Letter to my "Joy" (youngest son) written 10-01-13

Dear Youngest Son,

I call you my Joy! Many may ask why I refer to my eldest as my pride and my youngest my joy. I have written your elder brother a letter and now I must write you. 

I didn’t expect to have another beautiful boy so soon after having your brother but I am so thankful God had different plans. I remember telling your daddy that we were having another baby and although I was quite nervous, I seen the joy that spread across his face. You too, were always wanted son!  It seemed with son #2 coming all the hype of having to get this and that and everything done just perfectly, was not consuming us as with pregnancy #1. I really got to take in and enjoy every move you made inside my tummy. Even though it would have seemed to be fun to have a girl and saying that I had one of each, I had an indescribable satisfaction that I would be blessed with another boy.

The day you were born you brought joy to so many who came to be a part of your birth date. Being born on Friday 13^th may have triggered thoughts less desirable from onlookers but your momma, daddy, and brother felt no matter the superstitions, our family received a bundle of joy that day. They moved you to the NICU for a few days because you aspirated some fluid and my heart felt so torn as I would visit you in your little isolette in the back of the nicu. God showed me how thankful I should be as I passed by those babies weighing only a pound or so when my big boy was holding his own at 6 pounds 15 ounces. Despite my sadness of brief separation, I was thankful that my “joy” was being watched so closely not only by the wonderful staff at UT Hospital but also our Lord who gave you to us. Three days felt like forever and then we were reunited and we took our joy home. You were such a good baby and brought joy to each person who was blessed to hold and cuddle you.

As you grew, so did your personality! You are such a funny young man. I wish that I had recorded all the funny things you have said. Our family can agree that we laugh more because of you. Your quick wit and interpretation of life is so much fun! The way you attempt to hold your humor in during times that should be serious is especially known to me and sometimes it is all I can do to not chuckle too. You laugh off trouble and always have a positive way to problem solve. You are ticklish from head to toe and we all know to get you right at the base of your neck. All these qualities show me that it is impossible for you to contain your joy and the rest of us all get to enjoy the side effects of it. When you were five, we learned that you heart would beat twice every third beat. It did scare me at first but soon I realized that you are definitely a child who marches to the beat of your own drum. Momma thinks you have such a happy heart that it has to throw an extra beat. Sometimes you notice the extra beat and you say God is talking to you. I feel confident that you will discern the difference one day when HE knocks to save you. As much as you delight in the good things of life now, I know you will especially appreciate the joy of salvation.

Lastly, we are entertained by your love for numbers. Everything to you results in a math problem. You count the light bulbs in every room, you audit every money transaction that daddy and momma makes to be sure its fair, you have known value placement and the difference of negative and positive numbers since you were four years old, you like even numbers of pieces of food on your plate and no one dares to half something with you because only you can tell its uneven, you count the letters in each word to help you remember your spelling, you even use numbers in your philosophy when getting angry with your brother. You called him a nobody one day and when I discouraged you from saying that, then you counter challenged by saying: “okay then, he is a negative ‘somebody’ and a positive nobody” and we all got a big kick out of how profound your thinking was. You say that you aspire to be an engineer so you can use your love of numbers and design bridges…There is no doubt in my mind that you will do just that or whatever you set your mind to!

Son, we enjoy watching you grow! You are very tough on the outside but you could never hide the evidence of being a “mommas boy” on the inside and for that I call you my “Joy.”

 

With ALL my Love,

Mom

Written by sstansberry on 10-01-13

Devotion # 82 - Chores welcomed!

This evening over dinner, Russ was telling me about a man with cancer that he was able to witness to today. The man was telling Russ that he was trying to get things fixed up around the place to ease the burden of chores on his wife after he is gone. Russ told him that he had to stop thinking that way and start thinking positive. He was telling him that he had to determine in his mind and heart that he was going to make it regardless of what the doctors or statistics say. I have watched Russ do this very thing, he does not entertain the possibility that God is through with him yet. The first few months after he was diagnosed with cancer, I would cry and he would say.."Honey, I am not going anywhere! I am still here right now and I need you to smile for me!" Before long it rubbed off on me and I truly knew in my heart that he was indeed not going anywhere until God said he was finished with Russells work here. I got to thinking this evening that I don't want Russ to ever get "done" with his chores here so God will keep him here for me and the boys. I want to relate this to our spiritual chores and how we need to keep on working. I know trials get us down at times and we may even have the notion that we would like to just get our ends tied up and rest in heaven sooner than later. But there are still so many souls who need an opportunity to accept the Lord in the hearts and lives. The scripture I posted this morning really seemed to speak to me throughout the day. (Galatians 6:9 And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.) Please keep on keeping on. Do not wish for our chores on earth to be done. Try to use this in your spiritual life, physical life, emotional life..all aspects. Think about it, when my house becomes spic and span then there is a good chance my children are grown and my husband has gone on...so I dare not rush to see my chores done and even at that time in my life, I pray that I am wiping up the fingerprints of grandchildren. I don't won't my weeping to stop here for as long as my tears flow down my cheeks then there is evidence of a burden for my lost family & friends to be saved. As long as there is still a dish to wash or bed to make then there is evidence that my family still needs me to rise and shine one more morning. As long as I have a spiritual chore to do then I have evidence that God will show me one more lesson to teach or devotion to write. Be not weary in well doing friends think positively about your your assignments you receive from the Lord. Yeah, I know first hand that God will surprise you with how big of a chore that HE gives you to handle. But remember HIS word says that we are "fearfully and wonderfully made"...HE knows that exact amount of weight you can carry right down to the very ounce of your breaking point. Trust HIM, depend on HIM, and Do not rush to get your chores done...complete them the best you can! Be encouraged friends! Written by s.stansberry 9-17-13

Devotion #84 - Get 'em in it!

Devotion #84 - Get 'em in it!
Last Christmas we bought the boys their first big boy Bibles with their names on them and a Bible case. They are so proud of carrying them to church each service. My bible and Russells Bible are completed covered with highlights and notes over the years. I actually have three Bibles that are covered with notes/memories, Russ has a few too. The boys asked if they could write in theirs and immediately I answered, "No, never write in these Bibles!" But God stopped me and said "Get 'em in it!" So I said: "Okay boys, whatever scripture the preacher reads for his sermon then y'all can highlight those in your Bible." He showed me that the last thing that I should do is forbid them to stay away from HIS Word. The boys can already read pretty good and even though they may not understand everything they are highlighting (can say that I understand EVERYTHING either) I want them to feel comfortable with Gods word in their laps. I want them to have some sort of memory that when the preacher said turn to Exodus I heard him preach about the Ten commandments or I remember the time he preached about the fruits of the spirit and it seems like it was in Galatians. Even if they don't remember the specifics they may look thru their Bibles when they get older and see highlighted material and use it as confirmation that they have been exposed to this truth too. When I don't know all the right choices in regards to raising my children, I am so thankful for the still small voice that God often comes with to help me guide them in HIS way. Let them get in HIS word! Of course I still won't let them write with a pen in it and I certainly want them to respect the Bible and not deface it BUT I cannot think of a safer place to find the eyes of my children. Get 'em in it!! Psalms 33:4 For the word of the LORD is right; and all his works are done in truth. Written by s.stansberry on 09-30-13

Letter to my "Pride" (eldest son) Written 11-11-11

Welcome to a fragment of my imagination! Despite all my recent college studies, my brain is still exploding to write so I have decided to take a moment to entertain my blog readers. What you are about to read is just the outermost surface of how I think, however, it will also expose to you a very deep spot in my heart since it is based on my child.

I have a blog waiting to be posted called: "My Pride and Joy," I want to mention it to you to display how special my boys are individually. I have always said: My oldest is my Pride and My youngest is my Joy. It may sound strange that I could give them such particular descriptions but it has rang true thus far. This blog is about my oldest son. In contrast to my facebook page you may have noticed that I do not use names on my blogspot, just a personal preference of mine...BUT if you know me then you know who my oldest son is :)

Please be warned that this is an just a thought process of mine based on accumulated truths but "of course" there is no way that I could predict the future. Please enjoy the following letter created for an interesting read:

Dear Eldest Son,
I write this letter to you with no intentions of ever giving it to you. Should my intuitions become reality I would then hand this letter over to you. In the case that your life direction turns in another unique direction, this letter will be dismissed as an overactive imagination of momma...it will then remain tucked away in a journal that you may or may not come across in later years. Dear Son, I have always felt you were a different sort of child. The very first day that I laid eyes on you I felt a pride that I cannot explain. My first thought was "he looks like a little man"...I have never stopped looking at you that way, a child beyond your actual birth age. I noticed as you mastered each new milestone, you were way ahead of schedule. At thirteen months old you became the "big boy brother" and I felt guilt that you missed out on being mommas baby. As I look back I see things that God was doing to prepare you for your future. I finally started adding things up when you were around age four. My aha moment told me that...There was a very good chance that you would choose to be an American soldier. I surpressed the thoughts and even tried to discourage you when you would insinuate such a thing. One day I went as far as to say, "You could die and I would never see you again"...you answered: "I'll come back home mom!" You wanted your bedroom painted green and decorated in GI Joe. You wanted "real" military stuff for decor and I searched the antiques shops tirelessly for two weeks to find the perfect artifacts to represent each of the different military branches. A few times I ventured to wonder if you would be a troubled child due to your interest for guns, knives, and fighting for the things you wanted. I began to pray to God every night, that HE would to start protecting you now and teaching me the right things to do and say, to keep you on an honorable path. July 4th after your fifth birthday, you took special interest in American flags, you and a young boy at church took a solo verse together that went like this "we live in a country, the greatest on earth, her flag stands for freedon and what it is worth, she stands in the harbor miss liberty calls, all have gave some but some have a gave all for me to be blessed." It seems you memorized the pledge of alliegence the very first day of kindergarten. Your excitement was bubbling over when you found out you would gather around the flag in honor of 9/11. You begged to learn the words of the song that was sang at the assembly, so we looked it up on youtube and sang God Bless the USA for days. On hat day you insisted to wear a soldiers hat that we had bought at the flea market a couple of weeks prior..you dressed in your camo and with an American flag shirt under and carried you soldier backpack proudly. The owner of the hat had told us of the story of her brother and his illness from pre-vaccinations before leaving for Iraq. Soon after he was home his body gave away and he was confined to a wheelchair and soon his life ended. I could not understand why she would sell such a special momento but felt a warmness that we were fortunate to have bought it. As Veterans Day approached and I began to remember the many family members of my own who had proudly served...it hit me like a ton of bricks, "it is in your blood"...I don't know how it got there because there is no immediate family influence on you (save a first cousin of mine, being a second cousin of yours) but it must be in your blood! Dear God...NO!! Please No!! I do not want to give my son. I prayed for a son and indeed you blessed me two-fold BUT BUT BUT...I cannot spare even one of my children!! This world is entirely too wicked, they are trying to remove YOU from our great America, I cannot allow him to go fight for people like that!!!
Suddenly,....In the most clear tone, the sweetest voice of God that you have ever heard said: "I know, I have been there too...Its okay!"
I began to direct my thoughts in a way that I could already see HIS divine blessings on my family. God loved me enough to go ahead and warn me and prepare me. I am very reluctant to even think of the fact that in less than thirteen years my son could make his own decision to serve his country. God was preparing you as well, I just know that you will accept God in your heart because I feel a strong sense that there is a job for you to do, almost like it happened with Jeremiah in the Bible--God knew him and prepared him in the womb. Speaking of womb, you came from my womb with a scar on your left side near your ribs, I joke and say God has already prepared you a wife, my mind has ventured to explore other possible meaning of the scar, when chances are... you simply scratched yourself in utero.
Dear son, God is preparing you. I am thinking more clearly now trying to swallow down the consideration that I am the cause for such a decision, my parenting style could be interpreted as a drill sargeant in regards to be accountable, punctual, and trustworthy, demanding a daily family routine. I see that you were born with a take-charge spirit and felt so proud of your independance to help care for your brother. I found myself trusting you to handle the job you volunteered to do, I would almost laugh at myself when I thought of the absurdity that you could fix your own cereal, or hush your brother to sleep. I shudder to remember the protector role that you did not hesitate to armor yourself with when your daddy would experience a heath problem and you would keep your brother occupied in the next room over to be sure he wasn't scared. My heart aches when I recall how tough you always have to be and how seldom you would admit that something hurt. I always say "if he cries, run to him, he is hurt!"
On the other hand I see a soft, tender love for people behind that tough boy facade. I see a little boy who loves to give things away, you are not very materialistic at all and you have gave your toys away even at the rebuttal of your mother. You would wince at another persons pain and beg for us to help them, your concern for animals is so intense. Could any or all of these instances be "on purpose," ways to mold you for your future or it is clearly coincidental? Only time will reveal the the conclusion of this letter. No matter what you are your mommas pride!"

I love you!!
Mother
11-11-11

****Hope you enjoyed a briefing of my imagination for a day, God Bless!!****

Devotion #73 ~ A school teacher said..

written by s.stansberry on 05-15-13

 

Today I was just chit chatting with a teacher where I work and she was telling me how she teaches her students in regards to test taking. She said that usually they get the correct answer the first time and she teaches them to go back and prove that the answer is right, rather than to try to re-answer the question and possibly make a change. As soon as she had shared that with me God said: "Make a note of this and we will come back to it later." Her and I talk for some time longer about random stuff and then I went on my way. A little later today, I had to run up to Briceville Elem to finish collecting some data for my end of the year reports and I often love to use this drive time for meditation. I turned my radio off and started trying to remember what it was that I was suppose to remember....I decided to pray since I couldn't remember and before you know it, I'm guessing less than a mile into my prayer, God reminded me....

And it went something like this: Test taking is a time to prove you have learned the things you have been taught. The advice you were given today about an academic test can be used spiritually too! When going through a test in your life, go with the answer you well know and have heard so many times. "Just trust God!" Sometimes we hear this so much that we forget the magnitude of this statement. So we have the right answer but then we begin to second guess ourselves....yeah, I know I am suppose to trust God but this bill is too big, this diagnosis is too scary, this stress is too draining, the list could go on and on and we are already dismissing our very first instinct to "Just trust God!".....So what God showed me today is....instead of trying to find another answer...Just prove that the one I already know is correct!! Talking about an "aha" moment!!! I guess God Himself was steering my little car up that curvy road because I was far from watching where I was going, I was off in heavenly places. When I started thinking of proving God was the right answer, I see a bill too big and an unexpected check in the mail, I see a cancer survivor who still gets to kiss me goodnight each evening, I see mountains in my rearview mirror the size reduced to fractions compared to how they looked when I faced them head on...BUT I proved God and HE stood firm as the rock HE had promised to be in my life.

Job was given a huge test but he proved God! The Three Hebrew Children proved God by walking through the fire test, Daniel proved God by sleeping with the hungry lions, Ruth proved God by clinging to her mother-in-law after such a great loss but declaring where you go I will go, where you reside I will reside, and where you die I will die. There are so many who set us an example of how to prove God, true to HIS word!

I challenge you to prove God in each test you face, don't go back and chane what you know in your heart to be true...because "Just Trust God" is still the answer!

 

Devotion #75 - Part of having a best friend is BEING one!

written by s.stansberry on 05-31-13

 

"Part of having a best friend means BEING one" quote by Joey on the show Full House

I am a person who takes friendship very seriously and personally. This scripture below completely wraps up the above quote!

Proverbs 18:24 A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.

Just because you know someone does not create a friendship. You must be the friend that you expect them to be. Futhermore, there is a friend that sticks closer than a brother. If you have a relationship with this friend "Jesus" then how much more should we cherish this friendship. It is more than just "Jesus is my friend," we should try to be a friend to HIM as well. Meaning not just expect HIM to be here for us when we need HIM but I want to be there for HIM when HE needs me. You say: "Does God really need me?" ABSOLUTELY!! Remember HE said that we are the light of the world through HIM. Of course, HE could probably find someone better than me but I cherish the fact that he WANTS me.

Let us try to be a friend that God can trust. One that HE will call on when HE needs a work done, one that HE remembers when HE throws a blessing party that there is an invitation for me, one that when I am going through a hard time that HE wouldnt have it any other way but to be there and hold my hand through. I want to invite HIM to dinner with my family, be proud to tell others about my best friend, take HIM on vacation with me....

Jesus said: John 15:15...Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.

THE BIGGEST PART OF HAVING A BEST FRIEND IS BEING ONE!!

 

God Bless!!

 

 

Devotion #76 cont. - Truth is stranger than fiction (Part 2) {re: Butterfly}

written by s.stansberry on June 8, 2013

 

Truth Stranger than fiction (Part 2)

The second part of my lesson went something like this:

When we were children it was so simple to believe that a caterpillar (worm) would crawl up in a tree, and fly down a butterfly. It was easy to believe because we just kinda witnessed it from the day we were born. BUT if, as an adult, I sit around and try to think of how that is possible, it is much more difficult to believe its possible even though is really is TRUTH.

Same goes with raising a child in a home to believe God can make a change in your life and it is just that simple!

The TRUTH of the Butterfly formation is much stranger than anything my mind could make up! this can be related to our christain life on so many levels... 2 Cort. 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old thins are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

Caterpillar: We start out as the caterpillar, just a worm...if we dont make it to the tree (calvary), we will die a worm and spend our life where the worm dieth not. Caterpillars eat only leaves at this point and crawl on their bellies. In the state of the caterpillar, we are lost and Gods word says in Matt 4:4 that we must not live by bread alone.

Pupation: this stage is a representation of our salvation. The worm climbs a tree and starts the process of "change"...this could be like the time we were under conviction...you see this worm must do this process on its own, I read a story once that a young lady was watching a worm in the pupa state and seen that it was almost complete, she decided to get her scissors out and snip the smallest bit of the cocoon away, the butterfly fell free...HOWEVER, it never could fly, she later learned that the animal had to stay upside down in the cocoon until its winds were completely filled with blood so it could gain its strength to fly. We must let GOD do the saving so the lost can recieve the exact amount of blood needed to fly!

Butterfly: at this stage we can nowfully display Gods beauty in our life. we can FLY! no two butterflies are the same, God has made you unique in HIM. Their life is quite brief on earth but they can make a significant impact on the world. They now drink nectar! Butterflies do not harm anything they come in contact with, not people, not other animals, not structures...Butterflies are almost always seen if the day.

I challenge each of you to find the beauty inside of you, the beauty that GOD gave you and use it to give HIM the credit in your life. Our time here on earth is described in the bible as nothing more than a vapour and I pray that we can be harmless to those around us yet effective to make their life just a little more beautiful! Spread your wins as a new creature in God and FLY!

TRUTH is stranger than Fiction!