Bears & Diapers

Our family was just in the hills of Tennessee for some vacation. I use 'vacation' loosely since we were traveling with a 2 year old and a 6 week old, but our boys were troopers! We stayed in the mountains of Gatlinburg - meaning hairpin turns, steep grade slopes and driveways and bears! Yes, bears! One morning we looked outside the cabin to find a mama bear and her four cubs tearing into the garbage from last nights dinner. (and by looked outside - I mean this was taken from the front porch and back patio without a zoom lens!). 

After this, during my quiet time, I realized that this can be a picture of our faith walk. These bears are born knowing how to hunt for food, being focused on food, and fighting for their food. But, somewhere along the ways of modern civilization, these bears have settled for this. They have escaped the hunt, the fresh food and have settled for left overs. To completely illustrate this point, one unsuspecting bear cub proudly toted off one of my 2 year old's diapers (I doubt he was the most popular back in the den). 

I was hit squarely in the face with conviction after realizing this. God calls us to SEEK, to ASK, to KNOCK, PRESS ON, RUN, PERSEVERE - action words! Not just sit back and let faith come to you. 

"Ask and it will be given to you, seek and you will find, 

knock and the door will be opened to you. 

Matthew 7:7"

"I press on toward the goal for the prize of the 

upward call of God in Christ Jesus. 

Phil 3:14"

Like these bears settling for leftovers, taking chances on the quality of food, have I settled for other's leftover faith? Am I guilty of just letting others do their faith walk and then I take the remains of that walk? Don't get me wrong, one of these bears struck gold with left over steaks and bacon. And so, some others teaching is helpful and useful, but it shouldn't be the sole source of my relationship with God. I want my own steak - the steak off the table of the Lord, chosen by Him for me! His unique Word spoken from the mouth of God sent to develop and grow me! I don't want left overs…and I certainly don't want to tote off a diaper thinking I've hit spiritual pay-dirt (think of all the garbage 'spiritual' teachings out there that equate to a fully soaked and soiled Pampers size 5 diaper). 

And yes…watching His mighty creation without the boundaries of a zoo…awe inspiring! 

Longing for my own quiet MOMent with my Lord…

Rachel

No Sharing in the Kingdom

Do we ever really learn to 'share'? Or do we just learn to deal with the frustration that sharing is a part of life. If you ask my two year old about sharing, his response? "no like this". Well little buddy, truth be told, I doubt anyone really loves sharing if we are gut-level honest with ourselves. 

Teaching a child to share…one of life's biggest lessons dealt at an early age. Add a sibling into the equation and the lesson gets real very quickly. My two boys have to share mom and dad and eventually will share their toys (Ha!) and will someday share friends, a bathroom, a car, space in our home. 

With this in mind, I'm thankful I serve a God who is enough for all. There is never not enough of God to go around, He is always our 'enough'. We don't have to wait for God to finish up with someone else, He's already working on us - constantly! 

Ephesians 3:20 - Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us (English Standard Version). 

*Abundantly More* - I love it. When I am less, He is more. Abundantly more. I'd love to be abundantly more for my sons, but since I can't be, I'll lead them to the One who is! I don't have to share my God (yes, share what He has done in and through me…but not my time with Him). There's no 'custody arrangement' with God…He is always ours and always ready, willing and available to meet us right where we are. 

Praising Him in every MOMent…
Rachel

Graham, 2 years

Emmett, 2 days here