The "End" of Summer

I hope I don't present an angry face as I address this issue, but something must be said!
Autumn does not begin until September 23, 2011 at 5:05 am. This means that we have almost two months before the "End of Summer." I know that kids will be going back to school soon, and that Summer vacation is drawing to a close, but this does not signify the "End of Summer." After school begins there will be (depending on your school) approximately five weeks left of summer.
I love summer, and all that goes with it! I love hot days floating in the pool, picnics in the parks (in the shade of course), festivals, long sunny days, ice cream and Popsicles, and the season in general! So, I get a little annoyed when people try to shorten it simply because kids are going back to school. (Which I think they do too early anyway.)
It's fine if you want to start your fall activities in August when it's pushing 90, but I'll wait until October, when I can enjoy changing leaves, ripe pumpkins, and the crisp breeze in the air!

Every Hoosier Should Know

I moved to the state of Indiana almost 20 years ago, and in honor of this fact, I've decided to make a list of things that I've learned living here!

Top Ten Things Every Hoosier Should Know:
10. You don't wash anything! It's waRshed
9. John Deere is not a tractor, but a fashion line
8. If the grass is longer than 6", it's for chewing
7. It's only ever pronounced "Indy"
6. The scent of fertilizer is "fresh, country air." (This is an inside joke.)
5. You have to choose, IU or Purdue (I'm still Ohio State ALL THE WAY!)
4. By living here, you have agreed to the terms that you must hate the Patriots.
3. Knee high by the Fourth of July
2. Two men you may never insult: Bobby Knight & Larry Bird!
And the Number 1 Thing that Every Hoosier Should Know
1. It's never JUST basketball

30 Days of Esther: Day 17

"So Haman came in. And the king said unto him, What shall be done unto the man whom the king delighteth to honour? Now Haman thought in his heart, To whom would the king delight to do honour more than to myself" - Esther 6:6
"So Haman came in. And the king said unto him, What shall be done unto the man whom the king delighteth to honour? Now Haman thought in his heart, To whom would the king delight to do honour more than to myself" - Esther 6:10
And now comes the beginning of the End for Haman.
The king decides to honor Mordecai, and when he asks Haman, who by the way was only there to request the life of Haman, he immediately thinks that the king would only want to honor him? WOW! I know the theme of this book has been the dangers of pride, but this is some of the most extreme pride we've witnessed!
Or is it? How often have we thought to ourselves, "why did this person receive something, I deserved it?" More often than we'd like to admit I imagine. I felt this when we were desiring a child. Someone of whom I don't think well was going to have a baby. I remember questioning why God would let that person have a baby when he knew that I would raise my baby to honor Him. That wasn't a very Christ-honoring thought, now was it? It was me-honoring. I was such a superior person that I would make a better mother. This is truly a proud assumption to rival that of Haman's.
I struggle personally with this brand of jealous pride too often. I should learn from Haman, who took a hard fall!

Surrendering All?

Leading up to my little girls birthdays, which are one month and five days apart, you can probably expect lots of posts about them!
I just want to let you know about a personal struggle I have:
It started on September 10, 2008, the day my daughter was born. She was so little and sweet and precious. She seemed too helpless, and that I needed to protect her from everything. With that desire came fear. Fear that followed me everywhere I went. I woke several times to check that she was breathing. I woke her several times to check to see if she was breathing. Every time I allowed anyone else to care for her I was nervous. I still struggle to leave her for an hour or two with anyone, excepting her daddy, and she's nearly three.

Sometimes I thought this fear to be a blessing. I thought it would make me a better mom. I thought, "I can't stand to be away from my daughter for an hour, I must love her more than parents who leave their children everyday."

30 Days of Esther: Day 16

"And the king said, What honour and dignity hath been done to Mordecai for this? Then said the king's servants that ministered unto him, There is nothing done for him." - Esther 6:3
Isn't it amazing how the Lord works? The very night that Haman decides to petition the king for Mordecai's life the king can not sleep. In modern times when we suffer insomnia we usually turn to infomercials. Apparently the king only had the records to help him get his forty winks.
The Lord planned for the king to be sleepless. He knew that Mordecai needed the protection of the king, and that the king needed a reminder of what Mordecai had done for him!
When we look at this situation, it seems that God's working is crystal clear, but, unfortunately, more often than not, this is not the case.
I'm sure that the Jews were feeling frightened and perhaps that God had forsaken them. I often feel this way in the midst of a trial. I feel that there is no way out, but God has already orchestrated a plan to carry me through. Reading this book helps me to see that God is working in so many places at once. He's doing so much that I never see and He's working for my good!
Praise the Lord that He caused Ahasuerus a sleepless night. I wonder how many people He's given insomnia to help me through a trial?
"For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end." - Jeremiah 29:11

30 Days of Esther: Days 1-15

My Baby's Big B-day!

In just barely over 1 week, my baby girl will be one year old!!!
This year has moved so quickly, I'm somewhat stunned to be standing on this end of it. As I reflect back on this year, I'm so excited at all the wonderful memories we've developed. It's so surprising how quickly our children become a steadfast fixture in our lives, and it seems as if they've always been there!
I love celebrating her birthday because it gives me a chance to praise and thank my God for being so kind to me and giving me one year of my life with her! Each year on her birthday, I shall continue to thank Him for that one more year I've gotten to spend with her!
I'm not guaranteed to see her second birthday, but I can praise my Lord for this first year of her life, and that he gave me the great honor and privilege of being her mommy this year!

"Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward." - Psalm 127:3

 

30 Days of Esther: Day 15

"Then said Zeresh his wife and all his friends unto him, Let a gallows be made of fifty cubits high, and to morrow speak thou unto the king that Mordecai may be hanged thereon: then go thou in merrily with the king unto the banquet. And the thing pleased Haman; and he caused the gallows to be made." - Esther 5:14
Zeresh seems like a lovely woman am I right?! I wonder what her motivation is in this verse? Is she truly concerned that her husband has been offended or is she forwarding his status in order to forward her own? Of course, no one knows, and any guess would be pure speculation.
50 cubits high, that is roughly 75 feet tall! This was not merely meant to kill a man, but to send a message. She was saying that you should publicly execute this man and flaunt his humiliation. That would send a message to all who dare not bow to Haman in the future. Then, you can be happy again.
When we've been infected with the disease of pride, how often we want to destroy the symptom instead of eradicate the disease!
We know that:
"Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall." - Proverbs 16:18
Haman would never hang Mordecai on those gallows, of course!