Holidays & Family Culture

How I Almost Let $5 Blot a Perfect Weekend

March 21, 2012

I am a penny-pincher. I like saving.

When I was little and was given candy, I chose a few morsels to enjoy and stashed the rest away for a later day.Years later my Omma told me that after we left her home for a holiday, she would find bags of candy hidden in “secret places” … that I had forgotten about.

While the dentist may approve that approach to candy, I failed to realize that sometimes being too much of a saver can keep you from enjoying and sharing what you do have.

When I grew older and money started to replace candy, I kept to my saving ways (though found forgotten stashes much less frequently!) Joshua is also frugal, but has helped me put frugality into its proper place. Thriftiness should be a tool, not an idol.

Now, for the story…

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How $5 nearly spoiled a perfect weekend

Last week was a busy one for Joshua. He put in long hours at work, leaving home early and getting back late. About halfway through the week he showed me a picture and asked, “Do you want to make these St. Patrick’s Day cupcakes together on Saturday?”

The kids overheard and couldn’t have been more enthusiastic in their response. Every day they asked, “Is it Saturday yet?”

Saturday finally arrived. Joshua had to work a few hours that morning and then it was cupcake-time. Before he left work, Joshua messaged me asking if we needed anything for the recipe.

“We don’t have any sour cream,” I said, “but we can substitue yogurt for it. And we have semi-sweet instead of bitter chocolate.”

“Want me to pick some up?”

“I don’t think we need it. What we have should work great,” I answered. “Up to you though.” [What I really meant was, I don't want you to get any.]

“I’ll pick some up,” he said.

While I waited for him to get home, I started to stew. Stopping by the store was delaying our afternoon. I’d already spent the grocery money for this week and these cupcakes were turning out to be much more expensive than I’d planned! Did Joshua not trust me that the substitutes would work?

Then Reason (“God’s viceroy”) slammed me in the head. “After Joshua put in long hours all week long to provide for you, are you really going to let a sour cream purchase make you upset? Are you going to ruin the fun family time by having a bad attitude over $5? If you really didn’t want him to pick it up, you should have said so! Is this the proper attitude of a godly wife?”

[Are you laughing? Me too!]

Thankfully, by the time Joshua arrived home, I’d realized the answer to all those questions was a resounding “NO!”

Instead of starting off our weekend together with a sulky wife, bewildered husband and disappointed children, we had a lovely time making cupcakes.* Then we spent the rest of the weekend together, reading, watching a movie, playing outside, worshipping and going horseback riding at a friend’s farm.

Maybe throwing a fit over $5 wouldn’t have ruined the entire weekend. I’m glad we didn’t have to find out.

While wisely stewarding your resources is wonderful, sometimes we can take thriftiness too far. God has “given us all things richly to enjoy.” Even a tub of sour cream.

*Joshua even told me “Just wanted to let you know that I was given unexpected cash. The money for this purchase isn’t coming out of your grocery budget.” Isn’t he wonderful? He knows his wife well!

Linked up at Encourage One Another, Homemaking Linkup, Women Living Well, Let’s be Honest, What We’re Learning, Hearts 4 Home Thursdays, Proverbs 31 Thursday, Finer Things Friday & Frugal Friday

I Am a Sinner. I Am a Saint

February 22, 2012

(A post inspired by Lent and an empty Pinterest “about” box.)

Today marks the first day of Lent. Until a few years ago, I thought Lent was a Catholic excuse to eat more fish.

What is Lent really? Lent is the period of forty days leading up to Easter, when many members of the Church remember Christ as our suffering Messiah. It is an integral part of the Church Calendar, which has been used for centuries to point Christians to Christ, in all His glory.

Like many things, the Church Calendar has been abused. Some have turned it into an excuse to sin because, well, “we’ll repent at Lent.” Just because some have distorted the meaning, doesn’t negate the beauty it can bring to the Christian walk.

As a fallen sinner, it is so easy for me to want to focus on just one part of God. To worship just His goodness or just His justice. To “worship the babe in the manger, but forsake the Christ of the cross.”

The Church Calendar exalts Christ in His many different manifestations: human Man, suffering Messiah, risen King.

Yes, it is common to “give up something for Lent.” But “giving up something” is not the point. Making sacrifices serves as a potent reminder, but the purpose of Lent is to point us to Christ, who gave up everything for us.

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What on earth does this have to do with my “About” box on Pinterest?

I just set up a Pinterest account (send me your usermame, I’d love to follow you!) and sat staring at the empty “about” box.

I am a wife, a mother, a blogger. But what really defines who I am? Two conflicting terms kept floating through my mind: sinner and saint.

I am a sinner

My first parents, Adam and Eve, sinned. I followed their footsteps, choosing forbidden fruit instead of faithfulness. Sin stains my heart. Self-love motivates even my best actions.

Idolatry entwines my heart in its ugly grasp. I turn from my Maker to things of this earth.

Yet, the Creator of this world, whom angels and seraphim and cherubim and all of nature worships, came down and shed His blood to wash me clean. He sacrificed everything, even fellowship with God the Father, to redeem me.

I am a saint, washed in the blood of Christ

Because of His atoning blood, I am washed clean.

I am a saint.

The words sound so lofty. Saint? That brings up images of great heroes of the faith. Of men and women who changed the world.

But Christ’s blood has washed me clean. His sacrifice atoned for me. Now the Father sees me through Christ, a saint.

Whether we observe Lent or not, may we worship the suffering Messiah, who took sinners like us and renamed us saints through His precious blood.

Linked up at Women Living Well, Proverbs 31 Thursdays & Finer Things Friday

Tagged with: holidays • Lent • matters of the heart

Build Your Family Culture (Guest Post)

February 15, 2012

We’ve all heard the saying, “If mama ain’t happy, ain’t nobody happy.” Sadly, the saying is all too true. We mothers wield incredible influence over the climate of our family.

God has called us to wisely build our homes.

Building a home is glorious work, but it is work. Hard work. My prayer is to cultivate a family culture that encourages our unique interests and glorifies God. I have much to learn, but these are four ways I ~~have learned~~ am learning to build my home.

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Follow me over to Raising Mighty Arrows to read the rest of this post. (While you’re there, explore Heather’s lovely site and read her wonderful post on bitterness!)

Tagged with: family traditions • guest post

Love Seeks Not Her Own

February 13, 2012

Valentine’s Day is just around the corner: red and pink hearts decorate the stores, roses are on sale and restaurants are booked.

The History of Valentine’s Day

Little is known about St. Valentine, whose “saint day” was transformed into the day of romantic love. There were several martyrs names Valentine in the early church.

One priest named Valentine was caught performing marriage ceremonies for Christians. Since serving Christians was a crime, but Emperor Claudius II was so fascinated with Valentine that he pardoned him. That is, until Valentine tried to convert the Emperor. That infuriated the Emperor who condemned St. Valentine to death.

Centuries later, Chaucer popularized the belief that halfway through the second month, on February 14th, the birds come out to mate. St. Valentine’s Day was transformed into a day of romantic love.

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Romantic love is a glorious thing. God blessed Adam and Eve in the garden and gave to mankind the secretness and sacredness of marriage.

But all too often romantic love is degraded into lust and self-love taints even our love for family, friends or neighbors.

Biblical love is so different than the world’s cheap substitute! Several lovely bloggers have anticipated the arrival of Valentine’s Day with a series on Biblical Love (based on 1 Corinthians 13).

Kasey’s beautiful post, Love “does not seek her own” keeps ringing in my mind.

Love does not seek her own.

Love does what is best for others, with no though to how it will personally benefit.

A cursory look at my own heart reveals self-love and self-serving tainting even good actions:

Did I take my daughter to the bathroom because I didn’t want her to wake me up later OR because she is beyond thrilled when she wakes up dry?
Did I start dinner early so that my husband could enjoy a warm meal when he arrived home OR just to cross it off my list of things to do?
Did I wrote a post because I think it will help me gain readers OR because I hope it encourages and blesses those who read it?

My love fails.

But, as Kasey said, “the indescribable love of God didn’t leave me to wallow in my wretchedness.” God’s Love points us back to Himself. To true selfless Love: giving His own self freely on the cross, to save sinners like me.

With the arrival of Valentine’s Day, my prayer is that God’s love will work in my heart so that, like St. Valentine, I do not seek my own: whether that means preaching to a cruel Emperor or washing the dishes cheerfully again and again and again.

Further reading on the origins of Valentine’s Day:

The Catholic Encyclopedia: St. Valentine’s Day
Wikipedia: St Valentine’s Day (since, of course, everything on Wikipedia can be believed)
Valentine’s Day Long and Legendary History

Linked up at Gratituesday, Domestically Divine Tuesdays, Titus 2sdays, Teach Me Tuesdays

Tagged with: holidays • real life inspiration • valentine's day