I have had another post on my brain for a few weeks now, but need to get this one out first. The other post entitled "under the surface" will have to wait until later.
Do you celebrate Halloween? Do you believe in Jesus? When I say Halloween what do you think of? Do you know the history of Halloween? Do you know some of the things that happen on Halloween? These questions, and more, prompted me to write this blog. My challenge to you is to take a stand AGAINST Halloween. Do the research yourself and see what it is all about.
The history of Halloween
Halloween and its practices are Roman Catholic and Pagan in origin. From the Encyclopedia Britannica: "In its strictly religious aspect, this occasion is known as the vigil of Hallowmas of All Saint's Day, Nov. 1, observed by the Roman Catholic and Anglican churches. Pope Gregory III (731 to 741 AD) assigned this date for celebrating of the feast when he consecrated a chapel in Saint Peter's basilica to all the saints. Gregory the IV extended the feast to the entire Roman Catholic¹ church in 834 AD" "There is little doubt that the Roman Catholic¹ church sought to eliminate or supplant the Druid festival of the dead by introducing the alternative observance of All Saint's Day on Nov. 1."
"… after the Reformation, Protestants rejected this feast along with other important ones such as Christmas or Easter."
- Colliers Encyclopedia
Associated through its name with Allhallows Eve. Popular secular observance of Halloween, falling on the night of Oct. 31, is derived from the rights of the Druids celebrating the day of Samhain (pronounced sow-en), the so called "lord of death", when the "Lord of Death" called together the souls of the wicked who had died during the past year. The theme of harvest, which runs through modern Halloween celebrations, comes from both the old Druidic celebrations and the old Roman Catholic festivals in honor of Pomona, goddess of fruit, brought to Britain during the Roman occupation."
Modern Halloween
Isn't the whole theme of today's Halloween one of darkness, death, fear, threats, destruction and evil? So many parents dress their children as demons, witches, ghouls, and monsters and send them out into the streets in the dark to collect candy, just like the Druids asked people for food. If the people did not comply, they would be cursed (a trick).
We take not a turnip, what the Druids took, but a pumpkin and carve demon faces in it and decorate with it. At Halloween there will be apple bobbing, divination, fortune telling, haunted houses, candles lit, and spirits called up. There will be seances and ouiji boards in the name of fun and excitement. There will be sacrifices of dogs, cats, rats, chickens, goats and even humans! Where is JESUS in all of this? Do you see any light, or only darkness?
Even if you say it is all in good fun, how does God see it? What does the devil think? Who has the ultimate power during this holiday? God or Satan?
Did you know that Satanists typically celebrate Halloween like Christians celebrate Christmas? Excepet, Satanists mutilate animals, use young girls as breeders of children and then sacrifice the babies. Sometimes the mother even has to help with the sacrifice! They drink the blood and eat the parts of the animals or humans sacrificed.
You may think that you live out in the middle of the midwest states, or in the mountains, or someplace "safe". However, it is happening everywhere! I heard that it is happening within 20 miles of where I live. That is scary and makes me physically ill!
We are taking a stand! We are going to stand for what God's word says! We are going to stand for Jesus and not worship Satan or let him have a stronghold in our families life! We are not going to worry about what others think of us and whether or not they agree with what we are doing. We are living for the Lord Jesus Christ who died upon a cross for my sins and all believers' sins.
I encourage you to take a stand as well, or at least do your research. Look up the facts. Search out what the bible says regarding evil. (I have included a partial list below.) Stay at your house and pray and worship the Lord on Halloween night. Educate your children about why you believe what you believe. Instill values in them that they can pass on to their children.
Who do you worship? Do you worship Jesus Christ or Satan? We have made our choice, what will yours be? Take a stand!
Bible verses regarding evil
1 Thessalonians 5:21-22 (“Test everything. Hold on to the good. Avoid every kind of evil.”)
James 1:27 (“keep oneself from being polluted by the world”)
3 John 1:11 (“do not imitate what is evil”)
Romans 12:9 (“abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good.”)
Deuteronomy 18:9-14 (do not learn to imitate detestable ways, including spiritists, sorcerers and witchcraft)
Ephesians 5:11-12 (“Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness” / “live as children of light”)
1 Timothy 4:1 (don't “follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons”)
1 Corinthians 10:21
2 Corinthians 6:14-17 (“what fellowship can light have with darkness?”)
Philippians 4:8 (think about pure, lovely, noble things)
1 Corinthians 11:1 (“follow the example of Christ”)
1 Corinthians 10:31 (“whatever you do, do everything for the glory of God”) James 4:7-8 (submit yourselves to God / resist the devil / purify your hearts)
Ezekiel 44:23 (“…teach my people… to distinguish between the unclean and the clean.”)
Proverbs 22:6 (“train a child in the way he should go”)
Matthew 18:6 (“if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin…”)
Hosea 4:6 (“My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.”)
John 3:19-20 (people love darkness instead of light)
Romans 13:12 (“put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light.”)
Ephesians 6:11-18 (“take your stand against the devil's schemes.”)
1 John 5:19
2 Chronicles 7:14
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Monday, September 28, 2009
Heavy Heart
What God brings you to, He will take you through. That has been on my heart today ever since I read it in a post to a good friend of mine who is really having a tough time right now. Her mom is extremely sick and in ICU. They have decided to keep her comfortable until God calls her home.
Why the heavy heart? Well, this woman taught me many things during the short 2 years I have known her and become close. First off, she adopted my 2 girls as granddaughters (she has 2 grandsons) and loved them whole heartedly. I know many people like children, especially those that qualify as grandparents. But, not all of those people will love 2 crazy girls unconditionally and then support their momma unconditionally.
She was a woman who would listen and offer suggestions. She cared deeply about me, as well as her own 2 daughters. If she saw me wavering, she would guide me in a direction that would allow my feet to stand on stable ground. She would pray, pray, pray. She would support us in little ways financially, without really knowing, because it was nothing big to her.
This woman cared deeply about her own two children and grandchildren. She had pictures of them all over her house. She would cuddle with her grandchildren whenever they wanted and would listen to her daughters into the wee morning hours.
This woman truly was a woman of God. Now, as she is lying in the hospital, her children are displaying amazing strength and determination that will only come from God. They are leaning on His strength to help them through this time in their life, where their mother is dying. They will not have any more parents once Jesus calls her home.
So, this amazing woman has taught me to treasure every moment I have with my own mother. Yes, my mom and I don't necessarily see eye to eye and we don't necessarily talk very much, but she still is my mom. I love her dearly and have no idea what would happen if something would happen to her right now. However, I do know, that because of my dear friend's mother, I called my own mother this morning and just told her I loved her. I told her I cared for her and appreciated everything she did for me.
I truly feel I am being taught so much during this time in my life. We can't ever take for granted life - whether it is the life of our parents or the life of our kids or the life of anybody. We, as mortal humans here on earth, have no idea when Jesus is going to call us home. Everyone belongs to Him and He is the ultimate decider of when life starts and when life ends.
I am learning that when your faith is being tested to reach out and pray even harder. To reach out to other women who are believers and share with them and allow them to guide you.
I have also learned that life does not depend on my faith and whether I am praying hard enough. God already has our days numbered. Just by praying, I am exhibiting my faith.
Thank you God for all the lessons you taught me in my dear friend. Thank you for her 2 daughters who love my daughters as their own. And, finally, thank you for life. Help me to continue to cherish life and to reach out to my own mother and tell her I love her more often. She is an amazing woman in her own way.
I challenge you to tell someone you "love them or appreciate them" or both today. And, make it be someone you haven't talked to in awhile or someone you are bumping heads with. May God truly bless you.
Why the heavy heart? Well, this woman taught me many things during the short 2 years I have known her and become close. First off, she adopted my 2 girls as granddaughters (she has 2 grandsons) and loved them whole heartedly. I know many people like children, especially those that qualify as grandparents. But, not all of those people will love 2 crazy girls unconditionally and then support their momma unconditionally.
She was a woman who would listen and offer suggestions. She cared deeply about me, as well as her own 2 daughters. If she saw me wavering, she would guide me in a direction that would allow my feet to stand on stable ground. She would pray, pray, pray. She would support us in little ways financially, without really knowing, because it was nothing big to her.
This woman cared deeply about her own two children and grandchildren. She had pictures of them all over her house. She would cuddle with her grandchildren whenever they wanted and would listen to her daughters into the wee morning hours.
This woman truly was a woman of God. Now, as she is lying in the hospital, her children are displaying amazing strength and determination that will only come from God. They are leaning on His strength to help them through this time in their life, where their mother is dying. They will not have any more parents once Jesus calls her home.
So, this amazing woman has taught me to treasure every moment I have with my own mother. Yes, my mom and I don't necessarily see eye to eye and we don't necessarily talk very much, but she still is my mom. I love her dearly and have no idea what would happen if something would happen to her right now. However, I do know, that because of my dear friend's mother, I called my own mother this morning and just told her I loved her. I told her I cared for her and appreciated everything she did for me.
I truly feel I am being taught so much during this time in my life. We can't ever take for granted life - whether it is the life of our parents or the life of our kids or the life of anybody. We, as mortal humans here on earth, have no idea when Jesus is going to call us home. Everyone belongs to Him and He is the ultimate decider of when life starts and when life ends.
I am learning that when your faith is being tested to reach out and pray even harder. To reach out to other women who are believers and share with them and allow them to guide you.
I have also learned that life does not depend on my faith and whether I am praying hard enough. God already has our days numbered. Just by praying, I am exhibiting my faith.
Thank you God for all the lessons you taught me in my dear friend. Thank you for her 2 daughters who love my daughters as their own. And, finally, thank you for life. Help me to continue to cherish life and to reach out to my own mother and tell her I love her more often. She is an amazing woman in her own way.
I challenge you to tell someone you "love them or appreciate them" or both today. And, make it be someone you haven't talked to in awhile or someone you are bumping heads with. May God truly bless you.
Sunday, November 9, 2008
Precious pictures 2
Daddy and Blessing carving a pumpkin...Mommy, it is so cold and slimy!
Look at me...I'm so adorable!
Blessing playing in the rain on vacation! She had a ball scooping muddy rocks in the water!
What a great painter Blessing is! Thanks for your help!
Blessing with her caterpiller cake for her 2 year birthday.
Precious Pictures
Blessing and Joy sitting together. Blessing loves Joy so much!
Tummy time for Joy! Look at how strong I am getting!
Blessing and Joy hugging. Joy sure doesn't know what to think of big sister!
Look mommy, Joy is sleeping in my arms. So precious!
Joy taking a nap on her tummy.
Reflections
I know - you are probably thinking "finally, a post!" Well, I have been reflecting on what I wanted to post and how I wanted to post it for about 5 months now. Every time I think I am going to have a chance to post, either my 2 year old needs something, my now 4 month old needs somthing, or my wonderful husband needs something.
So, what is different tonight....My two year old is in bed. My 4 month old is sleeping, I think. And, my husband fell asleep putting my 4 month old to bed. So, I have picked up the house from a crazy weekend, and am now making and taking the time to update.
So, since the last time I posted, we have had a baby. She was born on July 7th. We will call her Joy for the purpose of the blog. She is completely different than Blessing. Joy actually sleeps - well most of the time. She is in that stage now where she doesn't want to miss a thing. She is our little cuddle bug. She will sit with you for hours and cuddle and coo. I will post some pictures - so enjoy!
But, for the real reason for this post....
This fall has been a time of reflecting for me. Besides being extremely hormonal and emotional from having a baby, this fall has affected me in many ways.
I can not begin to tell you how blessed we are with our children. Just 3 years ago, on this date, I knew something was funny. I took a pregnancy test and discovered that we were expecting our first baby. I was in the middle of my second year of teaching at a public school, my husband was working 60 to 80 hours a week for a local farmer, and our marriage was falling apart. I did NOT want to add kids into the mix. Even though my husband and I vowed to never get a divorce, our marriage was heading south. I truly believe in my heart of hearts that God took my husbands hand to save us. Anyway, I found out I was pregnant and cried and cried and cried. I was sicker than sick (for all 9 months) and really didn't want to have any kids. I had just lost 50 pounds and was beginning to feel fabulous about myself and how I looked. However, God had a different plan...
Over the next couple of months, he helped me to accept that I was pregnant. However, I still didn't "want" the baby. I found out I was no longer going to be employed at the public school come the next school year and was devastated. How was I supposed to be a stay at home mom....How was I supposed to care for this baby that I didn't even want...How was I....How was I...How was I...
The list went on and on. And, time continued to pass.
Today, three years later, I can honestly say that I do not know what I would do without my 2 year old. Yes, she is a challenge somedays, but she is a miracle sent from God. She helped to save our marriage (along with a special group of women that I met about a month after having her). She has taught me patience, tolerance, how to love, how to cherish, joy, and hope. As I sit and rock her at night, some nights I don't want to put her into bed - I just want to hold her all night and thank God for the miracle of kids. She is growing into such a beautiful little girl on the inside. It has been truly amazing to watch her change and develop...I am looking forward to what the future holds.
With the addition of a second child, I was scared. What if I didn't love the second baby as much as I had learned to love the first? What if I couldn't take care of the second baby? What if the second baby was just as demanding as the first? What if...What if...What if...
Once again, the list went on and on. However, the addition of a second child has changed me yet again. Yes, I am still the same woman, but at the same time, subtle things have changed. The love in my heart has multiplied. The time that I spend cherising my two kids has changed. The joy in my heart has increased. The time that I spend making the house into a comfortable home for my family has also increased and the things that I value have changed as well.
I would not go back to having only one kid, and I definitely would NEVER go back to having no kids. The addition of children to our family has been a challenge. It is a challenge I am glad to face every day. Even though it is frustrating to have to discipline Blessing, for Joy to be fully dependent on me, to take care of the house and garden and kids and finances and..., and to be a wife of a loving husband, I thank God every day. Each obstacle that is placed in front of me helps me to become a stronger woman of God. Each challenge placed in front of me helps to develop character. It is my prayer that I will be able to someday help other women and families that are dealing with similar situations. It is my prayer that God will use me one day to serve others and to make a difference in others lives. I am trusting that I am not going through what I am going through for nothing - there truly is a plan for my life.
Finally, on this anniversary of discovering our lives would be changed forever, I just want to thank two special women who have helped me to be a good mom.
To my mom-in-law - Thank you for loving me unconditionally, even when I was failing at being a good wife for your son. Thank you for your support and encouragement when things are tough. Thank you for allowing me to marry your son and for accepting me as your daughter. I love you!
To my best-friend - Thank you for helping me to be a better mom and wife. Thank you for encouraging me every Wednesday when things are tough. Thank you for the Godly perspective that you provide and for challenging me on making my house a home and serving my family. You are an amazing wife, mom, and friend. Your encouragement is priceless and words will never thank you enough! I love you my dear sister-in-Christ!
God is good and provides even when times are tough. He has given me two kids that help me to appreciate the little things in life - from the wire worm crawling on the floor to egg shell in my baked goods.
What a change in my heart from 3 years ago when I didn't even want kids in my life...Thank you God for blessing me and changing me!
So, what is different tonight....My two year old is in bed. My 4 month old is sleeping, I think. And, my husband fell asleep putting my 4 month old to bed. So, I have picked up the house from a crazy weekend, and am now making and taking the time to update.
So, since the last time I posted, we have had a baby. She was born on July 7th. We will call her Joy for the purpose of the blog. She is completely different than Blessing. Joy actually sleeps - well most of the time. She is in that stage now where she doesn't want to miss a thing. She is our little cuddle bug. She will sit with you for hours and cuddle and coo. I will post some pictures - so enjoy!
But, for the real reason for this post....
This fall has been a time of reflecting for me. Besides being extremely hormonal and emotional from having a baby, this fall has affected me in many ways.
I can not begin to tell you how blessed we are with our children. Just 3 years ago, on this date, I knew something was funny. I took a pregnancy test and discovered that we were expecting our first baby. I was in the middle of my second year of teaching at a public school, my husband was working 60 to 80 hours a week for a local farmer, and our marriage was falling apart. I did NOT want to add kids into the mix. Even though my husband and I vowed to never get a divorce, our marriage was heading south. I truly believe in my heart of hearts that God took my husbands hand to save us. Anyway, I found out I was pregnant and cried and cried and cried. I was sicker than sick (for all 9 months) and really didn't want to have any kids. I had just lost 50 pounds and was beginning to feel fabulous about myself and how I looked. However, God had a different plan...
Over the next couple of months, he helped me to accept that I was pregnant. However, I still didn't "want" the baby. I found out I was no longer going to be employed at the public school come the next school year and was devastated. How was I supposed to be a stay at home mom....How was I supposed to care for this baby that I didn't even want...How was I....How was I...How was I...
The list went on and on. And, time continued to pass.
Today, three years later, I can honestly say that I do not know what I would do without my 2 year old. Yes, she is a challenge somedays, but she is a miracle sent from God. She helped to save our marriage (along with a special group of women that I met about a month after having her). She has taught me patience, tolerance, how to love, how to cherish, joy, and hope. As I sit and rock her at night, some nights I don't want to put her into bed - I just want to hold her all night and thank God for the miracle of kids. She is growing into such a beautiful little girl on the inside. It has been truly amazing to watch her change and develop...I am looking forward to what the future holds.
With the addition of a second child, I was scared. What if I didn't love the second baby as much as I had learned to love the first? What if I couldn't take care of the second baby? What if the second baby was just as demanding as the first? What if...What if...What if...
Once again, the list went on and on. However, the addition of a second child has changed me yet again. Yes, I am still the same woman, but at the same time, subtle things have changed. The love in my heart has multiplied. The time that I spend cherising my two kids has changed. The joy in my heart has increased. The time that I spend making the house into a comfortable home for my family has also increased and the things that I value have changed as well.
I would not go back to having only one kid, and I definitely would NEVER go back to having no kids. The addition of children to our family has been a challenge. It is a challenge I am glad to face every day. Even though it is frustrating to have to discipline Blessing, for Joy to be fully dependent on me, to take care of the house and garden and kids and finances and..., and to be a wife of a loving husband, I thank God every day. Each obstacle that is placed in front of me helps me to become a stronger woman of God. Each challenge placed in front of me helps to develop character. It is my prayer that I will be able to someday help other women and families that are dealing with similar situations. It is my prayer that God will use me one day to serve others and to make a difference in others lives. I am trusting that I am not going through what I am going through for nothing - there truly is a plan for my life.
Finally, on this anniversary of discovering our lives would be changed forever, I just want to thank two special women who have helped me to be a good mom.
To my mom-in-law - Thank you for loving me unconditionally, even when I was failing at being a good wife for your son. Thank you for your support and encouragement when things are tough. Thank you for allowing me to marry your son and for accepting me as your daughter. I love you!
To my best-friend - Thank you for helping me to be a better mom and wife. Thank you for encouraging me every Wednesday when things are tough. Thank you for the Godly perspective that you provide and for challenging me on making my house a home and serving my family. You are an amazing wife, mom, and friend. Your encouragement is priceless and words will never thank you enough! I love you my dear sister-in-Christ!
God is good and provides even when times are tough. He has given me two kids that help me to appreciate the little things in life - from the wire worm crawling on the floor to egg shell in my baked goods.
What a change in my heart from 3 years ago when I didn't even want kids in my life...Thank you God for blessing me and changing me!
Thursday, May 1, 2008
Invisible Woman
Tonight, I just feel plain defeated. I feel as if my job makes no difference, that being a mom and a wife isn't recognized and the work that I do isn't appreciated. Then, I had an e-mail come from a good friend of mine who married a man with children and in her mid 30's, became a grandma. Her e-mail lifted my spirits and has given me a rejuvinated reason for being a wife and a mother. Enjoy...
Invisible Mother.....It all began to make sense, the blank stares, the lack of response, the way one of the kids will walk into the room while I'm on the phone and ask to be taken to the store. Inside I'm thinking, 'Can't you see I'm on thephone?' Obviously not; no one can see if I'm on the phone, or cooking, or sweeping the floor, or even standing on my head in the corner, because no one can see me at all. I'm invisible. The invisible Mom. Some days I am only a pair of hands, nothing more: Can you fix this ? Can you tie this?Can you open this??
Some days I'm not a pair of hands; I'm not even a human being. I'm a clock to ask, 'What time is it?' I'm a satellite guide to answer, 'What number is the Disney Channel?' I'm a car to order, 'Right around 5:30,please.'
I was certain that these were the hands that once held books and the eyes that studied history and the mind that graduated summa cum laude -but now they had disappeared into the peanut butter, never to be seen again. She's going, she's going, she's gone!?
One night, a group of us were having dinner, celebrating the return of afriend from England . Janice had just gotten back from a fabulous trip, and she was going on and on about the hotel she stayed in. I was sittingthere, looking around at the others all put together so well. It was hard not to compare and feel sorry for myself. I was feeling pretty pathetic, when Janice turned to me with a beautifully wrapped package and said, 'I brought you this.'
It was a book on the great cathedrals of Europe . I wasn't exactly sure why she'd given it to me until I read her inscription:'To Charlotte , with admiration for the greatness of what you are building when no one sees.'In the days ahead I would read - no, devour - the book. And I would discover what would become for me, four life-changing truths, after which I could pattern my work: No one can say who built the great cathedrals -we have no record of their names. These builders gave their whole lives for a work they would never see finished. They made great sacrifices and expected no credit. The passion of their building was fueled by their faith that the eyes of God saw everything.
A legendary story in the book told of a rich man who came to visit the cathedral while it was being built, and he saw a workman carving a tiny bird on the inside of a beam. He was puzzled and asked the man, 'Why are you spending so much time carving that bird into a beam that will be covered by the roof, No one will ever see it. And the workman replied,'Because God sees.'
I closed the book, feeling the missing piece fall into place. It was almost as if I heard God whispering to me, 'I see you, Charlotte. I see the sacrifices you make every day, even when no one around you does. No act of kindness you've done, no sequin you've sewn on, no cupcake you've baked, is too small for me to notice and smile over. You are building a great cathedral, but you can't see right now what it will become.
At times, my invisibility feels like an affliction. But it is not a disease that is erasing my life. It is the cure for the disease of my own self-centeredness. It is the antidote to my strong, stubborn pride.
I keep the right perspective when I see myself as a great builder. As one of the people who show up at a job that they will never see finished, to work on something that their name will never be on. The writer of the book went so far as to say that no cathedrals could ever be built in our lifetime because there are so few people willing tosacrifice to that degree.
When I really think about it, I don't want my son to tell the friend he's bringing home from college for Thanksgiving, 'My Mom gets up at 4 in the morning and bakes homemade pies, and then she hand bastes a turkey for three hours and presses all the linens for the table.' That would mean I'd built a shrine or a monument to myself. I just want him to want to come home. And then, if there is anything more to say to hisf riend, to add, 'You're gonna love it there.'
As mothers, we are building great cathedrals. We cannot be seen if we're doing it right. And one day, it is very possible that the world will marvel, not only at what we have built, but at the beauty that has been added to the world by the sacrifices of invisible women.
Invisible Mother.....It all began to make sense, the blank stares, the lack of response, the way one of the kids will walk into the room while I'm on the phone and ask to be taken to the store. Inside I'm thinking, 'Can't you see I'm on thephone?' Obviously not; no one can see if I'm on the phone, or cooking, or sweeping the floor, or even standing on my head in the corner, because no one can see me at all. I'm invisible. The invisible Mom. Some days I am only a pair of hands, nothing more: Can you fix this ? Can you tie this?Can you open this??
Some days I'm not a pair of hands; I'm not even a human being. I'm a clock to ask, 'What time is it?' I'm a satellite guide to answer, 'What number is the Disney Channel?' I'm a car to order, 'Right around 5:30,please.'
I was certain that these were the hands that once held books and the eyes that studied history and the mind that graduated summa cum laude -but now they had disappeared into the peanut butter, never to be seen again. She's going, she's going, she's gone!?
One night, a group of us were having dinner, celebrating the return of afriend from England . Janice had just gotten back from a fabulous trip, and she was going on and on about the hotel she stayed in. I was sittingthere, looking around at the others all put together so well. It was hard not to compare and feel sorry for myself. I was feeling pretty pathetic, when Janice turned to me with a beautifully wrapped package and said, 'I brought you this.'
It was a book on the great cathedrals of Europe . I wasn't exactly sure why she'd given it to me until I read her inscription:'To Charlotte , with admiration for the greatness of what you are building when no one sees.'In the days ahead I would read - no, devour - the book. And I would discover what would become for me, four life-changing truths, after which I could pattern my work: No one can say who built the great cathedrals -we have no record of their names. These builders gave their whole lives for a work they would never see finished. They made great sacrifices and expected no credit. The passion of their building was fueled by their faith that the eyes of God saw everything.
A legendary story in the book told of a rich man who came to visit the cathedral while it was being built, and he saw a workman carving a tiny bird on the inside of a beam. He was puzzled and asked the man, 'Why are you spending so much time carving that bird into a beam that will be covered by the roof, No one will ever see it. And the workman replied,'Because God sees.'
I closed the book, feeling the missing piece fall into place. It was almost as if I heard God whispering to me, 'I see you, Charlotte. I see the sacrifices you make every day, even when no one around you does. No act of kindness you've done, no sequin you've sewn on, no cupcake you've baked, is too small for me to notice and smile over. You are building a great cathedral, but you can't see right now what it will become.
At times, my invisibility feels like an affliction. But it is not a disease that is erasing my life. It is the cure for the disease of my own self-centeredness. It is the antidote to my strong, stubborn pride.
I keep the right perspective when I see myself as a great builder. As one of the people who show up at a job that they will never see finished, to work on something that their name will never be on. The writer of the book went so far as to say that no cathedrals could ever be built in our lifetime because there are so few people willing tosacrifice to that degree.
When I really think about it, I don't want my son to tell the friend he's bringing home from college for Thanksgiving, 'My Mom gets up at 4 in the morning and bakes homemade pies, and then she hand bastes a turkey for three hours and presses all the linens for the table.' That would mean I'd built a shrine or a monument to myself. I just want him to want to come home. And then, if there is anything more to say to hisf riend, to add, 'You're gonna love it there.'
As mothers, we are building great cathedrals. We cannot be seen if we're doing it right. And one day, it is very possible that the world will marvel, not only at what we have built, but at the beauty that has been added to the world by the sacrifices of invisible women.
Monday, April 28, 2008
Springtime pictures
Just a few pictures to update you on how our daughter is growing! She is getting so tall and acting more like a kid and less like a baby. It is amazing to hear her talk and to watch her change every day. Today, she climbed up on the rocking chair in her bedroom during naptime and reached the lotion and a couple of other things off of a high shelf. We had no idea she could reach those by standing on the chair. My, oh my, how she is growing! The determination she has is so strong! What a personality! Enjoy the pictures and look back on previous posts to really she how she has changed.
Giving Kirby a hug!
Hey mommy, look at me! Climbing on the steps and the railing.
HELLO?!? Anybody there?
Mommy, this is so yummy! Snitching leftover cookie dough after making cookies!
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