Tag: Kids

The “Keep the Van Clean” Contract

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Well, here I am again…another weekday afternoon spent just waiting in the school car rider line. It’s a 30 minute drive here, and at least a 30 minute wait once I’m parked.

With gas prices at $4.00 per gallon right now, my wallet doesn’t like that very much…but that’s ok — I also do some of my best thinking during this quiet ride.

Sometimes my husband comes with. On those days, we do more talking than thinking.

And then there’s those times when my husband drives himself — and on those days, he’s got one thing and one thing only on his mind:

Beat 👏 The 👏 Odysseys. 😂

— The Honda Odysseys, to be exact.

I don’t know whether it’s his competitive spirit or just that he wants to be the first to nab the super shady parking spot on 90 degree days 🥵 — but let me tell you, that man is on a mission. 🤣

Part of me can understand why he’d want to upstage the Odysseys though.

I mean, they do give off a slightly condescending vibe 😒 — what with their automatic doors, fresh wax jobs, and…ALL THOSE Disney passholder decals. 🤭🙄🙄🙄🤣

I kid.

But they certainly are a far cry from our dusty Kia van…whose only embellishment is a “custom pinstripe” down one side, courtesy of the sand hill cranes in our neighborhood, who viciously attacked it with their beaks during last year’s mating season. 🤦‍♀️

And don’t even get me started on the interior, which right now straight up looks like an episode of hoarders.

Literally every time those van doors open, I’m silently praying that one of our McDonald’s wrappers doesn’t go flying out the door like that feather from Forrest Gump.

But honestly people, it wasn’t always like this.

Believe it or not, our van was once in mint condition…even had that “new car smell” for at least a month after we drove it off the lot.

Ahhh, I still remember signing those purchase agreement papers like it was yesterday. 🥰

Our oldest son, who was about six at the time, was with us that day…he was busy playing a game on the iPad while we haggled with the salesman.

And that’s when my husband came up with the brilliant idea to quietly pull the salesman aside and ask if he would draw up a little “contract” for our son to sign as well — a “Keep the Van Clean” contract. 🤣

Thankfully, the salesman was eager to play along. And the hilarity that ensued was almost too much to bear with a straight face…

My husband vacated the seat nearest to the sales desk and motioned for my son to take his place…without missing a beat, the salesman began to explain to my son that indeed he too had a part to play in this whole purchase process.

We watched and listened as the salesman in his most professional composure walked my son through all the details of the “Keep the Van Clean” contract…🤣

My son looked at me in disbelief…would the van really be repossessed if we didn’t keep it clean?!?! 😳😳😳😳😳😱🤯

I bit my lip to keep from bursting out in laughter and somehow managed to nod soberly — but then immediately looked away as tears of laughter began rolling down my cheeks. 😂

We still have a carbon copy of that “contract” tucked away in our glove box for safe-keeping. 🤣

**********************************

Fast forward to today and despite the best of intentions, we obviously did not in fact end up keeping the van clean. 😩

Don’t get me wrong, we do take it through the car wash every now and again…always vowing afterward to “never eat fast food in here again.” But it’s never long before we’ve messed things up once more.

Good thing our local car wash has an option for an unlimited pass — for a monthly fee, you can drive through the wash and use the vacuums as many times as you need.

And that’s when I got to thinking…when it comes down to it, we’re all just like those minivans. And no matter how nice looking our “van” is on the outside, we all get all messy on the inside sometimes.

And God knows that.

He knows we’re messy…he knows life is rough and we tend to go off road sometimes…and get a little mud on our tires…we get busy and instead of consuming the bread of life from his Word, we’re stopping at a drive thru and keeping the evidence in a pile on our floorboards.

He also knows that just like my dirty old van, we as sinners are in desperate need of washing too — in need of cleansing from all our sins.

So through the blood of Christ the Lamb, He offers unlimited washes to us, too.

And best yet, God’s wash is free. Praise God the price has already been paid for you and me through Jesus’ sacrifice. 🙏❤️🙏

There is one stipulation though…

Our local car wash is open from dawn to dusk — daylight hours only. As convenient as it would be sometimes to we can’t expect to run through the carwash after business hours (when it’s dark), it’s closed. The washers aren’t working.

And just as we can’t run our van through the carwash in the middle of the night, we also cannot expect God to cleanse us when we are willfully walking in darkness. (Hebrew 10:26-29; Romans 6:1)

We must continue to walk in the light in order to receive that continual forgiveness and cleansing — to receive the blessing and privilege of unlimited washes. (I John 1:5-10) That means, following the example and teachings of Jesus in out everyday lives.

The “Keep the Van Clean” contract is a lot like God’s law for us. We should aim to be holy as He is holy — to follow in the footsteps of Jesus. But alas, we are human and we fail — the car wash is His grace for us through Jesus.

Take advantage of that wonderful grace today by acknowledging Jesus as the Son of God and your Savior, repenting of your sins, and being baptized for the remission of your sins. It’s a limited time offer too good to pass up! ❤️

Until next time…

-PWAP

Forgive and Forget

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The other day, my six-year-old son came running to me from the playroom with a flushed face and big crocodile tears in his eyes.

Assuming he had been wrestling around with his big brother again, I braced myself for impact as I anxiously asked, “Buddy — what’s wrong?!??”

He buried his head in the arm of my chair as he broke down into full-on sobs. I stroked and patted his little back, waiting to hear what had happened.

Eventually, through his tears he got a few words out a a time: “Mom…I’m…so…sorry!!!”

“For what?!?” I said.

“Remember that time…I broke the…the…the pirate flashlight? I’m sorry!!!”

Despite his conviction, I honestly couldn’t remember the incident at all …but I knew what he was referring to because he’s told me this story before at random intervals. Always with tears in his eyes. 😔🥺 He’s my youngest and my most sensitive child.

The supposed transgression apparently happened a few years ago when we were living in our previous house. From what I’m told, I bought each of the boys a new toy, but because my younger son liked his older brother’s toy better, he immediately threw his own flashlight to the ground, causing it to break. He couldn’t have been more than 3 or 4 years old at the time.

I said, “Buddy, you were so small…you didn’t even know any better.”

He began to cry again.

“Yes, Mom…I did know that it was wrong — but I did it anyway.”

I hugged him tightly…it was obvious his heart was breaking and mine was breaking for him! I looked at his quivering lip and tear-stained cheeks, and said, “Buddy, don’t worry — I forgive you…I forgave you a long time ago for that…and I don’t even remember it anymore!”

The next morning, I got up and as I was brushing my teeth, a thought hit me. It’s not a new thought by any means, but it nonetheless hit me in a very new, very freeing way…

God forgives me.

There’s been so many days that I’ve come to God in prayer, still riddled with guilt and shame over past sins.

He doesn’t literally speak back to me in prayer, but through His Word the Bible, it’s as if God is saying: I forgive you…I forgave you for that a long time ago…and I don’t even remember it!

“For I will forgive their iniquities and will remember their sins no more.” – Hebrews 8:12

“The LORD is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in loving devotion. He will not always accuse us, nor harbor His anger forever. He has not dealt with us according to our sins or repaid us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His loving devotion for those who fear Him. As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us. As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear Him.” -Psalm 103: 8-13

“Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For in Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set you free from the law of sin and death. For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful man, as an offering for sin. He thus condemned sin in the flesh, so that the righteous standard of the law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.” – Romans 8:1-4

But there is only one way to take part in the forgiveness of God — by becoming His child.

Just like my son came to me for forgiveness…if we are children of God, we can come to our Father in the same way, also!

Because “As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear Him.” -Psalm 103:13

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” – 1 John 1:9.

If you are already a child of God and struggle with believing that God forgives you, I would suggest listening to a sermon called “Saved Without a Doubt” by Don Blackwell . All you have to do is click on the underlined words and it will take you straight to the video on YouTube. His message was a blessing to me and I hope will be to you as well.

Until next time…

-PWAP

“Tastes So Good” Powder

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My oldest son was in third grade when his teacher assigned the class their very first BIG school project.

The premise for the assignment was based on the hit TV show “Shark Tank.”

Each student would be given one week to “invent” a product and create a poster depicting/describing its use and cost. It could be as practical or as fantastical as they wanted.

At the end of the week, the assignment would culminate in a presentation. One by one, each student would be given an opportunity to “pitch” their idea to their fellow classmates, who would then subsequently vote for their favorite.

My son’s invention was called the “Multi-Tool.” A 4-in-1 yard tool that was capable of digging, sawing, tilling, and raking ⚒🛠….a practical yet manly product that would undoubtedly strongly appeal to most middle-aged men with dad-bods who frequent Home Depot (aka my husband…😜).

However…sadly, I must report that the “Multi-Tool” didn’t gain quite as much traction amongst the 10-and-under crowd. 🤷‍♀️😂

It seems my son’s fellow third-graders were much more intrigued by another classmate’s unique product idea…an invention called “Tastes-So-Good Powder.”

“Tastes-So-Good Powder” is just as simple as it sounds…you sprinkle it on top of anything you want to (or have to) eat and it makes everything “Taste-So-Good” — especially all the “gross” foods that kids hate, like broccoli, brussel sprouts, and spinach.

What 8-year-old wouldn’t jump at the chance to make meatloaf taste like pizza or brussel spouts taste like candy? 😋😉

Let’s just say she won by a landslide. 😂😂😂

And honestly, I think her invention was brilliant. I’ve got to hand it to her — the kid certainly knew her market. She knew exactly how to pander to every eight-year-old’s deepest hopes, fears, and desires…and she used it to her advantage.

And so does Satan.

He knows our hopes, he knows our fears, he knows our desires…but he panders to them in a much more sinister way.

In fact, the devil has been using his own version of “Tastes-So-Good Powder” to cover up the bitter taste of sin ever since Eve and Adam first first took a bite of that forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden.

Fast-forward to 2022…and now we’re living in a society where nearly everything is sprinkled with “Tastes-So-Good Powder” and sin is blatantly marketed as the cultural norm.

  • Street drugs legalized.
  • Abortion condoned.
  • Drunkenness socially accepted.
  • Divorce and broken homes rampant.
  • Depression and anxiety at an all-time high.
  • Leaders that are liars.
  • Shootings in our schools.
  • Human trafficking in our local neighborhoods.
  • Shows like “The Real Housewives” fill our TV line up.
  • Schools reading our children stories about homosexuality and transgenderism.
  • Social media streams filled with explicit images, profane language, haters, trolls, and slanderous memes.
  • The pornography industry delivering unsolicited messages straight to our inboxes.
  • Sins that used to be done in the dark, are now being broadcast in broad daylight.

But if we could only see sin for the ultimate death and destruction it brings in both this life and ultimately the afterlife — we would surely think long and hard before entangling ourselves in these foolish transgressions.

  • “For it is from within, out of a person’s heart, that evil thoughts come—sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. All these evils come from inside and defile a person.” (Mark 7:21-23)
  • “Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.” (I Corinthians 6:9-10)
  • “Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.”(Galatians 5:19-21)
  • “But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.” (Revelation 21:8)
  • “They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; they have no understanding, no fidelity, no love, no mercy.” (Romans 1:29-31)
  • “…envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.” (Galatians 5:21)

WOW.

Honestly, if these verses don’t scare you to death, I don’t know what will.

It doesn’t matter how much “Tastes-So-Good Powder” you sprinkle on it, sin will never be good for you. Satan may be able to change the taste, but he can’t change sin’s basic composition. This stuff comes straight out of the dumpster. It’s rotten. Spoiled. Disease-laden.

If you wouldn’t dumpster dive for your next meal, then it doesn’t make sense to feed yourself that way spiritually either.

Jesus is the bread of life (John 6:35) and the fruits of the Spirit are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23)…they don’t need to be covered up with any “Tastes-So-Good Powder” to be enjoyed.

Feed on his Word today.

Until next time…

-PWAP

Be Careful Little Car Who You Follow

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On the way to the boys’ school one morning, there was a little white SUV in front of us. By happenstance, we ended up following behind it for most of the car ride. After a while, even my youngest son (who was only 6) took notice of the fact that we were matching this vehicle’s path turn-for-turn.

Then, as the road widened from two lanes to four, the distance between our two vehicles gradually began to widen. Concerned that our path was slowly drifting away from that of the little white SUV, my son piped up from the backseat to say, “Hey Mom, you better speed up a little bit or you’re going to lose that white car in front of us!” 🤣🤣🤣

I guess he thought we were purposely following them (parenting note to self: must address your child’s potential stalker tendencies 🤣). I just laughed and said, “But buddy, we’re not TRYING to follow that white car on PURPOSE – we don’t even know where they’re headed. They might be going to the doctor’s office or the grocery store, but we’ve got to get you to school.”

And BOOM.

Lightbulb moment:💡💡💡 BE CAREFUL WHO YOU FOLLOW. 😬 Seems basic, but hit me in a new way today.

Just another epiphany I will file under the “Life Lessons Learned on the Way to School” tab of my brain. 🤣 But It’s SO true. In life. In spiritual life. In everything.

It’s great to have role models to follow – we all need them at certain times in our lives to help show us the way. But even role models can take a wrong turn every now and then…

Ultimately, Jesus is the only one who can take us all the way to our destination. And he’s given us the Bible to guide us, our spiritual GPS.

So, don’t let anything, even the cleanest, shiniest, whitest, most heavenly-looking SUV replace your GPS. Get your guidance straight from the source, or you run the risk of being led astray.

And if you are lost today, don’t let fear or pride get in your way of asking for directions. Ask. Seek. Knock. (Matthew 7:7) Just make sure the directions you are getting are reliable and match the “road map” outlined in Jesus’ teachings.

“24 Then Jesus told his disciples, ‘If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and FOLLOW me.’”- Matthew 16:24

Until next time…

-PWAP

If the Shoe Fits, Wear It

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I went on a field trip today…a field trip with 100 screaming, jumping six-year-olds…to a place where they teach you how crayons are made. There was noise, there was stress, there was a free mediocre pizza lunch…and at the end of the day, I got out of my car and thought: “I did it, I survived.”

And then I looked down at my feet and realized…I’ve been wearing two different shoes all day.

😳😳😳😳😳😳😳😳😳😳😳😳😳😳😳😳😳😳

I can’t. Believe. I did this. 🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️

And it wasn’t even two different pairs of cute shoes at that. 🤣😩🤣 One shoe was a leopard-print casual style and the other was a ratty old gym shoe that I wear when I work in the yard. 🙄

Now before you think I’m completely nuts — there is a perfectly logical explanation for this.

You see, I bought the leopard shoes a few months ago because I thought they were they were cute. But after wearing them a couple of times, I realized that while they are comfortable to walk in, they are a pain to drive in…the heel does this funny thing that makes it very uncomfortable to wear while pressing the pedals.

Because it was going to be about an hour’s drive to the field trip location, my plan was to wear the ratty shoe on my right pedal foot while I was driving, and change into the other leopard shoe after we arrived.

On the way there, my son was riding with me and said he needed to make a bathroom stop. This put us a little behind schedule, but when nature calls, there’s not much you can do! When we finally arrived, the bus had already unloaded and everyone was waiting for us. Not wishing to cause the group any further delays, we quickly jumped out of the car and joined the rest of the class…unbeknownst to me, with two completely different shoes on. 😳🤣

You see — I thought I had it all planned out…I thought I could change at the last minute and no one would even know. But you know what happened? I got too comfortable…I put that old ratty shoe on and didn’t even notice the difference…all stinkin day.

I think that’s also the way it goes for us when we try to have “one foot in the world” and “one foot in the church” (pun intended 😉).

Maybe we have one group of people that we dress, talk, or act a certain way around…and another group that we would be ashamed to act that way around. We think we can change at the last minute, keeping our ratty shoe behind closed doors, and no one will ever know the difference.

But the problem with keeping up appearances is that they’re hard to keep up. And eventually, we get so comfortable in our ways that it becomes part of who we are…we can’t cover it up anymore. The Bible says evil companions corrupt good morals. (I Corinthians 15:33)

Those two shoes didn’t belong together. Just like we as Christians are told that we don’t belong being “yoked together” with people who are practicing the evil ways of this world. “Don’t team up with those who are unbelievers. How can righteousness be a partner with wickedness? How can light live with darkness?” (II Corinthians 6:14)

The good news is…my son never even noticed my shoes either (I guess the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree 🤣). The truth is, he was too busy having fun with his classmates to even care — on the car ride home, he told me it was the “best day ever.” ❤️

God also calls our hearts to be like those of little children (Matthew 18:3-4). A long time ago, a fashion faux pas like this would have ruined my whole day. But I think my kid was right on this one — Despite the stress, despite the noise, despite the pizza, and despite the shoes…I think this was one of my best days ever, too. ❤️

Until next time…

-PWAP