Plastic Perfection

“And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God,” Colossians 1:10

The table was set and the invitation was made. My daughter had invited me to a delectable feast and the menu consisted of ripe fruit, eggs sunny side up, bacon, toast and a touch of tea. As I sat down at her dainty table of plastic fixings I noted how beautiful it all looked. Yet, in reality it was nothing more than plastic perfection. There was no sustenance to what was set before me only hollow replicas of the real thing. 

Fearless

^“From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been forcefully advancing, and forceful men lay hold of it” Matthew 11:12

I imagine most any parent with a fearless young boy or rambunctious little girl has come to the same conclusion as me; your heart will inevitably come to a stop a few times a day as they continually look to discover the limits of gravity! For those of you who can relate, I assume you're familiar with that fearless quality I try ever so hard to curb in my precious son. What is it about these little ones that drives them to attempt death defying feats multiple times in one day?

It’s Time to Shine

“I am chosen of God, holy and dearly loved” Colossians 3:12; 1 Thessalonians 1:4

It was ten minutes until we needed to be out the door and on the road for church. At this point I could safely say everything was right on track. The kids were cleaned and dressed, the diaper bag was packed, and I had nothing left to do but fasten my shoes. As I finished buckling my brown heels I sent out a call to the troops. Alas no one showed but the dog. So I headed to Isabella’s room, pushed open the door and quickly took note of an empty Vaseline bottle lying at the foot of her bed. Whatever it meant, it could not be good...

A Brood of Binkies

"Tell them to do good and be rich in good works. They should give much to those in need and be ready to share." 1 Timothy 6:18

When our son Elijah was two, we found that he was quiet overly fond of his binky (a.k.a. pacifier). In fact, he could often be found clutching one binky in hand while sucking on another. It actually was not uncommon to spot him sporting around with three at once! I often pitied the church worker that tried to remove one of these priceless plastic treasures from his steely grip. It always seemed to end in a cataclysmic event. 

Who's Walking Who?

“Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.” John 16:13

Josiah held on with all the might his 2 year old frame could muster. He was certainly making a valiant effort at walking our 10 pound pooch named Potato. Yet to the trained eye (or most any eye for that matter) it was plain to see that the dog was walking, or better yet running, him. Potato led on and Josiah held fast while he tripped and stumbled along behind her each step of the way. 

Trash or Treasure

“But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell” Genesis 4:5

Shortly after our son Elijah came home from the hospital I decided to move his bassinet into our living room during the daylight hours. Needless to say Isabella was quite intrigued by the tiny new addition to our family, and she made plenty of stops by that quaint bassinet. While her curiosity was to be expected her lack of respect for Elijah’s space was not. In fact his bassinet became nothing more than a large trash receptacle in her eyes. She would listlessly stroll by and drop in empty juice boxes, unwanted socks, snack wrappers, banana peels… trash in general! 

Kibble Anyone?

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning. James 1:17

In our home there is most certainly not a shortage of food, yet one snapshot of my son’s current eating habits would leave one wondering indeed. You see, at 13 months my son began bellying up to the doggie buffet. For some reason unbeknownst to me he would often turn his nose up at the meal I prepared only to save room for our dog’s dish of food. What was it about that kibble that called to him? What was it that he found so appealing? Heaven only knows!