Heavenly Daddy

Many years ago as a youth group leader, I made a comment. It wasn't even something I planned to say. It just came out. I had been hanging around teenagers enough to understand the relationship (or lack of) between parents and teens a bit better. A lot of them have pretty good relationships with their parents....up until they hit puberty or a bit after. Then the teen starts to put some distance between himself/herself and the parents. Sometimes the parents are not ready to give them the freedom they think they deserve. (Think rewards without the responsibilities!) Mostly, rightfully so, but it was difficult to get teens to see that.

One night I made the comment that the Bible talks about God being our "Heavenly Father". Sometimes, especially if you don't have the greatest relationship with your earthly dad that reference can be a barrier of someone getting to know God better.

Afterwards, one of the girls came up and said she was glad I had said that as that is how she felt. She didn't have a good relationship with her dad. I didn't know that when I said it. I'm almost positive now that I'm older that she is not the only one that had a bad relationship or no dad in the picture.

I have realized that we carry a bit of our parents around with us. Both the good and the bad. The bad can be a bit more difficult to let go. Things our parents said to us when we were younger can rumble around in our head and pop up when we're dealing with a similar situation with our own children. If we're not careful, some of that comes out even though we swore to ourselves we'd never do/say that with our kids.

As a kid, it is hard to understand that our parents don't know everything. We expect them to. We are born right in the middle of their income earning years. They may be dealing with us and their own parents. They may not have had the best relationship with their own parents. As a teen, it is hard to realize that in most cases, our parents are trying to do the best they can with what they know....or learn along the way.

Bad dads is not a new concept. There are even bad fathers IN the Bible. There was a man that messed up even before he became a father (Adam). There was a father that played favorites (Jacob with Joseph). There was a man who became a father by messing around with another man's wife and sending that man purposely into war to be killed (David). The Bible is a genealogy of fathers, of Kings, and Kings that were fathers. Some were good, not all were.

If we can bring ourselves to get past the issues with our human fathers, God gives us the opportunity to be adopted into His family with a perfect Father. For some, it may be quite a stretch to get to that point. I just submit to you to be willing to open your heart a little. I'm not promising it will be easy or perfect. I am promising it is worth getting to know a Heavenly Daddy that has been waiting for you with open arms.

Psalm 68:5 (NIV) A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling.

Psalm 103:8-19 (NIV)
The Lord is compassionate and gracious,
    slow to anger, abounding in love.
⁹ He will not always accuse,
    nor will he harbor his anger forever;
¹⁰ he does not treat us as our sins deserve
    or repay us according to our iniquities.
¹¹ For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
    so great is his love for those who fear him;
¹² as far as the east is from the west,
    so far has he removed our transgressions from us.

¹³ As a father has compassion on his children,
    so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him;
¹⁴ for he knows how we are formed,
    he remembers that we are dust.
¹⁵ The life of mortals is like grass,
    they flourish like a flower of the field;
¹⁶ the wind blows over it and it is gone,
    and its place remembers it no more.
¹⁷ But from everlasting to everlasting
    the Lord’s love is with those who fear him,
    and his righteousness with their children’s children—
¹⁸ with those who keep his covenant
    and remember to obey his precepts.

¹⁹ The Lord has established his throne in heaven,
    and his kingdom rules over all.

Isaiah 9:6 (NIV)

 For to us a child is born,
    to us a son is given,
    and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
    Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
    Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Isaiah 64:8 (NIV)
 Yet you, Lord, are our Father.
    We are the clay, you are the potter;
    we are all the work of your hand.

Matthew 7:11 (NIV) If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!

Romans 8:14-17 (NIV) For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. 15 The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” 16 The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. 17 Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.

Ephesians 1:17 (NIV) I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better.   

Ephesians 6:4 (NIV) Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.

James 1:17 Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.

The Battle(s)

Quite honestly, the battle gear seems a bit dinged lately.  When the battle is in your own head and spirit, it is easy to become battle worn and weary. Sometimes the battle just seems to follow us around...nipping at our heels...waiting for us to feel frustrated enough to let that armor slip and uncensored words fly out of our mouths. Of course, that is IF we even remembered to put on armor. Here lies a piece of the dilemma. It is not difficult to see that the battles in this world are coming closer together. Often it feels like there is no relief. Just one battle. After another. After another.

No wonder we are weary! Where is your battle gear? Is it in your closet or at your church with the thought process of better to have it and not need it? Have you fallen into the trap of keeping that armor looking spiffy and shiny? If we do that, we can continue to pretend that WE fight all the battles we face. Alone.

Battling
Alone
Takes
Time and
Lots of
Effort


Time to remember that we do not need to fight alone or armor-less. God promises to provide HIS armor so that we CAN stand when things get wearisome. Part of the battle is recognizing the enemy and identifying the battles worth fighting.

Personally, lately I've neglected a few of the key items in the arsenal. I looked up the verses to remind myself...and you...  Read it through. What pieces are you missing?

Ephesians 6:10-18 (NIV) The Armor of God
10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.

Take Time (THANKS mom and dad)

Tonight I was reminded that I have known some people for 40+ years and I still learn interesting tidbits about their life.....when I take time to listen....and ask....and talk.

Tonight my dad went with me to a funeral home for a visitation for my cousin. He didn't have to go with me...or wait the extra hour it took for me to finish up some stuff before we went.  He doesn't HAVE to do a lot of things.  But he does.  For me, my family now, my family growing up and a lot of other people.  He and my mom have done a lot of "behind the scenes" work over the years. They have taught us well to help and volunteer whenever possible - even when it is inconvenient or time consuming or not noticed by most people.

Tonight we had at least 1/2 hour each way to drive (with him riding...usually he ALWAYS drives!) and talk. We got talking about Alaska and his time in the service. I thought he had been there only months. He was there 3 years. He was there when he got a call his mom had died. He went back there afterward.  That all happened in his life before marriage and kids.

Sometimes we forget our parents had lives before us. Sometimes our kids forget we had lives before they came into the picture. 

Driving home seeing the reflectors on the side of the road reminded me of the times my mom would come over in the dark early AM to watch our son when he was little.  That time back at work went much easier knowing I had somebody I loved and trusted taking care of him if I couldn't be there.

Now that I've helped with my brother and sis-in-law's triplets (nephews and niece) I realize how much I missed. BUT now I get to take time with them and make new memories too.

I guess I just needed a reminder that I need to take time now to spend time with those I love. Honestly, is reality TV better than the people in your reality? (OK, maybe sometimes....at least you don't have to live with those people!) Everybody has a story. Take time to listen.

Ephesians 6:1 (NIV) Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. 2 “Honor your father and mother”—which is the first commandment with a promise— 3 “so that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.”

Luke 2:45-46 (NIV) 45 When they did not find him, they went back to Jerusalem to look for him. 46 After three days they found him in the temple courts, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions.

Dinged Up and Firey Darts

AAAARRRRRWWWWW!  Ok, now that the screaming is out of the way.....it's an internal scream....it is late at night/early in the AM and I have sleeping family members I don't want to scare!

This thought has been on my mind a lot lately.  There is SO much going on in the world right now.  Maybe there has always been a lot going on, but with almost instant access to any and every possible newsworthy (and some NOT so newsworthy) event it seems there is always something happening somewhere.

In my own little world things stay busy.  I've been trying to do better at not filling all the squares on my calendar with something I have to or choose to do.  Some days/weeks are better than others.  I'm trying to get back to scheduling at least one day my "catch up" day so I don't start to feel so overwhelmed.  However, there's a saying that we plan, God laughs.

Frequently that happens, at least the planning part.  On the days I actually make it to do a list of what should get done that day, someone will end up sick and change the direction of the day.  Or I get a call from school.  Or, or, or.  You get the picture.  I recently talked to my husband that the more we try to get closer to God the more the devil tries to get in the way.

Sometimes though, I get so busy with the doing that God uses (even if it was intended for bad) whatever He can to get my attention.  About a month ago, it was a car accident. That thing where insurance says a lot of accidents happen within 10 miles from home, yeah.  I didn't even get all the way out of my driveway.  I was in a hurry.  Thought I'd get stuck at the end of my driveway.  Looked before the tree, but not after.  I'm still not really sure how it all worked out.  However, another driver's car was damaged.  My back end passenger side got dinged up pretty good.

A part of me wants to fix the worst part of the van, but leave some sort of reminder of the dinging up.  More than likely, the main reason I had any issue is that I was in a hurry.  The car is just a physical version of the dinging up I do to myself and have watched others do to themselves mentally and spiritually.


The Bible refers to the armor of God in Ephesians 6 (below).  Honestly, I feel like my armor is getting dinged up, especially my shield and my helmet.  However, the dings remind me of the reason I need the armor in  the first place.  Darts fly frequently and we live in a world with a lot going on.

The Armor of God
Ephesians 6:10-18 (NIV) Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.  Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.  Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.

Just Right....Parenting

^{Proverbs 22:6} Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it.

In the story The Three Bears, Goldilocks finds porridge, chairs and beds....too hot, too cold, too big, too soft, too hard....or just right.

Oh, life would be SO much easier if we could skip the too _____ (fill in the blank) and just stay just right! That would work in fantasy land, but in real life?  Not so much. How boring life would be if we were that predictable! ha.  Life is messy. However, we muddle through and we get to our next "just right".

Parenting is hard work...and it is never really over.  I've heard parenting referred to as being pecked to death...by ducks.  We get the highs....but there are a lot of lows.  Times we pray we would have made a better decision on how to handle something as a parent.  Times we pray our kid(s) would make a better choice, but they didn't.

We may grow up and move on, but there is a part of us...small as it may be...that still longs for the love, attention and even approval of our parents.  As we grow up and become parents ourselves, hopefully, we develop a greater appreciation for our parents and their assistance through some of the times we could have made better/different choices while growing up.

For better or worse does not just apply to marriage vows.  For better or worse, we learned to parent from our own parents.  We may have sworn we would do things differently, but I'm guessing there have been times when you've heard your mom or dad's words.....come out of your mouth.  Some parents are too hard.  Some are too soft.  Finding a balance of just right in parenting is harder than it sounds.

My 3 lessons from the 3 bears:

1. Goldilocks entered the bears' house uninvited. I'm finding that as our kids become teenagers that we as parents can feel uninvited....but it is worth it to stick it out and get an invitation into their lives as they learn to move on with their own lives.  Being available when they are ready to talk and have us listen...not come up with all the answers, just listen...helps them be willing to invite us into the next issue they deal with.

2. Goldilocks tried each of the bear's things....porridge, chairs and beds.  As parents, we need to assist our kids along the way as they try new things and find out if they are just right for them.  This may not be the same just right we had as a kid....or even now.  Bear family or human family what works for one might not work for another.

3. The bears return home to find missing porridge, broken chairs and Goldilocks sleeping in baby bear's bed.  They went out as a family, they came back as a family and dealt with the issues before them.  As a family, there will always be some unexpected thing we weren't counting on. We learn from it and keep moving on.

Praying that we can find a balance and reach just right as parents.  Never perfect, always learning.  Putting our kids in the arms of the ultimate parent.  Realizing we sometimes still need parents too.

Ephesians 6:1-3 ¹ Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. ² “Honor your father and mother”—which is the first commandment with a promise— ³ “so that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.”

What about those 3 days?

Tonight, my mind is wandering about what happened those three days Jesus was dead and in the grave. It seems at Easter time we go from Friday and his death to Easter Sunday and his resurrection. I'm thinking we're overlooking a major reason Jesus was here. He came to beat sin AND death. His blood covered the sin of the world. His resurrection beat death, but how unless Jesus was still fighting for us those 3 days?

I know in the Apostles Creed it states: "He descended into hell" I have done some searching to find biblical references to this.

Matthew 12:40 (NIV) For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.

So is the "heart of the earth" just the tomb? Or is it where all of us deserve to go because of our sin...where Jesus went to battle for our right to eternal life with God in Heaven?

1 Peter 3:18-22 (NIV) 18 For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit, 19 through whom also he went and preached to the spirits in prison 20 who disobeyed long ago when God waited patiently in the days of Noah while the ark was being built. In it only a few people, eight in all, were saved through water, 21 and this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also—not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a good conscience toward God. It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ, 22 who has gone into heaven and is at God's right hand—with angels, authorities and powers in submission to him.

Ephesians 6 speaks of our spiritual armor and that our fight is against the devil's schemes and our struggle is with the spiritual forces of evil. Jesus fought against those powers and won!

Hebrews 2:14-18 (NIV) 14 Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil— 15 and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death. 16 For surely it is not angels he helps, but Abraham's descendants. 17 For this reason he had to be made like his brothers in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people. 18 Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.

When I have read about Gethsemane, I kind of assumed that Jesus asked for "the cup" to be taken away if possible because of the cross and the physical pain of being crucified. Maybe it was more because of the spiritual battle that would ensue after his physical death. He knew he would have to fight this battle while feeling forsaken by God, but on that 3rd day? He knew he was not forsaken.

Some really good info here: http://www.reformed.org/documents/index.html?mainframe=http://www.reformed.org/documents/apostles_creed.html and http://www.apostle.org/lectures/inthegrv.htm

For now, I'm going to think on these things with the anticipation of realizing that Jesus has suffered more and took on more than I have ever imagined. And He did it for me, for us.......

Pray anyway......

I have had this thought lately that I read about prayer, talk about prayer, even write about prayer....but when it comes right down to it....I don't actually pray a lot. Oh sure, little sentence prayers as something comes up or I say someone will be in my prayers, but a REAL conversation like I'd have with a friend? It's been awhile.

I have come to the conclusion that I'm afraid that if I have a REAL conversation I'm going to find out things about myself that I really don't want to deal with. I've already come across these feelings when I read the Bible and there will be a verse or section that I really need to hear at that particular time. How many times has God been trying to get my attention for me to spend some time talking to him about my problems instead of talking about my problems? Then there is always the fear that I'll get what I ask for, what I think I want, and I'll find out it is not what I thought it would be.

So, I'm doing some research. Being afraid to talk to God is nothing new. It's mentioned in

Genesis 3:9-10 (New International Version)
9 But the LORD God called to the man, "Where are you?"
10 He answered, "I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid."

Daniel was afraid when his prayers were answered by an angel. I like the rest of this verse...set your mind to gain understanding and humble yourself. Maybe that's the part I need to work on!

Daniel 10:12 (NIV)
12 Then he continued, "Do not be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day that you set your mind to gain understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to them.
From my favorite spiritual armor verses:
Ephesians 6:18 (NIV)
And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.

God loves me so what am I afraid of? Anything He shows me will end up being for my own good. So, no matter what starts to get in the way, I'm going to pray anyway!

Some resources I found:

ACTS, Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication (praying for others) some good info here http://www.crmin.org/prayerguide/acts_acrostic.htm

The 5 finger prayer http://biblestudyplanet.com/studies/s/s34.aspx (looks like some other cool info at this site too)

http://www.allaboutprayer.org/