Thoughts on Pumpkin, New House Rules, a Cute Baby, and Lessons from God

I'll break my baby-imposed blogging hiatus with a few observations.

1. Getting dressed and putting on makeup everyday is WAY overrated, I've decided.

2. Emergency rooms are very useful in the event of an emergency, but I'd rather not have to send my children there so frequently.

3. It's a good thing my Bible study small group is not actually dependent on my presence to

study God's Word.

4. Clearly, I should have added "Don't hold your brother on the ground and shove a poopy diaper in his face" as one of the house rules. How silly of me to think that was one of those unstated and understood rules.

5. Ditto #4 on the rule, "Don't ever put the battery-operated toy mixer in the tub with you and mix the bath water with it."

Now that that is out of the way, on to bigger and better things, like pondering the question "Can I count pumpkin muffins made from a can of pumpkin and a cake mix as a serving of fruit or vegetables?" and "Is pumpkin a fruit or a vegetable?" I'm thinking the answer to both questions is "Yes."

For any of you who know me, I can throw a pity party with the best of them. I'm not much of a partier (said the only girl to ever attend the University of Alabama yet NEVER attend a party there), but a pity party is right up my alley. Usually, the moment one of my kids gets sick (which happens approximately every 2.4 days), my thoughts go to what I'm going to be missing out on as I stay home to play nurse. No one ever accused me of trying to hide my sins. I'm just laying it all out there. It should be obvious to me by now that God has some purpose in allowing my children to get sick on a continuously rotating basis, and it's probably not to make sure our doctor doesn't go bankrupt. (Though that could be seen as an additional benefit.) As with most trials in life, both big and small, God tends to have a spiritual purpose. Who woulda thought?

I have struggled to see the point of this neverending trial in my life. What good does it do for me to be continually stuck at home being a subpar nurse to snotty-nosed kids? Why would he purposefully cause it to happen the night before Bible study every week? I mean, it's not like I'm wanting to go play blackjack in Tunica or spend an evening at the local strip club. Finally, this morning, as I struggled to NOT indulge in a pity party for missing Bible study again, He answered me. "It's because you need to spend a little less time studying my Word and a little more time applying it in your life." Ouch.

I've been in Bible study for 12 years, in church for 33 (which is strange, since I'm only 27 years old), and in an accountability group for 3. In our accountability group, we read wonderfully toe-stomping books like Crazy Love and Radical. And those books always leave me wondering how I'm supposed to apply books about living radically for Christ when I spend most of my time in the four walls of my house...and in Publix. Now, I realize it probably wouldn't be a bad idea for me to share the gospel with people everytime I go to the grocery store, but I'm just going to be honest and say that I'm terribly lukewarm and disobedient in that area of my life. So, it looks like I need to take the words we read this past Tuesday to heart:

If someone claims, “I know God,” but doesn’t obey God’s commandments, that person is a liar and is not living in the truth. But those who obey God’s word truly show how completely they love him. That is how we know we are living in him. Those who say they live in God should live their lives as Jesus did. I John 2:4-6

Um, is it just me or did God state His expectations pretty clearly? How about here:

But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves. For if you listen to the word and don’t obey, it is like glancing at your face in a mirror. You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like. But if you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free, and if you do what it says and don’t forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it. James 1:22-25

So, I'm facing this day trying to live like Jesus did...a life of obedience to the Father. When I asked Him what specific commands apply to me today, the first one He brought to mind was:

Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing. James 1:2-4

Then, on the heels of that one, He added:

Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

So, I'm trying to spend my day doing math by counting my trials all joy, which can only be done by praying without ceasing. And then maybe He'll help me with the whole multiplication thing, too - you know, by sharing the gospel thing. No wonder I liked math so much in school! (Okay, I'll stop being a cheesy dork now.)

This really shouldn't be that hard, seeing as I get to spend my day with this guy.