He is Greater when I am less because it has never really been about me....all to the glory of Jesus.
Take Heart....
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John 16:33New International Version (NIV)
33 “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” Take heart. I heard this whisper in my spirit this morning, as I was driving to work, admiring the white fields, covered with snow. I was thinking about the people I know who love winter and snow.....and conversely, the people who cannot stand winter and are miserable until it is over. I like winter. I like it when winter is over. Take heart. Take heart, my beloved, because this is a season and it will pass.....and when the season of winter is finished, springtime comes. The snow melts. The rains start in the Midwest. Little green buds pop out of the Earth and hang from tree branches, promising to bloom into leaves and flowers and plants.......take heart. He tells us, in John 16 that he tells us these things (he gives us the seasons that we can expect and predict and understand) so that we can have peace. This world has trouble. We have trouble. We get coughs and colds in winter. We slip on the ice. We sometimes have a blizzard with 2 snow days in the middle of the week and the children take over the house.....and make me crazy.....and then they don't sleep well.....and I'm exhausted, frustrated, anxious about the workload piling up, the laundry, the messy bedrooms, toys everywhere........oh wait. I digress. Take heart. Take heart my beloved, in this world we will have trouble but He.......He has overcome the world. All of it. Blizzards, rainy seasons, summer fun, autumn beauty.......One Man who was equally human and God......overcame THE WORLD. Take heart, my sweet people who are aching to grow your families through birth or adoption....I am praying for you. The road seems impassible and impossible.....but take heart. He has this. Take heart, my friends who are struggling with marriage, finances, contentment, pride vs. humility. You are not alone. Take heart. He has overcome the world. Next week is Valentine's Day with lots of hearts and love and sweetness.....I like this verse from John 16. Have peace. Take Heart. He's got this.
Yesterday we celebrated an epic day for our family. Isaac graduated from Dordt U in the morning with a buisness/construction management Bachelor's degree. His was the class that graduated in the pandemic and did not get a real senior year or graduation. We were pleased and surprised when he actually went to college buecause everything was so hard that year in 2020. He did all 4 years and got his diploma and we are so proud! Claire also walked the stage at Dordt U having finished her masters of social work degree....something neither Roger or I ever did. She works in Des Moines as a mental health professional and God uses her to heal and love the hurting and the lost. I'm so so proud of them both! Jeremiah took off work to attend the events, as did our extra Kredit son Uriel, who loves to join in all of our family holidays and special events. He and Jeremiah both did a year of college and then said it was enough and entere...
by definition, "resilient" means able to withstand or recover quickly from difficult conditions, able to recoil or spring back into shape after bending, stretching or being compressed. In my work with families of young children, we often talk about how resilient children are. They can withstand so much hardship and, if given the right kinds of attention and love and affection, they can recover and grow well. Tonight I wish to claim this word and ask that the Lord apply it especially to the senior high school class of 2020. Isaac is a senior. He doesn't really even know what he doesn't get to experience, but many of us do. Finishing your high school year as a group, as a unified body that shares their own culture of conversation, hopes, dreams, memories.....it just matters in a unique way. If they arrange class reunions (and I so hope they do) they will always remember that they did not get to finish together. They did not get to leave...
August 1 brings mixed feelings, doesn't it? Teachers feel sad knowing their break is over. Mothers of school-age children feel hopeful....knowing tearchers' break is almost over....and soon the kids will be back in their care and out of our hair. Wait. Did I just say that out loud? Yes. I did. I love my kids. I love to have them home. I also love when they go to school and I don't have to worry and wonder and plan and parent from 8am-3:30pm......and actually get my own work done. My grocery bill will cut in half and instead I will just write checks for hot lunch at school. August 1 brings one of my last grocery runs that filled my cart with chips. August is the last month that chips count for a vegetable. It is the last month of summer for us, but even though school doesn't start for a few weeks football does. August 1 brings football camp to our lives....and next week football practice for Isaac in high sc...
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