He Will Steady You

Do you remember when you first learned how to ride a bicycle?

There is a really cute video online with a little boy, about 5 years old, who obviously just took his first solo ride on a two wheeler. He tells his dad "I feel, I feel happy of myself!" Click here to watch his 1 min video

This little guy is decked out. He's got the helmet, a puffy fleece jacket, knee pads and gloves with the fingers cut out. I don’t know about you, but I did not have all that protective gear when I learned how to ride a bike. I’m pretty sure I skipped the training wheels step all together. I remember my little sister having training wheels, but I think both my brother and I went straight from a tricycle to a two wheeler.

We were at the mercy of the pavement.

Could that be true? I wasn't sure, so I called my mom.

"Mom do you remember when I learned to ride a bicycle?"

"All I remember is your dad running up and down the street with you, holding on to the back of your bike."

I remember that too.

I didn't go out alone to face the pavement. My dad was right beside me, holding me steady until I found my balance.

In Isaiah 41 from The Message Bible God says to his children, "I’ve picked you, I haven’t dropped you. Don’t panic I’m with you. There’s no need to fear for I’m your God. I’ll give you strength. I'll help you. I’ll hold you steady, keep a firm grip on you."

I love that picture of God.

I am so blessed that my dad was right beside me when I learned to ride my bike. I hope you had someone there to help you too. I KNOW we all have a Father, a God who is near. He is with us to help us, to strengthen us,to hold us STEADY.

Stuck Like Glue

"Dot, dot, dot - don't use a lot." Our son’s preschool teacher repeated her gluing mantra over and over, but to no avail. Pink and red construction paper hearts and white doilies swam in a sea of sloppy gloppy stickiness. With that age group less is never more.

Do you remember discovering the amazing properties of school glue? It goes on white but dries clear. It practically disappears! David remembers letting glue dry on his fingers and then peeling it off tip by tip. Glue can take two separate items and make them one. It is a fascinating substance.

Jesus mentioned glue in the context of marriage. He said “For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife.” The original Greek word for cleave is “kollao” which literally means “to glue”. Husbands and wives are to bond, adhere, and be glued to one another.

As our boys have grown into adolescence, David has taken each of them away for a special weekend they call their “Journey to Manhood.” David used material from FamilyLife Publishing by Dennis & Barbara Rainey called Passport2Purity. Together they listened to messages, answered discussion questions and worked on object lessons. One of the lessons involves glue. Although the focus with our preteens was to discourage exclusive relationships, we see a slightly different lesson for marriages.

No mess for me

If we take two paper hearts and stack them up or rub them together, neither is changed. They are still two pieces of paper. In the same way, it’s relatively easy for two people to cohabitate without connection. Do you know couples like this? They go through the motions without sharing much. They exist in the same space but occupy separate lives. Life is neat and tidy when all you have to think about is yourself.

A little dab won’t do ya

Dot some glue on those paper hearts and they’ll stick for a good long while, but over the years glue gets dry and brittle. Like my mom’s high school scrapbook - years later when we found it in the storage room, pictures and papers slipped right off the pages. You’ve heard that silly story about a husband saying “I told my wife I loved her on our wedding day and that hasn’t changed, why would I keep saying it?” That attitude doesn’t work! The principle of “leave and cleave” is not a one time occurrence. It is an ongoing process.

Less is never more

Invite a preschooler to glue your paper hearts and it’s a completely different story. They’ll smear glue all over the paper, take the lid off the bottle and pour it on until the tacky white stuff oozes out from under the paper. Then they’ll want to do it all over again the next day…..and the next day. What a great model for bonding as husband and wife. We can’t be stingy when we think about connecting our hearts, even if things get a little messy. We have to keep gluing, keep cleaving, and keep joining together. We have to pursue intimacy.

In counseling, we learned that intimacy causes short term instability. It’s tempting to avoid that temporary shakiness by holding back or pretending and not sharing your true feelings. David and I both have moments when we know that being open and honest is a risk and could make life uncomfortable for a while. We are learning to press through that fear, knowing the instability won’t last long. When we chose vulnerability, we strengthen the bond between us. We are stuck like glue.

Try This:

Gather some paper, scissors, and pens and make a hand-made valentine for your sweetheart this year. Don’t forget the glue! Write your own special version of “Roses Are Red….”

If you need to have “the talk” with your pre-teen, we recommend Passport2Purity. Find out more at FamilyLife.com

Deut 13:4 says “Ye shall walk after the LORD your God, and fear him, and keep his commandments, and obey his voice, and ye shall serve him, and cleave unto him.” (KJV) What would it look like to glue yourself to God?

This was our article for the February edition of Austin Faith & Family magazine. Unfortunately the magazine is closing. We are grateful for the opportunity to share our thoughts on marriage with the Austin community.

Is the Seed Still in the Barn?

My grandparents were farmers and one of the greatest joys I had growing up in North Dakota was spending a week on the farm. We would wake up every morning to the smell the sausage sizzling in the kitchen. We didn't eat cereal on the farm. We ate real food. We would help my grandmother milk the cows, gather eggs, and make lunch for the men in the fields which oddly enough included my little brother.

There is so much work to do on a farm but it didn’t matter how busy things got, we never missed church on Sunday. My grandmother served with the ladies auxiliary. It was just a part of who we are. So I have this legacy of faith. Life gets busy, but you still get to church on Sunday. Challenges come. Hail storms, droughts and blizzards blow in, but God remains faithful.

A farmer knows, when you plant a seed in the ground a harvest is coming.

In Haggai 2:19, we hear God speaking:

"I am giving you a promise now while the seed is still in the barn. You have not yet harvested your grain, and your grapevines, fig trees, pomegranates, and olive trees have not yet produced their crops. But from this day onward I will bless you."

God is saying, it’s not harvest time. In fact, you haven't even planted your seed. Blessing comes from ME!

Other translations of this verse begin with a question - Is the seed still in the barn? What a great question for the beginning of a new year. Is the seed still in the barn? Are there dreams and hopes in you? Is there untapped potential waiting to be planted?

Now is a good time to get the seed out of the barn and plant it in some fertile ground. Know that God is faithful. Blessing comes from Him.

The Thought Counts - But the Gifts Matter

In our Journey for Two article in December's Austin Faith & Family magazine we share a few of our successes and failures when it comes to exchanging gifts. Some years we do better than others. If you are wondering what to give your spouse this year, click on the link and turn to Page 6.

So sorry, Blogger is behaving badly today - You'll have to copy this link into your browser:
http://issuu.com/leeeddins/docs/aff_dec11_web

Need a Jump-start?

We had to jump start my van three times in one week. Grrr. After the third time I knew we had to get it looked at.

So, I was on my way to Autozone and honestly I was thinking, this errand fits under the “things your husband should do” column. I was on the verge of getting grumpy. Thankfully reality kicked in, because - hello - it’s not like I’m the only one cooking and cleaning and doing laundry at our house. I started thinking about all the things my husband does to help run our household and by the time I got to Autozone I was truly grateful.

Come to find out, my battery was still under warranty so they replaced it for free. It was awesome. They took out the old battery and put the new one in while I waited -such great customer service. I always appreciate that.

Thankfulness kept on rolling in my heart and I thought isn’t it great that whoever designed cars did it in a way that allows for a jump start? Seriously, isn’t that a wonderful feature?

How many tow trucks have you avoided because all you needed was a jump start and you had a friend or even a kind stranger who showed up to help?

I think faith can be that way. We get discouraged. We ask questions. We wonder, where is God in this? Then along comes a friend with a just the boost we need.

Fourteen years ago I was in labor with our first son. We were up all night and this baby was stuck. He wasn’t coming out. (There is a reason why they call it LABOR!) After hours of pushing, my doctor decided that he was going to have to be delivered by cesarean. The hospital staff sent my husband downstairs to the OR to get suited up and they were prepping me for the procedure when we lost the baby’s heartbeat. I was exhausted. I’m not even sure I fully realized what was happening but thankfully my friend Christy was with me. She grabbed my hand and began to pray. Christy was full of the Word of God. She said "Thank you Father that this baby will live and declare the works of the Lord, You will satisfy him with LONG life and show him Your salvation, the same power that raised Jesus from the dead will quicken his little body."

A few minutes later our baby boy was born - all 9 lbs of him!

Is there anyone else who knows what I’m talking about? You were feeling tired or worn out and a friend came along with a scripture or a story or song that lifted you & provided a jump start for your faith? Or maybe you are reading this today and your battery is drained. You feel stuck on the side of the road of life and you don’t know how you are going to keep going.

I got my jumper cables right here!

I want you to know God is faithful. He promised to never leave you. He is right in the middle of whatever is draining you. He is strong and He is loving. He is FULL of compassion. He is a Healer, Redeemer, Savior. He is God With Us. You are never alone!

Praying a little boost of His power will jumpstart your faith right now!

I Deserve to Suffer

I have no self control when it comes to potato chips. I crave them. Ruffles. Lays. Target brand Archer Farms Maui Onion Kettle Chips...oh my! That being said, I did it....AGAIN. I ate too many chips and now my tummy hurts. Ugh. I knew when I was eating them that I should stop, but I didn't. I just kept munching on those deliciously salty and perfectly crunchy chips.

I DESERVE TO SUFFER!


I deserve to lay here awake all night while my stomach gurgles and cramps in complaint of my weak character. (Click to Tweet)

That's what we tell ourselves, isn't it? We made another mistake and we are just getting what we deserve. We have to face the consequences. Sometimes, there is no way around it. We do suffer for our poor decisions.

Wondrously, our salvation/our redemption stands in stark contrast to the "way things go." Through Christ we don't get what we know we deserve. We get MERCY. But it doesn't stop there, because we also get what we could never deserve. We get GRACE, unmerited favor and blessing.

We deserve to suffer. But today is a new day! We have fresh, new merciful love, and all-sufficient grace that is more than we could ever need.

8 The LORD is compassionate and gracious,
slow to anger, abounding in love.
9 He will not always accuse,
nor will he harbor his anger forever;
10 he does not treat us as our sins deserve
or repay us according to our iniquities.
11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
so great is his love for those who fear him;
12 as far as the east is from the west,
so far has he removed our transgressions from us.
Psalm 103:8-12

Do Not Fret

Do not fret—it only causes harm. Ps 37:8 NKJV

I was convicted by this verse today. Do you fret? Do you ever feel or express worry, annoyance or discontent? I do. It's interesting that this word is also used to describe corrosion. I've experienced the harm caused by my fretting. It has a corrosive effect on my insides and causes me to make frequent trips to the....well, you know.

The NIV puts it even stronger "do not fret—it leads only to evil." Whoa. Fretting leads to evil? Who knew?

When we fret we take the remote control in our minds and press play/rewind.....play/rewind.....play/rewind. We relive the scenario through the lens of "what if". Then we fast forward all that fear into the future. The worry snowballs. It DOES cause harm. Insomnia. Stomach cramps. A frantic desire to be in control. It's time to push the stop button!

How do we do that? Back up just a few verses and give this a try: Trust in the LORD and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him and he will do this: He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn, your vindication like the noonday sun. Psalm 37:3-6

|| PAUSE, and let that soak in for a while.

Is there an event in your life that frequently replays in your mind?

How would trusting in the Lord help you push the stop button?