Category: child

Keep looking up!

Posted on by Susan Panzica

Looking up

My daughter found this old family photo recently and shared it on social media with her thoughts – which I am totally and unashamedly stealing for the powerful life lessons it contains for all of us!

In her words:

A photo so classic fantastic that it must be documented on the internet. But the more I looked at it, the more I realized how accurate this is a picture of my life right now – and how important it is for us to continually have this childlike faith perspective of looking up with smiles, with hope and patience that whatever we are trying to fly in life can and will be all that it can be. Even when life comes to crossroads and tough decisions, knowing God is the wind, I can smile and LOOK UP with confidence knowing He’s got it even if I don’t understand it. I’ve got my dad holding me so I’m planted firmly. And He does the SAME thing in my life!! I’ve got my brother beside me encouraging me and my cousin behind me representing ALL the people that I know are with me. My mom is probably taking the photo, behind the camera making sure I stay FOCUSED. I could go on but for now will stop my rant to encourage you as I encourage myself with Mary Poppins quotes from both movies “let’s go fly a kite” and “there’s nowhere to go but UP”

“…the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who, then, is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” He called a little child to him, and placed the child among them.  And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.  Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.  And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.” Matt. 18:2-5

“The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.” John 3:8

“I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear.  But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come.” John 16:12-13

 

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To Be a Child of God

Posted on by Susan Panzica

John 1-12

I don’t think I ever really understood what it meant to be a child of God until I had children of my own. My relationships with my natural parents were often strained, so when I became a Christian, my understanding of the Father nature of God was more head knowledge than heart knowledge.

That is until my daughter was born, and I was overwhelmed with unconditional love for her and began to catch a glimmer of the love the Father has for me. Then when I was pregnant with my son, I was terrified that I wouldn’t have enough love for the child in my womb because my love for my daughter seemed the max that a person could have. How amazing that when that little boy arrived, the measure of love in my heart grew exponentially!

And I began to glean glimpses of how completely and unconditionally my heavenly Father loves me. I’m still learning what it means to be a child of God, but there are a few things I’ve gathered:

  • As His child, I am secure.  I can’t become more a “child of God” by anything I do or achieve. And I can’t become less a “child of God” no matter how many times I fail. When God is your Father, you are His child, and nothing I do can change that. I am His eternally.
  • As His child, I must not be childish. The Apostle Paul wrote, “When I was I child, I spoke as a child, but when I matured, I put away childish things.” (1 Cor. 13:11). Being childish includes being selfish, self-centered, immature, jealous, wanting MY way instead of HIS way.
  • Yet, I must be childlike.  Jesus said, “Unless you become like a child, you cannot see the kingdom of God.” (Matt. 18:3) Being childlike means that I see the world through childlike eyes. I trust; I am teachable; I am not prejudiced; I am generous, innocent, care-free knowing that my Father has all things under control.

As a child of God, we have complete assurance that we belong to our Father. He loves us with an unconditional love. When we are born-again of the Spirit, we are both born and adopted into the family of God and become a joint heir with Jesus Christ. This relationship gives us rights and privileges, as well as responsibilities.

Knowing the difference between being childlike and childish is the key to maturity. Our Father God, our Abba – translated Daddy, is not distant or aloof. He invites us into an intimate, secure family relationship.

My relationship with my earthly dad may have been difficult, but now I celebrate my heavenly Father each Father’s Day!

“Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.” John 1:12  

 

 

 

Giving

Posted on by Susan Panzica

Today, I thank my friend, my “soul-mate” Cheri Bunch, from Kansas for this heart-felt post. Cheri and I met in NC at the She Speaks conference this summer. Her husband is a chiropractor, like mine, and even as we just met, we could practically finish each other’s sentences.



Giving

“Then little children were brought to Him that He might put His hands on them and pray, but the disciples rebuked them. But Jesus said, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 19:13-14

She nestled into me as I hummed a lullaby softly in her ear. Her little body well fed and nurtured, she had never known another home. She was born in prison where her momma was presently staying. Little “Gloria” snuggled in peace.



I met her when I was on a mission trip to Kentucky. My son and I joined a group that was taking school supplies and the gospel message to the people in the mountains areas. On the way, we stopped at a children’s home where little Gloria was living.

Gloria is a very fortunate little one who has been rescued by loving Christian people who have a vision of rescuing children and restoring homes. Every two weeks, the children’s home staff loads up all of the babies into big vans full of car seats and take them to the prison two hours away where their mommas are locked up. They allow the mommas to love on their little ones for as long as the prison guards will allow, then the staff loads all those babies back into the vans and take them back to the nursery to be cared for by the staff until the mommas are released from their sentence.


It is a beautiful ministry to behold. I was most moved by this plan, not only to restore families but also to share the Gospel. Every momma is loved on by the staff and eventually witnessed to. The staff demonstrates the Gospel by loving the mommas and their babies first, which tends to soften the soil of their hearts, so that when the Word is heard, it is received by most.


Most of the staff volunteers are from the surrounding community. They are some of the most gentle and loving people I have ever met.

As I sat with little Gloria in my arms, I was overwhelmed with gratefulness that someone had the vision to, not only rescue this little lamb, but to reach out and take the Gospel into the home, while making an effort to bring restoration to the household. This is what giving is all about, serving, loving, giving, and being ministers of reconciliation to others in need.


Jesus loves little ones. He said to bring them to Him.


Little Gloria is no longer at the children’s home. She is back home with her momma. She will be in children’s church this Sunday. She is singing “Jesus Loves Me” and learning Bible verses. Her momma sings in the choir. They say their prayers at night, and they demonstrate His love to others during the day. That is the beauty of this mission. That is what giving is all about.


This children’s home will receive a gift from my family this Christmas. I wish that I lived closer. I would love to be on staff to rock babies and minister to their mommas. Since that is not an option, I will send financial support or fill some of their supplies on their list of needs. Then I will look for little “Gloria’s” in my area that I can snuggle and hum lullabies to.

“I’ll follow you into the homes of the broken. Follow You into the world. Meet the needs of the poor and needy God. Follow you into the world.”

Taken from a song by Leeland from cd – Love is on the Move.




Oh Lord, You know the needs of these little ones. You know the number of hairs on their heads. And You know our needs, too. Help us to sacrificially serve Your little ones as You lead.

Susan

Happy Anniversary To Me – A Gift For You!

Posted on by Susan Panzica

Today is my one year anniversary! Who would believe it? Not me!


I started blogging as a way to practice and improve my writing skills, and hopefully, to encourage someone in the process. It has turned into a sweet blessing for me, making so many new friends in cyberspace. My life will never be the same because of you!

To thank you for your encouragement and support over the past year, I am hosting my first “give-away”. Everyone who shares a comment will be entered in a drawing for the newest Max Lucado book “Fearless”. To be eligible to win, please leave me a comment on the blog (http://www.eternitycafe.blogspot.com/) or reply to this email. Be sure to include your email address so I can contact you if you win. At the end of the week, one of my kids will pull the winning name.


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To commemorate this anniversary, I’m sharing my first blogpost, still one of my favorites!
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Monday, October 13, 2008
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Thanks for visiting Eternity Cafe today. Well, friends, I’m finally in the 21st century, and here’s my first post!! It is my desire that this blog will serve to shine God’s light in your life and mine. I just love to share ideas, stories, illustrations, photos, even recipes as they come to me, either through my crazy brain or by way of email, devotions, sermons, conversation, etc. I hope that you will join me adding your insights by posting your comments.

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For my first post, I chose a story that is near and dear to my heart. Years ago, when my 20 year old daughter was just four, we were standing side by side in church singing during the worship service. (By the way, she now stands beside her dad as she plays bass guitar leading the worship with him! How time flies!) But at that time, my observant little girl asked me a question. She said, “Why do people raise their hands when they worship?” I was just about to share my great wisdom with her, providing some brilliant answer when I felt the Lord just shutting my mouth tight. So I asked her, “Why do you think that people raise their hands when they worship?” To which she thoughtfully replied, “I think that they are holding hands with God.”
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From that moment on, I always asked her (and my son) what they thought before I provided my answer!
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Her answer revealed so much insight into what our relationship with God ought to be. It was the prophet Micah who said, “He has showed you, O man (or woman), what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” You might say “… to walk holding hands with God.”
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Now just imagine that you are a child holding the hand of your Father. His hand covers yours, and you feel His protection. He is so much bigger than you are. He is gripping you tightly because He doesn’t want to lose you. He doesn’t want any harm to come to you. He wants to protect you, even though sometimes He allows you to reap consequences, because that too, is for your good.
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Imagine as you hold His hand where His eyes are. He can see across the street. He can see what lies ahead. He can see where the dangers are, and He can shield you from them. Imagine His vision and realize how limited your vision is. And remember, when a child holds her daddy’s hand, it is gripped and supported – He is doing the holding! It is not nearly as difficult as when you try to keep your hand raised in your own strength.
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Imagine how much the owner of that Hand loves you. How He cares for your every need, even those that you don’t realize you have. How His grip is a confirmation of how you are tenderly loved with a strength beyond your own understanding. Realize that if a great danger were heading your way, how He would push you out of the way, and sacrifice Himself that you might live.
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This is what it is to be a child of God.





Though they stumble, they will never fall, for the Lord holds them by the hand. Psalm 37:24
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“I want men (& women & children!) everywhere to lift up holy hands in prayer.”
1 Timothy 2:8.

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Susan

Happy Mother’s Day – to my kids!

Posted on by Susan Panzica

Perennially, Mother’s Day was a difficult day for me. Having a mother and a stepmother takes juggling to new levels. But unlike the circus, no one is ever happy. So, to be honest, Mother’s Day was never a day I looked forward to.

Until I became a mom.

The best thing for me now about Mother’s Day is the reminder of the love the Father has for us, His children. Even as a Christian, I don’t think I understood what it meant to be a child of God until I had children of my own.

So, thanks kids, for teaching what it means to be a child of our Father.

As I new mom, I couldn’t believe how much love my heart could contain. When I was pregnant with my second child, I was worried that I would not be able to love that child as much as I loved my first. How could so much love be possible? But, if you have more than one child, you know, as I found out, that it is more than possible. Exceedingly more. When one candle lights another, it does not lose any of its light. Only more light is created. And so, my second-born only increased my capacity to love.

When my children were small, they were so dependent upon me. As they grew and matured, slowly they gained independence. When my children and I would go out anywhere, my daughter always stuck close by, but my son loved to wander, and so for his own safety, I used a harness for him so he was free to explore, yet he could stray no further than the end of the leash. Now both are free to travel, but they are always tethered by an invisible bond of love.

Whether my children behave or not, my love for them does not diminish, just as God’s love never changes regardless of my behavior (1 John 4:9-10).

I must discipline them when necessary to be a good parent, just as God disciplines us (Hebrews 12:7-11).

We have security as a child of God. He will not leave us as orphans (John 14:18).

As a child of God, I have learned that there is a difference between being childlike (which we should be – Matt. 18:3) and being childish (which we ought not to be – 1 Cor. 13:11). We must develop in our relationship with the Lord as a baby matures and grows. We progress from feeding on the “milk of the Word” to meatier things (1 Peter 2:2). It’s a process. But His love for us never changes during the process.

So, Abba – Daddy, keep me close.

And kids, thanks for making every day a Happy Mother’s Day for me!