FEBRUARY 1, 2012

One of my favorite newspaper cartoons is "Family Circus" created by Bil Keane.  It is usually a circle with some aspect of family drawn inside with a thought provoking, humorous, one liner underneath.'"

I guess I like it because it captures family life as it really is...adults are adults, children are children, and family life is family life.  Bil Keane has a way of reminding us that we live in a very real world filled with laughter and humor.

In his book, Bil Keane, records this story about his own family life....which he says was the inspiration for his cartoon. 

I was penciling one of my "Family Circus" cartoons and our little Jeffy said, "Daddy, how do you know what to draw?"

I said, "God tells me."

Jeffy said, "then why do you keep erasing parts of it?"

Out of the mouth of babes.......

We often give credit for our lives to God.  "He guides my life."  "He is my Lord."  "I am in the will of God."  And yet, there is a lot of erasing going on.

It is just a reminder that being a follower of Jesus or a lover of God does not make a person perfect.  Those who pretend they are are only fooling themselves.  As a matter of fact, it is dangerous to believe that one "has arrived" or is completely in will of God.  When one feels that way they no longer erase.  The mistakes become part of the permanent picture.

Those who are truly in the will of God are constantly erasing.  They recognize mistakes and do their best to make sure they are not part of the picture.  They have a desire to please God with the very best, mistake free, pictures.

I know I cannot erase all of the mistakes from my life...that is why I am so dependent upon the blood of Christ that covers and makes me whiter than snow.  However, my love for that same Christ keeps the erasure in my hand.

I will a close with a prayer I have learned to pray over the past few week......

Dear God, please help me be the person my dog thinks I am. Amen

This is my story.