Tuesday - Mountains and Cucumbers and Identity

Inspiration

See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called the children of God! And that is what we are!

1 John 3:1

Reading and Learning

"Identity.

It always has been and always will be about identity. Surely Adam and Eve had disobeyed God, but they were cowering and hiding from the One who had the solution for their sin and failure. The conviction they felt because they disobeyed came from God, the urgency to hide their sin from God was the lies of shame and condemnation speaking.

When we find ourselves hiding from God in the shame of our brokenness, instead of running to Him; I believe God speaks the same thing to us . . . 'Who told you, you were naked? Who told you there was something so wrong with you, you had to hide from me? Come to me and we can work on this together.'

As I look over my life, I reflect on how often I have seen my own "naked" brokenness, and instead of running to a loving God I've hidden in the dark hoping to get it together before I approach Him. Far too often we define ourselves by the sin and brokenness instead of the unlimited redemptive grace of a loving Father through the ultimate sacrifice of Christ over two thousand years ago. It not only affects the relationship God desires with us, it makes us feel we are not worthy of the purpose God has uniquely designed in us. You are not what your past failures and current imperfections say you are, you are a child of God, His masterpiece, redeemed and liberated from hiding in the dark."

pg. 14

Today we learned about compassion, feelings, and letters.

Outdoor Fun

With the new chicken coop we can now walk inside and visit the chickens. The kids were absolutely delighted, and, for the most part, the chickens didn't seem to mind. After awhile one rooster got a little grumpy so we decided it was time to give the chickens a break.