Things we will leave behind

I've been reading some books by Randy Alcorn on Heaven, and I've been really encouraged by them, as well as some conversations with friends about the same topic.

We really don't think enough about it, and how concrete and physical and amazing and REAL it will be. We won't be floating around on clouds playing harps, deathly bored...far from it.

Although I've been thinking a lot about what I will enjoy about Heaven...first and foremost, Christ...I've also been thinking a lot about what we will leave behind. Sometimes it's easy to be nervous and think well, we really enjoy this life, we just aren't ready to leave it, are we?

Of course, all the good things we enjoy will be there, only better. But, it helps me to think of all the things we will be leaving behind. Maybe it will help you too.

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sin

death

fear (sinful fear)

pain

hospitals

sickness

idolatry

rape

crying

murder

pride

dread

confusion

never feeling at home

watching friends suffer

medical errors/ignorance

pervasive sinful thoughts

irritation

impatience

funerals

passive-aggressiveness

anxious thoughts

sulking

sinful distraction

doubt

wanting to give up

masks

earthly-mindedness

lies and deceit

craving

jealousy

mosquito bites

fights with good friends

injustice

sinful dependency

broken things

counseling homework (the ouchy stuff)

coronavirus

abandonment

obsessive thoughts

the way someone has hurt in their eyes when you sin against them

assumptions

bitterness

unfulfilled longings

believing the worst

man's plan and not God's

abortion

fear of condemnation

spiritual blindness

uncertainty

"my fellow South Africans..."

bad what if's

gossip

stuffy noses

draining others

political riots

uncertainty

anxiety train

thorns

injuries

exhaustion

divorce

thinking I'm better than others

second-guessing

selfishness

anger

SIDS

emotional flamethrowing

hurtful speech (mine and others')

bad news

vomiting and nausea

everything ouchy

feeling left out

that hard feeling when you can't cry

orphanages

misery

awkwardness

bad days

rollercoaster emotions

condemnation

poverty

lawbreaking

carelessness

poison ivy

apprehension

disabilities

war

striving, trying to prove ourselves

same-sex attraction

embarrassment

panic attacks

wicked hearts

looking to others for what only Christ can provide

abuse

security gates

soul-tiredness

cancer

perfectionism

carjacking

hard feelings

barbed wire

miscommunication

conflict

lockdown

lockdown from God

laziness

rebellion

separation

hard conversations

hard loving

boredom

numbness

grief

unjust laws

racism

feeling unsettled/restless

sinful, bitter politics

tantrums

fighting

betrayal

crime

hate

sensory issues

being overwhelmed

suspicion

theft

the sting of death

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And that's just some of it. What would you add?

September Update

Hey everyone! I know you are all gearing up for fall in the States (I miss that, although not the winter that follows!), but here, Spring has sprung, quite enthusiastically. I've been enjoying the flowers that are everywhere, and this is just the beginning...jacaranda season will start next month and the entire city will turn purple.

There have been some pretty sunsets too!

The babies are growing so fast!

SweetP and Daisy are such smiley girls now.

Babybear is big enough to swing by himself now!

Tiny T is growing too, although he doesn't seem to want to sleep very much!

Little T turned four this month.

Just look at those chubby legs and feet!

We are continuing to enjoy science experiments. They're more fun if you set things on fire! (Under close supervision, of course.)

We did some broccoli/paint stamping to create our own jacaranda trees.

The kids also really enjoyed painting with toy cars!

We built and planted a bean teepee. Don't let Big T's face fool you...he was having fun. I hope it grows. It might not get enough sun in this spot...

We also brought home two new additions to MBH...I got the three kids some goldfish. Kids need pets! They named them Anna (from Frozen...not to be confused with Ana-the-bougainvillea-named-after-our-friend-from-church)...and...Lesego. 

One exciting thing that happened at my house this month was that we had skylights installed!

It's so nice to have more light in the house.

We are still in lockdown here in South Africa, but we have been downgraded to level 1. A lot more things are allowed, but we still need to wear masks and follow a lot of regulations. We are finally allowed to have a single church service again instead of two smaller services, so that is exciting! We all can't wait for lockdown to be completely over, though, so please be praying for that.

Bearing Burdens (As Told In Bad Stick Figure Drawings)

 So, Galatians 6:2 says to "bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ." This sounds amazing and wonderful, to be able to love each other in this way, but it's also confusing to know HOW to do it sometimes. I want to learn to be a better friend and burden-bearer. But, it isn't always simple. A lot of different things can happen. A lot of different things can go wrong! I was thinking through this a while back, and although my drawing skills aren't that great, I wanted to illustrate. (Do try your best to guess the right order for the speech bubbles...) Here are some ways that "bearing one another's burdens" can play out.

1. I think I know the best way to bear a burden, but the way looks different than I think it will. Or than I want it to.

2. They think they know the best way to be helped, but they are confused about what biblical help actually is. Or maybe they don't know the true nature of the problem.

3. Denial. Which often leads to #4...

4. ...which is, me not trusting God to work in them, and me hurting my friend when they are already under a heavy load.

5. My friend wants help but I don't have the right tools. We sit together on my couch, drinking tea or eating tacos and plowing through Kleenexes, staring at each other, wishing we could fix the problem.

6. They're struggling, but I don't notice because I really just want them to help ME.

7. I feel insecure in the friendship if I can't help or am not needed.

8. My friend is broken under such a huge burden, no one can get close enough to help. All I can do is pray.

9. We help each other grow. <3

(For those of you who don't speak South African, "shap" is basically all right, cool, sounds good.")

As a bonus, I thought you would enjoy this video!

I am so thankful that in Christ, there is hope for us to be able to love and help each other well.