Friday, May 27, 2011

May 27, 2011

Today is my #1 Crowning Glories 12th Birthday. Happy Birthday, Faith Gwen Johnson!

Proverbs 17:6 states: Your children’s children are a crowning glory for the aged. (Don’t focus on the aged – focus on the crowning glory part!) Solomon was so right! And with all those wives and kids, I would think he knew what he was talking about!

She is my first crowning glory, the one who opened my heart up to this amazing journey of watching my children parent their children. What an incredible blessing the last 12 years have been!

In honor of Faith, here is a list of my top 12 things I admire about her:

1. She is in love with Jesus. Period. No doubt about it. Ask any of her friends, which at this age is the acid test.
2. She is brilliant and I’m not just saying that because I’m her Lynnie. Ask any of her teachers, have a conversation with her, ask her what her average is in math. (And no, she did not inherit her math skills from me.)
3. She is beautiful, inside and out. Be-still-my-heart kind of beautiful.
4. She taught me the best definition of “faith” I’ve ever heard. “Faith is when your heart is so full of Jesus, there’s no room for anything else.” She was 5 at the time. (See #1)
5. She wants to be a writer. She once called me for help in developing her characters in one of her short stories. (See #2)
6. She is a girly-girl but likes basketball.
7. She once told me I was amazing. The memory still brings a smile to my face!
8. She has a fun sense of humor and is quick to see the humor in life.
9. She likes Barnes and Noble over clothes shopping, at least for now.
10. She looks so cute with whipped cream on her face.
11. She enjoys cooking and singing. Not necessarily in that order.
12. She hopes her first car is a Mercedes. (Yes, she did inherit her taste for the finer things in life from her Lynnie.)

I enjoy watching her grow. I love her more than she can realize right now. I have faith in Faith. I call her “Faithful One.” She delights me, she amazes me, and she makes me want to be a better person.

Today is her day! Lookout World! Faith is growing up in wisdom, in stature, and in favor with God and man. There is no greater joy!

Thursday, May 26, 2011

It's My Birthday!

God, you saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed. How precious are your thoughts about me. (Psalm 139)

Today is my birthday. I am 59. God has ordained this age for me and I reveal my true age because of His sovereignty. HE ordained every day of my life…and yours. I occasionally get tripped up with “every moment was laid out before a single day had passed.” Seriously, God, you knew THAT was going to happen? Couldn’t you have planned for a different experience for me? He just chuckles and says, “I know the plans I have for you…plans to give you a future and a hope. And I make beauty out of the times you see as ashes, crash-and-burn times, decisions made in haste, choices that did not honor, yep, all those times, too, baby girl.”

And in my deepest heart, I know that he has. I am a Lemonade Lady for this generation. Not because of what I’ve overcome (and continue to overcome), but because of who HE is. He is a God who redeems, who forgives as far as the east is from the west, and he has a plan for me – for such a time as this.

I will journey the next 12 months to a new decade. Maybe not daily, but often. This Lemonade Lady still has struggles with daily, hourly, self-control and discipline. As I type these words, I know that I also have a gift inside me that lets me roll with the moments. And savor this life he has ordained for me. Come with me on the journey and I hope you find encouragement, laughter, and authenticity for your journey.

Life is a gift….no matter the age…..let’s do this life together.

Happy birthday to me! God bless me and John Wayne!