The Gift of Life

"Behold, children are a gift of the LORD." Psalm 127:3a NAS

(Original Post: Friday, April 3, 2009)

I’ve delivered four children of my own, and been in the delivery room for the birth of five grandchildren...the only thing I have yet to do is, “catch a baby” (my OB friend, Dr. Garner’s unofficial term for delivering a newborn). I’m still hoping I’ll get the chance someday...

During the latter days of my first pregnancy, dad called every day to check on me. He and mom lived about two hours away from Grant and me. Dad had a watts line at work so he could check up on me for free. The calls helped him a lot. He was quite the worrier. He wanted to make sure he knew when the “big moment” arrived, so when I went to the hospital, he could worry some more. On the 7th of January, dad and I had our usual morning conversation --- “I was doing fine...yes, I was still pregnant.” What I didn’t tell him was that my water had broken. I didn’t realize it myself at the time. But it didn’t take long...a few hours later, I cradled a precious blanket-wrapped bundle of joy in my arms. Our first daughter was born.

Fourteen years later, Gwen became seriously ill. She lost thirty pounds in three weeks - without trying to, was in agonizing pain and had chronic bloody diarrhea. Puzzled doctors just wanted to pump her full of IV steroids without diagnosing the problem. I felt like she was dying in front of our eyes and I wasn’t about to let that happen without a fight. After a blow-up with one of the Abilene gastroenterologists, I decided to take matters into my own hands. I checked Gwen out of the hospital, went home and cried. 

My cries didn’t go unanswered. The next day, Gwen was headed back to Oklahoma City to the same hospital where she’d been born. God Himself orchestrated the circumstances that allowed us to find a world-renown specialist who agreed to keep his office open until Grant could make the five-hour drive to get her there. I will never forget the phone call late that night, when Dr. Robinson phoned from the hospital to say, “Mrs. Rutledge, I promise I’ll do everything I can to save your daughter’s colon”.

Every day we have is a gift from God. It’s easy to take that for granted until life hangs in the balance. Instead of “taking time to smell the roses”, you’ve got to take the time to enjoy and love your kids. Moments are fleeting and you never get them back. Even if you’re fortunate enough to never face tragedy or a serious illness with your children...they will still be grown and gone faster than you can ever believe!

God, my children are growing so quickly. I didn’t realize how little time I’d have with them. Help me make the most of each new day...living and loving as if it could be our last. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Why?

"How many are Your words, O LORD! In wisdom You made them
all; the earth is full of Your creature." Psalm 104:24 NIV

(Original Post: Sunday, April 12, 2009)

My children should be in the Guinness Book of World Records for the number of times were able to ask “why?” in a 24-hour period. It was usually more a game (to see how long it would take to annoy me) than inquisitiveness on their part. But I was actually pretty good at coming up with answers.

Asking questions is one of the ways children learn. We would all be smarter if we could learn to harness the sense of wonder we were born with. In far too many cases, impatient adults and misguided teachers crowd the wonder right out of kids with their “color in the lines” expectations and unrealistic “kids should be seen and not heard” philosophy. 

Kids need to be challenged to wonder more. They need to be guided in experiences that create awe at the miracles of God’s creation. Our heavenly Father has placed us in a world created by incredible imagination...at every turn, if we take the time to look, we can see the work of His mighty hands. When children are taught first to notice and then to respect the world we live in, they can’t help but recognize Who God is...and believe!

Start when your children are young. As an example, instead of just remarking how beautiful the sky appears when the sun is going down, help your children wonder about the Creator of the sunset. After all, somebody did have to put it there! You might say “I wonder what God was thinking when He painted all those colors on the horizon. Do you think He used a giant artist palette, or maybe He splashed colors on the angels and told them to fly across the sky...” What fun it will be to imagine God painting a sunset for us to enjoy!

God, the beauty of Your creation is all around us. Help me to teach my children Who You are, and to never take Your great world...and Your many miracles...for granted. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

If You Can't Say Something Nice

"My words come from an upright heart; my lips sincerely speak
what I know." Job 33:3 NIV

(Original Post: Tuesday, May 19. 2009)

If I worked on the production line in heaven, I would ask God to put a safety valve on people’s tongues to shut it off when their brain gets too heated. Why? Because when people get hot-headed, the overflow of their frustration and emotion often comes billowing out of their mouth in the form of mean and hurtful words.

I used to teach an object lesson in Children’s Church once a year. Several students would be selected for a race. At the sound of the whistle, each contestant would try to be the first to squeeze all the toothpaste from their tube. Lively music played in the background while classmates cheered them on. When the first person emptied their tube and thought they’d won, I would explain the race was only halfway over. Next, they had to put the toothpaste back in the tube! It didn't take long for them to realize it couldn't be done. The point I wanted them to learn was...what flows out so easily is absolutely impossible to put back in.

Words that are spoken can never be taken back. Their effect can last a lifetime. When I was a little girl, my mom used to cut my bangs. Evidently, I didn’t sit still for her, and the result wasn’t pretty. As we walked along a sidewalk one day, a woman looked at me and said to her companion, “...that poor little girl”. That was fifty years ago, but I still remember how it made me feel. It was embarrassing and humiliating...and unnecessary.

Teach your children the importance of speaking well of others. It’s a lesson we should ALL take to heart...if you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all. And if you THINK it, but it’s not nice, ask God for the grace to see people and circumstances through His loving and forgiving eyes. Ask for your thoughts to become like His thoughts.

God, give me the self-control to speak only words of kindness to others. Keep me from lashing out in anger or saying things I have to apologize for later. Help my children learn how to speak kindly or remain silent. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.