A Mother's Job

For more reverential ponderings on Mothers Day, stop by Angie's place!

From the dawn of the human race, mothers have struggled with guilt. Mothers have made mistakes. Mothers have wondered which of their children's woes could be ascribed to the hand that rocked the cradle. This Mothers Day, I think of the age old tradition of mother-guilt.

Can you imagine what Eve suffered in this department? Eve blew the family's chance to live in the very best neighborhood. She let her husband run around without a clean shirt and slacks. She raised her sons, but one turned out to be a murderer.

Poor Eve! How many times did she replay her mistakes in her mind? Did she worry what the other mothers must think of her? Did she resent Adam for her own bad judgements? Did she look at her polar opposite offspring and wonder where she went wrong?

Mothering is the biggest job on the planet. Tonight, I am thankful for Eve, the mother of all mothers. No offense to her, but her story reassures me I'm not doing so badly after all. Here's to every mother who ever did the best she knew how to do - a blessed and guilt-free Mothers Day to us all!

May you feel His grace today,

Gail W.

The last Word:

Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her: "Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all." Charm is deceptive and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised. Give her the reward she has earned, and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.

Proverbs 31: 28-31, NIV.

Back from the Brink

We all have distinct signs that we have officially gone "over the edge." Friday morning, I dashed off to work with a million things on my mind. Work, family and my expanding thighs vied for the lead in my racing thoughts. By midmorning, I realized I had not even visited the ladies room.

Thankfully, no one was walking by to hear my belly laugh from this tiny retreat. You see, it was the first time in the day that I had occasion to look at my feet. Looking back at me were two different styles of shoes. In my defense, I have several pairs of white work shoes, allowing them to "breathe" a day or two between uses. And I did have a right shoe for my right foot, a left shoe for my left foot. They just weren't the same make.

As I drove home Friday evening, I noticed the slogan on this panel truck. "AAA Batteries Delivered and Installed". From the dense fog of my mind came the question, "Why on earth would somebody need a tiny AAA-sized battery delivered and installed?" Once I recognized the AAA emergency road service logo, God treated me to another belly laugh. I knew I shouldn't be operating a motor vehicle, so I carefully drove home and hung up my keys.

How about you? What are your "Stick a fork in me, I'm done" signs? I'd love to hear I'm not the only maniac out here on the loose!

May you feel His grace today,

Gail W.

The last Word:

So the Lord scattered them from there all over the earth, and they stopped building the city. That is why it was called Babel - because there the Lord confused the language of the whole world.

Genesis 11: 8, 9, NIV.

Bubbles for Sydney

Sydney believed in God and the precious name of His Son. She loved her dog as well as all other animals. She rarely argued with her younger brother. She always took her friends' side in teenage breakups. She mugged for the camera in the lingerie department of Target.

She was an honors student and a formidable athlete. She went to her junior prom. Two weeks later, a speeding tractor trailer with a distracted driver sent Sydney into the waiting arms of Christ. One year ago this week, I answered my phone and heard my youngest daughter sob, "Mom, one of my friends got killed on the way to school today."

This afternoon, we stood in the cold rain to see a garden overlooking her childhood soccer field being dedicated to Sydney's memory. As the rain subsided and the ceremony closed, the crowd blew bubbles into the air from tiny bottles provided by the family.

Tonight, I have more questions than answers. How do you put one foot in front of the other? How do you continue to breathe? How do you ensure the shock of a child's death does not eclipse the joy that was her life?

Tonight, I covet your prayers for everyone touched by Sydney's journey through this world. I thank my God that you are there to ask.

May you feel His grace today,
Gail W.
Photo credit

The last Word:
Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. . . And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Now the dwelling of God is with men, and He will live with them. They will be His people, and God Himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away."
Revelation 21: 1-4, NIV.

Dollar Store Delights

When my daughters were little, the Dollar Store was my best friend. There I could dazzle the tots I loved without breaking the bank. I think of those days wistfully, especially when paying a teenager's car insurance or a semester of college tuition.

Tomorrow, my youngest daughter takes her SAT's. I wanted to do something to encourage her. So tonight, I once again enjoyed the thrill of a Dollar Store bonanza. If you promise not to tell, I will share my recipe for a discount boost of an anxious teen's heart.

Assemble the following Dollar Store items and label them as indicated:

• Bratz Doll Lip Gloss - SAT Tip #1: Look Good to Do Good.
  
  
• SpongeBob SquarePants wrist watch - SAT Tip #2: Be on Time.



• Mickey Mouse Car Keys - SAT Tip #3: Drive Carefully to the Test Site.



• Squirt gun - SAT Tip #4: Take Care Against Cheaters.



• Deck of playing cards - SAT Tip #5: Take a Break During the Test.



• Snack bar - SAT Tip #6: Keep Up Your Blood Sugar.



• Blowing bubbles with wand - SAT Tip #7: Enjoy Yourself When the Test is Finished.
  

Place the labeled items into a tissued gift bag. Watch said teen smile and protest the silly gift while you know she's loving it. Praise God for His great mercy and care.

May you feel His grace today,
Gail W.

Photo Credit

The last Word:

Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask Him!

Matthew 7: 9-11, NIV.

Holy Week Part V: Come Monday

It took an extra week to screw up my courage, but I finally did it. I finished my personal journey through Holy Week tonight. I watched Mel Gibson's film, The Passion of the Christ. Anyone who has seen it will know why courage was needed to watch.

It is only the second time I have watched this biblical version of the original Holy Week. The first time was in a theater. I was tranfixed. I was horrified. I was crushed. I was guilty. God forgive me if I ever react any other way to the story of what Christ went through for me.

We all go through our miniscule versions of the sufferings of Christ. We are rejected. All appears lost. God seems nowhere in sight. But the story does not end there. If you are reading this post, chances are you have lived through your own crucifixion. And you have seen the Father's hand of deliverance. You have experienced your own resurrection.

As we end this holy season, may we remain ever mindful that Sunday always follows Friday - that God is faithful. Just as He did for Christ, God will do for us what He said He would do. He will redeem us. He will crush our enemies. He will receive us to sit at the hand of the Father. Hallelujah, indeed.

May you feel His grace today,

Gail W.

The last Word:

How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! Now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when He appears, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. Everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.

1 John 3: 1-3, NIV.

Holy Week, Part IV: The Third Day

Old Testament

And there was evening, and there was morning - the third day.

Genesis 1:13

On the third day, Abraham looked up and saw the place [where Isaac was to be sacrificed] in the distance.

Genesis 22:4

On the morning of the third day there was thunder and lightning, with a thick cloud over the mountain, and a very loud trumpet blast. Everyone in the camp trembled.

Exodus 19:16

On the third day Esther put on her royual robes and stood in the inner court of the palace, in front of the king's hall, facing the entrance.

Esther 5:1

Come, let us return to the Lord. He has torn us to pieces but He will heal us; He has injured us but He will bind up our wounds. After two days, He will revive us; on the third day He will restore us, that we may live in His presence.

Hosea 6: 1, 2

New Testament

They will kill Him, and on the third day He will be raised to life.

Matthew 17:23

Jesus replied, "Go tell that fox, 'I will drive out demons and heal people today and tomorrow, and on the third day I will reach my goal".

Luke 13:32

For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures.

1 Corinthians 15: 3, 4

May you feel His grace this sacred day,

Gail W.

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The last Word:

I know that my Redeemer lives, and that in the end He will stand upon the earth.

Job 19:25, NIV.

Holy Week Part III: The Second Day

The Saturday between Good Friday and Easter is a day of reflection. Today, we ponder the endless silence found in the grave.

I think about Jesus' family and friends, of the bewilderment they must have felt that day. I have been in that place - the place where so many things I was sure of sat in ruins. Which way to turn next?

Before the third day, there is the hopelessness of the second day. The day when all seems lost and God is silent. Today, we consider that but for the hand of God, we would live in the second day forevermore.

May you feel His grace today,
Gail W.

The last Word:
O my God, I cry out by day, but You do not answer.
Psalm 22:2, NIV.