What God has taught me through the fire.

After writing yesterday about evaluating material and my life I went back to a few years ago when I once again had no voice and contemplated God's mercy and kindness in dealing with me. We had a fire in March of 2005 and I was inside, I ended up breathing in a lot of smoke and lost my voice for about a month. We had many blessing during this time and I had written about waht God had taught me for myself and then ended up sharing it with my Sunday School class through the teacher. Anyway, I thought it might encourage or bless someone so I am posting it here. I must be a slow learner.


What God has taught me through the fire. Count it all joy.

Peace. ..God has given me peace in all of the circumstances he gives us. He alone is
responsible for a peace that passeth all understanding. He has blessed our family through
very good friends who were there with us while we were waiting. They helped get things
our family and children needed. He gave me good neighbors to help and comfort us
while I was waiting on the firemen. He gave us good friends to wait with us and go and
get what was needed with out asking and it was wonderful. We knew many people cared,
we knew God cared. And I knew we were in the midst of His care.

Faithfulness... I have seen God's faithfulness through this so many times. Through the
insurance company. They have been prompt, kind and helpful. Through our church
family, our home school group, neighbors, dear friends, cards, letters, phone calls
(although that has been more one sided since I haven't had my voice.) A home beyond,
which we couldn't have imagined. We were given wonderful landlords who blest us by
lending us their home with all their furnishings so we wouldn't have as much to do right
away. It has a huge backyard for the children with a swing set, playhouse, and a deck
with picnic tables and a firepit for family campfires.

Blessings. ..I was talking with my daughter the other night and she wants her home back.
Her "real home." Not the one we're in. The home we are in now is temporary while our
home is being fixed. But that home too is temporary. Our real home is not here but
heaven. How often I can get earthly minded and comfortable with this home and not
thinking about my eternal home.
I am looking through decorating books, kitchen books, windows, etc. I am planning and
dreaming about what it will look like. There are a lot of decisions that will affect how we
will live for a long time. Big decisions and little ones, daily decisions. But what about all
the decisions we make now on a daily basis. Don't these affect our whole lives? Our
eternal lives. And our families. Do plan, dream and realize the affect of these decisions is
I deliberate or am I on autopilot, not realizing or being deliberate in the far-reaching
consequences. This is my opportunity to choose the best. Not just good or even better, but
God, what is the best that you have for me?

Thankfulness. ... I am so thankful to be alive. I take it for granted my mortality, that we
raise our children and go about our daily business. But God so easily could have called
me home that day. And while it would have been glorious seeing Jesus, I am so thankful
to again have the opportunity to serve Him. To serve my husband and children through
Him. To grow old with them and see their lives and do my part in it.

Silence Or close to it. I have had laryngitis for weeks now. It doesn't seem like this is
a blessing or something to be thankful for, yet I have learned many things. I had all these
things to do, organize. Now I couldn't talk on the phone, (horrors) I did talk rarely but
most people had a hard time understanding me and I couldn't speak long. We didn't
have Internet access so I couldn't even talk through email. But I had that time to be with
my family. My children had to learn to listen for me whispered voice. (Hopeful
preparation for a still small one.) I had a white board another daughter had gotten me so
they read a lot. I learned not to speak unless it was important. (Not idle chatter) I had to
save my voice for the really important things. Telling them I loved them, how much they
what little voice I had on them answering the same question over and over, so they
learned to listen closer. Many times they had to look at me to be sure of what I was
saying. So I mad the time to look at them too. So many things I knew and also knew I
was busy. I didn't have time to just sit still. God has taught me there is a time to just sit
still. It is still hard but I am learning. I have a friend and older daughters who have been
challenging me on that. We have been in this house for 1 week and I see do many things
to do yet. "Are you resting," they ask? "Yes" I reply. " How long, 10minutes?" They
know me well. I have now learned to type one handed, lying on the bed so I can indeed
say I am resting. That is rest, right?
I have also learned my being silent has been a blessing in my husband and
my relationship. Don't get me wrong, I love to talk to my dear husband but it has also
made me aware of a number of things. I can't give him directions when he drives. (I drive
many more hours than he does so I do know my way around better, but does it really
matter?) I haven't offered my opinion on little things. I was saving what little voice I had
on things that matter. (Gee, if they don't matter now, why did they) I haven't offered
needless corrections. (Who cares if it happened Tuesday or Wednesday?) God has been
teaching me to have a meek and quiet spirit through silence.

God sees the Big Picture My husband has been looking for a different ob this year. I
couldn't understand why he hadn't gotten one. He has years of experience and perfect
attendance. The two things most places are always looking for. But God knew what else
He had in store for us this year. He knew Jim still needed to be where he was. His
company gave him 3 days off with pay for disaster pay and since he has been there so
long he was able to be off with all of us for 2 Y:2weeks. Long enough to get somewhat
settled in a different home, to reassure our children and to meet with contractors and
insurance adjusters. He would not have been able to do that anywhere else. Now I am
able to keep that in mind being sick still. You could say I am sick and tired of being sick
and tired. I have been sick over a month now. A lot of it barely able to talk, at least not a
lot. I have not been able to read to my children, and really talk with my husband about all
of this going on. It has been a lot of monosyllables and writing short sentences on a
whiteboard. I have been trying to listen a lot more. It still doesn't make sense to me, but I
do know that God has purposes that I can not see. And I am learning that is okay too.

Time I have been treasuring it. It is one thing that cannot be replaced, bought or saved.
You use it every day. You don't get a second chance to redo yesterday. I need to make
the most of each day, hour, minute. We look ahead and see how much we have to do.
How slowly the time passes with little ones, how quickly it passes as we age and see our
children grown up. I have one in diapers and one married, (with many in between) there
is a large gap in their ages, yet I know my youngest will too be married and on her own
one day. How will I spend today? What is most important? How did I invest my time?
Did I use it to further relationships? Or my to do list? Did I spend time with God? Teach
my children about Him? Spend time with my husband, children? These are eternal. My
home will not be there. It has already proven it could go up in flames so why do I view it
as so important. It is a tool, a vessel to shelter my family, offer refuge to my husband, be
a place of togetherness. But all that must be in my heart first. That is the place that must
be filled first, over flowed onto others. They are the ones I need to invest in and treasure.

Evaluating material for our children

“Do I consider the material I am examining essential for my children’s pursuit of God and godliness, or is it merely peripheral? Is this idea or that thought indispensable for their walk in the Spirit, or is it only incidental? And most important, will it stir within them a thirst for God, a hunger for His Word, and a desire to represent Him well as salt in the earth.”

Changed into His Image by Jim Berg

I have been laid up for almost a month now with pneumonia. The pneumonia is now gone from my lungs but it really messed up my asthma and I am on different meds to try and get it back under control. Through all this I haven't had a voice above a whisper so I have to choose very carefully the things I need to say since I can't say it all. I also have paper and pen but I still don't write as fast as I could talk. It is very limiting. But also, I am limited to the necessary. My children have been wonderful about pitching in together and meals, housework. They have brought me tea, water, books and movies. But I have looked at the superfluous that I have been doing. When it is hard to breathe, many,, many things are unnecessary. So I am looking for what changes I need to be making. Where do I need to cut and what?
When you go into a store they have listings for items; good, better and best. We have those same choices. But so many times we fall into a pattern or a rut and just do what we have always done. So God has given me this time to evaluate the good, better or best in my life and I am planning some changes. I want things in my life, my husbands, life and my children's lives that will stir up a thirst for God, that will cause them to pursue Him and represent Him all of our lives and I am willing to do whatever I can to change that. Examine your life, don't wait for God to take you in hand so you are dependant on Him for your next breath. (We are anyway but you don't have to sound like Darth Vader doing so.) Ask Him where you need to change.

Mr NO Fear

My son loves to play outside and he learned a new trick this week.