Borrowed from "Stuff Christians Like"

Stuff Christians Like is a blog written by Jon Acuff.  This was his post about 2 weeks ago.  I wanted to share it so here it is.

False Humility

July 14, 2012 in Uncategorized with 20 Comments

John Eagan was a high school teacher in Milwaukee. After his death, they published his journals. Brennan Manning quotes the introduction from the journal in his book, Abba’s Child. I thought it was pretty amazing and worth sharing:

“We judge ourselves unworthy servants, and that judgment becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. We deem ourselves too inconsiderable to be used even by a God capable of miracles with no more than mud and spit. And thus our false humility shackles an otherwise omnipotent God.”

I love that line, “We deem ourselves too inconsiderable to be used even by a God capable of miracles with no more than mud and spit.”

The next time the enemy tells you that God could never use your life in his story, remind yourself what he accomplished with mud and spit.

My girls and Adalynn's birthday

  This is actually two posts in one.  With Adalynn turning two I started really thinking about who she has become over the last year or so with her personality become increasingly more apparent.  It made me realize my girls are so different.  Each unique with their own gifts and struggles, they bring something very needed and special to our family.  So humor me as I spend a few minutes writing about my girls.


PART 1:
   Ansley, the first born, exhibits so many characteristics typical of that birth order.  She is smart, tough, independent, and stubborn.  Ansley L-O-V-E-S animals.  I mean all children like animals but I mean she is crazy about them, and she knows so much about them.  It's crazy how smart she is. She is my outdoor, physical activity player.  She loves to be outside finding bugs, chasing butterflies, catching toads, etc.  She is a good runner (a trait she obviously inherited from her father).  I mean she is a 6 year old girl so I'm not saying she can run a marathon or anything, but she does love to run just for the sake of running.  For example, she will run from on side of the yard to the other and back just to see if she can make it faster the next time.  This can go on for 10 or 15 minutes.  She likes to climb trees, swim, and jump rope (which she is better at going backward-- weird).  Ansley is also very friendly.  She meets new kids and these strangers become friends very quickly.  Ansley loves for you to read to her.  Her ability to memorize books and songs is crazy!  It has proven to be a frustration in learning to read.  She has so many "sight words" memorized that when she comes to one that she doesn't know she just skips it.  We have to remind her that its ok the sound out words... that doesn't mean you are a bad reader, it means you are still learning.  This skill typically means she learns quickly.  Ansley is a talker! She learned to talk early and hasn't stopped since.  I used to say that God thought Jay and I were boring so he gave us Ansley. :)  She definitely adds much needed spice in our lives because Jay and I are both pretty easy going, quiet people and Ansley likes to shake things up.
   Adalynn, on the other hand, is a completely different kind of girl.  She is sensitive, curious, and loving.  Adalynn is very polite, she almost always says please and thank you and sorry without having to be asked.  We had to talk stern to Ansley for her to take us seriously, but if you talk that way to Adalynn she gets the sad lip and looks down at her feet and isn't sure how to handle that.  She responds much better to positive reinforcement.  Adalynn also gets upset when others are upset and she tries her hardest to comfort you when you are sad or hurt.  She is a hugger!  She has always been a more cuddly baby than my first born and she still, when being carried, pats your back.  She is way more curious than Ansley ever was.  She unrolled the toilet paper, pulled all the kleenex out of the box, and has taken my clothes out of the drawers (several times).  Ansley never did any of those things.  Adalynn pulls every toy out of every box and off every shelf.  The plus side is she actually does play with toys... Ansley isn't great at playing with toys (remember her physical nature).  Adalynn already seems much more girly.  She likes shoes, purses, and wearing lip balm.  She also has these bracelets that she loves to wear.  She plays with baby dolls and likes to change their clothes and push them around in the stroller.  I wouldn't say Adalynn is behind but she started talking later than Ansley and so she gets frustrated sometimes when she wants to communicate with you but just still isn't sure how.  I would say Ansley is more of a singer (she's pretty good too), and Adalynn is more of a dancer.  As soon as Adalynn could hold herself up she was grooving to the music.  I just think it's fascinating to see how 2 girls from the same parents can be knit together so uniquely.  We have such a creative and good God, don't you think.  I know I do!  


PART 2:
My baby turned 2 last week!  I can hardly believe that I've got a 2 year old and a 6 year old.  That's just crazy!  The second birthday is a hard one because the child really doesn't care and will be excited about anything.  Also at 2 they don't really have their own friends.  I mean they have friends but not self-appointed friends. At this point, they are really friends with whoever mom decides to hang out with.  All of that to say, I was having trouble with what to do for this blessed occasion.  So, we ended up partying with my family at my parents house.  On the actual day of her birthday we ended up making a little after dinner celebration with just the 4 of us also.  It was fun and I think Adalynn enjoyed that as much as having a party.  She definitely knew the day was hers.  :)