Men of Hope

And Josiah walked in all the ways of his Father David...

2 Kings 22:2

Summer

The long days of summer are here with her sweet scents and bright colors....

I love the beautiful blossoms that show up at the back door in the hands of smiling children...

While I may not love all the critters that show up in the back yard, I love that my kids want to explore and learn about them, even if Mama jumps and screams and we all giggle about it later...

I love the occasional bright and tasty berry that we rescue from the previously mentioned critters... Even if we have to split it 3 ways, the moment of that fresh, juicy bite is so sweet!

Praise the LORD! Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever.

Psalm 106:1

I am giving thanks on this Summer day for all the goodness that God has provided!

Held

I am amazed at the way God loves us...
The way he faithfully reminds me of his love.

The other day, our Jonah fell off his bike and skinned his knee. It wasn't too bad, but he was quite distraught over it. He wept for a long time... big soppy tears that seemed too much for a little scrape. He wept the way my heart sometimes does... over little things that shouldn't matter so much.

For a long time, I just sat and held him. I don't mind this small sacrifice of motherhood. I know that I can't always take away the pain or fix the little things in his life... But I my arms long to hold him through the scrapes.

And when my heart weeps... over the little scrapes of this life as well as the things that are too big for me to control or even to understand... He runs to me. He wraps his arms around me. He doesn't always fix it, or take away the pain but he never leaves me to cry alone. Every time I hold my little boy... I am reminded how I am held and how my Father doesn't mind my tears and my questioning thoughts. He promised to never leave me... and he never has. What an amazing gift of love he offers to my scraped up heart.