July 22, 2015

Get Some REST-Part Four

Family Time…that wonderful life-giving time, that refreshing time of relief, that long-awaited connection time, that time for peace-filled REST, and yes…it is possible!

Rest is defined as relaxation from exertion, relief, or refreshment, calm, a pause…I love this definition because of the word pause…a pause…from exertion…oh yes, relief and refreshment…Family time…Peace-filled REST! Is it possible?

The best way to REST is to look at these activities through the acronym REST…

R-Recreation…E-Entertainment…S-Service…T-Time

Last week, we considered our Lord’s mandate for His people to serve one another as we examined the beauty, the blessing, and the value of service…especially Family Serve
Time!

This week, we will finish the acronym as we look at the gift of TIME…the time which we have been given as a gift from our Lord God.

Time is such a confusing paradox because as we all know, often there is not enough time for projects or experiences… and other times, we desperately hang on as a mom because the clock fails to move as if it is etched in a stone… (those might be the days when we are at home with our precious ones and we have no plans outside of the house…You know!)  What, we ask, in total and complete desperation, will we do with our TIME?

“But they delight in the law of the Lord, meditating on it day and night.  They are like trees planted along the riverbank, bearing fruit each season.  Their leaves never wither, and they prosper in all they do.” Psalm 1:2-3 NLT

I remember the days before giving birth to our first child, our son, Benjamin Adam.  The wonderful feelings of the first “flutter”…so similar to the flutter felt in our hearts when love presents itself…and so miraculous when the flutter is felt in the interior of our being…The flutter gradually transforming into a protrusion of a tiny foot or a fist or elbow, as TIME passed.

I clearly remember the nights of sitting quietly, and yes uncomfortably…and relishing the intimacy and the security my swollen belly provided for my tiny one…Aware that in those final days before his birth, my sweet baby would leave the safe, protection and security of my womb, as God finished His necessary handiwork.  I had no idea what life would look like as a new mom…but I was awed by the miracle of life…within me.  Life which our Almighty had created and knit within my womb, and had tucked safely into the refuge and the sanctuary of my body…of the body which God had given to me…Suddenly, so many things began to make sense…If you are a mom…you know.

And, yes, I prayed…for this child…for safety…a gentle spirit and a heart for God…

And, TIME stood still…and then…He was born!  And suddenly, the clock sped up…and, then, it would slow down, as if the battery was drained, drained like I felt… and everything was different…TIME!

“The Lord replied, “My Presence will go with you and I will give you rest.”  Then Moses said to him, “If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here.”Exodus 33:14-15 NIV  

There were many times when I felt like Moses…knowing that Bill and I had been given a job and a mandate to teach and to lead our precious ones into that Promised Land…that place of Family Time…of Family Life with God.  We made messes and we pressed on…and although we were equipped with the Word of God which assured us that He would never leave us or forsake us, there were times when I would desperately remind Him that unless He was present, we could go no further on our journey of parenting… (A definite Moses moment!)  And that voice of authority, of direction, of love would whisper…  “First Things first…spend your TIME wisely.  I’m here…Meet with Me, and Get Some Rest.”

Invest Your TIME Wisely…

I love how our faithful God has ways, so many ways of getting our attention.  Of reminding us of the “things that matter”, “of what is truly needed”, of “His Best”. He reminds us of how to spend our Family Time…Invest wisely!

In this wonderful, crazy summer and Family Time, take Time to REST with your family…Time to talk…to laugh…to play…to read…to be silent…Take time to teach God’s Truth…Take time to attend your local church…Take time to meet with God, personally and as a family.

Family Time and Summer Time are not times designed to do nothing…to just ‘pass time’.  It is a time to REST…to be refreshed, to be renewed, to play, to create, to think, to be entertained and diverted.  It is a time to serve others, and it is a time to teach…a time to be inspired, to be connected, to be challenged, to be fulfilled.  It is a time to take time to experience the Gift of TIME.

One of the greatest opportunities is to take the time to teach our children about the majesty of our Loving God…to teach Bible lessons and Biblical Truth…

Every Moment is a Teaching Opportunity

One of our most significant and profound Family Times occurred in an unplanned and unexpected way…

On a Saturday when Bill was home for the week-end because of a welcomed break in his busy racing schedule, we packed a picnic lunch and planned to ride our four-wheelers down the road to my mom’s home, and then ride through the corn-field behind her house.  Bill and I shared a large four-wheeler and Adam had a smaller ATV and Christie followed on her tiny red four-wheeler, complete with a governor to control her speed. (Shocking…I know!)  We made it safely to the field and began to carefully ride through the maze of corn rows.  Our children loved the adventure and everyone was happy for the moment…until…

Bill wanted to ride ahead to check the terrain and he asked both Adam and Christie to stop and to wait for us.  He reminded them that we would be just a few feet from them but that they would not see us for a couple of minutes…but, he reiterated for them to not move…We would be right back!  And at the time, it seemed like a good idea…until we heard the sound of one four wheeler behind us…and when we turned, Adam was racing up behind us…We craned our necks waiting for Christie to appear…we waited…no Christie…

Our hearts began to pound as Adam tearfully explained that he gotten scared and had ridden toward us, leaving his sister behind…We immediately returned to the spot where both of our children had been instructed to wait…both having left their positions…unfortunately in a succession of events, riding in opposite directions.

Until that time, we had never lost one of our children.  Once Christie thought that she was lost on the mall, but we were two steps behind her, attempting to teach a lesson when she wandered away from us…But this time, we had no idea where Christie could have gone on her tiny four-wheeler…We began to frantically call for our little girl…riding…stopping…listening…The only sound was the swishing and crunching of the corn stalks…and then silence…(and the sound of her sobbing brother who was completely aware of his disobedience…and was already reaping the consequences…)

And, Bill and I were terrified…Never had we experienced such a sense of helplessness…as Bill stood on the handle-bars every few feet to peer over the stalks of corn which created this unfriendly and threatening maze.

And we began to pray for God to watch over our baby girl…our little blonde, blue-eyed precious child…who was lost this time…truly lost…

After what seemed an eternity, but was really a few minutes of frantic searching, we stopped and began to think about the possibilities…and I truly believe that when we stopped our hysteria…and asked God for His help…for His calm…for His reason…we realized that it was very possible that Christie had found her way back to my mother’s home…in front of the corn field…

We quickly drove back through the field and up the driveway…and there parked by the garage was the tiny red four-wheeler…and Christie was in the arms of the lady who assisted my mom because of her multiple sclerosis…Christie was totally content…because in her mind, she had not been lost…she knew where she was and she was not about to stick around if Adam had left her by herself!  She proceeded to explain that she knew that Grammy would be at home because she was always at home, unless she was with us…(My mother was bed-ridden…yes, Grammy was always at home.)

We gathered our little family together and Bill lead us to a beautiful field which we had admired on several occasions…and we parked in a small circle…Our Family Time unfolded in a much unplanned, unexpected way…

As we spent the next thirty minutes, we focused on the people in our family…what each one needed at that exact TIME…instead of worrying and fretting and fussing about the failed Saturday morning plan…As Bill wisely began to address the events of the morning, he lead us in a prayer of thanksgiving for our daughter…for our son…for our family…and for Grammy, who was always at home…and for the faithfulness and the grace of our loving Heavenly Father…There were Teaching moments…There were Grace moments…and he concluded with Prayer moments…and this was a day our family will never forget…Just because our children could not see us did not mean that we were not there…Hmmm, just like our Heavenly Father…He promised, even we cannot see Him…

“The Lord replied, “My Presence will go with you and I will give you rest.”        Exodus 33:14 NIV

Honestly, as you finish strong with your Summer Time and your Family time, your  children will not remember or care if you stayed on schedule, or if you kept the routine, or if the plan was followed to the details…

Remember that activities of recreation, entertainment, and service, are the tools and the instruments with which we lead, we model, and we teach our children and the people with whom we do life.  What matters is what happens in the heart of the child…and the family members…in the hearts and the lives of the community of people who engage with your family.  What matters are the hearts of your children and your family as you serve and love your Lord God, as you serve and love one another…It is about the relentless pursuit of healthy, God-honoring children…who are becoming Kingdom Builders and Difference-Makers…who will teach their children and their children’s children…the next generations, the Truth about their Almighty God.

And this is possible first of all because God gave you the mandate for your family…He empowers you and equips you for the job through His Word and His Spirit…He leads you with His Power and His Presence…and He gives you TIME…TIME to invest in and to teach your precious ones…

“But they delight in the law of the Lord, meditating on it day and night.  They are like trees planted along the riverbank, bearing fruit each season.  Their leaves never wither, and they prosper in all they do.” Psalm 1:2-3 NLT

TAKE TIME and your children will be deeply rooted…ROOTS of Truth…TAKE TIME and your children will grow… Wings of Faith…They will bear fruit…They will prosper in their work for their God…

Kingdom-Builders…Difference-Makers!

Abundant life and joy,