Monday, May 30, 2011

For God's Sake

Last week I was sitting in the coffee shop waiting, with other homeschooling mamas, for our sons and daughters to finish their required testing.   Our conversations ranged from curriculum to culture wars.  Culture wars.   We talked about how we were raising our children intentionally, how our very lives are so...
counter-cultural.

Riding in the car yesterday with friends.  The husband softly lamenting about something hard for him to put in words.  He thinks Christians should live differently from the rest of the world, stand for our beliefs.  I say something about how, isn't that a universal problem?  A universal truth?  I say it quietly, more a musing to myself than a statement of conviction.  Maybe I'm a coward too.

Today Ann shares her list of thanks.  She mentions filing away her family's personal thanks, their history from last month, into the ongoing "diary" of their lives.

And I think about Ann and her family's diary.  I wonder at what that will look like a thousand years from now to people exploring, excavating to find out what it was like to live in 2011.   What will they think of the documents bearing the Voskamp family history?

The discovery will undoubtedly be that there were many different cultures on the earth in those times.  Within greater cultures there were smaller cultures... even down to the culture of one family.  Rugged individualism.
But what will it say about us,  really?  Was Ann's family different, just to be different?  What about you?  Did you take a stand for what you believed in?  If so, why?  Is it because you thought you needed to or should rebel against the greater culture of your time?
If anyone digs up evidence from my life a thousand years from now, will he find clues that we,  my family and I, lived not only differently, but more importantly.... purposefully.  Will the experts be able to determine what that purpose was,...... or will they think we were just soldiers in the culture war of our time?

I want them to know we did it for Him.... for God's sake.


Counting the gifts  #761-779

car pooling adults
fellowship of the saints
funny stories

many hands lovingly serving each other

a morning without rain
hot tea

probiotics in a bottle
that they were already in her pantry

prayer
Him hearing

adventurous learning
finally being ready for the leap
doing what I believe

dust cloths, vacuums, cleaners, elbow grease, trash bags
order restored

sweet children grappling with growing
friendships mended

family history
a chance to make it about Him










holy experience

4 comments:

  1. amen. i whisper amen here in this place, in His presence.


    my 'insides' have been wrestling along these very lines....

    i love you, Dear One.
    your thanks are also mine as i count your blessings with you (and yes, particularly the probiotics :)

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  2. Oh to be different for His sake! It makes us like Him! Thank you for sharing your precious list! Practicing looks good on you, girl! You look and smell of Jesus! Love and miss you!

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  3. Kara, first of all – they won't be able to dig it up – but they say what's on here – the inter-webs – it never goes away. So someone reading what you've written 100 years from now will definitely – most definitely know. And from your list of thank you's – my favorite one is this: dust cloths, vacuums, cleaners, elbow grease, trash bags - order restored - mostly because I know that though it sounds like a victory cry – you and I both know – it's a victory in a battle, in an ongoing war :-) keep fighting the good fight – on all fronts :-) thank you for this. I hearted your list – I always do. And God bless and keep you and each and every one of yours Kara.

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  4. Kara - just want you to know that I came by to read more of your stuff. I heart your words. I'm hoping that the lack of posts just means that you're busy with summer. I'll be back to read more new stuff later. God bless and keep you and each and every one of yours,Kara.

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