Chains of Bondage

Today my sweet boy turns 7.

And yesterday I wondered for a few moments if he'd see the age of 7.

We were at a touristy store on the side of the highway in New Mexico, stretching our legs and using the bathrooms. My little man was in the bathroom by himself. I hovered nearby as the rest of the family looked at merchandise on the other side of the store.

I turned at a strange sound - it sounded like chains rattling. Sure enough it was! A convict in an orange jumpsuit, hands and feet bound by chains, followed by an armed guard was headed toward the men's room. Because the guard was a woman, she simply waited outside the bathroom door as this man headed into the bathroom where he would be alone with my son.

My heart did a few flips. In a brief moment, I considered several options. Run the length of the store and get Josh so he could join the two in the bathroom and protect his son? Tell the guard to get in there and make sure my little man was okay? Storm the restroom and forcibly remove my son? What to do?

Ultimately, I did nothing. I continued my quiet wait by the store shelves, trusting the only One who could actually protect my son from harm - God. A couple of minutes later, my son emerged unscathed from the restroom and I calmly ushered him to a quiet part of the store. When I asked if he had noticed the man in orange, he replied that he had. Thankfully he is so innocent that he had no idea of the reason for the man's chains and consequently no fear. He simply said, "I thought I heard chains, Mom. That's how I knew it wasn't Zack coming to get me."

A short time later, we returned to the van and continued on down the road. As I reflected on the scene inside the store, I felt the Holy Spirit gently nudge my heart.

Sin is sin. Really, in God's eyes, I was no better than that man. I could have been paraded around in an orange jumpsuit and chains, needing an armed guard to protect the public from my heinous acts. The only thing that has changed me from that person is the grace of God freely offered through Jesus Christ.

I began to quietly pray, thanking God for his saving work in my life.

And then it hit me. Who has prayed for this man?

Perhaps no one has ever cared enough to pray for his life. Perhaps no one has pleaded to God to do a remarkable and supernatural saving work in this man. THAT was something I could take action on! As the mile markers flew by on the side of the road, I spent the miles pleading for a man who only minutes ago had caused my heart to skip in fear.

And fear turned to peace and joy. Begging for my son's physical safety changed to pleading for a stranger's eternal life.

Looking past the physical chains to see the spiritual bondage was the only way for me to remember my own chains and the freedom I enjoy in Christ.

So today as I celebrate the life of my son, I will also continue to beg for the life of this man. For his life is as precious as my son's, and his crime is no different than mine.

Soul Comfort

We arrived home this afternoon from a wonderful week away. And while the vacation part was great, the odd schedule resulted in some whiny children. Our car ride home was quite an ordeal with a fussy baby who refused to nap or eat and who spent the latter part of the trip unhappily filling his diaper.

As soon as we got home I rushed him into the house and upstairs to change him. As he shivered and cried I talked gently to him trying to help him realize that we were HOME. I grabbed a blanket from his crib (we always turn the heat down when leaving for extended trips) and rocked him gently in our favorite chair. Almost immediately he calmed. He wrapped his chubby arms around me and laid his head on my shoulder. The whimpers and shivers ceased and his body relaxed.

We sat in the chair, rocking and cuddling, and I thought of what a difference the comfort of home can make. A specific chair, familiar sights, the safety of Mom's arms.

It brought to mind these verses from Psalm 27:4-5. One thing have I asked of the LORD, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to inquire in his temple. For he will hide me in his shelter in the day of trouble; he will conceal me under the cover of his tent; he will lift me high upon a rock.

Doesn't this just give such a picture of comfort and joy? David's one desire was to be at home in the Lord's house. For him it provided shelter, safety, and encouragement. It was his familiar place.

Just as the familiarity of a favorite rocking chair and the four walls of our bedroom calmed my young son, time in the presence of the Lord ought to do the same for us. After a long, hard day moments spent in the Word will refresh and renew us. Quiet times of prayer will center our focus on the One who can calm our hearts and provide perspective. Placing ourselves in the lap of the Father wraps us in comfort and reminds us that we do not have to carry all the cares of this world. Someone else has offered to do that for us.

Jesus said, "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." (Matthew 11:28-30)

Friend, lay down your burden. Give it up to the One who has offered to carry it. Rest, and take joy in His presence.

Mezuzah: A reminder of my calling

Josh returned from his trip to Israel a few days ago and one of the souveniers he brought home is a Mezuzah. A Mezuzah is a small wooden box that is placed on the doorframe of your home. Inside it contains a small piece of parchment on which are written the verses from Deuteronomy 6:4-9 and 11:13-21. It is to be a reminder to you each time you enter your home.

We have not yet placed our Mezuzah on the doorframe but I am thrilled that we will soon have this reminder of my favorite verses displayed prominently in our home. This small section of Scripture from Deuteronomy 6 has become my set of life verses for this intense mothering stage of life.


ESV Deuteronomy 6:4-9 "Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.


Just before this in chapter 5 God had given the Israelites the ten commandments. And then he said these words.

I love the sequence here.

First, God tells us what he expects. Then he reminds us of who he is. Next he tells us how to live as he expects. And lastly, he reminds us of why this is important.

In living out our faith and parenting our children, every single step of this sequence is necessary.

1. God's expectations. God gives us the 10 commandments. Which by the way, were not written because he's a scrooge, but for our benefit. Think about it ... a requirement to rest? Umm, yeah. That's a pretty good thing. Children told to obey and honor their parents? I'm happy I can remind my kids of that! Do not murder, do not steal, do not commit adultery? God is showing us what to avoid in order to keep ourselves from a world of hurt.

So many times I have heard people say that the 10 commandments are God's rules, but that because we sin we can never really expect to live up to them. Carolyn Mahaney says, "For whenever God gives a command, He also provides the grace to obey it." The issue of obedience, then, really comes down to a choice of our will. It's not a matter of if we can obey, but of whether we will choose to obey. There is always a choice to obey or disobey. And God's Word tells us that he will always provide a way out of temptation (I Corinthians 10:13). But although God will always provide a way out, it's up to us to take it.

For many years, it has been helpful to me to think of God's commands as guardrails in my life. On the road you will often see guardrails set up to keep cars from careening into a ditch or off a cliff. Or sometimes they serve to keep us from traffic moving the other direction. As drivers, we don't look at these guardrails and think of them as a nuisance or a hindrance to our driving fun. Rather we recognize that they were put there for our safety and our benefit. It is the same with God's commands. They are not a hindrance to our growth and spiritual health. Rather they protect us from the dangers of sin. They can remind us to swerve away from things that would head us in the wrong direction. They can even save us from death!


2. God tells us who he is. Okay, so the 10 commandments are for our benefit, but they are also for God's. He is the Creator. He made us. I made a cake last week. How would it be if that cake could talk and tell me exactly when I could eat it, how much I could eat, which utensils to use, and what to put alongside it? A poor comparison, but still we are the created ones. We were intentionally designed, and as such, the One who created us really does have the right to call the shots. God is God. I am not. He deserves all the glory for, control of, and honor from our lives.


3. God tells us how to live according to his rules. How is this accomplished? It is taught to children from infancy. This really goes hand in hand with the verse from Proverbs 22:6. "Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it." These verses in Deuteronomy 6 give us the "how to". They tell us exactly what to do as parents to ensure that our children will grow up to be godly men and women. So, what do we do? We include our faith in every facet of life. We talk about God and godly living at all opportunities. We set up reminders for ourselves and our children of God's standards, sacrifice, forgiveness, and love. Easy, right? Not by a long shot. Even just recognizing the teachable moments can be difficult. Actually setting aside our adult agenda to seize those moments is doubly as hard. And yet, this is what parents are called to. Not a great paying job to provide the latest gadgets; not well-rounded, activity exhausted children; not even the most rigorous education. We are to be teaching our children about the one true God at every opportunity!

4. God tells us why. Verses 10-12 continue in this way:

"And when the LORD your God brings you into the land that he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give you- with great and good cities that you did not build, and houses full of all good things that you did not fill, and cisterns that you did not dig, and vineyards and olive trees that you did not plant- and when you eat and are full, then take care lest you forget the LORD, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery."

Did you catch it? We are to do these things, lest we "forget the LORD". The church has been crying out about the mass exodus of teens and young adults within the Christian Church in recent years. These yount people have forgotten the Lord. And sure, there are plenty of reasons why that is, but I have to wonder if maybe the main reason is because the parents (in general) haven't been diligent in teaching their children as Deuteronomy 6 instructs.

There's one other reason embedded in these verses of why we are to live this way. We are to teach our children because God has saved us. Sometimes we say this so glibbly. So let me shout it: GOD HAS SAVED US!!! This is huge! This is the biggest thing! The one amazing fact that we should never tire of shouting from the rooftops! God has saved us! In these verses, it refers specifically to Egypt, but wouldn't you agree that God has also saved us (you and me) from slavery to sin? Jesus' incredible sacrifice on the cross should so alter our lives that it's the one thing we tell our children about again and again. It should be the thing we speak of with the most passion, the most fervency, the most awe. It should be the one thing we are teaching our children day in and day out so that they and we won't forget. The why of these verses is so astonishingly amazing, that it should drive us to speak of it in every conversation.


Are you catching on? Are you starting to see the importance of these verses? Really reflecting on these verses over the past several years has transformed my view of and approach to parenting. It prioritizes our activities, our education, our desires as a family. It is the challenge I need on those days when I just want to hide in the closet. It is the encouragement I long for when looking at the daunting task ahead of me as I raise my children. And it is the reminder of the great saving work that God has done in my own life.

It is my calling as a mother.

In the Master's Footprints

My husband is wrapping up his dream vacation.

Several months ago I asked him where he would most like to travel. I told him to dream as big as he wanted - since it was just a dreaming sort of question. No cost too high, no mileage too far, no obstacles in the way.

His answer came in a heartbeat: Israel.

Hmm. Not my first choice. Sure, there are many things I'd like to see there, but there are also many other places I'd love to visit first.

But tonight, as I reflected on the excitement and joy in his voice as he described over the phone the adventures he's having, I began to understand the difference in our desires.

I'm in a season when mothering permeates every teeny tiny aspect of life. So, if you ask me what I like to cook it will be simple, healthy, hearty foods. Because that's what I make for my family. If you ask what my favorite things are you'd hear answers like sleep, baby laughter, a few moments of peace, watching understanding dawn on a child's face, completed chores.

It stands to reason, then, that when presented with the question of a dream vacation, my mothering instincts will come into play. Israel is not the safest place. I would not EVER desire to take my young children there for a vacation. I wouldn't want both parents to go there without children in case we didn't come back for some reason. It's across an ocean. Etc., etc., etc.

Sure, I've had my twinges of longing to be with my husband experiencing the wonderous things he is enjoying. I would love to take a boat ride on the Sea of Galilee. I would find it fascinating to see a real first century tomb complete with a rolling stone. And oh, the incredible mixture of sorrow and joy when standing at Calvary!

But my mother heart wouldn't do it. I am tied here for now. Someday, I'll hopefully travel again, but not now. Not to places of unrest. And not for two weeks without my children.

Josh's heart is in a different place though. While he speaks of his longing to see his family once again, I still hear the thrill in his voice as he shares about his trip. For him, the trip is not about leaving home and going somewhere else. The trip is about understanding his Master more fully.

Josh derives joy from being where Jesus was. From experiencing a few of the same things as his Lord - even if it's just weather, sights, and smells. He is like a servant who loves his master so much that he cannot help but be amazed to walk a step behind, placing his feet in the same prints left by the master's sandals.

My husband's perspective is right. He does not need to visit Israel to prove to himself that Jesus is real, or to truly believe the Bible. But because of his dedication and love for the Son of God he cannot help but desire to go where he was, see the land that is beloved of our Lord, and gain a richer, fuller, deeper understanding of the Word.

Oh, that my heart would be in that same place! Because even here at home, I can thrill to walk a step behind my Master and serve Him however He enables. That goal will not hinder my mothering heart in the least.

Little Bites of Deliciousness!

A friend passed on this simple recipe a few years ago and we've been enjoying it ever since. I'm not really sure what to call these - we usually name them something like "oatmeal energy balls". But they are delicious!!

2 Cups Oats
1/2 Cup Honey
3/4 Cup Peanut Butter

Add whatever else you'd like. We usually add chocolate chips, although cheerios, raisins, nuts, butterscotch chips, or really anything small would be awesome in them.

Mix all ingredients together and then roll into balls.

**Note: When rolling, it will really help if your hands are damp. Otherwise the mixture will be incredibly sticky.

Refrigerate until ready to eat so they can firm up a bit. Enjoy!