The Potter and the Clay

A friend of mine wrote about wives and husband and how Christian women pray for their husbands to be changed, saved, whatever the need is at the time.  However, we as women have to be willing to change to.  To let God change us and mold us. How the fact that in a marriage we are two made into one. If only one of the couple is changed, then the masterpiece God put together in marriage, becomes lopsided, in a manner of speaking.  They can function as a whole, but something will be off.  When someone views the masterpiece, they may see it right away, or they may wonder...what is it.....what is off?  It isn't the fault of the Potter but the clay has been unyielding and their is a bubble or a crack. Under pressure and heat this bubble or crack can grow worse or be hidden.  It all depends on the clay.  The Potter will not force the clay to yield, but He works with it until it does yield. This is a process. It does not happen over night.

So for all those women praying for lost husbands, wayward husbands, Godly men who have issues that no one knows, do not give up.  God is working.  As women we have to yield to the Master and be willing to change to. Our husbands issues and faults do not lie in our hands, but God's hands.  We can not fix it, only God can.

However, we can yield and let God fix us.  We can yield to the molding, the fires of purifying.  Letting God do what HE wants in us to make us what He wants us to be.  To equip us for the work He has called us to.

When a potter works on his masterpiece, he uses many different tools.  Sometimes, he uses a chisel, sometimes water and his gentle hands, sometimes a soft bristle brush, and yet other times a hard bristled brush.  It all depends on what He is trying to make.  What flaw he is trying to work out of the clay. 

 Sometimes the molding feels pleasant and gentle.  Other times, it plainly hurts and feels as if something is being torn out. Why?  Because some things only come out by giving into pain, so that the Master can then take His gentle, soothing hands, and sooth away the scar/hole left by what was taken out.  He has the master plan.  He knows the design.  He knows what it will take to make the final masterpiece.

When we yield to the molding, making, breaking...we allow the Master to make us into something  beautiful.  There are times we have to be so broken, that part has to be built up again.  It is in those moments, God truly takes what was meant for pain and sorrow and turns our mourning into dancing.  And from our pain comes strength for the journey He has called us to.

 I yield Lord, Jesus. To your hands. Mold me and make me into what You want. Help me yield and not fight the process. Help me not worry about what the process is like for others because you are their Master working on them in the way they need.  

While my journey may be different.  When you match me with my husband or other believers we not only become a "matched set" but a masterpiece that works together. A masterpiece that draws others in, to be molded.  

Let me be a vessel of honor that brings in people to your Kingdom.  You are the Potter....I am the clay. I am in Your hands.  

Family Reunion

There we all were in days gone by, so
young, so innocent so cute and sweet.
Those were the days, you played in the yard without shoes (unless like myself you borrowed someones sock and shoe--see picture).  You ate watermelon with the juice running down your belly. You played unaware of the bugs, the heat, and the dirt.  Those were innocent, fun filled days. You could count on Grandma to have the cookie tin always full and the best fried chicken anyone could ever make.  My Grandma could make better chicken than the Colonel EVER could.  Those were the days, you drank out of the water hose and ran free in the yard or the neighbors fields.  Those were the days, parents didn't worry as much about their  children crossing paths with some stranger who would steal them away.  Although it did happen, those were different times.  A gaggle of children were always together, playing, running, laughing and screaming.

This past weekend I went to a family reunion.  We "children" now have children of our own.  Life is different.  Freedom to play and run is not the same.  However, our kids do not realize it, so they run, laugh, play and scream.  They love to hear about when we were kids.  Those of us who made it to the reunion, seemed to pick up, right where we left off.  Time and distance was not a boundary and love does not go away.  Hugs and joy upon seeing faces you haven't seen in yours; can not be measured.  The love of family is a timeless, endless joy. Miles may come between us and years may lengthen the time we see each other face to face, but love......love goes on. 

The legacy left to us by our grandparents is love.  Those children sitting on those steps have gone different ways and experienced different things...but there is one things that binds us together.  LOVE.  The heritage we need to pass down to our children is love.  Families were designed by God for just that reason..LOVE. 

God the Father sent His only Son into the world that we all might be adopted into HIS family.  His love goes on and on and does not die. 

One day there will be a grand and glorious family reunion. We will be reunited with family that has gone on before us.  We will be meet our Father in Heaven..face to face.  We will behold the Savior!  That family reunion will be unlike any other.  There is only one way to get there....you have to be adopted into the family, through the sacrifice of the son.  Are you ready for the reunion?  You have already received the invitation.  All you have to do is answer the RSVP.  Yes I am coming, I want to be in the family...I accept this gift of life. 
I have turned in my RSVP as a YES I am coming...Have you?

Thunderstorms, rain and kids

The sky is growing darker....the rain is starting to fall...the thunder is a clapping and the lightning can be seen by all.

We were going to do a drive by book drop off at the library and then run home again.  However, I seriously do not want to be caught out in a thunderstorm with a 5 year old who can get really freaked out by storms. 

The other day it was really, really bad.  And I told her about how Jesus spoke to the storm and said Peace Be Still and the storm stopped.  She wanted me to do it.  (She has more faith in Mama's prayers than Mama does. I think I just learned a lesson.)

So I opened up the back door and shouted out into the storm
"Peace Be Still, In Jesus Name".  And you know what.........the storm began to calm.  Jenny said "Yep..it works."  My other two kids said of course it works.
I was floored by their faith in my prayers. I sometimes, feel, like my prayers do not get past the ceiling.  However, my children think that Mommy's prayers bring results. 

Any time they feel bad or get an owie.  They come to me..."Mommy pray for me".  And I do.  They turn around and go back to what they are doing satisfied.  And even the times, my prayers were not answered right away, and the flu or fever raged on, they did not doubt.  They just said thanks Mommy...I do feel better now.  It isn't necessarily that the symptoms were better, but their spirits felt better.

What a lesson to say that even when we can not see the answer to our prayers, they have an effect.  Prayers do not go out void before our Father.  He hears them everyone.  He sees our tears and stores them in a bottle.  If He does that...how much more precious are our words to Him.

He loves to hear from us.  If we listen, we can hear Him too. Even if it is through the voice of our child saying "It works"...after we prayed.  That is the Father saying "I hear you"

Interview with a 5 year old Cowgirl

Question:  What is best about being five?

Jenny:  Going to school.

Question: What do you think you will learn in school?

Jenny:  I think I will learn writing and writing my whole name.  I will learn the rest of the numbers. 

Question:  What do Cowgirl's do?

Jenny:  They ride horses.  They say yeeeeeeee haaaaaaa.  They play with toys. 

Question: What do you want to be when you grow up?

Jenny:  A veterinarian.  I will take care of animals.  But not the icky ones. And only the nice ones.  Not snakes or spiders or anything that bites.  But Monkeys.  I like them.

Question:Where do you wish you could go?

Jenny: Disney World.

Question:  Why?

Jenny:  Cause I want to have fun.  Jesse the Cowgirl is there.  Bullseye is there and I will ride him.

Jenny:  I am done with this interview please.

LOL........too many questions I guess..LOL.

Wordless Wednesday

Has it really been 3 months.........

Since I uttered a word in the blogosphere.  I can blame it on partially being busy with all 3 kids home, but not entirely.  Some of it....is brain block.  Summer brain block.  Lazy days breed brain block.

But our summer has been fun, even if we have stayed home for the most part.  Jenny turned 5 this month and I realize I forgot to post her birthday letter. I will do that later today or this week.  Better late than never.

Now we are gearing up for school.  To say the kids are excited, is to put it mildly. They would have gone back the next week, if the option was available.  They LOVE school. 

I am still looking for a job.  I want to work they same hours they are in school.  Time will tell.  I am praying about other ideas and options to bring income in as well.....babysitting, blogging(supposedly you can earn money doing this), things to make money from home that is NOT a SCAM.  There are a lot of scams out there!

So here I am, at almost the end of summer and trying to jump back into the blogoshpere.  Hopefully, I will be posting more often.