More of a Hero

When I was in 1st or 2nd grade, I joined a softball team. I remember riding my bike to the school for practice and looked forward to the first game. My stomach twittered with butterflies when it came my turn to bat. To my own shock and awe, I hit the ball and sent it soaring. I ran to first as the coach waved me on toward second. I hit second base with a determined thud and looked up to see that everyone was going nuts. I misinterpreted their excitement, and hung my head as I began walking off the field. When I stepped off the base the place erupted and the second base girl tagged me out. I had given up on myself just a tad too early and was out of the game for real. This would have been a great opportunity for a coach or someone to put their arm around me afterwards and assure me that no mistake is fatal. That didn't happen, and I never went back. I bet I missed a lot of good games because the fear of failure kept me from playing.

"Never let the fear of striking out keep you from playing the game!"

- -A Cinderella Story

When I had kids I did not want them to live with fear of failure.  I certainly don't need to worry about them not living their dreams. This week Aja and Seth are off on a mission trip to Haiti. Each of them have been to different countries, but never together. This will be their first mission trip together and the last trip before my son walks down the isle to start the adventure of marriage. They have stepped up to the plate to face their fears more than I could ever imagine. Each one is very different but with every step they take, they become more of a hero in my eyes.

Cycle of Influence

Yesterday I was thinking of how lucky I am to have such great kids. Two of them are now adults and #3 is on his way. It's such a blessing to watch how they have grown into their own identities, to watch them slowly develop into who they are today. Looking back I have to give credit to the multitude of people

who have influenced their lives. My kids have been blessed by being surrounded by the best. There are countless people who have influenced their lives from the time they were tiny tots to today. Babysitters who played with them, teachers who taught them, grandparents who loved them, an uncle who would wrestle them till his eyes bled, church family who counseled them, children's workers who guided them, youth leaders who admonished them, parents of peers who sat a good examples for them, coaches who challenged them, employers who depended on them and co-workers who befriended them. Countless people who touched their lives in small ways, ordinary ways and outstanding ways. Each touch adding to another, molding, shaping and helping them become who they are today. Most of those people have no clue the amount of influence they've had on them. Some of them did so intentionally, but others did so just by living their lives, doing what

they do every day without thinking twice about the words that were spoken or the deeds that were done. Wow!!! Makes you stop and think doesn't it. When I thought about all of the people who touched their lives,  it reminded me of the quote from Ronald Reagan....

"Surround yourself with the best people you can find, delegate authority, and don't interfere as long as the policy you've decided upon is being carried out".

This seems like an odd quote to associate with parenting, but then again, if you change the word policy to values, it fits perfectly!

It may not have been said with parenting in mind, but it certainly makes sense. Values are important and the more people you have setting examples of your values to your children, the more likely they'll be to "get it". It was always funny to me how my husband and I could suggest something and our kids would think we were totally wacked out, but have someone else say the same thing, and suddenly it takes on a whole different tune.  Little did they know the voices all around them were echoing our values. I'll never credit myself for being a great parent, but I will give myself credit for making sure my kids were surrounded by people who were a great influence on them.  I wish I could reach out to each and every person who helped them become who they are today. The amazing thing is now they are the ones influencing others, who will influence someone else and the cycle continues.


Proverbs 27:

 ¹⁷ As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.
   

Losing the Battle But Winning the War

Ephesians 6:12 (New International Version, ©2011)

¹² For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

Today I certainly feel like I lost the battle. My weakness is that all too often I don't recognize my stuggles as being spiritual, but tend to look at them as being all emotions and just the drama of day to day living. If I would just stop for one second and look at things as they are instead of how they appear, I would be much better off. Having been raised in Girl World (which is my personal term for all things female), I sluff things off as just being pure emotion rather than looking at them for what they are which is a spiritual attack from the very bowels of hell. Why, why, why do I do that? Oh wait.... maybe because I'm human. I don't look at myself as a mighty warrior because deep down inside I don't feel like I'm enough of a threat to be in the war (I'm just being... well I won't say real, but I will say brutally honest). Honestly I wish I could just tuck my emotions in a suitcase and ship them to another universe, or give them the strong arm out the back door so I wouldn't have to deal with them. Then again if I woke up every morning prepared for the days battle, I might be a little more successful in knocking a few of those battles out. I've come to know that arming yourself isn't a one time deal but something you do every second of every minute of every hour of every day of your life.  Yep, you got it.... This is a self scholding blog post. So Jac, today you lost the battle but at least you live to fight another day and will rise to win the war because Sister it's not over till the fat lady sings or the trumpet blows. Gird yourself up girl and let's get-er-done, with a little more style tomorrow and in really cute shoes (cause in heavenly Girl World the whole armor includes cute shoes.... They kick butt)

Ephesians 6:11 (New International Version, ©2011)

¹¹ Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.

Dazed and Confused and Totally Slap Happy :-|)

 
A Facebook friend posted the other day that she was "Dazed and Confused" about something she had seen. Sadly or actually happily, I've become quiet content in my dazed and confused state. It's very refreshing not to feel like I should know it all,or that I should have all the answers. I don't feel the need to be a big bag of wisdom or someones spiritual guru because of my vast depth of biblical knowledge and unsurpassed worldly experiences. Nope, I'm happy and content to skip happily along in ignorant bliss knowing that there are plenty of other people out there keeping up the charade of "Knowing it all". Even in my dazed and confused state I have enough sense to know if someone claims to know it all or have it all under control I should high tail it out of their presence

and "Run Forest Run!" I run to the sheltering truth that I am mere human, highly flawed and can only be made perfect in Him. Me and God have this thing going on, I trust him to know what's going on and he expects me to keep the best attitude possible even when I feel like what's happening sucks great big green apples. He hasn't asked me not to mention that it sucks great big green apples when it does (trust me he hears me loud and clear, but I tend to think he laughs at me more than he gets upset with me), but to trust him that the green will turn to sweet... Eventually. Ever since I've laid it down at the foot of the cross and turned

Maxine is much more of a
spiritual wizard than
people give her credit for!

my back on what other people think and say (which is difficult for one who has been a people pleasing machine since I was a wee one), I've been a much more content person.  Just being able to rest in the knowledge that he knows it all and has it all under control leaves me free to be be.... dazed and confused in a good, happy-go-lucky kinda way. My perfections, skills, knowledge and wisdom may be few and far between, but my joy has the ability to be limitless if I allow it to be and I attribute a lot of that to the freedom I feel in my dazed and confused state... In fact you could call me slap happy these days.  I used to get my feelings hurt when I was in a conversation and people just tuned me out because they thought they knew it all and there was nothing I could add to their knowledge. Now, I'm off in my own little universe, totally out of touch with reality (or so they think, hehe) and I don't even get offended when they cut me off in mid-sentence, I pretty much expect it from some. I just smile and think to myself.... "What I was going to say could have been really profound"(probably not, but there is always a slim possibility). Yep, dazed and confused keeps other people from expecting me to have all the answers which is expecting WAY too much, even if I do have a lot going on. If anyone would like to join me here I can tell you the zip code is I Peter 5:5-10 and the taxes are way less taxing on the soul and the rewards are amazing!!! Really, you should try it, you just might like it and become slap happy too. Trust me, it's a good thing... That's what He keeps reminding me over and over again.

At The Foot of The Cross On 9/11

My youngest son and I walked hand in hand down the street to his elementary school. It was a beautiful September morning and I was savoring the feel of his tiny hand in mine. I knew a day would come when walking to school while holding my hand would be unacceptable, but today was not that day. We live half a block from his school and I can see the front entrance from my porch, but still the world seems too big and he seemed too small to walk that few steps without me. When we got to the corner I gave him a kiss and he carefully crossed the street with a back pack that seemed to swallow his small frame. When he was safely inside the school, I turned around and headed to the house. I turned on the stove, popped a pan on the burner and waited for it to heat. In the den the T.V. was announcing the days headlines. I popped my head in the doorway to see what was going on in the world around me. The station was on a "live location" with the sight of a burning high rise being filmed from a helicopter. From the skyline I could tell it was in New York. The news reporters were narrating  or trying to narrate on a scene that they really had no information about. They were batting theories back and forth, trying to buy time until a producer could feed them more information in their ear buds. I stood there trying to grasp what was going on and was somewhat amused at the reporters like I always am when they are having to report on the fly. Suddenly, a plane came into view on the screen and right before my eyes it turned and flew right into the high rise as if on purpose. The building swallowed up the plane as smoke and flames burst toward the sky. My amusement quickly left me as I listened to the stunned reporters attempt to describe the surreal image. It seemed as time just froze as I stood there stunned. The rest of the day was a hazy scary fog. I don't remember getting ready for work, but I remember the day seemed eerily quiet. I was the office manager for a busy doctor. When I walked through the doors of the office, I always felt like I was strapping myself into a roller coaster ride that would last 8 hours. But that was on a normal day. Today the phones did not ring, people did not show up for their appointments and the drug reps that came in had the same dazed look on their faces as I knew was on mine. When I got home from work the television was immediately turned on. The only relief I had was knowing all of my family was safe and sound. We watched for hours as the terror unfolded before our very eyes, the images unbelievable, the destruction looked like something from a horror film. I remember my husband turning to our family and saying...  "Today the world has been changed forever"..... How right he was. Weeks later I bought a sticker for my car that said "Never Forget 9/11".....  In the days and weeks that followed that tragedy, the nation united together and turned to the only source they knew could offer comfort, God. There were public displays of faith, public forums of prayer as our nation reached out for a power greater  than weapons and bombs could offer. It was a refreshing difference than the way our nation was on 9/10. In the heat of the battle, even a nation that had turned it's back on God, knew he was the only source of security on which they could depend. Although the act in itself was tragic, seeing a nation on it's knees was a beautiful, humbling sight. Unfortunately the images quickly faded and the hearts that had began to soften returned to their hardened state. It makes me wonder what the next tragedy will be that will once again bring us to where we truly belong..... To the foot of the cross.

Amazing Faith

Yesterday my friend faced one of the biggest challenges of her life. Her attitude is a testimony to everyone who meets her. It makes me wonder how those without faith in an omnipotent God face these types of trials. Regardless what life throws at me I hope to handle it just like she has handled this… With Amazing Faith!