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Happy 3rd day of the new year everyone. Perhaps you’ve already spent time reflecting on 2007, while looking ahead to 2008. I personally have never been one to start new diets or regimes January 1 for fear of failing to complete the resolution. Yet, last new year’s day, while nervously making plans to read through my Bible in 2007, my sweet husband delivered a thought that has stuck with me: It is not the success of the resolution, but the process of striving every day that matters. We may not stay perfectly on schedule or make it completely through the regulations on mildew in Leviticus, but the goal is to be regular in the Word…not for performance but for pleasure. So, I’ve started over this year. Clean slate, new motivation, desire to be more, to live more, to love more. Anyone want to join me? You can find a downloadable […]
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Contrary to the images of warmth, family, and laughter one might see on television ads around this time of year, the holidays are often a time of sadness for some people. I have, for most of my life, been one of those people. The pandemonium of finding the “perfect” gift, of expressing how you really feel, of coming together as a family, of spending within your means, of getting things out on time, of scheduling conflicts, of unmet expectations, of raising content (and not greedy) children—all seem directly opposed to the experience of Joy during the holiday season. Remembering that “Jesus is the reason for the season” doesn’t really work either, as it has become so cliche and cultural. That’s how I honestly feel. Every year I struggle at some point during the season with joy. How fitting, then, is it that during the Advent my husband has come to […]
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Our ladies’ Bible Study at church just completed a study through Feminine Appeal, Seven Virtues of A Godly Wife and Mother, by Carolyn Mahaney. It was my second or third time through the book, but first time leading a group of mostly younger gals who have been married under five years. I think I can speak for us all when I say we were greatly encouraged and motivated to be more godly wives and mothers through this study. It amazes me how in every stage and role in marriage, we as wives continuously battle our flesh and natural tendencies in order to reap the rewards of a godward life. My husband and I will be celebrating ten years next summer, and while I feel more confident than I did in my twenties, I perpetually find myself revisiting the virtues found in Titus 2:3-5 with greater humility and desire for obedience. […]
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Having grown up in a Chinese immigrant, non-Christian home, I come each year to the Thanksgiving season with few memories and fewer traditions. As a child, I knew something of pilgrims and turkey dinners, but always felt removed from the familial traditions and rich heritage that surrounds this holiday. While Thanksgiving seems to serve as the big family dinner of the year, as well as the inauguration of the shopping frenzy we call Christmas in this country, I found myself pondering today on the significance of this holiday and the giving of thanks. I’m hosting Thanksgiving this year for family and friends. I have a great desire to not just serve up a bounty, but to feast on and consider the blessings that are ours in Christ. What do I want my kids to remember about Thanksgiving? How do I teach them to remember the significance amidst the celebration of […]
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Well, friends, the 26 letter journey has come to an end. If you have traced the No-Regrets steps during this last month, you may have picked up a new habit, pursuit, or perspective along the way. Here are the last four…thank you for those of you who’ve brainstormed with me. Z is for Zeal. n: great energy or enthusiasm in pursuit of an objective. May that objective be godly and glorified living in motherhood. Y is for Yelling. Yelling ultimately says more about the person without self-control than it does about the person being yelled at. Yelling is really emotional manipulation–and it doesn’t honor the Lord…even if it makes us feel better. Note to self: try praying before speaking out of anger. X is for Xenophile. This is perhaps my favorite word of all. n: an individual who is attracted to foreign peoples, manners, or cultures. W is for Worry. […]
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V is for Value. “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Matthew 6:21 We all treasure our children and love them unconditionally, yet somehow most children struggle (especially as teenagers) with their sense of value. It makes me think: love and affection alone does not sufficiently communicate value. What, then, instills value in our children? How about their value in the eyes of their creator? Psalm 139 is a great starting point. The Gospel is also a great picture of value. How about the ways he provides for our wants and needs? There are so many more examples. Let’s take our children through the many truths and many tangible ways God shows His children that they are valuable. And in doing so, as parents, we will have conveyed value through our strongest language of value: quality time. U is for Unity. My husband and I used […]
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Back to the ABC’s… Q is for Quiet Time. For this particular instance, I’m referring to the “quiet time” we have with our heavenly Father as followers of Christ. (I do wholeheartedly advocate down time, or quiet time reading and playing alone, for children as well!) If you struggle to have a disciplined time with God as an adult it is probably as a result of not having a routine, yet meaningful quiet time with the Lord. Some ways I am trying to teach my young children to have a personal quiet time: 1. Listening to audio Bible CDs. (Kids have an amazing knack for audio learning.) 2. Listening to Bible verses set to music. 3. Copying a Bible verse out of his own Bible after reading a passage. 4. Keeping a prayer journal. Pictures are okay…they understand what they’ve drawn! 5. Talk to them about the “why” and not […]
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N is for Nagging. May I encourage you—don’t do it. Nagging is continuous urging to the point of irritation. When has that ever produced the results or the attitude we desire in our children? This is how I try to lead my children to obedience: 1. Assess what I’m asking for. Is it reasonable, right, and righteous (Biblical)? 2. Communicate my request (not just demand, but explain). 3. Communicate the consequences for disobedience (both physical and spiritual), and communicate to my child the joy of trusting his parent to know what’s right. 4. Follow through with my guidelines; don’t nag. M is for Money. All of us desire for our children to be responsible with money, to grow up to be debt-free, to give back to the Lord, and to be generous. Though honorable, none of these aspirations preclude our children from being lovers of money. Our children will learn […]
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Taking pause from the ABC’s, I must spend a moment to respond to what the Lord is teaching me on the gift of reconciliation… There is no feeling like the punched-in-the-stomach pangs of knowing someone is angry with you. Equally as painful is being angry yourself while having an unresolved conflict with someone you care about. Both are concomitant with broken fellowship. More than once I have been tempted to hedge myself in and never risk, confront, share, or love that I might not have to ever experience the sickening sensation of conflict again. Hedges may keep others out, but it also keeps you in. Yet: “Something there is that doesn’t love a wall, that wants it down.” (Robert Frost, Mending Wall) That is where reconciliation comes in. I suppose I should say that reconciliation enters when pride slips out the back door. You can’t really make it right with […]
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I is for Instruments. Whether your personal preference in music is jazz, classical, pop, or country, there is no denying that life would unbearable without musical instruments. Instruments are voices of expression that require skill to communicate. It used to be that all children learned at least one instrument at some point in their childhood; but not so today. Many of today’s children are missing out on the discipline and enjoyment of learning an instrument. Don’t you look back and wish you knew how to play the piano, or the sax, or maybe the celtic flute? Let’s encourage that side of creativity in our kids. H is for Hide. “I have hidden Your word in my heart, that I might not sin against You.” (Psalm 119:11) The New American Translation uses the word “treasured” instead of hidden, so you see the idea: value, cherish, treasure, meditate on the word of […]
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My husband and I love sushi. If you are a sushi lover, you understand this amorous affair. Besides being the most fantastic combinations of flavor and texture, sushi is, in its own right, art. Each hand-crafted piece is meant to be savored. Sushi’s fragility requires that you simply place the entire piece in your mouth, but in no way must you feel rushed in the process. In fact, much of the pleasure in eating sushi comes from drawing out what may be the quantitative equivalent of a 6pc. chicken nuggets and fries combo as long as possible as to cause each contrasting flavor to take a spin in the spotlight. Yes, my husband and I love sushi. In fact, we love sushi so much that we ventured to take our three young children to our favorite sushi restaurant today while spending our last night in Durango. The tantalizing tango we […]
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A typical day at my house includes at least one scraped knee or minor “ouchie.” Today was not unlike any other. By 11am we had one fat and bruised lip on my one-yr. old who flopped off a schoolroom chair, and a nasty scrape alongside my 3 yr.-old’s face from forgetting to put on the brakes when running his dump truck in the backyard. I tried not to cry when looking at them in their WIA (wounded in action) condition. To comfort the boys (and because my 3 yr.-old is always looking for an excuse to be goofy), we got out last year’s costumes, and had fun dressing up as a giraffe, a lion, and a pea. As if the costumes were not amusing enough on their own, the kids had outgrown each of them, and now looked hilariously overstuffed and uncomfortable. Nevertheless, it did the trick…we were laughing so […]
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Hello, friend...I'm Ruth. Welcome to GraceLaced, where you will find my imperfect, but grace-filled musings on the Gospel, motherhood, crafting, art, domesticity, cooking, and the often-times overlooked joys of finding grace in the everyday of life. Read my full profile here.
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