Examining Cob Webs

My 11 year old son just got his first job delivering papers to our local community a few weeks ago.  On his second week delivering we thought we would try to beat our time for the first week. 

As we got about almost a quarter of the way through I realized we might actually take an extra hour or two as the spider season has begun and there are many spider webs and spiders in the walkways to so many of the front doors of the homes.  Although my son enjoys bugs, he does not enjoy webs and he does not enjoy spiders in webs that he might walk through.  Each house delivery was becoming excruciatingly long as he examined each bush and corner in each walkway for potential spiders and webs.

After several very slow deliveries I realized I was at a cross roads.  I was feeling frustration, at being stopped up and slowed down.  I realized the cross road I was at was the choice to go down the road into irritation which would crush my son or down the road of love, sacrificially helping my son.  Of course I don’t want to crush my son and the only and best choice is always sacrificial love.  I was in the battle of pushing away my irritation with the help of the Lord, when I prayed about what to do instead and the Lord quickly showed me just what my son needed.  As I obeyed what the Lord had showed me, I used a stick we had picked up and became his advocate and cleared the way for him to deliver the paper to the doors.  I also wanted to encourage him to focus on the task at hand and thinking about getting in and out quickly. 

This helped speed things up a little and eventually I thought it was time to let him go on his own on the less “cob webby” walkways…  Though he was doing better, he still stopped and examined potential web hazards along the way some.  We then talked about how we can feed our fears without realizing it by looking for problems.  We talked about doing an overview of the walkway and then keeping our mind focused on the goal of getting the paper to the door, dashing in and out like Flash Gordon without looking at each and every potential problem, but getting the job done.  My son enjoys various super heros and Flash Gordon is someone he could relate with and develop a picture in him mind of.  Daniel, being a young boy of few words, didn’t have much to say, but just kept going.  I could tell it wasn’t easy for him though he just kept going and I kept encouraging him.  I continued to discern which houses to clear the way for him and which houses to let him press forward on his own.

Out of the blue, as we were about half way through what I call the “home stretch,” Daniel said, “What you said came in handy about just focusing on where you need to get to and not look to the sides and corners.”  At that moment his comment was evidence to me that, though he remained quiet throughout the majority of the delivery time, he was contemplating my words inwardly and applying them.  We talked further about how this is a concept that will serve him well through life as he matures and uses it in other areas.  In the end, we did beat our time from the previous week… by 7 minutes.

(My son holding the cob web stick and a paper to deliver)

This makes me think of Hebrews 12:1-2 where Paul encourages us to strip off and throw aside every encumbrance and every unnecessary weight, which often includes fears.  He encourages us to throw away each particular sin that clings to us, that entangles us, that stops us up from growing in the ways of love, that stops us up from loving like Christ loves.  Paul encourages us to look away from the things that distract us, that slow us down from our purpose, but to focus on the appointed course of the race, to our Jesus, who is our Leader, our Source of faith and the One who brings us into maturity, into perfection, who teaches us to love like He loves.

Therefore then, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses [who have borne testimony to the Truth], let us strip off and throw aside every encumbrance (unnecessary weight) and that sin which so readily (deftly and cleverly) clings to and entangles us, and let us run with patient endurance and steady and active persistence the appointed course of the race that is set before us,

Looking away [from all that will distract] to Jesus, Who is the Leader and the Source of our faith [giving the first incentive for our belief] and is also its Finisher [bringing it to maturity and perfection]. He, for the joy [of obtaining the prize] that was set before Him, endured the cross, despising and ignoring the shame, and is now seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

                                                                                                                                ~Hebrews 12:1-3

I think of how this applies to my own life, of how easily I can get side tracked from running the race by stopping and spending time entangled in my fears, in my sin... but the thing to do instead is to remember Jesus.  It reminds me that I need to 'moment by moment' be looking to Jesus and not becoming distracted from Him, but remembering He is my Source of faith, that He is the Finisher of my faith, He is the One who is willing to teach me all to help my faith come into maturity and perfection.  I just need to be willing to cooperate with Him.  The question that comes to mind, “Am I willing?”  ... “Are you willing?” ...  Let it be so.

Update Sept. 14, 2013 - My son shaved 70 minutes off of our time keeping his focus on only the spiders in his way to the door.  Victory!

Giving and Receiving Gifts (Part 1 of 3)

 Learning to Live (Series)

The Lord has been opening my eyes to my reality.  He has kindly and lovingly been showing me the areas in my life that have been void of correction and instruction of His ways, void of experiencing His love in the general activities of learning how to live.  This has included revelations that go back through my childhood up through my present relationships with my husband and children.  He is redeeming these voids a few at a time, here and there, showing me what is and has been missing and following up with what needs to be exchanged or filled in.  I have been lost and pretending to live, but thankfully the Lord has prepared me for this season of learning from Him, personally, how to live.

***

(Gifts my oldest daughter made for a friend)

One of my daughters and I were talking about her sister’s birthday as we were preparing to celebrate it.  She told me that she is beginning to enjoy giving gifts more than ever before.  She is growing and maturing in character.  This led to her and I discussing how “learning to give and receive gifts” can give us insight about the Gospel of Christ.

Due to religious ideas and family dynamics, gift giving is an area that was void in my upbringing.  My experience with celebrating holidays and birthdays, with giving and receiving gifts came from experiences outside my family life.  My interpretation was developed through watching others either from a distance or on T.V.  I am so grateful that the Lord is replacing my wrong interpretation with revelations about how His love is intertwined in every aspect of life.

Giving

Recently the Lord has been revealing Himself to me through a process of teaching me how to teach my children the deeper values surrounding giving and receiving gifts.

Giving in the Flesh Revealed:  As I think back over my life, I remember times of giving gifts with the idea that I wanted the receiver to enjoy what they received, but there more to that motivation, there was an added level of self-centeredness in the process of picking out a gift.  Would the receiver like the gift “I” gave them?  Did it seem like “I” spent enough money or took the cheap route (always being on a budget)?  Did the gift “I” was giving them seem creative or just right?  Is “my” presentation of the gift pretty enough?  Does the card “I” picked out impart the right impression?  Did “I” write the right thing in the card.   I remember a time when what to write in the card could sometimes be burdensome, particularly when giving group gifts, wondering if other people would read what “I” wrote and think it was dumb or lacking.  Oh, how focused on myself I have been.

When I began to be ministered to through the Lifestyle of Learning™ ministry, I remember hearing about the value of giving meaningful gifts that included meaningful and sentimental messages written on the cards.  I had never heard anyone in church ministry talk about this before.  I thought it was a wonderful idea, it was something I wanted to do and at a deeper level I knew it was beyond me to be able to do as I could barely comprehend what it would look like in real life.  That was a few years ago.  I am grateful that the Lord knows the right season to bring new understanding, and am grateful for what He has been showing me in this area.

Giving reveals a Christ-like Love : 

Preparation

The Lord has been showing me that preparation is the beginning to gift giving.  God is the ultimate model of preparing.  The Old Testament shows us how He prepared to bring us the gift of Christ.  The New Testament tells us of how He is preparing a place for us in Heaven.  To prepare is to take necessary previous measures.  In order to take necessary previous measures to bless someone with a gift we would want to put thought into what we know about the receiver and what brings them joy, keeping our eyes on them rather than on our self.

Sacrifice:

Sacrifice is a needed element of giving gifts.  Sacrifice is the surrender made or occurred to oblige another.  We may sacrifice… or surrender our time, putting aside time with the specific purpose to prepare for the gift thoughtfully considering the receiver and what they enjoy, what would bless them.  We may then sacrifice money we have earned to buy a gift or supplies to make a gift.  Making a gift often requires sacrifice of both money for supplies and setting aside time to create the gift. 

When we make a gift there is often another ingredient that is added to the preparing and sacrifice of pouring out of our “heart” and praying for the receiver while we are creating the gift.  There really is a pouring out of love that accompanies a homemade, handmade gift.

We are not always able to make gifts, but it is something that I have been coming to see the real life value.  It has been becoming more important in my mind for my children and I to develop skills for the purpose of blessing others.  This is one, of many ways, we can teach our children to serve others.