On Sunday Dr. George Tiller, a doctor who provided late-term abortions, was murdered at his church. Abortion is such a controversial topic that I would normally not write about it, but I feel compelled to say a few words given the news of Dr. Tiller’s death.

I must confess that I have been grappling with this very topic myself for quite some time. I am an educated woman, and I enjoy the rights that have been fought for and won by other women before me. I choose to stay home with my children, a right that women did not have in the past. I know what abortion is, and I now how both sides of the fence view it. But this issue is more complicated than just the facts about what abortion is. It is an emotionally charged topic, and politics play into it all. It is not clear cut.

It is a great idea to research and understand a topic before you formulate an opinion. I have found a brief description of what an abortion entails at Daybreak Pregnancy Resource Center. If you are interested in reading about it, please go to their website, http://www.daybreakinc.org. (I’d rather not link to any website related to this topic.) By the way, Daybreak is a non-profit counseling and pregnancy center.

In the end, your opinion of abortion does not really matter. God tells us that murder is a sin. Period. He does not detail who is murdered and why; there are no exceptions.

You shall not murder. Deuteronomy 5:17

We are all sinners. We are not called to judge each other, though.

Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. “Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. Luke 6:36-38

We are called to love God and each other.

Jesus replied: ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ Matthew 22:37-39

I am saddened by this whole situation.

I will pray for others.

I will love others.

Will you?

My kids (A2 & C 5) and my nephew (P 4) were in the back seat of my dad’s SUV. We were leaving the beach one windy spring day, and we were talking about Jesus walking on water.

P – “The beach was fun, Auntie. I wanted to go in the water.”

Me – “It was too cold to go into the water today. We’ll go in the summer.”

C – “Jesus walked on water.”

P – “How did Jesus walk on water?”

C – “He just did.”

Me – “It was a miracle.”

P -”But how, Auntie?”

Me – “Jesus can do anything.”

P – “Jesus is alive. Can I see Him?”

C – “He used to be on earth, but now He’s alive in heaven.”

P – “Why is He in heaven?”

C – “He lives with God there. You can see Him when you go to heaven.”

A – “He’s in your heart, too.”

P – “Jesus is pretty cool!”

C – “Yes, He is! I love Jesus”

Photo courtesy of brett.wagner

We read the story of Jesus being crucified a few times per A2’s request recently. I wrote about that experience in my blog post, Mom is Learning About Faith. She seemed intrigued by the story. A few days later C5, A2, & I were drawing pictures. A2 decided to draw a picture of Jesus being beaten.

While she was drawing, A2 explained that Jesus was “banged up” because He loves us, and He died for our sins.

I am amazed at her understanding. Before she started drawing, she told me that she wanted to draw the picture of Jesus. Often times when young children draw pictures, their ideas of what they are creating changes as they progress with it. But A2 did not veer away from her original idea the whole time that she was drawing. She was focused on showing me what she knows about Jesus.

If she’s doing this at 2, I can’t wait to see what she does when she’s older. God has an amazing plan for this little girl!

I have my check-up tomorrow afternoon. This poses a few problems for me.

1. I desperately DO NOT want to step on that scale. I know that I need to lose weight. I know that I need to exercise. I just can’t seem to do everything that I need to do in any given day. The last thing I want is a reminder about those things.
2. I HATE going to the doctor. It is just embarrassing to sit on an examining table in a Johnny while answering personal questions from a person who I almost NEVER see. I don’t even share those things with my closest friends.
3. I am scrambling for child care as per usual. We really have to do something about our lack of back-up babysitting. Again, I just don’t have the time to do it.
4. My day will be rushed and crazy because I have to somehow get the kids off to two different locations and one of those places is yet to be determined. Then there is traffic and parking. It is a hassle for me.
5. Did I mention how much I dislike going to the doctor?

I know I need to go for a check-up, though. I haven’t had a physical for a few years now even though I have seen a whole host of other doctors for various reasons pretty consistently now for two years. It is necessary.

I am praying that I am basically healthy aside from being out of shape. I always panic before a doctor appointment because I am afraid of hearing that there is something terribly wrong with me.

Photo courtesy of Brittany G

Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. Hebrews 11:1

Faith is amazing and a mystery to me. I have many questions and doubts, but I believe in God and I love Him. My faith is strong and it is growing every day, but there is a lot for me to learn about faith.

Children’s faith is even more awesome to me. They know so little, yet their faith can be so much stronger than any adult’s. In Nepal I saw children who had nothing but their faith, and they were truly joyful. They sang praise songs. They prayed fervently. They knew Bible verses. They invited me into to their lives, sharing what they had – faith. I was filled with awe. There is a lot I can learn about faith from the children I met in Nepal.

Watching my own children’s faith grow has been truly a blessing to me. They love God and Jesus. They pray and remind me to pray. They beg for me to read Bible stories to them and sing praise songs. They ask big theological questions all day, and I don’t most of the answers to their questions. They also make profound statements about God, Jesus, faith, and the Bible. It is a mystery to me that they are so little, yet they have such BIG faith. Their eyes are open to things that I could never see on my own. It touches my heart. There is a lot I am learning about faith from my children.

I was overjoyed and honored when my four year old daughter prayed with me and asked Jesus to be her best friend forever.

Last night my two year old daughter asked me to read the story of Jesus dying on the cross. We have read this story a few times, especially recently during Holy Week and Easter. At the end of the story, the book leads a child toward accepting Christ. I asked A2 if she wanted Jesus to be her best friend forever. She nodded, and C4 told her that she had to pray. A2 bowed her head and prayed an unintelligible prayer. I think she asked Jesus to be her best friend! Tonight she asked me to read the same story and prayed quietly again. I’m not sure if this means that A2 is saved, but I do know that the Bible tells us that we are to have faith like little children do.

Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” Matthew 19:14

There is a lot I am learning about faith from my children.

Photo courtesy of H_Elise

Photo apdk

Since C4 accepted Christ, she has been hilarious with her sister. She keeps “preaching” to A2.

The other day she told A2 that she had asked Jesus to be her best friend and A2 can do that after she gets to know Jesus a little better. When she knows a lot about him, she can ask Him to be her best friend, too.

Today I heard her explain that no one is perfect except Jesus. She went on to say that people always make mistakes and need to ask for forgiveness. She explained that you have to pray and tell God that you are sorry for making a bad choice and ask Him to help you to stop doing that. A2 was listening very intently during C4’s “sermon”.

It amazes me how God works through ALL of us. Maybe A2 will accept Christ because of her sister’s “sermons”.

The Bible tells us that He wants us to approach Him like little children. My daughter’s faith is remarkable, and I can only hope to come to Jesus the same way that she does.

It has been an exciting time in our home. Recently C4 accepted Christ! I am honored to be the person she prayed with that day. I have never had the privilege of praying with someone who is accepting Christ.

We have been talking about salvation for a long time, and I had suggested that Jesus could be her best friend if she asked Him to be. She had always said that she wasn’t interested in that just yet. But on this particular day, when I brought it up, C4 said that Jesus was her best friend. I told her that she had to ask Him to be her best friend before He would be. We were sitting at the kitchen table eating lunch when she decided to pray. “Jesus, I want you to be my best friend. Amen.”

At first I wasn’t sure that she knew what she was asking for. I wondered if it made sense to her. After all, she is only 4 years old. I left it alone for a couple of weeks before I brought it up again. When I asked if she wanted Jesus to be her best friend, she reminded me that she already asked Jesus to be her best friend that time in the kitchen when we prayed together! She truly has accepted Christ! God moved my little 4 year old girl to love Him!

It is funny to listen to her when she is with A2. She says,”You need to learn more about Jesus before you ask Him to be your best friend.” A2 just listens to her. I often hear C4 praying when she is in her bed before she falls asleep. She is really in love with Jesus!

We have been doing many Advent activities this year, and I have noticed that both of the girls are playing “Going to Bethlehem” or “Baby Jesus is born”. They are singing the Christmas carols like “Hark the Herald Angels Sing” and “Away in the Manger”. A2 is on her way to accepting Christ in time, too. She talks about Him all of the time and prays a lot, too.

I am amazed by my God. Watching my children’s faith grow has in turn made my faith flourish! I hope that during this wonderful Christmas season you are able to witness this miracle in your life!

It has been a joy to watch my little ones grow in their love for the LORD. With all of the devotions that we have done about Advent, they have started to play “Nativity”. They also talk about Jesus a lot now. It is heart warming to hear A2 tell me, “Jesus lives in my heart.” They have been singing Christmas carols all day long and begging to read Christmas books. I love that their faith is growing so rapidly! It is truly a blessing to watch them as they take their first steps in faith.

I am learning from my little ones, too.

• Pray when you are afraid.
• BELIEVE that Jesus loves you because He does.
• Be joyful in everything that you do.
• Be thankful for your blessings.

Thank you, Lord, for teaching me through my children. I am truly blessed by them every day!

Photo by carulmare

All of our Advent activities have gotten me thinking about Mary. It amazes me that a young girl could have as much faith as Mary had. Just think back to that scene. An angel came to Mary and told her that she would become pregnant even though she was a virgin. Here is the exchange:

The angel answered, ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be barren is in her sixth month. For nothing is impossible with God.’
‘I am the Lord’s servant,’ Mary answered. ‘May it be to me as you have said.’
Then the angel left her. Luke 1:35-38

Mary’s faith is inspiring and unbelievable. She offers herself as a living sacrifice to God knowing that a scandal would erupt because she was not married. This is a true picture of obedience!

I have not typically been like Mary. It was difficult for me to have faith that God would bless me with a child when E and I were trying to conceive. When you are waiting for that kind of a gift from God, it seems like it is impossible. This Scripture reminds me of three important lessons. God is in control. He CAN do anything. And I HAVE to obey.

I am aspiring to be like Mary. Are you?

Rest.

It is such a simple word, yet it has so much meaning. There is physical rest and then there is emotional and spiritual rest. I am learning so much about rest these days. God has definitely been whispering in my ear shouting about it. At Mom to Mom I heard about resting in God. Our small group just read a couple of passages about getting your priorities in order. Since September my ladies’ Bible study has been reading Hebrews. I have heard about rest again and again lately. It is time to take the hint!

• God rested on the seventh day because the work of creation was complete and good. (Genesis 2:2)
• God has a plan for us all and uses everything for our good. (Jeremiah 29:11; Romans 8:28)
• I do not have to worry because God will protect me and my children. (Psalm 18:2; Philippians 4:6)
• Just as Mary did, I must stay focused on Jesus in order to feel the rest that God has offered me or I will be distracted. (Luke 10:41)
• I have to have faith in order to enter God’s rest. (Hebrews 11:1)

I am going to take these Scriptures to heart. I will meditate on them and pray about them. I intend to enter God’s rest! Do you have any Scriptures that help you enter God’s rest?