Friday the 13th…A Day to Remember

A week ago it was Friday the 13th. September 13th. I was driving all day with my four sweet children. We met some wonderful homeschooling families at Genesee Country Village and enjoyed a lovely time together with friends. It was a reflective day for me because it was the 5-year anniversary since my car accident. If you want to read more about that, you can by clicking below:

The Gift of Immobility

Driving by vast, lush greenery all around, the emotions and thoughts that rolled through my mind were of utter gratitude for being here to experience life and live for my Savior. My kids five years ago were ages 3, 5, 6 & 8. My how they have grown so fast! I still vividly remember how traumatized they were after the car hit me and the stroller I was pushing with my two smallest inside. It seems like forever ago, but five years really isn’t so far off. I remember having to tell my daughter who was incessantly crying, age 5 at the time, that mommy was not going to die; it was just my legs that were injured. Praise be to God.

My message for today is short: LIVE life in the PRESENT tense. Grammar-wise the continuous present tense has -ing attached to it! Here are some examples to get you started:

1. 1. PLAYING with your children (NOW, not after you finish a million things…ouch!): Legos, Barbies or dolls, board games, card games, catch with a ball, hide-and-seek, etc. It is okay to watch your kids play too, but join in and watch how relaxed it can make you feel. Playing is therapeutic.

2. DANCING with your spouse/friends/family! Put on a song you love & make a new memory each day together! My aspiration is to dance each day, even for just a few minutes, by myself or with my husband and kids. What do you enjoy? Bike-riding, walking, scrapbooking? Try sharing it with someone else too!

3. MAKING your favorite recipe. Food draws everyone near. Get in your kitchen and slow down by baking or inviting your children to choose a new or old favorite recipe.

Each day can be special if we cherish the little moments and capitalize on the intentionality of our relationships. The picture to the right is from November 2019. It was a few months after my accident as I was learning/beginning to walk again while on vacation…and our daughter jumped on my scooter for a ride!

As the holidays approach, we can find ourselves longing for a certain day, moment, or season. Regretfully, as we ponder the future we dismiss TODAY. Each new day is unwritten! Its blank canvas is a script that can be divinely inspired if we surrender it to Our Loving Father God. TODAY ask for HIS blessing and direction for your steps.

We are selfish creatures with a selfish bent. We, just like the nation of Israel in the Bible, need constant REMINDERS throughout our day that we are HERE on this earth with a MISSION. “Go and make disciples of ALL nations,” Jesus said in Matthew 28. GO tell the good news that I AM their SAVIOR too, and that they can KNOW ME if they believe and ASK! It is a privilege to know and serve God; our purpose is just that: to KNOW Him more and MAKE HIM KNOWN through our lives.

Since my accident I have never received an apology or any form of sympathy from the driver who hit us. I honestly had forgiven her in my heart and never remembered harboring any anger or ill feelings towards her. Yet now, five years later, upon further reflection I felt a twinge of disappointment and resentment. Did she ever realize how affected my whole family was that day and the many months and years following? I recall that God gave me a sense that her suffering was in some ways worse involving two unrelenting emotions: regret and guilt. I forgave her then and I choose to forgive her again today, 5 years later, even though she never asked me to.

The world will tell you to forgive to find freedom, which God alone can miraculously provide. Nevertheless, forgiving that way has a selfish motivation: to feel better yourself. As Christians let us forgive MUCH simply because HE has forgiven us MORE! Being reminded of our own inadequacies and selfish ways is the best remedy for an unforgiving spirit. Ephesians 4:32 sums it up: “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God in Christ forgave you.” Let us remember He undeservingly forgives our every bad thought, deed and word. Never forget we were all once in the darkness until we entered the marvelous light through forgiveness in Jesus.

Free to forgive. Free to LIVE. Free to SERVE OUR GOD. Amen for another day here. Live in the continuous PRESENT TENSE, dear ones. LOVING. GIVING. JUST BEING. Let Jesus take over: more of Him in your day, less of you (John 3:30). YOU are enough because HE is enough in YOU (listen to this truth in the song below). Let us always REMEMBER this.

“I can do ALL THINGS in CHRIST who gives me strength!” Philippians 1:6