Fly Away, Butterfly!

For our daughter, Lauren....our beautiful butterfly! 
(Written September 2014, but first time to publish.)

Once upon a time there lived a little caterpillar. She lived in a small town with her parents and three younger brothers.

The little caterpillar loved to explore. She traveled to other places, learning and doing all kinds of things. She met all kinds of people. She made lots of friends along the way.

The little caterpillar also enjoyed being at home, with her family. She sang songs. She played games. She learned important things that helped her grow and mature. She learned a lot from a very special Book. Her parents told her that this Book was the greatest book of all! So she read from it every day. She learned some very great things from the Book. Yes, she had a very wonderful, happy life.

The most important thing the little caterpillar learned was that she had a Creator. Her Creator loved her! She also had a Savior. Her Savior loved her! So much so that He gave His life for her! 

The little caterpillar couldn't image a love so wonderful as that love, but from that day on began to share that Good News with others.

Something began to change. The caterpillar stopped growing, stopped shedding her new skin, and she felt all safe and secure and content, but yet felt like there was something more she was supposed to experience. 

Her family was excited about her growing up, but realized that she would soon be making a big step in her life - a step that would change their family forever. They were happy and sad...all at the same time, but knew that the Creator was with her, and that He would guide her steps and direct her paths.

The little caterpillar began to feel different. She changed. She changed more and more each and every day, but these changes were different than the ones she had had before. One day something very wonderful happened! The little caterpillar was no longer a caterpillar! Her Creator had transformed her into a beautiful butterfly!

And so it was that it was time for her to fly away. And she did. She flew away from her safe and secure home. She ventured into new and exciting places, continuing to tell the world what the Creator and Savior had done for her. She shared words from the Book with others daily.

The beautiful butterfly would come back to visit her family whenever she could. Oh, they missed her, but were so excited to hear all about her new life!  They were thankful that the Creator had done such a magnificent thing for their little girl and sister. 

     

The little caterpillar brothers looked forward to seeing those changes in their own lives some day. They were learning more and more about the Creator and Savior, as. well.

The beautiful butterfly learned to spread her wings and fly in ways she would have never believed she could. She had great faith in what she could do, because of the One who made her. He gave her dreams wings! He gave her plans and paths that led to all kinds of new things. And that was just the way it was supposed to be. It was the Creator's wonderful plan that she would learn to fly away. He knew she would all along.

    

"Fly away, beautiful butterfly! Fly away!", she heard her Creator, Savior, and family sing as she flew. And she knew that this was way it was supposed to be. 

Seeing Their Faces

It was horrible enough hearing about the tragedy in Connecticut....knowing so many young ones were killed, but something about seeing their little faces made it even worse.  I made myself watch it long enough to see their faces and hear some of their stories, but then I turned it off.  Seeing their faces made it even more real.  Hearing their stories was both heartbreaking and heartwarming.  I could imagine that I would want to tell my child's story if in that same situation - anything to help remember my loved one and share them with the world.  I didn't want to see their faces, but knew I should.  I needed to because I felt like I owed it to them and their families - to help remember and not forget.

Think about "seeing their faces", my husband mentioned abortion and how perhaps if the babies' faces were seen people would realize that it really is murder.  I think he's exactly right.

It's not just a blob of matter without a soul.  It is a baby.  A human. A life.  A little precious child from God who has no choice whether to live or die.  That decision is in the hands of the doctor and up to the decision of  the parents or grandparents - mostly the mother.

I'm thankful for young mothers I know who may or may not have their child's father in their life, and may be mostly or solely raising their child on their own, but who chose life for their baby.  They chose life when, in some ways,  it could have seemed easier to abort.

I am also thankful for those who unselfishly have given their child life, but loved the child enough to realize they weren't capable of parenting for whatever reason and decided to give their child to a loving home to be raised.  Several friends have adopted children and what a special thing to do - to give a life to someone wanting a baby to nurture and love.  That seems like an ultimate sacrifice of unselfishness and love.  Yes, it would be hard, but choosing life is still the best choice.  It's the right choice according to God's Word.  Life would always be the choice in God's Word.  Destroying life is murder.  There's just no way around that fact.

Would it make a difference if a mother or dad saw the face of their unborn child before making the choice to abort?  Would a grandparent be less likely to encourage or demand abortion if they saw their grandchild's face.   I'm pretty sure it would make a huge difference, but I am fairly confident that isn't going to happy.  It would be too hard.  Too difficult to see.  It would be protested.  To know that God knitted together that precious life would certainly pull at the heartstrings of a parent - even a parent who doesn't seem to have any feelings for the life within.

Seeing their faces would make it real, but just maybe that's exactly what it would take to stop abortion.

For you created my inmost being;

you knit me together in my mother's womb.

I praise you because

I am fearfully and wonderfully made;

your works are wonderful,

I know that full well.

My frame was not hidden from you

when I was made in the secret place.

When I was woven together in the depths of the earth,

your eyes saw my unformed body.

All the days ordained for me

were written in your book

before one of them came to be.

Psalm 139:13-16

Our Perception of Life

Recently one of my young teenage friends on Facebook put the following status:  "What screws us up most in life is the picture in our head or how it's supposed to be."


She really made me think because what she said was sooooo true!  My reply to her is below.  I also asked if I could use her status for a blog post some time and she said that I could.

My reply: "I think maybe we want things like we think others have it - and maybe they do and maybe they don't - we can't really know. One of the hardest things to NOT do is compare our lives to others, and I think as females (of all ages) we're into comparing more than males (hair, bodies, makeup, clothes, family, husbands/boyfriends, children, homes, decorations, and on and on). But, you know what we all need to remember? None of us are perfect....none of our lives are perfect....and comparing only keeps our eyes on others instead of on God/Jesus and it will end up making us miserable in the process."

What do you think?  Do you believe that we compare our lives to others and try to match what "they" are doing?  I really do believe that we do - especially young girls/women.  In fact, I believe our culture teaches us, or tries to teach us, to be that way through advertising and entertainment.  It's a constant battle to not get caught up in all of that "stuff" and to not get a warped perception of life!

Our perception of life will be much easier and clearer if we keep our eyes on others and on God/Jesus.  When we are too focused on ourselves, our lives will be miserable, because we will be focused on our perceived flaws or possibly begin to feel like we're not good enough, not smart enough, not......whatever.  We will become selfish in our thoughts.  Instead of looking outward and seeing the needs of others, we become consumed with self.

Let's make it a goal to look outward and upward each day!  Let's make it a goal to do what we can to help others and to serve others, even if it just by brightening their day with a kind or encouraging word.  In doing so, we will be brightening up our own lives.  We will be changing the picture in our head from what we think life is supposed to look like to what God/Jesus show us life is supposed to look like!

And, in all of that, we will be "Shining Like Stars"....looking more and more like Jesus.

Likewise also that women should adorn themselves in respectable apparel, with modesty and self-control, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly attire, but with what is proper for women who profess godliness—with good works. 

1 Timothy 2:9-10

It Doesn't Matter

It doesn't matter if I am rich or poor -

It only matters if I am a good steward with whatever God has given me.

It doesn't matter if I am successful or unsuccessful as the world sees success-

It only matters that I live my life to the glory of God.

It doesn't matter if I have possessions and treasures -

It only matters if I have given to others and helped those in need.

It doesn't matter if I have a small house or a large house -

It only matters if I have given my life to God through Jesus, so that I may live in my Father's house some day.

It doesn't matter if I get my children involved in all kinds of activities where they can learn new things -

If I never teach them about God - about Jesus - about His Church - and about the Bible...then I have failed.

It doesn't matter if I spend all of my time doing good deeds and working for the Lord -

If I never take the time to really BE with Him, then I'm not growing in the way that He wants me to grow.

It doesn't matter if I am friendly and outgoing and caring towards others -

If I never use the opportunity to tell others about Jesus then I'm not doing what I've been commanded to do.

It doesn't matter if I believe I am  a good person and try to live an upright life -

If I never give my heart to Jesus and dedicate my life to Him, then I am still lost.

It doesn't matter if I say all of the right things as a Christian -

If I don't live with God number one in my life, then my example is void.

It doesn't matter if I say I love others over and over -

If I never take the time to show them my love, then my words are insincere.

It doesn't matter how much I know about God's Word -

If I never apply that knowledge to my life or use it to help others, then that knowledge is wasted.

It doesn't matter what I think is important in life -

It matters what God believes is important.

Written by Lori Waugh - October 2009

I know, O LORD, that a man's life is not his own; it is not for man to direct his steps.

Jeremiah 10:23

The Right Ingredients

Several years ago, my son wanted to make some cookies for the fair. He wanted to choose the recipe all by himself. Instead of looking through cookbooks, he decided to search on the internet for the perfect recipe. Eventually, he found one he liked and printed it out to show me. As I scanned the recipe ingredients, making sure we had all of them, I noticed that we didn't have one of the key ingredients. But, it wasn't something simple, such as flour, sugar, or eggs that we could quickly run to the store and purchase. No, not at all! His missing ingredient...an ingredient he had failed to even notice...was crushed crickets!! Yuck! Can you imagine that? The recipe he had choosen was called "Chocolate Chirpie Chip Cookies"! He just liked the name and didn't realize that the "chirpie" part was referring to crushed crickets. "Oops! Sorry Zachary, but we are fresh out of crushed crickets". (Thankfully!) And mom wasn't willing to go get that ingredient, either! Of course, Zachary was just as shocked as I was and quickly went off to search for another recipe.

Having the right ingredients for a recipe is essential. Without a key ingredient, a recipe can flop. Recently I posted about "recipes" and how God gives us many "Recipes for Life" throughout the Bible. It's chock-full of good recipes for our spiritual lives! One of those God-inspired recipes is from 2 Peter 1:3-10 .

"His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.

For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But if anyone does not have them, he is nearsighted and blind, and has forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins. "

In verse 3, Peter tells us that God will supply us with the ingredients we need for life and godliness, "His (God’s) divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness." The small print on God's "recipe" is the part that says, "through our knowledge of Him". We have to come to know God. And, we come to know Him through the time we spend with Him in prayer, in the reading of His Word, and through our times of worship and praise to Him. Our knowledges of Him begins with our faith in Him, as verse 5 points out.

The ingredients God will supply to each of us, as Christians, are listed in the passage above. We begin with our faith, then add ingredients to that faith. (Imagine for a moment that you have a bowl of faith: Some have a small bowl, some have a medium-sized bowl; others may have a big bowl.) Our bowls of faith are all different sizes, depending on our spiritual maturity.

Now let's add the next ingredients in God's recipe to our bowl of faith:
1. GOODNESS - Verse 5: "For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness"

2. KNOWLEDGE - Verse 5: "and to goodness, knowledge"

3. SELF-CONTROL - Verse 6: "and to knowledge, self-control"

4. PERSEVERANCE - Verse 6: "and to self-control, perseverance"

5. GODLINESS - Verse 6: "and to perseverance, godliness"

6. BROTHERLY KINDNESS - Verse 7: "and to godliness, brotherly kindness"

7. LOVE - Verse 7: "and to brotherly kindness, love."

If you were to rate yourself on each of these ingredients, how much of each would you have? A small amount or a large amount?

God's recipe includes instruction about how much of each of these ingredients we should have. (Remember, His recipes are without error and they are perfect!) Verses 8-9 tell us how much we should have. It doesn't matter what amount of each ingredient we have, as long as we continue increasing each of them. In other words, we should continue to grow each of these "ingredients" as we walk our Christian walk. And these verses also tell us why this is important: To be effective and productive Christians. What if we fail to add one of these important ingredients or decide to leave one of them out? God's recipe tells us about that, as well. If we fail to add one of them, we have forgotten about Jesus and how He gave His life to cleanse us from our sins.

This recipe is sure to be a success when we pay special attention to all of the ingredients! God again tells us so with this promise in verses 10-11 following the above passage: "Therefore, my brothers, be all the more eager to make your calling and election sure. For if you do these things, you will never fall, and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ."

I am grateful for this "Recipe for Life" God gave us and for His recipes that never fail. Visit Heavenly Homemakers for more Gratituesday.

Also, please visit Life's a Bowl of Cherries, a family recipe blog for some great recipes from my family to yours!

"I Love Life!"

This afternoon my dad's side of the family had a family reunion. There were about 130 in attendance. Out of eleven original children, there is only one living sibling left. My dad's aunt Elsie is 86 years old and lives in California. There were 15 people who flew from California for the reunion and 52 total from just her family alone.

I found out some interesting things about Elsie today. For her 80th birthday, her family went on a cruise. For her 85th birthday, they went to Disney World. She made a small speech today and said she plans to live to 100!! She also said something that was great to hear: She said, "I love life!" Isn't that great? Thankfully, Elsie is in good health so far and is able to do everything she wants to do.

Tonight our preacher talked about suicide. While he was talking, I thought about the people who I know that have lost friends and loved ones in this way. Sadly, the people who choose to take their life don't feel like they can say as Elsie did: "I love life!" For those who feel like ending their life, there is no hope - there is no help.

Sometimes mental illness and other diseases can cause people to feel this way, but other times it is a choice. Our attitude determines a lot in our life and it's important to realize that we do have a choice whether to be happy or not. If we allow selfishness to creep in, before too long everything becomes "ME" centered instead of Christ-centered. If we begin to look at everything inwardly instead of looking upward - towards Christ - our whole outlook on life will change.

Last year I got a little down about something that had happened in our lives. It wasn't a conscience decision, but I allowed Satan to control my thoughts and began to look inward instead of upward. I remember something my husband, Joe said to me during that time: Nothing we ever go through will ever compare to what Christ went through for us. That is so true! Any time you and I have a struggle it can never compare to the agonizing death Jesus went through on the cross - and He willingly did that for us...because He loved us so much.

If Jesus loves us that much, surely we can, like Elsie say, "I love life!" And we can love life enough to live for the One who saved us. I hope that you, too can say, "I love life!"

Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. Colossians 3:1-4

"Recipe for Life"

Let's say you wanted to make chocolate chip cookies. What's the first thing you would do? You would get out the recipe, wouldn’t you (unless you've made it so often you have it memorized!)? And, of course, it's always good to make sure you have all of the ingredients before beginning (something I don't always do!).

A recipe is a process. It has a plan and continues with steps until completion. In almost all baking recipes, you must be careful to follow the directions and use the right ingredients so that the recipe will turn out the way it is supposed to. You must also understand the recipe, know the ingredients called for, and understand the terms that are being used.

Have you ever thought of your life as a Christian as being like a recipe? Before you became a Christian, your life had no real meaning. There was no purpose and no direction. There was no "Recipe for Life". But then, you began to "stir" within. Maybe someone shared God's Word with you, or maybe you began to read it on your own. The Bible - the ultimate recipe book!

The Bible explaines to you the steps of salvation - the "recipe" for the Christian life. By reading the "recipe", you found that your life lacked a very important missing ingredient - Jesus! Your life's recipe cannot be complete if Jesus is missing. He is the ingredient you and I can not do without!

Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life.

No one comes to the Father except through me.
John 14:6