Close

So, here's the scene: I'm cooking dinner in my tiny kitchen. As I work, I have the added challenge of maneuvering around, over, and between kids, cars, crayons, coloring books, and a good bit of chaos. For a moment, my culinary attempts cease. I watch and smile. This scene pretty much sums up my life. Countless times I've wondered why my children repeatedly choose to set up shop in the exact.same.place I am working. Why they choose chillin' on a cement floor in the basement watching us exercise in the morning versus sleeping an extra hour in their cozy beds. Why they request assistance doing things they can easily do alone.

It hit me: our little people lack the need to be separated, to have or give space. One thing always brings them comfort and contentment: closeness. They long to be near, to be seen, to be admired. They flourish in feeling wanted, adored, accepted. They look to us as a source of these things; consequently, they remain close.

As demanding as their closeness can be, I treasure it, for I know it won't last forever. My heart is full as I memorize the faces and forms of my sweet children. I know these moments are fleeting and the memories, gold. I know that one day soon they will spread their wings and fly. They will dream big dreams and pursue big goals. They will be independent, mature, grown. The irony of parenting is that we pour ourselves into our children, not to keep them close, but to let them go.

Only one relationship is most mature when we are most dependent: our relationship with our Heavenly Father. One primary goal of parenting is that we imitate to them the love Christ has for them so closely that they begin to grasp it, taste it, glimpse it. Our goal is to mirror that relationship in their lives so that their nearness to Him gives them confidence to leave us. We try and often we fail, but we keep pointing their eyes and their focus to their Heavenly Father - the only One who can fully meet their soul cravings for love, closeness, acceptance, and belonging. We raise them up to send them out - on mission with Him and for Him. We find joy in watching Him captivate their hearts and their dreams. We release them, knowing that the same One who holds us close goes with them, too. He remains close. Forever.

What if?

One of my favorite parts of the stage of life my children are in currently is watching them play make believe. On any given day, they are transported through time and space to become kings and queens of their own empires, they turn our home into a zoo with every child taking on a different animal identity, or they simply recreate the age old game of "house." Pretty much every day, I have to remember to call Ethan by the name "Nick." It's his go-to alter ego, and if I slip up and call him by his given name, he's quick to retort, "You mean, Nick?" :) I love "Nick." I hope he continues to visit our home for quite some time. :)

When I watch my kiddos, I recall countless memories of my own childhood when I did the very same thing. When life was filled with creativity, imagination, innocent fun, and play. When the concerns of the real world just didn't matter and for all practical purposes, didn't exist. When our biggest concern was who got to sit by whom at dinner or whether or not we were going to get dessert that day. Sometimes I miss those days.

But then sometimes, I wonder if I'm still living in them, in a world of make believe. I mean, it's not quite the same - I certainly have tasted some real world struggles here and there. I've watched the news and I've heard the stories. I've felt pain. I've experienced loss. However, my life is rich. My life is blessed. I live in luxuries that millions of people throughout the world only dream of experiencing. We have financial stability, a savings account, and a pretty cool mini-van, if I do say so myself. :) We hit up church each Sunday. We know lots of Bible verses, know all the stories, and have some great rhetoric.

But still, deep down, I feel like sometimes I'm just stuck "playing house." Like I'm living like the real world struggles, the real world needs just don't matter. I mean, of course they matter. But for all practical purposes, it changes very little about how I live.

You see, over the past year or two, God has started us down a path that's changing the face of our faith. And really, it started with one basic question. And from that question has come a barrage of others that are turning our world upside down.

What if? 

What if this is real? What if Christianity is more than going to church on Sunday, raising sweet and obedient children, reading the Bible and praying, tithing 10%, or trying to eliminate sin in our lives? What if it's more than a preferred worship style, some great programs, or a beautiful building to gather in? What if it's more than knowing theology inside and out? What if life is about more than building security, beefing up the 401k, investing, setting up the kids college funds, or establishing a lucrative career? What if we've got it all wrong? What if we're living in a world of make believe Christianity?

What if?

What if we took Scripture at face value? What if we took risks? What if we gave away more than we spent on ourselves? What if we fought for justice for the oppressed, for those who have no voice? What if the plight of the orphan moved us to action, not just to pity? What if the idea of people spending an eternity in Hell broke our hearts and compelled us to do something? What if we cared more about the Gospel than our safety? What if we threw our long term plans out the window and let God write our story? What if the poverty and corruption and persecution endured by millions throughout the world moved us to the core and drove us to action? What if we stopped investing millions of dollars into elaborate church buildings and instead provided for millions of people living in utter destitution in places all over the globe? What if we stopped making the church about a place and more about a people radically devoted to following Jesus Christ? What if we invested the fabric of our lives into the message we say we believe? What if we followed the example of our Savior who forsook Heaven and gave ALL for the sake of the Gospel? What if we read Scripture and lived like it were really true?

"Whoever wishes to save His life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake, he is the one who will save it." (Luke 9)

If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth. (1 John 3)

Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress. (James 1)

Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth...lay up for yourselves treasures in Heaven... Do not be anxious about tomorrow...(Matthew 6)

Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”— yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.” (James 4)

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you...(Matt 7)

I am haunted by these words. For I would tell you in a heartbeat that I believe them to be true, yet in reality, my daily life shows little evidence of my belief. Most of my decisions are made based on what is comfortable for me, what is logical, what fits the schedule, what other people say is most practical, and most importantly, what is safe. According to Jesus, it's possible to have all the rhetoric right, and even do some good stuff in His Name, but still miss the point entirely. That thought terrifies me.

I recently read a quote from an atheist stating that her Christian friends are mostly just like her except they are really busy on Sundays. I also recently read a quote from a pastor living in a country in which followers of Christ are greatly persecuted who stated that they pray daily for the plight of the American church.

I can think of no greater tragedy than this: that those of us who claim a relationship with the Almighty, Supreme God of the Universe often live no differently than those who don't. We keep God in a human-sized box. We center our lives around our own provision, our own comfort, our own logical plans. We fill our lives with the same possessions, entertainment, and activities as those who don't know Him. We are all about going to church, but not so much about being the Church. We squeeze God into the extra spaces, when there's time. We make decisions based on what is logical, what is comfortable, what is financially feasible and what is safe. We call this wisdom. We call this stewardship. 

But God, in His loving, gentle, persistent way, calls us to more. To a life of unconventional, radical surrender. To a life that makes no sense to an unbelieving world, but perfect sense in light of Scripture. To a life of action. To a life of servanthood. To a life of willingness. To a life that can only be explained by the power of the Holy Spirit. To a life consumed by the Gospel. To a life lived with eternity always in view. To a life of joy. To a life of freedom. To a life of struggle, sacrifice, and pain. To a life of complete risk, but eternal safety. To a life utterly devoted to His Name and His Glory.

It's time to stop playing make believe. To stop investing our lives into things that won't follow us into eternity. To live like it's real. To live like it matters.

Because in the end, it is ALL that matters.

What if?

Securely Uprooted

Well, we made it. We arrived in Europe with all of our luggage AND all of our children, without losing even one. ;) (I consider this in and of itself a great success, by the way.) We are here, re-learning the culture and the language, walking (a lot!) and exploring our German village, romping around on old castle grounds, trying out sweet treats at the local bakeries, traveling cross country by train, and trying to adjust to the cold, rainy weather that seems to want to hang on indefinitely. Almost daily I hear envious comments about how exciting our lives must be.

I mean, we are a "military family," and moving is what we do. It's all part of the job description. Traveling, seeing the world, having friends all over the globe, experiencing new cultures, and learning to acclimate to change. We're used to that. Right?

Part of me would say, "Yes! Of course we are!", because that is just what we do. We pull it together, talk it up to the kids, expound on how wonderful it is that we get to experience all of these amazing things. We are strong and brave and adventurous. We have to be. Right?

Maybe?

Kind of.

Not really.

Let me share the not so glamorous side, the side where your heart crumbles its way through each goodbye because after pouring so much into these relationships, you have to leave them. Again. Where you physically ache watching your kids uprooted, torn from what they know and love, crying over their losses, insecure over all the unknowns awaiting. Where you plan and clean and obsess organize and think you're good to go only to find that the movers packed a toilet brush in your kitchen supplies and somehow forgot to bubble wrap your picture frames, so they're all shattered. Where you show up at a new place knowing no one, getting lost every time you go out, feeling lost inside even when you stay in. Where you lay in bed at night and think about the life you loved that you just left, silent tears streaming from your eyes, an ache in your heart, feeling alone, insecure, emotionally exhausted.

I'm sure there are some very strong and mature ways to respond to this, but let me tell you what happened this time. I sort of unconsciously, inwardly dug my heels in and went on strike. I was done. I was not pasting on a fake smile and acting like I was fine. I refused. Nor would I pretend to be excited about this new place. I was not. In my mind there was no bright side.

I am a miserable person when I do this. If you don't believe me, ask Brandon. ;) And because he knows me so well and loves me regardless, he called me out on my horrid attitude and then sent me out for a run. ;)

And as my feet pounded the pavement, the mental assault began:

"I'm too tired to do this again. I don't even want to try...."

"I hate this."

"I would not have chosen this."

"I'm tired of being the newbie all the time.  I want some roots. Is that too much to ask?"

"I just want a place to call home."

"If I hear another word in German, I'm gonna...I'm gonna...ugh, I don't know what I'll do."

"I feel so insecure."

Finally. I was being honest. I've found that in that broken, raw, real place, God shows up. He doesn't value my pretense, and He's big enough to handle my erratic, vacillating emotions. And when I move my eyes past myself suddenly, I see Him again. In reality He's never moved. And with the reminder of His Presence comes reinforcements against the assault. Thoughts like this:

"Rest is the result of faith. Do you TRUST Me?"

"Choose to believe I am who I say I am, that I can do what I say I can do. I am enough. Resist the temptation to believe the lie that you need more."

"It's not about YOU."

"Everything changed, but NOTHING changed. Your eternal constants remain secure - always."

"We rejoice in sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, endurance produces character, and character produces HOPE, a hope that will not disappoint..." (Rom 5)

Perspective.

It's amazing what God can communicate to me while I run. I'm fairly certain I would be clinically insane if I gave it up. :)

And so the beauty of being uprooted in this way is that with God, nothing is haphazard. He is not surprised, overwhelmed, stressed, or challenged by such things, nor is He taken off guard by my reaction to them. He patiently brings me back to Himself and reminds me that He is faithfully weaving together our story, a story that starts and ends with Him. He uses these moments to remind me to anchor my life in Him, to press into Him, to cling to my Constant in the midst of the upheaval. He reminds me that He always accomplishes His Purposes. He reminds me that He is worth it, worth everything. He reminds me that the Gospel is worth my life and utter devotion. He reminds me that life is far too short to hold anything back, that I will never stand before Him one day and wish I had given less.

He reminds me that while we are uprooted, we are secure.

Securely uprooted.

Plans of the heart

This past month has looked nothing like I planned. I am still marveling at how turned upside down our world has been in the past weeks. According to plan, Brandon was supposed to be away finishing up the culminating exercise of the school he's in. The kids and I were planning to head to Traverse City for a couple of weeks to spend some special time with my parents before coming back to prepare for Brandon's return and the end of quite a journey that this course has been for us.



We didn't plan on the tornado that ripped through our neighborhood the afternoon before Brandon was supposed to leave. Being from MI, we are much more used to blizzards than tornados. This was quite the experience, and seeing the devastation in its wake still catches my breath. God was beyond gracious to us. We had one large tree down in our back yard which caused some property damage, our yard was strewn with debris, our grill and swing were tipped over and bent up a bit, but our home untouched. Each of us were unharmed, perfectly safe (even if the kids were a bit traumatized from hiding in the tub and listening to the "freight train" go by.) Out of 800 or so homes in our neighborhood, over half were damaged or destroyed completely. Trees were uprooted or snapped in half. Power lines were (and still are in some spots) snapped and frayed, with the poles down or cracked in two. It's amazing what a powerful storm like that can do in just minutes. The first time we walked around surveying the damage, Ellie repeated several times, "Mommy, this breaks my heart." Indeed.



Needless to say, Brandon didn't make it out the next morning. It took several days before we were able to easily move around the neighborhood due to the downed trees and debris cluttering the roadways. We were without power nearly a week, and some of our neighbors still haven't had power restored. The past couple of weeks have been a neat time for us to meet new friends in our neighborhood, to offer a helping hand as much as we can, and to try to find ways to practically meet the needs of so many who were affected so much more deeply than we were.

It's also been a time to count our blessings. We are so thankful for the Lord's protective hand upon our lives and our home. We have had several conversations with the kids about His gracious protection in our lives, and as they've walked around seeing what could have so easily been us, they've been moved to thankfulness, too. In fact, while I wouldn't have chosen to have such a tragedy happen here, I will say things like this help to bring perspective on what really matters in life and how dependent we are on the mercies of God for each day.



So nowadays, things like going and picking strawberries as a family or being able to switch on a light in the evening instead of fumble about in the dark seem like quite a blessing.



The day after the tornado hit, I "happened" to read Proverbs 16:1 in my quiet time: The plans of the heart belong to man, but the answer of the tongue is from the LORD. What a great reminder that none of this surprised our Father, that He is working and moving despite our inability to understand the reasoning behind His plans. God is good all the time.



Thank you all for your prayers for us and especially for our neighbors who have lost so much.

Sending love.

Ellie's Princess

I've been mulling over some thoughts for the past few days, trying to formulate them clearly enough to put them on paper. All of my thoughts stem from a simple trip to Walmart that ended up providing a life changing Truth for me.

I have to preface this by saying that the Walmart nearest my house is often referred to as "the ghetto." It is frequented by many questionable characters, and it's not a place I often (if ever) visit alone after dark. :-)

On this particular afternoon, I was hurrying through the parking lot trying to get through the double doors when I spotted a woman. I'm going to be brutally honest here. This woman caught my attention because of her size. She was extremely overweight, so much so that she could barely walk. Every step seemed incredibly difficult, and she leaned on her cart for assistance every time she picked up her foot to move forward. I tried not to stare and kept walking when an enthusiastic comment from Ellie nearly stopped me in my tracks: "Mommy!!! Look at her BEAUTIFUL princess dress!!!!" I glanced back to see that this woman was indeed wearing a dress with a bright yellow flowing skirt.  I quietly acknowledged Ellie's comment and moved on, but her words rang in my head and have stuck in my heart ever since.

In her childlike innocence, Ellie had missed the flaw that I had seen instantly.  Ellie looked at this woman and only saw her beauty. As I've thought about this over the last few days, I realized how clearly Ellie reflected our God of grace who died for mankind to secure our redemption even while we were yet sinners (Rom5:8) A perfect, holy God who extends a relationship to me, who pursues me, and who loves me unconditionally despite my many shortcomings, sins, selfishness, and pride. A righteous God who is in need of nothing, yet still desires a relationship with me. An amazing God who is complete in Himself yet still chooses to use me for His Purposes. A loving God who calls me His Bride and promises to return for me and take me to His glorious home, even when I sometimes live as though this world is all there is. Because of Christ, God can look at me and see beauty. God can cover over my many flaws and see His Bride. Or in Ellie's words, His "Princess." :-)

How I pray that God would give me the eyes of a child to see others the way God sees, to extend to others the same incredible grace I have received. "As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." (Jn 13:34-35)

What a difference we could make if we chose to see value in those that the world rejects, if we chose to overlook the flaws and see the masterpiece, if we chose to remember all we have been saved from and the ugliness of our own sin more often so that we could humbly extend grace to those the world often dismisses or avoids. How many lives would be changed if we allowed the gracious love of God to so radically impact and fill us that we couldn't do any less than love others with His love?

Today I went to the commissary with the kids. It was pouring down rain (I literally had to blow dry my hair a second time after returning home because I looked like a drowned rat!), and the kids were tired. Ethan fussed loudly almost the entire time. Brandon tried a food sample that he disliked, then proceeded to gag and puke on the commissary floor. Obviously, the trip was not going well! Shortly after the puking incident, a woman approached me with a kind smile and said, "I just wanted you to know I remember the days of having young children. I know it can be hard, but you are doing a great job. Good for you. And your children are BEAUTIFUL!"

I'm sure it took quite a lot for her to look past Ethan's red, blotchy, snotty face and Brandon's hands full of puke-covered wipes (we were in search of a trash can, after all!), but she did. She overlooked it all and spoke life-giving, loving words. She may have no idea just how deeply I needed encouragement or how vastly she changed my perspective, but I pray I never forget that moment. I pray that God will give me eyes to see people as His priceless masterpieces and the grace to love others as richly, freely, and impartially as He does.

I pray I never forget the lesson I learned from Ellie's Princess.

Ellie's Princess

I've been mulling over some thoughts for the past few days, trying to formulate them clearly enough to put them on paper. All of my thoughts stem from a simple trip to Walmart that ended up providing a life changing Truth for me.

I have to preface this by saying that the Walmart nearest my house is often referred to as "the ghetto." It is frequented by many questionable characters, its parking lot is often known to have  homeless people walking around asking for money, and it's not a place I often (if ever) visit alone after dark. :-)

On this particular afternoon, I was hurrying through the parking lot trying to get through the double doors when I spotted a woman. I'm going to be brutally honest here. This woman caught my attention because of her size. She was extremely overweight, so much so that she could barely walk. Every step seemed incredibly difficult, and she leaned on her cart for assistance every time she picked up her foot to move forward. I tried not to stare and kept walking when an enthusiastic comment from Ellie nearly stopped me in my tracks: "Mommy!!! Look at her BEAUTIFUL princess dress!!!!" I glanced back to see that this woman was indeed wearing a dress with a bright yellow flowing skirt.  I quietly acknowledged Ellie's comment and moved on, but her words rang in my head and have stuck in my heart ever since.

In her childlike innocence, Ellie had missed the flaw that I had seen instantly.  Ellie looked at this woman and only saw her beauty. As I've thought about this over the last few days, I realized how clearly Ellie reflected our God of grace who died for mankind to secure our redemption even while we were yet sinners (Rom5:8) A perfect, holy God who extends a relationship to me, who pursues me, and who loves me unconditionally despite my many shortcomings, sins, selfishness, and pride. A righteous God who is in need of nothing, yet still desires a relationship with me. An amazing God who is complete in Himself yet still chooses to use me for His Purposes. A loving God who calls me His Bride and promises to return for me and take me to His glorious home, even when I sometimes live as though this world is all there is. Because of Christ, God can look at me and see beauty. God can cover over my many flaws and see His Bride. Or in Ellie's words, His "Princess." :-)

How I pray that God would give me the eyes of a child to see others the way God sees, to extend to others the same incredible grace I have received. "As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." (Jn 13:34-35)

What a difference we could make if we chose to see value in those that the world rejects, if we chose to overlook the flaws and see the masterpiece, if we chose to remember all we have been saved from and the ugliness of our own sin more often so that we could humbly extend grace to those the world often dismisses or avoids. How many lives would be changed if we allowed the gracious love of God to so radically impact and fill us that we couldn't do any less than love others with His love?

Today I went to the commissary with the kids. It was pouring down rain (I literally had to blow dry my hair a second time after returning home because I looked like a drowned rat!), and the kids were tired. Ethan fussed loudly almost the entire time. Brandon tried a food sample that he disliked, then proceeded to gag and puke on the commissary floor. Obviously, the trip was not going well! Shortly after the puking incident, a woman approached me with a kind smile and said, "I just wanted you to know I remember the days of having young children. I know it can be hard, but you are doing a great job. Good for you. And your children are BEAUTIFUL!"

I'm sure it took quite a lot for her to look past Ethan's red, blotchy, snotty face and Brandon's hands full of puke-covered wipes (we were in search of a trash can, after all!), but she did. She overlooked it all and spoke life-giving, loving words. She may have no idea just how deeply I needed encouragement or how vastly she changed my perspective, but I pray I never forget that moment. I pray that God will give me eyes to see people as His priceless masterpieces and the grace to love others as richly, freely, and impartially as He does.

I pray I never forget the lesson I learned from Ellie's Princess.

936

At a recent MOPS meeting, one of the speakers shared that we only have 936 weekends with our children before they turn 18.  Her statement struck me and has stuck in my mind ever since. Of course I won’t get to spend all of those 936 weekends with my kids – especially when they hit the age where we are no longer “their world,” and they start spending more time with friends, attending sleepovers or youth group events, going on mission trips, participating in sports activities, and maybe even studying once in awhile. ;-)

[caption id="attachment_73" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Sunday afternoon baseball..."][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_72" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Ellie on "first base";)"][/caption]

Brandon and I were talking about this last night, and about how desperately we want to make the moments count with our kids – investing in them, teaching them, discipling them, enjoying them, playing with them, creating memories and traditions with them, laughing with them, cuddling with them, and loving them.

[caption id="attachment_76" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Everybody tackle Daddy!"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_70" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Sliiiiding into first base... ;)"][/caption]

The fact that Brandon’s job often takes him away from home for extended periods of time or, as is the case right now, can be highly demanding time-wise even when he is home, puts a whole new spin on things for us. Family time comes at a premium, and we are quickly learning not to take it for granted.

[caption id="attachment_78" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="An attempt at a family pic...this makes me laugh!"][/caption]





Sometimes the challenges of parenthood – trying to figure out discipline, losing sleep, cleaning up endless messes, constant training – distract my focus away from the incredible gift I have been given in each of my children.  It’s so good to be reminded that this season of my life is incredibly rich, filled to the brim and overflowing with opportunities - to make an eternal difference in the hearts of my children, to develop a relationship with them that will last a lifetime, and to grow and be changed myself in the process.



Li’l B is almost 5. That means we have already spent nearly 260 of those 936 weekends with him.  Time is flying.  Life is short. I just want to make it count.

[caption id="attachment_79" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Photography by Li'l B :)"][/caption]

“So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.” Ps. 90:12

Snow Day!

[caption id="attachment_48" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Our Sweeties!"][/caption]

The kids and I had a wonderful surprise this morning when Daddy returned home from work at 9:30! Yes, that's what happens when you get snow in the south. Haha, just a couple of inches and the whole community literally shuts down. In their defense, the rarity of such weather makes it quite bit more challenging to handle it well, and no one here is comfortable driving in it. Still, being from MI, we can't help but laugh at the panic that ensues whenever we get the faintest dusting of snow...or even talk of it.

[caption id="attachment_39" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Trying to get kids dressed and outside!"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_49" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Three peas in a pod... :)"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_44" align="aligncenter" width="225" caption="Now he's lovin' it!"][/caption]

The kids were unbelievably excited about the weather. Ellie woke up and came running to find me, "Mommy! Can I show you sumpin'?" ... and proceeded to whip back the blinds and show me the "SNOW!!!!" :-) Since we aren't around snow much, I'll be the first to admit I'm not very efficient at getting all of the kids (and myself) bundled up to head out there, but we made it happen and spent a good chunk of time out there this morning. Since we don't own a sled, we used trash can lids (you gotta improvise!), and Brandon and I took turns pulling the kids around while they sat in the back yelling, "Go, Rudolph!" :-) I noticed some neighbors pulling their kids around in laundry baskets, so at least we aren't the only house on the block without actual sleds! haha. :-) We closed out the morning outdoors with some yummy hot chocolate. The whole morning took me back to so many fun, snowy outings I had as a kid. I often say I don't miss the cold living down here, and most of the time I don't, but having a snowfall every now and then really is a lot of fun. :-)

[caption id="attachment_47" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="No sled? Use trash can lids!"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_46" align="aligncenter" width="225" caption="He has no problem driving in the snow! ;)"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_45" align="aligncenter" width="225" caption="Me 'n my girl"][/caption]

While looking out this afternoon on the world of white, I was amazed at how different our yard looks now that it’s covered in fluffy, white snow. I have to be honest, before today, the yard was beginning to look like quite an eyesore. It was covered with sticks and dead leaves just begging to be removed! To make matters worse, our neighbors are very diligent with their landscaping, and their yards always look picture perfect. In comparison with their yards, ours looked hideous! Not today, though. The snow served as the great equalizer – now all of our lawns look the same – peaceful, serene, and lovely.

[caption id="attachment_42" align="aligncenter" width="225" caption="Making letters in the snow"][/caption]

As I looked out at our neighborhood today, I was reminded that God does the same thing in our lives. While some of us may look more lovely or put together on the outside than others, deep down all of our lives are much like our poor lawn – full of grime and junk that needs to be removed and cleansed. How thankful I am for the blood of Christ that covers us, cleanses us, and allows us to come before the Father without blemish or spot. In that sense, His blood serves as the equalizer – no matter who we are, where we’ve been, our how dirty we’ve become, there is nothing His blood cannot cover, nothing His sacrifice is insufficient to pay, nothing beyond the reach of His grace.

[caption id="attachment_40" align="aligncenter" width="225" caption="I told Ethan..."smile!" :)"][/caption]

The Bible often uses snow as a reference to purity and cleanness. Watching the snowfall today reminded me again of how thankful I am that the precious blood of Christ washes me whiter than snow. I’m thankful that it’s not my own efforts that purify me, but that I find grace in Christ alone.

[caption id="attachment_43" align="aligncenter" width="225" caption="snow angels!"][/caption]

I also made it my prayer today that God would give me a heart tender to following Him so that my life would be pure, clean, and refreshing; that when others see me, they would see I am covered by Christ. And that, like today's snowfall, is nothing short of beautiful.

Ps. 51:7…wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

[caption id="attachment_41" align="aligncenter" width="225" caption="Ellie in her eskimo hat! :)"][/caption]