When I was shopping the other day, I couldn't help but notice a family with small children shopping together. Their littlest one was screaming...very loud. He kept throwing a toy out of the cart and would then scream for it. Finally the dad said, "If you stop screaming, I will pick it up for you." The battle was on! :) The kid screamed all the more...louder and louder! The mother was getting very agitated. Scowling at her husband, she said, "Why is he crying!" The father, who was pushing the cart and waiting for his wife to find what she needed, explained the situation. She rolled her eyes and grumbled.
All this time, I was pretending not to notice. And I kept saying to myself, "Dad, don't give in! Don't give in!" As the kid continued to scream, the dad shouted even louder, "Stop crying and I will give it to you!" Then suddenly the kid stopped and the dad got the toy and gave it to the boy! Victory!!! :)
Then he said, "If you throw that again, I will not buy it for you. We will leave it in the store. Do you hear me? Look at me! Do you understand?" This boy knew that his father meant business, and he was learning to obey his father. This was a wise father.
As I walked past the family, I just smiled, but I wanted so badly to encourage that man and tell him what a great dad he was. He certainly wasn't getting any encouragement from his wife! But his little boy will grow up to respect him. Men need to be leaders and children need to obey their parents. It is in God's plan! And God's ways always work best!!! :)
Sunday, July 29, 2012
Friday, July 6, 2012
A Prayer For Protection
This morning as Ben was heading out to mow, he mentioned that he needed to mow the large dog pen that Princess and Captain are in. He said he hates to mow that area because there are so many bones, and as much as he tries to watch out for the bones, some usually end up getting mowed which is not good for the mower and is also very dangerous. Last time he mowed that pen, he watched a bone go sailing through the air and up and over the house! So this morning I told him, "You need to remember to pray that nobody will get hurt while you are mowing." He said he would do that.
Later I called Ben in while he was mowing that pen. I had made his favorite snack - a kefir shake! :) After he finished his shake, he headed back out to finish the pen. Then Mike and Jonny came in for their shakes. As Mike, Jonny and I were in the kitchen drinking our shakes and talking (Emily had just gone out to pick peas) suddenly there was deafening sound! It sounded like a shot gun went off in the kitchen. I immediately cried out to the Lord and hit the floor. As the three of us looked around, we realized what happened. Something came flying through the bay window in the kitchen. There was glass EVERYWHERE! We all felt glass spray our faces and arms. Jonny was closest to the window, and felt his whole head get showered in glass. I had a little burning on my chest and noticed I was bleeding a little. It was just a very small cut. We all had glass in our hair and in our clothes. Mike and Jonny were sitting on the bench at the table directly in front of the window and I was standing in the kitchen beyond the table. As Mike looked around he found a dog bone on the floor by the window. I couldn't believe it!! I thought to myself, "Ben must have prayed...he had to have prayed!"
As the bone came through the window, it hit one of the metal grids that is in between the panes and as it ricocheted off of that, it headed to the corner of the kitchen...where there was nothing and nobody! All I could do was thank the Lord!! Every surface of my kitchen and much of the living room was covered in glass pieces and yet NOBODY was hurt!!
As Ben was making another pass with the mower, he looked up and saw the window. Then he came in. I immediately grabbed him by the shoulders and said, "Ben, I gotta know, did you pray before you got on the mower?" He said, "Yes, I did." Then we hugged each other and cried. Ben was so upset about the window and the mess it had made, but I didn't care a bit. All I could think about was how the Lord had protected us all...and answered Ben's prayer!
It took Mike and I two hours with two shop vacs to clean up the glass. EVERYTHING needed to get vacuumed! My floor, rugs, furniture, piano, desk, computer, bowls, counters, pans, stove, sink, benches, chairs, and baskets were all covered with glass pieces...it was a mess!!
So what are the odds that Ben and I would have that conversation only hours before that bone came flying through the window? God used that situation to teach us all a lesson...well, maybe a few lessons. In my opinion, the cost of a broken window is nothing compared to the value of my children seeing God clearly answer a simple prayer. Ben will never forget what the Lord did for him today! None of us will! I was not the only member of my family that was teary-eyed today. We serve an awesome God!! Nothing happens by chance and everything is in His control.
The Lord tells us in His Word to pray without ceasing. And I was thinking today how at times those simple prayers for protection can seem so insignificant, but we need to resist those thoughts and pray anyway. Once we pray, we commit every situation to the Lord and trust Him for the outcome. We don't need to worry because He hears every prayer and answers according to His will. Praise God for His protection! :)
Later I called Ben in while he was mowing that pen. I had made his favorite snack - a kefir shake! :) After he finished his shake, he headed back out to finish the pen. Then Mike and Jonny came in for their shakes. As Mike, Jonny and I were in the kitchen drinking our shakes and talking (Emily had just gone out to pick peas) suddenly there was deafening sound! It sounded like a shot gun went off in the kitchen. I immediately cried out to the Lord and hit the floor. As the three of us looked around, we realized what happened. Something came flying through the bay window in the kitchen. There was glass EVERYWHERE! We all felt glass spray our faces and arms. Jonny was closest to the window, and felt his whole head get showered in glass. I had a little burning on my chest and noticed I was bleeding a little. It was just a very small cut. We all had glass in our hair and in our clothes. Mike and Jonny were sitting on the bench at the table directly in front of the window and I was standing in the kitchen beyond the table. As Mike looked around he found a dog bone on the floor by the window. I couldn't believe it!! I thought to myself, "Ben must have prayed...he had to have prayed!"
As the bone came through the window, it hit one of the metal grids that is in between the panes and as it ricocheted off of that, it headed to the corner of the kitchen...where there was nothing and nobody! All I could do was thank the Lord!! Every surface of my kitchen and much of the living room was covered in glass pieces and yet NOBODY was hurt!!
As Ben was making another pass with the mower, he looked up and saw the window. Then he came in. I immediately grabbed him by the shoulders and said, "Ben, I gotta know, did you pray before you got on the mower?" He said, "Yes, I did." Then we hugged each other and cried. Ben was so upset about the window and the mess it had made, but I didn't care a bit. All I could think about was how the Lord had protected us all...and answered Ben's prayer!
It took Mike and I two hours with two shop vacs to clean up the glass. EVERYTHING needed to get vacuumed! My floor, rugs, furniture, piano, desk, computer, bowls, counters, pans, stove, sink, benches, chairs, and baskets were all covered with glass pieces...it was a mess!!
So what are the odds that Ben and I would have that conversation only hours before that bone came flying through the window? God used that situation to teach us all a lesson...well, maybe a few lessons. In my opinion, the cost of a broken window is nothing compared to the value of my children seeing God clearly answer a simple prayer. Ben will never forget what the Lord did for him today! None of us will! I was not the only member of my family that was teary-eyed today. We serve an awesome God!! Nothing happens by chance and everything is in His control.
The Lord tells us in His Word to pray without ceasing. And I was thinking today how at times those simple prayers for protection can seem so insignificant, but we need to resist those thoughts and pray anyway. Once we pray, we commit every situation to the Lord and trust Him for the outcome. We don't need to worry because He hears every prayer and answers according to His will. Praise God for His protection! :)
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