{"id":11075,"date":"2019-07-06T19:16:15","date_gmt":"2019-07-06T19:16:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hungryformore.org\/?p=11075"},"modified":"2019-07-03T19:24:19","modified_gmt":"2019-07-03T19:24:19","slug":"look-up-child","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hungryformore.org\/look-up-child\/","title":{"rendered":"Look Up, Child"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

What a delight this week to introduce Hungry For More readers to Magen Thetford<\/strong>. Magen is a passionately devoted young woman, who blends the messiness of marriage and motherhood with a massive love for God. In her humility, she doesn’t realize that her very life is speaking volumes toward a perseverant faith. I know that as you hear her heart, you will love her as I do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Deep in the throes of motherhood<\/strong>, you will find me covered in spit up from my nine-week old baby, peanut butter from my two-year-old and medicine from my four-year-old (he had a severe reaction to recent immunizations.) From the moment my feet hit the floor, I am constantly teaching, redirecting, and refereeing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cPlease stop taunting your brother!\u201d
\u201cDon\u2019t hit! We use our words, not our hands!\u201d
\u201cHold on! What is going on?
\u201cIs that practicing obedience or disobedience?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

You get the picture. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But recently, I found myself doing something different to quench the fire of trouble. In the heat of a moment, while one of my kids expresses his \u201cend-of-the-world\u201d preschool grief, I walk over to him, gently cup his little chubby cheeks in my hand and tell him to look up<\/strong> at me. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although he is unable to catch his breath as tears stream down his face, I remind him to look into my eyes, until finally he can focus<\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As soon as he does, we talk it all through. In most cases, I give him a larger perspective<\/strong> than he had without my help. I might not be able to change what happened, but I can offer wisdom with how to handle it or what to do next.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This situation occurs more frequently than I\u2019d like to admit. When something doesn\u2019t go according to my perfect plan, I react instead of looking up.<\/strong> Like those moments when life doesn\u2019t seem fair because I\u2019m swallowed by the need to compare. Moments when heaviness will not (for the life of me) seem to lift. Moments when pure exhaustion races over me and I have zero patience left in my tank. Moments I feel a failure, while insecurity overcomes me. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

One thing I have realized. All these moments have something in common: eyes focused on me and my surroundings.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is when God steps in, gently cups my cheeks<\/em> in His hands and says, \u201cLook up, child.\u201d<\/em> <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I was reminded of this recently in Matthew 16:21-23. Jesus was telling His disciples that He was about to go suffer death through the cross, be raised again on the third day, and Peter stepped in to say, \u201cNo way!\u201d<\/em> This plan didn\u2019t line up with what Peter thought should happen. Peter wasn\u2019t thinking correctly about the situation. He was looking at it from his very limited perspective<\/strong>. Jesus promptly stepped in to correct him with the most intriguing response.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cGet behind me, Satan. You are a hindrance to me. For you are not setting your mind on things of God, but on the things of man.\u201d<\/em> Jesus goes straight to the heart of the issue and says to look up! Change your perspective<\/strong>! In the following verses, He points Peter to what the things of God are and what it looks like to truly follow Him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Like Peter, we can get our minds fixed on our<\/strong> ideal plan. Or maybe we get in a tizzy over something little in the big scheme of things. Either way, it is our choice<\/strong> whether or not we will look up. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, what are some practical tools to help us do this? Scripture truly is a lamp to our feet to show us how to walk this out practically<\/strong> (Psalm 119:105). <\/p>\n\n\n\n