Blessings and Raindrops

seeking joy in the midst of the ordinary

Eucharisteo.

I’ve been slowly making my way through Ann Voskamp’s “One Thousand Gifts.” {And, by slowly, I mean; this is the fourth time I’ve had to renew my checkout from the library. Twin toddlers don’t make for a whole lot of extra reading time for this momma}.

This morning, I started my day with Eucharisteo. 

In Ann’s words…

“In the original language, “he gave thanks” reads “eucharisteo.”

“Eucharisteo, thanksgiving, envelopes the Greek word for grace, charis. But it also holds its derivative, the Greek word chara, meaning “joy.”

“Eucharisteo always precedes the miracle.”

“…and there it is, the secret of joy’s flame: Humbly let go. Let go of trying to do, let go of trying to control…let go of my own way, let go of my own fears. Let God blow His wind, His trials, oxygen for joy’s fire. Leave the hand open and be. Be at peace. Bend the knee and be small and let God give what God chooses to give because He only gives love and whisper surprised thanks. This is the fuel for joy’s flame.”

This morning, I’m full of joy for the good gifts He gives.

Ordinary beauty made anew to my dull eyes.

The promise of Spring. New life. Joy bursting from the dark, cold winter.

Simple joys made of imagination and little hands at work. 

The soft trickle of raindrops falling all around. Making the world outside anew. Providing life for the Spring bounty to come. 

“Eucharisteo always precedes the miracle.”

The miracle of fresh eyes to see the gifts bestowed upon my open palms. Good gifts. Gifts given in love.

Thank you, Jesus.

He is Good. {Part 2}

One of the wonderful things about my God is that He knows me so, so well. He knows that when I’m about to receive really hard news that I needed to be surrounded by people. Otherwise, my thoughts will swirl and I will exaggerate the details in my mind.

He has so carefully placed me in the perfect situations right in the moments when I most need to be surrounded by loved ones.

When I heard hard news from a traveling momma, I had friends around me. And, this weekend was no different.

We had invited a few friends over to share in homemade pizzas with us {sooooo good} since spring weather had finally arrived and it felt like a just cause for a celebration.

The news came just an hour or so before our friends were to arrive. I won’t share the specifics here for privacy purposes but I will say that we learned new, horrific information about the orphanage where our daughter is currently living. Will you please pray for protection for the children there? Will you pray in Jesus’ name that He protect their hearts and that He shines His light into that darkness?

“For our battle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”{Ephesians 6:12}
James MacDonald states in his book “Always True: God’s 5 Promises When Life is Hard” that when you really can’t take anymore, 1 Corinthians 10:13 promises, “He will also provide the way of escape.” 
MacDonald says that God might give you encouragement to keep going, He might give you strength to persevere and He might give you someone to share the burden. 

In this particular case, God gave me all three.

He gave me encouragement in the form of laughter with dear friends.

He gave me a thankful heart for the beauty of this Spring season.

Yes, we have a bounce house ready at all times. Not normal?

He gave me joy at the innocence and creativity of our children. Ben, Nathan and Hannah got into a paint set and painted each other’s faces. We knew they were being too quiet and something was up. I had a hard time not laughing when I saw this face.

He gave me {many} someone{s} to share this burden. Fellow mommas praying alongside me and encouraging me. Words full of faith and wisdom…bold prayers cried out in love, carrying our family through this time…

“We talked about 2 Kings 6 yesterday and the God of angel armies. I am praying that in the darkness of the orphanage, God has planted His warriors to protect His precious children. There is a song from my daughter’s VBS CD that always brings me to my knees,
“He knows my name,
He knows my every thought, He sees each tear that falls and hears me when I call.”
He sees each tear that falls in this terrible place.”

“The Light of our Creator Father is mightier than ANYTHING!!!! And we will be praying that the children are protected by His Divine power and Holy Spirit and that only those Heavenly Angels are anywhere NEAR these little ones – S specifically!!! Love you!!!”

“…I see that in your life too as your fight for your baby girl across an ocean and see the fruits of a faith that is grasping tight to God amidst some raging waves. We are all going to persevere through this with you and claim God’s victory for your family’s life.”

“…One of the other verses called out was 1 Peter 5:10. I love the Message translation of this (v. 8-11): “Keep a cool head. Stay alert. The Devil is poised to pounce, and would like nothing better than to catch you napping. Keep your guard up. You’re not the only ones plunged into these hard times. It’s the same with Christians all over the world. So keep a firm grip on the faith. The suffering won’t last forever. It won’t be long before this generous God who has great plans for us in Christ—eternal and glorious plans they are!—will have you put together and on your feet for good. He gets the last word; yes, he does.”

“Praying for peace and God’s sanctifying presence to be all over those sweet little ones that live there.”

“We are mightily lifting S and the children at the O and your sweet family up before the Father. Things like this just make me cry out to our Lord “Come Lord Jesus, come!””

James MacDonald also says that God will give you a few days of relief during a particular trial.

God has also given me relief and sweet, refreshing peace. He gave me relief, a temporary means of escaping the hurt yesterday morning.

He gave me serene beauty to behold with my precious boys. He gave me solitude in His majestic creation.

And, He gave me laughter. Again. These boys keep my life so full and my heart so overflowing with love that I cannot help but lift my hands in praise to the One who provides each and every good thing.

Yes, they needed a potty break. Yes, Ben thought it would be funny to “get” Nathan. No, Nathan did not think it was funny. And, yes, of course I had my camera ready {I was just getting a shot of their silly selves going potty in the woods but then this happened and I couldn’t resist. Their future wives will love and appreciate this}.

I have no idea why but this seems like a perfect way to end this post. On a happy, silly note. I know God wants me to laugh and enjoy this abundantly blessed life. Even in the midst of trial and heartache. I will praise Him in the storms just as I will praise Him on the mountaintop!

He is good. {Part 1}

More times than I can count, I experienced the power of the ocean as a child growing up on the beaches in Florida.

Do you know the feeling?

The unexpected crash of a wave that takes you under and swirls you around. Rendering you disoriented and unable to find your way back up from the crashing water.

In a fruitless effort, you exert all of your energy kicking your legs and flailing your arms. Panic sets in. Fear envelops.

Moments like this take us off guard in life. Energy exerted on our own is fruitless. Fear is real. 

Thankfully, the Prince of Peace offers His hand. He swiftly and firmly pulls you to the surface. You take a deep breath and settle into His gentle embrace. Peace reigns down.

I had a moment like this over the weekend. A moment that caught me off guard. A moment that caused me to, much like Peter, take my eyes off of Jesus and start to sink {Matthew 14:22-33}.

New information was shared about the conditions of our S’s current living situation. New information that stole my breath and forced my gaze away from the One who saves. I allowed myself to sulk in the dark and the enormity of the information. I allowed myself to feel overwhelmed and afraid.

Even still, Jesus was right there. Holding my hand. Whispering His promises. Reminding me of His faithfulness.

Beloved, remember all that I have done. 

Just two days before, Dave and I overflowed with gratitude for His goodness.

“I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living”. {Psalm 27:13}

We had spent the evening at our land just outside of town. We reflected on the circumstances surrounding our lives when we first purchased this property five years ago.

We remembered the hurt and pain we experienced as we ached for a child of our own. We had dreamt that this land would someday be full to the brim with joy and laughter as little feet ran across this ground.

We remarked on the grass that had grown in thick and full. Planted with our own hands.

We declared God’s goodness and provision. For this incredible farm house we are renovating. Moved from another spot in town. Never had we dreamt of such an serene and perfect retreat for our family.

Joy.

Hope. The promise of memories yet to be made.

He is GOOD. Sometimes, when you’re too close, you can’t see it clearly enough. Five years ago, we never could have seen all of this.

“God can do anything, you know — far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams! He does it not by pushing us around but by working within us, his Spirit deeply and gently within us.” {Ephesians 3:20 The Message}

butterfly kisses.

The boys recently received little caterpillars as a favor at a friend’s birthday party. The caterpillars came with food and instructions on how to care for these little bugs in order for them to emerge as butterflies.

Ben and Nathan were thrilled. This was their favorite Eric Carle book come to life. They couldn’t wait to watch these caterpillars eat cake and lollipops and apples and sausage and ice cream and then build a little cocoon and then magically transform into a butterfly! It was all so exciting.

Except that it took way longer than the fifteen minutes that they expected. They were bored with the little caterpillars in the teeny plastic cups after about two and a half minutes. And, they couldn’t believe the lie they’ve been told all this time about the very hungry caterpillar eating cupcakes and such.

Each morning, the boys would run down to check on their respective caterpillar’s progress. It became a competition to see who would become a butterfly first.

Meanwhile, I would say a prayer each morning that these caterpillars would do their thing and not actually be “asleep” {aka- mom killed the caterpillars because she was too lazy to read all the way through that darn instruction manual}.

Mercifully, the butterflies emerged from their cocoons one morning after growing for what felt like an eternity! The boys cheered and I sighed in relief.

However, it was freezing outside so we had to care for them for days before releasing them into the great, wide world. And, there weren’t any flowers outside to give them so we had to use tissue with sugar water {let’s be honest, I probably could have found some flowers but that’s a lot of work in the middle of a really late winter}.

We finally had a warm enough day last week to send the butterflies on their way. It was such a fun release…

{oh, yes, the boys are not wearing pants again. what is it with these two refusing to wear a full set of clothing?!}

As we watched the butterflies take in their new surroundings, Nathan said he thought they were going to “fly to Africa to visit S.”

Ben agreed.

Could that be any sweeter?

Yes, we all agreed that morning that these butterflies would trek across the ocean to give our girlie butterfly kisses from each of us. Isn’t that a nice thought?

Naive? Yes. But I don’t mind.

I personally think a little hope in the form of innocent trust and faith from two brothers waiting to meet their sister is refreshing.

“Because God wanted to make the unchanging nature of his purpose very clear to the heirs of what was promised, he confirmed it with an oath. God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope set before us may be greatly encouraged. We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure.” {Hebrews 6: 17-19; emphasis mine}