Rejoicing in the Strong Will!

This past week Jason was speaking at Keswick Camp. Sienna and I went with him, which was our first time as a family going to a speaking engagement. Every meal we ate in the dinnning hall (the food was awesome) and sat with another family. After lunch one day they had brought out these ice pop things. Everyone at the table was enjoying theres 'cause it was a hot July day. I love ice cold things, so I got one as well. As I begin to eat mine I take Sienna out of her stroller and sit her on my lap. As we are all conversing we begin to notice that Sienna is eyeballing my ice pop. She starts to reach for it and I pull it away as any good mother would do to protect there baby from super lemon pops filled with sugar. The people at the table encourage me to let her try it, so I give in (she is teething and cold stuff is suppose to feel good on her gums). She is loving this thing. Drool filled with lemon juice is dripping down her chin and all down me. After a couple of minuets of this I take it away, like any good mother would do (have to protect her from overdosing on sugar). She instantly begins to scream and pitch a fit (all eyes are on me, seeing what I'm going to do). Just to see what she would do, I return it back to her mouth. She stops screaming. Her eyes are filled with contentment and she can't take her eyes off of the ice pop. I take it away again, she screams, put it back into her mouth, she stops. We repeat this a few more times. Finally, I take it away from her for good and throw it away. She screams for a second, and then her attetion is directed to some other thing (it is amazing the intense focus and baby can have).

We joked at the table about her sinful nature coming out in its purest form and how this could be a sign of what's to come with her being strong willed. As I begin to think about this I was faced with the fact that my child is not perfect (who would of thought-Ha,Ha) and that she is going to be strong willed. But this doesn't have to be looked at as something that is bad or wrong. The fact is, is that we are all imperfect and that is something that we are born with. This doesn't bother me because I know that there is hope for her in Christ. She will sin many more times, but she can receive forgiveness for that. And as far as her having a strong personality, I rejoice in that. She was designed before time and that is how God created her. There is no mistakes with God (enviornment can have affects on people, but that is a whole other discussion). So, when this happens again, I will praise God for her and pray that He gives Jason and I truth and light in knowing how to lead her. He has given us her for a time and we want to nurture her spirit into what He wants. This is a big responsibility, but I feel privledged to be given one of God's most highest creations. So, I rejoice in her strong will!

The Artist of the Universe

You are going to think I am a totally dork, but I love space. If I was smart enough I would be an astronaut. I use to go to Barnes and Noble and read astronomy magazines, but I couldn't understand a lot of what they were saying, I just enjoyed the pictures. Everything about it amazes me. I have always been infatuated with the wonder of it. When I was in college I looked forward to when my science class would study space and the moon. Whenever I could I would teach on astronomy. It is crazy that we as humans can enter something so big and unknown. There aren't even words in the human language to describe its wonder and beauty. When you look at the sun you are really looking at a star, but it is only one of billions out there. We couldn't live without the sun, so I wonder if there is other life out there.

Just think that our milky way is only one of many. We have yet to understand the one we live in. Even though we can send humans to space, it is still a very uncharted mass of being. It is like how Earth wasn't always charted as it is now. I wonder if thousands of years from now space will be charted much more thoroughly, and the people of that time period will look back on us and think how in the dark we were on space. I am still in awe of how much we can do. Just think if we went back in time to Noah's time and told them that one day someone would be walking on the moon, I am sure they would laugh at us. They laughed at Noah for building an ark and telling people it was going to rain.

Another piece that I am awe struck with, is that God knows all that is out there, and He is the creator of it. I wonder what was going through his mind as He began to form the vast mass. Despite the beauty of it, He still thinks that we are the most beautiful thing that He created. We get to have a personal relationship with the artist of the universe. We should be shouting this from the mountain tops. Just as people are out there trying to get there mind around space and desperately trying to discover new things about it, we should be like that with God. He is so big and beautiful. I will never totally understand Him and His ways right now, but I should be discovering new things about Him.