Belly buttons

A few weeks back my 4th born and I were talking about belly buttons. What are they? Why do we have them? I explained that they come in all different shapes and sizes...innies, outies, big and little, some pristine and some with lint...that his fed him when he was in my belly. And that was that. We were off to the next thing, maybe thomas toys for him and keeping house for me.
Then, I had a baby again. Maybe because labor was easy or maybe because I've learned to soak it all in, but I remember the cord, the attachment of my baby to her life source.
And for a couple weeks I was reminded of it every time I saw the dark little cord dangling from her belly. I remember when it fell of, I joked that I was sad because it made her not new, newborn anymore.
But she still has the button. And I love it. I have 6 little belly buttons all serving as a reminder that I was linked to and the life-giver to 6 beautiful people.
Though the pregnancies daunting, the symbolism of their belly buttons is beautiful. They're linked to me. A permanent mark that someone...me, supported their life for 9 months. They were nourished because of our attachment.
I think about when they're grown up, dads and moms themselves. They will still go on carrying the mark that we are connected. I'm their mom. They are my children.
A permanent marking of a sacred bond between me and my 6. The belly button.

Truly accepted

There's been "lots to do" lately about acceptance in church...God's acceptance(come as you are). And truly, God meets us where we are. All have a different and personal account of when He did.

But then, He gives us a broken and contrite heart, ready to die to our own self and desires and become enveloped in Christ. It's a sad day when acceptance is defined by an earthly definition.

It would be so lack luster to think that we can meet with the holy God of the universe, pure and blameless while accepting our sinful desires and attitudes. Why have so many people, well-meaning people, fallen prey to this lie? The lie that reverses the truth of how it is. We were graciously given the opportunity to enter God's presence. To become adopted into His plan and His ways. It was a great price for God. His Three-in-one was broken on calvary for our sin. It's backwards now. The message that I'm hearing is that God is okay with us in our depravity. We need not worry about our inadequacies because they're what make us precious to Him. It couldn't be anymore tainted.

Our inadequacies separate us from Him. Christ, who is sinless, came down and became like us, sympathizing in our weaknesses, and died. When He raised from the dead he conquered sin and only then could we be restored to Him.

What makes us precious to God is looking down and seeing a child, once dead in sin, raised anew and hidden in His pure Son. This is where He starts us. He kind of starts us at the end. We're marked with the seal of the Holy Spirit and are now identified as one of His.

And then starts the repentance and sanctification. This is where your relationship with God deepens. It's glorious, and special, and awesome, and intimate and painful and hard and tears are shed by you and the Father (I'm sure). Oh, the sadness that is in my heart to see this "acceptance" lie ruining the real thing...

This is all from the Bible. Do we read our Bible? The story from the Old Testament to the New is the same. The epistles of Paul and the gospels are all in accord. So how can we miss it if we're reading it?

Jesus all through the gospels and then Paul carried it on, making it very clear that we must die ourselves and Jesus live through us. It's what rebirth is. There shouldn't be a hint of ourself left over in the end.

Don't worry, God doesn't lose the person He made you to be. He's given us all different feelings, concerns, looks, personalities...And I'm so sure these are being enhanced. But, we are so prideful and ignorant to think that in order for God to be fair, He needs to gaze upon our filth and be ok with it.

I know this is a strong bit of words, but the choice is to embrace the truth that God's given in His Word or not. You can't have a foot in one and a foot in the other. And for the passionate out there...would you want it any other way?

66 love letters

on the cusp of this new year, i'm eagerly awaiting a package in the mail. for me. a book. oh how excited i get when a book comes in the mail. i don't read often. i like the thought of reading...finding a cozy couch under a window with the book in one hand and hot tea in another. the bubble bursts fast when 5 kids run around. never the less, when there is a book...a book that i come across that will be life changing and special to me, something deep down gets stirred.

this particular book shows how all throughout the old testament, God whispers Jesus...His plan from the beginning and how it is interweaved throughout all time. and he loves me. i'm grafted into His story and i'm grateful and excited and curious.

so, i'll keep running to the mailbox until it comes. and when it does, i'll find my spot. cozy or not, i can't wait to spend time with the Lord.

whole "foody"

So, my little foody self met her new friend "health conscious". I just finished a detox. A 14 day crash course into all things vegan and nutty...at least that's how I felt (and by nutty, I meant full of nuts;)).
There have been some health concerns of mine that weren't being addressed in the medical field, so I decided to venture into the "unknown".
Things I've learned:
~I have a moral objection to hatin' on meat. I think it's necessary. And that's that.
~I need lots of veggies. Lots and lots of green delights:)
~Water is life giving. Why didn't I drink enough?
~Quality and quantity of food makes the experience of eating oh so delicious...but not at first. I wanted to eat my right arm.
~ Omegas are my best friends. I sprinkle flax seed on just about everything. And did you know you can eat chia pet hair??? Awesome.
~I like making sprouts. Watching something grow that you took care of makes it tastier. Maybe I'll tackle a square foot garden?
Oh, and as if the torture wasn't enough of a detox, I met another good friend, Tony Horton. P90X? My word. I love it though. I have abs (barely visible, but abs none the less).
I feel healthy~
And I eat well.
And I want to be a chef when I grow up;)

"In the spring I have counted one hundred and thirty-six different kinds of weather inside of four and twenty hours"

I buy books and don't read them.

"Snowmen fall from heaven... unassembled."

The End