Teach them to be good

Columbine, Virginia Tech, Aurora Theater, Sandy Hook........all 4 horrific events I've sadly had to see happen at my young age of 25.  Events that were so unbelievable that we are still in shock for each one.  Events that lead us to question everything we've ever known. Question whether we are safe, question whether we should send our children to school, question whether we should go to a movie....and sadly some even question whether we really do have an all powerful, merciful God.  No words can ever fully describe what we as a country are feeling.  We know that change has to happen, we just aren't certain what that change might mean for us.....

Travis and I have had so many conversations since last Friday about Sandy Hook.  When we first heard we were on our way to Sioux Falls to celebrate Christmas with my family, so we had a good couple of hours together to feel everything we were feeling and express it to each other.  We got to be angry together, we got to be scared together, and we got to be sad together.  I'm so thankful God gave me this man to walk through this world with me.  Travis knows my heart so well and shares in the same feelings I have on so many things.

Last night after Maci was safely put into her bed our conversation turned back to that day.  We both shared new things we had heard through the news on it.  Of course talked about the ridiculous things people say on facebook about it.  (Let's all be honest, there are some really really far out there things being posted)   I told him about an interview I had seen on Katie with a mother who lost her daughter in Columbine.  This mother went and talked to the mother of one of the shooters 9 months after that day in April.  The mother had no idea what to say to this woman who the world was blaming for her son's actions.  Before she rang that doorbell she asked God to give her the words to say and ask.  What he said back to her was this: "Ask her about her son.  Ask her who he was." When she did that, the mother of the shooter cried as she talked about a normal boy growing up.  A boy who was just like everyone else as a child.  A boy she had no idea would turn into a murderer. 


We also talked about how a change needs to happen.  While we aren't sure what that change means for the government, we do know what that change means for us.  To be a better person period.  Not just this next week, not this just month, not even just this next year.  Forever.  We talked about our little girl and how she is going to go through so much in her life.  With all our generation has had to witness so far, I don't even want to begin to imagine what our children will see.  Because the fact of the matter is, this world will only get worse.  But we also know that if we do everything in our power to raise her right, she just might be a small change in the world that it needs. 

Ironically, just an hour after Travis and I had this conversation a dear friend texted me asking me a question I didn't know if I had the strength to answer.  I didn't know if I could say what I wanted to in a way she needed to hear it.  In a way that would not only bring comfort, but would also be accepted.  This whole event is so delicate and we have to be so careful what we say and do about it because everyone is at a different place with it.  She asked me if I ever look at my beautiful baby and feel so much love but then get a sick feeling inside thinking about how messed up this world is.  And they have to grow up in it.  How bad is it going to be for them if it's this bad for us?

Powerful questions.  Questions I have wondered about before too.  I picked up my phone and prayed as I responded.  As this is what came out:

Yes but I also know we have a God that loves us.  There is evil in the world.  There is no way around it.  God gave us free will and therefore some aren't going to chose good.  In fact it's easier to choose evil sometimes.  I know without a doubt our babies will see some awful things in their lifetimes.  But then I think about how amazing they can be.  That if we raise them to know the Lord, and do the best we can, and pray continually for them.... What if they do something great?? What if they are placed on this earth to save a soul?? Even if it's just one soul it is all worth it.  For them and for us.  What if they live their lives far more greatly for the Lord than we do?  Teach them to be good.  Teach them about Christ.  Teach them to reach out to those who hurt and are the outcasts.  Teach them to stand up for someone who is bullied.  Do that and it will all be worth it.  But yes....when I'm rocking Maci to sleep I do think about it.  But then God meets me in that place and gives me reassurance that it will be ok.

 Sadly we know 1 thing about all of the shooters in these cases.  They were different.  Their classmates called them weird.  Does them being the 'outcast' make any of this ok?? Of course not.  What they did is wrong.  But I want my kids to do everything in their power to make sure no kid feels alone or weird.  Bullying has become a normal in our country.  We have brushed it off as kids being kids.  In the past year I think we have finally started to at least try to wake up and realize it needs to change.

Yes change needs to happen in this country.  Does it need to come from the government? I don't know that answer.  The only answer I do know is that we need to change.  Change how we act and feel.  Teach your kids to do good.  Teach them to reach out to others.  Teach them to stand up for those that are the 'outcasts'.  

I'm going to leave you with a link my mom sent me this morning.  A devotional she gets daily through her email; it talks about how to pray for the mommies of those that lost a child last Friday.  Continue to pray for them daily friends, for as long as you can.  Because once the media gets tired of the story, they are still left with the pain of it. 

How to pray for the families of Sandy Hook


Merry Christmas friends.  Make the most of it and show the world the love of Jesus. :)

~Chrissy
 

 

Can you Imagine?

As mother's we've all felt it.  That moment when your baby is handed to you for the first time.  That moment when time stands still and all you can see is this precious face staring back at you.  That moment when your heart swells with more joy and love than you ever thought was possible.  A love that is totally unlike anything you've ever experienced in your whole time on this earth.  A love that is 100% indescribable.  We then get the great joy of watching this little person experience everything for the first time.  The first smile, the first tooth, the first crawl, the first boo-boo, the first word, the first step....all of it.  Which brings us a whole new level of pride knowing we are helping shape this little life into something great.  But can you imagine if that little life was going to grow up to be something far bigger and greater than you could have ever dreamed? Can you imagine if that little life you carried in you for 9 months, the life you have kept safe and sound, would grow up to save the world? That that little life was actually the Son of God??  Can you even wrap your head around how that would feel??  Can you imagine....

Last night I had the privilege of attending our Women's Christmas Event at our church. The speaker was incredible in my book.  She really made me think of the Christmas Story in a way I had even looked at it before.  The entire message was on promises and how our loving God fulfilled His promise on the first Christmas by sending His Son Jesus to be born.  There was one part of the message though that really stirred something up in me.  She talked about sweet young Mary and how Mary gave birth to Jesus.  Yes of course, nothing new there, I've always known that.  Yet the speaker talking about imaging how Mary felt feeling that little boy kick inside of her and know that He was the Son of God.  That is something I honestly never truly thought about before.  Perhaps it's because this is my very first Christmas with a baby of my own.  A baby I felt kick and hiccup inside of me.  A baby that I have got to witness some incredible firsts with.  A baby that I have an indescribable love for.

All morning long as I have been doing everyday mom stuff I have been thinking of Mary and how she did all of this stuff with Jesus Christ.  She gave Him breakfast every morning, kissed His knees when He fell down, giggled with Him as they played, rocked that sweet baby boy to sleep.....All of those things us mothers do, she got to do those with JESUS.  Can you imagine?? I still can't even wrap my head around it, how on earth did a girl around the age of 13 wrap her head around it.  To be honest, it would have scared me to death if someone had told me I would be carrying and giving birth to the Son of God.  I don't know if I could have said "Yes Lord. Use me."  I don't know if I would have had enough faith to completely surrender in that way.  But Mary did, God knew she would; that's why He chose her and not me.

Last year around this time I bought a WOW Christmas CD.  There was 1 song on there that I just totally fell in love with.  Loved it and played it over and over again.  This morning as I had that same CD in that song came on.  Still so in love with it but this time as I was listening to it, I truly listened to every word and got a whole new meaning out of it.  Probably my all time favorite Christmas song now.     

Mary stepped out in faith and let God use her however He needed to.  She got to raise a precious baby boy that she didn't know how long would be here on earth.  She got to raise the Son of God.  Just makes me stand back in awe and wonder.  My prayer this Christmas is not only that God will help me be the best mother I can be to our sweet Maci but that He will use me in whatever way He needs to.  And if it's something so big I can't wrap my head around it....I pray He gives me the strength I need to say "Yes Lord. Use me"


Merry Christmas to all.  Remember the true meaning of Christmas.  Remember that sweet baby born in a manger.  :)

~Chrissy

All I Ever Needed....

Last night I finally started on a pinterest project I've been waiting patiently for weeks to find the time to do.  I'm using canvas' and putting the lyrics to the song we danced our first dance to as husband and wife on them.

(The above photo is in the early stages of me starting on it so please forgive the bubbles :) )

While I was looking up the song lyrics I was trying to go back and remember why on earth that was our song; which is "All I Ever Needed" by Bret Michaels.  For the life of me I honestly could not remember why it was.  We obviously really liked the song otherwise we wouldn't have chose it, but I couldn't think of a super sentimental reason why we did.  As I was typing up the lyrics though something hit me.  This song is totally and completely 100% us at the moment.  I honestly don't think I could have chose a better song to describe the past 3 1/2 years of our marriage.  I won't bore you with the lyrics to the whole song, but here is the chorus:

We didn't need fortune we didn't need fame
Just a little shelter from the rain
Your hand to hold on to
When times got tough you pulled me through
We didn't need a castle made of stone
Just you there as I grow old
Your heart to hold on to
All I ever needed was you

 

Now of course when you first see those lyrics and hear them as a 21 year old totally head over heels in love with the man of her dreams you definitely want those words to be true.  You like to think you don't need fortune or a castle for your marriage to last but honestly how true is that of marriages in todays world? So many of our generation is getting married on the feeling of love but honest to goodness doesn't know or think that it involves a lot of work every day at it.  Or depending on how they were raised think that hey, if it doesn't work I can always get divorced.  I can think of a few people I know that got married in their early twenties and before they even hit 30 they were divorced.  It breaks my heart how easily a marriage is thrown away sometimes.  I don't believe that all of the sudden you can wake up one day and decide you don't love the person you are waking up next to anymore.  I do believe that if the marriage isn't given the attention it needs and deserves that couples will eventually lose hope that things will ever be the same again.  

Travis and I obviously have not been marriage a long time.  We haven't even hit the 5 year mark yet, but believe me when I say we have definitely hit some bumps in the road.  As I looked over this song once again and looked back to the day when I was all dolled up and at my best dancing with a sparkle in my eye for a man I could now call mine, I thought of all we have done in our short 3 1/2 years of marriage.  I especially thought of all that happened in the past 11 months.  In the past 11 months we had a beautiful baby girl and I chose to quit my steady income job.  Those 2 things alone put a stress on a marriage.  Not only have we had to figure out how we were gonna live on a low budget, but we've also had to figure out how to find time for this whole marriage thing when there is a little girl that badly needs our attention more.  We went through the stage of thinking our house is just way too small for our family of 3, we've had stresses with money every now and then, and we've of course had some disagreements every now and then but you know what? As I was looking over those lyrics again it all hit me at once.  May sound odd but it was like the Lord needed me to do this project to remember something.  We don't need all the money in the world, we don't need a big castle.  All we need is each and to know that no matter what comes at us, I will be by Trav's side to help him through it and he will do the same for me.  We can live in this house for as long as it takes and be busting at the seams, and as long as our kids feel the love busting at the seams as well that's OK. 

Therefore I am so extremely excited to get this project done and to display this reminder proudly in our bedroom.  I would even encourage the rest of you to do the same.  Doesn't have to be the same project of course, but do something visual that you will see everyday to remind you of those little things.  Remind you that as a husband and wife you can face anything that comes at you.  But above all, also remember that Christ also needs to be involved. :) 

-Chrissy

(As a side note, I'm pretty pumped Travis and I are taking the time to go on a little getaway by ourselves without the little one.  Friday just can't come soon enough!)