Monday, November 17, 2008

Remember when...

We have all said "remember when". Sometimes it is because we don't see the value of something until a long time after it happened. Other times it is because it is a precious time. I was reminded of this the other day.

Ronn and I were on our way to a wedding reception and were early so we stopped at my daughter's house to kill some time. My daughter and husband were still getting ready for the wedding so we were being entertained by the grand kids. My granddaughter was in my lap when my daughter came down the stairs. She looked up and said, "Mama you're a princess!". This was one of those "remember when" moments. It was precious and we will repeat it often in the future.

It really got me to thinking. I began to remember my daughter twirling in a dress with her blond hair flying. She was a little princess all dressed up and enjoying every minute of it. My little princess grew up and on her wedding day she was a grown-up princess in a beautiful white dress marrying her prince. My granddaughter reminded me of my grown-up daughter princess and all of the times in her life which I "remember when".

The prince or princess you have is a gift from God. Enjoy him or her. Treasure your time. Utilize your position as parent to point your prince or princess in the direction of their creator and Savior. The days go by too quickly and we allow so many things to get in our way. It is important to take time with these who are our future. I know that I missed many opportunities to enjoy my children because I simply allowed myself to get too busy or to be impatient. Don't regret! Don't be caught in a position of not enough "remember whens" in your life.

I enjoy my time with my grown-up princess more today than ever. She has grown-up into a godly woman who loves the Lord, her husband and her children. I am so thankful to the Lord for His gift to me.

Thursday, November 13, 2008

The Eyes Have It!

Have you ever looked into some one's eyes? I mean really looked. If you have, you know how much is said by our eyes. Our eyes give away what we are thinking or what is in our heart. I remember one time when I was being corrected by a Mormon on a biblical passage. I was looking directly at him in what I thought to be just a listening manner. But my husband told me that my eyes were saying, "you do NOT know what you are talking about". I thought I was hiding my feelings but my eyes were giving me away.

There are many different messages given by people we pass each day. Some messages of sadness, others of anger, others of pain and then a few laughter. The problem is we really don't pay attention. It is probably not realistic for us to think we can pay attention to everyone. So what is our responsibility as followers of Christ to the eye messages around us?

In a crowd, a smile, a nod, a spoken hello goes a long way to connect with people we don't even know. With that connection may come encouragement for the one who is struggling.

In the church, a smile, a nod, a spoken hello and stopping to talk will make a difference in the life of those pair of eyes in need of a touch from family. We walk too fast and tend to be task focused. We don't stop and take time with our fellow believers. We are part of the same body, the body of Christ. We need to care for one another. If we did, what a difference for the cause of Christ would be made. Answer the eyes you meet in the hallways with love, compassion and empathy as you stop.

In our immediate family, a smile, a nod, a spoken hello, stopping to talk and being eye proactive. What I mean by eye proactive takes involvement. We should be so involved with our family members that we can foresee the thoughts coming before they are ever behind the eyes. This takes a lot of time and attention but cannot be overlooked as we seek to serve our families.

Those eyes say a lot. What do your eyes say? What do mine say? Do our eyes reflect who we are in Christ? Or do we have work to do? Christ's eyes were full of compassion as he looked at the crowds. He saw sheep without a shepherd. (Matthew 9:36) I thank God He looked and saw me and then saved me. I now have THE GOOD SHEPHERD. My desire is to follow my shepherd with all my heart, all my mind, all my soul and to reflect him with my eyes.