eye on The Leader!
And one day, Jack came home very sad. He had gotten his color changed. And I, his parent, who had gone over all the rules with him, who wanted to see him do good, was disappointed. My heart hurt for him. (And God said....Now you know how I feel when you dont follow my rules.) He came in and we sat down and talked about it, talked about what he did to get his color changed....and what he could have done different. And afterwards....I encouraged him. He knew what he had done, he had been punished... Dont do it again. Learn from this.
Now, there is so much for Kindergarters to learn, and they walk in school the first day and think they will never know it all, and they are scared, and are intimated by the big kids that seem to move with such ease through the school. They think the Big Kids (the kids that have already been there) know Everything. Oh How they want to be like them. Sound familair? You come to church...it all seems overwhelming, you pick up your Bible, and it just seems like so much...and you look around and there are The Big Kids....Christians who seem to move with such ease in life....they seem to have it all together...they seem to know all the rules. And you think....will I ever get there? And what you dont realize is....they have been where you are and they are still moving forward. No one has it all together, Life is full of new places to go. New experiences.
But God gave us Rules to help us along the way. Follow Him, Dont Wander Off, Stay With THE GROUP!
God has showed me today that He is putting us in places that we may not be comfortable with, New Experiences, but He still wants us to Follow The Rules, Seek Him with our Whole Heart. For He is a God of Order. And this is where I had my aha moment..... Every day....Jacks color goes back to Green! And He has A Fresh Start! It doesnt matter what happend yesterday....His teacher takes his color and puts it back on Green. New Mercies Friends....Every Day! Just Like God! Oh, how Thankful I am that I have a fresh start today! We may be punished for wandering off and not following the rules....But New Mercies....EVERYDAY! Thank You Lord!
Dont let the enemy remind you of yesterday friends, Start today Fresh. Follow the Leader Today! And Stay In Order Today! Dont Look Back, Just because you may have wandered off yesterday....Keep Your Eyes on HIM and Follow His Rules. He has your best interest in Heart....HE is teaching You!
Happy Friday Friends....
Love you all....
too blessed to be stressed.........
Michelle
Friday, September 23, 2011
Sunday, September 11, 2011
16 years!
This weekend Shane and I celebrated our 16th wedding anniversary! If you've read many of my blogs, you will know that All Glory and Honor for my life I give to My God. And I believe and Try my best to Live His Word. This weekend, in celebrating our 16th anniversary from the day we stood at an alter in Dallas, Tx and devoted our lives to each other, we snuck away. It was wonderful! I am such a trip planner, and this time....we didnt plan! It was everything I could have hoped it would be! Wonderful!~ A weekend away from everything but each other. Sometimes...You just gotta go there! We went to a hotel in a local Downtown and just......enjoyed being together! And, as busy as we are most days, this way so nice to do. Refreshing! No clocks.....No reservations....No appts! Just us on our own.
Over the past 16 years, we have celebrated with Elaborate Vacations, Fancy Dinners, and do you know what???? SSSHHHHH...dont tell Shane....(because I do like the Elaborate Vacations and Dinners) but I do believe......This was my favorite! For many reasons....but this time....it was different. God has brought us through so much over this 16 years, and so much just over the last few, that I cant help but just throw my arms up and say "THANK YOU JESUS!" And what is exciting is that I know OUR Best Is Yet To Come. And thinking on memories, God brought me to a place of such appreciation and Thankfulness for my husband. And I believe His Word says to give honor where honor is due....So here goes. My Husband is everything I could have ever asked for. And as I sat on a trolley and looked across at him yesterday....I couldnt help but beem with pride and think.... "Thats my husband!" And I am honored and humbled to be his wife. He has been there through so much with me....and there is not much time in life that I dont recall him being there. There to hold me.....to Love me......to comfort me....To sit back and support Me, and To pick me up off the floor and carry me. Literally. He has been so patient, so understanding....many men would have cut their loses and ran when their wife seemed to care more for the dead than someone who was right there. But not him. He carried me. When I couldnt hear God voice, because I had my ears closed.....He was there. And I am so greatful. Im so glad he took our vows to heart....in the good times and bad. Look what we would have missed if we would have given up. I know God has a plan...and I am so thankful and grateful that 20 years ago, he chose for our paths to cross. I cant erase the past, and I dont know I would if I could, but I can cherish today. I know so many people who search their lives looking for that one perfect person to spend their life here with. Maybe not to anyone else....but to me.... He is that One, (Im)perfect for me. Not that I ever questioned it, but God has shown me so much this past year about perfection. And that we lose opportunities sometimes, looking for that perfect thing, that perfect friend, perfect job, perfect Love, and none of us our perfect. And Ive said it before, and I will say it again.....How do expect to have Perfect Relationships with ImPerfect People? And today....Remembering 9/11. Im sure their our wives and husbands out there, that wish they had one more kiss goodnight, or one more hug from their ImPerfect spouses that they lost that day. And I bet they look pretty perfect to them right now. Friends, dont spend your life with one moment that you will regret if someone you love or if You yourself dont have tomorrow. We all could spend our lives bitter because people dont do everything the way we would do it, or today....we could choose to tell our spouses....How Much We Love Them. The Good and the Bad, because whether we like to admit it or not....we all have both. And we should be grateful that they love our Good and Bad too. Remember the Lives Lost Today.....and Cherish Each Day. You never know when you or them will be called home.
Happy Anniversary Babe....Heres to two Imperfect People.....And Many More Years Together!
I Love You ALL,
too blessed to be stressed..........
Michelle
Over the past 16 years, we have celebrated with Elaborate Vacations, Fancy Dinners, and do you know what???? SSSHHHHH...dont tell Shane....(because I do like the Elaborate Vacations and Dinners) but I do believe......This was my favorite! For many reasons....but this time....it was different. God has brought us through so much over this 16 years, and so much just over the last few, that I cant help but just throw my arms up and say "THANK YOU JESUS!" And what is exciting is that I know OUR Best Is Yet To Come. And thinking on memories, God brought me to a place of such appreciation and Thankfulness for my husband. And I believe His Word says to give honor where honor is due....So here goes. My Husband is everything I could have ever asked for. And as I sat on a trolley and looked across at him yesterday....I couldnt help but beem with pride and think.... "Thats my husband!" And I am honored and humbled to be his wife. He has been there through so much with me....and there is not much time in life that I dont recall him being there. There to hold me.....to Love me......to comfort me....To sit back and support Me, and To pick me up off the floor and carry me. Literally. He has been so patient, so understanding....many men would have cut their loses and ran when their wife seemed to care more for the dead than someone who was right there. But not him. He carried me. When I couldnt hear God voice, because I had my ears closed.....He was there. And I am so greatful. Im so glad he took our vows to heart....in the good times and bad. Look what we would have missed if we would have given up. I know God has a plan...and I am so thankful and grateful that 20 years ago, he chose for our paths to cross. I cant erase the past, and I dont know I would if I could, but I can cherish today. I know so many people who search their lives looking for that one perfect person to spend their life here with. Maybe not to anyone else....but to me.... He is that One, (Im)perfect for me. Not that I ever questioned it, but God has shown me so much this past year about perfection. And that we lose opportunities sometimes, looking for that perfect thing, that perfect friend, perfect job, perfect Love, and none of us our perfect. And Ive said it before, and I will say it again.....How do expect to have Perfect Relationships with ImPerfect People? And today....Remembering 9/11. Im sure their our wives and husbands out there, that wish they had one more kiss goodnight, or one more hug from their ImPerfect spouses that they lost that day. And I bet they look pretty perfect to them right now. Friends, dont spend your life with one moment that you will regret if someone you love or if You yourself dont have tomorrow. We all could spend our lives bitter because people dont do everything the way we would do it, or today....we could choose to tell our spouses....How Much We Love Them. The Good and the Bad, because whether we like to admit it or not....we all have both. And we should be grateful that they love our Good and Bad too. Remember the Lives Lost Today.....and Cherish Each Day. You never know when you or them will be called home.
Happy Anniversary Babe....Heres to two Imperfect People.....And Many More Years Together!
I Love You ALL,
too blessed to be stressed..........
Michelle
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