I am always amazed (not sure why when I think about who God is?!) that God places exactly the right words at exactly the right time to speak into my life whether through friends, Bible Study or what I am reading. There could not have been a better lesson for today than where I am in Experiencing God. So here are the highlights!
God is interested in the World's coming to know Him. The only way people will know what God is like is to see Him at work in their world. They will know His nature when they see it expressed in His activity. Whenever God involves you in His activity, the assignment will have Godlike dimensions to it....When people see something happen only God can do, they come to know God.
What our world often witnesses today is a devoted, committed Christian or church serving God. But they are not seeing God. They don't see anything happening that can be explained only in terms of God's activity. Why? Because we are not attempting anything that only God can do.
The reason much of the world is not being attracted to Christ and to His church is that God's people lack the faith to attempt things only God can do.....If people in your community are not responding to God the way they did in the New Testament, one possible reason is that they are not recognizing God in what you are doing as a church. God is far more concerned with your walking with Him than He is interested in getting a job done for Him.
~Experiencing God by Henry & Richard Blackaby: Unit 5, Day 3
If you have never done this study, I HIGHLY recommend it! But only if you want to be challenged in your faith and obedience to a God sized God!
Which is a great segway to THE CONTAINER FOR THE ORPHANAGE PROJECT SHIPS TODAY! Yes, the President put a hold on all adoptions on Monday & yes, adoptions fund the care of the orphans that will go in the building that is in the container & yes, adoptions and donations will fund the school that will be built with the materials in the container.....so what does that mean.....THIS IS A GOD-SIZED event! Can't wait to see what He does and pray that He draws those closer to Him that are watching it all unfold!
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Happy Birthday Callie!
Today my first born turns 9! Nine years ago my baby girl entered this world. On weeks like this, I sometimes wonder what I hear people say, "Why would you want to bring children into this world?" Yet, I look at all four of my children and can't imagine what my life would be with out them!
My dearest Callie,
Nine years! As I teased you earlier this week, this is your last year in the single digits! As I listened to you and Makayla talk about the woes of being the oldest, I had to grin just a little..always having to be perfect, getting blamed for everything your younger siblings do...the list went on! Since I am the baby of my family, I can't totally related. However, I know that you had the distinct disadvantage of being the one who got to be the guinea pig of my parenting! I look back and just pray that God will cover the multitude of mistakes I have made. But when I see who you are on the days when you are laughing and we are sharing a joke or a secret laugh about something one of the younger ones has done or said, I know God has already covered so many of them because of who I see you becoming!
You have always been my spiritual little one! You understood more of the spiritual world at 3 than I did at twenty. From your vivid dreams of "Red Rover" to your heart for orphans. When Toben came home last year, you just blossomed. You poured your heart for orphans into this little boy that represented to you all the world's hurting children. As I see you care about the orphans whether through the money you raised for GAL or through sharing your mommy with 57 little dark brown children halfway around the world, there is a part of me that wants to tell you to run like crazy! Tell God that you will do anything but care about children in far away countries! You see what it has done to me, and you cry with me when I can't hide it from you. But at the same time, I know my number one job is to teach you to follow God with all your heart, and that means somehow finding a way to do that myself and make it look appealing. I am failing miserably at that right now! I am sorry, my precious girl! But as I always tell you, parents do the best they can with what they have. I just pray once again that God will make up for my short comings! He is big enough to do that!
I am sure we will have our share of disagreements over the coming years as you are well on your way to being a full fledged "tween"! But I pray that through it all, I will teach you to cling to Jesus my sweet girl! For no matter what this world throws at you, and no matter what circumstances look like, He is your only hope of making it through! He will be your source of unconditional love, your Solid Rock. Cling to Jesus, Callie, cling to Jesus! Happy Birthday my sweet girl! May you have many more to come!
My dearest Callie,
Nine years! As I teased you earlier this week, this is your last year in the single digits! As I listened to you and Makayla talk about the woes of being the oldest, I had to grin just a little..always having to be perfect, getting blamed for everything your younger siblings do...the list went on! Since I am the baby of my family, I can't totally related. However, I know that you had the distinct disadvantage of being the one who got to be the guinea pig of my parenting! I look back and just pray that God will cover the multitude of mistakes I have made. But when I see who you are on the days when you are laughing and we are sharing a joke or a secret laugh about something one of the younger ones has done or said, I know God has already covered so many of them because of who I see you becoming!
You have always been my spiritual little one! You understood more of the spiritual world at 3 than I did at twenty. From your vivid dreams of "Red Rover" to your heart for orphans. When Toben came home last year, you just blossomed. You poured your heart for orphans into this little boy that represented to you all the world's hurting children. As I see you care about the orphans whether through the money you raised for GAL or through sharing your mommy with 57 little dark brown children halfway around the world, there is a part of me that wants to tell you to run like crazy! Tell God that you will do anything but care about children in far away countries! You see what it has done to me, and you cry with me when I can't hide it from you. But at the same time, I know my number one job is to teach you to follow God with all your heart, and that means somehow finding a way to do that myself and make it look appealing. I am failing miserably at that right now! I am sorry, my precious girl! But as I always tell you, parents do the best they can with what they have. I just pray once again that God will make up for my short comings! He is big enough to do that!
I am sure we will have our share of disagreements over the coming years as you are well on your way to being a full fledged "tween"! But I pray that through it all, I will teach you to cling to Jesus my sweet girl! For no matter what this world throws at you, and no matter what circumstances look like, He is your only hope of making it through! He will be your source of unconditional love, your Solid Rock. Cling to Jesus, Callie, cling to Jesus! Happy Birthday my sweet girl! May you have many more to come!
Love,
Mom
To celebrate, we had a sleep over...Callie and 8 friends. It was fun! Really, they did very well. We had a High School Musical Themed party. They had all kinds of snack foods, and we played a "Get to know you game" while they ate. It was a little scary as each answer seemed to involve something about kissing! John was leading the game, and after about the fourth answer with kissing in it, he looked at me and said, "I think I might need to leave the room!" I just laughed! Later, they were doing their own thing....which for nine girls involves lots of screaming! John asked if I thought they were having a good time, and I said yes. Then he said, "Well, if noise level is any indicator, they are having a blast!" I had to laugh again! Poor John! He really was a trooper! So was Noah...at one point somehow all the girls ended up in his room and a wrestling match insued. We ended up with a goose egg one of the girls and a bloody lip on Noah. But I think that was all the blood from the evening!
We made journals for the girls to take home. It was a mess, but they were pretty!
And what is a brother to do at a sister's slumber party? A picture is worth a thousand words! He is in our sunroom that is separated from our living room by windows! :)
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Friends....
yes, it has been a tough month! But it all seemed to melt away last night when my friend Tracy surprised me last night! She came over and took me to dinner! My wonderful husband kept our four kids and Tracy's little girl who is close to Ava's age and Tracy treated me to dinner out!
Tracy and I met in high school. We reconnected after we ended up in the same Sunday School class right after John and I married. She threw my baby shower for Callie! We have both moved several times since then, but always stayed in touch as she comes "home" to see her parents and always takes time to see me! What a true friend!!! I have not been so great to do that when I lived off! But Tracy and I have one of those friendships where we can not talk for months and when we do again, we just pick up right where we left off! It is pretty amazing!
Last night we both shared our hard times and good times since last we met...but most importantly we just laughed! Well maybe not most importantly, because Tracy said so many things that God used to encourage me. She refocused me on what is important..she encouraged me in my work, my marriage, my home!
So Tracy, THANK YOU!!!!! And God THANK YOU for Tracy! I often say on here that John and I have no friends....that really is not true! We don't have friends that we get together with often, but God has blessed us with amazing people whose relationships stand the test of time and miles!
Tracy, God used you to refuel me yesterday! I feel ready to conquer the world today, which is good because I have some letter to write, AND Bush is coming home! So the P-trees are going to see the President! The kids get out of school early, and I have to leave the office because roads are being shut down....I figure it is a once in a lifetime experience to be the first to great an Ex-President as he leaves office, so we will go sit for four hours to see him for about 30 minutes! :)
Tracy and I met in high school. We reconnected after we ended up in the same Sunday School class right after John and I married. She threw my baby shower for Callie! We have both moved several times since then, but always stayed in touch as she comes "home" to see her parents and always takes time to see me! What a true friend!!! I have not been so great to do that when I lived off! But Tracy and I have one of those friendships where we can not talk for months and when we do again, we just pick up right where we left off! It is pretty amazing!
Last night we both shared our hard times and good times since last we met...but most importantly we just laughed! Well maybe not most importantly, because Tracy said so many things that God used to encourage me. She refocused me on what is important..she encouraged me in my work, my marriage, my home!
So Tracy, THANK YOU!!!!! And God THANK YOU for Tracy! I often say on here that John and I have no friends....that really is not true! We don't have friends that we get together with often, but God has blessed us with amazing people whose relationships stand the test of time and miles!
Tracy, God used you to refuel me yesterday! I feel ready to conquer the world today, which is good because I have some letter to write, AND Bush is coming home! So the P-trees are going to see the President! The kids get out of school early, and I have to leave the office because roads are being shut down....I figure it is a once in a lifetime experience to be the first to great an Ex-President as he leaves office, so we will go sit for four hours to see him for about 30 minutes! :)
Monday, January 19, 2009
What a difference a year makes....
One year ago today John and I boarded a plane for Liberia. We were going to pick up our son. That is what John and HollyAnn, the parents were doing. HollyAnn, the director of an agency, was also meeting three other families to bring their children home. Little did we know what we were entering!
One year later, I wish I could walk away from it all. I wish I could have rejoiced in getting Toben home and gone on to live our lives. I wish I could send a check on gotcha day to some organization that is working in Liberia, reflect on the miracles we saw to bring Toben home, stay in touch with a few adoptive parents, and live our lives...
But I am reminded daily that the above wishes are not possible. One year later, I am still fighting a government to be able to help its own people. I am being told by their own government officials to fight with all I have and "hit them where it hurts" because that is the only way they will listen. Oh God, what have you called me to....
Then I pick up books like Shela Walsh's Life is Tough But God is Faithful. And these are the lessons God is teaching me:
"There is something built into every human being that says, "I have rights!" When we read in Romans 12:1 that all Christians are "living sacrifices," it sounds so noble. We hold on to that wonderful thought without ever wondering what the implications might be. When Paul used the words living sacrifices, he meant something much different from the old system.
In the Old Testament, a lamb was not consulted as to how it felt about being offered as a sacrifice. It was simply slaughtered and laid on the altar to be consumed by the fire. But in the New Testament - the New Covenant - we are living sacrifices. the trouble is, a living sacrifice can crawl off the altar when it gets too hot. God could have preprogrammed us as robots who serve Him without choice, but instead He has given us the ability to choose.
The more I walk with the Lord, the more I understand that every day of my life, for the rest of my walk on this earth, I can choose t stay on the altar or to crawl away. When the heat is turned up, I can crawl off and say, "Well, this is not what I signed up for. I thought that this would make me feel good. I thought that all my prayers would be answered, but it seems as if God has turned a deaf ear to my cry."
One year later, I wish I could walk away from it all. I wish I could have rejoiced in getting Toben home and gone on to live our lives. I wish I could send a check on gotcha day to some organization that is working in Liberia, reflect on the miracles we saw to bring Toben home, stay in touch with a few adoptive parents, and live our lives...
But I am reminded daily that the above wishes are not possible. One year later, I am still fighting a government to be able to help its own people. I am being told by their own government officials to fight with all I have and "hit them where it hurts" because that is the only way they will listen. Oh God, what have you called me to....
Then I pick up books like Shela Walsh's Life is Tough But God is Faithful. And these are the lessons God is teaching me:
"There is something built into every human being that says, "I have rights!" When we read in Romans 12:1 that all Christians are "living sacrifices," it sounds so noble. We hold on to that wonderful thought without ever wondering what the implications might be. When Paul used the words living sacrifices, he meant something much different from the old system.
In the Old Testament, a lamb was not consulted as to how it felt about being offered as a sacrifice. It was simply slaughtered and laid on the altar to be consumed by the fire. But in the New Testament - the New Covenant - we are living sacrifices. the trouble is, a living sacrifice can crawl off the altar when it gets too hot. God could have preprogrammed us as robots who serve Him without choice, but instead He has given us the ability to choose.
The more I walk with the Lord, the more I understand that every day of my life, for the rest of my walk on this earth, I can choose t stay on the altar or to crawl away. When the heat is turned up, I can crawl off and say, "Well, this is not what I signed up for. I thought that this would make me feel good. I thought that all my prayers would be answered, but it seems as if God has turned a deaf ear to my cry."
"Turning Point: When the heat of problems and pain burns into our very souls, we can crawl away and hide when it gets too hot, or we can choose to be living sacrifices who stay on the altar for His sake."
I can choose to believe what it seems, or believe the truth that God never leaves us or forsakes us...I can choose to walk away from the call, climb off the alter, or I can remain even though the heat is hot. The world says I can come off the alter, live a "good" life, and I will still go to heaven. That is true. I have accepted Christ as my Savior..I am sealed with the Holy Spirit..nothing can take that away....I will go to heaven. But is heaven the goal? Or is glorifying God the goal? You know, in all honesty, there have been many days this past two weeks that I can say heaven would be just fine with me! I know I am sealed! Now lets have fun!!!! But I also know that the second I walk in disobedience, there will be a God given sorrow that will put a wedge in my relationship with Him. The first time I went through a major crisis of belief after I came home from Sierra Leone without Eden, I knew that this closeness with God, this intimate relationship with Him, is what I want most out of life. So I look at that spiritual marker, that "stone of remembrance" and know I have to press on! Walking away, crawling off the altar is not a choice. I just ask that God will give me the sanity to make it through this crisis of belief and the wisdom to know what steps to take.
And I pray that next year, at least in this battle, it will be behind us, and we will be rejoicing in what God is doing in Liberia!
I can choose to believe what it seems, or believe the truth that God never leaves us or forsakes us...I can choose to walk away from the call, climb off the alter, or I can remain even though the heat is hot. The world says I can come off the alter, live a "good" life, and I will still go to heaven. That is true. I have accepted Christ as my Savior..I am sealed with the Holy Spirit..nothing can take that away....I will go to heaven. But is heaven the goal? Or is glorifying God the goal? You know, in all honesty, there have been many days this past two weeks that I can say heaven would be just fine with me! I know I am sealed! Now lets have fun!!!! But I also know that the second I walk in disobedience, there will be a God given sorrow that will put a wedge in my relationship with Him. The first time I went through a major crisis of belief after I came home from Sierra Leone without Eden, I knew that this closeness with God, this intimate relationship with Him, is what I want most out of life. So I look at that spiritual marker, that "stone of remembrance" and know I have to press on! Walking away, crawling off the altar is not a choice. I just ask that God will give me the sanity to make it through this crisis of belief and the wisdom to know what steps to take.
And I pray that next year, at least in this battle, it will be behind us, and we will be rejoicing in what God is doing in Liberia!
Toben's Party
Here are some pics from Toben's party! We had a blast! He was so cute! He lit up like a light bulb when he saw his friends arrive! I think everyone had a good time...and I didn't have to clean my house since it was at Chuck E. Cheese's! :)
Doesn't get any sweeter than this!
Yes, that is me in the tubes with the little ones! :) My Dad didn't think Ava should go up in them with out an adult, so I climbed up there!
Doesn't get any sweeter than this!
Yes, that is me in the tubes with the little ones! :) My Dad didn't think Ava should go up in them with out an adult, so I climbed up there!
Sunday, January 18, 2009
New Quote
Two words in a Christian's language cannot go together, "No, Lord." If you say no to God, He is not your Lord. ~Henry Blackaby
Friday, January 16, 2009
Happy Birthday Toben!
Today is my precious baby boy's birthday! He is four today. Wow, four! That is really bitter sweet. I mourn the three years I missed of his life! I wonder what he looked like as a baby? Did he sleep good? I will never regain those years....but in some way, I think God uses that to help me get just a small glimpse of what Toben mourns in leaving everything he knew to come to America and be a part of our family. It is the closest thing I will ever have to trying to relate.
This past year has been a whirlwind! So many trials and struggles...and yet Toben hasn't been any of those! He has adjusted amazingly well! He is just amazing! He is perfectly bonded, and I am getting there! His sweet smile and contagious laugh have been such a bright spot in our home...and I look forward to many more years of those!
My Precious Toben,
God is good! That is what your name means! Oh how true that is and oh how God has used you to drive home that fact! You have born way too much weight for a little boy! You carried four years of broken adoption dreams for me. Yet, you have bore them like a champ! God has used you to heal many wounds left when Eden didn't come home. You fulfilled a life-long dream of a multi-racial family! I never thought that it would be possible to forget that you are "different"...yet I find myself looking down and being shocked that a dark brown boy stands next to me! You are just my son now!
I know the years ahead may have challenges as you grow into the man God desires you to be...questions about why you are different, why you were born half a world away, why you were brought here? I don't have the answers to those, but I do know that I will be eternally grateful that God saw fit to put you here! What an awesome blessing to be your mommy!
God has big plans for you my Obie! You wear your name proudly! I pray that I will be all the mommy you need as you go through the bumps and trials of growing up in this lost world. I look forward to many more birthdays with you....celebrating the life God gave you and preserved and brought to us! May God bless you my little man! I love you!
Love,
Mommy
We will be celebrating at Chuck E. Cheese tonight with a power ranger birthday as requested! :)
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Saturday, January 10, 2009
My African Boy!
Today at Callie and Noah's basketball games, I ran into a friend of mine who has an amazing ministry! One day I need to share her story here! She is the mother of 7 African-American children. She is anglo. Her children were born here in the US...they are "domestic" in adoption terms.
When she came over to talk to me, her 3 year old little girl came with her. We introduced Toben and her little girl. Her little girl said, "hello", and Toben said to this precious dark brown girl sitting on her white momma's lap with the biggest grin on his face, "I am from Africa, too!"
When she came over to talk to me, her 3 year old little girl came with her. We introduced Toben and her little girl. Her little girl said, "hello", and Toben said to this precious dark brown girl sitting on her white momma's lap with the biggest grin on his face, "I am from Africa, too!"
Please help the starving children!
I have a dear friend whom I have never met face to face...in fact, I wouldn't know her if she walked up to me right now. However, she is a kindred spirit! She has pulled me up out of the pit many times in the work that I do, and I am thankful that God brought her into my life.
She is the Ghana country coordinator for AAI. She is leaving later this month for a trip to Ghana. She has become aware of an orphanage there that has many children and no food. The children are literally starving! Can you help? Go to her blog for all the details and instructions on how to make a donation. Five dollars doesn't sound like a lot, but in Ghana, it will go a long way....so even if you can only give five or ten dollars, please do it.
"the righteous is concerned with the rights of the poor" Proverbs 29:7
"He who shuts his ear to the cry of the poor will also cry himself and not be answered." Proverbs 21:13
"
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Siiiiiiiigh......
Somedays you just wonder if God has turned your world upside down for a reason, or He just likes to play with you. Having a couple of those days. Ready to be back on top, but can't seem to get myself up there! Can't wait until the day I see Jesus Face to Face and all this world is behind me!
Haven't done my Bible study yet today....need to.....not really wanting to talk to the Big Man right now....pretty upset with Him.....wonder where He is right now....know all the right answers, but having a hard time convincing my heart that it is all true!
Haven't done my Bible study yet today....need to.....not really wanting to talk to the Big Man right now....pretty upset with Him.....wonder where He is right now....know all the right answers, but having a hard time convincing my heart that it is all true!
Monday, January 5, 2009
Waiting
You all may get sick of Experiencing God, but man it is rocking my world and teaching me so much! I think of many of you on the adoption journey when I read things in it....as I have to apply them to myself as I walk through all the adoptions I am responsible for also!
Today's lesson was on hearing God. One of my biggest struggles is am I hearing God, or is that my voice? One of the paragraphs really hit home in today's lesson, so I wanted to share it with all of you. Praying that if you are in a waiting pattern for anything in your life, this will encourage you! It did me! I can apply this to just about every area of my life right now....
"If you do not have clear instructions from God in a matter, pray and wait. Learn patience. Depend on God's timing, which is always right and best. Don't get in a hurry. He may withhold directions to cause you to seek Him more intently. Don't try to skip over the relationship to start doing something. God is more interested in a love relationship with you than He is in what you can do for Him. If God is having you wait, He may want to develop a deeper relationship with you before He gives you your next assignment. He may have you wait because the timing is not yet right." ~Experiencing God by Henry Blackaby
Wow!
Today's lesson was on hearing God. One of my biggest struggles is am I hearing God, or is that my voice? One of the paragraphs really hit home in today's lesson, so I wanted to share it with all of you. Praying that if you are in a waiting pattern for anything in your life, this will encourage you! It did me! I can apply this to just about every area of my life right now....
"If you do not have clear instructions from God in a matter, pray and wait. Learn patience. Depend on God's timing, which is always right and best. Don't get in a hurry. He may withhold directions to cause you to seek Him more intently. Don't try to skip over the relationship to start doing something. God is more interested in a love relationship with you than He is in what you can do for Him. If God is having you wait, He may want to develop a deeper relationship with you before He gives you your next assignment. He may have you wait because the timing is not yet right." ~Experiencing God by Henry Blackaby
Wow!
Saturday, January 3, 2009
Happy New Year!
I am three days late posting this! Doesn't seem like that be on time thing will be happening this year either! :) Oh well! Better late then never is my motto!
A wonderful friend of mine took these pictures while I was in Liberia. These are two of my favorites! Her name is Sarah Stepan, and she has just started doing photography professionally. She nannied for us while I was gone and she and John surprised me with the pictures when I got home. These are going on the Happy New Year cards I am sending out (since I didn't get Christmas cards out!)...
Here is the P-tree clan...we are running together into 2009!
First Sleep Over
Well, my little T-man is having his first sleepover! I guess all went well because we didn't get a phone call in the middle of the night! He announced yesterday morning that he was going to go to Nana and Granddad's house to spend the night. Shortly after that, Nana called and the arrangements were made! Noah and Ava went too!
Kind of surreal that he is not with me or John! Just under one year from his home coming and he is able to go spend the night at another house and be just fine! He has done remarkable! He is just a real trooper. We are pretty relaxed about transition stuff, and it seems to work. We could not have asked for a better bonding, attaching, transitioning time. He has not missed a beat! He fits in like he was always here! He has the appropriate reactions to fear, loss, sorrow, guilt; he is just a super kid! Man would we have missed out to not have taken this journey!
If you are reading this and thinking about adoption...let me just say that God puts that on your heart for a reason! Don't pray/think too long! Take action! It will be the hardest, but most rewarding trip you will take! Jump on the adoption roller coaster! And post a comment and let me know when you do! :)
Kind of surreal that he is not with me or John! Just under one year from his home coming and he is able to go spend the night at another house and be just fine! He has done remarkable! He is just a real trooper. We are pretty relaxed about transition stuff, and it seems to work. We could not have asked for a better bonding, attaching, transitioning time. He has not missed a beat! He fits in like he was always here! He has the appropriate reactions to fear, loss, sorrow, guilt; he is just a super kid! Man would we have missed out to not have taken this journey!
If you are reading this and thinking about adoption...let me just say that God puts that on your heart for a reason! Don't pray/think too long! Take action! It will be the hardest, but most rewarding trip you will take! Jump on the adoption roller coaster! And post a comment and let me know when you do! :)
Friday, January 2, 2009
New Family Member Teaches Valuable Lesson!
Meet the newest P-tree! This is Precious or Pete! We will let you know just as soon as we know if we have boy kitty or girl kitty! I can't tell yet...if there are any cat experts near me, please feel free to come by and let me know so we can start calling him/her something besides "The Kitty"!
Now let me explain! We had another possible baby situation the week before Christmas. I got a little excited, then I got panicked, and then the mother decided to parent. While I am not sure as I have said before how we would pay for the adoption fees to adopt a baby, or maybe even the formula and diapers that it would take to car for the baby or where I would fit one in, I LOVE babies! Callie wanted a hamster from "Santa", so that got me looking at pet stores, etc. Well, I really miss our cat that decided the house down the street was better than us! We could never really keep him in the house because we brought him from our country home in Garden City, and he really liked roaming...I was never a cat person before Pinocchio, but he was so sweet, that he made me a cat lover too! And this whole baby roller coaster thing I have been on was giving me the need to "Mother" something that didn't talk back and want to crawl out of my lap! Getting a kitten might not have been the brightest idea...and I admit I didn't really pray about it because I wanted one, and didn't want to hear a "no", so I just didn't ask! Boy, the was mature!
John and I were not doing Christmas for each other due to the debt issue, but he had bought himself something, and I wanted a kitty! So after discussing it, he said I could...actually, he tried to surprise me with a kitty, but by the time he got there, it was gone. I didn't know this, but kitties are hard to find in December! Every time we would call on one, it was gone. We could find plenty that were 2-4 months, but no really small, 6 weeks or so. There was one list on Craig's List for a momma and her three babies. So I e-mailed. Long story short (I know, too late!), I ended up with one of those kitties...not yet weaned! So I have been bottle feeding Precious/Pete for three weeks now! She is precious! And she follows me everywhere! When she hears my voice, she comes running!
Well, while I love this bonding we are having, I am ready for her to eat out of a bowl and not a bottle! So I have been trying to get her to "lap" her food. She is going on six weeks now, so this should work, right? Well, no one told her that! She will have nothing to do with the food. I stick her face in it, and she just sits there! Then when I get the bottle close to her, she goes nuts until she has her mouth on it and can start sucking! Beats all I have ever seen!
Well, this morning, when I was sitting on the floor getting kitty formula/rice cereal mush sprayed all over me with her flying paws, I thought, why will you not eat off this spoon?! I am so tired of having to hand feed you all the time! It is really time for you to start doing this on your own! And I got that feeling like I get when I think God is laughing at me because I have repeated things He has said to me! You know, the feeling you get when you start hearing your mother, only the words came out of your mouth? Well, that was me this morning, only it was God! So I said, yes, God, I get it! You want me to make sure I am feeding myself, spending time with you, seeking you so you don't have to spoon feed me.
Then I kept feeding Princess/Pete and she put her claw in one of the many scratches on my hand! I said, "Ouch! You are hurting the wounds you put there!" Then I got that feeling again! Ouch! Sorry, God! How many times do I put my "claws" in his old wounds? How many times does he hear the hammers hitting that nail again when I walk in disobedience? Wow! Just another reminder that whatever God calls me to or asks me to do, I have to do it....He has the wounds from what He did for me, and every time I turn my back on him, I hurt them again! He has redeemed me, He has the wounds to show it, and I owe Him everything!
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