What Do You Treasure?

“For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also” Mat 6:21 NKJV. 

This scripture is sometimes used when the offering at Church is being taken. I've always taken this scripture as an admonition to check my heart and I do. I have lived a good life. Every good thing I have is a benefit of living for God, in Christ. I really enjoy the comforts God has provided. I’m not rich by any means, but I am blessed. Do I love my money more than Jesus? Are my possessions truly my treasure? Up until the end of last year, I looked at that scripture as if it pointed to my possessions. Then one night my son took the offering and used this very scripture and my real treasures came forward.

As he spoke that night and challenged the congregation to check and see just how very tight we clung to our treasure, I realized that he, my first born child, and my other three are my treasure. my heart IS where my treasure is and I have tended to cling too tight sometimes. I’m sitting here hovering over my keyboard, trying to express this correctly, because as a born again, bible believing Christian, where my treasure is, there my heart is also. Christ is my treasure, my all in all, and in him I’ve lived a blessed, treasure full life. My children are my greatest earthly treasure, valuable! 

Even though they are a gift from God, and even though he has the best plan for them, it has not been easy to offer them up to God. Somewhere along the path of raising them, loving them, teaching them and preparing them, some moms (me) appropriate their kids, forgetting that they are God's children first. I’m one of those “momma bears” releasing them is usually an act of God.

I listened to my son that night and cried because very soon I’ll be releasing him and his family, my beautiful daughter inlaw and my five grandchildren to God again, It’s obviously not the first releasing experience, but it seems that each time it gets harder. this time they’re leaving for the mission field. Oh goodness! South America isn't South Bay San Diego, which is just 20 minutes away from us. 

That night I walked back to those memories when he was a backslidden church kid, angry and discontent. I would pray, asking God to save him, I offered my unrefined treasure to God then, knowing he was playing “religion,”  talking “Christianese” but not walking like a true believer. He was lost in his sin right there in the assembly, then one weekend, God accepted my offering,  it seemed like “all of a sudden” he was knocked off his high horse and he knew, he just knew that God loved him and was calling him. Just like that he repented and was born-again. Then, it was “ all of a sudden” he was converted and discipled  into a man of God, trained to preach and pastor. 

My husband and I have lived our lives responding to those challenging offerings, giving all that we could to see churches built and established in the United States and around the world. We believe in call to "Go ye into all the world" If someone would have told me 39 years ago, coming into Gods family as a single girl that one day I would be offering my son, my treasure, back to God I wouldn’t have believed it.

What is your treasure? There where your treasure is, is your heart also. I would be a liar if I wrote that giving my treasure to God is easy, it's not. I can say that giving my treasure to God is a worthy investment, it is a safe one too. The best place for my treasure to be is in the will of God.  

 

The mother Experience

As I was browsing through my posts I found this one written a few years ago, 2019 to be exact, but not published! hmmm.... I realize today, now that "raising" them is over, I've repented of some of my mindsets as I watch my grandchildren step into the "teenage hood"

Is there a name for the "chemical reaction" a mother experiences while raising her kids? 

               

So proud of them: (I don't even like the word proud anymore, I really try to avoid it. I am pleased with the gift of my children though)
their giftings, their character, their accomplishments, and even their beauty. (I avoided showing off how blessed I was to have such great kids, but now, I'll shout it on the mountain tops, children are a great gift from God!and mine are the best 😍)

Argh! but those short comings, those areas they fail to take care of.  (Argh again! Why did I stress about their short comings? God has always been right there with them, guiding them along and loving them as he does me)

Oh my! they like to come to the kitchen counter and talk about their lives and whats in their heart....with me. (Oh yes! GUESS WHAT? My adult children and I enjoy our kitchen counter talks still!)

Heavy sigh! I don't ever remember being like that! Where do these kids get their ideas???? (Thank You God for your living Word) 

(Raising teens takes you from reflections to resolutions and resignations all in one afternoon. This next note was evidence of that rollercoaster ride)

Last night I determined that today I would take care of my daily life first and quickly so that I could spend some time in my writing.  I said to myself nobody will steal my day and time.  
I was moving along almost done, when I walked past my teens room and that almost stopped me in my tracks, rerouted my good intentions and maybe lose the teaching opportunity with my teen.  So I stopped to consider my options, his options. (I wonder if I was productive in my writing that day?)

 Teens live from uneventful stagnant endless moments to dramatic explosive episodes.  Boredom➡ messy room➡awkward transitions ➡love fantasies➡character issues➡problems with authority➡anger/depression/lonliness➡
An endless list (Wow! I wonder why I only mentioned the dark side of teen life? Teens also have wonderful beautiful victories. Struggles🠚Successes. Aloneness🠚Friendships. Ashes🠚Beauty. Anxiety🠚Peace. Satan🠚Jesus)



Wondering what to do? When to do it? Why we should do it? and
finally, when action is gonna happen, how do we do it?
Of course, most of the time, I feel that I'm gonna mess up, I'm gonna do something wrong....





Well into my fourth teen, I'm so glad, that God reminds me I cannot do this alone. (And I didn't, all along was my husband, their dad, but more important was Father God, who is a perfect parent.)

Teenage years

                                                        Ride of Your Life!

 

I stepped out of those roller coaster years not fast enough!  I was so anxious to do "Life" on my terms.  I stepped into "Adult life" as the roller coaster ride was coming close to the end.  I was seventeen and away from home. yikes! SCARY STUFF for this small town girl.  But I survived and did enjoy the next twenty or so years, choosing carefully as I maneuvered through life.  Then, it seemed as if out of the blue I was back on that roller coaster ride again, only this time it was the front seat with my husband and our first teenage son right in between us!  Seemed like he was trying to shove us off the ride with his raging hormones and testosterone.

 In my teenage years I didn't, couldn't, or wouldn't see all the changes, I only saw that everyone else was "stoopid."  Now as a parent again I've been overwhelmed by all those swooshes of "I gotta have it now!" and the sharp turns of anger; almost rage, and the "know it all-ness" of every aspect.  The self consciousness dips are the worst because it can sting when your teen is embarrassed by you. 

I thought I wouldn't survive those heartbreaking teenage years back then, but I did. Now those teenage years are wanting to mess with me again; and sometimes they do!

Were in the throws of raising our third teen now and I have to be watchful to deflect the fiery darts that are carelessly shot, but also purposefully walk into those dangerous minefields sometimes to deactivate those explosives so that we can all survive! and actually enjoy another side of teenage years. In case you don't know it yet teenage years have many sides to them; many loops, leaps, bounds, grey areas gaps and emotional monster roller coaster rides! So hang on.

Treats For Your Kids

 

What kind of thing do you consider a treat?   Food? Games? Screen time? Candy ? I decided that Theme Parks would be a fabulous treat for my kids, so I made a big sacrifice and took them to Sea World. While we sat and watched the Sea Lion and Otter show I wondered how much of a treat this really was for them? I thought of the cost and cringed, hoping they were having a good time.
 

They seemed to enjoy the park, but honestly I think they would not have been as excited about the day if their cousins would not have been a part of it. I was very glad that we invited them to join us.  All around  the park were little tots enjoying the water park and the sea animals and the rides, but I couldn't tell if my kids were enjoying their cousins and people watching more than the rides and shows. Theme parks have an excitement about them for sure, but SeaWorld for my kids was probably getting old, by this point because we live in San Diego and had year round passes we were going more than enough.            

                We all need social interaction, but teens and adolescents seem to make choices depending on each other, this is why it's critical to know who your kids are being influenced by. We parents need to know to some degree their friends too. My kids are social butterflies and they truly enjoy their friends, whether that's in SeaWorld or at the beach or even in the backyard!  Don't get me wrong, SeaWorld puts on a great show. In this show the animals were great! the trainers handled their animals well and the actors performed great!  Another great show was the Blue Horizons presentation which featured the dolphins, whales and acrobats! But it was more of a treat when they enjoyed it with their friends/cousins. 

So parents I encourage you to consider the cost of the treats your giving your kids and be sure to include their friends once in a while.