Get rid of the old yeast that you may be a new batch without yeast—as you really are. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. Therefore let us keep the Festival, not with the old yeast, the yeast of malice and wickedness, but with bread without yeast, the bread of sincerity and truth. 1 Cor. 5:7-9
One of my friends has an allergy to gluten. As such, she is constantly reading labels and choosing her foods carefully to avoid becoming ill. Last year, I had a student with a severe peanut allergy. If he consumed any food that had even touched peanuts, he could go into anaphylactic shock and even die. As I was reading a label one day on some snacks I was buying for my class, I noticed it said, “Product was made in a plant that also processes peanuts.” Even though there was not a single peanut in the snack, he could still have a reaction from a seemingly “clean” food. I could not risk the possibility that it may have come in contact with the dust of peanuts. If it had, the results could have been catastrophic for that young man. For him, the price of eating a peanut could be death.
In the Scriptures, we are told that the wages of sin is death. Oftentimes, God uses yeast to symbolize sin. God even told His people to prepare the grain offerings without yeast. With yeast, the offering was unacceptable. Without yeast, it was an aroma pleasing to the Lord. During the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the people were commanded to prepare and eat only unleavened bread for seven days in order to commemorate the quick flight out of Egypt. They were told to do this every year so that they would always remember how God had saved them from their bondage to Egypt.
God called His consecrated people to share in the feast. In fact, in 1 Corinthians, Paul connected the Feast of Unleavened Bread to Jesus. He reminded the people that in Christ, they were a new batch without yeast. He told them to keep the Festival with the bread of sincerity and truth. How interesting since Jesus referred to Himself in John 6:35 as the Bread of Life; and in John 6:51 He said, “I am the living bread that came down from heaven.”
All things considered, I decided this year to celebrate the Feast of Unleavened Bread out of reverance for God, who ordained the Feast, and love of the Messiah, who personified the Feast. For seven days, I checked every label on every package to make sure the food I ate had no leavening agents in it. During the seven days, every meal reminded me of God who saved His people out of Egyptian bondage and who saved me from the bondage of sin. At the end of the week, God spoke. He taught me a lesson that humbled me in a mighty way.
You see, my friend checks labels to avoid getting sick; the young man stays away from peanuts so he doesn’t die; I scrutinized everything that week to avoid yeast in order to honor God. Yeast represents sin. Sin leads to death.
As I contemplated the events of the week, the Lord brought to mind a fantastic realization. As closely as I checked those packages for yeast, God wants me to check my life daily for sin. Sure, I avoided yeast, the symbol of sin, but did I avoid sin itself? Do I typically search my heart and scrutinize my actions in an effort to glorify God? The Feast of Unleavened Bread lasts only seven days, but my commitment to become holy just as He is holy is an ongoing process.
The days before Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread, Jewish families totally rid their homes of all yeast as God commanded them to do. Traditionally, it is the most thorough house cleaning of the year. The removal of the yeast from the home is a reminder to them and to us to eradicate all traces of sin from our lives. Our bodies are the temple of God. Our bodies are holy; and as God’s redeemed people, there should be no sin in us. “He appeared so that He might take away our sins. And in Him is no sin. No one who lives in Him keeps on sinning.” 1 John 3:5,6.
The lesson I learned from the Feast of Unleavened Bread was to take every thought captive and make it obedient to Messiah, 1 Cor. 10:5; to make the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart pleasing in God’s sight, Ps. 19:14; and to purify myself just as He is pure, John 3:3.
Jesus is the Unleavened (Sinless) Bread of Heaven…the Bread of sincerity and truth. Anyone who eats of this Bread will not be hungry. Blessed be God who has given us the Bread of Life.
I Love My Sweetie
I Love My Sweetie
Monday, April 25, 2011
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
The Passover Movie
Have you ever wondered why Cecil B. DeMille’s movie, The Ten Commandments, always seems to come on TV during the Easter season? What could it possibly have to do with the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus? Actually, a lot more than you might think.
After doing a little research, I discovered that not only was Mr. DeMille Jewish, but that the movie is slated to air each year during the week of Passover. Is it possible that this movie was Cecil B. DeMille’s way of obeying a commandment from God? Let me explain.
Before God delivered the Israelites from Egypt, He gave them precise instructions regarding the Passover. He told them to kill an unblemished lamb, roast the meat, and put the blood on the doorposts of their homes. They were commanded to eat the lamb, which represented their salvation; eat bitter herbs, which represented slavery; and eat unleavened bread, which represented the haste with which they fled. He told His people that He wanted them to celebrate and retell the story of the Passover each year as a reminder of His deliverance. I wonder if the movie is Cecil B. DeMille’s way of making sure that the story is retold every year at Passover just as the Lord commanded.
Two-thousand years after the exodus, the Messiah sat at a Passover table eating the lamb, the bitter herbs, and the unleavened bread. At the end of the meal, after the story of the Passover was retold, Jesus held up the bread that was traditionally hidden until the end of the meal and which represented the Bread of Life who was to come, and said, “This is my body.” He also took the cup of wine, which was known as the Cup of Redemption, and said, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood which is poured out for you.” And just as the Father established the Passover as a time of remembrance, the Son reiterated that when He said, “When you do this, do it in remembrance of me.”
Now, another two-thousand years later, Jews and many Christians are preparing to celebrate the Passover again this week. The story of the Passover and exodus from slavery will be retold as people celebrate God’s faithfulness and salvation. And in Christian homes, the story will come full-circle because of Jesus who is our salvation. Believers who celebrate the Passover see Jesus as the Passover lamb; they eat the bitter herbs to remember the bitterness of slavery to sin; they eat the unleavened bread which represents the Bread of Life; and drink the cup in honor of the One who redeemed us with His own blood. They will recount the story of the exodus from slavery to Egypt as well as our exodus from the slavery of sin.
So, get ready. Passover began yesterday evening at sundown. The celebration will last a full week. Sometime during this next week you can expect to see The Ten Commandments on TV. Let it serve as a reminder to you of God’s salvation. Both stories are significant to us as God’s children. In fact, they are so intertwined that we can see they are truly the same story…the Redeemer is the Lord and the people saved are those who put their faith and trust in Him. What an awesome God we serve. He is the God of Salvation, and He commands us to remember His faithfulness from generation to generation.
After doing a little research, I discovered that not only was Mr. DeMille Jewish, but that the movie is slated to air each year during the week of Passover. Is it possible that this movie was Cecil B. DeMille’s way of obeying a commandment from God? Let me explain.
Before God delivered the Israelites from Egypt, He gave them precise instructions regarding the Passover. He told them to kill an unblemished lamb, roast the meat, and put the blood on the doorposts of their homes. They were commanded to eat the lamb, which represented their salvation; eat bitter herbs, which represented slavery; and eat unleavened bread, which represented the haste with which they fled. He told His people that He wanted them to celebrate and retell the story of the Passover each year as a reminder of His deliverance. I wonder if the movie is Cecil B. DeMille’s way of making sure that the story is retold every year at Passover just as the Lord commanded.
Two-thousand years after the exodus, the Messiah sat at a Passover table eating the lamb, the bitter herbs, and the unleavened bread. At the end of the meal, after the story of the Passover was retold, Jesus held up the bread that was traditionally hidden until the end of the meal and which represented the Bread of Life who was to come, and said, “This is my body.” He also took the cup of wine, which was known as the Cup of Redemption, and said, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood which is poured out for you.” And just as the Father established the Passover as a time of remembrance, the Son reiterated that when He said, “When you do this, do it in remembrance of me.”
Now, another two-thousand years later, Jews and many Christians are preparing to celebrate the Passover again this week. The story of the Passover and exodus from slavery will be retold as people celebrate God’s faithfulness and salvation. And in Christian homes, the story will come full-circle because of Jesus who is our salvation. Believers who celebrate the Passover see Jesus as the Passover lamb; they eat the bitter herbs to remember the bitterness of slavery to sin; they eat the unleavened bread which represents the Bread of Life; and drink the cup in honor of the One who redeemed us with His own blood. They will recount the story of the exodus from slavery to Egypt as well as our exodus from the slavery of sin.
So, get ready. Passover began yesterday evening at sundown. The celebration will last a full week. Sometime during this next week you can expect to see The Ten Commandments on TV. Let it serve as a reminder to you of God’s salvation. Both stories are significant to us as God’s children. In fact, they are so intertwined that we can see they are truly the same story…the Redeemer is the Lord and the people saved are those who put their faith and trust in Him. What an awesome God we serve. He is the God of Salvation, and He commands us to remember His faithfulness from generation to generation.
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Piling Up Stones
A righteous man will be remembered forever. Psalm 112:6
As we walked through the cemetery on the Mount of Olives, I noticed something very unusual. Rather than flowers, many of the graves were covered with stones and rocks of varying sizes. Our guide told us that the Hebrew people for generations had placed stones on the graves of righteous, godly people. The message they were stating was, “I have built my life upon the foundation you laid.”
Isn’t that a beautiful picture? Peter said, “You, also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house.” And Paul said, “Follow my example as I follow the example of Christ.” Have you ever considered that before? Every one of us has built our lives on a foundation that we did not lay. We depended on someone else to prepare the way…to set the standard…to live the example for us to follow.
When I first saw the stones on the graves, I thought that was a great way to honor someone who had played a vital role in the spiritual life of another. After all, everyone walking through the cemetery would see the multitude of stones on a grave and know that that person had influenced many people in his or her lifetime. Later, I couldn’t help but wonder if those people had ever honored their “mentors” while they were still living.
Then I thought about us today. I had to ask myself when the last time was that I told someone that I appreciated the spiritual truths they shared with me. After a person dies, it’s too late to tell them what they have meant to you. It is good to encourage those who have encouraged you. So, your first challenge this week is to do as Romans says, “Give everyone what you owe him:…if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor.”
The next thing I realized is that others are looking to us to lay a foundation on which they will build their lives. How does the foundation look that you are laying? Is it firm and complete, or is it full of cracks? Can you, like Paul, say, “Follow my example as I follow the example of Christ?” Teachers everywhere know that students learn best when the teacher models the behaviors and actions he or she desires. As we go through life making disciples, we must model the behaviors and actions God wants his children to have. How do we know what God desires? Peter said, “Christ left you an example that you might follow in his steps.” Therefore, our lives must look like Jesus’ life. We’ve all heard the expression, “If it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it must be a duck.” The same is true for us. If we walk like Christ and sound like Christ, then Christ must live in us. So, your second challenge this week is to walk as Jesus walked realizing that you are laying a foundation on which someone else will build their own spiritual life. Let’s be sure to build in such a way that the Lord’s house will stand firm when the storms of life hit.
As we walked through the cemetery on the Mount of Olives, I noticed something very unusual. Rather than flowers, many of the graves were covered with stones and rocks of varying sizes. Our guide told us that the Hebrew people for generations had placed stones on the graves of righteous, godly people. The message they were stating was, “I have built my life upon the foundation you laid.”
Isn’t that a beautiful picture? Peter said, “You, also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house.” And Paul said, “Follow my example as I follow the example of Christ.” Have you ever considered that before? Every one of us has built our lives on a foundation that we did not lay. We depended on someone else to prepare the way…to set the standard…to live the example for us to follow.
When I first saw the stones on the graves, I thought that was a great way to honor someone who had played a vital role in the spiritual life of another. After all, everyone walking through the cemetery would see the multitude of stones on a grave and know that that person had influenced many people in his or her lifetime. Later, I couldn’t help but wonder if those people had ever honored their “mentors” while they were still living.
Then I thought about us today. I had to ask myself when the last time was that I told someone that I appreciated the spiritual truths they shared with me. After a person dies, it’s too late to tell them what they have meant to you. It is good to encourage those who have encouraged you. So, your first challenge this week is to do as Romans says, “Give everyone what you owe him:…if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor.”
The next thing I realized is that others are looking to us to lay a foundation on which they will build their lives. How does the foundation look that you are laying? Is it firm and complete, or is it full of cracks? Can you, like Paul, say, “Follow my example as I follow the example of Christ?” Teachers everywhere know that students learn best when the teacher models the behaviors and actions he or she desires. As we go through life making disciples, we must model the behaviors and actions God wants his children to have. How do we know what God desires? Peter said, “Christ left you an example that you might follow in his steps.” Therefore, our lives must look like Jesus’ life. We’ve all heard the expression, “If it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it must be a duck.” The same is true for us. If we walk like Christ and sound like Christ, then Christ must live in us. So, your second challenge this week is to walk as Jesus walked realizing that you are laying a foundation on which someone else will build their own spiritual life. Let’s be sure to build in such a way that the Lord’s house will stand firm when the storms of life hit.
Saturday, February 14, 2009
Get Ready for the Hard Questions
Beyond all question, the mystery of godliness is great. I Tim. 3:16
Several months ago I was in the car with a friend and her young children when her four-year old son asked, “Mom, where was I when you were a baby?” There was a momentary pause in the conversation as his mom scrambled for a true but understandable answer for her preschooler.
Every parent, at one time or another, is asked a question that requires a calculated, yet delicate, response. Generally when those questions arise, the child is not looking for some great philosophical answer; he’s just trying to make sense of his world.
I never heard his mother’s response because his question caused me to stop and think. It made me think about us, God’s children, and the questions we tend to ask our Father. Just like this child, when we ask the difficult questions, it’s because we are trying to make sense of our situations and circumstances. And, just like a small child, we are sometimes not ready, due to our own immaturity, to understand God’s answer.
It is a loving parent who discerns how much a child is ready to understand, and then responds accordingly. God, too, is a loving parent. As we read the scriptures, we see repeatedly that God reveals things “at just the right time.” Jesus continually spoke in parables so that those who were ready to hear the truth would hear it while those who chose to harden their hearts would be “ever hearing but never understanding.”
What about us? Sometimes we are the children asking questions of the Father, trying to understand his thoughts and plans. Other times, we are the “parents.” People may turn to us and ask us the questions they don’t know who else to ask. Be wise and discerning in your answers because each person is at his own level of maturity. Think about the parable of the sower…what is the condition of the soil on which you are about to spread the seed?
Prepare yourself today so that, as a child of God, you will be fully mature and able to understand his answers to your questions; and as a spiritual parent to those less mature than yourself, you will always be ready to give a wise and appropriate answer. And remember, you can’t teach or explain that which you do not know. Therefore, study to show yourself approved.
The mouth of the righteous man utters wisdom, and his tongue speaks what is just. The law of his God is in his heart; his feet do not slip. Ps. 37:30
Several months ago I was in the car with a friend and her young children when her four-year old son asked, “Mom, where was I when you were a baby?” There was a momentary pause in the conversation as his mom scrambled for a true but understandable answer for her preschooler.
Every parent, at one time or another, is asked a question that requires a calculated, yet delicate, response. Generally when those questions arise, the child is not looking for some great philosophical answer; he’s just trying to make sense of his world.
I never heard his mother’s response because his question caused me to stop and think. It made me think about us, God’s children, and the questions we tend to ask our Father. Just like this child, when we ask the difficult questions, it’s because we are trying to make sense of our situations and circumstances. And, just like a small child, we are sometimes not ready, due to our own immaturity, to understand God’s answer.
It is a loving parent who discerns how much a child is ready to understand, and then responds accordingly. God, too, is a loving parent. As we read the scriptures, we see repeatedly that God reveals things “at just the right time.” Jesus continually spoke in parables so that those who were ready to hear the truth would hear it while those who chose to harden their hearts would be “ever hearing but never understanding.”
What about us? Sometimes we are the children asking questions of the Father, trying to understand his thoughts and plans. Other times, we are the “parents.” People may turn to us and ask us the questions they don’t know who else to ask. Be wise and discerning in your answers because each person is at his own level of maturity. Think about the parable of the sower…what is the condition of the soil on which you are about to spread the seed?
Prepare yourself today so that, as a child of God, you will be fully mature and able to understand his answers to your questions; and as a spiritual parent to those less mature than yourself, you will always be ready to give a wise and appropriate answer. And remember, you can’t teach or explain that which you do not know. Therefore, study to show yourself approved.
The mouth of the righteous man utters wisdom, and his tongue speaks what is just. The law of his God is in his heart; his feet do not slip. Ps. 37:30
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Battle of the Wolves
I came across an interesting story the other day. An old Cherokee told his grandson about a battle that goes on inside all people. He said, “My son, the battle is between two ‘wolves’ inside us all. One is Evil. It is anger, envy, jealousy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, resentment, guilt, and pride. The other is Good. It is love, joy, peace, hope, humility, kindness, truth, empathy, compassion, and faith. The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked, “Which one wins?” The old Cherokee simply replied, “The one you feed.”
Think about it. We all know someone who seems to focus all of his or her energy on those negative things. Their thoughts and conversations revolve around their anger, regrets, etc. The more they “feed” those things, or think/talk about them, the bigger they seem to get. In the book of Romans, Paul says that we should think of ourselves with sober judgment. Sober can mean reasonably, sensibly, honestly. And, in 1 Corinthians, he challenges us to take captive every thought and make it obedient to Christ. You may not be able to keep those negatives from popping into your mind, but you do have the power, if you choose to use it, to take them captive. What happens when you make a thought obedient to Christ? You “feed” the good wolf.
Did you notice how similar the old Cherokee’s description of the good wolf is to the fruit of the Spirit? James reminds us that God opposes the proud (evil wolf) but gives grace to the humble (good wolf). He then says, “Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. In other words, feed the good wolf and starve the evil one.
So, how do we actually do this? The scriptures say, “Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth, meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful,” and “Live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the sinful desires of the flesh.”
It’s not going to happen overnight. You feed your body every day—multiple times a day. Which “wolf” do you feed that often? It’s easier to feed the evil wolf because that takes no effort. The scriptures tell us to study to show ourselves approved. The Psalmist says, “I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.”
How are you going to take each thought captive and make it obedient to Christ? Study his word, memorize his word, live according to his word. The more you feed your spirit, the stronger it will grow. Feast on the word of God. “How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth! I gain understanding from your laws” Psalm 119:103.
Remember the words of the old Cherokee: Which one wins? The one you feed.
Think about it. We all know someone who seems to focus all of his or her energy on those negative things. Their thoughts and conversations revolve around their anger, regrets, etc. The more they “feed” those things, or think/talk about them, the bigger they seem to get. In the book of Romans, Paul says that we should think of ourselves with sober judgment. Sober can mean reasonably, sensibly, honestly. And, in 1 Corinthians, he challenges us to take captive every thought and make it obedient to Christ. You may not be able to keep those negatives from popping into your mind, but you do have the power, if you choose to use it, to take them captive. What happens when you make a thought obedient to Christ? You “feed” the good wolf.
Did you notice how similar the old Cherokee’s description of the good wolf is to the fruit of the Spirit? James reminds us that God opposes the proud (evil wolf) but gives grace to the humble (good wolf). He then says, “Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. In other words, feed the good wolf and starve the evil one.
So, how do we actually do this? The scriptures say, “Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth, meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful,” and “Live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the sinful desires of the flesh.”
It’s not going to happen overnight. You feed your body every day—multiple times a day. Which “wolf” do you feed that often? It’s easier to feed the evil wolf because that takes no effort. The scriptures tell us to study to show ourselves approved. The Psalmist says, “I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.”
How are you going to take each thought captive and make it obedient to Christ? Study his word, memorize his word, live according to his word. The more you feed your spirit, the stronger it will grow. Feast on the word of God. “How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth! I gain understanding from your laws” Psalm 119:103.
Remember the words of the old Cherokee: Which one wins? The one you feed.
Saturday, January 17, 2009
The Secret of Being Content
I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. Phil 4:11
Reread the verse above, and then ask yourself if that statement is true or false in your life. Several years ago, my children were enthralled with a movie entitled An American Tail. It was the story of a family of mice fleeing Russia because they were tired of living in fear of the cats. They were immigrating to America because they had heard that there were “no cats in America.” As the movie progresses, it is revealed that the cats themselves started the rumor as a way to ensnare the mice. Sound familiar?
Many people today are unhappy with their circumstances. When discontentment arises, they are quick to surmise that it must be because they are not where God wants them to be. They begin looking for a different job, another place to live, a better church, or even a new spouse. They believe if they change their environment, they will find peace and happiness. Maybe the truth is they are exactly where God wants them to be, but the problem is they, themselves, don’t want to be there. As a result, their lives are filled with anxiety and turmoil because they are “kicking against the goads.” If everything around you makes you miserable, maybe it’s not what’s around you but what’s inside you that is causing your distress. Just a thought.
Leo Tolstoy once wrote a short story called The Three Questions. In it, a man was trying to find the answer to three questions because he knew those answers would be the secret to always doing what was right. Those three questions were: When is the best time to do something? Who is the most important person? And, what is the right thing to do? I believe the answers to those questions can help us all find a little more peace and contentment in our lives.
When is the best time to do something? “There is only one important time, and that time is now. The present moment is the only time over which we have dominion.” Who is the most important person? “The most important person is always the one with whom you are, the person who stands right before you. For who knows if you will have dealings with any other person in the future?” And finally, what is the right thing to do? “The most important thing to do is to do good to and for the person standing before you.”
So, when Paul says in Philippians that he has found the secret to being content, I have to wonder if that might be what he meant. Instead of always looking for some external solution to your restlessness and general dissatisfaction, open your eyes, your spiritual eyes, and ask yourself those three questions. It could be that God has placed you in this particular place, with these people, and with these problems and struggles “for such a time as this.” Live your life one day at a time. Help those in your path today. Don’t worry about tomorrow. Allow God to work through you, in the place he has put you, so that he can perfect you.
May your heart and soul be filled with the perfect peace of God as you submit to his will.
Reread the verse above, and then ask yourself if that statement is true or false in your life. Several years ago, my children were enthralled with a movie entitled An American Tail. It was the story of a family of mice fleeing Russia because they were tired of living in fear of the cats. They were immigrating to America because they had heard that there were “no cats in America.” As the movie progresses, it is revealed that the cats themselves started the rumor as a way to ensnare the mice. Sound familiar?
Many people today are unhappy with their circumstances. When discontentment arises, they are quick to surmise that it must be because they are not where God wants them to be. They begin looking for a different job, another place to live, a better church, or even a new spouse. They believe if they change their environment, they will find peace and happiness. Maybe the truth is they are exactly where God wants them to be, but the problem is they, themselves, don’t want to be there. As a result, their lives are filled with anxiety and turmoil because they are “kicking against the goads.” If everything around you makes you miserable, maybe it’s not what’s around you but what’s inside you that is causing your distress. Just a thought.
Leo Tolstoy once wrote a short story called The Three Questions. In it, a man was trying to find the answer to three questions because he knew those answers would be the secret to always doing what was right. Those three questions were: When is the best time to do something? Who is the most important person? And, what is the right thing to do? I believe the answers to those questions can help us all find a little more peace and contentment in our lives.
When is the best time to do something? “There is only one important time, and that time is now. The present moment is the only time over which we have dominion.” Who is the most important person? “The most important person is always the one with whom you are, the person who stands right before you. For who knows if you will have dealings with any other person in the future?” And finally, what is the right thing to do? “The most important thing to do is to do good to and for the person standing before you.”
So, when Paul says in Philippians that he has found the secret to being content, I have to wonder if that might be what he meant. Instead of always looking for some external solution to your restlessness and general dissatisfaction, open your eyes, your spiritual eyes, and ask yourself those three questions. It could be that God has placed you in this particular place, with these people, and with these problems and struggles “for such a time as this.” Live your life one day at a time. Help those in your path today. Don’t worry about tomorrow. Allow God to work through you, in the place he has put you, so that he can perfect you.
May your heart and soul be filled with the perfect peace of God as you submit to his will.
Saturday, January 10, 2009
Let's Make a Memory
Sons are a heritage from the Lord, children a reward from him. Psalm 127:3.
What was the greatest gift you ever received? Was it something so special that you were willing to sacrifice everything else for it? Did you value it so much that you spent every possible moment with it?
When Mari was about seven years old, she asked me, “Mom, do you ever wish you had waited to have kids so you could have been richer?” I told her my kids were my riches.
There were a lot of things that did not get done because I was busy making memories with my children. Some people said I was wasting my life because I had forsaken a career to stay home. I even remember one working mother commenting to me that it must be nice to be able to stay home and do nothing all day.
I didn’t do nothing—I made memories. I danced in the living room to goofy songs with two giggling kids. I made play-doh worms, mudpies, and clover necklaces. I read the same story a thousand times and played Hi Ho Cherri-O at least two thousand times. Above all, I got to spend all day every day with the two most precious gifts my Father ever gave me.
Now that they are grown, I look back on those memories fondly. At the same time, however, I look at the opportunities the Father has given me to continue making memories. What a precious gift God has given us in the form of our memories.
Unfortunately, some people spend so much time “preparing for the future” that they forget to live in the present. There are parents who swamp their children with material things to make up for the absence of their own presence. We’ve all heard the experts say, “Children would rather have your time than your money.” I believe that is true. For those of you whose children have grown up and left home, let me ask you a question. Which would you prefer...an expensive gift from your children or a visit from your children? See, that’s what I mean. We all value time spent together.
So, spend some time with those you love. Make some memories for them and for yourself. There is always time to do the things you have to do, but nobody ever says, “Remember when we vacuumed the living room?” Take some time to do things just for the sheer pleasure they bring. Eat dessert first, catch snowflakes on your tongue, sing with the radio, but whatever you do, do it with someone you love. Begin today living life to the full and making memories as you go along.
I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. John 10:10
What was the greatest gift you ever received? Was it something so special that you were willing to sacrifice everything else for it? Did you value it so much that you spent every possible moment with it?
When Mari was about seven years old, she asked me, “Mom, do you ever wish you had waited to have kids so you could have been richer?” I told her my kids were my riches.
There were a lot of things that did not get done because I was busy making memories with my children. Some people said I was wasting my life because I had forsaken a career to stay home. I even remember one working mother commenting to me that it must be nice to be able to stay home and do nothing all day.
I didn’t do nothing—I made memories. I danced in the living room to goofy songs with two giggling kids. I made play-doh worms, mudpies, and clover necklaces. I read the same story a thousand times and played Hi Ho Cherri-O at least two thousand times. Above all, I got to spend all day every day with the two most precious gifts my Father ever gave me.
Now that they are grown, I look back on those memories fondly. At the same time, however, I look at the opportunities the Father has given me to continue making memories. What a precious gift God has given us in the form of our memories.
Unfortunately, some people spend so much time “preparing for the future” that they forget to live in the present. There are parents who swamp their children with material things to make up for the absence of their own presence. We’ve all heard the experts say, “Children would rather have your time than your money.” I believe that is true. For those of you whose children have grown up and left home, let me ask you a question. Which would you prefer...an expensive gift from your children or a visit from your children? See, that’s what I mean. We all value time spent together.
So, spend some time with those you love. Make some memories for them and for yourself. There is always time to do the things you have to do, but nobody ever says, “Remember when we vacuumed the living room?” Take some time to do things just for the sheer pleasure they bring. Eat dessert first, catch snowflakes on your tongue, sing with the radio, but whatever you do, do it with someone you love. Begin today living life to the full and making memories as you go along.
I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. John 10:10
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