John 6:5-11
5 When Jesus looked up and saw a great crowd coming toward him, he said to Philip, "Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?" 6 He asked this only to test him, for he already had in mind what he was going to do.
7 Philip answered him, "Eight months' wages would not buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!"
8 Another of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, spoke up, 9 "Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?"
10 Jesus said, "Have the people sit down." There was plenty of grass in that place, and the men sat down, about five thousand of them. 11 Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted. He did the same with the fish.
12 When they had all had enough to eat, he said to his disciples, "Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted." 13 So they gathered them and filled twelve baskets with the pieces of the five barley loaves left over by those who had eaten.
NIV
One of the reasons I like homeschooling is that I don’t have to pack Morgan’s lunch everyday. A petty reason to homeschool indeed, and certainly not the only reason I do, but the fact remains that I do not like to pack lunches. There’s no sense in packing left-overs, the reason they’re left-overs is because my family didn’t like it in the first place! Then I pack “kid-friendly”, albeit chemical-full, prepared lunches. They like these, until they see some other kid’s lunch, instantly making theirs unsatisfactory. So, now a morning ritual that shouldn’t cause a second thought is suddenly a stressful “event”:
“Are the teacher’s going to approve of the nutritional content?”
“Will the other student’s ridicule my kid’s lunch?”
“Will other children find my child’s lunch trade-worthy?”
Alright, so I stress too much over my kid’s lunch! The point is that lunch is an “event” every morning for every mother with a child in school.
In our day of understanding salmonella poisoning, fish is the last thing we’d pack. But there was a day when a certain mom could think of nothing better to pack than fish and barley loaves. Perhaps the kid was a real eater. FIVE loaves and TWO fish?! Or maybe he didn’t eat so much, but perhaps she packed enough for him to share with a couple people nearby. Imagine her surprise that evening as she heard how SHE ended up feeding more than five thousand people! And we don’t even know her name.
I’ve got to pose this question to you today: What are you putting in your child’s basket? No, I’m not talking about food. I’m talking about what you are instilling in your child that God will use someday? Are you teaching your child the art of sharing? Are you teaching your child how to speak politely to strangers? Are you teaching your child submission to authority? These things may seem small and insignificant to you, just as that mother’s fish and bread must have seemed. And unfortunately, because they seem so small its real easy to a long time without making sure our children are functioning properly. But if you’ll do your best even on the “small” things you’ll find God using your child to accomplish big things thru your daily contributions into your child’s brain. What you put in your child’s basket today makes the possibilities of tomorrow amazing!
So, what are you packing?
You can listen to Soul Java in audio on your computer, or download it to your iPod player at iTunes, or other mp3 devices @ http://deneerichardson.com , and http://deneerichardson.podbean.com/.
Showing posts with label family. Show all posts
Showing posts with label family. Show all posts
Friday, July 31, 2009
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
A Tribute To Lola Roehm Richardson
Of all the flavors and varieties of people on this earth Lola had incredibly deep respect for those fellow human beings with a handicap, most particularly, those that faced life with tranquility in spite of their more difficult circumstance. Lola never did realize how special she really was.
She was born to a mother who had been in labor for so long she had passed out into a comatose state. (Or the doctors put her there, either way, she was out cold when the baby was born & for some time after.) She awoke to find that she had given the world a baby girl and her husband had dutifully named their firstborn after both their mothers, Bessie Lola. Both Lola and her mother, (who also happened to be named Lola) hated the name, Bessie.
Lola was a bright child who excelled in school. But she was not merely a "book-worm". She was a real, honest-to-goodness girly-girl, through and through. She loved lovely things. She delighted over fancy things. She couldn't resist soft things. As a matter of fact, one day as she was leaving school she discovered the most unique plant she had ever seen; it had rounded edges, no leaves, and was covered in the most sumptuous, irresistible fur. Wanting to take in the fur to its full extent she intended to rub that silky fur and grabbed the plant with both, wide open hands... only to learn what a cactus was! BOTH her hands were covered in the tiny needles and it took a very long time to extract them all.
Lola loved her children with the same abandon she displayed toward that cactus; her whole heart. She told me a story about how after her divorce from my husband's dad she began to see another man. She truly liked being with this man and entertained the thought of remarriage. One day she was in a car with her boyfriend and her son. Her little son did what I've seen countless boys do, he put his feet up on the dashboard. The scolding that she watched her son receive from her boyfriend grieved her greatly and she stopped seeing that man. Was she happier because of her decision? She thought so when she told me the story. Did her son turn out to be a better person because she put him before her own romance. I really believe so. I've seen so many single mothers desperate for a man to depend on sacrifice her children's confidence and futures on the altar of temporary romance.
Lola took great pride in her education. She earned her Masters degree while rearing two children alone. She taught elementary school for over thirty years. She was favored by the schools she worked for, she was admired by the interns lucky enough to work in her classroom, she was appreciated by her peers, and her children loved her. She was also an accomplished musician, singer, and music teacher. She had many piano students who will likely be playing in their respective churches this Sunday. There are many praise and worship singers in various churches who sang their first solo in her children's choir. Her love for music went beyond today's culture of ear buds stuck in our ears, blocking the world out. Her love for music was displayed by touching it as she did that cactus, all over, with wide-open hands, experiencing it to its fullest.
She was adamantly against abortion. Long before I knew her she had an abortion*. I sat in the backseat of a taxi with her once and she told me with tears in her eyes of her regret at having that abortion. She said, "When I look at Christian and Robin now and see how special they are I can't help wondering what my other two children would have been like." She's the only person who's ever talked to me candidly about her experience in having an abortion. She has convinced me of its evil.
Christian and Robin. Her two crowning achievements. She raised them on her own. It was never easy. Early in my husband's life he talks of the various homes they lived in, unlike myself who has lived in four houses my entire life. They have very few school portraits because she would always forget to turn the slip in with the check to get the pictures back. Christian says that their house was always messy. These are the things that blocked Lola from realizing how special she really was all along. As far as she was concerned everyone she worked with had a sparkling home with the Good Housekeeping stamp of approval. She truly thought that every other parent was kinder to their children than she was. From her vantage point no one else ever had their electricity turned off. Her outlook of mankind was in general so positive that she felt she could never live up to their standards. Little did she realize that, messy house and all, she was far exceeding the average qua.
Christian moved to central Florida to be with me and we started our family. Robin's husband is an engineer for GE and consequently they have lived in various states. (Each of Robin's four children were born in their own state!) Lola created the most amazing, magical moments for our families when she brought us together for Kousin Kamp. She got the idea from Focus on the Family. Every Summer all the grandkids came to her house. (The first year there were four grandkids, there ended up being six!) They had such a great time with their grandmommy! She made them all matching shirts with their names on them. Christian always stayed at her house to help; he was the Kamp Kounselor! Robin and I had what we dubbed "Sister-in-law camp". If a child was wearing diapers they were too young to be at Kousin Kamp, so they stayed with us. Those are memories that are deep-seated in me. They conjure the best of emotions and sense of belonging.
One day Christian received a call from the pastor's wife where Lola was one of the music directors. Evidently, while in the middle of playing the Hallelujah! Chorus in a church service she stopped. She simply could not play anymore. To my knowledge she never played the piano again. We rushed to Pensacola where she lived. Robin, Christian, and Lola's two sisters, Helen and Jaye, spent months with various specialists trying to come up with a diagnosis. She had a very rare degenerative brain disease called, Progressive Supranuclear Palsy.
We watched Lola, in the last five years of her life become the person she always admired; a handicapped person who faced life with amazing peace. Don't get me wrong, she was stubborn and independent, both qualities that make care-taking difficult. But mad at God? No. Sad and depressed? No. When Lola passed from this life she was found lying on her side, in her most comfortable position in her own bed, in her own house. Her face was relaxed and peaceful.
February 13th, 2009, marked one year since her passing. It feels like its been five years since she left us. I truly miss her. But I see her clap her hands when I watch my daughter stand in choir and clap. I hear her teach when I listen to my husband explain mathematics or grammar to our children. Her voice will still echo through my thoughts critiquing something, and her giggle somehow is heard when my son says something funny.
...Oh yeah, and when I walk through my messy house I know it doesn't mean I'm a loser; it just means I have a lot on my plate.
Thank you, Lola.
*I can't remember if Lola told me she had two abortions or one abortion and one miscarriage. To her they were both traumatic.
She was born to a mother who had been in labor for so long she had passed out into a comatose state. (Or the doctors put her there, either way, she was out cold when the baby was born & for some time after.) She awoke to find that she had given the world a baby girl and her husband had dutifully named their firstborn after both their mothers, Bessie Lola. Both Lola and her mother, (who also happened to be named Lola) hated the name, Bessie.
Lola was a bright child who excelled in school. But she was not merely a "book-worm". She was a real, honest-to-goodness girly-girl, through and through. She loved lovely things. She delighted over fancy things. She couldn't resist soft things. As a matter of fact, one day as she was leaving school she discovered the most unique plant she had ever seen; it had rounded edges, no leaves, and was covered in the most sumptuous, irresistible fur. Wanting to take in the fur to its full extent she intended to rub that silky fur and grabbed the plant with both, wide open hands... only to learn what a cactus was! BOTH her hands were covered in the tiny needles and it took a very long time to extract them all.
Lola loved her children with the same abandon she displayed toward that cactus; her whole heart. She told me a story about how after her divorce from my husband's dad she began to see another man. She truly liked being with this man and entertained the thought of remarriage. One day she was in a car with her boyfriend and her son. Her little son did what I've seen countless boys do, he put his feet up on the dashboard. The scolding that she watched her son receive from her boyfriend grieved her greatly and she stopped seeing that man. Was she happier because of her decision? She thought so when she told me the story. Did her son turn out to be a better person because she put him before her own romance. I really believe so. I've seen so many single mothers desperate for a man to depend on sacrifice her children's confidence and futures on the altar of temporary romance.
Lola took great pride in her education. She earned her Masters degree while rearing two children alone. She taught elementary school for over thirty years. She was favored by the schools she worked for, she was admired by the interns lucky enough to work in her classroom, she was appreciated by her peers, and her children loved her. She was also an accomplished musician, singer, and music teacher. She had many piano students who will likely be playing in their respective churches this Sunday. There are many praise and worship singers in various churches who sang their first solo in her children's choir. Her love for music went beyond today's culture of ear buds stuck in our ears, blocking the world out. Her love for music was displayed by touching it as she did that cactus, all over, with wide-open hands, experiencing it to its fullest.
She was adamantly against abortion. Long before I knew her she had an abortion*. I sat in the backseat of a taxi with her once and she told me with tears in her eyes of her regret at having that abortion. She said, "When I look at Christian and Robin now and see how special they are I can't help wondering what my other two children would have been like." She's the only person who's ever talked to me candidly about her experience in having an abortion. She has convinced me of its evil.
Christian and Robin. Her two crowning achievements. She raised them on her own. It was never easy. Early in my husband's life he talks of the various homes they lived in, unlike myself who has lived in four houses my entire life. They have very few school portraits because she would always forget to turn the slip in with the check to get the pictures back. Christian says that their house was always messy. These are the things that blocked Lola from realizing how special she really was all along. As far as she was concerned everyone she worked with had a sparkling home with the Good Housekeeping stamp of approval. She truly thought that every other parent was kinder to their children than she was. From her vantage point no one else ever had their electricity turned off. Her outlook of mankind was in general so positive that she felt she could never live up to their standards. Little did she realize that, messy house and all, she was far exceeding the average qua.
Christian moved to central Florida to be with me and we started our family. Robin's husband is an engineer for GE and consequently they have lived in various states. (Each of Robin's four children were born in their own state!) Lola created the most amazing, magical moments for our families when she brought us together for Kousin Kamp. She got the idea from Focus on the Family. Every Summer all the grandkids came to her house. (The first year there were four grandkids, there ended up being six!) They had such a great time with their grandmommy! She made them all matching shirts with their names on them. Christian always stayed at her house to help; he was the Kamp Kounselor! Robin and I had what we dubbed "Sister-in-law camp". If a child was wearing diapers they were too young to be at Kousin Kamp, so they stayed with us. Those are memories that are deep-seated in me. They conjure the best of emotions and sense of belonging.
One day Christian received a call from the pastor's wife where Lola was one of the music directors. Evidently, while in the middle of playing the Hallelujah! Chorus in a church service she stopped. She simply could not play anymore. To my knowledge she never played the piano again. We rushed to Pensacola where she lived. Robin, Christian, and Lola's two sisters, Helen and Jaye, spent months with various specialists trying to come up with a diagnosis. She had a very rare degenerative brain disease called, Progressive Supranuclear Palsy.
We watched Lola, in the last five years of her life become the person she always admired; a handicapped person who faced life with amazing peace. Don't get me wrong, she was stubborn and independent, both qualities that make care-taking difficult. But mad at God? No. Sad and depressed? No. When Lola passed from this life she was found lying on her side, in her most comfortable position in her own bed, in her own house. Her face was relaxed and peaceful.
February 13th, 2009, marked one year since her passing. It feels like its been five years since she left us. I truly miss her. But I see her clap her hands when I watch my daughter stand in choir and clap. I hear her teach when I listen to my husband explain mathematics or grammar to our children. Her voice will still echo through my thoughts critiquing something, and her giggle somehow is heard when my son says something funny.
...Oh yeah, and when I walk through my messy house I know it doesn't mean I'm a loser; it just means I have a lot on my plate.
Thank you, Lola.
*I can't remember if Lola told me she had two abortions or one abortion and one miscarriage. To her they were both traumatic.
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
S'mores Toast Recipe
This has become a new fav for me and Christian. (I made it up!)
Ingredients:
1 slice of bread. (We use whitewheat.)
1 tbsp Nutella
1 tbsp Marshmallow Fluff
Directions:
Spread the bread with the Nutella (try not to plunge your finger into the midst of the yummy chocolate goodness!) Spread a layer of marshmallow fluff over the top of the Nutella. Pop in the toaster oven (or broiler) until the desired doneness of the marshmallow fluff. (For me that's a slight brown glaze, for Christian that's a nearly solid black top.)
Remember your new year's resolutions and try not to eat too many!
Calorie: 184, Fat: 6.4, Carbs: 29.2!!!, Protein: 3.5
Ingredients:
1 slice of bread. (We use whitewheat.)
1 tbsp Nutella
1 tbsp Marshmallow Fluff
Directions:
Spread the bread with the Nutella (try not to plunge your finger into the midst of the yummy chocolate goodness!) Spread a layer of marshmallow fluff over the top of the Nutella. Pop in the toaster oven (or broiler) until the desired doneness of the marshmallow fluff. (For me that's a slight brown glaze, for Christian that's a nearly solid black top.)
Remember your new year's resolutions and try not to eat too many!
Calorie: 184, Fat: 6.4, Carbs: 29.2!!!, Protein: 3.5
Monday, January 26, 2009
Richardson Family Bible study, 1/26/09
Tonight’s family Bible study had so many wonderful moments; I laughed, I cried; I truly enjoyed myself.
We started our Bible study tonight before having dinner and the kids were “starving”. So as soon as the burgers were finished we took an intermission. Leading up to that intermission Christian taught how God did not accept Cain’s offering, how he accepted Abel’s because it was a blood sacrifice. (We assume it was because Abel’s was a blood sacrifice.) Christian taught how Jesus would be that ultimate, perfect blood offering to atone for all our sins. Morgan came alive at this point! She said, “Oh, now I know why when the soldiers pierced Jesus’ side blood and water came out! The water was like a spiritual picture of water baptism!”
Thank God for a spirit of revelation right in our living room!
After our Burger Break we were back, bursting with questions and comments. At one point Madison asked in a shocked, disgusted tone, “Do you mean Ham had to marry his sister?!”
I fell over laughing as Morgan, very haughtily said, “No! They didn’t get married Madison, they just slept together.”
Of course Christian brought as all back on track by saying, “First of all, Ham already had a wife. It was Cain and Abel who married their sister. And they did get married.”
The last of that conversation was Morgan saying, “Stop laughing, Mommy.”
When Christian told us that even after the flood people still disobeyed God. Christian said, “humans began to wander further and further from God. Madison shook his head and said, “I’m not gonna ever leave God.”
That brought about the “I cried” part.
After the Bible study we all went our separate ways to get ready for bed. The final words we heard as our daughter, Morgan, rounded the corner upstairs, out of our sight was, “I love the Word!”
We started our Bible study tonight before having dinner and the kids were “starving”. So as soon as the burgers were finished we took an intermission. Leading up to that intermission Christian taught how God did not accept Cain’s offering, how he accepted Abel’s because it was a blood sacrifice. (We assume it was because Abel’s was a blood sacrifice.) Christian taught how Jesus would be that ultimate, perfect blood offering to atone for all our sins. Morgan came alive at this point! She said, “Oh, now I know why when the soldiers pierced Jesus’ side blood and water came out! The water was like a spiritual picture of water baptism!”
Thank God for a spirit of revelation right in our living room!
After our Burger Break we were back, bursting with questions and comments. At one point Madison asked in a shocked, disgusted tone, “Do you mean Ham had to marry his sister?!”
I fell over laughing as Morgan, very haughtily said, “No! They didn’t get married Madison, they just slept together.”
Of course Christian brought as all back on track by saying, “First of all, Ham already had a wife. It was Cain and Abel who married their sister. And they did get married.”
The last of that conversation was Morgan saying, “Stop laughing, Mommy.”
When Christian told us that even after the flood people still disobeyed God. Christian said, “humans began to wander further and further from God. Madison shook his head and said, “I’m not gonna ever leave God.”
That brought about the “I cried” part.
After the Bible study we all went our separate ways to get ready for bed. The final words we heard as our daughter, Morgan, rounded the corner upstairs, out of our sight was, “I love the Word!”
Saturday, January 24, 2009
A Long Thought About Divorce
I’ve always wondered why the scripture didn’t spell out in detail why “God hates divorce”. (Malachi 2:16) From this passage we can know surely because divorce is a violent act. (This chapter uses the words “treacherous” & “violence”. Ooooo.) But I have been living in a country plagued with divorce long enough to figure that there are other reasons besides how a woman is treated to hate divorce. I shall now offer my humble opinion:
1. The “violence” to the spouse.
Today’s spouse may say of the other, “I don’t love them anymore. They don’t love me.” & that is sufficient grounds for a divorce. After all, should that person have to live in a home where love is not given? Should that person be required to resist all happiness that stems from the realm of romance?
Malachi chapter two lets us know that divorce is a sparkly, pretty cloth. Its “legal” & that makes it alright. It’s a perfect covering for the ugly, gory, bloody ripping apart of a marriage.
I’ve NEVER seen a divorce be nonchalant. Even for the spouse that the scripture gave them a “right” to divorce. (Matthew 19:9 “except it be for fornication”.) Even for that one who is disgusted by their spouse's choices of immorality. Even they are left mutilated by the ravages of divorce.
2. The affect on the children.
Need I say more?! I’ve seen children live with fighting, brawling parents turn out with a stronger disposition & greater confidence than kids who’ve gone through a divorce. (I don’t mean physical fights. I mean loud, shouting matches.) I’m not saying that it’s a good thing for children to have to live in an environment where parents yell at & degrade each other all the time. But I am saying that as difficult as that is for a child, divorce is a million times worse. I don’t have enough time or space to go in to all the negative affects divorce has on kids… Thank God, I don’t have enough time or space.
3. The affect on extended family.
“Oh, what?! Are you kidding me? We’ve got to consider in-laws, & aunts, & cousins?”
Yep. And Nieces, and nephews… & the list goes on. Why is it no one ever thinks about how a sister-in-law is going to explain to her children why Uncle won’t be around the tree for Christmas? The ideas divorce conveys concerning lack of worth in astounding. We instill in people’s mind that they are unvalued when they are “just a niece”, or “her grandparents”, or “his Aunt”. These people are FAM-I-LY! They have spend time worrying about you. If you’re lucky enough, praying for you. They spend time, when they could be living care-free, pondering your difficulties! I read sometime ago about a certain culture (I wish I could remember who this was!) that the couple’s first month of marriage was spent moving from house to house of their new family. They’d spend a week with Uncle Joe, a few nights at a cousin's, a week with the parents or grandparents. The purpose of this was to instill the understanding in the young couple’s mind that they were a part of something much bigger than themselves. They were not two independent decision makers. Everything they did affected the entire family. How true it is!
4. The future family.
So, you just HAVE to divorce that lousy, no-good-for-nothin' spouse. And life is going to be PERFECT with your soul-mate, who is out there, somewhere, right now looking for you!
This stems from a phone call I received many years ago. My friend who had been in an unhappy, selfish marriage, was divorced by her husband (who had been cheating on her!) She was now remarried to a man who literally served her. They are still married and he is a joy to behold. His love for her is like Christ’s love for the church, truly. I answered the phone with the normal, “Hello?” and the first words I heard were a sobbed out,
“Now I know why God hates divorce!”
She commenced to tell me all about her husband’s ex-wife’s annoyances. The jealousies she felt toward this woman. The trials of dealing with “his & mine”. Before she had to concern herself with getting her children to two sets of grandparents houses for holidays, now she delicately scheduled the kids to be at FOUR sets of grandparents! Of course sometimes “his ex” was responsible for getting “his” kids to "her" parents, but if it wasn’t on the exact day they wanted it was a big fight. The children were played like pieces on a chess board.
After listening for quite some time I had the audacity to open my big trap & say, “I hate to tell you this, but once your grandkids come you’ll be dealing with “his ex” even more!”
I should have been shot on the spot for that remark.
But its true! In the moment, all a suffering spouse can think of is getting a divorce. “Surely a divorce will make life peaceful again! Surely a divorce will allow some joy to enter my life again!”
Perhaps there will be happiness again. But with that happiness may come even more difficult surroundings.
So, is a person to stay in an abusive marriage? NO! NO! NO! Leave that spouse TODAY and go get some help and protection.
Is a person to stay in a loveless marriage?
…maybe.
You should weigh out all the possibilities and decide which ones you can live with best.
Most importantly, make sure that you study the scripture to know what God has to say about divorce. After all, crossing my opinions is no big deal. I won’t strike you with lightening. I won’t write nasty things about you. I’ll just let you go on… being WRONG! (just kidding.)
But seriously, you don’t want to cross God’s opinions. Will he strike you with lightening? Will he write nasty things about you? Truly, the Bible does show him doing that sometimes, but I don’t imagine him to do that to you. However, it may make it harder in your own mind to have an open relationship with your Creator; and personally, there is no punishment harder to deal with than that.
1. The “violence” to the spouse.
Today’s spouse may say of the other, “I don’t love them anymore. They don’t love me.” & that is sufficient grounds for a divorce. After all, should that person have to live in a home where love is not given? Should that person be required to resist all happiness that stems from the realm of romance?
Malachi chapter two lets us know that divorce is a sparkly, pretty cloth. Its “legal” & that makes it alright. It’s a perfect covering for the ugly, gory, bloody ripping apart of a marriage.
I’ve NEVER seen a divorce be nonchalant. Even for the spouse that the scripture gave them a “right” to divorce. (Matthew 19:9 “except it be for fornication”.) Even for that one who is disgusted by their spouse's choices of immorality. Even they are left mutilated by the ravages of divorce.
2. The affect on the children.
Need I say more?! I’ve seen children live with fighting, brawling parents turn out with a stronger disposition & greater confidence than kids who’ve gone through a divorce. (I don’t mean physical fights. I mean loud, shouting matches.) I’m not saying that it’s a good thing for children to have to live in an environment where parents yell at & degrade each other all the time. But I am saying that as difficult as that is for a child, divorce is a million times worse. I don’t have enough time or space to go in to all the negative affects divorce has on kids… Thank God, I don’t have enough time or space.
3. The affect on extended family.
“Oh, what?! Are you kidding me? We’ve got to consider in-laws, & aunts, & cousins?”
Yep. And Nieces, and nephews… & the list goes on. Why is it no one ever thinks about how a sister-in-law is going to explain to her children why Uncle won’t be around the tree for Christmas? The ideas divorce conveys concerning lack of worth in astounding. We instill in people’s mind that they are unvalued when they are “just a niece”, or “her grandparents”, or “his Aunt”. These people are FAM-I-LY! They have spend time worrying about you. If you’re lucky enough, praying for you. They spend time, when they could be living care-free, pondering your difficulties! I read sometime ago about a certain culture (I wish I could remember who this was!) that the couple’s first month of marriage was spent moving from house to house of their new family. They’d spend a week with Uncle Joe, a few nights at a cousin's, a week with the parents or grandparents. The purpose of this was to instill the understanding in the young couple’s mind that they were a part of something much bigger than themselves. They were not two independent decision makers. Everything they did affected the entire family. How true it is!
4. The future family.
So, you just HAVE to divorce that lousy, no-good-for-nothin' spouse. And life is going to be PERFECT with your soul-mate, who is out there, somewhere, right now looking for you!
This stems from a phone call I received many years ago. My friend who had been in an unhappy, selfish marriage, was divorced by her husband (who had been cheating on her!) She was now remarried to a man who literally served her. They are still married and he is a joy to behold. His love for her is like Christ’s love for the church, truly. I answered the phone with the normal, “Hello?” and the first words I heard were a sobbed out,
“Now I know why God hates divorce!”
She commenced to tell me all about her husband’s ex-wife’s annoyances. The jealousies she felt toward this woman. The trials of dealing with “his & mine”. Before she had to concern herself with getting her children to two sets of grandparents houses for holidays, now she delicately scheduled the kids to be at FOUR sets of grandparents! Of course sometimes “his ex” was responsible for getting “his” kids to "her" parents, but if it wasn’t on the exact day they wanted it was a big fight. The children were played like pieces on a chess board.
After listening for quite some time I had the audacity to open my big trap & say, “I hate to tell you this, but once your grandkids come you’ll be dealing with “his ex” even more!”
I should have been shot on the spot for that remark.
But its true! In the moment, all a suffering spouse can think of is getting a divorce. “Surely a divorce will make life peaceful again! Surely a divorce will allow some joy to enter my life again!”
Perhaps there will be happiness again. But with that happiness may come even more difficult surroundings.
So, is a person to stay in an abusive marriage? NO! NO! NO! Leave that spouse TODAY and go get some help and protection.
Is a person to stay in a loveless marriage?
…maybe.
You should weigh out all the possibilities and decide which ones you can live with best.
Most importantly, make sure that you study the scripture to know what God has to say about divorce. After all, crossing my opinions is no big deal. I won’t strike you with lightening. I won’t write nasty things about you. I’ll just let you go on… being WRONG! (just kidding.)
But seriously, you don’t want to cross God’s opinions. Will he strike you with lightening? Will he write nasty things about you? Truly, the Bible does show him doing that sometimes, but I don’t imagine him to do that to you. However, it may make it harder in your own mind to have an open relationship with your Creator; and personally, there is no punishment harder to deal with than that.
Monday, January 19, 2009
Search for Truth, Family Bible study, Jan. 19, '09
I'm LOVING our family Bible studies! We've had family Bible studies before, but they've mostly been impromptu; stemming from Bible memorization, an item in the news, the Pastor's sermon, etc. This is the first time we've set out to teach a series & its been delightful!
Tonight's lesson was about the fall of humanity. When Christian told about the God declaring that the serpent would lose his feet & would instead sliver around on his belly they started singing (to Carmen's old song, "I've Been Delivered") "He's been defeated!" It was hilarious! Especially the realization that the original version fit so well; "defeated by the hand of the Lord!"
Morgan was very excited to learn that the "tree of life" is mentioned again in the book of Revelation. She said, "Oh that's great! I always daydream that I live on a beautiful paradise island that's a big, beautiful garden!"
The wrap up was about how Jesus Christ was the "seed of the woman" that would crush Satan's head. We talked about how the "princes of this world" did not realize that they'd crucified the Lord of glory, & how they surely would not have; for it was by the stripes Jesus bore on his back that we have our healing, & it was by the shedding of his blood that we can partake in forgiveness, & by Christ's burial that we can be "buried with him by baptism", & by his resurrection that we are filled with the Holy Ghost!
We ended the Bible study with a powerful moment of prayer.
Thank God for His divine plan!
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