A Million Yeses

For as long as I can remember I envied other children who were loved in every way by their parents.
For as long as I can remember I wanted that too.

And for as long as I can remember I've thought, "they have something I don't have," and asked, "why don't I?"

Over the years I've come up with about a million reasons why they do and I don't.

I now know those thoughts were from the devil,  and for a million reasons I wish I would've "shut him the hell up" back then.

But I didn't.  

Soon, I started looking at, well, just about everything through a blurry lens of "they have what I don't," and "why don't I have that too?"
 
They have good parents. Why don't I?
They have nice houses. Why don't I?
They have the stylish clothes. Why don't I?
They have popularity.  Why don't I?

This is how it went when I was younger, and the only thing that has changed over the years is that there have been more "they haves" and more "why don't I's" added.

They have money.  Why don't I?
They have health. Why don't I?
They have ability.  Why don't I?
They HAVE HAVE HAVE!  WHY DON'T I?!!

The real issue was... no, is,  that I have been ticked off at God, for, from my {blurry} perspective, showing them favor and withholding it from me.

"Ticked off"  is actually the nice way of putting it.  Truth is, of the million reasons I came up with as to why good things were withheld from me, about 900,000 of those reasons were because of God.
 
Recently, I heard a song that speaks what feels like a million truths into this area.
It's another Sara Groves song- Open My Hands.

Before you listen to it (Oh, and I hope you don't skip that part, and that you do... especially if you've had blurry vision, too) Sara shared the following in an interview regarding the inspiration of the song.

From Psalm 84:11
"the LORD bestows favor and honor; no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless."

Sir Richard Baker comments, "but how is this true when God often withholds riches, and honors, and health of body from men though they walk ever so uprightly?  We may therefore know that riches and honors and bodily strength are none of God's good things, and the good things of God are chiefly; peace of conscience, joy in the holy Spirit, fruition of God's presence, and a vision of His face in the next.  These good things God never withholds from the godly. 

"riches and honor and strength of body are none of God's good things"

My vision has been so distorted as to what "good things" are.

Now listen

     

 "I am nodding my head and emphatic yes to all that You have for me."  

I am nodding my head a million yeses!

A million yeses to God's good things; to peace, and joy in the Spirit, to present God, to the promise of one day being fully with Him.

Oh, His good things are the best things.

 Live in Peace,

Remember that time...

Wednesday morning my mother-in-love Instagram'd a photo of Bass Lake covered in 4.1 inches of snow... 

I blame her for what happened next.

The wheels in my mind got to turning...'What if??'
I called my m.i.l. to check on the road conditions in Bass Lake (30 miles away). I told her, (a former president of a local school board), what I was considering. Her response was "do it!"
That was just the nudge I needed.  
I shouted to Josie, "We're going to the snow!"  
My lone-homeschooler was ecstatic. 
She and I loaded the back of the car with the snow clothes and sled, making sure they were out-of-sight. Then we hopped in our Outlook and headed toward Noah and Emilie's high school.
Once there we donned our most serious faces (Smiley Josie had a difficult time with this), walked into the school office, and signed Noah and Emilie out for the remainder of the day for "personal reasons."
A few moments later a concerned Noah and Emilie met us in the courtyard with their backpacks slung over their shoulders. 
Emilie expressed her worry, while Noah asked, "Mommy, what's going on?"
With a non-emotional tone I responded, "I can't talk about it right now," then proceeded to walk to the car.
A little further down the road they implored me to tell them what was happening.  I kept my eyes on the road, remained straight faced, and calmly replied, "I can't talk about it right now."
I drove a little further.
Their imaginations were running wild.  I could feel their anxiety rising...
 and that's when I broke and exploded,

"We're taking a snow day!  

We're going to Bass Lake to play, 

and then 

to The Forks for lunch! 

(The Forks is a seasonal hot spot at the lake, which had just opened the weekend before)

They both sighed with relief and then shouted with excitement!!

And that moment...

it was

 Priceless.

 

Just look at them!
So happy. 

"and I can't afford it, but it's mine."  

Oh how I  LOVE them!

 Only God could love them more. 

At the end of our time, just before returning home to the piles of laundry waiting for me, and before the kids returned home to a bit of extra homework, we chatted about how this was a very good day; a needed day. 

We went on about how this day will go down as one of our "remember that time..." stories. {love}
This mama is glad to add another to our history book.  

And it goes without saying, that the kids are really glad Nana posted her snow covered Bass Lake IG pic. :)
 

 Live in Peace,