Safely Home

3 of my children had their first swim meets this morning and it was a great time followed by an ice cream social. We then said good by to some dear friends (like family) that are moving. We got home and rested for a bit because we had a tornado of a week and then my precious wee one got a fever. Soo, although I feel terrible for her it's one of the few times I actually stop and do something I love and that's to read. So although now I hold her in one arm on the couch with the computer in my lap, minutes ago I was reading Randy Alcorn's "Safely Home". Boy do I feel like a spoiled brat of an American. My biggest struggles are juggling life homeschooling, part-time working, church, paying bills in a timely manner, keeping my home in a semi-clean state, striving to be a good help-meet to my husband and raising precious gifts for the Lord. We're not hungry. We have a home. We're free to come and go as we like and really free to do sooo many things. However, if I lived in China or another country where Christianity is outlawed, I may be asking myself every day (as the main character of the book has thus far) is this my last day Lord? Wow. Makes a few dishes in the sink and a load of laundry to fold seem very unimportant. I may get up at 3 am. on a Sunday morning to sneak to another believer's home that may take me up to an hour of bicycling with my husband and one child (that I was allowed to have because they sterilized me during my c-section so I could hold no others after my one) to get to another believer's home just to worship with others. I must wonder would my selfish American self compromise and worship at home at a more convenient hour with my own family in a more safe, secretive manner so as not to compromise my job or more importantly the lives of my family. Would I choose to serve God no matter the risks to my family? I'm okay risking myself but my children? Risk these precious children (whom I must remind myself aren't really mine at all but on loan from God in the first place). I must admit I'm afraid I may compromise too easily. My deepest desire would not to but I pray my flesh wouldn't outweigh my heart.

My prayer: Lord, keep me focused on You, Your Kingdom and Your Path. Please don't let us forget our "brothers and sisters" in the world who suffer daily for You. Please don't let us live such comfortable lives that we are more worried about who the next American Idol is than praying for the church world wide. And please allow my heart for You to outweigh my selfishness. In other words to truly be In Christ, so that I choose as Christ would and not my fleshy me. Let me not live in an eros prison but on the Agape Road of fellowship with you. (We're studying about this in Church on Wed nights....Bob Mumford's "The Agape Road"....great study...) And please let my children grow up more concerned with the Your Kingdom, Your people, Yourself Jesus than what fancy car they may drive, what title they may carry, what newest fashion's they may don or what movie is out that "everybody" is talking about. Amen

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