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Deciding For Themselves

“I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.”    Exodus 33:19

SAMSUNG CAMERA PICTURESBack in September, we walked The Freedom Trail in Boston as a family. The weather was beautiful that day; it seemed like the perfect adventure. Although I used to take my kids into the city all the time when they were little, it had been a few years.

My objective was to get us out and moving, seeing some sites on the way. I got so much more than I bargained for.
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Thankful For The Kindness Of Strangers

“Show to me and the country where you now reside as a foreigner the same kindness I have shown to you.”    Genesis 21:23

SAMSUNG CAMERA PICTURESMy son Zack joined the Lego Robotics Team for the first time this year. The competition was this past Saturday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Despite not knowing any of the other families involved, I went to support Zack and see what it was all about.

I knew I was in for a long day with people I’ve never met before. So I filled my backpack with all the busy work from my pile of things to do. While Zack hung out with his teammates, my plan was to sit in the bleachers during the downtime and get a lot of work done. Little did I know, I’d barely touch any of it.
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A Grown Up Apology

Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy.    Proverbs 28:13

SAMSUNG CAMERA PICTURESI had surgery a few weeks ago. It wasn’t anything major, but I was limited by what I could do during recovery. I had no choice but to rely on others.

My mom and friends really came through for me. My mom took care of my kids, and my friends brought meals every night. It was heavenly! The people who didn’t come through for me were my kids.
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What Our Bunny Taught Me About God

Therefore the Lord longs to be gracious to you, and therefore He waits on high to have compassion on you.  Isaiah 30:18

SAMSUNG CAMERA PICTURESAfter our hamster died, my kids were desperate for another pet. My husband REALLY wanted a dog. It is an understatement to say I am NOT a dog person. I can barely keep up with housework as it is. By no means do I want to add dog slobber and shedding fur to all the other things in my life that need cleaning up. I knew I had to act quickly to derail the dog campaign.

As fate would have it, my niece had an Animal Adventures birthday party recently. There was a very cute rabbit there that was wonderful with the kids. When I found out it was up for adoption, I knew I had found my answer.

I spent the next week making frantic phone calls to Animal Adventures, and putting up pleas for a bunny cage and advice on Facebook. My friend Mary came through for me in a big way. Thanks to her, in a little over a week we were fully equipped and the proud owners of Oreo, a little black mutt and Netherland Dwarf mix.

I thought I was just getting a pet for my kids. What I didn’t realize was we were also getting a living example of how God’s love works.

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When Passion Kicks In

For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good work which God prepared in advance for us to do.    Ephesians   2:10

SAMSUNG CAMERA PICTURESZack has never been well spoken. In fact, when he’s forced to put his thoughts and feelings into words, he shuts down. I can’t tell you how many times I have heard, “I just can’t explain it.”

That answer usually infuriates me. It feels to me like Zack’s trying to take the easy way out. When we get to this cyclical place, I push him and I push him to try to find the right words. Usually he ends up in tears; and I feel like the worst mother ever.

That’s when I conclude that his brain just isn’t strongly wired for language. He spoke late as a child, and had Early Intervention for it. He’s very strong in math and computers. I can’t expect him to be strong in everything. So I back off, and I support him with his deficits.

Well, an interesting thing happened last week.

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Fairness

So Peter opened his mouth and said: “Truly I understand that God shows no partiality.”   Acts 10:34

SAMSUNG CAMERA PICTURESMason has a slew of stuffed animals. He wanted to put them all out on his bed each day after making it. However, he didn’t want the work of lining them all up each morning, only to have to clear them all off each night. When I suggested putting out one or two of his favorites and leaving it at that, he said he was worried about fairness. He loves each and every stuffed animal the same. He wanted to be sure they all had a chance to be evenly displayed on his bed.

His solution was to create a rotation. He actually made a schedule that maps out which stuffed animals are showcased on which days. He follows the schedule to the letter.
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Using The Right Road Map

It is the Lord your God you must follow, and Him you must revere.   Deuteronomy 13:4 

SAMSUNG CAMERA PICTURESMy husband and his friends ran the Reach The Beach 24 hour relay a few weekends ago. Trying to be kind, he left me with our new mini-van, parking our old mini-van at the group meeting spot for the duration. Then he took our portable GPS for the team to use. What we both overlooked was the fact that, yes, I had the shiny new van, but I was left without any mapping technology.

When it came time to go to Mason’s away baseball game, I had to go old school and print off the directions from Map Quest. I’ve never been a big fan. I’ve always been directionally challenged and can get lost at the drop of a hat. But it’s as if the overload of exacting detail on Map Quest overwhelms my poor little brain. I shut down before I even put the key in the ignition. So sure enough, we got lost going to the baseball field.
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