I Wanna Go Back…..Maybe NOT!

I’m revving my engine, mentally and physically, as I type this blog today. A lot has been on my plate for the last few days and even more the next days, weeks and even months. I was on the road again after a beautiful three days in Tulsa. Made it to Austin last night -- safe and sound -- on the road again! Lots to do, places to go and people to love,

I heard the David Dunn song, “I Wanna Go Back” again and this time it really resonated with me. The song describes how as we grow older and lose our childlike faith and belief that we can do or be anything. Instead of being grateful for all the abilities we have to drive a huge vehicle on crazy busy highways and byways, and even maintain our lives on our own, take on responsibility and conquer it, and be grateful we even made it through our childhood ups and downs, we digress to wanting to go back. David Dunn sings “I wanna go back to “Jesus loves me this I know, for the Bible tells me so. I wanna go back to “This little light, gonna let it shine.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yUvxhGRUR3s

This time when I heard the words of that song, I realized how much Jesus does loves me and I truly know it. I’m not just singing words. I’m singing from my very being. He loves ME! He sees me as a beloved daughter and though often I feel like a messed-up kid, He still loves me -- this I know!

Here’s the funny thing. As a kid, I thought God was out to get me when I slipped – maybe a little peek at a friend’s paper to get the answer to a question, or the little fib I told my mom. I feared Him and His big stick. Today, I recognize my mistakes quickly, and do my best to make amends. I feel His arms around me, pulling me into Him and His gentle words: “I forgive you. Do better next time!”

And, about that wanting to go back to “This little light, gonna let it shine” – I’m doing that too. I’m not that little kid any more who thinks God is punishing me for something I did wrong. Once upon a time, I really did think that. I didn’t really understand grace until I grew up and rationalized that the free-flowing grace of my Father is what proves Jesus loves me this know! Not just because the Bible tells me so. I know. God has proven His love and grace for me in abundance – far more than I deserve. So I purpose, first thing EVERY SINGLE DAY – to let my little light shine through my blogs and my “can’t keep it to myself” attitude. I know a good thing – er, a good Father – and I must share Him.

Now, I sing “Jesus loves me this I know” with absolute certainty of that love. I notice that He keeps a watchful eye on me and delivers me safe from harm. I recognize the car that almost ran into me, the misstep that I took and didn’t fall down, the sweet embrace of a friend and I know it’s Him loving me through them. We’re big kids and by now we should be fully aware of God’s love. If we really understood His love, we’d understand He’s smiling at us with a gleam in His eyes -- the same way I watch my kids and grandkids.

If I see my own with the joy of a mother’s heart, I know He sees me with a joy that surpasses my understanding. I know because the same God who created them, created me. He created you. I want to smile back at God with the confidence of a daughter. A daughter who knows “Jesus loves me. This I know, with absolute certainty!” How about you?

Train Them in the Way They Should Go

From the very start of her life, our daughter was loud. I mean crying-out-loud loud. When she was a baby, she cried because she was a very sick baby and later when she realized she had a brother that loved to annoy her, she was loud with her shrills and squeals when he as much as touched her.

"STACI!" I'd shout to out-shrill her. "Please stop screaming! And, I mean now!" Later my husband and I heard her belting out the song "Jesus loves me this I know" in the bathroom in perfect pitch. We knew we had a gift from God on our hands. We could see clearly that God was up to something and what the enemy had meant for evil with a Cystic Fibrosis diagnosis, God meant it for good. (Genesis 50:20) She was soon 100% healed.

We were young parents who realized God had given us a great responsibility to cultivate the gifts that were in our children. We were praying parents who sought the Lord earnestly concerning His plans for our their lives. In time, He revealed our children's natural abilities to us. Ryan was a natural born salesman -- winning all kinds of awards for top sales in Cub Scout Scout-A-Rama tickets and other school fundraisers. We were his accomplices when we drove him door to door to give his sales pitch and I was his bookkeeper. And with our daughter's ability to communicate in song and word was enabled by parents who continued to do whatever we could to open up doors of opportunity for her.

When Staci was very young, she’d sing little songs on stage at our church and her school. She was in school musicals and the choir. At 12, she started winning talent competitions, landed TV shows and commercials. Our son gravitated to real jobs in sales where he thrived. They are both in those areas of life today.

We were taking our cues from scripture. Proverbs 22:6 gives specific instructions on developing the God-given potential embedded in every child. "Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it." I believe that verse is meant for their life and spiritual purposes.

In essence, parents are responsible for investing in their children the love, guidance and structure that can one day produce a life fully committed to the Lord in all they do. As we lead them "in the way they should go" -- according to their unique personalities and natural giftings -- they will live fulfilling lives.

We need to imitate Eunice, the mother of Timothy, the apostle Paul's prodigy. Her godly influence on Timothy created an ironclad commitment that would seal his faith in Christ. Eunice's devotion to that challenge carved a place for her in biblical history, and Paul remembered: "the genuine faith that first lived in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and that I am persuaded lives in you also" (2 Timothy 1:5). Like Eunice, parents can help their children fulfill their purpose in life by intentionally nurturing them. Here are some ways I encourage you to nurture yours:

~ Pray with your children daily.
~ Demonstrate unconditional love, regardless of their failures or successes.
~ Shun performance-based acceptance, and avoid forcing your unfulfilled dreams on them.
~ Spend quality time imparting character-building traits that will stand against the toughest temptation.
~ Talk with your kids about their day at school, their homework and their future goals or aspirations.
~ Find opportunities to hone your child’s natural abilities. I promise you – they have those – painter, writer, talker/speaker, leader, singer, musician, etc.

Parents who are vigilant in their pursuit to raise kids who love God and who will use their gifts to serve Him are trusting God for the outcome. So the next time your child has their stuffed animals lined up and she is teaching them or your child wants to create a meal in your kitchen (no matter how many pots and pans they have out and how messy your kitchen is), don't stop them -- encourage them. Applaud them. A loving and devoted teacher or a master chef may be in their future. Only God knows what's in the making. We get to plant the seeds and water them – God gives the increase!

Our Mission Field is Wherever We Are

All my life, literally, all my life, I have been encouraged to love God and share His good news. It started, early on, when I saw the flannel board images of Bible characters while my teacher shared the Gospel story. I was also taught little songs that emphasized the love God has for me. “Jesus loves me this I know, for the Bible tells me so." I was raised in an evangelical home and church. Evangelical, in the sense, that my family was zealous in their faith and love for God and His children. Early on I became a devoted follower of Jesus.

But, I assure you, I wasn’t that girl that was very outspoken about my faith like others who went door-to-door giving out Gospel tracts or standing on a street corner shouting “You must be born again!” I was even quiet when it came to letting others know I was a Christian, in part, because I was shy and I lacked self-confidence. Yes, I took friends with me to church and I did my best to be an example to them of what a good Christian looks and acts like. But, I was not outspoken about it.

Later on, I became a Bible teacher, but even in that sense, my teaching was confined to “within-the-four-walls-of-the-church”. A safe place. People expected that “talk and walk” there.

Before the internet, many of us who were Jesus followers were pretty reclusive. Our faith was within our homes. Jesus “talk” was easy there. Prayers were welcomed there. We’d pray for a good grade on an upcoming test or for healing from an illness. You know the usual requests and petitions. It was faith that was between us four and no more – so to speak.
Who would have thought, way back then, that we would one day have the internet and social media that would open the doors for us to live out our faith online before countless numbers of people? We became evangelists and we were unleashed to spread the good news from behind a computer or a cell phone. I see you. You know who you are. You are the ones who post a scripture photo or you share a quote by Mother Teresa or Billy Graham. You are the ones who share an answer to prayer and also are the ones who ask for prayer.

So when Jesus said in John 14:12, “And greater works than these (the works that He performed) will you do….”, He was foretelling about what we could accomplish in our times. It is time for us to raise our voices even louder. We never know whose life we might impact because of something we posted or said on social media. There is so much power in our words. When we change our words from complaining, blaming or criticizing to faith-filled, loving and caring words, we change our world. Change your words. Change your world.

There will always be a reason to keep us from genuinely loving. But we can decide to be different. We can respond in love when someone hurts us or when it’s difficult to love them. This is what can make those who follow Christ look different from the rest of the world. Love that knows no bounds. Love wrapped in grace. Love that can get over our own insecurities, doubts, and fears. Love that doesn’t have conditions or rights. Love that doesn’t demand its own way. It’s the 1 Corinthians 13 way. May we not walk, talk or scroll right past the opportunities that God has placed in our paths to let His love flow through us. Let’s be billboards that make God famous. We are missionaries because we are on a mission. We have been sent. We were sent the second the first spark of life flickered in our mother’s womb to this earth and now to wherever we are today and to whoever crosses our paths – via the street or the internet!

Jesus Loves Me – This I Know!

Life happens. You hit and fractured your toes when you ran into the end of the door and have to go to the ER. You were attacked by woman-sucking mosquitoes and now you must carry an anti-itch “After Bite” oil for relief. You have to call an Exterminator to get rid of the pests. A pre-cancerous area on your leg has to be removed by the dermatologist. Your garage door didn’t close because it came off the chain. You thought it closed behind you, but didn't. Your neighbor tried to close it for you and your home alarm goes off and you don’t get the call from the alarm service so the police are summoned. You lose your key fob and have to replace it. You forget the tickets you printed out to a very important event. A crazy looking bump shows up on your foot and a big red blotch shows up on your leg. Your washing machine is making squealing noises. All of that happened within a week.to ME!

But…..Jesus loves me – this I KNOW! God is always there to tap me on the shoulder and give me His gentle reminder, deep within my soul, in spite of my "issues". "Jesus Loves Me” -- that simple little song that I learned many years ago in Sunday School is so very simple, yet so powerfully profound. That one statement grounds me in the truth of who God says I am and the best news is it’s not based on how well I perform or what I look like or what concerns me. The Awesome Creator of heaven and earth AND me, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, the Great “I Am” loves ME!

No question -- we really won’t feel accepted all the time. “Likes and Loves” on our Facebook or Instagram page will never truly make us feel secure. Life is full of surprises -- good and not so good. Life happens and "issues" occur. Having lots of friends and family around us doesn’t mean that we won’t sometimes feel lonely. And chocolate ice cream, as much as I love it, doesn’t satisfy the longings of my soul. There is no person, no diploma or award, or pats on the back that can fix us from the outside when we need to be rewired with fully knowing and embracing….Jesus loves me this I know. Only God can do that.

When my world gets topsy turvy and it seems I’m in the spin cycle of my dryer (which is over 25 years old and I pray it keeps spinning a while longer), I turn to the ONE sure constant that is never questionable. He is my Everlasting, Prince of Peace, Emmanuel — God with us. I draw close to Him so He can separate His solid truth from the shifting emotions and concerns that face me daily.

When life happens, I can choose to let it overwhelm me and perplex me, or I can recall that sweet song once again – “Jesus loves me, this I know”. We are so dearly loved by God. His love causes us to release our woes and cares to Him, and in turn display compassion, kindness and patience even when we don’t feel like it, to someone else. Colossians 3:12, “Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience”. When we do that, then the Jesus in us will cause others to start to sing “Jesus loves me this I know.”

Jesus really does love us. The Bible tells us so. Little (and big) ones to Him belong. They are weak but He is strong. Yes, Jesus loves me. Yes, Jesus loves me. Yes, Jesus loves me. The Bible tells me so.

“The LORD has appeared of old to me, saying, Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love: therefore with loving kindness have I drawn you.” Jeremiah 31:3

Jesus Loves Me This I Know....or Don't Know?

I never knew abuse by an angry father. But I do know the pain to have a very sick daddy. He became like a sibling to me because of brain tumor surgery that caused severe damage, as well as caused dibilitating seizures and convulsions that this little girl witnessed many times. At 8 years old, I was afraid to go home from school -- just in case he would be having another one. I have no memories of being held in my daddy's arms, being cuddled and hearing him tell me he loved me. My daddy went to heaven when I was 15.

Early on in my marriage, we hit some rough patches -- relationally, financially, etc. I remember hurting so much one day that I longed to have a daddy like I had seen my friends have -- to just run to -- so he could tell me "everything's gonna' be alright!" It was only a few moments later, that I saw, in technicolor, the clearest vision of me running into the open arms of Father God and Him lifitng me into His lap. He pressed my head into His chest, and I heard Him say, "Everything's gonna' be alright!". The peace of God, His comfort and assurance for my tomorrows swept over me like a blanket, and I sincerely knew "everything was going to be alright". And, it was.

Many of us have sung the little children's song, "Jesus loves me this I know", but many sing "Jesus loves me, and I DON"T KNOW". And, more than anything, today, I DO WANT YOU TO KNOW. I want you to experience this peace, joy and comfort because I know Him, and through life's ups and downs, He has sustained me through them all.

I know that I don't pass Facebook's recommendations for short, quick messages -- I really do know that mine are mini-blogs. They are on-purpose -- I know God gave FB to me as my mission and platform 4 years ago when my sweet husband went to heaven. I purpose to keep my posts sweet, motivational and encouraging. But, today, I don't want to mince any words. I clearly want you to hear -- straight from my heart and heaven -- that JESUS DOES LOVE YOU, and I want you to know -- without a shadow of a doubt of how wide, deep, everlasting and profound His love is. There is nothing that you have ever done that keeps Him from loving you.

I sincerely ask you, and urge you, to go to Him in prayer and ask Him to be your Daddy, your Lord and Savior. Surely you, too, will know the Dad that, perhaps, you never had, and the One who you can run to with His arms open wide.....not just today, but everyday! And, your song, too, will be "Jesus loves me THIS I KNOW!"