Lavished with Love

Becoming a mama changes your world in every way, and I don't mean to scare you in thinking all those ways are bad =) Sure, there are sacrifices you have to make, but on the whole, I love how motherhood has increased my capacity for so many things--my capacity to love and to feel, to have compassion not only for my child but for the world at large.  I've heard it said that once you have children, every child becomes your own.  In a sense, that's true.  Now when I hear of certain situations, I ask myself, What if that were my child? And I'm able to cry and pray for them as a mother, not just an observer.  My heart feels stretched because through parenthood, God allows us to mimic His great heart.  What a privilege to know a little more of Him and how He loves. 

With that said, there's one scene in particular from the movie The Blind Side that breaks my motherly heart.  It's the scene where Leigh Anne takes Michael back to the projects to get his belongings.  He tells her to stay in the car and goes to look for his mom.  Rather than finding his mom, he finds an eviction notice on her padlocked door.  He sits down against the brick building and just cries; motherless, broken, but too proud to face anyone. 

When I see this, I'm pierced with the thought that no one should ever feel like this. 

I just watched a testimony of a young lady at our church who struggled with an eating disorder, which you can watch here: Angel's Story  Again, I was moved to tears listening to how she struggled with feeling loved, feeling beautiful.  Too many young people today don't know their worth and value, and quite frankly, it angers me.  I'm not blaming anyone for causing Angel's disorder.  In fact, I'm thankful that she had a loving and supporting team around her to overcome it.  It angers me because it's a lie of the enemy that has gripped this world to forget "what great love the Father has lavished on us--" lavished on us (1 John 3:1)!

When God's children are lost, it breaks His heart because He is a great father and He cannot see His children as anything less than beautiful, precious, cherished, of greatest wealth and valued, and so ridiculously loved. 

 How could I see him as anything less?  And how it would break my heart if he did.

Young people!  See yourself in the truth of who you are!  His beautiful beloved!

Joshua Story: Did God Forget??

For those of you who don't already know, I have a little brother who is 12 years-old.  He was born when I was a sophomore in high school, so in many ways, he was more like my baby than my brother.  I experienced so many charming nuances of a growing baby and child through my brother and adored every moment of it.  I still see him as a baby and fondly reminisce his younger days, so I've decided to periodically blog these stories for your reading pleasure, and also to remember them.

Today's story takes place when Joshua was about 4 years-old.  His (older) cousin had gotten him a trike for Christmas.  One day, he and I decided to walk/trike to the mall which is not too far from our house.  When we got to the mall, Joshua had to use the bathroom; and he had to go number two.  Well, he was too little to wipe himself or be in the stall alone, and we couldn't leave the trike outside for fear someone may steal it, so I found myself cramped against the bathroom stall door with a bulky trike between me and my pooping brother, hoping he would hurry up but not rushing him.

Another thing about Joshua is that he always thinks while he's on the toilet.  Often times I have heard him having conversations or singing happily to himself when he's doing his business, and he would shyly stop when someone came within (his) ear sight.  Not unlike those times, he was thinking about something in depth this day on the toilet at the mall when he asks me, "Jagunnoona [little big sister]? Why do girls sit down like two times? Like they sit down when they poo and when they pee!"

I very matter-of-factly replied, "Because, Joshua, girls don't have a ggochu [weewee]."


To which he could only respond with a face somewhat like this:

 

followed by the exclamation, "Everybody have a goochu!!!"

"Girls dont," I continued. "That's what makes us different."

"Oooh," he concluded.  And put the matter to rest.  Or so I thought. Five minutes later, he looks up slowly from his seat, (still pooping,) eyes widening, and asks, "Did God forget????"