Faith of our Fathers

I'm continuing my reading in 2 Kings, slowly working my way through the Old Testament.  Something I have started to notice with the introduction of each new king, which is every chapter basically, is that it doesn't seem to matter whether their father was a good or bad king.  What I mean by that is, it doesn't seem to affect the new king--in the way that he would follow the example of his father--whether or not his father was a God-fearing king or followed the local customs for worshiping false gods.  Now, most of that may be cultural.  If you had hundreds of siblings from many many different moms, you probably wouldn't be that close to your dad either, considering you probably don't see him very much and have very little to do with his ruling.  And maybe that's just it!

 If each father had focused on being a family man--a SMALL family man, one or so wives, then he probably could have really devoted a large enough chunk of his time to have left a legacy to his family that they would care about--as opposed to a couple of them trying to kill him for his kingdom.  And it's that the same way today?  If our fathers were involved in a positive way in our lives, even a little bit, we generally have an ok outlook on dads, and maybe we even think it's possible to be a good dad.  But if we had absent fathers, or fathers who were always a very negative presence in our lives, then we struggle with our identity and what we are capable of.  Even as women, we struggle with having positive interactions with guys, trying to figure out what a "good" guy looks like, and how to have a life that doesn't follow a desperate path of dating disasters.

Wow, I'm really glad I'm not a man right now.  I mean, that's a lot of pressure.  But, I guess if you're thinking about that pressure as a man, and how you don't want to let your kid down, then you are probably ok.  I don't mean we as parents don't make mistakes, I mean if we are truly seeking God as to how to be good, godly parents, that He will help us towards that goal.  Anyway--all that to say--keep your chin up dads--you are having a huge affect on your kids, and other peoples kids too--so keep doing your best, it makes a difference!

All We Like Sheep

I love sheep.  It’s true—though maybe if I got to know them better I might not, people are always saying they are smelly (or maybe that’s just something I heard in a Veggie Tales episode…hmmm).  My husband is from Ireland, so every time we go back to visit family there, I look forward to being around all the sheep.  Whenever you go out walking through the countryside, you are bound to wind up in a sheep field at some point.  I keep trying to “pet” one. Dave thinks it’s hilarious, watching me stalk these sheep.  He has quite a few pictures of me trying to sneak up on them.  I will slowly walk towards what I think is an unsuspecting sheep, and try and get close enough to touch it.  But sheep are not trusting animals really, and they usually scamper away just before I can get there.

At church this last Sunday, the visiting pastor gave a message on how God pursues us.  He used Psalm 23, specifically the last verse where it says, “Surely, goodness, and mercy will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”  The pastor said the word there, translated “follow,” is really a poor translation.  That it is better translated “pursue or chase down.”  He talked about how God compares us to sheep in this passage, and how sheep cannot survive without a shepherd.  That they are one of the only species of animals that he can think of that will literally die without taken care of by a shepherd. 

I wondered if God made sheep just for me.  Well, not just me, but ya know, humans.  If sheep were created by God to show us just how much we need a shepherd, THE Good Shepherd to be exact, or we will just die—purposeless, scared, and alone.  And that brought me back to being in Ireland, and the Sheep Scaring laws.  Yes, there are laws against scaring sheep—they have weak hearts, so I’m told—to scare them to death is pretty easy.  So if you, or your dog, scare a sheep to death, you have to pay compensation or go to jail (they are serious about their sheep over there). 

Another thing the pastor mentioned about sheep was their love for the “known” things.  He said they would rather stay in a field where the grass is not good anymore, than move on to a new, lush field of grass.  They have to be prodded and rounded up by the sheep dogs just to be pushed out of their comfort zones and into a better, healthier place.  Wow, does that ever sound familiar.  I mean—I would say I’m a rather “adventurous” person, but once it gets down to the time to actually go on said adventure, I start dragging my feet.  For example, I recently went to Australia with my one-year-old daughter to visit my parents who were there on medical furlough for a couple of weeks.  I was very excited to go to a place I hadn’t been before, and get to spend some time with my family.  But as the trip started to draw nearer, I commenced panicking.  How would my toddler do on a 13-hour flight?  What if it was awful!?  What if she never adjusted to the time difference and we both were stuck inside a dazed haze of sleep deprivation for 2 weeks?  My fears of the unknown became so overwhelming, I considered canceling the trip. 

Sheep—cute, cuddly looking creatures who like the ‘creature comforts’ of home, need CONSTANT guidance and protection, cannot direct themselves without peril, need to be shorn at least once a year, are fearful of most things, and are prey to almost anything (my definition).  “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned--every one--to his own way, and The Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all,” Isaiah 53:6.  Thank you Jesus, for being our Shepherd.

Rocks...and King Ahab

When I was younger, I went camping pretty frequently with my family.  The first thing we would do when we got to our campsite was to set up our tents.  The easiest way to hammer the tent stakes into the ground was to try and find a rock as a make-shift hammer, and beat the tent stake into the ground.  Even though the rock wasn't as good as a hammer, it could be used anyway.

As I was reading in 1 Kings today, I read something about King Ahab I hadn't remembered.  The story most people remember about him is of him wrongfully accusing and killing a man so he could steal his vineyard, then God killing him and his wife, Jezebel, and the dogs eating her.  Yeah, gruesome story.  But the one I hadn't remembered about Ahab was of the Lord giving him victory is several wars with other nations--specifically having a prophet tell him that Israel would win.  And I thought, why would God use this man--this man who tried to kill all the prophets of God, who tried to kill Elijah, and worshiped Baal, this selfish, ugly-hearted man?  And then I thought of my prayers lately--my urgent prayers to be used wholly by God, and I realized something.  If God can use this man who never really believed in him, who did such evil things, he can use me.  Simple as that.  If I am a willing, serving, faith-filled vessel, I will be used by God.  So, in turn, I have to stop just asking God to use me, and start moving.  It doesn't mean I don't seek God, it just means I have to step out in faith that He loves me and IS using me to his glory!  Anyway--my thoughts on 1 Kings today :).  It's pretty interesting!  You should give it a read!

Wednesday morning poem

There's a book in my hand,
a cup of coffee in my lap,
and friends--just this morning--that have made me laugh.
There are toys and books strewn about the floor,
cloth diapers in the washer,
and, because it's Wednesday, the lawnmowers roar.
Today my hair curled, naturally, as it should,
my favorite sweats were pulled out of the wood (closet that is).
The air is a crisp Californian 65,
time for a sweater before we drive.
Fiona is slumbering in her bed,
her recently favorite bunny pulled close to her head.
The dogs snooze in the sunny spot on the rug,
as I read The Word, hoping on my heart He will tug.