Tag: love

Prayer for My First of Three

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The most significant and wondrous adventure of my life was welcoming my first child into the world – a girl. This daughter I pray for calls the mountains her birthplace and I call it the time when God taught me the kindness of strangers, the care of a Mennonite doctor, and the healthy respect for snowy roads, wood stoves, and only three television channels (via antenna).

I am thankful that You, Lord, gifted her to love reading and writing and You equipped her for the unique profession of marketing. Continue to use her persuasive skills to promote ideas and items that are healthy and edifying, for the common good of all who are blessed to benefit. Continue to speak rest and restoration to her through Your gifts of the ocean waves, the summer sun, and the cooling pool. Continue to develop her awareness of the intricacies of Your Creation – the nutrition of untainted grain, the naturalness of colors You placed in nature, and the substances You designed to encourage healthy living. Use her convincing voice to help others in gaining that awareness of all that is good.

Lord, I ask You to place Your comforting hand on this daughter as she is in the season of letting go of her maturing children – with loosely tied ribbon that has plenty of “give” and never ever separates, but allows for launching that God has always intended. Bless her with an enduring assurance that her husband and children are God’s gifts to her to steward and enjoy, and that the testing of her faith in family life is the way God brings beauty to the fore in her life, for His glory.

Thank you God for giving this girl natural sweetness, fierce love for You and others, and courage to confront the hardness of brokenness in places least expected. Cause her to persist in reflecting the sparkling qualities of Philippians 4:8 – what is true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, commendable, excellent. The radiance of foundational strength that is found in the “stones of turquoise” in Isaiah 54:10-13. The shimmer of unworried birds of the air (Matthew 6:26) who are clothed and cared for by the Father.

Author and Finisher of our faith, enable this daughter to set her eyes on You alone and not the heart wrenches of relational misunderstanding, purposeful snubbing, or flawed institutions. Cause her to flourish and thrive, not because she’s met the expectations and demands of others, but because You are her true and only Source and Your love never disappoints.

With Your amazing grace, bring her safely through this season of emptying the nest, discerning what creative and productive activities will occupy her near future, and what relational investments will be most worthy of her effort and of Your praise. Enable her to reflect the rooted stability of the “tree” metaphor in Psalm 1:1-3, firmly planted, resilient, and close to the spiritual Water Source (Jesus, our Shepherd).

Thank You for granting me the great privilege of being her mother!

Amen.

Sticky Notes

Family, Grace, Scripture, Tribute

When I have something important to remember, I sometimes jot a a sticky note and then paste it where I know I will see it. With the many distractions of life, remembering important things can be a daunting task… And sticky notes can help.

My mom passed away recently and the process of sorting through her things was one of those projects that was totally overwhelming, yet also helped me to remember her well. Remembering a loved one is a gift that lives on. I found a collection of sticky notes written to mom from my dad. Tucked in a billfold, these were “long ago” messages dad would leave for mom when he went to work and she was still sleeping. Messages as mundane as “Honey, I made the coffee and it is decaf” or as endearing as “I love you.”

Mom almost lived long enough to celebrate her 72nd wedding anniversary. She was very happily married to my dad. They were inseparable and modeled devotion, faith, romance, loyalty, and unity over a long span of time. Even to the end, my dad was holding my mom’s hand at her bedside as she quickly declined during a battle with cancer. Lovers until the end.

I read countless anniversary and birthday cards from my parents to each other over the years. I handled many gifts that they had given each other, including several Bibles and Christian books from each decade. Jewelry, clothing, and all kinds of remembrances. But, it was the sticky notes that grabbed my heart. The daily expressions of care and love. The simple reminders. The evidence of thoughtfulness. The treasures of small amounts of words on little pieces of paper. So, I decided to put the collection of sticky notes at my mom’s side in her casket.

God’s Word is full of imperatives and “remember” is one of them. Psalm 143:5 says, “I remember the days of old; I meditate on all that You have done; I ponder the work of Your hands.” We are changed when we remember God’s faithfulness in the past, the days of old. We are encouraged when we remember Daniel’s faith, Solomon’s wisdom, or David’s courage. We are changed when we remember God’s amazing gift of salvation through Christ Jesus. We are moved when we consider the vast details of God’s Creation.

We are changed whenever a good memory brings on a big smile. And likewise, when a bad memory causes heartache…

I am grateful for the wonderful memory of dad’s love for mom. I am changed by it. Although their long romance is too vast to describe here, those sticky notes are indicators of the deep love of a lifetime imprinted on tiny everyday papers, attached to various mirrors and counters, and left behind for a daughter’s remembrance and gratitude.

Similarly, I am grateful for the wonderful memory of God’s love. It is also too vast to describe here, yet Scripture is given to remind me of the deep love of my Lord and Savior Who leaves an eternal reminder imprinted on my heart. This is something my parents have passed on to me. And it will change me forever.

God Notices and Cares

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Photo Credit: Anna Christina Fordham

Life has a way of reminding us that all is not well. We keep picturing how things should be, and we are forever disappointed.

It’s not just the guy holding up traffic in the left lane. It is the constant dribble of new aches and pains, the harshness of meeting deadlines, the dailyness of dirty diapers, dirty dishes, dirty clothes. The incessant need to eat or drink to fill some nebulous void masquerading as hunger or thirst. It’s the obsessive patterns we create to thwart the idea that we lack control. It’s the subtle eye rolls or whispered cuss words when the whiteout spills on the desk, when crumbs fall on the freshly cleaned floor, when papers are lost in various piles. It’s the proverbial rock stuck in your shoe!?!?! Constant.

Luke 12:6-7 (ESV) says, “Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? And not one of them is forgotten before God. Why, even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not; you are of more value than many sparrows.” In Luke 12, both before and after the verse about the sparrows, we are reminded that God notices us and cares for us even more than the sparrows. We are encouraged to trade in our many fears and frustrations and place our security in Christ alone.

God’s providential care extends over the small details of our lives. When I need reassurance, and when I wish to actually see His care of me, He faithfully pulls back the veil so I can see His mercies clearly in my life. I saw His protection last week when I exited the interstate, having to come between a school bus and a semi truck. I saw His provision when a palliative care coordinator just happened to be available at the oncologist’s office. I saw His timing, traveling mercies, and healing power in my husband’s recent shoulder surgery. I heard His kindness when a lady helped me to reschedule an appointment over the phone. I felt His comfort when all my praying friends were quick to turn their attention heavenward to intercede on my family’s behalf. The list is endless…

While all is not well on earth, I remember that earth is not really my home. Still, all that happens to me does not get ignored by God, but instead is orchestrated by God to prepare me for my eternal home. He reminds me daily to release my fears to Him and to find my security in Him alone. Were it not for this great hope in Him, I would feel that the void in my life would never be filled. Remembering His care for the sparrows, I remember that He cares for me in daily detail. Nothing in my life is unimportant for Him to care about. I am surely not forgotten.

Closeness to God

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I recently reconnected with my best friend from high school years. We met to attend a funeral together on a rainy day in Virginia Beach. Over the last 43 years of my married life, I have only seen my friend maybe 5 times – one or two times when she came to visit me, one time at her dad’s memorial service, one time when I stopped by her workplace, and then this recent funeral.

What struck me about our catching up was that it seemed that no time had passed. We tried to fill in the high school and college memory blanks for each other, but the substance of “real knowing” was still there after all these cumulative years (50 years since high school days). The humor, the lack of pretense, the ease of conversation, and the familiarity were still intact.

God creates intimacy with us by the way He treats us. We may move into or out of fellowship with Him, but when we return to Him, we find that “real knowing” is still there. Isaiah 42:3 (ESV) says, “A bruised reed He will not break, and a faintly burning wick He will not quench; He will faithfully bring forth justice.” In Matthew 11:28-30 Jesus tells us, “Come to Me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

Intimacy with God is a completed circle when we move into fellowship, just like reconnecting with an old and true friend. When we know Him and experience the way He treats us in reality and according to His Word, we find real mercy, grace, slowness to anger, steadfast love and faithfulness. There will be smiles of the heart. There won’t be any pretending. There will be non-obstructed communication. There will be intimacy. There will be rest.

God’s Spirit works to bring us into His precious fellowship. The Gospel lets us know that He will treat us better than we deserve, more lovingly that do our earthly friends, more patiently than our repeated failures should allow, and more gently than are our inept attempts at friendship.

Thank you KP for the reminder of what closeness looks like! Smiles of the heart and no pretense.

Photo Credit: Kim Clayton Lance