Becky – Page 84 – Embracing the Insanity

Mara’s Musical Preferences . . .

Posted on July 1, 2009 by Becky

We were listening to Sovereign Grace’s Come Weary Saints, which Mara calls Umbrella Music because there is an umbrella on the front of the CD cover. (She will say, “I want to listen to Umbrella Music.”)

As a new song began, a look of delight came across her face. “[Gasp] It’s a big girl singing!”

Then she wrinkled her nose. “Sometimes I don’t like mans singing.”

“Why?” I asked.

“Because I like ladies,” she said.

———

At night we prayed as always. She usually wants to pray about everything we did that day. For me, it is an opportunity to learn what was most exciting to her in her day and an opportunity to teach her to thank God for all the good things with which He blesses us.

Tonight she said, “P’ay about Umbrella Music! P’ay about American Flag Music!” [We listened to some patriotic music together, with 4th of July coming up.] Then she added, “P’ay about Plastic Music!”

“Plastic music?” I repeated.

“Yes, plastical music!”

Ahh, classical music! We will thank God for the Classical Music too!

Where I’m From

Posted on July 1, 2009June 29, 2009 by Becky

Some people are defined by where they are “from” or where they live. . . Me? I feel like I’m all over the place!

I was born in southern Illinois, where I lived till I was two. We moved to New Jersey, right across the bay from Staten Island, NY, and lived there for 10 years (well, except for 5 months in Lafayette, Indiana, near Purdue University; and 3 months in Mesquite, a suburb of Dallas, Texas). In junior high and high school I lived in Indiana: Winona Lake, near Grace College; Claypool; and on 10 acres a few miles outside of Warsaw. I went to college in South Carolina, where I lived from ’94 – ’07, before moving back to the Northeast with my husband, where we now live in the innercity.

My parents’ backgrounds play into this as well: My mom grew up mostly in Tulsa, Oklahoma, but moved a lot, as her father was in the oil business, and lived in Denver, Colorado, and Pennsylvania. On the other hand, my dad spent his first 17 years on a dairy farm outside a small southern Illinois town (still less than 2,000 people, still without a McDonalds in the county!).

So when people ask where I’m from . . . ? I’m still working on the answer to that one.

If I’m traveling internationally, that’s easy: The States! That’s all I have to say. No further explanation needed. At that point, they assume I’m from New York or Hollywood.

But in the states, it’s a little trickier. My favorite way to respond is to turn the question around: “Where are you from? . . . Oh, me too!” And it’s true! Probably I was born there, or went to college there, or my grandma lives there, or maybe I live there now!

I kind of like it, being from the States.

Pink Bears in Mara’s Life

Posted on June 30, 2009June 30, 2009 by Becky

In the early days, life was simple. There was Pink Bear. And Pink Bear was The Only Bear.

I got Pink Bear at Target with a giftcard from Mara’s baby shower, because I really wanted my baby girl to have a little teddy bear from her Mommy.

Mara loved Pink Bear. It used to be that she couldn’t sleep without Pink Bear in her arms. We took Pink Bear when we traveled, so Mara could sleep . . . . or . . . so all of us could sleep!

Mara still loves Pink Bear. But now she also has Yellow Bear, who joined us in May 2007, at Aunt Mary’s in Florida.

Then came Perkle Bear [purple bear] from Grandmom.

And Blue Bear from Great-Grammie.

And now, most importantly, Pink Bear With Hearts.

If you ask Mara where we got Pink Bear with Hearts, and she will tell you: “At the dozing ‘wap!” [clothing swap–about nine months ago] He was free. I’m glad I picked him up. I told Mara she could have one toy from the clothing swap, and she cried when I picked up Pink Bear with Hearts and told me to put him back–she didn’t want him.

But now? Mara and Pink Bear With Hearts are inseparable! In this picture, you can see that Mara wrapped Pink Bear with Hearts in her favorite Pink Binkit (another thing she can hardly sleep without!). Now that’s special treatment!

Pink Bear With Hearts also answers to “Baby Moses.” And spends many of his waking moments in a basket in the “water” (aka our kitchen floor).

Life is exciting, if you are Mara’s favorite bear!

“I Was ‘Dumpy'”

Posted on June 30, 2009June 30, 2009 by Becky

“Why did Daddy punish me?” my 2-year-old asked. Each time she is punished, she asks the other parent about it, knowing full well why she was punished.

“I don’t know,” I said, having been on a different floor of the house. “Why did Daddy punish you?”

“Because I was dumpy,” she explained.

“You were grumpy?” I repeated. “You didn’t obey sweetly when Daddy asked you to obey?”

“Yes, I was dumpy,” she said.

I’m often amazed (although I shouldn’t be) how often my Bible reading intersects precisely with my daily life! Today’s reading from Exodus 16:

The sons of Israel said to them [Moses and Aaron], “Would that we had died by the Lord’s hand in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the pots of meat, when we ate bread to the full; for you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger.” . . . So Moses and Aaron said to all the sons of Israel, “At evening you will know that the LORD has brought you out of the land of Egypt; and in the morning you will see the glory of the LORD, for He hears your grumblings against the LORD; and what are we, that you grumble against us?” Moses said, “This will happen when the LORD gives you meat to eat in the evening, and bread to the full in the morning; for the Lord hears your grumblings which you grumble against Him. And what are we? Your grumblings are not against us but against the LORD.“

Two reflections:

First, I tend to look back at the “good times”–times of pleasure, physical blessing, financial “plenty”–and grumble. I need to recognize that my grumbling is really (as someone has said) the “highest form of cosmic treason” as I declare to the Lord of the Universe that I don’t like His plan for me.
Second, I want to teach my children too that their grumbling is not against Mom and Dad (or their sibling) but against the God who loved them and demonstrated that love in the greatest way by sending His only Son to die on the Cross for them.

I will only be effective in teaching my children, as they see me model these truths in my own life.

Dear Father, help me see your love for me,

in times of plenty and in times of want.

Teach me not to be ‘dumpy’

but instead to cultivate a grateful spirit

for Your faithfulness and constant provision!

Counter-Cultural Gospel Living

Posted on June 29, 2009 by Becky

The gospel will always be counter-cultural.

Listen to Luke 6:

²⁰And turning His gaze toward His disciples, He began to say, “Blessed [happy] are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.

²¹“Blessed are you who hunger now, for you shall be satisfied. Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh.

²²“Blessed are you when men hate you, and ostracize you, and insult you, and scorn your name as evil, for the sake of the Son of Man.

²³“Be glad in that day and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven For in the same way their fathers used to treat the prophets.

²⁴“But woe to you who are rich, for you are receiving your comfort in full.

²⁵“Woe to you who are well-fed now, for you shall be hungry. Woe to you who laugh now, for you shall mourn and weep.

²⁶“Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for their fathers used to treat the false prophets in the same way.

²⁷“But I say to you who hear, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you,

²⁸bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.

²⁹“Whoever hits you on the cheek, offer him the other also; and whoever takes away your coat, do not withhold your shirt from him either.

³⁰“Give to everyone who asks of you, and whoever takes away what is yours, do not demand it back.

³¹“Treat others the same way you want them to treat you.

³²“If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them.

³³“If you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same.

³⁴“If you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners in order to receive back the same amount.

³⁵“But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High; for He Himself is kind to ungrateful and evil men.

³⁶“Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.

³⁷“Do not judge, and you will not be judged; and do not condemn, and you will not be condemned; pardon, and you will be pardoned.

³⁸“Give, and it will be given to you. . . For by your standard of measure it will be measured to you in return.”

The text really speaks for itself. I don’t think I even need to mention that I struggle (we all struggle, in differing degreees) to live this way.

Christ came into our world this way: poor, hungry, weeping, hated by men, insulted and scorned for righteousness’ sake, kind to ungrateful and evil men. He loved men who hated Him–and He died for them! He calls us to that same radical, counter-cultural, self-denying, Christ-exalting life.

But the paradoxical beauty of this kind of living is that ultimately, as we give up ourselves, our lives, our “rights” to follow Christ, we will experience the greatest riches and satisfaction imaginable as we pursue God’s kingdom!

I’m praying that He will change me into this kind of person!