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Saturday, January 2, 2010
Perception....
I am beginning to feel as though the holidays are slowly coming to an end. We just celebrated Christmas with Mike's side of the family on New Years Eve. His sisters travel in from other states, so because of Christmas landing on a weekend this year, it pushed things back a bit. I have really enjoyed staying home and just being with my family. I haven't had to dress up, put on make-up, fix my hair or any of those things that I typically feel the "need" to do when going out. ( YOU southern women understand, that's the way the way that we show that we "have it all together...everything is under control". Hair rolled and "set", fully faced with eyeliner, blush, lipstick, and not to mention the "outfit" that fits just "so")
The other day, Mike was at work, my two older ones were asleep and my five younger ones were playing with their new Christmas "goodies". I was trying to get a little bit of my LOTS of laundry done that had accumulated over the days prior. The phone rang and it was a girl from Atlanta that I was going to meet near the interstate and get some 147 million orphan gear that she had left over from a fundraising party that she had done for a friend that is in the process of adoption. I got off the phone, started calling to the kids to get in the car so that we could meet her and "what before my wandering eyes did appear? Two little WHITE brown kids that looked like powdered covered doughnuts!!!!"
I grabbed them, took them to the car, and off we sped to meet my friend from Atlanta. I did NOT want her to have to wait on us because she was doing ME a favor. I have not had time to take down my Christmas lights in my van, so they were ON (Yes, I drive a 15 passenger van that has colored Christmas lights strung all along the ceiling for us to REALLY feel as though it is CHRISTmas!) As I am talking to my little ones about staying out of my bathroom and I look in my rear view mirror and there are BLUE lights flashing and the officer is pointing his finger telling me to pull over. SERIOUSLY? The officer walks up to my van, peeks into my back window (no doubt to see how pretty my Christmas lights look inside) and saw my little powder covered chocolate doughnuts in the back. By the time he reached my window, he was at a loss for words so I obliged him and said "Yessir, it's been ONE OF THOSE MORNINGS!" He kindly checked my record and saw that I am a law abiding citizen rather than someone from the "looney farm" and let me go without a ticket for speeding. My mind INSTANTLY went to "what does he REALLY think of me?"
We had a conversation at my in-laws house about how everyone opens their gifts with a smile for fear that we might disappoint the one who spent money and time buying it for us. We got tickled thinking about the responses that we might receive if we were ALWAYS honest about the way that we really feel about things in life rather than thinking about others feelings. Here are a few of the pics that came out....
We laughed at each other and had so much fun while opening gifts this year. I looked through these pics later, and these faces remind me of some of the looks that I receive sometimes when I am out with my children. I have a choice to laugh or cry. (Gwen reminds me regularly..."we laugh...we DON'T cry!!!!) So most of the time I laugh. This morning during my quiet time I was reading in Samuel. He was lecturing Saul on his desire to follow Christ. Do you think all God wants are sacrifices-empty rituals just for show?
He wants you to listen to HIM!
Plain listening is the thing, not staging a lavish religious production.
Not doing what God tells you is far worse than than fooling around in the occult.
Getting self-important around God is far worse than making deals with your dead ancestors.
Because you said NO to God's command, He says NO to your kingship.
What do I REALLY focus on? Things that are of importance to the world or to my Saviour? He is VERY clear in the things that are important to HIM in scripture. And most of his heart issues are not "fully faced, hair fixed nice, cute outfit on, all together and under control!"
HMMMM....when I think about Christ's heart He seems to have all sorts of upside down viewpoints. "blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven" (Matt 5:3) He said the first would come last and the last come in first. (Matt. 20:16) The weak are considered strong, and the strong considered vulnerable (1 Cor. 1:27-29) The poor are rich and the rich are poor (Rev. 3:17-18) The humble are exalted, and the proud are brought down. (Luke 1:52-53)
Maybe it is MY viewpoints that I am BOMBARDED with DAILY in our comfortable little world that are "upside down?"
My prayer for the New Year is that my heart will be MORE and MORE in tune with Christ and Christ ALONE. That my focus will be HIS heart and the lens that I look through daily will be CLEAR and not tainted with the world...join me?
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About Me
- suzanne
- I am a lover of Jesus. I have the most fabulous husband that anyone woman could ask for. The Lord has blessed us with 7 beautiful children. I started this blog so that friends and family could follow our trip to Uganda to visit Katie Davis. I have decided to keep blogging to help bring orphan awareness to the world around me.
22 comments:
You don't know me (one of my friends, Meia Evans, is friends with your sister, I think--i may have it wrong) but anyway, I follow your blog and have for a while and just want to let you know you are doing a great job and we all have days like that:) Thanks for sharing your life and for your heart for the orphan...God sees and He is the most important:) May God bless everything your hands touch and may you have HIS peace---Happy New Year---Jennifer Morrison (www.oursweetleap.blogspot.com)
I just love this! You always make me think and I am so appreciative for the love you show through your life and family.
Blessings,
Amy
I just had to show you the picture of my little chocolate doughnut:
http://theforestroom.blogspot.com/2009/08/life-in-toddler-world.html
(You have to scroll down.)
Happy new year to you!
Suzanne - oh precious friend - don't we all have days like those! I LOL white chocolate donuts. Oh my!
I'm joining you that this will be a year I can say I leaned more on Christ than myself - trusting and obeying Him. Stepping out fully of my comfort zone!
Blessings and love,
Jill
amen girl! I'm joining with ya! btw...i had to show my husband those pics! they gave me a good chuckle ! so cute!
I need a Josie Love hug soon.
I love reading your words. They are always such an inspiration to me.
Great post! Those pics of the kids in the baby powder are just absolutely precious!! My heart is overwhelmed with joy thinking about what a GREAT Christmas Josie Love had this year!! God is SO SO very good, all the TIME!
hilarious...looks like my house :) my little ones running around...well, i don't have the older two sleeping :) But a mess WE CAN DO!! happy new year, kj
I laughed out loud. The powdered donuts were the cutest things! Thanks for your perspective. Moms UNITE!
First of all your pictures of course made me laugh. Being pulled over by the police officer was classic, and your words were beautiful.
ok, I had the same kind of thing happen with a trooper once where I got pulled over and I was eating breadsticks with marinara between my legs. When I pulled over for speeding I spilt the marinara. When he came up to my car I got out and I had this marinara dripping from my legs and dflsjj area and he just walked back to his car and said I never saw ya! I think he was so embarressed. Have a great day!
oh, my! it's never good when the little ones get in mama's bathroom...lol! those are the cutest pics, all covered in powder and lovin' every second:) when benj and ansley were little, they went missing, and i found them in my bathroom...ansley had painted benj all over with nail polish! dark nail polish...his eyes, his whole face. it had to wear off b/c we couldn't put remover on his face! what a fun memory even "those kind of days" are!! karen
Hi! I know that I am a stranger to you, but I just would like to say thank you for sharing your life with Jesus! This is so beautiful to hear about and I am extremely blessed to have read this event!! I read Katie's also! Jesus is so cool and you are right... creative!!!
Thank you again!- Colleen:)
Wow! What wonderful words of inspiration! Thank you for sharing them and for helping me focus on what is so important for this new year!!
Allison
www.stumpfamily4.blogspot.com
after laughing my head off....i really read and needed your post. thanks.
Oh how I love your blog! In fact, I have an aquaintance who is adopting from Rwanda and I am planning on giving her your blog information because you have such amazing advice on integrating different skin colors into one big beautiful family. Thank you for sharing your world and your life with all of us!
RaVae
I don't know if you already know about this photo or not, but I think I recognized Josie Love, when she was little baby.
Check it out (Kathryn and baby Josephine) www.achristianhome.org/Kathrynsletters/index.html
Is it Josie?
I am laughing and crying at this post! Love you and want to join in on the focus of Him only! BTW: want to eat the powdered sugared chocolate covered donuts! too cute!
I love all the new pictures! Thanks for sharing; helps me keep updated pictures of the family, too!
Love you,
MaMa Gaye
The little powdered doughnuts are the most precious things I've ever seen. I heard you and Gwen speak at Covenant today and was so touched. You are amazing and Jesus shines so brightly through you. Thank you for sharing your story and for encouraging my heart. I am wearing my new tshirt right now and can't wait to support 147 MO in every way that I can. God bless you and your sweet family....
Love,
Mary Elizabeth Wiggins
Your pics are adorable. We have 6 adopted children and hope to adopt 2 more from Uganda. I was referred to you for advice. How did you do your adoption from Uganda?
Cindy
mom to 9
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