Category Archives: Encouragement

Girls…Let’s Be Blunt!

Standard

Image

Girls, Please Don’t Expect A Teenager To Be A Father!

He plays GameBoy all day.  He can’t remember to brush his teeth unless told to do so.  He doesn’t see the need for a shower until his parents tell him it’s necessary.  He has a slight problem with acne breakouts on his forehead and upper back…doesn’t care.  He stopped wearing his retainer one summer, because he thought he remembered that the orthodontist said he could stop when he was in H.S.  Never bothered to tell us.  What he was remembering was that the guy at the pet store who sold us his California King snake said he’d have this snake through high school.  His $4700, straight teeth are now slightly crooked again on the bottom.

Don’t get me wrong; this kid is the love of my life.  My husband and I prayed for this child.  He’s our only one, because it took us 10 years and countless infertility tests and procedures to have him.  We had him after 14 years of marriage.  He was a preemie, with a double hernia, and a patent ductus heart murmur.  He was on medication for the first year of his life…and we spent endless hours at the doctors offices, therapists offices, or in hospitals.

We’ve spoiled him.  We love him, protect him; do things with him and for him…he’s a great kid.  We love spending time with him, and so will you.  When he goes away to college, or moves out on his own, our nest will be very empty.  We’ll look forward to having grandchildren, then.  But speaking of college, there’s a plan.  He’s headed there, and we’ve agreed to pay for the 5th year for him to get his Master’s Degree.  You’ll thank us, when you’re married to him, because he can support you and a family…and won’t need to take time away from his family to return to school.

I just want to tell you, he’s not ready at this time in his life, by any stretch of the imagination, to be in charge of someone else…he can barely take care of himself.  Don’t be fooled by his outward appearance.  He’s very handsome, tall, and lean with dark brown hair and eyes.  He’s adorable, and expressive, with dark eyebrows and long eyelashes which he inherited from my husband.  Which certainly attracted me when I was 15 years old, and in high school.

He’s on the golf team at school, gets straight A’s, he’s very active in all areas of church ministry, very personable, friendly, and funny.  To be quite frank, he’s really good husband material, he’s got enormous potential.  He’s strong and he’ll help you do anything, as long as you tell him what to do.  He’s great in Math and Science, great with kids, kind, and housebroken.  But he’s not a puppy to take home and train.  Allow God the time he needs to mature my son, so that he’s ready, willing, and able to be a father to someone…someday.

Don’t be in a hurry.  Growing up takes time.

While you’re waiting for my son to grow up, prepare yourself also.  Pray for God’s plan for you.  Children should not raise children.  Enjoy your childhood, as our son is enjoying his.  Gather as many skills along the way as you can, for your career, and for your family.  Develop your talents, follow your dreams, and know yourself and your passions for life.  Bring them with you into your marriage, when the Lord says the time is right, and then ask God together to help you grow a new generation, your children.

Get support along the way, also.  Don’t depend so heavily upon my son to meet your every need.  Just as he needs to be a whole person before he enters into marriage, so do you.  It’s a lifetime commitment and should be taken very seriously.  You’re both so important to the Lord apart, and even more so when you become one!

I’ve been praying for both of you since he was born!  When God sends him “The One,” believe me, I’ll love her with all my heart!  And finally have a daughter!

Beach Blessings-Every Wave Changes The Landscape

Standard

Image

I love walking along the beach!  The mixture of sights, sounds, and smells overwhelms me.  I feel so close to God because I’m concentrating on His magnificent Creation.

My husband and I enjoy looking for collectible shells, odd-shaped and colorful rocks, or sharks teeth while walking together along the water’s edge.  We watch the tide coming in and going out, to see what’s new in the wet sand.  As we walk, he turns to me to whisper, “Every wave changes the landscape.”

I simply look at him as my thoughts turn to God…  “Every wave of the Holy Spirit changes the landscape of our lives.”  The wave of God’s Spirit can be a forceful, roaring tidal wave during a revival.  At other times, it may come as a soft mist or light wind, when God seems to be speaking only to us.  Once the wave of His Spirit falls, it changes us!  It changes those close to us…family, friends, and acquaintances.  It changes the landscape of our homes, neighborhoods, and communities.  Our cities, countries, our world…

If we let it!!

Sometimes, I’m amazed at how much I bring to the beach, just to leave it lying in a pile to set out for a walk unencumbered by it all.  I want to encourage and inspire all of us to let the waves of the Holy Spirit wash over us, so we can experience His peace and awesome joy.  To empower us to allow God to change the landscape of our lives with His moving tide.  To let the waves get us soaking wet, by swimming and splashing in them.  To let the Holy Spirit change us forever.  To encourage us to drop everything, when we walk to the waves.  To lay all our burdens and baggage aside, and just dive in.  Then, to look up …and simply bask in the warmth of His Presence.

When I look up, at the beach, I see the pale blue canopy, polka-dotted with white puffy clouds.  And, even if I close my eyes, I can still see the aquamarine water creating a silvery foam against the tawny, pebbly sand as I walk.  I take a moment to deeply breathe in the salty, moist air.  Seagulls are squawking and the waves are lapping against the rocks.  The sensations of the beach surround me and literally compel me to lay down all my cares and worries, and just drink in the natural beauty of the world around me.  And then, I suddenly realize that I’m hungry and thirsty!

That’s how we should feel about the waves of God’s Holy Spirit…hungry and thirsty!!

Perhaps it’s the wave of the Holy Spirit felt by a loving adult holding a newborn baby.  Or the wave of the Holy Spirit a toddler feels while singing about Jesus.  Tender hearts that respond to the love of God means landscapes that are changed forever.  We can all recall other moments when the wave of the Holy Spirit washed over us!  We were never the same afterward.

So, why do we resist the Holy Spirit?  Are we like the little children playing on the beach?  Dancing and racing back and forth between the sand and the water, the children are uncertain of the power or predictability of the waves, so while they run towards the coast, they soon scamper away from the shore line, when it seems the wave might actually reach them!

But, those standing right in the water where the waves break and crash, will get a completely refreshing experience!  Let the waves get us thoroughly wet…let’s swim in it, let it engulf us!  Let’s be eager to get out of our beach chairs…walk right up to the edge of the water, jump in, and let the waves wash over us.  Let the waves cool us, caress us, soak us, saturate us, inspire us, empower us…as we walk in, run in, rush in, jump in, and dive under.

Let’s drop everything when we walk along the beach.  We can soak up the sun, play in the sand, collect shells, take photos, and forget everything that burdens us…as we concentrate only on the waves that can change the landscape around us.

We need to drop everything also, when we’re in the presence of the Holy Spirit.  We should be hungry & thirsty for every movement of the waves.  Allowing God to remove all distractions, we can lay down and leave our cares, burdens, and worries, and drink in the spiritual cleansing waves.  Then, we’ll hear the Lord calling us and speaking to us, while we’re basking in His warmth, welcoming the next wave of His Spirit.

Whether it’s loud and powerful, or quiet and gentle…welcome it, be immersed in it.  Listen carefully…it’s renewing us.  With every wave the landscape of our life changes for the better.