WHAT HAS HE DONE?

WHAT HAS HE DONE?

  • Encountering the Father

WHAT HAS HE DONE?

This season has been hard. Does anyone relate? It feels like we are waiting and stewarding everything new without our normal joys and connections. I felt the Lord inviting me to find JOY. I gathered the kids, and we made a list of all the things the Lord IS DOING or HAS DONE for us in this season. WOW. We cried when we realized that God’s hand had been so near and active. It shifted our perspective and lightened our hearts.

How about you? Why not gather the family and make a list of all the ways you have seen, heard, experienced, witnessed, or encountered God’s hand IN this season?

SOAKING

The first time I introduced soaking to my children, I invited them to bring their pillows and blankets and lay in my room. We invited the Holy Spirit to be with us and sat still while we played Mike Seth’s soaking CD. Ellie was having a hard time being still, and I kept ordering her to “shhh” until Holy Spirit whispered to me to cuddle up next to her and do it WITH her. She finally settled down and could enter the place of rest with Jesus.

Soaking is an incredible thing to do with a family when there is a high level of stress or when a child has gotten hurt over something. I look at soaking as wrapping up in the biggest, warmest blanket from Heaven! At bedtime, my son would say, “Mom, will you put that blanket on?” 

Kids In His Presence – KidsInHisPresence.com (kidsinhispresence-com.myshopify.com)

FAMILY ENCOUNTER TIME

Talk to the children about truth – what is truth? Can God’s Word be changed? Are our emotions facts? Talk about rainstorms and how the sky sometimes turns dark. Guess what? The sun is STILL shining, but you can’t see it because the clouds form a layer blocking your eyes from the truth that the sun is still there. We can sometimes feel that God is not powerful, or maybe even like He doesn’t care, but that is not the truth – that is the ‘evidence’ of the storm clouds, not the sun. Sometimes we have to stand on the truth that the sun is always there even if our eyes can’t see it. Think of a time you felt alone, scared, or ignored. Ask Jesus to show you where He was. It is important for children to be taught to keep their eyes on the sun, not the storm. It may look and feel true, but is it THE truth? Read Hebrews 6:19 together and discuss the purpose of an anchor. Anchors aren’t needed where the waters are still, yet they are lifelines when the sea rages, tossing the boat against the waves. We are anchored to His Son. 

SONS & DAUGHTERS

We can believe in Jesus yet remain outside the palace and act like an orphan striving and begging to have their needs met. A great question to ask in any given situation is, “Jesus, what would an orphan do in this situation? How would a Son/Daughter of the King respond?”

GOOD ENOUGH

Do you find your worth attached to your performance? During one of the teachings from the online JOURNEY class, I asked if they had parents who called out the good in them as a child. Many did not, but for those who did, the response is always something along these lines, “Yeah, they called out the good, but it always seemed to be the good about what I DID, not who I was.” When we dish out praise based on behavior/performance, we are teaching children that their performance pleases us and dictates their value. That is not what God says or how He operates with us. He LOVES us because of who we are, not what we do! So why not try it today? Ask, “Jesus, when You look at my child, what do You see?” Write it out on their mirror, on a piece of paper. Be creative and have fun; you have permission to connect with them!

JESUS CALLING

What is something you struggle with the most with God? His presence? Going to Him in the day-to-day? Feeling His love? Talking to Him? Believing He cares about your world? This is a super FUN exercise. Put a reminder on your phone to go off every day. When it goes off, simply stop whatever you are doing at that moment and ask Him a specific question as it pertains to your struggle.

“Will You please show me where You are right now?” “What do You want me to know?” “How do You love me at this moment?” “Will You please help me with _____?” “What do You care most about me right now?”

We strengthen our spiritual muscles by using them. Go after the area that feels weak and allow Him to strengthen you in His truth. This is a GREAT thing to do with the kiddos too. Wherever you are when the alarm goes off, STOP and ask Jesus.

ENCOUNTER HIS GOODNESS

He is not just a ‘good Father.’ He is YOUR Father. If our journey has not included a father modeling what goodness looks and feels like, then we will only be able to relate to His goodness in our minds as a concept. Our soul longs to EXPERIENCE His goodness. While this may come more naturally to those who have healthy earthly experiences with their dads, your lack does not doom you. His goodness includes knowing how to captivate your heart. Listen to this song and let His love wash over you. Some of you have heavy things on your heart, and He wants to enter that space with you. Some of you feel so dry and weary, and He wants to revive you with His power. Some of you feel so worried and afraid, and He wants to cover you with His shield of protection.

Cody Carnes – Run To The Father (Live at Motion Conference) – YouTube

TRAPPED

Have you ever walked through something and felt trapped? I have. I recently was in a situation, and it felt like the scales were completely even – darned if I did, darned if I didn’t. I felt trapped, and I hated that feeling more than the dislike of my circumstances. I knew I needed to process my heart as the feeling of being trapped was keeping me from hearing and seeing clearly. I saw Jesus reach out His hand and touch the dead center of my belly. I sensed He was validating the hardness of my situation and that I was between a rock and a hard place in the natural. I finally ask, “Jesus, which side do You want me to choose?” I knew that was the wrong question, but I was trapped and needed to start somewhere in my attempt to get out. I saw Him reach His hand towards me as if to give me a lifeline. I grabbed it, and He pulled me closer to Him out from between a rock and a hard place. I didn’t need to choose between darned or darned. I could choose HIM and remain with Him alone. My heart instantly felt relief and freedom again. My friend, you are not trapped either. Reach out and grab His hand and allow Him to pull you close.

WRAPPED IN HIS LOVE

I encourage you to stop whatever you are doing and invite the children to grab their pillows and blankets. Have everyone lay in the living room with you and put on some worship music. No talking, no praying, just soaking in His love and goodness. You don’t need to do this for hours – even one song can shift the atmosphere in your home.

GOD IS FUN

I hear this all the time – “I believe God is good and loves people, but I don’t think of Him as this fun God. I grew up with a picture that God is always very serious. His Kingdom is serious in that it’s life-changing, but the idea of playing and engaging with Him seems foreign.”

If this is your view of God, I want to invite you to sit with Jesus, His Son. Ask Him, “Jesus, will You please give me a picture of the FUN side of Your Father?” You might want to set an alarm on your phone and ask Jesus to introduce you to this part of His Father every day until you can begin to see and experience this part of YOUR Father, too. Yes, God is Almighty and serious and powerful, but He is also the most fun-loving, tender, and engaged Father.