My Mother-in-Law and her nap!

As I was driving I looked in the rearview mirror and saw my mother-in-law in the back seat.  Her shoulders were slouched, eyes closed, and her head stretched as far as humanly possible.  It had been an extremely long and eventful day, and we were less than a mile from our homes.  My mother-in-law had succumbed to the thought and had fallen fast asleep.  We were coming down the hill and getting ready to turn right onto our road.  There was absolutely no traffic around and a thought popped up in my head.

Let me explain.  Some years ago Heather (my wife), Teresa (my mother-in-law), and I stayed awake all night at a Relay for Life event.  This event took place about 15 miles south of where we live.  That’s right, I live in the house right beside my mother-in-law!  Immediately following Relay for Life, we traveled back past our houses then about 25 miles north of where we live.  We then spent several hours running a concession stand for a soccer league.  After all of this we were really tired and ready to get some sleep.

Okay.  Let’s get back in the vehicle where she is now fast asleep, I am driving down that hill, and that thought popped in my head.  I personally think it is one of the funniest things I have ever seen in my entire life; however, Teresa may say differently.  As I took my foot off of the accelerator the car naturally started to decelerate, but not very quickly as it was going down a hill.  I quickly and heavily placed my foot on the brakes without locking them up.  As the brakes were being applied I…

Okay, you have to know this is funnier than words can express.  So, as the brakes were applied and my mother-in-law fully asleep in view through the rearview mirror, I let out this scream of fear like the sky was falling!  To say that she almost jumped through the roof of the car is an understatement!  Her arms flailed wildly and her head went back in forth like she was at a professional tennis match.  Her eyes looked for the impending danger.  Her face showed signs of a high speed come apart.  Her reaction: Priceless! 

On a serious note; Jesus talks about a time when the master will return.  In Mark 13:36-37 Jesus says, “Don’t let him find you sleeping when he arrives without warning.  I say to you what I say to everyone: Watch for him!”

How scary would it be if Jesus finds you spiritually sleeping through this life? May you take this moment to reflect upon your spiritual journey.  Have you been sleep walking?  Do you need to be startled back onto the right path of life?  Jesus said in Mark 13:33, “And since you don’t know when that time will come, be on guard! Stay alert!”

In Christ Alone and continuing in prayer,
Chad

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Mom: Lesson Learned

I can only imagine how dirty I used to get as a child growing up on a farm.  Thankfully I learned three great lessons from my mom over the years about pig pens.  Maybe you learned these same things from someone in your life too.  They are vital to the story of our lives!

First, the bedroom.  My mom taught me that pigs have a tendency to leave their clothes lying on the floor.  Pigs also leave their toys out for their parents to step on and trip over. You see, my mom consistently said, “This room looks like a pig pen or clean this pig pen up now!”  Lesson learned!

Second, the bathroom.  My mom taught me that pigs tend to leave the toilet seat up.  They also leave toothpaste on the sides of the sink and underwear by the tub.  You see, my mom would come in saying, “The bathroom looks like a pig pen.  Toothpaste everywhere, underwear on the floor, and the toilet seat is up.”  Lesson learned!

Third, my face.  My mom taught me that pigs lick their thumbs and wipe other pigs faces.  I always had some kind of grit or grime on my face.  My mom said, “Your face looks like a pig pen!”  Here is the deal.  As a child, no matter what kind of grit or grime was on my face, my mom inevitably licked her thumb and wiped it clean.  I used to think this was gross.  I moaned and groaned the whole time.  However, my face was always clean because a mom’s spit can make any pig pen clean!  Lesson learned!


In the Bible, King David let his life become a pig pen.  In other words, he had done wrong and sinned.  He said this in Psalm 51:7 (NLT), “Purify me from my sins, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.”  You see, though it was not comfortable to endure, he knew he needed the Lord to get him clean.

What is the lesson learned?  No matter how messed up of a pig pen I produced or how dirty my face, my mom always wanted the best for me, always loved me, and always wanted to help me make things right.  I knew I needed my mom to get me clean.  To this I say, “Thank you Mom.”  Maybe you will thank or remember that person in your life who taught you this same lesson too.

Here is where it is vital to our lives!  Jesus loves us even more.  We need the Lord in order to clean up our lives as we cannot do this on our own.  Romans 5:6 (NLT) reads, “When we were utterly helpless, [Jesus] came at just the right time and died for us sinners.”  He can truly make you clean no matter how much of a pig pen your life seems.  Turn to Him and trust Him to see you through this thing we call life.

In Christ Alone and continuing in prayer,
Chad

Join the #JesusFollower team by texting "@jesusfo" to "81010" to receive 2-3 Biblical texts per week to challenge and encourage you.

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