Manna For Moms

Devotions for Moms Like You!

2010

Advent Activities for Kids (Week 4)

Megan Breedlove 0Comment

As announced, I am trying something different this year. Instead of posting weekly devotions, I will post Advent activities for each day in December up to, and including, Christmas. Each activity illustrates a particular aspect of the Christmas story and is designed to help you and your children think about this precious story in a (perhaps) new and different way. Most activities require almost no advance preparation; a few do require some prep time, and these are clearly marked. If it works better for your family to do different activities on different days, feel free to do so. Or, if you think of your own activity that would be more meaningful to you and your family, I hope you will use yours instead of mine.

My prayer is that God will use these activities to bring you and your children closer to our Savior. May He grant you a new appreciation for the tremendous gift He gave us in sending His Son, and may the peace of that Baby born in a stable rule your hearts this Christmas, and always.

December 22—In Greek, the verb phrase that is usually translated “wrapped him in swaddling cloths” is better translated “swaddled him”. Have your children swaddle a baby doll (or a real baby, if you have one, and if your child is old enough) and lay it in a bed. Ask your children what they think Mary would have had to do to take care of her baby. Encourage your children to pick up the baby (you could pretend it was crying), sing it a song, or simply pat its little head. Remind your children that you took care of them that way when they were little, and Mary had to take care of Jesus the same way. End tonight’s activity by showing your child pictures of him- or herself all swaddled up as a newborn. Talk about how you laid your child in a crib, and Mary laid Jesus in a manger.

December 23—Have your child tell you the Christmas story. If it’s at all possible, record this or take notes. (It’ll be sweet and funny to look back on later.) Your child can physically act out all the characters if he or she is so inclined. If your child is unclear about any part of the story, you can gently re-explain the parts he or she has missed. This activity will not only help them review their knowledge, but also bless your heart.

December 24—Consider letting your children open one gift each on this day. Before they open it, explain to them that every good and perfect gift that comes to them is ultimately from God (James 1:17). Tell them that God gave them the gift they are about to receive. After they have opened it, remind them to thank God directly.

December 25—(Note: advance preparation needed!) Have a birthday party for Jesus. Decorate for His party, sing “Happy Birthday”, and have cake (or another snack). Give Him presents. This will consist of offering Him the gifts you have prepared beforehand. You might make things to donate to the needy; you might collect food; you might think of a way to minister to someone in your own home. Remind your children that Jesus said that whatever we do for someone else, we do for Him, so giving to others is one way we can show Him that we love Him.

Advent Activities for Kids (Week 3)

Megan Breedlove 0Comment

As announced, I am trying something different this year. Instead of posting weekly devotions, I will post Advent activities for each day in December up to, and including, Christmas. Each activity illustrates a particular aspect of the Christmas story and is designed to help you and your children think about this precious story in a (perhaps) new and different way. Most activities require almost no advance preparation; a few do require some prep time, and these are clearly marked. If it works better for your family to do different activities on different days, feel free to do so. Or, if you think of your own activity that would be more meaningful to you and your family, I hope you will use yours instead of mine.

My prayer is that God will use these activities to bring you and your children closer to our Savior. May He grant you a new appreciation for the tremendous gift He gave us in sending His Son, and may the peace of that Baby born in a stable rule your hearts this Christmas, and always.

December 15—Matthew 20:28 teaches us that Jesus came not to be served, but to serve. Discuss this with your children. Set a designated time limit for each child to practice being a servant to others. You might need to give them some ideas of how to do this.

December 16—Talk with your children about how hard it is to wait for Christmas. Then, tell them that the people of Israel had been waiting hundreds of years for a Messiah. Discuss how they must have felt as they waited. After all, they were waiting for a lot more than a few material things. Discuss what it must have been like for those who knew Jesus was the Messiah to realize that He had finally come!

December 17—Spend some time talking with your children about what it must have been like to have Jesus for a brother. Point out that He was perfect. Yes, it might have been annoying that He never did anything wrong, but it would also have been wonderful that He was also perfectly loving at all times. Talk about what family life would be like if we were all perfectly loving at all times. Have your kids think of ways to show their siblings love.

December 18—(Note: lots of advance preparation needed!) Take your kids to visit the maternity ward at a hospital. If possible, have a nurse allow you to stand in the doorway of a vacant room and look at the nice place women can come to have their babies. Then, visit a barn that houses animals. Talk about the differences between the two locations. Ask your children which place would be better for having a baby in. Tell them that the place Mary gave birth to Jesus was closer to a barn than a modern hospital room. Point out that Jesus was willing to leave Heaven and come be born in a barn so He could walk among us.

December 19—(Note: small amount of advance preparation required.) Have your children draw, decorate, and cut out a large star. Suspend it from the end of a stick (or broom handle, or whatever is handy). Take them outside and tell them that when they see the star appear, they should follow it. Lead them around, holding the stick with the star on it. Lead them over to a place where you have previously hidden the figure of the baby Jesus you have made or prepared earlier (such as wrapping a doll up in a blanket). Talk about finding Jesus in an unexpected place (such as lying on the rear bumper of your vehicle). Point out that the shepherds found Him in an unexpected place, too—lying in a manger.

December 20—Teach your kids the song “Happy Birthday, Jesus”. (This is not just the traditional “Happy Birthday” song with Jesus’ name inserted; there is a completely different song by this name.) If you don’t know it, you can find it on YouTube. It’s a beautifully simple song, yet profound. Discuss why Jesus is the “real” gift (as the song says).

December 21—Have your own candlelight service. Start with one lit candle in a darkened room. Talk about how Jesus was a light shining in our dark world, which was dark because of sin. (You may want to read from John 1.) Explain to your children that as more people came to believe in Jesus, the light spread (light another candle as you tell them this). If your children are old enough, have them take a lit candle, walk over to another candle, and say something simple, such as, “The light of Jesus has come into our world.” Then have your child light the candle. Do this with several candles, until there are several providing light to the room. Point out to your children that the more light there is, the less darkness there is room for. Tell them that as we spread Jesus’ light into the world, the darkness of the world will diminish, too.

Advent Activities for Kids (Week 2)

Megan Breedlove 0Comment

As announced, I am trying something different this year. Instead of posting weekly devotions, I will post Advent activities for each day in December up to, and including, Christmas. Each activity illustrates a particular aspect of the Christmas story and is designed to help you and your children think about this precious story in a (perhaps) new and different way. Most activities require almost no advance preparation; a few do require some prep time, and these are clearly marked. If it works better for your family to do different activities on different days, feel free to do so. Or, if you think of your own activity that would be more meaningful to you and your family, I hope you will use yours instead of mine.

My prayer is that God will use these activities to bring you and your children closer to our Savior. May He grant you a new appreciation for the tremendous gift He gave us in sending His Son, and may the peace of that Baby born in a stable rule your hearts this Christmas, and always.

December 8—Make a paper chain out of construction paper, with one link representing each day left until Christmas Day. (If desired, you can make extra links and let your children rip them off until you get to the number of links you need to have.) Point out that just as we look forward to Christmas, when Jesus was born, so we also look forward to His return, when He will come take all those who love Him to live with Him in Heaven.

December 9—Remind your children that some people don’t know the story of Jesus’ birth. Some people may have never heard of Him, or may not realize how important He is. Who does your family know that needs to hear the good news of Christmas? Make plans as to how you might share it with that person.

December 10—(Note: requires advance preparation!) You will need Styrofoam cups, jingle bells, and pipe cleaners. Punch two small holes in the bottom of the cup. Thread one end of the pipe cleaner through one hole. String a jingle bell onto the end that’s inside the cup, then thread that end back up and out through the other hole. Twist both ends together to make a handle. Let your kids have fun ringing their bells. Talk about what a neat sound it is to hear bells ringing. Point out that it’s even better to hear the good news about Jesus. Suggest that every time they hear a bell ringing, they think about the news of Jesus being proclaimed to a world that needs to hear.

December 11—Take a trip to look at Christmas lights. (If you’re really brave, stop and get ice cream and let the kids eat it as you ride.) Admire the beauty of the lights. Talk about how just as Christmas lights light up our dark world with beauty, even so, but to a greater extent, Jesus lights up our world with His beauty. Encourage your children to shout, “Jesus is the Light of the world!” when they see a particularly beautiful display of lights.

December 12—Take your kids to visit a Salvation Army bell ringer at any place you know there will be one. Have them be prepared to put something (any amount you want, whether great or small) into the kettle. Talk about serving others and giving to those in need. If you prefer to support a different charity, feel free to do so.

December 13—Spend some time singing Christmas carols together. Make sure your kids understand the words they’re singing—not just what the words are, but the great, uplifting spiritual truths behind them.

December 14—Talk about the gifts the Wise Men brought Jesus—gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Explain to your children the possible meanings for each of these gifts (see Wikipedia.com. Use “gifts of the Magi” for a search term, then scroll down to the section entitled “Gifts”). Discuss what kinds of gifts your children could give to Jesus that reflect each of these meanings.

Advent Activities for Kids (Week 1)

Megan Breedlove 0Comment

As announced, I am trying something different this year. Instead of posting weekly devotions, I will post Advent activities for each day in December up to, and including, Christmas. Each activity illustrates a particular aspect of the Christmas story and is designed to help you and your children think about this precious story in a (perhaps) new and different way. Most activities require almost no advance preparation; a few do require some prep time, and these are clearly marked. If it works better for your family to do different activities on different days, feel free to do so. Or, if you think of your own activity that would be more meaningful to you and your family, I hope you will use yours instead of mine.

My prayer is that God will use these activities to bring you and your children closer to our Savior. May He grant you a new appreciation for the tremendous gift He gave us in sending His Son, and may the peace of that Baby born in a stable rule your hearts this Christmas, and always.

December 1—Make sugar cookies. Have fun cutting out, baking, and decorating them. Talk about how delicious and sweet they are. Point out to your children that as sweet as cookies and candy are, Jesus is the sweetest part of the Christmas season. Remind them that even though the cookies will soon be gone, they can experience Jesus’ sweetness throughout the Christmas season, and all year long.

December 2—If you have a nativity scene in your home, use the figures to act out the Christmas story. (If you don’t have one, you can make one cheaply using ClipArt pictures on cardboard backing, and a cardboard stable. When we did this one year, my kids loved it and were very proud of it.) Let each child have a chance to be the characters he or she wants to be.

December 3—Make birthday cards for Jesus, which you will present to Him at His birthday party (which will be the advent activity for December 25). Remind your children that Christmas is about celebrating Jesus’ birthday, not only about receiving gifts. Display the Christmas cards just as you do your children’s birthday cards.

December 4—Have a “Mall Treasure Hunt”. Print out various pictures of Christmas-related items on a sheet of paper such as candy canes, wreaths, reindeer, etc. (you can use ClipArt). Be sure to include Santa and also a picture of Baby Jesus. Go to the mall, and have your kids look for these items. When they find one, they should cross it off. They will likely have difficulty finding Baby Jesus. Point out that the reason for this is that Jesus isn’t welcome at the mall sometimes. Discuss why this might be (people don’t know Jesus; they don’t want to offend others; etc.). End by talking about what you and your family can do to show people that Jesus is welcome in your home. (Note: if, by chance, you do find a manger scene or two at the mall, point out that the secular symbols far outnumber the religious ones. Then make the point suggested above.)

December 5—(Note: advance preparation needed!) For this activity, you will need white 10-gallon trash bags, plenty of newspaper, Scotch tape, cardboard paper towel rolls or toilet paper rolls (two paper towel rolls or four toilet paper rolls per person involved), construction paper or a paper plate (one per person), and a marker. You will be making sheep so that you can then go abide in a field (your front or back yard) with your flocks. Stuff the trash bag with crumpled newspaper until it’s the desired size of your sheep. Twist off the remainder of the bag and secure it by wrapping tape around it. (If there is much extra bag left, cut some off, leaving the remainder for a tail.) Use four toilet paper rolls (or two paper towel rolls, cut in half to make four pieces) for the legs. Tape them onto the bottom. They won’t be completely stable (pun intended), but who cares? Use the paper plate or construction paper to make a face and—you guessed it—tape it onto the sheep body. Now, you have sheep. Go out to your front yard and abide in it with your flocks. Talk about how the shepherds must have felt when they were minding their own business, tending to their sheep, and suddenly, an angel appeared with an incredible announcement, and then a multitude of singing angels! If you have a front porch, let the kids take turns going up on the porch and being the angel making the announcement.

December 6— If you have a sleeping baby, great. If not, prepare a doll in a doll bed if possible. Go out your front door and be the shepherds on their pilgrimage to find the baby Jesus. Travel around to your back door and go inside. Marvel at the sleeping baby.

December 7—(Note: requires advance preparation!) Cut out the shape of a large Christmas tree and several shapes for ornaments (no need for these to be complicated, unless you want them to be). Put the Christmas tree up on the wall. Each time your child sees someone else in the family do something that makes Jesus happy, write it on an ornament and tape it to the tree.

Walking by Sight

Megan Breedlove 0Comment

Apparently, campouts are one of God’s favorite ways to illustrate His spiritual truth. That seems to be the case in my life, at least. Take, for example, our recent church campout. Even before we left, God had already reminded me of a lesson we all need to learn (see last week’s devotional). On the campout itself, He continued to speak. In fact, He taught me that walking by sight can be a good thing. Let me explain.

My husband was leading Kenny and Lindsey to the small building that housed the bathrooms. Fortunately, they were not only well-maintained, but also close by. It was dark at this point, so my husband was supervising the use of a flashlight to light their way. He reminded the kids not to shine it in people’s eyes (which they have a tendency to do on accident) but instead to shine it directly on the path in front of them.

One of them took the flashlight and pointed the beam of light toward the bathrooms up ahead. “No,” my husband said, “you have to shine it right in front of you. Otherwise, you might trip over something that’s in your way.”

“And you always follow the light,” Lindsey added.

That pretty much sums it up, doesn’t it? Keep the light pointed right in front of you, and follow it.

God will often illumine two things for us: the goal and the first few feet in front of us on the way to reaching that goal. Just as the kids’ flashlight could either have lighted up the bathrooms or the path right in front of them, so God often shows us only those two things. He usually doesn’t light up the entire pathway on the way to the goal. He wants us to walk by sight to the extent of moving forward as far as He’s illuminated our way, and to walk by faith in terms of trusting that He will continue to light our path as we proceed toward the goal.

Sometimes, God doesn’t even illuminate the goal. In that case, we have to walk by faith that we will reach the goal He’s set for us. In those circumstances, we are to continue to follow the part of our path He’s made known (the part right in front of us), and trust that each “next step” He lights up will bring us not into danger, but closer to where He wants us.

I know it can be really hard to walk this way. But it’s what we have to do. Fretting about not being able to see the whole path won’t cause God to light up any more than what He’s already lit up. God knows that He’s given us enough light for what we need right now, and we simply have to believe that that’s true and trust that He knows what He’s doing. It really is as simple as that. It may not be easy, but it is simple.

Is there an area in your life where you’re having a hard time believing that you know enough about what’s ahead? Are you worried or anxious because you can’t see farther than a few steps ahead, or because you’re not even sure of your next step? Why not make a decision of your will to trust God that He’s taking care of you? That He knows the entire path ahead, even though you don’t, and that He’ll show you what you need to know, when you need to know it?

You’ll make it to the goal. God will see to that. But you can determine the measure of peace you have along the way. You can either trust God completely, and therefore know that you have nothing to worry about; or you can decide that the fact that God sees everything isn’t enough, and that unless you see everything, you cannot have peace. But who are you—who am I—to think that we ought to feel safer when we see things than when the Almighty God of the Universe, Who is Master of all things, sees everything and says that it’s okay?

Precious mom, let’s turn things entirely over to God. Let’s determine that when He sees things, that’s good enough for us. Let’s resolve deep within our hearts and minds that when He’s leading us home, we’re just where we ought to be, and nothing can befall us that’s outside of God’s control.

For after all, God is leading us home. Every step we take under His leadership brings us closer to heaven. And then, we will see everything, because there will be no more darkness. There will be no difference between walking by faith and walking by sight. Instead of reaching a wooden shelter at a campground, we’ll reach the loving shelter of His eternal embrace. And we’ll realize that we were in His hands all along.

Isaiah 42:16—And I will bring the blind by a way that they knew not; I will lead them in paths that they have not known: I will make darkness light before them, and crooked things straight. These things will I do unto them, and not forsake them.

Doesn’t Apply

Megan Breedlove 0Comment

Our church recently held its annual fall campout, and this year, for the first time, our family was able to go. Our kids were all finally old enough that we thought camping with the whole family sounded like a good idea, so we packed up and headed out to a state park a couple hours away.

We all had a great time. Too soon (yes, seriously) it was time to come home. We lugged everything into the house, and I began the task of unpacking and getting the kids to help me. I put a load of stuff that belonged to the girls into their room and told them to start putting it away while I took care of something else. A few minutes later, I saw Lindsey bounding by on one of those large rubber balls with a handle, where you sit on it and bounce along. “Lindsey,” I said, “you need to clean up. I told you girls that already.”

“Oh,” Lindsey said innocently. “I thought you just meant Ellie and Jessica.”

Oh, no, she didn’t. She knew what the spirit of the law was. But because I hadn’t specifically named each girl, she saw a way to claim that she believed the letter of the law didn’t apply to her.

Sounds kind of like what we adults do, doesn’t it? Oh, we might not go as far as Lindsey did, and claim God’s law doesn’t apply to us, but we often give ourselves far more grace than we give others in determining what level of compliance is necessary in order to meet His standards. We may not say, “God’s law doesn’t apply to me; I don’t have to be loving.” But we might very well say, “Yes, God’s law applies to me, and I’m doing a fine job of fulfilling it.”

We act as if God’s law says “be more loving”, and then we figure that applies to other people who really need it, not to us who are already doing a good job. Or we proceed as if it says “be more patient”, and assume that also applies only to others who aren’t doing as well as we are.

But in reality, God’s law doesn’t say, “be more loving.” It says, “be perfectly loving (or patient, or kind, etc.),” and we fall far short of perfection. We are not “good enough”. There was only one “good enough” Person Who ever walked this earth, and that was Jesus Christ. He was the only One Who perfectly fulfilled God’s law. The rest of us fall woefully short.

I’ve often heard the phrase “we’re not under law; we’re under grace”. That’s true. But it doesn’t mean that God’s standards are any less. Yes, if we’ve acknowledged Christ as the Lord of our lives and asked Him to forgive us of our sins, His perfect sacrifice stands in our stead. He took our punishment so we wouldn’t have to. But His standards are still the same. He doesn’t say, “Now that you’re a Christian, it’s okay for you to be less than loving, because you’re under grace.” Quite the contrary. In fact, the Bible declares that people will know we are Christians by the love we have for one another.

God’s moral law still applies. And it still applies to us.

We would do far better to spend our time asking God to reveal the sin in our lives and repenting of it than to spend it deciding where other people have messed up and what they should do about it. I don’t mean that we should never confront others’ sin. There is a time, a place, and a way for that. But I do mean that confronting sin should start with that which we find in our own lives.

Search me, O God, and know my heart. Help me to know it, too, and to spend more time searching it than searching the hearts of others. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

Matthew 7:3-5—Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.

Anything Else?

Megan Breedlove 0Comment

Our church recently held its annual fall campout, and this year, for the first time, our family was able to go. Our kids were all finally old enough that we thought camping with the whole family sounded like a good idea, so we packed up and headed out to a state park a couple hours away.

We all had a great time. Too soon (yes, seriously) it was time to come home. We lugged everything into the house, and I began the task of unpacking and getting the kids to help me. I put a load of stuff that belonged to the girls into their room and told them to start putting it away while I took care of something else. A few minutes later, I saw Lindsey bounding by on one of those large rubber balls with a handle, where you sit on it and bounce along. “Lindsey,” I said, “you need to clean up. I told you girls that already.”

“Oh,” Lindsey said innocently. “I thought you just meant Ellie and Jessica.”

Oh, no, she didn’t. She knew what the spirit of the law was. But because I hadn’t specifically named each girl, she saw a way to claim that she believed the letter of the law didn’t apply to her.

Sounds kind of like what we adults do, doesn’t it? Oh, we might not go as far as Lindsey did, and claim God’s law doesn’t apply to us, but we often give ourselves far more grace than we give others in determining what level of compliance is necessary in order to meet His standards. We may not say, “God’s law doesn’t apply to me; I don’t have to be loving.” But we might very well say, “Yes, God’s law applies to me, and I’m doing a fine job of fulfilling it.”

We act as if God’s law says “be more loving”, and then we figure that applies to other people who really need it, not to us who are already doing a good job. Or we proceed as if it says “be more patient”, and assume that also applies only to others who aren’t doing as well as we are.

But in reality, God’s law doesn’t say, “be more loving.” It says, “be perfectly loving (or patient, or kind, etc.),” and we fall far short of perfection. We are not “good enough”. There was only one “good enough” Person Who ever walked this earth, and that was Jesus Christ. He was the only One Who perfectly fulfilled God’s law. The rest of us fall woefully short.

I’ve often heard the phrase “we’re not under law; we’re under grace”. That’s true. But it doesn’t mean that God’s standards are any less. Yes, if we’ve acknowledged Christ as the Lord of our lives and asked Him to forgive us of our sins, His perfect sacrifice stands in our stead. He took our punishment so we wouldn’t have to. But His standards are still the same. He doesn’t say, “Now that you’re a Christian, it’s okay for you to be less than loving, because you’re under grace.” Quite the contrary. In fact, the Bible declares that people will know we are Christians by the love we have for one another.

God’s moral law still applies. And it still applies to us.

We would do far better to spend our time asking God to reveal the sin in our lives and repenting of it than to spend it deciding where other people have messed up and what they should do about it. I don’t mean that we should never confront others’ sin. There is a time, a place, and a way for that. But I do mean that confronting sin should start with that which we find in our own lives.

Search me, O God, and know my heart. Help me to know it, too, and to spend more time searching it than searching the hearts of others. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

Matthew 7:3-5—Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.

Cute Birdies

Megan Breedlove 0Comment
Grackle
A grackle

Yesterday, the three older kids and I were running around town doing errands. Which parking lot we were in at the time this story took place, I don’t remember. But I’ll always remember the lesson I learned there.

As we all exited the van and I counted heads to make sure everybody had gotten out, I heard Kenny say, “Mom, look!” I followed his pointing finger and saw three birds hopping on the ground. All three had dull, blackish/brownish feathers and small, beady black eyes. “Cute birdies!” Kenny exclaimed.

Cute birdies? I thought. They’re ugly.

Then came the unforgettable lesson, a sentence that burned in my heart. We do the same thing to people sometimes.

We usually don’t do it consciously. But we’ve all judged a person after just a brief glimpse. We’ve made character and attitude assumptions and judged the person’s actions based on information from a snapshot taken at one fleeting moment in time. We’ve dismissed people with a roll of our eyes, or simply overlooked people, for any of far too many reasons.

It doesn’t matter all that much when we look at birds and think they’re ugly. But it matters a lot when we look at people and dismiss them as nothing special.

Our Lord Jesus never treated people as anything less than a marvelous creation of God. Sure, sometimes He became righteously angry at them, but He never acted as if they were beneath His notice, or not worth His time. We ought to treat people the same way He did because we want to be like Him.

But there’s another important reason we should follow His lead in our actions and attitudes toward our fellow human beings: Jesus said that whatever we do to “one of the least of these”, we do to Him. In other words, dismissing someone else as “nothing much” means dismissing Him as “nothing much”. We would never say that to His face, but we say it to His creations all the time. Maybe those words never come out of our mouths, but our actions show them to be true. And Jesus, Who sees inside our heart, knows what we are thinking.

Kenny looked at the birds and saw marvelous, cute, energetic creations of God. I wonder why I didn’t see them that way, too. After all, I’m the adult. I’m the one who’s supposed to know better. I’m pretty sure I know which one of us delighted God’s heart.

May we never look at our fellow human beings in the same way I looked at those birds—as undesirable and nothing special. May we learn to judge the worth of each person based on his or her Creator, instead of on any inadequacies we might perceive. After all, “they” shall know us by our love. Based on the level of our love for others, what would “they” know us to be?

Luke 6:45—The good [woman] brings good things out of the good stored up in [her] heart, and the evil [woman] brings evil things out of the evil stored up in [her] heart. For out of the overflow of [her] heart [her] mouth speaks.

Let Me See

Megan Breedlove 0Comment

A couple days ago, the kids and I piled into the van and headed out for a morning of consignment sale shopping in a neighboring city. As we drove from the first sale to the second, we passed an ice cream shop we don’t have near our house, and I remembered that I had four coupons for free kid’s sundaes from that shop still in my purse since I had received them a year or two ago.

We stopped at the shop, and I drove through the drive-thru and ordered the four free sundaes. The lady who eventually handed them to me at the window seemed less than thrilled to give away four free items at the same time, but I thanked her politely and drove on.

Because I was feeling particularly generous that day, I let the kids eat their sundaes in the van as we drove to the second sale. A few minutes after she began eating, Jessica paused and said, “I’m thirsty.”

“I’m sorry, but I didn’t bring any drinks,” I said.

“But I’m thirsty,” she repeated for emphasis.

“Sweetie, I don’t have anything to give you,” I said.

“Let me see,” she insisted.

“I can’t show you what I don’t have,” I said.

On one hand, the incident was amusing. After all, Jessica just wanted to verify for herself that there were, indeed, no drinks present. On the other hand, it was offensive. She didn’t trust my assessment of the situation.

God gets offended, too, when we refuse to trust what He says. Sometimes when He proclaims truth, we decide we’re not going to believe Him unless we can verify the facts for ourselves. When we do that, we’re telling Him that His judgment isn’t worthy of being relied upon—that we’ll trust our own judgment before we’ll trust His. Other times, we simply contradict God. He proclaims truth, and we tell Him He’s wrong because we see things differently. When we do that, we’re telling Him that He’s either a liar or sadly mistaken.

I wonder how much our lives would change if we began acting like the things God says really are true and accurate. For example, when God says we should consider trials pure joy because they produce so many excellent character qualities in us, what difference would it make if we actually started acting like we are joyful that our character is being refined instead of resentful about the trials? Or when God tells us that we should forgive, how much healing might we find if we actually forgave instead of refusing to do so because the person doesn’t deserve it? Or when we read God’s admonition to honor our husbands, what if we actually started to do so, instead of making excuses?

I know there are times when it’s hard to live as if God’s truth is really true. But to do anything less dishonors God. Refusing to let His truth permeate every area of our lives and bring all those areas into conformity with His will is the same thing as telling Him that He’s not worthy of being believed, respected, or trusted in those areas.

Moms, we need to repent of the shamefully arrogant attitude that says that we’re more qualified than God to assess anything. Compared to Him, we know nothing, and it’s well past time for us to stop setting ourselves up as the experts. Let’s determine that we’ll honor God no matter what, and accept His every assessment as our own. After all, He’s always right. So how in the world could it profit us to act as if He isn’t?

Psalm 19:7—The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple.

No Whiny Voice

Megan Breedlove 0Comment

You know how sometimes, you do something for your kids you think they’ll appreciate, only to find out later that it was a waste of money?

Such was the case last week when I let the kids talk me into buying applesauce already flavored with cinnamon. It wasn’t any more expensive than the regular stuff, and the kids always put cinnamon in their applesauce anyway, so I was more than willing to earn brownie points with them by fulfilling their request.

Two-year-old Jessica, however, was not impressed. When I served applesauce one evening as a complement to our meal, she said she wanted cinnamon in hers. “There’s already cinnamon in it,” I said. “That’s why it’s brown.”

Jessica peered suspiciously at the bowl. “But I want to put cinnamon in it,” she whined.

“You mean you want some regular applesauce so you can add cinnamon to it yourself?” I clarified.

“Yeahhhh,” she pouted.

“Maybe if you asked me nicely, I would help you,” I said.

“Please?” she said politely.

“Okay,” I said. “I’ll be glad to help you now. But when you use your whiny voice, that makes me not want to help you.”

“Yeah,” Jessica said loudly. “And God don’t like a whiny voice!”

Isn’t that the truth? God don’t like a whiny voice. In fact, He tells us pretty clearly in Scripture through the Apostle Paul’s writings that we are to do everything without complaining or arguing. I’m pretty sure whining would fit into that category of prohibited ways to do things.

But most of us whine. A lot. Maybe not every day (though maybe so!), but far too often. We ignore the flat-out prohibition in that verse and figure that if we don’t complain too often, that ought to be good enough.

But God says it isn’t. His standard is no complaining. Period.

Believe me, I know it’s hard not to complain sometimes. Bad things, or even just plain irritating things, happen, and it’s tempting to complain. After all, what are we supposed to do, keep our feelings inside? Don’t we have a right to talk about how we feel?

The answers might surprise you. No, we’re not supposed to just bottle up our feelings. And yes, we have a right to talk about how we feel. But there are right ways and wrong ways to do those things, and complaining is a wrong way. When expressing ourselves won’t build anybody up and won’t help the situation, we should keep silent. But we can—and should—take those feelings to God. He will help us deal with them and know what to do next. Even when our emotions are unrighteous—bitterness and malice, for example—God invites us to bring them before Him. The Bible tells us that He desires truth in our inward parts, and that there, He will teach us wisdom.

Is complaining to God okay, then? Well…no. Complaining isn’t okay, period. Complaining is like saying what God’s allowed into our life isn’t acceptable to us. I know some circumstances are annoying, difficult, or even tragic. We’re not commanded to love those circumstances, but we are commanded not to complain. That’s because when we complain, we’re rebelling against what His will for our life is (whether it’s something He’s caused, or something He’s allowed), and when we’re doing that, we’re not in right relationship with Him. We need to learn to see our circumstances as God sees them—tools for shaping us into the person He wants us to be.

How does that work? I don’t entirely know. I only know that when I’m honest before God about my desire to complain, He changes my heart. He may not make my circumstances go away, but He always changes my ability to deal with them.

The next time we’re tempted to complain, let’s take our emotions to God and ask Him to renew our heart and our perspective. Let’s beseech Him for His grace in dealing with our circumstances. And let’s resist the temptation to complain. Complaining seems to offer a satisfying way to deal with our stress, but it doesn’t. True relief comes from God alone. Following His ways in dealing with life will bring far superior and far longer-lasting relief than complaining ever will.

Philippians 2:14—“Do everything without complaining or arguing.”

Isaiah 1:18—”Come now, let us reason together,” says the LORD. “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.”

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