Working Wonders for You

"...Be glad and rejoice. Surely the Lord has done great things.."   (Hosea 2:21a)

"...And you will praise the name of the Lord your God,
who has worked wonders for you..."   (Hosea 2:26b)

Join Ann, Michelle and I today to stop, see and count God's gifts! Surely you have done great things, oh Lord, my God.

-today we load up the Uhaul truck, tomorrow we sign papers to close the houses and we unload.
-heavy, thick rain sinking deep into long grassy lawns
-hot coffee in my favorite cup
-my teens playing and packing below
-preschool son exclaiming when I walk into a room and hugging my knees before I can even get to his level
-friends coming various shifts to help carry boxes
-Your word, open before me.

"Be glad, O people of Zion, rejoice in the Lord your God!"    (Hosea 2:23a)

"...for the open pastures are becoming green..."  (excerpt from Hosea 2:22).

Count with me, friend?

Winds of Change: Easing Preschooler Anxieties

Sprinklers scatter rainbowed droplets, fruit juice popsicles melt into sticky purple smiles, and school-age children are home in force. Play dates, park days, and soccer van trips easily fill the week. 

Preschoolers often find themselves in a sea of unaccustomed activity in June.The euphoria of having their school-age siblings around all day, every day, suddenly burns off and can leave preschool children giddy, unsure of this new system, and acting out.  

These anxieties may be triggered in preschoolers for any number of reasons: a new baby or adopted siblings coming soon; an upcoming move; starting a new daycare or daily schedule; and more.

For our family, my soon-to-be four year old has journeyed with us through home stagings and immaculate moments, to us selling our home, and talking about a new place. Now boxes line the hallways, rooms get emptier, and we speak often of moving to a new house. 

Despite his excitement, there are still days when anxieties sneak through and manifest in acting out. One afternoon, he snapped. Crying, flailing his limbs, and then waving a sword spatula, he attacked one of the packing boxes in the living room. Poor guy. Getting down to eye level, I hugged him, rubbed his back, and we talked.

Whatever your three, four, or five year old is processing, the start of summer can be a common time for emotional meltdowns. 

Here are three things that help us ease preschool anxieties:

1.) Give them visuals. So many of a person’s fears are rooted in the unknown: unknown territory of having the siblings home all day and no normal schedules; unknown territory of a drastic move, etc. Help your preschooler visualize the changes by talking through what it may look like. Check out library books that help them visualize other characters walking through similar changes. We read through The Berenstain Bears’ Big Move many times these last two weeks, watching Brother Bear bring up many of Daniel’s unknowns. 

2.) Give them words. As Daniel first started seeing special possessions disappear into boxes, and seeing our rooms empty, I said aloud, “This feels weird, huh?” His older siblings and I talked aloud beside him of how it will feel sad to move away from this house too, and that that’s okay. We’ve lived here for a long time. Other days, rage filled him as his sister chose not to play with him, or let him use her toys. Squeezing his fists, face flushed red, he roared. I knelt beside him.“Are you frustrated?” I asked. It’s okay to say, “I’m angry! I’m frustrated!” 

3.) Give them permission. Emotions are natural and necessary. Give your preschooler permission to feel and articulate his/her emotions. “Does it feel weird to have your brother and sister home all day? We’ll still have special times together too.” Or “Does it feel weird to think about moving?” and “Are you angry about your sister saying 'No, thanks' to the fort idea? It’s okay. You can be angry. Let me know when you want to talk.” 

 Life presents many opportunities for change, and anxiety is normal. Use these moments to model and teach your preschooler valuable methods of coping. Help them visualize the unknowns, learn to articulate their emotions, and give them permission to feel and process these. Invaluable skills for us all, huh? 

A summer rain fell heavy all day today. It smells wonderfully fresh and cool outside. Our windows are flung wide, and my preschooler drives tiny cars across Barbie boxes. The carpet is strewn with toys and packed up boxes. 

What has your day been like today? What lays in view around you right now? 

...That is the Question...

Japanese-synthesized music lilts in the background, and I munch almonds beside a cup of reheated coffee. My tousle-headed preschooler is in bed, and the older kids help at our church’s summer Vacation Bible School program. 

Last night panic gripped my chest. I had been researching part time jobs and considering one especially. This one would require an intensive full-time training period, lasting over six months. My motivation was the resulting flexible part-time schedule with numerous days home with my family, but the process to get there suddenly seemed daunting. 

The excitement had dissipated and apprehension constricted my chest. Could we do this? Was it wise for our family? Would the end justify the crazy period to get there? 

Later that night, I lay entwined in my husband’s arms on the couch. He talked, his mouth against the back of my head. He wasn’t sure what to think either, but he murmured calm into my mind. We hugged in silence.

I ran the idea and its pros and cons past some friends over a night of games and fresh Vietnamese spring rolls. Late at night, fingers twisting the frayed couch threads, I whispered the idea over the phone to my sister, and she practiced newly-acquired counseling techniques with me, asking questions and waiting. 

Today, sunshine and a cool sixty-four degree breeze buffeted me gently as I walked the neighborhood circle, greeting neighbors, and guiding my three year old on his blue bicycle. Training wheels scratched the road on alternate sides, and he drove in mild diagonal lines across the street. I weaved with him, gently nudging the wheel towards safety and watching for oncoming traffic. His red duct-taped helmet hung low over his eyes, and he squinted into the setting sun. I knew the path, and he was happy to simply bike beside me.  

Boxes line the hallways and stack high in our garage now. Our eleven month process to sell our home, find a new one, and prepare to move is almost over. In seven days we close on our new home and drive away from this current one. We’ve seen our God’s extravagant hand so clearly through this, and it speaks calm to my mind now. 

My almonds are gone, the coffee cools, and the music plays on. Thank you, Abba. I’m happy to simply bike beside you too. You weave beside me, nudging me into safety and you know the path we’re on. 

Linking with Ann, Michelle, Shanda, and Emily. 

Hosea, a Hooker, and God's Love for You

Talk about a potential for ministry burn-out!  

In the ancient Middle East between 792-753 BC, the Creator called Hosea into ministry with an unusual assignment. Marry an unfaithful woman. Know that she will repeatedly cheat on you, and lapse into prostitution. But love her and invest in her anyway.

 

As the ultimate Teacher, God enjoys using object lessons to grab his learners’ attention with wild, unconventional methods. Throughout time, he has asked his prophets to dig holes through solid city walls, to break jars, to bury twigs, to tie themselves up for a period of time, and to even run around with no pants on. He’s a wild God, isn’t he?

Each of those assignments had a vivid point to make, showing God’s power, love, and plans for his people, despite hard times. Hosea’s assignment was no different. 

“My people’s hearts keep wandering away from me,” the Creator confided to Hosea. “There is no faithfulness, no love, no acknowledgment of God in the land… She has not acknowledged that I was the one who gave her the grain, the new wine and oil, who lavished on her the silver and gold.” 

“She went after her lovers, but me she forgot.” 

“Therefore I am now going to allure her; I will lead her into the desert and speak tenderly to her,” mused the heartsick Creator. “I will make the valley… a door of hope. There she will sing as in the days of her youth.” 

You are being wooed. You are being allured. The Creator longs for relationship with you.

Whatever your past, whatever your history with him, he longs for relationship with you. He chases after you. He is heartsick for you, and he is a God of reconciliation. 

Need a door of new hope? Want to sing like in the early days? He is calling you into the desert and speaking tenderly to you…

Photo credits

Suburbia & Shootings

“Smell! Do you smell that?” 

We were standing at the open deck door, our toes hanging over the white edge. He sniffed fiercely, his tiny shoulders rising with the effort.  

“Rain! Doesn’t it smell good?” 

The wind blew droplets into our faces and we inhaled the moist earthy scent of rain. Hints of hot wet asphalt mixed with the fresh promise of clean. When water started puddling onto our dining room floor, I grinned and closed the door for a while. An evening of rain soaked the silent suburban streets. 

This morning I drink coffee soberly and ponder street-side shootings. A new friend of mine mourns her twenty-six year old step-daughter at a funeral right now. 

I met my friend three weeks ago at a wooded women’s retreat. Seven women from the inner-city joined seven or eight of us from the suburbs. Together we shared stories and photos of our children. We talked about our marriages, opening wide, being accountable, and looking into God’s word for guidance. We prayed, sang, laughed and ate together. In a large screened-in cabin, we swatted bugs, peeked over bunk beds to hear each other, and laughed at late-night tirades. 

My friend spoke of her upcoming wedding at the end of this month, and paged through wedding magazines. Her daughters were to be part of the ceremony. 

This last week, though, an armed assailant walked into their home, shot her daughter, and left. No one knows why or whom. Neighborhood vigils, grief-stricken parents, and news anchor bits culminate in today’s funeral. 

I’m too new and didn’t have all the information right away so I’m here at home, praying for her, aching with her, and feeling uncomfortably quiet in my safe suburban home. 

I traced down her phone number, and corrected the wrong email address I had for her. Soon, I hope to go and sit with her, hugging her, and aching quietly beside her. 

Will you join me in praying for my friend Christina? Thanks. How can I pray for you this week? 

Linking with Imperfect Prose...

When You Wonder if He Hears You

It’s a striking image.

 A stately government official in his mid-eighties, perhaps with distinguished silvery hair, standing on the banks of a large river, dressed in flowing Middle Eastern robes.

His colleagues and lower-ranking staff have suddenly fled and hid themselves in the long grasses, terrorized by a presence they can’t see or explain. An angel that only he can see speaks with him.

“Do not be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day that you set your mind to gain understanding and to humble yourself before God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to them.”

There had been a delay – a wild, unimaginable delay that needs a separate blog-post on another day just to ponder it—but a delay, nonetheless. In Daniel’s timeline, he waited three weeks for a response and for peace. He was worried, anxious, and spent extended time in prayer.

Then, beside a rushing water, that answer came. “Don’t be afraid, since the first day that you set your mind to gain understanding and to humble yourself before God, your words were heard…”

Wow. Where are you in life right now?

Is this a rushing water kind of day where God is speaking to you loudly, even if no one around is hearing him? They may still be noticing that something is different around you, though.

Or are you in a quiet anguish-filled silence of waiting and listening, wondering what God is going to say next? He hears you, friend. No matter what the delays feel like, he hears you and is working on your behalf.

Meanwhile, back at the river bank, our stately gentleman is amazed and terror-stricken at this uncommon method of hearing God speak too. The angel strengthens him by a touch on the shoulder, lifting him up, gently encouraging him to talk and ask questions, and the words, “Do not be afraid, you who are highly esteemed. Peace! Be strong now, be strong.”

Daily, I want to set my mind to gain understanding and to be humbled before my God.

Daily, I want to remember the huge grandeur of my God who sends the angels to do his bidding, who orchestrates world leaders and history, and who whispers, “Don’t be afraid....Your words were heard... Peace, be strong now, be strong.”

“Your words were heard. Peace…” 

Photo credit. 

Summer Barbecues and Family Times

I sip hot coffee while barbecue smoke seeps deliciously in through my open deck door. Marco sings along to a plaintive song on Pandora, monitoring the sizzling grill outside in between chopping jalapenos for colorful pico de gallo.

Orange and brown afghan fort walls flap outside on the front lawn, while my daughter and preschool son sprawl across the grass, trying bird calls. A squabble erupts and fades away. Blanket walls tumble and stretch tall again.

Family days feel brief and precious now.

School years start with notebooks stacked high in September, and months that seem to stretch long, full of promise and plans. Suddenly June is here. Notebooks swell with maturing scrawls and math sums; and plastic binders burst with history and literature.

High schooler cleans his room, finishes homework on the Vietnam war, American Literature, and Algebra II, then bikes away to see friends. Our times with him are sweet as well, centering around bike rides, speed scrabble games, late-night talks, and laughter. College beckons in a year.

In between hopping up to mince mounded Vidalia onions and lay out plates, I join you here and type. Now the fire outside burns lower, roasted meat lingers savory on my tongue, and marshmallows call to me.


How are you savoring family and friends this weekend?