Witches and other fears

My daughter has been having more nightmares lately. This morning she crawled up on my lap and recounted her horror, "I had a dream that witches took me and I could never come back."

Now, just so you know, I don't let our kids watch anything that could be potentially disturbing, but things do seep into their awareness... witches, for one.

Knowing all too well the effects of a sensitive spirit and a life-time battle with nightmares, my heart aches for her.  But I know better than to salve it all with lies.  The truth is, the world is a scary place and nothing is certain.  Although I'm pretty sure she'll never be kidnapped, I can't promise it. Evil reaches every corner. But I do not want to dwell on what Satan is doing here on Earth.

Instead I want to combat fear with truth--namely, God's character.  When we look to Him, who He is and how BIG He truly is, our fears shrink into shadows.

" [...] the first step toward having spiritual authority over the adversary is having peace in spite of our circumstances. When Jesus confronted the devil, He did not confront Satan with His emotions or in fear. [...] He simply refused to be influenced by any other voice than God's. His peace overwhelmed Satan, His authority then shattered the lie, which sent the demons fleeing" (Francis Frangipane, The Three Battlegrounds).

Jesus knew his share of trials: ridicule, misunderstanding, scorn, rejection, hatred, temptation, loss, and the ultimate in suffering.  And yet, he never wavered.  He kept going back to who the Father was, why He had sent him, and what His Word said.  Truth.
Like our Savior, we are no less exempt from pain.  Our perspective on it is what counts.

"I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” John 16:33

Our circumstances are not an accurate reflection of God's goodness. Whether life is good or bad, God's goodness, rooted in His character, is the same. 

Helen Grace Lescheid

Random Thoughts

My heart has been rather messy this week... slopped around in putrid anger, impatience, frustration, and a deep desire for understanding and justice and confrontation.

But I don't always get my way.  And good thing too, I guess. My flesh craves justice and has a strong  vision for making it right.  Making my heart understood. Protecting those who've been wrongly used.  And yet, through my frustration, God is showing me a deep pride that needs to be released.

My security and identity don't rest in another's understanding or assessment of me.  

My purpose doesn't lie in how others choose to do life apart from me. 

My hope doesn't hold onto the temporary injustices.

God tells me who I am, and I need to be going to him for assessment and truth. "Search my heart, see if there is anything unclean in me."

God determines my path and it won't necessarily look like my fellow sojourners. 

God will be final Judge and Jury; He will hold everyone into account--including myself. 

And I can rest in this... I must.

Other random thoughts....

Ann Voskamp's words keep filtering through my responses, Perhaps our greatest daily temptation is to be impatient — to refuse to suffer.

rrendering to suffering — a willingness to wait — a carrying of the Cross.

And I'm not where I want to be...

As I point a finger at others, and fume, "you're ungrateful, petty, prideful, and selfish,"  God turns my eyes inward and says, "yes, that may be so, but let me be God in their lives... let me work on your heart now."

Be not angry that you cannot make others as you wish them to be, since you cannot make yourself as you wish to be. Thomas Kempis

a mind in prayer

This morning, as I was working on a project, my kids pulled a tub of toys into the living room and proceeded to dump  the contents out on the floor.  The upside-down tub quickly became a table, which they then covered with plastic play food. 

Out of the corner of my eye I saw them take their respective places and my 3-year-old said a sweet prayer of thanksgiving.  Did my heart warm at the sound of those words? You betcha.  

About a year ago, she'd pray.  Even volunteer to.  But not so much today.  We don't push it on her, even though we still ask periodically.  At this stage of life, I want her to see us model it and not force her to become a legalistic prayer.  

But as I grow and learn more about what it means to be in constant communion with God, I want my children to desire to communicate (and listen) to God.  It's vital.  

And this "ah-ha" (well, hello, yes) moment hit me this morning.  If I want them to desire to pray, I need to pray for that end.  
It's so ridiculously simplistic I am embarrassed to share it, but honestly, praying about everything is a new application for me.  At 30 years old, I'm just now starting to scrape the surface. 

My mom purchased me a book recently, Praying God's Word by Beth Moore.  I'm only about twenty-five pages in, but I'm already becoming prompted by the importance of taking our thoughts captive in Christ. 

"There is not in the world a kind of life more sweet and delightful than that of a continual conversation with God." Brother Lawrence

I want my kids to live with God's voice echoing in their heads.  I need to pray power over them. 

"[...]prayerless lives are powerless lives, and prayerful lives are powerful lives; but, believe it or not, the ultimate goal God has for us is not power but personal intimacy with Him" (Moore 6). 

“I would rather teach one man to pray than ten men to preach.”  Charles Spurgeon

Living with Margin

God has been exposing me to much on the topic of priorities and creating margin in life.  Without that flexibility and time to slow down, we find we are hurrying through life, forgetting what we're really here for in the first place.

I have several friends who struggle with this concept. If they have an extra night free or even an extra hour in a day, something gets crammed in.  Some of them are overwhelmed, spiritually, emotionally, physically, and mentally, because they never have time to slow down or breathe.  And some of them feel stuck in this mode because of financial obligations.  It's a tough place to be.

But many of us, don't choose a hectic lifestyle because we have to (money burdens), but because we are trying to prove something--to ourselves or others.  We've lost the ability to say "no" or set healthy boundaries even though, the things we often say "yes" to are leading us to give a nonverbal "no" to the essentials (family time, sleep, prayer, etc.).

Cut out that which seems good to invest in the best. ~Ann Voskamp

Thankfully, my life is relatively manageable right now.... mostly.

My area of struggle lies in the emotional tank.  When my reserves are gone and I'm running on fumes, I look at the clock and it's only 2:30: back-up doesn't arrive until 5:00.  And boy, by the time Aaron comes home, he's getting my emotional left-overs.

But the problem doesn't rest with how much my kids are taking, but in whether or not I'm bothering to fill up my tank.

What do I use nap time for anyway?  Shower?  Good thing.  Blogging?  Nice outlet.  Exercising?  Keeps me feeling tamer.  Facebook?  Hmmm...

When I use my nap time to invest in my connection with God, I'm freed up to live in love, to be more patient, to understand my purpose, to cope.

But I have to say "yes."

I read this morning some quotable lines from Brother Lawrence.  "We are to be pitied for our willingness to be satisfied with so little. God has infinite treasures to give us and still we are satisfied with a brief passing moment of piety. There is no mode of life in the world more pleasing and more full of delight than continual conversation with God."

We need to remember our purpose and invest in that which has the highest return.  That doesn't mean we have to sacrifice the mundane (laundry, cleaning, etc.) or trivial (dance class, volunteer service, etc.) but focus on our motivation and leave room for the most essential in life.

A new blog!

So, I realize this blog isn't the place to be posting updates (legal action, articles, areas of involvement) for MACE (Moms Against Child Exploitation).

But I do want a place for that.  God is growing something in my heart, even if I can't see the full bloom yet, but it needs a little room to expand.

So, I hope you join me as we watch it unfold.  http://momsagainstchildexploitation.blogspot.com/2012/08/i-hate.html

MACE: Moms Against Child Exploitation

An estimated 100,000 to 300,000 children are at risk of commercial sex exploitation in the United States, according to End Child Prostitution and Trafficking (ECPAT), which created the tourism code.

Sex trafficking isn't prostitution, which is engaging in sex with someone for payment. The crime of sex trafficking has three parties: one person holding the victim, while using "force, fraud or coercion" to make the victim engage in sex acts for payment, and the third party paying for the sex, said Brad Myles, executive director of the Polaris Project, which operates the hotline with funding from the U.S. government. If the victim is a child, no force, fraud or coercion is required for the sex to be a crime. (http://www.cnn.com/2012/02/29/travel/hotel-sex-trafficking/index.html)

What? At least 100,000 children are being used every year for prostitution or porn in the USA.  The average age is 13, but some are much younger. 

Where?  Major cities are worse (Las Vegas, D.C., Atlanta, Dallas, etc.), but child pornography and pimping takes place all across the country, even here  in the Midwest.  “The first 20 or so times were the hardest.  Then you sort of get used to it and you don’t think as much about it.” –Former child sex trafficking victim from Kansas City, Missouri.

How?  Some girls are trying to escape an abusive family life.  Many are from foster homes.  Others are just rebelling, but most of these girls are running away enticed away from their families by a pimp posing as a boyfriend.  He promises them a life of “dreams come true” and love “ever after.”   They have no idea what they are getting into until the rape and physical abuse starts and then the demands to take tricks.  They are then trapped because of their age, lack of finances (they don’t get to keep any of the money), physical abuse, and the fear and manipulation.  Many fear for their lives if they even contemplate escaping.

When?  Pimps steal these kids under the guise of love and escape and they also kidnap outright.  They look for kids at busy places, like malls, schools, parks, and group homes. 

Why? Part of the major problem lies with the prosecution.  These children are often made to feel the criminals instead of the victims they are.  Although they are the ones to spend jail time, pimps are rarely found or prosecuted and “johns”—the men buying and placing the demand—often escape with no consequence.  Buyers need to face harsher penalties.  As long as there are people to buy, there will be product to sell. 

I would love to get some feedback (if you feel so led).  What types of ways could we spread awareness and provoke change?