"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before Him. In love He predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of His will, to the praise of His glorious grace, with which He has blessed us in the Beloved."

~ Ephesians 1:3-6

As I lay in my bed, praying, thanking my Heavenly Father for all His goodness, for His awesome love, the gift of knowing Him, and the incredible joy of interceding for the saints in Christ, I was reminded of a day not too long ago.

On an ordinary day when my darling husband was at work, my sweet sons were at school and I was home, alone, working around the house, cleaning, doing laundry and trying to get some writing done, I heard the gentle patter of rain. As I moved to my kitchen to work in there, I saw the sun shine...while it was still raining! Now, this is not the first time I’ve seen this, but I always respond the same way -- with exuberant joy! Then, like a little school girl excited to open a gift, I run outside to get a better look! I just want to be closer! I want to experience it with every sense I have! I want to hear it fall on the ground, taste each drop on my tongue, smell its freshness, look at it and feel the warmth of the sun at the same time I feel the cool wetness of the rain.

Once I’m outside, and have the opportunity to drink in all the loveliness of this moment, I just stand there. And I stand. And stand. In awe of God. It’s such a glorious site! No matter how many times I’ve seen this, I’m still in awe of seeing clear skies and sunshine through the rain! It just makes my heart soar with joy and thanksgiving!

When this beautiful thought came to mind, so did many other thoughts; precious memories. Memories of God’s faithfulness I’ve known all my life.

I’ve seen the Son shine through every rainy day, and even through the most terrifying storms. I’ve had the awesome privilege of watching God’s love shine through me while I was being beaten for thirteen years. I saw Him use my hands to tenderly comfort and wipe away the tears of my abusers. I saw the Lord offer His love and forgiveness to anyone and everyone who hurt me, whether physically, emotionally or mentally; and I saw His living word, truly manifested in my life, when these things seemed so impossible. I saw my precious Savior lift me out of every miry pit I threw myself in when I was a teenager and thought I had learned all I needed to know about God. I saw Him change me, mold me and faithfully transform me by His Holy Spirit, more and more into the likeness of His Son, my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. I saw God miraculously bring me the most wonderful husband in the world! Perfect...just for me! I saw Him deliver me and my first born son from death, and my husband from great heartbreak when it looked like neither of us were going to survive his birth. And two years later, I saw the Lord bless us with a second wonderful son! I saw the LORD giving me strength to endure, when it seemed impossible; when my body was weak, my mind couldn’t hold a single thought or even remember things I’ve known most of my life.

For the past seven years, I’ve seen the LORD magnify His love through constant and sometimes debilitating pain, sleepless nights, two surgeries, countless procedures and ER visits, and two hospital admits.

I’ve seen God work more miracles throughout my life; so many, it is impossible to re-tell all, in one life time.

And I believe God has graciously, wisely and mercifully allowed every trial, so I’ll always be able to see His Son shine, through every rain.

For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.

~ Romans 8:18

One of the hardest things to do as a parent is to teach our children how to endure anything that causes them pain. Moms seem have the most difficult time in this area. Like mother hens, we want to run and shelter them with our wings from all the thundering verbal abuses, torrents of physical bullying, and the gusting winds of emotional distresses that rage against our precious little ones as they face the world each day. No matter how young or old they are, we always see them as our little chicks and we so desperately want them spared from such evils. We don’t mind if all these adversities come thrashing down on us. We’ll take it. We’ll persevere. And we’re willing, ready and able to cover our children while pecking at all that dares to harm them.

But then -- we hear our Savior say:

Our youngest son, who’s a sophomore in high school, recently suffered a serious high ankle sprain, which the doctor said is equivalent to a break because it involves more tendons that have ripped and requires just as much time to heal as a broken bone; 6 - 8 weeks. He’s on crutches and has an ankle brace. He’s in pain physically. And now, he’s having to endure needless and senseless emotional pain.

And when there’s little time for a full onslaught of vomiting rancid insults, they are sure to get in a quick jab as he walks by, as they shout:

Oh heartbreaks of heartbreaks. As in many times past, I found myself, once again...struggling. What was my initial reaction? My first thoughts? I assure you, it wasn’t to remind my son of Luke 6:27-36. It sure wasn’t to remind him that he should have pity on these poor souls. It wasn’t to teach him to forgive them in spite of themselves. To love them. Do good to them. Bless them or pray for them. No, none of these things were the first things that popped into my mind when I first heard the ridicule he received from the other students at school.

But regardless of my flesh’s desire to shelter my children from every storm, I know if I truly love them, I’ll give them what’s best. I will do good to them. Even if the good at the time, seems very, very hard. True love seeks the greatest benefit for the object of their love; not the quickest route to bring them comfort. To be reminded of this fact, we only need to look at the Cross.

So, I prayed. And prayed. I asked God to open my mouth with wisdom, so that the teaching of kindness would be on my tongue (Proverbs 31:26). Why? Because I truly love my son. And although I wish I could kiss this “boo boo” away just as quickly as I used to when he was younger; I am unable and unwilling to give my child cotton candy training; all sweet and tasty, but no substance to make a lasting effect. I want to give my child God’s best. So I gave him God’s word. I reminded him of Luke 6 and the four action items our Lord Jesus gave us: love, do good, bless and pray for all those who do evil to you.

Thanks be to God, I have an amazing husband who not only supported our son with godly words of encouragement, but he also exhorted him to stay faithful to all that God has called him to, and be proud that these petty remarks, are all his accusers can come up with. They have no character qualities to jeer at. So they've jumped on the only thing could...his physical injury.

Dad's, you'll never know the impact your words, whether encouraging or demeaning can have on your sons; especially during their teen years. Speak words of life and truth to them. And like our son, it will more than carry him through the day. Loving and compassionate instruction from a father catapults a son beyond every persecution and lifts his eyes towards Jesus so that he can rise above it all, by faith and trust in God alone.

Am I still sad? Yes...a little. But it’s a peaceful sadness because I’m resting in the fact that our Father God’s wings provide a far greater covering than mine.

Who is my Beloved? He is Christ Jesus my Lord. And where is His garden? His garden is my heart; my very soul, in which He purchased with His most precious blood.

Although I have not been able to work in my garden for the past 5 years due to severe illness, I love to garden! I simply love everything about it! I love the fragrant and distinct smell of every flower and green plant. I even love the smell of the fresh dirt, all churned up, with wiggly little earthworms, desperately trying to get out of my way. I marvel at even the earthworms God created. And I am thankful for them. When I see earthworms, I know that the soil is rich and well-maintained; waiting patiently to nourish a new seedling or plant. It is truly a joyous sight!

The first thing I like to do when I garden, is arrange the plants. I want to see what they will look like before I give them a permanent home. I want to make sure the lighting, soil and water is sufficient for what each plant requires. Some plants need much shade, some only partial. Then there are those that need full sunlight in order to thrive and survive. There are plants that need much water and others, only little. Some plants, no matter how delicate they may look, can be planted in rougher terrain than those that look to be more robust. I'd  never be able to garden well if I didn't read the instructions for each plant. If I did whatever I wanted; if I planted them as I pleased, without considering the specific instructions for each plant, then my garden may look attractive for a short time, but eventually, my laziness and self-motivated care of my garden will be revealed, as the beauty of my garden will surely fade.

I want my heart to be this way. I want my heart to produce the most beautiful, luscious, fragrant and extravagant flowers that ever was seen! I want my life to flow with the love of God and the magnificence of His grace and mercy! I want my life to shout, "I am holy, set apart; unto the LORD!" I want my heart to hold a reservation only for One, my Lord Jesus. I want to be singularly focused and eternally inclined. I want to be like the flowers in my garden. I want to face only the Son that gives me life. I want to stretch my faith and strain my efforts to have a leaning only towards the One who gave His life for mine.

I know Jesus is the Good Shepherd. He is also the perfect Gardener. He plants me where He knows I will grow best. He waters and feeds me as I specifically need. He knows how much sun I need and He plants me where I am able to bear fruit in every season. And like some of the plants in my garden, I may look smaller than others. But by Christ's strength, I can endure, and even thrive in the roughest terrains and through the fiercest storms. Whether times of hail, snow or ice, or the heat of the scorching sun come upon me, God's grace is sufficient to make me rise -- every time. And unlike me, the Gardener of my heart is never lazy or self-motivated. So I have no need to worry; for the splendor of my heart will never fade.