Esteemed by the Father

I went to a sports "banquet" for one of my children this week. Receiving a reward or recognition for a job well done can be fun, HOWEVER, that still leaves me feeling a little empty. It's NOT about us  (or our children) doing things well so WE receive the glory. It's all about HIM.   "HIS PLEASURE is NOT in the STRENGTH of the horse, nor his DELIGHT in the LEGS OF MAN; the LORD DELIGHTS in those who ( who what? Do what?  What does the Lord delight in?) FEAR HIM, who PUT THEIR HOPE IN HIS UNFAILING LOVE." Psalms 147:10 & 11   "Let NOT the WISE man boast of his WISDOM or the STRONG man boast of his STRENGTH or the RICH man boast of his RICHES, but let him who boasts boast about this: That he UNDERSTANDS and KNOWS (what? understands and knows what? who?) ..ME, that I am the LORD, who exercises KINDNESS, JUSTICE, and RIGHTEOUSNESS on earth, for in THESE I DELIGHT," delcares the LORD." Jeremiah 9:23 & 24   "This is the one I ESTEEM: He who is HUMBLE and CONTRITE IN SPIRIT, and TREMBLES AT MY WORD."  Isaiah 66:2     "Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For everything in the world- the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of WHAT HE HAS AND DOES- comes NOT from the FATHER but from the world. The world and its desires PASS AWAY but the man who DOES THE WILL OF GOD lives forever." 1 John 2:15-17   May we, and our children, seek recognition from the Father. May we seek to be esteemed, delighted in by HIM. May we fear him, put our hope in HIS unfailing love, boast about understanding and knowing him, may we be humble, contrite in spirit and tremble at his word, and may we do His will.  It is HIS opinion of us and delight in us that REALLY matters. Blessings from Bombadil. Kristy     "I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith, so that through my being with you again your joy in Christ Jesus will overflow on account of me." Phillipians 1:25 & 26

He KNOWS what you NEED.

"Your Father KNOWS what YOU NEED BEFORE you ask him." Matthew 6:8   Say this to God today:   "You know what I need today." You know what is NECESSARY  for me to live, REALLY LIVE, today. You are very aware of what you desire to do in me today. You Know where there is POVERTY in my soul and what will bring TRUE RICHES.     I am NOT ALONE in this world. YOU, THE LIVING GOD, see me and know what I NEED... You have gone BEFORE me today. Open my eyes to see YOU and how you are providing for me today.     Thank you! Thank you for knowing what I REALLY NEED. I hardly know what I need myself. Thank you for KNOWING. " AMEN!   Blessings from Bombadil. Kristy Link "I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith, so that through my being with you again your joy in Christ Jesus will overflow on account of me." Phillipians 1:25 & 26

A photo shoot

We had a Link family photo shoot last night  here at "Bombadil" with an amazing photographer, Brian Wolfe. We had soooo much fun capturing each of our children doing what they LOVE to do at our home.   We got some great shots of Jake playing hoops, Max jumping on the trampoline, Zeke climbing a tree with his beloved monkey, Reese swinging on the "monkey bars", and Elyse cuddling with her favorite blanket while playing the harmonica ( a girl after my own heart) on the hammock.  Of course, Rob and I  had to get our photos taken too doing one of our favorite things: hugging and smooching under the arbor (ooooohhhhhhh.....actually, we both felt a little uncomfortable and like to save our smooching and hugging for more private places than under the arbor in front of our house). My husband, who actually HATES getting his pictures taken mentioned after all was said and done, that it was a GREAT evening.  When I asked what the difference was between having Brian come to our home and take pictures this way vs. going to "Sears" or somewhere else  he said,     " Brian didn't force us to look a certain way. He let us and our children be ourselves and simply do what we love to do."   Before the photo shoot, I read this verse to my children:   " Bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the ends of the earth- everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for MY GLORY, whom I formed and made." Isaiah 43:6 & 7   I wanted to make sure my children knew that this photo taking session isn't about us, but about bringing God glory through our lives and who he made us to be.   Oh, how it brings God glory when we are who he made us to be, not something we are "forced" to be, something unnatural.   I couldn't help but worship God as I saw each of our children, soooooo different, so unique, having freedom to do what they love to do.   What kind of God comes up with a way to make billions of people, all with a different fingerprint, with different likes and interests, and yet all a part of a family, a small group, where they are all "One," belonging to the other members.   May you do what you love to do and do it with all your heart. You bring God glory by being YOU! Blessings from Bombadil. Kristy Link     "I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith, so that through my being with you again your joy in Christ Jesus will overflow on account of me." Phillipians 1:25 & 26

Praise his name!

I went to a shower this weekend for a friend who DEEPLY desired to have a baby but was unable to get pregant for almost 5 years.  After 5 years of longing, waiting, praying, crying, believing, more waiting, wondering, hoping, more believing, etc...............she is expecting and the joy is deep.   "A longing fulfilled is SWEET to the soul." Prov. 13:19   "He settles the barren woman in her home as a happy mother of children." Psalm  113:9   Listen to the rest of that chapter:   "Praise the Lord. Praise, O servants of the Lord, praise the name of the lord. Let the name of the Lord be praised, both now and forevermore. From the rising of the sun to the place where it sets, the name of the Lord is to be praised. The Lord is exalted over all the nations, his glory is above the heavens. Who is like the Lord our God, the One who sits enthroned on high, who stoops down to look on the heavens and earth? He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap; he seats them with princes, with the princes of their people. He settles the barren woman in her home, as a happy mother of children. Praise the Lord."     If you are in the middle of waiting for something as a mom (or not as a mom) ...........hang in there. Keep praying, keep seeking, keep believing. His name is to be praised. Praise his name today from the rising of the sun until it goes down. Teach your children to do the same.  He is at work. He is the God of perfect timing. Blessings from Bombadil. Kristy "I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith, so that through my being with you again your joy in Christ Jesus will overflow on account of me." Phillipians 1:25 & 26

An unopened love letter

I LOVE my children soooooooo much! I love to write them little notes to express that love, to encourage their souls, to offer them some words of wisdom and counsel. I pour all of me into these little notes, thinking very carefully about what it is that my children need to hear. I know and believe that words are POWERFUL.  I know that Jesus says:   "The WORDS I have spoken to you are spirit and they are LIFE." John 6:63 His words bring LIFE and as a mom I want nothing more than for my children to have REAL, DEEP, LIFE.   So, when I went into one of my children's rooms the other day and found one of the notes I had recently written which contained much LIFE for this child's soul, UNOPENED,...... I sighed involuntarily. My heart GROANED. I thought to myself,   "Ohhhhhhh, WHY did this precious child NOT read my words. All that time, thought , and LIFE I poured into this note only to find it sitting on this desk..........almost a week later..........unopened."   I Immediately said to God, "I get it, God. Oh how it must grieve your heart when we don't open your 'LETTER.' So much time, thought, wisdom, sacrifice, truth, hope, encouragement, counsel, and LIFE offered to us and yet for whatever reason, we treat your letter carelessly, missing out on soooooo much goodness for our souls."   PLEASE...........Don't let His "LETTER" sit unopened on your desk. READ IT! It is a LOVE LETTER. Your Father in heaven has something to say to you today. He knows exactly what words you need today. Whether they are words of correction (which is LOVE) or encouragement, He has words for you. He will not force you to read his words, but I can assure you and know with all my heart that God DEEPLY DESIRES you to read them. He loves you WAY MORE than I love my children. I know how grieved my heart was when I saw my  life-giving note unopened. How much more would the heart of "LOVE" and "LIGHT" be grieved  when we don't read and take to heart his words.   " Man does not live on bread alone but on EVERY WORD that comes from the mouth of God." Deuteronomy 8:3   "How does a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your WORD. I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands. I have hidden your WORD in my heart that I might not sin against you. Praise be toyou, O Lord; teach me your decrees. With my lips I recount all the laws that come from your mouth. I rejoice in following your statutes as one rejoices in great riches. I meditate on your precepts and consider your ways. I delight in your decrees; I WILL NOT NEGLECT YOUR WORD." Psalm 119: 9- 16   "Let the WORD of Christ dwell in you RICHLYL." Colossians 3:16   "For the WORD OF GOD is living and active. Sharper than any double- edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account." Hebrews 4:12   "Take to heart all the WORDS I have solemnly declared to you this day, SO THAT you may command your children to obey carefully all the words of this law. They are NOT JUST IDLE WORDS for you- they are your LIFE." Deuteronomy 32:46-47   "FIX THESE WORDS OF MINE IN YOUR HEARTS AND MINDS; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Write them on your doorframes of your houses and on your gates, SO THAT your days  and the days of your children may be many..........." Deuteronomy 11:18- 21   Blessings from Bombadil...........home of an unopened love letter, sitting on desk SCREAMING to be opened so that a precious soul can have LIFE!!!!! Kristy Joy LInk "I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith, so that through my being with you again your joy in Christ Jesus will overflow on account of me." Phillipians 1:25 & 26

Misrepresenting the King

Did you know that you can study God's word, really love God and Jesus, think that you know Him and still speak wrongly of him or misrepresent him???      In the book of Job, Job falls into some extremely difficult times and so 3 of his friends go and sympathize with him and comfort him. They stayed with him for 7 days and didn't say ANYTHING (that's amazing in my opinion).  They just sat with him and mourned with him. After the 7 days, ...they spoke.  They each knew God's words. They each THOUGHT they were speaking truth. In the end of the chapter, God says,   " I am ANGRY with you and your two friends BECAUSE you have NOT spoken of me what is right." ........My servant Job will pray for you, and I will accept his prayer and not deal with you according to your FOLLY. You have not spoken of me what is right...." Job 42:7 & 8     Ahhhhhhhh! I think I did this a few weeks ago. I am finding myself crying out to God saying,   "Oh God.........PLEASE don't let me misrepresent you. You are sooooo good and do everything right.  PLEASE forgive me where I have lacked wisdom and knowledge and been a fool"   May we continue to press on to know him, to know his words and his HEART, to know how he would respond to each person in each situation.   His word says,   "It is not good to have ZEAL without knowledge." Prov. 19:2 and "I can testify about them that they are zealous for God, but their zeal is not based on knowledge." Romans 10: 2   May we be extremely careful how we represent the King...Our King. When we fail and perhaps speak of him wrongly, may we acknowledge our "folly" and seek forgiveness and continue to grow in more and more wisdom and knowledge. Blessings from Bombadil. Kristy Link       "I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith, so that through my being with you again your joy in Christ Jesus will overflow on account of me." Phillipians 1:25 & 26

Mom Monday!

Yesterday, I ran the G.R. half marathon with some friends. Every time I run a race, one of my favorite parts is running through the areas where a water station is set up, loud music is blaring, and people are everywhere cheering us on. Running the race gets tiring.There are times I think "Why am I doing this?" There are times I am sooo tired and I really want to quit.There are times that I am simply persevering and trying to focus on crossing the finish line. I will be really low on energy and then I will go through those stations where people are yelling, "You can do this!" "Your'e almost there." "Come on...hang in there ...your'e looking good." All of a sudden, I have a little more energy. I'm encouraged and have a little bit more strength to keep going. Then I think to myself, "This is JUST a race. It's JUST a run. It really has no meaningful significance. Look at all these people who come out here to encourage and support all these runners."      I wonder how we/I  are/am doing in encouraging and supporting people in the race of REAL LIFE. Life gets tiring. Moms get tired and think "What did I get myself into?" Maybe you are at that place in life as a mom where you are low in energy, want to quit, are simply persevering, and are in desperate need of some encouragement as a mom.  Well, allow me a moment to be your "water station, cheering section, and music blaring."   Did you know the Bible compares life to a race; Here is some water for your soul:   "Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us RUN WITH PERSEVERANCE THE RACE MARKED OUT FOR US. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him, endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood." Hebrews 12:1-4   "Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown  that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly I do not fight like a man beating the air. No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize." 1 Corinthians 9: 24-27   "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the RACE, I have KEPT THE FAITH. Now there, is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day- and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing." 2 Timothy 4:7 & 8    Here is some encouragement:   "Come on moms! You can do this! God is with you and loves your children more than you do."   "This time goes fast! Make the most of pouring into those precious souls. This is your window of opportunity!!!"   "You are making a HUGE difference in the lives of your children."   "Life is about LOVING GOD AND LOVING PEOPLE.  God desires you to LOVE HIM by LOVING your husband (His boy) and your children well. You are not 'JUST"  a mom...................you are GOD's hands and feet"   "You are AWESOME and have an AWESOME RESPONSIBILITY! YOU CAN DO THIS!"   "The finish line is coming, and you don't know when...run in such a way to win the prize.'     If I could play you some music, I would play you the song..........Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm..... "ALL YOU MAMMA LADIES, ALL YOU MAMMA LADIES..."   Run this race of motherhood and passing on the FAITH to your children STRONG!!!! YOU CAN DO IT! Blessings from Bombadil. Kristy Joy Link       "I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith, so that through my being with you again your joy in Christ Jesus will overflow on account of me." Phillipians 1:25 & 26

Bewilderment from Bombadil

I have been CAPTIVATED by the rescue mission of the Chilean miners. All the time, all the money, all the people waiting, praying, hoping, and all the tears and celebration of them being rescued is BEAUTIFUL...................and convicting. I am finding myself really wrestling with this:   "Don't be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both body and soul in hell...." Matthew 10: 28   "I tell you the truth, whoever hears my words and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life..." John 5: 24   So much given to rescue 33 bodies of men and rightly so. It is beautiful! But oh, if it is the soul that is eternal, I am asking myself, how much am I willing to give to rescue the souls of men. And I am saying, "Kristy, do you really believe what you say you believe???"   Bewilderment from Bombadil.............Kristy   "I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith, so that through my being with you again your joy in Christ Jesus will overflow on account of me." Phillipians 1:25 & 26

over a game of chutes and ladders..

Last night, over a good game of Chutes and Ladders(in which I kicked some serious bootie...hee, hee), some things came out and were discussed at the Link family dining room table. Allow me to share the two truths that were discussed:

"Reckless words pierce like a sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing." Proverbs 12:18

Oh my friends.........may we NOT be reckless with our words. Once they are out there, they cannot be taken back. Words do sooooo much damage.

When someone has been reckless with their words and done the kind of piercing of the heart that a sharp sword can do, may we obey Romans 13: 20 even though our human nature desires what is contrary:

"If your enemy is hungry, feed him;
if he is thirsty, give him something to drink.
In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.'

DO NOT BE OVERCOME BY EVIL, BUT OVERCOME EVIL WITH GOOD."

May we know His WONDERFUL words. May we OBEY his WONDERFUL words. May we bring more love, more joy, more peace, more righteousness .........more of the KINGDOM OF GOD to our world. May we play more games with our children/people so that issues of the heart come out.
Blessings from Bombadil. Kristy Joy Link

"I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith, so that through my being with you again your joy in Christ Jesus will overflow on account of me." Phillipians 1:25 & 26

Mom Monday

Happy Mom Monday. If you are a mom, welcome to the world  of understanding the
heart of God in a deeper  way.

This week I had a friend call me and ask if I ever call my husband bawling over
the stubborn disobedience of one of my children??? I replied with, "Weekly."
That might be a bit of an exaggeration, but not much. If I'm not callling my
husband bawling, I'm pouring out my  sad and weary soul to my Heavenly Father.

The only words I could give to my friend was to use these experiences to
understand the heart of God and how we make Him feel when we don't do what He
says to do. God reveals himself as "Father/parent/mother" in Scripture. He feels
the same way about us as his children that we feel about our precious gifts when
they disobey us.

It's funny/sad how we are as humans where we can be appalled that our children
won't do what we say and then we turn around and do the exact same thing to God
without giving any thought or care to how we make him feel as our "Father" in
heaven.

As I have experienced the pain of stubborn, disobedient children, my prayers
have become more intense for God to help ME be an obedient child.

In Phillipians 3:10 it says,

    'I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the FELLOWSHIP
OF SHARING IN HIS SUFFERINGS....."

As we parent our children, may we view it and accept it as part of "the
fellowship of sharing in his suffernings."
May we embrace it as part of a journey of growing in knowledge and in deeper
understanding of the heart of God. I am suffering this morning as I grieve over
some sin in one of my children's lives. I am keenly aware of just how much Jesus
hates sin because sin destroys. I am fellowshiping with Jesus, today.

Being a mom is hard on the soul, but oh the depth of understanding we can come
to as He opens our eyes to how our lives affect him.

Blessings from Bombadil. Kristy Joy Link

"I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith, so
that through my being with you again your joy in Christ Jesus will overflow on
account of me." Phillipians 1:25 & 26

Glow -in-the -dark..........

If you have children, and probably even if you don't, I am sure you've seen the
newest rage.....Silly bands. They are these tiny little bracelets that come in
hundreds of different shapes/forms (ie: cars, animals, princess themes,
etc...you name it and there is a silly band in the shape of it).  While my
daughter, Reese, and I were cuddling in bed yesterday she was showing me all her
latest "s.b.'s." She got really excited to show me her "glow in the dark" silly
band and pulled the covers over us to show me how it glowed. I believed her that
it was a glow in the dark silly band, but it sure wasn't very "glowy." That is
UNTIL I showed her a trick and held the bracelet up to the light for awhile. She
was AMAZED at the difference. Holding the bracelet up to the light for awhile
truly made it a GLOW-IN-THE-DARK bracelet. God desires us to "glow in the dark"
too.

"God is LIGHT; in him there is no darkness at all." 1 John 1:5

"For we do not preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your
servants for Jesus' sake. For God, who said, 'Let light shine out of darkness,"
made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of
the glory of God in the face of Christ." 2 Corinthians 4:5 & 6

"When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, "I am the light of the world.
Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of
life." John 8:12

"But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people
belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of
darkness into his wonderful light." 1 Peter 2:9

"You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do
people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on a stand, and
it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine
before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven."

Matthew 5:14-16

The key to glowing in the dark isn't trying harder to be light. The key is
asking Jesus Christ to come dwell within you and to ask him to get rid of any
darkness in your soul. The more we say "NO!" to ungodliness/darkness and the
more time we spend with THE LIGHT (Jesus) through prayer, letting his words &
Spirit dwell  in us richly, the more his light will shine through us.

May we do what we were meant to do as followers of Jesus...May we GLOW
-IN-THE-DARK today. May we hold ourselves up to the One True Light that we may
be fulll of LOVE, JOY, PEACE, PATIENCE, KINDNESS, GOODNESS, GENTLENESS,
FAITHFULNESS, AND SELF-CONTROL. Blessings from Bombadil. ....home of a few
glow-in-the-dark silly bands and HOPEFULLY 7 glow-in-the-dark people. Kristy
LInk"I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith, so
that through my being with you again your joy in Christ Jesus will overflow on
account of me." Phillipians 1:25 & 26

"Follow.."

While I was tucking Elyse,my 3 year old daughter,in bed the other night,
seemingly out of nowhere she said to me, "I don't want you to die."  Desiring to
get to the heart of why she said that I simply asked her, "Are you worried that
mommy might die?" She responded with, "Ralfie died." Ralf was our Newfoundland
puppy that died a few months ago. Believing that I AM going to die sometime and
not having any idea or control over when, I didn't want to speak falsely and
say, "Oh honey, mommy isn't going to die." So instead, I chose to say, "Well, we
all are going to die sometime,but when I do die, I will be with Jesus where it
will be perfect and I will wait for you there." Wondering how she would respond
to that, I waited patiently for her to formulate her next thought. After a few
seconds she said,

"I will FOLLOW YOU THERE."

I haven't been able to get those words out of my mind.

She loves me deeply as her mommy. She desires to be with me. So she'll FOLLOW
ME.

FOLLOW- to come or go after, move in the same direction; pursue, to accept the
guidance and leadership of, ; to be governed by, obey; to listen or watch
closely

"Do not FOLLOW the crowd in doing wrong." Exodus 23:2

"Be careful to FOLLOW my decrees." Lev. 18:4

"Learn them and be sure to FOLLOW them." Dt. 5:1

"The Jesus said to his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny
himself and take up his cross and FOLLOW me..." Matthew 16:24

"Jesus' sheep FOLLOW him because they know his voice." John 10:4 (good buddy...)

"FOLLOW the way of LOVE...." 1 Corinthians 14:1

"They FOLLOW the Lamb wherever he goes.' Revelation 14:4

Ahhhhh...May we love Jesus and his words deeply. May we desire to be with him
wherever he is/goes. May we FOLLOW him all the way to heaven.

It is not a church we FOLLOW. It is not a man we FOLLOW.  It is JESUS, who loves
us and said,

"Father, I want those you have given me to be WITH ME where I am, and to see my
glory." John 17:24

Blessings from Bombadil.......home of a little girl who wants to follow her
mommy to heaven and home of a mommy who wants to learn more and more what it
looks like to follow, pursue, be governed by and obey Jesus. Kristy Joy LInk

 "I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith, so
that through my being with you again your joy in Christ Jesus will overflow on
account of me." Phillipians 1:25 & 26

Happy Mom Monday.

I was standing in my bathroom the other day and I cried out to God, "Ahhhhh!
Raising children is soooo hard!" The intensity of my longing for there to be
peace, love, joy  and righteousness ( a.k.a. "The kingdom of heaven" Romans
14:17) in the hearts of each of my children, in myself and in my home is
stronger than my longing for a hot cup of coffee with LOTS of vanilla creamer 
in a cool mug on a cold, sleepy morning. My insides groan with a painful longing
for all of the Links to be like Jesus. All of a sudden, this truth from God's
word popped into my mind:

"My dear children, for whom I am again in the PAINS OF CHILDBIRTH  UNTIL Christ
is formed in you...." Galatians 4:19

"The pains of childbirth.." Ahhhhhh...I KNOW those pains. They are PAINS. There
is definately groaning and longing involved in childbirth.  There is a goal in
mind,....."GET THIS BABY OUT OF ME!"

So, there is a goal in mind for our children and for us.............."Christ
formed in them/us."

Ahhhhh Christ...the perfect one, selfless,merciful,  obedient, loving, joyful,
peaceful, kind, patient, good, gentle, faithful, and self-controlled.
Mmmmmmm...everything beautiful. Everything I want to be.

Like childbirth, it WILL be painful, but oh the joy in the end when Christ is
"formed."

May we pray, teach, believe, set an example, discipline & groan, and be
patient,strong,merciful, persevering and hopeful  until Christ is formed in
us and them,our precious gifts/rewards from above.

Blessings from Bombadil. Kristy

p.s. How does Paul even know about the pains of childbirth???

 "I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith, so
that through my being with you again your joy in Christ Jesus will overflow on
account of me." Phillipians 1:25 & 26