Today’s post is a continuation of the theme of Help for the Family that I wrote about yesterday. It’s in video format. You can watch it on my You Tube channel here or you can view it below.
I trust this will encourage you in your family life!
The Healer of the Family
This coming Wednesday in Pioneer Club I get the joy of teaching a Bible lesson I’m not sure I’ve ever taught. As I’ve pondered this Bible passage, I’ve realized how important this little two-verse story is! It’s the story of Simon Peter’s mother-in-law being sick with a fever.
But Simon’s wife’s mother lay sick of a fever, and anon they tell him of her.
.And he came and took her by the hand, and lifted her up; and immediately the fever left her, and she ministered unto them.
Mark 1:30-31
So why would this be in the Scriptures? Why should we tell the children this story? Why do you and I need to read it? I believe it’s because it speaks volumes about the care we should have for our family. Just as this family looked after the needs of this mother who was sick, we need to put the same kind of efforts into our family relationships.
- They loved her.
- They wanted to do the best thing for her.
- They got the best care for her needs.
- She showed her gratitude by serving.
It’s so simple, yet so powerful a message of family life as God intended it.
Loving, caring, giving, gratitude – all attributes every Christian family should have.
But so many homes today are filled with fighting and bickering, bitterness and grudges. The thermostat in the home is set at the high temperature of STRIFE. Heated discussions., sassy children, and hot words of anger fill the rooms instead of love, forgiveness and kind deeds.
James 3:16 says,
For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work.
Confusion.
Every evil work.
Is that what we want inside our home? If we allow strife, that’s what we will get.
I have a sad memory from years ago of a grieving family who were at the casket of their mother. She was now in heaven, and the family knew there were bitter feelings they had never reconciled. This family had “solved” problems with shouting matches, that of course did no good. Now their mother was deceased, and their hearts were hurting, filled with regret, and sorry they hadn’t taken care of it before she closed her eyes in death.
Standing at the grave of a loved one is not the time to make peace. It’s today. Don’t let strife and confusion and every evil work typify your family. Instead, allow your relations to enjoy the forgiveness you received at the cross. Life is too short and family is too precious.
Let’s be like Simon Peter and lovingly go get the best help we can for our family – let’s run and find Jesus! We must bring Him in on each situation and problem. We must care for the needs of our parents, siblings, and children, forgetting our own.
Does your family have a need? It can be met in Jesus.
(Tomorrow will be continuation of this post.)
Fast Yellow Squash Side Dish
This Friday will mark the first day of fall! However, fresh produce is still available in the grocery stores, if not in your local farmer’s market. If you have access to fresh yellow squash, I have the perfect side dish that doesn’t require the frying method! This also goes into the category of prepared in under 10 minutes! This is healthy, delicious and fast – what a great combination! Here’s the recipe:
Yellow Squash Ribbons W/Red Onion and Parmesan
Ingredients
- 4 medium yellow squash (about 1 1/2 pounds)
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1 cup thinly vertically sliced red onion
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/4 cup (1 ounce) shaved fresh Parmesan cheese
How to Make It
Step 1
Using a vegetable peeler, shave squash into ribbons to measure 5 cups. Discard seeds and core of squash.
Step 2
Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add squash, onion, and garlic; cook 4 minutes or until onion is tender, gently stirring occasionally. Remove from heat. Add salt, red pepper, and black pepper, and toss gently to combine. Sprinkle with cheese.
Grilled chicken would be good with this dish. When I fixed it recently I did all vegetables. It was so refreshing and light! I hope you’ll try this! Even for people who might not love squash, peeling it so thinly is a great disguise!
Enjoy!
Friday Favorites = Family & God’s Faithfulness
This past week could pretty much be summed up with one word – Family! What a blessing to have a loving family who love God, run to the Throne of Grace with you and for you, and celebrate blessings and weep in sorrows together. We’ve had pretty much all of that this past week. It was a reminder of how blessed I am, and I certainly don’t take it for granted.
Last Friday gave me time with my youngest daughter and her two little guys. How fun it is that they’re getting big enough to ride in the stroller while their mommy and Gigi have lunch and do a little shopping!
Saturday morning took me to a 10K that my husband ran in. I’m so proud of his work at his running distance and time. Staying healthy and fit is important to both of us and he finds running helps him with that goal. I’m a walker, not a runner, so I stand on the sidelines and cheer him on! This was his fourth time to run in this particular race and it was his best time yet! I’m so proud of him!
My flower boxes continue to bring a smile to my face, even in this early fall season. I’m looking for something to transition them into autumn boxes, maybe with some mums and mini pumpkins.
Sunday afternoon took us to central Kentucky to visit my family. We had planned to go for Labor Day, but God providentially postponed our trip, knowing what we did not – that our family would be dealing with a crisis the next weekend. I mentioned what happened in yesterday’s POST. How grateful we were to be able to be there for my sister and brother-in-law.
We also had the fun of celebrating mine and my sister’s birthdays. My sweet parents grilled delicious steaks, baked potatoes and all the trimmings.
My mom mixed and my dad churned their famous homemade ice cream to accompany the Tiramisu cake my mom had purchased. I might have to walk some extra miles this coming week, but it was worth it!
Winchester, Kentucky is home to the famous Ale-8 One, a ginger soft drink. They’re selling it in East Tennessee now, too! A friend of mine has purchased it for me locally and been “carded!” but it’s not alcoholic! It’s purely a soft drink and we love it! We always stock up when we’re home! Their salsa is also super-good!
Central Kentucky is beautiful, and I always love getting to visit my home, but the best part about it is spending time with my family that lives there. Our week there was full of family fun and family sorrows, but God’s grace was seen in it all. His grace allowed us to have the sweet times of fun, and it continues to give strength to endure the hardship. What would we do without the Lord?!
So tell me…
- How have you seen God’s providence in your life this week?
- What do you add to fall flower boxes?
- Who’s heard of Ale-8? Have you tried it?
- Would you please pray for my brother-in-law, Tim? He has a long road of recovery ahead of him. Thank you!
Have a great weekend! Find a place to worship God and be strengthened in His Word!
Talking To Your Spouse with Grace
The phone rang and she answered it. The change in her tone was blatantly obvious to everyone in the room. This wife went from bubbly/friendly to irritated/annoyed. “Who was on the other end of the phone?” we wondered. Then she said his name and we learned that it was her husband.
This scenario happened in the public setting of a business. My heart sank when I realized that when this lady heard her husband’s voice, instead of being glad to hear from him, she was irritated. His call interrupted her. His questions annoyed her. And his needs overwhelmed her. She was only too happy to hang up and move on with the people around her and the business at hand.
But I cannot point a finger at her because the rest of my hand is pointing back at me. It’s easy to get a call from Dale and answer casually instead of enthusiastically. Do you ever get caught up in the day-to-day routine as I do and forget the special bond you share with your spouse? Consider the difference between answering the phone with,
“Yeah, whatcha’ need?”
Or
Hi Sweetheart! I’m glad to hear from you!
What about when he asks you a question and you answer him for the second or third time? Does each answer get louder and more aggravated? Remember how you loved his name when you were dating? Do you say it with as much tenderness now?
Last week my brother-in-law was working his job inspecting roofs, as he has done for many years now. The early morning dew was still on the back half of the house, making the surface slippery. His work would be quick and he planned to climb down in just a minute, but just as that thought was flying through his mind, his foot slipped and he could feel himself falling. He grabbed the gutter of the house, helping to break his fall, but only a little. He was taken by ambulance to the Medical Center in the area where he was treated in the Emergency Room for his many broken bones. Praise the Lord for sparing his life!
As my sister and I walked the hospital halls together, we discussed the abruptness of any calamity. No one plans for it. No one puts, “Visit husband in trauma unit” in their planner, but life as we know it can be changed in a moment. We all know that, but we move on each day as though we are ignorant of that truth, and we blurt out unkind phrases and words like an umpire at a ballgame.
Remember the woman I mentioned at the beginning of this post? The one who changed her disposition when her husband called? Sadly, I learned the news of her husband’s death and I wondered if she ever wished she could talk to him again, with a completely different frame of mind? Did she ever wish he would interrupt her busy day by calling her?
If you knew that this was your last day with our spouse, would you use a different tone when we answered his call? Would you use kinder words when responding to his questions? Would your repeated answer be more patient? Even if we knew we had 50 more years together, wouldn’t we want our relationship to epitomize tenderness, kindness and sacrificial love? These are all words of grace – what we receive from the Lord every day. It’s what might not be deserved, but we give it, because that is how we are loved and spoken to by our Savior.
I know I need to make some changes in order to fill my husband’s ears with words of grace. How about you? Excuse me while I answer my phone…
Hi Sweetheart! I’m glad to hear from you!
If we asked others what they hear when we speak to our spouse, what would they say? What would our husband say? It’s all about grace.
RefreshHer 