I need His guidance

Yesterday evening we were out to have a walk to the mall nearby and Caleb was with us. Isn't it funny that our toddies always demanded to walk when they were still limb and need us to support them to cruise around, and now when they are already so expertise in walking, they demand to be in mommy's arms all the time, refusing to walk alone? This what happens to Caleb..whenever we are out the house, he will automatically want me to carry him. and he is smart as well! I once told him "mommy is tired, Caleb..Can you walk?" and this is how he replied me "ok. daddy carry caleb please".
Another time I told him the same thing when daddy wasn't around, he replied me "mommy tired, Caleb also tired", and by that he meant that mommy had to carry him all the way. Sigh...

Recently I have a new tactic and it works. I will tell him that we will go home now if he insist to be carried. This works and he will walk, holding my hands.
But yesterday as this incident happened, there was an old lady who was jogging along the park and heard our conversation. She approached us and commented to my little prince "yes, you need to walk and cannot ask mommy to carry you all the time. Walking is good to exercise your muscles. You see...aunty also walk and run, it's good for me". And this old woman who seemed to know children well asked me how old my son is and said "do you know that between 2-3 years old is the important period when you as a parent cannot let your child control you?"
Although I know and equipped with this knowledge, this woman brought me another wake up call. I realized that maybe i have been more lenient. Both hubby and I then discussed how important it is to discipline our kid at this age. It's like when you do what you need to do now, although it won't be easy, after 3 yo it won't be so bad anymore because caleb would understand his boundaries well.

And later after that incident, we went out for supper with some close friends after caleb was asleep. And because four of us have children, we talked about our kids as well and we talked about our friends' kids who now grow up tp be teenagers and to our suprise these teens have grown to be rebellious with very bad attitude problem, despite that their parents are dedicated God's people. We talked how could that happen. Is it because lack of discipline, being too protective towards their kids, too lenient? we do not know. But for me, I realized how hard it is to raise our kids, build their godly character, to see them become righteous people who fear God and respect their parents. It's not just a matter of having good financial to send them to good school, feed them or dress them well. Somehow I feel so humble, I feel that I have a lot of weakness and in need of God's wisdom. Now all I want to do is to always pray to God everyday for His wisdom to guide me so that I can raise my kids well. I hope you all will be encouraged to do so. let's humble ourselves and ask God to take control of everything.


p.s. To my friend Sylvia...Congrats dear for your pregnancy. I pray you have smooth pregnancy and delivery! Take care :)

Doa Bapa Kami untuk anak

 Dear parents,

Pardon me if my post today is written in Indonesian. I just listened to this wonderful sermon by Ps. Philip Mantofa and he shared how we should pray for our children.
Here's the outline I noted:

Doa bapa kami utk anak - ps philip mantofa: Mat 6

6 guidance berdoa utk anak
1. Ay 9: Bapa kami yg di sorga dikuduskanlah namaMu
Artinya:  Bapa perkenalkanlah diriMu pada anak kami
Pengetahuan agama manusia bisa diberi lwt sunday sch, ortu mengajar
ttg Yesus, lwt kotbah dll, tapi pengalaman hanya dtg dari Bapa. Tdk
seorgpun dtg padaKu kecuali Bapa menariknya.
Kita bisa kenal Tuhan krn ada org yg mendoakan kita (entah itu ortu,
sodara, karyawan dll).
Perlu kuasa Bapa, ini di luar kemampuan kita.
Anak kita lahir sbg org yg terhilang, tanggung jwb kita utk mendoakan
anak, menabur spy kenal Tuhan.

2. Ay 10: datanglah kerajaanMu, jadilah kehendakMu di bumi spt di sorga
Artinya: Bapa aturlah masa depan anakku
Krn sebagian bsr hdp anak kita tdk bisa dikontrol oleh kita. E.g. Dgn
siapa dia fall in love. Byk anak org baik2 jth cinta dgn org yg salah.

3. Ay 11: berikanlah pada kami makanan kami yg secukupnya
Artinya: Bapa bekalilah anak kami dgn kelebihan2 yg dari padaMu
E.g. Roh yg takut akan Tuhan
Dan jg Tuhan tambahkan bakat2 pada anak kita..
Kdg ortu tdk bisa memberi berkat harta yg berlimpah pada anak, krn itu
perlu utk kita berdoa spy anak kita diberi byk talenta dari Tuhan
Dgn byk cinta yg kita tunjukan pada anak, pasti komunikasi dgn anak
itu jalan dan Tuhan akan bukakan byk hal lwt itu.

4. Ay 12: dan ampunilah kami akan kesalahan kami spt kami pun
mengampuni yg bersalah pada kami
Artinya: koreksilah keluarga kami spy kami tidak kena kutuk.. Ada
kepahitan tidak, penyembahan berhala, kecanduan rokok atau
minuman/pornografi dll
Krn anak kita berhasil tergantung dari keluarga juga

5. Ay 13: dan jgnlah membawa kami dlm pencobaan tp lepaskanlah kami
dari yg jahat
Artinya: Bapa kirimkanlah malaikat2Mu utk menjaga keluarga kami dan anak2 kami
Makin anak tmbh besar, makin dikit kontrol ortu pada anak...jd di luar
kontrol kita, itu tugas dari Roh Kudus, utk memberikan keselamatan
hidup bagi anak kita. Roh kudus jg yg akan berbicara dan memberikan
nilai2/prinsip2 yg memberi hidup dan berkat bagi anak2 kita.
Tugas malaikat adl menjaga keselamatan kita (body guards service)

6. Ay 13b: krn Engkaulah yang empunya kerajaan Sorga skrg dan selamanya.
Artinya: 1. Bapa engkau sanggup! - deklarasi iman dari akhir doa kita
- 2.dan kami memujiMu selamanya (naikkan doamu dgn pujian). Doa yg
disertai pujian itu berbeda. 3. Di dalam nama Yesus amin (hanya 1
nama) - hanya dlm nama Yesus doa kita pasti dpt jawaban.

if you are interested to listen the full version of the sermon, you may go to his website:
www.philipmantofa.com

Jesus The healer

This morning we went to a nearby supermarket and while we were walking, Caleb stopped and scratched his leg. He told us "itchy...itchy..". I noticed he had a mosquito bite. So daddy lay hands upon the bitten area and prayed that the itchiness will go away in the mighty name of Jesus. As soon as daddy said Jesus name, Caleb replied and closed the prayer with "Amen" and off he ran and giggling cheerfully.

I believe that he didn't feel itchy anymore. It is amazing how God loves and hears little children's prayer.
It is amazing how a young toddler can have such faith to believe that once daddy or mommy pray in Jesus name, every discomfort will go away.

It is amazing!

When everything doesnt work out...

When everything you've tried doesn't work, pray!

When Caleb did not sleep well for nights for no reason. No sign of teething, no sickness. Changed his diaper to a clean one. Set the air con to the right temperature. I wonder and wonder why. Was it the nap? Was it too much? and so I did trial and error with the nap. And stilll it didn't work.
So I prayed.
and so he slept through again.

When Caleb was cranky for no reason I could find out. I prayed.
and he soon was back to his old self, charming.

When things go wrong, and you don't know why. You've done your research. You've tried everything you know. and it still doesn't work out. Remember to pray.
Mommies, you are not alone. God is with you. He understands your struggles, your concerns and most importantly He knows and understands your baby more than you. So let Him take control.

Jesus name

And once the fever subsided, we had a good closure.

I make Caleb join me to say:

Mommy: fever, you don’t come back to me in the name of ….

Caleb: (shouting) JESUSSSS!!!!

:D

(proud of him that he’s familiar with Jesus name. Although he still doesn’t understand who Jesus is but I am glad that he knows Jesus since he is young. He hears Jesus name mentioned everyday!)

Lessons I learned

I have promised myself that I want to give something for Caleb when he turns 18 months. I have a few lists in my mind and I think that they are nice presents. But to tell you honestly, some of my presents which I think good and interesting enough...apparently were not that interesting to Caleb. Among all the toys that he has now, only a few he likes to play with everyday. Others he only play randomly and seldomly.

And so it has come to my mind that no matter how a parent wants the best for her kids, she doesn't always know exactly what's best. Unlike our God...He really beats all the parents in the world for He knows exactly which one is the best that will make us happy!

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Yesterday I was window shopping in children department store. When looking for a toy, I make sure I choose the one that's suitable for my son's age. I don't want to give something that is too difficult for him to handle and will only frustrate him or something too simple that will bore him and lose his interest.

and then there's this voice in my heart: and so is God. Sometimes we wonder why we have not receieved what we've been praying about. I believe it's just a matter of time. Because God wants to give us at the appropriate time when we are ready so that we can handle it well and be really happy for that.

Are you hurt?

A dear sister has sent me her testimony today. I feel really blessed and really moved my heart.
Here's what she shared to me:

Shalom,

Senang sekali buat aku berbagi setiap kejadian, sekalipun itu merupakan kejadian sederhana , namun sangat berkesan di hatiku.

Tadi pagi2 sekali, aku sudah bangun, menyeterika seragam sekolah anak2 ku. Pagi ini, tidak seperti biasanya anak2 ku pun bangun lebih awal daripada semestinya. Joshua, yang kecil, memberitahukan suamiku bahwa dia harus tiba di sekolah jam 6.30 am. Dia sudah janji dengan teman2 nya untuk ketemu lebih awal di sekolah. Aku sendiri jujur, tidak mempercayai janji teman2 nya ( maklum, namanya juga anak2 ). Ternyata, ketika jam menunjukkan pkl 6.30, aku baru saja siap2 pakai sepatu hendak mengantar dia ke sekolah. Langsung dia menunjukkan raut muka yang tidak happy, karena dia berharap suamiku akan mengantar dia ke sekolah by car. Tapi, suamiku masih dalam keadaan kurang sehat pagi tadi, jadi aku tidak mengijinkan dia mengantar Joshua.

Joshua menunjukkan marahnya kepadaku. Dia tidak menunggu aku untuk berdoa buat dia ( seperti biasa, setiap pagi sebelum berangkat ke sekolah aku selalu berdoa, memberkati anak2 ku ) tapi langsung turun ke bawah rumah. Aku pelan2 turun dan berdoa buat dia di pinggir jalanan mobil, sekalipun tidak ada respon, kecuali marah kepadaku. Sepanjang jalan dari rumah menuju ke sekolah dia tidak mau dituntun. Bahkan dia melangkah kira2 satu meter lebih jauh dari langkahku. Sepanjang jalan dia menunjukkan sikap marahnya kepadaku. Aku cuma diam..dalam hati, aku mengucap syukur kepada Tuhan untuk hari yang baru, itu lebih baik tentunya ..Sikap marahnya tidak mendapat tempat sedikitpun di hatiku. Bahkan ketika sampai di sekolah, jarak dia dan aku semakin menjauh. Dia tidak menoleh ke arahku, bahkan ketika aku mengucapkan "God bless you, Jo ".. Namun aku tidak marah kepadanya.

Sepanjang jalan, aku berkata2 kepada Tuhan.. "Tuhan, mungkin sikap anakku terhadap aku salah, tapi aku memaafkan dia.. Tuhan, aku mohon, Engkaupun mengampuninya, karena dia tidak mengerti apa yang dia lakukan terhadapku. Aku mengasihinya, Tuhan, dan aku ingin dia menyadari apa yang baru saja dia perbuat terhadap ku.. supaya dia tidak kehilangan sukacitanya hari ini di sekolah..Sepanjang jalan aku memberkati anakku..

Sampai aku di rumah, suamiku mangatakan, ada beberapa missed call, tapi setelah diangkat, telp nya diputus. Setelah suamiku mengatakan demikian, handphone bunyi, dan itu dari Joshua. Ternyata Joshua mencoba telp aku beberapa kali dari public phone di sekolah. Suamiku memberikan handphone tsb kepadaku.." Mum..sorry ya mum.. yang tadi sorry ya mum.." Nadanya seperti mau menangis.. I know my son very well.. Aku cuma menjawab, " nga pa2, Jo..Mami sudah memaafkan kamu dari tadi.." Kita sama2 bersukacita mengakhiri pembicaraan singkat di telepon. Dan dia sudah melupakan apa yang barusan terjadi. Dia happy sekali.

Aku cuma mengatakan kepada suamiku, " Praise God..Tuhan berbicara kepadanya. Joshua telah melakukan apa yang semestinya. Tidak membiarkan dia kehilangan damai dan sukacita, tapi menyelesaikan nya. Dia melakukan bagiannya. Sehingga dia bebas dari rasa bersalah yang menuduh. God is good. I praise God.

Friends, kalau mungkin ada orang lain yang saat ini membuat engkau marah, entah orang tuamu, saudaramu, teman baikmu, ,"..ampunilah.." Karena firman Tuhan mengajar kita, " jangan membalas kejahatan dengan kejahatan, tetapi dengan kebaikan.." Jangan mengutuk, tapi berkatilah.. Dengan mentaati firman Tuhan, secara tidak langsung , kita telah memberi kesempatan orang lain untuk menyadari kesalahan mereka dan menyelesaikan nya, yaitu waktu kita mengampuni mereka dan memberkati mereka.

Friends, kalau engkau mungkin secara tidak sengaja menyakiti hati orang lain, baik suami atau istri, orang tua, sahabat atau siapapun, jangan menunda waktu untuk mengakui dan minta maaf.. Secara tidak langsung, engkau sedang memberkati diri sendiri. Karena dengan mengakui kesalahan dan minta maaf, engkau sebenarnya sedang berbuat baik untuk dirimu sendiri. Engkau sedang mengambil kembali sukacita itu bagi dirimu sendiri. Nama Tuhan akan dimuliakan dalam hidupmu.

Friends, kiranya short sharing ini memberkati mu. God bless you!

I love you,

Lusy


I pray that when given the same situation, I can act and pray the same thing for my son.
May Jesus bless me with wisdom to become a good mom and wife according to His criteria.

a prayer works like wonder

I had been worried these days soalnya caleb jadi kebiasaan digendong ama suster dan gak mau digendong mamanya sendiri..
tiap kali aku gendong selalu nangis dan baru tenang kalo di take over ama suster
wuaaa sedihnya...
dan worried juga coz the next 2 weeks uda gak ada suster..dan sepanjang siang bakal cuma berdua aja sama caleb...kebayang kalo dia nangis seharian and aku gak bisa calm him down gimana..
wahh panic..panic...

truzz kemaren di gereja aku sempet cerita ke tante anita-mamanya irma...eh dia lgs tumpang tangan doain caleb gitu...hasilnya......setelah dari gereja caleb rewel buangetttttt....hahahaha...
dari siang sampe jam 11 malem ngga mau tidur...tidur kalo digendong suster, tp ditaroh ranjang nangis lagi...kita pikir dia colic..wahh serem dehhh...tapi colic kan nangis mulu ya...ini nangisnya kalo ditaruh di ranjang doang ato kalo mummy and daddy-nya yg gendong..kalo suster gendong kok bobo lg..jadi ngga tau colic apa bukan..i think bukan dehh..tapi puji Tuhan jam 11 tet dia bisa bobo juga di cot-nya..
well this kind of day really tiring and discouraging....kita sampe kepikiran bgt aduh kalo gak ada suster gimana....dan of course yang paling takut ya aku lah...krn yg bakal ngurus caleb seharian kan aku..hubby kan kerja...

tapi setelah doa...i began to realize that having a baby should not be a burden to us.. believe me..they can feel your emotions..if u feel insecured,worried,angry, your baby can feel your emotion..and esp if you ever feel that it is such a burden, a difficult responsibility.. i admit i had this feeling...the idea of being alone with caleb the whole day really freaked me out..belom lagi kalo kerjaan lagi sibuk2nya..how am I going to manage that...

but a prayer works like wonder..
after a long tiring day..the next day on monday..I woke up with new spirit that I can do this...
so I put on my MIM sling and told myself he is my son, so he will want to be in my arms..hehe and guess what..within minutes he slept in my arms sampe ngorok2 hehehe...so since morning-night aku cobain lebih ngurusin caleb..and suster lbh banyak di dapur aja kemaren..
puji Tuhan sampe hari ini bisa gendong caleb dan dia uda gak nangis lg :) yippee...
and I believe juga karena doanya tante anita...thank you tante..

P.S. some of you invited me to join restaurant city in facebook. I really really want to play!! I always love to play restaurant game..but i know this game is addictive..I just can't touch it! once i touch it i think will want to play and play...and neglecting my son? hehhee...no way..better not start with it!