Leaning

She's a walking miracle - literally, a walking miracle.  My mom is "not supposed" to be alive, and yet, she grabs her walker and hustles around the house, fulfilling her therapy duty!  

It kinda concerned me at first.  She put all of her weight on that bolted-together piece of aluminum, just like it was steel.  

It seems to work, though.  She won't win the Indy 500, but she's sure trying. 

Seeing my mom "lean hard" on her walker has added new meaning to one of my favorite verses.  Proverbs 3:5 says to "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and LEAN not on your own understanding."  

Let me explain.  For instance, what would happen if somehow her walker was damaged?  What if someone took a baseball bat to one of the legs and bent it?  What would she do?  Do you think she would use the damaged piece of metal as she had before?  Do you think she would put all of her weight on it, trusting the broken piece wouldn't give way?  I don't think so.  It would be ridiculous for her to think that her walker - in the condition that it was in - would hold her weight.  

Who would do lean on something so faulty, expecting it to hold them up?  

The answer - ME!  

You see, because of the Fall of man in the Garden of Eden...because sin entered the world and the human race...our understanding is just like that damaged walker - frail and flawed.   And therefore, we can't be trusted to "lean" on it.  

Instead, we are told to "lean" on Him...to trust what Jesus has to say about a situation...to trust His leading in a decision, even when it seems crazy and irrational.

For instance, our human nature tells us that when we are hurt by someone, we should retaliate.  We should return evil for evil...right?  And yet, God tells us differently.  God's Word says that revenge is not ours.  It's His.  He tells us to trust that He will repay.  In other words, we have to "lean" NOT on our own understanding, but trust Him to do what He says He will do. 

Our humanity tells us that it's okay to respond whatever way we "feel" is appropriate.  Yet, Scripture tells us to not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of our minds (Rom, 12:1).  We can't act like unbelievers, basing our responses on how we feel at the moment.  We are to be transformed, not conformed. We have to trust Him that what He says actually works - leaning NOT on what we think we see, but what He really does see!  

Father thank You that you have not left us to navigate this world with our own understanding.  Thank You that Your Word provides every direction we need to do the right thing and bring You pleasure.  Thank You, Father.    

Remember to Tell Them

As parents, we talk to our kids about a lot of things:  the weather, school problems, table-manners, how NOT to eat disgusting things, nor hide their dirty clothes in their closets!  Yet, how long has it been since you've talked to your kids about Jesus? How long has it been since you've spoken to them about the glorious works of God in your life - past and present?  How long has it been since you shared a verse of Scripture to encourage them through some difficulty they are experiencing?

How long?

"But they don't want to hear it," you might say.  "They roll their eyes, and I feel like they are a million miles away when I bring it up."  So, instead of speaking, you choose to be silent and pray that God speaks to them.  All the while, He gave them YOU to be His mouthpiece!

Whether you and I realize it or not, our kids ARE listening.  And if Scripture is indeed, "Life" as it promises in Hebrews 4:12, then when we speak Scripture to them, we are speaking LIFE into them...rolled eyes or not.

Deuteronomy 11:2-7 says, "Today remember that your children were NOT the ones who saw and experienced the discipline of the Lord your God; His majesty, His mighty hand, His outstretched arm; the signs He performed and the things He did in the heart of Egypt, both to pharaoh king of Egypt and to His whole country; what He did to the Egyptian army, to its horses and chariots, how He overwhelmed them with the waters of the Red Sea as they were pursuing you, and how the Lord brought lasting rain on them  It was NOT your children who saw what He did for you in the desert until you arrived at this place and what He did to Dathan and Abiram, sons of Eliab the Reubenite, when the earth opened its mouth, right in the middle of all Israel and swallowed them up with their households, their tents and every living thing that belonged to them, but it was your own eyes that saw all these great things the Lord has done." 

We assume that our kids know stuff, don't we?  We assume they will turn to Jesus during their difficult times, because they know He is faithful.  We assume that they know of His power and strength to supply their every need.  We assume that church attendance and Sunday school is enough to provide them with everything they need for their spiritual growth.  Yet, Scripture states we are to remember that it is OUR responsibility as parents to teach our kids, because they haven't "seen" God, as we have "seen" God.  They haven't "experienced" His power, as we have "experienced" it.   They haven't "heard" Him gently speak, as we have "heard" from Him.  

I'm not just talking about your "little" children, either.  Our kids are our kids...regardless of their age. They NEVER become too old to hear about God's faithfulness in our lives, and the Word of God is never without effect in theirs.

So, my encouragement to you is to speak LIFE into your kids today.  He has been good to you.  He has been faithful to you.  He has been your Provider, your Sustainer, your Hope.

Remember to tell them that.

Thank You, Jesus for this reminder to speak LIFE into my kids, regardless of their reactions.  May I remember...and then act.