LET FREEDOM RING!

It's July 4th, 8:45 am, from the next room, I can hear strains of Tony Orlando's, "Knock Three Times," and I'm wondering what in the world the Today Show producers were thinking.  It's Independence Day for goodness sake!  Couldn't they come up with something a little more patriotic?

Maybe I'm just getting older, but it seems when I was a kid, this day was much more revered.  People stopped and reflected on what it meant to be free.  We thought about our founding fathers, braving the elements to come to a strange and frightening place, all for the promise of freedom.  We thought about the courageous men and women who have left the comfort of home, putting themselves in peril to defend our country, many of them paying with their very life's blood.

So for today, let's stop and think about the many things we have to be thankful for. Our faith, our freedom, our families.

Okay, now I feel a little guilty, I can hear Tony singing Neil Diamond's, "Coming to America."  Looks like I judged a little too quickly.  Well, I guess I have the freedom to be wrong sometimes too...

Have a safe, blessed and thankful Independence Day.  Let freedom ring today, in all you do!

(originally posted 7/4/2006)

LET GO!

When life isn’t going so well for my friends, it comes naturally to me to give them a hug and a word of encouragement.  Sometimes we’ll share stories of God’s faithfulness over coffee. I might send them a card or an email and remind them that no matter how dark their situation, God is in control.  And I’m not simply tossing out platitudes here--or trivializing what they’re going through. When I pray for them, I release them into God’s care with total confidence. 

But when the winds of trouble blow at home, the situation gets a bit stickier.  I can believe it for my friends, for my husband, for me, but what about my kids?  Why is it so hard for me to just hand it all over to God when it’s about my kids?  

As our children grow into adults, their problems and concerns are more serious than when they were children.  They’re facing things like heartbreak, disappointment, career decisions, choosing a life partner, health issues.  There’s no possible way for me to fix those kinds of things!  Still, I’ll lie awake at night mulling them over, worrying, exploring every possible outcome.  You know what?  That’s CRAZY, and here’s why:  God’s promises are not something I can pass down to my children like a family china pattern. Those promises already belong to my children.  I’m not the one sitting at the right hand of God, pleading their case for them--Jesus is! 

What a relief, it’s not up to me. Certainly, I’m going to continue to encourage my girls, to pray for and with them.  But ultimately, God’s got it all in control and they are in His tender care. 

And as for me, I need to let go! 


What about YOU?  Is it hard for you to let go?

For there is only one God and one Mediator who can reconcile God and humanity—the man Christ Jesus.  1 Timothy 2:5 

It’s not important who does the planting, or who does the watering. What’s important is that God makes the seed grow.  1 Corinthians 3:7

Direct your children onto the right path, and when they are older, they will not leave it. Proverbs 22:5-7

 To those fallen defenders of our freedom and the loved ones they left behind, I say thank you. Because of your sacrifice, my family can live in peace and plenty.