The Making Of...

Ben is my little theologian. He has once again sparked a new conversation with me tonight about God. He is five years old and is so curious about the mysteries of God. Tonight as we were driving home from a friend's house, he was pretty quiet in the back seat (which is very out of the ordinary for him). I could tell he was thinking about something, but I didn't want to interrupt the rare silence that I enjoy (a little too much at times). When he finally broke the silence, he asked me, "Mommy, how did God make himself?" I responded by saying, "Well, He's GOD! He didn't have to make himself, He just always existed." Ben responded, "...but how?" I responded, "I don't know honey. God has just always been here." Of course, that sparked my curiosity as well. We live in a world that relies heavily on the timing of things. We mark our calendars with upcoming events, we record births, we have clocks that tell us what time to eat, sleep, work, play, etc...we count the days of our lives. So, the thought of the beginning of God, which is infinite, is hard to grasp, isn't it? I myself just can't comprehend it.

This brought me to the realization that God really really really loves us. He has been here since the beginning, He created everything in and out of sight and He remains the same. He doesn't give up on loving us. Think about it...God has been here since forever ago, which is more than generations and generations and years and years and years and He STILL remains the same ALL DAY LONG because He loves us.

As a parent, I try really hard to show my boys the love of God. We pray every night before going to bed. We sing praises before we say goodnight. I try to teach them what God has taught me, but then there are times like tonight when my children will teach me about God or spark my curiosity about His mysterious ways. I love that. I love learning from my children. I love that God uses them to help me understand Him more intimately.

So, in a nutshell...
-Ben asks me how God made himself
-I answer Ben by saying God just always existed
-I start thinking about what that really means, which blows my mind away
-I realize God must really love me if He's willing to be around for that long and stick around
-I gained new insight today from my 5 year old son

I hope Ben continues to ask questions, that his curiosity for the Lord will be never-ending. I hope he knows how much God loves him as he grows up and finds answers for himself. I hope Nate will do the same. Right now he just wants to know what things are... "Mama? Wa 'dis?" Both my boys are such curious little guys. I love it. I don't want this to ever end...

And that's the making of this mother. Thank you Lord :)

Good-bye Sweetie...

I hate diets. I have never been one to stick to any particular way of losing weight. My weakness for carbs and sweets always gets the better of me. And here I go again, motivated to do something about the 28 pounds I have gained, two kids and one husband later. That's right, a whole freak'n 28 pounds! 

Mark did give me a great motivator yesterday-he said if I can lose 20 pounds he will buy me a new dress from Anthropology. I love looking through their catalogs. I imagine myself in a pretty dress with pretty hair. I do not own anything from that place because they are so expensive! 

Losing weight isn't just about looking great, but it's about feeling good about my body and being healthy. I want to set a good example for my boys and teach them that taking care of their bodies is important. This is the body God gave us, and we should honor that and take good care of it. In 1Corinthians 6:19 it says, "Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body." Wow. I know that the verses leading to this passage Paul speaks of sexual immorality and therefore we are to honor our bodies by avoiding all things sexually immoral. However, I think this verse speaks volumes in all aspects of our bodies. We need to protect our minds (thoughts), our hearts, and take care of what God has given us. If I fill my body with unhealthy things, is that honoring God with what He has given me? Gosh, this is so hard. As I'm writing this, I'm thinking about the oreos in my pantry. 

This will definitely be harder than I thought. 

It's a good thing I work at the YMCA where I meet many other moms like myself. There they are, working out, taking care of themselves, and setting wonderful examples to their children. 

Of course, I do teach a cooking class for kids where we make all sorts of goodies. Yikes. 

But...I CAN DO THIS!!! 

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me, no matter what it may be. Even if it's finding the will power to lose a few pounds, because my body is important to me and it's important to God.