Dripping with Kids

Tag: devotional

  • Who’s in Charge?

    Who’s in Charge?

    Inspired by Guadalupe River State Park

    I’m the type who likes to make plans. I love to make bucket lists for each season and to-do lists for each day. I love doing projects and watching the development from start to finish. I love planning vacations and family visits. I even plan time for planning.

    My brother has explained to me that I compensate for anxiety by making plans. This compensatory skill has become especially helpful in dealing with chaotic and difficult seasons, as well as the unpredictability of parenting.

    While on my personal path of looking ahead and making plans, I’ve been picking and choosing what I want to hear from God, the Lord of hope. I’ve been reading scripture that promises that good is triumphant over evil, that we have hope as an anchor, and that the Lord can overcome all struggles. I like scripture that coincides with my plans.

    Then, I came across the type of story I was trying to avoid in Jeremiah 27-29. 

    Jeremiah prophesied that the Israelites would serve under King Nebuchadnezzer of Babylon, his son, and his grandson. They would leave their homeland and submit to the control of a king they distrusted. The Israelites didn’t like this prophesy. Many didn’t want to believe that they would give up freedoms and even die far from home while under King Nebuchadnezzer’s rule. They were told it would be 70 years of oppression. 70 years away from the comfort of home. 70 years living a life they had not planned.

    This opened the door to a false prophet, Hananiah, who promised that the people would return to their land and the lives they were used to within two years. It was a promise people could cling to. Hananiah’s prophecy offered hope. The Israelites could make their plans. 

    But Hananiah was wrong. The Israelites were exiled. Their plans were destroyed… their hope, diminished.

    If I lived during the 6th century, BC, who would I have chosen to believe – Jeremiah or Hananiah?

    I probably would have listened to the false prophet. His promise would’ve matched my plans. His prophecy would’ve sounded better for my idea of the life I desire for myself and my family. It would’ve offered my version of hope, just as I choose to believe that this political season and economic downturn, full of anger, division, frustration, decline, and violence, will end soon and lead to significant change in our nation. I’m making my plans! 

    However, it’s not about me and my plans. The hope our Father offers is not related to the leader of this nation or how much money we can save (or spend). I have to remember the true message in Jeremiah’s prophecy.

    Jeremiah encouraged the Israelites to live well while in exile, even if their own plans for a good life would never come to fruition. They were called to worship the true king, work hard even under oppressive rule, to sow gardens they may never get to reap, to build homes somewhere other than their homeland, to marry despite their inward strife, to have children potentially bound to slavery, and to pray for the town and the king they did not choose.

    In Jeremiah 29:11, he adds God’s familiar promise: “For I know the plans I have for you. They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.” 

    This bit of scripture reminds us that we have many blessings and opportunities to live a fruitful life no matter the circumstances we find ourselves in. Our idea of abundance may not match His, but God is good in all situations, seasons, and political regimes, even if His own plans don’t make sense to me or align with mine.

    There is always a greater promise than the earthly plans we make for ourselves, and it will be better than we could have ever imagined. I will worship the king of kings above all else and rely on the hope He promises, regardless of current circumstances and my own faltered plans.

    This piece is inspired by Guadalupe River State Park. We love visiting this park because of the beautiful river running through it, the kid-friendly trails, the discovery room, and the stunning views. Although the river is fun to swim in and quite calm near the banks, the current can surprise you and take control.

    Once, when my husband and I brought our two toddlers to the park, we waded out to the center of the shallow river, each holding one of our little ones , who wore puddle jumper floaties because they were not yet swimmers. As we ventured toward the small ripples in the water, something took hold of us, and we were no longer in control.

    The current slammed our bodies into large rocks underwater, and there was no way to get our footing. We struggled to keep our babies, and even our own heads, above water. As I recognized that we weren’t able to keep our kids and ourselves safe, I screamed, “toss the babies to shore”. With as much might as we could muster, we launched the kids out of the current’s path and prayed they could stand and get to shore. We had to let go and trust that they would be ok.

    Then, we could use our freed hands to swim toward the shore ourselves. It worked, and the kids were safe! Thank God we walked away with just cuts and bruises, as well as a greater appreciation for the forces of nature.

  • Small Minds Discuss People

    Small Minds Discuss People

    Inspired by the LBJ Ranch and National Historical Park in Stonewall, TX

    I wrote much of the piece below 4 years ago. Now in 2024, we find ourselves caught in another election season, and it seems not much has changed. In fact, the divisiveness and anger may have heightened since 2020.

    My older two children are 13 and 10, one in 8th grade and the other in 5th. At our dinner table, there is often an accusation of a crush, followed by “no way” and reasons why that person would never be the object of my child’s affection. Other times, I hear comments about something ridiculous a classmate did or said at school, accompanied by giggles, or I witness my precious children mocking one another.

    My kids love to talk about people but not always in a kind way, and no matter how often we adults in the room try to steer the discussion toward big ideas, plans, or life lessons, the conversation reverts back to the gossip du jour or mere mockery.

    The discussions held during election season aren’t much better than the childish banter at my dinner table, except that the adults are the ones engaging, rather than stifling, the rude repartee. When I read comments online, listen to a debate on a podcast, or hear the talking points on the news, the issues examined are rarely policy initiatives but rather personal insults about candidates. It seems that we have become a nation that talks about people, often in an unkind way, rather than one that shares ideas and implements them for the good of our country.

    Eleanor Roosevelt once said, “Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people.”

    Based on what’s portrayed on the internet and TV, we are a nation of small minds. It’s as if we’ve lost sight of who God created us to be. We are here to build His kingdom, to share the good news, to live by the fruit of the Spirit, and to love first. These are not expectations that can be held for all people, but it’s a standard I would like to uphold for myself, my family, and those who step up to lead communities and a nation.

    This is no easy feat. Passing judgment is a common human trait, and gossip flows easily from most mouths. Angry or hateful messages are rewarded with engagement, clicks, and likes. Emotions are held in higher regard than logical thinking, and strong opinions are more interesting than facts. The nature of our society can be ugly and unkind, focused heavily on how other people behave.

    So, how do we change course? How do we choose a different path than the masses who have infiltrated social media, the city’s streets, and news outlets with angry words about people who are also loved by God?

    Fortunately, I know a place where I can look for answers. Ephesians 4:29 (NIV) provides us with this lesson:

    Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.

    This verse is often repeated and now written in many places in our house. We remind our children of this instruction often when the dinner table discussion veers off course. My prayer for myself, my children, and our nation is that we can use our words to build others up, share ideas, and respect each other, rather than continue to tear down the nation and the people our Father created. Maybe if each of us holds Ephesians 4:29 close to our hearts and draws it from memory on a daily basis, our next election season can reflect the great minds the Lord gave us.

    This week’s devotional is inspired by the LBJ Ranch, Texas White House, and LBJ Airport in Stonewall. They are part of a driving tour, which includes a few stops to visit actual sites where President Johnson and other members of government, including President Truman, met to discuss the future of our nation. Many people have strong opinions about LBJ’s presidency, and while I accept and understand those points of view, I think more about the ideas that were discussed and the reasons behind them. I imagine the critical debates held after our nation was rocked by an assassination that left many Americans grieving and sharing theories (for decades) about what happened. I wonder what the chats were like on the porches and behind closed doors at the Texas White House and in what manner they spoke to each other. I also think about how far we’ve strayed from the intent of our founding fathers and whether we’ve ever *truly* been one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Can we ever return to civil political discourse and move away from the online forums with angry, anonymous, amateur analysts? Looking back may be our only way to look forward.

  • How Wasteful

    How Wasteful

    Inspired by Pioneer Farms, a place that reminds us of when people lived on so little and treasured their limited time together

    “How wasteful!”

    This phrase comes out of my mouth more often than I’m aware. When I’m walking past the trash cans after a high school football game and see hundreds of plastic water bottles overflowing the bin, I’ll whisper to myself, “how wasteful!”

    When I see my kids take more than one paper towel in the bathroom to half-dry their tiny little hands, I gasp, “how wasteful!”

    When I receive a small item from Amazon on my porch in a large box with an abundance of plastic bubble wrap, I mutter, “how wasteful!”

    And don’t even get me started on how I react when money is wasted!

    I could share hundreds of examples of excessive waste in our world. While I try to find ways to reduce and reuse, such as the pledge my family took for an entire year not to drink water from plastic water bottles and the fact that we drive cars until they practically fall apart, I recognize that I am part of the problem too.

    Then, at church one Sunday, I listened to a sermon that made me look at waste in a whole new way. The pastor was preaching on happiness, and he made a bold yet obvious statement about how to live a full life:

    “Don’t waste good days.”

    My heart skipped a beat. Too often, I worry about trash and excess purchases, but what I waste more than anything is a very precious resource God gave us:

    Time.


    I’m sure God might notice “how wasteful!” I’m being when I vent to my husband about matters and people I cannot change or when I last-minute-cancel a friend’s request to go to lunch because I’m scurrying around my empty house completing my self-assigned to-do list. God could mutter, “how wasteful!” when he sees me playing around with Instagram filters, then typing, deleting, and retyping the perfect caption for that edited photo, while there’s a shining sun glaring through my window. And what about when I’m catching up on dozens of texts from a group chat while my child is begging to play.

    The Lord has given me so much, including time on this Earth, so much so that there’s opportunity to waste it in worry, fear, complaining, anger, excess, and busyness.

    But that’s not His intent for us. He created a universe and a livelihood that’s meant for joy, pleasure, community, and love. He’s blessed us with people who need and want our affection and attention. These good days cannot be squandered.

    I have to vow to choose joy and pay attention to how I spend my days; I don’t know how many I have left. There’s no time to waste.

    When my kids and I visit historic sites, especially living history farms, it often reminds how little time could be wasted when survival was on the line. Last year, we read through the entire Little House on the Prairie series. There were many days that the family had to sit around and wait for horrible weather to pass or ride in a wagon for countless hours until they reached a destination. That time seemed to be wasted, but they always made the most of it with conversation, important tasks, studying, reading, and playing music.

    My kids and I enjoy visiting these historic sites and imagining how we’d spend our time if we had lived back then. I highly recommend a visit to Pioneer Farms in Austin to take your family back in time and reminisce on a slower way of life.

    Teach us to number our days, that we may get a heart of wisdom.

    -Psalm 90:12 NIV