I read this yesterday "Where no oxen are, the crib is clean: but much increase is by the strength of the ox." Proverbs 14:4
Two things came to my mind.
The daybefore I had put my daughter down for a nap. ( Now she has this thing about her pamper coming off. With the boys I never had this problem! But somehow the velcro gets a bit loose and then she picks at it and there you have it a pamper on the floor or dragging around at her ankle.) Well, she stayed awake for a long time and finally I went in to "encourage" her to go to sleep. As I was going up the stairs. my nostrils detected an oder. "Yes, I guess the boys room does stink!" I thought. My husband has been telling me that the boys room smells bad. And I wasn't sure it really did. Well now I agreed! . . . or did I? That oder is coming from the nursery! I opened the door to behold a little girl and crib smeared with brown sticky stuff and a pamper on the floor with a bit of the same!
Yes, where no babies are the crib is clean! . . . and hearts are empty and hurting for a little one to snuggle close, to kiss and feel the soft skin against theirs, to hear them call, "Mama" or just reach up their little arms for you to pick them up. I thank God for my little girl. She is so precious! . . . truely a blessing from the Lord God Almighty!
Secondly, consider my house on this Saturday morning! Lots of dirty floors, cups, toys and books strewn about and company coming for supper (It is the Stauffer Clan's family night every Saturday. We take turns having the crew. . . By the way we are making our favorite specialty EGGROLLS! Yum!), food to make for tomorrow, and a house to clean. If I had no children the "crib would be clean" or at least easier to clean :) But I am GLAD to have a full house and many little faces round about my table. Yes I am glad for a "dirty crib"!! Thank You, Lord!
"Blessed is every one that feareth the Lord: that walketh in His ways. For thou shalt eat the labour of thine hands: happy shalt thou be, and it shall be well with thee. Thy wife shall be as a fruitful vine by the sides of thine house: thy children like olive plants round about thy table. Behold, that thus shall the man be blessed that feareth the Lord. The Lord shall bless thee out of Zion . . . " Psalm 128
4 comments:
Bless you for seeing the positive. I need to do the same. Our children are a blessing from the Lord!
Hello Aimee, I have found your blog a definite breath of fresh air in a world seemingly made of stale air. You take such a refreshing and challenging view of life within the experiences you have had with your health and with your children as you live for God.
This post especially speaks to me since our youngest daughter has closed her day care so that she can marry and move to Ga. We have had these 'treasures' of others in our home for about 3 and a half years and the house shows it! At the same time we have seen these little ones grow from infant/baby into toddler hood and now they are starting preK. I never considered how much I would miss these children once they were gone from our home, and I guess that my feelings are tied to the too soon leaving of our daughter. Yes, the house needs work; a lot of cleaning, and repair, to return to a socially acceptable 'normal' condition. I am glad it is so, praise God! If we cannot take a house and make it a 'home' for our children, we have missed the mark. Chidren live in homes not museums.
My wife and I are looking forward to doing all of this restoring and entering into the 'empty nest' phase of our life. However, after 29 years of having children in our home, either ours or others, it will be a different home. We will eagerly await and treasure the visits of our children and grandchildren in the future!
We praise God for our children, old age would be so boring without them, and the grandchildren, which God has given our children and may yet bless them/us with again. Yes it has been work to clean the 'crib' from time to time, but we are blessed to have had that privilege. As we enter into this new phase we will remember what a wiser one pointed out and we will listen for "the laughter in the walls" that remains; a blessing we can listen to with the heart when all is quiet in our empty nest.
Please continue your sharing, you do inspire and encourage all of us. May God grant strength to you through His wonderful grace as you and JP raise up your children in the admonition of the Lord.
It's good to have an (Can I call you older?) older perspective in the blog world. Japheth and I have considered goind to Thailand in mission work . . . For various reasons we haven't yet . . . But there is a great need for older more mature couples.
So thanks for your encouragement and invovlement is this computer age!
Yes, you may call me older; for I am. As far as this computer age is concerned I only entered it within the last year.
I agree with you that more older Christians are needed in God's work around the world. I hope some day soon we, as a couple, can contribute in a work. Our health may not allow us to go far, however, the needs are all around us.
My wife works in a private home helping an older couple with their needs. She has done this for many years now for different elderly persons. Though it is a job, we see it as a mission too.
I am between careers. I am working only 2 days at a Lowes store at present. We are praying for more hours there or somewhere else, our financial base is weak and needs the infusion of income from more work.
May God lead you and Japheth into the part of His vineyard that needs you the most, mean while you are meeting the needs of many with your blogs as you help the readers that find you with your encouraging insight into Christian living.
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