Do we fight social justice issues as Christians? Beginning thoughts

So, I really don't have much time today. In fact I am on borrowed time already, I really SHOULD be my dishes, but instead I am taking advantage of the baby sleeping and the kids playing to write this.  And we will see how long little one sleeps....

Anyways, I have been thinking through thistopic the last few days.  I have been on a kick of social justice issues, and I feel alive with that.  But then someone private messaged me saying that they would expect me to be writing more about trusting God etc.

So, I have been thinking through all.  And I am in no way an expert on these things. But my thoughts bubble to the surface and here they are.

First and foremost I am a Christian.  And thank goodness for that.  It is the very air I breathe.  Life without Christ is no life at all..  The realization that  thankfully this life is not all there.  What a wonderful hope when we will have no more tears, no more pain.  My beautiful son will be able to put his arms around me, walk around, speak to me.  Although he "speaks" to me in a special way now, and so sweetly.

Thankfully we have eternal hope as Christians.  That is my sweetest comfort at the most of challenging of times, such as when I realize that my son will not have a normal life expectancy.

But....., I don't think that means that we can't fight for justice.

The Bible says, "I have fought the good fight......".  This life was never meant to be a vacation in Hawaii.  (Although I am more than ready for one, if anyone wants to send us I won't say no.  ;))

But the point is, we have to be willing to get up everyday and go to battle.  Sometimes that means doing the dishes AGAIN (ahem....), or cleaning the house AGAIN, or correcting our children again in a loving tone and not being impatient (ahemmm....errrr, I think I needed this self talk).  This is a battle.  But it is not a battle in which we wonder if we will be conquerors or not.  It is already conquered.  Thank goodness.  But that doesn't mean we don't have to do anything.  Scripture says that the Lord gave us talents, some 10, some 5, some 2, some 1, and all He really cares about is that we INVEST them some way or another.  Thankfully He is full of grace, and we are not saved by our works.

There was a time after the message from my friend that I really felt like I messed up pretty badly.  I felt like I offended people, I felt like after I was so cautious for so long in what I said in one moment of emotion and lack of sleep and frustration I undid everything.  And there is the beauty of the gospel.  When I mess up, guess who loves and forgives me.  Guess who picks me up and tells me to keep going.  The Bible says, "If we confess our sins he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to purify us from all unrighteousness."   He is so good.

So, I believe that out of love for my fellow man (which as a simple reminder is the second greatest commandment), I need to fight some social justice issues.  No, I can't do it better than Jesus, but it is a way for me to love.  And if I see the terror and the trauma of abortion and say nothing than maybe I will be held accountable? .  Where is that Scripture (must ask hubby) that if the watchman on the wall sees danger coming and says nothing the watchman is guilty, but if the watchman sees danger coming and says something the watchman is innocent.  No, I am not saved by this, clarifying again.  But I have a responsibility.

Maybe my opinion will be wrong sometimes.  My opinion is not always the Lords because I am human and I  am searching everyday to know His heart.  When I hurt others I grieve, when I misrepresent His name I grieve.  But I must dust myself off and keep going.  Because I run this race for Him.

And when my walk is not so dramatic as fighting the battle of abortion and social injustice, may my little battle of loving my neighbor, loving my friends, loving my church family, loving my family, loving my husband, loving my children, keeping control over my house, and making home a place where hopefully and prayerfully (please Lord), my family wants to be and return to..., ., may this battle, perhaps the most difficult and hidden, be one the Lord is honored in.

Discipleship

Luke 14:25-28

"If you want to be my disciple, you must hate everyone else by comparison-, your father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters-, yes, even your own life.  Otherwise, you cannot be my disciple.  And if you do not carry your own cross and follow me, you cannot be my disciple.    But don't begin until you count the cost.  For who would begin construction of a building without first calculating the cost to see if there is enough money to finish it?"

Lord Jesus, what an incredibly powerful verse.  

And here is an article on discipleship.  

http://heartofwisdom.com/blog/discipleship-and-the-hebraic-worldview/

Feeling different as a special needs mom

It is time.

Time to experience some of the emotions of being a special needs family.

They are not all bad, but they are there.

Like the times when you listen to those whose main concern in life is to look smart, intelligent, and be admired for those things.  And you remember the days that that meant to so much to you, and you realize with a deep understanding, that some of the most precious, beautiful, deeply profound moments have been brought to you by one that the world would not consider smart or intelligent.  And yet, this little one has taught you much more than those brilliant, smart people ever will.  Perhaps they touched your mind, but this one has touched your heart and your spirit.

The times you feel sadness when people do not choose to see the beauty in your special needs child.  Who choose to look away in ignorance or fear that something "bad"  like your child may happen to them.  Those are the times you must choose to overlook the pain in your heart and forgive, realizing that they have just given up seeing all that is beautiful and precious.  You must remember the times that you did this yourself to others before you had a special needs child yourself.  And you must forgive yourself and be grateful you were given a second chance to love in such a special way

The times when you stand in a room, and you don't know how to make small talk any more.  You are used to speaking of deep things, things that talk of life and death.  Things that talk of  love, cherishing the moment, making every moment count, grieving the sorrow and suffering, hoping for the beautiful time and place where there will be no more of that and yet dreading it with all your heart.

The time when you don't know the right questions to ask anymore.  You look at someone who is in despair over a cold that will be gone in a week, who says that they are suffering and you are silenced.  The point when you are not angry or thankfully the concept of it not being fair has not crossed your mind, but you are confused, not sure how to respond, not sure how to empathize, not sure how to feel the same sorrow over something that in your mind would be a blessed relief to deal with, rather than surgery, the right pain med, how to prevent seizures, etc.

The time you realize you are different and changed on the inside compared to who you used to be.  The exhaustion, the challenges have changed you.  And you are somehow grateful for it.  Grateful for the privilege of caring for these little ones.

Then there are times you realize and grieve for yourself.  You realize that your body deals with more stress than any normal person.  You realize that if you do not take care of yourself you will die younger, you will age quicker.  You don't know who to share with. No one understands your fears and your joys, your griefs. And than you are grateful for the everlasting Father of this universe who cups you in His Hands and who truly understands and who is always there.

You grieve for your other children.  You grieve that they will not have a normal childhood.  That they don't get as much attention or they have to deal with a mom who is more tired  But you are grateful that they will have a depth of compassion others will not  You pray it changes them for good.

You grieve for your husband.  He has a wife who is tired, who needs more help, who is not as young and vibrant as she used to be.  And you are grateful for faithful, compassionate supportive husbands.

No, I am different.  I always will be.  This will have changed me forever.  It will have changed my family forever.  But I have the choice of how to respond as always.  I have the choice to fight and be bitter, or to trust the Lord and let this change be for the better.

Right now, in the middle of my exhaustion and my emotion, I am choosing, choosing to trust.  Choosing to believe that beauty truly comes from ashes, that the Lord can cause all things to work together for the good of those who love Him.  I have seen glimpses of it.  I have seen glimpses of the good that He is doing in the midst of the everyday.  I am grateful.  And when fear grips me, or there are times I do not want to trust, I will surrender it all to His hands.  He will allow me to fall apart, He will allow those emotions to be there, He will listen, and then He will be there as he strengthens me to get up and get going again.  He will be my anchor, the lifter of my head.

Poem- Do the Next Thing

A poem quoted by Elisabeth ElliotDo The Next Thing

"At an old English parsonage down by the sea,
there came in the twilight a message to me.
Its quaint Saxon legend deeply engraven
that, as it seems to me, teaching from heaven.
And all through the hours the quiet words ring,
like a low inspiration, 'Do the next thing.'
Many a questioning, many a fear,
many a doubt hath its quieting here.
Moment by moment, let down from heaven,
time, opportunity, guidance are given.
Fear not tomorrow, child of the King,
trust that with Jesus, do the next thing.
Do it immediately, do it with prayer,
do it reliantly, casting all care.
Do it with reverence, tracing His hand,
who placed it before thee with earnest command.
Stayed on omnipotence, safe 'neath His wing,
leave all resultings, do the next thing.
Looking to Jesus, ever serener,
working or suffering be thy demeanor,
in His dear presence, the rest of His calm,
the light of His countenance, be thy psalm.
Do the next thing."

March 15, 2013

Christ is building His kingdom with earth's broken things.  Men want only the strong, the successful, the victorious, the unbroken, in building their kingdoms; but God is the God of the unsuccessful, of those who have failed.  Heaven is filling with earths broken lives, and there is no bruised reed that Christ cannot take and restore to glorious blessedness and beauty.  He can take the life crushed by pain and sorrow and make it into a harp whose music shall all be praise.  He can lift earths saddest failure up to heavens glory.  

J.R. Miller "Streams in the Desert"

Follow Me and I will make you....

Make you speak My words with power

Make you channels of My mercy

Make you helpful every hour

Follow Me and I will make you

Make you what you cannot be

Make you loving, trustful, godly

Make you even like to Me.

From Scotty Smiths blog Heavenward on Feb. 1

From Scotty Smiths blog Heavenward on Feb. 1

"It’s a source of incredible peace and freedom to know that you’ve ordained all of our days for us. That doesn’t feel like mechanical fatalism, rather Fatherly affection. I’ll not live one day more or one day less than you decree, by your sovereign purposes and eternal pleasure.
There’s a part of me that would like to turn the clock back for a possible “do-over,” especially for certain stretches of my life. But then again, not really. Your name is Redeemer, and you’re the God who restores years eaten away by locusts. I choose to rest in your love rather than stew in my regrets. I have great confidence and hope in your commitment to make all things new.
Continue to rescue me from my small and wrong thoughts about you. Keep showing me how little I really see and understand about the greatness of your love for us in Jesus. That won’t embarrass me; it will thrill and free me. May the gospel keep on getting bigger and bigger and bigger.
Indeed, may each additional day, week, month, or year you appoint for me in this world be filled with a greater grasp of the only love which will never let go of us—the only love that is enough, the only love that is better than life, itself. By your Spirit, Father, continue to reveal to me how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ—the only love that surpasses knowledge (Eph. 3:18-19). Everything else will take care of itself. So very Amen I pray, in Jesus’ matchless and merciful name."

Yes, my Father, and help me to remember this.  Thank you so much for the fact that there can be an eternal view.  And how I need that.

Tonight as my body aches, and I cannot seem to relax, I ask you to take my swirling mind and focus it on You.  Let me my mind relax Father, realizing the beauty of who You are, and Your amazing love.  I can rest in this, and this alone.  Thank You, that I am loved by You.  Thank You, that because of Your grace and Jesus I am accepted. 

Josiah Updates

I haven't updated people for awhile on Josiah.

Well, some big news is he now has nursing care, and it has been a big help.  He was amazingly approved for 40-48 hours a week and so there have been two nurses who are coming to help during the day.  It has been a big help so I can do other things with Hannah and Elijah, housework and the other thousand little things I have to do.

Of course, it is a little different having people in your house all the time, but overall I am really grateful for the help because things were becoming very overwhelming with his care.

He is still being fed through a g-tube and his vision is very poor, the pediatrician thinks he is legally blind even though his eyes sometimes work.  We think the problem with his vision is more on the side of the brain rather than the eyes.  This condition is called CVI (Cortical Visual Impairment).  Here is a link to the explanation for those who are interested.  :)  http://www.aph.org/cvi/define.html

About a month ago Josiah started to throw up very badly.  For a while it was after every single feeding, and sometimes not only once, but multiple times after each feeding.  He has started to do better, sometimes he can hold down his feedings, but sometimes he can't.  Often he struggles with holding down his medication.  This causes a lot of struggles because he needs his medication to be seizure free and comfortable.  If he doesn't get his medication he is often in pain.

We are trying to figure out what to do about his reflux.  Some medication seem to help, but none help totally.  He has been approved for a fundoplication, but I don't know if his reflux is severe enough for that.  Different doctors have different opinions.  So, we would appreciate for wisdom.

I hope you all have a really wonderful weekend. Take care my friends.