September 9, 2017
Treasures from the Heart-Shine Like a Star
“Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever.” Daniel 12:3
Daniel as a young man, a teenager, was taken from his home in Israel to a place foreign to his people, his family, and to his personal faith. Babylon was an antithesis to the Hebrew way of life. But, Daniel possessed remarkable wisdom, maturity, and conviction as he resolved to adhere to what he believed…and, God granted him favor and compassion in the sight of his challengers-his captors, and courage to embrace and pursue God’s call on his life…
Shine Like a Star…
My children were in the early years of elementary school when I began participating in an Inductive Bible Study of the Book of Daniel. I was intrigued as the lessons I had learned in Sunday school, paled in light of the change in my perspective. I began to wonder about Daniel’s parents… What were the important things, the necessary things they chose to teach their son? How did his parents instill courage of mind and conviction of heart in their son when he confronted the challenges of his day, being forcibly taken from his home to a land foreign to him? And, while I prayed such things would never happen to my children, those questions translated into the very ones I was asking as a mom of a son and a daughter. How could Billy and I possibly teach our children the same courage of mind…conviction of heart, not if, but when our precious ones faced the challenges of their day, no matter what the challenges were?
And, I know that you, as a parent or a grand, ponder the same questions when your precious ones go to pre-school, kindergarten, middle and high school, the college campus, into their dorm rooms…to their jobs… into a marriage and their own parenting experiences…Hmmmmm…Courage of mind, Conviction of heart…to confront the challenges of their day, and to embrace the jobs God has ordained for their lives.
There were times, when my heart would pound itself into a real tizzy as I thought about those days. It is true that the lunch-kit notes helped to reassure me that my influence and teaching had reached into their early years, and the praise singing in the car carried them through their day. But, when I fast-forwarded my thoughts to my children’s older years…Eight, Nine, Ten, Sixteen, Eighteen! YIKES! There it was again that sense of powerlessness, that feeling of loss of control… I wonder? Do you think Daniel’s parents could possibly have felt that way too?
Treasures from the Heart…the Gift that Keeps on Giving…Now I Remember!
Treasures from the Heart are the secrets your Heavenly Father whispers to you for you to share with your precious ones…The promises in His Word which He has highlighted for you and your family. These treasures are big, and beautiful, and bold…I remember! These are treasures you whisper into their ears before they board the bus, or during the car ride on the way to school, or on the way to college… and these are gifts which keep on giving, and giving through-out their life-times, no matter what their age. Yes, now I remember!
My friends, I am so thankful that we remember the truth that we need to hold on tightly, to God, our Heavenly Father. I needed to let go of my expectations of managing every moment of my children’s lives…and allow God to have His Way in them. When I focused on sharing with them, teaching them, demonstrating for them what I knew and was learning about our Faithful God, my momma heart became hope-filled because I was sharing the truth which matters…the truth which produces courage of mind…conviction of heart, the Truth of their God and His Word.
Now I remember…Teach them…Tell them so they will know…
Treasures from the Heart-Shine Like a Star…
The life of Daniel was the absolutely perfect place to start with my elementary age children as we drove twenty minutes to school. Everything I was learning, became a lesson for them to understand the significance of courage of mind and conviction of heart. We would talk about it when we sat, when we walked, when we drove… If Daniel could insist on maintaining his diet, his practices, his lifestyles…his beliefs, his faith, in the face of tremendous opposition of the culture in the Babylonian region…then couldn’t we also embrace that same courage and conviction?
Our daily challenge became, Dare to be Daniel…and Shine Like a Star! And, we began to pray together on the way to school… “LORD, thank you for the gift of this day. Help us to hold on to Your Word. Help us to stand, and to dig our heels and our hearts into Your Truth, no matter what we face today! LORD, help us to DARE TO BE DANIEL…Help us to SHINE LIKE A STAR…In Jesus’ name, Amen and Amen”!
And then, as I drove away from the school each morning, I would whisper to my God, who I knew was listening… “Hi, it’s me again…Help my children to stand for Your Truth…Help them to walk in your wisdom, and to Shine like a Star! Help them to find favor and compassion in their day, and then, Lord, help them to give it away and Shine Your Light! Oh and one more thing…Please, please hold on to them LORD! Thank you!”
And my dear friends, moms and grands, remember…something beautiful and miraculous occurs. In the giving of the gifts, our hearts become brave, power-filled, and blessing-filled, more than ready, equipped and empowered to do it again tomorrow and the next, and the next. May we continue to tell our precious ones, to teach them, to show them, to pray for them…And, yes, LORD, help us all to Dare to be Daniels… Help us all to Shine like Stars, Shining Your Light into all the World!
Abundant joy and blessings,
