“Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.” Phil 2:3-4

Remember when our children were young and we had a “teachable moment?” There are hundreds of these that occur when raising our children.

It’s the neighbor’s broken window and a realization that the person responsible for the action is also responsible for the consequences.

It’s the realization by a child that life does not go on forever.

It’s the day our child recognizes that being “part of the crowd” is not always a good thing.

As parents we usually sit back and either rejoice over that “lightbulb” moment or share the sadness of the tougher lessons. But what about the teachable moments in reverse? What about the life lessons our children teach us? Can our children teach us about life? About death? About sacrifice and compassion? Of course they can.

My son Rhys taught me a lesson about a life well lived. I didn’t get a chance to thank him for that but what a teachable moment it has been (and continues to be). He taught me that it is not the amount of time you have, the stuff you have, the number of times you messed up, the job you had, etc. Ultimately, a life well lived is one that leaves something here for the rest of us. It’s a lesson that teaches us that humility, service, compassion, truth, love, and the gift of a Savior define a life well lived. Goodness wins and God is glorified in that life.

That, my friends, is the ultimate in teachable moments. And my child taught me that.

Although some jobs in life may seem small or unimportant in society’s eyes, all of God’s choices for us are the best choices because they are purposefully given.

I’m reading a wonderful book by Randy Alcorn entitled Safely Home. One of the characters has been denied a position is his chosen profession because of his faith and has figured out that the position that God has chosen for him is most important. When the character learned this lesson he posted the words of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on his wall: (more…)

I just keep expecting to hear Rhys’ voice as he comes dashing in the door with a Rockstar in his hand: “Mom, can you…”
Can we ever answer their questions again? Can we ever be the same again?

The answer of course, is no. Nothing will ever be the same for us since the loss of our heroes. But here is where God’s message is perfectly clear. We are daily re-made, inching ever closer to the creation that the Father desires us to be. We are the work of His hand. (more…)

As the third year anniversary of Rhys’ death approaches, I reflect on the year as all of us do; mostly trying to see if we’ve made any difference in the world. We hear and read daily about all kinds of horrible things that happen in the world. We lament the path our country is taking and we wonder what comes next.

We measure the time in intervals since Rhys’ death, an artificial time line that creeps into everything we do. It is easy to get discouraged when the year ends and still the world trudges on a path of fear, hatred, and uncertainty. What are we doing? Where are we going? Can anyone make a difference? (more…)

I must admit that in the height of grief, we made mistakes.  We handled things in a way that, looking back, seems almost ridiculous.  But in that moment, decisions made are not always the best, or even remotely like the decisions we would make if we were thinking clearly.  In our pain, we reacted without thinking.  Life does not generally prepare anyone to react logically and lovingly in the midst of incomparable sorrow.

We reacted badly to our daughter-in-law Stephanie’s hurt and pain in the loss of Rhys, and in doing so we made it worse.  But, in the midst of that we chose to leave this problem at the feet of Jesus.  I kept going back and picking it up, until Michael told me one day, “Just leave it there, Lynn!”  I had to actively seek God’s will in this matter.  When I finally let go, Jesus began a great work in me, helping to give me a new perspective and helping me understand what I was too stubborn and hurt to try to understand previously.  As I changed, Jesus began the work in Stephanie as well, and even in little London. (more…)