Friday, April 09, 2010

A Year of Blessing - April 4, 2010





Easter! The kids and adults alike love Easter! We hid eggs in the yard (in plain sight since we really don't have a lot of things in our new backyard yet) and the kids ran like crazy to find them! It didn't matter if they were older kids, or the youngest one, they ran to find as many as they could find. The adults? Cheered, laughed, and encouraged them on! It was as much fun for the spectators as it was for the searchers!!

The young, with all their energy, searched for eggs with surprises inside them. Zach, the youngest, expected candy. When he found a sticker instead, he threw the egg down and reached to open another in search of his 'expectation'. The more mature older kids, would look, gather their loot into a pile, find something that attracted them. Some liked the stickers, others found pipe cleaners and began to decorate the eggs with them or make animals out of them...creating really cool stuff to show the adults. Zach came around and watched them, and soon found the stickers were really cool because he knew what to do with them...decorate the furniture!

The adults encourage them with ooo's and ahhh's over their pipe cleaner creations, or with guiding them to decorate paper instead of furniture with the stickers. The day was a lot of loving fun and it didn't matter what your age was!

As a young person I was a lot like Zach. I persued my expecations of life, tossing out what I presumed was bad and keeping the good. As I grew older I allowed God to take the good and bad I had learned before, and use it to create my life in Christ. It was only then that I grew closer to HIS expectation and further from mine. And only then did I discover what a blessing He had ready when I allowed Him to lead my expectations!! He has Life...real Life...hidden in plain sight in the empty tomb!

It is so cool to grow in God. He allows us the freedome of choice to seek our expectations, with the Spirit guiding us to the best 'stuff'. As an adult (I heard that snicker!) I love cheering, laughing, and encouraging those younger than me. And I am learning to listen for the cheer, laughter, and encouragement of those older than me. Hmmm...I wonder if my spirit hears those that cheer from heaven? That's cool! So very cool!

Hebrews 12:1-3 (New International Version)

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

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