Cash that Check

Last week was a hard one to say the least. My husband and I were upstairs in our bedroom as I was nursing our littlest and our older two girls were playing. We received one frantic call after another before we could reach the phone. We looked at one another and just knew, something was up – and likely bad news was looming, there were too many calls in a row for it to be anything casual.

I only had to return one call before we received what was devastating his family. His nephew had died tragically much too soon in life. As I shared this with my husband we wept together for the loss that had just hit. Only moments later we were packing up in a windstorm-like frenzy so we could make our way to be with his sister, to help and comfort in any way we could. Thankfully my parents live along the way and we were able to have our girls stay with them so that they wouldn't have to know grief or see such pain at their tender young ages.

I have never been through anything of such gravity before that week and one of my most prevalent thoughts was of rushing home to wrap up my little ones and give them the biggest longest hug ever – in those days (and still to be honest) I just wanted to be able to wrap my arms around them for a hug that never ends. When I did see them I tried to do just that :) but bless their little hearts they could only stay squeezed up in my arms for a couple of minutes before trying to break free.

In that week and still my heart breaks for my sister-in-law, and I pray that God can bring her peace and comfort her.

Life is short, no matter how “long” we live, it's still short. This was a reality check for me in a way. This has made me think about all that goes on in life and realize so much of it is just little stuff, the day to day stuff. Life is to be lived and loved. I want to live every moment intentionally so that not a single moment is “wasted” or “idle” or spent poorly.

Each day we wake up, God is putting a check in our hand for LIFE. We should take that check and cash it in, don't set it on the dresser to get lost or put it in the bank for later, cash it in and LIVE IT and LOVE IT. We do not know when we will stop getting these “checks” from God so let us make the most of the ones we do get.

At the end of my life I want everyone I know to know how very much I loved them. I want everyone to see how much I truly lived. I want to make the most of all the time I have and I want bless the people in my life with my love and my time and my happiness and my heart …. with everything I have, I want to pour it out on each one of them holding nothing back, until it's all spent up.

“For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it.” 1Timothy 6:7 [NIV].

The Parable of the Talents

“Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his property to them. To one he gave five talents of money, to another two talents, and to another one talent, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. The man who had received the five talents went at once and put his money to work and gained five more. So also, the one with the two talents gained two more. But the man who had received the one talent went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master's money.

After a long time the master of those sevants returned and settled accounts with them. The man who had received the five talents brought the other five, 'Master,' he said 'you entrusted me with five talents. See, I have gained five more.'

“His master replied, 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share you master's happiness!”

“The man with the two talents also came. 'Master,' he said, 'you entrusted me with two talents; see, I have gained two more.'

“His master replied, 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your masters's happiness!'

“Then the man who had received the one talent came. 'Master,' he said, 'I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed, So I was afraid and went out and hid your talent in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.'

“His master replied, 'You wicked and lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest.

“ 'Take the talent from him and give it to the one who has the ten talents. Fore everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have even what he has will be taken from him. And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.' “

-Matthew 25:24-30 [NIV]

Okay so this parable has a literal and a figurative translation, and I'm taking it here in a metaphorical sense that the talent represents life – it's not the only way this parable is used or applied, but this is how it spoke to me this morning.

Life has hit with some pretty hard blows, and I'm not usually one to start in with a “woe is me” attitude (and I'm still not) but I do live in reality and I do know that's also life. Hard blows will hit but God will always be there. Life will never be perfect, but we can live it to it's fullest. Times may get tough, but we can always try our hardest. We may tire, but God will always be our strength.

What a tragic, devastating, and sad thing that has happened and my heart hurts for the suffering and pain for that side of the family. I pray and will keep praying for them. I am driven by this with a new zest to have no regrets to live fully and love deeply and I will live intentionally because one day all too soon it will be cut short.

How do y'all plan to spend your talents?  What things do you feel lead to do with them? Let me know :)

May God Bless you all and may you also live and love to the fullest. Life is is full of blessings, enjoy them y'all ;)



Side note:  Here is a link to the memorial fund if anyone wants to make a contribution, feel free to do so but don't feel pressed or obligated.
https://www.giveforward.com/fundraiser/kjm2/zachary-batt-memorial-fund

Being A Blessing

Photo Property of C.K. Nelson not to be reproduced or copied

Being a Blessing

This past weekend I had the pleasure of being able to spend some time with, and visit my Grandparents. Our girls ran around the spacious country plot and did what I did there as a child, roll in laughter and make up adventures. It was amazing for me to watch a wonderful new memory being made while an old one was being recalled. Oh, how I loved my summers there.

As we were about to leave I noticed how there was four generations, right there, on that very porch. How blessed are we. Some friends of mine are already starting to lose parents to death, and here, we had not only our parents there, but our grandparents with us too. What a true gift from the Lord that most seem to take for granted.

I began to think about getting older, something most of us don't think too much on – understandably, what fun is there in that. I also thought about the role of parents and children and how they relate to the passing of time and growing in years.

My husband, often times, has joked with our children asking, “When I get older since I changed your diaper, are you gonna change mine?”. If you haven't guessed, his type of humor is the off the wall kind, and that's just what that question is, his humor coming out to play. That comment is a joke that leaves him laughing because the girls will then cringe and squeal at the thought of a poopy diaper. That's right. I said poop. Before parenthood it's a word seldom used, but as a parent it's in as frequent use, as air.

Here is the surprising part, not my husband actually asking this, after cringing about poop, the girls with all the love in their hearts say, “Don't worry Daddy. When you and Mommy are old we will take care of you, even if we have to change your diapers.” Let me just say, I love their blessed little four and six year old hearts! Here he was trying to pull their leg and they used that as an opportunity to show true love is as wide as it is deep as it it is tall.

I wanted to know, how many adults would show that same love to their aging parents? The answer, a surprising 20 million , which is over 80 percent of care, is provided by families, as seen here: http://www.focusonthefamily.com/lifechallenges/life_transitions/caring_for_ill_or_aging_parents.aspx. Wow! Keep up the good work for those who are already helping and for those who aren't let's change that!

Helping parents out as routine things become more complicated like mowing the yard, power washing the house, weeding the garden is something all family members should start to take on as these things no longer appear to be a luxury of capability for parents, yet they maintain the responsibility of accomplishing. Let us find ways to be a blessing to our parents.

Our parents have done their best to show us love, to provide for us and to help us. (This is care work: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Care_work). As our parents age it IS our turn to show them love, and in ways to provide for and to help them. The love, support and help need not be equivalent to what they have given because it's not an exchange system. It is an expression of love, one that should be just as tall as it is wide as it is deep. Although it is not an exchange system, something worth noting is that our children WILL SEE how we treat our parents and care for them as they begin to depend upon us, and our response to our parents and what we do is how we will be teaching our children in turn, to treat us – let's be a good example and let us follow the direction given in the Bible:

1 Timothy 5:4 “...Children or grandchildren, these should learn first of all to put their religion into practice by caring for their own family and so repaying their parents and grandparents, for this is pleasing to God.” http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Timothy+5%3A4&version=NIV . Pretty clear right? Now that we know, the next step is A-C-T-I-O-N.

I would love to hear back from you and hear about how your actions are blessing family members older than you.

Has this post in any way inspired you to helping out more? In what ways?

May God bless you as you bless others.