The Overly Creative Mind

Just a short story to share an experience yesterday. Have you ever met somebody that always has to elaborate on everything?? They always outdo themselves?? My son is one of these people. He has to get it from his dad. Yesterday I asked him to take my cellphone and put it on the table. So he took the phone and I just forgot about it. Later when I went to look for my phone, upon remembering that I'd given it to my son, I went to the table. Alas, there it was. On the table. In a vase of water. But it WAS on the table. He just elaborated a bit. Obviously it would be much safer in a vase of water.

A Lesson from Children

Learning from Children

Laundry is folded, ironing is done, floors are mopped, rugs are vacuumed, homeschooling completed, exercise done, bathroom cleaned, children are bathed and in bed(with their teeth brushed), and the dishes are...well, still in the sink(only tonight's). Whew! All in a days work. And now miraculously, I am updating my blog. If you're a mom and you're reading this; I hope I'm not making you feel like an under-achiever. It's been several months since I've updated my blog(but I promise it hasn't been that long since I cleaned the bathroom:). I will probably even have time to shower tonight. Now that's an accomplishment!!

In the life of a mom everyday is a grand adventure and everyday I am learning. As a new mom, 4 years ago, I had a different idea. When I first looked at the sweet newborn face of my son Zechariah, all of my thoughts evolved around the things I would teach him. This helpless creature in my arms needed to be taught so much. But in the months following I began to understand that this little person would teach me more in a day than I could teach him in a life-time. And the lessons that our little ones teach cannot be taught in a text book. The lessons learned with children are often to unlearn. Confusing, right? Let me explain. Our primary motivation in life, as humans, is my, me, mine,myself. Then here along comes a baby. He interrupts MY sleep, he takes much of MY time, he spits up on ME, I don't spend as much time with MY husband....you get the idea. All of our selfish notions start to be shaken up a bit. We start to understand at a greater level that our lives truly do not belong to us. We have to unlearn our selfishness. We have to learn patience, unconditional love, servanthood and it becomes a life long journey.

I never dreamed at 21 I would be a mommy. No, I had grand plans for myself. First I would finish my undergraduate degree. I would be so successful that I would receive a full scholarship to NYU to do my graduate program. Upon completing my graduate program, I would begin my successful career in Art and live in a loft apartment in NYC. Yes, I had it all mapped out. A life of luxury and success is certainly what I deserved. BUT GOD ran into me...or I ran into Him. Or maybe we were both running and collided?? I'm not sure. But somehow, He took ahold of my heart and showed me HIS plans. And they were so much BIGGER than mine. They were so much more exciting than mine. And you know what?? They didn't revolve around me.

Somehow, as children we are taught that we need to be successful, get married, have two kids, own a nice car, buy a house, put a picket fence around it, get a golden retriever, and retire. Between waitressing, and working several customer service jobs I came to the realization that many of the folks who live in the house with the white picket fence and the golden retriever aren't very happy. No, they don't seem happy at all. As a matter of fact, some of them are downright sour. You see, it's very unfulfilling to live a life for ourself. To spend a month working for a check so that we can have(fill in the blank). Often times our whole lives are lived so that we can acquire stuff. We work so that we can pay a mortgage, buy a car, buy clothes, buy our kids clothes, ect. BUT GOD created us for HIMSELF. He created us to fall in love with Him, to stay in love with Him, and to be so in love with Him that we spread the love to other people...like a disease. A love disease. Of course, there is nothing wrong with owning a home, having a car or clothes(actually please make sure you have some:). But where is our heart? Is it wrapped in our own selfish desires? Or is wrapped in the Love of God?

Everyday, I see a new area of selfishness in my heart. Oftentimes revealed by situations with our children(they really are good at that). So everyday is an opportunity to let go of our own desires and to take ahold of the heart of God. Remember, the adventures He will take us on are so much grander than the plans we make for ourselves. His plans are so much more fulfilling.

BUT GOD....who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ.....Ephesians 2:4

A Mommy

Today was a challenging day. If you're a mom you know exactly what I'm talking about. When I was expecting Zechariah(our first), I had such grand expectations of motherhood and NOBODY could tell me any different. I would have the sweetest, most obedient, smartest, most well trained child that ever lived. In fact it would be reading, pooping on the potty, dressing itself, and singing songs from the sound of music by the age of one. My husband was even convinced that our child would be so amazingly amazing that it wouldn't even cry, it would be a child full of peace. Isn't our concept of parenthood so "off" before we actually have a child of our own? It doesn't matter how many children you've been around, until you have one of your own you have NO idea. You have no concept of what an emotionally, mentally, and physically challenging job it is. Take the cue from pregnancy!! Nothing about children is easy and quite personally I think that God set it up that way. Yes, I said, I think that God set it up that way. You see, God wants us to depend on Him but because we are so stubborn and so independent(or self-dependent), for us to take the cue and realize we can't do it on our own He puts us in challenging situations. He stands at the door of every difficult situation and knocks. "My grace is sufficient for you," He says "Come to me and I will give you rest for your weary soul." We get so caught up in being a good mommy or being a good wife but we forget that we can't do it on our own. Our trying to be a good anything is a failure from the get go. to be continued...........

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NuCWfRoUmMQ&feature=player_embedded

The next to me place by Jason and Samuel Upton

Hey Jesus, are you still on the cross
or are you feeling better?
Hey Jesus, will you come play with me?
I'm ready and willing.

Won't you come down, down, down, down to the ground?
To the next to me place
with a smile on my face
and a song in my ear

Around
and around
and around
and around
and around we go

Hey Jesus, when I wave at you
do you wave back too?
Hey Jesus, when I'm feeling sad
do you feel sad too?

Hey Jesus, if we throw these books
do you think they will fly?
Hey Jesus, can I touch the moon?
Throw me into the sky

Into the sea
Into the sea
Around and around
Around and around
Around we go...

welcome to the next to me place

Ahem, so let me introduce myself.....wow where to begin. You see, I am a lover, and being a lover is a very complex thing. First and foremost I am a lover of life. My life is full of love,coffee, color crayons, kisses, and dirty diapers. I know, you weren't expecting that were you, that whole dirty diaper thing? But it's true. Among the beautiful things in all of our lives there are those things that maybe aren't quite as beautiful. But I am beginning to understand that it's the poopy diapers in life that beautify us, that teach us either to embrace life or to become bitter. So I'd like this blog to embrace life both the sunshiny days and the poopy diapers :) I decided to start it because I am continuously posting the funny things that my kids do on my facebook statuses and there is NEVER enough room. I want to create something for them that they will be able to look back at and enjoy, and also a place for me to release my feelings and thoughts. So why is it called the next to me place? I got the inspiration from a song of Jason Upton's, that his three-year-old son wrote. It's a child's description of the place that Jesus occupies in our lives. Do you remember when you were a kid, how you always saved the spot next to you in the cafeteria for your best friend? Only one special person could occupy that spot, could know your thoughts and dreams and deepest secrets. That's the next to me place. But wait, wasn't Jesus the King of Kings?? Of course it doesn't make sense that the greatest of Kings associates with the lowliest of subjects but that's the beauty of who He is. He loves to be in our next to me place, and He saved a spot for you so get your tray and sit down.