Sabotaging Happiness

Have you ever thought about how kids sabotage their own happiness? If you're a parent, you probably know what I'm talking about. My kids -- especially my twins -- have a habit of throwing their blankets, pillows, stuffed animals, pacifiers, anything that gives them comfort when they're supposed to sleep out of reach and then crying because they don't have it. Give them a nice book to read, they'll rip it up. Give them a bucket of toys, they'll throw them around the room. Their natural bent is toward destruction, and it usually lands them in a state of misery.

Aren't we a little like that, when we really think about it? How many times do we take a great gift that God gives us and throw it away with both hands? How many times do we refuse to accept the help that will get us out of a bad predicament? Just as our children don't think ahead to the future, we tend to forget the consequences of our actions.

What is it we tell our children? Listen to me, because I've been there. I know. What you're doing now, you will later regret. If only we could take the words of our heavenly father to heart, we might be free from our own sabotage.

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year?

Back to School. We've all seen those commercials with the parents dancing down the aisles as they buy their kids school supplies. I've never really identified with that sentiment, to tell the truth. I happen to like my kids, and I like to be with them.

Sure, there are the obvious benefits -- a little more quiet time, not to mention the fact that my kids are going stir-crazy to get back. But on the other hand, I miss them. And there's that nerve-wracking first day, bringing your kids into that sea of hyper children, straining to hear their names called and putting them into the hands of a stranger.

All in all, I'm okay with it, though. I know that beyond all the worries and missing them, God has them well in hand. That's all I need to know.

Messy Hands

We have a three-times daily ritual in our house. It's called wiping the twins up after eating. First, you get a wet cloth. Then, while using one hand to fend off the other grabbing baby hand and a biting baby mouth, we wipe down the first hand. Next, while holding the clean hand in a firm grip, we hastily wipe down the high chair tray so the clean hand stays clean. Repeat with the other hand, then the face, where the biting hazard increases significantly. If necessary, we do the hair, ears, neck and upper arms, too, and sometimes the legs as well. More often than not, this is done while the baby is wailing and gnashing her teeth. Then we get to do it all with the other baby.

The point is, this whole exercise reminds me of what God has to go through with us. We get our hands messy -- sometimes more than our hands -- playing around at life. We throw stuff all over God's nice world, too. But instead of meekly letting Him clean up our mess, we fight, kick, grab, bite, and scream at him. Sometimes we try to grab the cloth and do it ourselves. But when it's all said and done, if we really want to get clean, we have to let Him wash us. The great thing about God is He will wait until we're ready for Him.

Untangling the Slinky

Having kids brings to light a whole host of life lessons. Take for example the classic Slinky. My daughter has a nice, rainbow coloured plastic slinky that she brings to me about once every five minutes to untangle. Sometimes, it's a matter of a quick manoeuvre to get it straight. Sometimes, it looks so daunting I'm tempted to throw in the towel. Sometimes Caiti waits patiently for me to untangle it. Sometimes she wants to get her little hands in there and get in my way. Usually she takes it, goes away, and does the exact same thing with it that got it tangled in the first place.

Isn't that so much like life? If we try to fix our own problems, they usually end up more tangled than before. When we bring our problems to God and try to "help" Him fix them, we prevent Him from doing His best in our lives. And then we take this straightened out, fixed up life and do the same thing that messed it up in the first place, starting again from square one. The point is, God could get frustrated and just throw the whole thing out, or let us play with a tangled Slinky. But He doesn't. When we ask, he lovingly straightens us out again -- with the admonishment to be careful not to tangle it up again.

Walking through the valley

How did we ever get the idea life was supposed to be easy all the time? And yet, I always find myself whining when things get tough, or inconvenient, or just plain boring. Who said every day is going to be a mountaintop experience? There are days when we have to go down and walk through the valleys of life.

When I read C. S. Lewis' work The Screwtape Letters, I took away (among many things) the idea of the "Law of Undulation". Basically, in life we go through ups and downs. When we're up, we think we'll always be up and that we did it ourselves. When we're down, we think we'll never get out of this slump, and that nothing can help us.

We need to get used to this wave-like motion of life. There will be ups and there will be downs. The constant in all of this is God. If we're having a good time, remember to give Him the glory. If we're having a bad time, reach out to Him and trust that He will guide us through.

How do you worship?

What comes to your mind when you hear the word "worship"? You're probably thinking of some ritualistic ceremony, or maybe closer to home, like a worship service at church. These are expressions of worship, certainly, but not everything it is.

The dictionary defines worship as "reverent honor and homage paid to God or a sacred personage, or to any object regarded as sacred". That encompasses more than a few words or songs once a week.

Jesus said in the bible that we would worship God in "spirit and in truth". That doesn't necessarily mean what we do on the outside. It's more about the attitude of our hearts.

The way I look at it, every moment can be an opportunity to worship. Are you doing the dishes or changing a diaper? Worship! Are you waiting in a line or sitting in traffic? Worship! Are you in the shower or lying awake at night? Well, you get the idea -- worship! God deserves the best we have to offer Him -- let's give him our heart-worship.

Inheritance

This is a poem I wrote a few years ago about the impact that our ancestors have on us -- not just the genetic stamp they pass on, but also the marks they leave on our spiritual journey without ever knowing us.

James' colour and Mary's skin
Through three generations have come to me
James' eyes and Ann's fine hair
Passed down before I came to be
Gordon's stature and Katie's shape
Move in a great genetic dance
Alec's smile and Susan's hands
This is my inheritance

Christopher's faithfulness, Rachel's love
Survived throughout a century
Meg's perserverance and George's hope
My ancestors: alive in me
Samuel's vision and Margaret's heart
Not left to fate or happenchance
Jennie's courage and William's faith
This is my inheritance

So I hope this encourages all of you to look into the things your family may have passed on to you. Some of you might have had a pretty negative family experience -- but you might be surprised what you can find in your history. The other thing to remember is that no matter what kind of legacy your family has passed to each other, it is possible to break the cycle of hurt at your generation and start a new family tree.

Soli Deo Gloria

So, I've been using this blog sporadically for promo and whatnot. But I've been musing on the idea of using this for more than just book stuff. I'm always brewing with deep thoughts about life, faith, family and just about anything else. It makes sense to write them down, and maybe someone will benefit. Here's hoping someone reads this! So keep an eye out and I'll try to write something every day about something that might apply to life or might be a little entertaining and hopefully deep.

The most important thing as far as I'm concerned is to dedicate this blog, like everything else in my life, to God. It is for His purposes -- as Bach used to sign his work "Soli Deo Gloria" -- To God alone be the glory. So, Father, use this avenue for your glory. Use my hands, my thoughts, and my words to speak to the hearts of people everywhere. Amen.