In honor of my favorite seven year old I would like to comment on one of the biggest changes in my life since his arrival.........the willing examination of bugs. I have never liked bugs, they are categorically filthy and disgusting creatures. I understand their function in this world and I am sure that God knew what He was doing when they were created, however I avoid them whenever possible. I particularly do not like to hear the squishing and exoskeleton breaking sound you get when they are stepped or mashed in a paper towel. My handling of bugs is generally by releasing them back "into the wild" although I prefer to shout to Judah to handle the issue if he is available. I do not feel like I am reversing the progress of womanhood by doing this. I am capable of handling it myself, I am choosing not to and delegating to a more willing person.
Despite this abhorrence of bugs I find myself stopping to examine many creepy things. When I started bug examination my primary motivation was that I did not want to instill in my son a fear as a small child, just as I attempt to remain calm during storms and when getting on airplanes. I have no desire for my children to labor under my stress. In efforts to appear as though bugs were "no big deal" I would calmly remark on the types of bugs we encountered when my son was a toddler........ look an ant! (or a spider, or a caterpillar, or a beetle, etc).
In classic boy fashion I no longer need to point out bugs, my son will gladly point them out to me. My new task is to look interested and attempt to answer the many questions he has regarding name and function. I believe my son has learned that bugs belong outside and one of his favorite days is the Terminix day when a very helpful man named John comes to rid my home of bugs. My son finds this activity fascinating and has been known to follow him around jabbing in the dirt to help kill bugs. We have bug books, bug flash cards, and little plastic bugs in abundance. I squelch the inner "yuck" and calmly examine the creature crawling on the deck when my son comes running. I hope one day he realizes what an effort that is for me and that my bug examination is a way to see how much I love him. To parent a seven year old boy you MUST LOVE BUGS.
(A side note on this technique - it has not been as effective on my daughter who still runs screaming from her bug wielding brother.)
Friday, August 29, 2008
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Mind Control
Last night I got an email that got under my skin. I started talking to Michelle about it, and the more I talked, the madder I got. Finally, she looked over at me and said, "don't let someone else control you." She then politely went to doing whatever it was she doing.
My initial reaction was that my wife had lost it. Me? Controlled by someone else? Please.... But then I started thinking about it. How often do we do things because of someone else? Wow. We lose our temper and say things we shouldn't when someone cuts us off while driving. We defend our decisions to do something because someone challenges our "wisdom". We go completely out of our way to make a point, when our "honor" is at stake. There are a litany of others. We do things that "just aren't us" because of someone else's behavior.
Truth is, no one should control us to a point where we do things that go against the teachings of God's will. So what if someone doesn't like me. Big deal if someone doesn't like my ideas. It doesn't matter. What does matter is our focus on God. What does matter is our love for others, and to show that love through respect, honor, and appreciation. It is definitely hard for us to stay on track; to stay focused. God calls us to do things for His glory, not others.
My initial reaction was that my wife had lost it. Me? Controlled by someone else? Please.... But then I started thinking about it. How often do we do things because of someone else? Wow. We lose our temper and say things we shouldn't when someone cuts us off while driving. We defend our decisions to do something because someone challenges our "wisdom". We go completely out of our way to make a point, when our "honor" is at stake. There are a litany of others. We do things that "just aren't us" because of someone else's behavior.
Truth is, no one should control us to a point where we do things that go against the teachings of God's will. So what if someone doesn't like me. Big deal if someone doesn't like my ideas. It doesn't matter. What does matter is our focus on God. What does matter is our love for others, and to show that love through respect, honor, and appreciation. It is definitely hard for us to stay on track; to stay focused. God calls us to do things for His glory, not others.
Friday, August 22, 2008
Turning it to God....
"...and they drew lots for them..." - Acts 1:26. I can't help but be fascinated by this verse. Its not just this verse, but the section of scripture. Its right after the Ascension, and Peter and other apostles and disciples have gathered together. Peter talks about how that the one who betrayed must be replaced (v. 22). In 21, he seems to give some requirements for this replacement: ...accompanied us all the time...". And the selection fell on two men, Joseph and Matthias. They prayed to God, and then in 1st century fashion rolled the dice.
Last night Michelle and I got into a discussion of prayer. Really, how often do we actually allow God full control of our decisions? I consider myself a rather logical individual. I don't take much to chance. I mean, my job requires that I have as much information as possible, before making a decision. I have to research things. I have to experiment. I have to collect the facts. I usually base my decisions on the knowledge that I obtain. However, at the same time I pray to God that He will guide me in my personal life; that the "correct path" will be obvious; that I will "know" the right thing to do in a particular situation. Here is where my eyebrows are starting to raise. Am I really turning over my decisions to Him? Do I allow Him full control of my life? I think I do, but I still need to see the logical choice. I have to weigh the evidence. Collect the data. Based on my understanding, I then make the decision. I say that I am allowing God to guide me, but am I really?
May be its me, but if we are not careful, we will see "God's path" where there actually is no path at all. Yesterday, a good friend of mine and myself were mountain biking. In short, I got us lost because I took a path "that I knew" would get us back to the car. However, even before we made the turn, I knew it was the wrong decision. I wanted that path to be it, because it looked easier. It looked cooler. It looked like it would turn in the direction of the car. I created an analysis that just wasn't true, and relied on my own knowledge to make a decision. We would have gotten to the car eventually, but it would have been after dark!
No doubt the bible is littered with words of wisdom of how to seek advice, obtain knowledge, seek council, etc. But how do we explain this passage out of Acts? The apostles prayed to God, then basically rolled the dice. The name that popped up, they believed was the man for the job. God made the decision by choosing the lot of Matthias. End of discussion. There was no committee to decide the best candidate. There was no reference check. There was no comparison of GPA, or numbers of publications. Don't get me wrong here though. A group did get together and looked at the individuals that met the qualifcations that had been set forth. And from what we can tell, only two men met those qualifications. But it was God who made the final decision. He picked.
I think if we are not careful we may pray to God to "show us the way", but then never really allow Him to make the decision. If it really is so obvious to us, then we shouldn't be afraid to roll the dice. What is it that we are afraid of?
Last night Michelle and I got into a discussion of prayer. Really, how often do we actually allow God full control of our decisions? I consider myself a rather logical individual. I don't take much to chance. I mean, my job requires that I have as much information as possible, before making a decision. I have to research things. I have to experiment. I have to collect the facts. I usually base my decisions on the knowledge that I obtain. However, at the same time I pray to God that He will guide me in my personal life; that the "correct path" will be obvious; that I will "know" the right thing to do in a particular situation. Here is where my eyebrows are starting to raise. Am I really turning over my decisions to Him? Do I allow Him full control of my life? I think I do, but I still need to see the logical choice. I have to weigh the evidence. Collect the data. Based on my understanding, I then make the decision. I say that I am allowing God to guide me, but am I really?
May be its me, but if we are not careful, we will see "God's path" where there actually is no path at all. Yesterday, a good friend of mine and myself were mountain biking. In short, I got us lost because I took a path "that I knew" would get us back to the car. However, even before we made the turn, I knew it was the wrong decision. I wanted that path to be it, because it looked easier. It looked cooler. It looked like it would turn in the direction of the car. I created an analysis that just wasn't true, and relied on my own knowledge to make a decision. We would have gotten to the car eventually, but it would have been after dark!
No doubt the bible is littered with words of wisdom of how to seek advice, obtain knowledge, seek council, etc. But how do we explain this passage out of Acts? The apostles prayed to God, then basically rolled the dice. The name that popped up, they believed was the man for the job. God made the decision by choosing the lot of Matthias. End of discussion. There was no committee to decide the best candidate. There was no reference check. There was no comparison of GPA, or numbers of publications. Don't get me wrong here though. A group did get together and looked at the individuals that met the qualifcations that had been set forth. And from what we can tell, only two men met those qualifications. But it was God who made the final decision. He picked.
I think if we are not careful we may pray to God to "show us the way", but then never really allow Him to make the decision. If it really is so obvious to us, then we shouldn't be afraid to roll the dice. What is it that we are afraid of?
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