Imagine with me that you are carrying around a fresh, steaming cup of earl grey tea (with a splash of almond milk and vanilla, of course) in your most favorite mug. As you pass through the hallway, someone bumps your arm and a bit of tea splatters out onto the ground. When they ask you what kind of tea you're drinking, you become offended. "It's not tea, I'm drinking orange juice!", you coldly respond, "How dare you assume what's in my cup. You have no idea!"
That's ridiculous, right? Its obvious that what splashed out of your mug onto the ground is exactly the beverage you're carrying around with you. It isn't going to magically change its chemical components as it is released from your mug. There is no denying it. What's inside is going to come out. When it does, it's just a glimpse of what remains is inside. Or how about this, one day you start to feel run down. You're exhausted, start to run a low fever, have a slight twinge of dizziness, and all of the sudden are unable to taste or smell anything. We all know what that means, right? #PandemicLife So, you put on a sweater and go about your day as normal. Wait, what? I mean, you were cold because of the fever, so you have a sweater and are good to go. *Eyebrow raise* But is the issue the fever? Is the real problem your exhaustion? Of course not, they are just symptoms of the illness. The lack of taste or smell signals a greater concern. One that if not handled properly could lead to huge issues for yourself, and could hurt everyone around you because, treating the symptoms won't remove the real illness.
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Every year since around 2011 I have chosen a passage or chapter of scripture to claim for the year. I do my best to commit the chapter or portion to memory and really absorb its truth. Some of the earliest sections would be Psalm 1, 2 Corinthians 4, 2 Timothy 2, Colossians 3, 1 Corinthians 13, and Joshua 1. About this point, I would also choose a word. Apparently "Word of the Year" is trendy now. You're welcome.
One quick scroll through social media will offer what the world views as goals for a relationship. #Couplegoals #Relationshipgoals You can't scroll through a feed without seeing a hashtag or picture that people believe are relationship goals. When did this become the standard? When did it become so important to live up to a Hallmark-style life? A visible, outward, shallow display of infatuation. A love that is fake, distant, forced, and short-term. One that may look good to others on the outside, and may even make you feel good, but has no solid foundation. A love that is often best termed as lust and if left unchecked leads to regret.
If anyone knows me, they know how much I love Christmas photo cards - and if we like something, we really like something. We "like" nothing half-heartedly. Obviously, they are important to me even though we waited until the last possible day to take family pictures. We were rushing before it got dark after my husband got off work and barely made it. If it were any any darker, these wouldn't have turned out. Thankfully there's a thing called editing that helps a lot with color temperature, exposure and brightness. If something doesn't look right, you can change it and retake the shot. If the lighting is off, you can adjust it to an extent. If your child's had is purple due to the cold, you can fix that - with socks and some color correction. If the image is washed out, you can fix it with the exposure. Though I prefer to keep my images as close to the original as possible, there is a world of potential in fixing all the little things. The other night there was a brand new, shiny, razor sharp tooth emerging through her tender gums. "Teething." There have been many tears and fussy days. She has been grumpy for no reason, not sleeping well, and been very clingy. A real party.
On this night, after the typical refusal for bedtime, she went to sleep only to be in tears yet again half an hour later. She was in obvious pain. We've heard so much about 2020 being a year of craziness. In fact, it is now synonymous.
So many can't wait for the year to be over. As if the moment the year turns all the troubles of the world will be gone. They want to forget this year even existed. After all, it has caused nothing but problems, right? Y’all, very few understand how deep a hold teaching has in my heart. I am extremely passionate about early-childhood education, especially. I strongly believe that the early years of schooling are the most important for a child. They are the foundation for the rest of their life. You can build strong, motivated learners, or you can create passive, frustrated, “average” students early on. Certainly, there is always opportunities for improvement, but once they’re in high school, there is not time to build a strong foundation in whatever subject that is lacking. It then becomes more about getting them to graduation. While early childhood education is their springboard for their middle school, high school, and/or college years
. You can’t learn geometry until you have first mastered the basics of addition. You cannot excel in Spanish I until you first have a solid grasp of English Grammar. You cannot learn World Geography until you could tell me what state you live in. You can’t do any of that until you learn to read and write your name. That is just one reason why I strongly believe that these years are the most important years. The season of thanksgiving. From the sight of the photo, some would probably say we are skipping it all together. That's okay. I grew up in a no-Christmas-till-after-thanksgiving crew myself. That is just not something that works for our family in this season of life, and I am grateful that we have learned to modify "traditions" to fit us.
"Growing up, I wanted to be the good kid. The best kid, even. My goal was always to please, and long before I met Jesus, it seems I was already bent toward seeking to earn God’s favor because I was able to earn the favor of others in the same way. I was a good kid, but I wasn’t a godly kid. In our driven-by-behavior world, it’s easy to train kids to do rather than be, to ascribe value by a child’s behavior rather than their status as a child of the Most High God. For example, the conversations we have with our kids and about our kids tend to center around behavior." - M. Wiley Even a child is known by his doings, whether his work be pure, and whether it be right. Prov. 20.11 |
Lizzy parkerMarriage.
Motherhood. Ministry. Missions. Archives
January 2023
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