INFLUENCE!!

Proverbs 22:6 says to train a child up in the way he should go, so when he is old he will not depart from it....and while these children are not my own I love them just as much as they were.     I am am thankful that God has put them in my path so I that I might show them the way they should go.

(Note:This picture is my neice in 2008 adding sugar to her own dough,--we dont use sugar in our communion bread).

I make the communon bread for our congregation.  Connie was only 5 years old when she stayed with me for a month, and during that time she observed what I was doing, and I let her poke some of the peices to prevent air bubbles.  Later that week, I made her a batch of homemade play doh.  she asked if she could use the cookie sheet...and a fork, rolling pin , and the round cookie cutter. Not realizing yet what she was intending to make from her playdoh, I got these out for her.  To my amazement, she rolled it, cut the circles and began pricking it all over , and exactly like I make the communion bread...,and even tho I had figured it out I asked her what she was making and she said "Communion Bread!!". 

I was reminded at that moment just how much influence we do have on others.  Tho my own 2 children were now grown and I we tried to raise them "right", I think I had forgotten,  until that moment, how much influence we have on others. 

Children, it is said, have minds like a sponge...they soak up everything they see/hear.

We all have influence....be it good, or bad influence, we all have it.

and most of the time we dont even realize others are watching what we do.

As a Christian, I (and YOU!) have a big responsibility to make sure that all of my(our) actions, and words

are such that will not profane the christian influence, and not just around children. Adults too, esp those that are not christian and know that you are,  are watching closely to see what you do.

Fast forward 4 years...even now, my neices, and the nephews too, love to help me make communion bread.  Before, I could only let them prick the holes with the fork...but now the girls have learned how to handle the fragile dough and do it from start to finish.    And now, a little older, they ask more questions about the process...and the whys of how/why we do it. 

I am glad for the opportunities like this that open the door for them to ask questions, which they do,--Why is always a circle?  Um....because I dont have a square cookie cutter?

"Why do we do we do communion"?   "because Jesus died on the cross for us, and made it possible for us to go to  Heaven , we break bread every Sunday to remember that He died on the cross for us." 

"Why" ?  "Because when Jesus ate with his disciples the last night before He died on the cross,  He said we are eat this bread and drink this drink, in remembrance of Him".  (1 Corinthians 11:23-26) 

"Why do we do it every Sunday"?   "Because in the bible (acts 20:7), they did this on the first day of the week".  "Oh yeah!! We talked about this at camp"!

Im so glad they are learning bible ways.

And they are teaching/reminding me too, about influence....tho I am just an Aunt...or you may be the Grandma, or even just a close family friend...never give up always doing good!  You never know the influence they might follow, just might be yours. 

Sept 2012

Preoccupied!!!

Preoccupied!!! We in this earthly life tend to get so busy with earthly things. We concern ourselves with earthly worries. My dads pup, a five year old German Shepherd, became suddenly sick a few days ago and was admitted to the vet clinic, where, sadly , she died today. I expressed my condolences to my dad, who replied, "Sometimes the answer is no." I nodded my head in agreement, knowing he was referring to the answer to prayer. Then the attention turned back to another family member, in the midst of marital woe. Peggy Sue did not cross my mind again today, until suddenly, just now, late at night. and just as suddenly, the tears began to flow. It dawned on me, that I did not even cover the health of my dads beloved new pup in prayer....and I suspect he probably thought I did. and just as suddenly, it dawned on me...my dad himself must have even been praying for the recovery of his dog. You see, my dad is not a church going man....and he knows I have prayed for every one of my dogs, when they were in need of good health, or lost, needing found. And always, I have recieved a favorable answer from the Lord. I wonder, was he praying for Peggy Sue? Or did he expect that I was? Or both? He helped me look for my lost German Shepherd several years ago. I had spent 4 days searching for Ginger...I had given her away to a young man who lived in town and she got loose from him within the hour of arriving at her new home. I vowed that if I found her, I would bring her back home with me , never to give her away again. Dad helped me set up a big box trap baited with food, to catch her in. After we set the trap, and headed back home, I told him I had been praying that God would bring her back to me and that I always expected an answer. My dad wisely counseled me that, "sometimes, the answer is No.". the next day we went back to the spot where we set the trap...and there, in trap, was Ginger!! She was very happy to see me again, and happily, I said to Dad, and sometimes the answer is yes!!" the past few weeks have found my mind very preoccupied with the worries of this world. a close family member is going thru a nasty divorce, and the matters of that situation have very much consumed my mind and time. I have even found it hard to focus on my daily bible reading ,and tho I have been prayerful, and I think I did pray once for my dads pet........or did I? Jesus instructs us in Matthew 6:25-34, to not worry...for worrying cannot make anything better. Worrying about the cares of this world will only take our focus off of whats important, choking out Gods word from our hearts. When we let worry consume us , it DOES consume us..it takes its toll on us, mentally and physically. It makes us forget whos in control here...us...or God. Our preoccupation with worldy matters easily ensnares us and weighs us down. "let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus"...(Hebrews 12:1, 2) Sometimes it takes a slap in the face to bring us back to reality of who is in control . Even the death of a dog.