a healed and uncrippled heart

it is kinda of amazing raising five kids and seeing how differently each and every one of them are. they all have certain strengths and weaknesses in their character and personality.  josiah is my strong, quiet son.  he usually will not offer up conversation to you on his own, but if you set out to ask him questions and get to know him and he knows that it is because you are really interested, he will open up and share his heart with you.  rachel is talkative, emotional and deep.  you really do not have to ask her much about herself.  she willingly offers up her heart and wisdom to anyone who will listen.  olivia is my strong willed child, which has its pros and cons.  she has a strength about her that is immovable.  you might call it determination on the positive side or it could just be called stubborn. i can truly see God using this part of her to accomplish great things as she continues to grow up.  amanda is more like josiah in that she is mostly quiet.  but, she has a silly side that causes us all to laugh really hard sometimes. she does not talk a whole lot but when she does, she usually talks really fast so she can get it all in before someone interrupts her.  i think that is the result of living in a large family with lots of people having something to say. and jacob, i think he is going to be our most social child of all.  he is friendly and says hi to everyone.  he likes to do silly things and make us all laugh too, which happens a lot.  it will be interesting to meet our newest addition to our family soon and watch him as his personality develops as well.

each one of my children are definitely different and unique in their own way.  but, they all also have one thing in common, along with every other person ever born. they want and need to be unconditionally loved and adored, a need that if not met is crippling.  the problem with that is many times i see them looking for that adoration and acceptance from others who are in need of the same thing themselves and are incapable of offering it up.  even as their mom, i can find myself so involved in their behavior that the joy and satisfaction i have within my heart for them gets lost in communication.  so, it is important that they do not look only to me or their dad to meet that need either.  there is only One who can offer that unconditional adoration perfectly and that is their Heavenly Father.  despite their behavior and in the midst of everything, He longs to shower them with the joy that His heart feels for them.  He thinks they are wonderful and beautiful!!  He rejoices over them and sings over them!!  they bring Him great satisfaction and delight because and only because they are His children! His thoughts of great delight never cease because His satisfaction comes only from Who He is and who He has made them to be, His beautiful creation, His children!  "the Lord your God is in the midst of you, a Mighty One, a Savior (Who saves)!  He will rejoice over you with joy; He will rest (in silent satisfaction) and in His love He will be silent and make no mention (of past sins, or even recall them); He will exult over you with singing" (Zephaniah 3:17)

as they, as well as myself, come to know that Truth deeper and deeper in our hearts, we will be able to function as whole persons, able to pass along that same kind of acceptance toward others instead of craving it from them.  i long for my kids to walk in the capacity of health and security that God created and desires for all of us to.  i want to see them rise and walk out a happy and successful life.   it breaks my heart when i see them crippled by a lack of understanding of God's unconditional love for them. so, i pray that God will continue to open their eyes and my own and help us to understand His ecstatic heart of joy that He feels for us every minute of every day so that need is met in us. then, we can be whole and experience the benefits of living as a child of God with...
 
a healed and uncrippled heart!  

"now to Him Who is able to keep you without stumbling or slipping or falling, and to present you unblemished (blameless and faultless) before the presence of His glory in triumphant joy and exultation (with unspeakable, ecstatic delight)." (Jude 1:24)