Soul Care – Page 4 – Hay Happens and Hay's Happen

April 19, 2015May 7, 2015

The Father to the fatherless

That is who HE is.

Comfort. The word of the day is COMFORT. I’m not only comforted by this truth, but TOT is comforted. How do I know? Psalm 68:5 “Father of the fatherless and protector of widows is God in his holy habitation.”

Psalm 10: 14 “to you the helpless commits himself; you have been the helper of the fatherless…..17 O Lord, you hear the desire of the afflicted; you will strengthen their heart; you will incline your ear to do justice to the fatherless and the oppressed.”

Knowing that Tatum may face fear in her life…or persecution…or struggle, I am comforted that she is to be covered with God’s protection. And….so are the 150 million orphans around the world. Step up. Do something.

I love you Tatum. Thank you Father God for being her Father and loving her beyond what any human

can comprehend. Your future is bright my darling.

April 3, 2015

It is good. Very good.

Good? Friday. No, there is no question after that word. It is good. Very good.

I was just reading a post (Put it to Rest) I wrote last year, and I was reminded of how death can be such a beautiful thing. It has no sting if it is recognized as a chance for a new beginning.

1 Cor 15: 55-57: “Death is swallowed up in victory.”; O death, where is your victory?; O death, where is your sting?” The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

That “sting” can be the part you put to rest and say, “NO MORE!!!” The rest (double entendre here..) is victory. What I put to rest, that is victorious because I can say goodbye to something and know that it will be redeemed for GOOD. What is leftover, the rest, is God’s beautiful redemption. A new creation. The rest may rest, but is redeemed.

Is your head spinning?

Yes, I overthink it, but truly, this is all about LETTING GO (sssssssubmitting) of whatever you want to control or HAVE and say, “I can no longer make all the balls in the air dance. I want to let them fall and know that you have them dancing without my hands in the way.”

Here is my list of the balls I have in the air. Let HIM make them dance.

Tatum (her future)

Dating and what the future holds for a cohesive family

My friendships

My career (whatever that may look like)

My finances

My health.

There’s probably more, but that is enough balls for one post.

I give them to you Jesus. I have no fear because you just took it ALL on the cross for me. YOU did it FOR ME. Your yolk is so heavy and mine can be so light. All I can do is all I can do.

Thank you for these three days to ponder the depth, breadth, height and weight of your love for me, Father. That you would give your son, YOU in a bod, up, knowing that we will be reunited with YOU through HIM.

October 1, 2014October 1, 2014

O’s and staying power

Cheerios have a great purpose. They keep Tatum focused through the sermon, and she really does listen! Those little O’s should be marketed as a cereal with staying power. Plus, they fit on her little fingers.

Really, an abundant life is illustrated by a simple Cheerio.

First, they are round. Round things just feel good to hold;

there are no sharp edges and they are complete. Our lives can be complete if we let them. Why is it so hard to just be OK with the “not there yet” mentality. That circle does not seem to close in our lives because of something not quite right at the moment. Yet, Paul points out that God said, ““My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” (2 Cor 12:9). Sure, it can sound cliche, but honestly, we need grace. Why? Because we will ALWAYS feel incomplete; even when we THINK we have it all together. That circle only closes when we throw up our arms and just say DONE…I’m done trying to make everything so perfect!

Second, they are easy to clean up.

You can spill Cheerios everywhere, but a few sweeps, and poof! All clean. No fuss no muss.

I know when I mess up, I can make it messier than it was in the first place. Usually because of an unforgiving spirit, unmet expectations, or just plain selfishness. How hard is it to take a broom and just sweep it clean? “The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.” Ps 103:8 He sweeps things away pretty fast if we are repentant. We need to do the same (for ourselves too!) Life is messy! Why? Because we are messed up people relating to other messed up people. I must look in the mirror first and get cleaned up with some simple sweeps from Jesus. He will clean me up. (Then I pray for others)

Finally, Cheerios are not too sweet; they are just right. The Bible even warns about too much of a good thing: “If you have found honey, eat only enough for you, lest you have your fill of it and vomit it.” (Prov 25:6)

This analogy convinces me that as I progress in this life as Tatum’s mommy and in my own endeavors, it’s easy to get imbalanced in one area. Being or having “too much” of anything is not healthy. Listening to the Holy Spirit prompt me when I have anxiety gives me a glimpse into my imbalanced moments. Being reflective I often find when my focus is on Jesus, my anxiety wanes. (and my “Cheerio: becomes complete).

The way Tatum adores her babies is how Jesus feels about US. She is jubilant to see them, she embraces them with tenderness, and she helps them feel secure.

Who knew that a little O could illustrate the staying power that we all need in this life.

Now, I think I’ll go have a handful (unsweetened original of course!) 🙂

September 30, 2014October 1, 2014

The Siblings

Tossing the green squeaky alligator, Tatum feels victorious with Coti catching it and running to get it.

Coti only seems to drop it for Tatum. With everyone else, it’s keep away. Lucky girl!

September 17, 2014September 19, 2014

Rain rain don’t go away

“Stay with me as I run around and get all wet.”

Remember those days when you did not care if your hair got soaking wet?

Today, Tatum could not get enough of the teardrops from the sky watering down on her little head. We had to wait outside of a friend’s office, and while we did, I allowed her to “escape” the awning and experience the beauty of the rain.
When we got home, as we walked Coti, there it was. A RAINBOW! Coincidentally, we were reading a board book about Noah’s Ark yesterday, and now she could put the picture to the real thing. I also had the opportunity to explain that this was a visual of God’s Promise to us to never flood the earth (and more importantly that HE KEEPS ALL OF HIS PROMISES!) That secures her knowing that HE LOVES HER no matter what and FOREVER. We can stand on that truth!

September 16, 2014September 17, 2014

The Heart and Soul

“Yesus…Yesus??” These words came out of Tatum’s mouth today as she requested two of her Jesus books during her “nap time.” Wow. How can I help her fall in love with Jesus? Show His love to her and be the Jesus she’s getting to know. Be kind, graceful, gentle, patient, loyal, trustworthy, yet, courageous and strong.

When she sees Jesus, she sees the Father. Her Father. My Father. He will never leave her nor forsake her. He will be the true North of her life as he is mine.

September 7, 2014September 7, 2014

The anchor for the soul…and the answer

The number one question I have had as a mom is, how do I get my child to mind me and listen? Example: If we are sitting in church and she is fussing and whining, how can I get her to sit quietly until the music is over? Answer? I can’t. She has to make that choice. Sure, I can hold her down and let her squirm and scream, but what does that get us? More squirming and more screaming. (for Tatum, me, and the rest of the surrounding world)

“Because I said so,” are those four letters which get overused by parental units, and I don’t want to go there every time I’m stuck for why she must ______. It may sound crazy, but Jesus should be the reason. Not to get all preachy and bibley, but the love I have for Jesus makes me mind my P’s and Q’s. It also is the reason I do what I do every day. From our thoughts and our beliefs flow our actions. If my belief is that Jesus sacrificed and died for me and loves me enough to take on all of my follies, foibles, and falls, then my love for him knows no bounds. Why would I want to live a life that is displeasing to him? Why would I want to be selfish, or prideful, or rude, or impatient? He put others ahead of Himself and loved others with compassion and mercy. In fact, HOPE in Jesus is “the anchor for the soul,” as Pastor Terry preached.

Therefore, this is what I tell Tatum when I pull her out of the service or the place where she is not being so lovely: “You know, honey, Jesus loves you so very much. We need to show him respect AND the people around us respect by being polite and quiet. The ________ (teacher, pastor…) is speaking, and our focus should be on him. Your time to play will come after it is over.”

If this can be something that sinks in for her, she will have internal motivation to do what is right in the right setting (even when I am not with her). I never want her to do what is right because I said so or because she is afraid she will get in trouble (although this is very effective). Obviously if she is running into traffic, I’m not going to stop and tell her this bit of advice; I’ll definitely enforce the “because I said so” until she understands what is dangerous for her own safety sake.

She soon will learn that Jesus will carry her burdens and lighten her load. All in time…all in time with much prayer and of course with my beliefs modeled to her. (I cannot force it and don’t want to)

Hope. Hope in Him…The anchor for our souls.