Ode to the Bath!

I am such a bath person. PD has been away the last 3 months and I hope he is back by Sunday. But it gets rough without him. He is a very involved dad, and he usually gives me a bit of a break after supper. But it's nonstop without him. So I run on adrenalin, and then I can't sleep. Like now! :) So my baths are what really keep me sane. Not only is it warm and relaxing, but it gives me time to pray and meditate, and just be thankful for my blessings throughout my life.

But there's more! Baths are super amazing. If you are dehydrated (like my kids were for about a month of the last 3 months), and you can't keep liquids down (or in), you can take a bath, and your skin - the largest organ of your body - will soak up water directly into your bloodstream. Isn't that amazing! God is amazing to design us in the way He did.

Also, if you are stressed, or love someone that is, you can add epsom salts added to your bath can do amazing things. Check this out! You can better handle stress with more magnesium that comes from epsom salts, on top of baths being completely warm and relaxing and leaving you not much else to do besides actually catch your breath. And of course, the great spiritual element of just being with God and being thankful and reflective reduces stress too.

So, if you are stressed, if you can't sleep or have poor sleep due to stress..take a bath with epsom salts and take some extra time with God. You will feel so much better!!!

Suffering & God's Glory

Even in suffering we have the comforting assurance that suffering has a divine purpose and will one day end. One day we shall all fully understand why God allowed us and the children gifted to us (and those yet waiting for families, or those that are abused by their family) to suffer, and be relieved completely of all things that challenge us. And better for us to help those that are weaker and more fragile in and through their suffering then they do it alone unable to navigate or overcome without Godly guidance, or having their needs met (in all ways); and be the one blessed in doing so because when you risk little you yield little but if you take on something big your fruits will be enormous! God reveals Himself in trials, and builds our character to become more like Him. Paul claimed all his suffering to be light affliction in comparison to the glory of God! And even though the Bible speaks of heaven, I believe there are not words in our language that can even remotely come close to what it will be like.

And I know that this man—whether in the body or apart from the body I do not know, but God knows— was caught up to paradise and heard inexpressible things, things that no one is permitted to tell. 2 Corinthians 12:3-4

To be in God's presence....yes, our eternal reward will blow us away! He is preparing a place just for me, and He gave His son just for me!! And He walks through our suffering with us giving immeasurable comfort, peace and wisdom; and sometimes shows us His miracles.

Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. 2 Corinthians 12:8-10

The Power of GUILT in Legalistic Parenting

What is legalistic parenting? I would define it simply as "Do the crime, do the time" as in, with an infraction there is a punishment. Rather formulaic and hands off in my opinion. Children are not computers; they are living, feeling, spiritual beings.

2 Timothy 2:22-26 (Message Bible) Run away from infantile indulgence. Run after mature righteousness—faith, love, peace—joining those who are in honest and serious prayer before God. Refuse to get involved in inane discussions; they always end up in fights. God's servant must not be argumentative, but a gentle listener and a teacher who keeps cool, working firmly but patiently with those who refuse to obey. You never know how or when God might sober them up with a change of heart and a turning to the truth, enabling them to escape the Devil's trap, where they are caught and held captive, forced to run his errands.

Wow! This is how we are to treat everyone. With gentleness, not quarrelsomeness, coolness and working firmly but patiently.

Compare this with guilt ridden legalism that leads to nonstop failure. Nobody keeps the law all the time. I will be my usual genuine self here. I'm a speeder. Yes, I have a GPS and it says, "You are now exceeding the speed limit". And my kids are in the back saying, "Mom, why are you speeding?" Ouch! Convicted without a ticket!

Well, I got caught once. I was in college and it was about 1:00 and I was hungry and heading home before my 2:00 class. There was a school crossing where it went from 40mph to 25 with the yellow blinking lights. I didn't see any kids around. But I got BUSTED! I paid my fee and now my record is good. But what do I do each and every time I see a police car? Yep! I look down at my speedometer. There is that guilt and that shame. This is the world of legalism, and I am an adult and I can fully understand "do the crime and do the time". But a child cannot. I can't even get my CL to use the toilet, with a bribe to Chuck E Cheese if he stays dry. The idea of delayed gratification, or delayed punishment can't be effective. He is completely incapable mentally to process such things. So yes, grace can be given. He will get there. I will help him, remind him, love him and not fill our relationship with guilt and shame. Guilt and shame do nothing but destroy relationship and inner self confidence. We want to raise our kids in God's Grace and Love, and be Jesus in their lives.

Romans 5 is a beautiful passage to meditate on. Law brings condemnation, Grace brings justification.