A couple of funnies

Sometimes you just need to laugh. Here are a couple of things that made me laugh the last couple of days.

"I Can't Believe it's STILL Winter"
Yesterday I helped in worship care during church with the 4-5 year olds. One of the little boys turned to me with so much disgust in his voice and said, "I can't believe it is STILL winter." You'd think he lived somewhere other than Texas. I can understand hearing that from friends in New York who just got another dumping of snow but to hear it from this little boy cracked me up. Last night it was 72 when two of my girls wore shorts, t-shirts and flip flops over to church for their kids program. I just took a quick walk outside and really didn't need the light sweater I had on. This is not really winter, kid.

You Know Your Husband Doesn't Make it to Church Very Often When...
We go to the church across the street from our house. We had a couple of movies overdue from the church library so we walked them over this morning. While I was there a guy who works for facilities stopped me and asked what my husband looked like and if he wore glasses. I told him, "yes, he wears glasses." He told me that security was tracking him on Wednesday night. Wednesday night there was a parent meeting after youth group and Glenn went because he was home in time and I was helping with younger kids in another part of the church. Security saw Glenn walking across the parking lot and walk right into the student center. They got concerned because they didn't know who he was so they called police for back up. My kids said a lot of the teens (including them) were wondering why there were cops there. I guess when Glenn shows up at church you just need to call the police. It cracked me up. I guess residency keeps him from church more than I thought.

My Happiness is Not God's Biggest Priority

It's February 7th once again. It's been 12 years since my mom passed from this life to the next. I'm thankful for Timehop because it linked to many of my old blog posts from this date over the years. It was so good to read over those posts from 6 years ago, 2 from 3 years ago here and here, one from 2 years ago and one from last year. It was fun to look at the pictures I scanned and posted to facebook of my mom and myself six years ago. I guess, in posting today I'm keeping with tradition.

I read the posts through some tears to the kids tonight and as I was reading them Caleb insisted that I should really make eclair cake and I could just run over to WalMart if I need something because it is just across the street. We did have Mint Chocolate Chip ice cream for Ice Cream for Breakfast Day this morning, one of my mom's favorites, isn't that enough? It was even "half the fat" - something she totally would have purchased. No? OK, so I had him pull the cool whip out of the freezer so we could make eclair cake tomorrow.

Tonight the kids and I went down to LifeChurch.tv for their Saturday night service. They are starting a series called "God Didn't Say That" and today's sermon was on "God Wants You to be Happy." In our culture so many people think that God's goal is to make us happy and if we're not happy then God failed.

Losing my mom did not make me happy. Does that mean God failed me? Absolutely not! Losing my mom has taught me so much about life and who God is and, though I'm not exactly grateful my mom is gone in so many ways I am thankful because without experiencing my mom's death I would have much less of an idea of the peace, comfort and joy that can be found only in Jesus.

God's goal is not my happiness. God's goal in allowing my mom to die is the same as His goal in every circumstance - that I will be make more like Him and to prove to me once again that He is enough. He is sufficient for my every need.

God's goal is not my happiness. The pastor tonight said instead God wants you blessed, more than happy. I'm not so sure I like the word blessed, probably because of some article I read on the internet but I know that God has used trials in my life for my good. It reminds me of a line in that "Blessings" song by Laura Story:

And all the while, You hear each spoken need
Yet love us way too much to give us lesser things

 I love that. He hears us. He heard my prayers about my mom. Healing my mom on this earth, though incredibly miraculous, would have been a lesser thing. Losing my parents has shown me to an even greater extent that "this is not our home" and it has been "the revealing of a greater thirst this world can't satisfy." It has indeed been His "mercies in disguise."

Sure, God's primary goal is not my happiness but for me to know Him. I have known joy, peace, and strength that are only from Him. My goal is not my happiness. My goal is Him. He is enough.