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Galatians 4:28, “Now you, brothers, Like Isaac, are children of promise.”

This past Monday we went on a “Daycation”.  Our kids had gathered enough “reward marbles in the jar” that we took a homeschool field trip to Saint Louis as a family.  Armed with coupons and special deals, we set out for the day.  We spent a couple hours at The Magic House.  We ate crepes at “Rooster”, where our oldest daughter lost her front tooth. (sidenote: I’m in trouble if our kids ever get seriously injured in front of me….I got so queasy at just the amount of blood/missing space when that tooth came out and she handed it to me with a giant pirate grin)

After lunch, we went over to the Science Center to catch (the only decent kids movie in theaters currently) “Flight of the Butterflies“, a real-life Disney-type story of a scientist who investigated where the Monarchs go every year.  It’s seriously a pretty cool story, that I think deserves an actual movie – but that’s another blog post.  What struck me is the actual science behind the butterflies migrating to Mexico each winter.

It’s not as simple as it sounds.  Not every Monarch that’s born, is destined for Mexico.  Most of them only live about 6-8 weeks outside of hibernation.  In fact, it’s only the 3rd generation each year that has the weight, the wing span, and the natural instinct to make the journey.  The first generation is born of a Monarch that came from Mexico….let’s say around northern Texas.  That butterfly goes north to find good breeding grounds of milkweed.  It finally chooses a spot after mating, this one closer to Indiana.  That butterfly heads north as the weather continues to change and finds itself choosing a place to lay eggs up in Quebec.

So far, the destiny of each butterfly has been to provide a good foundation for the generations to come after them.  They are born, they fly north a bit, they lay eggs and die.  But then comes this “generation of promise”.  You can tell, even as a caterpillar, this is no ordinary insect.  From Quebec, this butterfly will make the journey all the way to the middle of Mexico, up in the mountains.  In the Spring, it will return North again to lay its eggs.

There are quite a few different directions you can go with this, but here’s mine:  I want my kids to know they are the “children of promise”.  To speak enough faith, hope, and love into their lives, that they realize God has given them the ability to join Him in transforming the world in ways only they can.

In fact, I want my kids to go to Mexico so bad, I’d be willing to die in the Midwest if it helped. 🙂  Thankfully the illustration doesn’t stretch that far.  God has not only enabled my children to be a part of this “children of promise”, but includes me as well.  That as a family, we can accomplish things for God that Abraham and Sarah could only dream of.  By becoming New Creations, living from the New Life of the Spirit of God that has been poured out, connecting us to the Father in Christ…our Love is more than positive energy.  It is the Kingdom coming…

Here we go again with another “Five Minute Friday” post!  To learn more about “Five Minute Friday” (FMF), check out the linked image here.  Basically, each week there’s a word given for you to write about.  You start writing, no back-tracking, editing, etc.  At the end of 5 minutes, you stop.  Then you post it, and share in the community of words that were birthed during these 24-ish hours.  It’s cool stuff.
So here’s this week’s response to the word: “ afraid ”

She’s been doing it for quite a while now.  I know every parent with more experience will smile and tell us to “treasure these moments”, and we totally do.  But when you end up getting a heal to the nose more than once a night, the desire to teach your 5 year old where to sleep grows within you.  Every morning we ask her, “hun, what made you want to come to mommy and daddy’s bed last night?”

More often than not, she confesses, “I heard the train.”

We’ve explained to her what every reasonable person can understand.  Trains run on tracks.  There’s no way an engine pulling cars could be chugging along, take a look to the side and notice our home half a mile from where the tracks run and decide to head our direction instead.  We’ve laughed at how cute it is, that she might think a train could end up coming down our Avenue.  She smiles, and we understand there’s probably something deeper going on anyways, and work together towards overcoming it.

But there was that one time, just a few weeks ago, as we drove past a set of unused portion of tracks.  We were forced to slow down as we noticed 7 train cars de-railed and sitting in the field next to the hill the tracks run along top of.  A train was accidentally pushed too far onto old tracks.  We instantly knew what seeing this would do to our fragile girls’ bedtime fear.  We assured her…trains that DO go off tracks sometimes, don’t go very far at least?  There’s consolation there? 🙂

It’s a simple issue really.   She’s 5.  Trains make noise.  She loves mommy and daddy and our comfy, safe bed.

But someday she will learn what it means….yes, sometimes trains do go off the tracks.  Unexpected things happen. We don’t have control over our lives.  But God is with us.  Now, through the noisy whistle.  And then, through whatever may come.  She will learn how to draw near to her Father when she is afraid…

(fist pump in the air)  That one went pretty sweet.  🙂

 

“the girls would like to make a pirate ship, if you could pick up something from a store that has large boxes on your way home.”

It was a text I pretty much asked for.  In celebration of our homeschool schedule, we were able to attend a show at Millikin University this past Tuesday, called “How I Became a Pirate“.  It was parrrrrrfectly scheduled during me lunchtime. (sorry, a bit of pirate still in me)  So on my way home for lunch, I stopped by the local party store and picked up a few pirate dress-up items.  Eye-patches, fake earrings, and hats….about $5 total for an infinite amount of value really.

My girls went nuts when daddy opened the door dressed for the show, and offered them the same trinkets.  We proudly walked into the audience, as Kindergarteners from the local schools all turned around to see our eye patches and gasped, “Look….it’s a pirate family!”  I knew I’d done something good.

The show was high energy, and funny – even if much of the humor went over the heads of the kids.  (“find us online at pirates dot arrrrrgh”)  There was enough slapstick physical comedy, and throwing in the word “Booty” kept the kids rolling almost on command.

On the short drive home (we live 2 blocks away) we were still enjoying practicing the pirate lingo.  So I shouldn’t have been surprised when I received the above text from my wife just a couple minutes before leaving work.  Thankfully there’s an appliance store not far from my house downtown.  Here’s my conversation:

Salesman: Hello sir, is there anything I can help you with today?

Me: Yes, I need to make a pirate ship.  Do you have any carrrrdboard?

Salesman: (didn’t catch my wit) You’re building a pirate ship?

Other Salesman (obviously a dad): Oh, you’re looking for our cardboard pirate ships, right?

Me: Yes!

Other Salesman: Let me see what I’ve got in the back….

So I ended up with a hodge-podge mess of cardboard boxes and pieces.  With enough duct-tape, and a little help from my princesses, a pirate ship was born.  They’ve played in it a bit, and have begun to apply some paint.  (Remember the “Black Pearl” from Pirates of the Caribbean?  Ours is the “Pink Pearl”…less evil, more tutu’s)

It’s been a good reminder that entertainment does not need to be expensive.  We don’t need to buy new things…except perhaps a new roll of duct tape every now and then.  We need more last minute moments that inspire creativity and ask us to bring something to the table, instead of offering us passive moments of consumptive entertainment.  It’s moments like these…that my children help make me a better person – and I help them grow in very imparrrrrrrrtant ways.  (k, done with pirate-voice now)