Flowers and Families

 And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so. ~Genesis 1:11

I love peonies. My favorite is the anemone peony. It's not as common as the double peonies that are filled with petals. Both are beautiful but to me, the Anemone is more delicate. Though the anemone may be more delicate looking, it has the same parts as other flowers that allow it to reproduce itself. Inside, the very middle contains the carpel. The carpel contains a trinity of parts.

Carpel

• the stigma 
• the style
•  the ovary. 

This is the female part. 

The stamen surround the carpel. It only has two parts.  

Stamen

• the anther
• the filament. 

These are the male parts. 

Lastly, the petals protect and accentuate the inner workings of the peony.  You can learn more about peonies here. 

Flowers are like families. The mother and father are the center of the family surrounded by God's loving hands. It's as if God's cupped hands hold the family. They protect the family. It's inside those petals, those cupped hands that the flower produces seeds, the offspring of the flower. If any part of the flower is broken, the flower doesn't produce the optimum seed. If the carpel or the stamen is damaged the flower cannot reproduce. If the petals are damaged then they can't protect the male and female parts; the seed may be less viable.

So in God's cupped hands, families produce offspring, held and protected, where the children can be nurtured, and mature into the people God intends them to be. Families create another trinity, the mother, the father, and the child(ren). If any part of the family is missing there can be no children. If any part of the family is damaged by sin it is more difficult to raise the children. God's loving hands will not be damaged but He will not hold those who will not be held. 

 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; ~Romans 3:23

Yes, we have all sinned, so it is up to us to ask forgiveness and allow the Lord to restore His loving hands around our families. There must be a commitment for the optimal family relationship. 

Commitment

• Individual commitment to the Lord
• Commitment as a couple to the Lord
• Commitment to the marriage

So what does that look like? 

• Daily commitment to the reading of God's word
• Daily commitment to prayer
• Weekly commitment to the house of God

These are hard things to ask in the busy, hurried, distracted days in which we live, but it is the only way we can restore our homes and our nation. It has to start with us. Government, laws, not even churches can fix our problems. 

You've heard "Stop and smell the roses." Maybe we need to stop and look deeply into the peony and how God has fashioned it as well as the roses. 

How has God surrounded your family with His love and protection? 

Heavenly Father, forgive us for neglecting You. Help us renew our commitments to You and our families. Please restore Your loving hands around our families and our nation. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Hey Kids:

Have you wondered how you can help improve your family? It's not just mom and dad's responsibility. 

What can you do to make life easier for your family? 

Here are a few ideas:

• pick up your toys and clothes
• do your homework without being asked
• walk away from a fuss with your siblings.
• remind your parents to have family devotion and prayer time

What other ideas can you add? 

Even a child is known by his doings, whether his work be pure, and whether it be right. ~Proverbs20:11

Bird Watching

      

Blessed is every one that feareth the Lord; that walketh in his ways. For thou shalt eat the labour of thine hands: happy shalt thou be, and it shall be well with thee. Thy wife shall be as a fruitful vine by the sides of thine house: thy children like olive plants round about thy table. ~Psalms 128:1-3

This morning I watched as a father chickadee brought food to the mother sitting on their nest. The bird feeder was right beside the birdhouse, but he chose to fly farther off for the needs of his spouse. Back and forth, back and forth he flew while other birds flocked to the feeder. Once in a while, he went to the suet basket to take a bit of fat. She watched for him, barely poking her head out of the small hole that led to their nest. No birds or squirrels seemed to notice the mother or the nest, though they were all around it trying to get the easy food.

I wondered why the father chickadee didn't take advantage of the feeder full of sunflower seeds. Was he bringing in sweet morsels of healthier tidbits for his spouse? Was he bringing water? Was he risking flying farther off to keep other birds and animals from discovering their nesting spot? The farther he ventured, the more he endangered himself by hawks and cats and other predatory animals, but the closer he stayed perhaps the more he endangered his family.

The Lord had a purpose in creating all that He did. We will probably never discover all the reasons for creation, but I love watching all that happens out my window and in my yard. I can learn so much by just observing. How precious to see the father bird care for his spouse and babies. The mother bird, hiding, yet watching for her spouse to return, warmed my heart with the love even animals seem to have for their family. I could make other analogies to the family, but families today are in such disarray that I felt the Lord say, "Watch how even nature teaches us to put our families first."

Forget that the culture tells us that we need to take care of number one. There are more important people than just me. Jesus put us before Himself. He gave His life for us. Are our selfish desires putting our families at risk? Are we the cause of others destroying the homes we have created for our children, the homes we promised, committed before God, to keep until death do us part? Jesus committed to dying for us before the world was ever created. Revelations 13:8 says, "slain from the foundation of the world."

Father God, help me put my spouse and our children above our own personal desires. Help me create a safe home, a peaceful home, a home where we demonstrate a willing sacrifice through love. In Jesus name. Amen.

Hey Kids:

What's your favorite backyard animal?
This may be a good week to take a notebook and/or a sketch book out to observe just how that animal interacts with his/her family and the other animals in the environment.

Here's a few things to think about.

Does this animal have a mate? If not how is it attempting to attract a mate? (You won't believe the antics mocking birds go through trying to impress a female!)

Where does a mated pair construct a nest or bed or home?
(You may have to do a little research or just searching your yard to figure that one out.)

How do they protect their home and why?

Who are their enemies?

How do they provide their family with food and water?

When, if ever, are the young left alone or unprotected?

How do they train the young?

You might ask your parents for help in understanding how you can apply this to your own family?
What scriptures does God give us about taking care of our families?

Flowers and Families

And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so. Genesis 1:11

I love peonies. My favorite is the anemone peony. It's not as common as the double peonies that are filled with petals. Both are beautiful but to me, the Anemone is more delicate. Though the anemone may be more delicate looking, it has the same parts as other flowers that allow it to reproduce itself. Inside, the very middle contains the carpel. The carpel contains a trinity of parts.

Carpel

• the stigma 
• the style
•  the ovary. 

This is the female part. 

The stamen surround the carpel. It only has two parts.  

Stamen

• the anther
• the filament. 

These are the male parts. 

Lastly, the petals protect and accentuate the inner workings of the peony.  You can learn more about peonies here. 

Flowers are like families. The mother and father are the center of the family surrounded by God's loving hands. It's as if God's cupped hands hold the family. They protect the family. It's inside those petals, those cupped hands that the flower produces seeds, the offspring of the flower. If any part of the flower is broken, the flower doesn't produce the optimum seed. If the carpel or the stamen is damaged the flower cannot reproduce. If the petals are damaged then they can't protect the male and female parts; the seed may be less viable.

So in God's cupped hands, families produce offspring, held and protected, where the children can be nurtured, and mature into the people God intends them to be. Families create another trinity, the mother, the father, and the child(ren). If any part of the family is missing there can be no children. If any part of the family is damaged by sin it is more difficult to raise the children. God's loving hands will not be damaged but He will not hold those who will not be held. 

 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; Romans 3:23

Yes, we have all sinned, so it is up to us to ask forgiveness and allow the Lord to restore His loving hands around our families. There must be a commitment for the optimal family relationship. 

Commitment

• Individual commitment to the Lord
• Commitment to the marriage
• Commitment as a couple to the Lord

So what does that look like? 

• Daily commitment to the reading of God's word
• Daily commitment to prayer
• Weekly commitment to the house of God

These are hard things to ask in the busy, hurried, distracted days in which we live, but it is the only way we can restore our homes and our nation. It has to start with us. Government, laws, not even churches can fix our problems. 

You've heard "Stop and smell the roses." Maybe we need to stop and look deeply into the peony and how God has fashioned it as well as the roses. 

How has God surrounded your family with His love and protection? 

Heavenly Father, forgive us for neglecting You. Help us renew our commitments to You and our families. Please restore Your loving hands around our families and our nation. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Hey Kids:

Have you wondered how you can help improve your family? It's not just mom and dad's responsibility. 

What can you do to make life easier for your family? 

Here are a few ideas:

• pick up your toys and clothes
• do your homework without being asked
• walk away from a fuss with your siblings.
• remind your parents to have family devotion and prayer time

What other ideas can you add? 

Even a child is known by his doings, whether his work be pure, and whether it be right. Proverbs20:11

Blessings,

Gail

On Guard

Has not the one God made you? You belong to him in body and spirit. And what does the one God seek? Godly offspring. So be on your guard, and do not be unfaithful to the wife of your youth.

“The man who hates and divorces his wife,” says the Lord, the God of Israel, “does violence to the one he should protect,” says the LordAlmighty.

So be on your guard, and do not be unfaithful. Malachi 2:15,16

Once there was a village set high on a cliff. The children were held close in the village for there were no fences on the cliff's edge. One day a man passing through the village suggested the villagers erect fences around the cliff so the children could freely play. The children would see the fence and not be afraid of going over the cliff. 

Perhaps you've heard this tale or one similar, but I think it bears telling again. So many of society's boundaries are coming down. Our children become more and more at risk of falling into step with a culture that will eventually take them the edge of life's cliff. Opioid addiction, immoral lifestyles, and teen suicide are all on the rise. Society has been tearing down the walls of morality for several decades. The voice of the church has largely been quieted by the loud voice of the media, convincing many that those who object are marginal weirdos. 

For the sake of our children, we must raise our voices and rebuild the walls. It may cost us financially and socially, but we are not forsaken. We must begin to rebuild the family, with moms and dads who put the nurturing of their children ahead of finances and society's expectations. Bond with families who are willing to share their knowledge and make sacrifices for the sake of the children. Learn skills that will save your family money. Most importantly, return to the God of our Fathers. Families that pray together, stay together. It all begins at the family altar. 

Hey Kids: 

My four-year-old class planted flower seeds for Mother's Day gifts. One of the boys asked if I had a garden. "Yes," I said.''Do you?"

"Yes, we have all the vegetables in it. We all help, even me."

Families have always worked together until jobs and stores took the place of family work. 

An old proverb says, "Many hands make light work."

Helping makes the work go faster, seem easier, and more fun.

Ask Mom and Dad to help you make a list of ways you can help your family.

Here are some suggestions to get you started.

1. Makeup beds.

2. Set the table and clean the table.

3. Wash dishes.

4. Help plant a garden. Then pick and help preserve.

5. Older kids may mow the lawn.

6. Learn to hunt and fish. Don't forget to clean and eat what you kill.

7. Learn to sew, knit and crochet. Begin simple but you may find your passion here.

8. Learn to build things and fix cars. Here again, begin small but this can become a passion.

9.

10.

What else can you do to help your family? By the way, all of this is without pay. You're helping your family, not working a job. 

Why God? Why? - Identity Crisis Part 2

Your eyes have seen my unformed substance;

And in Your book were all written

The days that were ordained for me,

When as yet there was not one of them. Psalms 139:16 NASV

A few days ago, I saw a feature on a husband and wife who designed fashions for the wheelchair bound. They were both paraplegic, so they knew the needs of those who spend their lives in wheel chairs. This couple was so vibrant and enthusiastic with life. They had found their purpose. 

Last week, here on the blog, we were talking about God having a purpose for each of us. We are not all born perfect. Even if we are perfect newborns, that doesn't mean life will always be the same. We all have storms and face our own disabilities. We may be born with a disability or we may acquire one through injuries or accidents or disease. These storms in our lives are to make us stronger and let God make us into the person He can use for His glory. 

Remember the story in John 9 where the disciples asked Jesus why this man was born blind. Who sinned? This man or his parents? Jesus' answer was that neither the man nor his parents were responsible for his blindness. God had formed the man blind to show God's power through this man. God had a purpose in this man's blindness. Jesus made a mud paste for the man's eyes. He had him wash in the pool of Siloam. Then the man received his sight. The man wasn't mad at Jesus for making him blind. He was ecstatic that Jesus had healed his eyes and he could now see. 

I wanted lots of children, but God had a different plan. He gave me three healthy children, but their size limited my ability to have more. The doctors told me and my husband that I would not be able to carry another child to term. It broke my heart. All I had ever wanted was a big family and a garden. God had other plans.

As my children began to grow, I saw that God had given me the ability to teach them to read. I loved watching their little lights come on in their heads as they learned how letters and sounds worked together on a page. I began to see how God's plan for a family and being surrounded with children was falling into place. As my children reached school age already equipped with the ability to read and write, I went back to finish my degree. For the last 25 years I have had the privilege of having a classroom in a district where I could nurture children, teaching the fundamentals of reading and writing and showing them the love of Christ. My desire for children, unbeknownst to me, would be fulfilled in my mission field - a classroom.  

Hey Kids:

What does glory mean? 

It means to give the correct opinion or estimate of.

If you watch old movies or maybe Andy Griffith, you may hear someone say they want to do their family proud, or don't shame your family.

You want to give others a correct or good opinion of your family. 

Others will judge your family by your actions. 

King Solomon wrote: 

Even a child is known by his doings, whether his work be pure, and whether it be right. Proverbs 20:11

Not only do our actions give others an opinion of our family, but it also gives others an opinion of God. 

This week check out Galatians 5:22,23. This is a list of the fruits of the spirit. 

Make a list of the fruits.

Each day try to think of ways to show at least one of those fruits by your actions that others might know you are part of God's family.

 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven. Matthew 5:16

Blessings,

Gail