Things on my mind...

Lots of miscellaneous things have been tossing around in my mind the past week or so, kind of a thought-salad, and I have just started to realize that there is a bit of cohesiveness to the mixture.

The big issue this week has been the gastro-illness of the family pug, Bijou. She was very very sick for a week, apparently after swallowing some non-food items whole. But, this morning, just before her scheduled sugery, she experienced what appears to be a complete turn-around, and is herself again, eating and eliminating and playing, etc.

Another ingredient of the salad in my brain has been our finances. I have again been anxious and thinking too much about where we'll get the money for the things we need.

Yet another issue has been time-management. I still struggle against my newborn schedule, though I know that it has amazing benefits.

There are other things, too. Child-management, discipline, for myself and the kids, honoring my husband, meal planning, housework, world affairs, etc.

I have allowed my mind (again) to become this nightmarish maelstrom of cares and worries and anxieties, and I kind of drift through them, seemingly anchorless.

But here's the connection--if I am consciously trusting God, relying on Him, running to Him with these things, as I am supposed to be doing, the thought-salad never even gets started. All of these things should be brought to the throne and left there. I'm not the captain of this ship.

Frequently in our church, we sing the hymn "Come, Thou Font of Every Blessing", and I am invariably brought to tears by this verse--

O to grace how great a debtor
Daily I’m constrained to be!
Let Thy goodness, like a fetter,
Bind my wandering heart to Thee.
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,
Prone to leave the God I love;
Here’s my heart, O take and seal it,
Seal it for Thy courts above.

The wandering part--what's the matter with us that we do this? I know, we're sinners, and that's why, but when we consider the magnificence of Christ, how can we do it, day after day?
As precious as this life is to me, with all of the joys God has given me, my heart doesn't pass a day without yearning for the end of this age.

Underestimating Our Childrens' Ability to Follow Christ

This morning, the sermon at church began a new series on youth in the church (as a body)--our expectations of them, whether they have heard the gospel rightly, what they are doing with it. It seems that some of the messages in this series will be aimed at the youth, and some at the parents, and some at the church as a whole.
One of the points that Pastor John made (the sermon will be available online shortly at Desiring God) was that we often underestimate our children when they have made a profession of faith. As I think about this, I am in agreement. Although we homeschool and definitely do not participate in most of the silliness the post-modern world has to offer, the idea of children and teens being kind of empty-headed and completely fun-oriented is very pervasive, and I have to admit that I have lower expectations of my kids than I should at times.
My daughter has professed faith in Christ, and as time passes I have been excited to see the beginnings of all kinds of good fruit in her. Of course, a parent can't say with certainty, "My child is saved!", since only God truly knows the heart, but nevertheless, I am delighted to see her begin to grow in righteousness.
But I am concerned that I'm not encouraging her enough to live for the Glory of God, to delight in Him, to rest in the security of His future Grace, while still persevering in a life of good works to reflect His mercy. Certainly, I encourage her in her efforts to be more Christ-like, I try to recognize and comment when I see fruits of patience and kindness and self-control. But I'm wondering if I should be doing something different. I'm thinking that when it comes to helping our children grow in faith, we maybe need to be coming more alongside them, sinner to sinner, and encouraging them as we would adult believers, with a heart to helping them glorify God with their lives. Not to minimize or change the authority of the parental role, of course, because that's part of God's plan, but just to try to empathize more, as the struggles our children have are the same as the ones we have, day to day.
I think I am underestimating her ability to have a real focus in her life.
I really need to give this some more thought, as I see that this post is kind of a babbling affair, sort of a stream of consciousness, but I'm excited to see where this new idea leads me, and excited to hear how this new sermon series develops.
Praise Him!