Well, that didn't take long to get behind... such is life, I guess! I will be posting the two verses I selected for February - even if it is a litle late.
The first passage is from James. I was having a particularly frustrating day in parenting, when I realized that I hadn't been praying (duh!) and was directed to the Word. As I was praying and reading the book of James, not only did I feel peace that had been eluding me, but I also felt assurance that these trials of parenting are producing for me a harvest of righteousness that I have the opportunity to impart to my children. Ironically, or maybe that is just how God intended it...my complete exhaustion and inability to 'fix it', leads me to the the lap of Jesus. There I find the strength I need and the comfort I need to in turn give to my children the patience and grace that they need.
From the English Standard Version:
" Know this, my beloved brothers, let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger. For the anger of man does not produce the righteousness that God requires." James 1:19-20
I pray that this is true of me not only in parenting, but in all of my relationships. I want to be the one who hears others, which requires patience and intent to listen. I also want to have a temper that in line with the spirit. I don't want to yell, speak harshly, or be rude to others simply because I am not in a good mood or things did not go my way - those behaviors do not produce the 'righteousness that God requires.'
The second verse I selected is from Psalm 91. I taught a lesson about God's protection from this passage to my girls in Sunday School and I loved the imagery from one of the verses.
" He will cover you with his feathers. He will shelter you with his wings. His faithful promises are your armor and protection." Psalm 91:4 New Living Translation (NLT)
I love this picture of God covering me with his mighty wings as I arm myself with promises of his faithfulness. That is truly God's protection. It is not the absence of danger or risk, it is not the removal of pain or suffering, it is not the promise that those things will not come... it is the promise, the assurance, that when it does come - He will be there and even in the midst of it, His feathers will cover me and his faithfulness will remain. So often we focus our prayers on the prevention of pain or illness or the alleviation of existing pain or suffering, when God's protection does not exempt us from these realities, but offers us hope and peace in the midst of them. It is the assurance that He will be enough.
