Adding to my Bucket List

http://www.pinecove.com/retreats/

Family camp sounds glorious. Why should the kids have all the fun?

For Love or Money

The lady behind the counter knows us by name. She knows my husband's name and asks after our kids. In our brief, ordinary interaction, she tells stories of her life... the story of a wayward daughter who is constantly fighting with her and publicly unkind to her on Facebook. Mom says she knows they could be closer now if only she'd been a "different" kind of mother.

But she knows how to turn her daughter around...just ask her what she wants for Christmas.

To hear this precious mother's description of how her daughter's eyes "lit up" at the prospect of getting the new big screen TV she desired (all is forgiven, Mom!) was painful. Especially after she'd also shared how she was scraping her pennies together to buy her other kids school supplies and a single new pair of jeans.

I saw a commercial today. It depicted a mother congratulating herself for being the best mom in the world and making her teenage son oh-so-happy. Why? Because she bought him the "right" pair of shoes.

It's heartbreaking that we are still, even in these times of tough economic lessons, chasing material things in an attempt to make our kids happy. To make us, in turn, feel loved and respected as their parent. Paul -- Paul McCartney that is -- knew it, at least he did when he wrote this song. (Sounds like he may have forgotten the lesson later in life. :-))

The only love, the only worth that is lasting -- is the worth found in Christ. How empty and misleading it is for us to teach our kids to find their worth anyplace else. The things we buy for them are meaningless, fleeting and give them (and us) a distorted and grotesque picture of true love. They deserve so much better, and so do we as their moms.

The "other" Paul said it wonderfully in Romans 8. :-)

Who then can ever keep Christ's love from us? When we have trouble or calamity, when we are hunted down or destroyed, is it becaus he doesn't love us anymore? And if we are hungry, or penniless, or in danger, or threatened with death, has God deserted us? No, for the Scriptures tell us that for his sake we must be ready to face death at every moment of he day -- we are like sheep awaiting slaughter; but despite all this, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ who LOVED US ENOUGH TO DIE FOR US. Nothing can ever separate us from his love.

Do you ever feel inadequate because you cannot buy your child the "thing," the lessons, the fabulous vacation that you see your neighbors buying for their kids? Did your parents communicate love to you this way?

Your comments are always welcome.

Water, please

There is no doubt that some times are "desert times." You hate to admit it, but you start really being able to relate to those Jewish guys wandering aimlessly for 40 years. Wasn't the Promised Land just over that next hill and yet God knew they weren't yet ready to go there. They still had a lot of refinement to go through. Sometimes I read that story and get so impatient with the Jews... I think, geez guys get it together! The God of the Universe just delivered you from Hell on Earth with a series of perfectly formed supernatual miracles, and all you can do is whine? Other times, I feel for them. There is nothing worse than feeling aimless and lost, never knowing what's next or why, facing obstacles at every turn, knowing the Promised Land has to be just over there.

I would whine, too.

It happens so quickly, that trip out to the desert. You're just going along, minding your own business, and here comes a sandstorm. It feels wrong and piteous to whine, because you know how blessed you actually are, but whining just comes. Restless, aimless, discouraged and disappointed. I know my children go through it and so do I. Some days, it's not so easy to just dust yourself off and go forward with a smile on your face. It -- life -- just gets to you. But when you have kids, you can't hang around in the desert for long (like you'd want to!). You have to get with the program or they start asking you, "Mama, are you mad at me?" Now there's a real desert moment.

We talked about bad thoughts recently and how sometimes bad thoughts are just the devil whispering lies in your ear. So wisely, Little Sister observed: "But you don't have to listen."

Amen.

What do you do when you're in a desert time?

Your comments are always welcome and appreciated.