joyancejames

Tag: #parenthood

  • Take me deeper vs carry me

    Lessons from Faith’s first day at beach

    Faith with mummy vs daddy at the beach

    Yesterday was Faith’s first day at beach and it taught us a lesson or two. She was so scared to step into the water even after seeing smaller babies rolling in the sands/water. Shalom took her to the edge where the waves just kiss the shore and baby cried her heart out, as if she was afraid for her life. I’d to salvage her first beach experience’s trauma by picking her up and calming her and that decent photo is the evidence of that calmness.

    There are days when He takes us deeper into the waters and days when we see only one set of footprints 👣 on the sand (when He carries us in His arms). The hands that hung the stars are big yet small enough to carry you too.

    We’ve days when we can’t imagine going further or deeper yet God knows when to stop and pick us up. Whether it’s in deeper waters or in His arms may we never forget that it is His presence that matters. He will never forsake us nor leave us.

    ‘You have seen what I did to the Egyptians. You know how I carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself.
    Exodus 19:4 NLT
    https://bible.com/bible/116/exo.19.4.NLT

    Even to your old age I am He, and even to hair white with age will I carry you. I have made, and I will bear; yes, I will carry and will save you.
    Isaiah 46:4 AMPC
    https://bible.com/bible/8/isa.46.4.AMPC

    God bless.

  • Lessons from fatherhood – VI

    Resting in His embrace

    My baby, Faith has been sleeping on my chest ever since I can remember. Not sure how I became her favourite mattress, but I guess body warmth and singing worship songs as lullaby did play their part. A sleeping tradition which started even before Faith was 3 months old still continues when she is 21 months old. Now even when I get to see her once in 3 months, because my work takes me away, she still revels in the pre-slumber embrace.

    #howitstartedvshowitsgoing



    At the end of our busy days, when we come back emotionally drained, physically tired and mentally worn out, whom do we turn to for respite and recharge? King David who spent a number of his youth years running for his life for no fault of his confesses this, “now, because of you, Lord, I will lie down in peace and sleep comes at once, for no matter what happens, I will live unafraid!”
    Psalms 4:8 TPT.

    Elsewhere in an another poignantly true song, David asks us to, “give your burdens to the Lord , and he will take care of you. He will not permit the godly to slip and fall.” Psalms 55:22 NLT.
    Here we see a man after God’s own heart, even when besieged by troubles, he knew the secret to a good night’s rest. To cast the burdens on the Lord and recharge in His presence is the secret to David’s survival in his wilderness years.

    Sleeping on my chest gives my baby an opportunity to listen to my heartbeat, probably they add the percussion to her lullaby! Staying close to the Father gives us the liberty of listening to His heartbeat. This proximity to the Father’s heart not only refreshes and recharges our soul but gives us an insight into His will. I’m reminded of the bridge of a famous worship anthem by Hillsong,
    “Heal my heart and make it clean
    Open up my eyes to the things unseen
    Show me how to love
    Like You have loved me
    Break my heart for what breaks Yours
    Everything I am
    For Your kingdom’s cause
    As I walk from earth into eternity”
    – Hosanna

    The next time you lie down to sleep and the worries of your life decide to choke your sleep, remember this promise of Jesus, find your pillow in His embrace and enjoy a good refreshing sleep.
    “I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.
    John 14:27 NLT
    God bless!

  • Lessons from fatherhood – V

    Stains of fatherhood

    Anyone who has been a parent, new parents included, can attest to the fact that feeding babies – infants and toddlers is a messy job. Part of the messyness includes getting stains on yourself. My baby girl, Charis Faith Joyance recently turned 1, having graduated from crawling to walking with support and now to walking freely (read running) has given her a greater sense of freedom albeit curbing our freedom.

    I would like to highlight two features of feeding babies, first is the fact that they dirty themselves with food. Sometimes Faith will push away the spoon with her hand or shake her head side to side leading to spillage of food on herself. The second feature is that often times the parent who is feeding gets his/her dress stained too. When in a playful mood, at times Faith will take the contents of the spoon and rub it in her hands then she’ll rub it on my shirt or try to grasp my sleeve, soiling my shirt in the process. I’ve banana, cerelac and countless other stains on my formal shirts and trousers (not mentioning the home clothes), these stains even defeat the washing machine’s cleaning prowess! Sometimes I feel I need a bib more than my baby!

    We as children of God, at times (read most of the times) want to have it our way (my will not thine be done) which leads us to stain our clothes, dirty ourselves. When we see the bigger picture, church as the bride of Christ, throughout history we’ve had a proclivity to stain ourselves much to the merriment of our accusers. Sometimes our actions even cause people to raise a finger at God (akin to us staining our Father’s robes). When we look at church as the body of Christ, we realise that our checkered collective history has done it’s part to stain the robes of Christ.

    Where does this bring us to? Do my baby’s actions cause me to love her less? I may be angry, frustrated but for a moment, but none of this disqualifies her from her father’s love! When we stain ourselves and in turn stain the body of Christ, it does cause hurt to the Father’s heart, but does this cause Him to love us less?

    There is no power above us or beneath us—no power that could ever be found in the universe that can distance us from God’s passionate love, which is lavished upon us through our Lord Jesus, the Anointed One!

    Romans 8:39 TPT