{"id":306549,"date":"2020-11-14T07:00:08","date_gmt":"2020-11-14T12:00:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/%series%\/thankful-for-home\/"},"modified":"2020-11-14T07:00:08","modified_gmt":"2020-11-14T12:00:08","slug":"thankful-for-home","status":"publish","type":"podcast","link":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/familylife-this-week\/thankful-for-home\/","title":{"rendered":"Thankful For Home"},"content":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>True, soul-deep security can only come when home is built on Jesus. Barbara Rainey encourages believers that our ultimate security is only in our eternal home.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":91,"featured_media":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","inline_featured_image":false,"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","episode_type":"","audio_file":"https:\/\/d2c17sq0nj1f7e.cloudfront.net\/flw2020-11-14.mp3","podmotor_file_id":"","podmotor_episode_id":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"00:28:00","filesize":"25.64M","filesize_raw":"26883098","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":""},"categories":[2822],"tags":[4823],"podcast_series":[],"cwp_profile":[3052],"series":[10388],"class_list":["post-306549","podcast","type-podcast","status-publish","hentry","category-growing-in-your-faith","tag-home","cwp_profile-barbara-rainey","series-familylife-this-week"],"acf":[],"episode_featured_image":false,"episode_player_image":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1001\/2023\/10\/FLTW-Podcast-Cover-2-1400x1400-1-300x300-1.jpg","download_link":"https:\/\/dts.podtrac.com\/redirect.mp3\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast-download\/306549\/thankful-for-home","player_link":"https:\/\/dts.podtrac.com\/redirect.mp3\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast-player\/306549\/thankful-for-home","audio_player":null,"episode_data":{"playerMode":"light","subscribeUrls":{"apple_podcasts":{"key":"apple_podcasts","url":"","label":"Apple Podcasts","class":"apple_podcasts","icon":"apple-podcasts.png"},"google_podcasts":{"key":"google_podcasts","url":"","label":"Google Podcasts","class":"google_podcasts","icon":"google-podcasts.png"},"spotify":{"key":"spotify","url":"","label":"Spotify","class":"spotify","icon":"spotify.png"},"youtube":{"key":"youtube","url":"","label":"YouTube","class":"youtube","icon":"youtube.png"}},"rssFeedUrl":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/feed\/podcast\/familylife-this-week","embedCode":"<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"xakdtJzHYj\"><a href=\"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/familylife-this-week\/thankful-for-home\/\">Thankful For Home<\/a><\/blockquote><iframe sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/familylife-this-week\/thankful-for-home\/embed\/#?secret=xakdtJzHYj\" width=\"500\" height=\"350\" title=\"&#8220;Thankful For Home&#8221; &#8212; FamilyLife\u00ae - A Cru Ministry\" data-secret=\"xakdtJzHYj\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" class=\"wp-embedded-content\"><\/iframe><script>\n\/*! This file is auto-generated *\/\n!function(d,l){\"use strict\";l.querySelector&&d.addEventListener&&\"undefined\"!=typeof URL&&(d.wp=d.wp||{},d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage||(d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage=function(e){var t=e.data;if((t||t.secret||t.message||t.value)&&!\/[^a-zA-Z0-9]\/.test(t.secret)){for(var s,r,n,a=l.querySelectorAll('iframe[data-secret=\"'+t.secret+'\"]'),o=l.querySelectorAll('blockquote[data-secret=\"'+t.secret+'\"]'),c=new RegExp(\"^https?:$\",\"i\"),i=0;i<o.length;i++)o[i].style.display=\"none\";for(i=0;i<a.length;i++)s=a[i],e.source===s.contentWindow&&(s.removeAttribute(\"style\"),\"height\"===t.message?(1e3<(r=parseInt(t.value,10))?r=1e3:~~r<200&&(r=200),s.height=r):\"link\"===t.message&&(r=new URL(s.getAttribute(\"src\")),n=new URL(t.value),c.test(n.protocol))&&n.host===r.host&&l.activeElement===s&&(d.top.location.href=t.value))}},d.addEventListener(\"message\",d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage,!1),l.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\",function(){for(var e,t,s=l.querySelectorAll(\"iframe.wp-embedded-content\"),r=0;r<s.length;r++)(t=(e=s[r]).getAttribute(\"data-secret\"))||(t=Math.random().toString(36).substring(2,12),e.src+=\"#?secret=\"+t,e.setAttribute(\"data-secret\",t)),e.contentWindow.postMessage({message:\"ready\",secret:t},\"*\")},!1)))}(window,document);\n\/\/# sourceURL=https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-includes\/js\/wp-embed.min.js\n<\/script>\n"},"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":false},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"kfairris@familylife.com","author_link":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/author\/kfairrisfamilylife-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"True, soul-deep security can only come when home is built on Jesus. Barbara Rainey encourages believers that our ultimate security is only in our eternal home.","meta_box":{"show_notes":"","transcript_url":"https:\/\/transcript.familylife.com\/flw\/flw2020-11-14.pdf","transcript_content":"<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Michelle:<\/strong> We all know the sky is falling: there\u2019s a pandemic; there are hurricanes; there are wildfires. It\u2019s a world of unrest; but Barbara Rainey reminds us that we need to look to the One who is our Refuge, our Protector, and our Provider. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Barbara:<\/strong> This is, again, the beauty and the wonder of God is that He, along with wise counselors we can talk to here, gives us the way forward. He gives us wisdom; He gives us guidance. His Holy Spirit will help us say the right thing\/do the right thing to create that safety at home when it\u2019s being invaded.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Michelle:<\/strong> We\u2019re going to lock some of those doors to parts of the outside world [as] we learn how to make our home safe again with Barbara Rainey today on <em>FamilyLife This Week.<\/em>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tWelcome to <em>FamilyLife This Week.<\/em> I\u2019m Michelle Hill. Last week, we talked about the concept of being safe at home; we talked with Barbara Rainey, who is so encouraging and just helped us think through, \u201cWhat are the safety features of home?\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tBarbara is founder of Ever Thine Home<sup>\u00ae<\/sup>; and she\u2019s co-founder to FamilyLife<sup>\u00ae<\/sup>, where I work right now. She\u2019s a grandmother to more than <em>20<\/em> grandkids, and she has been a mentor and a friend to me for <em>many<\/em> years. It\u2019s understandable that I would want to have Barbara in to talk about: \u201cWhat does it look like to be safe at home?\u201d Here\u2019s Part Two of my conversation with Barbara Rainey.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t[Previous Interview]\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Michelle:<\/strong> Barbara, last week we were talking about the safety of home during this storm that we\u2019re in\/during this pandemic. Really, 2020 has been this wild storm of so many things!\u2014\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Barbara:<\/strong> Yes.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Michelle:<\/strong> \u2014from cultural issues, to health and sickness, to emotional issues. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tWe talked about how we can start making our home like a refuge\/a safe place\u2014as that embassy, where Christ lives. What is another way that we can be safe at home, where we can make that house, not like the foolish man? I grew up singing that song\u2014\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Barbara:<\/strong> Yes, yes.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Michelle:<\/strong> \u2014\u201cThe wise man built his house upon the Rock.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Barbara:<\/strong> Yes.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Michelle:<\/strong> \u201cThe foolish man built his house on the sand.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Barbara:<\/strong> Yes, the sand.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Michelle:<\/strong> And there were all those little hand actions that were kind of built in.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Barbara:<\/strong> Yes; oh, I remember, because my kids did it, too; yes. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Michelle:<\/strong> How can we build a house that is firm on the Rock and safe from storms?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Barbara:<\/strong> Yes; well, build it on the Rock, for sure! [Laughter] I think the way we do that is that we keep Jesus as our focus as we\u2019re building. You know, it\u2019s so easy to forget that He\u2019s present all the time. For me, it\u2019s easy to get distracted; I try to imagine: \u201cWhat would Jesus want? What would make Him feel comfortable?\u201d I think one of the things that Jesus did, when He walked the earth, is He was comfortable with <em>all<\/em> kinds of people. He was comfortable with the rich; He was comfortable with the tax collectors; He was comfortable with the lepers\u2014He was comfortable with all kinds of people.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI think that, as believers, one of the ways that we can create a safe home is by making our home safe for anybody. When we were raising our kids, one of our goals was to let our kids bring their friends over\u2014let them come over and play in our yard\u2014so we could get to know who their friends were at school and [who] some of the other kids in the neighborhood might have been. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI remember, there was a child, who lived in our neighborhood, who didn\u2019t really have a good home life. His parents weren\u2019t believers as far as we knew. This was a big internal battle, because I wanted to protect my children\u2014\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Michelle:<\/strong> Yes.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Barbara:<\/strong> \u2014I wanted our house to be safe; I wanted our yard to be safe; I wanted my kids to be safe. I didn\u2019t feel like this child was particularly safe: I wasn\u2019t sure what he would say; I wasn\u2019t sure how he would act. I wanted to give them the space to play and be themselves\u2014I wasn\u2019t going to hover and be a helicopter parent\u2014but on the other hand, I didn\u2019t want to ignore them. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tThat was a really interesting season for me, because I did <em>a lot <\/em>of praying about <em>my<\/em> attitude,\u2014 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Michelle:<\/strong> Yes.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Barbara:<\/strong> \u2014about my responses, about what I would say and what I would do; because I knew that, as a family, we represented Christ. I knew that, as a family, we were supposed to love those who were unlovable. I knew that, as a family, we needed to be teaching those things to our kids\u2014those attitudes and actions\u2014because they were going to school and do life for the rest of their lives with people who weren\u2019t like them. I think it\u2019s making your home safe for all kinds of people. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tNow, you have to be careful. You have to have\/I mean, I had boundaries with that child. I didn\u2019t let him come in the house, because of my preschoolers; you have to have boundaries as you do that. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tIt\u2019s thinking a bit beyond your own borders\u2014the boundaries of your house\u2014and being open to what God might want you to do. If your home is an embassy\u2014you mentioned that a minute ago\u2014\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Michelle:<\/strong> Yes.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Barbara:<\/strong> \u2014if your home is an embassy, because you\u2019re an ambassador and Christ is the King of the country you represent, we have to be willing to take a few risks here and there to welcome people, who we might not feel super comfortable with; because Jesus welcomed people in His life that we wouldn\u2019t have felt comfortable with either. He is our model; He is our example. Following Him is a good thing; it\u2019s going, step by step, and creating that place that\u2019s safe for your family but is also safe for other people.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Michelle:<\/strong> I like how you were talking about making things safe for other people. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tWhat happens if there\u2019s a threat that comes through that front door and it has entered your home, whether that\u2019s been a spouse, who can\u2019t deal with the stress at work and has become violent, or a child who has turned rebellious? What do we do to regroup the safe part that is home? How do we do that?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Barbara:<\/strong> Yes; well, it\u2019s very complicated; and it\u2019s also very individual. It really depends on who and what\u2014what\u2019s happening and who the person is. If it\u2019s a spouse, you\u2019re married; and you need to figure out\/get wisdom from someone else on how to manage this situation that you\u2019re currently in, starting with God: \u201cGod, how do I give my husband space\u201d or \u201c\u2026my wife the space to be frustrated and angry because of what\u2019s happening at work, without it impacting everybody else?\u201d That takes a lot of wisdom; it takes a lot of caution, and care, and sensitivity to be able to do that; but I really believe that God will give that, because that home needs to be safe for everybody, no matter what you\u2019re going through.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tWe went through a season of really hard trials with one of our kids, and one of our kids was not safe for me or for the siblings who were still at home. This child was safer for my husband, just because I think men are stronger and present a different kind of force\/a different kind of image than moms and wives do.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Michelle:<\/strong> Yes.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Barbara:<\/strong> You know, we lived day by day, which is what God calls us to do anyway; but in that season, we <em>really<\/em> lived day by day, because we weren\u2019t quite sure what each day was going to bring with this child when this one was going through that really hard season. We made some decisions that were <em>hard<\/em> decisions about distance\/creating distance, creating safe spaces, creating new kinds of boundaries that we didn\u2019t have to have before that protected those who were not in the hard place. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tIt\u2019s hard to be specific.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Michelle:<\/strong> Yes.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Barbara:<\/strong> Yet I think that this is, again, the beauty and the wonder of God is that He, along with wise counselors that we can talk to here, gives us the way forward. He gives us wisdom; He gives us guidance. His Holy Spirit will help us say the right thing\/do the right thing to create that safety at home when it\u2019s being invaded.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Michelle:<\/strong> But I\u2019m wondering, when you were talking about the neighborhood child, you were talking about how you had to lean into God and pray, and pray, and pray.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Barbara:<\/strong> Yes, yes.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Michelle:<\/strong> I\u2019m sure, with this event that you were just <em>now<\/em> talking about, you had to pray, and pray, and pray.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Barbara:<\/strong> Yes.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Michelle:<\/strong> Help us understand what that looks like. I mean, when you talk about praying without ceasing\u2014\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Barbara:<\/strong> Yes.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Michelle:<\/strong> \u2014it\u2019s exhausting! [Laughter]\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tFor a person, like me, who is just a little bit sinful, it\u2019s like, \u201cHey, God, are You <em>not<\/em> hearing me?\u201d\u2014I mean, when you\u2019re praying, and praying, and praying. How do you do that?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Barbara:<\/strong> I\u2019ve learned so much about it, like a kindergartner; but I think God knows that those kinds of circumstances and situations in our lives force us to pray at a level that we wouldn\u2019t pray otherwise. I mean, when life is going great, who needs God?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Michelle:<\/strong> Yes.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Barbara:<\/strong> Honestly, really. It\u2019s knowing who God is and knowing Him as much as you can. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tYou mentioned the man who built his house on the rock\/that parable. That man, who built his house on the rock, didn\u2019t build his house in the middle of the storm. It was already built; he built it on a sunny day\u2014he cracked that foundation and built it on a sunny day\u2014so he was established in that secure place before the storm came. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI think God expects that of us, too\/wants that of us, too\u2014that we would grow in Him\/that we would establish our foundation\u2014our personal soul\/heart foundation\u2014in Him before the storms come. The storms will come! It\u2019s just a matter of when. And they will come repeatedly. That\u2019s the thing that I didn\u2019t understand for a long time. I thought, \u201cYes, there will be a few storms,\u201d but they just keep coming in life. God wants us to dig down deep and keep digging down deep. Even when the storm is raging outside, keep digging down deep to find that safety in Him and Him alone.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t[Studio]\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Michelle:<\/strong> Don\u2019t you feel like you\u2019re part of a spiritual therapy session or something like that?\u2014just a reminder that we need to make our home safe. The only way we can do that is if it\u2019s built on the Rock.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tHey, we need to take a quick break; but when we come back, we\u2019re going to continue talking about home and how to be thankful in that home. Stay tuned. We\u2019ll be right back.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t[Radio Station Spot Break]\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tMichelle:\u00a0Welcome back to\u00a0FamilyLife This Week. I'm Michelle Hill. We are talking with Barbara Rainey. We\u2019re talking about being safe at home and safe in God\u2019s arms\u2014that, sometimes, can be a little elusive. Here\u2019s the last part of my conversation with Barbara Rainey.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t[Previous Interview]\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Michelle:<\/strong> So Barbara, as we\u2019ve been talking about safety aspects, we\u2019ve talked about that storm and what our house should look like. I\u2019m just thinking about when storms hit, and a pretty big storm hit me this summer. A dear older, wiser woman, who would listen on the phone as I would just be sobbing and crying, would say, \u201cOkay, you can continue crying; but you have to praise Him in this storm. You have to <em>thank<\/em> Him for what you have <em>now<\/em>.\u201d Those words were gold, and I have tried so hard to continue doing that\u2014\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Barbara:<\/strong> Yes.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Michelle:<\/strong> \u2014but that is so hard! Coach us: \u201cHow do we continue to thank Him and praise Him when life just seems to be so chaotic when hurricanes hit and when pandemics hit?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Barbara:<\/strong> Yes.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Michelle:<\/strong> \u201cHow do we continue to do that?\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Barbara:<\/strong> Well, I think we stumble and fall, and we get up and try again; because it is developing a habit. Just like any other habit that we try to develop in our lives, we fail more than we actually succeed, whether it\u2019s a diet, or an exercise routine, or a study habit\u2014whatever! You know, only the most disciplined can keep those things going forever and ever. Most of us try for a while, and then we fail. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI just think giving thanks in all things\u20141 Thessalonians 5:18: \u201cGive thanks in all things, for this is God\u2019s will for you,\u201d\u2014is such a good reminder in the middle of 2020. Well, we\u2019re not in the middle of 2020 anymore; we\u2019re nearing the end of 2020, but we may still be in the middle of the <em>trials<\/em> of 2020\u2014\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Michelle:<\/strong> Right!\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Barbara:<\/strong> \u2014right? \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Michelle:<\/strong> That\u2019s right.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Barbara:<\/strong> We don\u2019t know when the difficulties of 2020 are going to end; so I think it\u2019s practicing what we know to be true, and allowing the Holy Spirit to remind us, \u201cI want you to give thanks,\u201d and then doing it! I\u2019ve been trying to do that a lot this year: \u201cThank You, Lord, for the pandemic. Thank You that You\u2019ve forced us to be home. Thank You that You are working, and orchestrating, and doing things that I may never see and know, but I know that you are, and I thank You for that.\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI just think thanksgiving\/gratitude is a real heart recalibration; we kind of don\u2019t like to do it. I think that\u2019s part of the reason we don\u2019t do it; because we\u2019d rather feel sorry for ourselves, or we\u2019d rather focus on how hard life is, and how unfair this is, and how unwanted this is\u2014we long for what once was!\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Michelle:<\/strong> Yes.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Barbara:<\/strong> I mean, I remember in the early days of the quarantine\u2014in March, and April, and as we moved into May\u2014I had this longing for \u201cthe good ol\u2019 days.\u201d [Laughter] It was like, \u201cWhy would I want to go back to that?\u201d I mean, there were a lot of things that were bad about life before March 15; there were a lot of things that weren\u2019t good!\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Michelle:<\/strong> Yes.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Barbara:<\/strong> I knew in my heart I didn\u2019t really want to go back, because I knew that all of this is being orchestrated by God; I knew that God was bigger than all of this. I really wanted what He was going to bring us\u2014what He was going to bring me\/what He was going to do in my heart\u2014but my flesh, I guess is what it was\u2014the part of me that wants life to be easy wanted to go back to the way things were. I think, just in our humanity, we want it to be easy\/what we <em>knew<\/em> was easy. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tIt\u2019s like the Israelites wanting to go back to slavery in Egypt.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Michelle:<\/strong> Right; I was just thinking about that.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Barbara:<\/strong> I mean\u2014\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Michelle:<\/strong> How they painted that <em>beautiful <\/em>picture: \u201cIf only You had left us\u2026\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Barbara:<\/strong> \u201cIf only\u201d\u2014yes\u2014\u201cIf we could go back, it would be <em>so much<\/em> better than this.\u201d And God, in His\/as a parent\u2014I love thinking about God as my parent\/as my Father\u2014because I know He knows what\u2019s best for me. He\u2019s looking at us, going, \u201cYes, you just <em>think <\/em>you want to go back. Just wait! Just wait; what I have is better.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI think giving thanks and practicing gratitude is really one of the very <em>best <\/em>things we can do in the middle of hard times, because it reminds us\/it kind of recalibrates our thinking, and it puts our eyes back on Who is in control.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Michelle:<\/strong> Yes.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Barbara:<\/strong> I think part of our panic in wanting to go back to Egypt\u2014wanting to go back to 2019\u2014is we\u2019re looking for that comfort and that stability that we think that represents.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Michelle:<\/strong> Yes, we thought we had.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Barbara:<\/strong> We thought we had it.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Michelle:<\/strong> Yes.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Barbara:<\/strong> But it\u2019s been so good for me to realize, in these months of 2020, that God is wanting me to put all of my hope in Him and not in anything else. Without even realizing it, I put my hope in other things: in my freedom to get up and go when I want to go, without having to wear a mask\u2014you know, that was really comfortable for me. I think I had more of my hope for my happiness in that than I ever realized. When it\u2019s taken away, it\u2019s like, \u201cOh! Yes, God, You know what You\u2019re doing.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Michelle:<\/strong> Yes, but that\u2019s <em>so<\/em> hard.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Barbara:<\/strong> It\u2019s <em>so <\/em>hard!\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Michelle:<\/strong> It\u2019s so hard to get there.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Barbara:<\/strong> It <em>is<\/em> so hard to get there.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Michelle:<\/strong> I know I\u2019m not alone in this, although at times I\u2019m like, \u201cI am such the immature Christian! I\u2019m such the immature child of God\u201d; because my knee-jerk reaction is, \u201cBut God!!!\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Barbara:<\/strong> Yes.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Michelle:<\/strong> Like a little four-year-old, I stomp my foot.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Barbara:<\/strong> Yes, yes.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Michelle:<\/strong> I stomp my foot and say, \u201cBut this is <em>not<\/em> fair! I don\u2019t like this.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Barbara:<\/strong> Yes.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Michelle:<\/strong> How would you help your children understand, as they were heading through some of these temper tantrums, and even into the teens, \u201cThanksgiving and gratitude to God is better than what you\u2019re doing right now\u201d?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Barbara:<\/strong> Yes. I think the best way to do it is to model it for them and to help them. Take their hand, whether it\u2019s a little hand or a big hand, and say, \u201cWe\u2019re going to give thanks; we\u2019re going to give thanks right now for this.\u201d I didn\u2019t always do it; I didn\u2019t always do it right or well. But the overarching message, I think, to our kids was, \u201cGod is in control. He knows what He\u2019s doing; we\u2019re going to trust Him\u2014\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Michelle:<\/strong> Yes.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Barbara:<\/strong> \u2014\u201cno matter what.\u201d We practiced giving thanks as often as we remembered to do it. I think that set a tone in their lives that they know that, \u201cI\u2019m not in control. <em>Nobody<\/em> I know is in control, but God is.\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tWhen we say, \u201cThank You, God,\u201d and when we express gratitude to Him for circumstances that aren\u2019t what we would have chosen\/that aren\u2019t what we would have liked necessarily, it just reminds us that He is God; and we are not. It\u2019s <em>such<\/em> a good place to be.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Michelle:<\/strong> Yes.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Barbara:<\/strong> And it does bring that exhale; it does bring that peace and that sense of safety when we surrender to Him again. It\u2019s another Romans 12:1-2 moment to say, \u201cHere I am; my life is Yours. I\u2019ll put myself back on the altar; I\u2019ll surrender to You. I don\u2019t want to be conformed to the world. I want to be conformed to Your image.\u201d That\u2019s a safe place to be; it\u2019s a really safe place to be, surrendering to Him and saying, \u201cChange me.\u201d I\u2019ve been saying that a whole lot this year!\u2014\u201cOh, God, please change me. Transform my heart; make me more like You.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Michelle:<\/strong> I\u2019m just thinking of home. In your creative spirit, and in your imagination, what does a perfect home in heaven look like?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Barbara:<\/strong> My first response was, \u201cI don\u2019t have any idea.\u201d But I will say it this way: God knows me so well\/He knows you so well, that the home that He has planned for me is going to be either a place that I can fully express who I am or a place that\u2019s already like I <em>always<\/em> wished it would be. I don\u2019t even know what that is, because that changes. [Laughter]\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Michelle:<\/strong> Yes.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Barbara:<\/strong> I just know that I find a lot of comfort, and excitement, and anticipation in John, where Jesus said, \u201cI go to prepare a place for you, that where I am, you may be also.\u201d I really don\u2019t have any idea what that\u2019s going to look like. I know what Revelation tells us about the sapphire streets and the gates of pearl, and all of those things; that\u2019s going to be amazing and beautiful, because how could it not be!? I think we need to be talking about this more.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tAnd 2020, I think, is a good reminder to us that this earth is not our place; it\u2019s not our home. We know that!\u2014I\u2019ve known that forever\u2014but I live as if it is. I\u2019m way too rooted to this place. I think the pandemic, I think the racial discord, I think the riots, I think the election drama\u2014I think all of these things that are unsettling us\/all these things that feel like the storm winds\u2014and they are\u2014are just preparing us\/preparing our hearts to let go of this place and to build anticipation for what will yet be. That\u2019s a <em>really<\/em> good place for God\u2019s people to be. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tHe wants us to be excited! I mean, it says in Scripture that He wants us to anticipate His return\u2014to be watching and waiting\u2014sort of on our tiptoes like kids getting ready to come downstairs for Christmas morning. He wants us to live on our tiptoes, eagerly looking ahead to: \u201cWhen is He coming?\u201d \u201cWhat\u2019s it going to be like?!\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tIt\u2019s too easy to get sucked into this earthly place and to get comfortable here. Really, it\u2019s one of the things I\u2019m grateful for, in this upheaval that is 2020; is that it has helped me to not be so comfortable here. It\u2019s helped me turn my eyes more to what lies ahead and to what God has for us in the future. It could be tomorrow; it could be a long time; but it will come!\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Michelle:<\/strong> Yes.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Barbara:<\/strong> Even if it\u2019s longer than we want it to be, it will come. It will happen, and it will be worth the wait.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Michelle:<\/strong> And it will be beyond our imagination.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Barbara:<\/strong> \u2014beyond imagination\u2014yes; exactly. It\u2019s fun to imagine what \u201cbeyond our imagination\u201d could be.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Michelle:<\/strong> Thank you, Barbara, for your time.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Barbara:<\/strong> Yes.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Michelle:<\/strong> This has been so much fun and such a delight.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Barbara:<\/strong> Well, it\u2019s been fun; and this is cozy. I hope I get to come back, because this has been great.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Michelle:<\/strong> You will!\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t[Studio]\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Michelle:<\/strong> Such an encouraging and uplifting conversation with Barbara Rainey. I hope that your spirit has been uplifted; I hope that you\u2019re feeling just a little bit lighter. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tHey, I just want to remind you that last week was Part One of my conversation with Barbara. We have that conversation on our website. Go to FamilyLifeThisWeek.com; that\u2019s FamilyLifeThisWeek.com. Also, there is the article which started Barbara and my whole conversation about being safe at home; that is, her \u201cThree Ways for Having a Safe Home.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tWe are getting close to Thanksgiving time. I don\u2019t know about you, but there\u2019s just a little anxiety for conversations that are going to be around that table. You know what I mean, right? Everyone has their own opinion about stuff, and the world has gone crazy. <em>Everyone<\/em> has an opinion!\u2014\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Keith:<\/strong> Even me!\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Michelle:<\/strong> Even Keith.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Keith: <\/strong>That\u2019s right.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Michelle:<\/strong> \u2014in case you didn\u2019t realize that.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tWell, we are going to talk with Darrell Harrison next week. He is going to coach us through how to have a civil discourse around that Thanksgiving table: how to love our family members well and how to have a conversation that is enlightening, encouraging, and might even put a smile on your face. I hope you can join us for that. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tThanks for listening. I want to thank the president of FamilyLife<sup>\u00ae<\/sup>, David Robbins, along with our station partners around the country. And a big \u201cThank you!\u201d to our engineer today, Keith Lynch. Thanks to our producer, Marques Holt. Justin Adams is our mastering engineer, and Megan Martin is our production coordinator.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tOur program is a production of <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em>, and our mission is to effectively develop godly families who change the world one home at a time.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI'm Michelle Hill, inviting you to join us again next time for another edition of <em>FamilyLife This Week.<\/em>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tWe are so happy to provide these transcripts to you. However, there is a cost to produce them for our website. If you\u2019ve benefited from the broadcast transcripts, would you consider <a href=\"about:blank\">donating today<\/a> to help defray the costs?\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tCopyright <sup>\u00a9<\/sup> 2020 FamilyLife. 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