a few good posts

Sometimes I see old ladies... or even young ladies... who have little dogs or cats which they treat so carefully and considerately that I can't help thinking of the millions of orphans in the world who don't receive nearly as much personal care. Don't take this as my final position on the subject, but I am often struck with the sudden and sincere longing that I could transport an orphan into that old lady's life and let the child have the food and shelter given to that miniature dog. Sure, the child might grow up with issues, especially if the old lady persists in the same kinds of preferences that she has for the dog... dressing the child up in ridiculous outfits and talking to them in that sappy voice and the like... but at least the child would grow up.

Anyway, I thought of that tonight while reading this article about why Christians need to be very sure of their reasons and what they're getting themselves into before they adopt. I happened to be reading it at the same time as reading this other article - it's a doozy! I'm still processing my way through it - about homeschooling blindspots and somehow the two clicked together...

...only now I can't remember how, because I got interrupted while writing this, and as it is now 9 pm, I can hardly remember my name, much less where I was going with this blog post.

Um... so. I seem to be much more in a reading phase these days than in a writing phase. I'm reading and processing and I still share the links to good recent posts on the sidebar of this blog, but I don't have much time or energy to really articulate my thoughts about such subjects while the thoughts are fresh and cohesive. But as I'm pretty sure most of the people who read this are moms too, I'm sure you can all relate.

Does anybody ever click on those external blog posts that I share on the side of my blog, by the way? (That's not a rhetorical question. I really want to know.) I know that I don't often click on the ones on other peoples' blogs, so I kinda doubt anyone clicks on mine, but there really are some good ones on there. Every now and then I think I should get organized and just post a list once a week of my favorite posts lately... but maybe I'll just start with once every random now and then. So hey, here are a few posts I have read recently that I have liked, complete with a quote to get you hooked.

Because Paul and Clara Jobs Said Yes
"I wonder if any of you are currently praying through the possibility of becoming foster or adoptive parents? Has it ever occurred to you that waiting for a home right now might be the next Steve Jobs – but only if he or she is matched with a mom and dad who love and lift them up in order to help them do great things."

A Cure for Jealousy
"When I want the good things someone has, I must realize that I’m also asking for the bad that comes along with it. It’s always a package deal. And usually if I just give a situation enough time to unfold, I thank God I didn’t get someone else’s package."


Flaming Toast
"Take the pressure off of yourself, mama! Know what you are good at, or what you really desire to do, and let go of the rest. Get rid of those scrapbooking supplies taunting you from the spare room closet that haven’t been touched since before you had kids. It’s okay."

A Historic Clash for Religious Liberty
"This latest development concerning the Affordable Care Act highlights a glaring reality: we are witnessing an accelerating clash of two distinctly different worldviews regarding religious liberty. On one side are those who believe government is the ultimate arbiter and authority in all spheres of life. According to this philosophy, accommodation of faith and the faithful might be granted, but only at the independent inclination of government when such accommodation is seen as furthering the state’s ends."

Homeschool Blindspots (mentioned above)
"After several years of examining what went wrong in our own home and in the homes of so many conscientious parents, God has opened our eyes to a number of critical blind spots common to homeschoolers and other family-minded people."

Motherhood is Application
"This isn’t a time for a gospel presentation because it is a time for gospel application. This is a time to take the grace that God has extended to you, and feed your children with it. Apply what you believe about God’s mercy and kindness and long suffering towards us, and pour it out to them — in a form they can believe in."

A Peace in My Heart and a Mess in My Kitchen
"When I stop, take a moment to grasp the grace that is being freely offered, I breathe more deeply than I have in a very long time. I embrace the truth that I am enough – in my housekeeping, in my imperfections, in the way my heart is just trying its darndest to please Him, and sometimes I fall way short, but I keep trying."

And here are my deep thoughts related to these posts:

I like that Steve Jobs was adopted. I like the post about jealousy. Simple concept but a great one to chew on. When it comes to homemaking and children-raising, I am learning to embrace doing what I'm good at and let go of the things that I'm not. I am deeply concerned about the crashing religious liberty in this country... and, not related to that article, but I am furious about the rise of legal homosexual marriages that are directly opposed by voters... but overruled by dishonorable leaders.

I am sobered by that list of homeschool blindspots, some of which I know I especially need to guard against. And I just love the motherhood is application essay. It's beautiful. And my house is not as tidy as I want it to be right now, but I seem to be finding a middle ground that is working for us in which the dishes and laundry are mostly done but never all the way, the kids are mostly clean and fed when they need to be, and I am getting most of the sleep that I need, and we are all doing pretty well despite the occasional patch of clutter and resulting meltdown on my part.

If you only have time to read two of those posts, I think the Motherhood is Application one and the Homeschool Blindspots one are really, really fantastic.