A Quick Intro

Hmmmm…full manger….Maybe such rustic terminology doesn’t exactly suit the resort-condo lifestyle we enjoy here on the Big Island of Hawaii.  But really no matter where you house five active little boys…it’s going to feel like living in a barn.  Or a zoo full of barn animals.  At least I’m sure that’s what it sounds like to the neighbors down stairs…bless their long-suffering souls.  So when I was searching for memory verses to go along with our study of zoology this year and stumbled across this gem in Proverbs 14, it hit me like a bail of hay.  “Where there are no oxen the manger is clean, but abundant crops come from the strength of the ox.”  Just think about it, Mamas, “Where there are no [children] the house is clean [and quiet], but ABUNDANT [living] comes by the strength of the [family].”  The mere presence of the noisy mess around me is a daily reminder of how rich I actually am.  As hard as I try, my manger is never quite clean, but praise the Lord, I am learning to delight in the fullness of it, to be thankful for the abundant life that is a condo full of boys…or a zoo full of barn animals…or a barn full of zoo animals.  Whatever.  This is my life.  My full, loud, messy manger.  And because I love it, I’m sharing it with you.