Sonya Contreras - Let Her Hear

Let Her Hear

Let Her Hear

Parables from a Mom

C opyright 2017 by Sonya Contreras

All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without the written permission of the publisher, except where permitted by law.

All Scripture quotations are taken from Holy Bible, New International Version. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Bible Publishers.

Published by Bull Head Press

Squaw Valley, California

Paperback ISBN:978-0-9907237-4-5

eBook ISBN: 978-0-9907237-6-9

Library of Congress Control Number 2016918927

Cover Design by Wendy_graphics at Fiverr

Formatting by Joseph Contreras, Jr.

Typeface: Felix Titling, Bell MT, and Constantia

Printed in the United States of America.

He who has ears to hear, let him hear. Mark 4:9, 23

Dear Reader,

It is a common trend to read devotionals: a quick five-minute glance at the Scriptures so we can hang onto something throughout our day.

We do well to look to the Scriptures for that glimpse, but God wants more from us. He wants our hearts all day, not just for five minutes.

These parables do not substitute careful study of the Word. They give a starting point to focus on where God wants you to be all day, a help to see Him even while doing the mundane, routine, necessary, mom things in life. They remind us of the heavenly realm thats part of the earthly walk.

Parable literally means cast alongside something else.

Jesuss parables were stories cast alongside an earthly event to illustrate a truth. He united earthly things with heavenly meanings to illustrate truth.

When the Jewish leaders rejected Him, Jesus turned exclusively to parables. When His disciples asked why, He responded, He who has ears to hear, let him hear (Mark 4:9, 23).

Jesus told parables for those who sought Gods truth.

Some only heard the story.

But others, seeking Gods truth, had ears that heard.

My parables, too, may be read by many as just stories. But to those moms struggling to find that glimpse of the heavenly realm through their hectic, demanding, earthly lives, let her hear truths of what one mom has heard from her Savior.

Sonya Contreras

These parables have been taken from articles previously written for my website and made into book form.

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C hrist came as God-man to die. Why?

For us.

Why must someone die for us? Because we could never satisfy a holy Gods requirement of perfection. We sinned. (All of us.) We fall short of what God wants, so He sent His Son to die, a substitute for us, so that Gods holiness could be satisfied.

He died for all of us, but that doesnt automatically make us acceptable in His presence. We must accept His Work in our lives: allow Christs blood to cleanse away our wrong. His requirements will then be satisfied.

All who have never accepted Jesuss gift remain sinners, doomed for judgment until they take Gods offering of Christs death for their sins, and acknowledge Him as Lord and Savior of their life.

Fancy prayers are not what He wants. Simply tell Him youve sinned. You fall short of His holiness. But recognize His Son paid for all sins on the cross when He died. Ask for His blood to clean you from all your sin. Thank Him.

Its a gift. Its a gift more precious than any other anyone could ever receive, but it must be accepted for it to be yours.

Knowing about Jesus is not knowing Him. Do not be like the demons who know about Jesus and tremble. Know Him and be His.

W hy do you get up in the morning? Do you love your job? Do you thrive with the challenges of the day?

I can sympathize with a friend who once told me, I get up to let my dogs out. Thats it.

The boys had finished with school, the sun was calling us to go outside. We got our gloves (we have stinging nettle all through our garden) and went to the garden. One look told me we could be there until nightfall and still not make a dent in the weeds. Why bother? We all put in an hour of weeding (thats all I could do), and called it a day.

But the thought kept growing in my mind, Why care? I certainly didnt, or I would have been more disciplined and stayed longer to make the garden look better.

Sometimes I look at my house with the same attitude. Why bother? Its a mess. Ill just shut the door and not use that closet. Ill go to another room and not see the dirty dishes. Ill just...How far can I go before the mess catches me and hits me in the face?

Why care? The answer must be better than to get up for my kids and my husband...because sometimes getting up to listen to one more page of c-a-t, cat, d-o-g, dog is not enough.

I recently read the book Story Craft by John R. Erickson (better known as the author of Hank, the Cow Dog).

He states that authors have a responsibility to write books of beauty because we are made in the image of God and we are to reflect His beauty.

As the saying goes, God doesnt make junk.

Guess that means we shouldnt be satisfied with ugly, either.

Or my messy house.

Or my weedy garden.

In the daily routine of growing children, my house was commonly messy.

I understand the Proverb without the oxen the manger is empty. When you use big animals, youre going to have big messes to clean, but by using them, you do more work.

Or when I do remodeling or painting, the mess is bigger be-fore it gets better. Thats to be expected.

Now as my little children have somehow gotten bigger than me, I must re-evaluate what is essential for my time and efforts. The boys clean the house. We are down to only two at home during the day. Its amazing how the dirt level has gone down (exponentially). So I dont enforce cleaning some things every day anymore. But that makes it easier to get sloppy in enforcing any clean. (Is that why babies of the family tend to be less disciplined? Their mothers have lost all their energy!)

But one hour of weeding with only three people is not as effective as with five people. We still make progress, but I find myself wondering, do we need this big garden?

Why care?

Some days I feel like I just slop together a meal. Its gone in 15 minutes anyway. So does it matter?

My motivation goes back to what Erickson said, being made in Gods image and reflecting His beauty. Isnt that why we notice the beauty of a flower? Or the ugliness of ... my closet?

We, as moms, are made to make our homes reflect our GodHis order, beauty, and cleanness. We reflect Him.

Im inspired when I shop with my sister at stores she likes. They reflect calmness, creativity, peace. I like to go to her house where she has tastefully decorated things. Its like going to an expensive hotel, only feeling at home.

Why care?

Because you can create that feeling of peace, calmness, and beauty in your home, too.

It must first start inside, where the attitude says, I do care, because God made me to be like Him.