Home | Charis Buckland

It’s Valentine’s Day, President’s Day, Mardi Gras, and so many festivities all at once! We didn’t take any days out of school, but we have been able to get outside and feel the warmth of the sunshine on our faces that we haven’t seen in a while.

We all participated in making yummy food for Super Bowl Sunday! Raegan made the chips pretty!

Linley cut all the cucumbers!

Jenna made hot dog footballs!

We made valentines to send to friends and family out of town, and some for our local friends and teachers to hand out!

We were excited to dress up for church in the reds and pinks!

Happy Mardi Gras! Found a king cake! Even in Tenn., we are still wearing purple, green, and gold.

Getting outside is good for the soul and an absolute gift from God. It’s proven to be good for mental health, so I recommend it to my clients! 

Shout out to Aunt Christy for the Fun Dip! Outside is always the best place to eat it!

Last week, I received a phone call from a geneticist regarding Baby. We were enjoying the warmer weather outside and I saw a local number come up on my phone, so I answered, although not sure I wanted to. She informed me there is an explanation for the abnormalities we are seeing…a rare genetic situation that was only recognized 38 years ago. Not much information is known, but babies who survive are known to have seizures, impairment in vision and hearing. No research on survival, no research on how severe. Not great news here. 

I usually don’t like to share personal information, but it has been encouraging to share with my church family and neighbors who can share with us and pray for us. If this is you, let people in and allow them to bless you too. It’s funny because I watch everybody rush here and there, traffic continues, people go to work, attend school, run to extracurriculars, and go about their days, while I am waiting and watching to see what is going to happen.

In seasons of sadness or waiting or anxiety, we often spend time in lament, which means to express sorrow, grief, or regret. In Psalm 13, we read David’s words. Remember David was chosen by God to be king, an unlikely little guy. He was handsome, but not exactly “kingly” looking. He was also hunted by an incredibly jealous king who wanted to kill him. He had an affair and had her husband killed in a cover-up. He had some “stuff” going on during his life, to be sure. David expresses lament as he says,

“How long will I store up anxious concerns within me, “Agony in my mind everyday…”

He asks God to “restore brightness to my eyes,” in Psalm 13:3. Anybody feel that? If not at this moment, we have all felt shaken and unsteady before. 

People may not see the stress as I add sooo many doctor appointments to the calendar I don’t even want to go to. They may not know that I feel anxious I am not doing homeschool the way I would choose to, due to the extra time spent at doctors. Sleep is sometimes hard to come by. Some days I feel like I am just going through the motions. Life still happens, school needs to be done, ballet goes on, and holidays need to be celebrated. Sometimes I get tired of feeling sad. 

He ends Psalm 13 with, “But I have trusted in Your faithful love; my heart will rejoice in Your deliverance. I will sing to the Lord because He has treated me generously.

David shows His confidence in God when He says in Psalm 16:7, “I will bless the name of the Lord Who counsels me – even at night when my thoughts trouble me. I always let the Lord guide me. Because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.”

We can share anything with God. David shows us we can cry aloud to God. It’s a way of worship through prayers of lament. When we feel like we cannot go on or have no idea how to continue. 

It is difficult sometimes to remind my children that God is good, God is kind, God cares, God is trustworthy when I don’t feel it all the time. It helps to remember what I know to be true instead of how I feel. In counseling, we call this cognitive therapy. 

In our humanity, we might feel: 

God is unfair.
God is mean.
God hears me, but does nothing.
God cannot save this situation.

Instead, what I know to be true is:

God is kind. Romans 2:4
God is compassionate. Isaiah 54:10
God is merciful. Titus 3:4-5
God provides. Acts 14:17

I took the younger three kids to my favorite coffee truck here in my town. It’s always a blessing to visit and I always learn something. The coffee is the best in town, but I really go for even more than that! My wise friend shared some verses in Lamentations with me as these have meant a lot to her recently. I will be marking these in my Bible with today’s date so I can remember how God worked in my life. 

“Because of the Lord’s faithful love we do not perish, for His mercies never end. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness!” Lamentations 3:22-24.

The next part is extremely important to remember! “The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, to the person who seeks Him. It is good to wait quietly for salvation from the Lord. Lamentations 3:25-26.

It is sooooo hard to wait for joy and redemption. I honestly have no idea where the joy will be found. I often don’t have words left to pray. I hate every doctor appointment I must go to and wish I were anywhere but there. The doctors at Vanderbilt are great, but I don’t want to have to go see them. I don’t want to be sad. I don’t want to be a light for Jesus with the doctors and nurses. Like me, you might wonder why your world is so uncomfy. Why so much loss? Why doesn’t life make sense?

I carpool to ballet twice a week and when I drop off, I am glad I have approximately 6.5 minutes all to myself to drive around the corner back home. Recently, I have been able to take a minute to think and even cry in lament before I turn onto my street, wipe my tears, and turn it off so I can get inside to the rest of my children. I never want my storms to get my children, or anyone else around me, wet or burden them unnecessarily with adult stuff. They know what is happening, just on an age appropriate level. Maybe you’re like me and are also glad when you wear sunglasses in the car when you’re sad because the sunglasses will hide any tears that tend to spill over.

I love a redemption story. I love hearing how God completely saved a situation and turned it to absolute joy. I have experienced God’s redemption and joy before. These are certainly the most difficult circumstances I have experienced. I’m not there yet. I don’t know how this story ends. I am waiting for how this will be redeemed. Be encouraged in your waiting. Remember Who God is. Write those Bible verses all over the place. Write them in dry erase marker on your mirror, jot them on sticky notes, create a canvas, and hold onto them throughout the days. He is capable to carry you through too. 

I read books this morning while Maddox was napping, and the older five were working on schoolwork. We borrowed this book from our church library and I ordered it today for our home collection. It is Psalm 23 written for children to understand – I loved it. We usually think of Psalm 23 as a funeral passage of Scripture and it is. It’s so much more than that, though. Jesus is our Good Shepherd. He does make sure we have what we need. He does make our heart quiet. Even when we are scared, He is right there. We are His sheep and He takes care of us. Let’s put down the noise and be still with Him.

Love,
Charis 

Pic(k) of the day: Do your kids drink syrup when you’re not watching? Is this Elf?