...even though he did not know where he was going

I received a wonderful devotional in my in-box this morning. I wanted to share and make a feeble attemt at expounding upon it. It begins with this...The story goes that A missionary society in London wrote to Dr. David Livingstone and asked, "Have you found a good road to where you are? If so, we want to know how to send men to join you." Livingstone wrote back, "If you have men who will come only if they know there is a good road, I don't want them. I want men who will come if there is no road at all."

Wow...if that doesn't knock me off of my feet this morning nothing does!! This is where I feel like our little family has been for the last year...on a long road trip, with no map. Well, no map that WE could see!! God had (and still has) a firm grasp on the map and knows exactly where we are heading, but we haven't a clue.

It is called blind faith...and God has done a lot of building of it in David and me this last year...I think my girls are even starting to get it if that is possible. David posted a wonderful story on his blog last night. A friend sent it to us and it is very moving. The story is about Ferns and Bamboo...it is about roots and how God grows us and what we do with it in the end. It also spoke volumes to me about how God deals with us and how we deal with God and sometimes we try to make it so much more complicated than it really is. I don't begin to understand what HE is doing, I don't need to...I am just called to obey.

I used to need mountain top experiences to validate my faith, but I'm passed that now. Besides, I am learning that if I will just chill out and stop trying to complicate things...God will give me exactly what I need right when I need it. It's not about me anyway!! It is about acomplishing His purposes through my life. How awesome that he would choose me to take on this mapless road trip.

This brings me to my point...
Aly and Lili have both been very occupied with "Let's talk about God and Jesus" They come to us many times each day and ask. They both know the basics...Jesus died on the cross so I don't have to die...he came back to life three days later and is now in heaven with his Daddy, God the Father. They are learning the 10 commandments and are beginning (at least Aly is at this point) to understand that even at 4 years old, she is a sinner and she needs a savior. We talk about needing a Savior most every night at bedtime. I look forward, with MUCH anticipation, to the day that she decides to let Jesus be her Savior. My Mother's heart longs to have one less thing to worry about when it comes to my babies!!!

There is one other thing that sticks with me as David and I walk through this parenting maze with these amazing children. More than anything, I want them to live a life of Reckless Faith...to not be afraid to take that road trip with God without a road map...to willingly say "yes" to God when everything and everyone around them is screaming "NO...don't do it"

By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God.

The only way to teach that kind of faith, is to live that kind of faith. It is kind of like the slogan for the new Goldfish ad..."How children see things depends on what we teach them"

Please Lord...let me teach them right!!!