Is It Working?

The other day, while at the dinner table, I was poking fun at my wife with an old R. Kelly song, "I Believe I Can Fly."(Check out on youtube) I facetiously sang through the chorus adlibbing here and there. The kids picked up on it, sang, laughed, and carried on for a time. Stacy thought we were out of our minds. It was fun.

Since then the kids have been singing the song relentlessly. It is almost annoying. Just when you think you have gotten the tune out of your head, here it comes again screaming repeatedly in many different manipulations. First, it is the frantic I drank too much sugar and I am about to have a coronary tone that curdles your blood and takes several good years off your life span. Then comes the growling like a dog tone that is usually accompanied with a Russian march with their legs stomping the floor, shaking everything loose off the walls. Finally, they crescendo with a slap on your butt and a woo hoo for good measure. Well… that is my kids anyways. They have some of me in them and I guess some of that is to be expected.

Nevertheless, today Naomi was singing the song as usual. Except, today, she added her own little piece. As she was standing by our hutch looking at some papers or what not, she began to sing, "I believe…with God's help… I can fly." Did you catch that, "with God's help", I can fly. Stacy and I giggled a little and affirmed her confession.

Naomi's confession was an unadulterated overflow of her understanding of the sovereign care of our God. It is no Westminster Confession, yet, however, it is a building block to that end. In an un-manipulated situation, she voluntarily sang a truth she is beginning to believe. Stacy and I do make it a point to ask many questions about God in certain situations. We also point out truths in creation or circumstances when the opportunity arises. This time however, we were just bystanders. Spectators if you will, of a divine taste of spiritual fruit. A taste we do not experience very often.

Like many families, ours have not arrived as of yet. We have our issues and God has been very merciful and patient with us. Our kids are learning and make many mistakes, as do we as parents. Many times Stacy and I feel very inadequate in our parenting. We feel that way because it seems like our kids should be further along than they are. It seems like we will move a step forward, to only move three steps behind. Moreover, on occasion, we will move five steps forward and really feel like we have it together, to only stall and stay stagnant. It can be discouraging at times. Therefore, when these times happen, we feed off them. They give us hope.

Naomi's little statement of faith in that song helps keep our vision alive. We have a vision for our children. We want them to radically love Christ and his supremacy in everything. We want them to be saturated with God's word and genuine in their faith. We pray this for them and try to live it out in our daily lives. This is where I believe she has seen the credibility of this truth. Aside from our family devotions and scripter memory times, our children see the gospel played out. They have heard our conversations in some of our weakest moments exhorting our utter dependency on the supremacy of Christ. They have seen things done in the name of Jesus that has given some footing to God's provision. We try to include them in ministry opportunities where they can witness God meeting the needs of His people. They have also seen us ask for forgiveness for our sin. They are a part of our spiritual growth as much as we are a part of theirs. These things have helped Naomi to begin to form an understanding of God's ability and power to do amazing things; even help us fly if he so chooses.

Naomi does not know that R. Kelly is speaking metaphorically. She is thinking in literal terms. In her mind, she is singing a song about literally flying. Therefore, when she sings "I believe with God's help I can fly", she believes that God has the ability and power to help her to fly; which she knows humans cannot do on their own. She is declaring the truth with man it is impossible, but with God all things are possible (Matthew 19:26), even flying.

Every day we try to teach our children, as we are learning ourselves, that we can do nothing apart from Christ (John 15:5). We try to intertwine in their being that God is in the heavens and can do as he pleases (Psalm 115:3), and that He gives and takes away as he sees fit (Job 1:20-22). Moreover, every day we need to lift our cup empty before Him (Psalm 16) pleading with Him to fill us with His fullness (Ephesians 3: 19). We try to bestow on them that we are utterly dependant on our God. We have nothing. He is everything. We are vacant and bare. He is our all in all (1 Corinthians 15:28; Ephesians 1:23). With this dependency, we are at the mercy of our God and in desperate need of his help.

If you are like us, you are pleading with God for the salvation of your children. Naomi has made a profession of faith. I am not entirely sure where she is in her walk with God. She is young and has not wrestled adequately with the issue of her sin. However, I do see blocks of truth and faith being laid on her foundation from time to time, such as this one. We have to continue on praying, pleading, proclaiming, and being proactive in bestowing the glory of Christ crucified to our children. I believe God will honor our efforts as long as we keep Him at the center. If that is the case, then I can rest assured in saying, "God is at work. And what He is doing is working." Go on girl, with God's help…fly!

Happy Birthday Heather

Heather,


You have made it an interesting 16 years. I praise God I have been a part of your life for at least ten of them. Tuesday morning I prayed for you and asked God to help me with a gift for your birthday. He answered with a poem, a prayer, and a plea. This is yours. Nobody else can have it. I hope you take this to heart and know that Stacy, the kids, and I love you dearly. Be good and God bless.

A Poem

Heavenly Sunlight my soul sings to the music of God’s grace,
Extravagantly poured out in your laughter.
A rose, beaded with water that glistens, sings harmony,
To the melody of your quintessence.
Heather, a field of splendor singing sweetly in the breeze an,
Exquisite song of warmth, love, and,
Radiance.

A Prayer

Hear, O Lord my prayer for the heart of your child. Giver her
Eyes to see and ears to hear the blessed hope that comes in the
Atonement of your Son, where there is forgiveness of sins. May she
Taste and see that the Lord is good and be blessed by putting her trust in You. Do not
Hide from her your presence where there is fullness of joy and pleasures forevermore.
Enable her to behold the beauty and majesty of Christ, the
Radiance of your glory.

A Plea

Hide the word of God in your heart that you may not sin against Him. (Psalm 119:11)
Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise! Give thanks to Him and bless His name! (Psalm 100:4)
Abstain from sexual immorality; that you know how to control your own body in holiness and honor. (1 Thessalonians 4:3-4)
Trust in the LORD with all of your heart and lean not on your own understanding…be not wise in your own eyes! (Proverbs 3:5-7)
Honor your father and mother that it may go well with you. This is well pleasing to the Lord.(Col 3:20; Eph 6:1-3)
Encourage and build up your family, friends, and neighbors. (1 Thessalonians 5:11)
Remember you are dust (Psalm 103:14) and will one day be no more. It is appointed for man to die once and after that face judgment. (Hebrews 9:27)

Be true, Be humble, Be real.

With much love,
Jason

Shine On Shiner!

As many of you know, we have moved to Louisville, KY and settled in to our town house. What you may not know is that we have already had our first casualty. Our town house is a three-bedroom apartment with an upstairs and downstairs. The kids’ room is upstairs with a bathroom, while the master bedroom is downstairs with a bathroom. This is the first time we have lived in a two-story home. Stacy was a little leery of the stairs, especially with Ethan. His energy levels have tripled in the last six months. However, it was Naomi who underestimated the combination of gravity, wood, and not paying attention.

Playing is paying…

Paul and Peggy, Stacy’s parents, came to help us get settled in. My dad had just left on his way back to Wisconsin. Naomi was running up and down the stairs playing. We told her to stop playing or else she was going to hurt herself, which is exactly what she did. As Naomi was going down the stairs (playing), Paul asked her to help him carry something. I think this was his way of getting her to stop going up and down the stairs. With her momentum going down she turned and slipped off the step. She then fell down and caught the corner of the stairs with her eye.

Of course, this happened on daddy’s watch. Stacy was gone with her mother to the store. I was in the kitchen washing my hands when I heard Naomi cry. It is a funny thing being a parent. I have learned the distinctiveness of my children cries. When Naomi is hurt, she cries from her stomach. It is almost as if all of her energy just focuses in her diaphragm. She does not bellar out with a tremendous cry or scream. It is more inside and makes its way out in the sound of one choking or something. As soon as I heard it, I knew something was wrong. Paul scurried down the stairs to pick her up. I came into the living room and took her from Paul’s arms. By then, the side of her left eye, near the temple, was starting to swell. She had a little bruising and a small cut in the shape of an L.

Black-eyed peas

I held her for a while softly scolding her for playing on the stairs. We had no ice pack at the time so we had to venture over to the neighbors. Another funny thing about being a parent is your deep concern for truth. In the house, I picked with Naomi about her eye. I told her that if she got out of line again I would bruise the other one. It did not occur to me that she might repeat that word for word to the neighbors; whom we just met for the first time. So I made sure she understood I was kidding and that she is to tell the truth about what happened.

We knocked on the door and Naomi was still whimpering a bit. I told the neighbor what happened and asked if she had something cold for the swelling. She said in a kind of question like manner, “We use frozen peas in this house. I could give you some of those?” She was very kind and understanding. She has four small children of her own; two of them are boys. I took the peas and put them on Naomi’s eye. By this time, the bruising was starting to show underneath her eye in a deep purple. It looked like a storm was brewing on the left side of her check. She looked pitiful.

His eye is on the sparrow

As we walked across the street, back to our home, I took advantage of an opportunity. I began to talk to her about God’s grace in this manner. Though he allowed her to fall and get hurt, He only let it go so far. There was mercy. She could have easily broke her neck and been paralyzed. On the other hand, she could hit her temple hard enough to kill her. There was grace given to her on the stairs. I wanted her to see and acknowledge His grace and give thanks to Him for His mercy.

The bible says that God never ceases to be involved with His creation. “The LORD looks down from heaven; he sees all the children of man (Psalm 33:13).” In Job 28:24, it says, “For he looks to the ends of the earth and sees everything under heaven.” Psalm 11:4 speaks of God on His throne looking down from heaven testing the children of men. Jesus spoke of His Fathers intimate involvement in the world, especially His people, when he encouraged his disciples not to fear men in Matthew 10:29-30. He said, “Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. But even the hairs of your head are numbered. Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.” The LORD was present on the stairs with Naomi. He allowed her to fall and get hurt. Moreover, He loved her in doing so.

A natural question may come to mind, “Why would God allow her to get hurt? If he is able to stop it, why not intervene? And how is it loving?” My first response to that question is Romans 11:34-36, “For who has known the mind of the LORD, or who has been His counselor? Who has given a gift to Him that he might be repaid? For from Him, through Him, and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen. (cf 1 Corinthians 8:6)”

Essentially, I cannot tell you exactly why he allowed her to get hurt. I am not God and my wisdom does not even appear on his radar screen. The scripture is clear. Everything we endure in this life, good or bad, minute or tragic, comes from Him; even a black eye from falling down the stairs (“…for from him and through him and to him are all things…”). Furthermore, his sovereign control over every detail in the universe, even black eyes, brings him glory. We saw some of this glory on the stairs.

Three glorious things to consider

1. There was glory in his mercy.

As I said before, the situation could have been a lot worse. He was faithful to keep her from greater harm.

2. There was glory in his comfort.

He was faithful to make sure her papa and daddy were there to care for her. Paul scooped her up in his arms and comforted her. He gave her to me to hold and to care for her. There is something very special between a girl and her daddy and I would even say her grandpa. God allowed us to show her a perspective of his care for us.

3. There was glory in his revelation.

God opened my eyes to seize an opportunity to share with her His sovereignty over all things, even falling down the stairs, and his careful hand in the matter. God allowed us to build cornerstones in her faith. By recognizing His hand in this relatively small matters, we will be able to better recognize His hand in the bigger matters.

How was it loving?

Before Jesus encouraged His disciples not to fear, he gave them the basis for the promise. He told them not to fear those who can only kill the body, but fear the one who can destroy both body and soul (Matthew 10: 28). Man can only do so much. The very worst man can do is kill our body. Our souls however, are forever in the hands of God. God is the only one who can give life (Jesus) to a soul or destroy it (Hell). Therefore, we need to have a healthy fear of Him as the maker of our souls.

God allowed her body to be bruised in order that her soul might live. If we would have left the accident to mere coincidence, her body would be bruised and her soul would be no better. However, because God in His mercy, allowed us the opportunity to examine his word and see His hand in the matter, her faith was watered and her eyes were opened a little more to His power, might, mercy, and salvation. This in turn created a better awareness and respect for God; namely to fear Him. Therefore, letting her suffer a black eye was loving because He revealed more of Himself to her.

Word of advice

We make it a point in our family to see God in our everyday experiences. I would encourage you to do the same. Children who only see glimpses of God on Sundays and Wednesdays suffer greatly in their faith. God is not seen as supreme or intimate in small doses. Strive to apply scripture to everyday events as much as possible. This helps them to see the world through biblical eyeglasses. This in turn will help them to taste and see that the LORD is good, no matter the circumstance. In addition, with much prayer and pleading, they will put their trust in Him (Psalm 34:10).