White as Snow

I'm not a morning person. I admit it. I never have been.

So, when I awoke this morning to cries from my daughter, I was less than thrilled. Especially when I discovered it was because she couldn't snap her pants.

As I blinked to adjust my eyes to the light of her room, though, I happened to glance out her window and all I saw was white. My reaction was, "Wow!" When we went to bed last night, the grass was green, the road was black, and the sidewalks were gray. Now everything was covered in white.

Are you covered in white? Are you LIVING like you're covered in white?

I have to admit, I often fail at living like that. I get angry with my kids, I get critical of people, I get selfish with my time, finances, [fill in the blank]. All of this just points to my need to keep returning to God's word -- to remind myself of the way that God wants me to live.

In the first chapter of Isaiah, God says to the wicked nation of Judah:
16 “ Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; Put away the evil of your doings from before My eyes. Cease to do evil, 17 Learn to do good; Seek justice, Rebuke the oppressor; Defend the fatherless, Plead for the widow. 18 “ Come now, and let us reason together,” Says the LORD, “Though your sins are like scarlet, They shall be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They shall be as wool."

Aren't you glad you've been washed white as snow? I want that cold wet white stuff outside this morning to remind me of my gracious Savior who shed His own crimson red blood for my evil doings so that I could be white as snow and live in His glorious grace, love and mercy.

"Praise be to the LORD, the God of Israel, from everlasting to everlasting. Let all the people say, 'Amen!' Praise the LORD." (Ps. 106:48)

People

Today I went to Wendy’s for lunch with two of my three children. As we sat there eating in the empty restaurant listening to my four year old talk about trucks and trains, all of a sudden high school students started filling the restaurant. As they sat down around me I started to overhear the conversations. It brought me back to when I was in high school. Did I ever imagine that I would be a mom and a wife or even have the Lord in my life? I then started to think about my early 20’s and the people that the Lord put in my life and how some of them are still a part of my life and some aren’t. God has placed other people in my life. Each of them has entered and left my life at the perfect time.
About two years ago, I had two girlfriends that had a very bad falling out so that they weren’t talking. It however put me in the middle of this fight that they were having. I remember how the Lord placed one of them in my life at just the right time in my late 20’s. At that time she started planting the seeds that lead me to the Lord. She also introduced me to my wonderful husband.
I thought about how His placement of people in my life has changed as I’ve gotten older. I saw how my love for my husband grow and grow over a year of off again, on again relationship and realizing at that moment that I knew he was the one. The Lord has also placed and helped my friendship with my other friend just at the right time for both my life and hers. But as the Lord placed these two women in my life, He has placed others in my life for this season that I am in now. But it makes me think, “Who has He placed in my life so that I can show them His mercy and grace?” Am I aware of the changes of the people in my life? Or how does my life touch other people, I don’t even know.
When I was pregnant with my son, I thought it would be fun to be on a baby story so I wrote in with my story. We were chosen and our story was put on the air. About a year ago, out of the blue a woman emailed us telling us that our story gave her such hope, that some day she would have another baby. I touched that women’s life and didn’t even know it. I also got to thinking, “Do we notice the people in our lives that need Christ? Do we notice that we need Christ in our lives?” Who has God placed in your life and whose life has he placed you in. Take a look around and see who is at preschool pick up with you or that mom at your MOPS group who doesn’t say much. Is it someone who needs a friend or just some help? Just take a look around; is there someone you can share God’s love with today?

Love Languages

Recently Beth Welmaker from Collegeville spoke to our MOPS group about The Love Languages. This classic topic for MOPS meetings goes well with the bible verse from The Adventures in Mothering theme: "...how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ." (Eph 3:18). Beth's talk is based on The Five Love Languages by Gary Chapman, which explains how there are different ways people express love- with gifts, acts of service, words of affirmation, physical touch, and quality time. Beth is an excellent speaker and gives a mulitmedia presentation with wonderful examples, and the women in my group keep talking about how much they got out of her talk.

Beth's speaking web site is: http://www.geocities.com/bethwspeaks/



Sent to Christy Molnar from

Karyn Bosworth, MOPS Coordinator for Messiah Lutheran Church in Downingtown