A couple days ago, i had the privilege of lunching with Marjo and Denise, and a couple more great friends (Lori and Cindy). Unfortunately, I don't have a photo of the entire fivesome. Regardless, I love them and delight in spending time with them. So, it's time to highlight their lovely mugs for a few more days. [Jordan, hopefully this will silence your complaints about removing the picture so quickly! :-)] And here's also a photo including both Jordan and Lori...
Cindy, my apologies. I'll have to post a picture of you some other time...In other news, I've been thinking about love and logic a lot lately.
It stems from watching my friend Karla parent, mostly. And from a few months ago when Beth and I got to stay with Karla and Keith's kids. It amazes me how the kids respond to the boundaries. Personally, it's sometimes hard to guard them. For instance, the kids are sooo cute, so when their behavior is naughty, or even on a rare occasion, defiant, sometimes the cute factor clouds my perspective.
But really, as parents especially all know, kids need boundaries. And contrary to my people-pleasing tendencies, kids don't "hate you" when you stick to your word. It's still about choices and options. When Z didn't want to put on his coat, he was given the option, "Z, do you want to wear your coat, or carry your coat?" He chose carrying it. But not too far into the cold, he decided to put the coat on. Every night the kids get a choice of either crawling in bed themselves before the timer goes off, or having their [momma, papa, etc] put them in bed. Most of the time they want to do it themselves. But if they procrastinate and the timer expires, even if they balk at not doing it themselves, they don't get to exercise that choice.
Undoubtably there are other better examples, but I was wondering, if in some slightly parallel way, if God uses love and logic with us? Unfortunately, for the life of me, I can't think of what scenario I was imagining even tho I really have been pondering this for several weeks now. That's quite scary.
but maybe you can...any ideas out there? Have you ever felt like God presented two options, providing you a choice, yet when it came down to it, and the "timer sounded," that you wished you would have done it "your" way instead of God doing it??
6 comments:
How about Deut 30:11ff and its fulfillment/consequences is amply covered by Jeremiah.
hmm, that whole choice of life/death, obedience or destruction, yep, that's pretty powerful. I wonder what ways we're still living that out??
well ... I think that perhaps it's a rather ordinary and regular occurence at work, by our "lifestyle" and leisure choices, etc., etc. Living with integrity, in truth, being obedient to the Spirit, is mostly a matter of daily decisions, right?
Okay, I am silenced. I do like that photo of us.
Regarding choices: I recall a couple times when God gave me exactly what I asked for..., and if I were to do it over again, I'd spend more time listening to Him and trying to get myself out of the way. My choice was good, but probably not best.
Ahhhh... I think I just preached to myself regarding a current situation.
I know this about choices. Mercy triumphs over justice. It's hard to pray for mercy.
how bout when you can't make a decision about what should happen in your lives next, so you procrastinate and hope that your not-paying-the-bills salary will get you by, somehow...
so He decides for you and sends you to Baldwin, even when you balk, even if you feel like you want to do something different.
?
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