One thing that the kids love is hear me run my lessons or preachings by them (hehe eew I make it sound like it’s a lot! haha! It’s not that many naman).  Aside from checking that I have sufficient time, it is also helpful to download my lessons to them because if I can make my little girls understand them, it means that I have understood my topic well enough, too.

One time, after “preaching” to the girls and checking to see if they understood what I wanted them to get, Mika raised a question. “Mom, what about Beauty and the Beast??” 

Huh??

My topic had absolutely nothing to do with this favorite Disney fairytale! I was talking about the Gospel, the Cross, our identity in God….and then, Beauty and the Beast?!?? Was she even listening?? What a silly question! 

Well, maybe I just didn’t hear her question well. Maybe her question was….. “What was your question again, Mika?”

“What about Beauty and the Beast??”, her tone was now a bit more serious. She sincerely believed that her question warranted a good answer. It was vital to her understanding of my preaching.

But I still thought it was a silly question— a waste of time, even. “Mika, that’s just a movie. Stop thinking about it already.”  I just didn’t even want to try and give an answer to what she considered was a very valid question.

But then….ting! It hit me.

Yes! That’s right! Beauty and the Beast!!!

“Oh! Mika! I get it now. Yes, sorry I forgot to explain about Beauty and the Beast.

What happened there? There was the beast, who was….well, a beast, right? but despite that, Belle chose to love him. What happened when Belle loved the Beast in spite of of how he looked and the state that he was in? He got transformed and he became a prince again, right? 

Well, all of us, we’re actually all like the beast. We’re so unlovable and ugly…but what happened? God chose to love us anyway, right? And it’s that very love of God that has transformed us and made us beautiful! Now, we are not beasts anymore! We are princesses because God chose to love us!”

What followed was a huge smile…and a look that said “lightbulb moment!”  :D

How often do we dismiss some of our kids’ questions because we thought they were silly? Or maybe we do acknowledge their questions but not really give much thought to the answers because they seem to have nothing to do to what we are trying to teach our children at the moment? I’m guilty of this at times. *big grin* ….But if we really think about it, there are no silly questions when it comes to our children. To them, every question is valid. Every question deserves an answer. Every question is an opportunity to learn and grow.

“Silly” is just a word that grown-ups came up with as an excuse to ignore questions when we’re too preoccupied or too….lazy…to come up with good answers.

I was scrolling through Twitter while we were stuck in traffic last night and I read this: “Famed children’s book co-author Jan Berenstain dies.”  Since my kids and I are fans of The Berenstain Bears, I immediately decided to read up some more about the author/illustrator.

You can read and find more here (CNN), here (Yahoo!), and here (Time)…

….But here are some bits from CNN and Yahoo! News that amazed me:

“Berenstain and her husband, Stan, were already successful cartoonists when they decided to transition to writing children’s books.

According to publisher Harper Collins, “The Big Honey Hunt,” published in 1962, was the first book starring the bear family.

Since that time, more than 330 “Berenstain Bears” books have been published over the past 50 years, the publisher said.

More than 260 million copies have been sold, making it one of the best-selling children’s book series in history, Harper Collins said.”

(from cnn.com)

After Stan passed away in 2005, Jan continued writing new books, often with the help of her son, Mike. The series has grown with the times, covering topics like the dangers of bringing guns to school, online safety, and childhood obesity.

According to Mike, Jan had been working on two more books in her Pennsylvania home at the time of her death. “Every day she was very productive,” he said. “[She] had been doing illustrations until the day before she passed away.” In a 2011 interview, Jan told theAssociated Press, “It’s wonderful to do something you love for so many years. Not everyone has that.”

(from Yahoo! News)

After reading all these links, I have to say that I greatly admire not just her work, but how this Mama Bear lived her life partnering with her husband to do and create something that would outlive both of them, how she successfully passed on her love for writing and illustrating to her son, and how she lived her life to the very end– doing the very thing she was gifted and called to do. The success of all their books is just  a bonus.

This is how I want to live my life– to partner with my husband in doing something that would outlive both of us, to pass on to my children the things that I am passionate about, and to live my life doing what I love and know I am gifted and called to do to the very end. Everything else that would come with this kind of success will all be just a bonus.

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photo credits: http://www.mysanantonio.com

http://www.cbc.ca

http://www.seattlepi.com

For the past month, God has been stretching my faith. He has been placing me in situations that would leave me with no choice but to trust in Him. This past month, He has magnified for me how helpless I am without Him, and at the same time how much I can accomplish through Him and in Him.

Allow me to share something that has encouraged me today. I hope that you and some people you know can get encouraged by this, too!

Oh, let me first give you a brief summary of this whole thing, just to give you a context of what I’m talking about….

The text of this story is found in Matthew 14. This was the time when Jesus already went about preaching and ministering to many people.  In one particular instance after Jesus ministered to the crowds, the disciples were put in a dilemma on what to do with them. It was approaching night time and the crowds (thousands of them!) were getting hungry. Some disciples suggested that they just dismiss them and send all the people home, so they can get food for themselves in the villages. Buying food for all of them was clearly out of the question since that would mean that the disciples will have to shell out so much money. Then…they spotted a boy with five SMALL barley loaves and two SMALL fish. But how can that help them, right? Obviously, the small bread and small fish were just enough to feed the small boy. It didn’t make any sense, but one of them still took the chance. They were in the presence of no less than Jesus, after all.

I’ll just copy-paste the next few verses to let it tell you the rest of the story…

Matthew 14:17-21

 ¹⁷ “We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish,” they (the disciples) answered. ¹⁸ “Bring them here to me,” he (Jesus) said. ¹⁹ And he directed the people to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people. ²⁰ They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. ²¹ The number of those who ate was about five thousand men, besides women and children.”

To summarize this further:

The boy and the disciples said, “This is all the food we have. We only have this small bread and small fish to offer.”

Jesus took what they had to offer Him anyway.

Jesus blessed the bread and fish and distributed them.

The small bread and small fish multiplied.

Everyone ate and were all fully satisfied.

The disciples had so much left over to pick up after.

The same is true with us.

We say, “This is all that I have. This is the only thing that I know. I only have this small thing to offer you.”

Jesus responds by taking what we offer Him anyway— no matter how small and seemingly insignificant.

Jesus chooses to bless whatever it is we offer Him and uses it to bless others.

Our efforts and gifts multiply.

Everyone gets a taste of our gift, gets blessed, and gets fully satisfied.

We find ourselves having to pick up so much that are left over.

The blessings overflow.

We can keep on giving and giving and blessing and blessing because there is so much that God leaves for us.

Amazing, isn’t it???

You can be a stay-at-home mom like me, or a working mom…you can be a wife, a single woman, or a student. Everyday we are faced with a dilemma on what to do with the people God surrounds us with or the circumstances we find ourselves in. Everyday we have a choice to just step back and relax and let the opportunity to be a blessing pass.

“Just send them home. I have nothing to offer them.”

“It’s too costly to involve myself in this.”

“I only have enough for myself.”

Everyday too, we have a privilege to offer whatever it is that we have in our hands and allow God to multiply it and bless hundreds– or even thousands. What we think is enough only to feed a small boy will in fact be more than enough to feed thousands. It all depends on whose hands it is in.

A rod in my hands might be able to keep stray dogs away. A rod in Moses’ hands parted the mighty sea.

A sling shot in my hands is a kid’s toy. A sling shot in David’s hand became a mighty weapon. 

Two fish and five loaves of bread in my hands are a couple of tuna sandwiches. Two fish and five loaves of bread in God’s hands fed thousands.

Nails in my hands might produce a place on the wall where I can hang my kids’ framed paintings. Nails in Jesus Christ’s hands produced salvation for the entire world.

It all depends on whose hands it is in. 

I choose today— and everyday— to offer whatever small and insignificant thing I have in my hands to God. And every day I shall wait and see how He will bless it and multiply it to bless the lives of thousands. And every day I shall see how much left over I would have to pick up after.

Before I move on with blog life, let me just conclude this series on my thoughts during prayer and fasting with this post (Betcha didn’t know there was a “series” huh?? –I didn’t either! hehe ). A bit late, I know. But I still think I should post it anyway.

There are so many verses on faith and prayer in the Bible. If there’s one theme that stood out for me this week,though, it is that of coming to God like a child. 

What does this look like for us?

To come like a child is to:

1. Come Asking boldly.

If you have kids, you would know exactly what I am talking about when I say that kids have no clue what they are asking for sometimes! For example, they would always tell me, “Let’s go to America tomorrow! I want to see my cousins there!”  as if it were that easy. To them, going to Disneyworld is just like going to the mall. Distance is not an issue. Money is not an issue. Time is not an issue. If they want something, they blurt it out and ask us for it— without hesitation.

I wonder why we don’t do the same, even if it is God himself inviting us to just ask anything in His name??

“Yes, ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it!” John 14:14

2. Come with an Expectant Heart.

When kids ask you for something and you say yes, to them it is as good as done. They go on with the rest of their day assured and carefree, knowing that their requests will be granted. Even without written contracts, a single “yes” from you is as good as a deal that is signed, sealed, and delivered.

What about us? Do we come to God with the same kind of expectation and peace?

“For all of God’s promises have been fulfilled in Christ with a resounding “Yes!” And through Christ, our “Amen” (which means “Yes”) ascends to God for his glory.” 2 Corinthians 1:20

3. Come and Play.

What is one thing that a child never gets tired of? ….Playing, of course! No matter how late it is, as long as you don’t tell them to stop, they would find it in themselves to muster up enough energy to keep on playing. As long as they are at it,  they don’t get bored, they don’t complain (there are occasional fights, yes…that comes with the territory, but that’s another topic altogether), and they are full of joy. Why? Because they are kids! That’s how God wired them, and as long as they are playing, they are being themselves. They don’t have to tidy themselves up to play. There’s no need to concern themselves with “grown-up” issues. They can let their imaginations run free.

God has wired our spirits to pray. Prayer should not be something that bores us, for it is meant to give us joy and to energize us! When we pray, we too, can and should be ourselves. We don’t have to tidy ourselves up before coming to God. We don’t have to concern ourselves with things too overwhelming for us to understand. We don’t need a certain structure in order to pray. We can come and be ourselves for as long as we want.

Do we enjoy our praying time as much as children enjoy their playing time?

“I tell you the truth, anyone who doesn’t receive the Kingdom of God like a child will never enter it.” Mark 10:15

Ever since I had kids, this has been a common scenario in my life:  Just as I finally get some time alone to do some things that require a certain level peace and quiet, one of the girls come running to ask me for something. It may be something as trivial as a hair clip to something that is a matter of life and death– for them, anyway. Either way, I noticed that our kids do not really have a good sense of timing. They just come whenever they feel like it, for whatever matter they  feel like discussing. They don’t stop to think about how to say things or how to express themselves properly. They don’t stop to think about how they look. There’s no need to put up a front. They come to you when they are sad and when they want to cry as if it’s the end of the world. They come to you when they are happy and overly-excited that it seems as though the whole floor has turned into one giant trampoline. They come to you when something scares them. They come to you when something bothers them. Often times, they even have a hard time articulating themselves properly. They often get their thoughts all jumbled up as they try to translate what’s going on in their heads into words.

Still— you, as a parent who loves them dearly,   listen anyway. Never mind that you were set on finishing that project for the house. Never mind that you were set on doing something else. You stop and listen anyway. It is a joy to see them come running to you. You don’t even notice the messy hair or the runny nose (well, you do, but you listen first and take care of that later). You don’t even notice the fact that sometimes they don’t make sense. You feel what they feel.  You’re the first to rejoice with them when they’re happy. You become sad when you see them crying. You would do anything to comfort them and make them feel safe and secure. You would do all those things because you love them. They are your children.

And they know it.

Our children know that they have complete access to us. They know they can come to you anytime and you would stop and listen to them. (Well, that’s the ideal response. We are but humans who fall short, after all). They know that by virtue of them being your children, they are granted that privilege of barging in (in a better sense of the word).

Sometimes though, our children grow up forgetting they have unlimited access. All of a sudden, they  have to wait for “perfect timing” to ask for their allowance or something they really like or to be allowed to go over their friend’s house. Before the weekend of the party arrives, they stock up on points by being extra nice– helping out with chores and studying really hard– to increase the chances of their requests being granted. A lot of teenagers grow up suddenly forgetting that they can come talk to their parents about anything and everything. They filter out what they think their parents would consider as “bad” stuff and share only the good. Instead of acting like children–members of the family, they begin behaving like boarders who just happen to stay and be  under the care of their parents.

When we started out in our walk with God, realizing what Jesus has done for us and that through Him we have been made children of God, there was no limit to our asking. We would be so excited to tell God everything– every desire, every disappointment, every detail of our lives.

Then we “grow older”. We forget about this unlimited access and we try once again to “earn” God’s favor by stocking up on points. We start editing what we say, as if He doesn’t see and know everything. We act as if there’s only a certain time when we can come talk to Him.

It’s my prayer that we would never grow old when it comes to our faith in God. I pray that we will always be like little children and know that we can come to God anytime, anywhere–  no matter how messy we look or how inconvenient the timing seems to be, or how difficult it is for us to articulate ourselves. I pray that we will always remember that by virtue of us being children of God (through the cross of Christ), we now have complete access to God, and we have the awesome privilege of barging in anytime, anywhere.

…And our Heavenly Father, our perfect Father whose ways and thoughts are far beyond our own (and who is beyond our capacity to disturb and interrupt)— is more than willing to listen.

…And yes, He is going to wipe off the tears and the runny nose, too.  :)

“Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” Hebrews 4:16

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28)

When Jesus made this invitation for us to come, it was with the premise that most probably, His people would be weary. He knew that the greater percentage of us who would be needing this invitation had a profile of this kind: tired, confused, weary, burdened. If He had expected otherwise, He would have given us this invitation instead: “Come to me, all you who have got it all figured out in life, and I will give you rest.”

But no. He didn’t say that.  He has extended his welcome for those who realize that they do not have it all figured out. He has long been inviting those who acknowledge that this life has left them tired, sometimes confused, and most probably overwhelmed.

This loving Jesus— God the Son who saw it fit to walk through this earth, had actually lived long enough in this world to know every possible temptation and burden we might face. This loving Jesus— God the Son who counted it a joy to give His life for us, actually knows –I mean, really knows– what it is like to live life in this fallen world. This loving Jesus— God the Son who is now reigning on His throne in heaven is telling us, inviting us, welcoming us….to come. No need to figure it out just yet…just come.

And that’s not the end of it.  Here’s the promise: I will give you rest.

Rest for our minds, rest for our bodies, rest for our hearts, rest for our spirits….REST.

Peace… joy… security… REST.

“Therefore, since the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us be careful that none of you be found to have fallen short of it.” Hebrews 4:1

I encourage you, come enter His rest today.

Also….drink lots of water!

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photo: crossmap.com