Clutter

"If we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness." - 1 John 1:9

I have been struggling for the past few weeks with a problem that we have in our house. The problem is clutter. We clean ,we really do, but stuff still seems to creep in and the next thing I know I look around and it is everywhere and it is overwhelming. The clutter takeover seems to happen so easily. One minute the house is clean and the next minute every counter surface is covered in papers, kid's agendas, artwork, school notes, church bulletins, grocery lists, books etc. And all this stuff has me fantasizing that somehow the doorbell will ring and it will be the reality TV show Clean Sweep and their crew coming to deal with all the mess so I don't have to. They make it look so easy.

I looked up the definition of clutter and it said the following:
A confused or disordered state or collection; a jumble.
A confused noise; a clatter.
To fill or spread over in a disorderly manner.
To make disorderly or hard to use by filling or covering with objects.


Now this definition started me thinking not just about my house but about my head and my heart. Do you ever have those times where it sounds like there is noise in your head and you just can't think? Or you know you should have a more Godly reaction to something but you don't. Do you think that is because we let our heads and our hearts get filled up with clutter instead of His truth? I have been contemplating that and especially the part of the definition that says clutter is "to make disorderly or hard to use but filling or covering with objects". I have been convicted about how I let my heart get cluttered. I don't mean to do it but it is like my house and it starts with one little thing out of place.

I am going to take a lesson from my stairs. Often something gets put on the stairs instead of being put away properly. Maybe it is book or small bag. It sits on one of the steps and is not really in the way and we see it as we walk up and down the stairs but we don't take the time to deal with it properly. After a while we start not to see it and it becomes like a part of stairs, something that is just there. Then something else gets dumped beside it. We don't take the time to move this either and so by this time the stairs out starting to look like more of a storage unit instead of stairs. Eventually, there is so much stuff on the stairs that it is hard to walk up and down them making the purpose that they were originally created for useless.

I don't want my life to be too messy. I don't want my true purpose to be crowded out. I don't want to become useless. I am off to clean out some clutter.

The Reminder in the Warmth of Spring

"The Lord passed in front of Moses, calling out, "Yahweh! The Lord! The God of compassion and mercy!...Moses immediately threw himself to the ground and worshiped."

- Exodus 34:6,8

The question has been heard throughout our house almost everyday this winter. "Is everyone sure they have gone to the bathroom?" "Yes, Mom" comes the answer of exasperated children. To which I reply, "Okay, but if you get all your stuff on and then you have to go, you have to take it all off again and we will never get there!" And with that I start the checklist. "Everyone needs snow pants, boots, ski jackets, gloves, if they are wet you need another pair, (honestly you have to specify these things), hats, scarves and don't forget to pack your shoes!" Getting five kids out of the house bundled up and all looking like the Michelin man so that they don't freeze to death is quite a feat.

This past weekend, we got a reminder of what is just around the corner. As I stepped out into the fresh morning air on Saturday I was greeted with the sunny warmth of bright sunshine. No need to be bundled up in protection from the elements. The feeling of nature's heat began to creep through my body and I took a slow, deep breath. It is hard to put into words that first touch of spring but it was like I could feel again. The thaw had begun and it reminded me of the first time that I began to know God for who He really was. I think lots of people know about God just like we know about spring. The nightly news can tell us spring is coming, schools can teach us all about the season of spring itself but until we walk out our door and experience the season for ourselves can we ever really know?


I believe Jesus is the same. You can read about Him, friends can tell you about Him, you can actually know all there is to know but until you experience that first taste, that first touch that enters your heart like nothing I am able to describe, you are clueless as to who He really is. For those of you who are still searching, I would encourage you to not just read or listen to anybody's word about Him but read His word about what He says about himself. Do you ever really know what the water in the pool is like unless you get in yourself? Pray and ask Him about His promises "I love those who love me; And those who diligently seek me will find me" Proverbs 8:17 and "Ask, and it will given to you: seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you." Matthew 7:7 Jump in and experience Jesus for yourself.

For those of you who have given your life to him, close your eyes for a moment and think back to that first time that you really realized who Jesus was. Remember the moment that the Lord of the Universe entered your heart and changed the way that you would experience Him forever. Then, just like Moses fall down and worship.

The Mia Bird in My House

"The Voice of Christ: My child this is the way you must speak on every occasion: "Lord if it be pleasing to You, so be it." - Imitation of Christ by Thomas A Kempis

My daughter Trinity Joy loves to talk on the phone. At two and half she is what you would call a chatty Cathy. She can be thoroughly engrossed in a toy or game and not paying any attention to what I am doing until I get on the phone in another room. All of a sudden she is right there beside me asking, "Who is on the phone?" Trying to ignore her inquiries does not work. She is only more insistent on knowing who the person on the end of the phone is. If it is someone that she knows her sweet face breaks into a big smile and she says, "I want to talk to Gramma," or Cheri or any of my other friends that she considers her friends. If I say not right now she will ask, "When?" If I say in a minute she will wait patiently or not so patiently depending on her mood and her ability to listen. The other day she was talking on the phone and I tried to say "Okay it is time to say good-bye". Instead of complying and handing me the phone she ran away. I walked after her and she hid behind the counter, cordless phone still in hand. "No, stop annoying me." she said. Ouch, that hurt. Where would she have heard that? As I thought about it I started to get this sinking feeling that it was probably me. I can make all sorts of excuses like some days I am tired or maybe she misunderstood but the reality is that I am sure I have said it and she listens and repeats what I say. She is constantly learning from me, both the good things and the....well not so good. It was a powerful reminder that I need to always remember that I am influencing her character and in order to do that well I need to be imitating Christ.

A Sense of Belonging

Jason and I have just spent the night at a foster parent training session in which we were discussing the effects of a sense of belonging on children. In a house like ours with adopted, foster and birth children, you can bet that we have thought about this topic allot. Most people assume that birth children have an advantage over adopted and foster children when it comes to knowing that they belong. I would agree that there are issues that arise for adopted and foster children that bring questions about belonging to the forefront but I would argue that the question of where do I belong is central to us all.

Part of the developmental process of defining who you are is to ask where you belong. So if we all go through it, where do we find our sense of belonging? This is where my ideas differ from the instructor of our class. I believe we will never really know where we belong until we know that our Heavenly Father created us to belong with Him. Yes, our families are a big part of the equation but they do not contain all the puzzle pieces that help us to define who we are.

I find it ironic that when we buy a new car we head straight to the car's manual to see what type of gas it takes and what oil gives us optimum performance but when people want to know what makes us different as human beings we never think to look to the bible. This is our instruction manual that our manufacturer gave us. Why would you not look to the one who created you?

"Then God said, "Let us make human beings to be like us...so God created human beings in His own image. In the image of God he created them; male and female he created them." Genesis 1:26a & 27

I think when God created us He implanted a homing device. We truly belong when we are reunited with the One who created us, Yahweh God. The problem is that so many people do not know how to be reunited with God or that is why they feel like they don't belong. They spend their whole life looking to fill that hole.

Our search is a reflection of our need to belong, to be accepted, to be loved, to have an identity, a relationship. I believe we are forever restless if we do not have this sense of belonging. And we will never find fulfillment, in expressing ourselves, until we find it in committing ourselves totally to God. You and I are searching for someone to love us but that someone is God. That is the most primitive and basic hunger of our life. No other need can ever be met until this need is met.

When we say, "I belong to the Father, I am one of his family. I'm a child of God. I know him as my heavenly Father. I have been accepted by him. He loves me." then we have a basis upon which all the other relationships of life can all be worked out. This is where the deep and acute cry of the our human heart is met. Jesus Christ meets us in this place. It is where we belong.

Once Upon A Time There Were Two Princesses...

"All shall be well

And all shall be well

And all manner of things shall be well."

-Julian of Norwich (14th century writer)

This is a story that happened not too long ago to two princesses...



Not long ago in land far, far away and a lot warmer than here, there were two princesses waiting to be revealed. They had travelled for a long time to arrive at the beautiful castle. As they walked along the cobblestone entrance and under the stunning arches they were wide-eyed. As they entered the foyer with the elegant tapestries and gold trim they were awestruck.





"Look at the crowns." whispered one of the girls. "Are they real?" "Will we get to wear one?" The question hung in the air with expectation.



"Welcome, ladies. You must be Princess Caroline and Princess Justine. The girls looked surprised to be called not only princess but by their names. "We have been waiting for you. Princess Justine would you like to come this way?"

She was hesitant, wanting to run to the seat that had been prepared just for her but a little afraid that this was too good to be true. She cautiously walked through the red velvet curtains and into the opulent room. As she took her seat, she looked around nervously. "I am so excited that you are here. Have you thought about what kind of princess you would like to be?" said her fairy godmother-in-training. Princess Justine shook her head quickly and looked down at her dusty running shoes. "That is alright, I have something just for you."


On the other side of the room the scene was a little different. Her eyes were bright and as wide as saucers. Princess Caroline's body language told everyone that she was soaking in every moment of this experience. When she was asked "Have you thought about what kind of princess you would like to be?" She did not hesitate. She smiled, "Yes, I know." She embraced the declaration of her royalty with confidence.


Two girls, each one every bit a "real" princess but very different in their reactions to this experience.

This story plays out in real life as different women each have similliar reactions to being called a princess. The truth is long ago God set a plan in motion that would bring us back to Him. We are so infinately valuable to Him that He sent His Son on a rescue mission. Jesus paid the ultimate price for us. He chose us and called us by name to receive his free gift of salvation. Author and dramatist Nicole Johnson says it well, "You are placed by grace in the middle of the royal family of God with everyone else who doesn't deserve to be there."

The reality of this life though makes some of us a bit afraid to really believe that God would want us in His royal family. Fairy tales are just for story books and happily ever after is for someone else. Often our broken hearts and shattered dreams are hidden from those around us but we ourselves are never forget them. Part of us wants to believe that we are chosen and that we are of infinate value but life has taught us no matter what our age that you never know what will happen tomorrow. Maybe it is safer not dream at all...

The difference in our reactions comes when we believe the ending of His real story and embrace who God is calling us to be. When we believe in the Kingdom and in the King of Kings our hope is in our belief of the love God has for us. Although we may have and will suffer loss and some of our own dreams have and will be shattered, we have been told about and have experienced the One who is the fixer of all broken hearts and broken dreams. We know the secret is not the world's illusive fairy tale ever after but the reality that the King of Kings calls us by name and provides our royal lineage. With this knowledge we are able to let our minds soar to heights that are unimaginable, and we learn more about the Princess heart He has given us everyday. We choose to believe that no matter what happens "all will be well" because that is what our real King has said about the ending of our story.

My prayer is that these two little princesses will take Him at His word and believe who He has created them to be....

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year! I know...I know I am only a month behind! Every week in January I have had "write a new post" on my to do list and every week I have been disappointed that I had not been able to cross it off. So here I am at the beginning of Febuary but I am finally getting it done.

Well, life in the McGibbon Zoo for the last quarter of 2007 was crazier than usual as you could probably tell from my lack of posts. I had a bit of trouble adjusting to the demands of five children, and all the organizing that it takes just to get us through a regular week. I spent most the last few months trying to coordinate schedules, keep children up on their homework, making meals to feed what feels like an army but is really just Daniel, researching if it would be cheaper to keep a cow in our backyard because of all of the milk the kids consume and off course doing laundry so that I did not loose one of the children that I love under all the clothes! I have never in my life been so happy to see my bed at the end of the day more so than I have in the last few months. I got a new job that I started at the beginning of November. I work in a couple local schools part-time facilitating a program that is just for girls. I adore it. Jason started playing every week at a local cafe here in town. It has been fun to go and hang out there and hear him sing. The kids all think he is famous. Our little church continues to grow and we have now been averaging between 90 and 100 people a week. It has been amazing to watch all the people that God is bringing. We now have two services on Sundays - our regular morning worship service and an evening prayer service. The evening prayer service has been a real blessing to me even though I do not get to attend too often because I have to stay with our kids. As our chruch family comes together in prayer I am encouraged that they are petitioning the Lord on our behalf.

Over the Christmas holidays we had lots of fun with family and friends. We decided to do a family photo of our ever-growing crew. That could have been a whole post in itself! I have included one of the photos and it turned out not too bad considering the actual photographic event was like trying to herd a bunch of cats! Really, truely it could have been an episode on Candid Camera. I have included a copy of one of the photos. Note which child is holding their Santa hat in their lap. She is the same one who asked the mall Santa ever to politely to shave his beard off!

A couple of days after Christmas we packed up the van and began our McGibbon Big Adventure which has been three years in the making. Two vans, four adults, and five children, all their luggage and gear on a roadtrip to the sunny south! We had blast with Jason's parents and met Jay's brother Brandon and his girlfriend Nathalie down there. It was an amazing time in which I took over 700 photos! Jason says I need to edit which I am trying to do but as I look at all the photos I am flooded with all the memories and I keep saying, "Oh it won't hurt to keep one more."

So all in all, the zoo is still as crazy as ever, God is still faithful in His provision and ever-loving kindness. He still amazes me as He makes Himself known through all the business of life and I am looking forward to watching Him work in 2008.

Waiting on God - Living In Confidence

During my quiet time a couple of days ago I read the following scripture.

Isaiah 40:28-34 (New American Standard Bible)

Do you not know? Have you not heard?
The Everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth
Does not become weary or tired
His understanding is inscrutable.
He gives strength to the weary,
And to him who lacks might He increases power.
Though youths grow weary and tired,
And vigorous young men stumble badly,
Yet those who wait for the LORD
Will gain new strength;
They will mount up with wings like eagles,
They will run and not get tired,
They will walk and not become weary.

I love this passage. It inspires me. It gives me energy whenever I think about it. I don't have to do it all! In fact I am not suppose to. I am suppose to wait on the Lord and He will give me new strength. Oh boy have I needed to hear this. I have been struggling with all the needs that five kids in a house bring and I have been falling into bed at night and I am tired!

I think the thing that we have to remember about waiting on God is not that we just sit there and watch time pass but that we live in confidence that He is going to act on our behalf. My biggest challenge in this situation is not to run ahead of Him and try to solve the problem myself. Maybe there is something in your life that is dragging you down or making you tired. Maybe you have a situation that seems overwhelming and you don't understand it. Good news, God is working and He has given you an opportunity to live in hope. He is right there and He knows all about it and (this is my favourite part) He knows what "the best" resolution for us would be.

For any of you that have been reading this blog for a while, you know that I love to look up words in the dictionary. So I looked up the word inscrutable as it describes His wisdom from verse 28.

"in·scru·ta·ble" - defn. –adjective

1. incapable of being investigated, analyzed, or scrutinized; impenetrable.

2. not easily understood; mysterious; unfathomable: an inscrutable smile.

So this is good news. God's wisdom is not like ours. He sees our situation different than we do and He has a plan. Yeah God!

I encourage you to read all of Isaiah 40. The first section concentrates on God's promised deliverance , the second section is about His ability to deliver His people and verses 28-31 is Isaiah's response to the attitudes of God's people that might think that God has given up on them or He does not care.

Be encouraged, when we live in confidence of the character of Our God - we live a life of faith, a life where we truly give ourselves to Him without reservation, a life where we are moment by moment giving our concerns into our caring Creator's hands. In this state, He is able to transform our lives, our situations and our problems into "His best" for us.