Wolly Polly Love

Chillin'!

Mondays are off days for us. It's like Saturday for us, and we have school on Saturday.  This morning we got up late.  I dilly dallied around and got around to making breakfast late-very late.  The kids cleaned up while I prepared a week's menu and shopping list; slowly.  I also found the time to tickle attack at least three of my children.  Elisabeth broke my pyrex baking pan, and I reassured her that I understood it was an accident.  Pyrex explodes violently when broken, so she was traumitized.  We went shopping, and on the way got stopped by the federal police to have our papers checked.  He saw that we were Americans with California plates and thought it would be good to make sure we were here legally.  (Honestly have no problem with that!)  Then we ate at a restaurant-very late for lunch, and enjoyed some more family time, and some fruit before sending the kids to bed.   David threw up all over his bed about five minutes after that.  This is no surprise, because this ugly bug passed through each of the girls last week.  David must have taken a little longer to incubate.  So now I have an urgent interruption in my laundry routine in the morning, waiting for me.  David is a brick, ready to do the deed and go right back to sleep.
All in all-a restful day, and and ordinary one.   I'm so thankful for days like this!  I love laughing and making my kids laugh.  I love helping them with their trials that seem so great to them, helping them to be strong.  We all need quiet days from time to time, don't we?  It never goes right to plan, but it helps me connect with my husband and my children.

Hey it's Spring!

There are some beautiful flowers growing in the fields, but not many near my house.  If I get some good pictures of the Spring blossoms here, I'll be sure to post them!  Here are some that I took of Springtime at my parent's place in Cloverdale last year.

Ryan was terribly allergic to this, I think.

Cherry plum blossoms just beginning to open

More cherry plum blossoms

Elisabeth was in this position much of the time.

Peach blossoms!

I forget what these are!

More from the peach tree.  (The same one that my daughter watered with gasoline.)

Happy Birthday Becca!

Funny

Roly poly

Cute

Stinker

Always excited!

Always ready to explore

She looked great last year with no front teeth

Always ready to be silly

Happy birthday, sweetheart!

Love and Kisses!

These are pictures that mean "love" to me!  Happy Valentine's Day!

Just might be my favorite picture.

Yes, this one means "love" to me.  Don't you see the love??

The little baldie is Elisabeth

"If only I had showed up on the doorstep of non-huggers."  (She's getting used to the affection, and I think she likes it now.)

Cynthia performed this service for all of my young crew.  More than once.  That's love.

She also felt the need to lie down on the grass for a while afterward for some reason.  I can only spin two at the most.

Love yourself?

I often hear people say, "You can't love others until you love yourself."  Love of one's self is encouraged, and expected for a healthy mindset.  The logic is, if you don't love yourself, you won't respect your own self worth, or take care of yourself, or be able to value anyone else.  You won't think you deserve anything good, so you will let people abuse you, and take advantage of you. 

Honestly, I don't disagree with the basic premise. When someone hates themselves, wants to hurt themselves, and goes about to destroy their own lives and bodies, it is evidence that something is wrong.  It is not normal or natural to live in self-loathing, or for a human to have a wish to end or ruin their own life.  Normal humans feed, adorn, bathe, and cherish their own bodies without even thinking they are doing something loving for themselves, but caring for the needs of someone is the surest way to love them.  We entertain ourselves, and try to protect ourselves from harm, and hurt.  These are all actions of self-love.  Even people with no respect for themselves will snatch their hand away from an open flame.  Why would someone do that if there was no love for themselves in their lives?

I do have a problem with the statement, "You can't love others until you learn to love yourself."  What's my beef with that?  It's the focus of that statement.  It is completely absent of God and His love.  Why is this important?  It's important because God's love blasts any little love we might have for ourselves to smithereens.1   You can never take God's love for us out of an equation and have a complete picture of reality.  And reality is this; our true value, as God values us, is beyond our own comprehesion.

A biblical point of view gives us a complete picture of ourselves.  In the mirror of God's Word, we see that we are born in sin,2 something abominable to God, but that He took upon Himself our own nature so that He could bear the payment for our sins on His body.3 This shows us that God's value for us was His own blood.  When we see that truth, a poor self-image is just a lie we believe, and so is self-importance and pride. Truth?  I am precious to God.  I can love myself with all my might and main, but I could never love myself like He does.  And the focus of the Bible, the greatest commandment in the Bible, is not to love myself with all my might.  It's to love Him with all my might.4  Why?  Because His love is enough.

For many of us, the problem comes when we look at our faults and failures, we often read our own worth through them.  God has given us something to do with our faults, and it is not ignore them, pretend they don't exist, or pretend they don't matter. (I believe that's called denial) God never valued me based on my goodness.  If that were true, He would have tossed me out a long time ago.  He values me because of Who He is, He saved me from my sin because of His love for me, and the more I know Him, the more peace and confidence I can have about my position before Him.

I am so thankful for the love of my God!  His love is worthy of being talked about, lifted up, and researched.  During this month, when we are seeing little lacy hearts everywhere, and eating cute, pastel, heart-shaped candy, remember God's love for you, and how precious you are to Him.

1.)  1Jn 4:9  In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. 
2.)  Rom 3:23  For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;  
3.)  2Co 5:21  For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.
4.)  Mark 12:30  And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.

A little compassion...

A new family came this morning, their second visit.  They have a baby girl and a two year old boy, both of whom came to the nursery with me.  Victor had been pretty good in Sunday School, which surprised me, because I had watched him last week, his first visit, and he had squalled 80% of the time.  It's so hard for a small one to get used to the idea that these strangers won't keep you forever, they will be nice to you, give you crackers, and then give you back to mommy pretty quick.

I took the nursery for the church service, and he started to protest when he noticed the Changing of the Guard.  The nice lady he was used to was leaving, without his permission, and I was taking her place.  He was not amused.  He started to shriek when she closed the door, he shrieked when I looked at him, he shrieked when I offered him a toy without making eye contact, and he really raised the roof when Moises, the other toddler, decided he wanted some of the toys Victor was hoarding.  I put Moises in the middle of some other toys, and turn part of my back on Victor, where I could see him out of the corner of my eye.  Sitting on the floor, we began making towers with blocks.  This is usually irresistible for small boys, as they always want to help building, or see what happens when you knock it down.  The shrieking subsided to a miserable whimper, as Victor began to be interested in the project.


Then I noticed something.  As he mumbled complaints against me and Moises, Victor was pulling his ear and twisting his pinky inside constantly.  Light bulb!  I said, "Your ear hurts, doesn't it?"  He looked at me and nodded seriously.  I said, "I'm sorry, ears hurt a lot when they hurt."  He nodded again, then offered some advice on the construction of my tower.  I told him he'd better show me what he meant, and he reached over and began to build up my tower.

After that he was my buddy.  Yes, his ear hurt, but what he really wanted was to know that someone understood, and was on his side.

Jude 1:22  And of some have compassion, making a difference:

Urgent prayer request!

Dear friends, please pray for our fellow laborers here-the Jaimez family was in an accident tonight. Bro. Ismael was taken by ambulance to the a private hospital here. He has a shoulder injury, and they are keeping him in observation because of concerns about internal bleeding. There is concern in the lung area. His wife, Hrma. Paty has a bruised leg. The car was hit on the driver's side and spun, so they are both dealing with whiplash.  Please pray for them!  We love them like family;  they are godly, servant-hearted, and faithful.

Out of the mouth of Elisabeth

Today, while I was getting the two healthy, non-flu infected children ready to go to Bible Club, I noticed Elisabeth coughing.  She hacked and hacked, and since she was up some in the night coughing, we decided to keep her in with the others who have fevers.  When I told her she couldn't go to Bible Club, she looked downcast as only she can.  (If you want a peek into her personality, mix up Eeyore with deep sincerity and emotion.)  Then she picked up her head and said, "That's so sad, Mom, but it's OK, because Jesus is still with me!"

I said, "Never, never, never forget what you just said."

Rebecca

Here she is trying to make a face.  It doesn't quite work out.

Here she is trying to smile.

Still trying to smile, and getting a little silly. (The smile was so strenuous that it made her fall on the ground.)

Got one!  I love it-she's so spunky and funny.