While Mom was pulling out the lawn furniture I was taking my troop out on a much needed (nap-hookie) walk. We had gone quite a ways and I asked the girls how their legs were doing. “Are they tired?” I asked. Lina (3), from the right side of the stroller said “mine just keep bumpin’ along”, and Daphne (2) said “I could take my pants off.”
Monthly Archive for April, 2008
Page 3 of 4
Funny things happen up here in the Great White North when the sun comes out! We have had our first spring day today with the temp getting (I think) even into the 60′s. You can feel everyone’s spirits lifting, the load lightening, and it is just plain wonderful! When it gets into the 50′s here, people start wearing tank tops and shorts just to celebrate. So no telling what will happen this weekend because it is supposed to hit 70 on Sunday.
So I got our porch chairs out of hibernation, and I think we will fire up the grill tomorrow. My forsythia still hasn’t bloomed yet, but it opened April 16 in 2001 and March 24 in 2005. We obviously missed the March date this year, but maybe we’ll beat the 2001 date. You may wonder how in the world (or why) I keep track of such things, but my daughter Rachel made me a lovely gardening notebook for Christmas 1999, and it has a perfect spot to record the April activities in my garden. By May I no longer have time to be writing things down because I’m too busy outside trying to get the place in shape.
Hope your weekend is lovely and sunny!
I am proofing a book for my husband which is a commentary on the book of Hebrews. I was working away when I came to this paragraph, which I feel I must share with you all because it is so good and applies to everything, especially as we consider father hunger or mother hunger or other ways we have been wronged in this life. So here is my favorite author, from an upcoming book:
“We are dealing here with deep forgiveness. The Lord Jesus did not come, live a perfect life, die on the cross and come back from the dead in order to dab around the edges of our wound. Our complicity in the sin of Adam, and our continuing screwed-up-ness required a great remedy, which could not be had apart from the work of a great Savior. But remember that Jesus is saving us from our sins, and not merely from the consequences of our sins. And one of the central sins he is saving us from is the sin of the double standard — wanting to receive forgiveness on easy terms, and wanting to extend it with the heart of a stickler for justice. We want to borrow easily, and lend with difficulty. We want our fingers open to receive, and our fist clenched for giving. But Jesus has given us fair warning that we do not receive forgiveness on our terms. Not at all. In the Lord’s prayer, we are taught to say this to God — ‘And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors’ (Matt. 6:12). ‘Dear God, please harbor toward me all the thoughts I harbor toward others.’ Do the words stick in the throat? ‘So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart’ (Matt. 18:21-35). Forgiving others is not optional. This is the very heart of the gospel message.”
“Faults are always thick where love is thin.”
And Watson, “Fault finding is the easiest thing in the world.”
Here are the babies at four months. It isn’t your imagination – Titus really is that much bigger. Also, don’t panic about them both being in the swing, as that was only for the photo shoot. Besides, they were wanting to be together, and I was wanting to sing “zippity doo dah” to get some smiles for the camera! They are just becoming buddies now, finally noticing each other. Titus puts his hand on Chloe’s cheek and she smiles, they grab hands and then fight over who should chew on the four-hand fist, and end up just taking turns or putting their heads together so they can do it at the same time. It’s the sweet stuff all right!
I’ve mentioned that I think lots of women have mother hunger. But father hunger is something that may be far more pervasive. The point seems to be that mothers fail and fathers fail. And when they fail in a spectacular way, there can be spectacular results. When mothers fail, daughters grow up without the role model they need. When fathers fail, girls grow up without the masculine leadership they need.
When Dad was absent (because of death, divorce, military duty, etc.) or when Dad was not being a good or godly father, it can affect daughters in multiple ways. Sometimes it can create an insecurity that drives the daughter to look desperately for masculine attention some place, any place, which then can lead to immorality, broken relationships, and an unhealthy desire to please. Or, a daughter growing up without a dad can feel uncomfortable around men, crowded and intimidated, not sure what they are thinking, especially around her.
I’m sure there are many other ways father hunger can harmfully affect women, and there will still be women who survive a fatherless childhood with a strong confidence and healthy outlook nonetheless. The world is a funny place. And since no father on earth can imitate God’s fatherhood perfectly, we all will have an unmet father-need of some kind or other to one degree or another. Since God has built the universe with a Father at the center of it, we will by nature long to enjoy a good relationship with our earthly fathers Continue reading ‘Father Hunger Too’
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