Look UP!

It's mostly quiet around here.  As usual Mike has beaten me to the Land of Nod and left me all alone in the mostly quiet.  Just turned off the weird TV that was Jay Leno, now it's more quiet.  I've been scratching out my plan of attack for school and I'm excited about it.  We'll start a new routine on Monday (which I'm sure will be promptly interrupted by life, but I'm ready for it!) and so fresh notebooks and checklists.  It's rather exciting.  We also had a quick trip to see my Dad and Pam in FL and it was nice to have a little get away.  Some pool, some sand, some golf...some time with Dad and Pam...everyone was a winner!  So, this post has been in my head for quite some time, so since Mike will be home to help out with the kids, I'll stay up a little later to get it out of my head and onto this...paper?  Well....anyway....

"Guys, let's try to find a spot in St. Andrews, this is my favorite day of Missions Conference."  We were all packed in pretty tight, but I wanted to see the flags.  I love belting out a 100 year old hymn and watching the flags from around the world find their way to the front of the sanctuary.  I wanted to make sure that we could see it in person rather than on the monitors. (Our church is old and getting a facelift and so we're all scattered about right now in different rooms and buildings.)  I wasn't the only one that wanted their children to see.  As the flags were making their way down the aisle a Dad just in front of me hoisted his little guy onto his shoulders so that he wouldn't miss this grand entrance.  I really almost cried.  It was a perfect picture to me of what biblical parenting should and could be.  Our kids are short.  They miss the action.  They see our knees and stay busy with their bulletin, but it's just as much about them as it is us (and ultimately about Jesus!)  Our responsibility is to pull them from where they are and let them see that God is at work.  There is a big plan, bigger than us, and it is INCREDIBLE and we get to be a part of it.  Every nation, tribe, language...representatives from places we'll NEVER see, but when we get to heaven our brothers and sisters from those remote regions will be there...because the Gospel is for them too.  When that Dad pulled his little man up and placed him firmly on his shoulders I felt like the Lord was pulling me up onto His.  With a sweet fatherly gesture He was saying, "Ali, look!  Don't miss it!  This is what I'm up to.  It's scary down there where you are living, but look UP!  Look at what I have been doing and will continue to do.  Look UP!"  I get nervous with the news.  I think we have way too much access to way too much information and it makes a gal nervous, I call it the church of fear.  A place where we want to crawl into a hole and wait there until we hear that trumpet sound.  That is a super bad idea because God is at work.  A mighty hand is governing all things and it might be scary for a spell, but when I look up to where my help comes I get excited!  I get thankful that God is still seated on His throne and He is NOT a nail biter!  He's not nervous about how all things will shake out. He is kind and compassionate, but He is also just.  All the crazy will not go unpunished.  His name is a strong tower, the righteous can run to it and are safe.  I memorized the Lord's prayer this year with a song and my first grade Sunday School class and when I feel like Chicken Little I remember that I have a Shepherd and He is good and His rod and His staff will comfort me.

I bet someone reading this also gets nervous.  Even if I'm the only one that reads it...I get nervous.  But I want to look UP!  I also want my children to look up.  I want to teach them how to see past the mess and look for the glory. I want to point them to the bigger, greater, grander picture so that they will be able to take heart.  I want to take heart.  So, I'll look up and encourage you to do the same.  Take heart, He has overcome the world.