The Children Who Could Fly.

Five Minute Friday: Fly

Fly by the seat of your pants today and WRITE for 5 minutes. Get in your quiet space, grab your journal and pen and write what's in your spirit. Post your masterpiece here and don't forget to share the love with the artist who linked up before you.  One love :)  Peace & Blessings and happy Friday!

One day,

in a place where there is

Life After Breath,

they will run-

without a thought in their mind,

without a care in their spirit,

without a fear in in their heart;

they will run,

wild & free.

           

Like a 747

gliding down the runway

slowly gathering momentum,

then

faster 

and 

faster,

heart pounding,

while deep,belly-laughter tickles the

soul 

with 

unspeakable

  joy....

They run.

And after all of that running,

with the strength of Sampson

in their legs,

they will rise up

     FREE.

Free from frowns and frustration,

Free from the splints, braces and chairs

that once bound them….

Free

 to take a gallant leap forward,

spread their wings 

and

fly.

"But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength;they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint."  Isaiah 40:31

* loosely based on The People Who Could Fly by Virginia Hamilton

In the Fullness of His Grace

Begging your grace on today with my late Five Minute Friday post!  You know the drill!  Write for 5 solid minutes unscripted, no worries on the prompt for today.  And don't forget to share the love with the scribe that posted before you. Link up here. 

Take a breath and inhale His GRACE.

Tumultous waves thrashed and crashed against jagged rocks,

hissing and foaming,

rising up,

up,

up…

threatening to swallow anything or anyone in its path.

And like an angel,

she appeared out of nowhere and stood on the edge of the bank.

Gathering all of the breath in her tiny body,

she began to speak to the storm in a small, still voice.

Her voice was like a beautiful song – no more like

whispers of a lullaby,

enchanting,

soothing and caressing,

gently rocking the waves into a sweet, peaceful sleep.

And then she held up both hands before the waves

and looking up to the sky, 

she spoke to the heavens 

and

blessed the storm

in His name.

Master, thank you for sending her; thank you for your Grace.

We Own the Night

Like the nocturnal creatures that roam and rule

against the crescent moon

and the sparkly stars cast in the murky, midnight-blue sky,

we own the night.

Night time.

Time to put to bed the fictitious cast of characters

that rule the day;

time to say goodnight to all of the imaginary playthings.

Time to reflect on the blessings that make life worth our strife and struggle.

It’s our special time- just me and my little boy.

We own the night!

The music lured me into his room- “Hey Jude” from Bedtime With the Beatles, softly cooed in the background.  Malachi was STILL awake – 10:30pm, eyes wide open!  I approached his bedside. His eyes wildly pointed to the Dynavox mounted to his bedside; he wanted me to turn it on for him. 

“No, Malachi.  It’s bedtime.  The Dynavox has gone to sleep and so should you!  Go to sleep, baby.”  
Malachi shut his eyes tight, then immediately popped them open.  I laughed out loud. 

“Malachi, did you just go to sleep?”

He blinked, “yes.”  His eyes darted back to the Dynavox and then to me, pleading…

I just shook my head at him as I smiled.  He was trying really hard to persuade me to turn on his communication device - most likely so that he could request a movie to watch.

“Mal, you need your rest.  You can have the Dynavox in the morning.  I promise.”

Malachi glanced longingly at the Dynavox and then back at me.

“How about I lay next to you while you fall off to sleep?  Can I lie down in your bed, Malachi?”

He fluttered his eyes – yes.

I scooted into Malachi’s bed and wrapped his arm across mine.  I looked at him and he looked right back at me, eyes dancing.  I leaned over and planted a ton of juicy kisses on his cheeks.

“I’m cold Malachi.  Can you share your blanket with me?”

Malachi fluttered his eyes, yes.

I grabbed his hand and placed mine over his.  Together we pulled the edges of his orange, Kente blanket across me.

“Thank you, Malachi.”

  His eyes fluttered.

We lay quietly together staring at the shapes on the ceiling as an all-instrumental version of “Penny Lane” hummed in the background.  Niiiice… 

At the close of the song, I peeked over at Malachi to see if sleep was beckoning.  Nope.  He was looking right at me! 

“Malachi, aren’t you sleepy?”

Long blink – Nooooooo!

I smirked and rolled my eyes.

“Ok, let’s see.  Let’s name all of the people who love  Malachi, okay?”

Quick flutter – yes.

“Does Mommy love Malachi?”

 Flutter, flutter – yes.

“Does Daddy love Malachi?”

 Flutter, flutter – yes.

Does Joshua love Malachi?”

Flutter, flutter – yes.

“Does Roscoe (our dog) love Malachi?”

 Blank stare.

“What about Nan?  Does Nan love Malachi?”

 Flutter, flutter – yes.

“Do Malachi’s nurses love Malachi?”

 Flutter, flutter – yes.  He was enjoying our exchange.

“Does our church family love Malachi?”

 Flutter, flutter – yes.

“And what about God?  Does God love Malachi?”

 Flutter, flutter, flutter! YES!!!

“That’s a lot of love, Malachi!”

 More emphatic flutters. 

My heart somersaulted with joy! It never ceases to amaze me that with all that Malachi has going on, he gets it; he knows that God truly loves him.  When I think about Malachi accepting his challenges, yet understanding God’s infinite love for him, I think about this bible scripture:

We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.  We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body.  2 Corinthians 4: 8-10

For me, that scripture says that the weight of our "cross" does not out weigh the love of our God. The infinite love of God restores, heals and liberates. And like Jesus, our suffering won't be in vain; we have our own resurrection to look forward to.  The remarkable gift of God's love is His saving grace.

Moments later, Malachi drifted off to sleep, but not before I snuggled him close and whispered this prayer in his ear:

Dear Lord,

Thank you for this day.  Thank you for your love, your mercy and your grace.  Thank you, God, for this special little boy who uses his eyes to speak his heart.  Thank you for the angels who protect and watch over us during the night.  Thank you for the stars and heaven that manifest dreams we never, ever imagined.  And thank you, Lord, for the magic of night; for her whispers of wisdom found in the still, quiet moments of your peace & amazing grace.  AMEN

Ordinary Me

Happy FMF - Five Minute Friday!
                                                

Five minutes to flow freely. No bustin' a sweat, over-editing and over thinking it.  Just WRITE!  LisaJo came up with this cool concept and now we're a community of free-flowing writers doing our thing and sharing the love.  Write.  Link-up here and send some encouragement to the muse who linked before you.

  Today's prompt: Ordinary.

Just ordinary people,

God uses ordinary people.

He chooses people just like me and you,

who are willing to do as He commands.

God uses people that will give Him  all,

no matter how small your all may seem to you;

because little becomes much 

as you place it in the Master's hands.  

Songartist : Danniebelle Hall & Moms Winans

He used me,

but I didn’t care; I wasn’t even mad about it

once I understood that it really wasn’t about me…

I guess you could say

I asked for it –

I asked to be used.

“His Co2 levels have dropped.  He only has about an hour left.  You have to make a decision..."

My beautiful baby boy’s fragile life hung 

in the balance 

and in a moment of desperation,

I made a promise – 

I promised Him my very best.  

I promised Him my all.  

I promised whatever He asked of me, I would do it,

if He would just 

let my baby 

        live...

He used me.

Me.

Unexceptional-in-any-significant-way-always-thinking-of-the-worst-case-scenario-play-it-safe, ME.

Just ordinary people.

He used me,

one EXTRAORDINARY God,

to share a story,

for the manifestation of His glory!

And 

I’m

so glad

He

did.

Mama Didn't Raise No Heathen!

As a young adult, I used to shun my Catholic upbringing; I strongly disliked going to Catholic school and Catholic church all of my life.  The nuns terrified me – they were pompous, mean penguins.  I detested the ugly, itchy plaid uniform skirts we had to wear and worst of all, the public school kids in my neighborhood hated my brother and I simply because – wait for it- we attended Catholic school; they chased us home every day and threatened to beat us up!  Like most good Catholics, by the time I entered my late 20’s, I was in therapy for all of my Catholic guilt issues.  What I disliked more than the nuns, the uniform and the daily threat of a beat down, were all of the Catholic church rituals we had to partake in – they were nonsense-cal as far as I was concerned.  Stand, sit, kneel.  Stand, sit, kneel…..

And let’s not forget going to confession in that tiny, claustrophobic booth.  I mean really, was saying 10 Our Father’s and 5 Hail Mary’s really going to save me from hell for stealing a Sweet n’ Sour sucker from the candy store?  As strong as my resentments were for all things Catholic, I harbored an equally strong resentment against my mother for insisting on raising us Catholic but not being Catholic herself. She never attended mass with my brother and I; she always sent the two of us by ourselves.  I wanted my mom there by my side, like all of the other families that came every Sunday for worship; I longed for her presence.  That was her mistake… As a result of my resentment, I vowed that when I had children of my own, I wouldn't send them off to church by themselves, but rather share in the worship experience with them.

Now that I’m all grown-up and raising my own family, I’m no longer a Catholic club card member. Christian, but not Catholic.  And I've relinquished all of my guilt and resentments of all things Catholic.  Moreover, I've gained a healthy perspective and a new found appreciation for what my mother did instill in my brother and I by insisting on raising us Catholic – she gave us a fundamental belief in God; a foundation that we could trust and a basis for worship.  Mama didn't raise no heathen!

Now if we are children, then we are heirs - heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if we indeed we share in His sufferings, in order that we may also share in His glory.  Romans 8:17

My oldest son, Joshua, asked if he could skip going to church today.  He explained that if he went to church today, he wouldn't be able to complete all of his chores and homework in time to catch the NFL game and a rare opportunity to play video games with a friend.  Skip church?  How did he determine that church/worship would be the “something” that he would have to give up in light of all that he had to do?  For a moment I had a Catholic-church-flashback.  I remembered my outlandish attempts to ditch going to mass on Sunday and I had to wonder, does Josh have that same angst about the church to which we belong?  Nah!  Josh loves our church and they love him; they've embraced us as family.  And Josh loves going to church with his family – serving together, worshiping together and fellow-shipping together.  Josh wanting to skip church was just him being a typical teenager and Josh wanting to “do” Josh.  You can bet your rosary beads that this mama ain't raising no heathens either!

Here Comes the Sun (Son)!

I've never considered myself a lover of nature, but that's recently changed; I'm learning to slow down and take it all in; I'm learning to appreciate the beauty of nature and all of her amazing gifts.

I can be a million miles away in my thoughts and multi-tasking at the same time, and then I'll walk into a room and there He is in all of His splendor and glory.                       

BRILLIANT  & RADIANT!

"I am the way, the truth and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me."  John 14:6

And I am awe-struck by His Presence and His Power. The light brightly illuminates the entire room; He occupies every inch of space. It's an extravagant welcome from an old friend and I feel His warm embrace; I feel so very loved! I can't help but smile just as big as His shine. 

Other times, the sun is much more subtle,like                                    peeking behind a curtain,

                       or sunlight seeping under a door

                  or appearing as a "Son"flower-

all gentle reminders that when I'm feeling lost and alone, He is ever near and will not forsake me.  

 I will not leave you comfortless.  I will come to you."  John 14:18

PRAYER:  I see you, O God, in the sliver of sun that settles in the nooks and crannies of my book shelf.  I see you, O God, in the purple-blue sky as I wait in the steady stream of traffic.  I see you,O radiant Son, shining over my family and in my life and I thank you, God, for the blessing of your presence and your power. Thank you,God, for your healing rays that soothe my sun-burned soul.  AMEN

To Gail, With Love...

Five Minute Friday ~ SHE

I don't know about you, but for me, it was a long week!  Thank God it's Friday! And thank God for Five Minute Friday.  The writing prompt for today is SHE. Whatever wells up in your spirit on this prompt, go for it! 5 minutes, no editing, no worries, just WRITE!  And then link up below to share your masterpiece with other writers, get some love (encouragement) and share some love as well! Ready? GO!

1995.  With her, I never saw “it” and I fully expected to – I had heard all of the horrific stories about that dreadful disease and how “it” destroyed people beyond recognition.  But, from the moment I met her, I recognized her. 

                         She was beauty. 

                        She was strength.  

                       She was courage.  

                      She was laughter.  

                      She was genuine 

                               and 

                      she was a free spirit.  

Except for the nasal cannula across her face, I would have never known that she was sick – very sick.  Would have never known that “it” had spread throughout her body and was at work on her demise….

I loved visiting her. We were new friends who felt like old friends – her eyes would light up with a smile, her embrace was genuine and lingering.  Whenever I visited, she made it easy for me to arrest my unspoken curiosity and fears about it because she never talked about it; it never mattered to her – and thus, it didn't matter to me.  And although it had power in her body, it never had power in her spirit or in her life.   It didn't change who she was.

 Later that year, she died,and I wept uncontrollably for  the loss of my sister-friend.

Over the years, as I remember her, it’s not in sadness and mourning, but rather in celebration of her vibrancy and the brevity of her spirit.  By the example of her living, she showed us all how to die in the most beautiful way – with His perfect peace and in the fullness of His grace.

"But by the grace of God, I am what I am and His grace to me was not without effect.  No, I worked harder than all of them - yet, not I, but the grace of God that was with me."  1 Corinthians 15:10

And A Little Child Shall Lead Them

“Mom, can I take Malachi to school for show and tell next week?”  That was the year that Joshua was a fifth grader.  My initial reaction was shock- actually, I was horrified.  Who does that?  I mean, what kid would think to take his brother to school as his show and tell project?  Moreover, what kind of mother would I be to allow such a thing?

Then I began to play the tape back; I began to think back to the times our family had gone to the zoo or museum and Joshua had become so fed up with other kids pointing or staring at his little brother that he literally stood in front of him, arms crossed, angry scowl on his face and a menacing look in his eye, daring anyone to even questioningly glance his way.   Joshua sees himself as Malachi’s protector.  Having a little brother who is severely disabled has been emotionally challenging for Joshua; it’s taken him some time to process what all that means and how to navigate being a sibling of a little brother with special needs.

 “Mom, they act like he’s an exhibit in a museum!”   I try to soften the blow with a plausible explanation, “Josh, you’re used to his wheelchair and all of the tubes.  A lot of kids have never seen disability up close.”

That evening, Joshua made his pitch about taking his brother, Malachi, to show and tell at school and I listened – really listened, to his heart.  He wanted to set the record straight; he wanted others to see his brother as a real person with real feelings.  He wanted the kids to know that it’s not okay to laugh, point or stare at people just because they’re different.  Joshua wanted to get in front of the situation and be in control of his feelings.  Bless his little heart. 

As a toddler, Joshua was the most kind and thoughtful child.  His compassion and eagerness to show kindness to others touched me.  Often, I would praise his acts of kindness by saying, “Bless your little heart” to him.  He caught on quickly and would often beat me to the punch – “Bless my little heart, Mommy?”

The following week, accompanied by myself and a nurse, Joshua proudly took Malachi to show and tell at his school and it was good – for both of them!  That day, both boys were rock stars!  Initially, Joshua’s classmates were a bit shy and apprehensive about approaching Malachi.   Then, they began to ask the questions they needed to ask to make sense of what they were seeing, hearing and feeling.  The apprehension began to shift.  “He can operate a computer with his feet?”  “Wow!  That’s cool!” The kids circled around Malachi and embraced him with acceptance and love. 

Show and tell was a huge success!  Joshua took his brother to school for show and tell.  Who does that?  A big brother who gets it that although his little brother is uniquely different, he’s not a museum exhibit or someone to be ridiculed; he’s a human being with feelings; he’s Joshua’s little brother; he’s a child of God – and Joshua wants everyone else to get it too.  Bless his little heart.

“The wolf will live with the lamb,

the leopard will lie down with the goat,

the calf and the lion and the yearling together;

and a little child shall lead them.”  Isaiah 11:6

Lord, Have MERCY....

It's Five Minute Friday!  Lord, Have MERCY.

A homeless man aimlessly wanders the streets in tattered rags.  His rust-colored mane twisted in a knotted,matted mess.  His bare feet rub the rugged, scorching hot pavement.  He stops in the middle of traffic and does an about-face.  And for a second, we lock eyes through the windshield of my car - his eyes, wide, bewildered, vacant....

Lord, have mercy......

7:30am.  A teenage girl stands on a street corner with her headphones on while eating a bag of Flaming Hot Cheetos.  Dressed in low-top gym shoes and khaki pants, her red polo shirt exposes her growing belly. A crowd of kids about her age, all strapped down with backpacks, stand about two feet away from her; they talk and laugh amongst themselves and occasionally throw a side-glance her way. She gingerly steps off the curb to search the street for the bus that will carry her to school...

Lord, have mercy...

A beautiful baby boy sleeps in a hospital bassinet. A wide tube is inserted into his windpipe and smaller,thinner tubes are taped to his arm. Seemingly, he is oblivious to the flashing lights and hum of activity around him.  His parents hold a prayer vigil at his I.C.U. bedside as they fretfully watch the mechanical rise and fall of his tiny chest...

Lord, have mercy.
It is a whispered prayer,
a plea of compassion,
an act of submission,
a desperate surrendering of the spirit,
a heart-to-heart
with Him
who knows and cares and grieves and heals and lifts up and loves.  Thank you, God, for your MERCY.  Amen!

Five Minute Friday - RED

Funny how some people either love the color red or hate it; it's just one of those things that you can't be on the fence about.
I used to be a red hater myself - couldn't stand her!                    
 Too different, too out there, too much!                                                       

But, over the last couple of years, I've come to appreciate and respect red.

She has come a long way in obtaining status, power and RESPECT.
She has fought unspeakable battles.
She has redefined quality of life.
She has a powerful story to tell if you would just take the time to listen with an empathetic, non-judgmental ear.

Yeah, RED is bold and brilliant - don't hate her because she is beautiful.
               RED is a survivor and she is here to stay baby!

                 C'mon and show RED some love.  

Link up with Lisa Jo and the Five Minute Friday community and write for five minutes, UNEDITED on the given prompt.

Strong Faith!

We've come this far by faith,

leaning on the Lord,

trusting in His holy word,

He’s never failed me yet.

Oh, can’t turn around,

we've come this far by faith.

Lyrics by Carlton Pearson

I was cleaning out Malachi’s bedroom closet the other day when I ran across a home video; it was a video diary that my family and I made twelve years ago entitled, A Day in the Life of Malachi.  We created the video for a fundraiser benefit for Malachi; our friends and family graciously planned a fundraiser event on our behalf to assist our family in purchasing a mini-van to transport Malachi, his nurse and all of his life-saving equipment to medical appointments and family outings. The video was our way of sharing with our friends and family our unique challenges and the impact of Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) on our family life.  Seeing that video again was awe-inspiring for me; it reminded me of how far we've come as a family and how far we've come in our faith.   

My two boys are 16 and 14 now, but in the video, they were just little guys – Joshua was 4 and Malachi was 2.  As I watched the video, I reflected on our family’s journey.   I remember our rocky beginning – the shocking details of the diagnosis, the fragility of Malachi’s life, having to learn his life-sustaining care, the constant influx of nurses in and out of our home and the search to purchase a home so that we could bring Malachi home from the hospital.  The doctors’ prognosis for Malachi was two years of life.  TWO YEARS OF LIFE!  It all seemed surreal.  We were devastated – and scared.  Scared of the responsibility of his care and scared that the burden would tear our family apart.   Our feelings were as fragile as our faith; we experienced emotional highs and lows as we learned how to replace the fear and doubt with love and faith.   Prior to that moment, we thought we knew what it meant to be faith-filled, but our faith hadn't truly been tested.  That was in the beginning…

 As time marched on, the burden of Malachi’s care intensified and how we practiced our faith intensified as well.  Malachi triumphed over medical trials and we began to share his story and testimony to anyone who would listen!  We ministered to other couples who were facing similar struggles with their ill child.  We focused on the good parts of our life rather than our woes and limitations and encouraged others to stand in that grace as well.   As I watched the video, I smiled and marveled at the resilience of my family.  Together, we weathered many storms, but those storms didn't overtake us because we were standing on a solid foundation that God was with us through it all, no matter what.

Medical science predicted that Malachi would not live past the age of two and now he is an endearing, bossy little teenager!  Due to the severity of Malachi’s diagnosis, the odds were stacked against my marriage and my family remaining intact, however, today we remain an intact family.   The naysayers would have you believe that the challenges my family endured would cause us to be bitter and broken.   But for the grace of our loving and sovereign God, we are more resilient and faith-filled than ever before!  Indeed, we've come this far – a mighty long way, by faith.   We started out with mustard seed faith and over trials and time, God grew our faith BIGGER.   You can’t see that transition in our home video, but then again, faith is not about seeing, it is a knowing.  

“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”  Hebrews 11:1

The Command to Be STRONG

Recently, my family and I went through a very grueling trial; we went for months at a time without the required overnight nursing care for our severely disabled son, Malachi.  We had to let go of one of his overnight nurses and the nursing agency had trouble finding a replacement.  As a result, my husband and I resumed the overnight care for Malachi; we split the nights in half and did what we needed to do to care for our beloved son.  And while our overnight nursing care coverage still has some gaps in the schedule, things are far better now.  Both my husband and I work.  It was quite a challenge to stay up half the night and then have to go into work the next day, parent our older teenage son, manage our household, nurture our marriage and try to take care of ourselves!  After weeks of not having consecutive night care, sleep deprivation began to take its toll on my body, my mind and my spirit. I felt weak and broken. There were moments, late in the night, when I felt the separation between my mind and my spirit; moments when my thoughts turned dark and my spirit lost all hope.  I am a person of great faith; I believe that God’s love for us is immeasurable and that His grace and mercy will see us through any trial.  In times of despair, I rely on my faith to sustain me. While going through this rough patch, I thought back to the last time our nursing support suffered grossly and even though it felt like we wouldn’t make it through, we did! Somehow, some way, we found the strength to make it through.

 At some point or another, we all have trials that we experience in life and our resilience as a family is tested. How strong are you? Are you strong enough to stand for the battle? Trials challenge us to discover what lies beneath; what reserve can we draw from to sustain our faith? I am convinced that the answer lies within each of us – it is our ability to be STRONG.   Strength is innate; we were born with the attribute of strength – God gave it to us!  Moreover, God commands us to be strong. In the book of Joshua, Joshua is appointed by God to lead the Israelites across the Jordan River. Three times in this passage, God reminds Joshua of His command to be strong and courageous.

“Have I not commanded you?  Be strong and courageous.  Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9 

Joshua could have chosen not to accept his assignment; he could have given in to his fears, anxiety and stress and disobeyed God’s command.  We have the power to choose to be strong – or not.  When we choose to be strong, we are choosing to use our innate gift and we are being obedient to God’s command. The battles we fight in life are our assignments from God. The way I see it, we have two choices.  We can be strong and courageous like Joshua and fight the battle.  Or, we can give in to our fears, anxieties and stress and accept defeat.  Either way, the choice lies within you.  Whenever you and your family are struggling with the choice to be strong or not, I want you to remember an old saying: “Better the devil you know than the devil you don’t!”  Somewhere in your spirit, you know that you are strong because it’s innate; it’s in you, God gave it to you.  Choose what you know that’s in you and not what’s outside of you.  CHOOSE TO BE STRONG!

God, the Sovereign King!

I started this blog because I wanted to share with the world my family’s stories of growing in faith in the midst of our trials.  I never once considered the fact that there could be moments when I  or my family would be in the midst of a trial and my faith would be tested; times when the valley would swallow me up whole and I would feel  like I couldn’t breathe, much less write.  THIS IS ONE OF THOSE MOMENTS.  But the Lord spoke to me and He said:

                

The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.

                                I trust HIM to lead me and supply all that I  need.                    

                He makes me lie down I green pastures,

                                HE will provide rest in the valley.

                He leads me beside quiet waters,

                He restores my soul.

                                The LORD will provide tranquil, still moments in the midst of the madness and send me

                                a fresh anointing for my spirit.

                He guides me in paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.

                                I can trust HIM above anyone else to steer me in the right direction;
                                HE is all-powerful!

                Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,

                                Although danger and the enemy lurk in the background,

                I will fear no evil, for you are with me.

                                I walk in the assurance that He walks beside me.

                Your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

                                You have placed a hedge of protection all around me.

                You prepare a table before me

                In the presence of my enemies,

                                My LORD will boldly confront the enemy.

                You anoint my head with oil,

                                I have your blessing.

                My cup overflows.

                                I have more than I need.

                Surely goodness and love will follow me all of the days of my life,

                                HE has promised me an abundant life.

                And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

                                Because I am a child of the MOST High God, I have life in Eternity with my Father.

                                                                                               Psalm 23

I took a baby step toward recovering my faith today and in that moment I realized that as much as I want to place my faith in my family to be and do the right thing, God wants for me to place my faith in Him to do His will.  For the spirit of man is willing, but the flesh is weak.

Question of the Day:  Think of a time when you were in the midst of pain and you were afraid that the outcome wouldn’t work in your favor of your family’s favor.  What allowed you to trust God anyhow?

Can You Hear Me Now?

 Again he began to teach beside the sea. And a very large crowd gathered about him, so that he got into a boat and sat in it on the sea, and the whole crowd was beside the sea on the land. ² And he was teaching them many things in parables, and in his teaching he said to them: ³ “Listen! Behold, a sower went out to sow. ⁴ And as he sowed, some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured it. ⁵ Other seed fell on rocky ground, where it did not have much soil, and immediately it sprang up, since it had no depth of soil. ⁶ And when the sun rose, it was scorched, and since it had no root, it withered away. ⁷ Other seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no grain. ⁸ And other seeds fell into good soil and produced grain, growing up and increasing and yielding thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold.” ⁹ And he said, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”  Mark 4:1-9

I heard Malachi calling me on his Dynavox.

“Mom! Mommy, Mommy!”

I entered his room and greeted him warmly. 

 “Yes, my sweet. What can I do for you?” I asked as I kissed his cheek.

Malachi was watching his favorite movie of the moment, Lady and The Tramp. My adorable little boy has assigned my husband and I singing parts for this movie; he will individually call us into his room when our part is on and instruct us on his Dynavox to sing our part to him. One of my parts was on – the mother character in the movie was singing a lullaby to her baby. On cue, I began to sing the lullaby song to Malachi as I stroked his curly locks. Once I finished, I stayed standing at his bedside because I knew my second assigned song was quickly approaching. Once again, I sang my assigned part to Malachi. This time it was the mischievous Siamese cats’ song. After my part was over, I told Malachi I would return to his room later and turned to walk away when he issued me another instruction.

“Sit. Sit!” he said.

I whirled around ready to offer my explanation to him as to why I couldn't sit at the moment, but his eyes held me and I gave in.  I climbed into Malachi’s bed with him and nestled him close, my head gently resting on his small shoulder.  Every now and then he would click on a picture-symbol on his Dynavox that would coincide with the scene in the movie – he wanted me to know that he knew the plot and characters.  Mostly, there was a peaceful silence between us- a serene, still moment void of scattered thoughts of things-I-need-to-do. Every now and again, I would steal a glance at him and he would steal one at me and we would smile at each other.  Malachi taught me something very valuable in that moment; he taught me to be obedient to the word.  It was just one command, one simple word – sit!  Being obedient to that word gave me a moment to exhale from the busyness of my own little world and relish a moment of serenity with my son.  And isn't that what God wants from us?  He wants for us to be obedient to His word.  He wants for us to sit in His presence and relish a moment with Him.  God has much to teach us if we are willing to obey His command and hear with new ears; if we are willing to climb into His lap and soak in the moment.

Prayer for Today:  Lord, sow a fresh seed in my spirit! Let me hear with new ears and help me to be obedient to your word.  Amen.