Date: Mon, 11 Jun 2007 09:07:56 -0400
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By Linda C.Stafford
My husband and I had been happily (most of the time) married for five years
but hadn't been blessed with a baby. I decided to do some serious praying
and
promised God that if he would give us a child, I would be a perfect mother,
love it with all my heart and raise it with his word as my guide. God
answered
my prayers and blessed us with a son. The next year God blessed us with
another son. The following year, he blessed us with yet another son. The
year after
that we were blessed with a daughter. My husband thought we'd been blessed
right into poverty. We now had four children, and the oldest was only four
years
old. I learned never to ask God for anything unless I meant it. As a
minister once told me, "If you pray for rain, make sure you carry an
umbrella." I
began reading a few verses of the Bible to the children each day as they lay
in their cribs. I was off to a good start. God had entrusted me with four
children and I didn't want to disappoint him. I tried to be patient the day
the children smashed two dozen eggs on the kitchen floor searching for baby
chicks. I tried to be understanding when they started a hotel for homeless
frogs in the spare bedroom, although it took me nearly two hours to catch
all
twenty-three frogs. When my daughter poured ketchup all over herself and
rolled up in a blanket to see how it felt to be a hot dog, I tried to see
the
humor rather than the mess. In spite of changing over twenty-five thousand
diapers, never eating a hot meal and never sleeping for more than thirty
minutes
at a time, I still thank God daily for my children. While I couldn't keep my
promise to be a perfect mother - I didn't even come close - I did keep my
promise to raise them in the Word of God. I knew I was missing the mark just
a little when I told my daughter we were going to church to worship God, and
she wanted to bring a bar of soap along to "wash up" Jesus, too. Something
was lost in the translation when I explained that God gave us everlasting
life,
and my son thought it was generous of God to give us his "last wife." My
proudest moment came during the children's Christmas pageant. My daughter
was
playing Mary, two of my sons were shepherds and my youngest son was a wise
man. This was their moment to shine. My five-year-old shepherd had practiced
his line, "We found the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes." But he was
nervous and said, "The baby was wrapped in wrinkled clothes." My
four-year-old "Mary"
said, "That's not 'wrinkled clothes,' silly. That's dirty, rotten clothes."
A wrestling match broke out between Mary and the shepherd and was stopped by
an angel, who bent her halo and lost her left wing. I slouched a little
lower in my seat when Mary dropped the doll representing Baby Jesus, and it
bounced
down the aisle crying, "Mama-mama." Mary grabbed the doll, wrapped it back
up and held it tightly as the wise men arrived. My other son stepped forward
wearing a bathrobe and a paper crown, knelt at the manger and announced, "We
are the three wise men, and we are bringing gifts of gold, common sense and
fur." The congregation dissolved into laughter, and the pageant got a
standing ovation. "I've never enjoyed a Christmas program as much as this
one,"
laughed the pastor, wiping tears from his eyes "For the rest of my life,
I'll never hear the Christmas story without thinking of gold, common sense
and
fur." "My children are my pride and my joy and my greatest blessing," I said
as I dug through my purse for an aspirin. Jesus had no servants, yet they
called Him Master. Had no degree, yet they called Him Teacher. Had no
medicines, yet they called Him Healer. Had no army, yet kings feared Him. He
won
no military battles, yet He conquered the world. He committed no crime, yet
they crucified Him. He was buried in a tomb, yet He lives today. Feel
honored
to serve such a Leader who loves us.
If you believe in God and , send this to all on your buddy list.
GOD BLESS YOU ALL
Tracy Duffy
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