You are the devil and you are bad

Tucking the girls in last night, Maya told me - "I don't like the devil. I make mean faces at him." She then proceeded to contort her little face into different mean faces... I wanted to laugh, but I didn't.

These girls sure seem to have the facts straight. God is good, and the devil is bad. Long ago, I remember Maya saying she wouldn't give her heart to the devil, because he would just stomp on it. They're like little theologians, asking the most interesting questions as we drive along in and out of town. I even overheard Jasmine singing the other day... a song about God loves me just the way I am, and He hears me when I pray, because He cares for us. Ah, I love these little moments.

Maya's mean faces made me think of this song by the Ws that I haven't heard in a long time:

You are the devil, and the devil is bad. 

It's ska, from the 90s. Am I dating myself yet? Ha!

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Jasmine has had a couple odd dreams in the last few weeks.

She was pretty upset when she came into my room one morning because she’d just had a scary dream. I hate it when my children have bad dreams. It especially makes me upset when it seems like my little ones are being attacked. Grrr... I spent some time praying over our home, and Jasmine was so sweet when she prayed... God, you see my dreams. I know they're not real, but could you help me have good dreams?

 Lately I have been reading One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp, and it has been SOO good for me... basically it's a book about learning to give thanks. This is God's will for us, to notice the beauty in every moment and recognize it as a gift from Him. I have learned so much from her that it feels like someone hit the reset button on my brain. Well, almost...

 Sometimes I feel like someone has pulled the "awkward moments" file out of the drawer, because for days on end I will recall dumb things I've done or said in the past and it makes me cringe inside. Then I feel grateful I know better now, and quickly breathe a prayer for God to give me wisdom not to make the same mistakes. Ah, I hate that file. 

That was a random tangent...

Our cottonwood tree is shedding again. Last year it looked like a snowman pooped in our yard, but this year I think I'll be more gracious about it and call it "Summer snow." That sounds much more elegant than the other word picture. It's all in the eye of the beholder, right?

Beauty is in the eye of the Beholder. 

That means God sees what I can't because He sees all things. 

Even when ugly is staring him in the face, He sees the true potential and like an unrelenting miner bent on finding gold, he searches my heart, tries me, and finds the hidden beauty every time.

Thanks God.