Hello Friends,
My family is celebrating my husband’s 63rd birthday this week. Things haven’t changed much over the years in how we celebrate special occasions, like the types of gifts we give, the special foods we fix, or the outings we take. However, back in the 1980s when Jim and I began to experience God’s love for us, we changed the “why” of how we celebrate. We began a journey of maturing in how to “bless” one another with spiritual blessings. We started writing blessings to our kids in their birthday cards, and they naturally followed this model in their own handmade cards to us. We also started a tradition of taking turns praying a blessing over the birthday person. These expressions of gratefulness and blessing continued to mature as the kids got older and overflowed into other special occasions as well, and today Jim and I are so blessed with our kids’ hearts toward each other and toward us, and my favorite gift from my children still tends to be a thoughtfully handmade card with a personal handwritten sentiment, like these: “Thank you, Mom, so much…”, “Thank you so much for always being there for me…”, “I am so blessed to have you as my dad…”
At this time of year when hearts and thoughts turn toward how to bless family and friends with a special gift that is “just right”, I’m reminded of the greatest gift of all, “For God SO loved the world THAT He gave His only begotten Son…” I treasure this little word “so”! It truly packs a punch, indicating that God’s love for us was “to such a degree” that He gave of Himself for our sakes. Our Heavenly Father sowed sacrificially that His influence in our lives would be secured and preserved through Love, should we choose to receive His love. He had a Divine hope that we would mature into becoming true sons and daughters who would come to adopt the concerns of our Father’s business, choosing to serve Him well. This same desire became a godly expectation Jim and I had for our relationships with our children as they matured. We’ve been abundantly blessed to witness the Holy Spirit bring our children into a sustaining heart’s desire to serve with us in the ministry God gave us. They truly made our concerns their own, and their sentiments, which carry the word “so”, hold special meaning for us today. But this fruit came with a price on our part…
I hope you will consider loving your kids so much that you’ll make their soul-felt concerns your own. I hope you get to know them as God made them, laying down your own preconceived ideas of who you think they should be. I hope you learn to recognize wrong expectations you may place on them and guide them according to their individual gift and bent. Will you choose to love them enough to allow a fuller release of their unique creativity so they can learn how to connect with their own learning process? Will you love your children SO much THAT you are willing to go to the cross of death to your own self-centered motivations for how you provide for their education? Will you give up yourself to help your children grow in the wisdom of right relating practices in your family? Will you learn what their soul-felt needs truly are? For God SO loved the world THAT He gave Himself. Should you do any less for your children?
I wrote a 12-page eArticle for members of LOLACHE. “Your Children’s Individuality and Unique Creative Profile” will help you to more fully understand your precious children as you seek to wisely implement Lifestyle of Learning™ principles. Don’t forget to get your complementary download! If you’re not yet a member of LOLACHE, won’t you come join our growing community of families who are learning how to love their children so much that they give themselves up to God in the process? You can see a pictorial overview of the LOLACHE Benefits here. Click on any image and you’ll be able to read more details about each of the benefits. The website www.lolache.com provides a great introduction to what we have to offer your whole family!
May you be richly blessed in the making of family memories during this holy season.
So grateful to be found in the Lord’s service!
Marilyn Howshall for Lifestyle of Learning™ Ministries
[Lifestyle of Learning™/LOLACHE eNewsletter ~ December 7, 2011, Issue 2]