Manna For Moms

Devotions for Moms Like You!

2012

Untied

Megan Breedlove 0Comment

My 6-year-old daughter, Lindsey, loves monkeys. A couple years ago, she decided she liked a particular monkey, and her affection quickly grew into a liking for all monkeys, everywhere. So when she needed new sneakers not that long ago, she—of course—chose a pair with monkeys.

The only problem was that this pair was made to be fastened with laces instead of Velcro, and Lindsey didn’t know how to tie her shoes. That is, she had learned how to make the bunny go around the tree, but she wasn’t experienced at it. I didn’t want to buy her a pair of shoes that would require my tying them for her every time we had to go somewhere. So I told her I would buy her the shoes if she would practice tying them herself.

Lindsey agreed and became the proud owner of new monkey sneakers. True to her word, she tied her own shoelaces without complaint each time it was necessary. She’s gotten pretty good at it, too, though the laces keep coming untied, especially on her right foot. Usually, Lindsey doesn’t care. She’s perfectly happy to run around with the long laces dragging the ground. She willingly ties them if I tell her to, but for the most part, she doesn’t notice they’re not arranged in nice, neat bows anymore.

Sometimes, I get nervous. What if she trips? I can just imagine poor, sweet Lindsey with her hands, knees, and chin scraped, all because she tripped over her untied shoelaces. So I tell her to tie her shoes, not because I’m trying to mess up her fun, but because I’m trying to keep her from danger.

It’s the same thing God does for us.

Often, we’re content to go through life not noticing whether or not both shoes are tied. Or, worse yet, we know one shoe’s untied, but we don’t bother to do anything about it. Either we’re oblivious to the potential danger, or we simply don’t care. Either way, we run the risk of tripping and falling and perhaps scraping ourselves badly.

God understands the danger of untied shoelaces—of parts of our lives not being properly controlled. That’s why He gives us all kinds of warnings not to let our shoes become untied. If we fail in our preventive efforts, He’s willing to tell us exactly what to do in order to tie them up again.

The problem is that sometimes, we don’t want to listen. Maybe we’d don’t want to take the time and effort to correct the problem. Or maybe we don’t believe God that we’re in danger. Either way, we ignore His warnings and prescriptions and go blithely about our business, little knowing or caring that we’re in danger.

Is there some shoe in your life that’s untied right now? Are you running the risk of being tripped up? If you don’t think so, ask God to help you examine your shoes so you can be sure. If you know that one is untied, repent and do what He’s told you to do about it. If you’re not sure what to do, ask Him.

Usually, the consequences of tripping over actual shoelaces aren’t that big a deal. If Lindsey does trip, a few scrapes are the worst things she’ll probably face. In life, the consequences can be much greater.

Don’t suffer consequences you could avoid. Don’t trip over something that could separate you from God or your family. Don’t let an untied shoe move from a potential to an actual tragedy in your life.

Instead, do the right thing. Do what I’d tell Lindsey to do, out of love and concern for her. Check your shoes.

1 Corinthians 10:12—Therefore let anyone who thinks that [she] stands take heed lest [she] fall.

Sweet Blessings

Megan Breedlove 0Comment

This past week, I had the blessing of attending the Colorado Christian Writer’s Conference, which I attend every year. It’s held on the campus of the YMCA of the Rockies in Estes Park, Colorado, nestled in the midst of the Rocky Mountains. It’s a gorgeous location and an educational and spiritually uplifting time—not to mention full of fun and fellowship with friends I’ve seen before and friends I meet for the first time.

Usually, I attend the conference by myself. This year, since Timmy is still nursing, I had to take him with me. I must admit that I wasn’t entirely looking forward to doing so. For one thing, I felt disappointed that I wouldn’t have the time to myself. For another, I wasn’t sure how well Timmy would do with traveling to a new place and being off his normal schedule.

I needn’t have worried. Timmy was a marvelous traveler, and though his eating and sleeping habits became somewhat disrupted by the trip, he sailed through it all with a peaceful, relaxed demeanor and happy smiles. Many of my fellow faculty members, as well as the conferees, were blessed by having him there and getting to play with him and hold him. And I was pleasantly surprised not only at how well he did but at what a sweet time Timmy and I had together, so much so that I think next year will feel lonely without him.

Our Father is so creative and generous in thinking of ways to bless us. This time, He gave me the unexpected gift of sweet memories that will last forever. Other times, He gives me (and you) blessings as varied as the infinite expressions of His creativity. Why? Because He loves us. Because He delights in expressing His inventive ways to bless us. Because He enjoys giving us something beyond what we asked or imagined.

What He doesn’t enjoy, however, is when we take His blessings for granted. When we start seeing them as our right rather than our privilege. When the things He intends to delight and surprise us bring little more than a “that’s nice”.

Had I gone to Colorado with Timmy expecting that God owed me the wonderful trip we had, I wouldn’t have appreciated it nearly as much. It wouldn’t have been the sweet time of fellowship that it was. And instead of focusing on the unending delights with which God was blessing me, I probably would have focused on making sure God was living up to what He was “supposed” to do—and maybe even complained if He didn’t do it.

God owes us nothing. Nothing. Each and every gift we receive from Him is a blessing we don’t deserve. Feeling entitled brings nothing but discontent when we don’t receive what we believe we’re entitled to; feeling grateful brings delight and wonder. Wonder that Almighty God would love us so incredibly much. Wonder that He would be willing to continue to bless us despite our lack of merit. Wonder that He would give us anything at all.

Do you take God’s blessings for granted? Do you spend more time complaining about what God didn’t do for you than rejoicing in and thanking Him for what He did do? If so, don’t let that go on any longer. Repent, and be grateful. If you already are grateful, continue to rejoice in His bounty. Name His blessings one by one and give thanks.

You know how much you love giving gifts to your own children and having them go wide-eyed with amazement. God feels the same way.

Psalm 8:4—What is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him?

Psalm 66:5—Come and see what God has done: he is awesome in his deeds toward the children of man.

Letter to a New Mom

Megan Breedlove 4Comments

Dear New Mom,

Thank you for taking the time to read this letter. I know your free time is at a premium right now, so I won’t keep you for very long. But there are some things my heart longs to communicate to yours—things I wish I had understood better when I was a new mom. Things which, if you can grasp them now, will make this crazy, wonderful, intense new venture of motherhood even sweeter and richer. Maybe a little calmer and more peaceful, too.

You see, I know how you feel as a new mom. I well remember the feeling of holding my first child, a daughter, in my arms and being overwhelmed with love for her. I didn’t even know I was capable of such love until I met her. I love her so much I would die for her, if necessary. I’d throw myself in harm’s way without a second thought if it meant I could save her. And what I wish I’d realized at the time is that my love for my daughter is a mere reflection of how much God the Father loves me. In fact, God not only would sacrifice Himself for me and you, but He did. John 3:16 tells us that Jesus died on the cross so that you didn’t have to. Why? For the glory of God, certainly. But also because He loved you. Yes, God Almighty loves you that much. So when you hold your precious baby in your arms, think about that. That love you feel welling up in you, threatening to burst your heart? It’s but a fraction of the powerful love God feels for you.

Another thing I wish I’d known as a new mom is that motherhood is hard enough without worrying about being perfect. I know that you so badly want to get things right, and I understand why that is. You love your child. But here’s what I wish I had known: Getting things right as a whole doesn’t mean you have to get things perfect in every detail. If that were true, we’d all be doomed for sure. I made mistakes. You will make mistakes. There’s simply no way around it, because you are a human being. But the great news is this: God doesn’t require you to know everything. He knows you’re not God, and He has promised to give you wisdom whenever you ask (James 1:5). The secret is to keep asking rather than trying to muddle through on your own. You already know that you can’t do it but that He can. So ask for wisdom, and keep asking. I’ve prayed more since having children than in all my pre-child years put together. I bet you will find the same thing.

Speaking of talking to God, I wish I’d known what staying in touch with Him as a mom would look like. I naively assumed that it would look exactly the same as in my pre-child days, if I just tried hard enough. But if you’ve been a mom for longer than ten minutes, you already know that babies are unpredictable. They don’t always fit neatly into a schedule that allows you large, unbroken blocks of time for prayer and reflection. Even if they do, you’re probably too tired to take full advantage of that time. But God doesn’t intend for your times with Him to look exactly the same as they used to. He is calling you to a different season in life, and one of the many lessons He intends for you during this time is to learn to relate to Him in a new way. You will learn to see and hear God in the midst of everything. Just as God formerly spoke to His servants through things like harvests, seeds, and sheep, so He still speaks to us through common, everyday items. This means that He uses things like diaper changes, bath time, and even unexpected things like racquetballs (that was an interesting object lesson for me) to teach you things in a very real, relevant way. So yes, keep reading your Bible. Keep praying. Absolutely, on both counts. But remember that your new life doesn’t entirely look like your old one, and your quiet times won’t either. That’s okay. Be open to the new thing God wants to do (Isaiah 43:19).

There’s one more thing I would like to tell you before you go, and that’s this: It’s okay to ask for help. It really is. There will be times when you’re so exhausted you want to cry. There will be times when you’re so frustrated you want to scream. Or cry. You can expect there to be times when you’re bored, lonely, or worried. Maybe even all three at the same time. When you feel like that, remember that it’s okay to ask for help. You are not supposed to be able to do it all alone. Many times we moms think we should be able to do everything ourselves if we just try hard enough and pray hard enough. That’s simply not true. Satan would love to have you believe that it is, for if he can separate you from God and other Christians, he’s got you right where he wants you. On the other hand, God says that a cord of three strands is not quickly broken (Ecclesiastes 4:12). So don’t be afraid to call a friend or mentor for help. In fact, I recommend that you make a list of a few names and numbers right now. You will need these women. God made us to need one another, and there’s no way around it. You should never feel ashamed or embarrassed for needing other moms. After all, God didn’t make you to walk alone.

Precious new mom, if you and I lived close together, I’d invite you over for coffee and dessert, or maybe a smoothie if you don’t do coffee. We’d sit at the table together, with me holding your precious baby so you could eat with your hands free for once, and we’d talk. About anything and nothing. About things that matter and things we won’t remember next week. I’d ask you how you were doing, and I’d really listen to your answer, because I’d want to show you that it’s not only your baby who matters; you still matter too. But since we don’t live just blocks apart, maybe not in the same state or even country, I wrote you this letter instead. There’s so much more I would say if I could, but this is enough for now. You have plenty to think about. I’ll trust God to bring these words home to you in whatever way He deems best.

Hugs to you and to your precious little one. Until we meet, whether here on this earth or in heaven, I’ll continue to pray for you. May I pray a blessing over you right now? “The LORD bless thee, and keep thee: The LORD make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee: The LORD lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace” (Numbers 6:24-26), both now and forevermore. Amen.

With much love,
Megan's Signature

Cheetah Spray

Megan Breedlove 0Comment

Sometimes, the conversations you overhear while your children are playing are really interesting.

Such was the case not long ago when Ellie and Lindsey were playing with their Littlest Pet Shop toys. They had the entire playroom floor covered with their setup and were happily bringing the characters to life. It sounded pretty normal until one of the animals apparently did something wrong. The ensuing conversation, wherein my daughters tried to figure out which animal was the culprit, caught my attention. It went something like this:

Ellie: “Maybe it was a cheetah.”

Lindsey: “But the cheetah was over here. He didn’t do it.”

Ellie: “Well maybe whoever did it used cheetah spray to make it smell like cheetahs so everybody would think it was the cheetah.”

I had to smile. Sounded like a pretty good explanation to me.

What’s not quite so good is when you and I, as adults, do something similar. Maybe we don’t use cheetah spray, but we have all kinds of other creative ways to try to avoid responsibility for our actions.

“If you hadn’t done A, I wouldn’t have done B.” “I can’t help it. I was raised that way.” “It wasn’t my fault. It was (fill in any name here)’s fault.”

Does any of these sound familiar? Perhaps you’ve used these excuses at one time or another. Perhaps you have different favorites. Whatever reasons you and I give for avoiding responsibility, they are all false. If we did or said something, it was because we chose to. Period. Instead of trying to get out of the responsibility, or make excuses for our actions, we would do better to try to get at the root cause of whatever made us want to do the thing we did.

Solomon, the author of the book of Proverbs, tells us that everything in life comes from what is in our heart. Jesus Himself said the same thing, telling us that everything we say comes from the overflow of our heart. If we do or say something, or fail to act or speak, we are only revealing what we’re like inside. That’s why we usually want to cover it up. We don’t want people to know we’re really like that.

But there is Someone who knows exactly what we’re like. The Bible also tells us that “no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.” We can’t fool Him by trying to find reasons we’re not really at fault. He knows we did something wrong and have no one to blame but ourselves.

Adam and Eve would know how we feel. When they were caught doing wrong, they tried to blame anyone but themselves. Eve blamed the serpent. Adam blamed both Eve and God. But God knew better. He also knew Adam and Eve were stuck with no way out of their guilt unless He did something. So He did the same thing for them He did for us: He made a way out.

The way out is Jesus. He died on the cross for us. His death was necessary because we can’t help ourselves out of our self-made predicament, and God requires payment for sin. Our sins were laid on Jesus, and He paid the penalty. He, of all people, knows what it’s like to be blamed for something that’s really not your fault. But He accepted the blame and paid the price. Why, so we could continue to live with filthy, sinful hearts and cast all the responsibility elsewhere? No. So our hearts could be made clean.

In order to accept His gift, we first have to recognize what is in our hearts—total, utter depravity. Many of us have done this and asked Jesus to cleanse us and be our Lord. But despite the fact our hearts have been made new, we still have a propensity to sin. And when we do so, we need to ask God to help us examine our hearts and root out the sin, not just blame it on somebody or something else.

Jesus didn’t die so we could receive a “get out of hell free” card and then spend the rest of our lives ignoring, minimizing, or explaining away our sin. He died so our hearts could be cleansed.

I know it’s painful to admit that there is something nasty, sinful, or repulsive in my heart that made me think, speak, or act a certain way. You probably don’t like admitting the state of your heart either. But I want to die to sin, not sweep it under the rug. I want to live to Christ, not live for my own ego. I bet you feel the same way.

Maybe there’s something in your life right now that you’ve been excusing away. Instead of continuing to do so, accept the blame and ask God to help you discover what is in your heart that needs to be done away with. For abundant life isn’t found in being perfect, but in having a clean heart that’s in right relationship with Jesus. For that, you need His help. Fortunately, He’s ready and willing to give it. All you have to do is ask. Why not ask right now?

Romans 6:11—So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.

Matthew 12:34—“For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks.”

Hebrews 4:13—And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.

Thanks to God and Scotch Tape

Megan Breedlove 0Comment

My children often wait until I’m on the phone before they come up with things they just have to tell me right now. (Do yours do that?) Such was the case a few days ago when I was talking with a friend who’d moved to a city several hours away. I was sitting in my bedroom, on my bed, with the door closed, and Kenny still found me.

“Mommy, guess what?” he said.

“Just a minute, Kenny,” I said. “Mommy’s on the phone.” I made him wait several seconds while my friend and I came to a pause in the conversation. Kenny stood by patiently. “Okay, Kenny,” I said. “What do you need?”

Scotch Tape“I just want to tell you I fixed my DS case,” he said. “It was split down the side, but I just used this.” He held up a roll of Scotch tape.

“Great, Kenny,” I said. “I’m glad you were able to fix it.”

“Oh, yes, ma’am, I was,” he said, heading for the door. He paused in the doorway to add, “Thanks to God and Scotch tape.”

When Kenny encounters a difficulty, he regularly prays for God to help him resolve it. I could just imagine a scene similar to others I have witnessed from Kenny in which Kenny knelt over the case with Scotch tape in hand, eyes closed, praying earnestly, “Please, God. Please help me fix this.”

I love Kenny’s understanding of what it takes to resolve a problem. (I also love that seeking God’s help has become a habit for him, but that’s a story for another week.) Kenny knows that when he encounters trouble, he should seek God, who cares about him and also happens to be all-powerful. He also knows that he needs to take action to help himself. Not action on his own, but with God’s help.

It would have been a less-than-best approach for Kenny to attempt the daunting task apart from God, that is, without asking God to help him. Likewise, it would have been wrong to ask God to help him fix the case, then sit there and wait for something to happen while refusing to act. Kenny understood what you and I need to understand, that usually we should do both—ask God’s help and be willing to put forth some effort ourselves.

It’s getting these two things in the proper balance that’s so difficult. Most of us tend toward one extreme or the other, either expecting God to just take care of things without our really having to do anything, or trying to fix a problem ourselves and only belatedly realizing we haven’t asked God’s help.

Those of us who tend toward the former are absolutely right in requesting God’s assistance, but we also need to be ready to work when He says, “Here’s how you can help yourself.” Those of us who tend toward the latter option are absolutely right that we need to be willing to work, but we should ask God’s help first rather than sometime later on.

Toward which extreme are you inclined? Are you more likely to feel paralyzed in your ability to act, or maybe hopeless that your actions could make a difference anyway? Or do you tend to find yourself calling a girlfriend, searching for answers on the internet, or realizing only after much exertion on your part that you haven’t even talked to God about the problem yet?

Either way, something needs to change. Usually, the right approach is one like Kenny’s—praying and then getting to work. Granted, there may be times when God fixes a problem completely apart from us, or when God helps us resolve a situation even when we haven’t talked to Him about it. But approaching the circumstances in either of those two ways presumes upon God’s grace. We can’t count on not having to lift a finger in our own behalf. Nor can we count on His blessing us in a certain way, especially when we’re full steam ahead on our own.

So if you, like me, find one of these approaches pretty natural, and even pretty frequent, ask God to help you change. Confess your sin to Him and tell Him you don’t want to presume upon His grace. But thank Him for that grace. For it’s only through His grace that anything at all will ever be resolved, no matter how that resolution comes about.

1 Kings 22:5—But Jehoshaphat also said to the king of Israel, “First seek the counsel of the LORD.”

Exodus 14:15—Then the LORD said to Moses, “Why are you crying out to me? Tell the Israelites to move on.”

So What?

Megan Breedlove 0Comment

I recently saw a commercial that made me cry. It starts with mothers all over the world waking up their children to get them started on the day. Then, it goes back and shows those same moms sending their children off to wherever they’re going by bus, train, etc. Next, it shows those same children practicing at their sports lessons—gymnastics, swimming, track. Finally—well, I won’t tell you. I don’t want to spoil the ending. I ask you to watch the video for yourself, then read the rest of this devotional. (If you tend to get emotional, you might want to have Kleenex ready.)

What a marvelous validation of what we do as moms. What a beautiful affirmation that all those unglamorous, routine tasks that we do day in and day out matter.

The point of this commercial is that the incalculable investment a mom makes in her child will one day result in that child being able to “run the race” at the highest level. That’s the point of this devotional, too, though in a slightly different way.

You and I are also preparing our children to run a race. Most of our children will never be Olympic contenders in anything, but they still have a chance to succeed in a way that no one else in the world can.

You see, God has a very specific race in mind that He wants your child to run. He has the course all mapped out. He knows every step along the way and exactly what it will take to make it to the finish line. He also knows that our children will need to train for the race. You don’t race well, by accident. You have to be purposeful about it. And part of God’s plan for training our children is to give them us as parents.

That’s one of the most awesome things about parenting: I am part of God’s plan for training my children to live the life He has in mind for them. You are part of God’s plan for your children. It’s awesome, yet scary at the same time. That’s because our children are always learning from us, whether we intend to be teaching them or not. Everything we do is training them how to run the course of their life. We are either training them to run well or run poorly (or maybe mediocre-ly).

I’m not trying to put pressure on you and me to be perfect. There’s no way we can do that. Yes, we need to parent as well as we can, but God can use even our mistakes to shape our children’s lives. The point I want to make is not that we must be faultless, but that everything we do in our attempts to rear our children—even the small, seemingly insignificant tasks—has dignity and worth.

It’s easy for us moms to get caught up in Satan’s lies that anyone could do what we’re doing for our children, or that what we’re doing really doesn’t matter. But if in fact we are training warriors for God’s kingdom, what we do matters immensely!

Ask any Olympic athlete if his mom’s thankless task of driving him to practice every day mattered in his life. Ask any athlete if her mother’s willingness to sacrifice her own desires in order to have money to fulfill her daughter’s dreams mattered in her life.

Someday, your children will look back on their childhood and realize that every PBJ sandwich you made was important. They’ll appreciate the fact that without your willingness to change diapers, they wouldn’t be the young man or woman they are today. They’ll understand some of the sacrifices you made so that they could feel secure and loved. And more than merely remembering all these things, they’ll be grateful.

So hang in there when it seems that all you do is wipe up sticky messes and remind your children to put their dirty clothes in the hamper, just like you’ve reminded them a thousand times before. You’re doing far more than merely teaching your children to keep a clean house or learn their multiplication tables. You’re helping train them to become the people God intends for them to be and to live the life God designed for them to lead. One day they’ll win their race, and you’ll know that part of the reason they won was because of you.

What could matter more than that?

Proverbs 4:10-12—Hear, my son, and accept my words, that the years of your life may be many. I have taught you the way of wisdom; I have led you in the paths of uprightness. When you walk, your step will not be hampered, and if you run, you will not stumble.

Growing, Growing, Gone

Megan Breedlove 0Comment

Ellie Petting a BunnyRecently, my oldest child, Ellie, turned 9. It’s been 9 years (plus a few days now) since I held my firstborn in my arms and embarked on this incredible, intense, crazy journey called motherhood. 9 years that seem like a mere week.

And if she’s 9, that means she’s halfway to leaving home and going to college (at least, if that’s the life track God has for her). I’ve already had half of the time I will have with her before she’s an adult.

That thought causes me to rejoice and breaks my heart at the same time. Sure, I want her to grow and develop as God meant her to and to have the life experiences He designed for her to experience. But I’m going to miss her when she’s not here every day. What will I do without my precious Ellie a constant, joyful, delightful presence in my life?

Okay, so maybe it’s too soon to start worrying about that. I’ll have plenty of time as she gets even closer to 18 to contemplate those things. But it’s not too soon to start wondering how well I’ve prepared her for life on her own and to make sure I’m doing the best job I can. In fact, it’s time right now, and has always been time. I don’t want her to turn 18 before I wake up to the fact that I need to be teaching her how to pray, how to love, how to defend herself, how to manage her money, how to deal with loneliness, how to serve others. I want to start well in advance of the time she will close the door to her dorm room and my husband and I will turn around and walk back down the hall and outside to our car.

I need to be proactive now. I need to parent with a purpose so that I give her not only the best possible start in life but also the greatest chance to become the person God meant for her to be.

In other words, I need to parent her like God parents me.

God has had a plan for my life since before the creation of the world. He has known exactly who He wants me to be and how He intends for me to get there. He knows the lessons I will need to learn and the skills I will need to acquire as well as the people with whom I will need to come in contact. He’s got it all worked out. All I have to do is cooperate with Him, and everything will work out the way He wants it to.

I find that amazing. God knows perfectly well what He is doing and is infinitely capable of arranging the exact circumstances and details that will bring His plans to fruition. And He can do so not only for me, but for all of His children, whereas I don’t know perfectly what I’m doing with even one of my kids. Better yet, He not only can, but will. He’s got everything under control, and I can trust Him for that, even when I don’t know what He’s doing.

Until I reach heaven, God will constantly be molding me into the person He wants me to be. I want to help shape Ellie in the same way. I want to be purposeful about the things I teach her and the ways I show my love. When she leaves home, I want her to be ready. I want to have done everything God wanted me to do for her.

That means I need to get wisdom from the best Parent there is, who fortunately is my Father. I need to stay in constant contact with Him, seeking His advice and carrying out His designs. He knows how I should parent Ellie far better than I do. And the beauty of the way it all works out is this: As I stay close to Him in seeking to parent my child, He will be better able to parent me. And that’s part of His design for both of us.

Deuteronomy 6:6-7—And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.

Psalm 25:5—Lead me in your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all the day long.

I Wouldn’t

Megan Breedlove 0Comment

I am blessed to be the mother of five children, two of whom are sons. During this time of year, when we are supposed to think about one Son in particular, I’ve also been thinking about my two. I’ve discovered some definite similarities between God’s love for His Son and my love for my sons. But there’s one important difference.

First, the similarities. I love my sons deeply, as God loves His Son. I’m proud of my sons, as God is of His. I desire a close relationship with my boys, as God does with His. Admittedly, my best efforts to love and develop a relationship are but shadows of what God is able to do. But still, there are similarities.

There’s also an important difference. You see, there’s nobody on this earth that I would sacrifice one of my sons to save. I simply wouldn’t do it. Yet God, despite His infinite love for His Son, sacrificed Him on behalf of people who hated Him. Why? To further God’s glory. But also because He loved us.

Usually we look at the crucifixion from Jesus’ perspective. Today, let’s look at it from the Father’s point of view.

How the Father must have suffered as He watched His Son be arrested, tortured, and crucified (further torture). Even though the Father knew that some of those watching would eventually come to love His Son, it still must have been agonizing for Him to allow them to put Him to death, and then to have to turn His back on Jesus as He suffered.

Yes, it was all within His perfect plan. Yes, He knew this would happen since before the foundation of the world. But what agony it must have been to see it come to pass.

I can’t even imagine something like this happening to one of my sons. My mind recoils from the possibility before it can even envision the worst parts. Yet each Easter, I think about it, at least to the extent of reminding myself what the Father went through. Why? Because it gives me a glimpse of the magnitude of Father’s love for me.

I want you to see His love for you, too. That’s how much the Father loves you—enough to watch His Son be tortured and killed on your behalf. Yes, He loves you. You, with all your failures and imperfections. You, despite all the sins you’ve committed. You, regardless of the fact that you’ll never be perfect until you reach heaven.

You.

And me. Praise God, He loves me too. I’m no more worthy than anybody else to be loved by God. In fact, Scripture makes it clear that without Him, we’re all nothing but miserable sinners with no hope of ever entering His presence. But despite who I was, God loved me so much that He made a way for me to spend eternity with Him, beginning here and now on earth.

We don’t have to wait until heaven to come into God’s presence. We can enjoy Him here and now. Our eternity with Him begins now, because His love for us began before the creation of the world.

That is love: not that we now love Him, but that He loved us while we were yet sinners and sent His Son to die on our behalf.

It’s amazing, incomprehensible love.

I wouldn’t do it. You wouldn’t either. But He would and did.

Praise be to God.

1 John 4:10—In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins.

Romans 5:8—but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Following Your Training

Megan Breedlove 0Comment

My son Kenny likes to earn extra money toward whatever he is saving up for at the time. He also likes earning extra media time (since we limit the kids’ “free” media time). Fortunately for him, he is willing to work in order to do this. So when he wants money or minutes, he comes to me or my husband and asks for extra chores to do.

This particular time, Kenny accepted the chore of taking out the trash. He tied the old bag and took it outside to the garbage bin. Then he put a new bag in the inside bin and stretched the top of the bag around the top of the bin, as my husband had showed him how to do the previous time.

Proudly, he showed off the results. “Look! I did it!” he exclaimed.

“Great job, Kenny,” my husband said.

Kenny said matter-of-factly, “I was just following your training.”

It really is as simple as that. Daddy trains you, you follow his training, and you have success. I’m not talking about trash bags alone, but about everything in life. And I’m not talking about our earthly daddy, but our heavenly one.

God has provided plenty of clear training for us in the Bible. Love God more than anyone or anything else, and love the people around you as much as you love yourself.
That pretty much covers it, He says. But then He gives us more specifics. Honor your parents. Don’t steal. Go the extra mile. Be willing to serve.

Unfortunately, we often don’t take His instructions seriously. We know we should follow them, but when life crops up, we act like we believe our own strategies will bring us better success and more satisfaction than God’s. Why on earth we would ever think this is not reasonable or rational, but we do. I do. Maybe you have too. When circumstances get difficult, we jettison our training and go our own way, little realizing that difficult moments are perhaps when we most need to follow our training. In fact, it was designed to help us navigate those difficult moments.

Do we really think that God’s ways are less effective than ours? Sometimes, yes. At least our actions show that we do. Do we really think God doesn’t know what He’s doing? We’d probably never put it that way, but sometimes…yes.

I guarantee you that God, who created the universe and everything in it, knows far better how to run His universe than you or I do. He knows infinitely better than we the things that will cause our lives to run smoothly.

Is there some area today, right now, where you’re going your own way instead of God’s? Maybe you’re nagging your husband instead of respecting him like the Bible tells us to do. Maybe you’re too harsh with your kids, provoking them to wrath, like Scripture tells us not to do. Maybe your disobedience consists of an unsubmissive attitude or outright, conscious refusal to obey. Whatever way you’ve found around God’s commands, I guarantee you that things are not working out better for you right now than they would be if you were to obey God. Your husband is not more responsive to your needs than He would be under God’s plan, your children are not better behaved than they would be, and your disobedience is not bringing you more satisfaction than you would have otherwise. If you have fallen for these lies, the devil has you right where he wants you.

Make sure your ideas line up with God’s. If they don’t, it’s not His ideas that are mistaken.

When you follow your Daddy’s training, things always work out better.

Joshua 1:8—This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.

Interrupted

Megan Breedlove 0Comment

I don’t know how he knows, but my one-month-old son has an unerring instinct for when I am about to eat a meal. Just as I finish setting the table, getting the food on it, and pulling out my chair to sit down, I hear his little voice: “Waaaahhhh!”

Doesn’t matter that he was sleeping soundly. He wakes instantly from that deep sleep I could only wish he’d sleep at night, just in time to put a kink in my mealtime plans.

Interrupted.

I’ve said it to others many times: Jesus knows how you feel. He’s experienced the specifics of many things we experience (except those having to do with personal sin) and the principles behind everything. So I asked myself, Was Jesus ever interrupted?

The answer came before I even finished asking myself the question: of course He was. He got interrupted all the time. There was the time He went to a solitary place to pray and the disciples interrupted Him because everybody was looking for Him. And of course, there were all the times He was trying to teach and got interrupted by people who wanted to start an argument. Then there was His prayer time in the Garden when the interruption came from people ready to crucify Him.

But the event in Jesus’ life I want us to look at today came during a happy time. Festive, even. It happened at a wedding.

Jesus and His disciples had been invited to a wedding in a place called Cana. The fact that Jesus’ disciples were invited also indicates that He was recognized as a rabbi/teacher and was an honored guest. He and the disciples accepted the invitation and traveled there, probably expecting to have a good time mixing and mingling and sharing in the bridal couple’s happiness. But…He got interrupted.

You see, the wine ran out, a fact which, if it became known, would humiliate the bride and groom. Jesus’ mother, knowing this, laid the problem before Jesus: “They have no more wine.” Jesus responded, “What does that have to do with me? It’s not time for Me to take on this kind of role.” Mary, of course, wasn’t going to take no for an answer. “Do whatever He tells you,” she said to the servants.

Had He been just an ordinary human being, Jesus could very well have said something like this: “Weren’t you listening? I’ve told you it’s not time for this. Don’t ask again.” (Sound like any response you’ve ever given your kids?) But He didn’t. Instead, He performed a miracle, changing water into wine.

Interrupted. Yet when His Father (through the person of Mary) made known to Jesus that He needed to act, Jesus temporarily stepped aside from the festivities and did what God was calling Him to do. He allowed Himself to be interrupted. And He did it with a good attitude—not with a resentful or irritated spirit.

What about you and me? When we get interrupted by our children, how do we respond? What’s our attitude like?

Granted, there are times we need to teach our children not to interrupt—when someone else is speaking, for example. But there are many times (some days, it seems like millions of times) when they interrupt us with a legitimate need, something we really do need to act upon.

When those times come, we need to take our cue from Jesus and respond the way He did when He was interrupted. Doing so involves three things.

First, we need to be willing to be interrupted when there is a legitimate need and God wants us to act. If we hold onto the idea that our children should never inconvenience us, we’re going to get irritated a lot. And in fact, children are not an inconvenience, if our goal is to serve others rather than to be served.

Second, when we do the right thing, we need to do it with a positive, loving attitude. I admit I’m sometimes guilty of responding to my child’s need but doing so in a way that makes it clear that he or she bothered Mommy by asking. Perhaps you do this too. But instead of showing my children that Mommy is more important than they are, my goal is to show them that I care about their needs because they are important people. The first way of responding makes them feel insignificant; the second makes them feel loved.

Third, we need to serve them well. When we meet a need in a sloppy or mediocre manner, we communicate to our children that their needs don’t matter. When we are about to meet their need, let’s do it abundantly, like Jesus did. After all, He didn’t just make wine, He made wine, delicious and remarkable wine. Next time you make a PBJ, don’t just make a sandwich, make a sandwich. There are plenty of creative ways to do that.

Interruptions will come in life and perhaps especially in motherhood. It’s your choice as to how you respond to them. Your words, actions, and expressions can communicate encouragement and love to your children and at the same time fill you with peace, or they can do the opposite. It’s up to you. You can’t always control when the interruptions come, but you can control how you respond to them.

John 2:7-8—Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water.” And they filled them up to the brim. And he said to them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the feast.” (See John 2:1-12 for the whole story.)

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