I’m gonna start hitting stuff with a hammer!
All posts by James Dibben
When you can always say yes
I sure feel like I tell my kids no all the time; especially the teens.
“No you can’t stay at her house tonight.”
“No you can’t get on the internet tonight.”
“No it’s too late for caffeine.”
“No we don’t have money in the budget for Worlds of Fun this weekend.”
As often as I have to tell my girls no I better be ready to say yes when I get a chance.
Last Monday night Jessica walked up to me with volleyball in hand and asked me, “Do you want to play with me?”
I sprinted out the back door into the yard. I did not waste a single minute or thought. At this age it isn’t very often I get invited to an activity that isn’t math homework. A chance to laugh and play with my thirteen-year-old is a rare privilege, and it is a privilege I should never pass up. It’s a no-brainer to answer. There is no reason short of an impending trip to the ER that should keep me from a resounding yes.
It’s kind of like that with God don’t you agree?
So often He tells us no to our requests. Most of the time we don’t even get a reason. His responses to our requests for His time are always the same answer; He tells us yes.
For dads to really reflect the face of God we need to have the word “yes” on the tip of our tongues anytime our children ask for our attention.
Luke 15:20
So he got up and went to his father. “But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.
When we call out to God for attention He runs to be there by our side. We should do the same for our kids.
Anjelia quote of the day #1
If I could go back in time I would go to the 1980s.
Leaning
Here is a sneak peek of the photo shoot we had last Sunday afternoon.
I’m probably over thinking things a little, but I think this picture accurately displays the pressure any parent feels from the overwhelming responsibility associated with raising a family.
The only thing missing from this picture is some kind of spiritual symbol.
My family may be leaning on me, but I do not carry the full weight of the responsibility of leading this family into a healthy future.
I’m leaning on something too. I’m leaning on God’s ultimate authority in my life. I don’t make any decisions for this family separate from what I believe God would want me to do.
Any time I feel overwhelmed by my responsibilities I remind myself that I am not in this alone; I am so thankful for this truth.
I’m reminded of a passage in Proverbs that we studied in my Men’s Sunday School class a few weeks ago.
Proverbs 3:5-6
5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;
6 in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.
I love the promise which comes along with this verse. I want my family on the straightest path possible.
If I can remember to trust in God, and avoid leaning on my own knowledge I am promised straighter paths.
Journal: April Babies
This wasn’t the normal kind of crying I have ever experienced while watching a movie.
Yesterday afternoon Julie and I sat down with our two oldest daughters to watch October Baby.
Julie, Lydia and Jessica went to watch it in the theater last fall and loved it. I knew I would enjoy it as well, but I was not prepared for how emotional the living room was going to become during this film.
When it comes to the heavy issue of choosing life over abortion our family doesn’t just share opinions; we have lived it out.
Lydia and Jessica are both adopted. Their beginnings could have been violently stopped if their birth mothers had made their decisions based on what popular culture would have told them.
Both girls’ birth mothers were victims of poverty. Both birth mothers had no support from family or friends. Both birth mothers could have chosen an abortion center over taking a baby to full term. Both birth mothers picked another path. A path which allowed Julie and I to adopt these two beautiful girls into our family. They allowed God to work the kinds of miracles only He can work, because these women chose life.
As the four of us watched October Baby together there were not just red eyes and a few wet cheeks. No, our living room was full of audible weeping. Like no movie we have watched together this one dealt with so many of the emotions all four of us have dealt with, are currently dealing with, or will some day have to confront.
Julie and I know what it is like to burn with a passionate desire to have a family, but fall short in our own abilities. We know what it is like to have that desire fulfilled through God’s divine providence.
We know that both of our daughters struggle to understand their own personal stories. We know they are trying to balance their current lives with what their lives might have been like. Sometimes they ask us point blank, and sometimes they write about it and share those writings with us.
At the end of October Baby Hannah runs up to her dad, gives him a big hug and says: “Thank you.”
“What for?” was her father’s answer.
Hannah looked into her dad’s eyes and said: “For wanting me.”
That moment in the film moved me so deeply that I started weeping out loud.
Lydia and Jessica: You are both wanted, and no one else on earth could possibly want you for daughters more than I do.
Why am I pro-life? Because in April of 1998 and 1999 two complete strangers decided they were, and the lives of thousands of people will be better for it.