Trust and Obey

It's not unusual to hear Nicholas singing. In the car. In the house. In the bathroom. In the store. He has always loved music, and while dancing is a fun pastime, singing is a passion. 

He spent an entire day recently singing "Trust and Obey," or at least singing his version of the classic song: 

Trust and obey 

When you don't get your way, 

Just trust and obey.

There's something very sweet and precious hearing your 4-year-old singing a hymn. And, of course, it is always adorable when little ones change words. But as I was silently chuckling listening to his cute rendition, I really thought about what he was saying.

Trust and obey 

When you don't get your way, 

Just trust and obey.

When you don't get your way. 

How easy it is to say those words when everything is going great. It's easy to say you trust God when you're "on the mountaintop." Sometimes we're guilty of singing the words with out mouths, but not with our hearts. Yes, we know we need to trust God and obey Him, but is it real to us when we're going through a trial? Do we still live it when everything seems to be going wrong? Trust and obey, not only when life is good, but when the hard times come, as well.

It was precious hearing that sweet, little melody coming from his lips. And just like God as our heavenly Father wants our trust and obedience, we desire the same from our children. I want my 4-year-old to trust me and obey me even when he doesn't get his way. I am wiser and understand more than he does. He doesn't always understand the dangers involved or what I am protecting him from. He doesn't realize that I'm training him for his future and there's so much more to the situation than simply that one thing I won't allow him to do.

He doesn't need to understand, but he needs to trust and obey. How much more does that lesson apply to our Father guiding us? 

Our family went through a big "when you don't get your way" experience this year. Our hearts were broken and it was not an easy time. Through all the tears and heartache and uncertainty though, we knew God had a plan. All we could do was trust Him and obey His leading. Even now, there are times when we wonder why. Why did it happen the way it did? Why did we have to go through that? What were we supposed to learn from it? The pain isn't raw anymore, but we still don't understand. And we may never know why! God doesn't agree to explain the reasoning; He promises to guide our path.

The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord: and he delighteth in his way. ~ Psalm 37:23

I am reminded of the story of Abraham and Isaac. I get teary-eyed every time I read the passage in Genesis or hear a message about it. The thought of sacrificing your child! And yet, Abraham was obedient and God sent him a ram instead. There is also the story of Job and how he lost everything and the many trials Joseph experienced.

Those situations don't make sense in our human minds. Those men were trusting and obeying! And every step was ordered by God.

For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. 

For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, 

and my thoughts than your thoughts. ~ Isaiah 55:8-9  

We may never learn why God leads us through certain situations, but we know He has a plan for our lives.

So even when we don't get our way or when God guides our path one way and then seemingly detours our life in a new direction, we can be confident in His love and care for us. Trust and obey.

Just trust and obey.

Trust and Obey

When we walk with the Lord in the light of His Word,

What a glory He sheds on our way!

While we do His good will, He abides with us still,

And with all who will trust and obey.

Refrain:

Trust and obey, for there’s no other way

To be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.

Not a shadow can rise, not a cloud in the skies,

But His smile quickly drives it away;

Not a doubt or a fear, not a sigh or a tear,

Can abide while we trust and obey.

Not a burden we bear, not a sorrow we share,

But our toil He doth richly repay;

Not a grief or a loss, not a frown or a cross,

But is blessed if we trust and obey.

But we never can prove the delights of His love

Until all on the altar we lay;

For the favor He shows, for the joy He bestows,

Are for them who will trust and obey.

Then in fellowship sweet we will sit at His feet,

Or we’ll walk by His side in the way;

What He says we will do, where He sends we will go;

Never fear, only trust and obey.

Trust and obey, for there’s no other way
To be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.

Smart Kidz Radio Review

Music is a big part of our lives. I often have it playing during the day, whether we're doing chores, driving in the van, working in the yard, playing around the house, and even during school. In fact, I'm listening to music now as I type. There are many options for listening today than there were a decade ago. We have so many more conveniences than swapping a CD every time we want a change. Now, we, personally, listen to the majority of our music streaming online. There are a few different places we use, but we were just introduced to a new online radio station that is just for kids. 

Smart Kidz Radio, like all of the branches of Smart Kidz Media, is dedicated to the education of children. Their goal is to "give every child the opportunity for a basic education." That's why everything they produce is done so for the betterment of children and their families. And in order to show their commitment to this goal and to ensure that it's available for every child, they are offering a membership to their radio station free of charge.

Every song on Smart Kidz Radio was chosen just for kids ages 2-10. The songs promote self-esteem, teach valuable life skills, and encourage good manners. They sing about things like kindness, respect, love, compromise, sharing, friendship, emotions, exercise, nutrition, and more. The music that streams is played live like a typical radio station, so there are no options for replaying or skipping songs.

There is also a podcast section that features multiple well-known children's stories, fairy tales, and nursery rhymes. They are enhanced with music, sound effects, and various voices. There are some artistic liberties embraced in some of the stories. For instance, in Little Red Riding Hood,  the wolf does not want to hurt Little Red, but instead wants to eat her yummy goodies she brought to Grandma. They might not be the version of the stories your child is familiar with. Unlike the live stream songs, these podcasts can be played at any time. They can be paused, however, there is no option to fast forward or rewind. So when a story accidentally was closed one time, my kids chose to forgo the ending instead of listening to the majority of the story for a second time. Most of the podcasts are in the 15-20 minute range, but the songs and nursery rhymes are only a few minutes each.

The only ads on the site are for other Smart Kidz resources, so it is a safe environment for little ones. The live stream itself is a selection of original songs from their library which plays on a loop for a designated amount of time. At that point, a new live stream lineup is rotated in.

If you would like to select specifically which radio programs to listen to, you can upgrade your account to the On-Demand Programming. For just a few dollars a month, you have control of what is played. With hundreds of options including Bible stories, bedtime songs, Christmas carols, Peter Rabbit tales, all-time favorite sing-a-longs, and more, you have plenty of variety.

I have to preface this with explaining that our family is very selective in our music. We do not listen to typical pop culture music, but instead prefer Christian, classical, and typical sing-songy-type of children's music. Unfortunately, much of the music on Smart Kidz Radio does not fall into those categories. The melodies do not sound like regular children's songs, but rather would appeal more so to adults. My children had nothing nice to say about the music every time I turned it on.

Aside from the differences in musical style, I can not recommend this station because of the words themselves in many of the songs. They are designed to promote good behavior, yet there are many songs that include fighting, name calling, rude comments, and arguing. Those situations that are placed into the songs are done so to show the bad behavior and then sings about the good. However, you don't have to highlight the wrong to show the right. Little ones are like sponges. They soak things up. They repeat what they hear. I would not want my little ones getting these words cemented in their minds. For instance, there is a line in a song that says, "your brother is worse than a blister and your sister is a pain in the neck," and is repeated multiple times. Stupid, moron, and fatso are some of the name-calling inclusions.

Little ones are impressionable. Songs are catchy. I want my children singing songs that are uplifting and do not say things that I would not want them to repeat.

I know that everyone has their own opinions, and yours may be different from mine. You can check out the free Smart Kidz Radio station and decide for yourself, and it won't even cost you anything.



You can connect with Smart Kidz Radio on the following social media sites:
Facebook
Twitter


You can read more reviews of Smart Kidz Media on the Homeschool Review Crew blog.

God Answers Prayer

This week has been rough.

I'm physically and emotionally spent.

And, honestly, I don't see much changing over the next few days. Sometimes parenting is hard. Life is hard. But I don't have to handle it on my own. (Yes, my husband is wonderful and is a hands-on parent, but he has many responsibilities of his own, as well.) Time and time again, when I reach the end of my rope, when I feel like I'm drowning, God is immediately there for comfort. For relief. For help. I can see Him in a big, real way. I know that He cares. When I finally come to Him broken, I can imagine Him saying, "What took you so long?"  

Too often, I think, I try to do too much on my own. Raising and schooling 5 little kids is busy. Throw in a week like this past and it can get overwhelming. I have piles of laundry to be put away and dishes to be washed. The kitchen floor needs to be swept and the carpet throughout the house needs to be vacuumed. Again.

So what am I doing writing instead of caring for my home?

I stayed home today with a sick little boy. My other little loves are singing tonight during church. I was sad to miss it, but promised to listen online to the live stream of the service. I kissed them goodbye, tossed yet another load of laundry in the washer, and cuddled my baby.

I watched the clock so as not to miss their song. Then my little guy had another episode, and it was not pretty. I washed him up, changed his clothes, cleaned the mess on the carpet, and put him down to sleep just in time for the song to start.

The most beautiful sound came through the speakers.

Oh, it wasn't that every note was hit just right or that their pitch was perfect. In the musical sense, it wasn't flawless. But they're kids. And 3 of them are mine. 

Most importantly, they sang from their hearts.

Did you ever talk to God above?
Tell Him that you need a friend to love.
Pray in Jesus’ name believing
that God answers prayer.

Have you told Him all your cares and woes?
Ev’ry tiny little fear He knows.
You can know He’ll always hear
And He will answer prayer.

You can whisper in a crowd to Him.
You can cry when you’re alone to Him.
You don’t have to pray out loud to Him;
He knows your thoughts.

On a lofty mountain peak, He’s there.
In a meadow by a stream, He’s there.
Anywhere on earth you go,
He’s been there from the start.

Find the answer in His Word; it’s true.
You’ll be strong because He walks with you.
By His faithfulness He’ll change you, too.
God answers prayer.

I stood in my kitchen with tears streaming down my face as the music filled the room.

A minute later, as I was still wiping tears from my eyes, my phone chimed. My husband had videoed the moment so I wouldn't miss it. (I sure do love that man.) I listened once more as I watched them sing. And once more I cried.

Those words sung by my little ones touched me. God does answer prayer.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Today is now Monday. That is all I had time to write before my family returned from church and the baby was woken from the noise that is my children. I stayed up late caring for him and woke up early with him, as well. I get discouraged at times because there is much I would like to write for our blog--memories, favorite recipes, DIY projects, experiments, fun. Life. When it comes down to it though, my family is my first responsibility. My poor blog gets set to the side, and I write in snippets when I find the time.   

I had considered changing the wording in the beginning to fit today, but decided against it. This is life. This is real. This is the busyness I mentioned. 

And this is all the more reason I need God.
 

Today I find time to write again as the baby is napping.

Have you told Him all your cares and woes?
Ev’ry tiny little fear He knows.

"Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you." I Peter 5:7

You can whisper in a crowd to Him.
You can cry when you’re alone to Him.
You don’t have to pray out loud to Him;

"The righteous cry, and the LORD heareth, and delivereth them out of all their troubles." Psalm 34:17

On a lofty mountain peak, He’s there.
In a meadow by a stream, He’s there.

"Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not." Jeremiah 33:3

Find the answer in His Word; it’s true.
You’ll be strong because He walks with you.
By His faithfulness He’ll change you, too.
God answers prayer.

"Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:6-7

When you're discouraged, He's there.

When you're dealing with sickness, He's there.
When you're correcting attitudes, He's there.
When you're stressed, He's there.

When you're heartbroken, He's there.

When life gets too be too much and you're overwhelmed, God is there.  

I love how God used a ministry of my children to remind me of this truth. What a blessing these little ones are. May they never forget these words themselves and always hold them dear. May they forever remember to call upon Him.

God answers prayer.

*God Answers Prayer by Frances Towle Rath & Greg Soule

Things That Make Me Smile 3/2/12

1. Jake: "How many hours are in a day?"

Me: "The same number as the other day when you asked."

Jake: "I forgot."

Me: "There are 24 hours in a day."

Jake: "Yeah, and JELLO takes 4 hours."  At least he remembers the important things.

2. Leighton bought me a new washing machine (this one.)  Something about our old one spinning its way across the room, banging the basin into the insides of the washer, and being super loud convinced him that we needed to replace it. You know, little things. Either way, I tried to persuade him that it was still washing our clothes, and I was satisfied with that. He wouldn't listen though. Men. I was very thankful that we had the money for it, got it on sale, received 2 rebates, and even had a coupon! God gave us a quality washer for the price of a mediocre machine.

3. Alyssa: ♫ ♪ "Bubblegum, bubblegum, bubble bubble bubblegum, bubblegum bubblegum (and on and on and on) . . . I just made that song up." ♩ ♫

4. Watching Leighton and Jake make bunk beds for the boys. I love that Jake wants to help his daddy and that his daddy is patient with him and lets him help. Good memories for both of them.

5. Alyssa was telling me the story of Goldilocks & the Three Bears, complete with proper voice inflections and varying pitches. It was hilarious. 

6. The kids like to imagine that there are 2 babies in my belly. I told them that their cousin had a twin. Jake said, "Yeah, but he went to heaven when they were just babies. But is he really in heaven? When did he get saved and how old was he?"

7. Alyssa: "Jake, you pretend you're sick, and I'm the doctor."
Jake: "I don't want to. I want to pretend I got thrown into a wall"