Treasures in Heaven

"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." Matthew 6:19-21

"From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked." Luke 12:48

OK. Here’s exactly what I mean about not being home yet. Me, with my rich, blessed life. It’s another one of those spells where things have been breaking around our house. Know what I mean? We have really bad luck with doors, and right now the one we use all the time isn’t working. Again. And I’ve just discovered that a week or so ago a bunch of my CDs got wet when water spilled on our countertop. Thankfully the CDs are okay, but the words are shot. I really like my words. And we have some computer issues, still, that on this particular day are making it impossible to take care of an important responsibility--I’ve already spent the time and effort to complete the project, I just can’t manage to send it or print it to get it where it needs to go.

In the midst of my effort to be a good steward of all that God has entrusted to me, the "much" has failed me. So now I can’t succeed. How frustrating is that? In the realm of things that are a big deal, this hardly qualifies. But that doesn’t change the fact that I am feeling irritated by the time thieves, and I need an attitude adjustment.

One time when I was really frustrated by lots of little annoyances, I looked up frustration in my concordance. What I found was surprising. One lone reference, Romans 8:20. It is an amazing description of the dilemma of life on this earth, in the context of verses 18-25. I’m going to type verses 18-21 here for today’s therapy session.

"I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God."

Frustration stems from the fact that we are not what we were created to be. It makes us yearn for more. It reminds us that our true hope is in eternity. It will end when we meet Him face to face. Glory! And not only that--glory, revealed IN us!! Hallelujah!

My day in court

Well, almost. I've had two weeks of jury duty, and in the end I was one person away from actually serving on a jury. I was hoping to come away with something profound to say about the judicial process. I had MORE than enough time to reflect on it, as we waited. And waited. The people waiting with me were generally not seeming to be thrilled with this opportunity to fulfill their civic duty. But there was this small-framed man who looked unmistakably African. The ONLY one who bothered to wear a suit. I never saw him speak to anyone (most of the 75 or so people never did), but I purposed to try to sit by him the next day to see what HE thought about the opportunity to serve on a jury of peers. To give someone their chance to have their case heard by people just like them. Unfortunately, his group was one of the ones not called back, so I didn't have a chance.

What I know is that God loves justice. And He loves mercy. There was a young mom on trial yesterday who made some bad choices, whether proven guilty of the charges she faced or not. There are consequences, whether imposed by a court or not. And as jury members were questioned for selection, she got to hear a lot about what they believe is right and wrong, and she has a lot to think about. I hope over time she has learned from the mistakes she has made, and that someone has at least made an effort to introduce her to the God of justice...and mercy.

I just have to say, I really appreciate the rights we have as Americans to a fair trial. Our system, to quote the judge, is not perfect. But wow, is it ever better than most. It wasn't exactly handy, but I'd gladly serve on jury duty again. You never know when you're going to need justice. And I also have to say, much more than the right to a fair trial, I appreciate the mercy that's mine in Christ. I KNOW I need mercy...daily. Thank you Jesus!

Twirly Girl

Bethany was signed up for a dance class that was supposed to start last Wednesday. However, they didn't have enough kids, so they postponed for a week to scrounge up a few more. I didn't find out until she had already gone to bed the night before. So of course she woke up and immediately put on all her "stuff". I REALLY hated to break the news to her, but she accepted it rather graciously, much to my surprise. She proceeded to twirl around the house for the rest of the morning. She willingly put school clothes on for the afternoon, but came right home and got her dance things on again. Is that not a precious face?(Originally posted on Tracy's Scrapbook)

Passion

I've been listening to a song lately that talks about the way God pursues us by initiating a love affair with us from our earliest days. It can take many different forms through the stages of life, but the common denominator is passion. Watching Ben and Bethany this week as I signed them up for sessions of baseball and ballet gives me a chance to experience it all again through their eyes. Bethany twirling around the house, asking me to curl her hair and polish her nails. ("But God already made us beautiful--we just add a little sparkle!") Benjamin sleeping with his "batting gloves" on, and wailing a cloth ball around the house to practice his pitching. It all evokes a heavy sigh from me as I remember experiences like that.

God created us to be passionate. I wonder why he allows us to direct it anywhere else besides towards him. But I can't deny that in my kids, it seems completely intrinsic to who they are. I wonder what he'll do to get their attention along the way, to help them see that he evokes a far bigger sigh than either dance or baseball when we see him for who he is. And what is my role as a parent in this process?

For now, I have no doubt whatsoever that God can use my childrens' passions to bring glory to himself. I also have no doubt that he can show himself to them as worthy as he is of their highest desire, their greatest longing, their deepest love. I wonder, how am I doing at making him the object of my passion?

Echoes

I love it when God is trying to get my attention, and he brings a certain passage across my path from multiple directions until I catch on. I must confess that sometimes this can take awhile. But yesterday in church and today at a Moms In Touch meeting our time was started with these verses:

"Clap your hands, all you nations;

shout to God with cries of joy.

How awesome is the Lord Most High,

the great King over all the earth!"

Psalm 47:1-2

I didn't have much time to reflect on it yesterday, but this morning I did. I love that He is the Lord Most High. He is the absolute and perfect authority--perfectly just and perfectly loving. He doesn't have opinions--he is right in all he thinks and does. He is more than discerning--he knows completely the heart and truth of every matter. His perceptions are fully informed in every way. That makes me want to clap! If only we could get him to run for president...on second thought, I wouldn't want him to resign his current position: the great King over all the earth! Is anyone singing with me?

"Throughout the endless ages

You will be crowned with praises,

Lord Most High

Exalted in every nation

Sovereign of all creation

Lord Most High

Be magnified."

Too Much Shoveling

I feel his pain! If Lee weren't typically so good about handling this job, I might suspect him of checking the farmer's almanac or something before deciding that February of 2007 would be the perfect time to have his knee surgery.

Snow Day!

It's official...afternoon kindergarten is cancelled. Hopefully the bus will deliver Benjamin back to us at some point. It is snowing faster than we can shovel. If you want to see some more pictures of us playing outside, click here.

(Originally published on Tracy's Scrapbook)

Winter Wonderland

We're finally getting snow! How much? There are mixed predictions on that, so we will have to get up and look out the window, and then see if we need to check school closings. One thing we do know...we'll need some hot chocolate. And in case you're wondering, yes, these pictures really are from our yard! Is this a cool toy or what?!

(Originally posted on Tracy's Scrapbook)