Category - Faith

Josiah and the Juice

October 5, 2015

It was one of those hurried mornings, where we’d rushed out the door to get Elijah to school on time. As has become my habit, while we were pulling away from the school (Elijah having made it there safely and on time), I was telling Josiah what our day had in store for us.

I listed off all the chores and to-dos in our plan, then said, “But Mommy needs to eat some breakfast first.” (Since the school is not even 5 minutes away, and we were headed straight back home after dropping off Elijah, I’d delayed my breakfast in the interest of getting my son out the door on time.)

Josiah’s reply was, “And I need to get my juice!”

We have a breakfast rule that our boys need to eat most of their breakfast before they can have juice because, like a lot of kids, they will fill up on their drink and not eat their food. Josiah had finished all his cereal that morning, but in the rush, I hadn’t gotten around to getting him his juice when he had asked.

I apologized to my little guy, “That’s right! Mommy didn’t get a chance to you your juice before we left, did she?”

“No! Pooor me,” Josiah sing-songed from the backseat.

“Poor you?” I asked, laughing. Thinking back over the hectic morning, his juice really hadn’t been my biggest concern.

Then he giggled. Good. At least he knew he was being a little dramatic.

It made me pause, though. How often are we, as God’s children, so focused on what we want, when we want it, or what we don’t have that we think we need, that we don’t appreciate the bigger picture of what we have? We’re quick to feel impatient or “oh, poor me” when we should really be thankful for all of our many blessings. We should be able to rest in knowing that God will provide whatever we need, when we need it.

Jesus reminded us of this in Matthew 6:31-33, “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.”

Josiah had not been neglected. He’d been fed, dressed, washed, kissed, and even in the hurry, taken care of. If it had been something that he’d really needed immediately, I would have made sure he had it. Thankfully, he was in a non-demanding mood and seemed to understand that his juice was not as important as other things, and that Mommy would get it for him once we were home.

If he can trust Mommy, who is forgetful and fallible, how much more should we be able to trust our perfect Heavenly Father?

Some days Josiah’s not so willing to wait and trust. Of course, he’s two-and-a-half. Those of us older than that…what’s our excuse?

Elijah and the Belly

October 4, 2015

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Life in Lape Haven: Write 31 Days - Out of the Mouth of Babes, Elijah and the Belly. Sometimes trusting God's plan when it doesn't match up to our is harder than having the faith to move mountains.

This past year has brought a number of new babies to our family and close friends, so every few months, our boys were hearing about another baby being born. Either they were seeing those adorable newborn pictures in my Facebook feed, watching Mommy edit newborn pictures from the two sessions she did, or they actually got to meet and hold their new cousins or friends. (Holding the babies is their favorite part)

It should have come as no surprise then that Elijah decided that our home needed a new baby, too. He was almost three when Josiah was born, so he remembers the everyday of having a new little one around for him to play with and watch grow. However, Josiah, being two-and-a-half now, has apparently grown past “baby,” no matter how much Mommy told him to slow down. (He’ll even tell you, “I not a baby! I a big boy!”) Now Elijah is eager for a new brother or sister.

When Elijah began telling me that I needed to have another baby, I told him that that was something for God to decide, and we needed to ask God if that was part of His plan for our family.

That night, when it was time for Elijah to pray before bed, the very first request out of his mouth was, “Please let Mommy have another baby.”

Brad and I laughed but also looked at each other. Our child was now praying for God to give us a third child.

: Elijah with his cousin Emmett

: Meeting his cousin Aiden

: My boys sharing their cousin Aiden.

: Josiah holding our new friend Lauralyn by himself.

Elijah prayed the same thing the next night and the next. He didn’t forget it.

A few days after he’d started beseeching the Almighty for another sibling, Elijah came up to me and began pushing and poking on my belly.

When I asked him why he was doing that, he said, “Well, I’ve been praying that you would have a baby. I’ve prayed three times! I’m just checking to see if I can feel a baby yet.”

Part of me was, like, “Haha. Oh, my.” Clearly, he remembered when Mommy was pregnant with Josiah and feeling Josiah kick. I laughed and told him that even if Mommy were pregnant, he wouldn’t feel a baby yet.

The bigger part of me was, like, “But, uh-oh. Oooh, my!” This boy was SERIOUS. Very serious. He had so much faith that God would answer his prayers that he was already looking for proof that it was answered.

It’s not that Brad and I don’t want a third child. That’s kind of always been in our thoughts. However, we weren’t sure when or if that was in God’s thoughts for us. So, we’d been praying for direction.

Some might say that Elijah’s prayers are confirmation. They might be. We still don’t know yet.

An almost-3-year-old Elijah meeting his little brother, Josiah.

Either way, there is a delicate balance to achieve when you explain to your 4-year-old that sometimes God doesn’t always give us everything we pray for.

You want to encourage and nurture their faith because, truly, “with God, all things are possible,” and He tells us in Mark 11:24, “Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.”

Jesus meant that. So, yes, Elijah, pray and believe. Increase your faith. Trust your God to do big things because He will.

And yet, we also want Elijah to realize that sometimes God says, “That’s not My plan for you.” We have to trust THAT just as much as we trust Him to do the big things we ask of Him. Sometimes trusting His plan when it doesn’t match up to ours is even harder than having the faith to move mountains.

I have to say, though, that I have been kind of impressed. Elijah understands that God might say, “No,” or “Not yet,” but he still prays EVERY SINGLE NIGHT for a baby. (By the way, he would prefer a sister, so he says, but he’s leaving that up to God, too.)

He’s also praying for a new car. I had told him that if we have another baby, we’d need another car, so if he was going to pray for a baby, he needed to pray for God to provide a new vehicle, too, so all the car seats will fit. He has no problem with trusting God to meet every need we might have.

I almost want to have a third child just so that Elijah’s faith is rewarded. I mean, he would be able to say, “For this child I have prayed” and prayed and prayed and prayed. It’s funny, sweet, and inspiring all at once.

It’s also a little daunting. Because what if God says, “Yes. Sure. Here you go, Elijah.”

I know that children touch God’s heart. I know that He hears their prayers and answers because those little ones faithfully, unwaveringly believe.

But my little believer won’t be the one up for nighttime feedings, or changing endless diapers, or dealing with some of the less-than-pleasant things about pregnancy and childbirth, no matter that he has volunteered to take care of the baby for us since “I’m the one praying for it.”

That’ll be Mommy, with Daddy’s help. Having already done this twice, knowing what I’d be getting into can be a little unnerving. It’s almost worse, at times, than when we were first-time parents who didn’t know anything.

Of course, we also know the good side of having children. Babies are precious, beautiful, miraculous gifts from God. They bring so much joy and delight. Watching each child become their own little person is amazing, and I truly love being a mother.

So, now I’m praying, but my prayer is this: “Not my will, but Yours be done.”

I guess, my big boy and I are learning to trust God’s plan together.

Feature image picture courtesy of Picture Bliss Photography.

Josiah and the Bug

October 3, 2015

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Life in Lape Haven: Write 31 Days - Out of the Mouth of Babes, Josiah and the Bug. How ants and sin are similar.

My two-year-old, Josiah, has a love-hate relationship with bugs and other creepy crawlies. On one hand, he is fascinated by what they look like, what they do, and how they move. He can watch them from a distance or read about them with his big brother all day.

On the other hand, if even a fly gets too close to him, he will scream. If a bug actually lands on him or crawls across his shoe – watch out! He will freak out, flail, scream, and cry until that bug is nowhere to be seen.

This summer proved to be a trying time for Josiah, as ants, both sugar and carpenter, were finding ways to infiltrate our house, along with the usual summertime don’t-leave-the-door-open pests of flies and mosquitoes.

The ants were the worst, though. The sugar ants love our kitchen, of course, and our dark granite-looking countertops are not helpful. Do you know how hard it is to see a black ant on a black, speckled surface? The ants must know, and they take full advantage of it. Keeping food cleaned up and putting out ant traps helped keep them at bay, though.

The carpenter ants kept popping up in the bathroom or living room, scurrying across the floors or up the wall. These became Josiah’s nemeses. He was on the constant look out for them and would yell for me to come kill them when he saw them.

Then one day, he was sitting on the floor near me and told me, not really panicky or whiney but with just a hint of distress,

“Mommy, bug in my mouth.” Then he spit.

Looking over I realized that he did, in fact, have bits of an ant in his mouth. There was only one way that would have happened.

“Did you put it in your mouth,” I asked.

His simple reply was, “Yeah.”

“Don’t do that.”

“Okay.”

I chuckled at his silliness. He hates bugs, but he put one in his mouth, only to complain that a bug was in his mouth. I don’t know why he even touched it, let alone tried to eat it. I guess he was curious?!?

Yuck.

But I guess that ant is kind of like sin. We don’t particularly like sin to touch us, but it can be fascinating enough to spark our curiosity. Then, if you allow yourself to follow that spark, before you know it, you’re not only fascinated, you’re curious enough to touch it, taste it. And then…well, it’s not so great. We don’t really love the consequences that it brings, and every sin brings consequences.

So we go to God, if we’re smart. We tell him about it, the sooner, the better.

He says, “Did you do this?”

Hopefully, we’ll answer honestly, “Yeah.” (And add, “I was wrong. I’m sorry. I repent.”)

“Don’t do that.” (And He’ll add, “I forgive you, and I love you.”)

“Okay.” (And, “Thank you. I don’t deserve it, but You are merciful and gracious. I love you, too.”)

And hopefully we’ll have learned, like Josiah did, that it’s not a good idea, and we won’t do it again.

“For whom the Lord loves He corrects, just as a father the son in whom he delights.” Proverbs 3:12

“If you love Me, keep My commandments.” John 14:15

Elijah and the Clean Water

October 2, 2015

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Life in Lape Haven: Write 31 Days - Out of the Mouth of Babes - Elijah and the Clean Water. Responding to needs with prayer and action.

One day last summer, then-4-year-old Elijah was being especially whiney and demanding, complaining about things that he “needed,” such as new toys. Being a stubborn child, he can be rather argumentative when he thinks he’s right (I can’t imagine where he gets that!), so I decided the best way to deal with it was to show him what real “need” was about.

A quick search through YouTube brought me to a video from World Vision that focused on a young woman in rural Africa and her daily trek to get clean water for her family to drink.

After watching the video with him, we talked about how we are very rich compared to so many people in the world, and while he was busy complaining about getting more “stuff,” some children just want the very basic necessities to survive, like food and water. He initially suggested that they just go to the store and get some, but then I reminded him of how poor they were and how that isn’t an option for them as it is for us.

Elijah has always been a generous boy. He loves giving people gifts he’s made – cards, crafts, etc. – for no reason at all. His kindergarten teacher has received something from him nearly every day this year, even though I’ve told him that he doesn’t need to take her “gifts” all the time. And this past weekend, he HAD to give a picture he’d drawn of LEGOs to the guy who worked at the LEGO store.

Seeing how thankful others were for a simple drink of clean water definitely touched that giving heart of his. That night when we prayed, he asked God to “give all the people of the world good water.”

But he’s taken it even farther. The day we watched the video, he told me, “I will try to save money so I can give it to them, so everyone can come to Ohio and have clean water.” He even talked about saving money so that he could travel to them and take them money and water.

Then last fall when he heard that both of his grandpas would be going on mission trips (One to Belize, and one to Grenada), he raided his piggy banks. He told me that he wanted to send his money to help the people get water. Even when I explained that clean water might not be an issue for those countries, or at least in the areas where his grandpas were going, he still wanted to send money to help in some way. So, we divided his change into a couple of sandwich bags and marked them with his grandpas’ names.

Photo courtesy Grandpa Lape

I was so proud of my little boy and his big heart. But I don’t think anyone was more proud or excited than Elijah when he was able to give his money to his grandpas, knowing it would go to those in need.

His exuberance in giving was convicting. He was the epitome of the cheerful giver of 2 Corinthians 9: 6 & 7, and a sweet echo of the widow who gave her two mites (Mark 12 & Luke 21).

I love that when he saw a need, he responded, not just with prayer but with action, too. He knew, trusting with a child’s faith, that praying meant God would help, but he also decided that HE would help however he could. I am praying that this is a lifelong pattern for him.

Of course, being a child, he still has his moments of “give me” and “I want.” (Then again, so do we as adults.) However, to this day, he continues to pray every so often about the “people who don’t have water.” This lets me know that seeds of the Great Commission are firmly rooted in his heart. He has the beginnings of an awareness of what true need is, and he has grabbed on to the joy of giving to help reach those needs.

Recognizing another’s need and caring enough and being willing to give and sacrifice to do something about it – that’s God’s heart. And it’s encouraging and inspiring to see it being mirrored in my child’s.

Elijah and the Snorkel Mask

October 1, 2015

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Life in Lape Haven: Write 31 Days - Out of the Mouth of Babes - Elijah and the Snorkel Mask. A reminder to be prepared in your armor before the battle strikes.

Our oldest son, Elijah, is 5 years old, and like most young children, he enjoys pretend play and dressing up as super heroes, robots, pirates, ninjas, and any other silly characters he comes up with. He has a pretty great imagination, and one item can spark a huge story in his world.

I would venture to guess that rarely a day goes by when he isn’t wearing something goofy or quirky, even if it’s just a pair of sunglasses or a bracelet he’s made out of pipe cleaners (he’s also very crafty). This includes Sundays and, often, Sunday mornings. He knows he can’t wear his really crazy stuff in to church, but there have been several Sundays when I’ll glance back at him while we’re riding, only to find he’s added something to his ensemble, if only for the car ride.

One Sunday this spring when I looked back at him, I saw this:

I have no idea where he found the snorkel mask. I think it was in a stash of summer water toys in our laundry room, but he had to have brought it out to the car with him and then put it on later as we were driving along (Kids can be so quick and sneaky!). He wasn’t really doing much, except for watching the countryside scenery pass by. He smiled at me as though it were the most normal thing in the world for him to be wearing a snorkel mask…in the car… on the way to church. I guess for him, it is. Haha.

I love my big boy, and I love that he is still so happy just being a child. So, I grinned at him and snapped a picture of this latest silliness.

Our route to church is mainly back roads in central Ohio, so we’re generally surrounded by farmland with fields of corn, soybeans, wheat, or cattle, and a few minutes down the road, we came alongside a field that had been freshly fertilized. Oh, the smell! There isn’t much you can do in those moments except keep driving through, so that’s what we did, with a little “Peee-ewwwing!”

From the backseat, we heard Elijah say, “It’s a good a thing I have on a mask.”

Even though he was being silly (I think), he did have a good point.

God has given us armor, according to Ephesians 6: 10-18, and most of us know that. We like to talk about all the pieces and what they represent. But that armor is only useful to us when we have it on, and have it on BEFORE a battle begins.

Trying to put on the snorkel mask after we’d enter the stinky section of the trip would not have helped Elijah at all (not sure that it truly helped him having it on beforehand, really, but we’ll assume it did to help me make my point). And yet, so many of us seek God only when we’re in the midst of trouble and try to build our spiritual strength suddenly with some extra Bible cramming and prayer time, throwing in some fasting when we’re really in earnest.

That’s not the time to do it. The Bible tells us to “take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.” (Eph. 6:13 NKJV) In the Good News Translation, it reads like this: “So put on God’s armor now! Then when the evil day comes, you will be able to resist the enemy’s attacks; and after fighting to the end, you will still hold your ground.”

We have God’s Word and God’s Spirit to help PREPARE us to fight, to stand. We are to be seeking God always, daily putting on the armor He’s given to us, even when our life seems to be peaceful and happy.

You never know when you’ll have to face a battle or when the enemy will attack. Trouble doesn’t wait for you to get your armor on.

Just ask Elijah – you want to have your snorkel mask on BEFORE you come alongside that fertilized field.

Great-Grandma’s Rainbow: A Lesson in the Little Things

September 19, 2015

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Life in Lape Haven: Great-Grandma's Rainbow - A Lesson in the Little Things

When I was a little girl, my family lived about an hour or so from both sets of my grandparents and my two great-grandmothers. This meant that any time we got to visit them, it was exciting and special.

My Great-Grandma Leora lived down the road from my maternal grandparents, in the old farmhouse that my grandpa had grown up in. The farm was across the road from an old schoolhouse and a little white country church (which happens to be the church my great-grandpa & she attended, where my grandparents attend, where my mom grew up & was married, and where Brad & I got married).

Being that I was a little girl, I don’t remember much about my great-grandma. She was always kind to me and always had some kind of treat, but beyond that and what she looked like, I didn’t know her well. I imagine I was too busy at 5- and 6-years old investigating the old toys in her closet to really have an in-depth conversation with her.

My great-grandparents, my grandpa, & his sister in 1935. (I wasn’t around quite yet.)

I do remember, though, that her house fascinated me. It always felt as though you were stepping back into time, with old-fashioned doorknobs, a claw-foot tub, a door that led up steep steps to the attic, that closet full of toys my mother had played with when she was little, and an old-home smell that was part mothballs, part ancient wood, and part good home cooking. (In case you think I’m crazy, that nearly exact same smell can be found inside of the built-in-1856 home at the historical farm near where we live. Every time we visit there, I think of my Great-grandma’s home.)

Her kitchen was especially memorable, not only because of the yummy cookies that came from there, but also because of the rainbow of light that came from her kitchen window. Above my great-grandma’s kitchen sink was a window looking out to the yard, and in the window sill were 4 brightly-colored plastic coasters (I didn’t know they were coasters at the time). When the sun shone in just right, the coasters cast a rainbow of red, yellow, green, and purple onto the floor or wall of the room. I’m not sure if that’s why she had them there or not, but to little-girl-me, it was magical.

This little girl (little Kishona) clearly loved colorful things.

I remember visiting her with my mother when Great-grandma was sick, and I wasn’t much older than 7 or 8 when she passed away. When my grandpa and his sister were sorting through Great-grandma’s estate, they allowed each of their children and grandchildren to walk through the house and pick out things that they would like to have to remember her. When it was my turn, the very first things I chose were the coasters from her kitchen window. They were probably worth very little in monetary terms (looking at them now, they weren’t even as old I was, and they were just a promotional item for an event at Lazarus, so they were likely free). Even my mother seemed amused when I asked for them.

To me, though, they were special.

Now that I’m a mom, remembering the wonder I found in something so simple makes me pause, ponder, and consider the world through my children’s eyes.

It’s amazing what children notice, remember, and prize. Something that we grown-ups might see as insignificant or worthless can be a fabulous treasure in a child’s eyes. My boys get excited over lots of things, such as rocks in the driveway, random feathers on the ground, lightning bugs in the yard, and getting stickers from the cashier at the grocery store. Aside from the lightning bugs (I love to watch lightning bugs!), those are things I can quite easily overlook in my busy “mom” world. But they spark joy, curiosity, and delight in my boys.

God created a beautiful world for us to enjoy, and I think there are plenty of times that we get so busy and distracted that we fail to appreciate it. We dismiss this or take them for granted because it seems common or ordinary or invaluable.

But children, with their innocence and inquisitiveness, never fail to take it all. Even though there may be times that I’d rather they didn’t notice every leaf, spider web, and bird in their path, (especially when we’re in a hurry, and I’m trying to get them into the car), I don’t want to do anything to discourage or dampen that fascination for them. I want them to hold on to that for as long as they can. It’s part of the sweetness of childhood – seeing the beauty and wonder in the common or simple things.

It also reminds me of the verse in Romans, “For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse,” (Roman 1:20). My boys are noticing God’s “invisible attributes” in the world around them.

I want to encourage my boys to always appreciate the little things in the world, and I don’t want to be too busy myself to notice the tiny miracles around us.

My great-grandma’s coasters are a great reminder for me. Those little plastic discs now rest in the window sill above my kitchen sink, throwing glowing reds, purples, yellows, and greens across the floor and onto the wall to enchant and delight my children as well as myself. (Typing this I can see the colors shining through onto my living room wall, and they still make me smile). They are a little more worn than when I first got them, but they are still beautiful when the light hits them.

Once upon a time, I was the one easily seeing the value in the ordinary, and now every time I see a rainbow in my kitchen window, I get to remember how important that is.