Ben and Janet are wonderful friends of ours that just got their referral this week for their little boy in Ethiopia. We met this couple at Cedarville when we all traveled on singing teams. Janet continues to be one of my best friends (even though we do not get to see each other all to often) and her blog over the last year has been such an encouragement. It has been amazing to see how God has provided for them and their hearts of gratitude towards those who wanted to help out with the adoption.
If you want to be encouraged today be sure to check out their blog on the left - Whipple Words.
Friday, December 19, 2008
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Simple Yet Complicated
I was just telling my mom a few weeks ago how I think this is the least stressed out I have ever been in my life. I was just not made to work full time outside of the home, Before we had Owen I was working 30 hours a week (at a job I loved) but was still a little too much for me.
Life just seems so simple right now - I love it!!! I love being able to just play with Owen and not worry about time (for the most part). It is awesome that I can stay in pajamas till 3:00pm and no one cares. Our house can be a wreck and I can blame it on the fact that I have a 20 month old!
But at the same time I feel like this is the most complicated my life has ever been. There is a lot to read between the lines of "Raise a child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not turn from it." How do I raise a child in the way he should go? When do I know what offense to spank for? How do I stop something from becoming a habit of sin in his life?
We just got done doing a study at church on the life of Christ and going through Luke. One of the main things I came away with is that the disciples were a little bit slow, to say the least. Fortunately for me millions of people do not read about my mistakes like we can the disciples'. We are so depraved we do not even realize how depraved we are.
Anyone who does not think that men are sinful should have a child. WOW! Owen has just started a new stage of complete defiance that I am not ready for. That makes life complicated!! Jay and I have had numerous conversations over the last few months about discipline. We want the same end but we just don't always agree on the means to get there. I guess we will keep having these conversations for the next twenty some years. :)
Above all, we long for Owen to grow up as a man who loves his Savior. One other main point I came across in the study was God's mercy and grace. He continued to stay with the disciples even though they kept missing the mark and even though they abandoned Him at His death (and He knew they would). I am realizing more and more everyday that I am just like the disciples and need grace everyday for raising Owen, my thought life and my attitudes that so many of you have probably seen. In the holiday season that we are in I am so thankful for many things but I am most blown away by God's grace and mercy in my life.
Life just seems so simple right now - I love it!!! I love being able to just play with Owen and not worry about time (for the most part). It is awesome that I can stay in pajamas till 3:00pm and no one cares. Our house can be a wreck and I can blame it on the fact that I have a 20 month old!
But at the same time I feel like this is the most complicated my life has ever been. There is a lot to read between the lines of "Raise a child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not turn from it." How do I raise a child in the way he should go? When do I know what offense to spank for? How do I stop something from becoming a habit of sin in his life?
We just got done doing a study at church on the life of Christ and going through Luke. One of the main things I came away with is that the disciples were a little bit slow, to say the least. Fortunately for me millions of people do not read about my mistakes like we can the disciples'. We are so depraved we do not even realize how depraved we are.
Anyone who does not think that men are sinful should have a child. WOW! Owen has just started a new stage of complete defiance that I am not ready for. That makes life complicated!! Jay and I have had numerous conversations over the last few months about discipline. We want the same end but we just don't always agree on the means to get there. I guess we will keep having these conversations for the next twenty some years. :)
Above all, we long for Owen to grow up as a man who loves his Savior. One other main point I came across in the study was God's mercy and grace. He continued to stay with the disciples even though they kept missing the mark and even though they abandoned Him at His death (and He knew they would). I am realizing more and more everyday that I am just like the disciples and need grace everyday for raising Owen, my thought life and my attitudes that so many of you have probably seen. In the holiday season that we are in I am so thankful for many things but I am most blown away by God's grace and mercy in my life.
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