Category: Christian Encouragement

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Lent

Lent is fast approaching. I’ve always liked the idea of seasons in the church, times of reflection to focus on different aspects of God. The idea of Lent is something I’ve always found interesting; I’ve even written a devotional for it. But this year, as I’ve been thinking about Lent, I’m having a hard time with aspects of it.

I love the symbology of the ashes that are used during Ash Wednesday services. Ashes remind us of several things:

Charred Tree

Ashes remind us that we are created. “And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.” Gen. 2:7

Ashes remind us of our fallen nature and our need to repent. “I have heard of Thee by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees Thee; Therefore I retract, and I repent in dust and ashes.” Job 42:5-6

Ashes remind us of what Easter is all about. “For if the blood of bulls and goats and the ashes of a heifer, sprinkling the unclean, sanctifies for the purifying of the flesh, how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God.” Heb. 9:13-14

Ashes remind us that Christ, through His death, burial, and resurrection, has set us free from the bondage of sin and has given us “beauty for ashes.”

It’s the other aspect of Lent that I’m having a hard time with – “Traditionally, Lent is a somber time of preparation, a time of self-denial…”

Lent is a time to prepare our hearts for Easter. Easter is about God seeking us out. Easter is a time of great joy, but… it is also a very somber time. The Garden of Gethsemane, the betrayal, the trial, the condemnation, the death on the cross, Jesus bearing the wrath of God for our sins, My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me? Mark 15:34, the burial, the tomb, the darkness, the despair… yes a very somber time.

Maybe that’s why we feel the need to be somber in preparation for Easter – maybe that’s why we feel we need to give up something for Lent? Maybe…

Maybe we want to feel good about ourselves, feel like we’ve done something to earn the forgiveness, the love, we’ve received? Maybe…

Maybe we’ve forgotten, maybe we don’t remember – maybe we think it’s up to us? Maybe…

For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.  For one will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die.  But God demonstrates His own love towards us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.  Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him.  For if while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.  And not only this, but we also exult in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation. ~ Romans 5:6-11 

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. ~ 1Peter 1:3

For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus. Philippians 1:6

“The good news is that Christ frees us from the need to obnoxiously focus on our goodness, our commitment, and our correctness. Religion has made us obsessive almost beyond endurance. Jesus invited us to a dance…and we’ve turned it into a march of soldiers, always checking to see if we’re doing it right and are in step and in line with the other soldiers. We know a dance would be more fun, but we believe we must go through hell to get to heaven, so we keep marching.” ~ Steve Brown

by Tami Munden 

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Light and Darkness

Have you noticed how not all light is equal.  With Incandescent Bulbs being replaced by CFLs and LEDs, many people are wondering – which is best? http://www.cnet.com/news/light-bulb-buying-guide/

I have 2 computer monitors I use for doing website work, they sit side by side on my desk – it’s amazing the color difference; size, pixels, dots, all spread across the surface, mixing to give me an image, a color – but not all are equal.

What is true light?  When I look at the 2 images, which one is more accurate? What will you see on your screen? How can I represent a color to you, or explain it to you, when I don’t even know if you are seeing it the same as I am?

Light – a very strange thing… particles and waves at the same time.  Colors – represented by the wave lengths of the light we can see, but then there is all the light we can’t see – the spectrum of visible light is very narrow.  And yet, have you noticed how when you are in a dark room, your eyes become ‘adjusted’ to the light and what was once darkness now appears light.  It’s not until things get very dark, darkness like you find in a cave, darkness where light doesn’t penetrate that we see clearly that this is dark, black.  When the tiniest bit of light infiltrates, our eyes can adjust.

When the tiniest bit of light filters through, it illuminates, clarifies, and we begin to see. On the other hand, when darkness encroaches, slowly, ever so slowly – we begin to see it as light and our senses are shattered.

Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter! ~ Isaiah 5:20 ESV

Our senses are shattered…  We see it, we see it in the media, we see it in the ever darker chaos around us, we see it in child abuse, we see it in cruelty, we see it and we are confused.

We laugh and applaud people like Bill Cosby when they mock their alleged crimes: http://www.ibtimes.com/bill-cosby-made-rape-joke-london-show-crowd-cheered-report-1778336.

We laugh as Bill Maher says he’d rather have been sexually abused as a child… “And while we won’t print exactly what he said about Michael Jackson and how it relates to the time Maher was beat up by bullies on the playground in 1968, we can suggest you jump to the eight-minute mark on the video above and watch Maher send Kimmel into uncontrolled giggles.” http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/tv/showtracker/la-et-st-bill-maher-tackles-paris-attacks-bill-cosby-on-jimmy-kimmel-live-20150108-story.html

We are confused, our senses are shattered.  Addiction to pornography is rampant; human trafficking is flourishing. (NC Ranks 8th in human trafficking in the nation and Charlotte Ranks 6th nationally for sex exploitation of minors.)

Darkness is encroaching – What do we do?  What do we do…  We run to the light, but… not all light is the same.

Sometimes we think light has to be blaring, exposing all, but in Isaiah 58 we read that “when we see the naked, we should cover him and we are to not to hide from our own flesh.” 

What does this mean?

Light shining through red flowers

I think it means that we remember that we all have weaknesses, that we remember our own need for a Savior.  We reach out with love and compassion, protecting, bringing hope and restoration, not condemnation.  We bring the healing light of love, the love of a Father who gives His son so we may live, the love of the Son, Jesus, willing to die, willing to bear our punishment, so we may be restored. We bring love as Jesus says, “to open their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the dominion of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who have been sanctified by faith in Me.”  Acts 26:18

And we remember that “this is love, not that we have loved God but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.” ~ 1 John 4:10 ESV

And that God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all. ~ 1 John 1:5 ESV

Helpful Links:

Key Life, Steve Brown’s February Blog:  Where Do You Draw the Line with Grace?

End Slavery In Charlotte:  http://endslaveryincharlotte.com/

G.R.A.C.E.:  http://netgrace.org/

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New Year Encouragement

Happy New Year!

1 article, 2 blogs, a niece’s advice and a quote… What a way to start the New Year! I hope you find these as encouraging as I did.

From Tullian Tchividjian we read:

You get the idea. In some ways we get better. In some ways we get worse. And in other ways we basically stay the same. Whoever told us that the experience of life was one of escalating progress lied to us. Most of the time it feels rather static, doesn’t it?

New Year’s Resolutions are a burdening attempt to fix ourselves and make ourselves more lovable. But (and here’s the good news), God loves us as we are, not as we should be.

God’s love for me, approval of me, and commitment to me does not ride on my resolve but on God’s resolve for me. ~ Tullian Tchividjian

To read this complete article, go to: http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2015/01/01/welcome-2015-it-may-be-two-steps-forward-one-step-back-but-here-what-matters/

From David Zahl, director of Mockingbird Ministries and Editor-in-Chief of the Mockingbird Blog:

Two cats peering down from on top of a shelf.
Cheeto and Toby

This is the liberating truth of the Gospel at its most gut level. Life in the shadow of the cross is not some endless trajectory of mandatory improvement. It is not a mission or a project. It is simply life. A life lived with a modicum of self-acceptance in which we act in silly and sometimes self-defeating ways, but where we are free to laugh at ourselves (and cry with others), knowing that we have been given something a whole lot more sturdy to rely on for comfort and value than our own resolutions. What’s more, we are not alone. ~ David Zahl

Read the full blog at: http://www.mbird.com/2012/12/resolving-to-love-calvin-and-hobbes-17-years-later/

From Steve Brown, radio broadcaster, seminary professor, author and the founder of Key Life, we read:

Just because one believes in grace and admits to not living up to the standards (e.g. resolutions), it doesn’t mean that one lowers those standards (or quits making the resolutions). In fact, God’s grace and love make it possible to be honest about the failure and, at the same time, to continue to make the resolutions. ~ Steve Brown

Read this complete blog here: http://www.keylife.org/articles/the-god-of-second-chances

On a side note, my niece posted this on Facebook and I thought it was a great idea, so I wanted to share it:

My favorite part of January 1st!!!
Throughout the year, we keep a jar on our table and fill it with slips of paper noting things -big and small- for which we are especially grateful. Then on New Years Day, we dump it out and take turns reading them out loud, one at a time. Highly recommend doing this! It’s such a beautiful way to start the new year—reflecting on many of the blessings and sweet moments from the previous one. ~ Erin Fede

And lastly, but not leastly… a quote:

There is tremendous relief in knowing that his love to me is utterly realistic, based at every point on prior knowledge of the worst about me, so that no discovery now can disillusion him about me, in the way I am so often disillusioned about myself, and quench his determination to bless me. ~ J. I. Packer Knowing God

Happy New Year!

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Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas!

My Mom in a hospital bed holding a teddy bear

The other day when I was talking to my sister she said something about how it seems bad things happen at holiday times. We were talking about my mom. She has lung cancer which has spread and eaten through her hip bone. We really don’t know how much longer she has here with us.

Sometimes it’s hard to get into the mood to celebrate, when your heart is aching, watching a loved one suffering.

I remember when my dad died, it was at Christmas time. I was in NC, he was in FL. I’m a big tradition person and love family times and all the traditions that go with celebrating Christmas, but that year, as this one, a shadow hung over me and it was very hard to get in the Christmas mood.

When my sister said that about bad things happening at Holidays, I thought, yeah, she’s right, at least in my experience. I remember when my mother-in-law died, a few days after Thanksgiving, and my sister, Granddad, and nephew-in-law – each died right around Easter. Sometimes it was expected, long illnesses, long fights for life, but other times it was quick and so unexpected.

Sometimes Holidays are hard. Sometimes sorrow clings to you as you go through the motions, but sometimes, sometimes… hope breaks through.

My dad sitting in a chair

After talking with my sister, I thought about it and I realized that yeah, bad things happen at Holiday, but there is actually good in that too. Every Christmas I’m reminded of my father’s death and that reminds me of his life. I think back on happy memories of him, especially the day he came to my bedroom door looked at me with his special smile and asked, about my becoming a Christian and then nodded and said ‘yeah me too.’

And then I think about Christmas, and I think about why we are celebrating and I smile. I think of that baby, Jesus, born in a manger so many years ago, I think “God became man, He came and walked among us, He came to give us hope, to give us life, He came to die – to die so we could live.” And I know where my dad is, and where my sister and nephew-in-law, and where Dell, my mother-in-law is. I think about them, sitting on God’s lap as He wipes every tear from their eye (Revelation 21:4), I think of them in a place where there is no more fear, no more suffering, no more sorrow, no more death, and I am reminded of why we celebrate and joy fills my heart.

Does it take away all the pain and sorrow? No, I hurt for those I miss, I long to talk to them and laugh with them, but I know they are happy and at peace. And I know that one day because a baby born in Bethlehem, a baby born destined to die on the cross, I know because of Jesus’ life and death, because God chose to become man and chose to die for us to set us free, I know that one day I will see them again, and I know that one day my mom will be at peace and out of pain, and I know one day there will be no more tears and suffering, one day, yes one day.

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Thankful Heart

Every Christmas I enjoy watching the Muppet Christmas Carol.  I especially like the song Michael Caine sings at the end – A Thankful Heart.  I walk around humming it to myself and thinking about having a thankful heart.  It always makes me think of things I’m thankful for and it just makes me happy.

But then… life happens and I start becoming less aware of my blessings and more aware of things I’m not thankful for and I go back to the humdrum of complacency.

I was reading Max Lucado’s book, Before Amen: The Power of a Simple Prayer and he has a chapter on giving thanks.  He starts the chapter “I’m thankful for…  A… B… C…” and list under each letter of the alphabet things he is thankful for.  What a great idea.  When I read the chapter, I had to smile – it made me think of things I’m thankful for and it just made me happy.

And now it’s November and Thanksgiving is fast approaching.  As it approaches, I think of celebrating with family and friends; I think of laughter, joy and fellowship; I think of good food and good conversation.  But I also think of the hard times and the sad times that we share. I think of the struggles and the disappointments and remember the loss of loved ones and the pain of those hurting and grieving.  And I am so Thankful that we have one another, I am so thankful for love and family, for acceptance and understanding, and for the hope and encouragement we are able to share with one another.  You know… Thanksgiving makes me think of things I’m thankful for and that makes me happy.

Yes, and every night will end
And every day will start
With a grateful prayer
And a thankful heart ~ Paul Williams

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October Grace

On October 31, 1517, Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses on the Wittenberg Door.  These theses were to challenge the church to come back to the truth of Scripture.  The church of the day had gotten away from the good news and started laying down man made laws and imposing their rules on their followers.  These people draw near to me with their mouth, and honor Me with their lips, But their heart is far from Me, and in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commands of men.” Matt. 15:8-9  Martin Luther wanted to turn them back to the truth, that we are not saved by what we do, but we are saved by grace.  Eph. 2:9 tells us For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works lest anyone should boast. 

As Christians homeschooling our Children, we must remember to keep the Gospel, the Good News, in focus.  Once we are saved the Gospel isn’t void.  We are saved and continue to be saved and sanctified by the completed work of Jesus Christ.  Are you so foolish?  Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh? Gal. 3:3  Christianity isn’t about a set of rules and to do list; it’s about living in relationship with our Lord and Savior.  It’s not about trying to be the most ‘spiritual,’ the most ‘sanctified’ the most ‘loved’ Christian; it’s about living daily in the reality of who we are and who God is.

As we homeschool our children, this is an important issue to focus on, since it would be easy to forget this, as our children are sheltered from many of the obstacles and temptations found in the ‘real world.’  Our children could start to feel that for someone to be acceptable and lovable they have to behave in a certain way, or live up to a set standard, or be constrained by certain manmade sets of rules.  There is a great danger in this.  We are saved by grace, not by how good we are.  When we or our children start believing we are more spiritual, more sanctified, more loved because we live or act a certain way we are becoming like the Pharisee who prayed … “God, I thank You that I am not like other men – extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector.  I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess.” Luke 18:11-12

When Jesus came to walk among us, He came to show God’s great love and compassion for a dieing, hurting world.  The Pharisees were angered by His behavior.  They did not like the compassion He showed to the lost or the friendships He developed with the ‘sinner’s.  For John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine, and you say, ‘He has a demon.’  The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Look, a glutton and a winebibber, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ Luke 7:33-35  We also read in Luke:  And their scribes and the Pharisees complained against His disciples, saying, “Why do You eat and drink with the tax collectors and sinners? Jesus answered them and said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick.  I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.  Luke 5:30-32     

Where is your focus?  Where are you directing your children’s focus?  – on living up to yours and others expectations, rules, to dos? or on an awesome Savior who came to nurture, love and die for a diseased world?

Fall trees with quote from Marin Luther
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Focus

From the GRACE Archives – Focus

Seek First the Kingdom of God verse on bark

This month my idea for writing has been focus but I’m having a very hard time getting my focus, getting a clear picture, as to what to write about.  I’ve been perusing scriptures and contemplating ideas but there just seems to be too many directions I can go.  Honing into one and taking off with it or sticking to it is becoming very difficult.

I wonder if this is not somewhat like our Christian faith.  There is so much good we can focus on and so many side roads we can travel.  Sometimes these can be great and can help us to grow in depth and breadth of our knowledge of God, but sometimes we can get side tracked and forget what is really important.

Have you ever noticed when you read or hear something about a topic like parenting or marriage, your focus starts out good (i.e. how can I be a better…?) but soon seems to shift?  We pick up a book ’10 easy steps to becoming a great mate” and start reading with all good intention but soon we start seeing things and think ‘well my mate doesn’t do that….  You mean her spouse actually does…”  Our focus seems to change, we start reading a “how to…” and end up reading a “why doesn’t…”

You can see examples of this in scripture, like when Paul asks the Galatians: “Are you so foolish?  Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh?”  Where did they go wrong?  I think it was in their focus.  Their focus became, as ours often does, how can “I” be a ‘better’ Christian.  We add in how can “I” be a ‘better’ church goer, wife, mother, etc.  As we start focusing on ourselves our vision becomes skewed.  We start with good intentions but, because our focus is internal, our actions tend to be motivated by our gain.  Instead of seeing as God would have us see, our vision is clouded by our I’s.  We start seeing where we have been wronged, used, abused or where we are better, more proficient, more able.  We become bitter, resentful, prideful, discontent.

When this happens we need to stop and redirect our focus back to God.  When we glimpse God, see His glory, all else pales.  When we seek God first; life falls into place.  When our focus is on the love God has shown us, we are able to love; when our focus is on the mercy we have received, we are able to forgive, when our focus is on the hope to come, we can offer hope; when our focus is on God, all earthly cares diminish.  So I would like to encourage each of to start off our school year, focusing on what is important; seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.  Matt. 6:33

By Tami Munden

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Unclean

As for the leper who has the infection, his clothes shall be torn, and the hair of his head shall be uncovered, and he shall cover his mustache and cry, ‘Unclean! Unclean!  Leviticus 13:45

Unclean! Unclean!  The shame and degradation, alienated, afflicted, alone, oh so alone – alone in suffering, alone in shame.

The leper has a disease, a sickness, but must enter the town crying out ‘Unclean, Unclean.’  It’s not their fault they are unclean, they are diseased, but to protect others from a highly contagious disease, they must warn others of their condition.  And yet, think of how they must feel.  Do they feel they are protecting others, or do they feel dirty, nasty, unclean.  Leper! Untouchable! Ostracized, unwanted, unloved.

And a leper came to Jesus, beseeching Him and falling on his knees before Him, and saying, “If You are willing, You can make me clean.”

But Jesus didn’t say, ‘get away from me – you’re unclean!’  Moved with compassion, Jesus stretched out His hand and touched him… The touch of love, of compassion, of healing…  and said to him, “I am willing; be cleansed.” Immediately the leprosy left him and he was cleansed. ~ Mark 40:1-2 NAS

“Unclean! Unclean!”  People flee, judge and condemn – Jesus reaches out, touches, and heals.  Have you ever felt unclean, defiled, unworthy?  I have… but I also have experienced that touch.

On hearing this, Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”Matthew 9:12-13

When I was a new Christian, I shared my testimony with a friend.  When I was finished, she shared her story with me.  She had been raped, she was a teenager and the boy she was dating raped her and she felt so ashamed.  For years she bore that shame alone, afraid of telling anyone, and yet she told me.  She told me because I had bared my shame to her.  Even though our stories were different and our shame came from different wounds, we were the same.  I was wounded, she was wounded – we both knew what it was like to feel ‘unclean.’

Like the child that’s beaten and abused feels shame, shame for having parents like that, shame because they believe if only I could be better, if only I hadn’t…

Like the addict who hates their addiction, whether it be alcohol, drugs, pornography, food, or… They know shame and shame draws them back to their addictions, their escapes.

Their hearts cry out unclean! unclean! stay away! but they long for love and acceptance.  They long for a place where they can share their story and be healed.  They long for hope.

Are we, the church, hiding our stories; are we covering our shame with righteous deeds and closing out the hurting world.  Are we judging, condemning and shaming, crying out ‘unclean! unclean! stay away! don’t contaminate us…

One of the Pharisees asked Him to eat with him, and He went into the Pharisee’s house and reclined at the table. And behold, a woman of the city, who was a sinner, when she learned that He was reclining at table in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster flask of ointment, and standing behind Him at His feet, weeping, she began to wet His feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head and kissed His feet and anointed them with the ointment.

Now when the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, He would have known who and what sort of woman this is who is touching Him, for she is a sinner.” And Jesus answering said to him, “Simon, I have something to say to you.” And he answered, “Say it, Teacher.”

“A certain moneylender had two debtors. One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. When they could not pay, he cancelled the debt of both. Now which of them will love him more?” Simon answered, “The one, I suppose, for whom he cancelled the larger debt.” And he said to him, “You have judged rightly.”

Then turning toward the woman He said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave me no water for my feet, but she has wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You gave me no kiss, but from the time I came in she has not ceased to kiss my feet. You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with ointment. Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven—for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little, loves little.” And He said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.” Then those who were at table with Him began to say among themselves, “Who is this, who even forgives sins?” And He said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.” ~ Luke 7:36-50 ESV

Or… are we sharing our stories, sharing our hope, reaching out with compassion and love to the hurting, the abused, the ‘unclean’?

By Tami Munden

Following are some helpful resources:

Steve Brown, Key Life Ministries – http://www.keylife.org/

Justine and Lindsey Holcomb – Is It My Fault?: Hope and Healing for Those Suffering Domestic Violence – http://amzn.com/0802410243

Justine and Lindsey Holcomb – Rid of My Disgrace: Hope and Healing for Victims of Sexual Assault – http://amzn.com/1433515989

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Free to Fail

“It is high time for the church to remind our broken and burned out world that the Gospel of Jesus Christ is a one-way declaration that because Jesus was strong for you, you’re free to be weak; because Jesus won for you, you’re free to lose; because Jesus succeeded for you, you’re free to fail.” ~  Tullian Tchividjian

Free to fail, what a thought!  I grew up very insecure and felt very much like a failure.  I failed again and again at life, at relationships, at about everything I tried, but then I became a Christian.  Lying on my bed one night, I prayed “God I hurt, I can’t take it anymore, I just don’t want to feel anymore – I want to die, I don’t want to go to heaven, I don’t want to go to hell, I want to just not exist.  Please help me, I know this is wrong.” and then I cried myself to sleep.  When I woke up the next morning, I turned over in bed and looked out of the window and saw it was a new day… A new day… and I had hope.  I hadn’t known hope in a long time, but I woke up with it that morning and my life was changed.  God did it; He gave me a gift, the gift of hope!  What joy I felt.

Years have gone by and life has failed me, people have failed me and I have failed them.  I know failure and have come through it, but I still fear it.  The fear of it paralyzes me at time.  I’m not free to speak, to act, to write because I fear failure.  Not only do I fear failure, I fear being rejected, being mocked, being hurt and those fears paralyze me.  I become like the man who hid his talent, buried it in the ground, because he knew that if he lost it… so he just buried it.  That’s me; time after time I bury myself.  I actually picture it – when I’m afraid, when I feel I’ve let people down, when I let myself down, I picture myself crawling into a big hole in my backyard and burying myself.

I read an article recently about letting your children fail and I realize how my fears have affected them – I don’t want to fail, I don’t want them to fail, so I protect them, I shelter them.  I don’t want them to know the hurt, the pain I’ve known, I want them to be happy and to succeed.  I want it for them.  But you know, I also want it for me.  When they fail, I feel like I’ve done something wrong, I’ve let them down, I didn’t say the right thing, I didn’t respond in the right way and I realize I expect perfection.  Not just from them, but from myself.  What a burden I have put on, not only myself, but my family.  I pray that they will forgive me and that I will forgive myself.

But then I look away from myself and I am reminded that God loves me and I love my children.  When they fail, or when they fail my expectations, I don’t stop loving them, I don’t see them as failures, I see them as my children whom I love dearly.  It’s not about what they do or don’t do, it’s about them – it’s about love.

Gardenias with quote

By Tami Munden