Month: June 2023

I have three children.  (I probably have mentioned that in previous posts.  I talk about them a lot! 😊)  I love my children with my whole heart.  I think they are greatest kids ever.  I think they are the smartest, most talented and most interesting kids on earth.  I think they are the best at all that they do.  And I think they are spectacular in every way. 

Now you may say, “Come on now, your kids can’t be all that.”  But I would disagree.  You may say, “No one is perfect.” And I would say, “But my kids come close!”  You may contend that I am delusional and not seeing reality.  And I would challenge you to explain what the reality is that you want me to see.

Do you think that I should only see my children’s shortcomings?  They have them.  Should I only look at their mistakes?  They’ve made plenty of those.  Should I remember our arguments or hurtful words spoken?  Should I focus on the times they broke my heart?  Is that the reality I’m supposed to see when I look at my kids?  I say, “NO thank you!”

The reality is that a mother’s love for her kids is a strong cord that binds them to her heart.  That love covers shortcomings and supports strengths.  That love sees more but is willing to see less.  That love rejoices in victories and weeps in adversities.  That love forgives and forgets.  A mother’s love will always fight for her children.  (By the way, the same can be said for a father’s love, but since I’m a mother, I can only speak from that perspective.)

I say all this, not because my children are so much better than any other children, but because they are MY children.  I see them through a mother’s eyes of love.  I see the best in them, and I look past their faults.  I root for them in every endeavor and I am always on their side.  I recognize that they are not perfect, that they make mistakes and sometimes make bad choices, but those things don’t linger in my mind.  I am always anticipating success for them in everything that they do.  And I am thrilled for every victory they achieve.  To be clear, I don’t turn a blind eye to any offenses, nor do I pretend that they have no misconducts.  It is understood that reproof and correction are as necessary a part of love as forgiving and forgetting. 

I do not claim to be any kind of special mom.  I am well aware of my shortcomings and if I think too much about my performance as a mother, I feel completely inadequate.  But I love my kids.  And I try to do the best I can for them.  And even though they are now grown adults with families of their own, I want to be there for them, whenever I can. 

And all of this got me thinking…

We became God’s children when we got born again.  That makes God our Father.  The Bible is explicit about this being our relationship with Him.  Time and time again, God tells us that He loves us.  And if I, being a finite human mom with all my frailties, can love my children as much as I do; how much BIGGER is our Heavenly Father’s love for us??  Our Father, God who is perfect, eternal and omnipotent loves us with an everlasting unfathomable love.  As strong as my love is for my kids (and grandkids), it a grain of sand on the whole coast of Florida compared to God’s love for us. 

It is interesting to note, that it is because of God’s great love for me that I can love my family the way that I do.  It is because He loved me so much, that I can walk in love.  It is how God treats me that teaches me how to treat others.  It is the way He looks at me that shows me the way I should look at others.  And it is the way He cares for me that enables me to care for others.  Recognizing God’s great love for us is key to helping us love others.

The Bible instructs us to be followers of God as dear children.  (Ephesians 5:1)  The Greek word for ‘followers’ means ‘imitators’.  We are to imitate God.  And one of the most important things that we can imitate is His love.  The instruction to be an imitator of God is not given to only mothers and fathers.  All of God’s children are to be imitators of their Heavenly Father.  And all of us can imitate His love by loving our physical family as well as our spiritual family.

Now to bring this full circle…

When I look at my children (and grandchildren) and my heart swells with love for them, I am reminded that God must look at me in the same way – only much bigger!  When I look past my children’s shortcomings, I remember that God looks past mine.  When I see my children hurting and my heart aches to help them, I think how much God’s heart aches to help me.  In other words, the love that I feel helps me recognize and appreciate God’s love for me.  It helps me to understand and accept how much and why God loves me. 

The greatest act of love that we can do for anyone is to give them God’s Word.  Think about it…  God’s Word gives people the information they need in order to get born again.  And getting born again gives them ETERNAL LIFE.  What could be more loving than offering someone eternal life? God’s Word also gives us instructions for living a more abundant life and helps us develop a true vital relationship with Him NOW. With God’s love we have everything to gain and nothing to lose!

So, the next time you look at your loved ones and feel all that love you have for them, remind yourself that as strong as that love feels, it is no match for the unlimited love that God has for you (and them).  God’s love is a living reality.  And when you think about how GREAT God’s love is, remember that you can be an imitator that love.  And the circle will be complete. 

Note to my readers:  We can’t go wrong when we are imitating God!  Thanks for reading!!  ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

Life can be hectic.  Merriam Webster defines hectic as, “characterized by activity, excitement or confusion.”  The dictionary further lists agitated, frenzied, overactive and overwrought as some of its synonyms.

It seems like those synonyms describe my life at times.  I say things like, “I have too much on my plate right now”, or “I don’t have enough time to get everything done.”  Sound familiar?  It can be frustrating because most of us like peace and quiet!  But it certainly seems that there are times when life can move too fast for us to be able to stop.  If you are like me, you might feel like you are just too busy to even slow down.

When I get overwhelmed, I may yearn for the “good old days”.  But what are the good old days, really?  We might find that the “good” in those old days is simply a matter of perspective.  Are we yearning to be a kid again?  Of course, life was simpler when we were children; we didn’t have as much responsibility.  But who wants to go through growing up all over again?  Are we yearning to go back in time?  We might find those by-gone days were hectic in their own way, contrary to our romantic notions. 

My parent’s and grandparent’s lives were very different than mine.  They were affected by not only the great depression, but also WWI and WWII.  My grandfather lost his home in the depression when my mom was a little girl.  My great uncle was killed in the war.  I’m sure that those situations weren’t easy.  Those times must have been extremely hectic, and very difficult. 

How many times have we heard our parents say that things were very different (implying better) when they were young?   How many times have we said (and meant) the same thing?  Our parent’s lives may have been simpler, but they weren’t necessarily easier.  They did much more manual labor because they had fewer modern conveniences.  They worked hard for what they had, and they took great care of their belongings because replacing them could be problematic – they had no credit cards!  Even in their simplicity, those years could be hectic.  But just like any other time period, there were good times too.  My mom often told stories of taking her nickel and going to the movies on Saturday.  There were lots of family outings, and a love for the out-of-doors and life’s simple pleasures.

My generation saw many changes to my parent’s lifestyle.  We were inundated with modern conveniences, we didn’t always need to work hard for our money, things became disposable, and debt became acceptable.  With those changes, one could imagine that life would be less hectic, but it is not.  Yet our lifestyle is also conducive for entertainment and recreation. 

I see the upcoming generation as working even less, spending even more, and caring little for traditional values.  I see that generation being even more hectic because they are losing an appreciation for the simple things of life and demanding constant stimuli.  I wonder what simple pleasures they will enjoy.  Will it all be electronic??

Our minds are designed to blot out bad memories and hold on to good ones.  Perhaps, that’s why each generation remembers their time as better than that of the current generation.  I know that my parents and grandparents worried much about my generation – the advent of rock music was very distressing to them.  They were concerned that the changes our generation was experiencing would be our undoing.  But we thought their concerns were totally unfounded!  We loved our music and the modernization of our culture.  We fancied ourselves as pioneers and forerunners.  We thought we could fix all the wrongs of the world. 

But I bet every generation throughout history thought the same thing.  Considering that, for my grandparent’s generation, the Civil War was recent history, they must have felt an urgent need to make the world a better place.  My parent’s generation saw the beginning of radio, movies, phones and TVs. I’m sure they felt that they were changing the world in every way. 

My generation has seen radio broadcasts become online streaming.  Our TVs went from outlandish boxes with a small black and white picture to giant flat-screens with 4-K resolution that is clearer and brighter than our eyes’ own sight.  I can remember my grandmother’s party-line phone plugged into the wall as I walk around doing a FaceTime video on my cell.  How far will we go?

There is no question that life is different for each generation, but that doesn’t necessarily mean better or worse – just different.  Our parents worried about us with all the changes they saw, and we are concerned for our kids and grandkids with all the changes we see coming.  But we must remember that there is no new thing under the sun (Ecclesiastes 1:9).  Each generation has or had its good points and bad.  It is up to us to learn from the past generations and incorporate as much as possible of their good into our present generation, then relay as much of that as we can to the next generation. 

I think it is safe to say, that generally life is and always has been hectic.  Since we cannot change the time in which we live, we need not yearn for the past, nor worry for the future.  We can have peace when we are born again because God gave it to us.  It is the goodness of God that led us to repentance, and it is His grace that keeps us going.  When our lives are particularly hectic, and we feel like we can’t slow down, God can still help and guide us.  He can help us put on the brakes and provide us with serenity.  And even though it might seem counterintuitive at the moment, when we stop and take time to pray, hectic becomes manageable.  No matter how hectic our lives may get, we can always take a minute pray.  And that minute might surprise us by how marvelous the things are that God will do for us!

Note to my readers:  Many thanks for taking time out of your hectic schedule to read my blog.  It blesses more than you can know.  Love you!