A fortune cookie revelation!

"A great pleasure in life is doing what others say you can't."

Last week we decided to get Panda Express and eat dinner watching a movie (the kids love getting to eat dinner at the coffee table!) When we finished our meals, we all opened our fortune cookies and read them to the rest of the family. We always laugh at the silly, sometimes coincidental messages. Usually they say things like, "Good fortune will smile on you Tuesday." We don't put any stock into what they say, we just find them funny, until Brian read Camille's fortune. Sometimes things are too close for comfort! Her fortune read, "A great pleasure in life is doing things others say you can't." That is our little Camille to a tee right now. She takes great pleasure in doing the things Brian and I say she can't. I am sure the quote was meant to be uplifting, but in the context of Camille, it is a clear picture of our human nature. Don't we all want to do things our own way, especially when someone else(or God) tells us not to! So, my solution for Camille has been to plant the seeds of God's Word in her heart and mind. She has recently memorized Colossians 3:20 "You children must always obey your parents, for this is what pleases the Lord." It is good to be reminded that when we do the right thing it pleases the Lord, and it is a better pleasure to please the Lord than to do things our own way! (God always uses my kids to teach me about my own heart!!)

No Excuses!

I was driving to church last week, on my way to Bible study. We are doing a Precept study on the book of John. As many of you know the precept studies are awesome, but a lot of work! Well, I didn't finish my study and I was thinking about all the reasons I was too busy to get it done. When the Lord spoke very clearly to me. He said,"Having five kids is no excuse for poor character." Wow! Let me be clear, this was not a criticism, it is the truth. God is not in the business of condemning us, but correcting us. I knew what he was saying was right and I was very convicted.
It is funny how many times I hear, "Five kids, how do you do it? I can barely manage two!" Or, if I share I had a hard time getting something done, "Well, you have so many kids around all the time, it's understandable!" So, it was easy to allow myself the same excuses other people are willing to offer me.
So, as I was driving, I realized that, yes, I have been allowing my five kids to become an excuse for poor character in some areas of my life. Completing my Bible Study for example. Of course, I could have made the time to get it done. I didn't last week, but I did this week. It was good to spend the time in God's word studying, better than anything else I could have found to keep myself too busy!