Guest Blogger: Christie Dee

Happy Valentine's Day MOPs Mommas!!

 I hope you all had a day filled with fun and quality time with the one you love =) 

I am going to try to be posting more blogs on here for us with recaps from the meetings, resources, and guest speakers. I am super excited to announce that we have Mentor Moms willing to do some guest blogs for us! Our mentor moms have been there in the trenches we are in and are full of wisdom for how to survive the journey. So without further ado, Christie Dee has written this week's guest blog and it is an awesome reminder of Christ's love for us, appropriate for Valentine's Day right? ;-)

A Piece of My Blankie

By Christie Dee, MOPS Mentor Mom

Note:  I wrote this story 11 years ago when I was still a mother of a preschooler.  It’s still one of my favorite memories of my kids’ younger years.  It’s so beautiful how God speaks to us through our children’s actions.  I know we are working on training our children in the Lord but God also uses our children to speak to us.  Keep your eyes open to what He is saying to you through your kiddos. 

Recently, there was a happening in our household that I find worthy of sharing.  Four-year-old Emily, the youngest of our four, was quite distraught because her “blankie” was missing.  It had been gone for several days.  She had survived without it because she was still sleeping in her own bed, with her own pillow – all the other comforts of home were still there.  Her increased level of concern this day came because our family of six was going two separate ways for the weekend.  She would be joining her dad and brother for a ski trip in the mountains, while her two older sisters would be with me at a Bible Quizzing competition.  The whole family searched high and low for the treasure – a small, faded-yellow cotton rectangle with plaid trim, holes and stains.

Emily’s nine-year-old sister Hannah, also a “blankie lover,” joined in the hunt.  Over the course of her childhood she too had had missing blankies, destroyed blankies, and other blankie traumas.  In short, she could identify with her sister’s affliction.  As it became clear that Emily would have to spend the weekend (and maybe the rest of her life) without her yellow friend, Hannah did something that will forever remain in my memory.  She began rummaging through her already-packed suitcase, pulled out her beloved blankie – a larger rectangle made out of a similar cotton fabric, this one white with animals covering it.  She then grabbed a pair of scissors and began cutting of a piece of her cherished blankie and handed it to her little sister.  “I’m giving you a piece of my blankie,” she said matter of factly.  Emily cuddled the scrap of fabric to her cheek, said her obligatory “thank you” and off she went as if nothing had ever been wrong. 

To my two daughters, this happening was just one of many in the fabric of their lives.  But as for me, it touched my heart so deeply that I have pondering it and its significance for days.  We all have things in our lives that provide us comfort and security.  Tangible or intangible, they are precious to us – a part of who we are.  At times in our lives, others need what we have just as much as we do.  Our job is to be willing to give – whether it’s a word of encouragement because we’ve been through something similar, a sum of money, our time, our house, our talents and even our “blankie.”  Hannah saw a need that she could identify with.  She had the resources to fill that need, so she did.  It is simple, yet profound – an example of sacrificial giving at its best.  Hannah probably noticed the “smallness” of her three-quarter blankie for a few days, but pretty soon it was sufficient. 

Sometimes other peoples’ needs are an inconvenience for us.   Hannah didn’t wake up that morning desiring to cut off a piece of her beloved blankie.  But when the situation presented itself, she was there. Emily’s need provided an opportunity for Hannah to do a beautiful act of kindness.  It was someone else’s’ need that brought out something good in her. 

God of course has set the ultimate example of sacrificial giving.  He literally gave a piece of himself to us through his son Jesus so that we might have life, comfort, and security.  We can never repay this gift.  But through our “pieces” of giving, we honor the Lord and show ourselves to be becoming more like Him.  Emily’s yellow faded blanket was found a week later, hiding in the kitchen candy drawer.  Its reappearance paled in comparison to the precious act of giving that had taken place a few days earlier.  Now Emily has a yellow faded blanket and a piece of her sister’s white animal blankie to cuddle.  And I have a precious example of how I should live my life.

                 

Thank you Christie!!!

Reminders: 

THIS Tuesday 2/17/16- MOPs Movie Playdate  9:30-11:30 @ Calvary Bible Church Erie

THIS Thursday 2/18/16- Freezer meal workshop 7pm @ Allie's house

Tuesday 2/23/26- MOPs Tuesday!! **We will be talking about keeping our kids safe. This may be a hard topic for some so please be praying over this meeting**