Even when you think they aren't, they're listening...

I've not been the best version of myself lately. I've been grumpy with no particular reason to be. I've snapped at my kids and just been plain ole yuk! Last night I was feeling a little better and Collins and I were playing on the floor. He was being particularly endearing and chatty, laying flat on his back on the kitchen floor. I couldn't help but kiss and smooch his face. He's just so yummy. As we were laying on the floor face to face I said, "Collins, where did you get such beautiful eyes?" He quickly replied, "from Jesus and he lives in my heart." My eyes welled up with tears and my heart melted. "Who told you that?" I said.  "Daddy," he recanted. David was standing above us and confirmed that he had, in fact, told Collins a few nights ago. 

Isn't it just like God to drop that pearl of joy right when my attitude was yucky and I didn't feel particularly close to Him? As a parent I often wonder "are the boys listening? Do they know what/who we live for? Do they know to love others? Are they getting IT?" It can be discouraging to pour into children with thoughts like these. This simple, yet precious conversation with my almost 4 year old {sigh} reminded me that they are listening. They do see us and notice our moods and how we respond to stress and he bedtime stories and snuggles and fun. 

Here's to you, oh discouraged parent. Keep the good fight! Be encouraged that your children notice and listen, even when it doesn't seem so, and in due time it will bubble up in overflow. 

The Highlight Reel

Have you ever looked at someone and thought, "gah, they have it all together..."? I sure have. It's very easy to do when we scroll Facebook or only see someone casually at church. I watched a show tonight about a woman who had lost 156 pounds. She exercised, changed her diet and maintained a high level of accountability with her trainers. After she lost the weight the show rewarded her with a skin removal surgery. The whole one hour show was very inspiring, which spanned 365 days of this woman's weight loss journey, however, in the interview at the end the woman shared some interesting thoughts. She said, "lots of people are saying how great I look and they feel inspired, but it was the hardest thing I've ever done. I'm in therapy to help me change the way I think about food and my family has been rocked to the core with all the changes." I'm sure there is more that the woman chose not to disclose in the interview. She seemed to have experienced true pain as a result of her goals and dreams. It's easy to see someone walk across a stage at graduation or get a new job or lose weight and think they are lucky or have it all together, but what you haven't seen are the late nights studying, the endless job applications or the day to day sacrifices to lose the weight. It takes time, effort and dedication to achieve these things. One of my favorite quotes is by Theodore Roosevelt and says, "comparison is the thief of joy." 

One of my favorite preachers, Steven Furtick, says, "the reason we struggle with insecurity is because we compare our behind the scenes with everyone else's highlight reel." 1 Samuel 16:7 says, "God doesn't look at things like humans do. People judge by what's on the outside, but God looks at the heart."  In the Christan Barnett translation it says don't look at someone else's Facebook feed for what their life is like, call them up, have a conversation- that's what God does! Only through relationship can we understand one another's journey and glean from it and that's not done through social media, but through quality time with one another. 

 I'm challenged by my own thoughts to engage in real relationship. Skip the chit chat next time and I dare you to ask some real questions of your friend, roommate or spouse. Get to know them. Ask them what they thought of a recent book they read or what God is teaching them. For it's through relationship with others that we are changed and, in turn, can point others to Christ. 

Waiting for hope to appear

This morning I was sitting with this view reading in Lamentations. I have forgotten how much I love this book of the Bible. The author of Lamentations officially remains nameless to my understanding, but many believe it was Jeremiah. In Hebrew Lamentations means "how". I've often asked God, "how did this happen?" Or "why am I going through this?" You may have asked this same question, as a result of yours or someone else's sin or poor decision. 

Lamentations 3:25-36 MSG reads-

"God proves to be good to the man who passionately waits, 

To the woman who diligently seeks. 

It's a good thing to quietly hope, quietly hope for help from God. 

It's a good thing when you're young to stick it out through hard times. 

When life is heavy and hard to take, go off by yourself. Enter the silence. 

Bow in prayer. Don't ask questions: wait for hope to appear. Don't run from trouble. 

Take it full-face. The "worst" is never the worst. 

Why? Because the Master won't ever walk out and fail to return. 

If he works severely, he also works tenderly. His stockpiles of loyal love are immense. 

He takes no pleasure in making life hard, in throwing roadblocks in the way."

Maybe you have messed something up lately or maybe a relationship you have isn't working. Perhaps you feel God is far away or absent altogether. Maybe you're waiting for a God-given promise. There is  hope. I love what this passage says about entering the silence when we are seeking God for something. I know my default can be to phone a friend to gab about the situation before I talk to God about it. 

Nevertheless, take some advice from the "lamenting" book and go off by yourself. Pray about it, and whatever you do- don't ever stop waiting for hope to appear.