Archives

Repeat After Me: Yes, Yes, Yes

May25

IMG_2477I have a bobblehead of Barry Bonds that my mom gave me and it sits on the shelf above the computer in my kitchen. Just jiggle him and he nods his head, “Yes, yes, yes.” Whatever your feelings about Barry Bonds personally, his bobblehead is a great role model.

I read a devotional the other day that talked about having a “yes” face. How do people perceive you? Do you have a face that invites conversation? Inquiry? Friendship? In regards to our kids, my husband is often telling me, “Say yes whenever you can.”

It’s easy with simple things: Can I take the bird out of his cage? Sure, that doesn’t cost me any extra energy. Can I make a smoothie? Well, will everything be cleaned up? What will I have to invest in this project? Can I have a sleepover? Wow. That’s a much bigger commitment on my part!

So basically what I’m saying is, if it’s convenient for me, I’ll say yes. And that’s just plain selfish. Not that I need to concede to every request of my children, but if it’s a reasonable request, why not say yes?

Will you play with me?

Can we make cookies together?

Can my friend come over to play?

I’ve seen a couple of really cool times in the past week when God has said “Yes” to things I have asked for. First, last Sunday our church was holding a big outdoor celebration. When David got up early that morning to go over and help run sound for the event, it was lightly raining. I looked at the forecast, and it was calling for a 45% chance of rain right at the time of our celebration. I prayed, asking God to keep the rain away from us for that time. This was a really big deal in the life of our church family, and rain would have washed us out. about a half hour later, I checked the forecast again. Guess what it said. Zero percent chance of rain.

God loves saying yes.

The second time was just today. My friend Carol had told us that her son, Roy, who is my son Nathan’s friend, had mononucleosis. Eight days before their graduation from middle school. What a big bummer. Depending on what the blood work showed, he could be down and out for weeks. Again, I went to God in prayer. This morning, Carol called to tell me that Roy’s blood work looked beautiful. No mono. Praise God.

God always has a good reason for telling us no, or wait. I don’t always have a good reason for telling my kids no. Have I raised kids who don’t take the initiative in life because I told them no too often? I pray that’s not the case, and I will work on saying yes more often. After all, I desire to hear God say yes to me, don’t I? Be like Bobblehead Barry: “Yes, yes, yes.”

“You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God” (James 4:2).

Thankful today for:

891. answered prayer

892. a new refrigerator

893. growing investments

894. a 3-day weekend

895. America’s lost and wounded warriors

896. nearly a month on my exercise plan

897. recognition for Justin for his academic achievement

898. a hair cut

899. rain for my new rose bush and transplanted avocado volunteer

900. early baseball games

A Fishy Lesson For Parents

Apr21

IMG_1938

(I had the privilege last week of having this article posted on the website for Campus Crusade’s global women’s ministry, after it first appeared on a blog for hurting parents (see Hope for Hurting Parents). I wanted to share it with you all. The second part about Romans 12:12 I posted several months ago here.)

A few months ago, my family and I purchased two angelfish for our aquarium. My kids named them Michael and Gabriel, of course. They have been a beautiful addition to our community tank.

Well, about a month later, we got the surprise of the week: angelfish eggs! We had no idea. Evidently, Gabriel needed to be renamed Gabriella. I texted my fish-guru friend and got some advice, and we hoped for the best from this batch.

There was advice aplenty on the internet, and most people said to expect these first-time parents to eat their fry. They’d get better with each spawning. They laid the eggs on the filter intake tube, so chances were the tiny fry would get sucked up in the filter, if the parents didn’t eat them first. Or the other fish. There was danger everywhere in the tank. Why didn’t we know this? We were so unprepared to be fish parents.

Sixteen years ago we were also unprepared to be actual parents. Kids don’t come with owner’s manuals. All we could do was pray and trust that God loved our kids more than we ever could.

 Things didn’t work out so well for our fishies. One morning, all the eggs were gone. And sometimes, in our own parenting, things don’t work out as we hope and pray they will. But God is still God, and we have a hope to hold onto.

May Romans 12:12 give you hope that God is there.  He hears you and He’s holding your wandering child close to His heart, whether they like it or not.

“Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer” (Romans 12:12).

Joyful: full of joy, as a person or one’s heart; glad; delighted.

Hope: The feeling that what is wanted can be had or that events will turn out for the best.

“But may the righteous be glad and rejoice before God; may they be happy and joyful. Sing to God, sing praise to His name, extol Him who rides on the clouds – His name is the Lord rejoice – before Him (Psalm 68:3,4).

Patient: bearing provocation, annoyance, misfortune, delay, hardship, pain, etc., with fortitude and calm and without complaint, anger, or the like.

Affliction: a state of pain, distress, or grief; misery

“I wait patiently for the Lord; He turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; He set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear and put their trust in the Lord” (Psalm 40: 1-3).

Faithful: steady in allegiance or affection; loyal; constant

Prayer: a spiritual communion with God . . . as in supplication, thanksgiving, adoration, or confession.

“To the faithful You show Yourself faithful, to the blameless You show Yourself blameless, to the pure You show Yourself pure” (Psalm 18: 25, 26).

Which of the three: Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer” (Romans 12:12) is hardest for you?

Why do you think that is? Where have you seen God’s faithfulness in the midst of your struggle?