Wednesday, April 8, 2009

Fruit

This is the bookshelf I put back together every day at least once.  The giant baby is also sneaky.
The boys and me watching Bolt.  I'm obviously way into this movie or just really tired - probably both.
This is what boys do - he thought he was pretty funny.  I did too, so I took a picture ;)
My green-eyed big boy.

Ah, the giant baby sleeps.

Went to a Gracia Burnham conference last Saturday that my Women's Ministry at Discovery sponsored.  For those who don't know her, she and her husband were missionaries in the Philippines.  They were kidnapped and held hostage for a year by a terrorist group connected to  Al Qaeda.  On the day she was rescued her husband was shot and killed.  

The whole talk was incredible, but one thing that stood out to me was the woman she became through her affliction.  She said she was married to a great man, had three great children, they were missionaries who daily ministered and gave of themselves to others - and she thought she was a pretty great person.  After they were captured, they were constantly on the run through the jungles, always hungry and exhausted.   She had cried every day for eight months and lived in absolute misery (and she really did have every right, as far as man is concerned, to cry every day and be miserable) when she asked her husband, "Where is all the love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, etc that I'm supposed to have?"  She was not liking the woman she saw once she was put in the fire.  His response to her was that those were gifts of the Spirit and that they should ask the Lord for those things.  So they began to pray and experience a great transformation of their own hearts.  They were able to see their captors as the lost young men that they were, and they were able to show love and compassion toward them and begin serving and ministering to them.

I was recently in my own small jungle when David was in the hospital.  When the pressure was on and the future was uncertain, I didn't like the woman that I saw in myself.  As I prayed this morning I began really asking the Lord for EVIDENT fruits of the Spirit in my life.  I've heard at least 100 times, "Don't pray for patience"!  But here I am.  I don't want affliction, I don't want jungles in any way, shape or form.  However ...

"Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I keep Your Word ... It is good for me that I have been afflicted, that I may learn your statutes."  Psalm 119:67, 71

3 comments:

Katie said...

So good, as always! I always glean wisdom from your posts. Thanks for sharing.

Amanda said...

Wish I could've come to the Gracia B thing, but my husband actually happened to be home, so I'm glad I didn't get a ticket after all.
I'm ready to work hard in your class Thursday!

Steph said...

thanks for the post. you have much wisdom and i am thankful to call you friend. you are a blessing.

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About Me

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I am the wife of an awesome man known to his friends as Fred :) The mom of four incredible kids, Hudson, Pierce, Alayna and Adelle. We homeschool and I teach a few classes at our local YMCA. Above all we love and worship Jesus Christ as Lord and this blog is a peek at our journey to raise children who delight in the Lord.