The Importance of Relationship

My daughter is really into flying from the top of the stairs into her parents’ arms every chance she gets. It doesn’t matter if we’re ready or not, she’s coming. She stands at the very edge of the top step, flashes a brilliant smile and flings herself into the air with all her might knowing with every fiber of her being that she will not fall. This, I tell myself, is what Jesus meant when He says we are to have faith like the littlest ones.

For twenty years of my life I couldn’t fathom trusting God like my daughter trusts me.  It boils down to the fact that the kind of God I thought He was wasn’t someone I could trust.  I believed that when something went wrong in life it was because I had screwed up and was being punished. I didn’t believe He was good all the time and no matter what. His moods were as unreliable as mine – and typically depended upon my behavior.  Back then I would never have come right out and said just that, but that’s how I viewed the Christian life to be… and God Himself.

After six years of a different kind of teaching (the Exchanged Life perspective) my thinking has changed. One way the Lord is showing me this is through a current difficulty we are in the midst of.  My husband and I have been trying to conceive our second child for thirteen months now. Infertility creeps into my brain every now and then and the pain in my heart cuts like a knife. I have had some minor tests done and everything has come back normal, though. Thankfully!  My midwife is having us wait for medicinal help for another 3 months just to give us a little more time to do things naturally. We have a game plan and that does help my brain and heart to feel a lot less fearful.

Through it all, though, I’ve never questioned God. That alone is proof to myself that my thinking has changed. I do not doubt His goodness. I am not afraid of the unknown because I know Who holds the future. In Him I am confident. Without realizing it, I’ve flung myself at Him without a smidgen of doubt that He’s got me. When He showed me this I was in awe. Thank you!

I am such a huge supporter for healthy relationships, especially between parents and their children. Through the process of proving myself to be trustworthy for Elisabeth to lean on I never gave a thought about how God has done the same for me. Just as I give of myself to my daughter by making an effort to meet her needs and treat her with respect, God does the same to me. He didn’t just give me His Son’s blood to cover my sins, but He gave me His resurrected Life to live out of. He didn’t just meet my need for atonement; He gave me a better way to live life by giving me His Spirit in exchange for my old, dead one. That alone is proof enough of His goodness and love… and then He spends the rest of our lives pouring out more!

It’s easy to know I’m loved when looking at a beautiful sunset, when listening to the laughter of my family, or when I sing a heartwarming song. But, I have to say this is the first time that I have known to the core of my being that I am loved through pain. He alone is the reason I’m able to wake up every morning and live joyfully. He alone is the reason that our life goes on. Because we know who He is it’s a no brainer for us to trust.

Relationship is everything. Funny that I make this sound like a new idea since it was for relationship that humans were created to begin with. It all boils down to Who we know and Who we trust.

Summer Vacation

We've been home a week and I'm still in "vacation mode." I had always heard that Mom's never really get to have a real vacation on family vacations -- it's true. To make up for that my brain must have decided to check-out this week. That's what I'll tell myself anyway. 

We joined my husband's entire family in South Carolina for a week in an ocean front beach house. Elisabeth and her cousin, Taylor, made sure we were on the beach each morning by 8 am! They played for hours without stopping and crashed at nap time (yay!). As the morning drew to an end, Elisabeth would just start walking up to the house. When we would ask, "Where are you going?" she would respond with, "I done here. I go eat lunch!" Apparently the needs of the belly far outweigh the need to play after we've been out there for 2+ hours! 

Elisabeth's toes in the sand

View of the beach from our private walkway

Will's Grandma, Aunt, Cousin and second Cousin came to stay with us for a few days. The kids (all 3 years and under) had a blast playing together, chasing one another and having tickle fights. Elisabeth is really into tickling, so she instigated all of that. Haha! We enjoyed seeing extended family (it had been almost a year since we'd seen them last!) and catching up. 

Keeping her balance

Sunset on the beach

We all took a mid-week trip to the Aquarium. We all thought the girls would enjoy it more than they did. Elisabeth's most favorite thing was playing in the kids' area and climbing on things. When Will took her into the underwater walkway (the part we were certain she'd love) she started to freak out. Later, she told  me about her experience: "The sharks are scared of me!" Ah-ha!

We got to meet a mermaid, touch horseshoe crabs and see lots of pretty fishes. Elisabeth and I even saw a sea turtle come up for air while we were sitting in the dining area for lunch (while everyone else was enjoying the mermaid show). It was still a fun trip despite the lack of enthusiasm from the little ones. 

She's got the hands-on-hips-walk-sway down!

Singing songs -- she makes life a musical!

The week was mostly relaxing. As I mentioned above, I wasn't able to relax as much simply because a Mom's job never ends. I also discovered that it's a bit more difficult to keep up with routines and be consistent with discipline when we aren't in our own home. Will was more than happy to take Elisabeth to the beach and give me some down time. I was able to finish the book I brought ("The Help" by Kathryn Stockett -- SO good!) which was really nice. I don't get many opportunities to lose myself in a book.

Sunset over the salt marsh behind our house

The sunsets were amazing. Every night was full of vibrant color. We just don't get that kind of color at home! The oranges and pinks took my breath away. Going out and photographing every evening was fabulous. I got a few quiet minutes to simply stand in awe of God's amazing artwork. He does some seriously beautiful work!

Sweet E and the ocean

Uh-oh!

Elisabeth was mostly fearless when it came to the water. She had a hard time with the fact that she isn't 6 feet tall and unable to go jump the big waves with the adults. Pop-Pop made sure to dig holes for the girls to play in - that was one of Elisabeth's most favorite things. Our last morning on the beach was spent looking for shells and Aunt Cecily even found 3 live sea stars! Elisabeth wasn't afraid to touch them, either. We watched them stretch out, walk a bit on the sand and then Elisabeth helped carry them back to the ocean. 

Amazing clouds on a beautiful day!

Love the guy in the middle!

It was a good week. Will enjoyed body surfing, boogie boarding and jumping waves with his siblings and Dad -- when he wasn't busy digging giant holes or splashing in the surf with Elisabeth. We enjoyed the sun and time of fellowship with family. We did leave a day earlier than planned because Hurricane Irene was going to hit and we wanted to be home before that started. Elisabeth was a trooper in the car with all the long travel. I remember swearing I'd never let my kids watch TV in the car... then I had a kid who can't stand to be immobile for more than 45 minutes in the car. That portable DVD player saved our lives, seriously. Will and I are officially sick of "Cinderella," but at least we got home safe with a minimal amount of tears. Also, we are extremely thankful that Chick-fil-A has a kids' play area. That was another life-saver!

Snack time crazies