What is it in your life that brings things into proper perspective for you? Is it reading the obituaries from time to time to remind you how fleeting life is and of that one true statistic that never changes: "one out of one dies"!!!???
Is it going to a funeral or going to a cemetery and seeing the "-" between the year born and the year died, knowing that all of life is summed up in one little hash mark on a grave stone?
Is it a visit to a doctor with a friend/family member who just learned that she has an incurable disease?
Is it watching your child walk down the aisle on his/her wedding day when it only seems like yesterday when you were coming home from the hospital with that newborn in your arms?
Or, maybe it is reading a really good book, like The Shack, about which I wrote a whole post a while back, that makes sense out of seeming nonsense.
For me, it is a combination of all of the above. Or, actually, more often than not, it is spending time in the Word and in prayer with my LORD that brings my life into focus and my perspective into an eternal one.
Last night Monty and I went to dinner, just the two of us..........the first time we have not had children/grandchildren since Dec 21........where we conversed about our lives and what really matters ..................PERSPECTIVE!!!! A friend at church passed away early Saturday morning after a year long battle with pancreatic cancer. He was only 50 years old and leaves behind his wife of almost 24 years and three children: 19, 17 and 12 years of age, plus a mother who buried his father 38 years ago. That kind of sobering news should lead us to discussions about perspective.
I just spent 9 days in Louisville with the 19th grandbaby who was born Dec 18. See the added photo on Joshua Luke Groves, 5th child of Lanny and Stacey. Holding a precious newborn baby brings perspective to life, especially when there are four others running around who were the newborns only a few short years ago.................and in only a few more years will be the ones walking down an wedding aisle (possibly)!!!
Soooooooo, back to my conversation with my husband of 41 wonderful years of marriage........... we agreed that we wanted to stay in the race and finish well, so that all who come behind us will find us faithful (sounds like it could be a song, huh???) We have been involved in youth ministry for over 20 years, and more recently college/young adult ministry for the past 15, or so, years. And we are asking each other and the LORD........what next? There seems to be a great need in early childhood in our church, which we have not done together outside of our own children and grandchildren!! Is that where we need to get a new perspective?? It would probably lead to having input in young parents...............so we will see what the LORD's perspective is with that.
Monday, January 14, 2008
Thursday, January 3, 2008
New Life
For the past several days, I have been in Louisville, KY with my "inherited" Groves family and their newest addition to my (now 19) precious grandchildren, Joshua Luke, who was born December 18th, making their quiver full with five. Is there anything more precious than a newborn baby? Not to me!!! He is such a beautiful baby and so sweet. I love to watch his reflexes, his facial expressions, his stretches while he grunts and gurgles. Newborns are so helpless and so utterly dependent upon their Mamas.
Of course, when I see Stacey feeding him every three hours around the clock, I am reminded of 1 Peter 2:2 "as newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the Word so that by it you may grow..."!! And growing he is!! Just in the 7 days I have been here, he has already grown so much. I can't help but think how much we would grow if we were hungering and thirsting and taking in the Word every 3 hours 24/7!!! What would our "spiritual cheeks" look like if they were chubby with the sincere milk of the Word?
Would we not be filled with love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control??? instead of being filled with the deeds of the flesh like immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts on anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these???
When Josh burps/spits up.........it is milk. It is what he has taken in!! What comes out of my mouth...........so to speak? Is it the Word that comes back up?? I hope so!!
O, for sure, there is much to be learned from newborn babies!! How thankful I am to have had this blessed time of reminders of the basics!!!
Of course, when I see Stacey feeding him every three hours around the clock, I am reminded of 1 Peter 2:2 "as newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the Word so that by it you may grow..."!! And growing he is!! Just in the 7 days I have been here, he has already grown so much. I can't help but think how much we would grow if we were hungering and thirsting and taking in the Word every 3 hours 24/7!!! What would our "spiritual cheeks" look like if they were chubby with the sincere milk of the Word?
Would we not be filled with love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control??? instead of being filled with the deeds of the flesh like immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts on anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these???
When Josh burps/spits up.........it is milk. It is what he has taken in!! What comes out of my mouth...........so to speak? Is it the Word that comes back up?? I hope so!!
O, for sure, there is much to be learned from newborn babies!! How thankful I am to have had this blessed time of reminders of the basics!!!
The Inventories
The inventory listed immediately below is the one I try to which I actually type out my answers and keep in my journal. Another one by Henry Blackaby is one I will read through and pray about, but I don't ususally write answers down. It is also listed below.
Personal Inventory for January of each year!!
Who were the most stimulating people in my life (and why)?
What was my most meaningful spiritual experience?
What were my most significant family moments?
What was the biggest contributor to my personal growth?
What was the biggest blunder I committed?
What caused my greatest sadness?
What was my greatest joy?
What was my best marriage moment this year?
What is my fondest memory with each of my children?
What friend moment will I cherish the most?
For what am I most thankful this year?
What one answer to prayer really blew me away?
This one is Blackaby's
Did you take time to carefully and thoroughly inventory not only the events of the past year, but also how you lived your life through those events??
Mediate on the following questions:
Did I gain a heart of wisdom as I passed through this last year?
Am I a better person?
Am I a wiser person?
What consequences have resulted in my life, and the lives of others, from the decisions I made?
Did I learn through tragedy?
Did I invest in the lives of others?
Was I a good steward of what came to me this past year?
What happened in my family this past year?
Have I gained greater maturity toward Christlikeness?
Did I gain a greater knowledge of God through the Scriptures?
Did my prayer life grow deeper with God?
Did I clearly help my church?
Did I become more effective as a Christian in my workplace?
Am I walking more confidently in God’s will for my life?
Have I positioned myself to even greater heights for the coming year?
If you answered “no” or “I am not sure” to any of these questions, then you need to ask yourself, “Why?”
Why did this past year not measure up to God’s desired will for my life?
Why did I not seek God with all my heart?
Why did I not grow as a Christian?
Was I self-centered instead of God centered?
Are there sinful habits that need to be removed from my life?
If so, ask God to do so.
Will you allow God to move you from where you are now to where He wants you to be in the coming year?
From Henry Blackaby’s “Measuring the worth of a year”
Personal Inventory for January of each year!!
Who were the most stimulating people in my life (and why)?
What was my most meaningful spiritual experience?
What were my most significant family moments?
What was the biggest contributor to my personal growth?
What was the biggest blunder I committed?
What caused my greatest sadness?
What was my greatest joy?
What was my best marriage moment this year?
What is my fondest memory with each of my children?
What friend moment will I cherish the most?
For what am I most thankful this year?
What one answer to prayer really blew me away?
This one is Blackaby's
Did you take time to carefully and thoroughly inventory not only the events of the past year, but also how you lived your life through those events??
Mediate on the following questions:
Did I gain a heart of wisdom as I passed through this last year?
Am I a better person?
Am I a wiser person?
What consequences have resulted in my life, and the lives of others, from the decisions I made?
Did I learn through tragedy?
Did I invest in the lives of others?
Was I a good steward of what came to me this past year?
What happened in my family this past year?
Have I gained greater maturity toward Christlikeness?
Did I gain a greater knowledge of God through the Scriptures?
Did my prayer life grow deeper with God?
Did I clearly help my church?
Did I become more effective as a Christian in my workplace?
Am I walking more confidently in God’s will for my life?
Have I positioned myself to even greater heights for the coming year?
If you answered “no” or “I am not sure” to any of these questions, then you need to ask yourself, “Why?”
Why did this past year not measure up to God’s desired will for my life?
Why did I not seek God with all my heart?
Why did I not grow as a Christian?
Was I self-centered instead of God centered?
Are there sinful habits that need to be removed from my life?
If so, ask God to do so.
Will you allow God to move you from where you are now to where He wants you to be in the coming year?
From Henry Blackaby’s “Measuring the worth of a year”
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