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Sunday, May 18, 2008

Unwelcome guests

Friday night the kids and I were at my parents home. My Mom, my sister Michelle and I got to talking about the video that I put on my last post. The kids got curious so my Dad brought up his lap top and it was awesome to see the kids glued to it. I was thrilled that not only did my 2 teenagers understand the message, but my 6 year old got it as well. It would finish and the kids would say "play it again" so I think we watched it and talked about it at least 4 times. The coolest part was that Alyssa put it on her My Space afterward!!!! Lots of kids visit her space, so if you think of it, please pray.



That's one of the many things I love about God. He is the only One who knows what is stirring in my daughter's heart. The things she says sometimes just makes my heart skip a beat. For instance, I knew you all were praying for her when I let you know she was heading to the hospital to give birth to Amiyah and after Baby Girl was born Alyssa told me, "I don't know Mom, it was so weird. I wasn't scared or anything. It was like God just gave me peace during her birth." I think as a Mom I sometimes subconsciously judge my kids walk with Christ, or what I may view as a lack of. Meanwhile, Jesus is begging me to get out of His way because He's getting her back...even if it is just an inch here an there. He knows her heart belongs to Him, and I just need to keep praying and let Him work on her the way He knows how until she melts in His arms in complete surrender like she did at the age of nine.



Okay, so I was sitting at my computer the other morning when I heard a noise. Shhhhh I told myself. I actually did...out loud. We have a drop ceiling in the basement and the noise I heard was a mouse above my head scurrying about taunting me; knowing I couldn't get to him. I talked out loud to him anyway hoping my warning of a snapped neck in a trap would get his attention and he'd fearfully take his little gray self out of my house. He didn't though because a few nights later I heard him again.


See, around my house I don't play when it comes to uninvited guests. I don't like company that is sneaky, comes out only at night, destroys things I love and runs from me. I also don't like spiders and you cannot believe how many I've killed in my house as of late. One morning I even turned on my computer monitor to see 8 legs running across my monitor. His guts are still smeared across my screen in hopes that it will scare his family and friends off. The other night I ended up sleeping upstairs on the couch when as I was just about to crawl into bed I saw a big, mean looking tarantula on my bed spread. Okay, it was 50 times smaller than a tarantula, but even after knocking it to the ground and grinding it into the carpet, I couldn't make myself get under the covers.



What is the deal with a mouse and spiders trying to invade my home? Whenever I see something like a spider that doesn't belong here I verbalize how they picked the wrong home to crawl into, then they meet their death at the bottom of whatever shoe is closest.


So what if...when we recognize that something has entered our hearts that doesn't belong in it, we begin to speak out loud God's Word until it meets it's death.
For example...

GOSSIP
Psalm 39:1
I said, "I will watch my ways and keep my tongue from sin; I will put a muzzle on my mouth"

JEALOUSY
Hebrews 13:5
Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God said, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you."


Get the idea? It's not like I just wake up one morning and I have this sharp tongue. This happens over time as I let things, habits, movies, bad music, come into my home and heart. So why am I surprised when I snap at my husband or the kids with words full of regret? When I allow junk to manifest in my heart, eventually what is in my heart will come out of me through my speech. If I didn't take the life of each spider I see, eventually cobwebs would begin to form in the corner of each room, showing that the spider has taken up residence within my home. Same thing in my heart, if I don't let God's Word take out the unwanted then I will have cobwebs within my heart. It is so important that I monitor what I allow into my life.
Proverbs 4:23
Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.

Okay, I'm off to cut a hole in my basement ceiling. They are drop ceilings but not the type that you can push up to get to the actual ceiling. The owner before us put in the type of ceiling in that if you push up a square out of its groove, it won't go back in place. It think the mouse knows this and that is why he is so brave to run around above me.

Anyway, I have my mouse trap ready to be put in place and I have recited my final speech to the rodent. Now I just need to figure out where to cut the hole in the ceiling so my husband Gene won't notice. Wish me luck so I can blog in peace.

~Many Blessings~

18 comments:

HisPrincess said...

Happy hunting!

I really liked your analogy of letting unwanted pests into our hearts. I do this everyday without even noticing and then I wonder where that unkind word came from. I will try in future to surround myself with what is good.

Do you have a cat? We have two and no mice! Cat's aren't into spiders though, and here in Australia we have some nasty ones!

Laura said...

Good luck with your furry friend...one word of warning: the time that I heard little scratchy sounds above my head, it turned out to be bats!Creepy, huh? We are bat free these days, but I wish I could say my heart was free of those little pests you mentioned. They are sneaky, aren't they? Must be as vigilant with them as those furry things...

jesuslegaleagle said...

Thanks for the reminder about letting your teens spiritual growth in God's hands. Don't we all have friends whose children appear to be so more spiritually mature than our own? The pang of guilt hits my heart - "I must be doing something wrong!" He will draw them unto themselves in spite of us! PTL

Unknown said...

Girl! First of all, you are crazy girlfriend! :) :) :) In a good way of course! heheheh

I love this post! I, too, have to watch what I put in my mind. I can't watch or read anything scary, or the devil uses that against me in the form of panic attacks and nightmares. In addition, I notice a difference in myself if I don't watch certain things on tv that are "deemed appropriate" for entertainment. So, I agree...we must fill our minds with the word of God and we can defeat the univited guests that sneak into our lives, our hearts, our minds, our lips.

Speaking of tv shows that are deemed appropriate by us Christians....why do we allow yucky stuff in our homes based on the fact that it's good entertainment, yet we would (supposedly)never act like that in real life? Why do we root for someone who is having an affair? Why do we watch movies with premarital sex in it and call it a good romance? Why do we watch shows where there is drinking and drunkeness in every scene? And we wonder why this stuff sneaks into our lives...food for thought, huh?

Great post, Lelia! Great Post! Prayers and Blessings!
Rebecca

Yolanda said...

Stuff like this is hard on a guy at 7:30 in the morning...................how real is this. Thank you.


I had to copy and paste the note back from my husband on Friday morning, as I sent the "video" to him while I went off to the orthodontist to have my braces tightened.

This video is impacting many!

Love you,
Yolanda

Anonymous said...

Lelia,

I absolutely HATE mice!! I am a pretty strong, independent woman but those little critters put me into a cold sweat and make me a paranoid crazy woman--I will pray for you!!!

I totally relate to your comment of "subconsiously judging your kids walk with Christ". I watch them make choices and hear their opinions and I wonder where I went wrong. And then I take a step back and look at my bad choices and my MANY shortcomings and I know that my heart belongs to him and he loves me anyway and then I pray, pray, pray. As much as I love my boys---God loves them even more--AMAZING!!

Sandra Garcia said...

Hi Lelia,

I can totally relate about Alyssa getting closer to God. My heart just swelled the other day when Cassie told me that she felt God wanted her to get closer to Him. Nothing would make me happier than to see her truly living her life for Christ. I pray that God would light a fire in our children's hearts to yearn to know and live their lives for Him.

Blessings,
Sandra

Julie said...

I don't like those furry friends....

The other night I heard something moving around on the pillow on the couch I was resting on.....I jumped up and looked.... IT WAS A SCORPION....ON THE PILLOW, UNDER MY HEAD......

I screamed and the kids and my husband came running.....to my rescue.

YIKES!!! Now before I lay on the couch, sit in the chair, etc...I look around. How in the world the scorpion got on my couch pillow I do not know.......

Hope you catch your furry friend.
Hugs,
Julie

Jenny said...

I have a couple of unwanted guest running in my house too! I love the picture you painted, I know it will stick with me!
Jen

Sita said...

Sometimes we forget how patient God was/is with us. We are in a hurry to 'see' maturity in our children forgetting His ways, His timing are so different with each individual. I am so learning to step back while praying continually, thanking Him for each baby-step or teen-step(-; I see.

Paula V said...

You are absolutely nuts...I can't believe you still have that smooshed spider on your computer "to warn it's family and friends." Hilarious! I've not lived in a house with a mouse for about five years but I remember when I had an apartment with one...it drove me crazy. I put out pellets and that crazy thing just horded them by putting them in my tennis shoe...it was a shoe I hadn't worn for a long time. I went to put them on the next summera and found a huge pile of poison pellets! That little rascal!

Great analogy about what we put in our minds and bodies. I've often felt like maybe I should listen to God's Word on CD as I find myself repeating what I hear on my walking video with Leslie Samsone. So I thought there might be some truth to that...listening helps retain...the good and bad.

Amy L Brooke said...

Mice, yuck! Good luck with that!

Great analogy!

Tracy said...

Loved your post! You're definitely right about that video. I've watched it over and over and that image still gets to me.

How precious to see your daughter grow closer to the Lord. I know what you mean...it IS hard as the Momma to step out of the way and let Jesus do His needed work on her heart, but oh so worth it. Praying for you and your daughter.

Oh, I'm with you about the mice....nothing can cause me to shreik and literally tap dance like seeing a mouse. (Gives me the quivers just thinkin' about it!) But what a great illustration about what happens when we let unwanted guests take up residence in our heart.

Thanks so much for sharing this!

Blessings,
Tracy

P.S. Good luck with that mouse! ; )

Tracy said...

Lelia,
WOW! I did as you suggested and Googled God Speaking. I recognized the Mandisa version...beautiful song. I had never heard of Ronnie Freeman...I listened to his version too...amazing! Thanks for sharing that! (I think it definitely fits my snow blessing.)

Have a great day!
Tracy = )

Susan said...

Hey Lelia,

As always, when I come to your blog, I leave CONVICTED, challenged, and ready to take a deeper look inside this heart of mine. (it's done in LOVE, but hey, you speak directly to the issues!)

God has given you such a gift and you use it so skillfully.

I think it's time I do a little house cleaning over here.

Thanks for being such a light for us all.

Hmmmm, please let us know that furry friend is GONE~GONE!!!

Love ya,

Susan

Pamela (His maidservant) said...

You don't know how encouraging and comforting your words have been today...especially about your daughter. Maybe I am getting in the way of my girls being closer to God...my heart is especially breaking for one of them. He left me a message in your words. Thank you for being open and willing to write them.

In His races~Pamela

Unknown said...

We went through that at Christmastime. No fun. Then JJ got me "Ratatouille" for a gift....
Grins.

elaine @ peace for the journey said...

No mercy. Go for the kill. I just had the exterminator over last week to take care of my furry friends.

peace~elaine