Wednesday SHINE.....

Mar 27

Today's Reading: Numbers 27, 36 {yes, the numbers are not consecutive, it's okay, read anyway} :-)

Happy Worship Wednesday, SHINE girls! Turn up the radio and worship your King today! Praise Him unabashedly today. Give Him your BEST, not just your leftovers today.

Before, we go any further....

I want to wish my AWESOME sister, Angela,

a HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

I love you, my incredibly beautiful, amazing, gifted sister!!

Top from left: Angela {my beautiful sister!}, Me, Lori Griffin
Bottom: Elan Crowe and Kim Jaynes

We just took this picture on Sunday as we celebrated my sister. I love these girls! We are all like sisters to each other. Isn't sisterhood the best?!

Okay, moving on...:)

Speaking of sisterhood, my precious friend, Mary Balicki is posting today on Mercy. Our theme for the week.

Grab a blanket, a cup of coffee {or like me, some hot tea!}, and be blessed by her words.

Mercy me

by: Mary Balicki

The kids got off the bus Monday afternoon and I immediately asked my "middle" to bring me her homework assignment. She asked to play outside (well, of course she did, it was only 45 degrees with mega gusty winds).

No, ma’am…homework first, I replied.

A few moments later she was standing in front of me declaring that she didn’t have her homework folder in her back pack and they must not have homework this week.

Um…I don’t see anything about that from your teacher, Sloane – are you sure??

Yes ma’am, she said. We don't have any.

I was puzzled but distracted by other tasks. We needed to leave for soccer practice in a couple of short hours. My toddler, Miss Gabby needed to get up/get changed from her nap and then figuring out dinner before we had to leave.

So, I stopped short of e-mailing her teacher to ask her about the lack of homework.

Fast forward 15 hours...

At 5:30AM the next morning my oldest was tapping on my elbow asking me to wake up and help her make lunches.

Wow.

She is my “sister wife”. Hello, all of us need one. ;)

Help me. I did not turn-in early enough the night before for such a wake-up call as this but she persisted.

Begrudgingly, I threw on my favorite sweat shirt/wool socks, followed my oldest to the kitchen and tried to shake off my weariness.

Audrey and I started on the lunches (I also started on my coffee) and as we did, I checked Sloane’s back pack for her snack supply as she has to have one each day.

For this reason, I keep a stash for the week in there at all times. That way, she never turns up “snack less”.

As I zipped through the smaller pocket in the front of her back pack, I saw her burgundy HOMEWORK FOLDER boldly staring back at me. What in the world???

Really??? My mouth dropped open and I immediately thanked God for the blatant help this morning. We were up entirely early enough to complete homework over breakfast.

I went in and got Sloaney out of bed. She was still groggy as I expressed my disappointment over her deceitfulness.

She didn’t argue or attempt to proclaim her innocence. She was guilty and I knew how she felt.

My mind went to the verse from this week.

Mercy…that I definitely don’t deserve - - giving it back - - when it isn’t deserved.

I showed Sloane all of the mercy the Holy Spirit could muster in my frustrated heart and after her homework was complete, lunches were made, breakfast was eaten and teeth were brushed. We prayed.

She asked for forgiveness for blowing it and lying when she knew she had homework. She thanked God for waking Audrey up extra early and having the time to complete her work.

We hugged and kissed and I told her she wouldn’t play after school for the rest of the week as her punishment. She asked what else she could do for me. Be still my heart.

The mercy she was feeling was taking root down deep. I reminded her that I was showing mercy because of God and the mercy He had shown me through Christ.

She smiled and it felt like she understood in her seven-year-old way.

How about this revelation:

I am no better than Sloane. I have hidden my homework in my back pack. I have lied and said that I didn’t have any…I am guilty of every foolish blunder.