Having Fun, What Goes on Behind Closed Doors, and The Sovereignty of God

I absolutely love to laugh. Within our home, we do not go a day without a good belly laugh in some form. Even within the midst of heartache, we somehow find a way to laugh. It does my soul good. The Professor, even though he has a tendency to act like a PROFESSOR, has a great sense of humor. He often comes up with some type of riddle for us to mull over while eating dinner. Because he is a professor and doesn't have class every day of the week, he is at home the majority of most days. With us homeschooling, the kids are at home the majority of most days as well. In other words, we are together as a family A LOT!

Between chores, schoolwork, and outside activities our days are probably just as crazy as the next person's. For the most part, we just do it all under the same roof. We each go about our days doing what needs to be done to accomplish whatever task each of us needs to accomplish.

Then, evening comes. Very seldom are we not all together in the evening. There are a couple of days this semester that The Professor has an evening class. On those days, we wait for him to get home to have dinner so that we all eat together. After dinner, we have a tendency to scatter. The Professor typically goes to his office to accomplish a little more work. Puppy usually has to put a few final touches on a homework assignment. Little Man likes to perform a few more yoyo tricks or play one more computer game. I, well, one never can tell what I might be doing.

As the evening starts to come to an end, we all gather together in our family room for what was dubbed many years ago as "Night Night." This is our time as a family to come together for what is most important to us. For what is at the very core of our existence, our beings. It is during this time that we push to the side everything but one thing - The Main Thing. The time in which we pause, take time out from the world around us. The time in which we focus on God.  Even as we love to have times of laughter, we also cherish this most serious of times.

The Professor gets out his Bible and reads the words that were written thousands of years ago, but are so true today. I believe that I would be doing my friends a disservice if I do not share this aspect of our lives. The is the reason that we live, that we move, that we breathe. It is behind every decision that we make. The relationship that we have with God, the creator of the world in which we live, is the most important of all relationships.

We believe in the sovereignty of God. We believe that He alone has the supreme power, authority, and control not only over our lives, but the world as a whole. Because of this belief, we also believe that one day, when this life is complete, we will have to give an account to Him for how each of us has lived our lives. I will give an account for ME - not my mother, not my husband, not one of my kids, just ME!

First and foremost, God will ask if I knew his son, Jesus. His only son. The one who came into the world via virgin birth through Mary. The one who was persecuted, crucified, buried, and then rose from the dead. The one whom I believe lives eternally at the right hand of his Father God. The one whom I strive to follow and serve on a daily basis.

All of this has been weighing so heavily on my mind as I listen to our "Christian Community" spew hate and draw lines against each other over who will be president of the United States of America. It is a great country and I feel so blessed that through my mother I am a fifth generation American. However, my God is so much bigger than the United States. He doesn't love one country more than another country unless we start talking about Israel. And, well, that is His chosen country and the Jews are His chosen people. You can read about His relationship with Israel and the Jewish Nation throughout the Old Testament of the Holy Word of God. The United States, as great as it is, is not His chosen country. And we, Gentiles, are not His chosen people group. Thankfully, through the saving power of Jesus Christ, a way has been made for me and for you.

When it is all said and done, when I have to stand before God and give an account of ME, I do not believe that He is going to ask me for whom I voted in the 2016 Presidential Election of the United States. I DO believe He will ask me, "Did you know my son?"

Behind the laughter, behind the closed doors of our home, there is one thing that stands true today, tomorrow, and always, the Power of Christ. It never changes. It was the same yesterday, today, and will be tomorrow no matter whom I vote for or who wins the Presidential election. My God is bigger! He loves babies more than I could ever love. He hates ALL sin - even the sin in my life! And He loves every human being including Trump, Hillary and the terrorist.

My job is to seek Him, follow Him, strive to be like Him and to love at all cost. In that, I have JOY!

Tami

Forgetful

Are you a forgetful person? I sure am.

There was the time several years ago when I forgot my friend's baby shower. You may be thinking, "That's no big deal. It can happen to anyone." What made it so bad is that I was a hostess! I had spent the day before making food for the shower. The food was sitting in my refrigerator when the call came questioning my whereabouts while I was out shopping.

More recently, I forgot to go to a workshop that I signed up for and paid $25 to attend! Not only did I hate that I missed the workshop, but I also felt bad for the friend hosting the workshop. She was even kind enough to refund my money. I hope others attended.

Then, last week I went to put clothes from the washer to the dryer only to discover that there were WET clothes already in the dryer! Who knows how long they had been there. Obviously, not only had I forgotten to take them out of the dryer, I never turned the dryer on to begin with!

We so often think of forgetting something as a bad thing. Often it is. In the above instances, forgetting was definitely not a good thing. However, there are times when forgetting is a good thing. It can even be the best thing. Little Man recently asked me about something that he had done in the past. I honestly didn't remember it. At the time of the offense, he asked for forgiveness, I granted it, and didn't give it another thought. I told him that he too needed to forget about it.

Do you realize that is how God is? He can be VERY forgetful. The key is forgiveness. We are told in Hebrews 8:12:

For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.

Basically, if I ask God to forgive me, not only am I forgiven but my sin is forgotten! Forgotten in the sense that He will no longer hold it against you. You really can't get any better than that. That is when forgetfulness becomes the best thing.

I pray that today you find JOY in not only forgiving and being forgiven, but in forgetting the past sin in your own life as well as in the lives of others. There are times when we would all benefit from being a little more forgetful!

Tami

God is Quite Funny

Yes, I believe that God has a sense of humor. That statement may have you wondering why I believe such a thing. Well, I have created a list to support my belief and since you are reading this I am going to assume that you would like to know why I believe what I do so here goes . . .

1. God created humans. Can you get any funnier than that?

2. I am a very "neat" person. My life motto is "Everything has a place and everything should be in its place - at all times!" I am married to a man, The Professor, who is well . . . ummmm . . . not that way. I also gave birth to two little people who are the messiest humans ever put on the earth.

3. I do not like to be touched. I have this comfort zone and I am only comfortable when I am the only person in the zone! I gave birth to this little person who loves to touch. For the first six weeks of life this little person would not sleep unless lying on my chest. Even though this little person now weighs almost as much as I do, this little person still wants to sit in my lap.

4. I am an introvert. You know, one of those people who gets rejuvenated by spending time alone. I homeschool my kids. Homeschool moms do not, I repeat DO NOT, get time alone! I also gave birth to this little person who follows me everywhere I go. If I go outside . . . if I go to the laundry room . . . if I go upstairs . . . if I go to the bathroom . . . you get the picture. I never, even in my own house, go anywhere alone.

5. I am not a morning person. I like to wake up and have a few minutes to breathe, not talk, adjust to my eyes being open. Well . . . you guessed it . . . I gave birth to a MORNING PERSON! This little person wakes up early and starts talking the minute another life form is heard. I am typically greeted with chatter before I ever cross the threshold of my bedroom. Waking up and slowly adjusting to a new day just flew out the window.

6. I really like to be in control. I'm sure that statement makes some of you laugh out loud. I truly imagine God chuckling at that statement or at least shaking His head, which leads me to one of my favorite Bible verses.

In their hearts humans plan their course, but the LORD establishes their steps.   Proverbs 16:9

I often think that God uses this verse to get a good laugh out of me. I really like to have all of my little ducks in a perfectly formed row, everything organized, and just so. Our schedule this semester is a prime example of me getting everything "perfectly planned" and then it all going haywire!

I started the semester believing that I would be at home alone for three hours every Monday and Wednesday. The Professor has Monday/Wednesday classes and I "had" both kids signed up for coop classes on Monday/Wednesday afternoons. I had wonderful visions of peaceful, uninterrupted time to myself, and a sparkling clean, well-organized house with everything in its place. What a dream it was!

Not only was my dream shattered when a coop class did not work out, but now every Monday and Wednesday I get to make the five minute drive to the coop school four times per day! Perfect example that I really have no control at all. Once again, I am reminded that it was so silly of me to think I did!

However, in the midst of the messy, touchy, crowded with people world in which I live, there is JOY.

There was that special moment with my little one, who hates to write, laughing through his writing assignment because he found the paragraph he was writing to be so funny. I would have missed that if I was at home alone.

The hugs, oh the sweet sweet hugs, that remind me that even though my baby is no longer a baby, I am still needed and wanted.

Being followed everywhere I go. That one is reminding me that my little one still wants to spend time with me, values my opinion, and wants me to know what is happening in her life.

Those morning greetings remind me that God too wants to hear from me, spend time with me as I start my day.

In the messiness, I am reminded that those messy people are way more important than everything being in its place.

So, today, I am taking a deep breath and finding JOY in all the chaos of this wonderful life I live and choosing to cherish the time I have the privilege of spending with the ones I love.

May you have JOY amidst your chaos!

Tami