Decisions, Decisions

By Teresa G. Lusk 

She got a call from his father, the one she dreaded receiving, but suspected she would one day receive based on her teen’s history. He said, “Guess where your son is at?”, and with certainty she answered, “In jail.” He was only seventeen with good grades, handsome good looks, but a weakness to pressures of his peer group.

With such a challenging economy, no luck in finding a job to purchase the desires of his fashion habits, the kid went out and stole some clothes from a store and got busted. Parents, angry as expected, but with a heavy heart, decided to let him do his time after serious debate. If they bailed him out, he would do it again or end up in the penitentiary later for greater offenses. The lesson needed to sink into his heart, mind, and soul, and his character needed to be shaped by a life lesson in self control, honesty, and integrity (Proverbs 19:18).

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The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year

By Teresa Lusk

It’s the most wonderful time of the year! Or is it? Job loss, foreclosures, illness, depression over the economy, and other circumstances hover over many families. Parents are wondering if they will be able to gift their kids abundantly. Having friends over to show off the new Christmas tree theme may be a thing of the past for now. Eating turkey till the tummy nearly pops will not be possible, a very important tradition not feasible this year.

Ask yourself, where does the joy really lie for me and my family? In gift-giving? In gift–receiving? For most of us, yes. From the time of creation, God has been a giving God. First, He gave life to the earth and the skies and all that lives in them. Then, He gifted us with the first human entity, Adam. God then gave Eve to him, again, a gift. Finally, the human race expanded a fine present to our world.

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Get the Brush Out of Your Life

By Teresa G. Lusk –

My middle child has hair just liker her mom’s, thick and long. Brushing her hair is an ordeal daily. To make the hair brushing process smoother, I asked her not to bring me the little blue brush she likes so much and instead use only a large squared brush that hurts less and gets tangles out quicker.

The explanation to why she should use the large brush had been something she heard several times and there was no doubt to why she should use it, to keep her from pain.  Still, she often chose to bring the little hurtful brush and all I heard was crying and complaining as was the ritual.

In our home, we try to use simple opportunities to teach life lessons as we did that day when I had had it. Again, she brought the little blue brush shortly after the tears rolled in. I began to explain that the brush was like sin in our life. That we have a choice to do the right thing or the wrong thing according to the expectation God has for us. If we continue to choose the wrong thing, then we will have pain in our life. That brush was like sin in her  life and when something is causing her pain, she needed to do something about that.

Then, the big question proceeded. I said, “If your brush is causing you to hurt, what should you do with it”? She said, “Get rid of it”! That is right! Get rid of the brush that causes pain in your life. To the trash the brush went and we added on more life lesson to her little heart and mind.

Teresa G. Lusk is the author of Good Enough to be a Homemaker and CEO and a Motivational Speaker. Visit www.teresalusk.com for more information.

The Mother Lost a Child

By Teresa Lusk –

A mother I knew of lost a child. She would be one to deliver a child out of what some would consider wedlock. Had the community found out she was pregnant with no husband, she would have been a disgrace. Because of the fear of rejection, she moved away.

The woman left her town to avoid all the gossip. She delivered a baby boy and little did she know that many would love him. She raised him as best she could. He was different, though, and seemed to be quite the spiritual young man as he grew older. The mother knew he had a great purpose for which he came into this world. Though this was one of the greatest feelings the mother felt, there was something deep down inside her that confirmed that this greatness was beyond her understanding.

Once a baby, now a young man, he began to tell the world that was the Son of God. He told His community, friends, and family. Certainly, many thought he was a nut, and his closest relatives may have had the hardest time hearing this. He exclaimed that He would be the reason for people to live eternally with God if they simply received Him as the Savior of the World.

Unfortunately, he was surrounded by many who despised Him for claiming to be Savior of the World. We would have thought the same way if one of our friends began to claim a high position themselves.

The difference between His story and the claims of others is that He actually took a drastic, incomparable step to prove His sonship. God, His Father, our Father, required Him to allow human beings to harm him physically, as a representation of human sin so that when He died and rose again, we would have the gift of forgiveness and never have to go to a place called hell.

Numerous other events occurred but the final result was that this man, who was once someone’s little boy, once breast fed, cuddled, kissed, cried loudly, this precious being, who was once someone’s little boy, gave His life for us to have an eternal relationship with the Father.

The Pharisees, judgmental religious people, hated Him. Jesus had preformed miracles, healed the sick, drove out demons, turned water into wine, and more. The Pharisees knew their power was about to be ripped from them, and in turn, people would look directly to God instead of to them. The Pharisees demanded that this son be hung on a cross.

His mother knew her little boy was being beaten, enduring 39 whips, being spit on, punched, mocked, insulted, and having a crown of thorns pushed onto his head and forehead that caused blood to burst forth. This mother got to watch the brutal treatment of her child. The one little person, whom she once nurtured and loved, who brought her smiles daily, was hanging on a cross for a greater purpose.  He died! For what? Why would anyone hang from a cross and endure such torture? For you and me to have everlasting life with God through this Son whose name is Jesus Christ.

Though God sent His Son to die for us, it hurt Him. Yes, it pleased God to know that Jesus represented sin and Jesus defeated it for all who believe in Him. Jesus was raised on the third day from death and is now at the right hand of the Father. Because of Him, you, through your pain, anguish, mourning and loss, can come to the One who understands life and death of a child. God by His own will gave up His own child. Would you? Probably not, and neither would I.

God knows your pain, and you, like the mother of the boy who didn’t fully understand the reason her child had to be taken away, can rest in assurance that there will be things we can not understand but all understanding will come to fruition at its proper timing.

Nothing can make you feel better about losing your baby whom you loved; the little one who brought you smiles, giggles, laughter from the heart, the soul, hope and aspiration for more. Yet, the One who is waiting on you to rest in Him knows every detail of the pain you are feeling. He is waiting for you to hold out your hand so He can put it in His and move you forward. Do you want Him to cuddle, nurture, restore and comfort you?

Teresa G. Lusk is the author of Good Enough to be a Homemaker and CEO and a motivational speaker and has a Bachelor of Science with an emphasis in Psychology, Religion and Christian Counseling. www.teresalusk.com

Get Your Weapon Out!

By Teresa Lusk –

Recently my 7-year-old daughter came to my husband and me and told us that she wants to be cool like the other kids. In addition, she despised for a moment her God-given personality because, as she stated, she makes jokes halfway through her sentences and, “No one else does that.”

Of course it broke my heart. It’s my child we’re talking about, but more than anything, it angered me. It angered me that she already believes the nonsense this world and the enemy of her soul throw at her. So immediately, we gave her the truth and the pep talk about how great she really is. It didn’t take long before her eyes lit up and she got a hop in her step.

And then, I pulled out my weapon! You know that weapon that can demolish strongholds and things unseen (2 Corinthians 10:4 NIV)? The weapon of God’s Word. She not only reads her Word daily as she has been doing for some time now, but she has been equipped with Scriptures that were made especially for her to speak out loud to remind her daily of her worth in Jesus Christ.

Sure she will hear lies for the rest of her life, but she can take comfort in knowing truth to demolish the lies. As parents, we do our best to protect our children from the seen, so why wouldn’t we do what we can to protect them from the things not as evident. Don’t delay; get your weapon out too.

Teresa G. Lusk has passion to empower individuals to move beyond their past and present circumstances and into a better life. She is also the author of Good Enough to be a Homemaker and CEO, and is a Motivational Speaker. You may find out more at www.teresalusk.com.

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