Be Still and Know...

Colossians 1:10 says, “And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God.”

I need to think on this a moment...

How do I really go about living a life worthy of the Lord?

If I am honest, I don't have a place to begin. All I know to do is drop to my knees and ask. I must learn to silence the rush of thought, and embrace the stillness...to seek His face and turn an ear toward His gentle whisper.

And then...

to please him in every way!

Yes, I need to spend awhile on these weighty words as well...a good, long while.

Lord, I seek the answers only You can provide. Infinite wisdom is Yours alone. Please, teach me to slow; to bend my knee and lay aside all the many things which clutter my life and hurry my pace. Lord, you were never hurried. You were deliberate. Teach me to be still in You... so that I might know You...

Lord, make me more like You in every way.

Tree Identification

The picture doesn't do it justice... it has pretty little brown and white polka dot ribbon connecting the windows and scalloped edging.

As the leaves begin to change, the littles have been collecting. They remind me of little squirrels storing up nuts for the long winter. They are so eager to get outdoors to see what lies in wait of discovery.

So we've really taken a liking to leaves and trees this season. Fall offers such beautiful display of the awe and wonder of our amazingly creative God. It's been fun to turn said littles loose on a nature trail and see what each decides to bring back....tiny treasures clutched to their chests with wide eyes and even wider smiles. We decided last week to press a few of these treasures. Today, we used them for a few rubbings before making them into a pretty, leaf-identification window display.

Nature Study Oct 6th: Goldenrod

We ventured out to Oxley Nature Park this week with hope of finding lots of goldenrod and maybe a gall or two. We did find bunches of goldenrod, milkweed, & thistle... along with a giant spider, some lichen, fungi, tadpoles, turtle shells and much more. Unfortunately, we didn't see any galls on the plants we checked out.

The littles also learned, if they were ever to get lost in the woods, to seek out which side of the tree moss is growing on - for it almost always grows on the north side of the tree. This was exciting for Oldest Little as we had been chatting a bit on ordinal (cardinal) directions last week.

Nature Study has become one of the true highlights of our week. We are loving all the fun things each nature center area has to offer. The littles are learning to identify all sorts of bugs, plants, and trees...all in their natural environment. What makes it an even greater blessing is the company we keep. The kids and I have made amazing friends in this group. We do typical "play date" stuff (as the kids are mostly early elementary age and younger), but it's all wrapped up in a whole lot of learning done by parent and child alike.

Perspective...

Lord, give me eyes to see Your world clearly...the way You see it. I cannot give away, to my children, that which I do not possess. Often, it feels impossible to me...the grasping of just how rich I am...

As I sit hear listening to my littles argue over a small, rubber ball, I wonder... Is it possible to give to them, any bit of understanding I might possess? To somehow bridge a connection between photos depicting need and our rich, abundant life? How to I dare grapple with knowing, even as I type, there is a young girl, not much older than my own, who is selling her body, her dignity, her soul, just to fill her tummy tonight... but who will hold her as she cries herself to sleep?

There is something very wrong with the sound of arguing over a small, rubber ball...very wrong. How is it, so often, I can't see past these temporary moments to see the greater lessons at hand... lessons begging to be taught? I am commanded to disciple [discipline] and train up these children to obey, but is it not so much more than that? Lord, help me to shape their hearts...by first shaping mine. Mold me, Father. Refine me.

Lord, give me eyes to see. Pour out rich wisdom and understanding over me. I cannot give away, that which I don't possess.

Tell me & I'll forget; show me and I may remember, involve me & I'll understand. ~Chinese proverb

Yes, Littlest is learning too...

She's up and tryin' hard to crawl...Makes me proud and sad all at the same time. And he [Jesus] took the children in his arms, put his hands on them and blessed them. Mark 10:16