eyes.to.See - life.lessons.or.faith.lessons?

"For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; 

and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love.

For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from 

being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.  

But whoever does not have them is nearsighted and blind, 

forgetting that they have been cleansed from their past sins."

2 Peter 1:5-9

"For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory 

that far outweighs them all."

2 Corinthians 4:17

"By their fruit you will recognize them.  

Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?'

Matthew 7:16

Life.Lessons.or.Faith.Lessons?

One of the coolest things I've learned while writing this series has been how interconnected these topics truly are.  It has been such a wonderful insight for me to notice these connections, to isolate each lesson when we focus on one at a time, and to feel the Lord's hand moving through each of the lessons, connecting them all together.

I know that He works through all the small moments.  I trust that he gives all things for a purpose.  I know that if I can miss the opportunities; I can miss the chances to learn & lead.

I pray that I will be recognized by my sons for my fruit, and that it will be good fruit that they see.  I pray that my sons will be recognized by their good fruit as well.  I know that God works through all things, and I trust that he is pruning us & shaping us more into the image of Christ.

Lord, thank you for teaching me.  Thank you for showing up.  Thank you for the time in your Word, looking for your words to lead.  Thank you for the 31Days writing series.  You have blessed me in the writing.  Thank you for the time to write, and the courage to share it.  Thank you for my sons & for all the lesson you teach me.  Please continue to give me wisdom & patience to persevere when it seems that the lessons are not taking root & growing.  You are so good to us.  Amen.

Thank you for reading along with me.  I have enjoyed this journey most of anyone- teaching my sons these building block lessons can feel like being in an ocean tossed about by the waves, making no progress.  But I trust that the Lord is working; He is carrying us.  One day I hope to see how far he's brought us.  He guides our steps & makes our path straight.  Trust Him.  Trust that it is all in His hands & not yours.  All the effort & struggle is not in vain.  It is working together to produce in our lives, the fruit.  May the Lord bless you as you continue in your own journey.

"The Lord bless you and keep you.  The Lord make his face to shine upon you, and be gracious to you; The Lord lift up his countenance on you, and give you peace..."

Numbers 6:25

eyes.to.See - wisdom

"If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously without finding fault, 

and it will be given to you."

James 1:5

"He changes times and seasons; He deposes kings and raises up others.  He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the discerning."

Daniel 2:21

Wisdom.

I ask for wisdom in my prayers, mostly because parenting is hard.  It is hard to feel confident in your decisions, and it is hard because you are constantly bombarded with opportunities to get it wrong. (it feel that way to me)  Every time my child has a need, I can choose to meet that need or not.  I can meet that need begrudgingly, or graciously.  I can make them feel welcome & loved, or I can make them feel inferior & in my way.  I can get it wrong 8 ways and right 1 way.  I wish I could get it right all the time, and be a perfect mother, but I know that is impossible.  I'm not capable of getting it right always, but God is.

God is the giver of wisdom.  I know that when I approach each new situation, I can ask for His strength to have the proper perspective, to give what is needed, and to do so in love.

We pray for our sons at bedtime each night, and usually, we pray for wisdom, integrity, and strength.  Those specific qualities seem to come to the forefront when we think of what we desire for our sons to be as they grow.  Integrity is a difficult trait to uphold, mostly because of how much honestly it requires, as well as being above board where others would not be.  Not that many people in our society have real integrity, but we pray our sons would.  Strength can be found in many different forms.  Physical strength would be something valuable, again for many reasons, but even more than physical strength, emotional & spiritual & mental strength is valuable.

and lastly, WISDOM.  We pray for wisdom, because it is one of the best gifts you can receive.  Discernment, knowledge, & understanding are all so important, but in my own definition, they come with the package of wisdom.  Or rather, wisdom allows one to have discernment, knowledge, and understanding.  I do hope our boys are smart, but it is not as important as Godly Wisdom.

Lord, please give me wisdom in raising our sons.  Let my tongue be slow to speak & my ears be open to listen.  Give me compassion for my sons in their physical needs, and let me serve them in gladness.  Help me to teach them all these important lessons of childhood, and teach me over again Lord.  Give me wisdom to see the real important things in this life, and not be fooled into thinking that it's more important to clean my house than to care for my sons.  Lord help me not to sin in anger, but to love like you would love.  Forgive all my failures, and help me to see my sons with your eyes.  Show me what to do when it feels hard.  Lord, help me not feel defeated by the battles we wage, but to know the fight is worth it.  Amen.

eyes.to.See - practice

"Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house upon the rock."

Matthew 7:24 NIV

Practice.

Practice makes perfect? nope.  Practice makes progress? maybe.  Practice makes... ?

As we watch our oldest boy practice the fundamentals of baseball, as our younger sons watch his practice, we see him improve.  We see him get it right, and we see his make mistakes.  We watched him forget that he was running the bases & try to field the ball at this particular game pictured.  It was adorable to see him on second base, then to chase the ball out into the outfield.  precious.  That is why we signed up for t ball.

We can't learn if we don't practice.  We can't practice if we don't commit, sign up, show up, put forth some effort, listen to the instructions, or try.  Practice doesn't exist unless you actually do it.  You can learn some things by watching from the sidelines.  You can learn some of the rules; you can learn how the game works; you can listen to the coaches & their instructions.  But you won't actually play unless you step onto the field.

The lessons I am striving to teach my sons about our faith are something they will hear, they may obey, but if they don't practice, it will never take root & grow.  Practice is required.

Lord, thank you for being our guide, our coach.  Thank you for teaching us your ways; thank you for all the lessons.  Thank you that as we take them one at a time, we are building our faith.  Lord give us wisdom to walk in your ways.  Lord let us practice so that we may be like the wise man who built his house upon the rock.  Amen.