Years ago I started a journey that I was invited to go on. I was so excited, but I had no idea
what I was going to encounter and how I was going to grow and be changed by my
travels. I had a destination and my
goal was to get there! I was ready and faunching at the bit to go.
Well you know how it is with any trip you begin. You leave on your
journey and then you start thinking. You think did I turn off that iron, did I
lock the door, did I put a hold on the mail etc? When I walked over the threshold of my door I
KNEW I was ready, but once I started toward my destination I had fears,began
second guessing myself, thinking to myself will they like me, will I be good
enough, will I measure up? Who did I think I was?
On and On it went and pretty soon I was disheartened and
discouraged, but I kept plugging away putting one foot in front of the other.
My thoughts were stealing my joy and I
was letting peace fly right out the window! Not only that, but my baggage seemed
to get heavier and heavier the longer I traveled. I tried to do all the right
things, see all the sights, read all about them and study them and attempted to
act first and think later . Some days it worked. Then I would hit a snag and
someone would say something to me either I didn't understand or that made me
feel ignorant. I tried to pretend I was
with it. That I knew how to travel and I knew the ropes, but the truth was I was
new at this traveling gig. I hadn't yet realized I was listening to the wrong
people part of the time. People who had never really traveled or who had stopped
traveling and were outside my traveling circle. I looked like a traveler on the
outside, but on the inside I was not yet grounded and confidant, secure in who I
was as a traveler.
I made so many mistakes along the way at the beginning
of the trip I came near to being left behind by my fellow travelers! Yes, I
undertook a journey with other travelers! They weren't going to force me to
continue and they let me make up my own mind to continue or not. To make matters worse I was traveling with
foreigners and at first I just did not understand a lot of what they did or
said. They had funny ideas too, and they were always reading. Not to mention,
many times they would break out singing. That always threw me into a panic,
because I didn't know the words, the tunes or the songs. I would try to sing
along, but most of the time I just sat there like a bump on a log trying to
sing, but only managing every fifth word or so, or the chorus of the
tunes.
My fellow travelers had meetings too. At first I couldn't fathom why they regularly got together like they did, but I went along
with it. Getting up early or staying late, and getting to those meetings on time
and studying what they discussed so I would be presentable and could participate was at first a lot of work for me. After a while of traveling together though I
began to notice a peculiar thing. I began to understand their ideas and
thoughts. I also learned the words to the songs they sang and began to sing with
them. I even understood their language! Getting to those meetings on time was
becoming less and less of a chore and more and more of an anticipation that made
me feel excited and eager.
Another thing I noticed was my memory improved and my
fears subsided. I worried less and less
about what I had done, about my past,
if others liked me or if I would be good enough. MY joy stopped being
stolen and started to increase. It increased and increased until it over-flowed
and I felt compelled to share it. That’s
how it is with joy. It’s contagious and you can’t help, but share it. It kind of
just rubs off on others.
By now you might be thinking my journey was all peaceful and without problems
for the rest of the trip by this point. Not so, in fact I can’t begin to relate
how many awful and grievous things happened. Things so out of the norm of
everyday life that no one expects to have to deal with them in daily life let
alone while traveling. Those problems or
road bumps as I might call them didn't deter me from my final destination goal
though. I sometimes traveled slower and
I sometimes sought out a shoulder to cry on, but you know what? My fellow
travelers were amazing! They held me when I cried, gave me a shoulder to cry on,
shared sound advice and pointed me in the right direction and helped me keep on
the right path. They taught me how to talk to my father about life’s hurdles and
it really helped. I didn't always have a relationship with him. My fellow
travelers knew that and encouraged me to spend time with him during my
journey. All along the way they also
laughed with me and shared good times and joy too. Eventually I began to read
also and the more I read the more I wanted answers to my questions about this
trip. I also wanted to know who I was and what my purpose was. Who did I think I was? Well from the
beginning of my journey to now, who I think I am changed.
In the beginning, when I stated this trip I had no idea
who I was. Not really who I was or why I was.
I thought I was traveling with foreigners, but I came to understand I was
a foreigner too. I am so glad my fellow
travelers are still traveling with me on this journey! Read on and be
encouraged!
All these died in faith, without receiving the promises,
but having seen them and having welcomed them from a distance, and having
confessed that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. For those who say
such things make it clear that they are seeking a country of their own. And
indeed if they had been thinking of that country from which they went out, they
would have had opportunity to return. Instead they were longing for a better
country – a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God,
for he has prepared a city for them. Hebrews 11:29
WOW! So God wasn't ashamed to be associated with
me. It matters not so much how the world
defines me or who they say I am. Who am I? Who does God say I am?
I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and
daughters, says the Lord Almighty. 2
Corinthians 6:17-18
How great is the love the Father has lavished on us,
that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! 1 John 3:1
Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God
and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we
may also share in his glory. Romans 8:17
I have the privilege of being a daughter of the King! I
am one of his heirs! I am a child of God, one of his own! I am NOT an orphan and I am NOT alone! My
father is the King of Kings.
Sisters and brothers take heart. Don’t be discouraged, be encouraged. Don’t be
disheartened, be heartened. Cast off the cares of this world and don’t let the
baggage this world would heap on you with suffering cause you to doubt your salvation and who you
are. Be assured you are a child of God and have been adopted into his family. He
is your father and you are his child.
For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath, but to
receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Thessalonians 5:9
If you don’t know him yet and think you have to get
cleaned up first put that fear aside. Christ died on the cross so that all may
be forgiven of sin and he did that before you or anyone else ever attempted to
get cleaned up.
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only
son, that whoever believes in him shall
not perish, but have eternal life. John
3:16
All the cleaning in the world that I ever did on my own
to make myself presentable and look good never wiped away or absolved one smidge
of my sin. That would be a monumental and overwhelming task that I can never
achieve on my own no matter how clean I get, how good I am, how much good I do,
or how pious I appear. I have had
tragedies happen and I have grieved and been wounded, but God never once looked
at me and said you are HOPELESS!
Scripture says,
You will be secure because there is hope; you will look about you and take your rest in safety. Job 11:18
For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord,
plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future.
Jeremiah 29:11
But as for me, I watch in hope for the Lord, I wait for
God my savior, my God will hear me. Micah 7:7
Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he
who promised is faithful. Hebrews
10:23
And hope does not disappointed us because, God has
poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit whom he has given us.
Romans 5:5
Who do you think you are? God says you are His child,
you are forgiven, you have hope, you have a future, you will be secure because
there is hope, and you are saved! You are most precious, a rare jewel and YOU
were worth dying for.
After we finished math, we took a virtual tour of the Mayflower. Click Here to take your own virtual tour. We loved it! I know I've told you about this site in previous posts, but I just can't say enough great things about it. I love how it relates the information is such a way that my children can easily understand. I also love the fact that with a press of a button, it will read the paragraphs to your child. This is great for the child that may have some reading difficulties or the mom busy helping others.
Today we started out our day working on our thankful turkeys. The girls each colored their turkeys and wrote what they were thankful for on the feathers. The thankful turkey craft can be found HERE. We then read through our pilgrim unit study that I had printed out from HERE and completed each activity. After we had finished the activities we started working on our pilgrim lapbook. You can find a list of lapbook printables on our Pilgrim/Thanksgiving Resource List blog post. I also found a simple online pilgrim quiz that the girls took turns completing. Each did very well and I was quite surprised at the amount of information they seem to be retaining. I always wonder "are they retaining this?" I'm sure I'm not the only mother who worries about that. It sure is nice when I can see evidence. This is a unit I have been doing with my daughters for a couple years in a row now and I always assumed the information would stick with them. Well funny story. We were with my mother-in-law Monday and she asked my girls if they knew who the pilgrims were. I was smiling confident that they did indeed. Well, my oldest popped up and said "Do they lay eggs?" Oh boy! I'm not sure what she was thinking, but it was funny and we quickly answered her with the correct information. Needless to say, I think it is important to go back over units yearly or whenever it is convenient to help refresh memories. 
