It Could Have Been Worse

I think of myself as a "Pray-er".  I believe in prayer.  I don't always understand how or why God answers as He does but I've lived long enough to see God do amazing things when people pray.  While I pray daily and I've seen God answer many prayers, I am still floored when I see God work!

Yesterday, Chris took the kids to the pool while I stayed home to work on a talk I'm giving at church tomorrow night.  After working for an hour I got sleepy and decided to lay down for a nap.  Just as I was drifting off I had a sudden urge to pray for protection for my kids.  It seemed a little strange that I would feel that way as they are all excellent swimmers, Chris was with them, and they were at a pool with lifeguards.  Nevertheless, I prayed for their safety.

About thirty minutes later I was surprised to hear Chris pulling into the driveway since they had only been gone a short while.  Then I see my son, Jack get out of the car with a large butterfly bandage on his chin.  Apparently he had slipped while getting out of the pool and hit his chin quite hard on the edge.  Chris needed to take him to the emergency room where he ended up getting his chin glued!

You may think my prayer didn't "work" or it was too late.  To the contrary.  I know in my heart that the Lord had me pray for my kids at the exact moment the accident was about to happen and my obedience to pray prevented a much worse accident. 

Moms, we are our children's first line of defense against spiritual as well as physical danger.  Imagine yourself the general in a war.  As you hold your hands up your army has victory but the second you lower them they begin to lose.  This is exactly what happened in Exodus 17 when the Israelites were going to war.  When Moses, their leader, held is hands up the Israelite army advanced.  But, when his arms got tired, he lowered them and the army suffered setbacks.  Two friends had to come and hold Moses' arms up so the Israelites could gain the victory!

This is a physical picture of an equally real spiritual battle.  As we lift our prayers to God on behalf of our children, God will move them forward and give them victory in life.  If we grow weary from praying for them, our children are subject to defeat by forces of darkness that are at work all around us.  (For more on this, check out Ephesians 6).

I'm so grateful that my loving Heavenly Father alerted me to a need for my children.  I am thankful that I recognized it and 'raised my hands'.  I'm also grateful that Jack only busted his chin and scraped up his side.  You moms out there know just as well as I do... it could have been much worse.

Go Ahead and Blink

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It's been a LONG time since I wrote on my blog. Perhaps it's an indication of my current stage of life. I love speaking and writing but where is the time to do it??? I am baffled by these Christian women authors who have written five books (even one book) and still have children living at home. Clearly, I need a class in time management. But there again, where do I find the time to take it?! ha!

So here it is, December 31st, again. Weren't we just here?! Is it my imagination or does each succeeding Christmas season go by faster than the one before? As my children get older (and hence, I get older) time is speeding up. Better not blink!

As Ellie and I were taking down decorations this morning, we saw our advent calendar sitting there, a long standing Archinal tradition. We got through December 15 and the remainder of those little doors stayed shut. A sign of our busy schedules.

Not only did some of our long-standing traditions get lost in the busyness but we had several friends experience tragedy and loss this season. Our hearts have been with them. At times, it seemed the joy of the season was a little harder to come by. So, did we miss Christmas? If we didn't get to all the things we've done before, does it mean we experienced Christmas less?

This mother's heart was feeling a little low at the reality of older children, busier schedules, and hurting friends. Then, once again, God was there to share a word of encouragement. He speaks to me in 2 Corinthians 1:3-4, "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God." He comforts my heart.

He reminds me that even though time is fleeting, children grow up, and family schedules shift, He is ever constant. He is outside of time and holds all things together. He holds our family together. He holds my grieving friends in a way that I cannot. He holds me together when the inertia of demands and responsibilities tries to pull me apart.


Christmas 2011 has come and gone. Some of our traditions shifted a little but we were all together. We made some new and wonderful memories that we'll cherish forever. We had the privilege of praying for and comforting hurting friends.

Yes, I blink and another year is passed. But, no matter how many times I blink, each time I open my eyes there is my loving family and there is my loving God. So as you are packing up another year, go ahead and blink. Years come and go but joy remains.