Commission

She wakes early in the morning, catching those few, small moments before the chaos of the day begins.

Her Bible open on her lap, she tries to slow her mind, already racing with the tasks of the day. There is laundry to be done, meals to be made, the endless cleaning of mess after mess. There are broken toys to be fixed, torn clothes to be mended, phone calls to be made, Christmas decorations that still haven't been put away. She hopes she can find time to get outside, to practice her music, to do some writing.

Her mind wanders to her many friends that are struggling. The ones with depression. The ones with anxiety. The ones who have experienced things that no one should have to go through. She thinks about her husband who is feeling unwell and weighed down by stress. She thinks about her children who will soon be waking, filling the house with their endless exuberance, requiring so much love and attention.

She lifts her eyes, whispering to one unseen, "There is so much. I can't do everything I want to do and be everything they need me to be. I need your help. Show me what you would have me do today."

The reply presses deep into her heart:

"Love them."

The Power of Words

In a devotional that I have been reading, the author challenged her readers to say, "I trust you, Jesus," frequently throughout their day, especially when feeling frustrated or overwhelmed. I dismissed it as sounding rather contrived and tacky, but for some reason the idea stuck with me. The next time I was feeling stressed because the kids were acting up, the thought came into my mind, "I should say, 'I trust you, Jesus'". So I did. And to my surprise, it helped!

Since then I have been saying that phrase fairly frequently, and I've also been thinking about why it is so helpful. One reason that keeps coming to mind is that words are very powerful. We tend to forget this, but it's true. We can see evidence of it all around us. A genuine encouragement can inspire someone to achieve far more than they thought they could. An careless insult can eat away at someone for years. I know I've seen those kinds of effects in my life, and I'm sure you have too.

When I say, "I trust you, Jesus," I am reminding myself about Jesus. It's funny how we can so easily go through our day without an awareness of Jesus - his presence, his love, his forgiveness, his power. I am also reminding myself that I have a relationship with him, and that he has promised to never leave me. I am declaring to myself, to him, and to the world that he is my saver, my sustainer, and my hope. When I say that phrase, I am also changing my focus and my perspective. I am taking my attention off my problems and stress, and directly inviting Jesus to be a part of whatever situation I find myself in. And that changes the reality of my moment.

The power of words even goes beyond whether or not we open our mouths to say something. Our thoughts are words too, and how we think (our "internal dialogue") can have a huge affect on us. It can turn a problem into an opportunity and a hard day into a day to be thankful for.

I'm not saying that we need to just "think positive" all the time. But I do want to challenge myself to carefully consider the kinds of thought patterns I have. When I'm feeling lonely, it's not very helpful to keep telling myself, "No one likes me. I don't have any friends." Instead maybe I should say, "I feel lonely. I should find a way to connect with someone." When I'm feeling stressed, instead of thinking, "I can't deal with this!", I can remind myself that Jesus is with me. One way of thinking traps me; the other gives room for hope.

The words we choose to use can have far more of an impact than we realize. In the way that I talk to others and talk to myself, I want to be the kind of person that uses the power of words for good.

Faces

When you have a baby you soon learn that there are many people who love babies and will take every opportunity they have to hold one.  Sometimes I'll be at an event and never hold my baby myself except for when he's hungry or needing a diaper change.  On one occasion not too long ago a lady from church was holding Kenneth, and I overheard her talking with someone standing nearby about how babies' faces are so fascinating.  They both agreed that they could just stare at a baby's face all day.  Then one of of them added jokingly that you can't do that with older people, because staring at people like that is kind of weird.

That conversation I overheard has stayed with me.  I agree, there is something very special about a baby's face. They are so young, so new, taking everything in for the first time with big eyes, or sleeping with a peace that most of us have forgotten.  But babies aren't the only ones with fascinating faces.

Think about children.  Bundles of endless energy, they run through life with an infectious enthusiasm.  Every emotion is given their all and expressed with abandon - whether shrieks of laughter, cries of frustration, or affectionate bedtime kisses and cuddles.

Young adults' faces have a different kind of beauty; a fascinating tension and conflict as the idealism of youth meets the challenges of the world and they fight to keep their dreams alive.

Seniors have beautiful faces too, filled with years of memories, both joyful and sorrowful.  Their eyes carry a wisdom that only age can bring, and every wrinkle tells a story.

Every age and stage of life has its own beauty.  Indeed, every person's face is beautiful, formed by the artist hand of God and shaped through every experience and moment on this crazy adventure we call life.  We may joke about how it's awkward, but really it is a shame that we don't look at others' faces more often.

The more we look at peoples' faces, the more we see their worth and beauty.  Just think of how the faces of your loved ones appear to you, though they may not be counted as "beautiful" in the eyes of the world.  Perhaps we should take more time to look at the faces of those who are different than us - who are from different cultures, different classes, or different ages, as a way of seeing beyond those differences to who they are as a person, and the great worth that they have.  Perhaps we will see them in a way that we haven't before, and learn to love them better.

Let's be the kind of people who see the value in every face and in every person that we meet.

Battle Speech for Mothers

We know the stories well: A small band of soldiers is outnumbered.  The odds are against them.  Everything seems hopeless.  But their brave leader stands and urges them on with a rousing speech.

Whether real or fictional, we know and love these speeches well. From Henry V's "St. Crispin's Day" to Winston Churchill's "We shall never surrender", their words awaken something in us and inspire us to greatness.

Some of my favourite battle speeches come from The Lord of the Rings. One particularly well known moment is Aragorn's speech before the Black Gate. The last army of Gondor and Rohan has walked knowingly into a trap in a desperate attempt to distract the Dark Lord Sauron long enough to allow Frodo to destroy the one ring. In the face of impossible odds, Aragorn urges his men to stand firm and fight.  If you're not familiar with it, give it a quick search on YouTube, it's pretty epic.

I think it's a shame that all these great speeches come in a context of war and fighting. What about other situations in which we need a rousing call to great deeds? For example, what about motherhood? Being a mom can be very challenging. There are days when nothing seems to go right. Diapers explode, food is dumped on the floor, dishes are broken, laundry piles high, tantrums and tears abound. Some days, we need inspiring " battle speeches " too.

So I have adapted one for us. It's based on Aragorn's speech at black gate.  Mothers, as we stand shoulder to shoulder in the face of overwhelming odds: an onslaught of diapers, dishes, laundry, and messes, may we never falter or give up hope.


Mothers of babies, of toddlers, my sisters,
I see in your eyes the same tiredness that would take the heart of me.
A day may come when the strength of mothers fails,
When we forsake the needs of our children
And break our promise of support to our husbands,
But it is not this day.
An hour of despair and shattered dreams,
When the homes we love come crashing down,
But it is not this day!
This day we press on!
By the families that you hold dear on this good earth,
I bid you stand, mothers of the young!

A Quote for Today

I happened to notice that today we are halfway between Christmas and Easter!  So I thought I would share this quote with you.  Sometimes it is easy to feel tired and discouraged, but Jesus walks with us as we move forward in the work to which he has called us.

"When the song of the angels is stilled,
When the star in the sky is gone,
When the kings and princes are home,
When the shepherds are back with their flock,
The work of Christmas begins:
To find the lost,
To heal the broken,
To feed the hungry,
To release the prisoner,
To rebuild the nations,
To bring peace among people,
To make music in the heart."
                           - Howard Thurman

Self Care

Sometimes I don't cope with life very well.  And often the transition from doing ok to not doing ok can be quite sudden.  I go from doing pretty well to crashing physically and emotionally within the space of a couple moments, and then all I want to do is hide myself in some sort of computer game, puzzle, social media, or other such thing that seems to just make everything worse.  And it can take quite a bit to pull myself out of one of those negative spirals.

I recently came across this list of suggestions of things to do when you're not coping with life.  While nothing on it was new to me, I find that I often need a reminder of the things that will actually help me feel better, rather than make things worse.  (Why is it that it is so much easier to do the things that make you feel worse?  That a very strange phenomenon, now that I think about it.  But that's beside the point.)

So I decided to write up my own personalized list of things that help me when I'm "crashing".  I wrote them on a poster and put it on the wall, so now I have a very visual reminder!  I thought I would share my list with you, and encourage you to make your own list of things that help you feel better when you're not doing well!

1. Have a glass of water.
I try to drink enough water, but often I forget.  Sometimes a simple glass of water is enough to help me start feeling better.

2. Eat something with protein in it.
Sometimes I forget to eat, or only eat carbs, which doesn't give me the energy I need to get through the day.

3. Have a shower.
 Feeling clean is wonderful, and being in the shower is undisputed "me" time.  I'm not on baby duty or under pressure to make dinner, clean the kitchen etc. because I'm in the shower!

4. Get outside for a walk.
Exercise, fresh air, God's beautiful creation... why do I stay inside so often?

5. Say something nice to someone.
It helps to get my focus off of myself and look for what I appreciate about the people around me.

6. Put some upbeat music on and start moving.
I find that helps me get out of a negative head space.

7. Hugs.
Hugs make me happy.

8. Wear something nice.
Dressing up as if it's a special day helps me remember that every day is special.

9. Go to bed.
So often I stay up later than I need to.  But sleep helps a lot.

10. Remember it's ok to have a break.
Often I put really high expectations on myself when I don't need to.