It was a quick trip..but I had to go because it has been since summer since I had seen my NY kids, Tom and his wife Rebecka and Emma, the baby who is now 2 1/2. And now my youngest daughter Molly has moved up there as well for a job for a few months. Texts and photos only work so long; it was a fast trip but worth every minute.
There is something to be said about a one on one personal, face to face visit with your children. Especially for a mom. You can read their expressions, get acquainted with their routine, but most importantly realize how they have grown up and established their own compass.
We as parents have one job....to love and direct our children in the best way we know how. And we start at the very beginning without any real "how to: manual...and use our own experiences, our opinions that we have gathered along our way, our compass, and a little help from outsiders along the way. But we many times forget in the efforts of management that we ourselves are children. And no matter how old we are...we still need guidance, and love and abiding wisdom to keep on growing up ourselves. Many of us have parents who have returned to their eternal home...and many are still in our midst and we have found ourselves to now be their caretakers. The roles of earthly parent/childrelationship have shifted and have reversed. And we still are in need of love and direction and wisdom.
But just as I needed to see my children face to face...we too need to take time to allow God our father to be an interactive part of our lives. But we have to take the initiative to seek his company. And set out time and purposefully desire to be with him and determine him as a priority. The more we seek his wise counsel the more able we are able to set our own compass according to his standards and his influence....thus making for amore peaceful countenance surrounded by joy.
We are pulled from many directions and it is hard sometimes to know what to do, where to go, how to react, what to say etc. But if we have allowed God to
have a fatherly influence in our lives....on a daily basis...not just on adesignated Sunday of worship...then we will find that his wisdom is nurtured with perfection. And things will go well with us. We as parents do not have all the "right" answers....and we surely have made our shareof mistakes and mess ups...but God is above all of the earthly stuff..He is our heavenly Father who has no bounds, makes no mistakes and he sees past the trivialities that we so often get tangled up in...and he makes way for lofty goals of worthy excellence.
We each have a compass....and we as parents have helped our children to establish their own compasses....just as our parents have helped us...we know what direction that we are suppose to go.and that we would like for them to go..but magnetic forces of greed, temptation, pride, lust and self centered motivation pull on us continually and if we are not grounded in a Christ powered force...then we are easily swayed by the winds of the flesh.
We are called to love and direct our children the best that we know how....and they will grow in the ways they are taught. They adapt their compasses as babies growing into adults to what they have learned and more importantly to who they hold as an influential partner in life. We are the ones who give them a basis for a faith centered relationship with Christ but they have to be the ones who make the ultimate decision as to whether or no accept it.....and decide what is right for their lives and what is wrong...We will never outgrow that responsibility of that ourselves. But as we grow in our understanding of Christ an in our ability to see the world through the eyes of Christ...that is when we become more centered, Christ centered not self centered and more able to make necessary adjustments that bring us closer to being who it is that we are purposed to be....doing what is is Christ has purposed us to do.
Just as we love and care dearly about the pulse of our children....and cherish time with them...so does Christ... love and care about each ofus....and cherishes time we allow him to spend with us. It is all about continuing and growing a relationship...and nurturing it through time and visits....and showing interest in the things that important to each other. Christ is available and waits daily for an invitation to visit...and oh...when we accept that invitation...that is when we are blessed.For he fortifies our magnetic compass and keeps us directed on a path of His choosing.
Being in the presence of the Lord ...leaves us touched by gladness and filled with reassurance that we are loved..We are always blessed by that encounter.
May we have that same influence on our children....and may they have that same influence on us...even when we are apart....and far away. Thank you Lord for making way for me to go to NY. I loved the time with my son...just as I love the times I get to spend with your son.
A Christ powered compass is found in God's compassionate nature.
Psalm 86:15
But you, O Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness
Dear Lord, Remind me to take time away from my daily scheduled routine to think about others...and nurture relationships that are important to me but also to you. May you know that you are always invited to be a part ofmy life....and when I get swayed by winds of discontent and earthly pulls please help me to once again find my way right back to you. Amen
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There is something to be said about a one on one personal, face to face visit with your children. Especially for a mom. You can read their expressions, get acquainted with their routine, but most importantly realize how they have grown up and established their own compass.
We as parents have one job....to love and direct our children in the best way we know how. And we start at the very beginning without any real "how to: manual...and use our own experiences, our opinions that we have gathered along our way, our compass, and a little help from outsiders along the way. But we many times forget in the efforts of management that we ourselves are children. And no matter how old we are...we still need guidance, and love and abiding wisdom to keep on growing up ourselves. Many of us have parents who have returned to their eternal home...and many are still in our midst and we have found ourselves to now be their caretakers. The roles of earthly parent/childrelationship have shifted and have reversed. And we still are in need of love and direction and wisdom.
But just as I needed to see my children face to face...we too need to take time to allow God our father to be an interactive part of our lives. But we have to take the initiative to seek his company. And set out time and purposefully desire to be with him and determine him as a priority. The more we seek his wise counsel the more able we are able to set our own compass according to his standards and his influence....thus making for amore peaceful countenance surrounded by joy.
We are pulled from many directions and it is hard sometimes to know what to do, where to go, how to react, what to say etc. But if we have allowed God to
have a fatherly influence in our lives....on a daily basis...not just on adesignated Sunday of worship...then we will find that his wisdom is nurtured with perfection. And things will go well with us. We as parents do not have all the "right" answers....and we surely have made our shareof mistakes and mess ups...but God is above all of the earthly stuff..He is our heavenly Father who has no bounds, makes no mistakes and he sees past the trivialities that we so often get tangled up in...and he makes way for lofty goals of worthy excellence.
We each have a compass....and we as parents have helped our children to establish their own compasses....just as our parents have helped us...we know what direction that we are suppose to go.and that we would like for them to go..but magnetic forces of greed, temptation, pride, lust and self centered motivation pull on us continually and if we are not grounded in a Christ powered force...then we are easily swayed by the winds of the flesh.
We are called to love and direct our children the best that we know how....and they will grow in the ways they are taught. They adapt their compasses as babies growing into adults to what they have learned and more importantly to who they hold as an influential partner in life. We are the ones who give them a basis for a faith centered relationship with Christ but they have to be the ones who make the ultimate decision as to whether or no accept it.....and decide what is right for their lives and what is wrong...We will never outgrow that responsibility of that ourselves. But as we grow in our understanding of Christ an in our ability to see the world through the eyes of Christ...that is when we become more centered, Christ centered not self centered and more able to make necessary adjustments that bring us closer to being who it is that we are purposed to be....doing what is is Christ has purposed us to do.
Just as we love and care dearly about the pulse of our children....and cherish time with them...so does Christ... love and care about each ofus....and cherishes time we allow him to spend with us. It is all about continuing and growing a relationship...and nurturing it through time and visits....and showing interest in the things that important to each other. Christ is available and waits daily for an invitation to visit...and oh...when we accept that invitation...that is when we are blessed.For he fortifies our magnetic compass and keeps us directed on a path of His choosing.
Being in the presence of the Lord ...leaves us touched by gladness and filled with reassurance that we are loved..We are always blessed by that encounter.
May we have that same influence on our children....and may they have that same influence on us...even when we are apart....and far away. Thank you Lord for making way for me to go to NY. I loved the time with my son...just as I love the times I get to spend with your son.
A Christ powered compass is found in God's compassionate nature.
Psalm 86:15
But you, O Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness
Dear Lord, Remind me to take time away from my daily scheduled routine to think about others...and nurture relationships that are important to me but also to you. May you know that you are always invited to be a part ofmy life....and when I get swayed by winds of discontent and earthly pulls please help me to once again find my way right back to you. Amen
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