Thank you!

I want to sincerely thank you all for your prayers, support and encouragement in the loss of my grandmother. It hasn't been easy, but your support and prayers, coupled with my faith in God and His plan, have lifted me from a place of discouragement and guilt to a place of hope. I don't know how or why this could have happened, but I am trusting God that something good will come of this. I am praying and believing God for some "lost" family members and hope that I can use this tragedy to reach them for Christ. Please pray for me as I strive to do this. It doesn't come easily to me.

As I said in my last post, my grandmother's death has put things in perspective for me. Life is too short to take those I love for granted. I do that far too often. I pray that as Psalm 90:12 says, that God will teach me how short our lives are so that I may be wise. I feel like I'm one step closer but still have a ways to go. I want to treat those I love outwardly with the love I feel for them inwardly. I want to let go of my inhibitions and to share my feelings without fear of rejection, ridicule, or embarrassment. I want to love the way that Christ loves me. I want to be a shining example of Christ's love. I want people to see Him in me.

Tuesday, I was convicted as I was wrapping up a situation with Tristan. I was at the office and had been forced to discipline Tristan for an act of disobedience and disrespect to one of our patients, someone who loves him very much and always does so much for him. Tristan treated this super sweet lady with disrespect, so I sent him to time out to reflect on what he'd done. After his time was up, I went in to the room and talked with him about why what he did was wrong. I explained to him about how the Bible says we need to honor our elders, and that he had dishonored her. I told him that the next time she was in, he would need to apologize and ask her to forgive him (based on principles I learned from the Ezzos in Growing Kids God's Way). He agreed, and we moved on.

As we left the room, one of our patients, who had overheard the conversation, told me that I was "anointed" with my children and how I handle them. I immediately told her that I was not, but she insisted. As she was walking out the door, she said, "No, you are. You are anointed in how you handle your children. Everyone is not as patient as you are." Then she left...before I could convince her that she had the wrong person. You see, I'm NOT anointed in that area. I SO wish I was. I am often impatient with my kids. I take them for granted. I allow myself to get frustrated with them and forget that they're only small once. I remember this fact every night as I look over them while they sleep.

I say all this to say, I do not make the most of my days. I have work to do!!! I pray that God will continually teach me how short my life is. I want to make the most of the time I have here. I pray that when all is said and done, and I enter His presence, I will hear, "Well done, good and faithful servant." (Matthew 25:23)