October 23, 2013
A Round of 5 Favorites
October 16, 2013
public letter to my husband
*sigh* My view for the morning hours, thank you.
Labels:
love letter
,
Matt
October 13, 2013
Sanctifying Sunday: Thankfulness-the 10%
Another Sanctifying Sunday with Matt... Enjoy!
Ten percent isn't bad, at least in regards to investments. Many people would be happy to have that ROI (return on investment) these days. Winning the lottery has the chances of one in 175 million, which makes ten percent look pretty good. In today's Gospel only one out of the ten lepers returns to Jesus to say thanks.
So, Jesus' stats are better than the market and playing the lottery, but somehow seem to fall way short of what is supposed to happen when you're healed of leprosy.
Among all of the stories in the Gospel, today's has always been one of my favorites. Ten lepers come to him for healing and when they leave all ten are healed. However, only one returns to thank him.
I think of the other 9 who were healed. I heard a priest once say that maybe the other 9 didn't realize they were healed. I've never had leprosy, but I can imagine that if you did you would for sure know if it's gone. For heaven's sake, leprosy still today sequesters people to the fringes of society, it's a terrible disease that eats away at your body. Webster defines it as a contagious disease that affects the skin, mucous membranes, and nerves, causing discoloration and lumps on the skin and in sever cases disfigurement and deformities....
I like this Gospel story because it hits so close to home. Countless times I've prayed for myself or others for a physical, spiritual, and emotional healing. And through the power of God these healings DO take place!
Sometimes, I find myself like the 9 who don't even return to say thanks.
Other times, I'm like the one who returns to say thanks but doesn't fall down in adoration.
The best times, are when I return to say thanks and fall down before God in an action of complete thanksgiving.
So, Jesus' stats are better than the market and playing the lottery, but somehow seem to fall way short of what is supposed to happen when you're healed of leprosy.
Among all of the stories in the Gospel, today's has always been one of my favorites. Ten lepers come to him for healing and when they leave all ten are healed. However, only one returns to thank him.
I think of the other 9 who were healed. I heard a priest once say that maybe the other 9 didn't realize they were healed. I've never had leprosy, but I can imagine that if you did you would for sure know if it's gone. For heaven's sake, leprosy still today sequesters people to the fringes of society, it's a terrible disease that eats away at your body. Webster defines it as a contagious disease that affects the skin, mucous membranes, and nerves, causing discoloration and lumps on the skin and in sever cases disfigurement and deformities....
I like this Gospel story because it hits so close to home. Countless times I've prayed for myself or others for a physical, spiritual, and emotional healing. And through the power of God these healings DO take place!
Sometimes, I find myself like the 9 who don't even return to say thanks.
Other times, I'm like the one who returns to say thanks but doesn't fall down in adoration.
The best times, are when I return to say thanks and fall down before God in an action of complete thanksgiving.
This Gospel story is a reflection of God's infinite and unending mercy to save sinners. There are no more racial or socioeconomic boundaries. It is the foreigner among the 10 that returns to say thanks. The other nine are of Jesus' blood- Isrealites. This guy's a Samaritan and he's the thankful foreigner. God's mercy knows no bounds.
An attitude of gratitude goes a long, long way in our lives and the implications that follow from being thankful are far reaching. If you're having a hard time with life, a specific situation, relationship, whatever it may be-- try focusing on the good things that God has already done for you. Put on an "attitude of gratitude" and I guarantee things will begin to change for the better.
Having a complete heart full of gratitude that impels one to return in thanksgiving will have profound consequences.
Don't be caught in up in the 90%, which chose to be thankless. It's a bad place to be. It's way better to be returning in complete thanksgiving.
Having a complete heart full of gratitude that impels one to return in thanksgiving will have profound consequences.
I'm thankful for these 4 healthy kids. |
Peace,
Matt Loboda
Labels:
Matt
,
sanctifying Sunday
,
Sunday
,
Thankfulness
October 4, 2013
Painful Loving
How in the world could 4 little people drive one momma to the madness?
Well... Sadly, it's just way to easy peasy...
It started off with a whole mug of coffee being spilt on our new living room rug. And the engine only picked up steam from there. The kiddos saying "mom, mooom, MOM" like every 2.5 seconds didn't help either.
And then, Hope finding the toilet for the 3rd time in an hour, because one of the miniatures left the bathroom door open AGAIN was a for sure tipping point.
But then, the play fighting that seems like such a good/fun/occupying idea at the time ended up (like ALWAYS!) with tears streaming down my 2 boys faces and fingers pointing at the other saying: "He hit me!" Which makes me just want to scream: Isn't that the point of play fighting! And for the record play fighting should really be called make-mom-crazy-fighting, which should never take place in our Boda household even if for a few heavenly minutes it seems like the best game on the planet.
But, I think what really had my mind a fumin' was that I just wanted to get stuff done today and no matter how hard I tried the kids needs interrupted that "stuff" from getting anywhere near being done.
Honestly, most days my stuff can wait and I am happy to do it in between diaper changes, snacks, meltdowns and the like, but today I really wanted to do my thang. Like for instance, get my house totally set up the way that I want it, pictures hung and all. Sit and drink a cup of coffee for 30 minutes. Okay, okay I know not going to happen for the next seven years, but I would have just settled for a brief 5 minutes of sipping in peace. I really wanted to make a phone call to a friend that I have been dying to touch base with. And, shopping for a new pair of skinny jeans that my wardrobe is so in need of was at the top of the list.
It's days like today that make me stop and think: Man, this mom vocation thing is really tough. I mean HELLO, a mom is always, always giving of herself entirely for her children, even still my mom does this for her 7 grown children (me included). A mom's job never stops. The times that we can just shut off for a day or even an hour are next to none. And most of us, we do this because we love the heck out of our kids and when it's all said and done there is nothing else in the world that we would rather be doing.
But sometimes, like today, when I am going through the motions of "doing" just because I have to, the joy of being a mother seems to fade away and it all just becomes a chore.
In my heart I know that God has entrusted me with the best job on the planet. And as silly as it may sound, He does not want me to peel and slice Isaac's apple just exactly exactly so, simply because I have to. Or to watch Hope toddle around and make sure she doesn't put every inedible thing in her mouth, just because it's my job. But God wants me to choose to do those things with love, out of love and for love. Just like He chooses to watch over me every hour of every day, not because He has to, but because He loves to.
So, in the midst of the tough calling that God has given me and all of us moms, I know that it is only through the loving that I can even begin to really give of myself. And though the days can sometimes be really hard and bedtime doesn't seem to come soon enough, I do love it, because I love my kids and I love my Jesus.
Yes, today was a hard day for me and none of my stuffing got done, but I made it and so did all of you!
I am just praying that tomorrow I don't simply go through the motions of being a mother because I have to, but that I love and love hard because I want to.
Labels:
deep thoughts
,
kiddos
,
Motherhood