I love the story of Cinderella. A young girl, who longs for so many things, finds out she has a fairy godmother that will give her anything she wishes. More than once, I have wished for a fairy godmother with a magic wand! I find myself trying to put God in the role as my fairy godmother. I find scriptures that I see as a wish, and I wait for God to wave his magic wand.
For example: Philippians 4:19 (KJV): But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.
There you go! There is the proof that God will give us whatever we want. After all, it even says he is rich, but there is one word in there that says it all: "needs."
My twelve and nine year old boys always “need” the latest sixty dollar game from Game Stop. It is completely different when they need some new pants because they have outgrown their others. They do not see it from a parent’s perspective. They see it as a selfish, little child wanting things they don’t need, and needing things they don’t want. That is exactly the way God looks at us.
Matthew 17:11(NIV) says, If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!
As parents we want to give good gifts to our children (emphasis on “good”). If my sons or daughters want candy or caffeine, we have to monitor it. If it is 8:00 at night, it isn’t a good idea. If they had asked for an apple or banana, we would have handed it over immediately.
We make the assumption that the gift we are asking God for is good, but he has our best interest at heart. What we may be asking for is not bad, but it is not what is best for us.
So, how do we pray with the right heart and motives? The best way to pray is to use the examples God gives us in His word.
Right before Jesus goes to the cross, he prays. Matthew 11:42 (NIV): He went away a second time and prayed, "My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done."
He prayed this prayer three times, but the answer was no. Jesus completely understands our frustrations when we pray, and it is answered no. Even Jesus, had to believe that God sees the big picture.
The more and more I pray about something I’m desperate about, the more I add, “your will be done.” I do not know about the future. God does! It only makes sense that I pray that way. Otherwise I am praying out of ignorance.
A fairy godmother gives you your wants and desires, but God gives you what is best for you. Armed with confidence that God is not our fairy godmother, but our Heavenly Father, we can learn to trust him for every need and want we have. He will always give us exactly what we need according to His will rather then what we want.
There is also a small well-known fact with Cinderella’s godmother. Everything changed back at midnight. God doesn’t have a time clock. Once He gives, it is there forever with no conditions attached!
Copyright 2008 Michelle Rocker
5/23/10
The Ugliest Cat
Stimpy was not your typical cat. She is one of the ugliest cats I have ever seen. My parents did not like cats, so as soon as I got married, my husband and I knew we would get a cat right away. I watched the newspaper religiously.
One Sunday there was a listing for five kittens being sold for five dollars each. I called and got directions and ran up to the place. By the time I got there, there were only two cats left, and there was a man in front of me trying to decide if he wanted a kitten or not. He was holding a beautiful silver haired kitten that had white markings on its face. I looked down at the last kitten in the box and wrinkled my nose in disgust. She was primarily black, but mixed with horrible yellow and orange all throughout. The end result was not pretty. Her tail was not only short, but it was crooked from being slammed in a door. I started praying that the man would decide against the beautiful silver cat, but he eventually decided to take it.
I had been waiting for a cat for three months. I crouched down beside the box. She meowed and it was a screeching awful sound. As I put my hand in the box, she proved to be quite unfriendly. Suddenly, I felt incredibly sorry for her. If I didn’t take her, no one else would and she would end up being euthanized. I couldn’t stand the thought of that, no matter how ugly she was.
After five minutes, I decided to take the cat. The owner’s seemed quite surprised. I held her in my arms the whole way home.
When I walked in the house and proudly presented the cat to my husband he said, “What in the world is that?”
“It’s a cat,” I stated.
“But it is the ugliest cat I have ever seen.”
”Yeah, that’s why I took her, well, and plus she was the last one left.”
My husband just shook his head.
“Let’s call her ‘Stimpy,’ you know after the ‘Ren & Stimpy Show.’ It fits her whacked out tail.”
Over the next few months, she hid most of the time, but would come out for food. We were scratched numerous times trying to hold her. But, eventually she endured our petting.
We moved to a new house, which upset her greatly, and we got another cat who was “normal.” Stimpy completely ignored him.
When I was five months pregnant, she used to crawl on my stomach and knead it. She loved to curl around it as if protecting it. But my husband is who she adored. When he came home, she was in his lap purring loudly so that he would pet her. We would have friends over and that put her in a bad mood. She only liked us. Kids would want to pet her, but she would have none of it. She would hiss and fling her claws. As soon as the company left, she would reappear to have affection from my husband and I.
The only other person Stimpy loved was my mother. The funny thing about it is that my mother hates cats, and I do mean HATES! It was as if Stimpy knew, and just wanted to bug her. Stimpy would rub up against my mother’s leg, and my mother would leap away as if she was a poisonous snake. If my mom sat down, she would jump on her lap. Mom finally would pet her a couple of times and then push her down. Stimpy walked away like a queen, with a slight sway in her hips, as if to say, “HA!”
A few years later, we noticed that she was vomiting, and having accidents outside of the litter box. She would stay hidden in the closet for days. We tried different foods, but it quickly became apparent that something more extensive was going on.
The day came when she was so weak, that there was nothing else we could do. We hated seeing her in pain and knew it would be better to euthanize her, then have her suffer.
My husband and I drove to the animal pound, and my husband refused to go in. He just didn’t want to see it.
I on the other hand, wanted her to die with someone she loved holding her. The animal shelter agreed. I sat her in my lap, and petted her until her purr rumbled against my legs. The technician came forward, and injected the shot. I let my tears flow unchecked down my cheeks. I whispered to her how beautiful she was, thanked her for being a part of our lives, and how I would miss her. I petted her until she was dead, and then sobs took over.
The story of Stimpy has always stayed with me. There were so many lessons that I learned in her short life. If I had disregarded her because of her outward appearance, I would have missed all the joy that she poured into our lives.
Copyright 2009 Michelle Rocker
One Sunday there was a listing for five kittens being sold for five dollars each. I called and got directions and ran up to the place. By the time I got there, there were only two cats left, and there was a man in front of me trying to decide if he wanted a kitten or not. He was holding a beautiful silver haired kitten that had white markings on its face. I looked down at the last kitten in the box and wrinkled my nose in disgust. She was primarily black, but mixed with horrible yellow and orange all throughout. The end result was not pretty. Her tail was not only short, but it was crooked from being slammed in a door. I started praying that the man would decide against the beautiful silver cat, but he eventually decided to take it.
I had been waiting for a cat for three months. I crouched down beside the box. She meowed and it was a screeching awful sound. As I put my hand in the box, she proved to be quite unfriendly. Suddenly, I felt incredibly sorry for her. If I didn’t take her, no one else would and she would end up being euthanized. I couldn’t stand the thought of that, no matter how ugly she was.
After five minutes, I decided to take the cat. The owner’s seemed quite surprised. I held her in my arms the whole way home.
When I walked in the house and proudly presented the cat to my husband he said, “What in the world is that?”
“It’s a cat,” I stated.
“But it is the ugliest cat I have ever seen.”
”Yeah, that’s why I took her, well, and plus she was the last one left.”
My husband just shook his head.
“Let’s call her ‘Stimpy,’ you know after the ‘Ren & Stimpy Show.’ It fits her whacked out tail.”
Over the next few months, she hid most of the time, but would come out for food. We were scratched numerous times trying to hold her. But, eventually she endured our petting.
We moved to a new house, which upset her greatly, and we got another cat who was “normal.” Stimpy completely ignored him.
When I was five months pregnant, she used to crawl on my stomach and knead it. She loved to curl around it as if protecting it. But my husband is who she adored. When he came home, she was in his lap purring loudly so that he would pet her. We would have friends over and that put her in a bad mood. She only liked us. Kids would want to pet her, but she would have none of it. She would hiss and fling her claws. As soon as the company left, she would reappear to have affection from my husband and I.
The only other person Stimpy loved was my mother. The funny thing about it is that my mother hates cats, and I do mean HATES! It was as if Stimpy knew, and just wanted to bug her. Stimpy would rub up against my mother’s leg, and my mother would leap away as if she was a poisonous snake. If my mom sat down, she would jump on her lap. Mom finally would pet her a couple of times and then push her down. Stimpy walked away like a queen, with a slight sway in her hips, as if to say, “HA!”
A few years later, we noticed that she was vomiting, and having accidents outside of the litter box. She would stay hidden in the closet for days. We tried different foods, but it quickly became apparent that something more extensive was going on.
The day came when she was so weak, that there was nothing else we could do. We hated seeing her in pain and knew it would be better to euthanize her, then have her suffer.
My husband and I drove to the animal pound, and my husband refused to go in. He just didn’t want to see it.
I on the other hand, wanted her to die with someone she loved holding her. The animal shelter agreed. I sat her in my lap, and petted her until her purr rumbled against my legs. The technician came forward, and injected the shot. I let my tears flow unchecked down my cheeks. I whispered to her how beautiful she was, thanked her for being a part of our lives, and how I would miss her. I petted her until she was dead, and then sobs took over.
The story of Stimpy has always stayed with me. There were so many lessons that I learned in her short life. If I had disregarded her because of her outward appearance, I would have missed all the joy that she poured into our lives.
Copyright 2009 Michelle Rocker
5/9/10
A Mother's Love
Mother’s Perspective:
I threw up for eight and half months.
I cried and was an emotional basket case.
My bones ached from the inside out.
I did it all for you.
I gave up a good night’s sleep.
I fed and bathed you.
I dressed you beautifully.
I did it all for you.
I dried your tears and calmed your fears.
I kissed your hurts and smiled at your antics.
I loved you like no one else could.
I did it all for you.
Today, I asked myself if it was worth it.
One look at you sleeping peacefully,
Wrapped in my arms, I knew…
I would do it over and over,
I did it all for you.
Heavenly Father’s Perspective:
I placed you in your mother’s womb.
I knew what a blessing you would be.
I shaped you into my own image.
I did it all for you.
I knew that you would cause me pain,
But I still loved you like no one else could.
I have supplied your every need.
I did it all for you.
I dried your tears and calmed your fears.
I held you quietly in my arms when you were hurt.
I did it all for you.
Today, I asked myself if it was worth it.
One look at you sleeping peacefully,
Wrapped in my love, I knew…
I would do it over for eternity,
I did it all for you.
You know me inside and out, you know every bone in my body; You know exactly how I was made, bit by bit, how I was sculpted from nothing into something. Like an open book, you watched me grow from conception to birth; all the stages of my life were spread out before you, the days of my life all prepared before I’d even lived one day. Your thoughts—how rare, how beautiful! God, I’ll never comprehend them!
~Psalm 139:15-17 MSG
I’m absolutely convinced that nothing—nothing living or dead, angelic or demonic, today or tomorrow, high or low, thinkable or unthinkable—absolutely nothing can get between us and God’s love because of the way that Jesus our Master has embraced us.
~Psalm 8:38-40 MSG
Copyright 2004 Michelle Rocker
I threw up for eight and half months.
I cried and was an emotional basket case.
My bones ached from the inside out.
I did it all for you.
I gave up a good night’s sleep.
I fed and bathed you.
I dressed you beautifully.
I did it all for you.
I dried your tears and calmed your fears.
I kissed your hurts and smiled at your antics.
I loved you like no one else could.
I did it all for you.
Today, I asked myself if it was worth it.
One look at you sleeping peacefully,
Wrapped in my arms, I knew…
I would do it over and over,
I did it all for you.
Heavenly Father’s Perspective:
I placed you in your mother’s womb.
I knew what a blessing you would be.
I shaped you into my own image.
I did it all for you.
I knew that you would cause me pain,
But I still loved you like no one else could.
I have supplied your every need.
I did it all for you.
I dried your tears and calmed your fears.
I held you quietly in my arms when you were hurt.
I did it all for you.
Today, I asked myself if it was worth it.
One look at you sleeping peacefully,
Wrapped in my love, I knew…
I would do it over for eternity,
I did it all for you.
You know me inside and out, you know every bone in my body; You know exactly how I was made, bit by bit, how I was sculpted from nothing into something. Like an open book, you watched me grow from conception to birth; all the stages of my life were spread out before you, the days of my life all prepared before I’d even lived one day. Your thoughts—how rare, how beautiful! God, I’ll never comprehend them!
~Psalm 139:15-17 MSG
I’m absolutely convinced that nothing—nothing living or dead, angelic or demonic, today or tomorrow, high or low, thinkable or unthinkable—absolutely nothing can get between us and God’s love because of the way that Jesus our Master has embraced us.
~Psalm 8:38-40 MSG
Copyright 2004 Michelle Rocker
5/3/10
The Sea of Forigiveness
I have discovered that I am very jealous of God’s ability to forgive. I try to forgive, but it in no way compares to Him. I forgive, but I will always remember. I also know from experience that it inevitably changes my relationship with that person even though I have forgiven them.
God says, “I, even I, am he who blots out your transgressions, for my own sake, and remembers your sins no more.” (Isaiah 43:25, NIV)
That amazes me. This great God, who created the universe, who stands outside of time, whose mind and ways we will never understand, knows the number of hairs on my head, this God, is able to COMPLETELY forget our sins.
Jesus knew the only way, we as humans, could forgive was to do it over and over. In Matthew 18, Peter, one of Jesus’ disciples asked how many times he had to forgive someone who had done him wrong. “Jesus answered, ‘I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.’” (Matthew 18:22, NIV) God knows we are not capable of forgiving like He is.
Forgiving ourselves is the hardest person to forgive. Finding out how God forgives me submerges me in what it is to experience forgiveness. Through a wonderful Bible study leader, I discovered how completely God forgives with two scriptures: Micah 7:19 and Revelations 21:1.
“You will again have compassion on us; you will tread our sins underfoot and hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea.” (Micah 7:19, NIV)
Then God, knowing how human and defective we are, gives us an additional confirmation that he truly does not remember. He supplies us with an extra promise in Revelations 21:1 talking about when we are living in the new heaven and new earth.
“Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea.” (NIV)
I sat there and cried in disbelief that God would go that far to let us know the power of His forgiveness. He doesn’t need to get rid of the sea—He doesn’t remember what is in there, but He knows that we do. I believe when He gets rid of that tumultuous sea of sins, we will finally have no memory of our sins or the memory of people that we have continually tried to forgive. For the first time, we will experience the true power of understanding complete forgiveness.
Forgive, forgive, forgive. It isn’t a one time spoken word and done. It will require us to forgive over and over again—that offense/sin—until we are in heaven and there is no longer a sea for us to remember.
Copyright 2008 Michelle Rocker
God says, “I, even I, am he who blots out your transgressions, for my own sake, and remembers your sins no more.” (Isaiah 43:25, NIV)
That amazes me. This great God, who created the universe, who stands outside of time, whose mind and ways we will never understand, knows the number of hairs on my head, this God, is able to COMPLETELY forget our sins.
Jesus knew the only way, we as humans, could forgive was to do it over and over. In Matthew 18, Peter, one of Jesus’ disciples asked how many times he had to forgive someone who had done him wrong. “Jesus answered, ‘I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.’” (Matthew 18:22, NIV) God knows we are not capable of forgiving like He is.
Forgiving ourselves is the hardest person to forgive. Finding out how God forgives me submerges me in what it is to experience forgiveness. Through a wonderful Bible study leader, I discovered how completely God forgives with two scriptures: Micah 7:19 and Revelations 21:1.
“You will again have compassion on us; you will tread our sins underfoot and hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea.” (Micah 7:19, NIV)
Then God, knowing how human and defective we are, gives us an additional confirmation that he truly does not remember. He supplies us with an extra promise in Revelations 21:1 talking about when we are living in the new heaven and new earth.
“Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea.” (NIV)
I sat there and cried in disbelief that God would go that far to let us know the power of His forgiveness. He doesn’t need to get rid of the sea—He doesn’t remember what is in there, but He knows that we do. I believe when He gets rid of that tumultuous sea of sins, we will finally have no memory of our sins or the memory of people that we have continually tried to forgive. For the first time, we will experience the true power of understanding complete forgiveness.
Forgive, forgive, forgive. It isn’t a one time spoken word and done. It will require us to forgive over and over again—that offense/sin—until we are in heaven and there is no longer a sea for us to remember.
Copyright 2008 Michelle Rocker
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