Feb. 8, 2007 - Muddy Hands
Psalm 126
"When the Lord brought back the captivesto Zion we were like men who dreamed. Our mouths were filled with laughter, our tounges with songs of joy. Then it was said among the nations,'The Lord has done great things for them.' The Lord has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy. (1-3)
Bring back the captives O'Lord, Like streams in the Negev. Those who sow in tears will reap with songs of joy. He who goes out weeping, carrying seeds to sow, will return with songs of joy, carrying sheaves with him."(4-6)
I love what this Psalm reveals about God's passionate heart and about the way he works in our lives. The first three verses of Psalm 126 remind me that God paid the price to set us free. Out of this freedom was restored to us our health, our ability to dream for the future, to laugh, and to sing songs of joy. It is in the testimony of our joy and freedom that God is exalted and that his power is revealed to others. As free men and women of God, we now have the opportunity to participate in the harvest, crying out out on behalf of those of those still living in captivity,and planting the seeds of the Gospel. Some times I forget that I am free.
As a parent, I also recognized two father-like characteristics about these verses as well. The first being that God always wants the best for his children; he wants us to experience the fullness of life and delights in hearing our laughter and sounds of joy. The second point ,that I had never given much thought to before, is the way God chooses to to teach his children. He does not set us aside. We are not simply ornimental . Instead of being impatient with us and simply lecturing us on how things should be done, he invites us to get our hands dirty and share in the work. It is very important to him that we understand what he's trying to teach us because He knows that the lessons he has for us today, will be crucial to our survival in the 'real world.'
I can only hope to be the same kind of parent. Let's invite our kids to get their hands dirty today.
PS. After writing this, I found my youngest with his hands in the toilet. Well, I guess I'm off to a head start!
Comments
Feb. 9, 2007 - Untitled Comment
Posted by cammiemelisabray
Sooo...should I send all my kids to the toilet now, or would the garbage can work just as well?
All kidding aside....Great post! It is definitely more beneficial to experience something rather than just observe or here about it.
Off to get some hands dirty,
Cam. (Did you know you've gotten others calling me Cam now? I like it! :-D )
Feb. 10, 2007 - Hi and welcome to the blogging world!
Posted by workinprogress
Thanks for stopping by and leaving me a comment. :-)
I like what you've done with your template!
About Photo Hunters - you just post a photo each Saturday according to the weekly theme. The woman who started it is not a Homeschoolblogger but you can visit her site at TNChick.com. I have it under my "Links" in my sidebar - scroll down to "photo hunters", click, and it'll bring you right to the page that explains all about it.
Let me know if you join. My 13yr old daughter and I are enjoying Saturday mornings surfin the blogroll and check'n out the photo's! Next week's theme is "Antique".
