Turning, walking, trusting

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With the new school year only a week away and an overarching feeling of The Unknown in other aspects of my life, today’s verse from my Daily Bible app really spoke to me:

“Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it” (Isaiah 30:21, NIV).

I’ve written before about waiting (and how it isn’t my strong suit). I find it is much easier to wait for an anticipated outcome (ie, like a birthday, which No. 4 is completely obsessive about, even though his isn’t until the end of October). It is far more difficult to wait for The Unknown. I feel like Paul Atreides in Dune, where he envisions dozens of possible outcomes, based on choices and consequences of his present circumstances — some self-selected and other scenarios imposed upon him.

Writing Wednesday: Dune, continued …

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I’m still reading Dune, though I’ve made a lot of headway and hope to finish it this weekend, before the fall term officially begins on Monday. I shared in my last post about the book that some of the sayings from the story really stood out to me. Today, I wanted to share one more. This particular saying is a mantra that the Atreides and Bene Gesserits learned as a reminder to put aside fear, which only serves to cripple the mind and destroy confidence.

Just this week, a friend shared a Bible verse with me that resonated in my spirit, so when I came across the fear litany again in Dune (it’s a recurring issue in the story), I thought it was worth noting.

“When I am afraid, I put my trust in you” Psalm 56:3 (NIV).

“Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past me I will turn to see fear’s path. Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain” (Dune).

As a believer, I know that the God I serve is bigger than any enemy, real or imagined. I say imagined because oftentimes, our fears are self-imposed (are they not?). I’m the type of person who likes to think through every possible scenario, but the fact is that there comes a point when the decision (no matter how big or small) must be made in faith. That is where fear likes to trip me up. Will I walk fear’s path, or will I stand boldly and defy it?

Monday Musings: Lazy summer

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Summer winding down,
One and a half weeks to go!
Students, on your mark …

Yes, the summer break is nearly over, and the boys have mixed emotions. They are excited about going back to school and seeing old friends & meeting new ones. They are reluctant to give up swimming nearly everyday and staying up a little later than usual. One good thing about day camp is that the little three still have to leave the house when I head to work in the mornings, so they haven’t been able to stay up too late. Anytime we can survive the break with some semblance of normal sleeping habits is a good summer! 😉  (I can’t claim the same success with the older two, who seem to consider it a challenge to see how long they can sleep. LOL – I remember those days!)

Our job as believers (Prayer devotional for the week of Aug. 7)

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Anytime you walk into a restaurant with five children in tow, there is a certain look that the host and wait staff give you. They try not to, of course, but if you are as attuned to the look as I am, then you can still detect it. The look says, “Oh, no – please, please, please don’t sit them in my area!”

Just last week, I took the boys out for an early dinner, and we were seated in the back of the restaurant at a large round table. I leaned in and asked the kids in a low voice, “Do you know why they put us at this table? Because they expect you to be loud and disturb the other guests, so let’s prove them wrong! Let’s show them that you are the best behaved kids they’ve ever had here.” As we were getting up to leave after the meal, a lady a couple of tables over stopped me and complimented the kids. Wow – one of the highest praises that parents can receive (in my humble opinion) is to being­ told by a stranger that their children have good manners. Are they always perfect? Of course not, but it’s sure good to hear when they do well.

What a great reminder that was for the kids that people are watching us. All. The. Time. They stereotype and expect the worst: kids = rowdy. It may be unfair, but we are not always innocent until proven guilty. For example, what about these stereotypes? Churchgoer = stuffy killjoy. Christian = hypocrite. Religious = weirdo.

Titus 2: 7-8 reminds us that our job as believers in Christ is for our lives to speak the Gospel more than our words do. Do our lives reinforce the negative stereotypes, or are we willing to be a little weird in the world’s eyes and go against the grain? Are we going to prove them wrong? They are watching. What is your life telling them?