A Mom's Perspective: Friday's Fave Five #2

January 8, 2010

What are your five favorite things from this first week of January? If you're not familiar with Friday's Fave Five, check it out at Living to Tell the Story and join in!

Take a look at a mom's perspective on this first week of the decade, as I share five great things that really spoke to me this week:

1. A great quote: “The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place.” (George Bernard Shaw)

Oh, my – how true! Between husband and wife or mother and child, how crucial is communication!

I can think of SO many I times I thought I was being understood or I assumed something was being communicated, and I just went ahead thinking we were on the same page until – WHAM!

I live in a predominantly male household, so you can imagine how tricky communication can be here.

2. A scene from the movie, The Count of Monte Cristo:

My high school sophomores participated in some enrichment before Christmas as we watched the movie based on Alexandre Dumas's classic. As we finished up the movie this week, this scene struck me anew.

Edmond Dantes, who has been unjustly imprisoned in a deplorable prison is admonished by his dying friend to consider God. Edmond replies, “I don’t believe in God anymore.” I love the dying old man’s answer. He opens his eyes one last time, fastens them upon young Edmond, and responds, “But He believes in you.”

No matter how beaten down we feel, no matter how we’ve failed, or how miserable we may think we are, we must remember – He believes in us.

3. The happiness of my oldest son.

It’s a great time in his life, and seeing his happiness makes me happy. ‘Nuff said.

4. The voice of my third son.

Just wait -- my sons will read this and I’ll be accused of playing favorites, so let me say that sons #2 and #4 will be featured another Friday!

But my third son loves music and often records his creative endeavors. Over the holidays, he arranged and recorded the sweetest version of an old hymn. I can’t put it up now, but I plan to feature it and write about it next week. So come back and listen!

5. Carolyn Arend’s article in Christianity Today (December 2009), entitled "Our Divine Distortion."

Arends talks about our incorrect perceptions of God, and how we often liken him to a godfather figure – one who can do a lot for you if he’s on your side, but one whose bad side you don’t want to see. When we’re afraid of angering or disappointing Him, we end up just staying away from Him. Two things Arends writes ring so true:

“Yes, we should fear sin’s consequences. But we need not fear the perfect love of a God willing to come and shiver in our skin to save us.”

And…”We will never see Him for who He really is until the Son gets in our eyes.”

Ah! When the sun gets in our eyes, what do we do? We react, squinting or throwing up a hand to shade ourselves.

And truly, when the Son gets in our eyes? We react; we're different. Those around us know something is shining on us when our eyes are full of the Son.

So get out in the Sonshine today!