Psalm 20: 7, a screw up and a mission statement. Busy Sunday, huh?

In church today our sermon was from Psalm 20.  Our youth pastor gave the message and I love it when he does because he is a very good preacher, and also, the kids all listen when he preaches.  He told about how this psalm was a prayer for victory in battle, that it was a prayer for King David as he struggled and for God to help.  A focus on verse 7 was notable to me because one year, I gave this verse to Jeremiah as his birthday verse for the year.  I haven't done that for a long time.  I think I will start doing it again in 2017....finding a verse to gift to whose birthday is next.  Verse 7 says:  Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.   It's a really good verse.

Some trust in chariots and some in horses.  Maybe it refers to their material things.  Maybe it refers to their means of travel, of where they are going.  Some trust in their own plan for their life, there own power to move forward......but I do declare again, as I have before, that we, in this house.....we trust in the name of the Lord our God.  We trust that He is Lord.  He is Sovereign.  He is in charge, not us.  We move forward as a family under the lordship of Jesus Christ, wherever that takes us. 

I am trying to have relevant conversations with my children as often as I can.  Yesterday I missed one.  I was trying to pack away Christmas decorations and feeling frustrated because I could not find a box the right size for our nativity with the crèche/stable thingy.  It sat on the kitchen table most of the day while I sorted through other chaos.  At one point, little Josiah said, " mom, tell me the story again of Jesus in the manger".  Christmas was 2 weeks ago.  He has forgotten.  My heart burned sweetly, like a marshmallow on a bonfire, at the thought that he wanted to hear this story in this moment as he fingered the different pieces of the nativity....and then, just like in a real bonfire, the burnt marshmallow fell off the stick into the fire....and I said, "hey!  find that Charlie brown book!  In the back of that book is the story of baby Jesus!"   and I walked off.  I really did.  I totally blew it.  He said, "what?  we have a Charlie brown book?"  and we do, it wasn't a lie....but it was a classic distraction. 

Now tonight I am sitting here feeling guilty because: 1.  I have to find that book.  2.  I have to sit with him and read that story and tell all the parts of it.  Tonight.  Because he asked.  Because I have been corrected by the Lord in the middle of my Sabboth rest.  In this family, we journey together.  Mistakes and all.

Recently Claire asked me if I had a life mission statement.  I said I didn't really.  I have a life verse and from that I could probably declare a life mission statement....so I brainstormed some versions if it.  Put others first.  It's not about me.......Care for the widow, the orphan and the least........and today as I listened to Psalm 20 and worshipped Jesus in my home church, I think God revealed something that can be called a mission statement.  At least for now.  Here it is. 

Serve the King. 

Pretty simple, but also packs a really mean punch in my daily life.  Serve the King means go where He sends me, live as He calls me to live, serve His people, feed His sheep......and care for these people in my family.  Serving them.....serves the King.  I pray He can help me stop yelling at the kids when they have screamed "MOM!" every 10 seconds of every day.  I pray He can help me enjoy them awake as much as I enjoy them asleep (insert a nudge to my friend Andrea who asked me "why did we want to be moms so bad but we just try to survive until they are sleeping so we can relax?") 

Serve the King. 

I'm moving into 2017 with fresh words from God Almighty......Serve the King.