The boys had finished breakfast, we had dropped of sister at preschool and returned home to watch a favorite show on television. I took the opportunity to jot down some notes for a draft of an article in my journal.
One of the twins realized at some point that I wasn't sitting with him and came over to investigate what I was up to. When he saw I was writing he asked me to get him some crayons so he could color. He did make a few swipes on a piece of paper, but he was much more interested in what I was doing.
He decided he wanted to "write" in my journal with me. He selected a pink crayon for the job and I allowed him to scribble a few lines on my current page, knowing I would still be able to read my black-inked words on the page.
Then he wanted to turn the page and mark on another page. Ultimately each written-on page of my journal was graced with pink scribbles. He wanted to leave his mark on the pages. I knew the end of my time as his nanny was nearing and I was kind of sentimental about having his handiwork as a permanent part of my journal.
After he moved on to a few blank pages I eased him back to paper actually intended for coloring. Of course he wanted my pen for that, so I sat next to him to closely supervise while his brother made his way to my lap, not wanting to miss out on anyting.
Brother saw that his twin had been allowed to write in the journal so he felt compelled to add his blue "writing" to the pink marked pages. I now have a permanent reminder of my time with both of the boys.
It made me think about how I'm doing at leaving my mark on the world. Am I bringing as many to Christ as I possibly can? Am I spreading the Good News of Jesus Christ to a world desperately in need of hope?
Both boys were thorough and very methodical in their quest to leave their mark. God expects nothing less of us.
"The Redeemer will come to Zion, to those in Jacob who repent of their sins," declares the LORD.(Isaiah 59:20 NIV)
I write to you, dear children, because your sins have been forgiven on account of his name.(1 John 2:12 NIV)
Then Jesus declared, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty. (John 6:35 NIV)
Showing posts with label twins. Show all posts
Showing posts with label twins. Show all posts
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Sunday, April 12, 2009
God's Ready, Set, Go!
This is the first in a three-part series I've entitled God's Ready, Set, Go!
The twins love to play with their cars and trucks! Not too long ago we were all watching a program where the characters were racing and we heard the term "Ready, Set, Go!" several times (as a reinforcement to teach the concept, I'm sure.) The boys picked up on it pretty quickly and ever since, they call to me, "Ready, Mary!" when they are lined up to race (either by themselves or to race against each other).
The
twins have 2 Little Tykes trucks that stand about 12 inches tall, have very sturdy (hard plastic) wheels and make a crashing sound when the front "bumper" hits against a wall or a babysitter/nanny:-) These particular trucks were obviously built for heavy use and for exactly the capacity of a two-year old boy as he leans/pushes it.
When the boys decide they want to push their truck back and forth on the "racetrack/front entryway" or the long hall that runs from the back of the house through the family room, they go through a routine:
1) Locate desired vehicle.
2) Push or carry vehicle to the start point.
3) Position body over vehicle and prepare to push off.
4) Call out, "Ready, Mary!"
If I don't respond with the announcement in a timely enough manner, they will repeat themselves until I tell them I am ready to tell them 'ready, set, go.'
God works in our lives in much the same way. He gives us a gift or ability, a skill or a deep desire to achieve a goal. He expects us to ready ourselves to accomplish His will by refining the gift, training and learning to enhance our skill or ability. He nurtures our deep desire to achieve His work by placing us in situations, presenting opportunities and introducing people into our lives.
So how does God's ready, set, go correlate to our preparing to accomplish God's work in the world?
1) (Locate the desired vehicle) Determine the desired work
2) (Get into position) - join a group, take a course or class, receive training or start a campaign to begin the journey toward the goal God has placed in your heart.
3) (Position body over vehicle and prepare to push off.) Pray and reflect upon the path you are on. Talk about your plans to others whose opinions and wisdom you trust and respect. Ask God to affirm and confirm your plan.
4) (Call out, "Ready, Mary!") Let God know you're prepared to receive the training, go through the life experiences, pray for His guidance and prepare yourself to do what He has put in your heart.
It can be an excruciating process for someone like me who tends to have some false starts along the way. I have the "ready" part down pretty well. It's the "Get Set" part that I still to work on! We must be fully prepared, but we must also wait on God's timing. If we decide we're ready to go before we have received all we need to do well, we cannot be truly ready to do God's will.
The twins will, indeed wait for me. They will not move an inch until I tell them to go. Oh that I would have that kind of self-discipline and endurance in the race of life!
I went in response to a revelation and set before them the gospel that I preach among the Gentiles. But I did this privately to those who seemed to be leaders, for fear that I was running or had run my race in vain. (Galatians 2:2 NIV)
Click to read Part 2 of God's Ready, Set, Go!
The twins love to play with their cars and trucks! Not too long ago we were all watching a program where the characters were racing and we heard the term "Ready, Set, Go!" several times (as a reinforcement to teach the concept, I'm sure.) The boys picked up on it pretty quickly and ever since, they call to me, "Ready, Mary!" when they are lined up to race (either by themselves or to race against each other).
The
twins have 2 Little Tykes trucks that stand about 12 inches tall, have very sturdy (hard plastic) wheels and make a crashing sound when the front "bumper" hits against a wall or a babysitter/nanny:-) These particular trucks were obviously built for heavy use and for exactly the capacity of a two-year old boy as he leans/pushes it.When the boys decide they want to push their truck back and forth on the "racetrack/front entryway" or the long hall that runs from the back of the house through the family room, they go through a routine:
1) Locate desired vehicle.
2) Push or carry vehicle to the start point.
3) Position body over vehicle and prepare to push off.
4) Call out, "Ready, Mary!"
If I don't respond with the announcement in a timely enough manner, they will repeat themselves until I tell them I am ready to tell them 'ready, set, go.'
God works in our lives in much the same way. He gives us a gift or ability, a skill or a deep desire to achieve a goal. He expects us to ready ourselves to accomplish His will by refining the gift, training and learning to enhance our skill or ability. He nurtures our deep desire to achieve His work by placing us in situations, presenting opportunities and introducing people into our lives.
So how does God's ready, set, go correlate to our preparing to accomplish God's work in the world?
1) (Locate the desired vehicle) Determine the desired work
2) (Get into position) - join a group, take a course or class, receive training or start a campaign to begin the journey toward the goal God has placed in your heart.
3) (Position body over vehicle and prepare to push off.) Pray and reflect upon the path you are on. Talk about your plans to others whose opinions and wisdom you trust and respect. Ask God to affirm and confirm your plan.
4) (Call out, "Ready, Mary!") Let God know you're prepared to receive the training, go through the life experiences, pray for His guidance and prepare yourself to do what He has put in your heart.
It can be an excruciating process for someone like me who tends to have some false starts along the way. I have the "ready" part down pretty well. It's the "Get Set" part that I still to work on! We must be fully prepared, but we must also wait on God's timing. If we decide we're ready to go before we have received all we need to do well, we cannot be truly ready to do God's will.
The twins will, indeed wait for me. They will not move an inch until I tell them to go. Oh that I would have that kind of self-discipline and endurance in the race of life!
I went in response to a revelation and set before them the gospel that I preach among the Gentiles. But I did this privately to those who seemed to be leaders, for fear that I was running or had run my race in vain. (Galatians 2:2 NIV)
Click to read Part 2 of God's Ready, Set, Go!
Monday, December 22, 2008
When Things Don't Go As Planned
Oh my! We had quite a bit of drama this morning!
Last week we decorated Christmas gifts for children's mom and dad. Yes, I actually allowed not-quite-two-year-olds to use paint! :-) They just loved it and were so excited that they were allowed to do 'big kid' stuff that their big sister was doing.
The gifts turned out beautifully - each as unique as are the three children:-) One of the boys finished his work and was ready to get down to play with his cars. I had to finally forcibly remove the paint brush from the other twin - the one who we are all surprised even has the attention span to do crafts! I think he would still be painting right now if he had been allowed to!
Today my plan was for the children to color white paper "lunch" bags in which to put the gifts. I thought it would be a great because the boys love to color and sister would be able to use her new markers which I gave her for her birthday last week.
The boys, however, were quite upset. They saw those ornaments, ready to be wrapped in tissue paper and stuffed into the bags. They wanted to do more ornaments! Now that they had seen the ornaments, coloring with crayons paled in comparison to painting! They each became more and more irate as I continued to impress upon them how much FUN it would be to color the bags!
Ultimately the bags, each with about 4 grudgingly stroked crayon marks, were thrown on the floor in a fit of absolute outrage! The crayons were flung across the table and the boys were bellowing at the top of their lungs. I'm sure they were wondering how in the world I could play such a cruel joke on them -- show them the FUN project and then expect them to do something not nearly as exciting.
The thing is, if they had trusted me, the project for today would have been fun. It wasn't what they had expected or planned, but my plan would have yielded a good result - one they would have liked. But it wasn't what they had planned. They had other ideas about what would be fun.
I couldn't really get upset with them. I just gave up on MY plan and held them until they settled down. Ultimately raisins and wheat thins won them over and all was forgotten. Why wasn't I flustered or upset? Because I saw myself in them all too clearly!
So often I make a plan - with our without God's guidance and direction in advance - and then when God intervenes and changes the plan, I fight it! I don't bellow and throw things but honestly, from time to time I have felt like it. More often than I care to admit, I have questioned God and even gotten upset with Him when He changes things up in my life.
Unlike the twins, I don't "let go and let God" nearly as quickly as they "let go and let Mary" take control. So yes, I have a great deal of work to do in the area of trust AND obedience:-/
Hmmm. . . Guess this will be the last of the chronicles in 2008. I have no doubt God is not finished teaching me about Him and His love, though. I'm really looking forward to where He's going to take us all next year. Of course, the day isn't over yet!
Merry Christmas!
Last week we decorated Christmas gifts for children's mom and dad. Yes, I actually allowed not-quite-two-year-olds to use paint! :-) They just loved it and were so excited that they were allowed to do 'big kid' stuff that their big sister was doing.
The gifts turned out beautifully - each as unique as are the three children:-) One of the boys finished his work and was ready to get down to play with his cars. I had to finally forcibly remove the paint brush from the other twin - the one who we are all surprised even has the attention span to do crafts! I think he would still be painting right now if he had been allowed to!
Today my plan was for the children to color white paper "lunch" bags in which to put the gifts. I thought it would be a great because the boys love to color and sister would be able to use her new markers which I gave her for her birthday last week.
The boys, however, were quite upset. They saw those ornaments, ready to be wrapped in tissue paper and stuffed into the bags. They wanted to do more ornaments! Now that they had seen the ornaments, coloring with crayons paled in comparison to painting! They each became more and more irate as I continued to impress upon them how much FUN it would be to color the bags!
Ultimately the bags, each with about 4 grudgingly stroked crayon marks, were thrown on the floor in a fit of absolute outrage! The crayons were flung across the table and the boys were bellowing at the top of their lungs. I'm sure they were wondering how in the world I could play such a cruel joke on them -- show them the FUN project and then expect them to do something not nearly as exciting.
The thing is, if they had trusted me, the project for today would have been fun. It wasn't what they had expected or planned, but my plan would have yielded a good result - one they would have liked. But it wasn't what they had planned. They had other ideas about what would be fun.
I couldn't really get upset with them. I just gave up on MY plan and held them until they settled down. Ultimately raisins and wheat thins won them over and all was forgotten. Why wasn't I flustered or upset? Because I saw myself in them all too clearly!
So often I make a plan - with our without God's guidance and direction in advance - and then when God intervenes and changes the plan, I fight it! I don't bellow and throw things but honestly, from time to time I have felt like it. More often than I care to admit, I have questioned God and even gotten upset with Him when He changes things up in my life.
Unlike the twins, I don't "let go and let God" nearly as quickly as they "let go and let Mary" take control. So yes, I have a great deal of work to do in the area of trust AND obedience:-/
Hmmm. . . Guess this will be the last of the chronicles in 2008. I have no doubt God is not finished teaching me about Him and His love, though. I'm really looking forward to where He's going to take us all next year. Of course, the day isn't over yet!
Merry Christmas!
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
What Happens When One Becomes Two?
It's not what you might think! I have always been fascinated by twins and the boys I care for are especially fascinating little people. Just think about it - they were together at the moment of conception! They have been and will be a pair, a team, a unit, "the twins" their entire lives.
These boys also speak in what has been referred to as "twin talk." From a very early age, and especially since they became exceedingly vocal about a year ago, they communicate profusely with each other. It sounds like babble to us, but it is so clear they know what the other is saying--some primal connection that they alone share.
Being active boys and part of a sibling group that is very dramatic, intelligent, inquisitive, strong-willed, independent and bright, they fight - a lot - with each other and their sister. But let me tell you, if one of those boys is placed in time out, the other follows and sits quietly next to his brother - even if the offending brother is in time out for some infringement upon the rights of the other!
Where is all this leading? Well, today big sister had morning preschool and one of the boys was taken to the hospital to have an x-ray on a foot that seems to have been bothering him. Dad and other twin had to "sneak out" because the left-behind twin was determined he was getting his jacket and going along--after all the boys never go anywhere without the other one!
So for a couple of hours it was just one little now-alone twin and me. We had a wonderful, rare, one-on-one time reading books and watching favorite videos. He even got to practice turning on and off the porch light about 25 or 30 times - learning "on" and "off." On the way to pick up sister at noon though, he kept stressing about the fact that his brother's car seat (and so his brother) was not in the car. "Buckle?" He kept asking, referring to 'buckling in' the boys in their car seats.
I got to thinking about how disorienting and confusing it must have been for him to be suddenly alone. Yes, I was there, but brother was not. And brother is always with him. They share a room, they share a bond that no one else on earth will ever understand or break. They shared their mother's womb.
I thought he must feel the way I do sometimes in my relationship with God. Sometimes I feel as if I'm traveling through a time without God's presence. It's not that God has sneaked out the door, but rather that I have turned aside or turned away altogether. I become hard-headed (stiff-necked?) and prideful and push God out of the picture. God is there with me, but I don't acknowledge Him.
At some point though, I begin to feel the way my little lonely twin must have felt for a while today: as if I am utterly and completely on my own - as if part of me is missing. That's when I run back to God, like the prodigal I have been, begging for forgiveness.
The "twin talk" between God and me is through the Holy Spirit living and working in me - interceding on my behalf when I don't know what to pray. I think about how truly joyful the twins are when the other one is finally awake from a nap--or home from the hospital with Dad--and I get it. I really do. That's how I feel when I know God has already forgiven my sin.
What a relief. What a great joy. What true blessing to be a recipient of God's grace.
In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will. [Romans 8:26-27 NIV]
These boys also speak in what has been referred to as "twin talk." From a very early age, and especially since they became exceedingly vocal about a year ago, they communicate profusely with each other. It sounds like babble to us, but it is so clear they know what the other is saying--some primal connection that they alone share.
Being active boys and part of a sibling group that is very dramatic, intelligent, inquisitive, strong-willed, independent and bright, they fight - a lot - with each other and their sister. But let me tell you, if one of those boys is placed in time out, the other follows and sits quietly next to his brother - even if the offending brother is in time out for some infringement upon the rights of the other!
Where is all this leading? Well, today big sister had morning preschool and one of the boys was taken to the hospital to have an x-ray on a foot that seems to have been bothering him. Dad and other twin had to "sneak out" because the left-behind twin was determined he was getting his jacket and going along--after all the boys never go anywhere without the other one!
So for a couple of hours it was just one little now-alone twin and me. We had a wonderful, rare, one-on-one time reading books and watching favorite videos. He even got to practice turning on and off the porch light about 25 or 30 times - learning "on" and "off." On the way to pick up sister at noon though, he kept stressing about the fact that his brother's car seat (and so his brother) was not in the car. "Buckle?" He kept asking, referring to 'buckling in' the boys in their car seats.
I got to thinking about how disorienting and confusing it must have been for him to be suddenly alone. Yes, I was there, but brother was not. And brother is always with him. They share a room, they share a bond that no one else on earth will ever understand or break. They shared their mother's womb.
I thought he must feel the way I do sometimes in my relationship with God. Sometimes I feel as if I'm traveling through a time without God's presence. It's not that God has sneaked out the door, but rather that I have turned aside or turned away altogether. I become hard-headed (stiff-necked?) and prideful and push God out of the picture. God is there with me, but I don't acknowledge Him.
At some point though, I begin to feel the way my little lonely twin must have felt for a while today: as if I am utterly and completely on my own - as if part of me is missing. That's when I run back to God, like the prodigal I have been, begging for forgiveness.
The "twin talk" between God and me is through the Holy Spirit living and working in me - interceding on my behalf when I don't know what to pray. I think about how truly joyful the twins are when the other one is finally awake from a nap--or home from the hospital with Dad--and I get it. I really do. That's how I feel when I know God has already forgiven my sin.
What a relief. What a great joy. What true blessing to be a recipient of God's grace.
In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will. [Romans 8:26-27 NIV]
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