Friday, December 03, 2010

smiles













A beautiful princess











My girls











Sweet face, with a mouthful of sweet donut











Happiness is... a cider donut :)











sisterly love











She's a goofball. I'm sure it's ALL from her daddy.

order of events

Jesus replied, “All who love me will do what I say. My Father will love them, and we will come and make our home with each of them."
John 14:23

I wonder, often, about the little roadmap of cause and effect I have drawn up in my own little brain.

How frequently do I wait for something to happen in order that I might respond to it?

Upon examination, I find that being the something that happens doesn't even blip on the radar of this little roadmap.

Why not?

According to my Jesus - the only impetus I need to act is love. My love for Him will move me to act. My love for others moves me to act. It is not simply a matter of waiting.

Parenting littles easily becomes a game of responses.

Messes are made - I clean them up.
Noses are runny - I wipe.
Sisters are fighting - I teach and train.
Bellies are empty - I feed.

But tonight, I am reminded that I don't truly clean, wipe, teach, train, feed, or any of another thousand mommy-verbs, because of messes, noses, sisters or bellies. I do these things because I love Jesus. Because I love my husband, because I love my daughters and the little one who kicks my ribs.

Tonight, I am reminded that cause and effect, the order of events, is a little more tangled - and beautiful - than I've led myself to believe of late.

As parents, we do things that we know will, over time, produce good fruit. Because of love, not because it immediately feels right and good.

Sometimes, these things bring tears to the eyes of our children, which also brings tears to our own eyes. Because of love, not because we are wrong.

Tonight, I am lifting my eyes to the hills, remembering from where my Help comes.

I am remembering that my actions need to come from my love for Christ, for my family, for my neighbors.

I write it on my heart that I only love because He first loved me.