navigating follies

<sup>I bought myself one of those flicky women's calendar things that have a new verse for each day. I have it sitting next to the stove top and meditate on the day's verse while I'm cooking .... and its aqua, so it matches my aqua splashback ... which is refreshing to me. Yesterday, I really meditated on the verse for the day, and put it into action.


Do you ever worry if your kids are going to turn out ok? Maybe some unnoticed impatience on your part scars them for life? But this verse really encouraged me about something to protect us ...</sup>


Proverbs 4:6-7
'Don’t turn your back on wisdom, for she will protect you.

Love her, and she will guard you.
Getting wisdom is the wisest thing you can do!
And whatever else you do, develop good judgment.'


This verse was so pertinent, because just the day before I had judged incorrectly. Somebody had lied and wasn't giving in. It's just that it was a new skill for one of the kids, so I naturally assumed it was the other one!


It all ended well in the end,.. for me at least:)


When this sort of thing happens it always makes me think of the story about Solomon and the two mums who both had babies. One accidently rolled on her baby in the night and it died. Then she swapped the babies. The women argued about who the babies belonged to, and came before King Solomon. In his wisdom, he asked for a sword to be brought so that he could cut the baby in two - causing the real mum to beg for its life and to relinquish the baby to the other woman. Then he knew who the real mum was, and gave the baby to her.


Sometimes we need so much wisdom and good judgement to navigate the follies of our children. All it takes is stepping back for a moment, as long as you need, and asking God for wisdom. He doesn't hold back wisdom if we ask. We just need to take the time to listen.


James 1:5 'If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.'

the princess, the knight and the snake

This morning after going for a contemplative walk I did this activity with the kids. I gave them some paper and pencils and while I was cleaning up the kitchen I told them a story that they could draw all the pictures to as we went along.
My kids drew beautiful pictures and I think they learnt something special.

Once upon a time there was a wonderful king, and he was the king of the whole world. He had a beautiful huge castle. His most special people in the world were his princess and his knight.
Everyday, he would tell them he loved them and speak kindly and nicely to them. He would tell them how beautiful, handsome, strong and brave they were. And as he spoke words of love to them everyday, they became more beautiful, they grew taller and stronger. Every time he told them he loved them, they would grow taller and their hair would shine brighter.
The King had a beautiful garden filled with beautiful trees and whenever he said loving and kind words, more and more plants and flowers and fruit and veggies would grow. The princess and knight loved the garden, they would run and hide and play and pick fruit and veggies and eat them.
One day, while they were playing, a snake came into the garden. It was a beautiful snake, with a sweet voice, but sneaky and dangerous. It told the princess and knight that they weren't beautiful and strong, but that they were weak and ugly. Since they had never had reason to disagree with anyone before, they believed him, and he showed them in his mirror that it was true. And they did believe that they were ugly and weak, and not beautiful at all.
As the snake spoke with them, he began to plant seeds in the garden, and scatter them about. It wasn't long before thorns and weeds were growing everywhere and tangling the beautiful plants.
The sneeky snake slithered away when he heard the King coming.
The King saw the weeds and thorns all over the garden and he knew that the snake had been there. When he saw his beautiful daughter and handsome son he told them, as he did everyday, that they were beautiful and lovely and strong and brave. But now it was so much harder for them to believe. He began to pick the weeds and thorns out of the garden as he led them to the edge of the pond. He showed them their reflection in the water, and told them that he loved them. Then they truly saw that they were beautiful, handsome, strong and brave, just as the king had always said.
.....

I sort of just made up the story as I told it to the kids. And they had lots of questions. They were so shocked when I said that the princess and knight believed what the snake said.

What do you want your kids to believe about themselves? What do you believe about yourself?

Grace and Truth

Mark just went back to work today. It's funny how in the holidays, most days, I can be pretty relaxed about housework - it doesn't matter if there are piles of clothes to be folded, a few toys lying around, washing up to be done, we seem to be able to take a bit of a relaxed view to life. But as soon as Mark goes back to work, this bizarre thought comes into my head that by the time he walks in the door again, everything must be picture perfect. Maybe its to show that I did something today, and because I want some praise, or to show that haven't been completely lazy while he was working so hard, or because I need to feel that I'm doing something valuable with my day. 


Or maybe its from reading some 1950's housewife book about making sure children are bathed and dressed for bed, dinner is cooked, and all the housework is done by the time your husband walks in the door. And to make sure you take some time to hear about your husband's day, don't bother him with the boring details of yours, while your children play silently in another room.
I had such a laugh when I watched Mary Poppins recently to hear Mr Banks singing his 'on the way home from work' song:
The Life I lead - Mr Banks
(have a look at this youtube link)


This is one of my favourite parts:
"It's 6:03 and the heirs to my dominion
Are scrubbed and tubbed and adequately fed
And so I'll pat them on the head
And send them off to bed
Ah! Lordly is the life I lead!"


Anyway, whatever that feeling is and wherever it comes from, I've squashed it on the head, and going to continue in our holiday mode for today.


I really feel to focus my blog this year on 'grace & truth' for the supermum. There are so many lies we believe and expectations we feel we need to live up to (our own and others), many things to feel guilty or inadequate about - but to all of that there is the truth of God's word - tried and tested ancient proverbs, that bring grace and truth to every aspect of life. That's the domain that I want to live in. 


I'd love for you to come along for the journey as I explore some of the lies we mums come up against, and as I find some grace and truth for those. But mostly I'm doing this blog for me, because it's a journey I need to go on this year.


Grace and truth to you,
Sarah

Merry Christmas Mums - a gift for you

Supermum did ALL of her Christmas shopping yesterday morning in just 4 hours!!! Its a record, but not very wise! Next year I will be like all those mums I admire so much, who do their Christmas shopping months in advance. The 'wise' men carried their gifts for months while they travelled to see Jesus, ready with gifts before they went on their holiday.
It really is mums who make Christmas special. All the preparation for presents, food, decorations. When I was a kid, it was so magical to wake up on Christmas morning and see presents piled under the tree. My little brother and I would be up first, peeking through the wrapping, and we'd wait til everyone was up. All four of us kids would be ripping off the colourful paper, which would cover the room by the end of it. We'd always love all our toys and have something to play with for the rest of summer. And Mum had orchestrated it all! Thank you Mum for making Christmas so special for us, beautiful memories to cherish.
So, well done Mums for all you have done and all you are about to do.
Here is my gift to you ... a link to a beuatiful blog about a designer mum who takes gorgeous photos of her bub while she is asleep. Have a look, they are lovely ...

http://milasdaydreams.blogspot.com/p/about-blog.html Click on the video.

Have a wonderful Christmas! And you are very welcome to check out the blog that Mark and I have begun - about the excess exchange - its a 40 day journey for the heart, starting today ...
http://notwant.blogspot.com/

Creative Parenting

There's something quite freeing about realising that you're the parent and you can decide the way things are going to be for your family. You don't have to do things the way they've always been done, you don't have to do what you're parents did, though they probably did a great job and have lots of wisdom, you don't have to do what everyone else is doing or what the latest book says. There is so much wisdom to be gained by parenting books, and believe me, there have been many times of desperation eating up every parenting book I can find! And it's so wise to ask advice and to glean from those supermums you see around you.
But how wonderful, that in the end, God entrusted you with your kids and you get to make up the rules. You get to make the culture of your family. You get to dream how you want it to be - whether you want to home school, grow your own vegies and teach the kids to make their own clothes and knit blankets for the poor, or maybe you want to send them to the best high tech schools to become brainy heart surgeons, or to just be normal, suburban loving families like most of us - its all good. But what do you want for your family?
God gave us an imagination and creativity - he reminds you of it everyday in the faces of your children who are each unique in looks, personality and demeanor... and temptations. And each of them requires something different from you too, whether to be soft in discipline or strong, whether to laugh when they trip, or to hug... seriously my little girl used to say when she fell over "it didn't hurt, it was fun!"
I love that God made us creative, but we also need to be discerning, what is God's Spirit speaking into your heart about your kids when you take the time to listen?
He has creative amazing answers for your kids, creative ways to have fun, creative ways to train, creative ways to teach and to dream with them. He loves your kids so much. He loves them so much that He made you their mum - because He knows that you and only you can be the mum he needs you to be for them.
You have what it takes! What can you do differently this week? What do you need to apply creativity to? God has an amazing future for your family, and He has an amazing NOW for your family too.
Much blessings,
Sarah

40 days of Christmas

http://notwant.blogspot.com/
Hey:) I'd love for you to check out the new blog that my husband and I are writing together, and with some guest writers, for the 40 days of Christmas from Christmas Eve until February 1st. Its a journey of change that we want to go on as a family. It will be officially launched on Christmas Eve, but we've posted a few things so that you know what its all about. And then we will definitely be posting our thoughts, our journey, some cool links and quotes and ideas everyday for 40 days.
Really, we'd love to create a movement and get as many people involved as possible, so tell your friends if you like! Who knows what will come out of this? Maybe 2011 will be a year of great change for all of us:)
I hope that you are doing well and that your spirit is prospering.
Much love,
Sarah

Grace and holidays

Soon we'll be visiting our favourite secret secluded holiday spot for a good rest and refresh. I wrote this last time we had the pleasure of staying there.

One afternoon I half jogged, half walked, down to the beach to see the final stages of sunset, just a few moments before dinner was needed to be put on and Simeon to be fed. Mark had just rushed back from the beach to give me the opportunity to see the sunset and have a quick breather.
As I came over the sand dune I saw a rainbow over the expanse of the ocean, and another part rainbow on top of it. I could see all the colours, purple, red, orange, yellow, green, blue, lilac. It was as if the rainbow were singing over that beach and landing in the trees near the rocks at the end of the beach.
As I gazed at the rainbow and the waves glistening in the light of the sunset, washing up on the shore and washing over footprints and disheveled sand, smoothing away the traffic of the day, I think of God's promise to never flood us away again. The rainbow, the message of the cross, that He won't flood us away, that He washes our sins away and won't hold them against us.
A couple walks past me, have they seen the rainbow? Are they walking by enjoying their walk but oblivious to the amazing beauty set before them? Although it feels like this experience is just for me, it's available to all of us on the beach that day.
Just before I turn to go back I spot something in the waves. Could it be? Then on the next wave I see the dark shadows diving through the waves, their fins exposed just above the surface. Dolphins diving and spinning and turning. Diving over the waves and then riding them up the beach. I watch as they dive over and over through the waves on their journey from one end of the beach to the other, flipping over on their tummies, enjoying the last warm rays of the sun, dancing under the rainbow. A whole family of dolphins swimming together, enjoying creation together.
The couple are now almost to the end of the beach, they've missed this beautiful sight. I want to call out to them, but it's too far to call, and instead I just stand there in awe of
His creation, filled with joy while caught in this moment.
The family of dolphins are disappearing from view and I turn to catch the fading pinks and hues of purple. As I turn to walk back a tiny bird hops across my path wagging it's little blue tail.
He has given us this beautiful life and tied it up with a bow, a promise of forgiveness and grace and eternity, if I only we stop and receive it, it's available for us.
As the darkness deepens, I see the lights of the house glowing up the road, calling me home. My pace quickens as I think of my family waiting for me, their beaming smiles, the giggles, the tight squeezes, and I'm filled with joy to meet them and tell them what an amazing sunset I've seen.