May, 2008

Every year, my husband always makes sure that our kid’s have a gift to present to me on Mother’s Day. Even though I appreciated a box of one of my favorite chocolates this past Mother’s Day, I was more thankful for the gift of some words my oldest son shared during the children’s presentation at church.

My son wrote a letter thanking me for being a great mom and listing why he thinks I am a great mom. I was surprised and overwhelmed at how specific he was. He read those words in front of the church and I sat in my seat listening with tears welling up in my eyes.

As a mom, not only do I feel I fall short many times because of poor decisions I make, but there are times when I wonder if what I’m doing is making a difference in the lives of my children. I don’t do things for my kids so that they will acknowledge me (although it does feel nice once in a while), but it is because I love them that I accept the daily routines of life in caring for them. In the midst of the daily routines, year after year, it’s a challenge to be faithful in all that I do, whether big or small, trusting that God will bear good fruit in the lives of my children.

My son’s words encouraged and reminded me to keep being faithful each day because I don’t realize whose lives the Lord can touch through me.

Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain. - 1 Corinthians 15:58

Recently, my roommate came home with free movie tickets. We all decided to watch Prince Caspian - the newest in the Narnia series. Having been a little disappointed by the first one, we were eager to have our impression of the movie series be redeemed. We were more than impressed by the movie and each came away with our favorite parts.

*Spoiler alert: don’t read any further if you haven’t seen the movie yet and plan on watching it*

My favorite part of the movie was when Lucy faces off with the enemy on the bridge. She is the lone figure on her side of the bridge and on the other side is an enormous army. Lucy pulls out her little sword, which is more of knife, all the while looking as though she is taking a stroll and enjoying the day. There is a moment of confusion as the enemy attempts to figure out how to do deal with this young and somewhat unarmed little girl. Next, Aslan steps into the scene and stands next to Lucy and is able defeat the enemy.

This was my favorite part of the movie because it gives us a picture of what faith is to look like. Lucy is the one out of the four who is able to see Aslan, whereas the rest feel as though Aslan is being elusive throughout the movie. Lucy represents a faith that has a childlike certainty and purity to it. She knows that so long as she has found Aslan and so long as she is by his side, everything is going to be ok. I love this scene in the movie because it shows that even when you are facing a raging army and the odds seem completely against you, when you put your faith in God, there is a certainty and peace that comes with knowing that He is in control. In the end, Lucy didn’t even really need the little sword that she pulled out.

As I experience more in life, I find that it becomes harder and harder to maintain a childlike faith in God. I tend to become more calculating and “realistic” in my approach to life. At times it seems counterintuitive to me to have to become like a child in order to mature in my faith. But time and time again, whether it is facing new challenges, jumping off the cliff into the unknown or being stretched in my responsibilities, I feel that tug in my heart to deepen in my faith and to do so by becoming more and more dependent on God…like a child.