The kids have been slaying me with their ridiculous sentences the past few weeks. I literally start laughing so hard I can't breathe and then I run and grab a sticky note so I won't forget it! Here is my collection from the past weeks:
A conversation with Gereon about Call of Duty, while I interjected with the English words the entire time he spoke: "There was an Ecke and I stood in it and a man was in the middle and then I drücken all the Knopfen and messered him!" (corner, pushed, buttons, knifed)
"What now, brown cow!" - Me
"I'm not brown." - Jojo "
But you're a cow?" - Me
"Not good things gleich yummy!" - Jojo (equals)
"One time we retten ein Eichhörnchen." - Jojo (saved a squirrel)
"I don't can beschreiben that!" - Jojo (describe)
"I must vertraue you now." - Jojo (trust)
"Look at all the Schmetterlinge! There's one, and there's two. They are all over." - Gereon
And with their German accents, it's really just so indescribably darling.
I read the book of Hosea last week and it's the first time I've read continuously through it in one sitting. It's so saddening to read. The sorrow of the Lord at the rejection from his beloved people is so emotional. He calls them to Him and longs that they long to know Him. In chapter 6 verse 3 it says, "Let us know; let us press on to know the Lord." And in chapter 7 verse 14 it says, "They do not cry to me from the heart, but they wail upon their beds." I found that so intense, because as fallen people, we desperately need God and crave His love, but we so often don't choose it. We sit in our sorrow and pain and don't turn our hearts to Him. He wants a relationship with us and we're always choosing everything else that lies before our eyes, these things that never satisfy. They never ever satisfy. And Jesus satisfies and He loves you and calls to you in your pain to run to Him and trust Him. What a fallen people we are to reject Him. Sweet, sweet grace, how thankful I am for you! My heart cannot choose Him on my own; He is my Helper and Redeemer. And He will never stop the work He started in me!!! Philippians 1:6 - "And I am sure of this, that He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ."
And now to speak of evil... I think people define evil sometimes very broadly or only in headline news stories or only when they've personally been deeply hurt by evil. But evil is more than that isn't it? It's sometimes little and sometimes fun and pretty easy and sometimes it seems very good. And sometimes it seems non-existent, because let's face it: the world is quite often really quite a blast and it's easy to be very happy in it. It's definitely black and white, but we tend to let the white be how we see the world instead of the black. For me personally, I don't always register the hugeness and deepness and broadness of evil and how it can devour anything in it's path. I was reading an article about this man who'd been doing illegal abortions and as I read through the stories I burst into tears and felt the power of evil in this world. I was sickened by evil, I felt deep sorrow for evil and I didn't understand how God could love that man through it all. And then I remembered a very very sad thing that humbled me profoundly. The same evil that pumps through his veins pumps through mine. I have the same capabilities to produce evil as he does. We have wicked hearts that need a cure. I sat there crying out to God and asking why this happened and if justice would come to the poor babies who were killed within seconds of finding life and breath outside of the womb. And in my frustration, I remembered a few verses in Psalm 37: "He will bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday. Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for Him; fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way, over the man who carries out evil devices!" And I trust that the Lord will bring justice to every evil thing that has happened here and will happen and is happening right now. Evil that I've done and evil that everyone else does. We all sin and fall short of the glory of God. But he is faithful and just and He will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. And slowly, my crying turned into a sober understanding of what is to come and how exquisitely precious it will be to see justice brought to evil and tears turned to laughter, sorrow turned to joy, the dead souls brought to life in Christ Jesus. Praise the Lord for this!!!
I never thought I'd be someone to speak of the weather, but SPRING IS HERE!!! And how glorious it feels to breathe in the fresh, warm, sweetly scented air! I biked through it this morning to get bread for Gereon and I (we're alone today!) and I couldn't stop smiling, even up the hills! The birds are chirping everywhere, the flowers are blooming, the grass is continuously greener and I'm wearing tank tops again. It's a good thing. Yesterday I biked to Holland and the blue skies poured sunshine down on my back! I enjoyed being sweaty, simply because it was so new to feel so warm outside again. I don't know if it's just the weather, or what, but I have had a heart overflowing with thankfulness and joy. And usually it's always a battle to not get sucked into the whirlpool of dissatisfaction and irritation, etc etc. But lately I've had this joy I can't get rid of! And oddly enough, I'm really thankful that the Lord is blessing me with a thankful heart! It's beautiful, how when you truly and completely open yourself up to let Him in, He comes immediately and works strongly inside of you. And naturally, what's inside begins to pour out of you and surround your life. It's amazing to be in His embrace.
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