By Randy Lee

i·ro·ny1
ˈīrənē/
noun

1. a state of affairs or an event that seems deliberately contrary to what one expects and is often amusing as a result.

Everyday, ironies surround us out of the mundane and unremarkable events of our lives. As Christians living in this earthly realm, we must remain vigilant to remember that this world is not our home. Our lives are for a far greater calling than what we see and feel around us on a daily basis.

During a recent office visit to our dentist, the receptionist asked my daughter, “Do you have your Christmas tree up yet? When she said, “No.” the receptionist responded, “Oh, so you don’t celebrate Christmas?” Later that same week, our music teacher was leaving our home when she made the comment, “Oh, I see you don’t have a Christmas tree. You don’t celebrate Christmas?” Read more →

– Anonymous

God’s love covers me, a mom of young kids. God is so incredibly personal when I face the daily duties and challenges of being a mom. I was already feeling exhausted from a rough week, but this pushed me over the edge. My baby actually finished her meal. It doesn’t happen often. So I’ll take it.  Then I gave her some plain yogurt mixed with fruit. She started gagging and threw up her whole meal. Sigh… I guess the yogurt was too sour. I could hear my husband’s voice in my head, “It’s better to put less yogurt”. Then I heard my own voice saying a lot of harsh self-talk. “Why can’t I get this right?! Why did I mess up again?” I held my emotions in as I cleaned up the sticky and sour smelling mess.

Later, I went upstairs while my husband watched the kids. I couldn’t hold it in anymore. I broke down in tears in the bathroom, alone. Thinking back, it was such a small thing. But too many things were accumulating in my heart. A few minutes later, I heard small feet pounding up the stairs. My son didn’t notice my tears at first, so I didn’t bother hiding it. But for some reason, he started brushing my hair. I thought to myself, “Uh…kinda strange, but OK, I guess…” Then he went away to play.

When it came time for bed, my son and I finished story time and we prayed. I was telling God how discouraged I was feeling. I assumed my son wasn’t paying attention, since he was looking at the picture book and rolling around in bed. But as I praying, my son said to me, “Mommy, God says, ‘I want to heal your broken heart. I love you, even when you make mistakes’.”

God is so incredibly personal and so loving! I couldn’t say anything, just tears. Our Father knows exactly how to encourage and the exact words I needed. He fills me with grace, again and again. Since I was filled up, I could be gracious to my son, who wasn’t tired that night and kept chatting away. I just waited for him to fall asleep, even though it was very late.