Shannon Yee

Today, I spent at least 15 minutes just sitting on the couch letting the warmth of the sun wash over me. It was the most wonderful thing. I have been busy like I cannot believe and very tired and stressed with all that I have to do, but I knew I was getting burned out and needed a rest today, so I stayed up late last night to clean up and got up early to do some more things. Resting in God’s love and remembering His strength is what allows me to do all thing, meditating on some much loved Scripture and thanking God for providing and answering my many prayers over the last few weeks… this has been essential and makes me want to sing my Savior’s praises from the top of my lungs. But as my kids are napping, and I am also very much enjoying the peace and quiet this provides, I will suffice to shout His praises through the computer.

GOD IS GOD; THERE IS NO OTHER. HE IS MIGHTY TO SAVE AND REJOICES OVER HIS CHILDREN WITH LOVE. HE BRINGS TIMES OF REFRESHING FOR MY SOUL! WHAT A GREAT AND WONDERFUL GOD. HE ALONE IS WORTHY TO RECEIVE GLORY AND HONOR.

This will be a spoiler, so if you plan to read Book 7 and haven’t yet – fly your broom somewhere else…
For those who aren’t planning to read it, I hope you will; it’s fabulous. I love fiction. It’s been far too long since I’ve read and I have missed it. I love living vicariously through books and I love the relaxation and refreshment that I enjoy while reading. But, I hate the way that I cannot do it all – keep up with everything else I need to do or want to do and spend copious amounts of time reading.

One of the areas of my life that suffered most that week was sleeping, so I may not be very coherent in this posting…

My thoughts in no particular order or sense:

I think my favorite part of this book was the strong biblical symbolism. The most amazing of which is Harry’s resurrection. It seems like all is done; he willingly sacrifices himself and dies to save everyone else. Then, he is resurrected and returns, as Christ will, to end the battle once and for all – to bring the final victory and destroy the enemy completely! There is also the inner battle Harry faces to trust Dumbledore and obey, even when it seems like his way isn’t good and that he didn’t or doesn’t know everything – Harry, like so many of us Christians, is tempted to trust himself and do things his own way. Another example of biblical symbolism is the choice to follow and fight. Each person has a choice to make – will we trust Christ as our Savior and fight with Him or will be join forces with Satan, by default?

There is a strong connection in my own life between bitterness and obsession and I would venture to guess that they are often related. My bitterness was due to lack of forgiveness and anger that consumed me. I wanted justice, vengeance, and I wanted things to be made right, to fix what could not be fixed. In the end, I had to choose to let go of my desires and wishes and forgive this person that hurt me and so many others. It seems like each of the Harry Potter books has a strong element of obsession with the wrong thing leading to evil. It is when we are obsessed with the right thing (God) that we are free to do the right thing (obey Him) – I believe this is true and biblically supported (Phil. 4:8, John 8:32).

The theme of brotherly love is one of the things that makes Harry Potter so successful, IMHO. The rocky, real, but so very deep relationship between Harry, Ron, and Herimone is one that every kid longs for and some even have a taste of. It is a key to lots of other great book series, like The Baby-sitter’s Club. I, of course, could readily relate to Herimone, the smart, but too quick to speak and very proud, strong female. I also had a very good guy friend that I fell in love with and eventually married. He, may or may not, like the comparison to Ron, but I’ll make it anyway. The brainy types often fall for the slightly awkward, talented and intelligent, but not overly so, somewhat lazy (laidback?) sidekick. I feel really priviledged to have had several close knit groups of girlfriends – different girls/women with different places & stages of my life, but I am still really close with almost all of them and count those relationships and all of the experiences that accompanied them – for good or bad – as a true blessing.

I apparently am a sucker for romance and found myself aching for Harry and Ginny. I appreciated the maturity of these teenagers to set aside, even deny, their desire for the greater good. I also appreciated Harry’s birthday present from Ginny, as I personally find that a passionate kiss on the mouth is amazing… The whole love story left me remembering my dating years and being so glad that they are over. Desire doesn’t end with marriage. As a fanatic for happy endings and full closure, I loved the hint of passion and joy in the marriage of the grown Potters – or maybe that wasn’t even in the book and I added it between the lines!

Another classic element of a good book (and biblical) is an epic battle between good and evil. There is nothing quite like the good guy beating out the bad guy, especially when the bad guy is really bad and the good guy is a lot like you or me. It feels good for justice to be served!

These themes were things that struck me and reasons that I will probably start over and re-read the entire series: sacrifice, friendship, love, second chances, puzzles, and prejudice. This last theme of prejudice is particularly interesting to me. It seemed like Harry didn’t get it until he finally got it – at the very end, that people and things are not always what others believe them to be. Some people are bad, but others are really good and have had bad experiences, like his cousin, and Snape and even the Malfoys and their house elf. I don’t agree with this 100% because I believe that all people are really bad (by nature, we are sinners), but I believe that God redeems all who call on Him and therefore all can become good. The general lesson in this theme is something that I really do agree with and am becoming more passionate each month, which is that everyone should be treated with kindness and love and given many chances and much forgiveness.

I found a few articles on biblical symbolism in Harry Potter, that I didn’t read until after I wrote this… You may find them interesting, I did.

Harry Potter 7 is Matthew 6

Mugglenet

I am very proud and also full of pride. I think there is a big difference between these two things with proud being a good thing and pride being a very bad thing.

Some people see the root issue or sin as unbelief or lack of faith and some people see it as fear (which I believe is a lack of faith) and others see the deep sin at the basis of our lives as idolatry and others see that root as pride. I think there are great arguments for all of these and in my life I can see that any of these could be true. For me, idolatry and pride are the same as my main idol is myself and so that seems to win out, but maybe pride is really an unbelief in God’s sovereignty and goodness… Anyway, pride is an egregious sin that God detests.

On the other hand, I am also proud. I’m so proud of my husband and the way he takes care of our family and uses the gifts that God has given him. I am also very proud of my kids, especially when they do or say things that are kind, sensitive and wise. Right now, Eila and Josiah are playing together and laughing hysterically, and I feel such joy and love and so proud of them. Maybe this proud feeling I have is really a godly jealousy for them to do right. I’m most proud of those around me when they are glorifying God and submitting their lives to Him, which is what I want for myself as well. Also, I’m proud of my loved ones as I see them being successful and persevering. I think it is a boasting in the Lord rather than in them or in myself for whatever.

Eila was coloring nicely with a pen on some paper in the living room while I cleaned up lunch. She was imitating me writing notes and making lists. Josiah was cruising around trying to figure out what Eila was doing and how he could join in. Then, I heard Josiah’s cries on pain and asked Eila “What happened to Joe?” as I came around the corner. She said “I colored him.” Indeed, she did. Josiah had ten stabs and lines all over his head and hands, up his arm and on his face. I quickly picked him up and examined the damage, which he was now fine with and began to sob. I tried wiping him off as gently as possible, since already each mark seemed to have been a bit painfully administered. Eila was in shock at my tears over her artwork on Josiah. As I sent her to time out for coloring on something besides paper and for hurting her brother, she screamed. When I calmed and went to talk to her, she talked to me about crying and talking and hurting other people. I think she was really sorry. I was too.

I want to protect and shelter my kids from any pain. I want them to really love each other and look out for each other, not inflict and torment each other. I want to set a good example for them in how to respond to their own pain and others. I want to be a good mom with good kids – too bad I live in a bad world full of bad people, of which I am one of the worst. Fortunately, I serve a great God who enables me to be a great mom with great kids. How quickly I forget and doubt!

I want to be a woman that people see and say: She is enjoying life.

Basically, I want to be so content and at peace with the circumstances in my life that no matter what, it shows. Not in a fake happy, everything is fine sort of way, but in a calm, confident, and trusting in a Being beyond myself sort of way. Does that make any sense?!

I love being Brian’s wife. I also love being Eila’s and Josiah’s mom. I also love being God’s daughter. I hope that I’m never caught complaining about these things, maybe sharing the trials and lessons learned to help and encourage others, but not as a comparison or badge or anything else.

How do I show that my joy of joys is fulfilling the mission and ministry that God has given me? I think I first have to accept the challenge and truly enjoy it. If I’m not 100% satisfied and content with God, then I won’t be able to show that. It seems so painfully simple and yet even as I write, I’m stumped as to how to actually live in this way.

It seems like I’m stuck in the same old struggles day in and day out.

I’m a part of several groups where we share prayer requests (and I assume these women are praying for me, as I am for them), but I always feel like I have the same request. Namely, I want to seek God first. Some days this request looks different than other days, but for the most part it’s the same root issue (Pride, Idolatry, Unbelief – call it what you may.) My request might be for better communication with my husband, for more patience with my kids, for more discipline in studying the Bible or prayer, for balance in the activities or events of each day, for time management, for wisdom, for sleep. I try to vary the requests so that I don’t feel like it’s always the same and so that I don’t bore those praying for me. But, more so because I feel like it *should* be different.

Why do I have this expectation that my prayer requests should change? I think it’s because I believe that God answers prayer and if I keep asking for the same thing over and over without any change then that means there hasn’t been an answer. If there is no answer, then everything I believe and live for comes into question. Now, I’m not about to ditch my faith because this one request – that I seek God first – isn’t answered as I think it should be, but it just shows my lack of faith in that I’m afraid to even think about the implications of this “unanswered” prayer request.

The ironic thing about this whole discussion (that I’m having with myself…) is that my request for seeking God first is something that lies within me to fix/do. I don’t need God to answer this request at all. I need to act, knowing that He chose me and sought me out, so it should be my reaction to love Him in return and seek to please Him, with gratitude for all that He has done for me. I will probably keep the same old prayer request and keep trying to phrase it differently depending on my struggle in that moment living according to the graciousness of God. And perhaps, I’ll act as if it’s already been answered, which it has.

I often wonder how many times I’ve missed the boat with regards to great gifts or exciting adventures God had ready for me, but I ignored or chose to go the other way…

My sister and I were talking about this not too long ago as she was sharing that she had just finished a study on the life of Aaron (old testament priest) and that he didn’t listen and obey God at first, but then later tried to do what God had said before – but things were different then.

I know a family who recently went through the process of adopting a precious baby, they were seeking God and yet not everyone was at the same point at the same time. At one point the father was ready and at another point they were both ready, but there were problems with the logistics (ie. God’s wasn’t ready or the child wasn’t ready?), and then finally everything fell perfectly into place – because the whole family was on the same page as God and ready to listen and obey when and what He said, possibly.

I feel like the same thing has been happening with Brian and I. When we were engaged we talked about how we thought that God was calling us to go at some later point, possibly 5-10 years down the road, to be missionaries full-time. France has long been in our minds as a great place to go and minister, but by no means the only choice for us. Not too long ago, I was fully ready to go and after talking with our pastor and praying, we started to contact some missions agencies and missionaries in France. Well, there are lots of open doors and opportunities, but Brian seemed really hesitant and even disagreeable when we would talk and pray about it. So, we were obviously not on the same page. I don’t know what page exactly God was/is on, but sometimes I wonder if Brian and I are even in the same book. Was I jumping the gun for whatever reason? Was Brian dragging his feet? It seemed very clear to me though that God was not asking us to go when we were not both ready. Did we miss the boat? I don’t know. I certainly hope not.

On the other side, I’ve been the recipient of amazing gifts when I least expected it and know others who have been too. In fact, this past week I heard two stories in my family of God’s faithfulness. My dad, Bill, was driving on the freeway and was hit by some drywall that fell from a truck. His car had some bad damage, but he walked away without a scratch. As a testimony of God’s protection, my mother found a nickel (when she finds pennies, she uses them as reminders and thanks God for the small ways he protects us each day) on her walk and knew God was working in big ways that day! Then, another sister of mine and her four kids applied to attend (at a very discounted rate) a local Christian school and they were accepted and the teachers and administrators were excited about working with their newest daughter, who is from Zambia and is still learning English and may be a little behind in some academic areas. It was a true answer to prayer – they got on the cruise ship!

God’s timing is always right. As the Gentile father in Mark 9:24 asking Jesus to heal his son cried out “I do believe. Help me overcome my unbelief!”

Last night was the annual Ladies’ Tea at my church and the speaker was the best yet, in my opinion. Liz shared about how we should smell, look, and sound good. She used several passages from the book of 2 Corinthians. She reminded me that I am the aroma of Christ to those around me. That is a sweet fragrance of self-sacrifice and love with compassion and humility. I should smell good so that others will want to be near me and know more about Christ. 2 Corinthians 2:15 Cheryl, our party planner, read a poem to start off the night that was about a lump of clay becoming a beautiful tea cup in the skilled Master’s hands. Liz talked about how we are to look good too because we are reflecting the glory of God. We all have flaws and cracks and it is through those holes that God’s light shines. When I, a pot of clay, have the glory of God, the greatest treasure, filling me up, others can see Him shining in me. 2 Corinthians 4:7, Finally, there was a challenge to sound good, ie. not complain about the temporary struggles because I know I’m going to a better place eventually – this isn’t all there is. She told a story about how tents are for memories, not for living in all the time. That’s how our bodies are too… 2 Corinthians 5:1 & Romans 8:23.

It was a good reminder to me and I hope that you also will be encouraged to let Christ dwell in your richly, so that others will see and glorify your Father in heaven!

I am always learning and want to always continue learning. This week these are some things that I’ve learned:

Eila notices and remembers everything – or at least much more than I previously gave her credit for.Josiah needs a routine too.

Hiding God’s word in my heart really does help me not sin against Him.

If I want to leave the house with everyone dressed, I have to take each person to the car as soon as s/he is ready to go or start the process over from the beginnning.

Patience may be a virtue, but it is not one of mine.

Brian doesn’t like me telling him what to do.

Eila doesn’t like that either.

Asking forgiveness is hard, but extending grace is just as tough.

Being forgiven and forgiving are amazing gifts and worth every ounce of effort.

I feel lost without email; sad, eh?

The more I pray, the more I want to pray.

Laundry does not take care of itself.

Neither do the dishes or any household cleaning tasks.

Saying “I’m so happy!” can make things seem a lot better than they did before, even if they aren’t any better. It helps to lift your hands up to the sky and smile while saying this, and even add a little hop.

At our church, we’ve been having spiritual check-ups where each person at church has the opportunity to fill out a brief questionnaire with questions about spiritual health and then meet with our pastor for 15 minutes or so to get a prescription for growth or whatever is needed. So, I took full advantage of this and was challenged to make a plan for scripture memory for myself and my toddler to do together over the next 30 days. I found and ordered a set of verses designed for kids under 5 years old to use for memory (Foundation Verses from Desiring God). So, Eila and I are about to embark on an adventure of spending 5 minutes each day working on these verses. Today is our first day. She is already a little copycat, so I’m thinking that she’ll have the first verse memorized by tomorrow and be ready for the next one, while I’ll still be reading it and not have it down until next month. I guess I’m afraid that my two-year old will show me up in knowledge of the Bible. But, I guess that is a great thing and as I think about it, I can’t wait for that to happen. I’ll let you know how it all goes down. Hopefully, straight to the heart and mind to be used daily!