One Thousand Gifts

ONE THOUSAND GIFTS

Okay so week two and I'm already behind.  As you know today is Wednesday and I completely missed blogging about the gifts I've been reflecting upon.  My goal is to do it on Monday's and it should have been predictable that I would be late on the second week.  Isn't the "great distractor" like that?!  Well, it is unchangeable so here we are on Wednesday and I'm ready to pour myself into the gifts I've been embracing and meditating on. 

This past week, although distracting from getting to sit down and blog, has been really good.  I have noticed some improvement between my children and them being able to play together with less interruption of disagreements.  They have been loving to one another and comforting each other.  It is so awesome to see. 

On Sunday our Pastor started a new series on relationships and talked about the idea of community under Grace.  He gave a great picture through scripture of us being sheep and Christ as the Shepherd.  As he explained what sheep are truly about (Dumb, Diseased, and Defenseless) I felt humbled.  He talked about how the Shepherd has "tools" that help him to keep his sheep safe and protected.  The Rod is to ward off danger that might try to steal the sheep and the staff is to quickly rein in the sheep as they wander and go astray.  I thought of how in a similar way to Jesus being our Shepherd, we as parents also Shepherd our children.  We are the Sheep in our relationship to Christ and they (the children) are Sheep to us as parents.  (I'm not neglecting the fact that children are also sheep to Christ as we are but just creating a relative comparison between children and parents and our responsibility over them.) 

Children are as sheep are (Dumb, Defenseless, and Diseased).  As their parents we do not take lightly the duty of shepherding them.  My desire is that I would shepherd my children towards Christ so that He might be their Shepherd someday.  To both condition them to be shepherded and to also revere the shepherd with love, respect, and reliance.  It is all to common in today's world that young children are raised with a disrespect of authority, issues with broken families, and a sense of independence and entitlement they do not truly posses.  Thus making it all that much harder for them to come to a full knowledge of Christ and the ability to be both shepherded by Him and to develop a relationship with Him.  If I could only raise my children in a manner that would lend them the ability to be both shepherded and to grow in personal relationship with Christ that is the greatest gift I could give them.  During this process acting as the Shepherd that keeps the danger away with the Rod and reins them in with the Staff when they begin to go astray.  This, to me, is a wonderful picture of discipline.

1 last part to add as a part of the shepherds tools is oil.  I didn't know shepherds used oil.  They annoint the head of a sheep to keep flies away and to reduce the friction when the sheep but heads.  It is a picture of the spirit acting as in intercesor over us.  The spirit reduces our friction with others by touching deeply our "worldy relationships" and changing us from the inside out.  The spirit also protects us (flies).  It is the "tool" used by the shepherd that is attached to the sheeps body.  The Rod and the Staff are external methods of shepherding while the Oil is a physical method of protection.  I see the Father (the Shepherd), Son (Rod and Staff) and Spirit (Oil) acting in this same way over us as sheep.

Our pastor went on to explore the parable of the shepherd that leaves the 99 sheep in search for the 1 that is lost.  His passion and love for the 1 that is lost runs deep and he leaves the other 99 in the safety of the flock in order FIND the 1.  God is constantly pursuing us.  He is seeking to find the lost sheep and bring them back to the fold.  He knows that if they are not found they will tumble to their death.  Our pastor explained that sheep are notorious for eating their way up on to a hill that they cannot then get back down from.  Thus they plunge to their death.  They are also such followers that if 1 leads them off the edge of a cliff the rest following will also fall.  Isn't that us?  Aren't we so blinded from the truth at times that we will happily tumble to death?  I am so overwhelmed with the picture of God pursuing us until we are found.  Praise God that I am found. 

Now in response to His enduring, faithful and longsuffering love I long to serve Him with my whole heart.  I "do" those things which I know honor Him out of a response to His love.  I have already been given His love.  Christ built the bridge for me that I might spend eternity with God our of the Fathers love for us.  There is nothing I can do to earn something that is already given to me.  My part of the relationship is to serve and love Him and to love others that they might love Him.  He FOUND me!  I am smitten by HIM!

GIFTS
3. Loud belly rolling laughter
4. Cool Sheets when I get into bed
5. My boys hugging one another
6. Quick prayers when I feel I need help (I know my God hears me)

Check out Titus 2 at the Well today for some great tips about Mothering that posted over the weekend! God Bless you.