Blogging about life, or living to blog?

 *click*

*click*

*click* *click* *click*

{that was the sound of me, playing with the new camera we got for Christmas, while we were out on a family walk}

"Lish, I love you.

...but don't be that person."

"...? Hmm?"

"Don't be like that. The person who is so busy taking pictures of everything and wanting to blog about it and not just enjoying us."

"Oh."

Quietly, I placed my camera in my coat pocket and tried to be 'all there' for the rest of our walk. It was a gorgeous January afternoon (Sunny! Not snowing! Crisp, but not cold!), and Will got home from work early that day, and wanted to take a family walk. A walk that included all of us enjoying the moment - not four of us enjoying it and one lagging behind to capture it for a post about family time.

It was hard to be "all there". Sometimes, as a mom who blogs, I think about things in terms of "how do I chronicle this?"

Recipes = do I need to take pictures at various stages?
Homeschooling = should I snap a photo of this experiment-gone-wrong?
Homemaking = ooh! Neat trick...grab the camera!
Field trips = play-by-play in photos of the whole experience!
...and so on.

and I'm guilty of interrupting the moment, just to capture it on film...instead of seriously drinking it in.

Jesus did not come that I might blog abundantly. He came so that His glory would be on display in my life - by giving me thousands of opportunities to live abundantly.

When my blogging about life becomes my living for the blog....something's very off.

Do you blog about life, or live for your blog? How do you balance it?

Learning to blog about life,
and not live to blog,
~Lisha

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My daughters, my sisters

Photo by Molly Viglione Photography, 2013

Before we had children, I read Tedd Tripp's book "Shepherding a Child's Heart". It revolutionized my idea of what parenting is by conforming it to God's idea for what parenting should be, and has shaped most of my decisions and interactions as a mom.

My daughters were given to my husband and I, not so we could have temporary lordship over them, and get a kick out of telling them what to do and how to live - it was because the Lord was pleased to let us work alongside Him in raising up world-changing disciples for Jesus who are capable of thriving and growing after we are gone. 

One of the relationships that a believer has with other believers is that of a sibling relationship. Over and over in the New Testament, we are reminded that we are to treat fellow believers as brothers and sisters (or, better, if you have had a crummy relationship with your actual siblings!).

Romans 8:29 - Jesus is the firstborn (the rightful heir) among many siblings! Anyone who has believed on the Lord Jesus Christ has been adopted into the family of God - we are all spiritual brothers & sisters. 

1 Timothy 5:1-2 - Paul's instructions to Timothy on how the believers are to treat one another! Treat...'the younger women as sisters, with all purity'.

1 Peter 3:8-9 - treat the brethren (believers) with a tender heart and courtesy, returning blessing for evil. When my girls are rude, disrespectful, wretched...I am to be a blessing to them, not mean toward them.

1 Corinthians 2:1-5 - I included this because Paul is speaking to his brethren (believers). I try to keep this passage in my mind when dealing with my girls: so that they may know that I am not parenting in human wisdom but that their faith should be solely in God's wisdom and power. Parenting is not a power play; it is a guiding role.

My daughters, if I am raising them in the truths of Scripture and covering them with prayers {and they are made alive in Christ by the Spirit!}, will be my sisters in the Lord - equals, as far as the Lord is concerned. I am not a better Christian than they are; I am to act toward them like an older, wiser, loving sister. The relationship I have to them as sisters will extend beyond the years as the authority figure/mom; I must plan for and parent in light of that.

Now, as their mom, I need to remember that in addition, the Lord has called me to train them to obey, trust, and grow in character. I am not their 'sister' in the sense that I'm their best friend and can let them get away with whatever. No, God's calling for parents is clear. I do not train my girls to obey Will and I because we are worthy to be obeyed in our own right; I train them to obey because if they will not obey us, they are not likely to obey the Lord when He speaks to them. I don't train my girls in good character qualities so my life will be easier and I can take them out in public with confidence; I train them in good character so that no matter what the Lord calls them to later on, they will have a foundation of character on which to build, so that His name will be honored.

But how does my knowledge that these are my younger sisters in the faith change our day-to-day relationship?

-It means that I will think twice before berating them for making my life more difficult when they mess up as they are learning. It is a sacred responsibility and joy to take the time to teach my 'little sisters' everything from studying the Word, to cooking, to dusting, to managing conflict among themselves. 

-It means that I take the time to share with them what I'm learning from my own quiet time - in an age-appropriate way. For my preschooler, that might look like "God is showing me that He is always faithful!"; for my older girls it might be "see this verse here that I read? It means that no matter what is happening, even if I think it's bad, that He can be trusted to do the right thing!"

-It means that sometimes, I am just goofy with them instead of hounding them to be quiet/stop making messes/sit down/etc. Rather than seeing the girls as a management project, I delight in their company, because  they are each created in the image of God, born for an eternal purpose! 

-It means that I purpose to speak to them with the same respect I would extend to any other adult.

-It means that when they start talking about their dreams, I put everything down ASAP and listen. I want to let them know that I will do whatever I can to help them find out what God has planned for them, and that I am behind them all the way.

-It means that when I see a glaring character flaw or sin issue in one of my girls, I don't complain about how much it affects me and makes my job harder. I swiftly go to battle on my knees on her behalf, and I find a way to point her to Jesus and what His word has to say for her specific need.

-It means that when my girls take the time to minister to me, I don't just flippantly respond, 'oh, that's so cute!'. I thank them earnestly for their encouragement, and I praise the Lord for speaking to me through their lives.

I am not just trying to limp my way through managing children day in and day out for the next 15 years, until all the girls are 18 and "no longer my responsibility!". With the Lord's help, vision, and direction, I am investing my days to disciple a new generation of passionate women for Christ; and when they are grown, my goal is to walk alongside them through joys and sorrows, and offer counsel as a dear friend and sister.

They'll always be my little girls :)
Photo by Molly Viglione Photography, 2013.

Elizabeth, Abby, & Hannah will always be my little girls. They are, as the Psalmist says, 'a heritage' and 'a reward' {Psalm 127:3}. I will cherish the little years for my lifetime - it is a terrific calling to shepherd little hearts and watch them grow in grace and knowledge. But my years in the hands-on mothering role are fleeting. From now, and for eternity, they will be my sisters in Christ, and I want to parent with that in mind always.

How does the truth that your children will someday be your siblings in the Lord change how you treat them?

Shepherding my daughters,

loving my sisters,

for His glory!

~Lisha

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Faith like a child

Do you believe that children can minister to adults? That God can move a hard heart through the faith of a little one?

I do.

My relationship with Jesus exists because a dear child with a giant-sized faith introduced me to her God (you can read about Sarah & me here. or here. or here.).

And at 7, 6, & 3, my children have all strengthened my heart on days when I didn't feel I could bear much more. I think some people dismiss children as useless and not able to contribute much - but from my experience (and some of the most poignant stories in the Bible!), I've learned that when I'm willing to open my heart and my ears to them they are one of the most precious resources I have for learning, growing, and being built up in my faith.

Below are some of the ways my children have ministered to me, my husband, each other (what a joy!), and to others in their lives. The best way to describe how it feels when one of my girls reaches out to comfort me is, it's like a soul hug. God works through them to calm my soul and anchor my heart on His love and His truths!

Romans 8:28, as drawn by Elizabeth.
This still hangs in the kitchen to remind me daily
that nothing is wasted in God's economy!

Back in May, Will had gone to NY to stay with his mom for a little while. It was a rough couple weeks for me, and Elizabeth was particularly sweet to remind me of the things we had learned about during Bible time and what she'd learned from Miss Diane at Junior Church!

The girls wanted to sing this song for Daddy

while he was away for a period of time earlier this year.

Again, the girls wanted to encourage Daddy with a song they'd been learning - Psalm 1 (courtesy of the Harrow Family's Sing the Word series!)

The big girls & I work on memory verses each week.
Sometimes, Elizabeth writes out the week's verse for Hannah (3)
and teaches it to her.

Do to others as you would have them do to you! -Elizabeth spent a long time writing this out and going over it with Hannah! And now Hannah remembers the verse when her sisters are giving her a hard time. :)

We hosted a 5-Day Club this summer.
At the end of the week, E made this for one of her teachers!

They love to make cards for people, and write out the words to their favorite Bible songs. I know it blesses others when my daughters remember them and reach out to encourage them!

"Mommy, I wrote you a secret message
in my copywork today. Can you find it?"
On this particular morning, I needed both of these messages!

This is a page from E & A penmanship book (Horizons Penmanship from AOP! We love it!)

Elizabeth made this and hung it next to Daddy's computer
"for the days when he forgets this."

It's true. Sometimes, we forget the truths of God's Word. And I am so grateful that the Lord sees fit to minister to me through the hearts and lives of my daughters. 

How have the children in your life ministered to you in difficult times?

Praising God for children,

for His glory!

~Lisha

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An ideal family portrait

Getting a perfect family picture can be difficult, especially if you don't have a vision for what the picture should look like. And even if you do have a crystal-clear vision for what you are looking for in that family portrait - it doesn't always come out just so! But that doesn't mean you give up and abandon the vision!

When you 'confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.' [Romans 10:9], you become part of a forever spiritual family; when you find and join a Bible-believing church, you become part of a local family that is called to be a small-scale example of the global church. As a local (...and global!) family of believers, we have a vision of what the picture of our family snapshot should look like - it's described in the Scriptures! Though we will never be a perfect family on this side of Heaven, we can and should do our utmost to work toward the vision, with the hope that all people might come to love our Father and follow His Son, Jesus! Our pastor just did a wonderful three-week series on what that ideal family picture looks like for our church; if you're curious what you'd find if you visited us, please listen here:

Sermon #1: Who We Are {09/01/2013}

Sermon #2: How We Behave {09/08/2013}

Sermon #3: Why Are We Here? {09/15/2013}

Our church 'family portrait' may not look exactly like yours, but if you attend a Christ-following, Bible-preaching church, there are likely to be quite a few things we have in common! And even though there are differences in convictions, we can extend grace in those areas and know that we are still part of the same big, eternal family in Christ!

If you've got questions about what you've heard in these sermons, ask them! Honest, respectful questions (even if they are difficult!) are always welcome! How is your local church (if you attend one) similar? different?

Part of God's family,

for His glory!

~Lisha :)

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