THIS is the day that the Lord has made

"This is the day that the Lord has made;

let us rejoice and be glad in it." 

Psalm 118:24

     I've sung this verse hundreds of times in my life in that upbeat, happy, Sunday school song. I never thought much about it until I read it today. It struck me in a new way. Actually, it hit me like a ton of bricks. THIS is the day that the Lord has made. This day when life is good and I'm feeling the abundant blessings of God, yes, but also THIS day, when my children are at each others' throats, the laundry is piled to the ceiling, my nerves are frayed and I've just lost my temper for the sixteenth time. And THIS day, when we were told that my mother-in-law had Stage 4 Pancreatic Cancer and 6-9 months to tie up a lifetime of hopes, dreams and relationships. THIS is the day that the Lord has made.

     The Lord, who loved me to the extent of sacrificing His precious, perfect Son to save my messed up, rebellious, sinful self. The Lord, who knows me inside and out and still never gives up on me. The Lord, who longs for my undivided love and devotion and is the only one who's truly worthy of it. The Lord, who sees the big picture - past, present and future and knows what I need long before I ever figure it out. The Lord, who asks me to trust Him even, no, especially when life gets hard and I don't understand. The Lord, who forgives me completely, over, and over, and over again. He doesn't make mistakes. Nothing slips past Him.

    Let us rejoice, not in a superficial, unauthentic way by pretending everything is great and hiding the dirty, ugly mess behind a pristine "church mask". That won't do. Rejoice. Raw emotion and all. Rejoice. Heart laid bare. He likes to keep it real. Rejoice. For the opportunity to grow closer to Him, more like Him, to be used by Him. Rejoice. Because He never said this life would be easy. On the contrary, He said “In this world you will have trouble." Wait. Here comes my favorite part. "But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33). Rejoice. Because I have the God of the universe on my side and NOTHING can separate me from Him (Romans 8:37-39).

     And be glad, to know that He is doing wonderful things in and through me this day. Be glad, that I'm not alone, He is right there walking through it with me, holding my hand (Isaiah 41:13). Be glad, that He's been there before, He knows the way.

     In It. I am to rejoice and be glad now. In. This. Day. Not looking forward. Not looking back. This day provides all the reason I need to rejoice and be glad.

     This is the day that the Lord has made; I will rejoice and be glad in it because I have a Heavenly Father who cares about every detail of my life, "the very hairs of (my) head are all numbered" (Matthew 10:30). The good, the bad and the ugly. Every day is made by Him, and for Him, and that makes every day worthy of rejoicing and gladness.

~ Kari

    
   

Story of my life... HA!

 

Happy Friday friends!

 

 

Some days I just have to have it....

 

 

 

 

 

Happy Friday! ;)

-c

What would Diddy do??

Sitting here tonight thinking to myself…What would Diddy do?

Let me give you a little glimpse into my heart and mind…

My Grandma Dee has been the most influential person in my life. She has been my constant cheerleader, my wise counselor, my giggle buddy, the best cook ever, and my personal shopper (Seriously, how did she always know what bra and pantie size I was from across the state?? I couldn’t even do that and I was always shopping with me!) She always knew just what to say or do to brighten my day… She was my best friend!

Several weeks ago, after a simple medical procedure and surgery gone wrong, her precious life came to a very abrupt end. She went to heaven, to be with Jesus, and try as I might I just can’t believe she is gone. I keep expecting her to peek her head around the corner and say, “Heeeey, Candie Girl!” in that sweet Grandma Dee voice. But all my wishing doesn't make it so. I don’t get to hold her hand again, I don’t get to hear her voice…And I am mad...and sad…and thankful for all of the memories I made with her, all at the same time. I have thought a thousand times about what I would have done differently if I could, and I am grateful to the Lord that I have no regrets. I called her often and visited as much as I could, My kids all had the pleasure of knowing her, She gave all of them their first bath like she gave me mine, we shared lots of laughs and a pile of tears together over the years, she always made time for me, made me feel like I was the most important person in the world, she always fought for the underdog and she loved people so well…She has left a beautiful legacy… but the one thing I keep coming back to is ‘I wish I had just one more Hug and kiss, to feel her soft cheek against mine’… She was an angel among us and Heaven is WAY better with her there! I can’t wait to squeeze her tight when I go there someday.

So, as I move through my day and carry on, learning about this “new normal” life I must lead without her here… I think, “I hope I am just like her when I grow up!”

Let’s LOVE each other well friends…That’s what Diddy would do.

-C

My thought on gardening for the day

Today I am preparing for the two big boys joint Birthday party… I can’t believe my little’s are three and five already! As I was dusting and picking up in the kitchen and living room I decided we needed a pop of color, so I meandered down to the garden (with my 28 lb. one year old strapped to my back) to pick some flowers. I carefully selected each one. I wanted to make sure and have even amounts of all the different colors, because that’s how I roll. ;) I found some gorgeous zinnias in every shade of pink, fuchsia, and red…and then added a few giant marigold’s for good measure. I came up to the house with my freshly picked pile of sunshine and began to arrange them when a “wave” hit me…HARD. I miss my Grandma so much and she would be so proud of me for growing and displaying these flowers as I welcome friends and family into my home to celebrate two of my little men tomorrow. I have never enjoyed gardening before this year, but I can promise you this, I will never look at another flower and not think of the care and consideration that was invested in it… And I plan to have as big of a garden as I can maintain from now on… Just to honor my sweet Gram. She would be delighted to see me up to my elbows in the dirt! Cheers to my Gram for all she taught me…I am forever grateful!

 

Perfection Disrupted

Perfection disrupted.  Like the time I made cloud dough, the perfect distraction for my 3 and 5 year old while I cleaned house, right?  They were so content in there, laughing, getting along, it was amazing! I got so much done! Until I went to check on them and found them having "A snowball fight, Mom!".  Powdery cloud dough covered my table, my benches, my floors, my walls, my ceiling, my children...and my dogs. Probably should have seen that coming.

Or the time when we had just moved into our brand new, perfect house and my son, then 3, decided to make a "stay out" sign for the loft/playroom. On the wall. And the log post. With dry erase marker. Nice. (Interesting fact: Dry erase marker does not erase from walls or wood and is apparently more permanent than permanent markers on these surfaces.)

Then there was the time when I had my house perfectly spotless and beautifully decorated for my Christmas knitting party (that was starting in 10 minutes) and my oldest, then 6, wanted to "make snow" and happily emptied half a bottle of baby powder over the loft railing. Merry Christmas everyone!

Or recently, when I was so impressed with how perfectly well behaved my 5 year old was during her quiet time only to discover later, much later, that she had been busy gluing the couch pillow to the couch cushion with a whole bottle of Elmer's Glue. Awesome. (Another interesting fact: Elmer's glue is not nearly as "washable" when it is soaked into fabric one bottle thick and completely dry.)

This is not what I expected motherhood to be like.  Not sure what I did expect, but I'm pretty sure it involved angelic faced children in pristine white clothes, with perfectly combed hair and upturned faces full of adoration for their mother.  Their mother, of course, a saint, who never raises her voice, always has a delicious meal on the table at least three times a day and fresh cookies and a hug whenever they walk in the door (I grew up watching "Leave it to Beaver" people). Well, as you can imagine, I was a bit shocked when these perfect little cherubs of mine grew devil's horns and their mom turned out to be more like Rosanne than June Cleaver. Fortunately, God is in the business of taking our imperfections, adding the thread of salvation and weaving it together into a beautiful tapestry of grace, worthy of Heaven and eternity in His presence.  We were created for perfection, for The Garden of Eden, for oneness with our Creator.  Ever since we broke that connection our hearts have been striving for what was lost. Our desire for perfection is really a desire for Christ, because He is the ONLY perfection that has not been and never will be disrupted or corrupted. So when we feel the disappointment of not living up to the ideals of this world or our own imaginations, we can turn our eyes upward to the only ideal that matters, the One who can take our imperfections and turn them into something beautiful. The One who takes our sins and wipes them away (like dry erase markers on a white board, where they belong). Only He can cover us and make us white as snow (or cloud dough, or baby powder, whichever you prefer). When we fail we must swallow our pride and humbly go to the One who will put us in our place. Right next to Him.

Thank you Jesus for that!

-K

So, What does LOVE got to do with it??

I have been doing some thinking and being a whole lot of frustrated… It seems like we, as a culture, have lost sight of what REAL love is. We have morphed it into this weird, twisted version of tolerance and expect to somehow have it make the same changes that only come from true agape love, which we can only receive from our Heavenly Father. We have cheapened the word to describe how we feel about a meal, or a pair of shoes. (And I am not just pointing the finger at you here… I am just as guilty as the next guy!) So what is real Love? What does it look like to you? How do we change the way we view Love to return it to its former glory? Simple answer, We look to Jesus. He is the perfect example of what Love looks, acts and behaves like. In 1 John it says “Greater Love has no man than this, that He laid His life now for His friend.” When was the last time you loved like that? If I’m being honest, I am falling short…for sure! Here is the thing Love doesn't always look all fluffy and happy & nicey-nice. Sometimes, Love is hard, long suffering, painful, and it often requires sacrifice… The laying down of your life is  not easy, but to Love like Jesus is worth the sacrifice!

-C