Gentleness Part 2

As the anniversary of Jesus' death & resurrection are now "over," they are quickly forgotten by most. Until next year anyway. I pray this is not the case with us, my friends.

There are a lot of ways to describe the cross & the things Jesus did while on the cross but gentleness is not always one that comes to mind.

Tortured...Definitely. Grueling...Yes. Dark...Of course. Gentle??? Hardly.

Except when you know the outcome & the ending of the story & you decide to take a step back & try to see it from a different perspective...Then you can see gentleness.

I hardly think His being beaten, mocked, abused, spit on, & cursed for MY sins is gentle. But, if gentleness is one of His traits, then He is gentle always & without fail. As I thought about this, I read through each gospel to see the different words spoken & the different perspectives & I noticed a few things.

Matthew 26~As the high priest was looking to charge Jesus with anything in order to condemn, he said, "Tell us if you are the Son of God." Here's where I first saw gentleness: "Jesus replied, 'You have said so.'" He didn't get upset or angry or roll His eyes...He didn't get smart with him or point out the obvious thousands of miracles He had performed in the most recent days. He simply spoke the truth ~ gently.

Mark 16~As the women went to prepare Jesus' body with anointing spices, they never had to figure out who would roll the stone away! In the open grave, they saw a man sitting there who told them to "Go & tell His disciples AND PETER." I emphasize Peter for a reason. Yes, to the faithful He shows Himself faithful, which is why I believe this man said go & tell His disciples; But Peter? Geesh ~ He denied Jesus! In this day & age, that is normal & many people follow one thing but in the thick of the throes, they declare another. Not in Jesus' day, though. So why would God speak into this man, telling him to specifically add Peter? I have come to this conclusion: WE DENY JESUS ALL THE TIME! Whether it's with our words, actions, lack of action, or attitudes...Our disobedience is a form of denial. This is why the scriptures tell us to deny our flesh & take up His cross. I found it very moving that God wanted us to know that EVEN PETER was to be included...And His gentle way of letting us know that every time we deny Him, He is there to welcome us back.

Luke 23~As one of the condemned criminals shouted at Jesus to save himself, mocking whether or not He really was the Messiah, the other noticed his guilt & His innocence. "Don't you fear God? Since you are under the same sentence? We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done no wrong." He then turns to Jesus (and I imagine with tears in His bloodied eyes) & asks Him to "Remember me when You come into Your Kingdom." Did Jesus laugh at him or go through the laundry list of things that, in fact, this criminal had done wrong? Nope! He simply & gently said, "Truly I tell you, today you will be with Me in Paradise." He could have laughed at him thinking, 'Sure, NOW you want to believe in Me' or rolled His eyes thinking...'Did I not prove myself long before this unbearable cross?' He didn't do those fleshly things, though. He stayed true to Himself & His character & gently led this filthy man, who was at that moment washed white as snow, into Paradise with Him.

The gentleness of the cross is a different perspective ~ I'll admit. But don't you think if we are charged with "being like Him," that we should turn these God-breathed scriptures inside & out searching for His Ways & His truths? And wouldn't that include reading & rereading & looking through different eyes to see the totality of Him?

Jesus was gentle all the time. The bible says, "I am God. I change not." Never. Not once. And this can be modeled to our children as we are raising them to be Christ-minded. When they don't follow your instruction the first time, gently remind them. When they come running back to you telling you that you were (shock of all shocks!!!) right, don't mock the growth in their learning. Do you have a limit of how many times your children can disobey you before you put them up for adoption? OF COURSE NOT! You sit them down & you discuss their choice. THIS IS PRIME TIME ladies~Teach them when they are in that moment that He tells us that we are "all sheep who have gone astray" but then proceeds to tell us that if EVEN ONE wanders, He will retrieve it. Then give them a hug~for they just gained a bit more wisdom!

Listen to Jesus' gentle voice today. Sometimes it's more of a lightening bolt, yes...But other times, you can hear the gentle thunder rolling in the distance if you just stay still long enough to listen.

Gently speaking ~

Fancy Nancy Day

I have some exciting news!!!!!! It's about Fancy Nancy but if you don't know who Fancy Nancy is, you may not be that excited. She is a spunky little girl who loves words ONLY when they're fancy! Her favorite color: Fuchsia....because Purple is too plain. Her favorite treat: Parfaits....because an ice cream sundae is for plain people. I love Fancy Nancy! I have nearly all of her books & always enjoy rereading them.

Now for the exciting news: I'm hosting a Fancy Nancy day! On May 6, from 9:00 - 12:00, your girl(s), ages 5-10, can join me & other girls for a fancy day! This day will include reading, writing, & most importantly ~ arts & crafts! Your child will not only read & listen to some of Fancy Nancy's books, but will create lists of fancy words, have a fancy snack, & do a very fancy arts & crafts project. Your sweet girl is encouraged to dress up in fancy clothes, but please keep in mind we will be using glue, watercolor paints, washable markers, & crayons. You know your child! If her day will be ruined by getting a drop of paint on her shirt, perhaps you want to send her with a larger old t-shirt for her to cover up with while we work. :o) I will also be focusing on the scripture Deuteronomy 7:6, "The LORD your God has chosen you out of all the peoples on the face of the earth to be his people, his treasured possession." We will learn (through Fancy Nancy's help) that we were each chosen to be just the way we are & while each of us is different, we have one very important thing that is the same: God loves all of us & has chosen each one of us to be His treasured possession. Our arts & crafts project will have something very special to do with our individual names!!!

If you are interested in your child attending, please email me at scritzer711@gmail.com as soon as you can to let me know your child will be in attendance. My limit will be 7 girls but should I have more interested, I will consider adding a 2nd day to accommodate. The price for this one day mini-camp is $25 & will be due to reserve your spot one week prior, on April 29. This will give me ample time do my final preparations & purchase the necessary items. This fee is unfortunately non-refundable.

I can't wait for this day & look forward to sharing it with your daughter! Email me soon as the 7 spots are being filled quickly!

Gentleness Part 1

When you think of the word gentleness, what do you think?

~The sweet grasp of a newborn baby
~The brush of your adoring husbands hand upon your shoulder
~The wind breezing by you on a beautiful spring morning
~Your best friend walking side-by-side in silence as you purchase a dress for a funeral never planned

I have a million other examples ~ as I'm sure you do as well. But do you also think ~as we are called to do~ about the gentleness of our Lord?

~He sat & listened to the woman at the well, when no one else would come near her
~He prompted the heart of Boaz towards a woman working in his field
~He posed a rhetorical sentence to the angry crowd: He who is without sin may cast the first stone. And when they were all gone, the woman was left there with Him...Who did not yell or chastise her, but rather said, "Go and put away your sins."
~The heart of a 9 year old girl heard a whisper alone in her bed & she knew that voice was Jesus

Are there stories where Jesus was mad or God sent down His angst against His people? Of course. But time & time again, when I pick up God's Word, He reveals His gentleness to my heart, reminding me that no matter my sin, he will never pull me back to His will kicking & screaming, but rather whisper in my ear His ways ever so gently until I follow. Gentleness is controlled strength. God can slam you straight back into you place (and, ahemmm....maybe He has deemed that necessary sometimes) but most instances, He nudges you or speaks through someone or whispers into your heart every so slightly ~ with gentleness.

When you were holding your precious infant those first few days of their life, weren't you praying over his/her life & all the things he/she would become? Didn't you create a picture in your mind of health & happiness of a child who grows up to be a lover of Christ, a giver of His love, showing kindness to others? But your children aren't perfect, are they? And I'm sure they never let you down either. Let me guess ~ All of their chores are done with a smile & every word is spoken in love & no one rolls their eyes at you, right? Wait....wait ......Ohhhhhh, that was God's plan for us, not the sinful, fleshly world we live in today. Well let me pose this question then...Do you forgive your children when they make a mistake? Do you tell them they can do a better job next time & that you are still proud of all they are trying to learn? Do you remind them with gentleness that we don't eat the bread of idleness & that our house won't clean itself & then make chores fun? When they use unkind words or roll their eyes for the 3 millionth time, do you show them by your own words how they can choose differently next time?

God remembers our sins. He created us & knows our every detail, remember? But He doesn't leave us there. He guides us gently ~ and yes, sometimes with a necessary rebuke ~ back to Him. He remembers holding us as a tiny embryo, delicately making us into who we are today. He sits back & watches as we take our first steps with the very feet he fashioned. He recalls painting our fingerprints & the color of our eyes just as vividly as He recalls paining the sunset in the thousands of colors we see. He's Our Abba ~ Our Father. And as we are trusted with children, we need to also gently guide them back into His arms. We need to help lead them back to His Word .. reminding them of His gentleness we are to display ..

"He tends His flock like a shepherd, He gathers the lambs in His arms and carries them close to His heart..."

"Here is my servant in whom I uphold, my chosen one in whom I delight."

"Come to me all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle & humble in heart..."

Be gentle today ~ Your children will see this beautiful trait of Our Abba through you ~ And will hopefully listen the next time He is speaking to them ~