MIA for a While

     I haven't had much time lately to post on here.  We're in the process of moving and have been packing like crazy maniacs to get it all done.  I keep asking myself why I/we have collected so much stuff since we moved into this home 11 years ago.  Of course, some of it we came here with.  And I keep wondering...what is it that makes me want to hang on to all this stuff, especially the stuff that has no sentimental value attached to it?  The Bible says that one day it's all going to burn up with the rest of the earth.  Also, Jesus told us in Matthew 6:19-21 - "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.  But store up for yourselves treasures in Heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.  For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."  Pretty convicting stuff!  I'm realizing that many times whatever we own actually owns us.       

     While this is a hectic time for us as a family, God is still good and He's teaching me in and through this process.  I'm trying to see the little kisses from God during this process and just making a feeble attempt to trust Him with it all!

  

Multitude Monday ~ One Thousand Gifts ~ No. 10

     While I desire to give thanks to the Lord for all the many blessings I've received from Him, I also want to be honest.  My heart is heavy today so my list is probably shorter than usual.  However, although my heart is burdened, I am still grateful, knowing I have the Hope that many don't.  I trust that others will find that Hope through the One and Only who can impart it, Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world.  And that this blog will be used to share that with those who need to hear it.  To go to my gratitude list for this week, click here: http://littlekissesfromgod.blogspot.com/p/one-thousand-gifts.html.
Blessings to you this week!

   

Anguish in the Unresolved Yet Hope Abounds

     Angry words fly in the heat of the moment...I feel the vibrations of the floor as she stomps out of the kitchen...then, the slamming of a bedroom door.  I think for a moment while preparing lunch.  I decide to give her time.

     A few minutes later I approach her door, hoping to be allowed in.  She's not interested in talking.  She'd rather be left alone yet she unlocks the door giving me the sign it's okay to approach her - that typically sweet, gentle spirit in our home who has a servant's heart.  I'm not sure what's going on with her these days.  As I lay there on her bed, I wondered - what is she thinking.  Why this sudden onset of anger over the past few weeks?  I just don't know.  God does.    

     I begin to talk calmly and truthfully about the unresolved sin in her life.  I see me in her.  I tell her she's a lot like me when I was younger.  That sin of ungodly anger, that could cripple a marriage, ruin friendships, even cause one to do things that could change the course of their lives, has begun to characterize her demeanor lately.  Sinful anger...it's a sin we can't allow to go unchecked in our children or ourselves.  No matter the cause, we can't excuse or rationalize what God says is sin.  It's sin - period! 

     So I try to talk to her about what is at the root of this torrent of anger she continues to express.  She offers no answers, still not wanting to let me in.  I don't think she knows the cause of her anger.  After all, she is just a child.  But a child that needs to be trained, according to God's Word and in His righteousness.  She knows her unharnessed reactions were wrong.  What to do?!  I'm just not sure.  My heart is torn for her and the fact that I can't fix this issue for her.  I'm in anguish about it and I don't have all the answers.  Yet I know the God who does and He is faithful.  I pray.  I trust the Lord to work it out in His timing.  

     In the meantime, I'll continue to pray, discuss this issue with her when necessary, and point her to the Only One who can truly set her free from this bondage, "being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus" - Philippians 1:6.  Even though this issue is unresolved for now, we have hope in Jesus Christ.  I am grateful for this opportunity to disciple this child.  God still blesses in the midst of our imperfect lives.    

Trusting you are recognizing God's blessings this week!

The Misadventures of Scout - A True Story for Animal Lovers!

     I have been considering for a few weeks (maybe months) now starting my own blog and God gave me a good reason to go ahead and do it this past week. You see, our sweet white and tan cat, Scout, went missing this past week on Wednesday. We had looked for him, called him, shaken his food container (which just about always gets him running home) and had an email put out on Friday morning to everyone in our neighborhood to see if anyone knew anything about him.

  One of our neighbors called me that afternoon and explained to me that our cat had gotten into the car of a lady who was at her home on Wednesday and she had taken our cat home with her without realizing it. Later that evening when the lady went to her car to get something, there was a strange cat hiding under her back seat. That's when she called my neighbor to find out if they had a cat. When my neighbor realized it was Scout and told her that, the lady said she would bring Scout back when her husband got home later. What my neighbor didn't know is that once the lady and her husband tried to get Scout out from under her back seat, Scout got spooked, jumped out of the car, and ran off as fast as he could go. All of this occurred 15 miles away from our home.

     Although I really didn't see how we'd find Scout, without God's intervention, my 3 children and I proceeded to go on a search for our lost cat in the neighborhood where he was last seen. We put out flyers in the neighborhood that Friday and talked to a few residents there. On Saturday, we returned around lunch time and again around 5:00pm to distribute more flyers and continue searching. We talked to quite a few people that day and even spoke to a couple of guys who were pretty sure they'd seen him. Nevertheless, we again came home empty-handed late Saturday afternoon. My husband still believed we would find him but the idea was looking grim in my own mind.

    Close to 10:00 Saturday night, my husband was getting ready to, once again, drive 15 miles away in a last ditch effort to see if he could find our sweet Scout. Just before he left, we received a call from Jenny, a lady in that subdivision who said, "Mrs. Hatcher, I don't want to get your hopes up, but I think I have your cat." My husband headed out the door to see if it was in fact Scout. And it was!

     That was a little (or should I say HUGE) kiss from God that Saturday night. Seeing that cat again made my heart leap for joy and I'm not even a cat person, but I've grown very fond of him over the past few years. It was as if God was saying to me, "I care about what you care about." Thanks Jenny (who rescued Scout) and to all the sweet people who were so sympathetic and helpful at Southern Trace.

    I know though that God could have also chosen for our kitty not to be returned to us. I realize that it's all in His hands and I am learning, day by day, to trust Him with it all, no matter how big or small.

Trusting God,