no tent in my backyard

Recemtly I was praying for my family members- Where in the world is this family, anyway? I made a mental tally: John and I were visiting Noah and Jamey in Dallas, Joshua, Naomi and the kids were home in Spain, Rachel was visiting Abigail and Nathaniel in London, Mercy was with Luke and Gabrielle in San Antonio, Josiah in Memphis, Jeremiah in College Station-with more movement pending. . .remember, you didn't raise your children to pitch a tent in your backyard. . .and I continue to learn about divesting, life is a series of divestitures.

So, last month John and I stopped in at the Jacobsen's near Fresno, California-our families love visits together, sharing life, and memories. . .


Jane is one of those friends- God uses her to refresh my heart; this visit we had just 2 days- and talk, fast and furious over coffee.
Can you imagine that we talked about our children? how they're growing up, leaving home-appropriate talk about divesting.

Over a year ago Jane's daughter, Liz, married her John and moved to Cincinnati; my friend is experiencing her daughter's absence- And now there's sweet baby Emma . . . (our visits coincided-hmmm, this little one is ready to eat up!)

Ah, yes, giving up our children is hard, but it's good- remember heart, they belong to God, not to us. . . I already know that -and so does Jane, but reminding one another of truth is good, especially when emotions intrude on our peace, tempt us to focus on self. . . hmmm, then we're on the slippery slope. . .
I like what Elyse Fitzpatrick says to mothers in The Afternoon of Life, "We forget that God has plans for our children that were decreed in eternity past . . .we think we've got to make everything happen in just the way we think it should. . ."

Imagine that-God may have plans for my children different from my own! And there's the truth revealed to mothers in Psalm 139:13, 16-Your eyes saw my unformed substance; and in your book they were written, the days that were ordained for me, when as yet there were none of them.