Emily Cook's Blog, page 51

Tomorrow is gift day!

“God gives into empty hands,” says St. Augustine. He doesn't give into hands full of what you would boast about before God.

As you prepare to go to the Lord tomorrow, with empty hands, to receive His gifts, I encourage you to read this:

The Great Gifts of God

You might be a writer if you do something like this.

You know you're a writer if you do something crazy like this:
I hear it calling...
It was nap time, but I didn't feel like writing. It was odd.  I wondered if I might be getting sick or something.
But, it's OK, I told myself, to take a break and just receive.
So I did. 
I breathed in, and I rested, for a good half hour.  It was wonderful.
It's OK, I told myself, not to write today. It's OK to not always be productive. It's OK to rest.
And then, I thought, hey, I should write a post about that!


-----------Of course, I've done this before. Need rest today? Read these:
Just ComeReturning, rest, quietness

We have so much more in common now; Grandma and Me.

According to our church calendar, this is the season for remembering. (All Saints Day, Nov 1)
For all the saints, who from their labors rest,                 who thee by faith before the world confessed,                 thy name, O Jesus, be forever blest.                 Alleluia, Alleluia!

I don't remember enough about those I loved who have gone before.I remember brief moments, but they seem so small. 
I wish I could tell my high school self to take more time to learn and love those around me then. But... I didn't know how I might need the wisdom of a grandmother in my adult life.
My Grandma Lorraine and I have so much more in common now than we did back then.

She had eight children. (that's me in the picture. I was the second grandchild... of 19.)I didn't know I was going to grow up to be so much like her.I wish I could call her up and ask her how she kept herself sane in the midst of all the chaos.
As a grandmother, she was calm, and fun, and loving. She took me on nature walks and to movies.It amazes me that she had so much left to give her grandchildren after raising eight children.
But she was filled with that love that does not end, His love, and it poured out on those around her. I look back and I remember, with some regret and sadness, but because of Him, I also look forward.
What stories we will have to tell each other, over coffee, on the other side.

But according to His Promise,  we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth,  in which righteousness dwells. 2 Peter 3:13

Learn more about our comfort in Christ on this day here.  We do not grieve as those who have no hope.

Have you made your own all saints scrapbook?
Who are you remembering this week?

Joy on the Mommy- Job: experiencing His help

Well, it's October 31st, and this is my last post in the series 31 days of Joy on the Mommy Job.
And I'm squeezing it in at the last minute! (By which I mean, I did not have this post ready to go this morning!)

I don't like doing things at the last minute! I am a work-ahead kind of gal! In college, if the paper was due on Wednesday, I'd have it done by Tuesday. I feel good when life works that way. I want to be caught up, or even ahead of the game if I can.

And how often does this happen in my life right now?
What did you do today?
Not this.Pretty much never.

My husband asked me the other day if I had seen any of his other pairs of pants.
Pants? Oh yes dear. They are probably downstairs in my ironing basket somewhere.

I resisted the urge to tell him about the non-wrinkle wardrobe options they have nowadays.  (Blue jeans, sweat pants, wind pants, and so on... the things I wear.)

Just another thing I am behind on.

For the record, I ironed some of his pants (but nothing else) before I let myself write this blog post.

But, my floors are really gross, and I'm letting my son spend extra time on the kindle right now.

And I really don't care. It doesn't bother me like it used to. This mommy-job is never done, and yet I have to keep working at it like crazy, and that's really OK.

I'm going to take a minute to write, pray, think (these things are usually tangled together in me.)
I'm going to think about joy on the mommy-job.

What is the most joyful thing about this mommy-job?
It's not the cute things they do, though I love those things. It's not the way they grow and change, and the ways they make me grow and change, though those are all gifts from God as well. It's not the sweet moments in the rocking chair, because those don't last.  It's not that the good times outweigh the hard times, because I'm not always sure that they do.

My top reason for joy on the mommy job:
God meets me here.

Whether it's giving me the energy to get stuff done or helping me deal with things that are left undone;
whether I'm happy and strong or floored by depression;
whether they're blooming in health or sick and withering;
God meets me here.

This life I live with all these children underfoot is an exhausting and wonderful life. It flattens me, and shows me my sin and weakness.  Yet the more I learn of my need, the more I learn of His love.

He hears when I call to Him, and when they do, too.
His Word is a Lamp and a Light, and it is Hope and Help, and Life and Salvation.

God meets me here.


How has God met you in your Mommy-job lately?



-------------------------
This is my last post in the series 31 days of Joy on the Mommy Job.
To read the entire series, click hereI consider it to have been a fun little experiment.  It is possible to post daily... but it is also exhausting.
I am glad you all got to know my kids a little better this month.
I'll be posting less often now.
(This blog is not the boss of me.)

But don't worry, I'll keep writing. I can't help it.
Expect fewer posts and more substance in the coming months.

Tell me, what did you think of the series?

When they love each other

My oldest baby and youngest baby,napping together.(Notice the hand-holding)

When a Fake Fire Inspired Real Joy

Last week, it rained.

I don't always love rainy days, but I ended up enjoying this one.
You see, I'd been blogging, and then reading other's blogs  (like Children and Technology and the great stuff at Hands free mama.) And I'd been thinking about technology and what a distraction it can be, for me, as well as for them. 
I thought about how the little, fun, online things can so easily rob me of the quiet (and important) blessings around me.
For example:The other day,  I was sitting outside, enjoying the fall air, watching the children play.  The weather was beautiful, and the children were happy, and I took a break to soak it in.  I took one or two deep, satisfied breaths, and then... I checked my phone.WHY?!Why is it so hard for me to just be still?This is true of me with or without the children around.
So, on this rainy, reflective afternoon, I thought about being still, and about being still with children.Of course, I do not mean actual, physical stillness. I see no reason to attempt such a thing with six children around. If I were physically still, they would just climb on me like a piece of playground equipment. And then I would fall over.
I mean more of an inner stillness, like that of one "fully present."  I mean spending time with them with fewer distractions, an open heart, and an open lap.
We can't live like that all the time, but certainly, we can do this some time.
How could I achieve such stillness?I needed to be inspired, too. I needed an atmosphere of quiet, and snuggles, and books, and calm. The gentle noise of the rain helped, to be sure. But a fire place would also be nice.
No fireplace in this house. But I know how to fake it. I got out our Yule Log DVD.And several blankets.And pillows.Then, I filled a basket full of books, wonderful books, my favorite books to read to the children.I arranged them on the floor, an invitation.And I lit a candle.
And then, when they came home from school, this happened.
Cooks and books by the "fire"We lingered for over an hour.
Of course, there were a few lap fights and book fights, and there was one minor injury.But I was there for it.All there.

Do you struggle with being "all there" with your children?
For inspiration:Yule LogsOpen heart open lapRead, Pray and Hug Before you ClickMama Can That Wait?A Child Cannot Kiss A Moving Target

When they believe they can fly

Rejoice

When they work me out

Here we are, after a hearty leaf fight.They count as exercise, every day, but even more so that day.

When I have what they need

We went to his well check this week, just him and me.
I noted how my life has changed, when getting out for an afternoon with only ONE kid, even to go to the doctor, is a bit of a break. A mini vacation. A chance for a little one on one time.

He brought a book and I tried to keep my phone in my purse.  It can wait, everything can wait, while I spend just a few minutes here with this child and my attention all on him.  We talked about tadpoles and eels and beaver tails. I think I should show him where the science section in the library is. (I think I need to find it, first. I forget there are such things.)

The doctor's visit went smoothly, and he sat there healthy and cute and charming.

Then suddenly, he realized being FIVE is not all wonderful.

[image error]
Wait, mom, I need shots? What do you mean I need shots?
I told him he could squeeze my hand, and he practiced, and he "hurt" me, and he smiled proud and brave. 
But the shots hurt, they really did. He tried his best, but tears came and he just needed his mommy.
And maybe some ice cream.


Later, he wanted extra snuggles on the couch, and "maybe can we have a movie night tonight? My forehead just hurts and I want you to snuggle me."

So maybe he is milking it. But my superhero doesn't often ask for snuggles these days.
I like these moments, when I have just what he needs.

Jesus gives more than a do-over

I’m a sinner, and Jesus died for me and now God forgives my sins. Because He has had mercy, I get eternal life.
That will be great, then. But… now what? What does this Jesus have to do with the in-between time, the time I am living right now? What does His sacrifice have to do with my every-day?
Just a do-over?Now that Jesus has given me His forgiveness, is it time for me to prove to Him how grateful I am? Should I work to make myself worthy?  Must I now strive to return the love He has given me to Him and to others?
In this kind of scenario, Jesus is standing far off, with his arms crossed, evaluating our performance. He has led the way as our example, and now he waits for us to catch up. He has shown us what love is, and now he expects us to get our hearts in the right place and go around loving people like he does.  He waits to see if we will make good use of our second chance. We hear Him asking us, “Are you doing enough? Are you obeying from the heart?  Are you grateful and joyful and eager to serve? Why not?”
If this were my Jesus, I would have quit long ago. Trying hard, and always getting it right, and looking into the mirror of God’s Law, and failing, again, and again… it’s exhausting. It’s impossible.
No, this is not my Jesus.My Jesus is kind and compassionate, and He has set me free from the law.
The grace we receive in Jesus is not merely do-over, a clean slate, a chance to get it right this time.   No, it is much, much more than that. 
See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! (1 John 3:1)

Grace and more grace
We have been made alive in Christ by grace, without any works on our part.
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—  not by works, so that no one can boast. (Ephesians 2:8-9)
And the rest of it? The life we live in Christ after He makes us alive? That is grace too!
So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness. (Colossians 2:6-7)
The new life, the faith, the being made alive- these are gifts.The continuing to live, the growing and abiding- these are gifts too!
Jesus is with us, in us, still pouring himself out for us and serving us, right now, today.  He is not a God standing far off, waiting for us to measure up.He is God with us, Emmanuel, and He is present with us to serve and help us.
As we grow up into our faith, (that is, we learn more and more of God's love for us,) we become eager to hear His Word and to receive the good things He has for us.  We do not spend time with God to satisfy His rules, or to get him off our back, but to receive what He provides. He is our good Father and form His hand we receive all good things.
(The Christian's life) is not only memorizing Scripture and having a Bible study; it is letting the person of Jesus Christ take up residence within you, not as a timid house-guest  but as the abundant provider, the bread-winner, the respected head of the household, the host.
He doesn't sit at your table, feeble and frail, waiting for you to feed him by reading your Bible and praying. He stands strong at the head, graciously filling your plate with all that he is. He lavishes us with a godly inheritance.  The riches of the fruit of his Spirit are made available to us in abundant supply. (Grace for the Good Girl by Emily P. Freeman, p. 150)


And so, we pray:
Come, Lord Jesus, be our guestAnd let Thy gifts to us be blessed. Amen.

(Note to those of you who are not Lutheran: On Sundays, we go to "Divine Service."  We come to church to receive what God gives. We emphasize what God does for us, not what we do for God. Read more about this here.)