Knickers!

I was recently challenged by one of my friends. She is one of those friends that God has put in my life who is the “Iron sharpening Iron”  type from Proverbs 27. I have a few of these. They are the friends who listen to my sighs. And after the understanding nod or two, they lovingly tell me to stop sighing and be grateful. They are the ones who gently point out the sin in my life, the ones that tell me to love my husband selflessly, the ones that listen but wont allow me to wallow, the ones that remind me why I am to keep training my kids and these friends are a blessing, even if its through gritted teeth at times.

So my sharp friend asked me how i was planning to be lovely to my husband on that day. And I hadn't really realized, but I was subconsciously planning to be a little mellow dramatic and needy when he got home. Afterall I'd been with the kids all day and now it was his shift; his turn to care for me and deal with the little people. But when I received her text asking such a question, it changed things around. It helped me have a different mindset. It made me actually plan to be lovely to him. And not to be selfish as if my needs were a higher priority. I was very grateful for my friend's gentle prompting. (And the husband was grateful too!)

In a women's prayer group recently, someone had the following picture;  "Imagine you came out of the toilet with your skirt tucked in your knickers - Hopefully no one in the room would let you walk around for the rest of the day like that. Hopefully they would be brave enough and compassionate enough to point it out to you." In the same way, we should be brave enough to say when we see each other with missing parts of the Armour of God. We should be able to tenderly point out to a friend, that they are letting themselves be exposed and remind them to put on each part of The Armor of God talked about in Ephesians 6. Of course there's the other side to the challenge... I do want to be the friend brave enough and compassionate enough to point things out to my sisters, but i want to also be willing to allow someone else to talk into my life, and tell me when i'm about to walk out with my skirt tucked into my knickers.    

                   "As iron sharpens iron,
                       so one person sharpens another."

                                                  Proverb 27v17

Fearfully and Wonderfully Made...that's me!

I am not known for my knitting and sewing skills like some of my friends are. They have days out at craft fayres and have knitting evenings. They produce wonderful quilts and cute little animals.  I once made a puppet out of a sock, but i'm not that counts as skillful workmanship!

I am reading through Exodus at the moment and I am struck by the attention to detail in how the tabernacle was designed and made. The curtains of fine twined linen, the blue and purple yarns with cherubim skillfully woven into them, the cubits, the gold, the Acacia wood... It is an amazing design, so precise in colour and size and numbers of clasps and hoops.

And it causes me to dwell on God's beautiful creativity. He is the ultimate in Grand Design. He is by far the best at the finishing touches. He uses the best material. He takes His time. (Or He does it in a miraculous moment). He carefully considers what is to be made. He cares about the smallest detail whilst keeping the end result in His mind. I see creation around me and it causes me to worship Him. And then i am encouraged to dwell on the fact that He created me. How loved and special i feel that the Lord who required the tabernacle in Exodus to be made with such beauty and detail, also designed me!

     "For you created my inmost being;
             you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
       I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
             your works are wonderful,

      I know that full well."

                                   Psalm 139v13-14

Guinea Pigs and Bowling Balls

Okay, so after an afternoon of birthday bowling and McDonalds with eight boys, I am finding the energy levels lacking slightly. The house is full of new boxes; science kits, magic kits, art kits, kitchen experiments kits, and a few empty rolls of Ben10 and Mario wrapping paper discarded everywhere. I now find myself watching a DVD with four boys (2 of which aren't mine). The film seems to be about guinea pigs who are spies, who are currently being chased by a coffee maker. The guinea pig's 'turbo powered running balls' have not managed to hold the husband's attention as he appears to be asleep under a Buzz Lightyear duvet on the floor.

I spent last night wrapping gifts and blowing up balloons. I spent this morning molding and shaping icing to cover a Millenium Falcon attempt of a birthday cake. I spent lunchtime realizing once again I was out of bread (and alas even out of hot cross buns and cheese strings) So I fed the two little sons random party food. I spent the afternoon keeping an eye on the baby as he attempted to be a bowling ball, and on the three year old as he was realizing the power he had over automatic doors.

I spent yesterday chatting with a friend while we both wore elephant masks, even when the children weren't making us do so anymore. I look back at the range of things I do with my days and as messy as the house is and as crazy as my 'To do' list often is, I find myself feeling grateful. I am grateful for my boys. How different my life would be without it all. It's quite easy to feel grateful after a fun day with them. But i am also aware of how grateful I am just to have them.

"Children are a heritage from the LORD,
   offspring a reward from him."

                                             Psalm 127v3

Refreshed

So I find myself this evening not exhausted. I'm not drinking coffee by the ladle. I don't have bags under my eyes. My top isn't filthy. My hands don't have glue on them. I'm not dressed as a superhero. I don't have Ben10 sellotaped to my back. I'm not struggling to stay awake. I haven't got paint under my finger nails. I haven't got yoghurt in my hair. I'm not licking Calpol off my fingers and neither am I talking to the husband in the manic way I sometimes do, as if he's the only adult I have ever seen, which is sometimes the reality of mumming.

And how do I find myself in this energized state? A child free weekend is how. A whole weekend without the beloved four. Instead I found myself having time with the husband and with friends, a glass of Baileys, 2 nights of uninterrupted sleep, dinner prepared by another, and more importantly time in God's presence to soak in His lavish promises for me.

How wonderful to rest in His goodness. How wonderful to rest beside quiet waters. How wonderful to be refreshed in his blessings. How wonderful to dwell upon His undeserved grace for me. How wonderful to be prayed for and encouraged. How wonderful to feel strengthened and envisioned. How wonderful to live in the joy of God's promises. But it's easy to do it in this setting. The challenge comes tomorrow morning. Will I still remember God's promises then? Or will I forget when I'm no longer feeling fresh? I need to remember He remains faithful to his promises no matter what my day looks like. I cannot live on the good of the weekend. I need to daily seek to spend time in His presence and His word, reminding myself of and living in the truth of His promises. This is the only way I will daily feel refreshed, even when I'm in the thick of it. 

"The law of the LORD is perfect,
   refreshing the soul."

                        Psalm 19v7

                

Eating little and often...

So we steal a lot of parenting tips from others who have gone before us. It's easier than coming up with our own ideas, and if it works for others, it may just work for me. If it doesn't work after I've tried it, I can tweak it or reject it. I like parents who are real about stuff, not pretending all is wonderful all the time, cos we all know it's not.

I read PJ Smyth's blog on parenting today. (GodFirst Blog) The part I read was about having family devotion times. PJ said he reads a story or a verse to his kids, and then asks them what bit they liked best? What they can learn from it? What does it mean for them? And the whole thing takes about 5 minutes. 
5 MINUTES!! Well, that's do-able. Then they pray... please prayers, thank you prayers, 'person next to you prayers' or popcorn prayers.

I felt so encouraged and inspired by it, and not just the inspiration which makes you feel good but inspiration you actually act on. It reminded me of something I had read once in "Barefoot in the kitchen" by Alie Stibbe. She talks about meditating on God's word all day long. She says that often we fast because we can't feast. I totally do that. I sometimes haven't got time to sit down and spend time properly in God's word, so I don't do it at all. I fast because I can't feast...but Alie's encouragement to us is that "eating little and often can be good for you". I always knew snacking was a good thing!

  "Oh, how I love your law!
   I meditate on it all day long.
 Your commands are always with me
   and make me wiser than my enemies.
 I have more insight than all my teachers,
   for I meditate on your statutes.
 I have more understanding than the elders,
   for I obey your precepts.
 I have kept my feet from every evil path
   so that I might obey your word.
 I have not departed from your laws,
   for you yourself have taught me.
 How sweet are your words to my taste,
   sweeter than honey to my mouth!
 I gain understanding from your precepts;
   therefore I hate every wrong path."  Psalm 119v97-104

Pride Before a Fall

I woke up yesterday morning under a Lightening McQueen duvet with a three year old, a number of teddy bears, a turkey and Sherrif Woody. It seems I had left my own warm place of sleep at 4am and attempted to snuggle into a single bed with my son, in order to stop getting up to his unsettled night. Surely it was easier to be in bed with him, being kneed and sleepily punched than settling in my own bed, to be woken up again in order to make the long hard journey back to his room...again!

My boys are allowed out of their room at 7:00am. But seeing as we had had friends stay over the night before, in the lounge, I thought it would be good to bless them with undisturbed sleep until 8am. We talked about how it was selfless to put their sleep before our need to play or watch some morning tele, and even before my coffee. So we read some books and I tried to play as many "laying down under a duvet" games as I could think of. Then just before 8am, I grabbed a training opportunity with my oldest;

Me; "What if we go downstairs and say 'we really blessed you, we got up at 7am but didn't disturb you until 8am, so you could sleep some more, that means we are selfless, doesn't it?'"
Number 1 son; "That would be pride mum."
So tired teaching point made, we headed downstairs to gently jump on our guests. The husband joined us an hour or so later for breakfast. And what do I hear myself saying when the husband professed how tired he was... "Well I slept in our son's bed from 4am and was up with the boys from 7am, but I didn't disturb you until 9am." 
Aarrgh, all I could hear was my son's words; "That would be pride mum".
                                             

 "Where there is strife, 

   there is pride, but wisdom is found in those who take advice."

     Proverbs13v10

I had not allowed theses verses to take root. Strife had come about because I wanted the husband to know how great I was. I hadn't listened to my own advice, advice about being selfless, and humble. Not my own advice actually, It was straight out of the Bible, straight from Jesus' example. Thankfully, the husband was full of grace, (maybe it was the extra sleep he had had). 

Have I really got time to Be Still?

This morning I've dished out three different types of cereal, with slightly frozen milk and 2 different aged Calpol. I ran out of bread so sent a child to school with a hot cross bun and a cheese string. I've changed a wet bed, taken a truck out of the toilet and defrosted what I hope is fish soup for the husband's lunch.

I've changed a nappy, found some clean-ish uniform out of a pile by the bathroom door, and brushed some teeth (not even my own). I dressed a jumpy laughing three year old, found some gloves for a cold little person, smiled graciously as I released the husband to have a shower during breakfast time, done the first level of the breakfast clear up (table surface level) and fit a door back onto a moon buggy. And it's only 9:15am. 

I'm reminded that myself and a bunch of very real, wonderful, godly, shattered women that I pray with on Wednesday mornings were going to look at some Psalms this week. So I think about my morning so far, and I think about verse 10 of Psalm 46; "Be still and know that I am God...."

I smile an ironic little smile, but decide to sit down and read a Psalm or two, before starting on the next level of the breakfast clear up (beneath the table, the level which if left untouched results in me either treading in mashed weetabix, usually bare foot, or where the baby will deem himself a hoover).

So I start reading Psalm 62 which starts; "For God alone my soul waits in silence...". And I realise that I am of course reading this while my son is pressing the buttons on his fire engine, so all I can loudly hear is "FIRE...EMERGENCY...FIRE" followed by that wonderful fire engine siren noise. So pleased I replaced the batteries. Another son is listening to his hideous plastic Christmas present which is singing The Fimbles theme tune. Maybe these Psalms aren't relevant to me. They're all about stillness and silence. I persevere with Psalm 62, seeing as I've made the decision to sit and do so, rather than rush on.

                        "For God alone my soul waits in silence;
                         from him comes my salvation.
                         He only is my rock and my salvation,
                         my fortress; I shall not be greatly shaken.

                         Trust in him at all times O people;
                         pour out your heart before him;
                         God is a refuge for us."

                         "God is our refuge and strength,
                          a very present help in times of trouble.
                          Be still and know that I am God.
                          I will be exalted among the nations,
                          I will be exalted in the earth!
                          The Lord of hosts is with us;
                          the God of Jacob is our fortress."

I'm glad I made the decision to sit, because I realised that in the stopping and sitting, the stillness and silence came to my soul. As I took in this truth, the truth that I am saved from my sin, that I have a fortress to run into, that I'm not easily shaken, and that I have a refuge, I felt more able to breathe and actually hear God's voice speaking over me. As I read that He is my strength and I don't have to be, I was able to be still and know Him. And even when I start on the next level of the breakfast clear up, that truth stays with me in the crazy and in the noise of life. Maybe that's why the Psalmist wrote them. They suddenly seem ever so relevant to me. Looks like I haven't got time not to Be still....