Counting the cost

Luke 14:33,35:”any of you who not give up EVERYTHING cannot be my disciples.” “...He who has ears to hear let him hear.”

Have we gotten to a point in history that we think this is humanly impossible – to give up everything? Are we the sad rich young ruler who turned and walked away? Much of the time we would probably say yes, because much of the time our minds wander off where they do not belong. We tire of being a saint strained by God, aimed at something we cannot see, so we aim ourselves at something we can see. We throw caution to the wind and do not count the cost. Counting the cost is painful because we are broke and cannot afford our own carnal desires. If we are honestly going to count the cost we will discover the world is a scary prison to which to be indebted. Over and over again we find ourselves in this prison trying to dig our way out and if we make progress we are taunted and tempted to bite off more. We deserve it; we worked hard to get where we are and on and on only to end up right back where we started, or worse. All around us it looks like friends and family are able to have and do the things we think we would like to have and do, so we bite the bullet and take the plunge. Oh, deception, and misery does love company. We could not identify with others’ lives or see it for what it really was because we were too busy coveting those lives. ‘Be careful what you wish for’ has a definite sting to it and it should, but that sting comes when we have demanded our own way, without counting the cost. If we refuse to count the cost the sting of deception will eventually lead to death. The more we buy into the world’s view the more we die spiritually. We have been given hope in forgiveness and repentance. We may go bankrupt before God and find that our debt is pain in full.

‘To see the law by Christ fulfilled and hear His pardoning voice, turns the slave into a child and duty into choice.’

God is straining us on His bow. His aim is accurate but He will not shoot a rebellious arrow. The cost of our arrow landing somewhere God did not intend is a price we can never afford nor should we want to pay. We all have pictures of better lives, wants, and desires. The challenge is to take this picture from the flesh /carnal one to the true spiritual one. They both contain sacrifices and rewards but only one is everlasting and is already paid in full.

Heavenly Father, give us clear vision and a heart that is devoted to You. Put Your loving protection around us as You strip away the carnal flesh and make ready our arrows for Your good work. Let us rejoice in what seems to be the painful dying of our flesh knowing full well Your Son has overcome the world and our debt is paid full in Him. May we live in Him. In Your Son Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

Love to all in Christ Jesus     c    : )

Learn to enjoy the wait

Yeah, right! I know it’s all about the attitude of Christ – blah, blah, blah…isn’t that exactly how we feel at times?

On Christ the solid rock I stand? If I were standing on that solid rock there would be no despair of sinking sand. We live in a very fast-paced life of go-go-go. If we are not actively contributing, producing, or working in some way we are lazy. Work hard so…you can play hard. No time for rocking chairs in this culture; and when you do become useless to this society don’t worry; our society will stick you in a nice retirement home that is neither nice, clean, nor comforting. I see this all around me everyday, so the question comes – “ How do I live to make a difference?”

Just maybe it starts with ‘enjoy the wait’! Hmmm…OK, something to think about. How many times have I secretly wished for time to do nothing? Take a walk, embrace God’s beauty, be in the moment, do the thing my heart desires, really savor how incredibly precious this gift of life really is.  God knit us in the womb, breathed life into our nostrils. He gave us gifts and abilities and we have no problem using them to meet our needs and our wants. Satan’s lure is indeed alive and well. We find again and again we have slipped off that solid rock into sinking sand with our agenda and not God’s. Despair overwhelms us until we fall prostrate before our God and we will not know the hand that can raise us up if we never get to the end of ourselves. Only then will we see how glorious the wait is! We are like children throwing a tantrum and God is not turning a blind eye – He is letting us exhaust ourselves and when the heaving subsides we will feel His hand, the loving hand of a tender Father, secure and everlasting. The delight of our despair is knowing that in our flesh dwelleth no good thing – Oswald Chambers.

Delight of despair? Doesn’t sound right. How can one have delight of despair and can that help me to learn to enjoy the wait? Do I have to grow old and weak to understand and relinquish my own selfish agenda to God? I know of a few who seemed to delight in God’s agenda for a large part of their lives. Billy Graham, Mother Teresa,
Brother Lawrence, Oswald Chambers, Henri Nouwen, on and on. So, no, we don’t have to be old and weak but sadly many of us will be. Even the most saintly of people were still mere men and had their struggles. The end of our despair will look different for all of us but the conclusion will be the same – in our flesh dwelleth no good thing. We must accept and delight in this, knowing we are saved from own deep despair and we cannot know this if we are not focused on the salvation we have received from our Lord and Savior, the promise of a Father Who loves us and Who is there all along to lift us up when we are receptive and ready to enjoy the wait. It is no longer about any of our own desires that are only filled with despair. The waiting becomes beautiful, peaceful, restful, without condemnation and it will be well with our souls. We will be given a new strength - not of human origin but a spiritual strength. Blessed are those whose hope is in the Lord and not the world. Yes, our strength will be renewed and we will run and not get weary. Let us wait for the best and not settle for exhausting ourselves for things of this world that are destined to perish. Boy, am I ready for that!

Heavenly Father, open our eyes so we might see visions of eternity. Let us wait upon the Lord with great joy and anticipation. Give to us the single desire of You so we may be well equipped for Your good work alone. May we walk by faith and not by sight. Let us ask and receive according to Your good and Holy will. I pray these things in Your Son Jesus’ name. Amen.

Love to all in Christ Jesus    c : )

O victory in Jesus, My Savior, forever. He sought me and bought me With His redeeming blood; 

The waiting is the hardest part

Before we relinquish ourselves, the waiting is the hardest part!

Waiting is not relaxation; waiting is spiritual boot camp and we prove we are there by all our moaning and groaning. There is no warning and no time frame or idea of when we will find reprieve. Are we willing to wait? When we have the vision of God we feel we can march into battle and sacrifice with joy for His glory, then the wind knocks us off our feet, we get bunged up, our vision gets blurry and we moan and groan, complaining ‘woe is me’. It is natural to walk by sight but we are in the boot camp of faith and demanding sight is not going to teach us to walk by faith. ‘Oh, ye of little faith’ is proof that I am there, every time I utter a complaint!

Lately I have become dissatisfied with my surroundings. It really has little to nothing to do with how much or how little I have but instead it has everything to do with my faith or the lack of it. I’m betting there are many in my same boat because I see and hear it every stinkin’ day! That is exactly what discontentment brings – an ugly stink to the gift of life that God gave you. We always want more and better and when we fixate on these things we are on the road to ruin. We no longer have the fruits of the spirit; they flew out the window when we took our focus off our Savior and put it on ourselves. Darkness spills in without any warning and immediately we must walk by faith. When it is well with our soul the joy spills in and we become that bright light we were designed to be. Guess what? We are all afraid of the dark! No one wants to find himself in spiritual darkness, but that is our opportunity to put our faith into action! The vision of God is the source of patience. What does your vision of God look like? God is love and love should encompass our vision.

If God gives you a time spiritually, as He gave His Son actually, of temptation in the wilderness, with no word from Himself at all, endure, and the power to endure is there because you see God. Oswald Chambers

Heavenly Father, I know you will never leave us, even when You seem so far away. Help us to rest in Your strength in the darkness, knowing full well it is well with our souls and our faith shall become a light to our paths. Let us stand strong together when the storms blow. In Your Son Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

Love to all in Christ Jesus      c  : )

Mental Games

We all live with the onslaught of our thoughts and the voices all around us – the media, friends, family, coworkers, and even strangers. Quite frankly I’m surprised we are a people with any sanity left. My husband and I were talking the other morning about how sometimes others’ needs are just too much to put on top of everything else we are dealing with at the moment. It is true for all of us at times…we simply take on too much. Do I dare say most of the time we take on too much?

There are some of us who seem frozen by all the need around us and are unable to be much help at all. We are bombarded by the noise of the world and it is simply too much, let alone someone else’s needs. While we are here on this earth this noise is not going to go away. Most of these voices are from people who love us and are well intentioned. Praise for doing well in school, warnings of all kinds, be careful who you hang with, stay in school, be involved, practice hard, work hard, plan wisely…Deep down we all want successful lives, ‘well done’, noticed by others. We aim to please. The problem is our aim. People speak into our lives, most with love and good intentions, and yes, some with cruelty, jealousy, and downright meanness. We will never please both man and God. Man will never be satisfied or pleased by this world.

Henri Nouwen put it this way: “When I pay careful attention to what goes on in my mind from moment to moment, I come to the disconcerting discovery that there are very few moments during a day when I am really free from the dark emotions, passions, and feelings”.

Do I dare say hell on earth originates in the onslaught of our thoughts? Sometimes I want to put my fingers in my ears and shout lalalalalala; but the noise will be there when I take them out. Yes, we all have to deal with hurt, rejection, and not measuring up to our own lofty expectations or those of others. We all at times fall into the trap of feeling sorry for ourselves and we have all dreamed of a perfect worldly life – the perfect house, family, car, job, etc.….”All these mental games reveal to me the fragility of my faith that I am the Beloved One on whom God’s favor rests. I am so afraid of being disliked, blamed, put aside, passed over, ignored, persecuted, and killed, that I am constantly developing strategies to defend myself and thereby assure myself of the love I think I need and deserve. And in doing so I move far away from my Father’s home and choose to dwell in a ‘distant country’.” Henri Nouwen

Wow! Do I ever need to let this sink in! We are a frail bunch with no strength or power outside that of Christ Jesus. The examples of lives that bring me hope are not at all of those who are rich and famous or who have some great worldly success. There are two women who come to mind and neither was rich or successful in the eyes of the world. Neither had great earthly possessions or letter of education by their names. Yet they are the ones my heart admires and who I feel so blessed to have known. Yes, I want to be like them and the truth is, I am not. My struggles are my own and I am sure they had theirs. Yet I desire to be like them. They lived simply, they trusted greatly on the promises of God and they loved unconditionally and gave all of themselves in service to those they could help. These two women were my aunts! God loves me so much that He gave me them so I might see Him! If I practice the presence of God I just might stand a chance of someone seeing through my light. That, my friend, is success, that is our aim. When I catch a glimpse of God through the light others shine for me to find my way, I too know I long shine.

This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine…one of my aunt’s favorite songs and yes, it is one of mine, too.

Heavenly Father, I am so very very thankful for the lights on my path. I pray we all will recognize the lights in our lives with joy and thanksgiving. Renew our strength and sharpen our focus so we will run the race as a shining bright light. In Jesus your Son’s name I pray..Amen.

Love to all in Christ Jesus cJ

Our Babylon

We choose to be carried off into captivity. We choose like the prodigal son to take our inheritance and leave. We have been given strength, intelligence, gifts and abilities and youth but we haven’t a clue what to do with them except for what the world shouts at us to do. We desire to be accepted and loved by the world and expend ourselves to exhaustion to receive it, only to find it did not satisfy the deepest longings of our hearts.  We let the world put its spin on God’s will for our lives. This is very disturbing to me for even though I know the truth, it is a daily struggle for me not to fall victim to the deception of the world’s captivity! I have even heard well-meaning sermons in which a formula was applied to help you figure out God’s will for your life.  It bothered me then and it bothers me now. God can never be put into a formula. God doesn’t fit into the world, the world fits into its Creator! ‘Love as I have loved’ – this, my friend, is the beginning, the middle, and the end of God’s will for our lives. It is the one string and Paganini…the balance.

We are so busy proving our worth to the world, looking for its praise, we do not realize the chains and bondage that is tacked onto that which we seek. We are lured willingly off to Babylon in hopes of a better and more materialistic life with false promises of satisfaction. Only when we realize our fate and despair can we be of use to God. Humbled repentance is the only road that leads to home where our Father is waiting with outstretched hands to receive us. It is a choice and you will travel it alone with the guidance of the Holy Spirit. You will encourage others on this road and others will encourage you but the journey is personal. It is a very real spiritual intimacy between the child and the Father. It is a complete shift in thinking and the second we take our eyes off the road we veer off the path. Practice the Presence of God! Love as I have loved!  If you read my blogs, by now you know I state this over and over. I do this because I need this daily reminder and I believe we all have ADD with our focus if we live in this world. The Lord’s path is straight but we wander off into the valley and on to the cliffs of Babylon quite easily. We must become like children and learn to listen to our Shepherd’s voice so we will stop getting lost.

It takes time and desire for relief from this world of bondage we are born into, but it is there and our Father is waiting for us to come home. Just think how different this world would be if we all went home while we were still here on this earth! What is it that you need to surrender, put to death, that causes you to veer off the road that leads to home? Food for thought…I am making my list…why? Because just reading or hearing something I agree with and thinking I’m going to try harder (like many diets) doesn’t work. It simply doesn’t stick with me. I need to look at things the Lord shows me in black and white. I need to know that I laid them at the foot of the Cross to be crucified with Christ, only then can I realize when I start to pick them back up; and I will many times. It will take longer than I want, it will hurt but I know the new flowers that will come will be nothing like I could have ever imagined and this is worth my life’s work; all else falls short.

Heavenly Father, I pray that You will not allow Your children to continue to toil in vain. Open our eyes and hearts; let us hear Your voice so we may be led home! In Your Son’s name I pray. Amen.

Love to all in Christ Jesus cJ

Jeremy Camp - There Will Be A Day ~ AL (Annotated Lyrics)

The hornet’s nest

     The hornet’s nest is not something any of us want to stir up. We all do, some accidentally and some intentionally. This hornet’s nest of which I write is our ‘stinkin thinkin’ and it is every bit as dangerous (if not more) as an actual hornet’s nest. It leads to every sin that exists and it happens to each and every one of us. All sins begin with a thought; that is why we are to guard our thoughts. This one thing is key to a life fulfilled in Christ.

Guard my thoughts for they become my words…guard my words for they become my actions…guard my actions for they become my destiny.

“…whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things.” Phil 4:8

We all have or had had times when we become discontent with life. Our circumstances may be less than (what we think is) ideal and when we start to dwell on our less than ideal lives the hornets start to swarm.

When I lived in the country we had a slope behind our house where I had planted crepe myrtles. One day I was working outside and I noticed several hornets. I started looking for a nest and discovered many in the soft dirt around the crepe myrtle trees.  This was not good, but I do remember that it did not make me panic. I found out what to drench the nests with and took care of it immediately. I had a family and numerous friends, beside myself, to think about, so there was no time for fear or panic, just action.

The reason I’m sharing this is that when the hornets start to swarm in my thoughts one of the first things I experience is a frozen kind of fear. I cannot make myself move left or right. I neither have the desire nor the energy to do anything about them. “be still and know…I can do all things through Christ…the Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want” – not helping! Now don’t lie, I know I’m not the only one who’s been there. It’s not helping because the hornets in my head are buzzing so loud by now that I’m too distracted by fear. I can’t be still right now and know! Can’t you see I’m in grave danger just now? “Come to me all who are weary and I shall give you rest.” Do His words not apply when we are in our darkest thoughts; the brink of the crisis? This is when God’s word becomes so crucial – He is our hope, our help, our salvation and rest. The prince of this world has no power over me unless I give it to him.

Jesus our Savior has defeated Satan. Satan’s attacks are only illusions, but we must guard our thoughts at all times for he is the master of lies and deception. We can hear the hornets swarming and if we start to fear they will sting! Never underestimate Satan; he is counting on our fear and panic. “Fear not, for I am thy God, I will uphold you with the right hand of My righteousness for My name’s sake.” Isaiah 41:10

It comes down to one thing and that is – which are we choosing to believe, the father of lies or the God of truth? One leads to destruction and the other to life.

When we have chosen “..the life I now live I live through faith in Christ Jesus who died so I might live” it will be swarmed by the enemy in ways we cannot even imagine. There will be times when we do panic, we do freeze up but our Shepherd is not leaving us. If we will get off to ourselves and listen, we will hear His voice! When we find ourselves in the hornet’s nest, God is urging us to lay it all down at the foot of the cross, regardless of our circumstances. In fact, that is what God has been doing with me as of the last 6 months to a year. I need God, I need Jesus, and I need the Holy Spirit. The hornets may swarm but I need pay them no mind, for I am His and they cannot take me from Him. I can ‘walk through the valley of the shadow of death and I will fear no evil”. My joy will be restored. I always wonder why after I’m out of the dark valley where I froze in fear that I didn’t bolt towards my Savior’s voice? Perhaps He has much to teach me, so at some time when the hornets swarm I will simply smile and say ‘it is well, it is well with my soul!’

We must guard our lives in the truth; we must rest in the shadow of His wings. Every day God gives us breath is a gift! Enjoy the gift to the fullest in praise and fellowship with our Lord and Savior. When we lay it all at the foot of the cross we find our energy and desire was always there waiting for us to pick up our cross and follow after Thee. Our cross is full of joy and it is full of blessings and through the Holy Spirit we too will see it, not with human eyes or reasoning but through the bright light of the Holy Spirit, for it is written “My peace I leave with you.”

     Heavenly Father, calm our anxious hearts, let us dwell with You in spirit every day until we can be with You for eternity. We long for You and yet You are with us always. Let our hearts rejoice, may we be light in this dark world! In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

Love to all in Christ Jesus C:)                                                                                         

Learn to release

There are times when you cannot understand why you cannot do what you want to do. When God brings the blank space, see that you do not fill it in, but wait. The blank space may come in order to teach you what sanctification means, or it may come after sanctification to teach you what service means. Never run before God's guidance. If there is the slightest doubt then He is not guiding. Whenever there is doubt, don't. Oswald Chambers.
Learn to release.
Wow, I see how easily we become misguided! The picture of sheep, shepherd, and flock is one to ponder. In the movie 'City Slickers' Billy Crystal decides to have fresh ground coffee on a cattle drive. When he turns on the  grinder, the cattle stampede. They are startled and they start running, causing much grief to everyone. It is indeed a humorous and unforgettable scene. God has much to teach us through the behavior of animals. Look at politicians on opposite sides of an issue and you will find they both have stampeding followers behind them. If you look at Israel in the Bible, when they are following God and depending on His providence and guidance they are not stampeding or arguing. The minute they start to complain, like about the absence of meat in the desert, God sends quail and severe stomach cramps commence. They may have been tired of just eating manna but they were starting to doubt and complain. Doubting and complaining are the first indications that we are stepping away from God. We all do it and we all cause others to doubt as well. It is human nature, but God calls us to be set apart. Sanctified for His glory, just like He called Israel. Israel had God's chosen one to lead them and teach them. They had Moses and the prophets in the flesh. God has not left us today in the dark. God has in fact raised up many wise men and women to shine light on the our path but we also have the Holy Spirit and God's Word to guide and protect us. Yet at times we are all in the desert complaining about the manna and no meat. Maybe it's the car that keeps breaking down and the nice shiny new one we cannot afford. Or maybe you are tired and drained of energy and people are wanting to depend on you. It could be that others are worried and they want you to be worried with them. If we converse with one another and discuss issues then we will hear others' concerns and worries and what we have to say, or not say, matters. Are we walking so close to God and so intimately with His Word that we seem to have a bulletproof vest on against worry? Do we have the helmet of salvation, the breastplate of righteousness, the belt of truth, and the sandals of peaceful readiness? If not, we will indeed fall prey to the stampede of worry and anxiety. The only way to learn to release is to be well equipped with the armor of God.
Reading Oswald this morning I pondered what was consuming my most precious possession on this earth - how I spend my time. You see, I have been consumed with 'should we sell our house and get one that fits more our empty nest needs or just stay put?' House needs upkeep, updates, two people, four bedrooms, wasted space, etc., etc., you know the drill.
Discontent soon becomes the instrument that suffocates the life right out of us.
Talk to friends and neighbors and they are often facing the same dilemmas with no answers. Guess what? After this dilemma the next one is ready to jump in! This is human nature, and a battle of the flesh but God called us to be set apart and to put on the armor of God. It is such a sweet release and He wants us to know it here and now. We have our ideas of comfort, service, and well-being but they are not God's and cannot compare to His wonders that He has prepared for us.
Be still and know...when in doubt, don't.
If we wait and are determined to fill our minds with our Father's truth and will, when He says 'go' we will be prepared for good work. I, as much as everyone else, waste much time, create obstacles and hardships that my Lord never intended. With my worry or impulsive agenda I too have caused much needless worry and hardship and obstacles for others. We all have and we all do with what we think are good intentions. When we feel God distinctly has something for us to do, pray and wait on His timing. This is not putting off, this is trusting God. If we rush His timing we will end up making difficulties that were never His intent.
God can do in an instant what would have taken us years and He will do it without any heartbreak, stress, or disappointment.
'When it is a question of the providential will of God wait for God to move.'
If we desire to live as Christ, and be about our Father's business then we will desire to wait! Then when He says 'go' we will go!
  
     Heavenly Father please calm our anxious hearts and replace it with your peace.  Give us the desire to be still and know You; so we may walk with You well equipped for Your good work.  In Your Son's Jesus name I pray. Amen

Love to all in Christ Jesus C:)

Do you love me?

Do you love me? As believers, most of us would be quick to answer as Peter, "Lord, you know that I love you". Then what? Most, if not all, return to our busyness. The question we continually ask ourselves is: 'is my busyness His?' Everyday we should ask the Lord to show us "where is my heart?" Are we realizing we were put here at this time to be about our Father's business. We were designed uniquely for that specific purpose. We were given talents and gifts to use for His glory alone and like snowflakes no two are exactly alike. We cannot copy what the next person is doing. Our purpose is between our own heart and God's alone. No one else can give us directions to our life being fulfilled to the brim with God's design but God Himself! If we are too busy with our own agenda to walk and talk with Him in all we do, to sit , reflect, and study His word, to fellowship and learn, then we have no one to blame but our own selfish rebellion. Are we blind like unbelievers when we justify our wants to needs? 'A luxury once experienced goes from a want to a need.' We, for the most part, live in luxury. Pretty scary place to be if you ask me. What we do with the abundant blessing we have matters and it's not just material. We have abundant gifts and talents, abundant knowledge and understanding. We should be humbled to the core and be about doing great works for the kingdom of God. Are we so overwhelmed with blessings that we are like an overstimulated child at his own birthday party? Crying and unhappy because it is just too much!? If that is so, there is an incredible remedy. Give, give, give, and chances are you will become so incredibly addicted to how awesome it feels and how it glorifies the Father, you will never want to stop. Make others want what you have by what brings you joy, not by what you have acquired. Joy comes only from a fulfilled relationship with our Lord. We all know we can search this world over substituting everything we can find, and we know it is futile. Everyday we should ask the Lord to show us where our heart is and with humbled thanksgiving make the determined choice to be about our Father's business. If we truly are believers and followers of Christ Jesus , then we, too, are here to do ONLY the will of our Father.

     Heavenly Father, I pray that You will keep our minds clear and our eyes focused. May we feed Your sheep as only You would have us do. In Jesus Your Son's name I pray. Amen.
Love to all in Christ Jesus: c

Let your yes be yes and your no be no...

'No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.' Heb 3:11.
We live in a world of reasonable doubt. We can pretty much give in and rationalize just about anything. We have made tolerance an idol.
I recently watched the old movie 'Bad News Bears' with Walter Matthau. It was pretty clear to see the immaturity on the parts of the parents and coaches as it related to the raising of children in the 70's, and why the pendulum would swing toward tolerance as these children became parents. The problem with both of these viewpoints is that they have little or nothing to do with the word of God. All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, ¹⁷ so that the servant of God^[a] may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. 2 Tim 3:16-17
We live in an age of the spirit of busyness and we simply do not take time to put on the armor of God. I have noticed as I have grown older that this is much more important to me, but what did my children receive in the busy hectic years of my child-rearing? Yes, I tried, yes, I prayed, and yes, I fell way short! We all do. 'For all... fall short of the glory of God.' Rom 3:23

God knows we are human and that left to ourselves we are in total darkness, but we do not have to choose darkness. May I be so bold as to suggest that change starts with one small step? A decision on time...just do it! Time to start your day in prayer, handing over the day's circumstances in complete trust. Praying for God's constant companionship and for ears to hear His voice. Praying for the desire to know and be in His Word. You may find at lunch you start reading His word, or the stories you tell your children are His; I don't know, but I do know that when your desire aligns with His, it is a joy to watch it be fulfilled. It reaches in to the very hardest parts of our lives and makes sense of the situations that we found so impossible. We will find that we never had the answers at all, and we need not go searching man's wisdom to find them. We will find that we are God's children and we can trust Him even with our own children. Did God not say ' Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it.'? Prov 22:6? He didn't say in the way you may want him to go at a particular moment. You see, this is KEY here! We analyze too much and trust too little. Hebrews 12:5-6 says "My son, do not make light of the Lord's discipline, and do not lose heart when He rebukes you, because the Lord disciplines the one He loves, and He chastens everyone He accepts as His son." God knows what our children need, but do we know God so well that we trust Him when our children have to endure His discipline? Are we partners with Him in their raising and even when they are grown, in how we live our lives? Unfortunately for me, this has been one, if not the greatest trial. God gave me the overwhelming desire to nurture and protect my children but He also gave me the desire to know Him. You can nurture and protect without knowing God, but it will prove disastrous. I have found my peace when I nurture and protect according to His good Word. My yes can be yes and my no can be no with the compassion and love of Christ. It can be met with rebellion or acceptance and I can know that it is all part of my Father's plan, in bringing up my children in the way they should go so when they are old they will not depart from it. 
Being a demanding hothead or a rationalizing pushover was never God's plan. His plan is for us to "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding"Prov 3:5. This will either come as a tall impossible order or a sweet release, the choice is ours. May your yes be yes and no be no everyday on earth as it is in Heaven.
Heavenly Father, may we become a light on the path for our children's eyes, that they may even shine brighter for their children so that people's hearts will once again grow strong in their devotion to You and walk in Your ways. You are the Way, the Truth, and the Life, let us rejoice, let us rejoice. In Jesus our Savior's name I pray, Amen.
Love to all in Christ Jesus. c