Monthly Archives: July 2012

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Rylie has developed a new laugh.  It bothered me at first because it's fake in nature.  Her new laugh is loud and boisterous like she is. And though she's made it sound new, it's root is pure pleasure.  The more I have listened to it, the more I've come to love it. It's contagious.  It's healing. .....It's funny.

Laughter is  known to relieve stress and even physical pain. There has been much research to come to this conclusion, but the bible spoke of it long ago.  Maybe laughter is being spoken of when it says in Proverbs 17:22-

"A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit saps a person's strength. 

 Laughter, after all is an outward expression of a cheerful heart.

I can think of times that I have laughed.... I mean really laughed.  Several of those times were inappropriate. And several of my reasons for laughing were inappropriate.  I remember one of those times was when I was young and in church.

I grew up in a church where monkey business was not allowed.  If you were not absolutely quiet, you may very well be thumped, nudged or pinched- If not by your own parents, by someone else. As it should be, worship was serious business.  But I remember one Sunday morning, a lady who frequently sang, got up to sing a special.  I remember inwardly cringing because I knew she couldn't carry a tune.  I was sitting by my friends (some who hadn't heard her sing) and I knew immediately that I had to be the epitome of seriousness.  One by one snickers escaped my friends.  Even with Herculean effort, I only managed to hold on to mine for seconds, and what laughter didn't escape my lips escaped as tears.  Please don't judge me.

My point is, laughter is release.

Certainly we all have stress and sorrow that we would be eager to be rid of. Laughter, even if only temporarily, let's go pain to the wind.

Laughter lets go joy audibly. Like Rylie's contagious laugh, laughter is joy shared.

Laughter can even be a declaration of victory.

And Sarah said, "God has made laughter for me; everyone who hears will laugh over me".-Genesis 21:6

Laughter is a gift to those around you.  It's also a gift given to you. Maybe the only wise words spoken to Job by one of his friends were these words:

"He will yet fill your mouth with laughter, and your lips with shouting"-Job 8:21

Maybe we should consider the prayer of Job's friend. I will pray for Godly laughter, laughter to take away stress and pain, laughter to share joy and declare victory.   And in return for the gift, I will make my laughter a song of joy unto him.

What makes you laugh?

 

 

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Call it the blog blahs.  Though I know each day is filled with the work and blessing of God, there are days that my limited words can't express my heart's gratitude.

As words fail, let the pictures speak.

They say a picture's worth a thousand words.

I've added a few.

A Summer Touched by God through

Beauty

Togetherness

Friendship

Love

Detail

Joy

Trust

Renewal

Creation

Rescue

Affection

Adventure

Companionship 

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Close the Door!

 All three of our children have heard Jason and I raise our voices in agitation as we approach the front door or refrigerator door  left wide open.  They come by it honestly.

I remember well, a time when I was somewhere between Hayden and Hallie’s age that I left one too many cabinet doors open. My mother carried out swift justice.  She opened every cabinet and drawer- maybe in the whole house.  She made me close every one.  Dramatic I’m sure, but it seemed like torture.  She watched (seemingly enjoying every minute).  Out of all the punishments I ever received, it's one I remember.

Presently I wouldn’t be able to count the number of times the refrigerator door, the car door and the front door have been left open by the kids. But as irony would have it, we now have a new problem.  I noticed it a few months ago.  The upstairs is entirely too quiet, even when I’m upstairs.  The two oldest, who  finally shut doors- are doing just that.  They routinely shut their bedroom doors now. They keep them shut. I suppose some privacy is in order.  But I just can’t shake the feeling that I’m being shut out in some sense.

I’m not on their top ten list of "the world’s greatest people" anymore.  

 I rarely hear “Hey Mom, What do you think about….” 

 They think I’m strict.  They think I ask too much of them.  They think that I don’t understand them. 

 And so they shut the door.  They watch families on TV whose parents perfectly understand their kids.  They text kids their age and ask “Hey… What do you think about..”. They listen to songs sung by artists on their top ten list of "the world’s greatest people".

How do I contend with that?

First I moped.

.... Now I do what my mom did…..Well in reverse that is.

I have them open their door.  And open it again. I even invite myself in. I’ m sure it seems like pure torture.  I suspect they won’t like the continuing invasion. But I’m praying that maybe, just maybe, when they're older, it will be the punishment they remember.  And if I’m lucky, they’ll thank me for it.

I’m going to go call my mom now.

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I wasn't very happy with my family last night.  I wanted us all to spend some quality time together.  We got pizza and I had Jason hang the all-occassion party banner.  I even allowed eating in the living room; the perfect set-up for family comradery.

Instead what happened was, after scarfing down pizza, each kid retreated to their own room.  So I started several conversations with Jason whose response to everything I said was "Hmmm?" ( I believe a "Matrix" marathon was on).

I cordially invited two of them to go on a walk with me.  They each declined without hesitation.  How dare they not want to do what I want.

So I walked.

I was stuck with the never desired companion; loneliness. 

Loneliness visits every now and then.  Searching for distraction from this unwanted friend, I pulled out my phone so that my Facebook friends could tell me about their day.  Blast!No battery.  Downcast and alone I walked.

I'm almost certain that every person suffers from loneliness at times.  Loneliness doesn't necessarily mean that you are alone, but that you feel alone.  True loneliness stems from an emptiness in a deep place.

Loneliness is the void where we find no match.

Chances are you've played Old Maid before.  The object of the game is to find the match to the cards in your hand.  The loser of the game is the one who holds the Old Maid at game's end; the card with no match.

With companionship we respect differences, but we seek ways in which we match.

  We gravitate toward people who know and understand us.  

Think of all the support groups that exist based on people who are suffering similarly. Likewise, I remember many times smiling at the simple observance of a parent who suffers a child pulling a stunt similar to what one of my kids have pulled before.

And oh how we love to be with others who share our love and excitement for similar things. 

Still, often we feel alone for a reason we can't quite put our finger on.  We long for someone who will fill that void.

In 1 Kings, the prophet Elijah has dutifully spread God's message and in return, his life has been threatened.  After being visited twice by an angel of the Lord, he still feels dejected and alone saying "I am the only one left.." He has spent time alone in the wilderness, but it is in the cave that the LORD comes to him in a still small whisper.  I find it thrilling that it is when he hears God whisper he exits the cave.   The LORD also reminds him that there are seven thousand reserved who are like him who have not bowed down to Baal.

 There is no Old Maid card in the game of life. We are surrounded with those "like us" who share in our joys and in our suffering; take comfort in that. But when the deepest part of your soul calls out for its companion, don't look around-look up. 

 Yesterday when walking, the most gentle breeze swept over me; a breeze I may not have even noticed had I been walking with someone else.  That breeze reminded me,

that I am loved by many,

I have a God who understands EVERY part of me,

and that I am never alone.

 

 

 

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 Do you know how when you’re organizing or moving you put things in a box? It’s o.k. to be organized. There is nothing wrong with that. But when you put people in boxes- it’s just wrong.  I know that sounds weird, but let me say what I mean.

Do you or your friends ever say or think things like “That girl is ugly”, or “She is rude”, or “She’s weird”? Well that’s what we do, we put people in boxes. We see the bad in them and don’t try to see anything else in them.

We just simply throw them in a box. For example, we throw the girl without makeup in the ugly box, the girl with bad grades in the dumb box, and the girl who sits by herself at lunch in the weird box. These people we try to avoid or put them down.

It’s bad because we don’t see them as people.  We see them as things in a box to ignore or throw away. But that’s not how God made us. He didn’t make boxes for the jocks, the popular people, the nerds or weirdos. He just made us all different.  How would we be special if we were all the same?

None of us should be put in a box or ignored. So we should stop seeing him as the nerd or her as the ugly girl. We should just think of them as God’s children.

In the bible it says, Have we not all one Father?  Hath not one God created us? –Malachi 2:10

He didn’t make boxes.  He just made people. So next time you see a person remember this: Would you want to be put in a box?  And try not to think of her as a nerd or him as a jerk. Just try to see the good in people.

Well I’m having a lot of fun writing about boxes but you’re probably tired of hearing about this so I’m just going to make this story short and sweet. Because those are the best stories.

And I guess all there is left to say is “Over and out”,

Goodbye!

Hallie Burden

11 years old

Hallie is my second guest blogger and my daughter.  She has determination bound to prove valuable as she stands firm in the midst of the temptation and chaos of the pre-teen world. She has a creative eye and enjoys designing. She loves listening to music, and twirling.  And truth be known she likes watching TV and sleeping-in too.  Pray for Hallie and her peers as they seek to see value in all people.  Pray that they be bolstered in love as they learn of the Father's love. Pray that they would find their security and self-worth in a God that lovingly created them unique to serve his purpose.

Attention GG's and other God's Girlies!

If you would like to share something special that God has done for you or through you send me an email.  I would love for you to highlight our God's Girlies page.

Email www.kristiburden@gmail.com

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