Moments

Anything but 3

It’s a lot of work to homeschool so many kids, but life is never dull.  Spending so much time with kids gives me a lot of material to write about-if only I had the time to actually write.

Jessica is starting kindergarten this year and if you know Jessica, you would understand my apprehension about starting school with her.  Jessica knows what she wants to do and she is pretty strong-willed about doing things she doesn’t want to do. For example, up until a month ago, Jessica insisted she could NOT count to 10.  She said she was only 5, so she would only count to 5.  Now I knew she knew how to count to 10, but she definitely wouldn’t do it.  She would count to 5 and then backwards to 1 and somehow knew this was equal to counting to 10 for hide and seek games…she’s a smart cookie. 

Much to my amazement, she has embraced homeschooling and so far, she loves it.  I cannot come up with enough for her to do.  All the things she has been stubborn about trying-writing, counting, etc…she is now eager to learn and do.  Except the number 3.  She is convinced that she cannot write a number 3.  She will “try” but it always ends up either a 2 or a squiggly line. 

I have seen Jessica make the letter B so I know that she is capable of making a 3, but it’s not on her agenda or she has convinced herself she is incapable…who knows.   Her new thing is to copy down BIG numbers off things.  She told me this morning, “I’m looking for BIG numbers to copy in my book, but not numbers with a 3 in them because I can’t make 3’s.”  She feels the need to show me she can do these big things and is trying to prove to me that 3 just isn’t important.

I started thinking about how much we are all like that.  We want to do something for the Lord.  We want to serve or grow in areas and do great BIG things, but we often have a 3 somewhere in our lives.  “God, I will do anything you want except _____” or “I can do this thing, just don’t ask me to do that.”  We limit ourselves so much by thinking we are incapable of doing something or by being unwilling to do something.  God is not usually asking us to do the BIG thing, but rather the small obedient thing.  He is not asking us to do something in our own abilities, but asking for our obedience and then working through us. 

Take a long hard look at the 3 in your life.  What are you missing out of by trying to avoid it?  Have you fooled yourself into thinking the big is better than the 3?  Have you stopped growing because you refuse to tackle the 3 in your life?

What are you drinking?

 Jessica and Chloe were getting ready for bed when Donald noticed a bucket filled with water in their room.  When he asked them about it, they had been dipping little cups in the bucket to get a drink of water.  Where did the water come from?  Chloe had dipped the bucket in the toilet to get water, so they had been drinking toilet water.

Now I’m sure to my girls…they thought they were drinking clean water.  It looked clean.  It was clear.  The potty had been flushed.  It looked just like the water out of the faucet, but those of us who have lived life a little longer understand that toilet water is not the water you want to drink.

Why would a kid drink toilet water?  Maybe they wanted to be “big” and get it themselves or maybe they thought if they asked me for a bucket of water, I would say no, so they didn’t ask and got it the only way they could.  Either way, kids often do things like this…how many of you cut your own hair when you were little?  Most parents have a nice photo of their kids with a hunk of hair missing.

The way of a fool seems right to him, but a wise man listens to advice.  Proverbs 12:15

You probably didn’t drink toilet water or cut chunks out of your hair recently, but you make decisions every day.  Who do you go to for advice?  Who do you ask for help?  Often we make decisions based on what we want or what seems right to us at the moment.  But if we are just trusting our own judgment or the judgment of others around us…we will probably end up drinking some “toilet water.”

How to avoid drinking toilet water:

 Maintain a close relationship with God.

• The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow his precepts have good understanding. To him belongs eternal praise.  Psalm 111:10 
• Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.   Romans 12:1-2
• But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.  Matthew 6:33

Look in God’s Word

• For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.  Hebrews 4:12
• How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your word.  Psalm 119:9 

Talk with your parents and other mature believers.

• Listen, my son, to your father’s instruction and do not forsake your mother’s teaching. They will be a garland to grace your head and a chain to adorn your neck.  Proverbs 1:8-9
• Listen to advice and accept instruction, and in the end you will be wise.  Proverbs 19:20

God will not lead you astray.

• If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.  James 1:5
• For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; he will lead them to springs of living water. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.  Revelation 7:17

You Are Here…

Living in the busy and transient area around DC, people often complain about having to live here and how they can’t wait to get transferred out.  I understand that the traffic is bad and no one likes traffic.  No one wakes up and says “I am so glad I have a long commute to work today” or “I’m so thrilled that my 45 minute commute will take 2 hours tonight.”  Northern Virginia is a very busy place and there is a lot to dislike about the hectic atmosphere.  Although we are military, we have lived in the DC area almost 8 years now, so I understand.  But I came across a verse the other day…

From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us.  Acts 17:26-27

God in His sovereignty puts us in the exact places we should live for a reason, so that we might come to find Him.  In each time of life, in each place we find ourselves…God has something for us that we don’t want to miss.

For some people the “You are here” is not a physical place, but a time of life.  We are always waiting for the better place…when I have a boyfriend, when I am out of school, when I am married, when we have children, when I get the promotion, when we buy a house, when we get out of debt, when the children are gone…always longing for the next stage of life without really wanting to live the stage we are in. 

I wonder how often we miss the lesson God has for us by quickly trying to get to the next place.  But if we move on without learning what God has for us…we move on arriving handicapped.  If a baby doesn’t learn to sit, how can she learn to walk?  If you don’t practice the notes, how will you ever play the song?

We have much to say about this, but it is hard to explain because you are slow to learn. In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again. You need milk, not solid food!  Hebrews 5:11-12

Maybe that is why so many of us with easy access to God’s word are still so immature spiritually.  We refuse to take the time to learn what God has for us and to find Him where we are.  We don’t have the patience to learn the lesson before we move on.

So wherever you are today, know that YOU ARE HERE with a purpose.  God wants you to find Him in your circumstances and it is worth the struggle of today.

It’s a bug…

Well…sickness has again come to the Buttram house.  We don’t seem to be sick very often…which is a blessing.  It also strikes me odd that we ALL don’t get sick.  You would think with a house of 8 people…when one gets sick, we all do.  BUT that just doesn’t happen…usually only a couple of us get the same thing…another blessing to be sure.

Jessica woke up in the middle of the night just to tell me that she is really sick.  I never doubt Jessica’s mid-night revelations…they are usually true.  She woke up once again this morning (she was sleeping late…not a good sign in my house), she sat up in bed and preceded to tell me again she was very sick, needed a stool beside her bed with a cup of tea, and the cup needed a lid and a straw.  She laid back down and fell asleep.  Such clarity of thought!  I am convinced Jessica could supervise almost anything under any stress…it’s a gift.  I wonder if they could use a 4-year old as a platoon leader in battle?

Jessica finally awoke at 8:30am to vomit.  No fever.  She handles it all in stride.  She went to sleep for another half hour before repeating the event.  Then she told me she needed me to fix her a bed on the couch so she could watch Playhouse Disney.  She has vomited on schedule every half hour.  I think she makes her body wait for  commercial breaks.  She hasn’t eaten anything yet and still has no fever.  She really is a easy sick person to take care of.

Joshua on the other hand gets the sick person award in our house.  He actually has medaled in quite a few categories:  Most likely to vomit when not sick.  Most likely to gag at any sight, smell, or thought.  Most likely to take all day to vomit (after all he doesn’t want to throw up.  This logic always seems to bother me…who WANTS to throw up?).  Most likely to not make it to the bathroom to vomit (After all he is trying really hard not to throw up because he doesn’t want to).  I would say he is most likely to be sick the longest, but I think I get that award.  We are blessed that Josh doesn’t really get sick often.

So I guess some sort of stomach virus has made it into our house.  Who will get it next?  You will have to check back later to find out.