Do you ever say things out loud to remind yourself that it’s true? Do you ever say things to your children with the hopes that that will be true, both for your heart and theirs? “Today will be better.” “You can do it.” Hearing these true statements said out loud helps for us to believe that they are true. I like to think of this practice as rehearsing Godly truths.
THROUGHOUT OUR DAY AS INDIVIDUALS, AS PARENTS, IN OUR JOBS AND WITH OUR PEERS, WE CAN FIND OURSELVES REHEARSING WHAT WE HOPE IS TRUE.
My family is in the middle of a huge transition season. All through the past 8 weeks I have been saying things out loud to my kids that my heart needs to hear. Today we finished our long drive from Richmond VA to Orlando Florida and the girls asked “When are we going to get there?” I replied, “Just a few more hours till we’re home.” I needed to hear that we were going home.
The transition process has come with lots of hard goodbyes. Our family of 5 is moving temporarily to Florida for my husband’s job and then we launch to the mission field. To help with the bigger move, we decided to begin the process of getting rid of many of our things before the shorter move. So not only are we saying goodbye to my job, our school, church, neighbors, friends and family, we have let go of more than ½ our stuff. It’s hard to let go of your things, even as an adult, but especially as a kid. Every time I pulled into the thrift store drop off area, my oldest daughter would unbuckle and look over the rear seat of the van and announce what I was giving away. The van would burst into screams and tears. When I returned to the car, we would have a conversation about letting go, needs vs wants and enjoying what we have.
THESE CONVERSATIONS WERE NOT ONLY TEACHING MOMENTS FOR THEM, BUT HELPFUL REMINDERS TO ME, THAT I HAVE ALL I NEED AND GIVING THINGS AWAY SHOULDN’T HURT SO MUCH.
We sifted through so much of our belongings and tried our best to give what we had to people who would continue the story we began. My husband and I had many conversations regarding the larger furniture items in our home. Where would the kitchen table that I grew up eating dinner and doing homework go? Where would the beautiful leather couch and matching comfy chair go? And so on. It was hard to let go of physical items that held so many memories.
Two weeks before our move date, we were still struggling with the amount of things we needed to leave behind. A friend contacted me and told me about a single mom that had lost everything in a house fire. She and her kids were safe, but left with nothing. I started to walk through my house and take pictures of my things I had left to give away and sent the pictures to my friend. After a bit of coordinating over the next week, we arranged to meet this woman at a storage unit she had secured. We loaded our mini van and pickup truck with all the large furniture we were struggling to rehome.
My kids freaked out. The couch was removed and they were left sitting on the floor, the TV was removed from the wall, kitchen table, dresser my husband built, Christmas decorations and more were loaded to start another chapter in a new family’s life. It was hard on each of us to release these things that served a good purpose in our life. I think my kids had the most difficult time watching the TV get handed off from the truck. We finished our time with this mom and her kids circled in prayer together. We prayed for their future and that they would be able to continue to write stories of love and friendship with our things. It was not easy, but at the same time it was not hard. When we got back in the van the kids asked how come we gave away our things (especially the TV). I once again explained the woman’s circumstances and how we were equipped in a special way to help her. I asked the girls if they felt like they had experienced good things in their life and they said yes. I asked if they felt like they had what they needed most days and they said yes. I finished telling them a truth that I needed to be reminded of possibly more than they needed. I told the girls, God has not kept the good things from our life and He’s not going to start now. He has more good planned for us ahead, including a couch and TV. Rehearsing this Godly truth with them was such nourishment to my soul.
AS WE ENTER INTO THIS NEXT CHAPTER I READ PSALM 103. THESE TRUTHS CAN BE REHEARSED OVER AND OVER. READ THIS OUT LOUD TO YOURSELF AND YOUR CHILDREN, IT’S RICH IN TRUTH WE ALL NEED TO REHEARSE. 1 Praise the Lord, my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. 2 Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits— 3 who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, 4 who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, 5 who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s. 6 The Lord works righteousness and justice for all the oppressed. 7 He made known his ways to Moses, his deeds to the people of Israel: 8 The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. 9 He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever; 10 he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. 11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; 12 as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us. 13 As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him; 14 for he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust. 15 The life of mortals is like grass, they flourish like a flower of the field; 16 the wind blows over it and it is gone, and its place remembers it no more. 17 But from everlasting to everlasting the Lord’s love is with those who fear him, and his righteousness with their children’s children— 18 with those who keep his covenant and remember to obey his precepts. 19 The Lord has established his throne in heaven, and his kingdom rules over all. 20 Praise the Lord, you his angels, you mighty ones who do his bidding, who obey his word. 21 Praise the Lord, all his heavenly hosts, you his servants who do his will. 22 Praise the Lord, all his works everywhere in his dominion. Praise the Lord, my soul.
Written by Naomi Brubaker